5 Minute Fiction: Blood and Kibble

Author’s Note: I like cats and I like vampires and it’s almost Halloween, so here you go. This one I originally published in my newsletter in 2018, but I thought about it recently and thought it would be a fun one to post on the blog.

Also, the title says it all. This story is meant to be read in about 5 minutes. Enjoy.

“That’s, like, the third one this week,” Woman said, crinkling her nose as she looked at my latest kill – a sparrow. She would never notice the two puncture holes in its breast or that it had no blood in its body.

“Garlic’s always been a good hunter,” Man said, bringing Woman a pair of rubber gloves. “Maybe we should keep him indoors more.”

My ears shot up.

“And listen to him meow all day and all night. I don’t think so. Where is he anyway?”

I was in my favorite stalking spot. The bushes on the left-hand side of the backyard, where there was just enough cover to keep me hidden and just enough open space for me to see everything.

“He likes to hang out in those bushes over there,” Man said and pointed.

Dammit! They were on to me. It was time to be cute. I crawled out from my spot and meowed as I walked in the direction of my companions.

“There he is!” Woman exclaimed. “Hey buddy!”

She squatted down on the back porch and extended a hand to me, and I picked up my speed a little bit. When I reached her, I gave her hand an obligatory sniff then rubbed my head all over it and eventually all over her knees.

“You’ve been hunting today, haven’t you?” she said, swooping me up into her arms and nuzzling me with her head.

“He’s a fierce little thing for seven and a half pounds,” Man said, rubbing me on my head. I purred.

Woman put me down and I hurried off into the yard, while she continued disposing of my prey.

And then I heard it.

The sound of Man grabbing the kibble bag and re-filling my food bowl. I took off for the back door.

“Here he comes,” Woman said and Man appeared at the back door to let me in.

“Too bad he never eats those little critters he kills or we wouldn’t have to feed him at all,” Man said and headed out of the kitchen, while I dug in to some fresh kibble.

There was just something about the crunch. You couldn’t beat it.

Woman walked in the back door a couple minutes later, and I had had my fill of kibble. I slinked out the door before it closed and heard Woman say from behind me, “Well, there he goes again.”

The air was fresh and my stomach was full and it was time for a little fence perching and then maybe a nap. I headed for the empty bird bath, and when I reached it I hopped up, then hopped again onto the top of the fence where I had a view of the whole neighborhood, not to mention several large trees. I watched.

I had just had fresh blood so there was no need to hunt right now, but a little window shopping never hurt anyone. The birds flitted about and chirped and went about their business but kept a wary eye on me. My eyes began to close, so I stood up, hopped down onto the bird bath and back onto the grass.

I was in the exact spot where it had happened. That night was still clear in my mind.

I had been perched on top of the fence that late spring night and the horizon was still blue-green. A few birds perched in one of the nearby trees and I lay in wait, observing and scheming. Then I saw one take off from the tree, flying through the twilight. Or so I thought.

In hindsight, it’s completely understandable that I took this creature to be a bird. Small body, wings. But it wasn’t until I had pounced and knocked this creature out of the sky that I realized this wasn’t a bird at all.

Down on the grass next to the bird bath, I examined this strange creature. It did indeed have a small dark body, but it also had tiny ears, not unlike mine, and wings that spanned a large distance.

Either way, it still looked tasty. I dug my teeth into its flesh, the creature having already died, and ate.

I was right. It was tasty.

When I was done I left my kill by the bird bath, having no idea of the transformation that was about to take place. The effects were subtle that night. A little tingling, an odd ringing in my ears and a thirst despite the fact that I had just eaten. It wasn’t until my next hunt that I realized something very strange had happened.

A few days later, by my favorite bushes, I had a mouse between my paws. As I was about to dig in, I felt a strange sensation in my mouth. When I bit down, only two teeth appeared to break the skin. Two new teeth. And I was no longer hungry, but thirsty.

A few drops of blood hit my tongue, and it was as if I had never eaten a small creature before. It was as delicious as my beloved kibble, though in a very different way. Rich, silky, nourishing. I drank until there was no more to drink and when I was done the mouse had only two very small puncture wounds in its body and my two new teeth seemed to recede.

It was a new day.

“Garlic!” Man was yelling from inside the house through the screened in back porch door, as I was still getting used to the invigoration of fresh blood. “Dinner!” And the sound of kibble hitting the food bowl filled my ears.

Though my thirst had been satisfied, it would never replace the savory crunch of my regular meals.

As I ran into the house, Man holding the screen door for me, he was none the wiser of my transformation. Nor was woman.

“Hey buddy!” she said as she saw me scamper into the kitchen. “Have you been hunting today?”

She had no idea.

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Amanda Linehan is a multi-genre fiction writer and indie author. She has published 13 titles since 2012. Get a free, exclusive short story, The Sommer House, when you sign up for her newsletter.