The Secret World Of Cats
Chapter One
Retally woke up. He had to blink a few times to let his eyes ajust to the bright sunlight streaming into the house through the window. His tabby type coat of brown and white was a perfect match for the window's own dull coloring. The patch of dark brown fur over his eye seemed like a eye patch over a pirate's eye.
He yawned and arched his back while clawing at the soft wood of the window pane. His gleeming yellow eyes seemed to smile as he looked about the room.
The library was normaly quite, really quite on Wednesdays, like this one. Four bookshelves filled with radom books leaned against the walls daintily. Thier shadows layed about on the floor like a broken kite. The hallway could be seen clearly from here. Nothing interesting ever happens in the hallway though. The stairs were much more interesting.
As Retally watched shadows dance up and down the stairs as a light breeze crept in, he remembered the meeting.
Now I'll have to go find one of my humans to let me out. They are never around when you need them!
He jumped down off the window pane, and onto the hardwood floor of the library. He streched again.
Nothing like a good cat-nap to brighten your day. Now, about that human.
He strutted out of the room, and up the stairs. He didn't know if he should look for anyone in particular, just any human. Although, this was his house, and he must watch over it. He sighed as his thoughs driffted, and found himself frozen, the tip of his tail twitching, at the bottom of the stairs.
The meeting! That was much more important! He sped up.
The first human he saw was Cristina. She was 9 in human years. Rather tall, and loved Retally, a bit too much. Retally crept past her as she watched a movie on tv.
Ah yes. Telivision. Pleasurable.... Hmmm. AH! No! Not my tail! Not my tail!
His purring turned to hissing as Jake walked in. Jake was the baby of the house, of age only 3.
"ITTY!" Jake screamed, and walked infront of Christina and her movie.
"JAKE! Move!" Christina screamed as she tried to push her brother out of the way.
My chance!
Retally took off at a fast pace back down the stairs, leaving the siblings to fight it off. As Retally headed back down the second flight of stairs, back towards the library, he remembered that he still needed a human to open the front door.
"Hey mom! I'm going to the mall with Jenifer, see you later!" A loud voice came from behind the wall.
Aha! Perfect timing Rachel!
Retally nearly fell down the stairs at his fast pace. He meowed inocently, and looked up at Rachel.
"Retally is going outside too!" Rachel called back to her mother. "Ok kitty. Out you go." Rachel opened the front door, picked up her purse, and walked outside. The slam of the door echoed in the house.
"See you later Retally. Jenifer informs me that Chris is going to be at the mall, otherwise I'd offer to take you to the alley myself, since thats where your headed."
Retally meowed. Rachel was his favorite human. She bent down to pat him on the head, as a car drove by.
"Hey Rach! Come on!"
"Coming!" She waved, and looked back down at Retally. "Bye." Her platform shoes dented the ground as she made off at a lopping run-walk towards the car.
Retally watched them drive down the road, his tail twitching.
Retally! Retally!
The small, hyper-active and yippity voice of Tearium danced over the garden. Tearium was the fastest -because he was skinnyest- of the cats around Retally's house, so the Felines of the club alwasy sent him around to round up any late recrutes to the meetings. He loved his job. His jolly, and out-going figure bounced into Retally's yard like a rubber ball on a metal floor. Tearium was a strange colored cat. He was all orange, with a black stripe down his back and tail. A light brown shade of black was tossed over his eyes as a blindfold to a child's. His paws were socked with black and white. The front two both white, and the back two black. He grinned widly, seeing that he'd made his entrance.
Your coming to the meeting, right? They've already started. More and more cats are talking about the cats hiden in the Gaurd Dog's backyard and the rabid dogs! This meeting is going to be better then chasing catnip!
Retally grinned, and yawned.
Lead the way, oh hyper one.
Retally and Tearium made off at a fast pace towards the alleyways.
Retally didn't pay much attention to the everyday things they passed, like Mrs. Figg's little poddle dog running about in the yard like a crazed mad-man. Or Mr. Smith's tall lab who always seemed to have something important to do whenever a cat walked by.
Retally almost tripped over Tearium as he came to a fast stop.
Hey! What was that f-....
Retally cut himself off as he lifted his head slowly, taking in the great danes huge figure.
Tearium was shaking as bad as a tree in a tornado! He dashed off to the right, and through a fence, Retally followed as the dog turned his head to glare at him. His eyes were a deathly yellow, and foam seemed from his mouth. Retally shot past him, not believing his eyes. A rabid dog!
They jumped over rocks, and slithered under a hole in the fence that the dog must have dug out. Still high on andreniline, they rushed over a dead tree that the Finglores keep forgetting to move, and climbed over the dumpster, and into the alleyway.
Well. It's about time you got here. We've been waiting.
Retally looked up, hearing Higiop's voice. Higiop was the head Feline of the club. Everyone respected him.
We, we, we ran into, a, a, little detore.
Tearium managed to sputter. Tearium and Retally were seated, and the meeting started up again. The area they heald thier meetings was behind an old dumpster. There were broken boxes that most of the stray cats lived in; old cans of cat food; old tubes from who knows what that were much fun for frolicing. But the thing that caught your attention, was the number of cats. Millions of them! All seated peacefully in rows behind three large cats sitting in a triangle. Black cats, orange cats, white cats! Black, orange AND white cats! All different kinds of cats!
We've all heard some talk of the cats behind the Gaurd Dog's house, and the rabid ones, we've come up with a sullition.
Higiop's voice carried far over the simple mewoing and purring of the other cats, he'd learned to do that over time.
We're going to send a few of you into the city, to find the cats on this list, and bring them back to our town. They've handled things like this before, and they should know how to help us.
He stopped looking for reaction. The city was far from the town. Probably about three days travel! No cat liked to leave thier humans for that long, they might hurt themselves. Of course, there was the choice of the twenty alley cats.
Listen closely, these are the few cats we have chosen to go. Ahem.
Marken, Ulips, Rewet, Tearium, and Retally.
Retally nearly fell over. He'd been chosen! Why!? Marken, Ulips and Rewet were all alley cats! Why were he and Tearium chosen. Tearium? Where was Tearium? Retally looked over his shoulder. Tearium had fallen backwards, and was being fussed over by three, no, four, queens. Retally shook his head.
You five are to stay after the meeting to be instructed. Now, who has signed up for the choir this month?
Retally couldn't beilive it, how could Higiop talk about going to the city, then move onto something else so causualy?
Retally headed over to the bar, it was just a smaller part of the whole meeting area where Berton gave out some kitty treats. A cat favorite.
He sleeked over. Higiop was jabbering about some concert the cats were to preform, Retally didn't pay any attention. He tossed his head carelessly over his shoulder, and who should stand there, but Ulips. The orange, long hair, and shaggy tail made Ulips stand out some what. Ulips was a strange kitten. Well, she wasn't really a kitten, but she'd just aged into cathood. She twisted her tail behind her, shaggy, flea-bitten and dirty fur was matted along her sides. She, was a true alley cat. Born an alley cat, riased an alley cat, and will most likely die, an alley cat.
Hi Ulips.
It was the only thing Retally could think to say. Ulips wasn't one for talking, she normaly stayed to the corner by herself. Retally was about to ask how she felt about the trip, when Tearium walked over. He walked like he'd been chased by a dog eight days straight. He was shaken, and stirred.
Why me? Why you!? Why?
Retally couldn't help but laugh. Normaly Tearium was the excited one, now he was the dramatical one. Retally shook his head.
Tearium, you aren't yourself, maybe I should call Higiop over here to, cancel you coming, and totaly destroy the whole plan to get the city cats. And then how would everyone in this place feel? Rabid dogs running about! "Oh Tearium, how could you! We'll be haunted for ever!" You know, only zeros give up like that....
This got some attentivness into him. He raised his head, his eyes gleeming with ideas.
Is, is that a dare! Are you daring me! Are you daring me?!
Retally grinned, just what he wanted.
Hmm. Yes. Well, yes. I am daring you to go through with the mission, and have a good mood the whole time. As a matter of fact, I dubble dare you!
Tearium's eyes lite with excitment. His tail twitched, almost like a snake in the grass. His ears were set high on his head. His whiskers quivered with anticipation. Retally had just double dared him to do something, though alot of the other cats had no clue what he'd dared, they all knew that Tearium had not yet turned down a dare, expecaily not a double dare.
At the very last moment, everyone was listening intently, -all but those few listening to Higiop's chat about the chours concert-, tails twitching, whiskers bristling, Tearium nearly screamed,
You're on!
After the meeting, Tearium, Retally, Ulips, Marken and Rewet stayed after for instructions.
Now, your all to go into the city, and find the cats on the list. Come rain or shine. You all know how to get to the city, and once your there, finding these three cats shouldn't be hard. You'll leave on Friday at noon. Not a moment after, not a moment before. I'd like you to prepare your humans, make sure they have food and water, and are capable of taking care of themselves. Well, ahem, this only goes for Tearium and Retally, Marken, Ulips, and Rewet, just make sure your ready by Friday. Friday, remember, Friday at noon. Dismissed.
Marken, Ulips and Rewet had no place in particular to be, so they wondered about down an alley. Tearium lived close by Retally, so they walked home together.
So, you think your humans are going to be ok? Or are you going to hire another cat to spy?
Tearium said as they walked home. Tearium's house came into view, it was a rather small house, a flat if you will. His human's didn't make lots of money, so they couldn't afford to buy a better house. Some poeple think that that is the reason that Tearium is so skinny, because his humans' can't afford to feed him much. But, Retally never told him. Tearium stuck up for his humans' alot. He'd gotten into a lot of trouble for it too.
I think my humans will be fine. They all seem to do pretty well on there own. And they look after each other as well. How about your humans?
My humans will be FINE.
Tearium said it so forcefully, that Retally was shaken. Tearium stopped walking, and watched the unmoving house. He yawned, and walked up to the front door, turning back to Retally, he said,
See you Friday.
Then disapeared into the catdoor. Retally sighed, and watched the catdoor swing on it's hinges for quite some time. With another loud sigh, he turned around, and walked across the street. He was lucky that there were no cars on the street, because he was looking at the ground as he crossed.
He jumped overjoyed into his yard, Rachel was coming home. Now he wouldn't have to wait outside for another one of his humans to come out.
The sun was setting, he couldn't belive that the meeting took that long. He walked past a tree, and halted in the middle of the yard, Rachel was out of the car, and leaning over the door to kiss a male human! OH! How could she? Retally had not yet approved! He hissed and arched his back, walking sideways towards Rachel.
Rachel looked down, slightly allarmed by Retally's hissing.
"Hello Retally. Back already? Hey, Chris, this is Retally, remember the cat I told you about? The one who thinks we live, and breathe to entertain him?"
The human called Chris looked over the door to look at Retally.
"Doesn't seem to like me much."
Doesn't seem to like me much. HA! I'll show you doesn't seem! Retally struck out a paw, and hit the side of the car, he hissed and ran to the door of the house.
Ooww! What a dirty trick! That stuff hurts.
He growled as he licked his paw, seeing Rachel wave by and walk over. He looked up at her, his eyes hurt.
"Now now. Are you jealous? Come in inside, your probably hungry."
Rachel opened the door, and stepped inside. Retally dashed past her. He had no were to be, he just though he'd take a nap, for he was suddenly tired.
The rest of the week Retally was horribly busy. He was making sure his humans were ready for his leave. He made sure they had food, water and were well groomed before he made a fuss about going outside on Friday afternoon.
He met up with Tearium half way to the meeting. They walked in utter silence all the way to the meeting, they didn't say anything as they sat down.
Now, are you five ready? Here is the list.
Higiop stuck strickly to buisness. After he'd given the cats the list, he sent them on thier way, wishing them good luck.
Chapter 2
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