Beyond the Backyard

GROWING PAIN

_________ April Lee

Chapter One
Two snow-white shapes tumbled on the emerald grass of a big backyard. "I said that was MY tuna!" the smaller figure squealed, cerulean eyes shining. The other clenched his teeth. "Your tuna. My tuna. No difference!" he meowed. They were two playful kittens, adorable Blue and her brother, Junior. Another kitten stood nearby, washing her paws. She was a sister to the shapes frolicking on the grass. Her sleek, lithe body was mostly covered with white fur, like her siblings, but she had ginger patterns on her forehead and hind legs, as well as a twirling tabby tail. She was Fentou, a kitten known for being the independent but snobbish and cunning cat in the family. She looked up at Blue and Junior, who were frisking about on the grass, their fur plastered to their agile bodies with wet morning dew. "All that fighting" She was interrupted by Blue standing up. The petite kitten padded over to her sister, leaving Junior, who had a lazy smile plastered on his face and contented slits for eyes. He was left sprawled in the grass as his little sister shook all the dirt from her gleaming white pelt. "Over a delicious, juicy, appetizing pink tuna slice...the last one in the bowl, she mewed, finishing Fentous sentence. "Wait...correction: the tuna is also the last piece in my bowl. And some cats should not steal food from their sister, she spat, before shooting an infuriated glance at Junior. Fentou trotted over, looking very businesslike, and stuck her nose in the air imperiously. "No worries, I have a solution, she muttered. You do? Both Blues and Juniors ears perked up. Just race each other to the tuna bowl. Whoever gets there first gets the tuna, Fentou explained matter-of-factly.

Almost immediately, she was knocked over by what seemed like two lightning bolts with white fur and big eager eyes zooming towards the bowl. The two cats started circling the bowl, first with delight, then with bewilderment. Their precious piece of tuna had mysteriously disappeared! Blue stared at the empty bowl in amazement. "What the?" she managed to meow. Junior's eyes bugged out. "How did?" Fentou doubled over with laughter. "Oh my gosh! That was so funny!" Blue didn't think it was funny at all. "You...you ate it, right?" Fentou saw her sister's morose face, and her smile melted away at once. "I'm sorry. I thought it would seem funny..." Her voice wavered as Blue turned tail and stalked off. Junior glared at Fentou with contempt and mewed with a somber voice before slinking off, "Please don't do that again. Fentou's ears folded back sadly, not daring to look at her siblings as they walked away miserably. Her tail twitched once, twice, three times...then drooped down dejectedly. When she could hear neither Blue's or Junior's footsteps anymore, she forced herself to look up, obvious sorrow in her large amber eyes. The whole backyard was empty except for her, a tiny kitten, alone, silhouetted against the dark evening sky. She sighed as a small voice hissed inside her head. What have you done, fool? Nothing really, you say...just broken two of my best friends' hearts.

Chapter Two
Morning came with birds singing and butterflies fluttering around the backyard. Blue stopped feasting on her breakfast and wiggled her tail at her cousin, a long-furred deaf cat called Fluff. All the cats lived in this compound, called Le Leman Lake. Blue and her siblings lived in the backyard of the house 1073. Their cousin, Fluff, lived with them. Their nice owners, the people living in the house, fed them and played with them, treating them like housecats. In return, the cats loved their owners and were very loyal. The tail wiggle meant "hi" in a special code the cats developed for their friends who had hearing problems, which was called ICANTHEAR and was used frequently around Le Leman Lake. Fluff mewed hi back, and her big sky-blue eyes shone gladly. Blue noticed that her buddy glanced behind herself very quickly. When she faced Blue again, Blue saw that she was blushing. Blue looked around, and saw her other brother Yellow. With a twitch of her ear to show that she understood Fluffs reactions, she remembered that Fluff thought Yellow was the best cat in the world. There was a rustle in the bushes, and Blue whisked around sharply. "Who'soh, you, she meowed, as Fentou slunk out of the leaves. She was still very angry at her sister for her tuna trick, therefore she turned her back to Fentou with a huff. She heard Fentou give a tiny sigh of grief, smelt regret in the air, and felt slightly guilty. After considering apologizing, Blue stopped herself quickly. No way! She was the one who needed an apology. Fentou did not deserve her friendship. Fentou gave her sister one last hopeful glance, hoping she would turn around and say sorry. But the snow-white she-cat's back was still facing her, and her fur had began to bristle.

With an unhappy sigh, Fentou's shoulders sagged and she trotted away towards her bowl, full of tuna. The smell of the fish made her guiltier, and she could only manage a few halfhearted mouthfuls. Fentou started washing her paws, but her mind was not on paw-cleaning at all. She desperately tried to think of a way to untangle the terrible mess she had made. Blue watched her sister from the corner of her eye. She didn't look as if she was sorry; Blue thought that she was actually licking her fur very thoroughly. Oh, if she only knew what her sister was thinking!

Chapter Three

Fentou's stomach growled. She sighed. She paced around, tried to hunt a thrush, and her stomach growled once more. Her owners hadnt fed her for a whole day! She leapt up onto the kitchen windows ledge, where the cats would sit as a sign to the humans that they were hungry. When nothing happened, Fentou jumped back down to the floor with a huff of exasperation. "What's up with them?" Yellow's tail twitched impatiently as he glared at the kitchen window. "Here goes my thirty-seventh try," Blue groaned as she hopped onto the windowsill. Fentou and Yellow followed her. Blue put on her most adorable look and mewed in her high-pitched voice. One of their owners, a girly preteen who had long dark-brown hair and adored cats, rushed into the kitchen and cooed at Blue. The girl yelled, and another one of their owners yelled back. Blue made herself look even cuter, and her normal dumb look transformed into endearing delight as she saw the girl pour some cat treats into a little blue bowl. "Told you I was her favorite!" Blue mewed triumphantly as the three cats jumped down from the windowsill at once, like swimmers diving into the water when the whistle was blown. I guess thirty seven is my lucky numberor Im just too adorable! Blue twirled her tail happily. Fentou groaned. Blue was such a goody-two-shoes! The girl approached them as she held the blue bowl tight. Blue scurried to meet her, and was rewarded with delighted giggles. All the cats tucked into their delicious meal. The girl started to stroke Blue, who purred loudly at the attention. Fentou cast a sideways glance at her sister. Always fighting to be everyone's favorite! Those humans hadn't fed her for such a long

time. She wouldn't rush forward, squeaking like an idiot, just to get their stupid attention! Suddenly, Fentou heard another purr, and she turned and saw Yellow nudging against the girl's legs. She was delighted, but Fentou still decided that she wasn't going to have anything to do with the humans. After the girl returned to her house, Yellow and Blue stared at Fentou as if she had turned into a golden retriever puppy. "Why didn't you come play with us and the girl?" Blue inquired, cocking her head questioningly. "What's wrong with you?" Yellow asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. Fentou was speechless. "You! Turning on your own sister just to win the puny heart of some human girl! Where do your loyalties lie?" she finally managed to meow. She turned around sulkily and trotted away, tail swishing irritably. What's her problem? Why does she have to be so difficult? Blue thought, sniffing. And, why can't we just be friends again, like before? Casting a gloomy glance at her sister, Blue slunk away to her bed.

Chapter Four

Fish and mice. Fish and mice. Deliciously nice. Deliciously nice. Fentou was frolicking in her dream land, where everything was made out of food. Yay, playing in fields of lush, green catnip. Mmm, climbing a CatStick tree. And now, hunting gleefully "FEEEEEEEEENTOOOUUUUUU!" The chicken leg Fentou was stalking let out a squawk of alarm and hopped away. Fentou sighed, annoyed, and blinked to awake and see who had interrupted her hunt. Two gigantic azure eyes were staring at Fentou. "AAARRGGHH!" Fentou screamed. "Blue, stop it." "Food, food, fooooooooooood!" Blue shouted. Fentou sniffed. Strange, the mouthwatering scent of her dreamland still hung in the air. She looked around and saw tuna, beef, and chicken smashed up together into a gooey paste. Eyes widening with gleeful surprise, Fentou rushed forward to eat it... "Ah!" Fentou cried as two hands grabbed her and lifted her up. Her paws flailed in the air as she struggled and tried to escape and jump onto the ground. Confused and angry, she bit one of the hands, and was thrown onto the floor. She looked up and saw one of her owners clutching his hand with pain. Blue was staring at her as if she had kissed a bloodthirsty Rottweiler. "You bit a human!" she gasped, and fled away. Yellow and Junior stared at her, then shrieked with fright and scuttled up a tree.

The neighbor's cat and Fluffs brother, named Prince Ipal, was watching. When Fentou caught his eye, his long, bushy white tail bristled and he darted back into his territory. Fentou looked around. The humans had gone back into the house, but glowing eyes glared at her from the bushes. All the cats of the compound were attracted by the noise, and now, they glowered at Fentou with pure hatred. Fentou gasped. All those bristling pelts, all those fierce looks, all those unsheathed claws... "I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID THIS!" she yowled with shock, and rushed away. Her mind was whirling with thoughts, and she didn't even know where she was going. She accidentally bumped into a fence, then stood up and ran off again. All was silent as the frosty wind ruffled the cats' fur and the winter sun looked down at the unhappy scene. The year's first snowflakes began to fall as the cats in the little compound returned to their homes.

Chapter Five

Blue crouched in her den, as the snow fell heavily outside. Fluff was behind her; a shivering ball of long white fur. Junior and Yellow were quivering from the cold in their own bed. Despite the fact that they were not in the same cat-bed, they were all thinking about the same question: Where was Fentou? *** Meanwhile, after a lot of running away from dogs and stumbling into trees, Fentou arrived at the compounds lagoon. The surface was covered with a thick layer of frozen ice and sparkling frost. Even though Fentou had come here many times before, to dab at the fish in the water, she had never seen the water here frozen solid. Tentatively, Fentou outstretched a nervous paw and placed it uncertainly on the ice, testing its depth. After she was sure it could hold her weight, she stepped onto it carefully. Soon, she was skating around joyfully in the midst of a huge snowstorm, all of her worries forgotten. She felt as free as a bird that was flying through a forest of tall trees. Unexpectedly, she stopped. There was a fish under her paws! Was the ice really that thin? She began to retreat, but then noticed that there was ice under the fish as well. It was frozen, trapped in an icy prison. Fentou began to dig like crazy. Suddenly, she saw something move in the snow, and she stopped, eyes as wide as saucers. Was it another of those bristling-pelt cats, scared and angry at her for biting her owner?

Prince Ipal, she thought as she glimpsed a familiar thick white pelt camouflaged in the snow, and she felt sick with worry. Oh, no! I don't want another cat to run away from me again. "Hi. Are you hiding from that freaky human-biting cat as well?" Prince called from across the lagoon. Fentou was utterly confused. What was he talking about?!! I AM the freaky human-biting cat! She looked down at her tabby tail. It was covered in snow! She appeared white! Her pelt was coated with a thick layer of frost and snow. She looked like a white cat! And the snow must have disguised her scent, so Prince couldnt smell her out. "Haven't seen you around the compound." Prince hopped onto the ice delicately, and his tail twirled with interest as he approached shyly. "I'm Prince." "I'm...uh...Mackenzie. Imummfrom another compound. Yeah. Im Mackenzie from another compound, Fentou stammered. The fact that she had used Blue's favorite name as her disguise was the least of her worries. For the first time she noticed how fluffy and well-groomed Prince's tail was, how sleek his thick pelt was, and how his eyes sparkled with happinessand something more. Don't be serious! Fentou scolded herself. You're not...falling in love!...? "Hey there, Mackenzie. Do you need any help digging up that fish?" Prince offered. Fentou blushed and nodded. Prince's paws blurred as he dug the fish. Chips of ice and other debris flew into the air as Fentou admired the long-furred toms determination. At last, Prince jubilantly hooked the fish onto one of his claws and flicked its silver form

onto the frosty ice. Even though Fentou's gaze was fuzzy from the blizzard, she could see Prince's victorious smile as clear as day. Prince passed the fish to Fentou. "A gift, milady, he mewed with a humorous tone. Fentou laughed, because she knew what he was thinking. "See you around. Do you want to come here again tomorrow, maybe at dawn?" she offered. Prince's eyes lit up happily. "Oh...of course, Mackenzie! That would be lovely." Fentou turned, smiling awkwardly, and picked up the fish.

Chapter Six

An orange-and-black butterfly whizzed in the air as the last snowflakes fell down from the heavens. Blue's ear twitched as she sniffed the fresh air, still half-asleep. She opened her eyes, and saw a thick blanket of snow draped over the ground. Snow! She leapt outside and kicked up a flurry of frost, mewing with delight. Fluff poked her head out of her basket, and her eyes shone with excitement. "Come on, let's play!" Blue gestured in their code for deaf cats; ICANTHEAR. Fluff yowled gleefully as she jumped up and landed on Blue. Together, they enjoyed a friendly wintertime wrestle. Yellow and Junior woke up, and the boys joined the fun. Blue picked up a handful of snow and flung it at Fluff, who squealed and ducked. Yellow, who was, unfortunately, standing behind Fluff, got hit in the face. Soon, all the cats were having a snowball fight, and meows, shrieks, and yowls pierced the chilly winter air. All their worries about the whereabouts of Fentou were forgotten as they frolicked among their friends. Suddenly, Junior's white ears pricked up, and both his yellow eye and blue eye were alert. "Listen!" he mewed harshly. All of the cats obeyed, except for Fluff, obviously. And yes, the ones who could listen heard the pat-pat-pat sound of a cat running through the snow frantically.

Blue looked at her friends, alarmed. "Who is it?" she mewed sharply. They sniffed the air, but the smell of snow, ice, and frost had blocked out all of the other scents. Unexpectedly, a bristling black shape slid through the fence. It was Midnight, a big black tabby from across the lagoon. His amber eyes were as round as saucers, and his mouth was open with a silent scream. Concern flashed in Blue's large cerulean eyes. "M? You alright?" Midnight stared at her. "My owners have gone. "Gone?" Yellow asked urgently. "Somebody translate!" Fluff moaned, and Junior signaled every word to her halfheartedly. Midnight's eyes were glazed with tiredness, but he did not reply. "Gone? Not in their house? Blue inquired. Midnight stared at her again, and for a second, his usual expression flickered in his eyes. His mouth opened in a silent scream. "They left yesterday, in their car. And they havent come back! Midnight yowled. ***

Chapter Seven
Flop. Fentou groaned. Her silvery dead fish fell out of her mouth for the forty-ninth time. She picked it up once more, and continued walking. She hadn't asked Prince for help. Now that the blizzard had stopped, he would be able to smell her out. Also, the snow would start melting, transforming Mackenzie into Fentou. Therefore she had to act fast. On the other paw, she couldnt go too fast, therefore she could allow the snow to melt. Thus her family would see her as Fentou and not Mackenzie. That was good. Less cats knowing Mackenzie meant smaller chance she would melt in the middle of a conversation or get smelt out. She tried to slip through a fence, but the slippery fish got into the way. It slithered out of her grip and fell into a clump of bushes. Fentou decided not to go after it once more; she wasn't going to eat the fish anyway, just show off a bit to her friends. I'll just let it become fertilizer, she chose, trotting away. *** Blue munched her tuna. Thank God my owners are still here, she thought. Midnight's owners had mysteriously disappeared, and Midnight reported hearing them talking about a "vacation", which none of the cats knew meant. Anyway, a nice lady had arrived at his house, and started to feed him. Not as much food as what his owners gave him, not as healthy and appetizing, but edible. At least he wouldn't starve. A familiar shape, dripping wet, slipped through the fence. Fentou!

Thank God the snow has melted, Fentou thought, relieved. "Hey, Trueblue!" she called, hoping Blue wouldn't run away like a coward. Blue approached her cautiously. "Hi. You cat, she mewed quietly. "Hi, Fentou replied, and with a sinking heart, realized that there wasn't a bowl of food waiting for her. "Serves you right, Blue mewed. "I guess our owners got angry. Well, don't try to eat mine." Unhappily, Fentou curled up in her basket. Drip-drop. Icy-cold water dripped from her tabby tail, and a shiver went down her spine. Drip-drop. Fentou tried to ruffle the water out of her fur, and settled down. At least she had her meeting with Prince tomorrow to look forward to. Drip-drop. Drip-drop.

Chapter Eight

Fentou rolled in the snow as dawn tinted the sky a rather fetching shade of pink. She had woken up so early, at a time when everyone else was asleep, so that no one would see her leave as Mackenzie. She hoped the snow would stick to her pelt and block her smell. Gingerly, she strolled down to the lagoon. "Wheeeeeee!" White fur blocked her view for a second as Prince skated by. "Hey, Mackenzie!" Fentou leapt onto the ice and started skating after Prince. "This is the life!" She passed Prince, kicking up ice and snow in his bewildered face. Turning her head back to shout a "catch me if you can at Prince, Fentou kept on going. Suddenly, Prince's eyes widened. "Watch out, Mackenzie!" Too late. With a muffled meow, Fentou accidentally skated onto the riverbank and hit a lump of dirt. Horrified, she saw the snow come off her pelt as she sailed through the air. "MackenzieFentou! Human-biter! Liar!" Prince snarled, and ran off. Fentou was dazed. Everyone hates me, she thought, and I am a mess. Slowly, she picked herself up and thought about going home, to her siblings and her owners. Her owners! Unexpectedly, the truth dawned on her. I should apologize to my owners, for biting one of them. But, how? They don't understand us catsWait! I shall give them a present. And Im thinking of the perfect gift. A snowflake landed on her nose as an idea formed in her mind.

She looked up. More snowflakes. This was going to be a heavy snowstorm. But she had work to do. No blizzard would get in Fentous way. Fentou. Okay, she was sometimes mean. Fentou. Alright, she was not as loyal to the humans as her friends. But still, she was Fentou. The cat who would never give up, no matter what. She found three fish, two big, one small. Perfect. She started digging them up, one by one. The hours ticked away as she worked, and torrents of snow still drifted down from above, now accompanied by howling wind. Ice flew in the air as she finished digging up the first fish. Now for the second. Snow got into her eyes, but she was determined. Finally, she hooked the fish out of the crater in the ice. Now, the grand finale. The biggest fish. Fentous eyes stung. Her hind legs went numb. Her ears started freezing. At last, when she thought she was about to turn into an ice statue, she pawed the fat fish out, and onto the ice beside her and the two others. She had three fish, shining like stars, silver as the night moon, and covered in delicate white flakes of snow. Fentou struggled to pick them up, but she was unsuccessful. She couldnt pick up all three in her jaw without at least two slipping out. Finally, she got another idea. She placed two fish on her back, held the largest one in her mouth, and prayed they wouldn't fall off. Slowly, Fentou inched her way back home. She had to go the long way, to avoid squeezing through the tight fences and losing her fish. Shivering from the cold, Fentou clenched her teeth. No flakes of freezing ice and no gusts of chilly wind could stop her. She had to go on! The birds laughed at how silly she looked from their warm nests in the trees. Fentou fought the urge to climb a tree and do some serious hunting. It can all wait for later. I am doing something very important now.

Finally, she reached her cozy, warm home, and placed the fish on the windowsill for the humans to see. Junior, Yellow, Fluff, and Blue crowded around to stare at the fish, and Fentou felt a burst of pride. The humans in the kitchenall three of themgaped at the fish, and Fentou thought they understood her apology. But, ten minutes passed, and nobody came outside to confirm her suspicions. At last, she heard the back door creak open, and the man she had bitten walked out. With FIVE bowls of tuna! He placed the bowl with the most tuna in front of Fentou, and, after a mew of thanks, she started munching on it gratefully. Yum! After her meal, Fentou curled up in her bed, full and content. She had never felt so excellent before.

Chapter Nine

Fentou was eating a decent breakfast of mouth-watering tuna, chicken, and cat food mix. Not as mouth-watering as the meal the night before, but hey! No need to be greedy. Blue was joyful about Fentou's apology Youve proven yourself a true cat of Le Leman Lake, I would have never thought you would do something this nice for our owners, Fentou, Im so proud of you, etc. and now, she was giving her acknowledging and encouraging looks from the corner of her eyes, which was hard. Nothing looked less acknowledging and encouraging then a look from the corner of your eyes. But Fentou didn't care. She knew her sister meant well. Yellow and Junior had been nodding nicely at her all night and morning until Fentou told them to stop because she was afraid their heads might pop straight off! Fluff had been purring like mad every time she was around her. Her family had been so nice to her. If only...Fentou looked up at the sky. A white cloud drifted into the shape of a white cat, attractive and well-groomed with long white fur. Two holes in the cloud formed skyblue eyes. If only he was here. That would just make her day. Fentou thought about the hurtful names he had called her, and her ears drooped down sadly. If he really called me all those bad things, he probably doesn't love me, she thought. She mournfully started eating again, ignoring Blue's encouraging sideways stares. Now, her food tasted like cardboard.

Suddenly, there was a rustle in the bushes, and Fentou turned around sharply. A pair of familiar sapphire eyes stared back at her, and her heart skipped a beat. "P...Prince?" Fentou stuttered with pure pleasure. Her tail twitched with thrill and her amber eyes shone with bliss, taking this glorious sight standing in front of her as too good to be true. "That's my name; don't wear it out," came the cheerful reply, and a white shape struggled out of the bushes. Fentous love looked as good-looking as ever, except the fact that he had dirty brambles and leaves stuck in his wellgroomed long fur. "I heard what you did. I'm proud of you. I just came to say that I'm sorry about calling you all of those mean things" Prince apologized, but Fentou butted in with an overexcited, rather Blue-like squeal. "It's okay! I forgive you, She nudged his flank happily, and they both purred. Fentou sighed with elation. All her work was worth it.

The End