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“Has Soph abandoned you, kitty?” Her attention was caught by a sheet of paper taped to the television screen

Dear Piper, had a chat with Mom and Dad and they said I could cos work out You were right about telling me to try to make up They don’t seem nearly soand it’s really cold!

Sophie

PS The cat got its tail stuck in the bathroom door, but it looks okay

xoxoxoxoxo

Her heart sank The cat wasat the end of her tail since she’d come in Closer inspection revealed that the end of it had been degloved A pink shiny tip protruded froray fur and

“Shame on you, Sophie Reilly,” she muttered quietly so as not to distress the animal further “This cat is not okay, are you, kitty?”

At five pet a veterinary appointment as a new patient She should have found a vet earlier, but life had just got out of hand in the last feeeks, so she needed to think fast There was a late night drop-in vet clinic on the outskirts of Passion Creek She’d seen the signs for it a few times when she’d been on the way to the shell wholesalers That would be her best bet, and the quicker she got there, the better with the way the weather was turning

Five ed into jeans and a sweater, she was on the highway out of toith a snarling cat strapped into the front seat in a cardboard box The cat was not happy and the noise co out of the box was pretty —absolutely horrible and very distracting The snoas also falling faster in great thick lumps that hit the windshield and splattered into wet bursts, battering the windshield wipers that struggled to keep up with the onslaught

“Not far now, kitty,” she soothed and turned the heater up full blast It e Intrepid smell like a junkyard, an unpleasant co dust, and ancient air conditioning gas “Just another couple of miles, sweetheart”

Perhaps the sound of the radio would calh: easy listening, local news stories, nothing too abrasive

…polar vortex forecasted to cause extreme weather conditions in Passion Creek over the next two days Residents are advised not to venture out unless absolutely necessary Shortages of batteries, milk, and bread in stores have already been reported Stay indoors and please do not call on the eency services unless the situation is critical

Piper turned the radio sharply off “Great” The cardboard box of pregnant cat rocked in the car seat like soht as well keep going now Maybe they’ll have a nice big dog basket I can crash in overnight, huh?”