Three Little Kittens
Copyright© 2024 by Katharine Pyle
Chapter 7
Jazbury opened his eyes and looked about him. For a moment he could not think where he was. Instead of the white-washed walls and beams of the cellar, the sides of the tree arched up above him; and there was Fluffy cuddled up close against him, instead of Mother Bunch and Aunt Tabby.
Then he remembered. He had run away. He was in the wood. But where was Yowler? He had been there when Jazbury went to sleep. Surely Yowler had not gone away and deserted them.
“Fluffy!” he mewed.
Without opening his eyes Fluffy gave a sleepy little answering mew. He stretched himself and yawned, showing his little pink tongue curled up inside his mouth. Then he opened his eyes.
“Why, Jazbury!” he said in a surprised tone. He looked about him in a startled way. “Why--why--I’d forgotten we ran away. Where’s Yowler?”
“I don’t know. Let’s call him.”
But at this moment Yowler came strolling around from behind the tree. “Hello, kits!” he said. He had a comfortable, lazy look. He was licking his lips, and there was a tiny feather sticking to one of his whiskers.
“Where have you been?” asked Jazbury.
“Oh, I just went out to look about.”
“Well, I’m hungry. What shall we do about breakfast?”
“Yes; what shall we do about breakfast?” chimed in Fluffy.
“Oh, you’ll have to catch something. There’s plenty here in the woods.”
“But aren’t you going to help us?” asked Jazbury anxiously.
“No. I don’t feel hungry. You kits go ahead. You won’t have any trouble about it. If I want anything I’ll catch it later on.”
“But I don’t know how to catch things. I never learned,” said Jazbury.
“All the worse for you, but I can’t help it,” said Yowler cruelly.
Fluffy had been looking sharply at Yowler. Now he said, “Yowler, there’s a feather on your whiskers.”
Yowler started. “Oh, is there?” he said, and he hastily wiped it off with his paw. “You’d better hurry up if you want to catch anything.” He added. “I’m sleepy. Guess I’ll take another snooze.”
He went inside the tree and curled himself up in the warm spot that Jazbury and Fluffy had just left, and closed his eyes. The two smaller kittens stood looking at him for a moment.
“Come on, Jazbury!” mewed Fluffy. “Let’s go and look for something to eat.”
The two little kittens wandered away from the tree and on deeper into the wood. Jazbury felt very much hurt that Yowler would not come with them. He didn’t see why he wasn’t hungry, too.
“I know why he wasn’t hungry,” said Fluffy mysteriously.
“Why?”
“Oh, I’ll tell you some time.”
“Why won’t you tell me now?”
“I don’t want to; but I’ll tell you some time.”
Jazbury looked about him. “I don’t see wherever we’re to get anything to eat,” he mewed.
“I do, right now,” whispered Fluffy. “Hist! Keep still now.”
He crept silently forward through the bushes, there was a sudden leap--a squeak--a flutter, and a moment later Fluffy came back proudly carrying in his mouth a young bird he had killed.
“Oh, goody!” cried Jazbury, “I just love bird, and I’ve never tasted it but once. Aunt Tabby caught one in the yard at home and gave me a piece. Won’t Yowler be pleased? Come on! Let’s hurry back with it and all have breakfast.”
Fluffy dropped the bird and put his paw on it. “I’m not going to give Yowler any,” he declared.
“Not give Yowler any! Oh, Fluffy! Why not?”
“Because. Now I’ll tell you what I was going to tell you awhile ago, and didn’t. I’m just sure Yowler caught a bird this morning and ate it all himself before we were awake.”
Jazbury could hardly believe such a thing could be true. “Oh, Fluffy! He wouldn’t be so mean!” he cried.
“Well, I’m sure of it. Don’t you remember the feather on his whiskers? Anyway, you might as well eat your share of the bird for I shan’t give Yowler even a single bone, whether you eat any of it or not.”
So the two little friends sat there on the soft moss and divided the bird between them. How delicious it was! The kittens purred and smacked their lips over it, it was so good, but all the while Jazbury had an unhappy feeling that they were treating Yowler very badly, for he couldn’t have done such a mean thing as to catch a bird and eat it without telling them a word about it.
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