His lady indulged her beloved Leo beyond all reason but tearing up her humble furnishings was not allowed. She interrupted his frenzy of claw sharpening on the carpet with a swift stroke of her broom that swept him out the cottage door.
She tsk, tsk’d sadly as she closed the door after him. “Bad kitty” she reminded herself, more than actually told him.

Outside, Leo whipped his tail from side to side indignantly for a moment. Then, he sat down and slowly began to wash the insult from his tawny fur. He was just beginning to relax and luxuriate in the process when something rustled in the brush nearby.

Suddenly, every fiber in his body was alert and focused. Ears forward, amber eyes huge, nostrils flaring, he slowly sank into a crouch
as he honed in on the exact spot…
a mouse browsing carelessly in the fallen leaves just 5 feet away.

His pupils dilated as he wound his muscle fibers even tighter, crouching, wiggling his little behind like a golfer setting up his swing just before he leapt…