SEEDS

Because the cat couldn’t fly and her paws were nearly frozen, it took them a long time to get home. Priscilla picked her way through snowdrifts and across icy patches while Megabat flapped overhead, urging her on and pointing the way. It was blustering cold and pitch-black by the time they arrived in Daniel’s backyard—but never had a guest of honor been so warmly welcomed.

When Megabat knocked on the TV room window and told Daniel what had happened, Daniel ran to the kitchen, threw the back door open and scooped Priscilla up. “Mom! Dad!” he’d called joyfully. “The cat’s back!”

The adults crowded around while Daniel’s dad toweled the snow off the cat’s fur and Daniel’s mother opened a can of stinky cat food. Meanwhile, Daniel’s eyes watered with happy tears, and Megabat, who was nestled in his friend’s shirt pocket, licked them up while Daniel swatted at his tongue and laughed.

After that, Daniel’s mother took the cat upstairs to give her a bath, and right before midnight, Megabat flew back to the shed to get Birdgirl. The pigeon was overjoyed to be included in the party, and, safely hidden from the adults in the TV room, she polished off all the cheese puffs left in the bowl. When Megabat and Birdgirl shared a beaky kiss at midnight, both of their faces came away sprinkled with beautiful orange dust.

It was a very good night indeed, but the next day things went back to how they’d been the week before—only worse. Instead of hiding, the cat slept on a special, soft pillow in the sunniest spot in the living room. She no longer played with R2-D2’s head, but now she had all kinds of new toys. Dangly ones and jingly ones and ones that looked like little mice. Megabat wasn’t allowed to play with any of them.

On top of that, even Daniel’s dad admitted that the cat wasn’t so much trouble after all, and the whole family made a bigger fuss than ever—brushing her fur, giving her treats, telling her “good job” when she pooped in a box and, most of all, trying to keep her from escaping again—until one day the next week…

“Mom bought this for Priscilla,” Daniel explained. He showed Megabat a collar studded with twinkling diamonds. It was the most breathtaking thing Megabat had ever seen, and he burned with jealousy. “She won’t stop scratching at the back door trying to get out,” Daniel explained as he fastened the collar around Priscilla’s neck. “Mom and Dad figure we might as well let her. I mean, she came back last time, right? With a little help.” Daniel scratched the top of Megabat’s head in thanks, which made him feel a little better—although he still couldn’t take his eyes off that diamond cat necklace.

Priscilla, on the other hand, didn’t seem to appreciate it one bit. She scratched at the collar with her back foot, but then she turned her attention to the door. “Miew!” she said insistently, looking back toward Megabat. “Miew!” Megabat followed the cat’s gaze, but there was nothing in the yard except the puffer rats. And they were just doing what they always did: digging holes.

It hardly mattered. Since he and Birdgirl had devised their ingenious honking machine, Birdgirl had been safely collecting and storing the seeds in the shed. Let the rats dig if they wanted to.

“Miew!” the cat cried again. Daniel opened the door, and Priscilla leapt into the snow. But instead of going exploring, she made a beeline for the shed and began to scratch at that door.

“What does she want in there, I wonder?” Daniel said. “Come on…let’s go see.” He slid his boots on and tucked Megabat into his coat pocket.

“This is Megabat and Birdgirl’s home,” Daniel explained to the cat. “And we keep things like the lawn mower here too. See?” He threw the door open to show her.

But instead of the homey and well-ordered shed Birdgirl usually kept, the sight that met them was utter chaos. The rake was tipped over, the recycling was spilled everywhere and there, at the very back of the shed, was a terrified Birdgirl perched atop her pile of seeds, surrounded on all sides by chattering puffer rats.

Before Daniel or Megabat could react, the cat gave a low, menacing growl.

The greedy puffer rats were busy stuffing their cheeks with seeds as the cat crept toward them, her feather duster tail beating wildly. They hadn’t seen her yet, but there was no missing her when, a moment later, she pounced and pinned a tail to the ground with her big furry paw. She hissed at a second puffer rat, baring her pointy fangs.

Megabat was used to seeing the puffer rats scurry here and there, but he’d never seen them move quite so fast. They jumped like bouncy balls. Three of them dashed straight out the shed door, but the last one—the fat gray squirrel—clung to the shed wall, frozen with fear.

Priscilla glared at the gray puffer rat and motioned with her head toward the corner of the shed. As if obeying her command, the gray squirrel—who was breathing hard and fast and making small squeaky sounds—inched down the wall and backed toward the corner.

“Daniel!” Megabat gasped. “Theys is thinking hers is the Queen Puffer Rat!” It made perfect sense, after all. She had the same puffy tail, but while the squirrels were small, silly and skittish, she was large, dignified and commanding—exactly like a queen.

A few seconds later, Megabat’s theory was confirmed. The squirrel gave a humble little bow, as if begging her pardon, before disappearing into a small hole in the ground that Megabat had never seen before.

“Aha!” Megabat said. “Theys been tunneling in. Those rotten puffer rats has been trying to steal Birdgirl’s seeds.” And then he realized something else. “And the fancy cat has been trying to warn mine!” For days, she’d been staring out the back window, pawing at the glass.

The cat stepped toward Birdgirl, and at first Megabat thought maybe she was going to pounce on her too, but then she swished her fluffy tail and miewed pleasantly, as if to say “hello,” and maybe even, “nicely to officially meet you.”

“Coo-woo,” Birdgirl exclaimed, shaking her feathers in astonishment.

And then Megabat realized he’d probably gotten something else wrong! Maybe, when the cat had tried to hunt Birdgirl in the living room, she hadn’t realized the pigeon was family! Perhaps that was why she’d pushed the puzzle pieces of pigeons together the next day—to apologize!

Sure, Priscilla had made some mistakes—like playing with R2-D2’s head—and yes, she had hidden a lot at first…but maybe that was because she’d had to live all her life with mean old Mrs. Cormier. Perhaps all she really wanted was a home where she’d be treated with kindness and respect. And all this time, Megabat had tried to stop her from getting what every creature—fancy or regular—deserved.

Megabat flew out of Daniel’s pocket and landed on the ground in front of the cat. “Mine’s sorry,” he said sheepishly. “Megabat should have been more nicer to yours and not tried to stink yours up with mine stink potion.” The cat took a step closer and carefully licked the top of his head. It felt rough, like sandpaper, but Megabat didn’t mind.

Then Priscilla turned, waving her magnificent tail behind her, and went off to explore the shed.

“Is that why the kitchen was a mess that night and the cat smelled so bad when she came home?” Daniel said angrily. “Megabat! What did you think that was going to accomplish?”

Megabat hunched his wings up, feeling embarrassed.

“Yours didn’t love Megabat so much anymore,” he said in a soft voice. “Mine isn’t fancy or fluffy.” He held up one leathery wing, then let it drop. “Or pretty. Or pure of bread. Hers was stealing all yours’s love away,” he said with a little sniff, “like the puffer rats was stealing all Birdgirl’s seeds. Mine thought if hers wented away…” His voice trailed off.

He half hoped Daniel would tell him he was fancy too, but instead…“It’s true,” Daniel said flatly. “You aren’t fancy or fluffy or purebred.” He paused and Megabat felt his eyes start to well up with tears. “And love is exactly like seeds.”

Daniel walked over and picked a seed off the top of Birdgirl’s pile. Meanwhile, a single tear escaped from the corner of Megabat’s eye and splashed to the floor. So the cat really had stolen Daniel’s love, and now that Megabat had been a bad bat, he’d never get it back.

“Love is exactly like seeds,” Daniel went on, “because it can grow.”

Megabat blinked in confusion.

“Didn’t you know that’s what seeds do? They turn into new plants that make even more seeds.”

“Yours gots a love plant?”

“No,” Daniel said with a sigh. “What I mean is, just because I love Priscilla too doesn’t mean I love you any less, Megabat.” Daniel went on. “It just means I’ve got more love to give now. You’re both part of my family. And I love you the same amount, but in different ways. You’re not fancy, but you’re my best friend! Who else would watch Star Wars fifty times with me, or spin in the hammock chair till we puke? I’m always going to love you, okay? No matter what.”

“No matter what?” Megabat asked.

“No matter what,” Daniel answered.

By now, the cat was over in Birdgirl’s craft corner, where the pigeon seemed to be showing off her work in progress: the HOME SWEET HOME sign for the shed door, which was still missing a few letters.

The cat walked around to admire it from all angles. She rubbed her face against it appreciatively. Or, at least, it seemed that way, but it soon became clear that she was actually scratching her neck…and she was getting pretty vigorous about it.

“What are you doing, Priscilla?” Daniel asked, walking over to see. “I hope she didn’t catch fleas or something.”

Birdgirl was the first to figure it out. “Coo-woo,” she said, pointing to a spot on the sign with her beak. The cat had rubbed the beautiful diamond collar right off her neck and dropped it onto the sign where it made a perfect, glittering letter O. The most wonderful, wonderful gift from a cat who was much more wonderful than she’d at first seemed.

“Oooooh,” said Megabat. “So niiiiice.”

It really was a lovely moment.

Until they all heard the sound of footsteps out in the yard. “Daniel!” his mother called. “I just got the weirdest email from some guy who wants to buy our cat for one dollar! Do you know anything about an online ad?”

“Uh-oh.” Megabat took off up into the rafters where Daniel wouldn’t be able to catch him.

“Megabat?!” Daniel had his hands on his hips. “Please tell me you didn’t try to sell the cat.”

“Mine didn’t try to sell the cat,” Megabat repeated obediently.

Daniel stared up into the darkness with disappointed eyes.

“Oka-hay, fine. Mine did a little bit try to sell the cat.” Now Daniel looked really exasperated. “Don’t forgetting yours loves mine no matter what!” Megabat reminded him.

And even though Daniel groaned and Priscilla’s tail twitched in an oh-so-offended way, Megabat wasn’t really worried. After all, they were family.