Ninja's Fire Scare

Today started like any other day. I got fed, let out, and started hunting. If you know where to look, there are *so* many things to catch, and half the fun is stalking them before pouncing; your ears tune to that specific sound, your eyes narrow in on the location, and you pretty much flatten yourself on the ground so your prey doesn’t see you. The incessant squeaking of what humans call a mouse, the chirping of a bird perched on a limb that’s close enough for you to take a mighty leap at.. it’s heaven. It was late in the day - I could tell because the bright orb that keeps me warm during the day was sinking lower and lower and not providing as much warmth - when something happened that scared the living daylights out of me. I’d noticed a pile of wood - heck I’d caught some squeaky toys hiding in that pile - but then there was this almighty BOOM, and the pile burst into flame. I was terrified, and took off running the other way like something was after me - I didn’t want to be near such a noisy, scary place. I ran and ran and ran, putting as much distance between me and that .. THING before I finally had to stop running because I was out of breath, my heart beating a mile a minute. And then.. wait, where was I? No place I recognized, that’s for sure! Lost, terrified - again - this time that I’d never find home again… what was I to do? That big scary pile of flame was probably still there, no way I wanted to go near THAT; but now that I’d slowed down, I was feeling thirsty, soo thirsty. I glanced up at the bright ball in the place humans call the sky. Still there, and making me so very hot.. and thirsty. I looked around for shade - there was none that I could spot; I flopped down dejectedly on the ground, not sure what to do next but knowing I was surely lost and not at all sure if I should try to find my way back home. So I waited until it cooled off. I slowly started heading the direction I thought home was; nothing looked familiar to begin with, but as I continued on, I started to recognize landmarks so I knew I was headed in the right direction. Trees! So tired, so thirsty.. but trees! Now I knew I was on the right track - progress! I kept going as fast as my body would allow; I was excited to get home, but felt sluggish, like I couldn’t go very fast. So I trudged towards home, putting one paw in front of the other; the bright ball had disappeared, replaced by chilly darkness, but still I kept going, knowing that sooner or later I would get home. Night sounds put me on edge, and I slowed even more, stalking through the night silently like only my kind can, seeking to avoid contact with anything else. The bright ball up high came back, warming my chilled body as I continued to trudge in the direction of home - thankfully I now had trees to duck under for shade when it got too hot. *Finally* I spotted the building I called home, where I took shelter at times when that bright ball in the sky got too hot. The human called Mom found me sprawled on concrete pad at the back of the house, took me in, offered me some water, and put me on my favourite box in the downstairs of the house, where I could look out the window if I wanted too. So tired I didn’t even bother, just stayed on the box, content to doze for a good long while. My favourite human called Laura came to visit me, and gently petted me a bit before leaving me in peace. I was glad to be home.