scarlet print — open starter ( 0/2 )
"you little prick," methe hisses as he quints up at the cat threateningly. "get down here before i knock you down."
where he stands beneath the tree, a plump grey cat is watching him from a branch above with a smug look. behind methe on the green bench he'd been seated at, the wrapper of a half eaten kimbap roll is maimed. pieces of salmon kimbap is smeared and smashed against the plastic, a mixture of rice and red paw prints staining the bench and sidewalk. the proof of the sudden thievery that had occurred is apparent, alongside the small pawprints on methe's white shirt.
a small puddle of lemonade gathers beneath the bench with the aluminum can that had housed it laying on its side, the last drops of lemonade dripping from its mouth. on the side of the bench sat methe's wearing backpack, flap closed securing his meager possessions.
everything lay abandoned as methe waited beneath the tree, confronting the creature that had not only ruined his lunch but stole right from his hands as he was eating. after a minute of glaring down the cat, methe walked up to the tree and began shaking it forcefully.
months on the road had taught methe nothing but the struggle of scarcity. but never in the past six months, had he experienced an animal targeting him so viciously. so disrespectfully.
methe squinted in frustration as he observed the cat again. there was no collar, but it looked well-fed. "you're pretty fat for a stray." he says it out loud as if to insult the small animal before he begins shaking the tree again. this time with a little more energy as he's filled with a new sense of vengeance over the idea that the cat likely wasn't hungry. that it simply targeted him for its own amusement.