An excerpt from In a Dog’s World. If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1, return to the previous chapter, or skip ahead to the next chapter.
Renee arrived at the last possible minute.
Dominic had already taken off with Florabella, Corina, and Erik in the Cherry Racer. Mama had told them all to have fun together and gone back inside. It was just Katasha and Dmitri waiting outside Howell’s car while the yellow lab dug around in the back seat, trying to rearrange the piles of textbooks and loose sheaves of paper to make space. Finally, he gave up, popped the trunk, and started stuffing all the college homework detritus in there. That’s when Katasha spotted Renee, a cream tabby, walking down the other side of the street toward them in a simple, short, black dress.
“Dmitri,” Katasha said, nudging her brother with an elbow. “Look.”
Dmitri looked almost painfully relieved when he saw Renee. “I knew she’d come,” he said coolly, but the expression on his face stated otherwise.
As Renee got closer, Katasha could see Renee’s green eyes widening. She stalked right past Dmitri and Katasha, straight up to Howell. “Hi,” she said, looking up at Howell with broad green eyes. “I don’t believe we’ve met.” She held a small blonde paw up toward Howell, and he took it in his larger, blunter blonde paw. They were almost the same color. “I’m Renee,” she said. Then, throwing a scowl in Dmitri’s direction, she added, “Sometimes I’m Dmitri’s date.”
Howell laughed, clearly amused by the feisty little cream tabby. “Sometimes?” he said. “You mean, like tonight?”
“Maybe,” Renee purred, making a point of sliding her white-tipped tail seductively along Howell’s pant leg as she stepped past him into the open car.
Katasha’s ears burned watching it. She’d hardly had a chance to speak to Howell yet, and there was Renee flirting shamelessly with him! Dmitri looked even more wracked with jealousy. And, that, of course, must be the point. Katasha tried to tell herself that, but she couldn’t seem to help her own feelings from becoming an unintended victim of Renee’s ploy as well.
Once they were all in the car and on the way, the siblings sulked and offered occasional navigation tips, while Howell and Renee chatted amicably. The drive to the Riverside Hotel was a pretty one. It followed the winding course of the Wilmot River.
“Have you dated a cat before?” Renee asked from the back seat. “I bet it’s different from dating dogs.”
“I wouldn’t know if it’s different,” Howell said. “I’ve only had one girlfriend before.”
“We-ell,” Renee mewed, “How about you let me know then at the end of the night?”
Glancing over her shoulder into the back seat, Katasha could see that Renee was still staring daggers at Dmitri. He looked none too happy about it, and Katasha wasn’t thrilled with Renee’s tactics either, even if Dmitri did deserve it.
Katasha didn’t even know if this was a date or if Howell was interested in her. Sure, he’d driven all this way, but Katasha had trouble believing it was actually because he wanted to date her. A cat. Maybe he just really cared about Isleywood’s feline enrollment rates.
Then Howell changed everything. “Actually,” he said, sounding awkward for the first time, “She was a cat. My girlfriend was a cat.”
Katasha’s eyes widened, and her pulse quickened. She didn’t dare to look over at the handsome, smart Isleywood dog beside her who’d just admitted he’d dated a cat before. She was too excited and afraid she’d show it. She’d known of mixed-species couples before but not many. And, mostly, they were splashy celebrities. Certainly not anyone she knew. Not in a small town like this one.
Although Katasha had braved inviting Howell to the prom, she hadn’t really dared to think she’d have a chance with him next year. Mostly, she was looking forward to showing him off to all the classmates who’d ignored her. Classmates like Hickory. Now though… Oh my, it was too much to think about.
Realizing that the silence had gone on too long, Katasha decided it was time to move this conversation onto more comfortable ground, even though the ride was almost over. The Riverfront was visible around the bend in front of them.
“I know you’re studying astrophysics,” Katasha said, resorting to one of her prepared questions, “But have you taken any engineering or rocketry courses? Do you know which professors are good?”
“Fundamentals of Engineering is a required course for everyone,” Howell said, pulling the car into the parking lot. “Everyone except the engineers hate it. And, actually, some of them hate it too.” He parked alongside Dominic’s Cherry Racer. Turning off the car, he said, “All right, I guess it’s time for some high school magic.”
“How old are you?” Dmitri asked, opening the door and climbing out of the car. Once they were outside, he added, “I know you’re an upperclassman.”
“Older than dirt,” Howell said, grinning. “Waaay too old for an itty bitty kitten like your sister.”
Katasha smiled at the joke. Howell couldn’t be that much older than her. They’d be in the same school next year. Dmitri, however, tucked his ears. She could imagine what he was thinking: too old and a dog. At least he had the tact not to say it.
The two couples walked through the parking lot and up to the hotel as four separate individuals. Renee was still giving Dmitri the cold shoulder, even if she had shown up to be escorted by him, but Katasha wasn’t sure why Howell didn’t offer his arm to her.
She did know why she didn’t reach out to take it. Too scared.
Maybe that flash of courage that let her ask him to the prom in the first place would return once they were inside. If not, well, maybe he’d put an arm around her once they were around some other couples behaving that way. Eventually, they’d have to dance together. Katasha felt dizzy at the thought. Her feet stalled, and she missed a step, almost tripping.
That’s when it happened. Howell looked back at her over his shoulder, and then he stepped back to stand beside her. He reached one of those big paws down and took her arm with it. Folding her suddenly-tiny-seeming wrist around his thick, navy suit clad arm, he steadied her. “You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said, feeling warmth spread throughout her body. Her ears and tail straightened. When Dmitri looked back at her, she couldn’t help but grin, giddy with the sensation of Howell’s body brushing against her side. She felt very small beside him.
The others — Corina, Dominic, and their dates — were waiting at the entrance to the hotel when they got there. Corina’s apricot ruffles did mirror the ruddy tones of Erik’s fur nicely. And there never was a cat who looked more handsome than Dominic — a classic Siamese tom, in a classic black suit, with a feline angel on his arm.
Katasha and Dmitri made much stranger pairs with their dates. Renee flattened her ears and glared every time Dmitri dared to look at her, and Katasha could only imagine how she looked on the arm of Howell. From the looks they were getting, though, it seemed everyone was impressed. Or at least surprised.
The four couples entered the hotel and followed the scrawled, tacked up signs that said, “Prom this way!” As soon as they entered the ballroom, laid out with elegantly set tables and filled with stylishly dressed young cats and dogs, Renee magically melted onto Dmitri’s arm. She smiled and flicked the length of her tail that showed beneath her knee length dress. It was as if they’d been a happy couple all along — like Dominic and Florabella or Corina and Daryll.
Dmitri looked hopelessly confused and more than a little miserable. Katasha was impressed and a little frightened by Renee’s ability to manipulate him. Of course, he had earned it. Bragging about all the girls he meant to date next year to his girlfriend this year… That was just stupid.
Other high school students — mostly juniors and some sophomores — were dressed like waiters. The Blake family and their dates were shown by one of them to a long table by one of the windows overlooking the Wilmot river.
During dinner, Katasha barely followed the conversation. A lot of it was about the compu-relics that Erik was so interested in. Howell turned out to have a lot of interest in them too. Somehow that led to astrophysics and his research project with a professor. He was trying to narrow down the search for radio signals from the heavens to only the most likely regions of the sky. Mostly though, Katasha kept seeing Howell’s big, yellow paws and thinking about whether she’d get to hold them later.
When dinner was over, the juniors and sophomores scurried around clearing the tables, folding them up, and moving them out of the way. Howell proved himself gallant in addition to smart and affable by lending a paw. It made sense. He was one of the bigger guys around and could pick up two folded tables at once. It took two cats working together to carry a single table.
Katasha noticed that Hickory, who was similarly big and strong, wasn’t helping.
“Everyone keeps looking at you,” Florabella whispered when the others weren’t paying attention. “You’re very brave.”
“You mean because I came to the prom with Howell?” Katasha asked.
Florabella nodded. It looked like she might have said more, but the dance floor had been cleared and the air filled with the thundering crackle of static that means a sound system coming to life. The burst of noise was followed by the steady drum beat that heralded the beginning of the most popular puppy band song of the year: “Bark Like You Mean It!” It had the most asinine lyrics, but it was catchy and danceable. And way too loud.
All conversation effectively squashed, cats and dogs moved toward the dance floor. The dogs dove right in, throwing their paws about and bobbing their heads to the music. The cats held back, acting casual and cool. Katasha would have done that. She would have waited until Corina, Empress of Propriety allowed Erik to lead her onto the dance floor. Instead, Katasha found her paw engulfed in Howell’s as the eager yellow lab pulled her right into the middle of the dance floor. She must have been the first cat out there. She could see the wide blue eyes of her siblings, shining red in the sudden darkness, as they stared at her. Most of the other cats had eyes that glowed blue or green, transformed by the darkness and trippy black lights on the dance floor.
Katasha knew her own eyes must be shining red too. She’d never really thought about that before, but Howell’s canine eyes weren’t shining. For a moment she felt self-conscious. All those cats were out there looking at her, while she stood awkwardly in the middle of a dance floor filled with goofy, badly dancing dogs, and one particular dog, staring down at her, singing along with the recording of the puppy band, and seeing her suddenly devil-red eyes.
Except, Howell didn’t look troubled by the glowing effect at all. If anything, he looked entranced. His large body swayed enthusiastically, if somewhat stiltedly, to the music. He looked like a fool dancing but an adorable one. It was especially sweet and innocent that he was singing along.
Katasha found it easier to start stepping in time to the music than she’d expected, twitching the tip of her tail to the beat. She knew she couldn’t look any more foolish than Howell did. Foolish and wonderful.
Time became the passing of one beat-heavy dance mix song into the next. Other cats joined the dancing throng, and Katasha found she felt safe dancing in Howell’s massive, metaphorical shadow. He stood between her and all her classmates like a shield. It was a good feeling. Then the music slowed.
“The Alley Cat Jive” ended with an explosion of horns and was replaced by the soft electronica keyboarding of the eternal love song, “My Heart, My Paw.” It was a song that had been recorded dozens of times, and Katasha had always scorned it for its sappy message. This time? Her breath caught as Howell placed his heavy paws on her waist. He pulled her close to him, and she felt the warmth of his breath on the tips of her ears as he looked down at her, singing along with the cheesy song. Suddenly, the lyrics didn’t sound cheesy anymore.
His face had rugged lines, softened by the darkness. The fur on his face was short, and his broad, black nose looked leathery. She’d never been this close to a dog before. In his arms, Katasha felt like she was floating.
When the song ended and the music sped up again, Katasha’s claws dug lightly into the fabric of Howell’s navy blue tunic. He briefly tried to pull away, but then he got the message and gave her a squeeze that thrilled her to the tips of her ears.
The two of them danced close like that through the next half dozen songs, despite only two of the songs being slow.
Finally, Corina came for her. “We’re doing pictures now,” she said, placing a paw on her sister’s arm.
Howell stepped away, and Katasha felt the cold absence of his body next to her. They followed Corina to the pavilion set up in the corner. Fake flowers were arranged in bunches around a sort of miniature gazebo. A screen stretched out behind it, and lights pointed at the setup from every direction.
The photographer arranged all the couples. Dominic and Dmitri were told to stand behind a small bench. Florabella and Renee sat on the bench in front of them, the toms’ paws on their shoulders. Corina and Erik stood to one side, arms around each other. Howell, of course, was placed in the back, leaving Katasha in the very center, in front of him. He placed his paws on her waist again.
The flash of the camera was blinding.
The rest of the evening disappeared in a blur. There was more dancing, and Katasha wanted to lose herself in it. She noticed other cats and dogs looking at her. She could tell she was being talked about. Not only was she the only cat on the dance floor with a dog, the two of them continued to slow dance to every song. She tried to ignore it all, living only in the moment, in Howell’s arms.
When the music finally stopped, the mass of dancers dissolved into individuals. Everyone was preparing to go home.
Katasha’s siblings were mostly gathered at a table off to the side. She didn’t think they’d done as much dancing as she had. She felt a little embarrassed. This is why she wanted to go away to college. Then she could be herself — dance close to a dog — and not have to come back to her littermates who’d been watching her afterward.
“You two sure danced a lot,” Renee said.
Howell grinned, his tongue lolling. “Yeah, well, there’s not a lot of time for dancing at Isleywood.” He looked happily at each of the cats at the table. “It sure is nice to get a weekend off! Completely away from homework and classes and everything Isleywood.”
Katasha thought it’d be nicer to take a weekend off from homework and stay at Isleywood. She was pretty sure she could have a good time with Howell there. With Howell and no littermates. Next year. Next year.
Howell, Katasha, and Dmitri dropped Renee off on the way home. Dmitri practically begged her to come back and watch a movie with everyone, but she simply said she’d see him on Monday. Erik and Florabella, however, came back with Corina and Dominic. The three couples and a very grumpy Dmitri cuddled up to watch a classic human film that had survived the information dark ages, when most data had changed to being stored on computers. All that stored data had become unreadable once those programs and operating systems were lost to the ravages of history. Very little survived from those times.
This movie predated all that. It was an animated film about a human woman who fell in love with a man who’d been turned into a giant feline. At the end, he turned into a human again in whorls of golden light. Katasha imagined herself in his place. Except, instead of the golden light reforming her as an extinct human, it would leave her larger, stronger, forthright, and canine. Then no one would look twice at her dancing with Howell.
In the dark moments at the end of the movie, while the credits ran, Katasha risked reaching one of her paws over to Howell’s. He had one large arm around her, and her head was snuggled against the curve of his shoulder, but she wanted to hold his paw. His broad paw pads flexed when her paw touched his. His blunt claws were never sheathed like a cat’s. She looked up at him, but she couldn’t make out the expression in his eyes.
When the credits were over, Dmitri turned on the lights. Katasha drew back her paw suddenly in the brightness, but she didn’t move from her position against Howell’s chest. She didn’t care about the looks her littermates were giving her.
Well, she did, but not as much as she cared about soaking up every last moment in Howell’s arms.
Florabella and Erik excused themselves to go home. Dominic and Corina followed them outside to say goodbye, and Dmitri slunk off upstairs. Katasha would have liked to stay cuddled on the couch with Howell all night. She felt at peace and could feel a purr deep in her throat. She didn’t even try to hide it.
Then Mama peeked her head into the living room and said, “I bet you’d like some help setting up the hide-a-bed.” Her arms were loaded with pillows and quilts.
“Oh, sure,” Howell said. The perfect moment with him was over.
Katasha had felt at peace. They hadn’t said anything to each other, but nothing had needed to be said. Feeling his arm around her had been enough.
Dominic and Corina came back in from their goodbyes, and Dominic helped Mama and Howell unfold the couch. Katasha and Corina were scuttled out of the way before Mama even got to making up the hide-a-bed with sheets and blankets.
Upstairs, Katasha and Corina prepared for bed in silence. Though, Corina kept casting her sister funny looks, her ears twitching restlessly on her head.
Once the midnight blue, black-beaded prom dress was hung back on the door, Katasha found herself lying in the bed she’d slept in every night since she was a kitten, staring at the same old ceiling, tucked in under the same old quilt, and knowing that Howell was right downstairs. It took her ages to fall asleep.
Continue on to Chapter 8…