Hawk: The Biography of a Cat who learned how to fly
Part I
It was warm and cozy. The sun was setting down beautifully on the last day of the year, and the sky was a blueish epiphany. Hawk came to the world as a New Year gift that night - tinny and defenseless. The summer breeze could be felt over his fragile skin, surrounded by his mother's licks and sighs of affection. He felt safe.
Although we could not predict the facts before we met Hawk and his brothers, Hawk told us enough to play with our imagination. He remembers the smell of wet grass on his mother's breath as she enjoyed playing outside when it rained. This memory of peace could come from nowhere but his childhood—a sensorial remembrance from his early days with Mom. He was too tiny to build concrete memories.
Hawk had two other brothers, Paul and Caramelo, who were also born that night. Caramelo was fearless and an inspiration for all. But the world can be hazardous for such small creatures. Caramelo's bravery was not enough to protect him and his family from what would come.
It seemed to be an ordinary evening when Hawk felt something was wrong. He was just a few days old and could barely see. Humans were running all around and fighting each other. Our little felines were very confused when, late at night, Hawk found himself surrounded by a dirt, cold bag. The cozy warmth and love from Mom were gone. He cried out for Caramelo, but his brothers were nowhere to be found. Suddenly, he was alone.
Poor Hawk. He was just a baby cat. A few humans found him later, alone, and tried to help, but he fled in fear. Could he ever trust a human again? That's the thing about humans. Some are good, and some are bad, but, for Hawk, we had all become the same.
If only Hawk knew how powerful big felines can be, he would not fear humans. Although Hawk was still tiny and inexperienced, cats are strong! Even though some of us claim to be brave enough to keep big felines in captivity, we are no way stronger than cats! It is when felines believe They are weak that we become stronger. If only they knew their strength, they would break all their fortresses down. No cage is strong enough to hold you if you want to live in Freedom. In the same way it happens with cats, our lack of self-knowledge may keep us as slaves. If you know your strength, you are never confined in fear.
Hawk was left in the woods next to a few residential buildings where other humans lived. He could no longer see his family, and he felt lonely. He wanted his family back, and deep inside, he wanted a human who would care for him— he just didn't know that yet. Cats are little gifts God allowed us to take from nature into our homes. Some of us don't know that either.
The bush around him was high. Gaviões (The flying bird - hawks) were moving around to grab him.
Gavião is the word for Hawk in Portuguese. We need to make a clear difference between our cat, Hawk (who will later learn how to fly), and those flying birds: hawks (we will call those birds gaviões for the sake of our story).
It was already after 6 p.m., and running was all Hawk could do, even if safety was no longer a place to be found. Gaviões were still around, and the moon did not light up that night. Hawk's futile search for the light wore him down. He staggered to walk, intoxicated by fear and cold. As time passed, darkness was all he could chase.
End of part 1
rPart II: Hawks in the Woods
Hawk: The Biography of a Cat who learned how to fly.
WFind a Story:
uYou will also enjoy:
“Dark spruce forest frowned on either side the frozen waterway. The trees had been stripped by a recent wind of their white covering of frost, and they seemed to lean towards each other, black and ominous, in the fading light. A vast silence reigned over the land. The land itself was a desolation, lifeless, without movement, so lone and cold that the spirit of it was not even that of sadness".