“Let’s go rescue this Princess,” Bogey said.
Ranger grinned while his Mom unzipped his cage. “This reminds me of the time I launched an assault on a border collie who’d been eating my food. He didn’t stand a chance either.” He gave us a quick salute as his Mom picked him up. “See you guys soon.”
Funny, but I was pretty sure Ranger was really enjoying this whole rescue. I only wished I felt the same way.
Bogey and I watched as Ranger’s Mom cuddled him and smoothed down his fur. His Mom was a skinny, blonde lady with a musical laugh.
“Is my little snuggle-uggums ready to go?” she said. She talked to him just like he was a little baby.
Ranger rolled his eyes and a minute later, they were off. I wondered if he would win another ribbon in this round.
Then Gracie unzipped our cage. She put her hand on my head and started to scratch behind my ears. And wouldn’t you know it, she started talking baby talk to me, too. Holy Catnip! I felt like rolling my own eyes.
“Now, Buckley,” she said. “This time you’ll just have to wait here while Bogey goes for his competition. Because you know what happened last time. You got away from me. And if I ever lost you, my heart would be broken in half.”
I noticed her eyes suddenly drooped and she looked pretty sad. “That’s because I love you, Buckley.”
I already knew she did, but it’s always nice to hear. I gave her a kiss on the nose to let her know I loved her, too.
Now my Mom looked into our cage. “You’ll be okay, Buckley. We won’t be gone long.”
She picked up Bogey, and he waved goodbye. “See you soon, kid!”
“Good luck!” I meowed. “I hope you win another ribbon!” I tried to salute him, but I only ended up poking myself in the nose.
“I’ll be flying through that course, kid,” came his response.
My Mom started to zip up our cage. And I quickly sneaked a cat toy into the exact spot where Bogey had told me. As I did, I kept meowing and looking up into my Mom’s eyes. Just to distract her.
It must have worked, because my Mom smiled at me. “We’ll be back as soon as we can, Buckley. Why don’t you take a nice nap?”
Hmmm . . . A nap sure sounded good to me. But I knew I’d have to postpone it. Because right now I had a job to do.
I watched while my Mom carried Bogey to the end of our row. Gracie skipped along behind.
Once they were out of sight, I started to pull the cat toy from between the zippers. Just as Bogey had told me, the toy came right out and I now had a little opening between the zippers. The rest would be easy to open with my big front paws.
I was about to start wriggling the opening wider when I heard a voice calling from the cage next door.
“Good afternoon. Would you please lift up your curtain?” asked the Siamese in the cage next to ours.
I could hardly believe it. The minute I needed to make my secret escape, the cat next door finally decided to be friendly. It was definitely not part of Bogey’s plan.
Suddenly my heart began to pound. Because one thing was for sure — I needed to get rid of this guy. And fast. For once, I was going to have to think on my paws. Just like Bogey would.
I lifted my curtain to talk.
The sleek Siamese smirked at me. “I thought perhaps you’d like to know how a real champion acts. After all, I’ve already won a red and a purple ribbon. Perhaps you and your flea-bait friend might now realize that you’re out of your league and go home.”
I gave him my most innocent smile. “A purple and a red? You’ve only won a purple and a red ribbon? I’m so sorry for you. In case you didn’t notice, we’ve got three blue ribbons attached to our cage.”
His eyes went wide. “You’ve got what . . . “ Then he looked up at the top of our cage. “It can’t be . . . I don’t believe it . . .” With that, he just hissed at me and disappeared behind his curtain.
My ploy had worked! Thank goodness he was gone. I laughed and let my curtain fall again. But not before looking around to see that all the pet Moms and Dads were too busy talking to each other to notice me.
That’s when I made my move. I opened the cage door so I had room enough to sneak out. Then I leaped down from the table and scampered underneath. In a matter of seconds, I was hidden from view. And once again, I was on my own. Doing the job of a cat detective.
I turned and started making my way toward Amelia’s cage. My heart was pounding so loud that I could hardly hear anything else. All the while, thoughts of the Princess raced through my mind. I wanted to rescue her more than anything in the world. Now I only had to convince her to jump and we’d be home free.
Holy Mackerel!
CHAPTER 10
Holy Catnip!
I’m sure I must have made record time as I raced to Amelia’s cage. I went from hiding beneath the tables to practically flying across each row. But as you probably guessed, I took a good look around each time before I went zooming across those open spaces. After all, I couldn’t risk having anyone see me. Otherwise I might have been caught and put back into my cage. Then I wouldn’t have been in place to do my part of the plan.
And if I wasn’t there to do my part, well . . . the Princess might never get rescued!
So this time as I ran along, I had one thing on my mind — stealth! Oh, yes, I had to practically be invisible. Which wasn’t easy for a black cat my size!
Finally, after what felt like hours of running, I got to the table area just beneath Amelia’s cage. I quickly glanced around to make sure her Mom was nowhere in sight.
Then I poked my head up to take a quick peek at her cage. “Pssst! Amelia!” I yelled in my loudest whisper. “Are you home? It’s me, Buckley!”
I saw her orange, black and white arm pull back the door. She stuck her head out. “Buckley! Is that you? What are you doing here?”
“No time for that,” I told her. “Can I come up?”
“Sure,” she nodded. “But hurry!”
And I did just that. With one giant leap I flew right into her cage. She had the door pulled all the way open, and I landed with a thud. Then she quickly put the door back where it was supposed to go.
I turned and looked at her. “Wow, when you said your door was broken, well . . . you weren’t kidding!”
She refastened the pieces of scotch tape that had been holding it together. “Nope, I wasn’t kidding. The zipper broke first thing this morning. But my Mom figured I wasn’t going anywhere. Even if the door wasn’t completely latched right.”
Then she turned to me. “So what’s going on? Are you about to rescue the Princess?”
“Uh-huh,” I nodded. “Bogey and our new friend, Ranger, are going to get away from their Moms when they come back from their competitions. They’re going to hide, and then they’re going after the Count. I’m supposed to convince the Princess to jump off her pillow and go with me.”
Amelia’s eyes went wide. “Oh, Buckley. You are so brave.”
I looked at the floor. “Thanks for saying that. But I’m not always so brave. It’s something I’m still working on. Someday I hope to be half as brave as Bogey.”
She put her paw on my shoulder. “Remember what you told me this morning? You told me lots of things are scary the first time you do them. Then you get used to them and they’re not so scary any more. Maybe you’ll get used to being a cat detective and rescuing cats all the time.”
I tilted my head and thought about that for a moment. “Maybe I will. Maybe when I’m no longer a rookie, maybe there will be some things that I’m not scared about any more.”
“I’ll bet you’ll be the best cat detective ever,” she told me.
I smiled at her. “Thanks, that helps a bunch. But right now, I’d better get ready for the next part of our plan.”
“Can I help?” she asked.
I crouched down and peered out from her cage. I tried to stay as low as I could, so no one would see me. “Sure. You can help me watch for the Princess to come back from he
r competition.”
Amelia moved closer to the door and crouched down, too. “I’d be happy to.”
It seemed like a year passed before I saw a black streak zoom under the table beneath the Princess’ cage.
I pointed my paw in that direction. “Look! There went Bogey! He’s in position!” Suddenly my heart started to pound really loud inside my chest.
“Is that what that was?” Amelia whispered. “Wow, he’s so fast.”
I nodded. “I know. That’s why he won the last round at the Agility Competition.”
“Awesome,” Amelia breathed.
Seconds later, a beige cat scampered beneath the table to join Bogey.
I sat up and leaned forward. “There’s Ranger. He’s in place, too.”
“Wow,” Amelia gasped. “I never knew a rescue could be so exciting.”
To tell you the truth, neither did I! Because, right then and there, I was so wired I could hardly sit still. And at the same time, I felt like a whole swarm of butterflies were flapping inside my stomach.
Holy Catnip!
“Okay,” I told Amelia, “the Princess should be coming any minute now. Keep your eyes peeled!”
“You got it,” she answered.
Seconds later, we both saw the Count stroll around the corner. As always, he carried the Princess on her pink satin pillow. He was busy talking to everyone, and showing off the Princess’ new blue ribbon.
That meant she must have won her round again. And it also meant the Count was distracted. He would never see us coming.
“There she is,” Amelia whispered.
“Yup,” I gulped. It was time to do my part. I stood up and I noticed I was shaking just a little bit. But I knew I couldn’t let something like that stop me.
“Thanks for hiding me,” I told Amelia. “I’ve got to go to work now.”
She pulled her cage door back for me. “Good luck, Buckley. I’ll be rooting for you!”
With those words, I quickly jumped down to the floor and scooted just beneath the table.
Then I took a deep breath and worked up every bit of courage I could muster. “Princess!” I meowed. “Princess Alexandra! Over here! It’s Buckley!”
Her ears perked up and she turned her head in my direction. All the while, the Count kept moving closer to her cage.
“Buckley?” she meowed back in her soft, little voice. “Buckley, where are you?”
“Over here,” I answered her. “Under the table.”
She suddenly spotted me and gasped. “Buckley, what are you doing?”
“Never mind that,” I told her. “Right now I need you to jump, Princess. Jump off your pillow and join me.”
Lucky for us, the Count had stopped to talk to another person. That meant he hadn’t even noticed me or Bogey or Ranger.
The Princess crouched down on her pillow. “Jump? I can’t jump. I’m too scared.”
I stepped out from under the table just a little. “Don’t be scared, Princess. Just jump. Then come with me.”
“I’ll try, Buckley.” She inched toward the edge of her pillow.
“Hurry,” I told her. “You’ve got to trust me. We need you to jump so we can rescue you.”
Now she began to whimper. “Buckley, I’m too afraid. I can’t do it.”
By now I could see Bogey and Ranger getting into position and ready to pounce. They were just waiting for the Princess to jump before they made their moves. That meant I had to convince her to join me. And fast! Before the Count could figure out what was going on.
“Please,” I told her. “You’ve got to jump. Hurry! You’ve got to jump now!”
“Oh, Buckley,” she said. “I don’t think I can.”
Right then and there, I sure wished I could come up with the right words to say to her. If only I could convince her to make that leap to safety.
I took another step away from the table. “Princess, sometimes I’ve been really scared, too. But I had to take a deep breath and be brave anyway.”
By now the Count had finished chatting and had started to move back toward the Princess’ cage. That’s when I knew we were running out of time. Any second now, he’d toss her into her cage and lock the door. Then we’d never have a chance to rescue her.
So I tried one last time. “Princess. Please. Jump. Now.”
She looked at me with pleading eyes, and sat frozen on her pillow.
I watched while the Count unzipped her cage. Then the strangest thing happened. The Princess suddenly turned and made a flying leap from her pillow at the exact moment when the Count reached down to pick her up.
After that, it seemed like everything happened at once. While she went flying through the air, the Count leaped and dove after her, like a football player trying to catch a football. He got his hands around her middle before they both hit the ground. They landed, and he immediately raised his hand to her, like he was going to hit her. But Bogey grabbed the Count’s ankle and inserted his claws before the Count could strike the Princess. The Count screamed and Ranger let out a screech just before he landed on the Count’s back with his claws fully extended. Then the Count screamed even louder and Ranger jumped beneath the table on Amelia’s side. Bogey joined him there before the Count even rolled over and let go of the Princess.
“I’ve been attacked!” the Count hollered. “Some wild beast has tried to bite my leg off and stab me in the back! Remove these rabid varmints at once!”
All the while, the Princess cowered on the floor. Tears clouded her green eyes.
I jumped up to her. “Princess, please! Come with me, now.”
But she just sat there, huddled and shaking. “Buckley, get out of here. Save yourself! He’ll hurt you, too.”
Then I heard Bogey yell, “Stop, kid! He can see you. Get out of there. Let’s go back to the cage. Hurry!”
But for some reason, I was the one who couldn’t move now. I stood frozen to the spot. There was no way I could leave the Princess. Not when I knew the Count would probably punish her for jumping. Especially since I had been the one who told her to jump.
The Count got to his feet and pointed at me. “You! It’s you again! It’s high time I got rid of you. Once and for all.”
I rose up on all fours, and my fur bristled out and stood on end. I’m sure I probably looked as big as the Sheltie dog who lived down the street from us. Then I stared straight up and into the black eyes of the Count. Without even thinking, I started to growl. Really loud.
Behind me, I felt a little tug on my tail. “Let it go, kid,” Bogey said. “This is a fight for another time. You’re no good to the Princess if you get kicked out of the show. We’ll come up with another plan. A better plan.”
Now Ranger meowed out to me. “Buckley, I may not be a cat detective, but I think Bogey is right. Turn around. You’ll have a chance to save her later.”
Much as I hated to admit it, I knew my friends were right. If I took on the Count right at this moment, I’d probably get kicked out of the cat show. Or worse. Plus, lots of people would take the Count’s side, since they didn’t know the whole story. To them, I would only look like a mean cat, even though I wasn’t the mean one. And my Mom would just have to take me home. Then I’d never have a chance to rescue the Princess.
I looked at the Princess. “Don’t give up,” I whispered. “We’ll be back. But next time, you’ve got to jump when I tell you to. You’ve got to be brave. Okay?”
She nodded. “Okay, Buckley.”
The Count started to walk toward me, like he was going to catch me.
And that’s when I did one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I turned around and zoomed away with my friends. Funny, but all of a sudden it seemed like it took all my strength just to run. Probably because it felt like my heart had sunk clear down to my feet.
But Bogey and Ranger and I raced back to our cages as fast as we could. Of course, we got slowed down each time we had to sneak across a row. Still, we made pretty good time.
“Here’
s the plan,” Bogey said. “Ranger, you wait on the table right next to your cage until your Mom shows up.”
Ranger nodded. “Got it.”
Bogey and I watched him leap up onto the table before we raced underneath.
When we came out on the other side, Bogey leaped onto our table. “Okay, kid, let’s get inside the cage. Then I want you to lay on your back with your feet up in the air. Pretend like you’ve been sound asleep for hours.”
I jumped into the cage. “But won’t our Mom wonder why our cage is unzipped?”
“Maybe,” he said before he flopped down inside. “But she’ll probably think that someone else let me in. Anyway, just hurry! I hear people coming.”
And he wasn’t kidding. Because we could hear the Count yelling louder and louder and coming closer and closer. In between his shouts, we could hear Felicia Fairweather trying to calm him down. And in between that, we could hear our Mom. Boy, oh, boy, did she ever sound mad!
“Enough,” our Mom said, almost like she was spitting out her words. “My longhaired black cat has been in his cage this whole time. He was nowhere near your cat. It’s my shorthaired black cat who has gone missing. After he won another blue ribbon,” she added.
The Count quieted down just slightly. “I think I may have seen a shorthaired black cat there, too. And maybe another cat! That’s it — they’re all in this together! These cats are out to get me!”
“You have got to be kidding,” my Mom told him. “Now you think a whole bunch of cats are ganging up on you? How silly can you be?”
“Madame, let me remind you that you were not present when this all took place. Luckily, I caught you in the main aisle while you were searching for your lost animal. Again. So I am hardly silly, Madame. I am, after all, a Count. You on the other hand, are a mere nobody.”
“A nobody?” my Mom said. “I suspect you don’t really believe that. I suspect the real reason you’re so upset is because both my cats have won two blue ribbons. They might both be in the Best in Show Competition in the end. Either of them might beat out your cat. So maybe you’re just making up stories to get them pulled from the show. Then you can get rid of the competition.”
The Case of the Cat Show Princess Page 8