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Nothing.
She pressed her lips together and did her best to imitate the sound, hoping to coax the animal into responding.
Meow!
There! Her head snapped up, her hazel eyes travelling up the trunk of a large, sprawling tree. A small ball of black fur crouched high in the mostly barren branches. Liliane edged closer, peering at the bundle of fur. It was a kitten. She furrowed her brow. “Where is your mother?” she asked quietly.
The kitten looked as if it might be old enough to have stopped nursing its mother but not by much. A handful of weeks, maybe. The kitten meowed again, clearly distressed. Could it climb down? Liliane was sure that an adult cat probably would not have an issue, but this was ababy. What if it was truly stuck?
She glanced around, as if she might find some miraculous solution to freeing the cat, but she had travelled a small distance from the market. Liliane could probably turn around and find someone to help, but that would mean leaving the kitten alone. It might be foolish of her to worry about that, but what if it fell? What if she couldn’t find it again?
“All right,” Liliane muttered. “Just wait a few more minutes, little one.”
She placed her basket on the ground and hitched up her skirts past her knees. Liliane approached the tree and eyed it uncertainly, trying to decide if she ought to try and remove her shoes before climbing it. She had never climbed a tree before, but it seemed theoretically feasible. This was an old tree with a strong trunk and thick branches, which fortunately parted low enough down for her to reach.
“Well,” she said, glancing at the kitten. “Wish me luck.”
The kitten meowed in response. Liliane chose to believe that was a sign of the kitten wishing her well. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her skirts up a little more firmly and placed a careful foot against the trunk of the tree. With a frown, she draped her skirts over her right arm and carefully grasped the branch with her left.
Cautiously, she pulled herself up. It was just like mounting a horse. She swung her leg over the branch, grimacing as the rough bark rubbed against her inner thigh. Liliane let her skirts drop, and with both arms, she carefully positioned herself over the branch.
She had not anticipated how hard and unpleasant the bark would feel as it scraped along her legs. Liliane craned her head back, catching sight of the kitten’s wide yellow eyes. After a moment of consideration, Liliane knotted her skirts together in a massive ball, trying to keep them out of the way.
She reached upwards to the next branch and grasping it with both hands, she cautiously stood. Her legs shook, and although she was only a few feet from the ground, the distance looked much greater when she peered down.
“The things I am willing to do for small animals,” she muttered.
She gingerly twisted her body, so she could face the kitten. Then, reconsidering, Liliane pressed her chest against the branch and hauled herself over it. She felt the branch against her ribs, pressing her stays uncomfortably against her chest. With a faint grunt, she pulled herself up and swung her leg over. She was seated securely, and the cat was before her. Liliane grinned.
“Hello, kitten,” she cooed, wiggling her fingers towards it. “Come see me.”
The kitten didn’t move.
“I can help you,” she whispered. “Here, kitten. Come here.”
The kitten’s back fluffed up, and it went onto its toes. It hissed at her. Liliane frowned. The kitten was so small that it really would not be able to hurt her much. She could endure any bites or scratches from it, especially with the kitten’s safety in mind.
The problem was that shewasn’tcertain that she could crawl that far out on the branch without it breaking beneath her weight. Already, the end of the branch quivered with just the kitten seated upon it. Liliane reached out and tore a tiny twig dotted with leaves from the branch. “Here, kitten,” she said, shaking the twig nearer to the kitten’s paws.
It hissed again.
Liliane paused and stopped moving. She kept herself as still as possible, despite the blood thundering in her ears. Maybe the kitten would come closer to inspect her.
The kitten crouched on the branch and dug its claws into the bark. For a long moment, they stared at one another. The kitten didn’t move any nearer, but it didn’t move further away from her either.
This isn’t working.
Liliane looked doubtfully at the ground. If the kitten would not come to her, there was nothing she could do. She eyed the branch. Liliane knew that she couldn’t possibly climb all the way to the end of the branch, butmaybeshe could get near enough to grab the kitten.
“You’re rather spiteful. Do you know that?” she asked.
Liliane adjusted her skirts, trying to put the fabric between her thighs and the rough bark of the tree, and carefully, she inched forward. It felt like an eternity for her to creep forward even a little. When the kitten flattened its ears, she halted.
“Come here,” she whispered soothingly. “I promise I will not hurt you.”
She waited. Liliane had not gotten quite close enough. If she could coax the kitten into coming just alittlenearer, she might be able to grasp it. She would have to do it quickly, though. There would be only one chance for her to grasp it. The kitten slowly extended one paw. Liliane scarcely dared even to breathe. Another paw. The kitten slowly took two steps towards her. Then, another.
Liliane bit the inside of her cheek as the kitten unleashed a loud, piercing meow. That was good, wasn’t it? Kittens meowed when theywantedsomething. This kitten wanted something from her. Liliane raised her hand, torn between petting the kitten to coax it nearer and grabbing it without warning. She swallowed hard and slowly raised her hand. The kitten halted.
Liliane nearly lunged forward. Her fingers brushed the soft, silky fur. The kitten meowed in protest, and she felt the faint, painful prick of claws or teeth. The kitten had become a small ball of fury, but shehadit in her hands, even as it tried to force itself free.
“Yes!” she exclaimed.
Overcome with her victory, Liliane punched the air with her fist, and suddenly, the world tilted around her. The branch quivered, and she fell. A scream tore from her throat, and all her thoughts focused onprotecting the kittenbecause that fall was going to hurt.
