Niko!!!

Chapter 1


In North Dakota on an endless, wild growing prairie miles wide a mother cat and her newborn kittens (eyes still closed) rustled about through the grass. One of them, actually the smallest, was a boy named Niko. Inside, Niko was comforted as long as he felt (for eyes still were closed) his mother nearby. She paid a lot of attention to him most of all, since he was the smallest. She also had to barricade one of his sisters, Sarah. Niko could tell by his mother’s constant leaving him to stop Sarah, that Sarah was curious and adventurous. Though when his eyes opened he could actually see her bounding through the grass, chasing butterflies and chewing on purple wildflowers. He thought of himself as a coward even though he was a very frisky and hyper cat.

That night a curious noise awoke them all including Sarah and Niko who were always asleep. Niko heard his mother hiss and growl as she quickly grabbed all her kittens by the scruff and hurried to hide them. Unfortunately, she didn’t grab and hold on to Niko and Sarah completely and they fell out on the way. They were completely stunned as they stared at a big brownish-black figure in front of them. Once, though, when they came back to their senses they realized what it was, it was a wolf.

Chapter 2


They ran side by side and tried to find their mom. Though they didn’t have to run far, for as soon as their mother saw they were missing she ran off to find them and once she saw her little kittens scrambling for their life she pounced right on that wolf from the side. Niko and Sarah thought the wolf was still on their tail, so they raced off through the thick prairie grass. They ran on until they heard nothing behind them. They turned around and the vast, wide-open prairie stared back at them, with no sign of their mother or the wolf and the other kittens. Both of their legs trembled as they soon realized they were lost, dreadfully lost.

For miles they ran until they entered a town with many houses, and little streets. Suddenly, through the quiet, they heard pounding feet coming at them. They looked every which way until they both saw a dog, angry as it was, with flaming eyes about three times the size of both of them put together. Without thinking both of them scampered up a tree to the highest branch they could reach. When the dog gave up and went away the two realized they were stuck. Sarah, the curious outgoing one, tried to jump to different branches hoping they would gradually lower to the ground.

Sarah jumped for one branch that was about four feet in front of her. She missed and fell into the street on all fours. Niko watched intensely to make sure she was okay. Sarah limped slowly and quietly.
“ Sarah! Sarah!!” yelled Niko.
No answer from Sarah came his way though. Niko looked to the left of Sarah and saw a car with mud splattered on the tires. “Car!! Sarah, car!!”, he screamed at the top of his lungs to her, but she never heard. The car came at top speed and hit her.” No!!!!”, cried Niko. He fell off the tree, too. When he got up he raced toward Sarah, who was lying on the ground limbs spread out. Niko knew Sarah was dead and he started to cry as he saw her innocent with closed eyes. He mourned over by her bloody body, and talked to her like any moment she would jump up alive. He nudged her just to make sure she was really dead. He still hurt from the fall, but that didn’t matter. All Niko could think about was that he was on his own, and that his sister, Sarah, was dead.

Chapter 3


He woke up the next morning and found himself on towels that were soft and comforting. Just as he awoke a lady twice the size of the dog put two dishes in front of him. The first bowl held water, the second food. He sniffed at both and backed away. They smell like human, he thought, and realized that he was in a house where human families lived. He sprang up from the towels and hissed and growled at the lady, who stepped back slowly almost scared. Yeah, that’s right, he thought, be afraid, be very afraid. He puffed up the hair along his back.
“Wow!! I can tell you’re a feral cat,” remarked the lady.
Feral cat, he thought, what’s a feral cat? He saw she was in shock and also noticed a window hanging open beside her. Niko made a run for it and leaped up and out of the window onto the street. It was morning again and the air was cold and fresh. The sky was pink and colorful, though clouds were moving in. He was weak and helpless. His fur was knotted and dirty and he was tired and starving. The road was cold under his padded feet. He didn’t know now what to do, or where to go.

Chapter 4


Niko started to wander around the town. He knew he had to find some place for a shelter, since it started to drizzle outside. He passed shops and restaurants, until found an alley that was full of trash and recycled items, including cardboard boxes. Niko slipped into the nearest box and fell asleep, with the rain pounding down on the cardboard outside.

Niko awoke to the sound of a clanging machine right beside him. He looked up to find a big claw about to take him. At the same time a sweet-hearted boy named Joey was passing by and saw then poor Niko hiding in the cardboard box with the claw hovering over him. Joey acted immediately and scrambled to save Niko. Claws locked firmly to the bottom of the box, Joey had a hard time getting Niko out of the box. Once he did though he ran without explanation, or a word. Sadly, Niko was so hungry he couldn’t keep his head up. He finally passed out, unknowingly.

When Niko came to again he realized he was stuck in the same house from yesterday. Just when he had woken up though, he heard voices. He listened quietly.
“ Joey, I solemnly swear I brought in the same exact cat yesterday, dear.”
“ Well, if you did he or she must have escaped and found that alley with garbage in it.”
“ Joey, my point is, that cat is feral, and feral it will stay!”
Niko heard footsteps coming towards the room, so he closed his eyes, like he was still passed out. While he lay there, Niko started thinking about what happened to his mother and the other kittens. Were they okay? Did the wolf get them? No, no, think happy thoughts.
“ Well, he’s still passed out, the poor thing,” the lady said to Joey.
“ When he wakes up, Mommy, can we keep him? I could take care of him myself.”
Niko decided that day and that moment that humans might actually be nice and caring.

When Bill, Joey’s dad, came home, Niko decided to be friendly to this family, and maybe, just maybe, he thought, might live with them. Well, that night Niko soundly slept on soft towels in his new home.


Chapter 5


For months, Niko lived with the Johnson (that was the family’s last name) family. He ate and slept just like a regular, domesticated cat. Even though, though Niko did not know, way, way down deep inside him he was still that wild crazy kitten, who was frisky and cowardly.

One day, after six months had gone by, Niko was playing with Joey with rain hitting and breaking against the window. Joey’s mom then came barging into the house yelling, “ Bill, Bill! There is a poor old cat just sitting in the road, and, oh Bill, I’m afraid it will get hit!”
Bill raced out with some towels in his hand. Niko and Joey watched intensely as the door, later, was opened and Joey’s mom and dad came in, Bill carrying a bundle. He put the bundle beside Niko’s bed. Niko focused his attention back to playing with Joey. He ignored the old cat until it said something that he thought sounded like this,
“ Niko, is that you darling?”
He thought he recognized that sweet, warm voice, so he turned to look at the cat. To Niko’s surprise that narrow head and graceful body he recognized too! It was his mother!! He bounded towards her and placed his head on top of her cold body and sticky fur. Though, as he lay there he thought of something he didn’t want to ask but had to.
“ Mom,” he said, “ what about the others, are they alive?”
Tears came to his mother’s eyes, as she shook her head “No”. Then her eyes lit up and she asked a question Niko regretted to answer.
“ Where is Sarah? Is she sleeping somewhere in here?”
Then Niko sadly shed tears as he shook his head a solemn “No”.
“ Well, what happened?” she asked.
When Niko could catch his breath he whispered, “ Car hit her!”
His mother gasped, and then said, “ You know, Niko, now you are the only kitten I have and so, Niko, you are special and special you shall be to me.”




THE END