The world beyond imperial borders

Photo by Jonathan Hunt on Unsplash

Ah, the sweet siren song of the outdoors, the great beyond…

How often feline ears perk up at its summoning…

Although no doubt born with the breath of the wild, Emperor Julius has almost exclusively been an indoor emperor throughout his life, and he is quite happy that way. He has had several opportunities to experience the great outdoors — once or twice, a door was left cracked just a little too wide, and a wayward breeze blew in his favor, opening the gates in front of him–but he finds he much prefers the stable comfort of his indoor realm to the unpredictability (and cold, wet grass) of the world beyond.

There are other cats in the neighborhood, however, who are outdoor emperors. Unlike indoor emperors, they rise fast and fall fast, living hard lives full of adventure and war. Over the months of the year, story arcs befitting Greek dramas or tragedies play out beneath the backyard honeysuckle bushes. The two reigning tomcats, grizzled and battle-torn, struggle for dominance over the little cat-trails that they have worn within and around neighboring yards. Many a summer night is spent in the throes of the tomcats’ martial performances. Their fair-weather tortie queen, who flirts with both of them depending on her mood, watches them from the comfort of her outdoor chaise-lounge, lazily flicking her tail in the summer wind.

Accounts of their struggles travel far and wide throughout the realm. The neighborhood dogs, the watchers and jesters of other households, howl epic tales recounting the tomcats’ battles, and the local birds, especially the galivanting, jocular neighborhood crows, take front-row seats at the arena, watching and snickering from branches above. Even the coyotes, relegated to the farthest reaches of the realm, have heard of the tomcats’ prowess. (They will probably think twice about snatching one of those cats for dinner this year–better to go after the irritating little chihuahuas instead.)

And Emperor Julius observes this all, silently, from the highest perch of the land, his seven-foot-tall indoor cat tree, as empires rise and fall and rise again beneath him in the summer sun.

He just watches and smiles smugly to himself, knowing he will forever be emperor of his own land.

The breath of the wild in the wind is a nice aftertaste, but nothing will beat the comfort of his own bed.

Until next time…