If I would have known of the adventure about to befall me, I might have convinced my mistress to stay with her parents. The appeal of Peaceful Valley was too good to pass for mistress. She had been looking for an apartment for over a year. Finding an affordable one at Peaceful Valley was a blessing. I wasn't going to ruin her dream. Stretching, I looked through the window of the Jeep; it was beautiful on the outside. Meadows were perfectly green, trees had all their leaves, even ducklings were following their mother. Mistress picked a lovely place to move too. She had great taste in places. It didn't seem to bother her that there were farms that surrounded the apartment vacancy. Of course, she was a veterinarian technician. Her job revolved around animals.
Mistress? She rescued me from my abusive owner a year ago. My previous owner had taken me to the closest veterinarian in the town. Walking in to the office, I had heard a gasp. She had saw me in all my pitiful glory. Limping, ribs showing, left eye matted shut, I was the pantheon of pathetic. After my visit, she had called animal control about my condition. Eventually, I found my way into her arms. Afraid, she had made me warm up to her. She would allow me to lie in her lap while she read books out loud. I enjoyed her company. She's kind hearted, thoughtful, smart, and, overall, the greatest mistress a feline could ever ask from a human. Her name was Carmen Leslie. Yes, I know, it was a weird last name. I like being Miscrit Leslie. Miscrit? Oh, that's my new name. I didn't really have a name before Carmen adopted me. I was known as that stupid cat. It was a nice to have an owner that is caring toward animals.
"Isn't it beautiful, Miscrit?" mistress asked.
Looking through the window, I saw the apartment complex that was my new home. It was surrounded by tall oak trees, beautiful bird baths, not to mention a nice, shady patio that one could snooze on for hours. Meowing in response to mistress' question, I jumped through the open window when she electronically rolled it down for me. My priority was to search to the very borders of the property. I wanted to explore. I wanted to learn. I wanted to know everything there was to know about this unbelievably wonderful place.
"Something smells."
I lifted my snout to the sky to try and pinpoint the smell that was wavering toward me. It had that dead smell to it which it was something to worry. Not able to pinpoint the smell, I continued to explore the property of the apartment complex. I wanted to know every nook, cranny, and hole on the grounds of the apartment complex. A cat, as myself, had to know where everything was and is at the moment. Maybe it was my kitty OCD. I figured I had some kind of OCD. Can cats have OCD? I sat on my hind legs as I pondered this very question. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, was I able to have this disorder? My tail flicked ever so slightly as I tried to answer this question. The distraction had made me forget all about my mission of that terrible smell. Now, I had to wonder, can cats have ADD? I seem to be distracted a lot when these types of questions seem to fill my head. I sat in that one spot, underneath the shaded oak tree, trying to answer my own asked questions. Sometimes I wondered how I even got around. I never got anything done.
"Miscrit, dinner time! Your fish will get cold," shouted mistress.
Not one to miss fish for dinner, I started toward the apartment. Walking past a busier then usual bush, my nose picked the scent of that horrible dead smell. The smell in which I had forgotten with my ADD questions. Putting black nose to ground, I started to follow the scent. I discreetly heard mistress calling my name. I'll be for dinner in a few minutes. I never miss fish night! Walking farther into the brush, the smell had become stronger; so strong, that my nose scrunched in disgust. Sneezing loudly, I cleaned my sensitive thing. Looking at the thorns of the bush, I had failed to recognize the thick liquid that flowed between my paws. The metallic smell caught my attention. Looking at my paws, I jumped in shock. Shaking my paws, I tried to clean the blood off my fur.
"Blood? Why is there blood here?" my quiet voice rang. "Was somebody hunting?"
Getting over the fact that blood was staining my beautiful brown fur, I pressed through the thorny bushes. At that time, I swore my green eyes would have popped out of my head at the scene. A Rottweiler was staring at me with glassy, lifeless eyes. Dried blood (and fresh blood mind you) was around areas of wound infliction. I grimaced at the sight of it. Scars indicated that this canine was operated on at one point, or maybe he was beaten then got stitches. I've gotten stitches for accidentally playing too close to the lawn mower; however, most stitches were done by my owner. These scars looked professional. Looking around it, I spotted something on the back of the head. A bump was starting to form. Somebody had smacked him hard on the head with a blunt object. Kill him? Maybe. Knock him out? Most likely. Needle attached to hind leg? That was weird. Was something given to him? It wasn't anesthesia; otherwise, they wouldn't have smacked him over the head. A drug was being given to him at his time of death. A allergic reaction? Possiblity.
"Another one? They need to stop putting dead carcasses in my woods."
"Another one? Do others look like this poor guy?"
"All the time, feline."
I titled my head at the grey wolf in front of me. He seemed to be the alpha of his pack the way he held himself. He had a nick in his ear which meant he fought for his position. Good for him. His yellowish eyes looked at the dead dog, before turning to leave. Blinking, I darted in front of him. Very rash for a smart cat. He looked down upon me. I started to shiver slightly. I didn't like canines. Wolves would absolutely terrify me. The wolf gave a low laugh as he sat on his hindquarters. My head only tilted farther to the side.
"Never had a feline so brave, cat," he chuckled. "I could have you for lunch."
"It's dinner not lunch," I corrected him. "And, I want to know more about these dead … carcasses … as you so kindly put it."
"New?"
I shook my head in a upward movement. I just moved here. Of course, I'm not going to understand the goings on of Peaceful Valley. The wolf stood once again. As he walked around me, I saw his tail sway in amusement. Walking into the darker part of the woods, his head turned toward my position. I didn't stare at him. I kept staring at the dead body in front of me. Something wasn't right. Somebody was experimenting on this poor dog. Did the owner know about these experiments? Malpractice? The wolf chuckled as if he saw the gears turning in my head.
"Not all is peaceful in Peaceful Valley, miss kitty," he commented. "I suggest you stay out of the goings on in this town."
With that odd advice, he ran off into the woods. He probably had a pack to take care of at the moment. It was spring time after all. Speaking of spring time, it is the time of year when I wished mistress would have spayed me. This insatiable thirst for …. no, no …. I'm not going to go there. It would show soon enough. Shaking my paws, I started walking toward the apartment complex. My mission about the smell was a success. Only, a bigger mystery had unraveled itself before me. What have I gotten myself into? Why do I always over calculate these things? Is it my nature, or my desire to learn new things like a human? I should take a vacation. Stretching my back legs, I started to clean myself from the blood that stained my fur. I do not need mistress to worry.
"Miscrit, your dinner is getting cold!"
Of course, I always worry her when I explore. She doesn't seem to understand I will come back to her. I need my space. I need my knowledge. I need to know things that I shouldn't have gotten my nose into in the first place. I hadn't realized that the wolf's odd advice had been correct in itself. I should have stopped while I was ahead. Nothing was peaceful in Peaceful Valley. Funny how names seem to misinterpret themselves. One should really work on naming towns names that fit them. Maybe the animals could teach them a thing or two? Walking into the apartment, I saw my fish on the floor. Sitting beside it, I bent to eat the fish. It was just right. The flesh wasn't too hard too tear, yet it was not too soft. The meat was juicy. I liked when the meat was juicy in fish. I like in mice as well. That thought was form the mouse that scurried across the floor.
"No wonder mistress go this place so cheap," I purred. "It has a mouse infestation. I'll take care of that problem. Mouse hunting is a good hobby. It gives great exercise."
The mouse heard my voice as it squeaked away into a mouse hole. I rolled my eyes as I continued to eat the fish. Great, now it will tell the others a cat is in the apartment. They'll try to sneak past me. Well, I'm a great hunter. They'll never know when I will clamp my jaws around their heads, waists, and even tails. I liked grabbing them by their tail. I could swing them around while they squeaked and squirmed. Finishing my fish, I licked my lips then cleaned my paws. I'm a neat freak. OCD? Back to that question. Walking into the living room, I hopped onto mistress' lap. She started to pet me as I purred. Rolling onto my side, she got the hint to pet my stomach. My life was good. Why was I worried about such things as dead dogs lying in the woods? Actually, why was I interested in it in the first place? My tail twitched in annoyance. I shouldn't have to worry. I just moved here. Mistress wouldn't allow anything to happen to me. Actually, I wonder which clinic she is working with now. She had to move jobs with the apartment move. Maybe I can convince her to take me tomorrow. I'm sure the clinic wouldn't mind a cat wondering around. I'm great company. Drifting to sleep, I purred from the attention. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day. I should get my rest. Who knows what I will find at the clinic?
