bluebonnets

“Where’re we goin’? You still haven’t told me yet,” the small voice came from beneath Minx’s shoulder.

“Somewhere I thought you’d like,” the cat replied. 

She noticed how the mouse had to take three bounding steps for each one of hers, and slowed her pace a bit to let her catch up. She smiled to herself, happy to finally spend some time together with Churchmouse. The two of them wandered along the winding forest path, stopping occasionally to watch a butterfly or bird flitter between the trees. It was a warm, cloudless day, but the shadows of leaves provided dapples of shade and a cool breeze weaved between the foliage.

Churchmouse took a deep breath in, savoring the fresh spring air. The back of her nose began to tickle, and before she knew it, she sneezed with a high pitched “chu!”. Minx couldn’t hold back her smile at the endearing noise, looking down as the mouse absentmindedly pawed her nose.

“Pollen?” Minx asked. The mouse nodded, hints of a blush dusting her cheeks. Minx sighed. “Well, I’m afraid you might not like this place as much as I thought you would,” she said, eyes fixed at the clearing ahead on the horizon. “We can still take a look, though.”

She nodded her head towards the break in the trees, inviting Churchmouse to follow her gaze. The little mouse leaned forward, squinting, but there was too much underbrush in her way. So she paused for a moment before settling back on her haunches, readying herself, and leaping square onto the cat’s back.

“AH! Hey, what are you-” Minx hissed in surprise, trying to flash a glare at the mouse who was, annoyingly, just out of her sight. “Ugh, you’re heavier than you look,” she sighed, trying her best to ignore the tiny paws digging into her shoulder blades. Her gaze softened, though, as Churchmouse took a seat, nestled between her shoulders. Her fur was soft and warm.

“Oh! I see it!” The mouse exclaimed at a volume higher than what she was used to, but one that Minx had been hearing more and more of lately. She liked it; it was more her speed. “Oh, Minx, it’s beautiful.” The cat smiled in response.

“Hold on tight.” Minx felt the slight tug of paws in her mane as she bounded forward, dapples of sunlight through leaves spotting her vision like a strobe light as she ran before she broke through the treeline, warm sunlight washing over the cat and mouse. They came to rest in a vast field, yards upon yards of tall green grass awash with swaths of blues, yellows, pinks. Butterflies and bees alighted to rest on flowers, and dragonflies darted from stalk to stalk. It was quiet, peaceful, only the sound of birdsong and grass rustling in the wind reached the two girls’ ears.

The mouse is right, it really is beautiful, Minx thought. She wasn’t a flower expert by any means, but she knew bluebonnets when she saw them, and she liked them best.

Minx felt the weight shift on her shoulders before Churchmouse jumped down, treading lightly on the delicate flower beds. 

“Oooh, this one’s an Eryngium!” She said, peering intently at a purple flower with odd shoots of spiky leaves. Minx looked at her in slightly puzzled endearment. 

“Y’know flowers? Aren’t you, like, allergic?”

“I like readin’ about ‘em.” Her voice became soft again, lost in thought. “This one,” she placed a paw at the stem of the spiky purple flower, “is said to represent independence.”

Minx studied the mouse’s face, her eyes that reflected a deep brown in the sunlight intently fixated on the flower. Her gaze suddenly shifted to meet Minx’s, and the cat’s breath caught unexpectedly in her chest.

“Thank you for bringin’ me here,” Churchmouse said, shy again. Minx cast her blue-lidded eyes to the side and shrugged her shoulders in mock indifference. She couldn’t keep the act up for long, though - as soon as she found the place, stumbled upon it on one of her long, solitary walks, she’d wanted to share it with the mouse. It was like their little secret garden.

The two of them lay on their backs side by side for nearly an hour, basking in the hot rays of sun, listening to the birds and the sounds of unbothered nature. But upon the wind rode flurries of pollen, and before they knew it, Churchmouse was riddled with squeaky sneezes.

“Okay,” Minx groaned, stretching as she got up from her comfortable position. “Let’s get you back.”

The mouse looked at Minx, and then past her head, eyes glimmering with expectation.

“What? I-” The cat turned her head only to see her own fluffy shoulder, and sighed. “Ugh, fine,” she conceded, and the mouse jumped onto her back once more.