After what seemed hours of walking, sleeping, hunting, and getting used to being cats, the Saturdays and their guide Caesar finally reached their destination. The four had crossed into a more desert-like region that morning, and now were just crossing hot ground and pavement at the peak of the day. After all that, they finally reached the beginning of wealthy-looking suburbs. Also, it looked very stereotypical for a California suburb. High walls, palm trees, lush, green lawns, and new mustangs, porches, BMWs and every expensive car you could think of in the drive ways. Caesar led them along the streets, and eventually into a yard of a smaller house fenced in with stone walls and gate leading to a backyard.
The Saturdays watched as their guide went over to the fence, bunched down and sprung up onto the white brick making up the tops. He turned to look into the yard, back at the Saturdays, and sat down. For a few moments they sat in silence.
"Coming?" Caesar finally said.
"You mean…jump up the wall?" Zak asked as he and his family came closer.
"Yeah!" Caesar replied.
Doc and Drew shared a look before Doc sighed and walked closer to the wall. He squatted down, trying to copy how Caesar had jumped. Finally, he sprang up and scraped the stone, his back legs kicking in air. He managed to pull himself up before Caesar could make it over, shaking out his fur. His gaze turned back to his family, nodded, and sat down beside Caesar.
Zak looked at his mother and dashed over to the wall when she nodded. Being much less muscular, and much smaller he figured he would have a hard time getting up the wall. But, he wouldn't let that stop him. No, of course not! He was Zak Saturday, once being Kur, he wouldn't let a wall stop him! So, copying the two cats that came before him, he jumped up the wall. He claws caught the edge of the brick, but his legs couldn't push him up. Involuntarily, his mouth opened and he wailed, as any young cat would've done. He screamed and panicked until Doc grabbed him by the scruff and struggled to pull him up as Zak was still flailing around.
"What is all that noise?" A voice made Caesar's head turn as Doc managed to get Zak to balance on the wall.
From the window of the house to their left came yet another cat, stretching on the wall and stopped dead when she opened her eyes. The cat snorted, shaking her tabby fur off from sleep.
She sighed, "I see you're back Caesar…and you've brought friends….again."
Caesar's tail was held high as he crossed the wall to her. "Yup! You'll never believe it Liara! These cats, oh these cats prove that—"
"Caesar!" Liara yelled, "Stop bringing cats here, darling. The town's going to be overrun soon enough," she delicately cleaned her paw before continuing. "Besides that, sweetie, the last cat you brought," she grunted, "well, we know he's not all there."
"Excuse me," Drew asked as she made her way up, "But who are you?"
"See you've got a whole family this time, Caesar," she ignored Drew's question, "But for goodness sake, darling, don't leave them here this time."
Swiftly, Liara turned back to the window from where she came and went back through it. Caesar's tail twitched a little, but went back to the happy, high position. He noticed Drew's annoyed expression and the two toms' confused ones.
"Just a cat who lives here," Caesar replied, "Don't mind her, now come on!" He then made his way down the wall into the backyard, and another turn to the far back wall of the yard.
The Saturdays followed behind him, easily keeping balance on the wide wall tops. They reached Caesar and followed his gaze to the yard in front of them. Right in the middle was a huge in-ground pool, with wet pavement around it from something which was swimming recently. An overhang made a porch of sorts which held a glass table, two chairs, a grill, and a dog house. The sun made things farther back nearly impossible to see, but there was something at the door. Squinting, Zak finally made out what it was.
"Is that the dog?" Zak asked, wondering all the while why he wasn't barking or chasing them, like dogs were supposed to.
"He's there?" Zak nodded, "That's good, we can ask him then," Caesar took a deep breath, "Booonnneeee!"
The figure at the door moved, and came out farther on the porch. It was now easily recognizable as a dog, now.
"Bone!" Caesar yelled, "I'm back!"
Doc shuddered, "Can we trust a dog, Caesar?"
Caesar looked dumbfounded at the mere acquisition that he couldn't, "Of course!"
"He might be friendly to you, but what about the rest of us?" Doc growled.
"Bone?" Caesar replied, "Bone would never hurt a cat!
"Cesar, are you sure?" Drew asked.
Caesar didn't have time to reply, for out from under the overhang and unto the lawn and pavement. Then, the Saturdays realized why they didn't have to worry about bone chasing them, and barking at them. Bone was visibly old, as he was graying around his face and legs, and he had trouble moving as he came toward them. Also, as he turned the pool they saw he was missing a hind leg, leaving him with only three. Still, when he came close they saw the puppy-like eyes of the golden retriever.
He barked his happiness, "Caesar! How was your trip?"
"Great! Bone, I'd like ya to meet these cats I met!" he excitedly turned towards the Saturdays, motioning for them to introduce themselves.
"I'm Drew, and this is my husband, Doc, and my son, Zak," Drew did so, "And…you're Bone?"
"Indeed, and you're a very polite lass if I may say," Bone's tail wagged, "Very calm for meetin' a big bad dog!"
"Thanks," Drew replied.
"Quite welcome," he yawned, "So, whatcha need, Caesa'?"
Zak interrupted before he could reply, "Umm, not to be rude, or anything, but were you swimming around in that pool?"
Bone's head turned toward the pool, "Hmm? Oh, no, of course I ain't been swimmin'. Too old, ya see. No, no, they've gotten a new puppy, nice young lad, too." He weezed a laugh, "It's good for them, seeing as I'm on my last leg…" the cats were silent, "You…you get it? Leg?"
"Um, yeah," Zak gave a small laugh, "Hehe…" It made him think though, how pets were so easily replaced, one gets old, and a new one comes in. He knew it could never really take the old one's place, but just how short the lifespan was. His lifespan is now.
He gulped, before realizing that Bone was walking back inside, and an entire conversation had gone on around him. Shaking his head, he started to listen again. Caesar had just finished saying something about trains, and the look on Drew's face was a mix of being surprised and scared. Doc had merely sighed.
"So we're going to have to stay here?" Doc said flatly.
"Just for most of the day tomorrow," Caesar tried to encourage him, "Then you'll be rested and we can head out that night and make the train by morning."
"I guess you're right," Drew agreed, "We were travelling for days on end before reaching here. It might be good for us."
"Drew, if we head out now we could sleep there," Doc suggested, "We can't afford to waste time! Besides, how do we even know he knows how to tell time! He's just a cat! They have no sense of time!"
"Dad…" Zak interrupted.
Caesar was shuffling his feet and mumbled, "Well…you're cats too…"
Drew glared at Doc, "He didn't mean it that way, Caesar." She turned around, back towards the front yard, "Can I speak with you, Doc?"
"Why?" Doc grunted, "It's been proven, besides the intelligence—"
Drew hissed, "Doc!"
"Fine," Doc followed Drew around to the front yard.
Zak felt awkward as Caesar looked at his feet, seeming sad and depressed. "Hey…he didn't mean that you were just—"
"It's okay," Caesar stretched and yawned, "You're parents will be a while, your mom seemed really angry."
"It'll be ok," Zak said, "So, what is there to do around here?"
Caesar thought, "Well, you could come meet everyone, since the train isn't coming until day after next."
"Umm…" Zak looked the direction his parents went. He could either stay here and possibly risk an encounter with an over-hyper puppy, or go with Caesar and meet people. "Sure…that sounds better then that dog…"
"Bone?"
"No, the puppy,"
"Oh, okay!" Caesar's tail went back to the old, happy high place, "Well, you already met bones and Liara. Oh! In that house," he turned to the house behind them, "Lives a cat who I found in Vegas. Yeah, she was only a kitten and now she's an….Animu? Anny? Those…cartoons humans watch, she's obsessed."
Zak nodded, surprised that cats could be obsessed with television too. "Oh! And over there lives a Chiuaua, crazy little thing…"
So, until Doc and Drew came back, Caesar led Zak around his neighborhood, telling him about the community of animals within the community of humans. Which, Zak almost met everybody before they decided to find Drew and Doc again, which wasn't too hard. They had been cornered by that hyper-active collie puppy Bones mentioned.