Emmett and Jez Page 2

  Jez’s face was dotted with slop… but it was all too funny to be mad about! They both laughed it off and continued to groom themselves in their own ways.

  “Come with me. I’ll give you the grand tour of Fosterland,” Jez said proudly after they were both clean. “I know this place like the back of my paw!”

  Emmett trotted along behind his tour guide, looking around and oinking under his breath. He was so excited to begin the day with his new pal. Fosterland seemed to be a safe place for him—with no danger of cars, or unhelpful bees, or loneliness—and Emmett couldn’t wait to see more.

  They zipped through the kingdom, and soon the ground beneath their feet shifted to a new and interesting texture, with little strands of fiber popping up all around. “We’ve reached the first destination on our tour. The grasslands. The floor here feels nice and squishy between your toe beans.”

  Emmett didn’t have toe beans, but he did have an itchy butt, and it turned out that a carpet was the perfect place to scratch it. Emmett shimmied back and forth, shaking his booty all along the floor. “Wow, this is awesome!” he said. “Try it!”

  Jez giggled and gave it a shot. The two of them wiggled across the rug, looking like a couple of squirmy worms dancing to their favorite music. “Woo-hoo! Scratching your butt is awesome!” Jez said, and they high-fived.

  Emmett spotted a crinkly ball across the way and ran toward it at full speed, bopping it across the floor with his snout. “Think fast!” he called out as he hurled the ball toward Jez, who leapt into the air and pounced atop the toy.

  The two of them dribbled the ball back and forth—Emmett with his nose and Jez with his paws—chasing and pouncing and laughing with glee. “Soccer is a foster kitten favorite!” Jez exclaimed.

  As they moved along, they entered a tropical zone. “Ooh, this is another landmark for you to know about. This is the sun box,” Jez explained. “Us babies need to stay warm. If you ever feel chilly, you just come over here and sun your buns!”

  Emmett smiled and closed his eyes as he stood in front of the heater, which was sending warmth into the room. “I could get used to this,” he said, melting into a happy little puddle.

  Prancing along, Jez continued with his tour. “Oh, and over here is Mount Couch. It’s not easy to get to the top, but I hear once you reach it, the view is awesome.”

  Emmett looked from side to side but didn’t see Mount Couch. “Where is it? I don’t see any mountain.”

  “Look up!” Jez said.

  “What’s ‘up’?” Emmett replied.

  “Not too much. How about you?” Jez laughed and laughed. “No, really, do you mean to tell me you’ve never looked up?” he asked, gesturing toward the sky with his paws.

  Emmett strained his neck to the side. The truth is, he was about as bendy as a raw potato, so it was hard for him to look toward the ceiling. He spent almost all his time focusing on the ground level, so it had never even occurred to him that there were things higher than his line of sight. Twisting his chunky body, he got a quick glimpse of the mountaintop, and he oinked with surprise. “Wow! There’s an up!”

  “Oh yeah, big-time. And us cats are all about ‘up.’ I for one can’t wait to be big enough to climb Mount Couch.”

  Us cats are all about “up,” Emmett thought to himself. Noted.

  They continued exploring different rooms as Jez showed Emmett all the coolest spots in Fosterland. Over the slippery tiles, through the long hallways, into the cracks and crevices where all the cat toys go to hide. They snuck into the sneakiest of spots, and Jez warned of the dangers in the land.

  “Don’t chew the snakes that come out of the wall. That’s one thing the food fairy really does not like. I know how tempting it is, because we are hunters, but listen… just don’t chew the snakes, okay?” Emmett looked at the snakes, and he had no desire to chew them anyway.

  “Next stop: the rain forest!” Jez said, raising his eyebrows and gesturing grandly. “Right this way. Here we have a region with rather humid weather and a frequent pattern of precipitation. Once a day it rains hot water from the corner over there, and—get this—the food fairy stands right underneath the stream! It’s a little strange, but it always smells like fresh flowers afterward, so it’s kind of nice if you ask me. Seems like the rain must have just stopped…,” he said, checking the air with a raised paw.

  As Emmett entered the bathroom, he stumbled upon a big mirror, which was foggy with steam. He glanced into the glass and saw a blobby pink shape. He scooted away from it. He didn’t want to remember being a pig, or how it felt to be sitting on the side of that busy road. His pig days were over. He was a foster kitten now!

  “What’s next?” Emmett asked as he sprinted quickly out of the room.

  “I suppose I should tell you about the wise black panther you’ll see sometimes,” Jez said, gesturing toward a shiny black cat resting against a windowpane. “That’s Coco the Elder Cat. Her amber eyes have witnessed the whole history of this land, and she knows truths you and I can’t even begin to understand. She’s kind of… a historian of sorts. But you mustn’t bother her. She only speaks to us foster kittens when the time is right.”

  Coco the Elder Cat peered in their direction, and Emmett nodded shyly. “Understood.”

  * * *

  They walked around the corner and saw the food fairy opening a large brown package. “Oh, buddy. I’ve got a huge surprise for you,” Jez said, his eyes wide. “Have you ever seen a cardboard box?”

  “No. What is it? What’s inside?” Emmett asked. Jez seemed to know so much, and Emmett knew so little, but he couldn’t wait to know more.

  “Oh, the food fairy receives these big brown boxes full of stuff that she thinks we need, but honestly, it’s not about what’s inside the box. It’s about the box. Just wait until you see how cool these things are!”

  They bounced over to the box, which the food fairy had opened. Inside, it was filled with carpeted squares and scratching posts, which meant absolutely nothing to Emmett and Jez. “You have to ask yourself why they would ruin a perfectly good box by filling it with all this nonsense,” Jez said.

  The food fairy pulled out the different parts and began screwing them together, building something. But Emmett and Jez cared only about one thing.

  Diving into the empty cardboard!

  “It’s a wrestling ring! Come on in, if you dare!” Jez teased, hopping swiftly inside the box.

  Emmett tried to enter with one smooth jump, but his tummy got caught on the side, so he tumble-fell into the box, head over hooves. Inside this exciting new arena, he could feel his inner fighter starting to emerge.

  He huffed and puffed. Jez wiggled his butt.

  “Oh, it’s on!”

  Emmett ran full speed at Jez, but Jez hopped out of the way. Emmett spun around and around, bumping his blocky head into Jez. Jez pounced on Emmett’s back with both front paws, and Emmett squealed and stomped in a circle, full of energy. “Catch me if you can!”

  Jez and Emmett were darting around the box, wrestling, nibbling, and chasing. They were a surprisingly even pair. Sure, Jez had claws, but Emmett had a strong snout that packed a powerful punch. It was anyone’s match!

  Jez came in with a left-paw swipe, then bunny-kicked Emmett in the belly with his back foot. Emmett’s little legs were wiggling and wiggling until he broke free and then headbutted Jez straight into the air until he thought he would hit the ceiling! Jez landed on all three legs and held out one paw.

  “Tie?” Jez panted.

  “Tie,” agreed Emmett, who was both beaming and totally out of breath.

  They flopped against the cardboard and lay in the box side by side, exhilarated and exhausted. Jez draped his arm over Emmett and said, “You know what, Emmett? You’re my best friend.”

  “You’re my best friend, too,” Emmett oinked with a smile.

  The food fairy reached into the box with one giant hand and gave chin scratches to Jez, who was leaning into her hand. With the other hand, s
he began to rub Emmett’s tummy, and he promptly rolled sideways and closed his eyes. In his mind was just one thought: I wish that I could feel this happy forever.

  Jez looked over to his friend, who seemed to enjoy being scratched in weird places like his belly, chest, and even his armpits! “Doesn’t that tickle?” Jez whispered, but Emmett was zoned out, and with his eyes closed, he answered only with a smile. Swept up in the comforting feeling of friendship and belly rubs, he let out a peaceful sigh and drifted off to sleep.

  CHAPTER 5 New Heights

  Yawn! Emmett stretched out his hooves over the edge of the fluffy cloud bed as beams of light shone down on another day in Fosterland. He’d watched the sun rise and fall several times now, and he was starting to feel right at home. But each morning, he couldn’t help but notice that the bed was somehow getting smaller. He rolled to his side, squishing Jez slightly. “Sorry! Sheesh, does it seem like the bed is shrinking?” Emmett muttered.

  Jez peeled himself out from underneath Emmett’s belly, which had squashed his hair flat against his body and revealed that underneath all that long fur, he was actually a little smaller than his friend now. “You’re just growing,” Jez said as he shook his body, fluffing out his coat. “We both are!”

  Emmett wasn’t so sure how to feel about growing, but if Jez was okay with it, then he supposed it must be all right. As long as he was still a foster kitten in Fosterland with Jez, Emmett felt like everything would be just fine.

  After gobbling up breakfast side by side, Jez told Emmett, “Today’s the big day. The day we try to climb Mount Couch. Are you with me?”

  Emmett felt a squiggly feeling in his tummy. Was it nerves, or had he overeaten? Either way, he was feeling uncertain about this whole climbing ordeal, but he didn’t want to let his friend down. Emmett nodded, and Jez began to prepare him for the journey.

  “Emmett, this is a feat only a truly skilled kitten can achieve. If we’re going to do this right, we have to start by training. Follow me.” As if he were teaching a gym class, Jez began to lunge and stretch, calling out orders to Emmett, who was trying desperately to keep up. “Aaaand lunge and stretch, and lunge and stretch. Let’s really see those claws, Emmett! Pick up the pace!”

  Emmett felt silly, but he lunged nonetheless, looking down at his toes, which were hooved—not clawed. “I’m not so sure about this,” Emmett said as he tripped over himself.

  But Jez kept on going. “Okay, next we need to practice our leaps. If we’re going to scale Mount Couch, we’re going to need to be able to hop pretty high. Let’s hop together on the count of three. One… two… three… hop!”

  Jez rocketed into the air, while Emmett barely got all four feet off the ground. “I tried my best,” Emmett said, shrugging.

  “Well, I feel ready.… Let’s give it a shot,” Jez said, and the two of them headed to the foothills of the mountain.

  Jez enthusiastically leapt as high as he could, but when his feet touched the mountain, he just slid down the side. After trying a few more times, he tried something else. Giving himself a running start, he jumped straight into the air and released his sharp claws, digging them into the side of the cliff. Hanging there, he pulled with all his might to try to lift his body toward the mountaintop. He tried… and tried… but he was too small. He just couldn’t make it to the top.

  “Okay, Emmett, you next,” Jez said, trying to catch his breath.

  “I don’t know.… You seem a little more cut out for this climbing stuff than I do,” Emmett muttered. But Jez begged him to give it a shot, so he sighed. “Okay, here goes nothing.”

  Emmett moved back and ran full speed ahead, thrusting his body upward with all his might… but he barely jumped an inch off the floor before crashing snout-first into the side of the mountain.

  Ouch!

  “I have an idea,” Jez said with a glimmer in his eye. “Emmett, you’re really sturdy. I’ll climb on your back, and then I’ll be so much closer to the top of Mount Couch!”

  Jez hopped on Emmett’s back, and with a dream and a whoosh, he jumped right to the tippy-top of Mount Couch. “We did it! Well… I did it!” Jez exclaimed.

  “What’s it look like from up there?” Emmett asked.

  “Dude, it’s incredible. You can see everything! The sun box, the grasslands, the wrestling ring… even the rain forest! I’m the king of the world!” Jez felt so accomplished as he peered across Fosterland. Being high up just felt right. “Emmett, you’ve got to see this. Here, let me kick down this blanket for you to climb. You can do it!”

  Emmett had a strange realization: he didn’t even care about seeing the top of Mount Couch at all, and he had no urge to climb. But he remembered that cats are all about “up,” and he didn’t want to be left down there all alone, so he gave it his best shot. Emmett stumbled clumsily over the blankets until he made it up to the top. And when he did, he was scared.

  “I don’t think I like mountains,” Emmett said with a squeal, trying to find a safe way down as fast as possible. “I don’t think ‘up’ is the place for me.”

  “Suit yourself, but you’re one weird kitten,” Jez said, jumping off Mount Couch with a swift and silent leap.

  Jez’s comment made Emmett squirm a bit, but he quickly brightened at a new thought: maybe this climbing obsession could work to his advantage. Even though Emmett may not have been interested in mountains, there was one thing he definitely liked, and that was searching for forbidden snacks. The other day, Emmett had found a mysterious, shiny door in the food room that seemed to hold treasures from the food lady, and he was dying to open it up and find the yumminess inside.

  “What if we try going on a more… tasty adventure?” Emmett said. Jez agreed, and they jogged off to the kitchen, their mouths watering at the thought of snacks.

  Once they’d made it to the kitchen, Emmett told Jez the plan. “I’ll stand very still so you can climb on my back, just like you did at Mount Couch. Once you’re up there, use your paws to tug on that shiny handle, and toss down what you find before the food fairy hears us. Just imagine the treasures!”

  Jez nodded and hopped up on Emmett’s back. The door was huge, but Jez was determined. He pulled and pulled until it finally gave way. Inside were huge piles of colorful foods, and Jez began to swat them all onto the floor as quickly as possible. “Teamwork makes the dream work!” he called down. “INCOMING!”

  Perfectly ripe grapes rained from above. Broccoli florets scattered across the floor. A whole head of lettuce plopped out of a drawer. A case of strawberries tumbled off a shelf and sent juicy berries rolling all over. The kitchen was an absolute disaster!

  Jez jumped down, sniffing at the supposed “treasures.” There wasn’t so much as a slice of lunch meat to be found! He watched his peculiar pink friend gobble up as many berries as he could possibly fit into his cheeks.

  Emmett was in heaven, taking nibbles of every fruit and vegetable he could find. With a mouth full of leafy organic kale, he munched and shouted, “Jez, you’ve absolutely got to try this!”

  “What?!” Jez said. “Have you lost your mind? We’re cats, Emmett, not bunny rabbits!”

  Stopping himself midchew, Emmett paused to think. We’re cats, he told himself, and swallowed the greens with a gulp. The last thing he wanted to do was seem like the odd kitten out.

  “Oh, right. Totally. Like, where’s the tuna?” Emmett huffed, trying not to notice the strawberry at his feet. He bopped it away with his hoof, inspiring a game of soccer.

  They kicked bits of fruit all over the floor, and even though Emmett’s snout was wiggling with desire, he resisted the urge to munch. After all, what business did a foster kitten have with berries, aside from practicing his hunt?

  “Hey, Emmett, here’s a joke. What do you call it when a couple of kittens raid the refrigerator and make a huge, huge mess?”

  Jez paused a moment before he exclaimed, “A catastrophe. Get it? Cat-astrophe!”

  Emmett let out a snort-laugh. “That’s actually a
really good one!”

  CHAPTER 6 Bird-Watching

  Exhausted from days filled with adventures, Emmett and Jez would fall into a cuddle-puddle night after night. Emmett was a deep sleeper, and all evening his tummy would rise and fall with every gentle snore. But Jez liked to take little catnaps throughout the day to make sure that he had the energy to hunt bugs through the window at dusk or to wake up at dawn with the rising sun.

  After sleeping in one morning, Emmett lay on the bed alone, smacking his lips and yawning as daylight shined through the window. With half-open eyes, he peeked out from under heavy eyelashes. Jez is surely off somewhere chasing a speck of light on the wall, he thought, and sprawled out, somewhat pleased to have the bed to himself for a moment. Through the window, he gazed upon little lizards leaping over the rocks. He watched a butterfly gliding past. He noticed the trees blowing in the wind and remembered the feeling of the breeze against his face.

  Three little songbirds fluttered onto the ground, pecking at the earth. One picked up a worm in her beak, sang a happy tune, and flapped her wings with joy. Emmett lit up, pressing his nose against the glass to get a closer look. It looked like fun!

  Soon the songbirds were singing and chirping in perfect harmony. Emmett cleared his throat, warming up with a “me-me-me-me-me,” and started to sing along. He sang his heart out, oinking low bass tones and squealing the high notes like a soprano. But his voice was muffled by the windowpane, and the birds could not hear him. Through a thick sheet of glass, he seemed to be a world away.

  Oh, how he longed to feel the dirt beneath his hooves, to dig for worms, to be one with the birds and the breeze and the lizards and the…

  “The bee?!” he called out as he noticed the bumblebee landing on a flower bush. Could it be? The same bee from the road?