text: It had been a week since the humans had moved to a new house. Cookie looked longingly out of the second story window at her own reflection. She was a small cat, the runt of the litter - but fierce enough to survive. She had glistening black fur with a patch of white under her chin. Her eyes were as green as the fields of grass she often dreamed of. Her old life at the old place had been easy, there were few cats to contend territory with. The humans looked after her well enough, even that stupid old German shepherd had his uses distracting the boy from wanting her affection. Her fur bristled for a moment as she surveyed the road outside. It was dimly illuminated by the orange glow of a street light, something stirred, but not enough to warrant alert. The humans were in bed. Soon she thought, her quarantine would be over. “I bet they put butter on my paws so that I come back again” she mused. Again, something moved. As she narrowed her vision, pupils taking over the rest of her eye, it was then she saw him. She watched transfixed. The hulking mass of feline perfection strutted from between a bin and the wall. He walked slowly, alertly but with an air of confidence. “This must be the leader” Cookie surmised. He moved forward, checking left and right from the exit of the driveway. Cookie wagged her tail unconsciously, knocking over a glass from the window ledge to the floor. The window was cracked open slightly. He will have heard. He must have heard... She saw him looking upward and it hit her like a snowball to the face. She felt the sting of terror between her eyes and froze. The cats face was just as hulking as the rest of him, Piercing dark eyes looked back at her as she uncontrollably started shaking. This was no normal cat. His face contorted for a second, he let out a low meow, a warning - and darted off into the night. For a few days after, Cookie felt in a state of anxiety as the end of her quarantine came closer. “I’ll just avoid him - I’ll stay behind my house, in the garden and climb trees. He won’t come into the humans territory” she hoped. “What are you looking glum about princess?” she heard behind her. “Bruce, your ever improvising ways of sneaking up on me will get you a claw in the eye, you stupid dog!” she hissed. “Fine, be that way - the humans are letting you out soon aren’t they? You see that massive cat outside? I can’t wait to bite its tail!” Bruce and Cookie had come to an agreement some time ago. Bruce was the boys favourite, it was both his best friend and childhood companion. Cookie was a stray in the eyes of the humans, but to her, she’d just picked the family that gave her the best food. She was the little girls pet. The initial period of their union was fraught with skirmishes. The dog was a hulking mass himself. Had a major issue with other dogs. If it was female, he wanted carnal relations. If it was male, it was on his territory. So was the nature of the dog. Cookie quickly realised if he really wanted to, he could easily rip her head off, but what he didn’t like was having his nose clawed. They decided to cohabit, it was easier that way, for both them and the humans. “You really are backwards, dog.” She sneered. “That cat would make you into mincemeat” “Oh yeah? You think so? It may be big, but it’s only a cat - I would annihilate him” - the air of confidence slightly shaken. She turned and walked to the door. This was it. The humans were ready to let her loose. She was thankful that no longer did she have to use the box of gravel to go to the toilet. She was dignified after all, and leaving her business for the humans to clear up was unbecoming of a cat of her stature.