Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 149301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
He motioned for her to drop to her knees, and they kneeled side by side, as if in prayer. And that’s when she noticed it. Ahead of them was definitely something that looked like the den for perhaps bobcats. It was carved out of the darkness, framed by dense undergrowth.
She sniffed the air—yes, she was right. The odor was definitely ammonia. Cat piss. She studied the den—it was edged with downed logs and a melee of wild vegetation. Copious areas of curved, thick-trunked trees were all around it, too. Kage turned off the dim light he’d clipped onto his jacket that helped lead the way. Now, they were in total darkness. Nothing but rough patches of violet, navy blue, and the blackest black she’d ever seen. Just then, she heard a rustling sound.
Kage slowly stood to his full height and made a whistling noise. She remained crouched down to the cool ground. He gently tapped his foot, then made a clicking racket with his teeth. Slowly, a large ruddy-colored bobcat emerged from the brush. Her light amber eyes glowed like flames.
“Persia…” he whispered in a soft, sing-song voice. He dropped down a little and turned his light back on, but this time on a low setting. The cat’s big eyes narrowed. Poet’s heart nearly beat out of her chest, an incredible fervor swarming from every blood cell in her being. Kage reached out his hand to the cat, and Persia made a low murmur, then bumped her head against his large, tattooed knuckles. Poet’s eyes watered in amazement as Persia the cat did it again, the sounds she made—affectionate and warm.
Persia paused then, lifting her head high as she eyed her—her attention fully focused on Poet. The cat growled, then hissed.
“Persia… No.” Kage’s tone was louder now. Commanding, but he wasn’t shouting. “It’s not you… it’s the babies. She doesn’t know you yet.”
“I know.”
Persia began to relax once he started scratching behind her ears, reassuring her. It wasn’t long before three kittens emerged from the den, all but one had that same odd yet beautiful reddish color. Bobcats typically came in tones of brown, some even with reddish undertones, but this was a truly rich, dark red—the color of wine. Astounding and rare. Besides their unusual coloring, Persia and her kittens had the typical dark brown spots and stripes, predominantly along their flanks.
“It’s her… it’s really her.” Her heart frolicked with elation. “These are the colorful bobcats folks have been talkin’ about.”
“Persia has had many babies, and at least one in each litter is this beautiful shade. She feels safe here, so she stays on my property. She knows I look out for her.”
“How old is she, and how many kittens would you say she’s had in total?”
“Oh, if I were to guess her age and how long I’ve seen ’er, I’d guess her to be ’round four. I don’t know the exact number of kittens, but she’s had ’bout three pregnancies, each litter having at least three kittens that I’m aware of. She hunts in peace for the most part. There’s a couple of mountain lions she and her kittens have to look out for, though.”
“Really? Have you seen them up close?”
“Yup. Had to fire a warnin’ shot. I stay out of their way, and they stay outta mine. It’s funny… nature is the playbook, really.”
“What do you mean?”
“If we followed nature, we as humans would be fine. Like those mountain lions. They don’t wanna fuck with me, and I don’t wanna fuck with them. They know I live here. They’re not interested in me. They want the rabbits, rats and squirrels. They’ll go for a bobcat, too, as you know, but prefer the bobcat kittens since they’re easier to take down. I’ve been close enough to ’em to smell them. Mountain lions smell pungent. Kinda musky.”
She nodded and smiled. “Yeah, they do. It’s a strong scent. Barnyard like.”
“Yeah. The ones I saw haven’t tried me just yet. We’ve eyeballed each other. We keep a safe distance. And it’s all respect. Just respect boundaries.” He rubbed Persia beneath her chin as her kittens played and frolicked behind her, swatting at one another and rolling about.
“How were you able to establish this sort of relationship with her? She’s not domesticated, so this interaction is surprising to me.”
“Well, she needed me. I had seen her a few times on my land, and she’d always run off. Then, one day, I was comin’ back from the river. I’d been fishin’ all morning. I saw her, and she ain’t run. Instead, she kinda hobbled, real slow-like. Her ankle had been all mangled. Some sort of attack. I knew she was good as dead if I didn’t do something to help her. The one thing she has on her side is her speed, and keepin’ to herself. She can’t do that if she’s limping and bleedin’ everywhere. My house wasn’t too far away from where this happened. I sprinted off to my old cabin at the time, grabbed a tranquilizer gun, and she was pretty much in the same spot where I’d left ’er.”