Caged Chapter 3

"Meow"

Phil froze in his tracks. There was a cat nearby. Phil had never experienced cats before a few days ago, but now he was an old hand at dealing with a dangerous feline. Sniffing the air, Phil didn't smell the cat, so it wasn't right on top of him. The first cat had almost killed him that way.


Phil hadn't been paying attention at first. He had been hoping merrily on his way, glad to be free of the hutch, enjoying the wind in his fur, the sun on his back, and the flow of his movements. Phil had been just hoping along blind to the world. That was until the cat had smacked into him. He still wasn't sure if the cat missed the kill shot because it was young, or because he had stopped at the last second. Phil had smelled the cat an instant before the attack, but was unsure what the smell actually was. 


The cat had clawed him pretty good, and bit him several times, but Phil wasn't without teeth of his own. In fear of his life, Phil bit the cat back and then thumped it good in the groin. It was enough to stun the cat so that Phil could break free and run for his life. The cat was in too much pain to give immediate chase, and by the time it decided to do so, Phil was long gone. He hid underneath a nearby house until the cat left. 


That attack had been enough to bring all of Phil's survival techniques back. He was hungry, so his nose guided him to a nearby produce company. There, he had found some needed food and shelter, and begin planning his next move. Phil had been there for 2 days now. He had seen trucks come in with lots of vegetables, and then leave empty, only to come back the next day to do the same thing. The farm was where Phil needed to be. He knew his home was on the edge of a large farm. There couldn't be that many, could there?


Phil soon figured out how to get on the back of the truck, all he had to do was get in one of the empty boxes, and he could catch a ride. Once in the back of the truck, he could get out of the box and then jump off when the truck stopped, before the humans saw him. "Getting out of the truck is going to be the easy part," Phil murmured to himself. "Getting past those large dogs to get to the boxes, that is going the hard part." He really wasn't sure if he wanted to risk life and limb, but he knew that this would be the best option, the quickest one, and maybe the safest. Well, the safest after he got past the dogs. 


Shaking his head, Phil started stretching, gearing himself up for the run of his life. It was do or die with this choice, but he wanted to be home. Phil wanted to be back with his family in the forest. It was worth dying for.


Just as Phil was getting ready to race out, the cat jumped out in front of him. It had crept up on him unawares and now thought it had lunch cornered. It didn't realize that Phil was on a mission. And no hungry cat was going to stop him. 


Unexpectedly for the cat, Phil launched himself straight at the snarling cat. The cat sat back, completely surprised and bewildered by this tactic from its prey. Phil ran straight by the cat, kicking it in the face as he passed. The cat howled in pain, and launched itself in pursuit. 


Phil raced straight for the dogs, they had heard the cats yelp and were searching for the culprit. Phil was on overdrive, the cat was faster than him, but the dogs were faster than the cat. Phil streaked around the corner of a box, the cat right on his tail, and straight through the legs of the first dog he saw. He ran right past the three dogs, startling them and confusing them. 


But Phil was just a momentary glance, because the cat rounded the corner right after him, and froze instantly. All the dogs attentions were now focused solely on the cat. A low growl emanated from the largest dog, a growl that began deep in its throat. Phil was of no more concern, they had better prey. The cat's eyes were huge as it took in the scenario, and then as quick as it came, the cat turned around and vanished back around the corner. The dogs let out a bark and set out in pursuit. 


Phil chuckled to himself, the gods were still smiling on him it seemed. Choosing a nice big box with plenty of holes so that he could escape, Phil settled down to wait for the truck to leave. He knew it wouldn't take them long. He was almost home-free.


Phil felt excited and nervous at the same time. He had never seen his kids before, and he missed them dearly. They would be all grown by now, but that didn't matter to Phil. He was bouncing the little tykes on his knees as he drifted off to sleep waiting.