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The doorbell rang. Ninja's ears perked up, and he was instantly on alert, wondering who dared invade his territory. It wasn't Danny; the cat knew the sound of the Camaro and Danny's step, and anyway, Danny never knocked. Ninja watched as Steve opened the door to reveal one of the neighbors. Ninja didn't know his name—he didn't come around very often. The cat was more interested in the open door. Steve had cracked it just wide enough for his body, but there was just enough space, if Ninja scrunched himself up, that he just might be able to get out.
Ninja loved his house—Steve thought it belonged to him, but the cat knew the truth. There were stairs to race up and down, a nice, comfy, big bed to snuggle in with Steve, plenty of furniture to hide under, and, of course, the lovely six-foot cat tree where he was currently perched. Still, the outside beckoned like a siren song. He only saw it through the front window, or through the door of his carrier on his way to and from the vet, and it fascinated him. There were bushes, and birds, and lizards, and small animals, and trees—a veritable jungle just waiting to be explored.
Ninja inched his way over to the door, hoping Steve wouldn't notice him. He crouched by Steve's feet, tail twitching, waiting for his opportunity. There! Ninja darted out the door and under a bush, ignoring Steve's started cry.
Ninja crouched under the bush, watching the neighbor leave and Steve go back in the house. Steve returned shortly, shaking a bag of treat. "Ninja! Here, kitty, kitty, kitty! Treats!" Ninja wasn't even tempted. Treats didn't hold a candle to the world spread out before him.
Ninja began to explore, ignoring Steve's frantic cries of his name. The cat found a tree and climbed up it, crawling out on a branch and observing his surroundings. A bird chirped from the branch above him, and Ninja stalked towards it, reaching his paws up but missing as the bird flew away. Growing bored, Ninja returned to the ground and his exploration of the bushes.
After a few minutes, Ninja heard the sound of the Camaro, and Danny came bursting out, meeting Steve at the door. They gesticulated for a minute, then both men turned their attention to the yard, clearly looking for Ninja.
Ninja ignored them. A brightly-colored butterfly caught his attention and he chased it across the lawn. Danny shouted and pointed at him, but couldn't reach the cat before he disappeared in the bushes on the other side. Ninja noticed the trellis for the first time and climbed it, walking across to the middle and sitting down to observe. Once again Danny noticed him and lunged for him, Steve shouting something at Danny. Ninja glared disdainfully at Danny and sauntered off across the trellis, landing on the ground on the other side and retreating under yet another bush.
Something moving under the bush caught his attention. There was a large, many-legged thing just in front of him. Ninja sniffed it cautiously, and it reared up, waving its first few sets of legs. Ninja crouched down, tail twitching, waiting for an opportunity. When the time was right, the cat darted out a paw and pounced. Blinding pain shot through Ninja's paw and up his leg, and the world went dark.
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A/N: Ch. 2 will be up shortly, like in a couple of hours, as soon as the cat stays off my lap long enough for me to write it! LOL