Bound For Home by Meika Hashimoto

Author:Meika Hashimoto
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

RED KNEW SHE couldn’t fight the bear on her own. She jumped off its head as it swatted at her and backed away, hissing and spitting. The bear filled the entire entrance, snorting as it charged her.

Red retreated to the corner of the den. She could feel the dirt crumbling into her fur as she pressed against the den wall. The bear padded toward her. In the dull dusk light, she could see its wet black nose, the cruel intelligence of its eyes as it stalked her. The bear opened its mouth, exposing a pair of yellowed incisors. She was more than just an intruder in its space—she was a potential meal.

Out of the corner of her eye, Red spotted a glint of fading light. It was coming from a small hole in the ceiling of the den, a burrow from when a smaller animal used to inhabit the space. As the bear lunged, she sprang toward the opening.

Red felt a whiff of hot breath as its jaws clamped down on the end of her tail. A tuft of fur gave way as she ripped herself free from the bear’s jaws. She wriggled through the burrow, inching upward until she could smell the cold, fresh spring air outside.

She could also smell the musk of coyotes drifting in the wind. The sun had long set, and even the purple dusk was fading into the darkness of night.

Red hesitated. She could hear the muffled shuffling of the bear as it turned about its den. She was still so close she could smell its thick fur, but she didn’t think the bear would destroy its own den in order to dig her out from the tunnel.

She found a level part of the burrow and curled up in a ball. She was safe here—the burrow smelled of rich soil and old animal scent. No one had used it in a while.

Red tucked her nose into the soft, thick fluff of her belly. She would stay there until morning. Then she would find Max and drag his foolish, furry body back to the safety of the house.

As she lay there in the cold, she thought about why she was risking her life for the sake of Max. He should mean nothing to her. The girl shouldn’t, either.

And yet. Red frowned, confused. Her whole life was a set of precise calculations, designed for hunting prey and keeping alive. She had no use for anyone. But here she was, protecting a dog—of all animals—and realizing, with a flicker of surprise, that she was worried about him.

Maybe she was getting old. Maybe there was part of her that was still calculating, judging the power of her jaws and legs to be weaker than they were a year ago, two years ago, and her brain was leading her toward companionship so that she would be taken care of as she aged.

That must be it, Red thought, satisfied. A practical reason for why I’m doing all of this. Because it wouldn’t make sense that I, a cat, would be growing fond of a dog.

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