I scrunched down so that I could get a better look under the Range Rover. The scratching sounds continued, but I couldn’t see a thing. I crept slowly toward the vehicle to get a closer look. I blinked. My eyes narrowed as I tried to adjust to the darkness. The gnawing sound got louder. I twisted my neck to look under the big car.
The fur on my back and tail fuzzed up as the big rat, Nora, dropped to the ground in front of me. She started laughing and pointing.
“Where have you been, Cat? You look ridiculous. Look at that big pink bow on your head.” Nora’s nasty laugh made me back away from the car. “Hey, guys, look at this silly cat!”
Suddenly several sets of yellow eyes appeared near Nora. “Yeah, I remember that little kitty. He’s been in here before, but he never stays very long. Looks like he’s been to the beauty shop.” The gray one moved even closer.
Several rats appeared in the rafters. Each one had a remark to make about the bows in my fur. I backed away, then quickly turned and ran out the door. Their jeering laughter followed me like a cloud follows a thunderstorm.
Amy had told me that I was a pretty kitty. It felt good to be praised and taken care of, but here in the barn with the nasty rats I only felt embarrassed and uncomfortable.
As soon as I got outside in the sunshine, I tried to pull the bows off again. They were impossible to move. I strolled to a safe spot near the apple tree. I found some dust to roll in. I flipped to my back and tried to scrape the bow off. It felt good to roll around. I stood up, shook, and swished my tail.
Just as I was beginning my bath, I heard a whistle. It sounded kind of familiar. Sometimes when Mama got all dressed up to go someplace, Daddy would whistle at her and tell her how pretty she looked. She would always smile and give him a big hug. It was the same whistle, but different somehow. I looked toward the house to see if I could see Mama or Daddy. The whistle came again. Daddy was no place in sight. The sound was close. I perked my ears and tried to find out what was making the noise. Just then I heard a familiar laugh. With a jerk of my head, I looked up. There on the branch of the apple tree was my friend Flea.
I scampered up the tree trunk to the first limb where the mockingbird sat.
“Flea! I’m so glad that you are back. I have missed you!”
“Hey, Cat. You look really cute. Did you get all prettied up for me?” The bird fluffed her feathers.
“No, Chomps and I got in trouble and we had to go see Amy and Jeff. Chomps got a haircut and I got a bath and a wonderful rubdown.” I purred just remembering.
“Who’s Chomps?” The little bird stared at me.
“Chomps is the new dog. He’s pretty cute. I’m trying to teach him how to hunt. Remember when I had to teach you?”
“That wasn’t too long ago. I have gotten to be a good hunter this winter. Right now it’s time to start looking for a place to build my nest.”
“What about this apple tree? That is where you were born. Wouldn’t that be a good place to start your family?” I tried to sharpen my claws on the bark of the tree.
“Mama may come back here. If she does, then she gets to make her nest in her tree. I have to find a place that is just right for me.” Flea stretched out one wing and used her beak to clean her feathers.
“There are lots of trees around here. You will find a good one close by.”
Flea shook her feathers and looked at me. “My special tree has to be just right. I have to pick very carefully. Remember how that storm blew me out of the tree when I was little? I don’t want that to happen to my baby birdies.”
“Hey, let’s go meet Chomps. He’s really a good dog. I bet you can help me teach him some pretty good tricks when we hunt.”
“Sure, I would like to meet your friend. Where is he?”
“Last time I saw him, he was in the backyard. We dug out and went exploring this morning, and that was when our troubles began.” I jumped down from the tree and headed for the backyard. I climbed over the chain-link and dropped to the ground.
Flea swooped after me and landed on the fence.
“Where’s the dog?” Flea asked.
I shrugged my ears. “Guess he’s inside.”
“When Mama gives him a bath, he always gets to spend more time in the house. Now that he’s been to the beauty shop and looks so clean and pretty, he may never come outside.”
“Ah, I can meet him later.” Flea chirped with a shrug of her wings. “We haven’t seen each other for a long time. We’ve got a lot of visiting to catch up on.”
Flea swooped down and landed on my back. The familiar feel of her sharp little claws felt good.
“So,” she began. “Tell me what you’ve been doing this winter, and I’ll tell you all about my winter home in Florida.”
We talked for a long time before Mama let Chomps out. He ran straight to his favorite place and lifted his leg. When he finished, he kicked grass at the wet spot with his hind feet. Suddenly his eyes flashed wide. His mouth fell open.
“Gray,” he whispered.
“What?” I whispered back.
“There’s a bird on your back.”
His eyes got even bigger. Flea and I both began to laugh. The little dog stood still. His new haircut made him look fluffy but very mature.
“Chomps, you look very nice.” Flea cheeped. “I really like your new haircut.”
Chomps’s head tilted so far to one side, I thought he was going to fall over. I had never seen him look so puzzled and confused.
“Chomps, I want you to meet my friend, Flea. She’s been gone all winter and she just got back. I told you stories about some of our adventures. I think that you two will be good friends.”
Chomps’s tail started to wag. “So you’re Flea.” He smiled. “I’ve heard so much about you. I feel like we’re friends already.”
• • •
During the next two weeks, Flea, Chomps, and I learned to play some neat games. Our favorite was tag. We only had to touch Flea’s shadow. She had to touch us gently with her beak. We spent hours playing the game. Chomps would bark and bark as he raced across the yard chasing the swooping shadow. I would hide behind the trunk of the tree and leap out just in time to touch the dark spot in the grass as Flea flew past. It kept Chomps and me from getting very far from the house, so we weren’t in trouble with Mama.
• • •
Other mockingbirds began to come back. Flea was still looking for a perfect place to put her nest. Everyday she would check new trees searching for the ideal spot to build her new home.
I was rubbing against the swing when I finally got lucky and managed to get the bow off the top of my head. The one on my tail was looking pretty ragged, but it hung on. I don’t know what Amy had done to those bows to make them stay put for so long. My smell was better, too. I felt more like a real cat. One day, while Flea was away hunting for a place for her nest and while Callie was taking a nap in the sun, I mustered my courage to return to the rats’ den.
Mama’s big vehicle was parked in the middle of the barn. The scrunching noises that I had heard before were coming from under it. I squeezed myself to the ground, my ears against my head. I wiggled closer, a little bit at a time. The sounds grew louder as I eased toward the car. My eyes were still adjusting to the darkness when I saw Nora under Mama’s Range Rover. The big rat was chewing on wires beneath the car.