Sept 15, 2021 Snowbee The Cat

Snowbee sniffed the air. She could smell him. At least she thought it was a him. Her fur stood on end and her nerves were sharp as the claws on her feet. She remembered the smell from a couple of weeks earlier. 

It was that little bear cub.

He was back.

What was he doing in her neighbourhood again? 

The little white cat looked around, the light was fading but she wanted to know. She wasn’t sure what to think of the strange creature that had been prowling her hood lately. 

There he was, across the road in the field. Curious, she crouched down and crept closer. A tug in the back of her mind told her she should turn around and go home. But she wanted to know more. What was the black creature? What was he doing? She could feel his dismay, his loss. Her curiosity won out over her fear, she stalked forward.

Slowly she moved. Step, by step.

The fence was right there and she leaped for the top of it. Had he seen her yet? Should she turn and run? No. She wanted to know more about him. In her seven years living in the hood, there had never been anything quite like this. 

And he smelled. He smelled really bad but good at the same time, almost fishy. Snowbee crept across the top of the fence. He hadn’t seen her yet. The last time she’d hissed at him and he had run. Bravely, she paced along on top of the wooden posts. If he came after her, she could run away. Cautiously, she approached him, he was alone. She didn’t see any sign of the momma bear. His momma had seemed so skinny the last time Snowbee caught a glimpse of her. That momma bear scared her. The young cub didn’t seem as scary as his momma. Where was the mamma bear? 

He was looking at her now. She froze. What should she do?

She jumped down from the fence and turned, ready to run. He was ambling toward her. But she didn’t feel like he wanted to harm her. She sensed he was as scared as she was.

A low growl came from the young cub, “hello… I won’t hurt you.” She felt his words in her mind as much as she heard them with her ears.  

She turned back and looked into the bear cub’s eyes, “I know, you won’t but your momma might. Are you ok? Why are you here in my territory?”

“Momma is off looking for real food, she says to look for more berries but they are almost gone. We came down from the mountain when the fire came. Now I want to go back home. But I don’t know how.” The sadness in the cub’s eyes made Snowbee drop her fur a bit and let down her guard.

The little white Siamese cat looked nervously to her left then right, “Is she going to come back soon? I wish I could help but the trees are scary, the coyotes have tried more than once to get me. I don’t want to be a meal for anyone.” The cat backed up again and tensed her legs, ready to run. The fence between her and the bear cub suddenly didn’t look that strong. The memory of the day the two coyotes chased her across the field leaped back into her mind. 

“It’s ok, momma won’t be back for a bit, I won’t hurt you. My sisters went up the hill looking for the smelly cans. But the cans are all gone now. Down the hill on a post, I saw a sign with a picture of my momma on it. Is the man in the uniform looking for us? They took my uncle…” The bear cub paused and looked through the fence at the cat. His eyes were full of sorrow.

“You talk a lot, I’ve never met any creature like you. But I like you.” Snowbee sniffed the air and looked back at the cub, ” the woods are where you belong. Maybe if we go together I can help you look for a path. My pet human will be calling for me soon.” 

The cat hopped up on the fence and scampered along the top. She started toward the end of the road and leaped down. She stopped and waited while the cub squeezed through the broken post and came to the other side. Together, the bear cub and the white cat scampered up the road.

“Snowbee! Snowbee, Snowbee!” A human voice echoed across the field.

“Is that your momma calling?” The bear cub caught up to the cat and looked around, “are you going back?”

“She thinks she’s my momma, but really I’m her master. She’ll keep calling. I’ll go back when I’m ready.” Snowbee pushed on along the road toward the break in the trees. “For now let’s see if we can find the right path for you. Just don’t let those miserable coyotes catch you.”

The curious cat lead on as the two new friends went in search of a way for the bear to get back up to the mountaintops. 

The bear cub smiled at his new friend, “My name is Ben, what’s yours?”

“Snowbee. Nice to meet you, Ben.” The white cat had a golden nose and tail with golden circles like a bee coat. Snowbee purred loudly and walked beside the bear. Confidently they marched ahead.

Soon, darkness enveloped the valley. A chill crept into Snowbee as she started to wonder what the heck she was doing wandering in the night with this bear. A forboding smell wafted into her nostrils. It was coming from the woods on her left. The road in front was still clear but she sense danger approach. 

Coyotes. She could smell the two of them somewhere in the distance. She stopped ready to run.

“They smell bad don’t they?” Ben looked at his new friend, “momma says they are pretty miserable but not to worry they aren’t that smart.” 

“They are smart enough and trust me I am a little worried. Just over there, you see the big pole? One of them is behind it. The other is trying to sneak up the hill to the left of us. I can outrun them but maybe we should turn around. I can help you when it’s daytime. They sleep in the daytime.” Snowbee started to move back down the road. 

“I’m getting scared too, I wonder where my momma is? She should be back soon.” Ben the bear stood up on his back legs and sniffed the air. ” There’s another one over there in the ditch. He thinks he can sneak up on us.” The bear cub dropped back down and nudged the cat. “Come on get ready to run.” 

“Growl!” Suddenly, from the tree, came the momma bear’s roar.

“Here comes your momma! I’m outa here!’ Snowbee turned and ran as fast as her four legs could take her. She could see the light of her home in the distance. She knew exactly where she was headed, would she make it?

“It’s ok I think momma is telling the coyotes to go home, to leave us alone,” Ben called after his friend. He started to chase her for a moment, then stopped. His momma came bounding out of the woods beside the road.

“Ben T Bear! What are you doing?” Momma Bear skidded to a stop beside her young cub.

“Nnnnuthin momma, just making a new fffriend. I’m lonely. I what to go home.” Ben hid his head down. He turned his nose to look and to see if the cat was safe.

“Cat’s are little pests that taste bad. Why would you make one as a friend? No matter, I found a little bit to eat, where are your sisters?” Momma Bear looked around and stood on her hind legs. Dropping down she turned and growled toward the coyote in the ditch, ‘We made a deal now leave my cubs alone if you know what’s good for you.” She nodded toward the blur of white fur “and good luck catching that one. She’s faster than any of you fools. Now SCRAM!” Momma Bear’s growl sent the coyotes scrambling back toward their den. “Come on Ben, let’s go find your sisters.”

“Yes, Momma.” Ben looked again toward the light in the distance. Snowbee was there running along the top of the fence.

Snowbee turned and looked back at the bears. She was almost home. She wasn’t sure if she would see the bear again but he was with his momma and soon she would be with hers.

Sure enough, the door opened and there was her human rattling some treats. She raced by her feet and into the house. Shaking, she meowed up at her human slaves, happy to be inside and safe.

“Snowbee, where have you been?” The woman looked down at her quivering body.

“Ya, I wonder what happened and where she was?” The man looked over at the cat and the woman.

“If only cats could talk..” They both laughed and closed the door.