The armadillo waves his nose in the air. Half-blind, he can only see a few inches ahead. Smelling helps him find his way around.
He stops. His face waggles from side-to-side, searching. There.
On a stone sits a metal bowl full of food. The camera doesn’t focus on the food, so it could’ve been fish or earthworms or dry cat food. It doesn’t matter. What matters is the play of shadows, bright sun filtering through the thick leaves of a towering oak. A kitten hides in the flickering shadows, a study in black and white himself.
Rudy stretches to reach over the top lip of the bowl and snatches a bite. He pulls back into the shadows, sitting on his haunches and chewing.
Suddenly, the armadillo charges.
The kitten freezes. His green eyes glimmer with fear.
Never fear!
Underdog Cat flies to the rescue.
(Really, she leaps from a tree limb. On video, it just looks like she’s been flying around looking for someone who needs help.)
She lands on the armadillo’s back and digs in her claws. Except the armadillo’s armor is too tough for her claws. The armadillo bucks like a wild horse, and Underdog Cat flies into the food bowl, knocking it over and spilling—oh, it’s dry cat food.
Underdog Cat scrambles up and leaps at the armadillo. This time, her claws find the brute’s sensitive nose.
(Earlier, they’d practiced the stunt. When Angel pats his nose, Herman, the armadillo, just has to react the right way. The camera will make it look like she scratches him.)
The armadillo squeals and curls into a ball.
Underdog Cat waits, back arched, hissing.
Peering out from under his armor, the armadillo shivers. In a swift movement, he uncurls and dashes away.
Rudy inches up to Underdog Cat, who stares up at the tree. Finally she glances down at him.
Rudy gazes up at her. “Thank you,” his emerald eyes say. “You saved the day.”
Again.