Bellingwood Book 10 Vignettes (Bellingwood Vignettes 2) Read online

  Leia sat back up and then leaped to the floor.

  "Where are you going?"

  "Tall-lady is crying again."

  "So?"

  "So she needs me."

  "Alpha barky-thing is with her. He can take care of her. He always does," Luke said, jumping down to walk beside her.

  "She needs me, too. Tall-man can't fix this."

  He brushed against her as they walked through the doorway. "Did you see the brown thing jump across that bar this morning?"

  Leia stopped mid-stride and sat down to lick her front paw. She looked up at him. "Do you mean the squirrel on the branch? Seriously, Luke, pay attention. I know it's a different language, but if we are ever going to communicate with Tall-lady and Tall-man, we have to learn their words."

  "You learn their words. If I learn them, I'll have to do something about it."

  "You know the words 'treat', 'food' and 'come here.'"

  "I'll admit to knowing the words 'treat' and 'food,' but anything else means I have to respond. I'm my own man, you know," he said, arching his back.

  Leia jumped to the back of the sofa and brushed her face across Tall-lady's neck to let the woman know she was there.

  Both barky-things were already trying to get into the woman's lap, the younger one making a complete fool of himself. She agreed with Marc ... no, Luke. That one was a mess. So stupid and slobbery. He'd do anything to get his people to pay attention. At least the alpha was dignified. Well, except when he turned over on his back so they'd rub his belly.

  She smiled to herself. Belly rubs weren't the worst thing in the world. Luke hated having anyone touch his belly. Tall-lady tried a couple of times and he scratched her both times. Leia scolded him, but he refused to feel bad about it. The person should know automatically that he hated that. He wasn't a barky-thing.

  "Stupid young barky-thing got in trouble this morning," Luke said. He'd perched on the table between the sofas.

  "What do you mean?" she asked.

  "Alpha barky-thing told him not to go into the place where they dig up dirt and pull out random green branchy grass, but he wouldn't listen. I don't know why they don't know any better."

  "Who?"

  "Tall-people. Stupid barky-thing is too young to know where's he's supposed to go. Just look at him. He even looks stupid, that tongue hanging out. You wouldn't catch me doing that."

  "You're being awfully judgmental today."

  He hunched down and put his head between his front paws. "They kept me up late last night. That's what you get when I'm not allowed to sleep. Tall-lady tossed and turned and turned and tossed. Do you know that she kicked me in the head once? I nearly bit her on the ankle, but that would have required me to move."

  "It was a long night," Leia agreed. "You could try to sleep now."

  "Right here? With nobody to keep me warm? Have you lost your mind?"

  "They look like they're going to sit still for a while. Climb up on Alpha barky-thing. He's used to you sleeping on his back."

  Luke sprang from his seated position and landed on barky-thing's back. He opened and closed his claws a few times in the thick fur and looked up at Leia with a smirk. "That's perfect. He likes it when I massage him."

  "He's just patient," she said. "And because he's a barky-thing, he tries to make everybody happy." She stretched out along the back of the sofa and nestled in against Tall-lady's shoulders. "Do you ever wish you knew what they were saying?" she asked.

  "You're the one who pays attention." Luke settled in on the Alpha barky-thing. She heard his breathing slow down.

  "But both barky-things know more of their words than we do."

  Luke looked up. "Maybe their language is closer to human than ours. I don't understand a single word these big lugs say. It's 'bark bark' this and 'bark bark' that. And it's always so loud. And what's up with those other cat smells they bring into the house, by the way. Then there are those other smells from something really, really big. Probably those huge brown four legged things that let the humans sit on their backs. Sometimes I can't stop my nose from sniffing."

  "Sometimes it smells like poop."

  "Not my poop," he said. "Tall-lady is constantly taking mine away." She heard laughter in his voice. "But do you remember when stupid barky-thing thought it would be fun to eat my poop? Stupid barky-thing. It's my poop! You're not supposed to eat that." He stood up, arched his back and lay down again. "Just goes to show how ridiculous these big animals are."

  "Why's that?"

  "You heard me. They eat poop."

  "But they get to go everywhere with Tall-lady and Tall-man."

  "Trust me, Cleo..."

  "Leia," she whispered.

  "Whoever. Trust me. I got out once and it was the scariest thing I've ever done."

  "I remember that. You hid under the bed for the next day."

  "I did not." He stood back up and batted at her tail. "Take that back."

  "No." Leia turned to face him. "You hid under the bed," she taunted

  Luke reached up and wrapped his front paws around her neck to pull her down beside him. Leia wasn't having any of that. She hissed at him and swatted at his face. When he wouldn't let go, she let herself fall on top of him and grabbed his shoulder with her teeth.

  "Stop that," Tall-lady said in a very loud voice.

  The barky-thing stood up and let them fall to the floor. Both cats landed on their feet and shook themselves. Leia sat down and licked her front paw, Luke stretched out beside her and yawned.

  "You understood those words," Leia said.

  He stood up and rubbed against Tall-lady's leg. She reached down, picked him up, and held him in her arms, stroking her hand down his back.

  "It's all in how you respond," he replied, purring.

  Leia waited until Alpha barky-thing settled in again and jumped up to tuck herself in between him and Tall-Lady. She purred, waiting for Tall-Lady to pat her head.

  Soon both cats fell asleep. She dreamed about warm sunshine and stretched out, then woke up when Luke settled in beside her. Alpha barky-thing turned his head and gave a sloppy lick across her head. That was going to take some cleanup, but she'd do it later. Now was a good time to sleep.

  THANK YOU FOR READING!

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