Millie whimpered.
That was the first sound. It was the sound Millie made before crying—and the cats knew it.
“Oh no, Stick Cat,” Edith exclaimed. “Millie! She’s going to cry soon!”
Stick Cat nodded. He had heard that whimpering sound too.
Edith began to circle Millie more quickly, rubbing against her even more for reassurance. Edith asked, “What do you think is wrong?”
“It could be anything,” replied Stick Cat. “We’ve been out here a long time. She could be hungry. She could be sleepy. She might be missing Goose and Tiffany.”
“She’s probably not missing her parents,” Edith partially disagreed. “I’m right here, after all. And I’m her favorite.”
Stick Cat smiled a bit to himself then.
“But she could be sleepy or hungry,” Edith continued. “That’s possible. Do you have any food with you? I could eat some and then share the leftovers with Millie.”
“Food?”
“Yes, food. You know, the stuff you eat,” Edith confirmed and explained. The idea that Stick Cat might have carried some food from the house with him seemed perfectly logical to her. “Some filet mignon perhaps? Maybe a lobster bisque? Even some bagels with lox and cream cheese would suffice. That would be enough to hold us over before we get home.”
“Umm, no, Edith,” Stick Cat replied. “I didn’t bring any food with me.”
“Why don’t you just bring us something from the kitchen?” asked Edith. “Didn’t you bring the kitchen when you brought the house? I seem to remember mentioning the kitchen quite specifically. It was part of my plan.”
“Umm. It was part of your plan, yes,” Stick Cat answered. “But that, umm, didn’t quite work out.”
That’s when the second sound emerged.
It was faint at first, nearly lost among all the other sounds in the woods—insects, birds, and rustling leaves.
It was a rumble.
A quiet rumble.
But it grew louder quickly.
Edith heard it too. She glanced up at the sky.
“Is that thunder?”
“I don’t think so,” Stick Cat answered slowly. The rumble was already louder. It was already closer. He felt the ground beneath his paws tremble. The sound didn’t come from the sky—it came from the forest.
“Then what is it?”
“Something’s coming,” Stick Cat whispered. He took five quick steps to put himself between that growing, rumbling sound and Edith and Millie. “Something is approaching. Fast! Something is charging toward us!”
Edith said, “It might be a rhinoceros. Those things charge.”
Stick Cat listened more closely.
“There’s more than one,” he whispered.
“I’ve always wanted to see a rhinoceros,” Edith said. “They’re so big. And their skin is folded over. And that horn? That horn is awesome. Do you think it could really be more than one rhinoceros?!”
“It’s more than one something,” Stick Cat said. He snapped his head around, seeking a place to hide. They were in the open in this little clearing. He knew they couldn’t get Millie to move. And whatever was coming at them was moving rapidly.
The sound was louder.
The ground trembled more.
Branches, bushes, and tall weeds swayed and snapped as the things got closer.
“Maybe it’s an entire herd of rhinoceroses!” Edith exclaimed. “Wouldn’t that be wonderful!”
And then the things emerged from the forest on the opposite side of that clearing.