Katya Graymalkin here.

I don’t know why Mom is being so testy this year. Last year, she wrote very nice stories for Caturday and never nagged me to do it for her. Maybe it’s because she’s been line-editing an omnibus edition of the SAGE trilogy; line-editing always makes her testy. Here’s what she came up with today.

Katya and the Lagomorph

by Marian Allen

One day, a selfish and lazy cat named Katya went walking in the woods. She liked to catch chipmunks and bite off their tails, telling them, “Chip and Dale don’t have long tails, do they? If you want to be in a Disney cartoon, you have to have a cute, stubby tail.” Then she would leave the tails on the back porch so her Mom would think she was keeping the place free of critters.

Today, the chipmunks (the ones who still had their tails) were off doing something chipmunky, and the short-tailed ones were in Hollywood, auditioning for Disney.

Katya rounded a corner of the woodland trail and found herself face-to-face with a rabbit. The rabbit walked on her hind legs and wore a paw-length dress (hind paws, that is).

“Well, well, well,” said Katya. “What kind of rodent are you?”

“I’m not a rodent,” said the rabbit. “Rabbits are lagomorphs.” She bopped Katya on the head with her purse.

“Ow! Mom told me,” Katya said, rubbing her head, “but I thought she was making it up. Doesn’t matter. How would you like to audition for Disney?”

“Disney-schmisney,” said the lagomorph. “I’m busy.” She bopped Katya again.

“Ow! Stop doing that!”

“Get out of my way, then. I don’t have time to stand around resisting the insincere blandishments of counterfeit talent-scouts.”

Katya, who was selfish and lazy but no fool, ducked the next blow and moved off the woodland path.

The lagomorph disappeared around the bend in the path.

From that day on, Katya always gave woodland critters a wide berth, and the rabbit in the dress continued her regular occupation of scooping up the field mice and bopping them on the head.

THE END

Katya again: In case you don’t know, that is So. Not. True.

A WRITING PROMPT FOR ANIMALS: A brave and clever animal (you) meets an animal who doesn’t fight fair (not you).

KG