[Firefoot]

Willy was delighted by Shimshin's dancing, and so it shocked him when the monkey randomly jumped off the stage and scampered off. He only hesitated a moment before springing to his feet with the full intent of chasing after Shimshins to keep an eye on him; after all, Seamus had trusted him to do so.

At that moment, however, he became distracted by the distinct sound of ripping fabric. A wash of dread washed over him as he whirled around to the noise. Only a short while earlier he had decided the day was too warm to wear a coat and slipped his off, laying it on the ground behind him. Sure enough, the damage was being done to his coat - it was being scratched up by that white cat! Now the coat was not new, but it was still in very serviceable condition and Willy's family was not so wealthy that they could afford to buy new coats simply because of carelessness. With a yelp, Willy pounced on the cat, who slipped away leaving Willy with a handful of white hair. He scooped up the coat to check it for obvious damage. There was a long rip in the sleeve and a gash in the front left. Willy frowned worriedly; he wasn't sure whether the gash could be mended. Not knowing what else to do with it, he tied it around his waist and then looked around for the cat.

It sat just out of easy reach, watching him. Glaring, thought Willy. It hissed malevolently at him, and Willy scowled. No cat would ever oust him! He muttered, "I'm going to get you, cat, and then you'll be sorry!" He sprang after the cat, who dashed away, dodging this way and that, around things and between people's legs. Willy was hot on the trail, and so intent on the chase was he that he barely registered Nick's cry of "Willy, wait!" Nick, who had watched the whole event wordlessly, had now been left behind and did not know what to do alone among strangers. Remembering the renegade monkey, Nick decided that since his older brother was no where to be seen, he would look for his new friend by himself and set off for a nearby stand of trees in the direction Shimshins had headed.

Willy, on the other hand, had finally chased his quarry into the stable but saw no sign of the cat. Just as he looked up to the rafters, the cat jumped down onto his head. Its claws were sharp on his scalp and while Willy's first instinct was to cover his head and face, a split second decision had him reach up and snatch the cat. It hissed, bit, and scratched furiously, sometimes drawing blood, but finally Willy grasped it so that its front legs were in one hand and the back legs in the other, rendering the cat nearly helpless though it still fought valiantly. Willy had no doubt that were he to let go the cat would murder him. He looked around for some way to extract revenge on the cat that desired to destroy his coat and him. A devilish gleam lit his eyes at what he saw: a horse's water trough filled with water - not clean water either, but with bits of straw and dirt floating in it. Willy took the cat over and with a smirk dunked the cat all the way in. How it yowled!

Then, in desperation, Willy flung the cat into a pile of hay and sprinted for the stable door as if his life depended on it. He was certain it did. The furious cat was after him, but Willy was just barely able to shut the door in its face. Willy leaned against the wall gasping for breath, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved upward. That would teach it to mess with him! Then he realized Nick was nowhere to be seen. He was supposed to be responsible for Nick! Without a further thought, Willy dashed off to find his brother, not noticing that someone who had seen the chase and heard the cat's fierce yowls was coming to see what all the commotion was about...