It happened without warning. Barnaby was sitting amidst the greenery, minding his own business, when a sudden, electrifying thought struck him like a bolt of lightning. His posture stiffened. His eyes widened into perfect, terrified saucers.
He had heard a sound. A faint crinkle.
Was it the treats? Was it the opening of a can? Or was it simply the wind whispering secrets of the universe? In this moment of frozen panic, Barnaby looked as though he had unlocked the secrets of the cosmos and found them deeply concerning. He sat rigid, vibrating with intensity, processing a level of data that no ordinary creature could comprehend. He was not merely looking; he was perceiving into the fourth dimension.
But sustaining that level of genius is exhausting. The crinkle turned out to be nothing just a wrapper shifting in the trash. The universe was not calling him to dinner after all.
The adrenaline crashed. Barnaby deflated.
He migrated to the soft arm of the couch and tucked his paws neatly beneath his chest, engaging loaf mode. The wide eyed panic vanished, replaced instantly by a look of heavy lidded, sophisticated boredom. He narrowed his gaze, staring forward with a mixture of exhaustion and mild judgment. I was not scared, his expression seemed to say. I was simply testing my reflexes. And you you are disrupting my nap.
From high alert guardian to sleepy critic in the span of five minutes, this is the duality of the Cat.
Shannon Willis can usually be found in the company of furry friends. A passionate animal enthusiast, her work is often inspired by her deep love for cats, dogs, and the animal kingdom as a whole.
