By Emma MacMillan The target finder locked onto its subject. The prey sat at a desk, hunched over some papers and scribbling boredly. A trigger was readied, the safety was turned off with a silent click!. A steadying breath taken, then finally ready and the trigger… The subject jerked to the side as a bullet shot in through her window. Alerted of the danger, she ducked down below sight of the window. “If you want to get me, YOU’RE GONNA HAVE TO FIGHT FOR IT!” She yelled, squeaking slightly near the end. She was putting up a brave front, but the panicked look in her eyes and the sweat rolling down her forehead hinted at a lack of composure. She crawled away from the desk, running to her bed and grabbing a pistol from underneath the mattress. Sneaking to the window, she looked outside, following the trajectory of the bullet. “Shit…” she muttered under her breath, completely frozen. She couldn’t hear any footsteps, but as she concentrated she could definitely feel a presence there, in the room with her. Hih! A slight intake of breath jerked her into reality as she spun around pistol pointed as something scratched her face, making her lose her balance. She fell to the ground beside her bed, holding a hand to her nose where she had gotten wounded. As she looked in front of her at the attacker, she readied the pistol, about to shoot—a cat??? “What?” She asked to no one, “Where did you come from?” She then lifted herself off the ground and looked around… until a flash of brown and grey on the floor sped at her, followed by a sharp pain in her ankle. Her ankle, cut expertly, was bleeding profusely and causing too much pain to function properly. Before she could notice though, she once again lost her balance and fell this time on softer ground; her bed. She glanced down, grimacing, to search for the cat but it was gone, out of sight… and then, she looked up.
By Logan Pfalzgraf I’ve spent my whole life here. Watching. Waiting. She called me a good kitty...but here’s the thing. I’m not. I’ve been waiting for this day for so long. I’ve been stuck in this prison for so long. But what they don’t know is that it’s my time to shine. They’re going to pay. The house was quiet, not even the mouse colony that I subdued last week was awake. I snuck into her room. I sat on her high bookshelf for a long time, just watching. I knew that if I waited any longer, my chance would pass and I’d have to endure who knows how much more of this incessant stupidity. I readied myself and pounced from my perch. I cried aloud for the whole home to hear, “the time is meow!” Her eyes grew wide as she suddenly realized what was really happening. I almost feel sorry for her. As I sat there in silence making sure my prey was subdued, there was only one thing on my mind: “Who’s a good cat meow?” I snuck out the cat door that the fool of a girl had installed for me to easily gain access into her abode and met up with Tuna and Sardines by the garbage cans. “Did you do it?” Tuna asked me. the look in my eyes said everything for me. No words came from my mouth. “By Bastet’s whip!...You really did it.”
By Nolan Janda The Coup de Tat of the Ninja Kittens My cat was always an unmerciful, soulless supremacist within my house. You name a cat that wasn’t. What I didn’t know was that he was highly skilled in ninjutsu. Bear with me and I will tell the full story. I was sitting in the living room knitting a multicolored scarf when I heard a loud thump right behind my recliner. It resembled a kunai knife with some light scratch marks on it. I turned and saw my cat standing on both of its hind legs as it threw some kind of pellet at the ground. The pellet burst, releasing smoke instantly. He was gone. I ran to my bedroom. The cat latched onto me from clinging to the ceiling, firmly grasping a tanto with yarn on the handle. I threw him towards the wall, but before he made it to the wall, he seemed to have turned into a pillow. I picked up the sword he dropped and walked out the door to face the cat. Standing on my TV, he quickly forced his cute little hands together seven times. Immediately, four more cats appeared each with the intent to kill. I was able to slash right through one of the cats and it exploded into fur, no blood, just fur. I did the same with two others when the last two ran to the attic. One cat was clinging to the bottom part of the roof, throwing handfuls of heavy needles at my feet. I harshly yanked three of them out of the old wooden floor and flung them at the wall hugging cat. Just like the other three, the cat became a dense cloud of fur. I felt the final cat’s arm around my neck, and in a deep, but silky voice he said, “It’s over.”
By Hope Mueller Jessica flopped on her bed, Milky grasped tightly in her hands. She stared down at the dark brown tabby cat. She didn’t want to hurt her best friend, but she knew she had to do it. I can do this, she said to herself. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. Jessica sighed and then closed her eyes. Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate, she thought with fierce determination. Concentrate! She could still feel Milky on her stomach. Nothing was happening. Come on! Come on! Come on! Still nothing. “Ugh,” she snarled, opening her eyes. “Why isn’t this working?” She looked down at her cat who had started licking his paws diligently. Jessica felt like giving up. What was the use if this wasn’t going to work? But something in her brain kept nagging her to keep on trying. Finally, she gave in. “All right,” she sighed. “One more time, but if it doesn’t work this time, I’m done.” She closed her eyes again and started to focus her mind. Come on! Come on! Still, nothing was happening. Come on! Suddenly, she felt the weight of the cat beginning to leave from her stomach. It was working! Filled with excitement, Jessica continued to focus. A few moments later, she opened her eyes, and a big smile came across her face. Milky was floating a few feet above her in mid-air. She had done it! She had made him levitate. But Jessica soon noticed something else happening at the same time. She looked over to the side and saw that her hair was rising upward. Jessica looked slowly back at her cat. She was very happy that she had accomplished her goal of making her cat float in mid-air, but there was still one problem she hadn’t thought about: how was she going to get him, and her hair, down?
By Arlysha Bovan-Morrow Makayla It’s been three days since I last saw Rutabaga. I’m seriously so depressed because I’ve had that cat since I was 16. I was so happy when I found out that I could take him with me to college. I don’t know what possessed him to run away… Rutabaga It’s been three days and the mouse still hasn’t come out of the vent above my master’s dresser. I’ve hidden up here behind the boxes that she loves to keep stacked up and out of sight. I will catch my prey. He will meet his end. Makayla I miss him terribly, but maybe its better this way. Was I a bad caregiver? I thought he loved the afternoon belly rubs and extra scraps of chicken from junk food Friday, but I guess I was wrong. I think I’m going to head to the pet store today and get a fish. It’s too lonely around here… Rutabaga He hasn’t come out and it is officially day five. I know that he needs to eat, so I am sure that tonight is the night I catch him. Sleep is creeping into my body along with hunger. I would love to be fed by my master, but I mustn’t lose sight of the goal. Makayla I think I’ll go to the pet store after I take a small little nap. I haven’t slept very well these past few nights….Oh my gosh I think that’s a mouse on my dresser! Ahh it’s going to jump on my face! (Mouse jumps off dresser onto Makayla) Rutabaga My prey has leaped from his nest to the outside world I must follow! (Rutabaga jumps off dresser flying towards Makayla) Makayla Rutabaga!!! Rutabaga Prey!!