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JOIE DE VIVRE

 


Chapter 4:

                     The Epic Rescue 

Before I had set out on my Rescue Mission, I had dropped a pink frangipani flower beside hu-mum, my eyes shining with unshed tears. I wonder if she had sensed that I was conveying a crucial message though I doubt that humans possess the gilt-edged intelligence of us cats.

Absent-mindedly, she had pressed the bloom between the pages of a diary, as I continued to stare at the pages on which she wrote furiously.

Muay’s love for frangipani flowers was something special. Every time we'd go frolicking on the front yard, she'd spot those delicate, fragrant blooms and would sniff the air around ecstatically, swivelling her head like a malfunctioning doll. 

Digging her claws into the bark she would climb the gnarly trunk with sudden bursts of energy. Zooming like an unguided missile from branch to boughs, Muay marked every territory on the tree with her toe beans.

Gently patting hu-mum's hand three times, the soft touch imbued me with a sense of purpose. I hope she realized that the three pats were a signal, indicating that “Muay will return to you in three full moon days’’.

The wordless communication was a wasted effort as she continued looking dazed and steeped in the melancholy of losing Muay.

I was determined to reunite Muay with hu-mum. And of course I'm clearly in the picture too. 

Just as I was finalizing my plan, Thorwynn’s words echoed in my mind. “Nyx’or, brave and cunning feline, I sense that you are preparing for a perilous journey. Muay's fate is intertwined with yours, and the threads of destiny are pulling you both towards a perilous path.”

I knew that she was ready to follow me into the unknown.

*****

I sat crestfallen by the wide window pane offering a panoramic view of the distant blue-green hillsides and the lavender fields. There was no way out to soak in the sunshine I craved for so much. How I longed to leap on the highest branch of trees and get a vantage point for myself. But there were none in sight. Just wide open spaces stretching endlessly. 

Fluffnut…hu-mum…my heart pines to go back to my loved ones. As I scratch desperately at the glass pane, I realise that I'm trapped here for life. I moan a pitiable meow and rest my head between my paws and that's when I hear a faint rustle and sway of the lavender stalks. Then, a dash of pure white snow amidst the darkening purple cover around the house under the dusking skies. 

Wait! Could it be…?! Yes! It was…It was Fluffnut! He did track me down! Now I can be rest assured that I'll get out of here in no time. He will rescue me out of this gilded cage, my knight in shining armor!

As Fluffnut paced back and forth outside the confines of my new home, my mind raced with schemes and counter-schemes. 

I knew that our window of opportunity was rapidly closing. My owner, a kind but firm woman, had installed a state-of-the-art catio, replete with stimulating toys and scratching posts. But I was determined to outsmart her and reunite with Fluffnut and my hu-mum.

Fluffnut got my attention by meowing softly, a low-pitched signal that only I could decipher. My ears perked up, and he gave me a surreptitious glance. He had slipped in through the back door, which the cook had left ajar while she was out in the vegetable patch. 

The game was afoot ! I was on my toes ready to spring into action!

Fluffnut hastily frisked me with a shiny bracelet he called the Ryujinite Crystal for any microchip and deactivated it instantly. Under the cover of darkness, we made our move. It was a moonless night. He darted towards the catio door, the magical crystal tearing apart the bars out of shape. My agile body easily slipped through the now distorted bars. I followed him close behind, my eyes shining with excitement. Happy days were just ahead and we would be one big family soon!

To be continued.....


PIC COURTESY: PINTEREST 

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