Mittens

Steven despised this creature.  He knew the loathing was mutual, as well.  He knew by the sounds emitted from this loathsome pest every time Steven attempted to dislodge it from its home deep beneath the massive, four posted bed.  His forearms bared the scars of many previous encounters the two adversaries had shared.

            Mittens was not of this earth.  It was a creature out of ancient lore; the kind that would destroy entire villages in its wrath.  Great warriors would go off in search of its hide, only to end up as bones, fertilizing the plains of some foreign land.  Its dough eyes and disarming looks belayed a savage nature.  This was a creature ready to kill him, Steven knew.  It was only waiting for the right moment to strike.  He could not dare to let his guard down, even for a moment in this place.  He was the prey here, never the prey.

            The food lay nearby untouched, precisely as he had left it the day before.  This was a message he knew.  The beast wanted to undermine Steven, make him seem irresponsible, like he had shirked his duties.  Steven had not prepared to face a creature that was not afraid of harming itself if it meant getting what it wanted.  He spoke to the beast defiantly as he refreshed the stale food and fetched new water.  He wanted it to know exactly what he was doing.  He would not be intimidated.

            Only 2 more days, he told himself, then it would be over.  He and Mittens could get back to merely tolerating each other.  They would pretend they got a long for appearances, but at least then they would not have to rely on each other.  They could just pass each other like strangers in the night, neither having to acknowledge the other.

            Steven howled in pain as he pulled his hand back again, this time fresh with new marks.  It had broken the skin this time.  Steven raged.  He roiled, he cursed the creature and whatever black mother had birthed it onto this earth.  He shouted curses until his vocabulary was utterly exhausted.  All the while those cold, yellow eyes stared, unblinking.  Finally, Steve calmed down enough, to clean his new wounds and finish his duties here.  He locked the door behind him, leaving the demon behind.  And he thought about how much he really hated his girl friends cat.