No. We have to get out of white-man building first.Wesa jumped to floor and went to green box that was not green. Was black and dead. Saw other metal things, different kind of latches. Wesa pulled on latch. Drawer opened. Inside were things of metal and paper and smooth stuff that was not metal or paper. Wesa looked for a knife. No knife. Looked in other drawers. Found a tiny knife in a red case. Opened it.
Cat has best claws, Cat thought.
Yes. But still need fingers to get out of here.
Wesa went to cages and turned all the latches down. Some animals got out. Others stayed in back of cages. These were wounded in soul or body.
Wesa went to door latch and turned it down. With fingers.Cat needs Wesa, she thought.
Cat did not answer.
Wesa looked out. Saw tunnel, like long tunnel in cave, but with flat floor and flat walls. Was dark in cave, and tunnel had other doors with latches. Wesa opened door wide and wolf and fox raced into tunnel. Wesa found heavy metal thing to prop door and to make door stay open. Bobcat and lynx raced past into tunnel.
Wesa smiled. Was fierce smile, showing teeth. Wesa raced into tunnel and turned down each door latch, stuck head inside. Looked. Sniffed. Some rooms were light, some dark. Some rooms smelled of poisons. Some of white-man-food. Wesa hungered but did not look for food.
All rooms were empty of white-men. Last door opened to show strange floor that went up and down. Wesa raced up. Wolf and fox and one bobcat, another wesa, but old, came too. Running up strange floor. Running. Ignoring hunger in human belly. Running with predators, all together. Wesa held her knife, ready to kill.
Found door with latch at top of strange floor. Carefully, Wesa turned latch down. Cold air blasted in. Naked skin without pelt made bumps with cold. Outside it was night. Was a flat place, covered with snow. Was dark, with no white-man-lights. Had low walls, but no roof. Wesa found heavy thing to hold door open. Then ran to wall. Looked down. Was long, long way down.
Cat can jump down, Cat thought,and run away.
See fence? Can jump over fence? Fence is too tall.
Cat looked out through Wesa eyes. Saw things close to fence.What are things there, hilly things covered with snow?
Is other roofs, Wesa thought.Can run across other roofs to that one close to fence. Go up to top of pointy roof. Then jump over fence.
Yes. Shift to Cat.
Cat looked at wolf through Wesa eyes, thinking.Wolf is hungry.
Wolf stared at Wesa. Licked jaw.
Wesa swiped with knife claw.
Wolf and fox ran to other wall. Cowered like prey.
Bobcat leaped to top of wall and walked around, looking down. Bobcat did not need help. Bobcat would get away. Wolf and fox would die before jumping. Cat could not help wolf and fox. Wolf and fox predators might hunt Wesa while human kit changed to Cat shape. Was danger.
Looked at other tall place. Was not too tall, but wolf would not jump so high.Can climb up there?Cat asked.
Can climb up there.Wesa ran across snow and pulled things over to wall at tall place. Climbed up, then pushed other things off so wolf could not follow.
Was good to have fingers, but Cat would not tell Wesa.
Wesa thought of Cat.
Was painpainpainpainpain and darkness.
—
Woke in Cat form. Smelled wolf and lynx and other animals from cage. Was hungry. Hungry enough to eat wolf or fox or lynx or bobcat.
No. Will not use fingers again if Cat eats other caged animals.
Cat growled.Wesa is stupid. Should eat.Wesa did not answer. Cat jumped down to flat roof and walked to low wall and to next low wall. Jumped up to top of low wall and then down to hilly-shape-roof. Was slick and nearly fell, but caught balance. Moved carefully across hilly-shape-roof and jumped to next one. Clawed to top of roof and studied distance to cross to fence. Gathered self. Leaped. Pushing off with back paws.
Air and wind and night and fence went under belly. Cat landed on ground in trees.
