A Felinoid's Love

         She awoke with a start, not at all refreshed. Damn! She had tried to stay awake, but two days and nights of guarding her Master had taken its toll. She had only laid her head down on his chest for a minute. At least, that had been her intention. There was no telling how long she’d been asleep, but the tummy that had gone to sleep rumbling was now roaring at her. She’d have to find something to eat soon. Of course, that notion carried its own inherent problems.
         Something brushed against the fur of her broad nose, followed by a tiny but sharp sting. Slowly sleep-sanded eyes focused, then with a shriek she leaped backwards the full length of her leash. Frantically she batted at her face, her hair, all over her body. Maggots went flying. Even after she couldn’t find any more, and regained a semblance of calm, she had a sneaking suspicion she’d missed a few. Oh, but Master…!
         Tail lashing in agitation, she swung round in agony to regard him. She’d tried to keep him intact, to keep the flies away, but she’d been betrayed by her own lithe body and had fallen into slumber. A great mass of insects was feeding on his face, and her grief rose to wash over her again like a tidal wave.  Now there was no way he was ever going to wake up again. Legs buckling, she fell to her knees, yowling in distress until she was exhausted again, and cried herself mewing into sleep.
         Her ears flattened against her skull the instant she awoke, and she coughed. The stench of death filled her nostrils, and when she glanced automatically in the direction of her Master, she regretted it and looked quickly away. Too late. That was one image she’d never forget for as long as she lived. If she lived. Starving herself for several days to keep watch over a corpse, even his corpse, had been a mistake. He’d be very annoyed, if he could, at her foolishness. It was time to take care of the situation.
         Their little campsite had been just enough for the two of them. Almost all his belongings were in the round tent, including his keyring. It was several feet beyond her reach, no matter how much she stretched. That meant she couldn’t remove her collar (she shrank from that notion, even if success would mean freedom and life), nor could she unlock the leash that led from the collar to the trailer hitch of the Jeep Wrangler. Their little campfire, near her Master’s corpse, had died out days ago. Hmmm. She turned and moved to the Jeep to study it thoughtfully. It was probably the weak link in her imprisonment. Wrapping her slim fingers around the plate on the end of the hitch, she gave an experimental tug, then a harder one. She shook her head, ignoring the tiny white larva that fell to the ground to begin wiggling. There was no way she was going to get it off with her bare hands. Now, if she had the proper tools… She tugged on the handle of the rear cargo door, but as expected, it was locked. The others would be too, she was sure- her Master had been a stickler for that- but she checked them anyhow. Every single opening was locked. There wasn’t even an open window. Her furry face scrunched in a grimace, her nose pressed to the glass. The toolbox was in the back; she could just glimpse it. If she could just get at it…
         Resolutely, she stalked to the rear of the vehicle again. This was going to hurt, for sure, but it had to be less painful than a slow death by starvation. Stretching out the chain as far as she could, she took a deep breath, set herself, and sprinted in a dead run at the Jeep. At the last second, she leaped, twisting to slam her shoulder into the back window and barely missing the spare tire on its rack. Tawny ears pricked hopefully even as she let out a shriek of pain and fell to the ground. Something had moved! She was sure of it! Gingerly she stretched, testing her limbs. Definitely sore, but nothing broken. That was a plus. Eagerly she rose and turned to examine the Jeep. She couldn’t be sure, but the young slave thought that maybe the hard, removable top has shifted a few millimeters. She only needed a few inches of space to get a paw in there. Four runs at the Jeep later, and the frame buckled a little. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so sore, but as her Master was fond of saying, “One of the best things about fur is its ability to hide bruises.” Certainly her pink skin was probably turning purple even now.
         Carefully she slipped a paw inside and barely managed to snag the toolbox. It wouldn’t fit through the opening she’d created, but she was able to open it and grab what she needed. Pity the grappling hook couldn’t be retrieved- she could have used it to pull the tent and its contents to her. Oh well. Brute strength and metal teeth would have to do. Even with the hacksaw, this was not going to be easy. Her Master had been a great believer in unbreakable bonds, and had used a hardened steel padlock to secure the chain. She set knelt and set the blade to the metal loop to begin sawing. She’d have to cut through it twice to open a space large enough to release the chain.
The rasping noise screamed painfully in her ears. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another! Over an hour of agonizing vibrations and three saw blades later, she was able to let out a shout of triumph, fingers fumbling as she pulled the chain loose. Loose. She shook her head, rubbing her sore hands together. It was an odd feeling. Only in special circumstances had she been allowed to run around loose outside. Resolutely she swallowed a lump in her throat, inevitably reminded that her Master was never again going to stand at the door, calling her in from staring at the cockatiels on the other side of the chain link fencing surrounding the back yard.
         Avoiding a sideways look at his remains, she ducked into the tent to search through his belongings. It only took a few minutes to find his very full keyring, though locating the correct key was no easy task. She’d never released a leash from herself before, and her fingers were awkward.          Eventually, though, the lock clicked and came open, and the chain dropped with a rattle to pile in the short grass. Her instincts told her to duck despite her full awareness that no one was left to punish her for her actions. After a moment’s hesitation, she chose to leave the collar itself around her throat, and she threw the keys out the tent flap, as hard as she could. She was proud of that collar, and her Master’s name on it. But… now what?
         Until this moment, all her attention had been occupied, first by protecting her dead Master, then by her efforts to free herself. Now she was rather at a loss. She’d always had somebody to tell her what to do, or give her guidelines, but this situation was completely unexpected. Wait. Food. She needed food first, or she wouldn’t have the energy to keep herself alive later. She dived for the cooler, throwing the lid open, and grabbed the first package of meat she saw. She tore through the paper and plastic surrounding the raw steaks and bit off a large piece to swallow. That only resulted in choking and coughing it back up. Barely able to contain her hungry enthusiasm, she settled down to eat more slowly, interspersing bites with sips from a water bottle.
She was still feeling a little hungry by the time her tummy started to tell her she’d had enough, but she pushed away the urge to eat more. Instinctively she knew she’d only end up vomiting if she ate more. She resisted the urge to sleep some more as well, instead starting a thorough search for items that would help her survive on her own. Only after that was done did she lay down for a catnap. For a long moment she stared at the cot, then she shook her head and curled up on the floor of the tent. It just wouldn’t be right to sleep on the bed. Not without his permission. That had always been the rule.
         This time, when she awoke, she was able to tell how long she’d slept- she’d found his watch. Eleven hours. It was dark outside. That was perfect for her. Even in the dead of night, her feline vision picked up the slightest bit of light and amplified it. She couldn’t look at his decomposing body, but she paused and bowed her head, shedding a single tear. Then, drawing herself up, she set out across the plains.