Chapter 3: The Cats

A barn sat behind the duo as they feasted on their reward. A blonde cat sat watching them from a window, a scowl drawn across her face.

"That damned mouse, spilling my secrets." She leapt down from the window to a pile of pillows, "Should've eaten him when I had the chance."

Another cat, this one gray, welcomed the blonde one.

"Ah, Voodoo," the gray cat bowed, "I've fluffed your pillows just as you like."

"Thank you, Poe." Voodoo stretched as she laid down, grooming herself aggressively.

"You seem stressed, I take it that something went wrong with the scarecrow?"

"Something better have not gone wrong!" It was another voice now, a black and white cat who had been in the rafters had made her way down to the other two.

Poe rolled his eyes and let out a huff. "Karma," he moved his attention to his paw, "nice of you to join us."

Karma stuck out her tongue at the gray cat. She turned her attention to Voodoo, who was still grooming her peppered fur. "Did something happen to my scarecrow?"

Voodoo stopped grooming herself and looked at the black cat.

"No," she stretched, "your scarecrow is fine. That mouse and a bird managed to take some corn from the field, that's all."

"They WHAT?!" Karma was livid, though the others didn't seem to care. "How did they make it in? His Majesty is supposed to make them unable to get to the corn if they're thinking about it!"

"They must not have been thinking about it then." retorted Poe, beginning to lick his fur.

"How could they not have been thinking about it?!" Karma was livid now, quickly pacing back-and-forth between the other two cats. "That corn is all those stupid birds have been thinking about!"

"Maybe it's the mouse?" Poe looked towards Voodoo. "Could he have done it?"

"No," Voodoo stretched again and sat up, "we've been watching the mouse, I don't think it was him." She walked over towards the window and hopped back to where she was before. "That crow, however," she squinted at the bird and mouse, both of who were still eating the small corn, "he might have something to do with it."

Poe cleared his throat. "Do you want me to listen in on them? I have the entire area covered."

"Yes," the blonde feline kept her gaze on the corn thieves, "that might give some insight into how they managed to outsmart us."

Poe bowed again, cleared his throat, and hacked up a furball. Karma gagged at the act, which Poe showed no acknowledgment to. After a few seconds, voices could be heard coming from the ball of hair and Voodoo joined the others.

"I knew we could best that stupid scarecrow!" Voodoo didn't recognize the voice. Must be the crow's, she thought.

"How'd you know I would make it in there?" Ah, there it was. That stupid mouse. Maybe now the cats could figure out what happened. They continued listening.

"Hmm? I don't know, I just had a feeling about it."

The sounds of eating took over and the cats all looked at each other.

"So that's it?" Karma was upset, again.

Poe sighed. "Seems so." He stepped on the hairball, causing it to go silent. He looked at Voodoo. "What do you think, ma'am?"

Voodoo just sat there, her face towards the pillow she was sitting on. She looked up at Poe and Karma. "I know it's that crow, I want to know how he did it."

"And what do you expect us to do?" Karma was in Voodoo's face now. "Poe and I aren't built for capturing any birds, let alone one who was able to outsmart His Majesty!"

Voodoo kept a stern face, she wouldn't let Karma get to her. "We'll get to him through the mouse." Voodoo pushed past Karma to a set of small boxes in the corner.

She pushed some out of the way to reveal a group of three mice, one bigger than the other two, being held in a small crate.

"We'll offer a trade to the mouse," she grinned towards the mice as they cowered further into the crate, "the crow for his family."