Breed The Secret Design To Maintain Racial Inequality Among The Despised Classes (6 page)

I accompanied Rizzo for what seemed like
hours. Steadily we ran under logs, over rocks, and between trees.
We entered a clearing and I was suddenly hit with the smell of
urine and rancid flesh. I was reminded of the awful smelling food I
was offered the other day. Just ahead was a large wall of rock
climbing high into the air. It hung over us inclining forward at
the top. It served as a shelter for all those huddled under its
protective shadow. What was huddled under that shadow was literally
hundreds of cats. A large tomcat menacingly approached us. “And
what do we have hear?” he asked. Rizzo stood erect. “May I present
to you, Christopher the Great!” announced Rizzo excitedly. “He
doesn’t look like much to me!” shouted a voice from among the
crowd. In the shadows I could see hundreds of glowing eyes sizing
me up. It was true that with regards to size I was without a doubt
the smallest cat in the shelter. “Now hold on brothers hear me
out,” pleaded Rizzo. “What our brother here lacks in size, he more
than makes up for in brains. Why just look at him. You can tell by
his appearance that he’s never been out maneuvered.” What I gather
Rizzo meant by this was that in contrast to all present company I
had all my appendages in tact, no missing eyes, half tails, or
chewed off ears. In fact compared with this lot, I was quite
healthy looking and I had a smooth clean coat of fur. Not like the
matted, dirty mess of fur, fleas, and dirt that the rest of the
gang was styling. It was reasoned that my appearance was a direct
result of my having out smarted dogs and mice and cleverly charmed
humans. “It only stands to reason my brothers,” exclaimed Rizzo as
if he was rallying troops, “…that such a feline as this is just
what we need to bring about real change. No more scrounging for
food, no more being chased by dogs, and no more having to tolerate
vermin.” This last word, ‘vermin’ was said with a sinister snarl.
Everyone in the cave seemed to know what he meant by this because
they began nodding in approval. I had no idea what Rizzo was going
on about but the way he spoke of vermin gave me a feeling of
irritation for some reason. “Yes, cats and kittens it's a new day!”
And with that the crowd broke out in applause. The excited
cascading of meows was interrupted however by the large tomcat who
asked, “How may I ask is he going to do all of that? What's his
plan Rizzo? I'll remind you we've been here before. We've gotten
our hopes up only to be let down by false promises. Before we hand
him the throne let's at least here his... Reeeeoowww!!!” screeched
the suddenly alert tomcat. But along with the alertness there was a
look of what seemed to be madness. A wild mouse jetted across the
ground and about ten of the cats began chasing him. They were right
on his tail with the suddenly distracted tomcat leading the pack. I
just stared at the crowd in amazement as the caravan chased the
intruder around the shelter in circles and figure eights.
Everyone's eyes were intently fixed on the mouse with the same look
of madness mixed with hatred. Those who were chasing him were
running as if there were only one cat and one mouse and they were
going to be the one to devour their prey. Again I looked at the
crowd. Those who weren't chasing but were looking on, appeared to
fancy, that they too were chasing the mouse. So the overall affect
was that the intruder distracted the entire crowd. When I looked
toward the action again I saw the caravan of predator and prey
heading directly towards me at full speed. I caught the eye of the
little mouse and the mouse was looking at me as if I weren't an
enemy but rather one of his comrades. Before I had time to even
think about this strange turn of events, the mouse darted under me
for protection and the caravan came to a screeching halt. All the
cats in the alley suddenly came to, as if they were awakened from
hypnosis. "Here it is brothers!" announced Rizzo. "You asked for
it, and now you are about to witness our leader's plan to eradicate
the vermin. It's the final solution!" Once again all eyes were on
me. Now let me tell you something friends. Before these recent
events, which have opened my eyes to the existence of inequality in
the world, I would have understood chasing after and even roughing
up a mouse like this. Not out of hatred or even hunger. But just
for fun. The creature was a toy nothing more. But now things were
different. When I looked at this creature I saw a face not too
different from my own. I saw in his eyes a look of despair. I felt
as if this creature could be spoken to. “Eat him!!” commanded the
crowd. “Well, what's it going to be? What are you waiting for?”
asked the tomcat. I looked down at the tiny creature. Instead of
looking for an opportunity to escape the mouse looked up at me. I
noticed his tiny mouth and it was moving. At first I could only
hear squeaking. But as I concentrated I began to hear a tiny voice
speaking indistinguishable words, “Ruoy eht taerg eno, tnera uoy?”
I concentrated harder and began to focus on the voice. "Help me!
You are not like them. I can see it in your eyes. They can't be
reasoned with but I can tell you understand that we're the same."
on hearing this my mouth dropped open. This was partly because I
was astounded at being able to understand this creature and partly
because I now knew what I had to do. With one fell swoop I gobbled
the mouse up in my mouth. The crowd went crazy with cheering.
Gradually the cheering subsided and it was noticed that I wasn't
chewing. Before the startled onlookers could say anything in
protest I took off running and broke through the crowd. I ran down
to the other end of the shelter and darted into the woods. With a
gang of cats now running after me I hurriedly deposited the mouse
on the ground. "Thanks Great One!" said the creature as he scurried
off through a hole in the tree. "You had better have a good reason
for doing that brother!" said the tomcat, who was now out of breath
and again had the look of madness in his eyes.

The tomcat’s name was Hector and apparently
he had been taking the lead in this gang since they lost their
official leader. Judging from his objections to a new appointment
of leader I could tell that he was not ready to relinquish the
throne. Aside from my battles with Vincent I had never been in a
serious fight. Although it seemed like it at the time I now realize
that my battles with Vincent weren’t a matter of life and death.
Most of the moves I knew were for evading an attack. "That was a
meal you just let get away!! But you know you’re not much bigger
than he was so I guess you'll do,” said Hector as he lunged at me
with the same ferocity that the dog had earlier. I ducked and the
tomcat went crashing into the trunk of a tree. This didn't seem to
deter him though. He swung at me with a left claw, then a right. He
was just barely missing my face and I could feel the closeness of
his blows on my whiskers. I knew I couldn't keep this up much
longer. As if he were reading my mind Hector screeched “You can't
keep this up much longer! Now stop running and fight!” Just then
Rizzo arrived along with the rest of the gang. “Break it up fellas.
Let's not act like wild animals,” Rizzo said, thrusting his body
between us. Looking at Rizzo Hector shouted, “You brought him here,
so you're going to have to answer for his actions brother.” “Let's
not lose our heads,” returned Rizzo nervously. “I'm sure
Christopher had a good reason for letting that vermin escape. Right
Christopher?” Once again, all eyes were on me. Now, I knew why I
did what I did and I was certain that it was the right thing to do
at the time. In fact if I had the opportunity I’m sure I would do
it again. However articulating my thoughts and explaining it to
this crowd seemed impossible. As I opened my mouth to speak I
wasn't sure what words would come out. “Well, well, well, if you
aren’t the sorriest pack of flea ridden vermin I've ever had the
disgrace of seeing…” These were the words. But they didn't seem to
come from me. A look of first shock, then anger, then terror ran
through the gang in quick succession, as my shadow grew larger. I
suddenly realized why the words didn't seem to come from my mouth
as I turned to see a beast even bigger than the first one that had
chased me earlier that day.

“Are you lost?” growled the monster. At once
I could here the sound of an army of cats fleeing and hiding. In
hollowed out logs, under piles of dried leaves, behind large rocks,
they all hid. I appeared to be alone but I could tell that everyone
was watching. My mind began to race. What could be done? It was to
late to run. There was no chance of standing my ground before this
monstrous beast. “Maybe I can talk my way out of this,” I thought.
Then for some reason the situation with the mouse came into my
mind. So instead of running I just looked up at the beast. “Well
aren't you going to run?” snarled the monster. I said, “No. I
surrender. If you’re going to eat me there's nothing I can do about
it. I just want you to look me in the eyes first, so you can get
the full effect of what your about to do.” The dog barked fiercely,
“Run you fool!!!”  I closed my eyes out of fear briefly then
opened them quickly to stare my death in the face. The dog looked
puzzled.  A look of embarrassment then swept over his face. He
looked around to see if anyone was watching. All the cats were
still completely out of sight. Unexpectedly he gave a snort in my
direction and turned around to run in the opposite direction
muttering, “Crazy cat.” As soon as the coast was clear, cats came
out of the woodwork running up and bowing down to me as if I were
the king of cats. Rizzo and Hector stood at a distance looking on.
I could faintly hear the interchange. “Well I think we've found our
leader,” said Rizzo with an air of pride, he having been the one to
discover their new ruler. “We'll see,” hissed Hector scornfully. He
then walked away. Later they took me farther into the woods to an
old wooden milk crate turned over on its side and nestled between
two large rocks. Inside pressed against the sides of the crate were
newspapers. These formed a layer of insulation. Having been rained
on then dried by the sun then added to with more papers I couldn't
tell where the layers of newspaper ended and where the crate began.
“You sleep here,” said a thin tabby with a striped pattern forming
an ‘M’ on his forehead. As I entered I felt the warmth and security
of my surroundings in contrast to the damp windy atmosphere of the
woods. It was autumn and the weather was getting very cold at
night. Immediately I got the sensation of being home. I remembered
sleeping snug under the computer table with my brother and sister
without a care in the world. Even more warmth and security were
added as the entrance was covered over by a huddled mass of eager
cats. Their bodies formed a constant supply of warmth like a wood
stove. After the day’s hectic activities, which included being
chased by dogs, almost hit by a car, daring escapes, and my first
real fight, I was exhausted. The aforementioned activities combined
with my suddenly comfortable surroundings caused me to close my
eyes and fall into a deep sleep immediately. In no time I was off
in dreamland. Now, dreams were nothing new to me. In fact as far
back as I can remember I had dreams. They usually consisted of my
siblings and I running, playing, eating and pooping. Ironically
enough my daily routine and my dreams were barely distinguishable.
How long ago all of that seemed. Lately I had been having very
elaborate and strange dreams that at the time seemed very real but
when I awoke I couldn't always remember the dream. I knew that I
had been dreaming and that the dreams seemed significant in my mind
but I just couldn't remember the details unless I was reminded by
something. The dream I now had which was a recurring dream was of
running down a path towards a river. I knew it was myself running
and not someone else because everything in the dream was seen from
my point of view. I also felt my chest rise up and down as my lungs
filled and emptied with air my heart rapidly pumping. At the same
time I felt as if I weren’t myself because I didn't encounter the
familiar signs that I experienced in times past when I ran. For
example I couldn't see my paws extending in front of me as I took
each stride and when I looked back I couldn't see my tail. My point
of view was different. I felt as if I were much higher off the
ground. That is, only my head seemed to be much higher from the
ground because I could still feel the paws from my hind legs
touching the ground. My front legs felt as if they were hanging
loosely. When I looked around I could see humans but they looked
different as well. They were smaller than I remembered. I wasn't
looking up at them but rather they were my size and I could see
their faces at eye level. This was all very strange. As one of the
humans approached he opened his mouth and said, "Christopher are
you awake?" but of course it wasn't the human that said this it was
Rizzo.

As I opened my eyes they were flooded with
light, the protective wall of cats having been removed. “Its time
to show you your territory. Everything you will see today is yours,
you being the undisputed leader of our gang.” As we walked we
passed many cats in the forest and they bowed when they saw me just
as they had done the previous day. There was an outpouring of
support. They were saying, “Good morning sir,” and, “Did you sleep
alright boss?” This was all a little much to take in, considering
that just a couple of days ago I was the ruler of only a small
apartment shared by my two siblings and two humans. As we walked
Rizzo frequently would look at me and open his mouth as if he were
about to speak. But he then just smiled looked forward and kept on
walking. I said, “Rizzo, you look as if you want to ask me
something.” His face lit up. “Actually sir, the entire territory is
talking about what you did last night. Putting aside the fact that
you stared death in the face, how did you learn to speak the
language of that dog? It also looked as if you understood that wild
mouse’s language.” I looked at him doubtfully. Was this possible?
“You mean you didn’t hear what the dog was saying?” I asked. Rizzo
said, “What we heard is what we always hear from those mutts. And
that’s a lot of barking. But it looked as if you were reasoning
with him in his own language. Most of the brothers were upset about
you letting the mouse go free but what you did with the dog has
everyone very excited. Some cats are even comparing you to
Zarathustra and Socrates.” I was amazed. I really did not know what
was happening to me because I thought everyone in the group heard
what I heard. Rizzo suddenly exclaimed, “I don’t want to pry but
what made you leave wherever you’re from anyways?” Without warning
a sharp pain stabbed my heart as I thought of Jeffery Chambers.
Lately I’d been having complicated feelings concerning my past. If
I had to describe these feelings it would include an amalgam of
anger, humiliation, and guilt. I wasn’t sure how to process these
feelings but I knew that the process would entail great amounts of
pain so I decided to try and avoid thinking about it for the time
being. “Oh it was just time for a change,” I said quietly. Picking
up on my reluctance to speak about the past Rizzo said, “Well,
forget them! I mean, there loss is our gain. If the animals where
you’re from didn’t realize what a great leader you are they didn’t
deserve you. Right?” I looked at Rizzo sympathetically. We walked
until we exited the woods and arrived at a place that I thought I
recognized. It was the road that I was trying to find originally
when I escaped capture from the brainwashed cats out in the field.
“You see this road?” whispered Rizzo. “This is the western border
of Fostoria. As long as you stay on this side of that road you have
the support of legions of cats and conscripted animals.” He then
pointed to the road with his nose and suddenly became very serious.
“Its important that you pay close attention to what I’m about to
tell you sir. If you for some reason cross over into Cuyamonga you
will be on your own. No one can follow you into Zarathustra's
territory. Understood?” I nodded. We then ducked back into the
woods and immediately Rizzo’s cheerful attitude returned. We walked
along a different path southeastward. As we crossed a small brook
stepping on stones that served as a bridge, I noticed a raccoon
kneeling alongside the brook and washing an apple. This raccoon
looked familiar. Smiling he looked up at me and waved. He said in a
raised voice, “I was able to find what I was looking for? But
thanks anyways.” I wrinkled my brow and quickly nodded, walking on.
Could that have been the same raccoon from the other day? But if he
could speak my language, why didn’t he just do that from the start?
Walking ahead of me Rizzo suddenly looked back and asked, “Did you
understand that foreigner? Just how many languages do you speak?”
So it was, the raccoon from the other day. “Rizzo?” I asked. “What
did you mean when you called that raccoon a foreigner? Are some of
these animals from other lands?”  Rizzo stopped and waited for
me to catch up. “Well actually” said Rizzo, “I’m told that they
were the original inhabitants of Fostoria. But that was ages ago,
before our ancestors brought domestication to this land. Most of
the animals have accepted becoming domesticated but some of them
stick to their wild ways. As long as they don’t disrupt society
they’re not seen as a threat by most cats.” This didn’t quite make
sense to me. If they were the original inhabitants then wasn’t
this, their land? “But Rizzo?” I asked, “If this is, their land
aren’t we the foreigners?” Rizzo started laughing hysterically.
Pausing briefly from his laughter he said, “Are you serious? If
left on their own, the wild animals would eventually go extinct.
This has been proven by science, brother. They owe us everything.
The least they could do is learn our language?” I still didn’t
quite understand this. If the wild animals survived up to the point
of the arrival of the domesticated animals, why would they now
suddenly go extinct if left to their own devices? Also, what does
this word science mean, and what exactly does it prove? “Do you see
my point?” asked Rizzo. I didn’t agree with everything Rizzo was
saying but I decided to leave it alone for the moment. I nodded in
approval. Since I was still accustomed to the barriers and walls of
an apartment, we walked for what seemed to me to be great
distances. The outside world seemed to have a pattern of
repetition. For example we would walk past a large rock or log then
cross pathways of various width looking out for other pedestrians.
When we came across other animals they would always bow and step to
the side until we passed. Rizzo seemed to like the attention
because he always smiled to himself every time this occurred.
Anyways this pattern seemed to repeat itself over and over again
until finally we came to an abrupt stop at a grouping of stones
that were spread out horizontally and seemed to form a line in the
ground. “This is the eastern border of your territory, Christopher.
Although Fostoria and Kliev are friendly neighbors, during times of
war we need permits to enter and leave. And I’m told that since
Zarathustra’s general Hannibal started using his secret weapon, all
permits have been suspended.” Suddenly we heard a voice from across
the border. “Are you lost comrade?” We looked up and there was a
large cat standing directly in front of us. This cat who locked
eyes with me the entire time looked as if he were guarding
something. Rizzo said, “Easy tiger. I'm just showing him the
borders of Fostoria.” “Good,” said the guard cat. “We wouldn't want
your new member to make the mistake of stepping outside his
territory. Some unfortunate accident might befall him.” Rizzo
knitted his brow. “Christopher isn't just a new member of our gang.
He is our leader.” The guard cat’s eyes widened a bit.
“Christopher? Oh I've heard all about you. I imagined you'd be a
lot bigger though.” I said, “What do you mean you’ve heard of me?”
He replied, “Everyone in Kliev has heard of you. In fact Socrates
himself has requested a meeting with you.” Rizzo grew suspicious.
“Why is this the first we’re hearing of this?” “Well,” said the
guard cat, suddenly aware that he had said too much, “I mean, this
affects all of the territories so this has to be done officially. A
meeting needs to be held with all the leaders of all the gangs.
They probably haven’t got the message to you yet. I wasn't supposed
to mention it until all arrangements have been made but you
wouldn't get me in trouble would you?” Rizzo and I, very eager to
hear more shook our heads. “Well,” continued the excited cat,
“Everyone has heard about your run-in with the dogs and we are all
very excited about what this could mean. Socrates is very
interested in meeting you. Follow me.” He then marched off without
even looking back to see if we were following.