That Furball Puppy and Me by Carol Wallace, Bill Wallance Page A

around and dashed back toward the barn.
    â€œMeee …
ow!
Help the puppy!”
    â€œGray! Come here, kitty!” Mama yelled at me.
    I came back toward her, then darted for the barn again.
    â€œSomething is wrong, Owen! Isn’t that blood on the porch?”
    Callie shot out the door. “Come on, Gray, let’s go!”
    â€œThe door is shut. We have to go in through the crack by the grain bin. Hurry.”
    â€œYou go ahead, Gray. I can’t keep up. My legs aren’t as strong as they used to be. Go on!”
    The place where the fence wire cut my side made me flinch when I squeezed through the crack in the barn. I stopped. Held my breath. Listened. There was nothing but silence inside the barn.
    Maybe I’m too late. Maybe I should have stayed, instead of going for help. Maybe the rats had already …
    I couldn’t think about it. It was too horrible to imagine. I raced across the hay-covered floor,leaped over the bales of the puppy’s pen, and braced myself for the terrible sight.
    â€œI thought you had left me forever, Gray!” The puppy wagged his fuzzy tail.
    I sighed, relieved to see him still okay. Fact was, I was so happy to see him, I gave him a little kiss on the cheek with my tongue. (Puppies don’t taste too good.)
    â€œThe rats didn’t come back?”
    The puppy shook his head.
    Perking my ears, I listened. Scratching sounds came. Shadows crept across the wall and the ceiling. Then the shadows were gone. I could hear them. They were close, but I couldn’t see them. I leaned against the puppy. With my back end I pushed him into the corner by the wall. The attack would come from the hay bales. I kept myself between the hay and him.
    The little furball leaned against me! I could hear ratty feet getting nearer.
    Sharp little noses pushed their way over the hay bale. The ugly faces of Nora and Smitty peered at us. Beady eyes stared from behind them. In all, seven big rats were ready to pounce!
    I knew we were goners! Callie and my people weren’t coming. The puppy and I were all alone. Suddenly my trembling stopped. I took a deep breath.
They might get me,
I thought.
But theyweren’t going to get the puppy. Not without a fight.
    I puffed up my fur as big as I could! “Phsssst!” I hissed at them.
    â€œLook at the
big kitty!”
Nora mocked. “He thinks he can scare us! He doesn’t know how smart we are! We have our Ph.D.s!”
    â€œYeah,” Smitty agreed. “We’ve all been well trained in People Habitat Destruction. Anything people have or depend on, we can destroy.”
    â€œWe sneak into their homes and eat their food,” one rat said.
    â€œWe steal the grain that their cows and chickens eat,” another chimed in.
    â€œWe even know how to chew the wiring that brings light to their homes.” A third one chuckled. “Anything people have, we can destroy.”
    Nora crept closer. “One of the things we learn from our Ph.D. program is to get rid of cats and dogs—while they’re little. If we wait until they’re big, it makes it harder for us to tear up things.” She turned to smile at the others. “Let’s get the dumb cat first!”
    Smitty’s bald head shined as he crept up beside her.
    The other rats began to circle around us on the hay bales. I could see the light glint in their cold black eyes.
    â€œPhsssssst! Get back! We can take care of ourselves!”
    The fuzzy puppy snapped with his little teeth, making a funny chomping sound.
    The big rats moved closer. One step at a time—closer and closer and …
    â€œMMEEEOOW!”
    Suddenly light filled the barn. It was so bright, my eyes blinked. When I opened them again, I saw Gallic. She jumped up behind the biggest rat! She slapped Smitty’s rear with her sharp claws.
    The other rats began to move back as Smitty yelled in pain.
    â€œOh, my gosh! Look at all the rats!” Mama