That Furball Puppy and Me (7 page)

My eyes felt heavy. I finally let them close and nestled closer to the white ball of fluff.

Suddenly my eyes sprang open. They darted
about the room, looking this way and that. Seeing nothing but the dim shadows, I blinked. I tried to close them, but they wouldn't shut.

There was a feeling—a presence—something … somewhere that made every muscle inside me spring tight. One of the dim shadows moved. It was high up on the wall of our pen. It crept on short, sneaky legs across one of the rafters at the very top of the barn. Another shadow trailed behind it. A long, ratty tail followed.

The dark forms disappeared. I held my breath. A soft crunching came from the hay. My throat made a gulping sound when I swallowed. Suddenly the ugly faces of two huge rats glared down at me from the top of the bales.

“Hey, look, we've been out in the cold night, and dinner has been right here waiting for us.” The largest rat flicked his long tail.

“Yeah, nice fat little puppies. Double treat! Yummy!”

“I'm starving, let's eat! Two free dinners!”

I watched as the big rats moved closer. The larger one stopped. Frowning, he leaned over the edge of the hay bale.

“Hey, Smitty, one of these little treats is a cat. A pretty big cat! I think we can take them, but maybe we'd better get the rest of the gang before we start!”

“I think we can take him. He's been in here before, and he always runs away. I don't think he'll give us any trouble.”

I scrunched up all the courage that I could. I was a cat. I was brave. I sprang to my feet. Only when I did, my legs shook so hard I thought I was going to fall over.

“Come on down here, you big cowards!” I hissed and snarled. “I'm bigger than you think! I can take you both on!”

The smaller rat twitched her whiskers. “He's not running, Smitty.”

“He will,” the other rat whispered back. “He's scared.”

I forced my legs to stay still. I wouldn't run! My legs shook harder. Okay, I wouldn't run, but if my legs kept shaking—I might fall over.

The big rat looked over his shoulder. “Maybe we should get Joe and Charlene—just in case.”

Two ratty faces gazed down long pointed noses at us. “Stay put, little treats! We'll be right back for supper!”

They turned and scurried away. Above us I could see the shadows creeping across the rafters of the barn. The shadows were huge! The rats were huge!

“Gray, what are we going to do? They are going to get some more rats to eat us up!” The puppy
started shaking all over again. “I don't want to be rat food!”

“We're not going to be rat food, pup! I'll think of something, just give me a minute to figure this out!” I tried to sound brave, but inside I was shaking as much as the puppy.

It wasn't long before I heard the scratchy sounds of rat feet coming back toward us. Suddenly I knew what I had to do!

With a big leap I jumped from the small pen, scampered across the barn, and shot through the hole near the grain bin.

I ran!

I
cy wind hit my face as I ran past the lilac bushes. Dark shadows covered the front yard. I sprang to the window ledge.

“Meow! Help! Come help me!” I yowled as loud as I could. The red embers in the fireplace burned low. No one was in the front room.

I jumped to the porch. With my claws I scratched at the front door. Someone always came when I tore at the wood. I backed up and waited.

“Meee … ow! Help me!”

I dashed through the holly bushes. Squeezing between the house and the fence, I felt the wires scratch at my skin. It hurt, really bad, but I didn't stop. I looked for the window where Callie slept. Jumping on the ledge, I yowled for her.

“Mee … ow! Callie! The puppy needs help! Hurry!”

I rushed back to the fence. My side really hurt from where the wire had grabbed me, so I decided to jump over this time.

When I got to the front door, I waited for them to let me in. I swished my tail and tried to be patient. The light should come on first.

No one came to the door. I had to get help!

I jumped over the fence again and into the backyard. Once more on the ledge, I began to scratch as hard as I could against the wire mesh.

“Meee …
Ow!”
I howled.

Callie's nose pushed through the window blinds. “What's wrong with you, you crazy cat? Do you want to wake up Mama and Daddy?”

“Hurry! I need you to help me. The rats are after the puppy!”

“I don't think I can fight rats anymore, but I'll try my best!”

Callie's nose disappeared. Suddenly the blinds shot up into the air.

“Get down, Gray! You're tearing up the screen!” Daddy tried to shoo me away.

“Meee … oooow!
The puppy needs help! Meee … ow!”

Daddy opened the window. “Scat, you crazy thing. You should have stayed in when you had the chance!”

“I'll let him in. It must be freezing out there for him to carry on that way!”

I could see Mama putting on her big fluffy robe. I hurried back over the fence and ran to the door. When it opened, I spun around and dashed back toward the barn.

“Meee …
ow!
Help the puppy!”

“Gray! Come here, kitty!” Mama yelled at me.

I came back toward her, then darted for the barn again.

“Something is wrong, Owen! Isn't that blood on the porch?”

Callie shot out the door. “Come on, Gray, let's go!”

“The door is shut. We have to go in through the crack by the grain bin. Hurry.”

“You go ahead, Gray. I can't keep up. My legs aren't as strong as they used to be. Go on!”

The place where the fence wire cut my side made me flinch when I squeezed through the crack in the barn. I stopped. Held my breath. Listened. There was nothing but silence inside the barn.

Maybe I'm too late. Maybe I should have stayed, instead of going for help. Maybe the rats had already …

I couldn't think about it. It was too horrible to imagine. I raced across the hay-covered floor,
leaped over the bales of the puppy's pen, and braced myself for the terrible sight.

“I thought you had left me forever, Gray!” The puppy wagged his fuzzy tail.

I sighed, relieved to see him still okay. Fact was, I was so happy to see him, I gave him a little kiss on the cheek with my tongue. (Puppies don't taste too good.)

“The rats didn't come back?”

The puppy shook his head.

Perking my ears, I listened. Scratching sounds came. Shadows crept across the wall and the ceiling. Then the shadows were gone. I could hear them. They were close, but I couldn't see them. I leaned against the puppy. With my back end I pushed him into the corner by the wall. The attack would come from the hay bales. I kept myself between the hay and him.

The little furball leaned against me! I could hear ratty feet getting nearer.

Sharp little noses pushed their way over the hay bale. The ugly faces of Nora and Smitty peered at us. Beady eyes stared from behind them. In all, seven big rats were ready to pounce!

I knew we were goners! Callie and my people weren't coming. The puppy and I were all alone. Suddenly my trembling stopped. I took a deep breath.
They might get me,
I thought.
But they
weren't going to get the puppy. Not without a fight.

I puffed up my fur as big as I could! “Phsssst!” I hissed at them.

“Look at the
big kitty!”
Nora mocked. “He thinks he can scare us! He doesn't know how smart we are! We have our Ph.D.s!”

“Yeah,” Smitty agreed. “We've all been well trained in People Habitat Destruction. Anything people have or depend on, we can destroy.”

“We sneak into their homes and eat their food,” one rat said.

“We steal the grain that their cows and chickens eat,” another chimed in.

“We even know how to chew the wiring that brings light to their homes.” A third one chuckled. “Anything people have, we can destroy.”

Nora crept closer. “One of the things we learn from our Ph.D. program is to get rid of cats and dogs—while they're little. If we wait until they're big, it makes it harder for us to tear up things.” She turned to smile at the others. “Let's get the dumb cat first!”

Smitty's bald head shined as he crept up beside her.

The other rats began to circle around us on the hay bales. I could see the light glint in their cold black eyes.

“Phsssssst! Get back! We can take care of ourselves!”

The fuzzy puppy snapped with his little teeth, making a funny chomping sound.

The big rats moved closer. One step at a time—closer and closer and …

“MMEEEOOW!”

Suddenly light filled the barn. It was so bright, my eyes blinked. When I opened them again, I saw Gallic. She jumped up behind the biggest rat! She slapped Smitty's rear with her sharp claws.

The other rats began to move back as Smitty yelled in pain.

“Oh, my gosh! Look at all the rats!” Mama screamed.

Daddy grabbed the pitchfork near the side door.

Mama scooped up the puppy and me in her fluffy blue robe and hurried toward the house.

I struggled to get free. Gallic needed my help. She was old. There were seven rats. Mama wouldn't loosen her grip. I finally struggled high enough on her shoulder so I could see over.

Callie had Smitty in her sharp teeth. Daddy was whacking at something with a big stick. Except for Nora the others had disappeared into the darkness. I could see her glaring back at me from the barn rafters. A little smile covered her face when our eyes met. Despite the chill her look left inside me, I glared back.

Mama stood just inside the doorway of the house. She held us so tight we were kind of smushed together. The puppy licked my face.

“Hey, you promised. None of that puppy stuff!”

“Thank you for saving me!” he yipped. “I was so scared, and I thought that you had left me for those big rats. They were going to eat me in one bite. Thank you, Gray!” His pink tongue licked at me again.

Mama was still standing inside the door holding us when Daddy and Callie came in.

“There were too many of them. Callie got one and I got one, but the rest got away. I think that crazy cat was trying to save the puppy!”

“I didn't think Gray liked the puppy. But look at them now!” Mama was holding us a little close. The dumb puppy kept licking me so much that my fur was getting wet.

Mama carried us into the kitchen and settled us into the box of towels. The puppy nuzzled up to me. I curled around him to keep him warm.

Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. He had tried to keep the rats back. Maybe when we got bigger we could go hunting together.

Being friends with a dog might not be so bad after all.

High school sweethearts,
Carol Wallace
and
Bill Wallace
have raised three children: Laurie, Nikki, and Justin. They live on the family farm near Chickasha, Oklahoma, with six dogs, one cat, one horse, and one albino rat snake.

Carol taught second grade for twenty-six years. When she left the teaching profession, she planned to spend her time relaxing and cleaning closets. That got old—real quick. The family cat, Gray, was a constant source of entertainment. Carol had lots of anecdotes about the pet. Not sure how to share those stories, Carol had Bill help her write the first book about Gray,
The Flying Flea, Callie, and Me.

At home, Bill and Carol try to keep up with their animals, their writing, and their granddaughters, Kristine and Bethany. Part of their time is spent traveling to speak at schools and conferences throughout the United States.

Chomps, their Scottish terrier, joins in the fun for this—their second book about their loving cat, Gray.