With that said I now present to you the Third Chapter of "SCAT, CAT!" This little story was so much fun to write and I believe ....contrary to publishers...that it's fun for kids and all cat lovers.
So....without further delay I give you...
Chapter Three: Questions and Answers
Hunter stopped on his
journey and looked up at those same twinkling stars. The sky seemed
enormous and very cold and cheerless. Now that he was alone
again, Hunter realized just how much he missed his friend. A
light misty rain began to fall and he decided to find a safe dry
spot and try to sleep a little. Again, he dreamed of being warm
and sheltered, with a family of his own.
When morning came,
Hunter set off again after a very meager breakfast consisting of
some unlucky beetles that were sharing his hiding place. Soon he
could detect some tantalizing odors drifting on the air. Some were
familiar: Cats and Big Ones and milk, but some eluded him. He
couldn’t imagine what they were. Just a little further down the
path, he came upon another white house with a very large building
behind it. That was where all the curious odors were coming from.
Hunter very carefully snuck up to the opening of the building and
peeked in.
“How extraordinary!
What are those odd, black and white animals chewing on that grass?
They’re very big, but they don’t seem dangerous. I know there
are Cats here, so it must be safe for me.” So, in he went. He
hadn’t gotten very far when three very large, very scruffy Cats
jumped in front of him, hissing and growling with menace.
“What do you think
you’re doing here, little man? This place is ours and we
certainly don’t need any more strays like you hanging around.”
Hunter didn’t know what to do. He had never met Cats like these
before and could feel the danger in the air. The three Cats started
inching closer, their fur all bristly and their tails lashing.
Just as Hunter was about to introduce himself and apologize, the
Cats jumped, tumbling Hunter among the huge black and white animals.
“No! Stop!” he
cried. “I’ll leave and never bother you again.” The strange
Cats paid no attention and continued to scratch and yowl. The large
animals became excited and their massive horny feet were bumping and
thumping and very close to crushing poor Hunter. At last, he sensed
an opening and giving the largest Cat a good hard cuff, he ran out
the door, frantically searching for a place to hide. At last he was
in the meadow and found a secluded spot under a thorn bush, where he
curled up as small as he could. After a while he decided he should
assess the damage. He began to straighten out his fur and noticed a
scratch or two that needed licking. One of his eyes stung a bit,
but the rest of him seemed fine.
“I’m glad my
Mother didn’t see me run away like that but at least I did get in
one good swipe and it WAS three against one.”
Just as he was
beginning to calm down, he noticed movement in the grass and a
fluffy white Cat came into sight. Hunter puffed himself up as big
as possible and called out, “Leave me alone! I’m very
dangerous! I’m leaving this place and I will never come back.
You Cats must have eaten too much Catweed.”
The fluffy white Cat
sat down beside the thornbush and began to wash her face. Then she
looked at Hunter and smiled. “Don’t be afraid. I came to
apologize.”
Hunter sniffed the air
and decided it was safe to come out.
“Who are you and why
would you want to apologize?”
“My name is Snow,”
said the white Cat, “and I wanted to see if you were injured and
help you, if I can. Those Cats in our barn behaved extremely badly,
especially to one of the People. They were only brave because there
were three of them. Separately, they are just mean bullies who
think they can boss everyone around. I didn’t want you to think
we were all like that.”
“Well,” huffed
Hunter, “as you can see, I’m fine and I don’t see how you can
help me, even if you want to.”
Snow made herself
comfortable in the soft grass and studied the small black and white
Cat.
“I see that you have
been on a journey. Will you tell me who you are, and what you are
seeking? Perhaps I can lend you the benefit of my experience to
help you reach your goal.”
Hunter decided that
Snow was sincerely trying to be helpful. He was so lonesome and
tired of wandering that he was determined to trust her.
“Greetings to you,
Snow. My name is Hunter and I apologize for my own bad manners, but
I don’t know who I can trust anymore or where I am going next.”
Hunter settled down in the grass next to the white Cat and began
his tale. After he had told her the details of his story, Snow
felt drawn to the little Catling and came over to Hunter’s side.
She washed his dirty little face with her warm rough tongue and sang
softly to him.
“You remind me of one
of my own Kittens,” she purred, “too old to be washed by his
Mother, but too young to be out in the world by himself. We
definitely need to find you a home.”
Hunter was so happy to
feel the warmth and comfort of another caring soul that he began to
cry just a little, and finally to purr with gratitude. It felt so
wonderful to have someone to share with again; he realized how much
he missed Sharpclaw and even the cold companionship of the Big
Ones.
“Indeed,” murmured
Snow, “you have been through quite an ordeal. I’m afraid that
your story is all too familiar. Some of the Big Ones can be very
cruel and unthinking when it comes to the People that they have
under their care. Even the Barkers sometimes share our fate, left
on their own when they become an inconvenience or just aren’t cute
and cuddly anymore.”
Hunter was surprised to
hear this sad news from Snow and it only confused him more. “If
the Big Ones don’t want us, why do they take us from our families
in the first place?”
“Don’t despair,
little Hunter. I don’t mean that all the Big Ones are this way.
There are many of the Big Ones who love and cherish the People and
treat them with all the respect they deserve.”
“Where are these
loving Big Ones and how does a little black and white Hunter find
them?”
Snow gazed
thoughtfully into Hunter’s eyes and finally spoke. “Are you
ready to travel far and wide, to be on your own, to try and try
again until you find the place that will make you happy and
content?”
“I must be ready,
Snow. The weather is starting to change. I can feel it in my
whiskers. Soon I must find a shelter of my own.”
“Yes. Soon the cold
times will be here and the snow is very hard on the People. Very
few can survive out on their own.”
“Excuse me, Snow, but
I’m very bewildered. Your name is Snow and yet you talk of snow
as if it were something to be afraid of. I don’t understand.”
“Oh yes, little one.
I had forgotten that you haven’t yet seen the passing of twelve
moons. You have never experienced snow or the cold times. It will
not be many moons before they are here. Often when the cold times
come, soft frosty flakes, like the covering of the Feathered Ones,
start to fall from the sky. They are not as wet as rain, but much,
much colder. Cold and sharp as teeth, they can be, when the wind
comes from the Land of Ice. But it can also be soft and light, and
even fun to play in…for a while. But as the cold times advance,
so does the snow. Then it gathers itself all over the ground in
piles, sometimes many times higher than the People. It is very
dangerous to be caught in the snow, but it can also be very
beautiful to look at. It is the same color as my fur, which is why
the Big Ones named me Snow.”
“Oh, it sounds both
wonderful and terrible at the same time, Snow. If the cold times
are coming soon, then I must really hurry, but I am still afraid.”
Hunter sat thinking about his future. Suddenly he jumped up and
shouted, “ Wait! I just had a grand idea, Snow. Why don’t you
come with me? Then you could find a home away from those mean bossy
Cats and we could be happy and safe together.”
“Hunter, I could not
possibly leave. My family is here and my little ones still need me.
This is my home, for good or ill, and I am content. I know that a
traveling companion makes the journey seem shorter, but this is a
journey you must take alone. Also, it is much easier for ONE of
the People to find a home than two. I will send my love with you,
along with my advice. With care and courage you will be successful.
Great Bast, the protector of all the People, will guard and guide
you, but you must get started soon and there is much for me to tell
you. Even though you will be alone again, it will only be for a
little time. I know this in my heart. Somewhere, not too near,
but not too far, there is a family waiting for someone exactly like
you.”
“Your words make me
sad and happy at the same time, Snow. If I must go alone, then
teach me what I need to know quickly. It will be much easier to
leave you if I leave soon.”
“Much of what you need
to know you have already learned from Sharpclaw. Where you are
going, there will be fewer friends, though you may find help in
unexpected places. The houses of the Big Ones are farther apart and
there will be enemies that you must avoid.”
“What kind of enemies,
Snow? Are they worse than Barkers and strange Cats?”
“Some are like the
Barkers, but move about in packs. Their speech is an eerie howling
that will raise the fur on your neck. They love to prey on the
People, so if you hear or scent the Howlers, you must take shelter
immediately. Practice your tree climbing every day, for if they
detect you, it will be your safest retreat. There is also a
feathered enemy, large and silent that flies the nighttime sky. His
eyes are round and luminous and his sight more keen than even that
of the People. He mainly feeds on Squeakers and Hoppers and even
Stripers, but you are not too big for his sharp claws. If you
travel at night, keep to the cover of the bushes and trees. Often
y ou will hear them calling to each other, a strange hooting sound.
If you hear it, be wary and remember all your skills.”
“Snow, this seems like
very bad news to a little Cat like me. I hope my skills will be
enough, for I don’t know if I have enough courage.”
“You have more courage
than you realize, little one. Few your age could have come this far
at all. Remember, too, that many of your skills will come to you
when you need them the most; passed down from many generations of
the People. My blessings on you, Hunter. May your path be easy
and your dream come true.”
“Thank you, Snow.
Your kindness will always remain with me, along with your advice and
the memory of your face. I will leave this evening, while I still
have the heart to go.”
Snow gave him one final
touch, nose to nose and turned to leave. As Hunter watched her
disappear from his sight and from his life, he was determined not to
cry. “I must not act like a foolish Kitten, but like the Hunter
that I am becoming. I will make my Mother and Sharpclaw and Snow
proud. And since I must leave, there is no time like the present;
so they say.” Hunter sniffed the air and started toward the path,
hopefully leading to a new and better life. As he trotted along, he
sang a traveling song to make the hours seem shorter.
“Whiskers and paws,
tail and claws,
They guide me on by day,
meow!
Dark or light, dim or
bright,
My eyes can find the
way, meow!”
“Ears and nose, soft
furry toes,
Help me as I roam, meow!
I sing my song. It
won’t be long.
Till I will reach my
home, meow!
Till I will reach my
home!”
