Meeting the Silence

        When I heard my friend, Sharky, was selling some of her cats and I just happened to have a little bit of money on me… For once… Anyway, I was able to go and see all the cats she was selling. If I am going to be honest… It was a little overwhelming, sometimes I forgot just how many amazing cats that she had. One thing I noticed was that the naughty, troublemaking Squeaky wasn’t here. That made me chuckle, guess that hyperactive furball was sticking around. I knew I probably wouldn’t see them… Since they moved their ranch, but at the very least, I knew he would still be around, giving someone some grief. I just hoped he didn’t try to kill anyone elses’ goats.

 
   There were so many cats, I didn’t know where to begin or which ones would even get along with Knight! I spent a long, long time looking through everyone. Then I found one cat it seemed that everyone seemed to be trying to avoid. I don’t really blame them, he was hissing and bearing his fangs at anyone that tried to get near him. I could see why Sharky was getting rid of him. He was a gorgeous cat, but if no one could really get near him or do anything. Then his looks would just go to waste.

    So, even if I might have felt a little bad for him. I continued looking around, until Sharky appeared out of nowhere and gave me a heart attack. Once I recovered gave my friend a big hug. When she asked about how things were going. I told her about a few of the cats I had been looking at. Of which, Sharky instantly warned me against one or two of them. Saying how they wouldn’t get along with Shining Knight, I nodded trusting her judgment. Glad I had her on my side.

  
  Just out of curiosity I asked Sharky about the Shedu that had been freaking out and seemed so aggressive towards everyone. I listened as she explained about Silas or The Silence of The Somme. How he has had many different owners. About how, little he trusts people especially with the constant moving around he had done. Even how he likes to sniff and investigate everything. I actually chuckled a little bit, when she mentioned that he would become an unmoving statue if you put blinders on him.

 
   I knew I wouldn’t be much, but I could at least give him an area where he can sniff around and explore everything. An area where he could actually know what everything was and what it would do. Before I could really think about what I was saying, I told her I could take him in. As soon as the words left my mouth. I stopped wondering why I said that. I was about to question myself on it, when Sharky cut my thoughts short. As she said, she was glad. Since she knew I would do anything I could do for the troubled, mistrusting boy. Plus the fact that I didn’t have as many Shedus as most people might help as well.

    I had to admit, I did like the idea of coming outside to seeing the beautiful boy sniffing every crack and leaf on the ground. It was kind of cute, so with a sigh. I bought him, hoping I could get him to develop some kind of trust in me. I backed the trailer up to one of the paddocks and we had Silence sniff around and go at his own pace. I wanted to look at some of the other cats as well, so it gave him some time.

    It was several hours before I came back. When I did come back, Silence was laying on the trailer, his head sticking out of the body of it and his front legs resting on the ramp. Focused on a pair of birds that were fighting in the air. Watching him stare at the birds that were well out of his reach. He actually did look cute, now that he wasn’t snarling at her. Which started back up as soon as he spotted me. I watched him change from a comfortable Shedu that knew the things around him. To one who didn’t trust anything or anyone around him.

    It may have only been for a minute, but what I saw proved one thing to me. Sharky was right and beneath all that gristle and fury. There was a sweet cat in there after all and that was all I needed to know, that what I did wasn’t a mistake. After all might Sharky would be right? Maybe, just maybe I was the person this cat needed. However, not for the reason she thinks.

  
  Like poor Somme, I’ve spent my life being forced to move to one place or another. Just look at how many schools I’ve had to go to, that will tell you all of it right there. I don’t care how long it takes, I’ll find a way to make sure that he knows this time. This will truly be his home, no one was ever going to force him to move away again. I would be this cats’ owner, handler, and rider. Not because I had some fancy trick up my sleeve, not because I would give him more time or be more patient with him than other people. This cat will definitely be mine… Because I was him, the only difference between how he feels and how I ever acted… Was that he had the confidence to show it.

 
   We have different ways of shutting others out, but it is something we both learned was easier to do. After all, why trust people, if they weren’t going to stay? Why bother even trying to get attached? What was the point, not like we would stay there for very long anyway… No one was permanent, I could see that truth in his eyes.

 
   So I will take him to the place I made for myself that was my answer to all of those questions that he asked himself. “Come pal, let’s head home.” 

Art:
Sketch: 1
Simple Background: 1
Shading: 1
Halfbody: 1
Ap: 4
Literature:
Words: 1032
Ap: 4

Total Ap: 8
Shedu: www.deviantart.com/shedumaster…
Handler: www.deviantart.com/rosefirst/a…