The Visitor

Abandoned and alone she waits beneath the cedar tree, hidden between the branches that hug the damp dirt.  She hasn't moved for hours, but as the ground beetle zigzags from under her tail and across the open expanse, she barely controls her stuttering jaws as she declines to reveal her hiding place and weakly relinquishes the meal.  It's hard to breathe as she stretches out her soiled front legs to relieve the pain and rests her battle scarred head between them.

This is her last stand.  This will be her final resting place.  Humans live here.  They give...they take away.  She will offer her capture, and fate will decide her destiny.  If she's lucky, she'll experience love...if not, she'll never have known kindness.  A car door slams shut, and as two feet pause to ascend the front steps, she meows faintly and waits.