A/N: You guys rock! Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read this story. I have had over 5,400 views now... it's just crazy! XD

Thank you for all of the suggestions for this chapter. I really wish could have used them all. But you all seemed to like Colin, so I added him into this chapter again.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice.

23. Cat

Will glanced up from his paperwork, the cabin door opening and then slamming shut with a bang as a little figure tottered inside. He could only see the top of they boy's brown haired head over the table, his hands concealed from sight.

"Where is Mommy, Colin?" Will asked, looking back down at his work with a sigh.

"She's outside reading," Colin answered, lifting his arms up with a grin. "Look what I found, daddy!"

Will nearly fell out of his chair when he saw the kitten grasped in his son's chubby hands.

"Where did you find that?" he asked, staring at the small, black and white fluff ball. It squirmed for a moment, its little green eyes blinking as it looked back at him.

"I found it under the porch," Colin answered, clutching the squirming animal to his chest. "Can we keep it, daddy?"

"Colin," Will said, his hear falling. He let out a gasp of relief when the door swung open again, revealing his wife. Alyss grinned when she saw the boy, holding the cat for dear life.

Colin spun around, his eyes lighting up when he saw his mother. "Look! I found a kitty!"

"Oh, it's so cute!" Alyss took the kitten from her son, stroking the soft fur with two fingers. The kitten mewled as she lifted it up, checking under its legs.

"Girl!" she exclaimed. Will opened his mouth, about to interrupt her, but she continued to speak excitedly. "What do you want to call her?" she kneeled next to Colin.

"Fluffy!" Colin shouted, giggling.

Alyss smiled again, standing up straight and holding the kitten out to Will. "Fluffy it is," she said.

Will stepped back quickly. "We can't keep her," he said, making Alyss give him a sharp look.

"Why not?" she asked, bringing the kitten closer to Will. "It's just a kitten. We were thinking about getting Colin a pet anyways."

Will shook his head. "We were thinking about getting him a dog," he said, and then sneezed, covering his mouth quickly.

Alyss stared at her husband for a moment in shock. "Wait..." she said, bringing the kitten away from Will as he sneezed again. "Are you allergic to cats?"

Will nodded sheepishly, and Alyss rolled her eyes mockingly. "You could have told me this before," she commented and then turned to Colin. "We can't keep Fluffy."

"Why?" Colin whined, his little eyes filling with tears.

"Because..." Alyss said, her brain whirling as she tried to explain the situation to her young son. "Because..."

Little tears started leaking out of the boys eyes.

"Daddy is going to get you a puppy!" Alyss said quickly, and Colin stopped crying, wiping his eyes with the back of his small, pudgy hand.

"Puppy?" he asked. "But where will Fluffy go?"

"Daddy is going to find Fluffy a new, safe home and then he is going to go pick up your puppy and bring it home... Right?"

"Uhhh... Yeah!" Will said, walking to the door. "I'm going to go right now."

Giving Alyss a quick kiss, he left the cabin and went to his horse, saddling it up and riding out to the city.

CAT

It didn't take him long to come upon a small stable. He dismounted his horse and stepped up to the door, rapping his knuckles lightly agains the worn wood.

A woman swung the door open, a bucket of horse feed in her hands. "Ranger Will!" she exclaimed. "What can I do for you?"

Will smiled at the woman, stepping inside the stable and looking around. "Sarah, I need you to do me a favor. Your dog had puppies 8 weeks ago, correct?"

The woman nodded, her brow wrinkling in confusion. "Yes..."

"I was wondering if I could buy one... My son..." Will trailed off and Sarah smiled in understanding.

"Right this way," she said, leading Will into one of the horse stalls. A dog lay on her side, five small puppies tucked around her. The dog was a pale golden color, each of her puppies a similar shade of gold.

"Which one would you like?" she asked and Will bent down in the straw, stroking each one of the small animals in turn. Eventually, he picked up the smallest, holding it up to check under its legs and seeing that it was a boy.

"I'll take this little one," he said, stroking the soft fur and stepping out of the stable. "I will pay you next week."

"No no no, I am in no need of money. It is the least I can do after you helping my son out. Take care, Ranger Will."

Will nodded, mounting his horse and clutching the puppy to his chest. He rode for some time, wondering where on earth he was going to find a family that wanted a kitten. An idea flew into his mind and he rode out of the city, back to his cabin.

CAT

"Colin!" Will called. "I have something for you."

He held out the puppy to his son, setting the still sleeping animal onto the ground and letting Colin pet the dog. He turned to Alyss, who was still holding the kitten.

He took the kitten from her, sneezing again and going back over to his horse.

"See you in a bit!" he called behind him, glancing one last time at his son, who was excitedly poking the puppy with one finger.

CAT

Halt was just sitting down for his evening coffee when he heard it. At first he thought that he had imagined the small mewling sound that came from outside his cabin. But the noise came again and Halt set down his coffee, stepping out of the door and looking around.

He spotted the black and white kitten, which was stumbling up to his porch unsteadily. Halt picked up the kitten, stroking the soft fur gently with two fingers.

"Who would abandon such a cute little thing?" Halt asked, carrying the kitten inside and shutting the door softly.

Will, who was hiding in the shadows of the trees, smiled, his mission accomplished.

A/N: So... yeah... I hope you enjoyed. Please leave me a review and tell me what you thought!

Next up will be called 'No Time'. Does anyone have a suggestion?

Thank you for reading! Until next time. XD

-Dawn