The AWEIRDstocats Part 3

That night (after he made sure no one saw him), Dimentio quietly headed to his motorcycle with a basket. In the basket were the four sleeping cats, though Mr. Small briefly woke up, then quickly went back to sleep. Dimentio was wearing his suit from that day, but also wore a bowler hat, and carried a black umbrella, since there were storm clouds in the sky. Even though there were a few accidental pit stops (thinking a tree branch was a person, and accidentally going down the subway steps), Dimentio had made it to where he wanted to be: the French countryside.

Meanwhile, by a windmill in the countryside, there was an old and abandoned farm where two dogs lived. One dog was a large honey-brown mixed breed, and the other was a smaller creamish-tan, with what looked like a very thin black mustache and beard. He also had almost-permanently squinting eyes, a pair of thick black glasses, and a small section of black fur on the top of his head that stuck out like a rooster’s crown. They were both asleep, but the bigger dog was awaken by the sound of Dimentio’s motorcycle.

"Chuckie. Hey, Chuckie." He said, as Chuckie slowly emerged from a haystack he was sleeping in. "Chuckie!"

"Hey, I am right here!" Chuckie said, cringing a little.

"Listen. Wheels approaching." The bigger dog said.

"Oh, Tidbit, we have bitten six tires today. Chased four motorcars, a bicycle and a scooter." Chuckie said, drifting off to sleep a little bit.

"Hush your mouth!" Tidbit said, raising one of his ears. "Two-cylinder, chain drive, one squeaky wheel on the front, it sounds like." The two soon started walking to where Dimentio was heading. "Now, you go for the tires, and I'll go right for the seat of the problem."

"How come you always get the tender parts for yourself?" Chuckie asked, as he tripped over his own paws.

"'Cause I outrank you, that’s why. Now stop beating your gums and sound the attack!" Tidbit said, and Chuckie started to bark, but Tidbit quickly shushed him. "No, that’s mess call!"

"Made a mess of it, huh?" Chuckie joked.

"You can be replaced, you know." Tidbit warned.

"Okay, let us charge!" Chuckie said, lunging forward, but falling flat, because Tidbit stepped on his tail.

"Wait a minute, I’m the leader! I’m the one who says when we go. Here we go. Charge!" Tidbit said, and the two started barking very loudly, sounding their attack. They ran at Dimentio, jumping into the sidecar, thus knocking it out the basket with the cats in it, and by the riverside. Dimentio’s hat fell onto Tidbit’s head. Chuckie had started to spin Dimentio around, giving Tidbit a chance for what he wanted to do to him…

"Nice doggy! Nice doggy! Heel, roll over, play dead!" Dimentio called to Tidbit in a panic, as the dog bit him in the keister, making him fall of the motorcycle, which Tidbit jumped on, and started to control, while Chuckie lounged in the sidecar, the umbrella right next to him.

"This sure beats running, Tidbit." Chuckie said, lying down farther in the sidecar, as Tidbit nodded, then looked forward. A small tree was in the way, snapping the sidecar right off of the motorcycle! Noticing this, Dimentio hastily jumped on the motorcycle, as Tidbit pushed Chuckie in the sidecar, going as fast as possible. "Step on the gas, Tidbit!"

"I got 'er wide open!" Tidbit said, lunging at Dimentio, only for the two dogs to wind up in the mud, with Dimentio speeding back off to the manor.

Meanwhile, Maddie had fallen out of the basket, and was asleep by the riverside, until a clap of thunder woke her up.

"Oh! Oh, where am I? I’m not at home at all." Maddie said, viewing her surroundings, then realized something. "Guys, where are you? Answer me! Glasses? Mr. Small, Yotsuba, where are you?"

"I'm here, Maddie." Yotsuba called, being trapped on a twig right above the river, while Maddie helped her down.

"Yotsuba, are you okay?" Maddie asked.

"Yeah, I guess I just had a nightmare and fell out of bed." Yotsuba said, still unaware of where they were.

"Don’t worry, Yostuba." Maddie said, as they huddled closer for warmth.

"Maddie! Maddie!" Glasses' voice could be heard calling out.

"That’s Glasses!" Yotsuba said.

"We’re over here, Glasses." Maddie called out. "Don’t worry, everything’s gonna be alright."

"I’m coming, Maddie." Glasses said, sounding miserable. He was sopping wet, from falling into the river. "Gee, I’m cold and I’m w-wet."

He then heard the sound of a frog croak.

"Maddie?"

The frog then croaked even louder, frightening him.

"Maddie!" he screamed out, huddling close to Maddie.

"Glasses, it’s only a little frog." Maddie said, giggling a little.

"But he had a mouth like a hippolotomus." Glasses said, stumbling on his words, as the frog croaked again, making Yotsuba giggle a little. "Oh, what’s so funny?"

"Now, you guys stay here, and I’ll go look for Mr. Small." Maddie said, as the two kittens walked back to the basket. "Mr. Small! Mr. Small, where are you?"

"Mr. Small!" Glasses and Yotsuba called out at the same time. "Mr. Small!"

"Hey, what’s all the yellin’ about, huh?" Mr. Small asked, coming out of the basket, yawning.

"Why didn’t you answer?" Glasses asked.

"Maddie! He’s been here the whole time!" Yotsuba called out.

"That's good." Maddie said, walking back over to the basket. "Are you okay?"

"I was having a funny dream. Dimentio was in it. And we were all riding and bouncing along-–" Mr. Small was explaining, until he was interrupted by the frog’s croak. "Frogs? Uh-oh. This wasn’t a dream. Dimentio did this to us."

"Dimentio?" Maddie asked, sounding flabbergasted. "Mr. Small, but – why that’s ridiculous!"

"Yeah, maybe you fell on your head, Mr. Small." Glasses said, as a large thunder clap scared the cats.

"Maddie, I'm scared." Yotsuba said, hiding behind Maddie. "I wanna go home."

"Don't worry guys. Don’t be frightened." Maddie said, trying to calm the three kittens down, as another clap of thunder shot out, scaring all of them. "Oh, man! Let’s get into the basket!"

"What's going to happen to us?" Mr. Small asked, looking out the basket.

"Well, I – I don’t know." Maddie admitted. "It looks pretty hopeless, doesn’t it?"

"I wish we were home with Jess now." Glasses sadly said.

"Oh, poor Jess." Maddie said, fearing the worst. "She'll be so worried when she finds us missing…"

Meanwhile, at the manor, another large clap of thunder woke Jess up from her sleep. She was sweating a little, and looked a little nervous.

"Maddie? Kittens? Oh, my gosh! I just had the worst dream. At least it was just a dream. Boy, what a terrible night." she said, climbing out of her bed, and walking over to the cats’ bed, where the canopy was drawn. "Now, now, you guys. Don’t be frightened. The storm will be over."

Jess then opened up the canopy, only to see that the cat basket was gone -- along with the cats!

"Oh! Oh, no! They’re gone!" Jess said, running out of her room, calling out. "Maddie? Kittens! Maddie! Where are you? They’re gone! Gone!"

Kururu had heard this commotion, and had come out of his mouse hole in a hurry, feeling as shocked as Jess.

"Maddie? Kittens? Gone? Why-well…that’s terrible! But where? Why? Oh, man!" he said, dashing back into his mouse hole to grab his dark yellow trench coat and orange deerstalker hat. "Anything could happen to them on a night like this! Get-get washed down a storm drain, struck by lightning. Oh, they’ll need help. I’ve gotta go find them!"

He then ran out of his mouse hole, and out through the cat door, out into the pouring rain, calling out all the way.

"Maddie! Kittens! Maddie! Kittens! Kittens!"

The night seemed hopeless. But, there was always next morning for something new to happen…