The Cat and the Bird

I dig my small claws into the hard bark to steady myself. Inching forward, I cautiously make my way further along the branch. The branch dipped and swayed slightly under my weight as a summer breeze went by. The tree stood by a metal fence, a series of buildings on the other side of the park. This was a bad idea. But I have to get Sam's kite back. I continue crawling up the branch, towards the kite caught on its edge. Reaching out, my fingers tug at the tangled kite tail, trying to free it. Almost....got it.... Suddenly a strong wind whipped past, making my branch dip more than it did before. Without my claws holding me in place, I lost my balance. Feeling my heart leap to my throat, I instinctively grab at the tail, hoping it would hold me up. Of course, it doesn't, and I plummet to the ground on the other side of the fence. I squeeze my eyes shut, rolling in the air uncontrollably. "Ow!" Instead of hard ground, I crash into something softer. My knee still scrapes on a small rock, making me yelp. My landing pad wriggles under me. I open my eyes. Green eyes meet yellow. "Get off of me!" He yells, pushing me off. I fall onto my backside. "What do you think you're doing? Jumping on top of me like that? Were you trying to kill me?" The boy stands up, fists clenched and feathers puffed up angrily. The front of his red shirt had dirt and and his shorts had grass stains. The scrape on my knee smarts. I look up at the kite still stuck in the tree. I look down at the snapped kite tail still clutched in my palm. I look back up at the bird boy's scowling face. My breath catches in my throat and my eyes start to sting. I start to cry. It was a mewling, pitiful cry, tears falling from my eyes. "H-hey hey, I'm sorry! Don't cry. Don't cry." I feel a hand on my shoulder awkwardly patting it. Sniffling and rubbing my cheeks, I look back up at the boy. "I-I'm sorry I fe-fell on you. I-I was just....trying to get m-my friend's kite back." I hiccup. "B-but the branch mo-moved and I-I couldn't..." "Please stop crying, I can get it for you!" The boy says, trying to cheer me up. "R-really?" "Easy peasy. Check this out." He took a step back from me and flared his wings. They were mostly brown and cream colored, but there were patches of dull gray fuzz. Jumping up high and flapping his wings really hard, he rather clumsily flew up to the kite. As I watched, some tufts of fluff floated free. Tugging on it twice, he manages to free it and came back down. His knees buckle a bit but manages to maintain his balance when he lands. He holds the kite out to me. "See? Easy peasy." "Thank you!" I beam, rubbing my eyes dry and taking the kite from him. "My name is Claire." I hold my free hand out for a handshake, like Momma had taught me to do. When he shakes my hand, I feel very grown up. "I'm Percy. I just learned how to fly a few days ago, but I'm the best flyer ever. Other than my dad. But one day I'll beat him!" He proudly fluffs out his wings again. "Can I touch your wings?" I ask innocently. Percy eyes my ears and tail. "Aren't you a cat?" "Mhmm. But I promise I'll be gentle. I use my claws at all. See?" I stick my hand out and use only the pads of my fingers to brush down his feathers. "Hey!" He protests but doesn't fully pull away from my touch. "This fuzzy patch is softer." I muse, resisting the childish urge to tug on the delicate tiny feathers. "They're called downy feathers. They're what keeps baby birds warm." "So you're still a baby?" "No!" Percy says indignantly, his feathers fluffing up. "Since they're falling out, that means I'm not a baby anymore! I'm all grown up. You're the baby." My own tail thrashes at the accusation. "No I'm not! I've never had fuzzy feathers." "No, but you do have fuzzy fur." Percy replies smugly, pointing to the kitten fluff still outlining my ears and tail. I huff heavily, feeling my eyes prickle again. His eyes widen and he quickly says, "but it's not that fuzzy. So you must be like me then." I swallow back my tears and nod firmly. Another breeze wafts by, blowing some of my short hair in my face. The boy digs into his pocket and pulls out a small golden hairpin. "Here. I found this earlier today. You can have it." He reaches over and loosely clips it in my hair. "There, now the wind won't blow your hair in your face." "Thank you, Percy." I beam, touching the pin gently. A distant voice calls Percy's name. "My mom is calling. I'd better go. We were here looking at her old school." "This is a school?" I say in awe, looking at the many buildings besides us. "Yep! Graiter's Academy. Mom says it's the best school ever. I'm gonna go here one day." "Cool. Well I better get back to the park. I need to give Sam his kite back." I stare up the high fence, counting myself lucky I didn't hit the swirly metal spikes at the top. "There's a gate down that way. It'll take you back to the park." Percy points down the fence line. I nod and start jogging in that direction. "Bye, Percy!" "By, Claire!" I head back to the park, finding my worried friend, who was happy to have his kite back. As our parents took us home, my mind kept wandering back to the bird boy and that school he seemed so excited about. Maybe I can ask Momma and Papa if I could go there too.