Cat Tales
Sunlight filtered through the trees at the edge of the swamp, while the swamp itself was bathed in the warm golden light of summer. It made the swamp look almost habitable. It was quiet, even…until the soft clomping of black boots, and the swish of a sword broke the silence. It was accompanied by some soft hissing, and before long the sounds had disappeared into the forest as Puss-in-boots took his sword fighting practice down the path.
He parried his way down the path, orange fur glistening in the sunlight, emerald eyes flashing with the heat of battle, even if it wasn't real battle. With a summersault leap, he gave a flowing bow, sweeping his hat off his head. Then he placed it back on his head at a tilt, sheathing his sword, and was about to return to the swamp when his ears perked at a new sound. A loud yowl of distress, from somewhere down the path.
"A señorita in distress!" He said to himself, then dashed off down the path, at one point disappearing up into the trees, until the source of the loud screeching became apparent. From his perch in the branch of an old oak, he could see a hawk screeching loudly and swooping at a hollow stump, obviously trying to get at something inside. What that was Puss could not see from his position. He could, however, hear some hissing and scratching from within the stump, obviously from a trapped creature of some sort, and, from what he could hear, it sounded feline.
He unsheathed his sword and leaped towards the hawk with a battle cry, which had perched onto the stump, trying to peck his way inside. It squawked in surprise and tried to take flight. By the time it finally managed it, it had lost a great many feathers and was flying a bit lopsided, slightly dazed. Once Puss was certain that the hawk was gone for good, he climbed up onto the stump, leaning one elbow on the edge of the stump, looking down at the other cat inside, who was obviously both petrified and indignant.
"You have nothing to fear señorita, for I have scared the hawk away…" He said, reaching one paw down to help up the female, not really expecting a reply. After all, most cats were not fairy-tale creatures, and did not speak. The sultry black cat stood up on her hind legs to grab his paw, and he pulled her up gently, as she used her back paws to gain traction in the bark of the wood. Once he had gently placed her on the edge of the stump, she sat back, cocking her head at him, with what he could've sworn was a smile on her face.
"You don't understand what I'm saying, do you señorita? I thought I might have been lucky and you were a fairy-tale creature who I could talk to…guess not, eh?" The other cat didn't answer, just blinked her beautiful tawny eyes dolefully at him, as if waiting for him to do something. Puss sighed, dropping down to the ground, speaking over his shoulder. "Try not to let any more hawks see you…"
He was all the way back to the path before he noticed the soft footsteps behind him, and he whirled, seeing that the feline had followed him, still watching him quietly. "What are you following me for, señorita? Go find your home, your family…you look well-fed, you must have one…" He made a moving motion with one paw, the opposite way down the path, then started walking again. A few minutes later, he whirled, finding that she was still behind him, about three feet down the path.
"Look, I know you don't understand me, but don't you get it? I don't know you, you have to find your family, or your home, or wherever you live, and stop following me!" He turned away again. He wanted a friend, in all honest truth. Donkey was a great friend, of course, and Shrek and Fiona were wonderful, but he missed feline companionship. That's why his heart jumped into his throat when a small but confident voice came from behind him.
"I don't have one." The voice was obviously fully developed, the cat was an adult female, and she was obviously looking for the same thing that he was. Just a friend, someone to help her. The voice was pleading, and as he slowly turned, the tawny eyes seemed to plead with him from where she sat, tail twitching slightly.
"You can talk…why didn't you before?" He asked, totally ignoring the question. He was standing on two feet now, sword sheathed at his side, hat still sitting tilted at an angle. He watched as she moved down the path until she was about a foot and a half away.
"I chose not to." She answered simply, voice flowing like a river to him. She held out one soft paw for him to shake. "I didn't get to thank you properly, for saving my life…My name is Luna…" He took her paw, bowing and kissing it softly, in proper gentlemen style.
"A pleasure, señorita, I am Puss-in-boots, and such a beautiful name certainly fits a beautiful feline such as yourself." She looked embarrassed, but murmured a thank you before dropping to all fours again, cocking her head at him. He indicated the way down the path, and bowed slightly. "Would you like to join me for breakfast?" He asked, his Spanish accent doubly ferocious with the added presence of a female.
"I would love to…" She dropped to all fours, and started padding along the path, tail swishing slightly. Puss followed her, as if she had invited him and not the other way around, but he knew it mattered not. The path led to the swamp, whether or not you meant to go there. As they walked, they made small talk, and she giggled and laughed many times, which rang melodiously through the forest.
As they passed the 'Beware, Ogres' signs, she looked at them nervously, and hesitated, but when Puss didn't stop, she continued on, looking around as if expecting something to leap out at them at any time. He smiled softly at her nervousness.
"Don't be afraid, the ogres that live in this swamp are friendly, they won't hurt you. They just leave those signs up to discourage unwanted visitors." He said reassuringly, and she nodded, smiling slightly, thinking that Puss-in-boots was the nicest person she had ever remembered.
((First chapter done…I know it sucks guys, and it's short, don't worry, I'll make the next chapters better…please rate and review…))