Miko and the Puppy

by M.R. Harris

  Miko screamed in frustration and raked her long sharp claws over the bark of the oak tree. This was so unfair! This couldn't be happening to her! She was, after all, the original cat, the first one. She had been there before Larry and Spark, and certainly before that puppy! She had been the one Jane had slept with at night when Matt went off on business trips. She couldn't believe they would turn on her like this!

  A moment later, in the direction of the hedge, she heard dry twigs snapping, as though something, or some things, were desperately trying to squeeze through the old thinning cedar bushes that separated the Lark's backyard from their neighbor. A moment later she heard a great snap as though a large branch had been rent in two. Miko watched, bug-eyed, as shadows, silent as the grave, streamed into the Lark's backyard through the newly breached hedge.

  The shadows gathered around her and swarmed around the base of the tree. Miko had no idea what they were, she only knew that something about them, about the way they moved, terrified her. Miko looked around wildly. Perhaps she would be safer if she climbed higher in the tree but that was out of the question since she was out of shape and weak and terrified of falling. She started to shake, panic turning her blood to ice.

  One shadow, bigger than the rest, blacker and more menacing, broke off and moved toward her. As it did, the waning light of the moon fell on it. A black, huge, muscular dog stood before her. "Hello dearie," the dog said. "Lost, are you?" The dog looked at her and drooled, slobber dribbling from its gaping mouth. "My name is Zoroaster, what's yours? Why don't you come down from the tree so I can see you better."

  The dog might have had trouble seeing Miko but Miko, being a cat, could see the dog just fine. The dog was pitch black. Miko didn't know much about dogs but she knew enough to realize she was looking at a Doberman Pinscher. Although Dobermans were very nice dogs Miko could tell that this dog wasn't at all nice, that it was a trained killer. The dog looked up at Miko and smiled, but it wasn't at all a nice smile, it was the sort of smile a dog might give to a rat she expected to be especially tasty.

  "It's okay, I like it up here." Miko said. She swallowed and backed further up the branch. As she moved, the branch began to sway under her weight and, a moment later, the sound of breaking wood filled the night like a gun shot. The branch that Miko was perching on, dry and rotten, fell from the tree. Just in time, Miko jumped to another branch. She shook and her breath coming in huge gasps.

  As though drawn by the sound of the breaking bough the shadows at the base of the tree stepped forward into the light of the moon. They were dogs, every one of them. Big dogs, little dogs, brown dogs, yellow dogs, skinny dogs and ... well, there were no fat dogs. They all looked hungry. Starving. Fear chilled Miko as she glanced at her amble tummy. "What do you want?" she intended to say that defiantly but it came out as a dry whisper that the breeze caught and almost carried away.

  "Isn't it obvious?" the Doberman sneered. She stood up on her hind legs and eyed Miko as the cat tried desperately to inch higher into the sheltering boughs. "We want you, Dearie." The dog licked her chops. "Why don't you come down here and let us," the Doberman paused and glanced around at the dogs surrounding her as though sharing an inside joke with them, "get acquainted with you." The Doberman barked with laughter and the others joined in.

  "Silence!" Zoroaster shouted after a few moments. The dog looked up at Miko. "So what will it be? Are you going to come down here or are we going to have to drag you down? It's up to you, but, take it from me, you don't want to make us angry. The dog looked at Miko and growled, spittle dripping from her jowls.

  Miko was out of her mind with fear. It was perfectly clear to her that this motley gang of dogs meant to kill her and. She craned her neck to look in the window, her window, and take one last look at her family as they sat together on the couch happily watching TV. Miko swallowed and a tear broke free and ran down her fur. She didn't know which she minded more, dying or never seeing any of them again. Even Larry. She snorted and blinked her eyes.

  She realized she didn't know anything anymore. Well, that wasn't true. She knew one thing: she needed a miracle or she was dead.

  * * * *

  That's when it happened, Miko had an idea. Just as the Doberman put her paws on the tree and stretched out to her full height and lunged at Miko, her great jaws gaping open, Miko opened her mouth and gave a bloodcurdling scream.

  Now, in the history of screams, there have been some loud ones, some screams that, if heard, would cause your ears to bleed, but this scream was a hundred times louder and more frightening than any of those.

  The dogs that had gathered around the tree, growling and licking their chops, all fell back, temporarily stunned. Adrenalin pumped through Miko's body as she leapt from the tree and sailed over their heads. She was heading for the soft mat in front of the backdoor and counting on it to help break her fall. Her breath got knocked out of her when she landed, but she wasn't completely winded. She was about to stretch up and rake her claws down the outside of the backdoor and scream and beg and plead to be let back in when she made a mistake. A big mistake.

  She looked back at the dogs.

  Clearly visible in the moonlight 20 or 30 dogs had gathered around the tree and were growling at her, their stunned expressions giving way to rage.

  "Let's get 'er, boys!" the Doberman growled and, as one, the dogs charged Miko, her death reflected in their eyes.

  Terrified, Miko stretched up to the back door and scratched and meowed frantically, but panic sapped her strength and stole her breath away. Matt and Jane have to hear me and let me in, they have to! she thought.

  Just as the gang of dogs was closing in on her the backdoor light bulb came to life and flooded the yard with light. The dogs came to a sudden halt and, as one, growled at Miko.

  The rattle of a doorknob turning filled the night. Hearing this, Zoroaster glowered at Miko, "This isn't over, don't think for a minute that this is over! My mate, Hellion, and I live next door and if we ever see you out here again we will be waiting for you."

  It seemed to Miko as though the Doberman was holding it against her that she had gotten away. She stared at the dog, scared and bewildered.

  Zoroaster turned, became a shadow, and melted into the darkness, her minions following her.

  Jane opened the backdoor and looked around but the backyard was empty. "What's all the racket? We thought you were being killed!" Jane laughed and rolled her eyes. "You big drama queen! Come on, come inside."

  Miko had never been so happy in her entire life. She ran into the kitchen and purred so loud even Matt, who was sitting on the couch all the way across the room, heard her. After Jane shut the door Miko rubbed up against Jane's legs and stretched up asking to be held.

  Jane laughed and scooped Miko up into her arms and held her. Miko rubbed her face against Jane's cheeks. "Oh Jane," Miko said. "I know you can't understand me, but I love you, I do, and I love living here and I love Spark and ..., well, I love living here, and I never, ever, want to go outside ever again."

  Jane smiled indulgently at Miko. "Okay, okay, I get it, you're happy to be back inside."

  "You're right," Jane said to Matt. "It's not fair to just turn her out, she has never had to fend for herself, she'd just die."

  Matt nodded. "Yes, the cat shelter on 5th is no-kill, they'll keep her until a suitable family can be found, one without any other pets." He turned to the puppy that was sprawled on his lap, softly snoring, and looked at her nose to see if it had stopped bleeding. "It's a shame, if only Miko had been able to accept the puppy, but as it is ...," Matt broke off and shook his head.

  Jane sighed. "I know. I'll miss her, but keeping Miko wouldn't be fair to either her or the puppy. We would have to lock Miko up whenever we weren't around and she would hate that, she couldn't stand not being able to sit in her window and peer out." Jane rubbed Miko's head and blinked tears out of her eyes.

&nbs
p; Miko, able to understand everything that had been said, had gone very still. Jane, not noticing any change in her, scratched Miko behind the ears, "Yes, in the long run, she would be much happier on her own, even if she has to stay in one of those small cages for a few weeks or months."

  Miko thought her heart stopped. They were going to leave her in a cage for months? Hours ago not being able to run in the backyard and climb the oak tree had seemed too horrible to consider and now, more than anything, she just wanted to be able to sit in her window and look out at the backyard.

  "Oh dear, I think Miko has something in her eye," Jane said, noticing Miko's tears.

  "Don't worry pet," Matt said. "She has pretty markings, and she's long-haired. Those are the kind of cats people look for so someone is sure to want her. Eventually."

  Eventually. Miko swallowed and squeezed her eyes shut as a part of her soul died.

  Chapter Seven

  The next day Miko called another meeting and Spark and Larry, both somber after the previous nights events, joined her in the living room.

  Miko stood up, cleared her throat, and said, "Yesterday I told you both what happened to me last night." Her expression grave, she studied the other cats for a long moment. "The puppy has to go," she said.

  Larry whined. "Really? But the puppy is so soft, and it has a cool baby smell ..."

  Spark looked at Larry. "I like the puppy too, but what if I get into the catnip and accidentally scratch her nose?"

  Larry looked at Spark, horrified. "But ... they would never send you away! I wouldn't let them!"

  Spark smiled at his brother, leaned into him, and licked his ear. "I don't think you'd have much say in the matter."

  "Or even you, Larry," Miko said, her voice uncustomarily soft. "What if you accidentally scratched the puppy? If they would send me away, they would send you away."

  Larry opened his mouth to object but what Miko said made sense. It was horrible, but it made sense. He looked at his brother who nodded his agreement with Miko.

  "We may not like it," Spark said, but the puppy is a danger to all of us." He looked at Miko and nodded. "The puppy has to go."

  "Good, glad you're both on board," Miko said. "I am ...," Miko paused and her nose turned vividly pink. "I haven't been as nice to you both as I could have been, I want you to know I'm sorry and I'll try and do better."

  "Oh, it's okay, we understand," Larry gushed before Spark could stop him.

  "Let's just deal with the matter before us," Spark said tersely.

  Miko cleared her throat. "Right. Down to business. I have a plan and it's easy. Remember our plan to get me outside?" Miko shuttered at the very thought of being outside. She was definitely an indoor cat from here on out.

  Spark and Larry nodded.

  "This plan is like that, only easier. What we need to do is lure the puppy outside and then shut the door behind her so she can't get back in."

  Spark and Larry looked at Miko, shocked that after her ordeal of the previous night she would suggest such a thing. They had thought she meant finding the puppy someplace else to live, not shoving her outdoors and leaving her to fend for herself.

  Miko set her jaw. "Look, I know what it's like outside, but what choice do we have? She nervously licked herself a few times. "Besides, the puppy is a dog. The dogs won't harm her."

  "But I like the puppy," Larry whined. "Isn't there another way? Any other way? We don't want the puppy hurt."

  "That's right," Spark nodded. "The puppy has never done anything to us. Finding it a new home is one thing, even dropping it off at the cat shelter, but to just leave it outside to fend for itself ... that's, well, the puppy wouldn't have a chance."

  "Yes," Larry said, nodding. "Puppies need people to take care of them, they need someone to feed them and to brush them, and someone to sleep with, or else they grow cold and lonely and sad and ... and ... well, that's not good for them," Larry finished, his nose pink, and looked down at his toes.

  Miko looked at Larry and sighed. "I know you like the puppy," she said, "but I don't see what other choice we have. We can't drive it to a cat shelter or put in an advertisement in a human paper for someone to come and pick her up."

  "And may I remind you," Miko said, her frosty manner back, "that I'm not the one who is forcing this choice, it is the humans." She spit the word out as though it were poisonous. "If the puppy is still here when the humans come home tonight, they are going to take me away and put me in a small cage with just enough food and water to live on, and with no window to look out of. I won't even be able to run around, the cage will be too small, the only thing I will be able to do will be to pace, and pace, and pace, until maybe one day someone will come and want me and take me home and love me."

  Miko looked at Spark and Larry with fear in her eyes. "But maybe that day will never come and I'll be a prisoner in that small cage until someone decides that I am old and infirm and no longer deserve even the small amount of food and water and space that I have and I will be led into a small room that smells of fear and desperation and be killed."

  Tears glistened in Miko's eyes and she hastily wiped them away with her paw and cleared her throat.

  Larry and Spark looked at Miko with a sense of compassion they hadn't had for her before. They couldn't let such a fate befall her. She was family, after all.

  * * * *

  To hear Miko tell it, her plan was simplicity itself. "All we have to do is wait for Jane to open the back door. Spark, you distract Jane, and make sure the backdoor doesn't close. Spark will give a shout at that point and, Larry, that will be your cue to provide the distraction. You'll jump in the big washing sink in the cellar and pretend to be drowning."

  "Which," Larry whispered to Spark, fear thick in his voice, "I just might be."

  Spark rolled his eyes at his brother and told him to be quiet.

  Miko glared at them both and then continued. "With Jane and Matt in the cellar tending to a wet and shaken Larry, I will have time to herd the puppy out the back door and close it behind her."

  "Any questions?" Miko asked.

  There weren't.

  Chapter Eight

  All the next day Miko waited in the kitchen and watched the back door, ready to give Spark and Larry the signal to put her plan into motion the next time Jane opened the door to the backyard, but she never did. In order for her plan to succeed Miko couldn't be locked up in the laundry room for bad behavior so she was extra nice to the puppy, even when no one was looking.

  Matt and Jane had been planning on sending Miko to the cat shelter that day when they got home from work but when they saw Miko getting along with the puppy they thought they would wait another day. And then when, the next day, Miko was still getting along with the puppy they decided to keep Miko after all. The truth was, they were feeling guilty about their plan to drop Miko off at the cat shelter because they knew that even though Miko wouldn't be killed she might have to live out the rest of her life in a 1.5 by 2 foot cage.

  Miko, though, didn't realize any of this.

  Later that same day, after the dinner dishes had been cleared away, Jane did what Miko had been waiting for: she opened the backdoor. Jane had no idea why Miko, at that moment, got excited. Jane just shrugged and smiled indulgently at the crazy cat and stuck her head out the door to see what the weather was like. That was when she saw what had been done to the backyard.

  "Matt!" she cried.

  Matt was sitting on the sofa reading the day's paper. "Ummhmm," Matt said and turned the page.

  "The backyard! It's ruined."

  "Ummm?" Matt said and then added, as though not sure his response had been sufficient, "Yes dear?"

  The backyard was much changed from when Jane had last seen it. Her thyme and oregano bushes had been chewed and battered almost beyond recognition. Her brightly colored flowers had been snapped off near the root and trodden under. The garden was ruined. But that wasn't a
ll. The lawn had gaping holes in it, like wounds, where dogs had dug into it.

  "Matt ...," Jane said, her voice soft and horrified.

  "Jane what's wrong?" Matt asked, concerned by something in his wife's voice. He put his paper down and came to stand by her and put his arm protectively around her waist. Then he looked outside.

  As Matt surveyed the damage he clenched his jaw. "It's those damn dogs from next door. Look," he nodded toward the hole in the hedge Zoroaster had made, "that's how they've been getting in. I should go next door and give the neighbors a piece of my mind. Look at this mess!"

  But Matt stayed right where he was. The neighbors scared him, although he would rather die a thousand deaths -- or at least one or two -- than admit that to Jane.

  "Let's calm down first," Jane said. The neighbors scared her too, but she didn't want to let on to Matt. "We should take the puppy for a walk."

  With one last look at the devastation in the backyard Matt nodded. "Yes, let's do that," he said and kissed the top of his wife's head. As Matt and Jane turned toward the couch Jane released the door and let it begin to swing closed behind her.

  At that moment Spark dashed in front of Matt and Jane and yowled.

  "What on earth ...," Jane said, shocked, and began to walk toward Spark to see if he was hurt.

  Larry, hearing his cue, jumped into the sink in the cellar. A loud splash followed and, simultaneously, an ear-splitting cry for help.

  "Larry!" Jane cried, turned, and ran down the cellar stairs, followed closely by Matt.

  As Matt and Jane made for the cellar stairs, Spark sprang to the back door in time to prevent it from closing and Miko herded the puppy toward the backdoor.

  Miko hissed and growled at the puppy, herding her like a sheepdog might, and got her out the back door and onto the lawn. As the puppy ran from Miko it tripped on its paws and tumbled onto the grass.

  Miko smiled to herself. The plan had worked brilliantly. Just before she turned to go back inside and shut the door behind her the puppy picked itself up off the grass and, her large liquid brown eyes wide and terrified, looked at Miko.