5c1567efd9323ad9db7ca4ad6851d075

If she couldn’t beat him running, perhaps she could go up over the fence? Anything was worth a try. She jumped at Tiger suddenly, clawing him again, and then raced past him, heading for the fence. She scrambled up it, scrabbling and fighting for the top.

[Ęŕđňčíęŕ: img_25]

Then she perched there, wobbling, and looked down at Tiger, who stared back up at her.

Biscuit gave a frightened little squeak, and jumped off the other side of the fence…

[Ęŕđňčíęŕ: img_5]

“Mum, where’s Biscuit? I thought she’d be under my bed, but I can’t find her anywhere. I’ve looked in all the places she usually goes.”

Mum frowned.“I haven’t actually seen her much today. She weed on the kitchen floor this morning… But I’m not sure when I saw her after that. I had to go and do some shopping, and then I came straight back from town to pick you up.”

Maddy looked at Biscuit’s bed, as though she might suddenly appear from underneath it. Then she noticed the cat flap. “Oh! You moved the chair!”

“I had to,” Mum said grimly. “I was wiping up cat wee round it. I see what you mean though, she might have gone out. But that’s good, Maddy! We want her to start going outside again.”

“Not if those two thugs from next door are around,” Maddy muttered. “I’m going to check outside for her.”

But there was no sign of Biscuit in the garden either, even after Maddy called and called.

[Ęŕđňčíęŕ: img_26]

“Can’t you see her?” her mum asked, leaning out of the kitchen door. She was looking slightly worried now too.

“No, and we normally feed her about now.”

“I’ll look upstairs again, perhaps she got shut in somewhere,” Mum said.

Maddy knew she’d already checked everywhere, but she nodded anyway. “Biscuit! Biscuit!” she called again.

“Have you lost your kitten?”

Maddy jumped. She hadn’t realized Josh was out in his garden. “Yes, you haven’t seen her, have you?”

“Nope.”

Maddy sighed.“Could you look out for her? Please?”

“Yeah, all right.” But he didn’t sound very bothered, Maddy thought.

She ran back inside.“Mum, do you think we should go and look for her? Oh, but we can’t!”

“Why not?” Her mum looked confused.

“If your cat gets lost, it’s best to leave someone they know in the house – otherwise they might not think it’s their home if they come back. My book said so.”

“Really? OK, well, if she’s not back when Dad gets home, you and I can go and look for her then.”

The hour before Maddy’s dad got home seemed to crawl past. Maddy kept searching the same places over and over again, just in case she’d somehow missed Biscuit the first five or six times she’d checked.

As soon as she saw her dad at the gate, Maddy was out of the front door and running down the path.

“Biscuit’s lost! We’re going to look for her, you have to stay here!” she gasped.

Her dad stared at her, and then at Mum, dashing down the path after her.

Maddy’s mum looked at him worriedly. “I said we’d go and look round the streets. I don’t think she could have gone far.”

Maddy was already hurrying down the road, peering under the parked cars.“Come on, Mum!” she called.

[Ęŕđňčíęŕ: img_5]

Biscuit peered miserably out at the strange garden. As she’d jumped off the fence, she’d been trying to look behind her at the same time, and she’d landed badly, jarring one of her front paws. It hurt, and so did the scratches. But she’d kept going, desperate to get as far away from Tiger as she could. She’d crawled under fence after fence, hurrying on and on, until at last she felt as if she might be safe. She’d smelled several other cats and even seen a couple, but none of them had chased her yet.

[Ęŕđňčíęŕ: img_27]

Eventually she’d stopped to rest behind a garden shed. She didn’t feel like she could go any further, her paw hurt so much. She’d huddled there for the rest of the day, unsure what to do. She couldn’t go home, could she? Tiger would chase her again. She’d have to wait until she was sure Maddy was back,then it would be safe.

[Ęŕđňčíęŕ: img_5]

They searched for ages. Maddy kept looking at the road and hoping that Biscuit hadn’t been so scared she’d run out in front of a car.I should have taken more care of her. I ought to have made Josh do something about Tiger and Tom, she kept thinking.When I find Biscuit, I’m going to tell him!

They were halfway down the next road and Maddy was hanging over a garden wall staring into some tall flowers, when a surprised voice said,“What are you doing?”

Maddy jumped. She hadn’t even noticed anyone approach. Becky from school was standing behind her, while her mum locked up the car. She was wearing a cardigan over ballet clothes, and peering over the wall to see what Maddy was looking at.

“Oh! Hi, Becky. I’m looking for my kitten.” Maddy gulped and swallowed. “She’s lost…” It was so horrible to say it.

“Oh no! The cute little tortoiseshell one? You’ve got her photo in your locker, haven’t you?”

Maddy nodded. She was surprised Becky had noticed.

“Want me to help look? Can I, Mum? We were just coming back from ballet,” Becky explained. “This is our house. I didn’t know you lived so close to us.”

[Ęŕđňčíęŕ: img_28]