Now, there was one animal that never came to Allegra for help or food, and that was Cat. He had run away from a farm, and now made the woods his own, killing birds and the young of small animals for his food. He had grown big on his feasting. When he pricked his paw with a thorn, he would not go to Allegra for help, because he knew she would make him stop his eating habits, and he did not want to stop.
No one knew how long Cat had been in the forest, but it was longer than any of the animals could remember. He was a sly trickster who sometimes lured the tiny animals to come to him rather than chasing them, because it was more fun. He was nimble and very quick …
Luka stumbled to a stop. Mina’s breathing was so shallow he had to look closely to see any rise of her chest at all. He reached
