Minnow awoke peacefully in her soft bed, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. It was a clear, sunny day outside, as she could see from out the window, between the curtains. The silver she-cat rose to her paws and stretched, flexing her blunt claws and arching her back with her limbs splayed out, before peppily striding out of her owner's bedroom and into the kitchen, where she happily lapped up a generous helping of refreshing water. Sunlight filtered in through the window, and Minnow smoothed her tabby fur with her tongue before squeezing through the cat-flap into the back yard. Her lighter muzzle poked out into the garden, her pink nose scenting the familiar flowers and grass that she had known since kit-hood.

The morning warmth caressed her fur as she stepped outside, and she purred to the blue, cloudless sky as she weaved into the flowerbed her owner kept, tall stems of lavender; rigid, compact tulips; and bunches of tansy all swaying in the gentle breeze. Purring, she brushed her pelt against the sweet scents of the flowers, all while admiring a bee which buzzed around with thick swathes of pollen on its legs. The warm sun danced on her pelt, warming her whilst she weaved in-between the flowers, enjoying the familiar scents of her flowerbed. There was not a single weed in sight, the grass mowed perfectly without a single blade out of place. This was how Minnow enjoyed her home, orderly and easy to navigate.

"Good morning, Minnow," a familiar call sounded from the fence, and Minnow turned to greet the tom with a warm smile.

"Hi Monty!" she meowed happily, bounding up and springing onto the white picket fence. Beside her, perfectly balanced, sat a fluffy ginger tom, one the silver she-cat knew very well. "How is your paw?"

"Still a tad sore," he meowed, licking his sore pad lightly, looking over accusingly to a thick blackberry bush nestled in a neighbouring garden. "I'll live, though."

"Hey, at least you figured out blackberries taste awful!" Minnow mewed, grinning at the half-smile on the older tomcat's fluffy face.

"You dared me to lick it or you'd tell everyone that I have ticks in my tail."

Minnow huffed and stuck her nose in the air, dramatically mewing "and now what will I gossip about? I'll have to tell everyone that Pudding had to go to the vet and get the cone on her head because she has worms in her butt or something."

"You haven't heard? She did have to go to the vet." Monty meowed flatly.

"For worms?"

"No, not for worms! For some other reason. Her owners won't let her outside though, I found out from Cody that she has this scar on her stomach."

"Well, rat droppings! What is it with the vet and cutting cats open? This is just like the time your owners took you to the vets and they cut-"

Monty put his paw over Minnow's mouth. "We don't talk about that anymore," he mumbled sheepishly.

She mrrowed a laugh and looked up to the huge ginger tom, tail flicking playfully. "Say, how are the other Alleycats?"

Monty dryly reported "Cody got stuck outside in the rain last week and has a cold, Pudding's locked inside like I said, and Candy also has a cold."

Minnow screwed up her muzzle. "So it's just us two for a while?"

"I suppose so."

"What kind of trouble can we get up to with just two cats?"

Monty grinned, the large ginger tom sweeping his fluffy tail around his smaller friend. "Let's find out, shall we?"

The large ginger tom strolled behind his silver friend, watching her pawsteps carefully. His gaze steeled as she approached a wobbly board on the fence, and then softened out again as she stepped over it expertly, many moons of practice flowing through her paws. Minnow looked out across the neighbouring garden, and blinked, tilting her head. "Monty?"

"Hm?"

Minnow gestured with her tail at a small hole in the ground. "Where did that thing go?"

"What thing?"

Minnow looked up at Monty, her blue eyes curious rather than concerned. "There was a thing, like a skinny white tree sticking out of the dirt there. It looked like it had one big branch, going like this-" she stretched her tail out vertically, "-with a big, flat purple leaf on it."

Monty blinked. "Oh," he meowed, racking his brain. Then, he nodded. "I think I know what's going on. Last time I saw something like that, with a big white branch in the ground disappearing, new folks started living there. The Twolegs sometimes go, too, and leave those white trees behind."

"Oh. Is it like a signal for other Twolegs that the nest is empty?"

"I guess. Very strange looking trees, though."

"I wonder where they come from?"

Monty smiled down at Minnow. "Best not dwell on things you can't know the answer to. Curiosity killed the cat, as they say."

"Which cat?"

"THE cat."

"Is that those weird white trees are doing?! Did a big white tree kill Todd?!"

"No! Minnow, for the love of-" Monty paused and put a paw over his nose, grumbling, before explaining further. "Todd moved away, he didn't die! The point is... if there's a mystery, but solving it could be very dangerous, then it's best to not go looking for the answer to that mystery. Just keep to yourself, alright?"

Minnow, half-listening, licked her paw and dragged it over her ear, washing herself. The fence they sat on bordered the forest and her home, and she looked out across the grass, into the ugly, tangled root floor and the disorderly trunks clawing up into the sky. "What's out there, Monty?"

"Foxes. Badgers. Don't go out there." Monty hissed without missing a beat. He curled his fluffy tail around Minnow, blocking her from the forest. "It's dangerous. You might get killed."

"Like I would want to go into the forest! That place looks filthy! And the trees, goodness! They're all over the place, how does any cat find their way around there?!"

The vast expanse before her blew with wind, dotted with trees which swayed in the breeze, leading to a dense forest on their right. Beyond them, a lake gathered ducks and swans. But, far beyond, in the horizon, a couple of rocky mountains etched their forms into Minnow's eyes.

"It makes for a pretty sight, though," she murmured, taking it all in, "what with the lake and all."

"Minnow," the ginger tom tested, giving the she-cat a glare. "Don't go out there, or there will be trouble."

"Relax, you big fusspot! I already said I won't!"

Monty grunted. "You better not. Come on, let's turn back."

"Alright, alright… spoil-sport." Minnow complained, hopping off the fence down to the pavement. Monty hopped down beside her.

"Do you think the new folks living there will have a cat too?" The she-cat suddenly asked, looking up at the rickety fence that always seemed to be just a little too old for her liking.

Monty raised an eyebrow. "Why? Finally getting bored with me?"

"No, I just think that someone new around here would be fun, what with Candy and Cody and Pudding away right now."

Rolling his eyes, he patted Minnow on the shoulder with his tail reassuringly. "Don't worry, they'll be back soon. You won't be stuck with me forever, you know," he meowed.

"Thank goodness, then!" Minnow said jokingly, purring a laugh as she brushed her pelt against Monty's affectionately. She had always seen the larger tom as kin, with how he had always protected her. Monty was huge, much larger than other house cats that lived with Twolegs (Minnow had suspected he was part lion or tiger for a while and was very disappointed to find out he was just a normal cat), so she was incredibly thankful that he was on her side. He definitely knew how to give a good slap, as he had done to a small dog that had gotten too close to her before, sending the mutt running home to its Twoleg. She smiled up at him, purring happily. "Just kidding, obviously."

"I was beginning to suspect that you might be serious for a moment," Monty meowed flatly, "you're always so dramatic, you know? It's so hard to get a genuine compliment out of you."

Minnow spluttered, fur standing on end, "I am SO polite and kind to you!" she yowled, curling her lip (even though she couldn't help but smile).

"Is that your polite and kind face? I'd hate to see your mean face." Monty patted her on the head with a huge front paw, before continuing to pad along the pavement. Minnow huffed and stuck her nose in the air, waiting for Monty to stop. Then, she opened one of her big blue eyes, saw he was still walking, and scrambled to catch up.

"Meanie!" she squeaked to him.

Monty rolled his eyes and batted her with a front paw, sending her tumbling onto her side. "I'm right, though."

"You are and I hate it!" she complained, pouting and swishing her tail from side to side.

He huffed a growly laugh and brushed his fluffy ginger pelt against Minnow's short fur. "You're too much of a silly furball to hate, y'know that? You're still annoying though." he licked her ear affectionately, grinning at her. "A real pawful. Now c'mon."

The tom sprang upwards, landing precisely on the picket fence. Minnow hopped onto the fence beside him, and then hopped down into her garden. Weaving herself to flop down beside the lavender, Monty hopped down and joined her. This particular spot in her garden was incredibly warm and sunny, a gentle breeze brushing her pelt. Monty placed himself neatly in a shaded spot, to prevent his thicker fur from overheating. The two watched the clouds go by and let the wind cool them in comfortable silence.

"I hope the new folks who move in are good." Minnow mewed suddenly, her eyes closed. "It'd be really fun to have someone new around here.

"Mm." the ginger tom agreed, folding his paws beneath him. "It'd be a good change of pace."

"Goodness knows we need it, it's so boring around here…" Minnow responded, laying down on the grass. "I hope things change soon…"