Outside

[My whiner brother getting coddled after his supposed trauma.]

Ruru the Cat here.  My whiner brother wants to tell you about his "trauma" this week.  He thinks it's such a big deal that he has to steal my blog this week to tell you all about it.  I figure I'll let him do it just to shut him up.  

This is Scout, and I'm no whiner.  I'm a smart cat, here to patrol my people's place and make it safe.  I'm used to being outside.  I like it.  Every day is an adventure when you can protect your people from mice, voles, bugs, snakes, and other things that may do them harm.  I'm my people's hero.  They adore me.  

Except a couple of days ago, they took me somewhere scary.  It wasn't far away, but they took me through a place with a lot of cars.  Have I told you how much I hate cars?  But we passed through this scary place with a lot of cars to get to this land.  I don't know where it is, somewhere not far.  At first, it was awesome, the biggest adventure I've been on in a while.  I chased bugs and mice while my people did...whatever it is people do.  Who even knows?  Anyway, I got bored just keeping an eye on my people.  They weren't doing anything too interesting.  So I went to scope out the place, make sure there wasn't anything too dangerous that could harm them.  I heard them call my name back where they were, but by then, I was chasing a particularly juicy mouse.  I mean, really big and juicy.  As soon as I was done, I went back to brag about what a wonderful thing I'd done and to let my people pet me and love me... but they were gone.  Totally gone. I smelled them but couldn't find them anywhere. 

 [That scary forest looked like this, but less friendly.]

There is no way I would pass through that place with all the cars again.  I looked.  I looked for a long time.  It got dark, and I was petrified.  I mean, I like the dark, but I was sure I'd never see my people again.  I wandered up and back on this waterway, calling for them, but I couldn't find them anywhere.  It was a long, cold, scary night full of owls, howling coyotes, revving cars nearby, and who knows what else.  The next day, I was some distance away when I heard my people call for me again.  I came running back, but by the time I came, they were gone again.  I had just found another cat to ask for directions when my people showed up again!  They were there!  They saved me and brought me home!  You see?  I'm not a whiner.  It really was the most frightening thing that ever happened to me. 

 [The ordeal of getting booped.  See why I had to run away?] 

Ruru back again.  See?  What did I tell you.  My brother is such a whiner.  One night outside?  Come on.  He's used to that stuff.  I've been through something much more terrifying.  Me, I never go outside.  But I got tired of my person booping my nose even though I kept telling her to stop.  So I decided to run away from home.   I got outside.  I was so scared.  I was afraid I would never find my way home.  But I was rescued before anything bad could happen.  See?  That's real terror.  One night.  Really, Scoutie?  Wuss.  

Five feet.  Ruru got five feet out the back door before she needed a rescue.  Talk about a whiner.  

But they were big feet.  Five very long, terrifying feet.  Besides, this is my blog, not yours.  Mine was scarier. So there.