It was three decades ago. Autumn leaves and light brown grass everywhere. Peaches have spawned effortlessly on many of the trees. One dark brunette girl with a red-nose was doing what she loved to do all throughout her hometown; catching fish, capturing insects and breeding flowers. At a young age, she loved her adventurous life. But about a minute later, she suddenly heard faint crying. Her eyes widened in uneasiness. She felt as if she had no choice but to see who was weeping. She followed the sound of high-pitched weeping, ensuring that the louder it got, the closer she was to the one in need. She finally made it to the source of the crying; a small yellow kitten with a patch of brown hair on the top of its head. The kitten looked so cute and helpless that Jenny proceeded to calmly come to its aid.
"I can't find my mama!" the kitten wailed, bursting into tears. It sniffed, looking up at the girl, who held the kitten's left paw and shushed her in a compassionate manner. The human's empathy for other species and her ability to understand both English and Animalese would be a big help in the situation.
"Calm down, darling." she said caringly. "It will be okay. I'll help you find your mama, okay?"
"O-okay." As she let go of the tiny paw, the human was sure that the kitten was a female because of its green dress.
"My name is Jenny. What's yours?"
"K-Kaitlin." Jenny knew that Kaitlin would be a girl's name, so she was right about the kitten's gender.
"Aww, that's a lovely name for a lovely girl." she acclaimed.
"W-why thank you." Kaitlin squeaked, still in tears from losing track of her mother's pawsteps. Due to Jenny's kind nature and a sweet compliment on her name, Kaitlin already had all of her trust in her.
"Come on then, darling. Follow me." Jenny calmly commanded.
And so, the journey back to Kaitlin's mother began. As soon as she strolled along, Kaitlin was sure to follow her. Due to Jenny's somewhat tomboyish nature at times, she moved faster, causing Kaitlin to gasp to do her bit to keep up. But unfortunately, the adorable kitten could not keep up with the human's increased pace and suddenly fell over. The sound of the thud caught Jenny's attention. She turned and gasped, rushing over to Kaitlin, who stood up and burst into tears again.
"Oh no, are you alright?" she asked in sincere concern and a hint of guilt.
"You walk too fast Miss Jenny! I can't keep up!" Kaitlin whined, gasping in between sniffs.
"I'm so sorry, bab." Jenny put her stubby arms around the innocent young kitten and shushed soothingly. Listening to the shushing, Kaitlin slowly fell silent. Despite the fact that Jenny was only a child a few years close to her teenage years, she was acting rather mother-like. In fact, she thought of being a mother someday, so that the legacy of a free and ambitious life of meeting different species and developing hobbies would live on. "I'll slow down."
"Thank you." the kitten said in an appreciative manner.
"You've been a good girl so far." Jenny let go and proceeded to take the lead again. "Let's keep walking Kaitlin. Come on, babe." And so Jenny and Kaitlin began walking together. Only this time, Jenny was sure to remain at a pace that was steady enough for a very young kitten. She turned her head quickly as they strode through a clear space between two peach trees. "This is a lovely town, isn't it, darling?"
"Yes. It is." Kaitlin replied before Jenny had her eyes on the way they were going again.
Moments later, they made into the town gate. It did not seem much, but two guards on duty would always ensure that innocent travelers have safe and enjoyable journeys and those who aim to cause havoc would face consequences. One guard was a white shiba inu and the other was a black and white Siberian husky.
"Kaitlin, one of the nice doggies will let us go to another town. We'll find your mama soon, bab." The sweet little kitten nodded as she and Jenny causally approached the husky at the right side of the gate.
"A good afternoon to you, young miss." the husky greeted. "How can I help you?"
'Good afternoon." Jenny greeted back in a grown-up and polite tone. "If it's not too much trouble, I would like you guys to open the gate, so that I can go to another town to find this kitten's mother."
"That won't be any trouble at all, young miss. We shall allow the gates to open now."
"Be careful out there." the shiba inu warned the two. Jenny was sure to listen to the shiba inu's advice while Kaitlin was gazing at the gates that were slowly opening. "Have a safe journey. And best of luck with finding the kitten's mother."
"Thank you, lads!" Jenny said to the guards. She then looked down at Kaitlin who was slowly taking a few steps towards the fully open gates. She managed to stop her off wandering off by moving forward and gently grabbing her shoulder. "Wait a minute, darling! Say thank you and goodbye to the guards first." Jenny was being a wonderful carer, aiming to remind a very young kitten to show gratefulness and good social etiquette in society. Kaitlin took two steps back with Jenny and proceeded to obey.
"Thank you and bye-bye." the kitten said, turning to the husky. She then turned to the shiba inu and squeaked, "Thank you and bye-bye." The dogs chuckled at the kitten's adorableness.
"Until then." yapped the husky. "Stay alert!"
"I'll see you later, lads. Bye for now." Kaitlin was sure to follow Jenny through the gates as the guards saluted.
Finally, Jenny and Kaitlin arrived at another town gate that was guarded by two other dogs in guard uniforms. Jenny was hoping that the town they stopped at was the one Kaitlin's mother would be searching for her at.
"M-mama!" Kaitlin cried. That cry sharpened Jenny's vigilance. The two have spotted another feline with yellow fur and a similar hairstyle to Kaitlin's. She was wearing a brown apron and red lipstick, along with mascara that made her eyelashes look quite natural.
"There you are, my little Kaitlin!" the grown-up cat called out in a firm, but relieved tone as she strode up to Kaitlin. "Where have you been, you naughty kitten? I have been worried sick about you. You really need to stop wandering off."
"I'm sorry, Mama." Kaitlin sniffed. Taking Kaitlin's paw, the other cat turned to Jenny.
"Are you the kind person who brought my daughter to me?" she asked.
"Yes, I am, love." Jenny answered. "You can simply call me Jenny. Kaitlin's been a good girl on the way."
"Say thank you to Jenny, Kaitlin."
"T-thank you, Jenny." Kaitlin squeaked.
Jenny hugged her back and replied, "Aww, you're welcome, bab. Stay with your mummy and listen to her, okay? That way you don't get lost again." The red lips of Kaitlin's mother curved upwards into a smile at Jenny.
"Jenny, I cannot express how truly grateful I am for your kind deed." The grown-up cat commended. "Perhaps we may see each other again. If we do, be sure to remember my name, Katherine."
"Alright then, Katherine," Jenny said. "It was lovely to meet you."
"You're a real angel. We need to go home now." Katherine turned back to her child. "Kaitlin, say goodbye to Jenny."
"Bye- bye Jenny."
"Bye, loves! I hope to see you two again soon!" Jenny said before Katherine turned away with her daughter. The two felines strode away, ensuring that they will never forget the day a human reunited them.
In the present day, a campsite was still going strong, surrounded by elegant sakura trees. The season was spring, so the grass was green. Many different species were having a great day, doing whatever they please. Right by a teal camper with flowery vines, a similar-looking human was receiving a hearty thanks for helping organize a spring picnic from a kitten who consisted of familiar features. It was just like the lovely fruit party they had about a year ago.
"I'm gonna have to head back home soon, lady. Again, thank you so much for organizing a great picnic for all the campers today!"
"Alright then, sweetheart. You're very welcome." Suddenly, something came into the human's mind. "But before you go, I would like you to show you something." said the sweet red-nosed lass, the proud campsite manager.
"Oh, okay." the kitten responded in curiosity. "What is it?"
"If only I showed it to you a year ago." The human took a small photograph from her pocket and showed to the kitten.
"Oh my gosh!" the kitten gasped at another young kitten in the photograph. "That looks like my mommy when she was younger than me!"
"She IS your mommy," Laura answered, pointing to the young kitten in the photograph, despite her lack of fingers. Her fingerless hand then pointed to the human that looked a lot of her. "With my mum, the human." Lastly, she pointed to the cat in a brown apron. "And the cat is your granny when she was younger. Close to your mommy's age."
"You're a good lady, Laura. My mommy would say that you're like your mommy." Laura giggled, flattered at her younger companion for the motivating compliment.
"Awww, thank you dearly, Katie!" Laura popped the photograph into her pocket and asked regarding Katie's mentioning of her mother, "So your mum meet yours at one point, yes?"
"Well, I briefly remember my mommy telling me about yours. She said she got lost when she was little until your mommy found her and took her back to my granny."
Laura nodded. She really did expect Katie to mention some good terms between her mother and Katie's mother. "And speaking of getting lost, you won't get lost on your way home sweetie?"
"Not a chance, nice missus!" Katie answered Laura's next question with such optimism. "I can travel safely all by myself. My mommy doesn't have to worry anymore." Laura, Jenny's daughter was impressed by the independence and adventurous nature of Katie, Kaitlin's daughter and Katherine's granddaughter. Katie then reached out to Laura to give her a hug goodbye, which she accepted.
"So don't worry about me, okay?" Katie continued after the hug and posed with pride. "I will NEVER get lost! Not me!"
"I find it brilliant that you can safely travel all by yourself at such a young age." Laura waved gracefully after showing her admiration for Katie's independence. "Until then, Katie. Have another lovely trip back home and remember to use your splendid social skills."
"Thanks a lot, Laura! Bye-bye!" said Katie, waving back. "I hope to see you again some time!" The furry and exploratory traveler turned away and took the first steps on her way back home before taking the rest. Laura turned and headed into her camper to write yet another haiku on her laptop. Along with many other photographs, Laura will always treasure the one photo that featured Kaitlin, Katherine and Jenny.