Lovely Creation

"It's got to be around here, somewhere," grumbled a shadow wearing a long white lab coat.

"We wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't left the cage open."

"I told you!! I didn't!!" growled the shadow.

Dense underbrush hindered their movements. Branches were catching in their nets and the small pet carrier they were carrying.

"We are going to get fired!" whined the second voice.

"Shut it! That thing has excellent hearing. It's probably watching us right now, too!"

"Why'd you have to make it so smart? I'm sure the client would have loved it dumb as a doorknob."

"It's a side effect of the monkey DNA. We didn't know what all it would have. This was the first one that survived."

"There it is!"

What looked like a cat was perched high in a tree. Their flashlight reflected off it's eyes, making it blink. There was a flap of noise and it disappeared, swooping further ahead.

"Boy, it sure can fly! We did that right!" exclaimed the gruff voiced man, in excitement. He rushed ahead, waving his flashlight at the ground, but not really paying attention as he tried to keep the creature in his sights.

"Watch out! It's steep!" cried the second guy, as he slipped trying to keep up.

"Yea, yea. We'll catch it and get it back to the lab before anyone even knows it was gone."

Those eyes were watching as they got closer, then flew ahead again. Too excited at being close to their quarry, they didn't notice they were being led along.

It perched in a tree, on a thin branch, ready to fly away again, when its foot appeared caught between two branches. The gruff man ran faster, despite the steep grade, to catch it with his net before it could fly away again. The thinner man tried to run faster, just to keep up. He was carrying the carrier it would need to go into.

Suddenly, as he swung his net, the ground beneath his feet disappeared. With a yelp, he caught at the man behind him, dragging him over the edge of the cliff with him.

Blinking its eyes, the cat creature stopped pretending to struggle, and hopped over to another branch to see below better. The first man was gone, swept away by the rushing waters below, but the thinner guy had dropped everything and managed to grab a root of the tree. He was hanging by one arm, gasping in fear and panic.

Flapping her wings, she hopped down from the tree, and landed on the ground, right above his hand. She watched him for a moment, making sure he saw her, before she smiled.

"Please, I don't want to die," he whispered.

"And I want my children to live free," she whispered back.

As his eyes widened in shock, she reached down and gently scratched his fingers with her claws, causing him to lose his grip.

Pain rippled across her abdomen and she winced, clutching at her swollen belly. It was time.

-Later that night, early morning-

Nestled deep in the hollow core of a tree, six small hairless bundles vied for position for the warm milk she was making. She gently stroked them, with a tired smile on her face. They were the future, and she had to keep them safe from the evils of men.

"When you are grown, remember, my babies, that men are evil and want nothing more than to harm you," she murmured, laying her head down to sleep.

-Two months later-

"Kitty, wait your turn," she laughed warmly. The small squirrel wasn't much, but her milk was drying up, and their sharp teeth were ready for meat. Kitty was the smallest of her children, always trying to sneak past her siblings to get the most meat.

Kitty looked up at her with her large blue eyes, holding a chunk of meat that had fallen from the squirrel in her small little hands. With a sigh, her mother turned back to tearing chunks for the other five.

Suddenly a loud screech filled the small space, and Kitty dived under her sisters, scared out of her wits. All thoughts of eating were gone as chaos ensued. The sounds of ripping and clawing vibrated through her tiny body. She could feel the whole tree shudder as her mother fought whatever was trying to invade. She tried to burrow deeper, clawing at the wood beneath her. One finger found a crack, and she pulled in crazed terror, feeling the wood give. A loud crack signaled something horrifying, and she fell. Laying dazed in the darkness, she could still hear the fighting above her, but the soft warmth of her sisters was gone.

Trying to move, she found herself wedged tight. One wing was crying in pain, and the other was bent at an odd angle.

Just as quickly as the fight started, it was over. Silence descended over the hollow above. Breathing hard, Kitty, lay still for a moment, listening for any sounds at all. A very weak mewling reached her ears, but it too fell silent.

Panic coursed through her, and she fought the small hole she found herself in, digging and clawing with all her strength. After what felt a lifetime, she finally managed to extricate herself.

A large section of wood had separated from one side, falling partially over the hole she had fallen into, and crushing four of her sisters. She crawled under the slab to her last sister, whose eyes were barely open. Her breathing was shallow and blood oozed from her nose and mouth. She stroked her cheek as her sisters breathing faded. A sob rose in her chest. Momma would fix them, she just had to find her momma.

Crawling painfully out from under the slab, she was met with another terrifying vision. A huge bird filled the cavity they had called home, but there was no life in its eyes. And pinned under it's long wicked looking claws lay her momma.

Kitty realized, with horror and immense pain that she was alone. Her mother had died saving her. She cowered in the corner, staring at the scene before her and felt lost. She didn't even know how to fly yet, much less hunt. What would she do now?