“How the heck can you guys run that fast?” he puffed. He sat down hard next to the kitten pile.

“Tumble, you’re just an old fart!” the other tom, Pouncival, yelled in a muffled voice. More giggling erupted from the heap.

“Fladry, kindly remove your paw from my nose. It’s quite uncomfortable,” the queen called Fenimmia quipped. The pile shifted and Fladrance, Fladry for short, tumbled out of it. Pouncival flew several feet and landed on his rump. The two kittens glared at Fenimmia, who smiled sweetly. Tumble giggled at Pouncival, who rubbed his sore rear.

“Could we play something we can all do this time?” Tumble pleaded. “How ‘bout hide ‘n seek?” His idea was met with unanimous agreement. Since Tumble had suggested the game, he was ‘it’. He covered his eyes and counted as the others scampered to different hiding places. Fladry had to muffle her giggles with a paw. When Tumble finished counting, he crept to the trunk of an old car near the clearing, knowing it was Fladry’s favorite hiding spot. He leapt onto the bumper noiselessly. He slowly started to open the trunk. With a shriek, Fladry jumped out at Tumble. He screeched and fell off the bumper, landing hard on his rump. Fladry burst into laughter, rolling on the ground and clutching her sides. Tumble had to smile. Fladry always made hide ‘n seek interesting. In fact, she made everything more fun. She always made him laugh, no matter what. Even when he was sad, she would do something silly to make him feel better and laugh. As Fladry tried to catch her breath and wipe tears from the corners of her eyes, he remembered how lucky he was to have her as his friend.

“Good one, Fladry. You got me. Let’s go find the others,” he said, helping her to her feet. They galloped off to check the oven across the clearing, since it was also a very popular hiding place. The two kittens grinned at each other, taking their places. Tumble wrenched the oven door open and Fladry shouted ‘BOO!’. Pouncival yelped and bolted out of his hiding place, a look of pure terror on his face. All three kittens cracked up. Pouncival chased after Fladry, unable to catch the fastest runner in their group of friends. He tripped on a rock and fell hard, scraping himself. Fladry rushed over.

“Are you okay, Pounce?” she asked. She checked his scrape and helped him to his feet. Pouncival smiled at his friend. She was always so nice and helpful. He remembered last week, when he had gotten his claws caught in a pillow. She had helped him get out of that mess. Then the day before that, his yarn ball unraveled while he was playing with it, tangling him up. She had sat with him for an hour, carefully unwinding the yarn. If it weren’t for Fladry, he would probably still be in that mess. She was the kindest cat in the Junkyard. Best of all, she was a great friend.

The three kittens scattered to find Fenimmia. Fladry went to a big pipe near the stove and peeked in. “Found her!” she called to the toms. Fenimmia giggled and tumbled out. Fenimmia and Fladry started playing a game of leapfrog. Fladry and Fenimmia had been best friends for a long time. They were practically inseparable. One was rarely seen without the other close behind. Fenimmia was glad they were friends. Fladry was funny, kind, smart, and very hyper. Every day was an adventure when Fladry was around. She was truly lucky to be friends with such a wonderful cat. Fenimmia leapt over Fladry’s back and crouched down for Fladry to jump over hers. While Fladry was in midair, a loud voice yelled her name. Fladry yelped and landed on her rump.

“Fladry! Supper!” her mom, Bombalurina called.