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!
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