Charcoal, What Happened to You?

With no relevant animal protection laws, relying on only moral criticism would by no means quell the public wrath. This decade was nothing like ten years later, this kind of little things could be immediately ** or recorded and posted online.

Nevertheless, even if they could get more people's attention and to chastise, it was still not enough to punish the abuser.

What could condemnation do? And what was the use of moral bondage?

Could it resurrect the three kittens, or give the mother cat an equitable treatment?

It couldn't; the tattooed man didn’t even need to pay fines. Moral criticism to him was like gas excretion, dispersed when the wind blew at it.

"Why does it matter if I throw my cats! Mind your own business. Are you all tired of living and want to die?!" The tattooed man pointed at the murmuring crowd around him and bellowed.

It was evident that his actions of hitting people made the nearby crowd hesitant. It wasn't as noisy as before, and those that dare to come out and condemn him were all knocked down.

A body of muscle and tattoo, plus such manners. He clearly wasn't a philanthropist. There might even be human life endangered.

"Piss off. What are you all doing, blocking the front of my house? Are you looking for a beating?"

The tattooed man pushed through the crowd as the mob began to disperse.

A few elderly women groaned words like "sinful", "such an unfortunate cat" under their breaths as they left.

To be accurate, this kind of thing was not unusual. It happened daily within this city.

For cats, there was no chance of obtaining fairness. There were no absolute protection schemes or laws. The only thing they could rely on was perhaps a good owner, or to become valiant like "Li Yuanba".

Yet, living in a big city constructed of steel and concrete. Even "Li Yuanba" chose a hideout, chose a "Yanzi" who would care for her and help her.

What life would a lonely cat live? Zheng Tan only heard things from the word of mouth. Some said that the stray cats could live a great life. But after Zheng Tan had seen such a sight today, he became doubtful. Some would live a good life, but there would also be others that barely lived.

In the end, the three kittens on the ground was gathered away by an old man, covered in towel and taken away while the cat cried as she followed him away. The tattooed man stood by smoking, sneering as he watched and flicking the cigarette butt towards him.

"They're just some shitty cats, no need to make such a fuss! Bah!" The tattooed man spat onto the bloodied ground, humming a tune as he walked off jerkily.

Zheng Tan followed the old man. He watched him entering the Chu Hua University through a side door and buried the towel that wrapped the kittens inside.

After he had finished, the old man sat on a nearby patch of grass to catch his breath. He reached out and caressed the big white cat's head. She had encircled the area many times. "I know it's really far here, but that region of old residence block will probably be demolished in a few years. They would be dug out if buried there but not here, this is a good university with good environment and people… You have to keep on living your life. How about you come home with me, I don't live on that block, I live around here. Although the conditions are not that good, but at least you will be able to have a decent meal every day."

Zheng Tan didn't know if the white cat knew what the man was saying. She just kept nestled on the surface where the kittens were buried. She lay there unmoving. The old man wanted to pick her up, but she struggled against him and remained motionless.

The old man waited for a while, then tried to pull her up again. This time she gave up fighting.

Zheng Tan squatted not far from them. He watched as they left but still stayed there. He didn't know what to think; his mind was a mess, as if not thinking anything at all. When he finally recovered from the shock, it was already dark.

He stretched. Maybe because he had crouched for too long, his body was rigid and felt a little cold.

Zheng Tan took a few deep breaths, his body began to warm up after slow exercise, then he ran back towards the eastern staff family courtyard.

When Zheng Tan arrived home, Papa Jiao was sweeping the floor, Jiao Yuan and Youzi were both helping with the cleaning, and Mama Jiao was doing the dishes in the kitchen. The scent of strangers and alcohol lingered in the room. Nevertheless, seeing familiar persons and smelling the recognized scent had made Zheng Tan feel at ease.

Tunneled under Youzi's bedsheets at night, Zheng Tan had no signs of sleeping. Youzi had fallen asleep next to him, Zheng Yan kept his eyes open and stared at the ceiling, only falling asleep at three. But the sleep was restless, he kept dreaming the scenes he saw today. He dreamed of the three kittens that lay in the earth.

Zheng Tan dreamed that he stood by the bloodied floor and looked towards the tattooed man who leaned against the wall smoking. Next to him lay the three kittens, surrounded by a group of faceless people.

Due to some graphical images while he was dreaming, Zheng Tan extended his claws during his sleep and gashed a large cut on Youzi's bedsheet.

The next day, Mama Jiao looked at the torn bedsheet and said, "Maybe Charcoal was dreaming about catching rats."

"But Charcoal looked unwell today, he doesn't look like he is in good spirits," Youzi pointed towards the sluggish Zheng Tan on the couch, and said.

Jiao Yuan stared at Zheng Tan, then lifted him up into the air. "Black cat warrior, transform!"

Zheng Tan was still lifeless. He didn't slap away Jiao Yuan's hands like last time and didn't struggle, allowing Jiao Yuan to horse around.

"Black cat warrior, transform!"

Jiao Yuan tried it again. The black cat in his hands remained the same. He called with a great urgency to Mama Jiao, "Mom, there is really something wrong with Charcoal!"

Mama Jiao no longer attended to stitching the bedsheet. She hastily lifted up Zheng Tan to take a look. "Charcoal, are you okay?"

Zheng Tan responded with a weary hum.

"Hurry, make a call to Mr. Guo, and take Charcoal to the vets. It better not be a cold," Mama Jiao said to Papa Jiao who stood beside her.

After they made the call, Papa Jiao rode with Zheng Tan on the electric motorcycle heading towards Mr. Guo's place. The other three in the family couldn't sit still either; they headed out the eastern gate and hailed a cab to the pet center.

Mr. Guo's brother thoroughly checked Zheng Tan's vitals and said, "It doesn't appear to be an illness, just a bad mood."

Bad mood?

Zheng Tan was indeed really upset. It was not easy to explain the feeling. Stuffy, a little anxious—in short, agitated in every single way.

"He was fine when he left the house yesterday. When he came back, he felt a bit spiritless. I thought that it was because he had become tired due to playing," Papa Jiao said.

"What did he see yesterday?" Mr. Guo said curiously.

Mr. Guo's brother recollected, then answered, "I heard from somebody yesterday, somebody killed three still dependent kittens by throwing them onto the ground at the alleyway in the old street block."

"Eh? What exactly happened?" Mr. Guo asked. He spent the entire day yesterday in the studio editing photos, and wasn't aware of what had happened outside.

Mr. Guo's brother recited what he knew. It made Zheng Tan wanted to cover his ears. The images from the dream flashed before his eyes. It made him extremely unsettled, perhaps even depressed.

Zheng Tan secretly exclaimed. He never thought that he was so f*cking psychologically vulnerable. He had no fear in heaven or on earth before? Is it because he hadn't slept well last night? Yes, it was definitely sleep deficiency.

As he contemplated while the discussion carried on with the three people around him, Zheng Tan closed his eyes and fell asleep.

When the trio finished debating and looked at the sleeping black cat. Suddenly, they were a bit wordless.

"Perhaps it didn't get enough sleep? No one would be in a good mood when they didn't sleep well," Mr. Guo said helplessly.

Confirming that their cat had no other cause of illness or injuries, the Jiao family was relieved.

When Zheng Tan woke up, they were already back home and the sky had become dark.

"He woke up! He woke up!" Jiao Yuan yelled with excitement.

Sitting next to him was Youzi. Mama Jiao and Papa Jiao rushed over at the news.

After taking a nap, Zheng Tan was much more energetic. He ate a whole bowl of food Mama Jiao had prepared.

He had a big stretch after eating his food. The spiritless black cat from this morning had been resurrected!

"Okay, come on. Hurry up and pack the things. Change your clothes, it might get cold tonight," Mama Jiao instructed the two children.

Huh? Are they going out?

Zheng Tan looked at the four who were changing.

"Mom, let's take Charcoal along," Jiao Yuan said.

Mama Jiao didn’t immediately respond. She looked towards Papa Jiao.

Papa Jiao thought for a while, "Take him along using your backpack, but there will be many people at the fireworks show. You must be careful."

"Okay!"

Fireworks?

Zheng Tan looked at the calendar and realized the date today was sixth. On the night of the sixth, there would be firework at the central department stores by the business. Many people would go there to take a look.

After a substantial packing, the four Jiao family member and a cat went out the door.

On the way, they met many people who were also from the courtyards as well as some staffs who were taking their family along from the western staff courtyard. They smiled and greeted each other.

Papa Jiao carried Jiao Yuan's backpack, Zheng Tan peeked outside through the opening zipper. There were many people heading towards the central department store, almost everyone around them in headed to there.

When they arrived, the plaza before the department stores was already filled with people. Jiao Yuan tried to push forward into the crowd but was pulled back by Papa Jiao. They found a place to stand.

"Don't have to be too close. There will be a lot of dust falling over there, and it's easy to get hurt. It's not too far from here," Papa Jiao explained.

It was only seven, still half an hour till the lighting. They came early on purpose to get a good view. The place that Papa Jiao picked was in the inner circle. When more people came, soon it would probably be blocked from the outside.

Around the plaza were many high platforms. Accesses to these platforms were closed off and a distance away from the audience. Those were the spots to light the fireworks.

When it was almost the time of lighting, Papa Jiao gave out mouth masks and glasses to the two children. The glasses had no degrees to it, preventing particles in the air from falling into the eyes. And the masks were a precaution for later when there would be too much dust. The smell was suffocating, not good to the body if breathed.

Papa Jiao wore the backpack on his chest, protecting the two children between him and Mama Jiao.

Zheng Tan looked around through the zipper in amusement. Filled with people, a much denser crowd than the previous.

Suddenly, the lights in the plaza were all turned off.

The voices in the plaza hushed in time of the extinguishing light, then quietly discussed again. It was the prelude to the start of lighting.

After the light went out, Zheng Tan's entire head emerged from the bag.

There were no lights and no one would have thought that someone would bring a cat along to watch the firework.

Boom!

A spectacular firework bloomed in mid-air, opening the scene for the event.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The thundering of bursting fireworks unceasingly sounded.

Zheng Tan looked towards the sky. Due to close range, the firework looked as if it blossomed right above the heads of crowd. Those that stood beneath looked as if they would be burnt by the falling sparks. These sparks gradually snuffed out as it approached the mob beneath, finally falling as dust particles.

Each splattering glimmer looked fragile and dull, yet when they gathered together, there was an irresistible beauty.

It was unlike what was seen on the television, and a completely different sensation compared to watching from afar.

The blooming firework dominated all the sources of light in the sky, bright and vivid, luminous and dazzling. For the people that stood beneath, this brilliance seemed touchable.

Zheng Tan felt all the unrest in his heart seemed to explode and shatter with each bang, fading away in the wind of the night.

An unexpected feeling of enlightenment. Of course, better if the falling dust and the sharp odors around him was ignored.

Not far from where they were standing, a parent in fear of his own child running away, had hugged him tightly in his arms. The child seemed to have had some dust that fell into his eyes, lowering his head and rubbed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again and looked around, he saw that the bag in front of Papa Jiao's chest had a cat head peeping out, the cat ears even moved due to the constant falling particles.

"Dad, there's a cat—"

But the child's voice was drowned by the roars of the firework lighting. His father heard only a sound.

"What? Your eyes still hurt, daddy will blow at it for you."

The child pushed his father away. "There's a cat—"

"Yes, yes. There is firework, there is firework! Look, it's so magnificent!"

The child: "…"

When the sound of fireworks finally stopped, the crowd began to disperse.

Papa Jiao and others waited for the nearby groups to scatter before starting to walk out.

The joy lingered on Jiao Yuan and Youzi's face. On their way home, they were still arguing about which type of firework looked better.

"The firefighters must be quite busy today," Mama Jiao exclaimed.

When they got home, everyone had a strong stench on them. They thoroughly scrubbed it off. Zheng Tan too had a long bath.

After a bath with furs blown dry, he crawled into Youzi's warm blanket.

Youzi wrote a journal entry before she went to sleep. Just like the previous entries, she would press Zheng Tan's paws at the end, outlining his paws, and add a few more lines. So, at the end of many entries, there would always be a cat paw drawing at the end.

When Youzi had turned the light off, Zheng Tan's head surfaced from the sheets. He extended a paw and revealed the hidden claws.

Looking at his claws in the darkness, Zheng Tan believed that he could actually do something.