The Circle of the Paw

Chapter 12

     Misha wrinkled her nose at the foul smelling yellow leaves that littered the browning grass of the Schuylkill river park. Fall had come once again to Philadelphia. Today was a special day, she knew. For the occasion, she wore a cream colored leash that Jacob had tied to a thin tree. It had been almost three moon cycles, or human months, since Akhi had disappeared without a trace.

The yellow retriever's mismatched eyes focused on a squirrel running across the field, only to stop at a particular spot in the grass. The squirrel looked around cautiously, before lifting a bright red leaf to pocket the acorn underneath. Misha cocked her head to one side. The small rodent scampered up a nearby spruce tree to safely savor its bounty.

"Squir. Squir." Noah announced while seated on a nearby picnic blanket. He pointed to the same tree that Misha had been watching. Misha wagged her tail with pride. She had a hard time believing how many words her tiny human had started to understand in his first year of life. The corners of her mouth curled into a smile.

Abigail strolled over and picked Noah off of the blanket before carrying him over to a group of other humans. "Jacob. It's time to light the cake," she hinted to her partner. 

On top of a nearby folding table, Misha could see a large, round pastry with tiny unlit torches sprouting from the top. With its thin metal legs, the table looked like some sort of giant insect. Other parents were standing around the cake as well, most of whom were carrying their own toddlers.

Her humans were still heartbroken by Akhi's disappearance. They had put up posters in the neighborhood, asked strangers about cat sightings, and continued leaving out Akhi's favorite cat food in the backyard every night on the chance that he would return. Noah had been especially sad at the loss. The boy continued to wave to any animal that passed in view of his favorite kitchen window overlooking the yard. But inevitably, he would be disappointed every time it was not his beloved cat. Misha had been spending many nights on the foot of her humans' bed as they slept, hoping to provide a measure of comfort to them.

But, as with any loss, life finds a way to continue on - with tangible reminders of the presence that is no longer there; an empty water bowl, a cat brush, a favorite ribbon toy.

Misha knew that Jacob and Abigail were hoping to get back to some sort of normal routine, for Noah's sake. Despite the sadness they felt for their missing cat, they decided to throw their son an outdoor party to celebrate his first year of life. Misha appreciated the distraction as well.

Besides, she always enjoyed her humans' birthday rituals. The day's food portions were always generous and she would sometimes get to sample some of the pastry. Although, she didn't care much for the lighting of torches. The fire, even controlled, made her nervous.

The crowd of humans began to sing a song in Noah's honor. Misha watched him shift his attention between people. She could tell he was nervous. He buried his face in his mother's shoulder. The other fully-grown humans laughed. After the song, the adults began cutting the cake into smaller slices. Misha hoped they would save a small piece for her. It was always a treat to sample sweets.