The Journey Of a Thousand Miles

The rain soaked the land as I walked along the river trail. Lots of people looked at me and stopped to pet me.

In Bloomingtown I, Rose the cat, the silver tabby, was always out saving a cat or stopping a criminal. Iam was famous for being a hero. A yowl of horror alerted me. A kitten was stuck on an ice floe in the river! I didn't hesitate. I charged at the river and dived in. The water was freezing cold but i didn't slow down. I grabbed the kitten by the scruff and swam back to shore. But the kitten was heavier then I thought. I fought to keep my head above water. I could see people gathered by the shore ready to help me. Once I came withen their arms reach, they grabbed me.

The one who grabbed me shouts orders and soon iam wrapped in jackets along with the kitten. The water was very cold and I was very happy to be warm again. I  licked the kitten's fur the wrong way to warm him up and I started to purr and soon both me and the kitten were asleep.





I woke up later to find myself indoors. The walls were white and lots of charts about cats and dogs hung on the walls that I couldn't read. I lay on a white table wrapped in blankets along with the kitten. The kitten was black with amber eyes and stared at me curiously.

"Who are you?" By the sound of her voice, I could tell she was a she-cat.

"My name is Rose." I said.

"Iam Megan." The kitten said.

  Then a couple of Notail's  entered the room. I regonized them both. One was my owner,Bill, the other was my vetinarian,Keith. Bill was middleaged and had some wrinkles and he had gray hair and blue eyes. Keith was young with black hair and green eyes and was very short for a Notail. They started talking their langauge I didn't understand. After a long time of chating Bill pushed me into the carrier along with Megan.

"Why are they taking me with?" Megan wondered.

"I don't know." I admitted.

Bill put us in his roundfoot thing and turned it on. It started to roar and moved away from the vet's office. Megan wailed and buried herself in the blanket in fear.

"It's okay,little one. It's just a roundfoot."I comforted.

"What's a roundfoot?" Megan said from under the blanket.

"It's the thing Notali's use to get around." I explained. Megan crawled out from under the blanket and looked out the window.She squeezed through the bars and stuck her head out the window.

"This is great! You should try it!" Megan called.

"Get down from there! You could fall-" I was cut off as the roundfoot turned a sharp turn and Megan fell out! I squeezed theough the bars and zoomed to the window. I grabbed Megan by the scruff and tumbled back inside the roundfoot. I panted and held Megan in between my paws and she shivered in fear. Bill started shouting at Megan and pushed a button and the window closed.

"What is he saying?" Megan whimpered.

"I don't know. But I know he is scloding you for being so mischevous!" I said and cuffed Megan by the ear. Soon the roundfoot came to a stop and Bill opened the door. He grabbed Megan and I and brought us into his nest. He put Megan and I down.

"What is this place?" Megan said and looked around at the nest. Before I could answer he put a blue collar with a bell on it around Megan's neck. He put a new pink collar with a bell on my neck. At first I was confused, then I relized that I probaly lost my own collar in the river and didn't even notice.

"What's this thing?" Megan said and tried to catch the bell on the collar.

"You see, when a Notail brings a cat to his or her nest, it's either to shelter a stray for a short time or to adopt the cat. When they put a collar around the cat's neck, it's their way of saying that they are keeping the cat." Rose explained.

"That means,, Iam staying here!" Megan said and ran around the house. She ran around the living room and through the kitchen and up the stairs. Then she ran into Bill's bedroom and jumped onto his bed and saw the fan that circlled around the celing. I chased after Megan and saw her leap for the fan's tail.

"Megan, NO!" I screeched.

It was too late. Her claws caught onto the tail and she was spun at top speed by the fan!

"Rose! Get me off of this thing!" Megan wailed. I thought fast. I saw Bill turn a switch to turn the fan on and off once. I just had to find it,,

So I jumped  onto the bed and moved an out-of-place pillow. There was the switch! So i flicked it in the opisite deriction and looked up at the fan. The fan was slowing down and finnaly stopped. Megan was launced from the fan and landed on the bed. Megan stood up and shook herself.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah! That was fun! What else is around here!?" Megan said and bolted off again.

"Megan, wait!" I hollered. I chased her down the hallway and into another room. It was the biggest room in the house. There was a big black box in one corner and a huge couch in front. There was a white carpet at the back at the room with a cat tree and a cat scratcher plus many other cat toys. But Megan was heading for the open door in the room. I relized in horror that it was the bathroom, and that this morning Bill had left the bathtub full with water!

"Megan,don't go in there!" I warned. I screeched to a stop in the bathroom.

"What's this?" Megan said and stared at the bathtub with the long cartian pulled in front of it. She jumped on the edge and fell in! Megan wailed as she splashed through the water and climbed the long curtain. I could see the curtain was starting to snap,

"MEGAN NO!!" I screamed. It was too late. The shower curtain broke and Megan fell. She hit the lever at the bottom and water started to flow. The bathtub overflowed and Megan tumbled out, her fur soaking wet. I thought fast. If Bill saw this, Megan would lend up at the pound for sure! I carefully climbed the edge and pulled the lever back in it's original postion. I dived into the water and tried to remove the plug, but it didn't budge. I pulled with all my stregth and it finnaly came loose and I broke through the surface, gasping for air. I jumped out and shook my fur as water droplets splashed everywhere. I opened a thing made out of bamboo and got outevery towel. I rolled them out to cover the soaked floor.Megan was still shaking, whimpereing in fear.

"Megan, you naughty, naughty kitten! If Bill finds the bathroom in this condition, were done for!" I scrreched in fury.

"I-I am s-s sorry R-Rose." Megan stammered.

"As long as it doesn't happen again! Come on, we need to dry ourselves so Bill won't be suspicous." I said.

"Where will we dry ourselves?" Megan said.

"It's very warm outside and there is two rocks in the frontyard. Follow me." I said.

Megan and I lay on the rocks outside. The sun warmed my fur and I purred with content. The warmth in my fur soon cradled me into sleep.



It was night when I woke up. Megan had gone back inside while I was still on the rock. I was bounding with energy and decided to explore the forest. She lived on the outskirts of No-tail place, right next to the forest.

The forest had always been there, but it was bigger before the No tail place was here. When the No-Tail's moved here, they removed a section of the forest and built their bulidings that was now No-Tail place.That happened before I was born, but my great-grandmother told me all about it. I streched and walked down the side walk.

I crossed the street and passed the food store. I didn't know what the food was, but it smelled like sugar and little No Tail's were hanging out there all the time. I walked through another neighbourhood and crossed another street and passed the hotel. Then I climbed over a log and through a ditch and came to the forest. The forest smelled with wind and other fresh smells and I bounded eagerly into the trees. The flowers were blooming and the wind whistled trough the leaves. A leaf was seprated from it's branch and I tried to catch it, but the breeze blew it in the oppisite deriction. I pounced onit and I yowled in truimph when I found the leaf under my paws. But my moment of victory didn't last long. Something tackled me, knocking me onto the forest floor. I screeched in suprise an kicked furiously at my attacker. But that didn't throw the intruder off. He grabbed me by the scruff and shook me voliently.

I wasn't this dizzy since that time a little kid grabbed me and brought me onto the merry-go-round. The merry go round spun me so fast I vomited all over the lttle girl's shirt. I had to run like mad to escape her fury.

When the intruder through me onto the ground I was focused on reality again. This time I was ready. I doged out of the intrder's way. The creature was caught off balnce and I pounced on him. I bit deep into the ear untill the attacker threw me off. I barrel-rolled to avoid injury and stood on my hind legs, ready for attack. The attacker lunged when I was rolling and didn't see my trap. He fell in front of me and crushed him. digging my claws deep into the attacker's  fur.  The attacker yowled and tried to get up, but the force was too much for the intruder.

I grabbed the attacker by the scruff and shook him as hard as I could, the same attack he used on me. I threw him away and raced after him. When he landed on the ground I pounced on him. But he rolled over and crushed me.

"MEOWWRRRR!!" I cried as I threw him off of me. I stood up and lunged. I pinned him against the tree.

"Leave me alone." I growled.

"Then get out of my territory." The creature grolwed. I could tell it was a cat now.

"Then how come I've never ran into you before?" I hissed.

"A cat doesn't have time for everything." The cat said before he lunged. The cat bit into my shoulder before I landed on the ground. I flipped to pin him down and bit into his paw. The cat kicked me off and I went flying. I flipped and prepared for the attack. The cat yowled and leaped. He tackled me but I escaped from his grasp.

"Look. I don't want any trouble. Why don't you just let me go?" I said catiously.

"Well, I suposse I can let you pass. After all, you are a no-tail pet." the cat growled.

"He knows!" I thought as I lifted my paw to my collar.

"That doesn't matter. Iam Rose, what's you're name?" I said. The cat relaxed more, but was still catious.

"Iam Breeze. I live in this forest." Breeze said and ponited with his tail the trees around him.

"You seem like a nice cat, why don't you go to a no tail with food and shelter?" I asked. I immdeaitly found out that this was the wrong thing to say.

Breeze's fur ruffled and his fangs were bared back into a snarl.

"No way! The no tail's make you ride in their roundfoots and make you eat a pathetic excuse fpr garbage, that's not life!" Breeze hissed.

"Okay,okay! Sorry." Rose said.

"That's okay. Hey, how about I show you around here?" Breeze said. Witout waitng for an answer, he bounded into the trees, expecting me to follow. I catuoisly followed.



Breeze led me to  the landmarks of the forest. I stared in amazement at a tree. Not just any tree. Its bark was stripped and it seemed ghostly white. Its branches twisted in a strange shape that streched toward the sky.

"What happened to it?" I wondered.

"It got hit by lightining a few years ago, but it still stands." Breeze explained.



Then they came to a boulder that was spilt in the middle.

"Whoa." I breathed.

"Well, that boulder was always like that. But theres something I'd like to show you." Breeze said and led her into the boulder. My jaw dropped in disbelief. The moonligh shone on a small pool of water. Moss grew around the pool and was very cool and soft on her paws. I  looked in amazement into the pool. It was as clear as the carribean sea. She could see small, silvery fish swimming about in the pool. Breeze stuck a paw into the pool and scooped one of the fat,silmy fish out of the pool. there was a crack as Breeze killed it.

"Care for a snack?" Breeze meowed.

"Well,um, I never tasted fish before." I admitted.

"You haven't? Well, you got to try it, its delicious." breeze repiled. I took a bite. It tasted of water and sushi she sometimes raided form garbage cans.

"It is delicious!" I exclaimed.

Breeze chuckled and took a bite.

After they finsihed the fish the sun started to peek above the horizon.

"Uh oh. i better get going." I said. I didn't want Bill to worry about me.

"Okay. See you tommorow?" Breeze said. I stared at him in suprise. Only a few hours ago he didn't like me very ,much. But I could see in his eyes that he was serious.

"Umm, sure. I'll meet you by the ditch." i said and trotted off, my skin underneath my fur growing hot.



Then it began. Breeze and I met night after night. her showed me landmarks of the forest and the river. And one night even his den. His den was acttualy  shared by many cats.The tree was bent in the middle so it was almost sideways, making it easy to climb. It grew strait when it grew high. the trunk was very thick. It was a pine tree, and the needle-covered branches sheltered the trunk well. There were many hollows in the trunk, so many cats lived there. It was like an apartment buliding. Many cats were out and about around the tree. Some groomed eachother and shared news, kits played hide and go seek in the tree and some were sleeping in the hollows.

"Which one is yours?" I asked.

"This one." he said, pointing with his muzzle. It was one of the bottom ones. sheltered by a large branch. It was quite a big hollow, enough for three cats. A gray tom with balck spots came out and streched.

"Hi Breeze!" He called cheeerfully. Then he noticed me.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"Spots, this is Rose. Rose, this is Spots. Spots was my friend since we were kittens. Spots, this is my new friend I met a few weeks ago." Breeze mewed.

Spots noticed my collar.

"But, Breeze, she's a no-tail pet. You can't be mates with her!" Spots said. Then he put his tail over his mouth, reailzing the error. Breeze narrowed his dark blue eyes.

"And what makes you think were mates?" He growled.

"Umm, I'll see you later, Breeze." Spots said shyly and went away.

"Sorry about that. hes known to speak before he thinks." Breeze said.

"Oh, no problem." I said.

Then there was a screech. It was a white she-cat.

"My kit! Don't fall!" She wailed. I looked up to see a kitten dangling from a high branch, her claws straning to keep from losing to gravity.

Without thinking I started up the trunk.

"Rose wait! It could be dangerous!" Breeze said. I was suprised by his tone. Did he really care for me that much?

I turned to face him.

"Don't worry. i've do stuff like this all the time." She purred. Breeze relaxed, but didn't look convinced. i started up the trunk catiously, careful not to fall. I looked down to see now the cats below looked like tiny dots. I gulped and thought about coming down, but that kit wasn't going to hang on much longer. i went up a few more paces and silpped. Breeze paniced, but I recovered my footing. I just about reached the kit when she fell! The mother below screeched in distress. But I was quicker. I snapped out and grabbed the kitten by the scruff. the cats below cheered. The kitten was gray with white spots and had round green eyes.

"Don't -h-hurt m-m-me." The kitten whimpered.

"Don't worry. I got you now." I said through muffled fur.

I stepped down a few paces and rested on a branch. The ground seemed closer now. Only a few more paces,,

but then the branch started to snap. before I could slip off it snapped and the kitten and I rushed toward the ground! The cats below gasped in horror. The wind whislted through my ears and ruffled my fur as I held the kitten close to my chest with a paw. Then we landed in a litlle hole of leaves. Soon moonlight streamed in when Breeze dug through and the white she cat took her kit. i cralwed out of the hole and my heart almost stopped. The kitten's eyes was closed, and she wasn't moving. Did I just risk my life to save a kit that happened to die anyway? Then the kit started to breathe again and moved closer to the white she cat. The by-standers cheered. The white cat came up to me.

"Thank you so much. i don't know how to re-pay you." The she-cat purred.

"You don't have to. Thats okay." I mewed. So the she-cat gathered the rest of her kits and headed for her hollow. Breeze came up to her.

"That was great,how you saved that kit. Would you like to stay in my hollow for the night?" Breeze asked nervously as he licked his light brown fur. I was flattered.

"Sure!" I purred.