ON THE RIGHT PAW

CHAPTER ONE: A HEART TO HEART

Snowbell the cat was starting to see things looking up. While that alley cat, Smokey, made his fur stand on end, if he could make Stuart Little disappear from his life, he would be eternally grateful to him. HIs ego was in the litter box after learning that he would have a mouse for a master. There could be no greater humiliation for a housecat! And, hopefully, soon he could go back to the way things were, just him, the Littles, and a lot of cat food and some cat toys. No stinking mouse! As he bid Monty goodnight and entered in through the cat flap, he saw Stuart walking down the hallway. "Hey Snow, where did you go?"
"With some friends," the cat replied evasively.
"Snowbell, it's past midnight."
"So? I'm an adult. I can stay up late."
"Why leave the house?"
"Lots of exciting things out there at night."
"Like what?"
"Places my friend Monty and I go."
"What did you guys do tonight?"
"Us? We went to a party."
"A party? And what did you do there?"
"Stuart, there were lots of girls there. Lots of fun. But it's stuff you'd best wait to learn about until you're at least 18 years old." Snowbell hoped that the mouse wouldn't dare ask any more questions about what he'd been doing that night. And thankfully, he didn't. "I guess it's not my business what you do after hours at night-" Stuart began.
"That's right, it's not. So nose out. And go back to bed. It's past your bedtime."
"I was just coming back from the bathroom when I heard you coming in."
"Well, you can go back to bed now."

"Snowbell, I'm actually glad that I found you tonight."
"You are?" the cat gasped.
"Yes, I think we got off on the wrong paw a while back, when Monty came."
"More like all four paws."
"Yeah. And I wanted to talk to you again."
"Talk to me, again? Don't you know I'm a cat?"
"Yes, I do."
"And you know that cats eat mice, don't you?"
"Yes. But you aren't trying to eat me."
"That's only because I don't want to get kicked out if I do it. If I'd had my way, you'd have been food from the moment I saw you. I don't know why you went looking for me."
"I want to be friends."
"Friends? Ha! When they were handing out brains, you must have thought they said trains and asked for an empty boxcar."
"What makes you say that?"
"Gee, it's hard to drill through the wood with you! I'm a cat! I naturally hate mice! And the fact that I'm not allowed to eat you is hurting my dignity. And now Monty knows, and, with his big mouth, it's only a matter of time before every cat in Manhattan finds out that Snowbell has a mouse for a master!"
"I don't see myself as your master. I want to be your friend. I didn't even have a friend until recently. Not even George liked me, because I was a mouse. And before that, everyone left me alone at the orphanage because I was a mouse. I'd prayed and prayed to be adopted and it never came. Then mom and dad got me and I got a chance at life. I don't see why you can't be happy for me. Sure, you may have to sleep in a rag for a bed, but I never even had a house to live in before. Maybe I did when I was a baby, but I don't remember. You can't go looking at the negatives all the time. I mean, you could just as easily be a streetcat like your friend Monty, but you live here, and now he can get food from you."
"Well, you know, I've never thought of it that way. But, still, you have no idea of my the harm my dignity has suffered."
"I want to be your friend. Since we're going to live together, I don't see we shouldn't be friends. We're family now, after all."
"Don't remind me."
"Why don't you at least give me a chance?"
"Let me think about that," Snowbell said. "No!"
"Come on! Just give me a chance!"
"Ok fine, I'll give you 24 hours."
"Fair enough. First things first, you can come up here on the bed with me."
"Up there?"
"Yes. You said you think I'm your master. While I want to view you as my friend rather than my pet, if, as you insist, I am your master, I can allow you to sleep up here, instead of on that rag."
"The Littles have never let me sleep on a bed before! It was always 'Go to your bed, Snowbell!' or "Shoo! Bad kitty!' whenever I tried."
"Come on up."

Snowbell leapt up to the bed, moving beside Stuart. The mouse scratched his ears. "See, this isn't so bad, is it?"
"As long as nobody sees us."
"You've got to stop worrying what your cat friends think about you. If they're going to make fun of you because I'm here, maybe they really aren't your friends."
"Or maybe the just know that some things shouldn't happen."
"Remember, you have 24 hours you'd said you'd give things a chance."
"Yes I did. And I'll keep my word. But don't get your hopes up."
"I'd waited years to be adopted. I can certainly wait more than 24 hours for you to come around."

Snowbell had to admit to himself, this mouse had a lot of nerve. Approaching him after he'd tried to eat him when he first met him and had tried to hurt him just a day earlier. "I'll admit, you've piqued my interest."
"Good, we're getting somewhere then."
"I suppose. Though it's more like the kind of getting somewhere one achieves on a treadmill."
"Oh Snowbell, don't be so negative all the time!"
"Well, goodnight mouse, er, I mean Stuart."
"Goodnight Snowbell."