CONTENTS

Chapter One

Fluff the kitten was lying in her basket on her back, showing off her furry tummy and snoring a little. She wasn�t deeply asleep, just dozing, with her paws tucked under her chin. Her little body only took up one corner of the basket. Fluff was getting bigger, just not very fast. The basket was in a patch of winter sunshine, and it was deliciously cosy. She was planning to spend as much of the afternoon as possible like this. She needed to keep her energy up, after all, for when Ella got home from school and wanted to play.

Ella�s mum walked past, and Fluff opened one eye thoughtfully. Was there any chance of a snack? Ella�s mum reached down to tickle her behind the ears. She hadn�t wanted Ella to have a cat at first. When she and Ella first met Fluff at the farm where she�d been born, Mum had called Fluff a dirty, scruffy little kitten, and told Ella she could have a goldfish instead. (Fluff was a little sad that Ella didn�t have a goldfish, actually. She would have liked one.) But when she�d seen how upset Ella was, and understood that she really was old enough to look after a kitten properly, she�d changed her mind. Now she fussed over Fluff almost as much as Ella did. Fluff purred at the attention, and waved her paws idly. Ella�s mum stroked the silky fur on Fluff �s tummy, and laughed. She reached for the packet of cat treats on the counter. Fluff sprang out of her basket in half a second, standing on tiptoe with her paws against the cupboard door, scrabbling to get closer.

�I shouldn�t be doing this.� Mum shook her head. �You eat far too many of these. You�ll get too big for your basket.�

Fluff delicately nibbled the prawn-flavoured treat out of Mum�s hand, and pranced back to her basket. She knew Ella�s mum was joking. The basket was huge! Fluff liked to lie up against one edge of it, to make it seem a bit smaller. She had a feeling that Ella and her dad had gone a bit over the top in the pet shop.

After Fluff had run away from the farm to escape being taken home by a horrible boy who wanted to feed her to next door�s German shepherd dog, Ella and her family had finally found her again a couple of days before Christmas. It had been the snowiest Christmas for twenty years, so Ella hadn�t been able to go out and buy Fluff a Christmas present. She�d made up for it when the snow thawed, spending most of her Christmas money from Grandma on cat toys. Ella walked past a pet shop on her way home from school, and she liked to pop in and spend her pocket money on things for Fluff. Fluff didn�t mind at all � she was very fond of those prawn-flavoured cat treats�

Suddenly, Fluff pricked up her ears. She could hear someone opening the front door. Ella was back from school!

�I�m home!� Ella called, and Fluff bounded up to the front door to twine herself round Ella�s legs lovingly. She enjoyed having a nice sniff of the outdoors as well, poking her nose round the edge of the door.

Ella scooped her up gently. �Hey! No running off, Fluff!�

Fluff rubbed her head up and down Ella�s chin. She wasn�t trying to run off. It would just be fun to go and have a wander around outside. She hadn�t been allowed out much since Ella and her family had adopted her, and sometimes it could be a little bit boring, being an indoor cat. Ella took her out in the garden at the weekends, but it was too dark when she got home from school. Fluff loved the garden, scratching the tree bark, chasing leaves, watching the bird table. She wished she could go and explore more when they were out, but she could see how worried Ella was about her getting lost again, so she stayed close by. Fluff thought it was a bit silly though � as if she could get lost by just investigating next door�s garden! She�d only been lost before because she had been so young. She was a bit bigger now, and she could find her way anywhere, she was sure.

�I brought you home a present!� Ella said, as she shut the door. She carried Fluff into the kitchen, gave her mum a quick hug, and started to root around in her school bag.

�Another trip to the pet shop?� Mum asked, half-annoyed, half-laughing. �That cat is going to think it�s Christmas every day.�

Ella looked a little guilty. The pet shop was on her way home from school, and she was allowed to pop in, as long as she didn�t take long. Mum liked to know where she was. �I know. But you did say she needed a collar. They haven�t had any really nice ones before, but look at this!� She held up a beautiful blue leather collar. �Isn�t it gorgeous? And look, it�s got a place for her name and everything.� She fastened it round Fluff �s neck, and Fluff shook her head briskly, not sure about this new feeling.

�It�s a bit big,� Ella said, studying it thoughtfully. �But I suppose she�ll grow into it, won�t she? It looks beautiful.� Dangling from the collar was a little round golden tag. �You could choose,� Ella explained. �If I go back to the shop they can put her name on it. But I wanted to check what else we should put. Should we have our address engraved on it as well, in case she gets lost?�

Mum looked thoughtful for a moment. �Actually, I think just our phone number. Not even her name. I know it sounds silly, but if we put her name on, it means everyone knows it, and someone could call her over. We don�t want anyone to find it easy to steal our gorgeous kitten, do we?�

Ella looked horrified. �No! I didn�t think of that. Just the phone number then.� She picked Fluff up again and held her tight, so tight that Fluff wriggled after a few seconds, trying to get down.

�Hey! Ella, it�s OK. It�s just a safety thing. It�s really, really unlikely.� Mum gave her an anxious look. �I know you love Fluff, and of course we don�t want to lose her, but I think you�re just worrying too much. Fluff �s growing up now, and cats are very independent. I think you�re going to have to let her out on her own soon.�

Ella looked down at Fluff, who was now sniffing at the counter, hoping for more treats. �But what if she gets lost again?� she asked.

Mum sat down next to her. �There�s no reason why she should, Ella. Cats have a really good sense of direction. She won�t just go running off for no reason, she�ll look around, make sure she knows how to get back. She�s clever, isn�t she?�

Ella nodded. �Yes,� she agreed, and then she added doubtfully, �but she was lost before.�

�She was really little then, and it wasn�t her fault, anyway. She�d never been away from the farm. And she found you, didn�t she? That shows you just how amazing her instincts are.�

�Mmm.� It was true. They�d never understood how Fluff had found her way back to them, but Ella couldn�t believe it was just a coincidence.

�I think we ought to get Dad to put a cat flap in the back door. Then Fluff will be able to come in and out when she wants to.�

�OK,� Ella agreed reluctantly, still anxiously eyeing Fluff. She was such a small kitten, even now she�d grown a bit � and even with her podgy cat-treat- filled tummy. Would she really be safe out on her own?

At the weekend, Ella�s dad went with her to the pet shop to buy Fluff a cat flap. It was the first time that Ella had been there and not enjoyed it. Normally she just wandered round wishing she had more money to buy presents for Fluff! Now she stared worriedly at the display of collars while Dad and the pet shop owner discussed different sorts of cat flap. The engraved disk for Fluff �s collar was ready for them to pick up, too, but Ella�s excitement about it was almost gone. It had been replaced by a sense of relief that when Fluff went out of her new cat flap and disappeared, at least there was a chance that someone would find her and call.

The cat flap was a clever one that could be locked, or set so Fluff could only go through it one way. It was a pain to fit, though. Ella�s dad had to saw a chunk out of the back door, and it took him ages. When it was finally finished, Ella crouched on the lawn waving the prawn-flavoured cat treats to tempt Fluff through. It didn�t take her long to get the idea, although she looked very surprised when she first tried it. She had her front legs on the doorstep and her back legs in the kitchen, and she wasn�t quite sure where her tummy was. She gave a panicked sort of wriggle, and suddenly all of her was in the garden. Fluff looked round suspiciously, not entirely sure how it had happened.

�Clever Fluff,� Ella whispered, rewarding her with cat treats. �Do you like your new cat flap, mmm? You will be careful though, won�t you?� She scratched Fluff �s favourite behind-the-ears spot. �You stay close to the garden.� Ella gulped. �No running out into the road, Fluff!�

�Fluff purred as Ella petted her. She wasn�t sure she completely understood this cat flap business yet, but it seemed to mean that she could just go out whenever she wanted to! And then get back in again for a snooze in her basket � it sounded brilliant to her, but she could hear in Ella�s voice that she wasn�t completely happy about it. She rubbed herself all round Ella twice in a comforting way, making her giggle. I won�t run away, she promised. Don�t worry.

For the first few days, Fluff kept her expeditions confined to the garden. There was plenty to explore there anyway. Ella had quite a big garden, long and narrow. Her mum loved gardening, and there were big flower beds, which Fluff wasn�t much interested in, but also lots of exciting corners and pockets. Best of all was a tall old apple tree, its branches starting quite low to the ground. Ella had a swing in it, which she loved to sit and daydream on. The apple tree was Fluff �s first real chance to practise climbing, and it made a brilliant claw-sharpener, too.

But after a little while, Fluff had found all the interesting things in her garden, and she scrambled up the fence to look down at next door. She�d seen Mrs Jones, Ella�s neighbour, before. Ella had held Fluff up to the fence to be admired, and Mrs Jones had commented on her beautiful markings. Fluff hadn�t had a chance to see much of the garden, but now she noticed something very exciting. She plunged down the other side of the fence with an undignified scrabble of claws, and stopped at the bottom for a calming lick of her ruffled fur. Then she set off to investigate. Mrs Jones�s garden had a pond! With fish in it, Fluff soon discovered. She whiled away the rest of the afternoon perched on the rocks by the side of the water, dreamily watching the fish darting to and fro. Was it her imagination, or were they swimming slightly faster, looking a little more worried? Obviously she would need practice, but Fluff was fairly sure that if she dipped a paw in and held it still, she would be able to catch a fish�

Fluff was so interested in the fish that she almost forgot to get back to the house before Ella arrived home from school. She didn�t want Ella to worry that she�d got lost, and of course, she loved to see her. She could always tell when it was nearly time for Ella to be back.

Fluff sprang up from her place on the rocks, and scooted halfway up Mrs Jones�s fence before she�d even realized she was climbing. Then she nearly slid backwards, and had to jab her claws in hard to stay on. Embarrassed, she flung herself up and over and streaked across the lawn to the cat flap. Ella was just coming in the front door, and Mum laughed as Fluff shot through the flap.

�Just in time, Fluff! Oh, you�re all out of breath.�

Fluff glared up at her, and sat down in the middle of the kitchen floor, curling her tail round her legs in a dignified pose. She was trying not to look like a kitten who�d nearly fallen off a fence, but her whiskers were still twitchy with excitement. Outside might be a bit dangerous, but she did love it!

Chapter Two

It was mid-February, and it had suddenly got cold again. Ella was extra-glad to have Fluff sleeping on her feet at night. Mum and Dad had said that she was supposed to sleep in her basket, but they pretended not to notice that actually she always curled up with Ella. Mostly she stayed at the end of the bed, but a couple of times Ella had gone to sleep cuddling her, and Fluff slept snuggled under her chin.

Ella woke up early that morning. The duvet was huddled up around her shoulders where she�d wriggled herself down in the cold of the night. Fluff was pacing up and down the window sill, mewing excitedly.

�Fluff!� Ella moaned. �It�s not even properly light yet, what�s the matter?� Then she sat up, confused. It was almost light, but the room looked different somehow. And why was Fluff making such a fuss? Ella wrapped the duvet round her shoulders like a cloak and padded over to the window.

�Oh, wow! It�s snowed again!� she exclaimed as she peered out.

It had snowed very heavily just before Christmas, when Fluff was lost, but the cold snap hadn�t lasted long. January had just been grim and wet.

�Why does it have to be a school day?� Ella sighed. �It�ll be too dark to play outside much after school.�

Ella tried to argue at breakfast that school would probably be closed because of the snow, but Mum said it would have been announced on the radio. She promised faithfully to help Ella build an entire family of snowmen when she got back, and they dug out wellies and scarves and hats for the walk. Ella normally walked on her own to school. It wasn�t very far, and she met up with lots of her friends, but today Mum said she�d go too, at least most of the way, because she was worried Ella might slip over in the snow.

�Don�t go out today, Fluff,� Ella said, as she struggled to pull her wellies on over two pairs of socks. �It�s really cold, and the snow�s very deep. You�d probably sink up to your whiskers. Stay in the house and keep nice and warm.�

Fluff snuggled into her basket and snoozed for a while, but she was itching to go outside. Despite what Ella had said, Fluff really wanted to investigate the snow. She padded over to the cat flap and peered out. The snow was brand new and inviting. She couldn�t see any tracks in it, just a sheet of crunchy, sparkling white. She pushed the cat flap open gently with her nose, and sniffed. The snow smelled so fresh, and she could hear the wind blowing through the trees, the snow falling from the branches with soft whumpf noises. How could she stay inside? She wouldn�t go far�

Fluff eased herself out of the cat flap, shaking her paws daintily as they hit the snow. She knew all about snow, of course. Her long journey from the farm to Ella�s house had nearly ended in disaster when she was caught in a snowstorm. But today she was just going for a quick look around. Nothing could go wrong. She�d explore the snowy garden, and as soon as she felt cold or tired, she could go back inside to warm up, and probably beg some cat treats from Ella�s mum. Ella was just being too careful, Fluff thought. It was nice that Ella wanted to look after her, but really, she could look after herself!

Fluff �s paws sank deeply into the snow. It must have been snowing for most of the night, as there was a thick layer over everything. The garden looked completely different, covered in strange lumps where the plants had been. Fluff looked down and saw her paw prints in the snow � the only ones. It was very exciting to be the only animal outside. She gave a little jump to make more prints, scattering her tracks around the lawn in a pattern.

It was still snowing a little, the flakes drifting down idly, tickling Fluff �s whiskers. She sat up on her back legs and tried to catch them with her front paws, but the snowflakes floated on the wind, and it was hard to tell where they were going. One particularly large flake came twirling down past Fluff �s nose, and she whisked her paws at it. It seemed to dodge, she twirled around to chase it and suddenly she was flat on her tummy in the snow. Fluff stood up quickly, checking that no one had seen her slide. The snowflake had disappeared into the thousands of other snowflakes, and Fluff spat snow out of her mouth crossly. She plunged off across the garden to find something else to do.

Suddenly she noticed that hers weren�t the only tracks any more. A delicate pattern of forked prints was spattered over the snow by the fence. And perched on top of the fence, eyeing her cautiously, was a blackbird!

It whistled shrilly and hopped down into the next-door garden. Fluff trotted along the path of tracks eagerly. She�d got the hang of walking in the snow again now, lifting her paws higher than usual. The tracks led underneath the fence, and Fluff wriggled after them, not even remembering that she�d planned to stay in her own garden. The blackbird was on the bird table now, gobbling breadcrumbs that she�d put out. It must have been that morning, because Fluff could see the prints of Mrs Jones�s wellies in the snow. She gazed hopefully up at the blackbird for a while, but it just squawked and chattered at her angrily. Clearly it didn�t fancy coming down to be chased. She hopped from footprint to footprint instead, and realized that Mrs Jones must have gone down to check on the pond as well. Her prints led right up to the edge. Fluff stood in them and leaned over to look. The pond was frozen! She could see the water-plants poking out in places, snow drifted up around them, but most of the pond was covered with strange, clear, greenish ice. Fluff couldn�t see the fish at all, they must be hiding away at the bottom. Cautiously, she put a paw on the ice, and it skidded. She jumped back quickly. She�d already fallen over once, and the ice was horribly cold.

The pond was close to Mrs Jones�s fence, and there was an inviting gap underneath. The next garden smelled really interesting; somehow the cold was making all the smells so much better! Fluff flattened herself to the ground and squirmed through the gap, her whiskers twitching excitedly. Then she squirmed some more, and then she wriggled. Then she stopped wriggling. She wasn�t going anywhere. She was stuck!

Chapter Three

Fluff hunched her shoulders worriedly, trying to work out what had gone wrong. The gap had looked perfectly big enough � her whiskers had fitted through, so the rest of her should have been able to. Then she realized � it was her collar. It had caught on something, maybe a nail sticking out of the fence. Suddenly Fluff panicked and started to struggle, pulling backwards and forwards desperately, mewing frantically and scrabbling with her paws. She mewed for Ella to come and help her, forgetting that Ella was at school. But after a couple of minutes she was too exhausted to struggle any longer, and she slumped to the ground, her neck aching where the collar was pulling at her.

Fluff lay panting miserably, wondering what to do. She supposed she would just have to wait for someone to rescue her. When she didn�t get home in time to meet Ella from school, they would start to worry, wouldn�t they? Or maybe Mrs Jones would come out to look at her pond again. Fluff shivered. It was going to be a horribly long, cold wait.

Fluff mewed with frustration. It was just so stupid. Her collar was too big, and it had got caught. It wasn�t her fault! She gave a furious wriggle, and suddenly felt the collar stretch. Perhaps instead of trying to pull the collar off the fence, she should be trying to get out of the collar altogether. She pulled downwards, trying to stretch the collar even more. It hurt a bit, but the collar did seem to give. Now if she could just pull herself backwards�

Fluff popped out of the collar, feeling as though she might have pulled her ears off. She twitched them. No, they were still there. She�d done it! Feeling very proud of herself, she examined the collar. There wasn�t a nail, just a sharp splinter of wood sticking out of the fence. Fluff hadn�t been as far as the next garden on her travels before, so as she came out from under the fence she looked around carefully, trying to work out if this was another cat�s territory, or even worse, if there was a dog around. Everything smelled all right, but she wasn�t sure how the snow changed smells, and she wanted to be extra cautious. As she sat watching, she noticed a strange metal thing in the middle of the garden, a pole, with things hanging from it. Fluff sat with her head on one side, trying to work out what it might be. Suddenly two birds flew down to perch on the hanging bits, and she realized it was full of birdseed. Fluff �s ears pricked forward, and she sank into a hunting crouch. If only she could get closer� Fluff hadn�t had much opportunity to practise her hunting skills yet, but she was keen to learn. Her mother had tried to teach her how to catch mice back at the farm, but Fluff thought birds looked more fun to chase.

With a heavy flumping sound, a pair of enormously fat wood pigeons thumped down on to the snowy grass. They were too big to perch on the feeders, but there were a few bits of seed and nuts scattered about in the snow underneath, and the pigeons set to gobbling them up greedily.

Fluff �s heart began to beat faster with excitement. This was her chance! How pleased Ella would be if Fluff brought her back a pigeon! She left her hiding place and crawled closer on her tummy, low to the ground, her paws muffled by the snow. The pigeons completely ignored her, too busy making sure they didn�t miss any bits of seed that might be half-buried in the snow. With a massive burst of energy, Fluff pounced, fastening her teeth into the tail of the nearest pigeon, which let out a loud squawk of surprise. She�d done it! She�d actually caught something!

The pigeon looked round, saw that it was being attacked by a cat in the middle of its lunch, and panicked. All right, so it was only a very small cat, but then pigeons are known for having very small brains.

Squawking in horror, the pigeon tried to fly away, but this was a bit difficult with a cat attached to a vital part of its flying equipment. Fluff hung on grimly as the wings beat up and down. Her first catch was not getting away. Seeing that flapping wasn�t going to work, the pigeon changed its tactics, and began to run and flap, trying to build up some speed to help lift itself off the ground. Rather like a feathery plane thundering down the runway, it set off across the lawn. Fluff was dragged along behind like a waterskier, her paws making great tracks in the snow.

At last the pigeon managed enough lift and pulled itself off the ground with a mighty effort, taking Fluff with it. Her front paws left the ground, and she peered down worriedly. Surely the pigeon couldn�t actually fly off with her� There was no way she was going to let go! Luckily for Fluff, the tail gave up instead. A great clump of feathers came right out, and the pigeon flew off looking decidedly bald. It landed clumsily at the top of a nearby tree, and squawked abuse at Fluff, furiously preening its mangled tail. Fluff sat on the ground, panting and spitting feathers. Did that count as catching a pigeon? she wondered. Could she claim it as half a pigeon, perhaps? She heaved a happy sigh, and spat out a last feather.

Fluff gazed up at the pigeon, still angrily squawking at her, and noticed that it had started to snow again. She danced around the lawn, pouncing on the twirling snowflakes. This was so much fun! It was cold, of course, but her thick fur was keeping her cosy, and in a few minutes she would head back to her cat flap and the lovely warm house. She chased round and round, whisking her tail, still full of excitement after her hunt. The snow was coming in big, thick flakes now, large enough to snap at with her teeth.

Fluff was enjoying herself so much that she didn�t notice how heavy the snow was becoming. The pigeons and the other birds had disappeared, and it was terribly quiet. Fluff opened her mouth and tried to catch a particularly plump and dizzy snowflake, and then looked around in surprise. She couldn�t see! The whole garden was a mass of whirling white and grey, and Fluff couldn�t see anything beyond two whisker-lengths away. She shuddered. This was too much like her scary journey a couple of months before. She needed to get home at once. But � where was home? Fluff gulped. She couldn�t even see the fence.

A gust of icy wind rushed at Fluff, and she felt as though it had blown right through her. Her ears were laid back against her head, and the snowflakes felt like stabbing needles as they blew into her fur.

Worriedly, she peered around her. She could just about see the tree that the pigeon had flown into, so the fence must be over there somewhere. Leaning into the wind, she ploughed forward. It was so cold now! Oh, at last, there was the fence. Fluff �s panicky feeling eased a little. She only had to get across next-door�s garden and she would be home. She wriggled under the fence, and then followed her nose straight across. She was nearly there � and once she was back home, she was not coming out again. Not till it stopped snowing, anyway.

Fluff almost bumped into the next fence, but she didn�t mind, she was just so glad to see it. She popped out from underneath; she was back in her garden!

Except � this didn�t look like her garden. Even with the snow everywhere, it didn�t feel right. Ella�s garden had lots of little walls and hedges and things, but this garden was big and flat. Had she miscounted the number of fences? Fluff didn�t think she�d gone into another garden after next-door-but-one, but perhaps in the excitement of exploring, she had�?

Feeling frightened, she scurried across this strange garden to the next fence, hoping desperately that this time she would see somewhere she knew. The snow was drifting up against the fences now, and she had to half-burrow through. Hopefully, she pushed the snow out of the way with her nose, and stared around. This garden was full of play equipment, a slide and a little wooden house, half covered in snow.

Fluff had never been here before. Fluff had gone the wrong way in the storm � and now she was completely lost!

Chapter Four

Fluff stood still for a while, sniffing the air, hoping to catch a familiar scent that would lead her home. But the snow deadened the smells as well as the noises, and Fluff felt completely blind. What should she do? Had she gone past Ella�s house in the storm somehow? Should she be going back or forwards?

One thing was certain. She had to move somewhere. Sitting still wouldn�t keep her warm. She could feel the cold seeping into her bones � even her whiskers ached with it. The awful thing was, she might be going even further away from home! Miserably, Fluff forced her paws to keep plodding on through the deep snow. Without realizing, she slipped through a gap in a broken-down old fence at the bottom of a garden, and strayed into the old wood that ran along behind the houses on Ella�s street. It was even harder going. She was wading through drifted snow under tall and menacing trees. Fluff knew she�d never been anywhere like this before, and it made her shudder. The trees seemed to wave their dark arms at her, and their roots tripped her up. It felt as though they did it on purpose, sending her rolling into hollows of deep snow, so she had to struggle and fight her way out. Every time it happened, Fluff grew just a little bit more tired.

It was getting dark, and even harder to see. Fluff wished sadly that she had listened to Ella, and never gone out in the snow. She still didn�t quite understand how she had managed to get so lost. One minute she had known exactly where she was, and the next she�d had no idea. It had all happened so fast. Fluff shivered. There was nothing she could do about it now. She needed to rest, but where could she go? There were a few places under the trees, where the roots had made little burrows, but they didn�t look very warm. Fluff needed somewhere out of the biting wind.

Suddenly, something loomed up out of the gloom. Fluff peered forward doubtfully. It certainly wasn�t a tree. In fact, it looked more like a house.

With a fresh burst of energy, she trotted forward, picking her way carefully over the snow. It was a tumbledown old cottage, built for the gamekeeper who guarded the wood, but it had been empty now for years and years. The door was boarded up, but there were plenty of holes where a small cat could creep in. Fluff sighed with relief as she squeezed herself between the boards. Even just inside the door the difference was wonderful � no more freezing wind slicing through her fur.

Staggering with tiredness, Fluff headed further in, looking for somewhere comfortable to sleep. Gratefully she spotted a pile of old blankets in one corner. They were smelly and stained, but Fluff wasn�t feeling fussy. She burrowed in, wanting to be as warm as possible, and hollowed herself out a little nest in the rags. She closed her eyes, wrapped her tail round her nose, and let a warm tide of sleep wash over her. All at once she was back home, with Ella, being stroked, and fed cat treats.

But then she heard a noise. Fluff twitched in her sleep, fighting to stay in her lovely dream. Oh, she didn�t want to wake up, and be back in this cold, real adventure! Something was breaking into her dream � a mewing sound. Fluff sighed. It was no good, she wasn�t asleep any more. She poked her head up from her blanket nest, and gazed round grumpily. She couldn�t see anything, and the cottage was silent, except for the eerie shrieking of the wind outside. Was it that she�d heard? It must have been. Fluff was just settling back down to sleep when she heard the mewing again.

Something was crying for help!

Ella rushed home � as fast as she could in slippery wellies � full of news about her fun day. School had been all about snow � talking about snowflake patterns in science, writing snow poems in English, and lots and lots of playing outside in the snow at lunch and break.

�We had a brilliant snowball fight,� Ella told her mum happily, as she watched her make a mug of hot chocolate. �Oooh, can I have marshmallows, please? Excellent.� She took the chocolate and sat down, sipping it slowly. �Yum. It�s so cold out there, Mum, my fingers are freezing, even though I had my gloves on.� She gripped the warm mug tightly. �They�re only just thawing out.� Ella took a big mouthful of chocolate, and sighed happily. It was nice to be back inside. �It�s so cool that it�s Friday, and we�ve got the whole weekend free. Can we go sledging in the park tomorrow?� Then she looked round, suddenly realizing that she hadn�t seen Fluff since she got back. �Mum, where�s Fluff? She didn�t go out, did she?� Ella asked anxiously.

Her mum looked surprised. �But she�s got her cat flap now, Ella, she�s allowed outside! I saw her playing in the garden earlier.�

Ella looked worried. �I told her not to. I was scared she�d get lost in the snow again. I suppose it was silly to think she wouldn�t go out.�

�I don�t think you need to worry, Ella,� her mum said reassuringly. �Fluff �s not a baby any more. I know she�s still tiny, but she has grown! She�s definitely old enough to be out there.�

�But it�s been snowing really hard today, Mum! And Fluff always comes back to see me when I get home from school. Always.� Ella got up to peer out of the kitchen window. �The snow�s really deep in the garden. She could easily have got confused about where she was going. Oh, why didn�t I just lock the cat flap?�

�Ella, it�s not fair to lock it, unless we really need to. Fluff wouldn�t understand why she couldn�t go out. She�d just get upset.� But Ella�s mum came to join her at the window. �You�re right though, it is odd that she isn�t back yet. I wonder where she�s got to.�

�We should go out and look for her,� Ella said, heading for the hallway to put all her outdoor things back on.

�Oh, Ella, no, I�m sure we don�t need to. Sit down, finish your hot chocolate. Honestly, Fluff was having a lovely time out there earlier on. She was playing with the snowflakes. She�s probably just got too caught up with exploring. I�m sure she�ll be home in a minute.�

Ella trailed reluctantly back to the table. She knew Mum was right, but something was still niggling at her. Fluff had never missed meeting her before.

Ella�s mum didn�t sit back down, but stayed thoughtfully staring out of the window. She wished she was as sure as she was making out to Ella. She didn�t think Fluff was lost, but she was worried. Fluff should have been back � was she hiding out somewhere, waiting for the snow to stop? She just couldn�t help feeling that it was an awfully cold day for a small kitten to be stuck outside�

Fluff stood up, her whiskers twitching. Usually hearing another cat would have made her fur stand on end, and she�d be wanting to fight and defend her territory. But there was something about that cry. She didn�t think that the cat making that noise was going to be putting up much of a fight. She picked her way out of her blanket nest, and stood still, listening carefully. She�d been so sleepy when she heard the mewing that she wasn�t quite sure where it had come from.

There it was again. So quiet. So weak. Fluff listened anxiously. The other cat wasn�t in this room, she was almost sure. She picked her way over the rubbish and fallen bricks, and peered through the doorway. The cottage was tiny, only two rooms. The inner room was full of broken furniture, and Fluff leaped up on to an old chair to try and see what was happening. The room was silent, and she looked around worriedly. She was sure she hadn�t imagined it. Although � the mew had seemed to be part of her dream at first�No! There it was again. The cry was coming from a battered cupboard on the other side of the room. Fluff wove her way carefully through the junk, and nosed at the door. It swung open slightly, and cautiously she stuck her head inside.

Staring back at her out of the gloom was an enormous pair of green eyes.

The mew came again, and Fluff watched in horror as a tiny white kitten struggled to its feet, desperately trying to reach her.

The kitten could hardly stand, and at once Fluff jumped into the cupboard, nosing the little creature gently. She towered over it. This kitten was far too young to be on her own! She looked as though she was only just old enough to eat food, rather than milk from her mother. Where was her mother? Fluff could smell that at least one other cat had been here. Maybe this was where the kitten had been born. Cats often chose odd places to have their kittens � she had been born in a stable, and the horse it belonged to hadn�t been happy at all.

But the mother cat�s scent was fading. This kitten had been alone for a while, Fluff thought. She had to be starving. She was nuzzling hopefully at Fluff, as though she thought Fluff might have brought her some food, but eventually she gave up, and collapsed down again. The cupboard was lined with rags, like the nest Fluff had made, and the white kitten lay down, curling herself up tight. She looked cold. Fluff lay down gently, curling herself around the kitten, like her own mother used to snuggle up to Fluff and her brothers and sisters.

The kitten mewed again, an even smaller sound this time, but she sounded pleased. Fluff purred comfortingly. Go to sleep. Maybe we can find your mother, she thought. But she had a horrible feeling that the kitten�s mother was far away. Somehow they�d been separated.

Fluff rested her head gently next to the little white ears, watching anxiously as the kitten twitched her way to sleep. Fluff �s tummy rumbled, but at least she�d had breakfast, which was more than she guessed the kitten had. She could feel the tiny body warming up, and her own eyes began to close.

Curled around each other, the two cats slept, alone in the snowy night.

Chapter Five

Ella got up at six the next morning. It was still practically dark, but she didn�t care. She felt as though she hadn�t slept at all, though she supposed she must have done. All her plans for a weekend of fun in the snow had gone � Fluff still wasn�t back. Ella went downstairs, put on her winter coat, hat and scarf, and unlocked the back door. The cat flap swung open as she went out, and she felt like kicking it. She should have locked it, no matter what Mum said. She would rather have a grumpy Fluff than no Fluff at all.

Out in the back garden the snow looked even deeper. There must have been another big fall in the night. Ella shivered. It was really freezing, even wrapped up as she was. She sighed. The garden looked so beautiful, all white with patches of green and icicles hanging from the branches. It was like a Christmas card � there was even a robin perched on the fence, looking at her hopefully to see if she was about to put crumbs out. Ella smiled a very small smile. If Fluff had been here, she would have been jumping up and down under the fence trying to get him. But all that proved was that Fluff definitely wasn�t anywhere in the garden. Tucking her hands under her arms to try and keep them warm, Ella walked down the path � or rather, where she thought the path ought to be, as she couldn�t see it at all.

�Fluff! Fluff, come on. Breakfast!� she called, trying to sound cheerful.

She stared round the garden, willing a stripy little furry body to come shooting out of the bushes. Then her heart leaped as she saw something moving at the bottom of the garden. �Fluff!� she squeaked delightedly, running towards her. �Oh, Fluff, you had me so worried. You bad cat, I thought I�d lost you again. Oh!� Ella stopped still as the strange cat stared up at her in surprise. It looked rather offended � as though it had been minding its own business, going for a morning walk, and suddenly it was being chased by a screaming girl. It twitched its tail irritably, and strolled on over the snow in a very dignified and haughty way, deliberately ignoring Ella.

�Sorry�� Ella whispered after it. She knew it was stupid to apologize to a cat, but it seemed to be the kind of cat who would expect her to. Now she could see it properly, it didn�t even look much like Fluff. It was loads bigger, and its tabby coat was more spotted than striped. Trying not to cry, she plodded back to the house.

Her parents were in the kitchen making breakfast. They were both dressed, which wasn�t normal for a Saturday. Usually everyone got up slowly, enjoying the weekend.

�Any luck?� Ella�s dad asked. �We heard you calling.�

Ella shook her head.

�I thought I saw her,� she said miserably. �But it was another cat.�

�I�m sure she�s just waiting for the snow to stop,� Ella�s mum said briskly. �She�ll be back soon. Sit down and have some breakfast, Ella.�

�The snow has stopped,� Ella pointed out, as she perched on the very edge of a chair. �So why isn�t she back?�

Ella�s parents glanced at each other with raised eyebrows, and she glared at them. �You�re not taking this seriously!� she burst out. �Fluff �s lost, I�m sure she is. We have to go and look for her.�

Her dad sighed. �I have to say, I�m surprised she isn�t back. She�s never stayed out this long before, has she?�

Ella�s mum nodded reluctantly. �I suppose not. I�ve just been hoping she�d pop through the cat flap any minute, but maybe we should go and look for her. We should probably start by asking the neighbours if they�ve seen her.�

Ella leaped up from the chair, heading for the door.

�Ella!� her mum yelled after her. �It�s half-past six! On a Saturday! You cannot go and wake up the whole street. Eat some breakfast first.�

A couple of hours later, Ella and her parents had asked up and down the street, but no one had seen Fluff. Everyone was upset to hear she was missing � lots of the neighbours had said how sweet she was, and how she often came up to be stroked and fussed over. Ella�s parents had asked people to keep an eye out, and check that she wasn�t shut in any garages or sheds.

�Mrs Jones�s curtains are open now,� Ella pointed out, as they trudged back up the street. �Can we go and ask her? Fluff loves her garden, she spends ages watching her fish in the pond.�

�We might as well,� her mum agreed.

Mrs Jones was horrified. �Poor thing,� she said, sounding really worried. �It�s so cold out. Oh, Ella, I�m sorry,� she added, seeing Ella�s eyes fill with tears. �You must be beside yourself, especially with her being lost before. I�m sure she�ll turn up. She�s such a bright little thing. She�s probably just found herself a nice warm spot to see the snow out.�

�Have you been out in your garden?� Ella said, sniffing. �She might be by your pond.�

�The pond�s frozen,� Mrs Jones replied. �I saw her looking at it yesterday, she seemed very confused.� She shook her head. �I don�t think she�s out there now, Ella, but you�re welcome to go and check.� She held the door open. �Why don�t you all come and have a cup of tea, you must be freezing.�

She led the way into the kitchen, and unlocked her garden door for Ella to go out. Ella�s parents sat down gratefully. They were just sipping the tea, when Ella dashed back in, tears streaming down her face.

�Ella! What is it?� her mum asked, leaping up. �What�s happened? Is Fluff�?�

Gulping, Ella stretched out her hand, and laid something small and wet on the table next to the teacups.

It was Fluff �s collar.

Chapter Six

Fluff staggered through the snow, her paws aching with the cold. Every so often she had to stop and rest, taking in deep shaking breaths of the burning cold air, and each time it was harder to set off again. But she couldn�t give up. She was desperate to find Ella now. If Fluff could just keep going, surely she would find her soon, and she�d be home and in the warm, and Ella would be able to help the snow-white kitten. She ploughed on, trying not to think of the cold, just imagining the big bowl of tuna fish that Ella would give her�

�Ella, sweetheart, we have to go back home now. It�s turned really cold � it�s not good for us to be out in this for so long.� Ella�s mum was looking really anxious.

�But Mum, Fluff �s out in it!� Ella cried. �And she�s tiny and she isn�t wearing a great big coat and boots and a hat and��

�Yes, yes, I know.� Mum sighed. �Just a little longer then. We�ve been up and down the street twice now though, I don�t know where else to look.�

�What about that little wood that backs on to the gardens further down?� Ella�s dad suggested.

�Well, yes, I suppose she could have got in there,� Mum agreed doubtfully. �It�s worth a try.�

�There�s an alleyway round the corner, we can get in that way.� Dad strode off, Ella trotting beside him.

They were a few steps in among the trees when Mum held Ella back. �I�m not sure this is a good idea after all,� she told Ella. �The snow must have blown right in here, it�s really deep, and there�s bound to be tree roots and things hidden under the snowdrifts. You could break an ankle.�

�Mmmm.� Ella�s dad looked thoughtful. �You�re right. Maybe we should poke a branch into the snow to make sure we aren�t about to fall into anything dangerous.�

Ella wasn�t listening. Letting go of her dad�s arm, she took a shaky step forward, and crouched down. Her parents watched in amazement as a tiny grey shape staggered towards them through the gloomy, snow-filled wood. Ella was crying, tears tracking down her face without her even noticing.

Fluff put on a burst of speed and shot into Ella�s arms, curling her head joyfully in under Ella�s chin, and purring with relief and happiness. She�d found Ella. She was back. She was safe.

For a few moments she allowed herself to enjoy being stroked and cuddled and told how brave she was, and how naughty to go running off in the snow. Then she wriggled herself out from Ella�s tight embrace, putting her paws against Ella�s chest and mewing urgently.

�What�s the matter?� Ella looked confused. Fluff had seemed so happy to see them, but now it was obvious that she wanted something.

Fluff struggled out of Ella�s arms and jumped lightly down, looking back up at Ella, and mewing again. Follow me! she was saying, as clearly as she could. She trotted a few paces back into the wood, and looked round at Ella beseechingly.

�What�s she doing?� Dad asked. �Fluff, that�s not the way home. Come on!�

�She wants us to follow her,� Ella said firmly. �Look, she�s calling us.� And she set off after Fluff, who bounded ahead delightedly, all her tiredness gone. Only a few moments before, she had felt as though she was going to drop down in the snow and sleep. She had been struggling through the drifts for over an hour, trying to find any signs of the way home. But now she was back with Ella, she had a surge of new energy.

�Ella, be careful!� her mum called. �Don�t trip over any fallen branches!� Ella�s parents scrambled after them. They had no idea where they were going, but it was clear that Fluff was trying to get them to follow, anyone could see that. Every so often she would turn round to check they were still with her, then head off again, following her paw prints purposefully back through the trees.

There it was! Fluff jumped through the door of the cottage, popping her head back out to call to Ella. Ella crouched down to squeeze through the gap in the door after her.

�Ella, no!� her mum yelled. �Be careful, you don�t know what�s in there!�

�It�s OK, Mum,� Ella called back. �I�m following Fluff, it�s fine.�

Her mother tried to catch her up and stop her, worried that the old building might be falling down, but she slipped on the snow, and slid over, falling on to her hands and knees just in time to see Ella disappearing into the building. Ella�s dad stopped to help her up, and they skidded over to look through the window.

Fluff wove her way hurriedly through the cottage, still calling to Ella to follow.

�I�m coming, I�m coming, Fluff! I can�t fit underneath all this stuff like you can!� Ella puffed, scrambling over a pile of old sofa cushions. �I wish I knew what you were trying to show me, anyway.� She realized that Fluff had stopped next to an old cupboard that was jammed up against the far wall. She was peering round the door, her body tense, nervous, almost scared � as though she wasn�t sure what she was going to find. Ella walked quietly up to Fluff, and knelt behind her, but she couldn�t see what Fluff was looking at. Suddenly some of the stiffness went out of Fluff �s spine, and she reached gently into the cupboard. She backed carefully out, carrying something in her mouth � something quite large. She dropped it in Ella�s lap, and it was only as Fluff sat back and gazed hopefully up at her, that Ella realized what it was. Fluff had just given her a kitten! She had pulled it out of the cupboard like a magic trick.

�Fluff! It�s a kitten! Where did you�?�

Fluff mewed urgently at her, and Ella looked more closely. She stroked the tiny white head, and saw that the little creature didn�t stir. She gave Fluff an anxious look, her heart thudding with nervousness. Fluff looked back up at her lovingly.

�I don�t know,� Ella said worriedly. �She�s so little and weak, Fluff. I � I�m not even sure she�s still breathing.� She stood up, cradling the tiny furry ball gently. �Come on. We need to get her to a vet.� Very carefully she wrapped the kitten in her scarf, and tucked the parcel inside her jacket. She wasn�t sure she could clamber over all that junk carrying her.

Ella�s parents were calling her as they headed back, and her dad was starting to pull away the boards blocking the door.

�Ella! There you are!� he said angrily as she crouched to go through the hole. �What have you been doing? You should never have gone in there; what have we told you about playing in dangerous places like that?�

�I wasn�t playing, Dad!� Ella said indignantly. �Look!� And she opened her jacket to show them her tiny passenger. �Fluff found her. But I�m not sure�� Her voice wobbled. �I can�t see her breathing,� she whispered, tears stinging the corners of her eyes.

�Let me see.� Her dad lifted the kitten out, and she lay floppy and lifeless in his big hands. He was silent for a horribly long moment. �She is. But only just. Come on, we need to get home right now and ring the vet. We need to tell them we�ve got an emergency coming in.�

About the Author

Other titles by Holly Webb:

Lost in the Snow

Lost in the Storm

Alfie all Alone

Sam the Stolen Puppy

Max the Missing Puppy

Sky the Unwanted Kitten

Timmy in Trouble

Ginger the Stray Kitten

Harry the Homeless Puppy

Buttons the Runaway Puppy

Alone in the Night

Ellie the Homesick Puppy

Jess the Lonely Puppy

Misty the Abandoned Kitten

Oscar�s Lonely Christmas

Lucy the Poorly Puppy

Smudge the Stolen Kitten

The Rescued Puppy

The Kitten Nobody Wanted

The Lost Puppy

The Frightened Kitten

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