Chapter Two
Shade sat at the edge of the grasses. She looked up the slight incline, across the gravel and dust towards her stricken apprentice. Just beyond her friend the land leveled out and was flat. It became the narrow yet endless plateau that the great roaring beasts used to blast their way through the grassy fields of their clan's homeland.
Silverpaw had not moved since she and one of the great roaring beasts had collided. The drone of the roadway, deafening because it was so close, was almost too much to bear but Shade was not going to leave Silverpaw.
The tall ones were returning. They had approached Silverpaw a minute ago and then departed. Now they were back. The shorter one was waving a broad, thin sheet of colors and was now placing it over the top of her little charge. Silverpaw would be in a panic, Shade realized, yet she was not moving. Only the very slight rise and fall of her upturned flank gave Shade the knowledge that Silverpaw was alive.
The two tall ones where now directly next to Silverpaw. The taller one was speaking tones to the shorter one, who was crouched directly onto the ground. Silverpaw was hidden beneath the colorful sheet and Shade could no longer see her. Yet she knew her apprentice was still present and the actions of the shorter tall one showed that Silverpaw was of great concern to them.
Shade wanted to reveal herself to them. She was fighting back the urge to advance and drive them off. She was one of her clan's best warriors and she believed that despite the size of the tall ones, she could back them off. But she wanted to wait. She needed to see that Silverpaw was ready to run with her. It would do no good to let loose her plan before her apprentice could escape and at present this did not seem at all likely.
After a bit she shuffled a fox tail's length backwards into the taller grasses. Tall ones rarely noticed her and she had been near tall ones on several occasions. However she did not want to risk being seen, at least not until she was ready to spring her plan on them. Silverpaw was very important to her and she would wait as long as necessary to save her. Marigold, her littermate, had given birth to Silverpaw seven moons ago and it was an honor as well as her dearest treasure to have been given responsibility to oversee this beautiful and eager she-cat's training.
"Silverpaw," she meowed gently into the breeze.
The tall ones continued to stay beside her apprentice. The taller one remained motionless. The younger one crouched on all fours directly above the colored sheet.
It might be a long wait, but Shade was ready to outlast them.
Margaret turned when she heard the next car decelerate and pull over onto the gravel strip where she stood above her daughter. The crunch of wheels on the loose surface slowed and the car came to a stop. She held her hand up to her eyes and smiled when she recognized the driver.
"Hello Gail!" she called out. A morsel of luck might be yet on her side today after all.
"Hello Margaret, what do we have here?" asked her friend as she exited her car. It was her daughter's pediatrician.
Upon hearing the exchanged greetings, little Sarah looked away from the cat which she had gently wrapped up and was closely watching. Sarah felt uneasy. Dr. Bernard was nice to her and was a friend of her parents. Deep breath. But she was also the one who peered into her mouth using a flat stick, looked into her ears with a black wand, shone strange lights into her eyes, banged an odd mallet on her knees and - worst of all - had given her shots. But maybe, Sarah thought, this very same person might be able to do all that here and now and save this little cat.
Sarah didn't want the cat to die and she hoped it wasn't already dead. It hadn't moved and even though Sarah didn't know what a dead cat might look like she was increasingly afraid that the little thing hidden under the family beach blanket might be the first. She really, really didn't want that. She turned to look up at Dr. Bernard, ready to tell her what had happened and that the cat needed help. Yet all that she could do was cry - it came out as a wail. Were she older Sarah might have been embarrassed by this show of emotion. But no, it was genuine - a cry of desperate hope that time had not run out so soon and that something from Dr. Bernard's tools or her thoughtful words would fix everything.
"Let me see," said Dr. Bernard, taking Sarah's hand and kneeling next to her. An explanation of what had happened wasn't necessary; Gail could see the whole story of what had transpired.
Sarah pulled back the beach blanket far enough to reveal the yet motionless cat.
"Hmmm," said Dr. Bernard. It was the voice Dr. Bernard used at the doctor's office, Sarah could tell. Sarah looked over at her and let her touch the cat. She watched as her doctor slowly and gently moved from a first set of tentative pokes to stronger touches. She moved her hands along the cat's side, felt about her head and neck and then ran her hands down each of the cat's legs. During this entire time the cat did not move and Sarah dared not breathe.
"Okay Sarah," Dr. Bernard said at last. Her mom was right behind her but she liked that Dr. Bernard was talking directly to her and not her mom. She knew this was going to be important and listened carefully. "The is a wild female cat. The correct term is a 'feral cat.' She does not look like she has ever been seen by a veterinarian and has likely lived here in these fields her entire life." Sarah listened. "She's been stunned by the hit she took. She's not in shock but she has had the wind knocked out of her. Do you know what that means." Sarah wanted to say yes but her throat was locked up tight with stress. So she nodded while looking to Dr. Bernard's eyes. "Good," said Dr. Bernard. She paused and then continued. "It's going to take her a little while, but she'll get her wind back and then she'll want to be off. Her legs and body seem fine. Amazingly she's in one piece and will likely be good as new after a couple days of rest." Sarah could finally breathe.
"You've been a good helper to her, Sarah," Dr. Bernard continued. "If you and your mom have time, you might want to stay with her. But I suggest you don't move her and that you stay back a bit. Let her get up on her own. I know you might want to keep touching her but she might not be that nice in return - even though you've saved her. Understand?" Sarah nodded. "Yes," she managed.
"Okay good. You've done a fine thing here, helping out this little cat."
Dr. Bernard looked gently into Sarah's face and gave her a smile. It fortified Sarah to learn she had done a good thing during such an awful moment.
Her doctor stood and then talked to her mom. It was boring talk and Sarah was soon lost in watching the side of the little cat. She could see how her side rose and fell with each slow breath. Sarah smiled down at her and wiped away her final tears. She felt happy. This was going to be a good ending; she could tell.