Lorelei sat on the recliner, front paws on the headrest, nose pressed against the window pane. A ribbon of drool slid down the glass and puddled on the sill. With her gaze fixed on the yellow charm of goldfinches that fluttered at the birdfeeder, she wanted nothing more than to beat them at their game. Eyes narrowed. Heart pulsed. Her brain devised a plan.
Whoosh… in swooped a rowdy party of blue jays.
“Woof. Woof. Woof.” Lorelei bounded to the front door and demanded to be let out.
“No barking, Lorelei,” came the usual response. “You can go out, but leave those birds alone.”
After an affectionate lick on the hand and an obedient tail wag, freedom was gained.
Lorelei had no intention of leaving those pesky birds alone. She was consumed with the desire to sink her teeth into one of those flighty creatures and savor the tickle of yellow feathers on her tongue. She pawed through the discarded seeds under the feeder and licked up a few tasty treats. Then she positioned herself in the grass, half in the sun, half in the shade of the lilac bushes and anticipated the return of those bright yellow birds.
It was not long before the feeder was alive. Lorelei went crazy. She jumped and barked and swiped at the birds with her paw.
“Lorelei! Lorelei! Knock it off! ” There was that voice scolding her behavior. “Leave it! Come!”
Lorelei trotted to the front porch and rubbed up against the legs of the woman she loved. She sat at the front door and waited for her usual treat. “Naughty dog, Lorelei. Why do you insist on chasing those birds?” Lorelei just politely took the biscuit Natalie offered and chomped.
Natalie opened the front door, the day’s mail in her hand. Lorelei bounded into the home office and plopped down on her dog bed. She turned her attention to the aquarium. Guppies, mollies, neon tetra, and a betta fish swam effortlessly through the water, in and out and around the castle that sat at the bottom of the deep blue sea. A sigh escaped her lips and a low gurgle settled in her throat. Fish. Birds. Temptation. Nap time.
Birdsong disturbed Lorelei’s golden slumber. She trotted into the front room with the intention of begging to be let out the door and found Natalie video chatting with her best friend. She was reading from papers that had come in a big envelope. “Monique, remember last month I got a Doggie DNA test for Lorelei? I swabbed her cheek and sent it away. Well, it’s back. … Yes, it came in the mail today. I will finally know what mix of breeds my darling Lorelei is!”
At the mention of her name, Lorelei jumped up on the couch and nosed her head under Natalie’s hand for an ear scratch. “Here it is, Monique. It says Lorelei is 35% boxer, 35% labrador retriever, and ……” A sharp intake of breath followed by an ear piercing screech sent Lorelei into a barking frenzy.
Monique’s voice came through the phone. “Where are you? What happened??? Natalie, are you all right??”
It took a moment for Natalie to recover. She looked at Monique’s face on the screen. “You aren’t going to believe this!! Lorelei is 30% siberian cat!!!!”
Monique whooped with laughter. “That explains her fascination with birds and fish!”
I guess you let the cat out of the bag.”
“I sure did.” Natalie joined Monique in laughter. She reached to pet Lorelei “Come here, my precious pet. Perhaps I should treat you to a can of tuna fish and a saucer of milk.”
Lorelei pawed at Natalie’s legs, wagged her tail, and meowed.