Copycat Read Online Free Page B

know how to. And I’m too old to start now!’
    ‘It’s the only way, Pinkie, believe me,’ Sammy urged her. ‘I’ll help you all I can. I promise you we’ll remain quite independent. But we must be more particular. I’ll work it all out somehow. You just leave it to me.’
    Pinkie was silent. She didn’t believe Sammy’s plan could be carried out. But there was no denying that her clever tabby mate had performed some extraordinary feats in the past. All she could do now was to wait and see if he was capable of adding to them.

—5—
    You scratch my back
    Sammy felt his fur warm and dry in the sunshine. He got up and shook himself energetically. Fragments of leaf and stalk showered to the ground. ‘Ugh! I can smell I’m dirty,’ he muttered, squatting again. Using his paws and especially his tongue he gave himself a thorough clean-up. ‘That’s better,’ he said. ‘How do I look?’
    Pinkie had been watching his elaborate toilet with interest. ‘Like a show cat,’ she joked.
    ‘Hardly.’ He gave her a cat smile, closing his eyes. ‘Still, we can start as we mean to go on.’ He moved close to Pinkie and began to lick her face. Pinkie purred and nuzzled him. But when Sammy transferred his tongue to her back fur she jumped up.
    ‘You don’t need to groom me!’ she hissed. ‘I know how to keep clean.’
    ‘Just trying to help,’ he murmured and watched her as she went through her programme. ‘Your coat’s not as white as it used to be,’ he remarked afterwards.
    ‘That’s age. I’m not a youngster any more,’ Pinkie reminded him. ‘And don’t be so critical.’
    ‘But we have to be,’ he responded. ‘It’s only when we can look at each other with admiration that we’ll know we’re safe.’
    Pinkie was hurt. ‘I hope you’re not going to take this plan of yours too far,’ she said. ‘I can only be what I am.’
    ‘Of course. It’s all right. There’s plenty of time to learn. I said I’d teach you.’
    Pinkie wasn’t reassured. ‘I can’t learn to grow whiter fur,’ she objected. But Sammy wasn’t listening. He was looking away, his thoughts on something else.
    ‘I must explore,’ he was saying to himself. ‘We need proper food and shelter.’ He turned and looked at his companion. ‘We can make use of the humans. Just as you said, Pinkie. I expect it’ll be better if I go alone to begin with? I’ll have to go really close to the houses to find what we need, and I know how you feel about that. Will you stay around here?’
    ‘That depends,’ Pinkie answered. ‘It may not remain quiet.’
    ‘No. Well, you’ll know what to do if it doesn’t. I’ll leave you now. We won’t lose each other. You know my call.’
    Pinkie watched Sammy climb the fence and drop into the neighbouring garden. In his absence she moved. She believed she was vulnerable and preferred to be nearer the long wall so as to be able to reach her escape route if necessary.
    Sammy was thinking of Buster and his wonderful little private door. What a perfect arrangement for any cat: to have the freedom to come and go as you pleased, yet have all the benefits of good food, warmth and comfort provided for you into the bargain. Why was Buster so special? Or were there other pets as fortunate? And if so . . . were there any around here? He approached the nearest house with the utmost caution. In the daylight boldness had to be used sparingly.
    ‘Nothing of interest here,’ he said to himself. ‘I’ll go into the next garden.’ There was only a low wall to negotiate this time. Sammy thought he detected the scent of a dog and made a hasty scan of the outside of the house, then progressed to the neighbouring garden. ‘This is like my kitten days,’ he chuckled, ‘when I first started to discover the world beyond my birthplace. Ah now – here’s something. There’s definitely another cat around and it’s a male. His smell’s everywhere.’ He looked all over the garden. The cat was absent but