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Birth
I’m Zite.
My birth was not an interesting event, or at least that is not how I saw it. The human, on the other hand, was greatly pleased by my arrival. It quickly became apparent to me that I was her new prized pet, as I was showered with gifts during the very early stages of my infancy. I was given the most luxurious place to sleep, the most delicate food to eat, and all the attention in the world. The human’s other pets were treated in a similar way, but somehow I knew that I was the one she had been waiting for.
I noticed that my fur was a strange colour in comparison to her other creatures. While others were solid colours of browns, beiges and blacks, I was a mix of blondes, blacks, whites and greys. My fur was spotted in various places, and my eyes shone a sickly and unnatural green. This made it more difficult to hunt, but I managed anyway.
Most of my youth days were spent sneaking around and pouncing on anything that moved. I would often run outside and venture off by myself, but I would always return to the human at the end of the day. At first, I wanted nothing to do with the human, but I slowly grew to like her as I grew older. I would often try to run away, but something always drew me back home. In the end I was glad I did, because the human had much to offer me.
Adolescence
I ran off less frequently during my adolescence. Sometimes I would be too frightened to run off, as my skin began to tear and rot off my very bones. This startled me, and I required the human’s comfort in order to see past it. The desire for me to stay near the human and protect her grew increasingly stronger. This finally gave her time to get to know me.
The human observed my actions and behaviours during almost all of my waking hours. She quickly realised that I was an extremely intelligent creature, as quiet as I was. I was read to on a daily basis, and eventually I learned how to read all on my own. I spent countless hours pouring over the various books that the human had stored in her library, and I eventually made my way through all of the ones that she had. The human started fetching me a new book each week, but it became apparent to her early on that one book a week was simply not enough. I could not run the human broke, so I began doing odd jobs for other humans in order to pay for the books myself. I would catch mice that had entered their homes, fetch herbs from a forest, and sometimes I would even babysit their own pets, as I was an intimating creature due to my rotting flesh.
My mind would often wander off while I was away from the human. What was she doing? Was she okay? Could her other pets protect her properly? I did not much enjoy socialising with the other pets the human owned, so I knew little of their behaviours and habits. The only other creature I had associated with and grown accustomed to was a Meragon by the name of Tawn. She was a strange creature, but she was full of spunk. I admired her bravery and her ability to so flawlessly manipulate others into thinking she was the sweetest creature in the world, when in reality she was a sassy mare who wasn’t afraid to bite if you rubbed her the wrong way. She was not nearly as intelligent as I, but I still enjoyed talking with her. I was frequently concerning myself with what would happen to her if the human sold her, as I knew that only my existence with the human was truly secure. She was often forced to endure many hours of my fretting when we travelled the fiery roads of Reiflem together.
Has the human spoken to you of your fate yet, Tawn?
Shucks, why’da gotta go questionin’ me all the time ‘bout that, girl? I was one of ‘da first creatures here, and ya’ll know she was happy to have me when I was born.
I’m aware, but she has sold others that were around in the earlier days. What if the same happens to you?
Ah, don’t ya’ll worry ‘bout me, Zite. Ya’ll can’t be concerned about my life when ya’ll have yo’ own to live. Besides, no one gonna starve me, ‘cause ya’ll know I’ll put up a fight. Now why don’t ‘cha stop yo’ worrin’ and let’s go get us some pizza.
That was Tawn. No cares, no worries, no frets. I’d like to say that her optimism rubbed off on me, but the troubles that ate at me never faded even as I entered adulthood.
Present
My adolescence was not as long a process as it should have been. The human paid for my speedy entry into the adult world. It was not a painful process, as I would have thought it to be. She promised me that I would feel better once I was made older, as I was often bothered by the way my flesh would rot under my skin. The flesh stops rotting during adulthood, so I was happy to speed up the process in order to stop the disgusting meat from falling off my bones. When the transition was complete, I was no longer pile of meaty, rotting flesh. My wings had sprouted out my body and my tail grew very long. They were just skin and bone, and I found that spiders would often nest away in the crevices of my wings. The spiders did not bother me, so I let them stay. The rest of me had mostly rotted away, with the exception of my paws and a few rough patches on my back and rump. My toxic green eyes had long ago fallen out, but the human had picked them up and preserved them in a jar. I was not a pleasant sight, but the human seemed to greatly enjoy my appearance.
Tawn entered adulthood along with me, though she was only a few days away from reaching it herself. She was glamorous in her adult years, not all flesh and bones like me. Her ginger skin shone brightly and her muscles were visible through her soft skin. Her mane and tail flowed with a certain grace and elegance that I had never before seen. She was very beautiful, and it was for that reason that I was terribly frightened for her, as I did not know if the human was going to sell her now that she had grown into an adult. One day my fears were met as I found the human leading Tawn out of the house where we all stayed. I managed to bolt into action in order to stop her before she left.
Tawn! You cannot leave! Do not let her sell you, please!
Oh, good Lord, ya’ll scared the bejeezus outta me! Don’t ya’ll come creepin’ up on me like that! Naw, the Missus ain’t taking me for sale, silly. She’s puttin’ me on in the show room, so lots’a people can come an’ see me.
Tawn was glowing with pride. Only the most lovely of the human’s pets went into the show room. I was overrun by both relief and joy, for the horrible fate I had pictured for Tawn was no longer a worry. The human patted us both on the head and began to lead Tawn out again.
Ya’ll can come visit me whenever, ya know! And stop yo’ frettin’, Zite, or you gonna end up killin’ yo’self!
And with that she trotted merrily away.
I continue to spend most of my days alongside the human, though I frequently visit Tawn. I never thought that I would grow so attached to one of the humans, but she has remained faithful and true to me throughout all the days of my life. For this, I feel a great respect and trust, and I would do anything for the human that brought me into this world.
Reading is still one of my favourite pastimes, and I continue to roam the fiery streets of Reiflem alone. But in the end, I always return to the home wherein which I spent my youthful days.
As strange a creature I am, I think I’ve grown up well. It’s a pretty good life for a beast born during the time of Hallows eve.
Art
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Credit
☠ Zite banner done by me in Adobe Illustrator CS4.
☠ Background images from Yay Images and Shutterstock. Edited by me.
☠ Spider gif from Heather’s Animations.