By Cynthia Wilfert
Maximillion’s manners were atrocious. Clarice’s tail curled as she watched drool trail from the dog’s jowls.
“Is my Maxie hungry?” their owner Katy cooed.
He shifted from paw to paw, pressing even closer to Katy’s legs as she stirred the pot on the stove. If she tripped, both she and the stew would likely crash to the floor.
Clarice sighed from her perch by the window. Then, hearing a car pull into the driveway, she perked her ears and refocused her attention. Her eyes narrowed at the man who stepped out. She leapt to the floor with a loud meow.
“There’s our princess.” Katy smiled. “Your dinner’s on the island.” She always set Clarice’s bowl up high, lest Maximillion gobble her paté along with his kibble.
Clarice turned up her nose. She had a more pressing concern than dinner.
The doorbell rang.
Maximillion half-heartedly woofed. Some guard dog. He was far more interested in food.
“He’s here.” Katy whipped off her apron and scooped up several scraps from the counter, plopping them into Maximillion’s bowl as she passed. They were gone two seconds later. Maximillion licked his chops.
Clarice glared. “You are a glutton.”
Maximillion gave her a big doggy grin, saliva coating his chin. “Thanks!”
Ugh. Dogs.
Still, he was preferable to the invader now complimenting Katy’s dress in the foyer.
“She has a date,” Clarice told Maximillion. “She’ll not want you drooling on his shoes.”
The grin dropped away. “Oh.”
This was one point on which feline and canine agreed. Katy’s attention was far better spent on them than on the disappointing men she brought home for dinner.
“Go give him your best greeting.”
Maximillion brightened. “Can I?”
Clarice flicked her tail. “With exuberance.”
He took off running. Clarice rounded the doorframe in time to see him jump, planting his front paws just above the newcomer’s knees.
“Maxie, no!” Katy grabbed his collar. “Sorry, we’re still working on training.”
The man had latched onto the wall to stay upright. “That’s a big dog.”
He looked familiar. Clarice leapt to the back of the couch and stalked closer.
He spotted her. “Cats, too?”
Katy laughed. “Just one of each. You’re okay with them, right? You said you loved animals.”
He blinked. “Oh… yeah.” He bit his lip, eyes flitting around the room. His gaze landed on the window. “I’m more of a bird guy.”
Katy lit up. “Really? I’ve never had a bird before. Tell me about yours!”
As they strolled toward the kitchen, the man’s profile jogged Clarice’s memory. She’d seen him through the window when he’d come to pick Katy up once. He hadn’t even bothered to get out of the car.
Clarice frowned when he babbled something vague about a “green-feathered friend” before changing the subject. She didn’t like him. More than her general disdain for any human who wasn’t Katy. This “bird-boy” triggered some instinctive distrust.
He’d need to be watched closely. But Clarice wouldn’t be able to get a good vantage point without being scolded for jumping on the dining table.
“Maximillion, I was wrong. Feel free to drool on his shoes.”
It was the perfect job for Maximillion—he had to focus on the food. He plopped down mere inches from bird-boy’s chair, eyes following his every bite.
Clarice’s attention drifted as the meal dragged on with the humans’ boring small talk. She shook herself and trailed Katy to the kitchen when she retrieved dessert. As they returned, Maximillion joined Clarice. “He dropped something in her tea.”
Clarice’s tail paused mid-swish. “What?”
“Dunno. Something tiny, like what Katy wraps for me in cheese.”
Clarice took a deep breath. She humored Katy’s medicine-disguising tricks because she knew their owner had their best interests at heart. But bird-boy had not earned that level of trust. Trepidation knotted like a hairball in Clarice’s belly. “We can’t let her drink it.”
Maximillion flattened his ears. “What can we do?”
Katy was reaching for her mug.
“Create a distraction!”
Clarice darted under the table, rubbing against Katy’s ankles. Katy brought her hand from the mug to reach down and pet her. Clarice purred and arched her neck for more, but it wouldn’t keep Katy occupied for long.
Ding-a-ling.
Everyone’s attention swung to the back door.
Katy had installed a little bell on Maximillion’s level and taught him to ring it when he needed to go out. He stood beside it, expectant.
“Maxie, now?”
He rang it again. And again. Clarice beamed at him.
Katy stood. “Excuse me. I’ll be right back. Feel free to start on the cake.”
Clarice waited until the door closed behind them before leaping onto the table and seating herself between the placemats.
Bird-boy cringed. “Oh. Hello, cat.”
“Meow.” Clarice looked him straight in the eye. She reached out a paw and batted Katy’s mug off the table.
It shattered on impact. He jumped from his seat with a yelp, wide-eyed. “What are you doing?”
Clarice held eye contact. She stretched her front legs, claws popping out.
Katy hurried inside with Maximillion. “Did something crash?”
“Sorry, the cat startled me.” Bird-boy looked like a scared rabbit. “And, uh… I just remembered, I forgot to… feed my bird. Yeah. He’s on a strict schedule. Gotta go.”
A few more platitudes, and he was gone. Katy sighed as she cleaned up the porcelain pieces. “He was kind of an odd one, huh?”
Maximillion sniffed at the spilled liquid and turned his head away.
“Good boy, Maxie! Caffeine is bad for you.” Katy patted him on the head and went to grab the mop.
Maximillion wagged his tail and beamed.
Since Katy was getting the mop anyway, Clarice figured a little more mess wouldn’t hurt. “Here. You’ve earned a reward.” She nudged bird-boy’s abandoned bowl until it plunged to the floor.
The plastic dish didn’t break. But it did splatter into a great mess. Maximillion slurped with enthusiasm, saliva soon coating the floor.
Clarice rolled her eyes fondly. “At least you’re a good glutton.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Our furry family members are our heros on a daily basis. Katy was saved & had no idea how her welfare was guarded. The story was a good reminder how they always have our backs & can be an objective judge of character.
Humans should be as observant!
What a quality of life pets add to our lives. 🥰
Great story!
Thank you! I agree that our animal companions are intelligent and intuitive and add so many blessings to our lives.
Thanks so much for reading and commenting!
I absolutely loved this story! Cindy has such a gift! I can “see” her story because she is so descriptive and she places you in the story through her words.
Thank you, Lisa! I’m so glad you enjoyed the story. 😊
I love it.
Nice having a thriller from the POV of the pets. That was a very good twist! And the phrasing and word choice worked really well – “trepidation knotted like a furball” was especially brilliant.
Thank you so much! I love pets; it was great fun to write this from their POV.
Great story! I had to laugh, though, at Maximillion ringing the bell to go out. One of my dogs does that (the other just whines until we figure out what he wants), and I think she often has reasons other than bodily functions in mind. Great tension and I liked the pets’ POV!
Thank you! And I sympathize. We taught my dog to scratch on the door when he needs to go out… but now he mostly just scratches on the cabinet door when he wants food! (Who trains who? :)
Thanks for reading and commenting!
These two make the perfect pair!!
(Dare I say it, what a “good” pair.)
Thank you! Yes, definitely a *good* pair. 😁
Aw! This story has definitely become one of my favorite in the Thriller Thursday genre. I love the choice of POV!