Angelic Darkonite
Dyna is a tribute to a dearly departed cat of the same name I had the pleasure of living with for 10 some odd years. In October of 2006, she became gravely ill and was diagnosed with advanced stages of kidney failure. She did not have long to live in her condition, and as her owner, I opted to euthanize her. Dyna was my first real pet, and saying goodbye to her was and still is one of the hardest experiences in my life. It has taken me years to be able to write this story. I miss her terribly but I hope she is happier wherever she went in her quiet passing. This is my story of saying goodbye to her.
I still love you so much, Dyna baby.
"Aaaah!" Dyna sighed in delight, soaking up the sun's morning rays.
There was nothing that could beat sunbathing on warmth infused bricks surrounded by blooming flowers and fresh cut grass. The soft buzzing of bees joined the garden symphony of various birds chatting anxiously and distant dog barks. Dyna tried to ignore the ambient noises around her and focused on hearing her name called by her favorite human.
A few years ago, all the growing beauty around her was just a dirt wasteland. Something about new homes not being landscaped in the back, or at least that was how she understood it. A lot of sweat equity by her beloved owners had been poured into molding this blank canvas into a gorgeous, unique backyard with a three-tiered Italian fountain, a pergola draped in wisteria, and dozens of raised planters full of annuals.
Dyna couldn't help but reminisce about how her life had drastically changed while sunbathing. Before she was just the outdoor pet of an unloving family that was catty corner to her current family's previous house. Eventually her romps into their backyard led to the teenage daughter feeding her routinely. As time passed, Dyna became more and more friendly to this nice, caring family. Her first adventure inside the house led to an accident biting of the girl. Dyna sadly had no manners back then, and just didn't understand how wonderful pettings could be. Now, she relished in every stroke down her ebony furred back but she still disliked belly rub attempts.
The hours ticked by too quickly, making the stones beneath her body too warm to continue laying comfortably on. As Dyna went to stand up, a bout of nausea hit her, causing her to stumble off the bricks and land safely on the soft grass below. The sickness spells have been plaguing her more often the last few months along with a constant thirst that wasn't satisfied no matter how much water she drank. Perhaps too much sunshine was making her feel ill.
Wobbling her way towards the house, Dyna heard the daughter inside calling her name in excitement. As she jumped through the pet door, she could hear the laughter and happiness the girl exuded everywhere she went. Although the girl no longer lived at the house, she made an effort to visit at least once a week and during her stay she would spend quality with Dyna. Playing fetch or just soothing pet sessions that lasted for what felt like an eternity.
Another nausea spell struck when she padded into the kitchen, causing her to hunch over on the tile floor. Dyna didn't feel like she could move yet, and so she stayed there soaking up the coolness beneath her paw pads. The girl noticed something was wrong quite quickly and rushed to check on her prone form. Loving, sure hands splayed along her furred body, feeling her ribs and along her belly. Her nose was rubbed and her head was tilted upwards at an odd angle. Dyna could hear the older woman instructing the girl to take her outside, something about not wanting to clean up the sick. Gentle arms scooped her up and cradled her carefully as girl and cat went back into the sunshine.
Dyna was placed delicately on a shady part of the lawn, and there she stayed hoping the sickness would eventually pass. She watched the girl sit on a planter nearby, intently studying her still form. The girl softly called her name, trying desperately to get Dyna to walk towards her, but she just couldn't take more than two wobbly steps before collapsing again. She tried so hard to take those last steps to those outstretched loving hands. It took some time for her to get there, but when Dyna did finally reach her short destination, the girl began petting her in earnest while talking hysterically on the phone.
A short time later, a young man showed up and crouched down next to the girl, offering his right hand for Dyna to nuzzle in greeting. He scratched around her chin and behind her ears while holding the girl close to his chest. Dyna looked up at her, watching the tears trickle down her face. When the girl swiped her hand across both her cheeks, she gently picked Dyna up again and walked back inside the house and through the front door to a car parked at the curb.
Held securely in the girl's arms, the young man climbed into the driver's seat and drove a distance while talking in a soft, calming voice to both Dyna and the girl. When the car came to a complete stop, the girl took Dyna into a plain square building that smelled strongly of bleach and sterility. Inside there were a few other pets and their humans waiting in stiff plastic chairs. At the receptionist's desk, the young man checked in and shortly the girl's name was called. Down a short white hall Dyna was carried into a room with a metal examining table. She meowed in protest at being placed atop the cold surface. The girl stayed next to her the whole time, trying to sooth Dyna's rising anxiety.
A second door opened and an older man in a white lab coat entered. He conversed with the girl, asking a variety of questions pertaining to Dyna's health. Ask they spoke, his hands wandered all over Dyna's body, feeling her chest, checking her ears and eyes. The girl shook and nodded her head to the inquiries but she never ceased her petting of Dyna. Eventually the older man gathered her into his arms and took her through the door he originally entered. Dyna's last image of the girl was of the young man holding her tightly to his chest as her sobs echoed through the tiny room.
Placing her onto another cold metal table, the older man poked her with a sharp needle and extracted a few vials of blood. Eventually Dyna felt another small prick and became very drowsy. She was placed into a small cage and fell asleep promptly.
What felt like an eternity but was only one day later, Dyna awoke in the same tiny cage she had been confined to. She meowed softly and sniffed cautiously at the smells around her. She couldn't detect any familiar scents, just those she associated with the veterinarian. As the hours passed, she stayed curled in a tight ball in the farther corner of the cage. She dozed very lightly and every odd sound she heard made her watch out the door in wariness.
When a young woman came to her cage and reached inside, Dyna tensed her body and kept still. The woman pulled her out and took her down a white hall lined with small and large cages, some contained guests, others were empty with doors ajar. She carried Dyna into a nearby examining room and inside was the young girl waiting, her eyes hollowed and red. The woman handed her off to the girl, and instantly soft words poured from the girl's lips. Dyna began to relax slightly in those arms as she was carried out of the room, outside of the sterile, lifeless building and into the girl's car. Once inside the girl petted Dyna every chance she could as she drove, tears spilling down her cheeks.
The girl stopped the car and gripped the wheel tightly in her hands. After inhaling deeply and holding it for a moment, she leaned behind her seat and grabbed a small cardboard box and her purse before gathering Dyna into her arms. Girl and cat stepped inside the quiet waiting room of her normal veterinarian. The woman behind the desk gently petted Dyna before taking the box and showing them into another quiet examine room. Sitting down on the only available chair, the girl ran her hands loving up and down Dyna's back, occasionally scratching behind her ears and under her chin. As she began to purr, the tears the young girl shead splashed against her fur.
A short time later a man wearing a somber look entered the room, and Dyna was placed oh so tenderly on the table. The man and young girl spoke briefly, her voice hitching every time a sob bubbled up. The girl held Dyna close to her body as the man took her back leg in his hand and lightly poked her with a syringe. A pleasant feeling suddenly washed over Dyna's body after a few seconds, and she became very sleepy. She laid out on the cold table as her consciousness began to go fuzzier and fuzzier by the moment. After a minute only a peaceful darkness awaited her and the lasting feeling of a loving hand stroking down Dyna's back.
Acknowledgements:
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