[One] An Unexpected DiscoveryThe aggravating cat had managed to evade him for over an hour. Sable had been searching in all the places he might have expected to find a cat, but to no avail. He had decided to try the park next. It was there he had finally tracked the cat down. He stood at the base of an old oak tree trying to peer into the dense foliage. Had he seen the leaves shake? It might not have been caused by his target, but he was hopeful. He scanned the branches slowly and methodically. There.
The trouble started nearly two hours earlier. His young neighbor, Sadie, had come to his door teary-eyed begging for help. Her indoor cat, Max, had escaped. The seven-year-old hadn’t known what to do. Sadie was his friend and he knew she feared that her cat wouldn’t know how to find his way home. Sable thought the cat would be just fine, but he had been unable to deny the child’s request.
Between the branches of the ancient oak, Sable could make out Max’s yellow-eyed glare. His body was hidden from sight by the leaves, but there were very few animals out there that could glare as hatefully as Max. He was the most hideous, vicious cat Sable had ever encountered, but he adored Sadie and was the model pet in her presence. Removing him from the tree would be difficult.
“
I don’t suppose you’ll just come down?” Sable called up without much hope. Max hissed.
This is going to be fun, he thought. Did Sadie have to keep such a foul tempered beast? Sadie was a sweetheart tended to collect outcasts and misfits. Normally this was something Sable respected, but it complicated things sometimes.
Sable circled the base of the tree looking for the best way to ascend. Climbing trees was not his forte, but he didn’t feel he had very much choice in the matter. He had to retrieve Max somehow. Up he went. While towards the bottom the branches were fairly thick, the higher in the tree he went the thinner the branches were. It was beginning to get a little precarious. He perched on a slightly sturdier branch across from the branch Max had retreated to. The cat yowled angrily at his approach.
Max was a mean old tomcat, but he was more defensive than Sable had expected. His behavior reminded Sable of mothers protecting their helpless young. What are you up to Max? There was a glint of light coming from the cat’s paws and sunlight trickled past branches to illuminate whatever the cat was hiding. Feeling ridiculous to speak to the cat, Max obviously wasn’t going to understand what was said, but hoping a calm voice would soothe the cat’s ire, Sable spoke. “
Sadie’s worried about you, you know. You should be on your way home. I’ll look after your shiny toy. It’s ok…”
A freezing wind suddenly blasted through the tree. Max took off again and Sable reflexively grabbed nearby branches to keep from falling from his already capricious place in the tree. Where had that come from? The new chill in the air caused Sable to shiver. Odd, very odd. But with Max now gone, Sable could see what the tom had been hiding.
A bottle was safely nested between interlocking branches. Curiosity had Sable reaching for it before he consciously knew what he was doing and was met by the icy wind. It swirled protectively around the bottle a moment longer before dissipating. Frowning, he looked over the bottle curiously. The bottle gave off a near-sentient presence. He could quite determine which emotion he swore was coming from the bottle itself. Wariness maybe?
The bottle itself was small and rested easily in his palm. It appeared to be made out of clear crystal, or something akin to it. A golden colored cork plugged the top. Black stripes swirled around the inner edge of the bottle, obscuring his view of the inside. Not that the contents were very clear to begin with. It looked like a miniature snow storm raged inside. In the center was a vague outline. A cat of some sort?
Did Max feel a connection with this thing? Sable mused feeling a little out of touch with reality.
All in all, it was fascinating. He couldn’t wait till he got home and would be able to examine it in greater detail. Ah, what about Max though? “
I’ll check in at Sadie’s first,” he said aloud, “
then home.” He loved to figure out how things worked and the bottle promised to be engrossing. Responsibilities had to be the highest priority though. He had to wonder though: How had Max found it in the first place? And what was with the cold wind that had seemingly shielded it?
With questions rolling through his mind, Sable’s concentration on descending wasn’t not focused enough to avoid falling out of the tree. His chosen branch was too slender for his weight and the tree limb splintered dropping Sable to the ground. Darkness embraced him.
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