Feline Of Mourning by Laura Greenwood

Author:Laura Greenwood [Greenwood, Laura]
Language: eng
Format: epub

Five

Hopelessness fills me as I return to the steps of the cattery. I'm not sure I can face going inside, not without knowing Miut is still out there. She's lived her whole life inside the cattery walls, there's so much trouble she can get into out here.

I sit down on the steps and hug my knees to me, trying not to let the overwhelming feeling of failure overtake me.

I'm not sure how long I sit there, but I don't look around until the sound of boots against the stone steps draws my attention.

"Can I sit?" Pedu asks.

I sniff and nod.

"You know this happens all the time, right?" He sits down beside me, almost close enough to touch, but not quite.

I make a small affirmative noise, though I'm not sure it's really enough. "That doesn't stop me from feeling bad."

He lets out an understanding sigh. "I remember the first time I lost a cat."

"What happened?"

"Exactly this. He was about a year old and seemed to like me. Then one day, he wasn't in the cattery. I spent all day looking for him everywhere I could. He'd never been outside before and I was worried about all of the bad things that could happen to him while he was there."

"Did you find him?"

"No. But he turned up in the cattery a few days later with a scratch in his ear and some newfound confidence. I'm not sure exactly what happened to him, but it was good for him in the end," Pedu says. "In all likelihood, that's what will happen with Miut too. She'll come back in a few days and it'll be as if nothing has happened."

I let out a sniffle and wipe my face with my sleeve. "Are you sure?"

"Well, I can't promise anything, but I've spent a lot of time working in the cattery and it's almost always how it goes. Cats are going to do what cats want to, regardless of our feelings in the matter."

A small laugh escapes me. "That's what they tell us when they bring us to the cattery for the first time."

"I know. It isn't that long since I was an apprentice," he reminds me. "Do I really look that old?"

I shake my head. "You look just fine to me."

"I should hope I do," he mutters, though I'm not sure if I'm supposed to have heard or not.

"So, what do we do now?" I ask.

"I know it's not the most reassuring answer, but we go back inside, do the rest of the work we need to with the cats who haven't gone on adventures, and tomorrow we do the same."

"What if I'm not assigned to the cattery tomorrow?" I ask.

"Then I'll message you and you can come and see her as soon as you're on a break," he promises. "I'll do that no matter when she turns up."

"Promise?"

He nods and holds his hand to his heart. "Promise. I would never jest about something this important."

I breathe a sigh of relief, glad that he seems accepting of the way I'm feeling, and willing to find a way to make me feel better about it.

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