Emily Dixon

2008

Outline

This story is told from many points of view (or chapters): I have included the first two chapters, Cleona and Kelly.

Cleona: A small kitten living with her family in the barn under the Under Dogs' rule. One day Cleona finds a way to escape the barn. Although she escapes the barn, the Under Dogs are looking for her. Cleona encounters a Fire Vulture and he tells her to complete a task in order to stay safe. Cleona completes the task and is proclaimed Fire Cat. Meanwhile, all the other cats in the barn have escaped to the Dusty Hideaway, where they are safe for the time being. Cleona receives a message from the head of the Under Dog unit that she needs to set all the cats free from the Dusty Hideaway, or else she will be killed. She then has to make the decision whether to follow her dreams and keep the cats safe, or whether to let them back into the barn and go back to her old miserable lifestyle.

Kelly: This is the same story told from Kelly's point of view. Kelly works in the Under Dog's office building (She is a human). The point of the Under Dog's business is to put cats into fights with dogs, and if the cats lose, they are made into robots. Each robot sells for millions of dollars. When she hears that Cleona escaped, she sets out to try and find her. Kelly is also the one that issued the warnings to set the cats back into the barn. Kelly is very pessimistic about the whole Under Dog's plan though. She hates hurting cats, and doesn't like her job, even with the prodigious amount of money she makes. Find out if Kelly stays with her job or whether she just can't take it anymore. It is also funny to see how much faster time goes by in Kelly's point of view than in Cleona's.

Soon to be added:

Fire Vulture: This point of view is very interesting to find out what has been going on behind the story in the Fire Vulture's point of view. It is interesting to see other people that he helped in his life too. It is interesting to see that he wasn't only considering Cleona to be the next Fire Animal, but really he was considering many animals. Basically, it explains him from before Cleona was alive up until after she has been saved.

All together, each chapter explains chapters and reasons out things more properly. If you have trouble understanding something in one chapter, one of the other chapters probably explains or ties in with it.

Pete: This talks about how Pete feels about his business. It also talks about what happens after Kelly quits the job. Pete's point of view is completely positive, which is completely different from Kelly. It is interesting to learn how he feels.

Cleona: Another excerpt from Cleona's point of view is added at the end to sum up her life and what happened after they were set free. It talks about where they live now and how much different their life is.

Cleona

Mama Cat huddled Caroline, Nicky, and me in close to her fur. We were the only kittens left in our litter. She couldn't lose us. We were the closest things she had to family right now, and I couldn't bear to think what it would be like for her if she were alone. All of Mama's other kittens had already been taken.

Now it was just us. We lived in the old barn between the two tallest mountains in the land. The barn was aged, and it stank of old fish. Old paint peeled off the walls, and out of all the wood stuck little splinters that would deliver a painful poke if you laid your paws on them. There was also a chilling breeze, but usually Mama kept it from getting to us.

I snuggled into her fur. She licked my head as if to calm me.

There were many other families in the barn, and all of them acted the same way as our family. All the kittens tended to stay huddled up with their Mamas. Mama cats protected their young ones from the terrible life that we lived.

We got closer and closer to Mama. The padding sound of the Under Dog's tamers was coming, and we knew it. The cold sounds of their voices chilled me to the bones and killed out my insides.

But this time they walked past our litter. They were headed towards the family that stayed in the back of the barn. I watched them closely, their swift legs picking up dirt. I crept away from Mama a little bit so that I could see what they were doing.

"Be careful, Cleona," Mama said to me.

They stopped at another family of kittens and took one of them. They swiftly picked up the kitten, and walked back to the building. I closed my eyes, not bearing to think what it would be like if that was me. We couldn't let Mama lose us. The kitten hissed and scratched them, but they kept going. I buried myself in Mama's silky gray fur. It felt soft and warm. More men were coming in now, and taking more cats. They even took a Mama Cat away from a family of four orange kittens. I saw the Under Dogs waiting inside the windows. The fierce looks on their faces made me want to cry. I saw the sharp claws on the one that had killed my brother Tom last week.

Then they came near us. They picked up Nicky in their pale hands. She tried to get away, but she couldn't. I hissed at the man and bit his gray trousers. I ripped my head side to side, but the man wouldn't budge. I sighed. Unfortunately, I knew he wasn't going to give her back. We were out of luck.

All the other kittens in our litter had been taken to, same as Nicky had. They had lost, and were used as robots now. The Under Dog's tamers would come in and get us, then take us to a room and lock us in with the Under Dogs, and make us fight them to test our strength. Most of the time we lost though.

If only we, the domesticated ones, could have a tamer. Then we could be free. Free. The word gave me a little bit of hope, but not much. We needed a plan.

"Cleona, Caroline, Nicky, Wake up!" Mama said. Nicky was back. I guess she had won the fight. That was a good sign. She had some scratches, and seemed to have some memory loss though. Her legs were battered and her arms were red and sore. Her eyes drooped like she hadn't been to bed in a year.

I looked towards the building, and heard loud noises and light flashes. It seemed as though it was being hit by lightning. Every few seconds, the whole building would light up. They had obviously taken more cats into fights.

I went behind the pillar that we lay by, and scratched my claws on it. I don't know why, but it calmed me when I was scared or anxious. Other families were still asleep. Dawn was only just breaking. Caroline was wandering over to the grass to stretch out her legs, and didn't notice a man coming. He picked her up.

"Caroline!" We all screamed, but the man gave us a fierce look, and we stopped. We knew she was gone. There was nothing we could do but hope for the best. Maybe she would win like Nicky. Oh, life was horrible.

Nicky didn't seem to care. She was totally oblivious. I didn't know if it was from the brain damage she seemed to have or just because she didn't pay attention.

We needed a plan now. We could sneak into the lab—no, that was too dangerous. We could try and escape the barn. That could be risky too. It could be worth a try. I asked Mama.

"No!" She said. "That's too risky."

"But why?" I wailed.

"Because, life is life. I'm sorry you were born this way, and I'm sorry that you are not like all the free kittens out there. But life is what life is," explained Mama, trying to make me feel better. It had no effect on me though. I was still determined to escape. I knew we had a chance. My life was about believing in myself. It wasn't about holding back, like Mama's was. I knew it would be risky, but we had a chance.

It had been a few days. The barn was emptying down lots. Cats were just taken and taken, one by one. Caroline still hadn't returned which was not a good sign. Eventually all the cats would be taken, including me. I went back to sharpen my claws. My shoulders drooped and my head hung. For some reason, I felt like everything was my fault, even though it wasn't. I felt like it was my job to rescue everyone.

Suddenly, everything around me turned black.

Once I hit solid ground, I peered upward. Mama and Nicky were peering down at me from the barn.

"Help!" I yelled upward.

Then something furry landed on my head. Nicky had fallen down the whole with me. She climbed off my head, leaving the fur all jagged. I wiped my paw over it to make it smooth again.

"I'm coming down!" Mama said hesitantly, and then jumped down the hole. We were all down below the barn now.

I knew we were trapped. How long would we be down there in the dark? Everything was black, except the glow of our eyes.

"Hey! I found a tunnel!" Nicky yelled from across the hole.

"She's right," Mama said, and turned to Nicky. "Good job finding this."

We followed her around curves, bends, and drops. I think it was farther than I had ever walked before. Soon enough, we saw light ahead of us. We had found a way out! We bounded towards the light. Sure enough, the tunnel led outside! There was flat, green, grass in front of us, and a cliff to the side of us with running water in it. We all dumped ourselves down dizzily. A sweet scent of chrysanthemums came from near by. Where were we? Had we escaped the Under Dogs? Were we free? Questions whirled around in my mind.

We were all speechless at first, probably just shocked. We lay in the grass and played tag. We went into the woods and caught some trout in the river for supper. It was finally a happy life, what most cats should feel in their presence. I hadn't felt a full stomach like this before. I wondered how long we would be like this, or if we would be taken back to the barn.

I heard a loud noise in the distance. Nicky and Mama heard it too. It was the swooping of large wings, and it was getting closer. A figure appeared in the sky overhead. It was coming straight at us.

"Duck!" Mama yelled, frightening us.

"That's not a duck, that's a vulture!" I screamed.

"No, not a duck! Run! Hide! It's coming straight at us!" She said, and we all tried to hide.

But it was too late. The giant vulture and its bony wings landed in front of us, and set its wings down beside its body. Its knees seemed as though they would buckle out on him, but they didn't.

"I am the Fire Vulture. I was sent to tell you that the Under Dog's tamers are searching for you." The vulture said.

"Wait, hold up. What is this about?" Mama said to the vulture.

"I was sent to give you the message. They have teams and helicopters and satellites and all that crazy stuff to hunt you down. I can help you hide though, if you want me too." The vulture said.

"Do we know you?" I said.

"Actually, I don't believe we've met. I'm the Fire Vulture."

"Fire Vulture?" I asked.

"Yes. I'm the Fire Animal. But there's no time to explain now. We have to hide."

"How can we know we can trust you?" Mama asked.

"Really, please. Come with me. I will show you how to stay safe."

We heard sirens in the distance. Nicky, Mama, and I exchanged glances. We didn't know whether or not to trust the vulture. What if he was working for the Under Dogs and trying to get us into more trouble? But we had no time to think about that now. It was our only hope to follow the vulture.

Normally, when people think of the phrase, "our only hope," they tend to get quite anxious. This is because it means that if the only hope doesn't work, there is nothing left to try. But Mama, Nicky, and I could only think of what was ahead of us. We tried to think of good thoughts. What if the vulture was really trying to save us? What if that was his job?

"Lets go!" Nicky said, gripping onto Mama at the same time.

We ran over the fields, the vulture flying above us.

We all hid in a cave together. The cave had a musty smell, but it was the only way we could hide. As soon as we were settled, the vulture left us. We crawled deeper into the cave, and drank out of a small stream. It was dark and gloomy, but we were safe for the moment. We still had to be careful though, because I knew that if we were caught we would be put to fights right away with the Under Dogs.

We slept behind a boulder. In the morning the vulture came back.

"We have to go," He said.

"What's wrong?" Nicky said.

"Come on, let's just go," He said, hurrying us along. "The more quickly you move, the less likely it is for you to get found."

Mama, Nicky, and I followed the Fire Vulture through grassy fields, over rocks, and even through swamps. We tired ourselves out.

Then we reached a wall. It seemed to go forever in every direction, and there was no possible way under or around. The vulture got us onto his back, and we flew over. It was really fun because I had never flown before.

We found a river and caught salmon that were headed upstream. We hadn't had food in a while, and it tasted great. We also went bathing for the first time ever. It was cold, but afterwards, I felt nice and clean. I shook all the water off my fur like a wet dog. Mama Cat, Nicky, and I slept for hours under the smooth moon. It's reflection on the road looked like a bottle of spilled milk. We found an area where satellites had no service, so we couldn't be seen. When we awoke, the Fire Vulture was gone again.

"We have to move on our own," Mama said to us. All of a sudden, bursts of screeching and sirens were heard in the distance, and we couldn't tell what it was. Was it the Under Dogs? I shuddered. No, it was not Under Dogs. It was a pack of buffalo. They were stampeding directly towards us.

The brown buffalo were headed right towards us, and as far as I knew there was nothing that I could do. This didn't happen often, in fact, I never knew this could happen. Then I spotted a small hole in the ground, which might work.

"Come on!" I shouted over the noise of the pounding feet on the ground, and we all squeezed into the hole. The buffalo pounded over us, almost burying us with all the dust and dirt, but we were safe, and we climbed out of the hole.

Behind us a chubby beaver growled, "What were you doing intruding my home?"

None of us replied to his stubborn remark. Then he scowled and went back into the hole he called his home.

We kept walking. All of a sudden, the vulture appeared in front of us.

"I've found a way!" The vulture said.

"Way for what?" I said.

"A way to stop them!" He said.

"The Under Dogs?"

"Yes, of course. Who else?"

"How?"

"The Underdog Headquarters! That's where they are planning this all. You know, the place they fought you when you lived in the barn. That's where all their technology is." He tried to explain to us.

"So what do we do about that?" Nicky remarked, confused.

"Oh, only Cleona can do it," He said. "She must disable their wires and networking systems."

"Me?" I said.

"Yes! You are the only strong one here. Nicky is still sick and brain dead and Mama must take care of her," The vulture said.

"So what do I do?" I asked.

"Find their wiring system. Cut it. Chew it. Make it smoke," He explained. "Then you will be free."

Mama and Nicky stayed in another cave, and the vulture took me on his back part of the way to the headquarters. We went over the mission again together, until I knew exactly what I was doing. Then he had to go, and he dropped me off and told me which way I should go. He flew away, and I had to travel alone.

I walked across fields, through rivers, over bridges, and over tall mountains. I had no idea if I was really going the right direction, but I kept going because I valued my life and the life of my family. The sky was darker than a sheet of tar. The air reeked of dead bodies. I pushed myself through the misery.

He had told me to go to the place between the two tallest mountains. I had remembered the mountains from back when I lived in the barn, but for some reason, I just couldn't seem to find them. The air was freezing cold and water residue from walking through rivers froze on my fur. I felt like a cold, forgotten, icicle. I felt like nobody cared about me. Felt like…

WHOOSH!

Something huge and fluffy zoomed past me, and it knocked me off course. It sent me spinning down across the ice into an empty canyon. When I landed, I was upside down and dizzy. My vision blurred and spun as I tried to focus again. My back leg hurt, and I couldn't move it. I let out a small cry, and then realized I was still being watched and could still be caught. I quieted down. Who would save me? I couldn't walk, and there was no way I could get to the headquarters now.

Then I saw a familiar sight in the sky. The vulture was back again. What would I ever have done without him? He swooped down onto the ledge where I was laying, and landed next to me.

"I just got the message that Caroline is okay. She's at the Dusty Hideaway." The vulture said to me, ignoring the fact that I was hurt.

"The what?" I managed out of my dry mouth.

"The Dusty Hideaway. It's a camp that all the cats in the barn went to hide at. The Under Dogs don't know yet, but the satellites in the headquarters are searching, and if a cat named Cleona doesn't get there soon enough to disable their wires, everyone will be killed, including Caroline." He said.

"Okay, well I'm trying my best, but I'm stuck down here in this here canyon, and I think my leg is broken." I said.

"Let's fix that for you then, shall we?" He said.

He took a roll of tape out of a black and white messenger bag that he was carrying. He wrapped it around my leg until it was tight, and surprisingly, it felt better. He put the tape back in his bag.

"Hop on!" He said, motioning for me to climb on his back. I did so.

Once I was on, I held on tight, and we flew out of the canyon.

He set me down at the spot where I had been knocked into the canyon.

"The pressure is too high up the mountain for me to fly you farther." The vulture said, and flew away.

I continued onward up the mountain. I was chilled to the bone by the biting wind and ice against my face. I was shivering and shaking like a hummingbird. My legs were all tired out and my one leg started to throb again. I hoped I wouldn't get knocked off the mountain this time. I climbed and climbed. I was almost there. I could see the peak of the mountain, the small building, and the barn in which I used to live in. There were huge satellites on top of the building, and radars surrounding the building. I raced towards the top, looking in both directions to make sure nothing was coming in either direction that could knock me off track. Luckily nothing was coming; it was silent. I slowly made my painful way up to the top of the mountain, and found a flat patch and immediately flopped down on the ground. I was hidden behind a bush for a while, and no one seemed to notice me. In the distance behind the building, I saw the empty barn, and thought of all the happy cats that were at the Dusty Hideaway.

After a long rest, I got up and approached the building, and knew I had made it. Finally!

There were people inside, loads of people. Short people, tall people, obese people, emaciated people, and they were all in my way. There was no way I could complete my job without being seen. They would take me away to those dreaded places and kill me with their stupid Under Dogs.

The sun was beginning to set outside over the mountain. Maybe the people would leave tonight. I decided to wait behind another tree and find some food, then see if I could go in. I wandered by a tree, and around to the barn that I used to live in. I went into the barn, and instant memories came over me like a bucket of cold water. I saw the pillar that Mama and our family used to sleep by, and saw the little hole that I had fallen down as a kitten. I don't even think I could fit down it now. Was it really that long?

The sun was completely behind the peak of the mountain now. I took a drink from the stream behind the barn, where the Under Dogs tamers used to feed us from. I could not find any food at the moment, so I slowly wandered back to the small building.

Inside, the building was dark. There was the faint glow of the machines and computers that were still shutting down, and as far as I could see there was no signs of any people. I peered in the open door way. There were three halls inside, one of which was more lit than the others I decided to take that hallway, and as I walked down the gloomy place, I reviewed my mission in my head.

"If a cat named Cleona doesn't get to the headquarters soon enough to disable their wires, everyone will be killed, including Caroline. Help your family. Help the Dusty Hideaway. Help the world." The vulture had said.

It was cold and windy inside, but I couldn't turn back because of that. This was my only chance to save everyone.

The hall seemed to go on forever. Its cold and human-like features seemed to want to swallow me in, and knock me out of the building. I knew I did not belong there. There were signs on the walls, but I could not read them.

Then, I saw a light behind me. It was a flashlight. I turned around to where the beam was coming from, and froze. It was a human!

I turned around again and dashed across the hall, as quickly as I could. I darted left and right, under machines and over boxes and computer tables. I scampered under a pile of cables, and stayed there, just wishing with all my might that the human would not find me. All I needed to do was disable the wires and get out.

The human walked past where I was hidden, and my heart was thumping up in my throat. I felt so scared that I was going to throw up. Amazingly, he did not hear my heart thumping so hard, and he left the room. After a few seconds, I slowly crawled out of the mangled wire mess, and checked to see if anyone was there. The coast seemed clear, and so I went back out to the hallway. I stayed against the wall, positioned in a stance that showed I was ready to run in case of another emergency. There was another door labeled "CONTROL ROOM". I pushed the heavy door open, and walked in. This was the room that all the satellites and cables worked from. If I disabled the wires in here, it would disable them everywhere. There were huge computers, cables, wires, plans, and a huge television screen that had clips of the Under Dogs killing the cats playing on it. I went up to the cable near the screen, and bit it with my razor sharp teeth. The break in the wire smoked, and the screen fused and then shut off completely. I smiled to myself. I went up to some machines, and bit the wires. They sputtered and shut down. I also ripped up the plans, and knocked satellites off their tables, making the wires that connected them all break. I bit every last wire, cable, or machine that I could see. Then, with all the fire and smoke in the room from the smoking wires, I melted the satellites.

I felt out of control. I had never done anything like this before, and it felt great. Now all I had to do was remember the way out, fast. I tried to follow the way back where I had come the first time. It was hard to remember where I had gone, with the chase, but I figured my way down the windy and dimly lit hallway, and there were no signs of any people. It was amazing. I had done my job! As I left the building, I saw the vulture waiting for me with a posed look. I ran towards him.

"You did it!" He screeched, with his scrawny tone, "You saved the cats!"

I smiled, and the instant feeling of relief that drowned over me told me that I really had done it. I had saved everyone. Caroline was safe at the Dusty Hideaway, along with everyone else. Now we could go anywhere and the Under Dogs unit would never find us. I felt a surge or relief and gratitude inside me.

"I told you earlier how I was Fire Vulture, right?" The vulture asked me.

"Yes," I said, in an excited but strange voice.

"Well, I never explained the whole thing. Let me explain now." He said. "There is only one Fire Animal every generation. An old friend of mine, who used to be the wise Fire Owl, chose me. He proclaimed me Fire Vulture, and he was no longer Fire Owl. I was the new Fire Animal." He said.

"I don't understand." I said.

"Well, pretty much the point I am trying to make is that it is time to pick a new Fire Animal." He said.

"Who will that be?" I asked.

"Come." He said, and motioned me over to a fire pit on the other side of the barn. Hundreds of other animals were gathered around. They hushed down as we walked in. I had no clue at all what was going on. I had no idea what the vulture was trying to get across to me.

"I now pronounce Cleona the cat as Fire Cat!" The vulture screamed to all the animals that were gathered around.

Everyone cheered. The screamed, and looked very excited. Then the vulture took a bowl of water.

"Drink this Cleona." He said to me, handing me the aged and cracked bowl of water.

I was dying of thirst, so I gulped it down.

"That water will give Fire Powers." The vulture said.

I nodded, still a bit flustered with this all.

"When you get older, you will need to pick a new Fire Animal." He said to me.

I nodded again.

After the ceremony, the vulture took me back to Mama and Nicky. I was Fire Cat and we were free!

Being Fire Cat is like being president, only better. I was given a hover machine that I ride around on, and I have lots of powers. I've been Fire Cat for a while now. It has been great. My family is free to roam where we want to, and all the cats are still at the Dusty Hideaway. They would remain there for a while as far as I knew. At least until things were perfectly sorted out. The Under Dogs were still out there somewhere, and who knew what they were scheming on us now? They could even be fixing their satellites, and time could revert back to how it was before.

The sound of chirping blue birds was soothing. I lay next to Mama and Nicky, wanting to be with Caroline as well. She had no idea about anything. I wanted to let her know. I wanted to tell her that we were okay, and everything was all right. I also wanted to tell her all about being Fire Cat. I felt privileged. The world seemed so gloomy without Caroline.

All the gloom brought my negative thoughts back. What if they fix their cables and they come after us? What if they kill us all? What if the world is a disaster?

No time to worry about that.

A fly flew in front of me. My instinct told me to swat it to the ground, and gobble it up, exactly what I would have done in my days of kitten hood. But, I knew better now. Everyone has a life, and everyone deserves to live it. I let the fly go by.

Then my beeper went off. It was Lily, a friend that the vulture had introduced to me at the ceremony.

"Cleona, this is Lily, delivering a message from the Under Dogs Unit, that you need to get everyone out of the Dusty Hideaway and back to the barn, or they will drain you of your powers." She said in a stern but kind voice. The beeper then clicked off.

"Who was that?" Mama asked me.

"Lily. I have to get all the cats out of the Dusty Hideaway, and back into the barn!" I exclaimed.

"Or else what happens?" She asked.

"They'll take away my Fire Powers!" I said, and began to cry. This life was harder to live than I thought. I thought that I could roam free, and have whatever I like, go wherever I liked. I didn't realize that I would be ordered around, and threatened. The vulture should have asked me first.

"Calm down, Cleona. I can help you. Everyone gets into sticky situations sometimes." Mama tried to calm me.

"I just don't know if I should let them go or if it would be best to let them stay there." I said.

"Lets talk about this in the morning. It's getting late. Mama said.

I fell asleep in her arms. Cradled in her fur, with the warm feeling between us, I did get a few hopes that everything would be all right. I had never felt quite like this before. All I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and forget about the reality that my life was facing.

In the morning I awoke to the noise of a car. It was humming along with its engine whirring. I opened my eyes, and there was a shiny silver car speeding towards Mama, Nicky, and me. I shook Mama and Nicky awake. They still lay there. The giant vehicle was getting closer, and about to run us all over. I pointed Mama's stiff neck towards the coming vehicle. Her eyes widened to the size of watermelons, and we all scuttled off the road in time for the car to pass behind us. It blew dust all around us, covering us in the grey gravel from the road. We settled down in the middle of the grass again, and tried to fall back asleep. It was only early, and the sun had just begun to rise. There was dew in the grass, and a small chill in the air.

A leaf drifted down from a tree, settling on the ground. Then my beeper went off again, startling me.

"Hello?" I said, in a very sleepy and quiet voice.

"Hey, this is Lily, delivering another message from the Under Dogs unit. You only have eight hours to complete your mission now, or else they will drain your powers and kill you." She said. I sighed. This world was a horrible place.

"Do you need me to repeat the mission?" She said to me.

"No." I said firmly, and pressed off.

Mama opened her eyes just a fissure. As she got up, she accidentally knocked a button on my beeper. In a mechanical voice, it said,

"Gravel: grav·el [grav-uhl] Small pieces of rock and pebbles larger than grains of sand."

The sudden noise frightened Nicky and me, and I shut it off before it could read the rest of the definition. I never knew there was a dictionary on it. Mama, Nicky, and I were all wide awake now.

"I heard the message from Lily." Mama said.

"Yes, and I don't know what to do." I said. I really did have no idea what to do. "If I do let the cats back into the barn, it will be just like it used to be, those big ugly men coming in to get us and mistreating us. Its like the terrible life all over again."

"Calm down, Cleona. There has to be something we can do. How about we go talk to Caroline? Then we can tell her everything, and ask her what to do." She suggested to me. Mama always had the best ideas.

I switched my beeper into a compass, and we walked east, the way that the vulture had said the Dusty Hideaway was earlier on. It was a long walk, but I kept going. Talking to Caroline would always make me feel better.

After traveling by foot for a while, Mama spotted a free hover machine coming our way. Nobody was on it, so Mama, Nicky, and I hopped on, and pointed it in our direction. It zoomed off in that direction, whizzing past birds and clouds. We continued heading the direction of the Dusty Hideaway. We had approximately seven hours left before my powers were taken away from me and the Fire Animal history was left in smoke. It was then that I heard a strange noise in the motor. It sounded as if there was a blender trying to blend metal. The emergency light blinked, but we were still moving along smoothly. The rails on the sides were lowering, a signal that we should jump off. When the rails were down completely, we had no choice. We braced ourselves and jumped. The hover machine crashed in an explosion of smoke above us. My stomach churned. As we fell, the only thing we did not know was what was below us.

I made a crash landing on top of a computer, and Mama and Nicky fell somewhere behind me. After I had managed to get up from my wrecked position, I looked around the room. There were monitors everywhere, and cages. There were pictures of dogs and cats everywhere, and glass tubes. All the computers seemed dead. It all just seemed so familiar. Then it dawned on me right away. I was in the Under Dogs headquarters; the same place that had guided my whole life to where it was now.

I jumped off the keyboard that I was sitting on onto the hardwood floor. Last time I had been here it was dark and gloomy, and I was trying to not get caught by Under Dogs staff. I recognized all the wires that I had bit, all before becoming Fire Cat. How long ago had it been?

Mama and Nicky were across on the other side of the room, lying on their sides. I trudged over to them. They had probably suffered the fall.

"Nicky? Mama?" I said.

Nicky slowly got up, and limped over to me. Then Mama got up. Her tail hung from her body like a dead worm.

"Are you guys okay? What happened?" I asked.

"Suffered the fall a bit." Mama said.

"You'll have to continue on without us." Nicky said.

"But…" I stammered. It was all I could get out of my dry mouth.

"The barn is right outside. We'll wait for you there. Make a wise decision. We love you." Mama said.

They both slowly walked towards a wall, and through to another room. They left me alone, and now I had to figure out how to get out. As far as I knew, the only way out was through the hole in the ceiling in which we had fallen in. They had blocked off all the halls after I had done the damage last time. I didn't think there was any way up.

I went across the room and found a huge metal stick with little rungs all the way up. It was leaning against the wall on the other side of the room. I knew it had a name. A…looper or something. I punched looper into the dictionary on my beeper.

"Looper- loop·er. The thread holder in a sewing machine using two threads." Uhh…no, maybe it was a ladder.

"Lad·der

A structure of wood, metal, or rope, commonly consisting of two sidepieces between which a series of bars or rungs are set at suitable distances, forming a means of climbing up or down." Yes that's it.

I took the ladder from its leaning position, and landed on the ground with a clashing "thunk". I pushed it over to the spot where the hole in the ceiling was. With lots of grunting and sweating, I stood it up and posted it through the hole, leaning it on the side. I shook it to see if it was sturdy, and it was, so I began to climb.

The rungs were widely spaced apart, and I had to leap to get to each one. The rungs swayed like a flag in the wind as I climbed. About three quarters of the way there my legs were killing me, and I had to take a break. I panted and as soon as my breath was back, I continued upward. As soon as I leapt onto the roof, I splattered down like a dead frog. Behind me, the whole ladder fell down with another metal clash. I walked to the edge of the roof. And I waited a little while until I was ready to continue onward to the Dusty Hideaway.

There was another hover machine coming, but I did not know whether I should have gotten on or not. Because of the crash last time, I was scared to get on. But then I heard the familiar sound of wings, and sure enough, the vulture was coming down to get me.

"I haven't seen you in ages!" I cried with excitement.

"Thought you might need some help. Lily told me everything." The vulture said, as I was climbing on.

We took off into the sky, and thought about everything. I remembered the first time that I had been flying like this, and how fun it had been. It wasn't that great anymore. We soared in the clouds, and over hills. I would have never made this journey by myself. I recognized the valley that we had played in when we had first escaped the barn, and the caves that we had hidden in. it all seemed so long ago.

We arrived at dawn.

"Here we are, The Dusty Hideaway." The vulture said.

I got off his back, and sat down. There was a small hill, and a tall building. This is not how I expected it to be at all. The vulture flew away without a goodbye behind me, and I dawdled towards the building. The cats were probably inside.

I pushed open the chestnut colored door. My eyes grew bigger when I saw what was inside. There were cats everywhere. There were small ones, skinny ones, and fat ones. I recognized some of them from the barn. Caroline came over to me right away.

"Cleona!" Caroline exclaimed. "You look so different!"

"You do too!" I said, and laughed under my breath. "Okay, look, I have to explain something really important to you."

"Lets go outside then."

We did. We sat on top of the hill behind the building, and it was then that I explained everything. I explained how I had become Fire Cat, and how our family was safe. So far, we were all right, and Caroline was safe. I also explained what Lily had told me to do, and asked Caroline for her advice on the situation.

"You should complete the mission. You need to get us back into the barn. We can't lose you, Cleona, or the Fire Animal history! And anyways, what can the Under Dogs do to us? You destroyed all their equipment. Please Cleona. It's the right thing to do." Caroline said.

"Alright. Thanks for helping. Before I had no idea what to do." I said.

"Lets go in the building and tell everyone." I said. We went inside together.

"Cats of the Dusty Hideaway!" I announced. No one heard me.

"Cats of the Dusty Hideaway!" I said even louder than the first time. A few cats quieted down, then others followed role and turned and listened. When I had everyone's attention, I let them know that they had to go back to the barn, under order. There was chattering among the cats again. It took a really long time to let them know that this was an order, not a want. They all finally agreed among their families, and all came outside. We marched over the fields and through the valleys and back to the barn. It seemed even slower than the way there, but this time I had some one to talk to.

When we finally arrived, Nicky and Mama were there waiting just as they said they were going to be. All the cats began to settle down into the places that they had been when I was a kitten, how we used to all live.

"Cleona! You're back!" Nicky said.

"We missed you!" Mama said.

"We have some terrible news!" Nicky said.

"What?" I asked.

"The Under Dogs got their satellites and wires working again!"

"You're kidding!" I gasped. This probably meant that we would go back to our old life of being carried around and put to fights with those scary dogs. We didn't have a chance.

Then, the most dreaded thing of my life came. A man came out of the building and took a cat. He brought it into the building, and we all heard hissing and scary sounds. I wasn't scared though. I had confidence now, after all that I'd been through. I could do anything, as long as my heart agreed with it. When the next man came out to take more cats, I chased after him. I made him pick me up. He did. I was carried into the building. After the countless times I had been in there, I knew my way around perfectly. They took me into the same room that the man had chased me into the first time I had been inside. I saw the dog waiting for me, with his fierce look. But I had Fire Powers, and I could do anything.

The man's cold hands set me on the hard stone table. A minute later he stomped loudly out of the dark room and slammed the door like he had anger issues. The lights dimmed even more than they already were and a dog came in. He charges at me. I hissed, and then forgot these dogs were not afraid of the biggest spider in the world. I came over to the dog and pushed a button on my beeper. It made an alarming sound, and the dogs didn't mind. I then pushed another button on it, and it sent an ultra violet light straight into his bulging eyes. The dog shut its eyes and looked away. While he was not looking, I took a kick at his backside. He was sent into the wall, and he got tangled in a mess of wires. I used a Fire spin on him, and he was completely knocked out. I had done it. It was not as nearly as hard as I thought it was. The man came back into the room, took me back to Mama and Nicky and Caroline, and set me down. I saw the fierce look on his face that meant I had just knocked out their only dog that was left.

Then Caroline sank into a trance. She stared ahead of her, and wouldn't reply to anything we said.

"Caroline?" Mama whispered in her ear. She didn't say anything.

She started grunting and making strange sounds. Mama went to ask for help, and I tried to make sure she was okay. When Mama came back, there were four tiny kittens huddled around Caroline. Caroline smiled, and hugged the kittens.

"Caroline!" Mama said, surprised that she had just had kittens.

"What shall we name them?" I asked.

"This one is Ben." Caroline said, and stroked its head.

"I like the names Karen and Lucy." I said.

"And James." Mama said.

It worked out perfectly. There were two boys and two girls.

We all huddled together. Mama said it was just like when she had her kittens. They were so tiny. We tried to teach then how to speak, meow, and walk. After a few days they could do all three.

When Ben walked out of the group, and across the barn, and I was the only one that noticed what he was doing. He went to a sleeping human with gray pants and an old, torn, brown top with a pocket protector. Ben walked around the man for a moment, and stopped at his ear. Ben started sniffing the ear, and got a strange look on her face. Must have been stinky earwax.

The Ben started muttering things into the ear, and after a few seconds came bolting back over to us. He sat down, and when he had Mama, Nicky, Caroline, Karen, and Lucy's attention, as well as mine, Ben spoke.

"I spoke to a man on the Under Dogs team." He said in a whisper so no other families could hear us.

"You what?!" Mama exclaimed.

"She did." I said. "I saw her."

Then Caroline twisted around as to stretch her back, and then turned back to face us.

"He said that they have a new plan." Said Ben, quickly in a high voice.

"What?" Nicky asked Ben.

"They are programming all the cats to do what they want."

"What do you mean?" Mama said, nervously. She didn't like the idea so far of Ben talking to humans.

"They are taking all of us and programming us as robots, so that we do what the Under Dogs want us to do."

"I don't like the idea of that." I said. My Fire Powers will be taken away." I said, concerned.

After Ben was done talking to us, he went away again to try and get more information. We all huddled together and dozed off a few times. When I woke up from the second nap, it was already dark. I lay there, looking at the stars overhead, and thought about the news that Ben had told us. I pondered it, and got very scared the more I thought about it. We would all be robots.

I would not let this happen.

Ben arrived back with us in the morning. I suspected he had more to tell us about the plans of the Under Dogs, but he instead fell asleep before we could ask him. I was only very early, and the sun was only just rising over the mountains. I remembered back when I was climbing those mountains, oh the memories.

When Ben woke up his fur was jagged and his breath was fast. He shook us all to grab our attention.

"I have even worse news. The Under Dogs are programming everyone but Cleona, and then they are going to tell everyone to operate on her to take her powers away. Oh, it will be terrible. Cleona, I am really scared for you." He said.

"It's okay, Ben. I will be okay. I've been through lots lately, and I can handle this." I said.

"Are you sure?" Mama said to me. "All I want is for you to be safe." She said. Then, suddenly, I drifted into a strange but very deep sleep. It was about a boy named Matthew.

Matthew found his grandma's house really, really boring. It was a lot like her, actually – old and creaky, with paint peeling off the walls. He kind of hated it, but the place wasn't completely horrible, because Grandma lived far away from everybody else. That made her yard huge and empty, so he stayed out of the house all day, playing in the grassy fields, chasing toads and lizards. Well, he played almost the whole day. When the sun hit the middle of the sky, the ground and Matthew both started baking; then he had to hide under the house's dilapidated wooden porch for shade. The porch used to look pretty, he guessed, but now the planks had rotted and gotten infected with slime and cobwebs and plenty of little yuckies that roosted in his sweet-sticky hair. Matthew didn't mind the bugs – first, because he was a boy, and everyone knows that boys aren't scared of bugs, and second, cause bugs were way better than getting melted into a puddle like that mean witch. People thought she melted because of the water that Dorothy tossed, but Matthew knew better: they just hadn't thrown the water on her fast enough and the sun had melted her right up. That's why Grandma made him bathe as soon as he came in, because she got worried that Matthew was about to melt.

Anyway, Matthew had found a sizable chunk of wood missing from the side of the porch, enough that he could crawl into the cool darkness beneath. He spent about an hour there everyday, messing with the yuckies or just drowsing in the shade. If he slept, he usually had weird dreams, though, probably cause he was napping in the middle of the day. They always started with a soft, warm hum that he wanted to snuggle into like a comfy pillow; then the sound stretched and grew, organizing itself into a little tune. He didn't know the song, but it sounded old – probably something Grandma played from her old records, and Matthew just didn't remember. After a month or so, Matthew would wake up mumbling the song to himself. He only knew the chorus, cause those words were really easy: Bring me back my blue-eyed boy, Bring, oh, bring him back to me…

One particularly blasting hot day sent Matthew digging farther into the porch than usual. He squirmed in the dusty dark space, trying to wriggle away from the hole and accompanying heat. In the process, his hand brushed against one of the many yuckies sharing his hidey-hole. It looked like a lizard of some kind, maybe a newt; Matthew didn't really get a chance to tell because the little beast immediately flew away from his touch. Matthew, being a boy as previously discussed, had to chase it.

He scrambled after the newt, scratching his back against the wood above and bruising his hands and knees in wild pursuit. After a brief but exhausting chase, he realized that he'd totally lost sight of the critter, and collapsed to the earth with a sigh. His sudden weight slammed against the ground and a section of dirt under his stomach suddenly crumbled away. Matthew squeaked and squirmed away hurriedly, rolling off of the hole. Panting from the exertion, Matthew crawled back much more slowly and carefully. He reached the edge of the hole and found it not very big, maybe head-sized. The dirt looked like it had fallen in on something, so Matthew reached down and brushed some of the dirt off. His investigation revealed the edge of a box, and Matthew's eyes widened in delight.

"Oh my god. Pirate treasure!"

Matthew yanked the box out, hastily dumping the rest of the filth off the top. He checked the hinges on the back, assuming that they'd be caked with dirt, but they didn't look too bad. He tested the lid and the door popped right open. Grinning to himself, Matthew flipped it fully open. He had to squint to make out the contents in the darkness, but it really didn't look like treasure to him. In fact, it looked like the garbage after Grandma cut up a chicken for dinner – little bitty bones lying next to big chunky ones, all set on top of a handkerchief.

Frowning, Matthew closed the lid in disappointment. Of course, he didn't really believe in pirates, but this wasn't even cool non-pirate-treasure. He should've known that anything buried under a boring house would be boring too.

Still, he brought the box back with him, just in case he missed something in the dim light. When he got near the hole in the porch, Matthew remembered how blistering hot it was outside and wrinkled his nose. He decided to wait a little while longer, just cause he was already sweaty and hot and he didn't want to melt. In that hour, Matthew drifted off once or twice, the tune whispering in his ear as he rested – bring me back my blue-eyed boy…

When Matthew woke up from the second nap, it was already dark outside. That meant Grandma would be mad – and his clothes were totally ruined from the newt hunt, which meant she'd be extra-mad. Matthew groaned at the thought and started to crawl out, very dutifully, and accidentally nudged the box. "Hey, my treasure! I could so use that as a present...then she wouldn't be allowed to get mad."

Thus resolved, Matthew scooted out from the hole, box in hand. Without noticing, he started humming the tune as he stood up and stretched, then wandered around to the front door. He pushed the screen door open and found an immediate, silent accusation in the form of his grandmother's narrowed eyes. Taking a deep breath, he gathered his courage and then stuck out his hand, presenting the box.

Music still ringing in his mind, he said cheerfully, "I brought back your blue-eyed boy!" Grandma froze. Her face slackened, tight, hard lines unwrinkling, her sharp gaze widened until Matthew could see the yellow of her eyes. "Grandma…?" he blinked and waved the box up and down.

"What's wrong?" She did not respond, didn't even ask where he had found the treasure, just reached out with trembling hands. He let her take the box with a mixture of curiosity and worry at her uncharacteristic silence. Clutching the box to her chest, she turned her back on him like he didn't exist and wandered down the hall, floorboards and knees creaking with each step. Matthew didn't know what to think until he heard a harsh and raspy sob from the kitchen, followed by another, and another, and another. He still didn't really know what to think, except that maybe that his hands were not the right hands for the box. He ran to the window and threw it outside.

When I woke up, I was in a big room, with walls made from padding and no doors or windows. All the other cats must have been programmed by now. They would all operate on me to take my powers away. There must have been something I could do. I lay down on the hard floor and looked around. I had no idea where I was or how to get out. I heard voices outside.

"Hello?" I screamed, and echoes bounced off the walls. I walked over to one of the walls and looked into it. There were tiny lenses inside the walls, and they appeared to look like tiny cameras. I walked around the room. They were everywhere. Watching me. Now I knew absolutely no way out because the cameras would see me.

A grumbling came from above me.

"Hello?" I said again, in a puzzled voice.

"Who is this?" The voice above me said.

"Hue…Cleona." I said.

"Cleona?" The voice said.

"Yes." I said. I sat back down on the floor, the coldness of it freezing me.

"I am Kelly." The voice said.

"Kelly?" I said, "How do I get out of here?"

"Why would I tell you that? We keep bad people in here. I am a good people." Kelly said.

Then I realized I was talking to a human. So I could do it too! Not only Ben could talk to humans.

"I used to be like you. Getting into mischief all the time. Its time to let that go." She said.

Then I got a great idea. I could use my trance Fire Power to put Kelly into a trance, and then ask her how to get out. Only thing, the cameras would see me. Maybe there was some way to reset the cameras or something.

"Kelly?" I asked.

"Yes?" She said. Okay, so she was still there.

I stared up to the spot where the voice came from, and used my trance power to put her into a trance. In a second, she was deep in the trance, and I could ask her anything I wanted. I had to hurry though. The trance would only last 60 seconds.

"Kelly? Are you there? How do I stop or reset the cameras in the walls?" I asked, hoping for an answer.

There was a pause, then, "Open the wall to the left and turn off the fuse box." She said in a slow voice. I turned to the left and walked to the wall. I pulled at it, and it popped open. Inside was a box, and lots of switches.

I switched the one that was labeled 'ALL' off. I heard a strange sound, and all of a sudden all the cameras in the wall disappeared.

"Thanks Kelly. Now how do I get out of this room?" I asked.

"Push the button in the fuse box labeled 'door'. The door will appear." She said.

I turned back to the fuse box and pushed the button. On the opposite side of the room, a door appeared. I ran over to it and pushed through it.

I ran through the door, leaving the padded room behind me. I saw Kelly outside, lying down on the floor with her eyes wide open with a microphone by her mouth. She was still in her trance. I knew exactly where I was. I was in the Headquarters again. Worst place ever. I had been in there so many times now that I knew my way out. I followed the hallway out into the barn. Everyone was programmed, I could tell. They were walking around like zombies or something. The only one who didn't look like they were programmed was Mama, who was sitting by the pole where I used to sharpen my claws as a kitten. I walked up to her.

"Mama! What do we do? All the cats are going to operate on me!" I exclaimed to her.

"It's okay Cleona, well work something out." She said.

"There's nothing we can do now." I said. "Nothing."

I sat down in silence for a moment, dreading my life.

Then, I heard a swooping of wings. My heart almost skipped a beat. I knew who this was. Had they come to save me?

A very familiar face came down in front of me. It was the vulture.

"Hey, Cleona!" He said. He had dirt dripping from him, and sounded like a roach. There was something in his mouth but I couldn't tell what it was.

"I know what to do, Cleona. I have the solution to all your problems." He said.

"What?" I said. Fresh waves of anxiety clawed at my insides.

"Go inside and break the machines. Just like you did last time. It will make the cat's robots stop working because the machines inside need to be working for them to work." He said.

Before I could reply, a programmed cat came up to me. He was holding a strange looking sandwich with sand dripping from it.

"Eat this! It's the whole beach-picnic experience, Cleona! If you don't want sand in your sandwiches, you can go eat them in a car park, that's what I say. Plus, sand is full of all those salts and minerals and all that bollocks you need to stay fit and healthy. So go on, get some sand down your throat, yum yum."

I didn't take the sandwich. I turned back to the vulture and Mama. The sandwich probably had a substance in it that would drain some of my powers or something. The programmed cat, walked away.

"Anyway," The vulture said, "All you need to do is break the machines. That' s it. Just do what you did last time."

"Okay." I said. I was scared.

The vulture flew back up into the golden sky.

"Come on, let's go." I said to Mama. We went back into the building and through the narrowed hallways. I had to show Mama the way around. We entered the main control room with not a person in sight. All the machines were up and running. I remembered when we had fallen in here on the way to the Dusty Hideaway.

The ladder still lay on the ground under the hole, where it had fallen behind me. Then I got an idea. I picked up the ladder with Mama's help. We threw it against a machine, and it smoked. The smell of burning plastic filled the room very quickly. It was horrid.

Then a man walked into the room, and we fleeted. We hid under a computer, but, he saw us, and we were picked up in his shabby arms.

He took us out by the river. This was unusual. I had expected him to take us into operation or something. He dropped us into the river, something I didn't mind now of the many times I'd been wet. It was a bit refreshing, as a matter of fact. I screamed and threw a hissing fit anyway to make him put us back, and he did. We were sent back to the barn, where all the programmed cats were raving us. We had to back in the building and try again.

Before we went in, we stopped by the barn. After all, we had to walk through it anyway to get to the building. As we walked through, my leg hit something, and I turned around. There was a small box, half buried by dirt. I scooped it up, and got a sudden strange Déjà vu. It was the same box that had been in my dream, the one that Matthew had found. I opened it, and the same bones lay inside that I saw in my dream. All of a sudden I knew why I had had the dream. These bones meant something. They were magical. They had scared away Matthew's grandma. They would scare away the Under Dogs…possibly.

On our way in to the building this time, the whole building was quiet. There was no one in sight at all. We crept down the hallway to the room we were in before, and sat down at the table. We rested for a minute. I still had the bones in hand. The machine that was smoking a minute ago was still there, still smoking like it was before. The smell had gone away a little bit, but we still felt like throwing up. I went up to a machine and bit its wires, putting it to dust at the floor.

"Come on!" I yelled to Mama, who was watching from the old wooden table.

"That's okay. I don't want to get in trouble." She yelled back to me.

"Mama! Do you want to save us?" I yelled.

"Fine!" She yelled back to me, and got up from her poised position and came over and helped me bash the machines. We went to the room where the Under Dogs kept all their data. There were sparkling computers and pictures everywhere. I didn't believe I had been in here before. It looked so unfamiliar. We went up to a computer, and smashed the screen. Mama pulled out the plugs and smashed the memory sticks that were lying around. I held the rotting bones up in the air above my head. Somehow, computers broke and data smoked to the strange bones.

When all the computers were either up in smokes, or in nothing at all, we left the building. I left the bones in the room to keep doing their job. There was no way the cats could still be in robot form when we went outside. And guess what? We guessed right.

Caroline, Nicky, Ben, Karen, James, and Lucy all waited for Mama and me by the pole. They looked happy and confused about what was going on at the same time. Caroline ran behind the pole for a minute, and brought back something that I had never seen before. It was in a rectangle shape, and had pink and white frosting on it. In blue curly letters, it said,

"Congratulations Cleona!"

"What is it?" I asked, puzzled.

"It's called a cake." Nicky said.

"What do you do with it?" I said.

"You eat it, silly." Karen said with a chuckle.

And then Mama used her paw to divide it into little sections. We each got a section of it, and we swallowed it down faster than an airplane could fly. It was delicious, and I wanted to savor this moment forever. When there was a strange sound in the distance.

It sounded like a train at full speed, except there were no train tracks anywhere around. I got a little closer to Mama.

"Look!" One of the cats exclaimed from the other side of the barn. I turned to look in the direction they were pointing. Coming down from the sky was a big funnel shaped cloud, and it seemed as though it was spinning.

"What is it?" I mumbled to Mama.

She didn't reply, only stared.

"Everyone inside the building!" Some one yelled from the other side of the barn. There was a commotion.

Despite the commotion and the now faster moving cloud, everyone rushed inside. Who knew what it could do to us?

We all followed one cat down into the basement. We huddled by the corner, and I felt very claustrophobic. I had never been this close to anyone before except Mama. It felt strange, but I didn't care. I was scared of the 'thing' that was about to crush our home.

The train sound got much closer all of a sudden. There was a huge "RIP" and I knew it had just torn off the building. The train sound got fainter. It had passed.

In a jumble, we all walked up the steps and out the door to the barn. When I first saw the barn, I didn't know what had happened. It was all quiet all of a sudden. The pole that we used to stay by was gone, and so was the barn roof. Infect, everything was gone. The building was gone too. Only the staircase leading to the basement was there. The river at the bottom of the hill looked dried out, and there were scraps everywhere. All the leaves had fallen off the trees, and there was junk everywhere.

"Mama, what was that?" I asked.

"I think it's called a tornado." She said.

"That was really scary." I said.

"I know. But you know what?" She said to me.

"What?"

"I don't see a sign of the Under Dogs in sight. I think the storm took them away." She said.

I looked around. "I think you're right." I said, and smiled.

Mama was right. The 'tornado' or whatever it was, took the Under Dogs away. We were alone, with no one to boss us around.

The sky was clearing up, and was almost blue again. There was a little patch of grass that was still on the ground, and our whole family went to sit on it so we could be alone for a little while.

I gazed up into the peaceful sky, knowing that my dream had finally come true. I was still Fire Cat, and we were free. As I stared into the sky, my heart started beating slower, and I relaxed. There were only a few wispy cirrus clouds left in the sky now, and it was clearing up. As I focused in on the shapes of the clouds, I saw that the clouds all spelled out a word. The word of one that will remain embedded in my heart forever:

Freedom.

Kelly

It had been a long day in the labs. So far, our dogs weren't doing so well. I couldn't take this job, even though I made do much money. It broke my heart to kill living animals just for money. Animals should deserve lives just like humans, or any other species out there. All I wanted to do was set all the cats free. It was so sad looking out into the barn at all the miserable cats. Once the cats from out in the barn lost a fight, we had permission to make them into a robot. They each sold for millions.

I sat down at my computer, and checked my email. I got lots of emails everyday…in fact, too many. I deleted all the junk mail offers and read the next message aloud.

"To whom it may concern,

A small cat with gray, white, and orange fur has escaped the barn with her family, which consists of three other cats. We have put up satellites and computers are tracking them down, but they are quick on the move. We need these cats back, as each cat we sell as a robot could equal more than one million dollars. So please, if you get the chance, we need you to go off the reservation and search for this family. Pretend you are searching for four million dollars, which you are.

Best of luck, Pete."

Why did we have to find the cats? There were plenty of cats in the barn! I sighed to myself. This whole business was malicious. It was crazy. Soon, I would quit. I would just finish my term of work, then quit.

My sadness for the cats was as unending as the waves rolling on the sea.

Pete walked into the room.

"Kelly, have you received my email?" He asked with a grin on his face.

"Yes, boss, I just received it. I will most definitely look out for the cats." I replied, half lying.

"Good job. I am counting on you." He lowered his grin and walked out of the room, muttering something that I couldn't make out.

I sighed again, and brushed my long, brown hair out of my face. I tied it up in a messy bun, and walked out of my office. I guess I had to go find the missing cats.

I put on a raincoat and packed some energy bars in my bag. Usually we had a lot of rain here, and I didn't want to get caught in a storm. I also packed an umbrella, and my phone. Incase of emergency, I would just stay with my mom across town, or go back to my house. After I had everything I needed, I took my bag and walked out of the lobby door. Pete waved me off as he was grabbing some cats from the barn.

I walked through the barn, and all the cats looked terrified. I felt terrible for them. I walked down the side of the hill and through the trees out into the clearing by the river.

I saw a huge vulture flying my way. When he eyed me, he flew back the other direction. I continued walking towards the river and stopped when I heard a large noise. It sounded as though there were huge jets in the sky and it felt as if someone were watching over me. I looked up, to find a huge metal machine being launched into the sky. It came from over the hill, where the Headquarters was. It must have been one of the satellites that Pete planned to launch. I hadn't guessed he actually would.

Towards the river, I saw a gray and orange blur. It seemed as though it was a badger, or a raccoon, catching fish. I ran towards the animal, whatever it was, in hopes to catch it. It eyed me, and ran away faster than I could chug a glass of milk. And I could chug milk really fast.

At the river, I stopped to take a rest. I had barely done anything at all, but I still needed a break. I had no idea how I would ever find four cats, and no, I was not doing to act like I was searching for four million dollars. I was searching for cats, and I actually cared about animals, unlike Pete. All I really was searching for was misery.

A loud squeal caught me off guard.

I spun around, and behind me saw a huge car speeding towards me. I jumped out of the way, and it screeched to a halt beside me. It was Pete.

"Kelly, I've decided I only want you to search for the cats an hour a day now. These satellites are really doing the trick. So come back to the Headquarters now, please. We'll let technology do its job." He said, and motioned me into his black Honda.

I hopped into the passenger seat, and we drove back up the hill to where we had come from. Pete parked his car in the garage next to the building, and he both hopped out. He locked the car as we walked into the building.

Inside, I dropped my things back off in my office. I sat down in my chair and closed me eyes.

That night I had to close up the building. I locked the labs and turned off all the lights. On my way out, I put up the barrier so no cats could escape. I unlocked my Silver Volvo from across the lot and hopped in the drivers seat. I started the rickety engine, and drove slowly down the road to my house in Rainbow Creek. I parked the car, and went up to bed. I needed some rest.

Outside my window, the sky was darker than it had ever been. It was the kind of darkness that stole the very hope from one's heart. Thunder rumbled in the distance; lightning flashed signaling a rare storm. A black crow cawed from its poised perch upon a dead tree. The barren wasteland forest outside my window looked far different than it had in the summer—its sunny, grassy fields and brightly colored trees.

I dreamed of all sorts of things.

The next day, I slept in. I could care less about going to work, and much less about what Pete thought of me. I curled up in my blankets, snuggling my face into my pillow. I listened to the sounds of birds chirping, and tried not to let myself think about the day ahead of me.

As I was trying to fall asleep, my phone rang. Great. Just great.

I pulled myself out of the bed, wondering why I hadn't just let it ring. I walked to my nightstand on the other side of my room and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" I answered in a grumpy voice. Whoever was calling this early was going to get some payback pretty soon.

"Hello, this is Pete," A cold voice said. My heart fell.

"Hello, Pete."

"I would like to inform you of something serious." He said in an even colder voice than before. Was he firing me? Maybe this was the moment…

"What would that be?" I wondered.

"There has been a serious incident in the laboratories." He said. So he wasn't firing me. "All the machines have been broken, smashed, dead."

"What do you mean?" I asked, with a tiny bit of hope.

"Come to the Headquarters, and you will see," He said.

I groaned and looked at my clock. It wasn't even nine o'clock!

Pete hung up the phone, and I just held it there for a minute. I didn't want to get dressed or go to work. I wanted to sleep.

I trudged to my closet. I pulled out a blue camisole and a gray sweater. Then I pulled on some sweatpants. After, I combed through my hair and put it up in a messy bun. I grabbed a nutrition bar on the way to work, and drove slowly.

The roads were slippery; it must have rained. I drove carefully, and soon arrived in the parking lot of the Headquarters. I was in for a great surprise.

The whole barn was empty; no cats were around. I parked my car in the lot. I almost slipped on the road when I stepped out of my car. I pulled myself back up, and carefully walked to the door. I didn't have to use my key because Pete was there kindly to hold the door for me.

"Thanks," I admitted, and set my bag down my office.

He turned to smile at me, but I wasn't looking.

"You have to come see this," He said, motioning me down the hallway to the laboratories. I followed right behind him.

When we arrived at the door of the laboratory, he motioned for me to peek through the window. I squatted down to window's height, and peered in through the door. My eyes widened immediately.

Inside, machines were everywhere. There were little nuts and bolts lying around everywhere. Machines lay dead, smoking. The room was filled with dust ad smoke and all sorts of junk.

"What happened?" I wondered out loud.

"We think it was the cats," Pete said, "But we can't be quite sure."

That reminded me: "Where did all the cats in the barn go?"

"We're not sure of that either. We need to find out soon, though. We've located the first missing cat. They are wearing some sort of communication device, and it seems as though she can communicate to us. I've already tried calling it once. She picked up, and then I heard a bang and she was gone." Pete explained.

I frowned.

"So, if only we can get a hold of that cat hopefully we can get them all back, some how." He said.

I frowned again.

"Kelly, go home and get some rest. We have nothing to do here today. Come back at noon tomorrow."

"Okay," I agreed, and picked up my bag. I stormed out the door, and hopped in my car, ready for a huge sleep ahead of me.

I arrived at my house, and slammed the car door behind me. I wandered inside, and went to bed. I pulled the covers over my head.

In the morning, my phone rang again. It startled me, and I went to get it. It was probably Pete again.

My guess was right.

"Hello?" I asked into the receiver. I checked my clock. It was 11:45.

"Kelly, I have great news. I have gotten a hold of the Fire Vulture. He is delivering our messages to the cats," Pete tried to explain.

"Who is the Fire Vulture?" I wondered.

"The Fire Vulture is a vulture who has the power to talk to any other species. When you are Fire Animal you automatically get that power." He explained all to quickly. Oh well.

"So, what messages is he delivering?"

"I told him to ask the cats where they were. He is replying late tonight."

"Okay," was the only word I could make out of my dry mouth.

"Don't come in today. Just stay at home. We don't need you to do anything. I'll call you tonight about what the vulture says."

"Okay," I said again.

Finally, he hung up. I didn't get back into bed. Instead, I wandered down my hall to the kitchen, and made myself a cup of tea. I sipped it quietly, and listened to the birds chirping outside. I cuddled myself under my blankets, and turned on the television. I flipped through channels, hoping desperately that something would be on to feed my boredom. There was nothing on.

I finished my cup of tea, and set it by the sink. I opened the fridge, and got out some microwavable waffles. I took out three, and put them in the microwave. I set the timer and got out a plate to put them on. When they were ready, I poured a pile of maple syrup the size of a mountain onto my plate and covered it in whipped cream.

I sat down on the sofa again and started gobbling up the waffles. I slurped up the extra maple syrup on my plate. I wished that I had someone there with me, to brighten up my life.

Then, there was a knock at my door. I set down my maple syrup-filled plate, and got up to answer the door. I opened it, and stared out into the street. No one was there.

"Hello?" I shouted into the street.

I almost shut the door, when something grabbed me from behind. I whirled around, my heart pounding.

It was Laura, the girl I had been a roommate with in college.

"Laura?" I exclaimed.

"Kelly!" She shouted, and gave me a hug. "How are you?"

"I'm good, how are you?" I asked. She let go of me at that moment.

"I'm fine."

Her hair was different than I had last seen it; she probably had dyed it. It was an auburn glowing color, and her curls wrapped around her face. Her face was paler, and her skin glowed. The edges of her mouth were turned up in a graceful smile.

"Come one in!" I invited her, and motioned for her to follow me.

I shut the door, and a cool gust of air blew in. She took off her jacket, and hung it on the rack next to the door.

She followed me down the back, and I cleared a spot for her to sit down. She sat, and curled her feet up next to her.

"Are you in town?" I asked her, after we were both comfortable. As far as I knew, she lived in Texas, a long way away from here.

"Yes, I'm staying with my mom for a week, while my house is being re-done," she said.

"How nice!" I said. She smiled at me again.

She rubbed the arm of my leather sofa.

"How's work going?" she asked.

"Uh, it's okay I guess. I want to quit though," I said, hoping she wouldn't ask why.

She just nodded, keeping to her own business.

We sat in a moment of silence for a minute, and she was the first one to break it.

"Excuse me for a minute," she said, and hopped up from her poised position. She walked down my hall, and past the auburn table in the dining room. She took herself up my stairs. I wondered where she was going.

Ah, well. I couldn't be bothered following her. I trusted her. I shifted myself into a comfier position, and pulled my fuzzy blanket closer to my face. I closed my eyes for a minute, and relaxed my muscles.

Crash! A huge sound came from upstairs, and immediately my eyes sprang open. I hesitated for a minute, but when another crash came, I pushed my blanket off and bounded up the stairs. On my way up, I stole a glance at the clock. It was six o'clock. How long had I been sleeping?

"Laura?" I asked.

There was no reply.

I arrived at the top of the stairs. Where was Laura? I couldn't see her anywhere.

"Laura?" I asked again. There was still no reply.

I wandered into my bedroom. I noticed that my chestnut dresser was knocked over.

I scurried over to it.

"What happened?" I wondered to myself out loud. I grunted to pick up the dresser. I leaned it back against the wall in its original position. Next, I picked up the photo frames and jewelry that had spilled all over the ground.

Just as I was finishing the rest of the mess, my phone rang. My guess was that it was Pete. It was.

"Hi, Pete." I said, and sat down on my bed.

"Kelly, I've got great news. We've located the cats. They are over the hill inside the Dusty Hideaway." He explained very quickly.

"That's great, Pete," I replied.

"Yes, and listen to this. We've contacted them, and told them to bring all the cats back into the barn. And we threatened to kill the one that escaped if she can't complete the task." There was a rough edge in his voice.

I shuddered. Kill? He couldn't kill the cat! He couldn't threaten the animals like that! "Okay, Pete! That's great! See you tomorrow!" I lied.

"Yes, see you tomorrow. Come in to the headquarters tomorrow, bright and early!" He commanded.

"Yes, Pete," I sighed.

I hung the phone back up in its dock. I shifted over to the other side of my bed that was closest to the window. I stared out into the emptiness, hidden by the curtains. Only little light was allowed into the room. My throat burned from the tears that I tried to hold in. Rain fell in torrents upon the gnarled trees. The wind moved those trees until their bare branches looked like a wicked monster's claws, scraping the vast purple that were the storm clouds. Lightning ruled the sky, flashing within the ominous, crackling clouds. It loomed, threatening to touch the ground and set the forest ablaze. The sky roared like a defiant beast, unrelenting in its pursuit to strike down whatever creature was foolish enough to stay out. I thought about the cats out there, suffering the weather. I wondered if they even minded the weather at all.

"Hi, Pete." I said, when I first walked in the next morning. I noticed a lady standing with him.

"Hello, Kelly." He said, and smiled. I stared at the lady standing next to him.

Her young face and full lips shined in the light from outside. Her ice, blue eyes seemed dazed. Her breath was visible in the air and she seemed light: sort of like a feather.

"Pete and I have been working on the problem together. We have new facts, and have a solution." She said, smiling. Her voice was smooth, soothing.

I raised my eyebrows in response.

"We have told the cat that she only has eight hours to send all the other cats back here." She said. "And we also figured out some more news.

"What's that?" I asked.

"We have figured out that the main cat that has escaped is the Fire Cat." Pete said, interrupting the lady next to him.

"Really?" I was taken by surprise.

The last Fire Animal was the Fire Vulture. Everyone knew him for years. What had happened?

Pete must have read my mind. "The Fire Vulture gave up his job to the cat. We suspect this is why she ran away, to try and gain freedom over her new job. But we have devised a plan to get our old Fire Vulture back."

"What would that be?" I felt like I was playing twenty-questions or something.

"We decided that when all the cats got back to the barn we would program them all to operate on the Fire Cat. They will take her powers away from her. " He said slowly. I couldn't bear it. I gulped down a huge wad of saliva and tried not to look scared.

I looked out the window at the empty barn. Why couldn't it stay that way?

Then, something caught my eye. There were two small cats sitting by the pillar in the barn. They were the ones that had escaped—the other two in the Fire Cat's family. They sat patiently, occasionally grooming themselves. They sat close, and looked very attached to each other. I felt so bad for them. These were the gentle, loving creatures that we were killing.

I forgot that Pete was still talking. I tuned back into him, and he was talking something about how we would put the Fire Cat in a padded room while the other cats were being programmed.

"By the way, Kelly, this is Julie." He motioned to the lady standing next to him. That was a very late introduction.

"Hi, Julie." I gave a little wave and the slightest of a smile.

Pete and Julie walked out of the room. I sat down in my office.I stared out my window at the two cats sitting there, wondering why on earth I was a pat of this business. There was only one week left until my paycheck; I would wait until then and then leave.

I started to doze. I closed my eyes and thought of all that was puzzling me. I thought of the cats and how miserable their lives must be.

A huge stampeding sound caught me off guard. I opened my eyes automatically and was shocked—running in through the gates of the barn were all the cats! It was a huge pack, and slowly each family settled down where they were before. I saw cats joining the two that were already in the barn, and others re-uniting. I felt a tear trickle down my cheek.

"Pete!" I yelled down the hallway. He couldn't miss this.

"What is it, Kelly?" He called back.

"It's the cats…they're back!" I said cheerfully.

Pete rushed into my office and peered out the window. Sure enough, all the cats were there.

"Kelly! I can't believe it!" He said. He was very perky, more than I had ever seen him.

I smiled slightly, but I didn't mean it at all.

"We have to get the cats programmed!" He yelled, and started panicking. Immediately, he ran out the door and into the barn.

I watched him with a close eye. I saw him walk over to one of the cats sitting by a pillar—it must have been the Fire Cat. He scooped it up swiftly, and I saw the cat shake in terror. He walked back inside, carrying the cat in his arms.

I watched closely through my sadness. He took the cat to the back room. I saw him put the cat inside, and walk away.

"Kelly, please operate the padded room. I am going to start programming the cats," He said. I moaned as I got up and wandered down the back hall after him.

I sat down unwillingly at the table outside the small padded room. I was equipped with the microphone in front of me, so I could talk to the Fire Cat inside the room. I leaned back in the recliner chair, trying to relax myself. I tried to calm myself of all the scary thoughts revolving in my head.

"Hello?" A faint voice came from inside the padded box. It was probably the Fire Cat, trying to find a way out.

I grumbled something to myself.

"Hello?" The faint voice came again.

"Who is this?" I demanded, though I knew the answer.

"Uh, Cleona," the voice replied.

"Cleona?" I wondered. I squinted my eyes.

"Yes, that's me." She replied.

"I am Kelly." I told her. I felt crazy. I was talking to a cat.

"Kelly?" Cleona said, "How do I get out of here?" She asked.

"Why would I tell you that? We keep bad people in here. " I said.

There was a pause, and I realized she wasn't going to reply. I felt so malicious, yelling at the cat like that. I tried to calm myself down, but I couldn't. "I used to be like you, getting myself into mischief all the time. It's time to let that go."

Why was I being so mean? I had to stop. I had to let the cat out of this.

All of a sudden, I felt really strange. My head tingled, and I felt like I could not control my own actions.

Everything was black.

A few moments later, when I awoke, the door to the padded room was unlocked. It was empty. Oh no! Pete was going to kill me. I had to find the cat!

I ran down the hall. I peered in the window of the operation room; Pete was busy operating on a cat. He was probably programming it now. I had to save everyone!

I ran outside to the barn. Cleona and three other cats were sitting by the pillar. I didn't want to go and disturb them. All I wanted was for them to be safe. I scanned the barn. Only very few cats looked as though they had already been programmed.

I turned around and ran back inside the building. Maybe I only needed to cool down a little. Maybe I was just too overwhelmed.

I sat down in my office and closed my eyes.

It had only been a few minutes before I was awoken by an ear-splitting yell.

"Kelly! They've done it again! Those little rascals! They've broken the machines in the control room again!" Pete ranted.

My eyes cowered over to meet his.

Slowly and reluctantly, I stood up. I sighed. I followed him to the control room. Sure enough, the machines smoked again. Things were bashed everywhere.

"I think the Fire Cat is behind this all. I think she's trying to stop our business," Pete said.

I nodded slightly. I sniffed the air; it smelled like rotten meat and bones. I almost gagged at the stench.

I looked away. I stared out the window on the wall outside the control room. There was an old skinny man sitting alone on a park bench across the field. People passed by quietly. My gaze focused on the man's gray, straw-like hairs that poked out of the brim of his hat. He looked scared as he stared into the clouds above. I looked up where his gaze was pointed. The clouds were a reddish-greenish color, and it looked as though a storm was brewing.

"Kelly?" Pete noticed my intent stare.

I quickly turned to him.

"Kelly?" He asked again.

"What?" I asked.

"There's a tornado headed our way." His gaze was staring past me out the window. His finger frailly pointed in the direction.

I spun around. Sure enough, there was a huge, black cumulonimbus cloud beginning to spin down to the ground. I noticed that the man that sat on the bench earlier was gone.

"Let's get in the basement," was all I could mutter under my fright.

"Agreed," Pete said, and quickly led the way down the hall.

I could hear the storm outside; it sounded like a million trains all headed our direction. The louder the noise got, the faster I ran down the hall. Pete and I trampled down the stairs and into the boiler room on the left. We huddled on the ground next to each other. I thought about the cats alone out there in the storm. I wondered if they would make it out alive. The train sound got closer. I could tell that it was right above us. I felt the vibration as it ripped over the building, tearing apart whatever was in its path.

The storm was soon gone. Pete and I rushed up the stairs. I was almost blown over by what I saw. First of all, the headquarters—not that it was even the headquarters anymore. There was debris everywhere. I saw remains of machines and computers, but most of it was probably blown away with the storm. There were only two walls standing, looking lonely. The second thing that almost ripped me away was that it seemed as though we had totally changed scenery. I almost didn't even recognize where we were. The whole barn was gone, and there was no grass. All the trees were knocked over, and there was wood and cars broken everywhere. I felt lost in a sea of confusion. The third thing (and the thing that almost ripped me out of my mind) was that all the cats were still there— all of them. They sat intently where the storm had passed through. I saw the Fire Cat sitting motionlessly with her family. Other cats groomed themselves, licking away at their fur with their sandpaper tongues.

"Pete, look…" But I realized he was not standing beside me. "Pete?"

I smiled. The cats were safe. The Under Dogs were history. This was my dream come true.

I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket. I dialed Pete's number. I would just call him one more time to tell him the news. After all, he hadn't yet seen any of this. The phone rang three times and then clicked to the voice message system. I closed my phone and slid it back in my pocket. There was no sign of Pete.

I ran over to the parking lot, to find my car wasn't there. Well, it would be a long walk home. I was just glad that I was free of work, free to do what I wanted.

(To be continued)

The Vulture

I swooped down through the empty sky, enjoying the breeze in my face. The sky was a clear blue, the type that gave you hopes in your heart. There were no clouds at all, and I could feel the start of a wonderful day. I'd been enjoying the summer air for a few months now, and I would be very sad when it ended. The days were beautiful. I missed the days when I was not the Fire Vulture, and I couldn't wait to find someone new for the job. It was too much work for me, and besides, I was getting old. My days were almost over. My heart thumped loud inside my chest, creating a steady beat. My scrawny legs dangled behind me, my wings outstretched. I soared through the emptiness, hoping that no one would need help anytime soon. I wanted to enjoy this freedom for longer. It was the greatest feeling, flying like this.

I almost smashed my beeper to bits when it beeped. I sighed. This was just what I needed right now. I was actually enjoying myself.

"Hello?" I said into the speaker.

"Hi, this is Lily," the voice said.

I sighed. Lily always called when someone was in great danger. I wasn't in the mood to be saving anyone right now. "A young lion needs your help down in Rainbow Creek. She is caught under a fence."

"Sure, Lily. I'll be there right away," I promised. My beeper clicked off, and I swooped down into a lower altitude.

If I remembered correctly, Rainbow Creek was to the north of Swellings Creek. I had been there once before to rescue a young fox from a panther. The panther was killing the fox, and it was my job to save the fox.

I swooped down and passed Swellings Creek, remembering clearly the last time I had been there. It wasn't too long ago, actually. With the wind in my face and my red beak pointed north, I continued past the borderline. I noticed a small sign posted, labeled "Rainbow Creek." I had arrived.

There was a small river leading into a big lake. The river had a few trout swimming in it. The lake was glimmering in the light of the sun, and everything seemed to sparkle. The rocks on the beach were like crystals and the trees on the bank were a light jade green.

Past the river, I noticed a small house. It had a Silver Volvo parked in the driveway. The house was old, and paint peeled from the sides. The grass in the front yard was dry, as though no one had ever taken care of it. Behind the house was a small fence, and caught under it was a baby lion. In fact, I had never seen anything so small before! I descended down to the yard of the house.

Suddenly, I heard a large noise. It sounded as though there were jets screaming through the air. Unwillingly, I turned around, only to see a huge satellite being launched into the air. I wondered what it was for, or who was responsible for it.

I had to get back to work. The lion desperately needed my help.

"Hello, little lion," I said kindly.

The lion looked shaky. I could tell that he was really frightened. His paw was stuck under one of the posts of the fence and his body was inside one of the slots. I was determined to help him.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Le…Leo," he spat out. His voice was crinkly and rusted.

"Well, Leo, I am going to save you," I assured him. He was still shaking.

"Are you sure? How can I trust you?" Leo said. I sighed. Everyone said this when I came to rescue him or her. How can I trust you? What if you are lying?

"Just trust me. I'll get you out of this mess and return you to your family," I said.

"Okay," the lion agreed.

I felt terrible for Leo. I had to do something, and fast. One of his legs was wrapped under the picket in the fence. The only way that the leg would slide out was if it was down lower. The only way to get it lower was to dig it out. I swung my sack off my shoulder and opened it. I had to have something in there that I could use. I rummaged around and finally pulled out a small shoveling tool. It was red with little spikes on the end for digging through the hardest materials. I set my bag down beside me and began to dig.

"Ouch!" Leo shouted when I accidentally poked his leg.

"Sorry," I said. After that I was more careful.

I was sweating swimming pools. The dirt and clay under the fence was almost impossible to shovel, but after a little while I had a nice sized hole around Leo's leg. It was just big enough for him to wriggle out his leg.

"Thanks!" Leo thanked me.

Now I just had to get his body out from in between the pickets.

I picked up my sack again from beside me, and put the shovel back in. I dug around it for another tool I could use. Maybe a wrench would work? I pulled it out. I grasped the metal picket with it and pulled with all my might. It moved a tiny bit, but not enough to get Leo out. I pulled again, and it moved another inch. I sighed. My feathers were all wet from the amount of sweat I was giving off. I breathed in and out. I took one more heave at the wrench. Willingly, it slid open.

Leo leapt out like the happiest lion ever.

"Thank you!" He sang, and skipped down the road.

"Your welcome!" I shouted back, and sprung into the air. I let my wings catch the wind and glided away.

As I flew over the beach again, the sun began to fade. It was covered with clouds. Everything changed dramatically. The sparkling waves turned a dark gray color, threatening to suck someone into their depths. The sparkling rocks on the beach turned dull, as if they were lonely. The trees turned from their light jade green to a mean, shadowy olive green. The sun seemed to fade out completely, taking the life out of everything. It was beginning to grow into dusk.

My beeper signaled it was time to return home. I flew low into the cavern that I slept in, and settled down into a bed of leaves and twigs.

I wasn't tired, although I really wanted to sleep. I was kept awake by a thought that had been bothering me for days: I needed to pick the next Fire Animal. Usually, one would have no problem finding the right animal for the job. But lately, the economy was very bad, probably due to the Under Dogs business. Usually, there were animals everywhere, and the right one could be spotted with the first glance of the eye. I knew I had a huge task ahead of me to find a Fire Animal. The thoughts sunk me to sleep.

In the morning, my beeper woke me. It was Lily again.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hi, this is Lily. There is a pig stuck in its trough. Would you be able to help it?" She asked.

I hesitated for a minute. "Of course Lily," I said.

"Okay, just cross over to Framingham. It's in Massachusetts. It might be a bit of a flight but I think you can make it," she said.

"Thanks Lily. I'll be over in a minute," I said. My voice was almost a whisper.