Carpe Diem (The War of Cats and Wolves)

The wolves were attacking. They were fierce. They were many. Ever since the humans disappeared the cats had been controlling the cities. The wolves had been controlling the forests, and the woods lay between the towns. For generations the forests had been a no go zone, and the wolves had become more and more powerful.

The army of dogs stood no chance against the savage wolves. They were stronger, smarter and more. If the dogs fell, the cats would no longer be protected. Maybe they would be able to defend the buildings. Maybe not.

Rattam and Rattulf were standing on one of the more worn buildings, a bit outside of the town centre. The cats usually didn’t go here, it was a hard area to move in. The rats had their ways, their secret little roads through pipes and holes.

They’re losing. The dogs are dying. The cats are losing their grip.

Good, Ratulf said. The wolves are dangerous creatures, but they’re easier to handle than the cats.

They jumped into the old toilet on the edge of the floor. The tube underneath was hanging out of the fallen part of the building, and it moved as the two rats hurried down the tunnel, down to the ancient sewers.

Rattenga was waiting. Thousands of rats were waiting with him.

It’s time, Rattulf said.

I see. Rattenga looked at the crowd. Lets move.

The rats started running. They ran through tunnels and holes, moving fast where other creatures couldn’t. Thousands, maybe hundreds of thousand of rats. No one had ever bothered to count.

The cats’ central control was sitting on top of an old skyscraper, or what was left of it. Uncountable generations had gone by since mankind destroyed themselves. Things had changed, but monuments of their civilization still remained.

The dogs are dying, said Cattast.

Catty was looking at the slaughter on the ground. There has to be something we can do! The despair in her voice cut into Cattast’s heart.

We need to stay here. We can’t take the wolves, we were counting on the dogs for that part. Maybe if we stay up here, the wolves will pull back.

We won’t have anywhere to go… Catty looked at the massacre underneath them. The dogs fought bravely, but there was no longer any hope.

There was a strange sound coming from a hole in the floor. Catty moved closer.

Rats!

Pouring up from the hole came a wave of rats. She jumped on them, started viciously ripping them to pieces as she always did whenever she saw them. They all did, but the rats kept coming. On the buildings around them the same thing was happening. They could hear screams.

The rats were everywhere, biting scratching. Dying in big number, cut to pieces, falling out of the edge, but new ones kept coming.The cats fell. From hundreds of old buildings around the city cats fell towards the ground where the wolves were raping the last of the dogs. It was an easy match. Another massacre. Soon it was all over.

The city of cats had been standing for thousands of years, ever since the time when they didn’t even speak. The wolves rested on the ground, licking blood off their lips. Laughing, howling, celebrating their victory. The cats were gone. The higher floors belonged to the rats now, like the sewers had since the beginning of times.

Rattenga ant Rattulf were watching the wolves devour the cat cadavers.

So what do we do with them? Rattulf asked.

We avoid them, said Rattenga thoughtful. We avoid them as we always did.

Some day things might change again.

http://www.salon.com/2015/03/14/when_humans_go_extinct_how_life_will_evolve_after_were_gone/

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/carpe-diem

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