A Glibertarians Exclusive: Shadow, Part III
One year later
The human kitten was wailing again.
Shadow was annoyed. Not only was it the middle of the day, her preferred napping time, but the kitten once again had distracted the Woman, who up until a moment ago had been gently petting Shadow as she lay next to it on the big human pillow.
The Woman got up and left. Shadow jumped down off the big pillow and went over to her smaller one, which was colder now as the Man had apparently lost interest in keeping the fire going. The pudgy, noisy, helpless human kitten took up too much of their attention. They were clearly only thinking of themselves – selfish creatures!
Shadow was disappointed in her pets, but not terribly surprised. She had never really trusted them in any case.
Shadow only really trusted herself.
One night, the Man forgot again to place the stick across the section of wall that opened to the outside. As this happened after a long day during which Shadow’s pets mostly ignored her, she made to go outside after the Man and the Woman had taken their kitten and gone into their sleeping room.
Where go? Dog met her at the panel, looking stupidly inquisitive.
Out, Shadow told the beast. Dog made no move to stop her, so she pushed open the panel and left.
Outside it was a pleasant night, at least. The sky was clear, the great nighttime light shone brightly, and there was no wind. Shadow did not sense Ginger or any other of Cat around, so she walked away from the human dwelling towards the woods, her tail waving pleasantly in the air. It was chilly, but Shadow had her thick pelt of glossy black fur to keep her warm.
She did not stop in the clearing where the braggart Toms had sung their deceitful song of freedom. She went on up, away from the place where the humans had their homes, into the wooded hills above.
This is good, she said, as she walked through the forest. She could hear rustlings all around. There were small animals in the leaves on the forest floor. Shadow had caught mice in the humans’ house; the humans did not like mice and capturing and eating them was a boon she deigned to extend to her pets.
But now she realized that the Woman would not be feeding her in return, as long as she stayed here in the hills. So, she stalked, and after several unsuccessful attempts she managed to catch a mouse. It was not like the mice from the human dwelling, being brown and white instead of gray, and it even smelled cleaner. She ate the mouse and found she enjoyed it.
Shadow found a thick patch of brush, crawled in, and spent the balance of the night there, sleeping peacefully, with no squalling human kitten to interrupt her slumber. This, she told herself, this is good. I will stay here, in this forest. I am Cat, after all. All places are alike to me.
The next night she found a hollow log that was the perfect size to shelter her when she slept. She explored the area thoroughly each night as she hunted. There were mice and low-nesting birds to eat. A clear stream sparkled over round rocks nearby, so she had clean water. Here and there she smelled the acrid scent-marking of a Tom, but otherwise saw no others of Cat in the forest.
It was a good place. Shadow was pleased, even after the loss of her pets, as she had chosen this place for herself. She relied on no other creature now, which was good, as in the nature of Cat, she did not trust any other creature.
Shadow only really trusted herself. Now, in the forest, she found that trust rewarded.
Came the time of year when the leaves dried and fell from the trees, and then the white flakes fell from the sky and left the cold white blanket covered the earth, but Shadow’s fur grew thick and luxuriant, and she slept snug in the hollow log. There were always mice and other small creatures and tracking them through the white blanket was easy. Shadow fed well. Outside it was cold, but Shadow slept warm in the small space afforded by her hollow log.
One morning a strange creature appeared at the opening of the hollow log. Shadow was awake but still curled up, enjoying the warmth her body generated in the small space, when the creature poked its head in. It was an odd-looking beast, black with white stripes leading from its head down its back to its tail, which was a brush of white and black. A foul odor preceded it.
Shadow bared her teeth and hissed. Stay away, the hiss conveyed. You smell bad. See how sharp my teeth are? She extended a front paw, claws flexed. These can scratch out your eyes. Go away!
The creature left. Shadow did not see it again, although she smelled it for several days.
In due course the weather warmed as spring came, then early summer. Shadow took to sunning herself on top of her hollow log in the afternoons, and as happened that time of year, her season came. The big Tom she had sensed showed up in response to her calls. Shadow normally had no time for Toms, but as she was in her season and receptive, she found this one handsome. His head was large and rounded, his brown and tan striped fur well groomed. They mated, and sometime after he left, as summer was in full bloom, Shadow delivered four kittens, in the comfort of her hollow log.
The kittens were growing rapidly. Their eyes were open, and they were starting to explore the confines of the hollow log when disaster struck.
Early morning, and Shadow had just returned from a nighttime hunt. She had brought a mouse for the kittens; they were still dependent on Shadow’s milk but were old enough to start getting the feel of prey.
Shadow’s ears perked up. Something big was out there, outside the hollow log, and it was moving closer. She smelled the air. Whatever it was, it had something of the sour smell of Dog, but somehow thicker, stronger.
The hollow log suddenly rolled. Huge claws were tearing it open. Shadow glimpsed the creature in the first pale light of morning. It looked something like Dog but larger, heavier, and vastly stronger. It was black, with a tan face, and impossibly huge.
It exposed the hollow log, opening the nest of soft grasses and her own fur that Shadow had made for the kittens. The kittens looked up at the monster, curious.
The beast bared teeth: Huge, yellow, carnivorous.
Shadow knew she could not fend off this predator. Ignoring Shadow’s hisses, the beast grabbed a kitten, crunched it, swallowed.
There, close by, was the largest of the kittens. It was a female, healthy, strong, with a coat of mixed black, white, and orange. Shadow had a concept for this kitten in her head; if there was a human word that could begin to capture that concept, it would be Calico.
She grabbed Calico by the scruff of the neck and fled. Behind her, she could hear the monster tearing apart the nest and devouring the rest of her young.
Shadow ran through the woods. When she came to a tiny brook, she stopped for a moment, so she and Calico could drink. Then she picked up Calico again and ran on. When night came, they hid in an abandoned burrow under a rotten stump; it smelled faintly of the black-and-white beast she had seen before but the smell was old and barely tolerable.
The next day, they came across a human dwelling, a small one, deep in the forest. There was a Woman working outside, doing something with plants growing in rows in the black dirt. A Man walked around the side of the dwelling, said something to the Woman, then went into a smaller construct to one side. Enough, Shadow decided. If I can make these humans my new pets, we will be better off.
She watched the humans for a few moments. Both had white hair. Their scent revealed that they were elderly, but healthy and strong. Their voices were not like the pets Shadow had abandoned; theirs were softer, quieter, gentler.
Shadow finally picked Calico up, went to where the Woman kneeled on the dirt, set the kitten down and called softly.
The Woman looked up. Its eyes opened wide. It called out something, and the Man came. Both made soft, sympathetic noises. The Woman gently picked Calico up and started towards the dwelling. The Man walked beside it. It looked at Shadow, said something in his quiet voice, and, surprisingly, made a motion with its big, awkward paws that she understood: Come with me.
Inside the dwelling, there was a faint smell of Cat, but old. The Woman held Calico while the Man looked in some enclosure on one wall and brought out a pillow. Shadow could smell Cat on the pillow, faintly. It placed the pillow on the floor near a big black device that radiated warmth. Again, it motioned: Lay down.
Shadow laid on the pillow. The Woman placed Calico beside her. The Man opened a container that gave off a delicious smell, placed food on a plate, put it next to Shadow’s pillow.
Thus, Shadow and Calico found a new home and new pets. While Shadow knew that she was Cat and that all places were alike to her, she found she preferred this place to most others. But sometimes, in the night, Shadow slipped out into the dark woods and hunted, teaching Calico the things she needed to know, how to be Cat.
It was a good home, for the time being, and a good end to her journey.
But Shadow didn’t really trust her new pets.
Shadow only really trusted herself.
***
Trust yourself
And you won’t be disappointed when vain people let you down
Trust yourself
And look not for answers where no answers can be found
Don’t trust me to show you love
When my love may be only lust
If you want somebody you can trust, trust yourself.
You, you got to trust yourself …
Good stuff. I liked it.
Poor kitties…
Agreed. Wolf trumps Shadow, unfortunately for the other kits.
Aww, poor kittah’s.
Great stuff, Animal.
Wow.
Excellent chapter, Animal.
It was an odd-looking beast, black with white stripes leading from its head down its back to its tail, which was a brush of white and black. A foul odor preceded it.
Ahh.. the stinky kitty.
Thus, Shadow and Calico found a new home and new pets. While Shadow knew that she was Cat and that all places were alike to her, she found she preferred this place to most others. But sometimes, in the night, Shadow slipped out into the dark woods and hunted, teaching Calico the things she needed to know, how to be Cat.
🙂
Pepé Le Pew.
Charles Boyer.
Shadow is lucky she didn’t get raped.
THERE NO SUCH THING AS SKUNK SMITH!
Yeah, that was my first thought as well. Doesn’t help that the Cat who decided I would be her new pet in the grocery store parking lot almost a year back is a tuxedo with a long white blob in the center of her back… my wife always jokes if she gets out, we’ll have a French skunk nosing about.
Pepe Le Pew!
That’s the frog with all the guns, right?
/Deliberately ignoring the real reference
No, that’s Pepe’s grandson — Pepe Le PewPewPew!
Nature, red in tooth and claw, great tale Animal!
Well written, thanks for sharing.
Sophie’sShadow’s Choice. 😿Sophie turned out to be a boy,
True story
That made me sad too. Nature is brutal.
I’ve been getting inn to cat psychology lately since adopting a kitten into a household that already had a 2 year old cat.
I honestly believed 2yo wanted a companion, so I got a 2.5 month old male so he wouldn’t be a threat. Since then, kitten has doubled in size and has relentlessly pursued big kitty to wrestle and attack.
Kitten means it in fun, but he bites hard and plays too rough. I know I’m supposed to let them settle it themselves, but sometimes I separate them.
I don’t know how to cat.
You need to let them sort it out. Kittens don’t have a bite gauge and have to learn how to moderate it, mostly by being smacked around by another cat. That’s why cats that are raised without siblings tend to bite too hard and cause ER visits.
Our two toms get along but tussle daily. The later-adopted one we took in off the street – the suspected Norwegian Forest Cat – is much larger than Little Black Cat. We usually let them work it out, but if The Big Guy gets carried away and LBC sounds as if he’s really in distress, we pull out the “God bottle,” just a spray bottle of water. (Disclaimer: some cat behaviorists don’t like these.) Now it’s usually enough just to show Big Guy the bottle – he does NOT like getting squirted!
Little Black Cat is smarter and sneakier and has been known to get his licks in when BG is trying to turn around in the covered litter box.
We brought a 10 week old kitten into our house with a 10-13 yo female, and 8 yo male. Kitten recently was released from quarantine (my closet and bathroom) and is now learning the ropes. Female just hisses and runs away as she did when the 8yo male came to live here and now he makes her life miserable from time to time, male will engage and play, but not long and I’m not sure he is “playing.” Guess he has to learn the hierarchy of the house cat in some way, but it is fun watching them try to figure it out. I have a feeling the 8 yo male will be buds with him as long as no one looses an eye.
That’s similar to the play/power structure we’ve got with two 8-9 year old male / female and the recent parking lot rescue teenager (1 year now at a guesstimate).
The older female hissed at the youngster much longer, and now mostly ignores her — though she’ll be surprise pounced sometimes anyway. The male quickly realized “She’ll actually play with me!” and they’re pretty much pals. Even tend to hang out in the heated kitty bed together more.
And I’m just glad time or something else has finally convinced the youngest that “Pounce the human’s face with all pointy bits out!” is *NOT* an appreciated game.
Sean, Tundra, whoever else:
Aside from the addictive, Green Chile version, are there other good Duke’s varieties?
https://www.dukesmeats.com/smoked-shorty-sausages
I get these at Coscto.
$11.89 for the 16 oz bag. I like the taste a lot.
NOM NOM.
Might have to order some.
I have yet to be able to stop at just one with the hatch green chile version.
Danke.
Moi aussi. Unfortunately, they do add sugar, so I try to minimize intake – because I’m incapable of stopping at one.
For two links:
Added Sugars
< 1 g
I can live with that.
I only get the hatch chili.
I can’t get these at my local store, but I will be eating them along with all of the foods of TX next week.
https://www.amazon.com/Hatch-Green-Tortilla-Central-Market/dp/B00HQK6IXU
Hatch season at HEB is oje of my favorite times. Hatch chili bacon, the hatch chili pan sausage, and the hatch mac and cheese are some stand outs.
You coming to visit the lone star state?
Daily Quordle 252
6️⃣7️⃣
4️⃣5️⃣
Feeling a little hungover. Staying in bed today.
I never learn.
Sucks. Electrolytes are your friends!
And also it’s what plants crave.
If you wanted to get some organized violence against homosexuals up and running, you could hardly do worse than this.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-trans-group-behind-virginia-school-walkout-plans-to-rehome-gay-kids-who-hate-their-parents
There’s not many lines left for them to cross.
*sigh*
“Please note that this adult will likely be white.”
“…and once word gets out and we get more volunteers, also a pedophile.”
These people are out of their damn minds. They feel absolutely invulnerable and morally unassailable.
They feel absolutely invulnerable and morally unassailable.
Are they wrong about being invulnerable? Those who would fight them, by ballot box or cartridge box, are choosing to withdraw outside of blue strongholds.
As for being morally unassailable, I recall reading that Swedish women are not reporting rapes by immigrants because it would appear xenophobic. Never mind the UK government aiding and abiding Middle Eastern organized pedo rings. Or the judge in Denmark that let Mohammed free after raping a young boy at the public pool because raping children is part of his culture. This is nothing compared to that.
Or they stay in their blue area, put their kids in private schools, and continue voting blue.
This is nothing compared to that.
Not to belittle this. I guess pointing out that, once again, Europe leads the way for the American Left.
Please note that this adult will likely be white.
Because that’s the problem here.
This has got to be 6 ways of illegal.
…garnered glowing headlines September 27 when it organized 12,000 high schoolers to walk out of class…
It is incredibly difficult to convince kids to skip class. It is known.
I would be surprised if teachers weren’t aiding abetting those walkouts either.
The people running this walkout even even recently admitted that nobody really cared what it is was about and just wanted out of school.
I would have walked out and gone home.
I’ve adopted three kids, one of them older. I have friends who have adopted older kids that have psychological issues. These groomers may have themselves convinced they’re being heroes to these kids, but all those psych issues are going to go unchecked and get worse. This will not end well for anyone.
“Please note that this adult will likely be white.”
You. Don’t. Fucking. Say.
October 3 and state
forestryfuckup dept has not only failed to end fire season, they’re putting the fire level at moderate. The conditions absolutely do not rise above low, which is what a neighboring district is at. Meanwhile burn season begins Oct 1. This a continuing fuck you from out of control agency that has stealth banned bbqs. And there’s no recourse.Wait, BBQ?!?
How the fuck do they enforce that?
No open flames. Until recently cooking and warming fires were not regulated. But they’ve gotten afraid of their or shadow after coming close to burning down the state capital.
Gas stoves are still allowed.
As for enforcement, probably snitches. Or coming actoss it during fire patrols.
Wouldn’t surprise me if they extended the automated surveillance for wildfire starts.
Being a teenager is hard work. So many temptations, so little experience.
Even Shadow succumbed and learned that staying with the newly adopted parents yielded a way better life than being homeless with a baby.
Enjoying your stories, Animal
So was the big dog smelling creature a coyote or a wolf? I was hoping that Shadow would have met a Bobcat or Puma.
By the way Animal how are Shadow and the Calico doing, do they like life in the wood of Alaska?
I was assuming coyote – the description of great size threw me a bit at first, but then I realized that Dog must be fairly small if it’s going out the doggie door.
That was my assumption as well. Our narrator has limited experience.
It’s a black bear.
And, I couldn’t say. I like cats well enough, just not in my house.
Ah, I thought “bear” but “carnivorous” threw me off. I think of them as omnivores / largely herbivores (but I’m a city mouse, so what do I know?).
I just assumed Wolf from the “looked something like Dog but bigger”… I mean, yeah — it could have been a Coyote, but Wolf just leaped to mind.
But of course it was Da Bears causing trouble… Animal is Ditka. 😉
Yeah, it’s not easy describing something from an animal’s point of view. Bears are part of the order Carnivora, sharing that with canids (and felids) and they are closely related to wolves and dogs, sharing a common ancestor in the Oligocene, if memory serves.
So I was shooting for something that was big, smelled somewhat doglike, and from a cat’s perspective, really frightening.
Cat’s… Sane human’s…. kayak’s…
Fuck yo’ kayak!
(if you were kayak camping on some island, that would indeed suck)
OT but https://townhall.com/tipsheet/juliorosas/2022/10/03/wisconsin-christmas-parade-attackers-trial-is-off-to-a-wild-start-n2613889 is interesting. He’s defending himself (I guess if the SUV can steer itself) and throwing around “Sovereign Citizen” like crazy.
Even odds the blue checked Twitter brigade will call him a Libertarian soon and blame it as a philosophy.
I’m disappointed there doesn’t appear to be a Rekieta livestream of the trial.
He’s obviously been listening to too much Dave Smith.
One count of battery – domestic abuse
Some Steve Smith too.
Looks like the market is betting that the Fed will pause rate hikes.
Hopefully they don’t know something we don’t because that would be a bad thing.
The UN has weighed in. Apparently those compassionate progs who are the champions of poor brown people are pushing policies that fuck over poor brown people. Shocker.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-n-calls-on-fed-other-central-banks-to-halt-interest-rate-increases-11664809202?mod=djemalertNEWS
The UN doesn’t have any heft with the Fed.
I think the big banks are using a Credit Suisse default as a threat.
“Stop the rate increases or the Swiss bank gets it!”
Let the Swiss pay for that bailout…
(Not gonna happen.)
Plus they’ve assured us they aren’t Lehman.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-n-calls-on-fed-other-central-banks-to-halt-interest-rate-increases-11664809202?st=z94b5ttiafo9oc7&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
At N.Y.U., Students Were Failing Organic Chemistry. Who Was to Blame?
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/03/us/nyu-organic-chemistry-petition.html
In the field of organic chemistry, Maitland Jones Jr. has a storied reputation. He taught the subject for decades, first at Princeton and then at New York University, and wrote an influential textbook. He received awards for his teaching, as well as recognition as one of N.Y.U.’s coolest professors.
But last spring, as the campus emerged from pandemic restrictions, 82 of his 350 students signed a petition against him.
Students said the high-stakes course — notorious for ending many a dream of medical school — was too hard, blaming Dr. Jones for their poor test scores.
The professor defended his standards. But just before the start of the fall semester, university deans terminated Dr. Jones’s contract.
I can’t figure out if he was your typical dick professor with a gatekeeper class or the students are just typically whiny. Why not both..
In this case, I’m going to side with the Prof until further information emerges.
He’s been teaching it for decades. What changed?
I’m willing to bet it wasn’t his course that did.
Yeah, that rather screams out “lowered standards because the students are used to easy As”. And soon they’ll be your primary care physician! What a world to look forward to….
I blame the admissions department
Organic chemistry is a very hard course. Not something you could ever pass if you were given a break in admissions.
The question is how many others taught the course.
I personally got fed up with gatekeeper professor when there were no alternatives. OTH, in those days you just sucked it up.
You can make any subject hard and uninteresting if you try hard enough and inflates your ego.
I’m not defending the students, I just have had enough of professors who thought they were God’s gift.
I personally got fed up with gatekeeper professor when there were no alternatives. OTH, in those days you just sucked it up.
Yeah, I had a few of these professors. Including for OChem. Physics and OChem professors graded on a curve. They raised the mean exam grade to a B- and added however many points it took. Some of my physics exams had a 40 point curve added.
My human anatomy professor curved the highest score to a 100, but still often had class averages in the 40s. So if one person scored a 92, the average exam grade of 45 would only be curved to a 53.
If the mean class grade is consistently in the 40s or 50s, there is something wrong with the professor. Especially for undergrad. Maybe the students and school just got sick of the professor’s shit.
I thought that if you graded on a curve, the median became a C
I’ve always heard it to mean just an adjustment of grades based on some pre-specified criteria. Very few of my professors used a curve. Most of those who did, look at mean scores (never median). That one professor used the highest score.
Note – I am opposed to curving grades on principle. The performance of my peers does not reflect upon my performance. I prefer an objective measure of how well I’ve understood the class concepts. (Easier with some subjects than others)
I took a graduate class once {when I was still pondering getting an advanced degree}.
There was supposedly a normal A, B, C, D, F scoring system. But the rules at that school were that only classes you scored B or higher could be used for credit for a graduate degree.
So the real scoring system was A, B, F.
Thank you Animal! I enjoyed this story!