Cat and Joe rode into the Devlin's yard about twenty minutes after leaving the Ponderosa. Mitch and his father were in the yard cutting and stacking wood. They stopped working and greeted their visitors. Mr. Devlin helped Cat down from her horse, saw her injuries and asked, "Cat, what happened to you? Joe, who hurt your sister?"
"I'll tell everyone all at once. I don't want to have to tell the story four times."
"That's fine. Let's go in the house. Mitch, please find your brother, tell him we have company and bring him into the house."
Mitch went to look for his brother while Joe and Cat followed Mr. Devlin into the house. Mrs. Devlin looked at Cat's injuries and asked Joe who had hurt his sister. Once Mitch and Mike came into the house, Joe told them about Mrs. Warren's attack on Cat. All four Devlins were shocked that she could do such a terrible thing to a child. They all told Cat that they were sorry she had been hurt and hoped her injuries healed soon. Mrs. Devlin asked if they could stay for dinner and Joe said they could but they had to be back home by three. Cat and Mike went outside to play while Joe and Mitch walked off to find a quiet place where they could talk without being overheard. "Something has to be done about Mrs. Warren," said Joe. "The law probably isn't going to do much because she's old. We can't let her get away with hurting Cat the way she did. If Adam, Hoss, and I hadn't been so close, there's no telling how badly Cat would have been hurt."
"I agree, but we've got to be careful. We can't have her hurt too bad or we'll be in just as much trouble as you were when you were fourteen and got revenge."
"I know. Cat can't know anything either. If she does and Pa finds out, it will be several days before she can sit down. I don't want that happening to her."
"You can't know anything either. That way you won't have to lie to your Pa and risk serious punishment. Leave it to me. I'll make sure that Mrs. Warren gets taken care of. I'll see if I can find an excuse for Mike and I to go to town after you leave."
"Don't do anything to her today. Because Roy will come to the house and want to know if Cat or I had anything to do with it. Pa will tell him that we were over here today and then you and Mike will be in trouble."
"Joe, have you forgotten who you're talking to? I am the master of getting revenge. Who do you think organized the attacks on Mr. Black five years ago? Don't worry. Everything will be done in secret. Mrs. Warren won't be seriously injured and nobody will know who was responsible for the attacks. Now tell me, how did you manage to escape your father today? I know that you're still restricted to the ranch for at least another two weeks."
"Cat wanted to come over and play with Mike. Pa said she had to have someone with her to keep her from galloping her horse but I couldn't come because I was still restricted to the ranch. She asked Hoss and he said he had too much work to do and Cat got upset because she knew Adam wouldn't bring her over here. She's a Cartwright alright. When she gets her fur up, look out. She told Pa that she didn't care if she hurt her rib, she was coming over here by herself and then she was going to go back to Dodge by herself so he said I could come with her."
Mitch let out a whistle. "She sure is a whole lot like you, isn't she? I'm surprised she's here and able to sit down."
"She didn't totally get away with it. Before Hoss and I went out to mend fences, I went into the kitchen to see if Hop Sing would make some sandwiches for Hoss. When I looked in the great room, Pa was scolding her something fierce. He gave her three hard smacks and made her stand in the corner. She hates being made to stay still worse than getting a spanking. I hope the new teacher isn't going to be as hard on her as Miss Jones was on us. If she is, Cat will be spending as much or more time standing in the corner than we did and will get a lot more notes sent home and you know how my Pa feels about notes sent home from school."
"Yeah, I do. Your Pa feels the same way about notes sent home from school as mine does. You know, I think that Miss Jones enjoyed seeing us get in trouble, especially when Adam had to bring you to school or pick you up."
"She sure was sweet on him. I'll have to remember to tease him about that when the time is right. We'd better go and check on Cat and make sure she's not doing anything to hurt that rib. Pa'll skin both of us alive if she does."
They walked back to the yard and found Mike and Cat taking turns using the swing. After they had each taken several turns, Mike asked, "Hey, wanna play marbles?"
"Sure, I'd love to but I haven't got mine with me."
"I'll ask Mitch if you can use his. I wonder what he and Joe are doing. They kinda snuck off in a hurry."
Just as Mike and Cat started looking for their brothers, they walked into the yard. "What have you two been up to?" asked Mitch.
"We've been playing on the swing," answered Mike. "We want to play marbles but Cat doesn't have any with her. Can she use yours?"
"Sure. You know where they're at. Go ahead and get them for Cat."
Mike and Cat played marbles until Mrs. Devlin called everyone to dinner. After dinner, Cat said, "That was real good Mrs. Devlin. It's almost as good as Hop Sing's food."
"Well, thank you Cat. That is very kind of you to say that." Mrs. Devlin looked at her husband and said, "Daniel, this is the first time Catherine has spent any time on our ranch. Why don't all of us go for a ride and show it to her. It's not as large as the Ponderosa but it's almost as pretty."
They spent several hours riding around the ranch. When they returned to the house, Mrs. Devlin fixed a snack for everyone. She noticed she was almost out of coffee and said, "Mitch, when Joe and Cat go home, will you please go to town and buy some coffee? I'm almost out and your father won't be happy if he doesn't have his coffee in the morning with breakfast." Mitch said he would go to town for his mother. Mike asked if he could go also and was given permission.
Then Cat and Mike went back outside to play with Cat's puppies while Joe stayed in the house talking to the Devlins. At two thirty, Joe said it was time for him and Cat to leave because they were due home by three. Cat didn't want to leave but Joe said, "Cat, if we're late getting back and don't have a good reason, Pa will have both our hides. You'll get a spanking and have to stand in the corner for not listening to me and I'll get a whipping for not making you leave. You'll probably have to spend tomorrow in your room and I'll have at least one more week added to my restriction. Is that what you want? I know that I don't. Come on. Let's go. I don't want to make you leave but I will if I have to. If Pa asks if you gave me any problems about leaving, I won't lie to him and you will be in even more trouble. You can come back and play with Mike another time and he can always come to the Ponderosa and play with you."
Mr. Devlin settled things, picked Cat up and put her on Beauty. "Joe's right. You can always come back here another day and Mike can go to the Ponderosa. I know you were having fun and it's always hard to leave when you're having fun, but if you're late getting back, your Pa may not let you come over here for a long time. I would sure hate to see that happen. Joe, tell Ben I'll see him at the school board meeting tonight."
Mitch and Mike mounted their horses and rode out to the road with their friends. When they reached the road, Joe and Cat turned toward the Ponderosa while Mitch and Mike rode toward town. On the way to town, Mitch said, "Mike, we need to do something about Mrs. Warren. Listen to what I'm going to tell you. This is what my friends and I did five years ago when Mr. Black tried to kill Joe."
Mitch told his brother what had been done and Mike said, "That's great. My friends and I can do the same thing tomorrow. Let's stop and talk to Mitch Harris on the way home."
"No Mikey, it's too soon. Joe and Cat just left our house. If things start happening to Mrs. Warren tomorrow, Sheriff Coffee will go to the Ponderosa and talk to Mr. Cartwright. He'll tell the sheriff that Joe and Cat were here and then all four of us will be in a lot of trouble. We can't do anything until after the trial. You can start talking to your friends after church on Sunday. The trial will have been held by then and we'll know what the law is going to do to Mrs. Warren."
"Alright Mitch. We won't do anything until after the trial. But can we still stop and see Mitch Harris on the way home?"
"Yes, we can stop for a few minutes but that's all. Ma will skin us alive if we're late for supper."
While Joe and Cat were on their way to the Devlin ranch, Mr. Parker and Mr. Michaels were on their way to Galena to try and get a jury for Mrs. Warren's trial. They went to the sheriff's office and Mr. Parker greeted his friend and introduced Mr. Michaels to him. "Dan, I've got a problem. I need a jury for Thursday morning in Virginia City. A resident has been accused of attacking and injuring a child. If I use a jury of Virginia City residents, the accused person won't get a fair trial. That person is not very well liked while almost everyone likes the child's father, so you can see my predicament."
"Yes I do Richard. At first I was surprised that you had the defense attorney with you but now I understand why. Let's go for a walk and see if I can find twelve men who will ride to Virginia City on Thursday to be on a jury. I hope the two of you will stay for dinner. Marge will be thrilled to see you again."
"We'll be happy to Dan. I'd be thrilled to see Marge again. I've been bragging to Tom here what a good cook she is and I think that's his real reason for coming with me today."
The sheriff laughed. "When are you going to get married Richard?"
"I can't. You stole my best girl."
"That was when we were in the eighth grade. Marge hasn't been your best girl in a lot of years."
Mr. Parker laughed. "Please allow me to keep my illusions."
It took about an hour but they found twelve men who rarely went to Virginia City and agreed to serve on the jury. After finding men for the jury, Mr. Peters, Mr. Michaels joined the sheriff at his house for dinner. They enjoyed a good meal and Mr. Peters enjoyed seeing his old flame. Everyone promised to get together again soon. On the ride back to Virginia City, Mr. Michaels said, "I'm going to let you in on a little secret you probably already know. I would rather defend Blackbeard than Millicent Warren. I know in my heart that she is guilty, but unfortunately, the only other lawyer in town is Ben Cartwright's lawyer. I'll do my best to defend her but my heart won't be in it."
"I understand Tom. I don't envy you in the least. But I know that you are an excellent lawyer and will do the best you can to defend Millicent. Don't forget, on Wednesday, we have to explain how a trial works to a nine year old. From what I know of this particular child, you can fully expect her to say that it's dumb for Millicent to have a lawyer to defend her."
Mr. Michaels laughed. "I wouldn't be surprised. I'm going to have to think of a creative way to explain my job to her so she understands exactly what defense lawyers do."
"I'll help. She has an older cousin who's a lawyer. His name is Jarrod Barkley. We can use him as an example."
"That's great. I appreciate the help." Once they returned to Virginia City, the two men went to tell the judge that they had put a jury together. Then they went back to their own offices.
Roy rode out to the Ponderosa in time to eat dinner there. Ben welcomed his friend and invited him to dine with him. "Where is my favorite Cartwright?" asked Roy.
"She and Joe went over to the Devlin ranch. Cat knows how to get there by herself, but I couldn't depend on her to not gallop her horse so I had to send Joe with her. What brings you out here today?"
"Several things. The judge has set Millicent's trial for Thursday morning at nine. He wants Richard Peters and Tom Michaels to explain what happens in a trial to Cat. They plan to do it on Wednesday, so rather than riding out here, Paul wants you to bring Cat into his office that morning."
"Thanks. Cat is not going to be happy to hear that Millicent will be in the courthouse. We're going to have to do everything we can to make Cat understand that woman will not be able to hurt her. I'm already predicting trouble getting her to go to church on Sunday because of Millicent. If the judge doesn't sentence her to jail time or lets her out on Sundays, I may let Cat stay home for one week. I'll have to give it some thought depending on what the outcome of the trial is."
"Richard and Tom rode over to Galena this morning to see about getting an impartial jury. That way Millicent can't say the jury was prejudiced in your favor."
"That's fine. I'm sure that once Cat testifies, the jury will rule against Millicent. The problem is going to be convincing Cat that she'll be safe in the courthouse."
"I have an idea. I'll talk to Richard about it and see what he says. If he agrees, I'll tell you about it on Wednesday. Well, I've got to get back to town. Thank you for dinner. Hop Sing it was excellent as usual. Ben, I'll see you on Wednesday. Give my favorite Cartwright a hug for me."
Joe and Cat rode into the yard shortly before three o'clock. When they went into the house, Ben looked at Cat and asked, "What did you do at the Devlins?"
"Mike and I played on his swing, we played marbles, and we went for a ride around his ranch."
"Did you play for keeps?"
"Huh?"
"I asked if you played marbles for keeps."
"Kinda I guess."
"What do you mean 'kind of I guess'? Either you did or you didn't. Now which is it? Did you or did you not play marbles for keeps?"
Cat just looked at Ben in shock. She couldn't believe he was yelling at her for telling the truth. Before she could answer him, Joe broke in. "You know the answer to that as well as I do."
"And just exactly what do you mean by that comment young man?"
"Simple. Cat was with you before we left and you helped her into her saddle. Did she have her marbles with her when you were out in the pasture?"
"No she didn't."
"Did she go up to her bedroom and get them before she mounted Beauty?"
"No she didn't."
"Then she didn't take her marbles with her. She used Mitch's and when the game was over, she gave them back to him. Would you have accused her of playing for keeps if she had been with Adam or Hoss instead of me? Cat's not me and you need to stop treating her like she is."
"Hear, hear little brother," said Hoss.
"Joe's right," said Adam. "You knew the answer to that question before you asked it and you wouldn't have asked it if Hoss or I had been with Cat. There are two reasons you asked that question and neither of them are legitimate. You asked that question because Cat is a lot like Joe and because she was with Joe. Cat, have you ever played marbles for keeps?"
"I dunno. Kinda I guess. I'm not even sure what that is."
"Playing for keeps means that you keep the marbles you win."
"I never had my own marbles before. The kids at school always let me use theirs. When we were playing, we always kept the marbles we won so we could tell who won the game. When we were done playing, I gave the marbles back to the kid who let me use them. I do have 1 marble I got to keep but I didn't win it. Billy gave it to me because I beat Ritchie & he was the best marble player in the whole school."
"Well Pa," said Hoss. "Does that answer your question about what little sister means when she says 'kinda I guess'?"
"Yes it does." Ben took Cat in his arms, hugged her and said, "I owe you an apology. Your brothers are right. Because you are so much like Joe and you were with Joe, I assumed that you acted like he used to when he was a boy. I am sorry and I hope you can forgive me. I can't promise that I'll never do it again, but I promise that I'll do my absolute best not to. It was very nice of Billy to give you that marble because you beat Ritchie. Where is it now?"
"I put it in the bag with the marbles Adam bought me. I forgive you but it hurt me when you yelled at me for telling the truth."
"I know it did and I am very sorry. I never want to hurt you. You are my little girl and I love you. Now, Adam and I have to leave here very soon. We're meeting the Winters for supper before the school board meeting. If you think you can keep Hoss and Joe out of trouble while we're gone, I'll ask Hop Sing to give you a special snack before bed. You still need to go to bed when your brothers or Hop Sing tell you to."
"I'll keep them out of trouble. They're always good for me."
Ben hugged her again. "That's my girl. I knew I could depend on you. I'll go talk to Hop Sing and then Adam and I need to leave. It's still several hours until supper, so you can play outside for a while if you want to. One of your brothers or Hop Sing will let you know when it's time to wash up. Just remember, no running until the doctor says you can. Hoss, Joe, if you see your sister running, make her stand in the corner for forty five minutes. Then she can stay inside for the rest of the night."
"Don't worry Pa. She ain't gonna run," said Hoss. "I'm fixin' to go out to the barn and put hobbles on her."
"Good luck with that," laughed Adam. "Matt said he thought of that a long time ago and decided she'd still find a way to run."
Ben went into the kitchen and talked to Hop Sing. Then he went back into the great room and hugged Cat goodbye. "Why does Adam have to go to the school board meeting?" she asked.
"Because he needs to tell the school board what he, Hoss, Joe, and Mitch found when they inspected the school."
"Is it going to fall apart? I hope it is so I won't have to go to school."
Her father and brothers laughed at her. "Not hardly little one," laughed Adam. "The school needs some repairs but it is not going to fall down. Besides that, even if it did, you would still have school. I told you before that if there was no school, I would be teaching you right here."
Cat scrunched up her face and said, "I'm leaving. I'm going somewhere else."
Her family laughed at her. "Where are you planning to go?" asked Ben.
"Someplace where I don't have to go to school."
"It doesn't matter where you live, you will still have to go to school."
"I'll go live with the Apaches. The kids there don't have to go to school."
Ben laughed and hugged her. "We'll talk about it later. Right now, Adam and I need to leave. Take care of your brothers and remember not to run."
After Ben and Adam left, Hoss and Joe decided to play checkers so Cat went out to play with Fury. Her puppies followed her out the door and as soon as she closed it, thinking nobody was watching, started to run toward the pasture. She ran about ten steps when she heard Thaddeus start to scold her. "Cat, are you supposed to be running yet?"
"No."
"Then why are you? Don't you want that rib to heal?"
"I'm tired of having to walk everywhere. I don't care about my dumb ol' rib."
Thaddeus sighed. He was beginning to learn what Cat's Godfathers meant when they told him why she was called Wild Cat. "Come here." Cat walked over to him. "What would your Pa do to you if he caught you running just now?"
"Make me stand in the corner and probably give me a spanking."
"What are Hoss and Joe supposed to do with you while your Pa and Adam are gone?"
"Make me stand in the corner for forty five minutes and keep me in the house."
"Do you enjoy being punished?"
"No."
"Then why do you do things you're not supposed to do? Let's go."
"Where are you taking me?"
"I'm taking you to Pete to see what he thinks I should do with you."
They walked into the bunkhouse. Pete looked at Cat who hung her head and asked, "What's going on Thaddeus? Why did you bring Cat in here?"
"I just caught her running when everyone on the ranch knows she's not supposed to until the doctor says she can. What do you want me to do with her? Mr. Cartwright and Adam are gone."
Pete looked at the other four men in the bunkhouse and said, "Men, I know you're finished with your work for the day and want to relax. However, I need to have a talk with Cat. Would you mind going outside for a few minutes so I can talk with her and decided exactly what to do?" The men got up and went outside. "Thank you men. I appreciate you doing that for me. Cat, what am I going to do with you? Your Pa punished you for running earlier today and you're at it again. What will happen if Thaddeus takes you to Hoss and Joe?"
"I'll have to stand in the corner for forty five minutes, won't be allowed to come back outside, and they'll tell Pa."
"What will happen if they tell your father?"
"I'll have to stand in the corner even more and probably get a spanking."
"There is no probably about it girl. I've known your Pa for a long time and that's exactly what he'll do. Thaddeus and I are going to deal with you and we won't tell Ben this time. However, if anybody catches you running again before the doctor says you can, I am going to wear your bottom out before taking you to your Pa. I mean it Cat. If you are caught running again before the doctor says you can, you are going to be in very big trouble. Thaddeus, before you start to worry, I have had permission to deal with Cat since she first started spending school vacations here. Haven't I Cat?"
"Yes."
"You know how to talk to adults. Yes what?"
"Yes sir."
"How old were you when I taught you that 'Stay out of the pasture with the bull' meant that you were not to go in the pasture with the bull?"
"I was six. It was about a month after me, Pete, and Mike got in trouble for climbing the water tower in Dodge. Uncle Matt sure was mad at me that day. The bull and I were friends and we still are. He let me pet him through the gate. I just wanted to play with him."
Pete sighed. Thaddeus couldn't believe what he was hearing Cat say.
"How old were you when I taught you that 'Stay out of the corral with the wild horses' meant exactly that?"
"I think I was seven. I just wanted to help with the horses. I helped Mr. Quint all the time so I could have helped with those horses."
"Cat, I explained this to you then and I'm going to explain it to you again. Quint is a blacksmith and works with horses that are already broken and have been ridden a lot. Those were wild horses and you could have been badly injured. Thaddeus, now do you know why the family calls her Wild Cat?"
"Yes, I am beginning to see why."
"Now, we could stand here until suppertime and I still would not run out of stories about when I have caught her starting to do something potentially dangerous, but we need to deal with the current problem. Cat, since Thaddeus caught you and has a very serious interest in keeping you alive and healthy, I am going to let him handle your punishment." Pete pulled a chair out, motioned for Thaddeus to sit down, took of his belt, doubled it and handed it to Thaddeus. "Cat, bend over Thaddeus' knees." Cat did as she was told and Thaddeus looked at Pete who held up three fingers.
Thaddeus used the belt on Cat's bottom three times and handed it back to Pete. "Alright Cat, we're finished. You can stand up now. Remember what Pete said. It will be a lot worse for you the next time you get caught."
Cat looked at Pete with tears in her eyes. He hugged her and said, "You know I love you just as though you were my own daughter. Believe me when I tell you that you got off easy today. The sting from that belt will go away before supper. I can guarantee you that if I had taken you to your brothers and they told Ben, your bottom would hurt for more than just a few hours and you might have had to spend all day tomorrow in your room. I know you're only nine, but you've got to start thinking of the consequences before doing things you're not supposed to do. Now go play with that colt of yours and no more running."
Cat walked out of the bunkhouse followed by Pete and Thaddeus. She stuck her tongue out at Pete and acted like she was going to start running again. He picked her up, put her over his shoulder and headed for the trough. Joe walked out of the house, saw Pete with Cat and asked, "What's going on Pete? Why have you got little sister over your shoulder?"
"She was getting a little sassy and acting like she was about to start running. I thought a cold bath would cure those problems."
"Oh ok. Have fun. Just be careful of her rib and don't roll her in the dirt like you use to do to me when I was a boy. Pa's not home and Hoss and I don't want to have to listen to Hop Sing yell because Cat won't have time for a bath before supper."
Pete laughed. "What do you mean when you were a boy? As far as I'm concerned you are still a boy and I will put you over my knees before taking you to your Pa anytime I need to. Now, are you going to come and get this wild thing or do I need to put it in the trough before feeding it to that black colt?"
"Nah, you can keep it. If I take it, I'll either have to push it on the swing or let it beat me at checkers. Just make sure it's dry before supper or I'll let Hop Sing come out and yell at you."
"I'm not afraid of Hop Sing."
"You sure acted like you were the last time you put me in the trough and rolled me in the dirt just before supper. Adam, Hoss, and I had a good laugh at you running away from Hop Sing when he was chasing you with his spoon. I also seem to remember Pa making you heat the water for my bath and wash my clothes."
Thaddeus and the other hands who had been in the bunkhouse could barely contain their laughter at the thought of Pete running away from Hop Sing and his spoon. Cat didn't even try. Pete pretended to growl. "Just remember whose arms you're in brat. You can always go in the trough head first."
"No you won't because I'll tell Hop Sing you were mean to me. Then he'll chase you with his spoon again."
"Joseph Francis Cartwright, you are a bad influence on your little sister. You should not be telling her stories about Hop Sing chasing me with his spoon. By doing that, you are putting ideas into her head that should not be there." All of the men standing around could no longer contain their laughter. Pete pretended to growl at the men and threatened to give them the worst possible jobs for the next month. Then he carried Cat out to the pasture, opened the gate and carried her inside. He set her down, gave her a swat and said, "That's just to remind you of what will happen the next time you're caught running before the doctor says you can." Then he looked at her puppies and said, "You two need to keep her out of trouble."
Pete walked back through the gate where Thaddeus was standing. "It sure is nice to see her healthy and active. When Joshua and I first found her, we weren't sure if she was going to live. Did she really try and go into a pasture to play with a bull?"
"Oh yes. Ben and Adam were in Sacramento and Hoss was busy keeping sixteen year old Joe from getting into trouble, so I dealt with her myself. It was the same with the wild horses. Cat knows that I will deal with her once without telling Ben but if she gets caught doing the same thing again, I will deal with her and then take her to Ben."
"Did she ever test you?"
"Yes, I caught Cat trying to go back into the bull's pasture several days later. I put her over my knees, warmed her bottom good and then took her to Ben. She was not a very happy little girl when he finished with her and he made her even more miserable by not letting her ride her pony for a week. I think that made more of an impression on her than the spankings did. I know that little girl has not yet begun testing her boundaries. Wait until she's allowed to ride around the ranch without someone with her. I predict that she'll be going off on her own without letting anyone know where she's going. One thing we're going to need to watch for is she likes jumping her horse over fences. Ben told me that her uncle punished her for it several times but she still does it."
"Great. I risked my life to save hers but she wants to risk breaking her neck by jumping a horse over fences."
"She's nine Thaddeus. She isn't afraid of anything, thinks she won't get hurt and doesn't believe anyone when they tell her she can."
"What should I do with her if I catch her doing something potentially dangerous?"
"I'll talk to Ben when I get the chance but until I do, bring Cat to me. You saved her life so you have at least earned the right to give her a good scolding and a swat. She's only been here two weeks and doesn't know her way around yet, so it will be a while before she gets into much mischief. She'll also be starting school soon and that will give her less time to get into mischief. I've known her all of her life and she's really a sweet kid but she's wilder than Little Joe ever was. From what I understand, she had a lot of freedom in Dodge and once she's been here a while, I can guarantee that she is going to rebel as hard as she can against the restrictions that will be placed on her. The problem is that Cat is so much like Joe, Ben forgets she hasn't lived her all of her life. He needs to explain the rules to her before he starts punishing her for breaking them. If he doesn't, we're going to see a lot of fireworks and Cat may try to make her way back to Dodge or her other uncle in Arizona."
"I sure hope she doesn't try doing that. The trail is dangerous enough for a grown man. It will be double or triple that for a nine year old child traveling alone."
"I know, that's why I plan to talk to Ben as much as possible and keep reminding him that Cat has grown up a lot differently than his sons and he's got to give her time to adjust to the way things are done here. Now, let's see what she's taught that colt to do. Cat, show us what you've taught Fury to do."
Cat showed them everything she had taught Fury to do and they were amazed at the progress she had made in only two weeks. Then, to their surprise, she picked her puppies up, put them on Fury's back and started to walk around the pasture. Pete and Thaddeus laughed as Fury put his chin on Cat's shoulder and walked around the pasture with the puppies on his back.