Marco could get to an actual apology.
Tobias said.
He flew off, but kept low. We took off after him. Even flying at minimum speed, Tobias was too fast for us to keep up with, so he had to circle back again and again. We had a hard time keeping him in sight.
“This doesn’t look
too
strange,” Cassie joked. “The four of us running down the street looking up in the sky.”
Tobias called down.
“Yeah. Just to our left?”
“Okay, we can’t all go traipsing over some stranger’s yard,” I pointed out. “I’ll go with Cassie.”
Marco held up the kitty carrier we had brought along. “Don’t you need this?”
“Not yet. I’ll grab Fluffer and bring him back over here. You two guys just stand here, looking casual.”
Cassie and I stepped onto the lawn. The house was dark. Maybe no one was home. That would be good.
“Go left,” I suggested to Cassie. We circled the tree.
“Hey, Fluffer,” I said in a high, talking-to-animals voice. “Here, kitty kitty. Remember me?”
“There he is.”
“I see him.” I squatted down and held my hand out toward the cat. “Hey, Fluffer Fluffer. It’s me, Rachel.”
Fluffer flattened his ears back along his skull. He looked from me to Cassie and back again.
“Come on, Fluffer, it’s me. Come on, boy.”
“He’s a male? He’s a tomcat?” Cassie asked.
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Oh, wonderful,” Cassie moaned. “Please tell me he’s been fixed, at least.”
“Have you been fixed, Fluffer McKitty?” I cooed. “Why do we care?” I asked Cassie.
“Because pound for pound, a tomcat is like one of the toughest, most dangerous little things around.”
“Who, Fluffer? My little kitty friend Fluffer?”
“Even if he is fixed, a male cat, out at night in hunting mode?” Cassie shook her head. “We should have worn gloves.”
“Oh, come on. He’s a sweet kitty cat.” To demonstrate just how sweet Fluffer was, I reached a hand for him.
“Hhhhhhssssss!”
In a movement too fast for my human eyes to see, Fluffer swiped out with one paw. Three bloody scratches appeared on the back of my hand and Fluffer shot straight up the tree.
“Owww!” I stuck my injured hand to my mouth.
“Gloves would definitely have been a good idea,” Cassie said.
“How are you guys doing?” Jake whispered, just loudly enough for me to hear him.
“Wonderful,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’m bleeding and Fluffer is up the tree.”
I heard Marco giggle. I expected that. But then I heard Jake giggling, too. I looked up and saw two glittering yellow-green eyes glaring down from the dark tree.
“This was supposed to be the easy part,” I said. “I figured, okay, we go and acquire Fluffer’s DNA, and
then
the hard stuff begins.”
“We have a cat up a tree,” Cassie said dolefully. “You know how hard it is to get a cat down out of a tree?”
“I have a plan,” I said. “Tobias, are you up there?”
going to try and snatch an angry tomcat down out of a tree.>
“That’s not what I was going to ask,” I said. I took a deep breath. This night was turning weird real fast. “What I need is a mouse.”
CHAPTER 7
G ot something for you. A baby mouse. A
mean
baby mouse. It keeps trying to bite me.> Tobias flew in a low, tight circle overhead, disappearing behind the tree branches, then reappearing.
I took a deep breath. I gave him a wave. Sure, I was ready. Why wouldn’t I be ready to have a hawk hand me a mouse? Just your normal kind of thing to deal with.
Tobias flew low and slow. I held out my hands, cupped together. With amazing precision and perfect timing, he deposited the mouse in my hands.
“Don’t let it bite you!” Cassie warned.
He flew off, but kept low. We took off after him. Even flying at minimum speed, Tobias was too fast for us to keep up with, so he had to circle back again and again. We had a hard time keeping him in sight.
“This doesn’t look
too
strange,” Cassie joked. “The four of us running down the street looking up in the sky.”
“Yeah. Just to our left?”
“Okay, we can’t all go traipsing over some stranger’s yard,” I pointed out. “I’ll go with Cassie.”
Marco held up the kitty carrier we had brought along. “Don’t you need this?”
“Not yet. I’ll grab Fluffer and bring him back over here. You two guys just stand here, looking casual.”
Cassie and I stepped onto the lawn. The house was dark. Maybe no one was home. That would be good.
“Go left,” I suggested to Cassie. We circled the tree.
“Hey, Fluffer,” I said in a high, talking-to-animals voice. “Here, kitty kitty. Remember me?”
“There he is.”
“I see him.” I squatted down and held my hand out toward the cat. “Hey, Fluffer Fluffer. It’s me, Rachel.”
Fluffer flattened his ears back along his skull. He looked from me to Cassie and back again.
“Come on, Fluffer, it’s me. Come on, boy.”
“He’s a male? He’s a tomcat?” Cassie asked.
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Oh, wonderful,” Cassie moaned. “Please tell me he’s been fixed, at least.”
“Have you been fixed, Fluffer McKitty?” I cooed. “Why do we care?” I asked Cassie.
“Because pound for pound, a tomcat is like one of the toughest, most dangerous little things around.”
“Who, Fluffer? My little kitty friend Fluffer?”
“Even if he is fixed, a male cat, out at night in hunting mode?” Cassie shook her head. “We should have worn gloves.”
“Oh, come on. He’s a sweet kitty cat.” To demonstrate just how sweet Fluffer was, I reached a hand for him.
“Hhhhhhssssss!”
In a movement too fast for my human eyes to see, Fluffer swiped out with one paw. Three bloody scratches appeared on the back of my hand and Fluffer shot straight up the tree.
“Owww!” I stuck my injured hand to my mouth.
“Gloves would definitely have been a good idea,” Cassie said.
“How are you guys doing?” Jake whispered, just loudly enough for me to hear him.
“Wonderful,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’m bleeding and Fluffer is up the tree.”
I heard Marco giggle. I expected that. But then I heard Jake giggling, too. I looked up and saw two glittering yellow-green eyes glaring down from the dark tree.
“This was supposed to be the easy part,” I said. “I figured, okay, we go and acquire Fluffer’s DNA, and
then
the hard stuff begins.”
“We have a cat up a tree,” Cassie said dolefully. “You know how hard it is to get a cat down out of a tree?”
“I have a plan,” I said. “Tobias, are you up there?”
going to try and snatch an angry tomcat down out of a tree.>
“That’s not what I was going to ask,” I said. I took a deep breath. This night was turning weird real fast. “What I need is a mouse.”
CHAPTER 7
G ot something for you. A baby mouse. A
mean
baby mouse. It keeps trying to bite me.> Tobias flew in a low, tight circle overhead, disappearing behind the tree branches, then reappearing.
I took a deep breath. I gave him a wave. Sure, I was ready. Why wouldn’t I be ready to have a hawk hand me a mouse? Just your normal kind of thing to deal with.
Tobias flew low and slow. I held out my hands, cupped together. With amazing precision and perfect timing, he deposited the mouse in my hands.
“Don’t let it bite you!” Cassie warned.
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