Cat Adventures: Chapter 7: The Start of our Great Adventure

 

I cautiously tiptoed up the stairs of the caravan, a shiver of excitement penetrating my body. Butterflies of eagerness fluttered in my stomach and I felt like I could soar over the treetops.  Finally, the championships! We would be the most acclaimed acrobats in the animal kingdom! Cre-eaak. With a jolt and a groan, the caravan lurched forward, starting slowly and doubtfully, then gaining speed. I watched as Felicia rotated the steering wheel and peered at her map. I gazed at my surroundings. The only source of light appeared to be from the shafts of sunlight filtering through the windows and holes in the walls. Faded Flying Felinis posters hung, askew on the walls. I was surrounded by bulging bags of luggage, as well as the others. Trees were flying past as the carriage moved, and leafy branches occasionally jutted into our seating area. "I wouldn't sit so close to the window if I were you.", whispered Claude. As she was midway through saying this statement, a branch whacked me in the face. "Right", I giggled.

 

I huddled into a corner, only to get tangled in spider's webs. I beckoned to Sunny and demonstrated to her how to catch spiders. I moved her paw to slam down on the spiders, and demonstrated how to chew the rubbery body segments. After several tries, we had eliminated all the spiders of the caravan, and Sunny had legs and dusty silk strands dangling from her whiskers. She strutted around proudly, boasting of her 'great escapade of spider hunting'. I rolled over in loud guffaws, which only led to a pounce on my stomach. Pammy challenged me to a swatting bout, which I gladly accepted. We playfully smacked each other, claws retracted. Once we had played several matched, I settled into a corner with a dusty pillow in it, legs tired, mind racing. I clutched Sunny close to me, who, of course, objected. I did not want to lose her in the luggage.

 

I found myself drifting off to sleep, with Sunny's fluffy, puffed body huddled against me. A loud shriek woke me up. My head popped up. It was only Crackers, Crumbles, and Pammy engaged in a tussle. "Stop scaring me!", I groaned, and pulled a heavy bag to seal off my space. A few hours later, I heard a shrill scream-- this one of genuine panic-- and coming from Felicia. "Close all windows and lock them!" Terrified and bewildered, I obeyed her commands without hesitation. The whole train was a commotion of cats rushing to take precautions against the unknown danger and find out what was awry. Lanterns and candles flickered out. The room went pitch black. I started to squeal in shock, but was stopped by an icy whisper. "Make no sound. There are wolves." I snuggled close to whoever was next to me, which happened to be Crackers(I could tell by the nip). Thump. My heart pounded and sharp thorns of fear pulsed through my body. Sunny's wide eyes shone gold in beseeching fear. The wolves were on top of our cart. What if the roof could not bear their weight?

 

"Don't worry. That roof is really strong. We will repair it soon, though.", Crumbles whispered to me, her voice sounding not at all reassuring. 

Will the wolves break into the caravan? Find out in the next chapter!

Cat Adventures: Chapter 6: Mayhem and Preparations

 

We first stumbled into a bakery shop, which was a very lucky coincidence. Clouds of fragrant, fresh-baked bread filled my nostrils. The scent of golden crossaints wafted towards me. Crackers gazed at the glass cases full of glazed donuts, baguettes, and bagels in disbelief. My mouth watered audibly. I glanced around me, making sure no one was in sight. With synchronized motions, we jumped on the counter. I delicately licked a vanilla cupcake dusted with pastel sprinkles. A delightful, sweet taste flooded my mouth. I sucked the plume of white frosting off. Crackers had her head buried in a cake. I began tossing pancakes, bagels, macarons, and cream puffs into the provisions bag. I decided to preserve the rest of the bakery. We needed this scrumptious food, but a nagging guilt hung over me as I exited the shop.

 

"Wait one moment." I bolted back in the shop and scratched in the counter: 'The food was good, and I need to eat it.' I deposited some mushrooms, berries, mint, and dirt-caked quarters from the sidewalk onto the counter. Thump, thump, thump. I frantically searched for a place to take cover. There was no other choice. I dove straight into the trash. "Who did this?", a voice growled. I peered through the narrow opening. The employee plunked my offerings on another counter in disgust. His shiny, black sneakers inched closer to my hiding place. I felt the bag tightening and, to my horror, lifting out of the trash can. Frantically, I swam through the plastic wrapping and flour, groping with my claws. I had to escape before the bag, with its live contents, was thrown in the dumpster. Then, I heard a ripping sound. My head popped out. I was free! I scampered off to join Crackers, who was laden down with our acquisitions, as well as half a pizza, fish sticks, and chips.

 

Deciding that we had enough provisions, we returned to the camp. When we arrived, everything was in total chaos and tumult. Cats scurried about in a frenzy from hidden corners. At the center of what used to be our sleeping area, bags were heaped, the piles as tall as mountains. Sacks were splitting, revealing flashes of sparkles from the costumes. "Provisions: 10 bags of mushrooms, 15 bags of dry meat, 20 bags of dehydrated vegetables, 10 bags of dehydrated fruit, 5 bags of sweets and human food, 10 bags of cat kibble", Felicia's voice blared out icily. That was enough to last us for years... or so I thought. "You may go visit your families for the rest of the day. Be back precisely at 4:00 a.m.", Felicia mumbled. "Now get out!" She waved her paws in exasperation and exhaustion. "Felicia!", I called back. "What?", she snarled. "I said get out!" She raised her paw to swat me. "Do you want to come to my home?" Felicia sighed and stared at the piles of bags. 

 

"Well..Yes!", she said, first doubtfully, then eagerly. "I never had a home to return to, no family to welcome me. All I remember from being a kitten was peering out of metal bars. I was overjoyed when I found someone was taking me home, but my dream only lasted a few weeks. One day, they plunked me by the side of the road in a cardboard box, and I've never seen them since.", she explained forlornly. "I'm almost glad that happened, since now I have a fantastic future and an amazing group of cats... but sometimes, that sadness hangs over me, especially at time like this. Just...please don't tell anyone." I gazed at her sympathetically. "You'll love my family. Come this way!", I beckoned Felicia. "Pounce! Where have you been? I've searched my paws and whiskers out!", my sister, Blaze shrieked. We embraced each other. However, at the sight of Felicia, Blaze's mouth dropped open. "Who is this?", Felicia introduced herself. 

A buff ball came rolling down the hallway. Sunny uncurled herself and gazed eagerly and lovingly at me. "Pounce!", she screeched, and began beating at my sides. I scooped her up and twirled her in the air. Felicia began grooming Sunny's rumpled fur. She wriggled in delight. "Pounce! Where have you been?" My human servant scooped me and clutched me. In return, I gave her a nip. Then, I heard the pop of food cans being opened. The scrumptious scent of fish filled the air. We dashed to our room and found a huge multitude of food cans... every single flavor found in the store! That night, we had great fun sampling, and making a huge mess of the food. Felicia engaged playfully with Blaze, and was currently rolling on the floor with her in a tangle of claws. Finally, the clock struck 4:00 a.m. Thoroughly exhausted, we returned to camp. As I walked beside Felicia, I could almost feel her joy.

 

"Thank you for inviting me. Now, we need to load the travel cars. I'll show you where they are." We crept through the labyrinth of trees illuminated by silver moonlight. "Here it is.", she whispered. It took several moments for my eyes to adjust and distinguish the travel cars from the trees. When my eyes focused, my mouth dropped open in horrified disbelief. Vines dangled and entwined themselves around the large wooden boxes. It looked more like a pile of old lumber than a travel train. Cobwebs hung in corners, some deserted, others with alive, and huge, inhabitants. The wood seemed to be splintering, and appeared to have been home to nearly 5000 termites. I doubted if the wheels even turned. "It's stronger than it looks.", said Felicia, breaking the silence. I knew I wanted to go, but one small, nagging part of me doubted this. This meant leaving my family - perhaps forever. It was a long journey to the rainforest, and I might never come back. The thought chilled me. I thought of how devoted my human and mother were to me. And Sunny-- she relied on me, and was my responsibility. What if something happened to her? But then I thought of how much this freedom meant to me, of the hours I spent gazing out the window in longing. This had been my dream ever since I was two months old. I knew I would regret it later if I chose not to go. This was my future, my career. I knew I would feel homesick at times, but I knew I was making the right decision. I hopped on board the caravan, ready for adventure. 

 

I heaved bags onto the caravan, one by one. "Phweet!" The sharp sound of Felicia's whistle broke the enchanting spell of the moonlit night like a stick being hurled into calm waters. Cats suddenly appeared from hidden corners and came scuttling into view from the distance. "What's happening?", came a small voice...from my back. There was only one possibility to who that could be. "Sunny! Why did you come with me?" For a moment I was glad that someone in my family could come... but little did I know how fraught with danger this trip was to be.

Things start out normal on the journey... but the first moments can be deceiving. Find out how the journey begins in the next chapter!