Chapter 15 - A lost kitten
Torbjorn walked up to the sheep and asked if they knew the way to Bendigo, but they stared back at him with frightened eyes. The animals on the farm in Norway were friendly, but every time he took a step towards these sheep they ran away.
The flock huddled together and cried, 'Go away wild cat, go away!'
'I'm not a wild cat,' said Torbjorn. 'I'm a kitten,'
'You're too big to be a kitten,' they said. 'You're a wild cat who wants to eat us.'
'Eat you?' laughed Torbjorn. 'How could I eat you. You're covered in thick wool. The only thing I could do is nibble on your legs.'
'Ah,' yelled the sheep, and ran one after the other up the hill. 'The wild cat wants to nibble on our legs. Run away! Run away!'
Torbjorn was very confused. He couldn't understand why they were scared of him. Surely they knew Skogkatts were trained to protect sheep and not eat them. He decided to follow and try asking the way to Bendigo again. At the top of the hill, he heard the sound of a car driving across the paddock towards him. He hid behind a log.
'It must be Tressa and Idiya,' he said to himself. 'They've realised the cage is missing and have come back to get me.'
When the engine stopped, the kitten peeped over the log, but it wasn't the trolls. It was a farmer.
'What's a cat doing out here in the sheep paddock?' said the man, rubbing his chin.
Torbjorn stayed crouched behind the log, ready to run if the farmer came towards him. The man took a paper bag out of the truck and pulled out a sandwich. After he'd taken a bite, he threw some meat to the kitten.
'Do you like ham, fella? asked the farmer, taking another bite of the sandwich. When Torbjorn didn't move, he said, 'I'm not going to hurt you. I like cats. My wife and I have five working cats on our farm.'
Torbjorn sniffed the meat. Tomten had warned the kittens about poisonous food. He decided if the farmer was eating the ham it must be alright. He took the meat between his teeth, shook it sideways until he was sure it was dead and gulped it down.
'There's plenty more food back at the farmhouse if you're still hungry,' said the man.
Torbjorn studied him. He had a kind face like the farmer on Tomten Gore. As the man walked over, the kitten backed away, but he didn't run off. He let the man pick him up.
The farmer patted the kitten and noticed the tag on the cat collar. 'Torbjorn? That's an unusual name,' he said, walking towards the truck. 'It's nice to meet you. My name's Joe.'
