Storm Shadow

My morning started out terrible. As I was about to drive onto the road, I saw a horrible sight. A dead cat, evidently run over by car, sprawled out in a pool of its dried blood. I was deeply upset, because it was a gray tiger striped cat. It was a familiar coat pattern and color. I feared that this was Storm Shadow, one of the strays that I have been feeding all summer. And it made me sad and feel heartbreak over the sudden, terrible loss of a friend.

I first discovered Storm Shadow at the end of spring. I was taking out trash late one night, during a lull in the rain storm. I was surprised to see movement in the darkness by the half full dumpster. Two glowing golden eyes came into view. My eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I soon made out a juvenile, gray tiger striped cat with a square face. He had one front paw up, poised and ready to bolt, but bold enough not to run away. He was cautious yet curious, and I suspected that he may have been raised by humans or used to contact with them.

I called out to him softly, not wanting to scare him. I cooed and cajoled him to follow me. And it took a while, but he followed me home, or at least hid under my car as I entered my apartment and left the door open, to see if he would come in from the restarting rain. He didn't.

I didn't have any cat food. But I did have some cans of tuna. So I popped one open, put the tuna in a pet bowl and filled the other bowl with clean water. I placed the bowls on the porch and called out to the juvenile kitty. Then I went inside, closed the door, and peeked out the kitchen window, just in time to see the little juvenile chowing down on the tuna. That made me smile. It made me happy to see the little kitty eating. He ate everything, had some water, then returned to the shadows from whence he came.

And since I first noticed him between rainstorms and in the shadows, I called him Storm Shadow, after the GI Joe ninja, because he was stealthy and bold and fast. After he ate all the tuna and had some water, he quickly darted into the darkness and disappeared.

Over the summer, a few other strays would visit my porch. When I get home from work, I clean the bowls, refill one with clean, cool water, and put food in the other. Two other strays would visit after midnight and finish the full large bowl. But Storm Shadow was a constant. Every evening, he appeared, sitting on my porch, waiting for me to refill the bowl with clean, cool water, and to fill the other bowl with food.

And I was pleased to see him grow big and strong and healthy. I liked seeing the strays thrive as I kept feeding them. It was a wonderful sight and made me happy to know that they weren't starving. And on my porch (or on top of my car), they had a safe place to rest and rejuvenate before going on their adventures or whatever secret missions they undertook in the dark mysteries of the night.

As the summer progressed, Storm Shadow got close enough to let me talk to him. Close enough to brush up my legs after eating, then disappearing into the night. It got to the point where he would calmly let me walk or stand by him, and he wouldn't budge from where he laid down, unless I had the food ready.

I still couldn't get him to come indoors. I still wasn't able to pick him up and hold him. Not yet. But that was all right. For a stray, he let me near him close enough, and he did brush up against my leg before vanishing into the shadows after eating. And that was enough.

But seeing that corpse in the road made me realize that it just wasn't enough, that I wanted more time to spend with Storm Shadow, to enjoy his calmness and independence and pleasant company. I mourned his loss, and I hoped he went quickly.

I put him out of my mind and focused on work. There were lots of necessary tasks to complete and problems to fix and projects to complete. Busy, but the company and pleasant, productive interaction with coworkers was welcomed. I found myself laughing a few times as we shares jokes and stories as we worked or took a needed break.

But in the rare, brief quiet moments between the rushes and flurry of activities, I would suddenly think of Storm Shadow, and I was saddened to realize that he was gone, like all strays, much too soon from this world. It's a hard, rough, and dangerous life for strays. I just hope Storm Shadow had some good moments in his all too brief existence, and I hoped he was in a better place now.

In the last few hours of work, I was able to accomplish a lot and found myself ahead of schedule on several projects. That made me feel good. And I was on a high from getting so much done and smoothing out the wrinkles and unexpected kinks that happen from time to time in all projects. I felt good. And I left work smiling all the way home, listening to the radio and singing along to the songs, glad for a great end to a productive work day.

Then I got to the turnoff to my home, and I was suddenly reminded of what had happened that morning, and seeing the dried blood stains on the road was a harsh reality check. I was sad again at the unexpected, awful loss of Storm Shadow. And my smile and good mood were gone. Oh, what a terrible, unfair, and horrible, vicious world we live in. Oh, how cruel and uncaring life can be. I felt melancholic and upset...right until I pulled up to park and witnessed a miracle!

Lo and behold, resting on the porch was a most welcomed and resplendent sight: Storm Shadow! He was waiting for me, as usual, to get new clean, cool water and bring out food! I was ecstatic! He was alive! Storm Shadow was alive!

So it wasn't him that was killed this morning! It was some other cat! That still made me sad, but I was just happy that my little friend was alive and well. Or maybe it was Storm Shadow, and he was now down to 8 lives. I wouldn't be surprised if he came back from the dead. He was all ready mysterious and magical when I first met him, passing from this world into the world of shadows and beyond.

It didn't matter. What was important was that he was alive and healthy and patiently waiting for me to feed him. And since it was fantastic to find him alive, I decided to give him a treat, his fave: A can of tuna!

And he ate it all, had some water, purred as he rubbed up against my legs, then took a few steps off the porch and away from the light, and he faded into the night, off to do whatever secret and mysterious and important work that cats do in the dark of night. I was just happy my little ninja friend was all right. And as I refilled the cleaned food bowl to feed the other strays whom would come later, I hope that I would see Storm Shadow return safe and sound.

I hope all my strays return safe and sound, and I hope other people show them kindness. And if my strays do leave this world, I hope and believe that they go on to some place better, a place where they will find happiness and love and contentment. I wish us all the same.