I was happily scurrying through the cobbled streets, sniffing the air and chasing shadows. A mouse ran left, and I pounced - hoping for an evening snack. It got away in the nick of time, and scuttled between two loose bricks. I rubbed at the entrance with a paw, meowing softly. No luck.

            Saddened, I turned my attention back to the quiet streets. I eagerly padded my way down, and passed the old butcher's shop. The nice man who ran the shop had left some scraps out for me. Though I kept my dignity most nights, tonight my hunting was not going so well - and the smells were tantalizing. Perhaps some merchant had come up from the south with spices. The raw meat smelled delicious, and I tugged at a scrap with one paw, chewing ravenously.

            And then, she found me. A shadow deepened around me, as she swept down on her broom, and grabbed me by the scruff of my neck. Placing me carefully on the foot of her broomstick, I looked down at the city streets as we flew up into the sky. Digging my paws into the brush of the broom, I chewed idly on my scraps, purring softly.

            She had a kind, raspy voice, "What have you been up to, Greymalkin?"

            I continued to purr, as my mistress flew us higher. With the wind in my fur, I looked down at the mortal dwellings below, in awe and relaxation. My tail curled around the base of the broomstick, and I swallowed some of the meat.

            And then the talons dug into my back, and a bird of prey flew me off the end of the broomstick. I snarled, flailing my paws in the air. The great hawk veered, and the meat that hung from my mouth fell to the city below.

            My mistress flew about, circling us, her wand out and her voice chanting in Gaelic.

            Desperately, I wanted to be saved. For I knew this bird would eat me. And I was no ordinary cat. I am, indeed, a precious kitten.

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