Chapter 2

I really wanted to go outside.

Jen was out venturing for food scraps, while I and Oreo were just grooming each other, lying on the alleyway floor, bored out of our minds. We still weren't allowed out of the alleyway, and all the scraps in our garbage bin were eaten up, and the humans hadn't been restoring the garbage in them for a while, so Jen insisted she get them all herself from another garbage bin somewhere else in town.

But it would be so much easier if we were allowed to help! She took forever to find any, and it's a simple solution just to let us help, and we would all benefit! I don't understand how she doesn't want us, almost fully grown cats, to take a single step out of a stupid gap between buildings! And it's not like we're gonna die, just like how she said we were about to when she rescued us from that horse-pull... we were kittens then, we can help look for measly scraps outside of the alleyway, for crying out loud!

I growled, annoyed, nipping at a burr in Oreo's fur, as we were still grooming each other to pass the time. I looked at a corner of the alleyway, that one that had a bunch of grass growing out the side, and I remembered that one cat, Maria slept there a while ago, when she was still here. I wondered if Oreo remembered her?

He had to, he was older than me.

"Remember Maria? She was the one with the soft brown flecked cream fur and lilac-tinted eyes," I asked him, beginning to lap at his shoulder. Oreo stopped grooming the side of my pelt for a moment, and I could tell he was thinking. "I think so. Was she the one always giving us presents? Like that clump of... 'catnip'? I think it was called?" The catnip... I'll never forget how delicious that was. "Yeah, that was her. That catnip was delicious! I wonder where she got it anyway?"

I purred, remembering the savory taste of that catnip. Better than all of the food scraps combined! "Yeah. But what happened to her again? I don't remember." "Some tom came along and said he wanted to show her around town... if I remember correctly?" I still wondered why she didn't come back... did they get lost or something? "Alright." Oreo groomed my ears slowly, and I could tell he was bored. I was so bored, I was about to suggest sneaking off to the top of the building, at least then we would get some fresh air... and some food from that human.

Suddenly, I almost jumped as I heard, "I'm back!" My ears perked up, and I spotted Jen, standing at the entrance of our home, with scraps in her mouth. "Welcome back!" I meowed politely, standing up and padding up to her. "What did you find?" I asked. "Well, I found this small piece of rotted bread," she mewed, dropping it on the ground, "and half a steak." Jen dropped the mouth-watering steak on the ground too, and I watched it with round eyes.

I licked my lips hungrily, my stomach rumbling, but I didn't want to just take it... maybe just Jen and Oreo would have the steak. "I'll take the bread, you two can have the steak," Jen meowed, picked up the piece of bread, and padded off to the empty garbage bin, sitting down a few feet away from it, where she would always sleep. "Thank you!" I yelled to her, hungry and ready to eat with my brother. I licked my lips, excited, before I picked up the steak and carried it to where I was sitting before, next to my brother.

I sat down beside him, and he got up from his lying position, asking, "Did you notice Jen looked thin?" No...? I don't always pay attention to her, there's no use when she's so controlling... "A little," I said, paying no mind to it anymore as I took a bite of the steak, ravenous. Delicious, yet again... Where is Jen finding this stuff? It's like she stole it from the humans themselves and there wasn't even any trace of trash on it!

I chewed on the bite I took, waiting for Oreo to dig into it too. What was taking him so long...? After I swallowed the piece, I looked up from the steak and saw Oreo rip quite a large-sized chunk off the steak. "Woah, relax, buddy! There's enough to go around!" I blinked, surprised, wondering if he didn't have any dinner last night or something. He looked at me and said, "I'm giving this to Jen. She's probably starving and won't tell us because she doesn't want us to worry."

"Oh, okay. But.. I'm pretty sure she would've told us if she was that hungry, right?" I think he didn't hear me, as he was already padding away to Jen with the steak. I wanted to say that it wouldn't be like her not telling us that she was starving, but I... couldn't, because Jen was constantly switching personalities, of course that would be something she would do! Wait - Ugh, stop thinking selfishly, Sally! You have to share things, you care about Jen! I sighed, annoyed at myself.

I watched Oreo give the steak, and Jen thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Oreo. I've been meaning to tell you all something... Wait until your sister is done eating." My ears perked up. What would she be telling us? Now I would eat even faster, I wanted to know what she would say! Oreo padded back to me, sitting down. Maybe he had some ideas about what it would be? "What do you think she's gonna tell us?" I asked him, taking another bite of the steak. I better finish this fast…

"I don't know. We'll have to wait and see."

Well, he's no use...

Maybe she found a better place for us to live? No - she wouldn't do that. We have too many memories here, and she doesn't want us to leave anytime soon... What if she found kittens? Like, on the side of the pathway, like Jen found us when we were kittens? Wait - what if she was pregnant with kittens? "Wait..." I whispered to him, looking at him as I swallowed the piece of steak I had bitten off. "What?" He asked in a hushed voice. "Do you think she's pregnant?" Oreo scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"She doesn't even have a mate, Sally. And I just said she was looking skinny. Even if she was pregnant, wouldn't she look a bit bigger, not smaller?" Huh... valid point. "Well, that is true..." I said, tilting my head. I took a bite of the last piece of steak that was left, trying to chew it all. "Yeah, it's probably something else then," I muffled, struggling to chew. I swallowed, meowing, "I'm done, Jen!" I purred proudly, standing up. "Alright," she meowed, "Oreo, Sally, come here."

At the same time, Oreo and I cantered over to her, sitting down a foot or so away from her. I could smell it in the air. The situation was serious. Jen sighed, looking at the ground.

"The truth is, I know you two have been wanting to go outside for a long time. And now, the scraps are getting scarce because more cats are coming into town. I don't want to be a burden, taking all the food. I.. think it's about time you two move out of town and found your purpose in life. I know it certainly isn't here in a dusty old alleyway. You would be able to roam wherever you wanted. I want you to be happy, but I also understand that I haven't taught you two how to hunt and fend for yourselves. So, if you'd like to stay for a couple more days for me to teach you, I will be happy to. I just don't want to be in control of you guys anymore, you're both almost full-grown cats, and you can make your own decisions. So whatever you choose, I will fully support you."

I was shocked. Leave...? I mean, I wouldn't want to be a burden to her either, always having to get food for us... And she was an alley cat, too! Maybe we could all go find somewhere else that just has more food? Or she could finally let us help her hunt for food, I'm sure we would find more that way! "But... You're an alleycat. Shouldn't you have moved out, too? You're not a burden, either. You should come with us!" I meowed, not feeling like I had fully gotten all my feelings out yet, but I didn't want to sound confrontational, so I didn't say what else was on my mind.

Jen looked at me with an expression I couldn't read. "Well, I wasted my opportunity to be free. I can't exactly go back now.." What does she mean by that...? I wondered. "But I don't want you to waste it. You need to find your purpose. I may not have one, but I know you do, Sally and Oreo," she smiled at us weakly. I sighed, beginning to feel the weight of the situation.

He turned to me. "Well, what do you think? Should we stay here, or go now?" I couldn't decide so fast... This was all happening too quickly!

I mean... I think Oreo would know enough to survive, and I think I might too... I can hunt for scraps, I know how to convince humans to give us food, and I know how to catch rats... kind of. "I think... we should go now. We know enough to fend for ourselves, right?" Oreo nodded, and I began to feel sad because we were leaving Jen behind. "Very well. I love you, my dears," said Jen, looking a bit sad as well.

Oreo stepped forward and booped her nose to hers, showing gratitude and affection to her. "We love you too, Mo - We love you too, Jen," Oreo quickly corrected himself. He had almost called her Mom a few times... so had I. I stepped forward and gave her a lick on the ear too, meowing, "Bye, Jen!" Oreo had already begun to pad off, and I quickly ran off to him looking back one last time at Jen, feeling like I hadn't said enough, but it was too late now.

"Goodbye, my kittens..." She whispered.