Minnie Moo Mr T meet Thumper

Papa can you hear me....Papa Hawk in action

Without stopping we continued on our adventure to warn all the anipals living in the little village of our suspicions of a menacing Hawk family that had recently moved in and made a nesting home in the trees around the edge of the village green.

It’s a well-known fact (all those letters spell fat cat) that I suffer from hawk-o-phobia. From the ancient greek-cat language it means a fear of Hawks, those birds that shared the same gene pool as dinosaurs once did. They're from the same family tree. O just means o-no is that Hawk and phobia is the official way of saying fear, scaredy cat or deathly afraid if you get my drift.

With each step Mr T continued to grumble about having to wear his cone collar, it limited his vision to looking straight ahead only. Earlier on in the day he’d given me the job of “seeing eye” cat I was Mr T’s spare eyes to look left, right, up and down. We were a team on a mission and just as we passed the half way point I noticed a dark shadow blotch an otherwise picture perfect bright blue summer sky.

Not wanting to alarm Mr T, I cautiously said, “it’s time for us to get out of this open exposed space and hurry to shelter under those bushes up there on that hillside ledge.”

Sensing my worried tone and without asking any questions Mr T followed me to the left as we criss-crossed our way up the hill to the safety of a cluster of bushy bushes. Due to the width of Mr T's cone we both reversed into the bushes backside first squashing the leaves and twigs making enough room for us both to crouch down low.

I whispered to Mr T, “I saw a shadow hovering above in the sky and not wanting to take any chances I thought it best for us to lay low until we’re certain all we can see is the blue light of day.”

“Phew, he said, I thought danger was close by as my darn whiskers were twitching like mad, that’s a sure sign of trouble with a capital T.” Catching a sneaky side-ways look sure enough Mr T’s whiskers were furiously twitching causing his cone to tremble too.

After a while I bravely took a few steps out to check the coast was clear and yes with the sky an unblemished radiant blue we both quickened our pace to reach the village before Trouble could find us.

Remembering my task to look left, right, up and as I looked down I got the surprise of my life. A little bunny-rabbit’s head popped up from a teeny tiny hole in the ground to half-shout half-squeak, “What’s up, what are you two cats doing in our village?”

Not messing about with his words, Mr T didn’t even draw a breath before spilling out “look little bunny rabbit we don’t have much time, we’ve walked for miles from the top of that hill way back there to warn you all we believe a Hawk family has moved into those trees over there.” Amazingly Mr T lifted his front right paw and without losing his balance pointed perfectly towards the trees.

“Wow, your suspicions are bang-on! Living in the third from the left tree is Papa Hawk, he’s so big and proud and Mama Hawk who is still sitting in her nest looking after her two fluffy feathery little but soon to be big ones.” Taking a deep breath and letting out a weary or is that wary sigh the bunny rabbit went on to say, “our little village is dead quiet now, most of us are in hiding here underground or under the bushes, between rocks and in-between all the clumps of grass.”

I don’t know if I was being a tad over-sensitive but I swore the bunny rabbit was looking directly at me before saying “I’d invite you to visit but I can see someone’s been eating too many friskies and won’t fit down the hole!”

Not wanting to make light of the situation Mr T turned serious “so you’re all living in fear of the Hawks? It’s outrageous that many of you have are too scared to even stay in your own homes. I guess too you’re all sneaking out at night to get food and supplies, am I right?”

“Yes we’re all terrified we’ll be swooped upon and plucked up to be eaten for breakfast. Now we only come out at night to find our food.”

“Right then, said Mr T, we need to take action please take me to the office of the village Mayor.” Without answering the bunny rabbit disappeared down the hole and left us standing there. Just as we were turning to leave a rather large rabbit squeezed up and out of the hole.

First the ears plopped out, then the eyes, a twitchy nose and two long front teeth, followed by two paws and a jump, there in front of us stood a magnificent rabbit saying, What’s up? I’m Mayor Thumper, I hear you’re here to help us with our Hawk situation. I must add here without knowing you I must commend you for being such good cat-izens coming all this way to warn us and help us take action.”

And together we sat hatching a plan and slowly but surely more little anipals joined in all keen to do anything to all live happily in their village again.

Yours in down-sized friskies Minnie Moo