SPRING The Clearing
The moon cast its bright light on the clearing. It was a warm, balmy night, and the stillness was intensified by
the moonlight. The chirping of crickets and katydids could be heard as well as the tree frogs. The clearing was
fairly large surrounded by a lot of brush and bushes, and a few trees had heavy vines growing up them making a thicket at
the bottom providing hiding places.
Cassie was asleep under the bush she had made into her den, away from the clearing, but with a good view. Suddenly
she heard a noise, she perked up her ears and peered out onto the clearing. She remained still waiting for whatever
was out there to come into view. She listened, twitching her ears, and kept her eyes on the clearing. Something was
approaching. She crouched down with eyes and ears on the alert. She began to sniff the air to try to catch a scent
of whatever was out there.
Then she saw it, a shape which she recognized as being like her, but unknown to her. The shape moved slowly into
the clearing, stopping to look around, and Cassie saw that it was a cat, and then she saw two smaller shapes behind the cat
and realized that it was a Mother cat and her kittens. She heard the soft mew of the Mother coaxing the kittens to hurry
along.
At first, Cassie thought if she was very still the strange cat and her kittens would keep going. She watched as
the cat began moving into the clearing, mewing to the kittens to stay by her side. Her pace began to pick up and Cassie
thought, good, she will keep going with those kittens.
Cassie was getting to old to mess with kittens, they cried a lot and wanted to run all over and play and bother other
cats and especially her. Not that she didn't like kittens, she had eight of her own through the years, but now she wanted
the peace and quiet she had found here in the clearing.
But it was to late, the strange cat with her kittens had awakened the rest of the cats in the clearing. Bear, Cassie's
brother, a big black long haired tom, with big round green eyes,had jumped out from his bed under the vines of the tree.
His appearance scared the female and she jumped, and the kittens turned around and ran back the way they had come, hiding
behind a fallen log that was near the path entering the clearing. Bear, with his low growl, had called out to this stranger,
"Who are you and what do you want?" The strange cat had arched her back and her hair was standing straight up as
she had been frightened by the unexpected big tom. She called to her kittens to run for cover, but they were hidden
behind the log, peering over it to see what was happening.
The strange female then noticed how big Bear was, but pulled herself up straight and tall, and replied, "They call me
Marcy and I'm looking for a place for myself and my kittens to sleep tonight. I've travelled aways and they are tired
and so am I, and I'm sorry if I have intruded into your space," said Marcy. She had also noticed that there were other
eyes watching her, and the kittens, and she was beginning to be afraid. She was still on the defensive, but her fur
wasn't as bristled.
Cassie came out from her den to stand beside Bear. She wasn't as big as he was, but had the long black hair, but
with touches of brown, and had the big round green eyes. She was a bit on the heavy side, which came from the laziness
that comes with age.
Then another cat, a tom, who was a twny gold and rust color with markings like bulls eyes on his sides, stepped out and
said, "What is all the fuss. I can't sleep". Cassie and Bear told him to return to his den and everything was
okay.
He turned and went back through the bushes and disappeared. Marcy looked around to see if anyone else had come
out, and to check on her kittens, who were still hiding by the log. She had arched herself again, and was on the defensive.
She was really afraid now, and she had to protect her kittens, and knew that the toms could easily get them away from her.
She repeated that she was only seeking a place to rest, and sleep for the night and would go on her way by morning.
"I'm sorry I have awakened you." She looked into the big green eyes of Bear who had been watching her intensely.
She spoke directly to him, "May we sleep over there by the log tonight?"
Bear made a gutteral sound, turned around and went back to his bed under the vines. Cassie was still sitting there
looking at Marcy, and finally spoke, telling Marcy it would be okay to stay overnight, over behind the log. Cassie looked
at her and looked over at the kittens and said, "Be sure to keep those kittens quiet so they won't disturb the others."
Marcy told her they would be quiet, she would see to it, and that they would move on by morning light. She thanked
Cassie and said goodnight. She turned to go to the log and to her kittens. As she walked around the log, she looked
into the clearing, but could see no one. She gathered the kittens close to her and they began to nurse. She loved
her kittens and purred her little song to them as they suckled and kneaded her belly.
