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Duke Lanely sighed as he stepped out of his boss's office. There had recently been a call from an airport in Florida about a couple of cats who somehow ended up on the wrong flight and were now in the North Dakota airport. Duke had just gotten off his shift when his manager sent him to the boss. The last few minutes a blur in his mind. All that Duke knew now was that he was taking home five cats for two weeks straight until a plane could take them to Virgina, the home state of the family who lost the cats. Duke lazily ran a hand through his hair as we walked down to the Live Animals Pick-Up portal and spotted the gray carrie with the blue ribbon. How had he gotten himself ropped into this mess?



Sally smiled sadly at her daughter, wishing she could do something right now to make this all go away. She opened her mouth to say something comfortingly when a small cough came from behind them. Sally turned around to see Jean with a professional expression plastered on her face. "With all the busy flights this summer, it is impossible to fly them down here," she reported in a monotone. "But when you return to your home in Virgina in two weeks, North Dakota airports has promised to send them to you. In the meantime, an employee up there is taking care of them." Jean glanced at Emily with a sorrowful expression. "I wish I could do more," she admitted. "But thats the best consolation I have." She gave the family a week smile before returning to her office.

Sally nodded her head, accepting this news and moving on. "Well, I suppose we'll have to enjoy the rest of our vacation, and worry about them when we get back home," she said, no note of excitement in her voice, though.

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Molly slowly drifted off to sleep, but quickly woke when she heard the loud grumblings of the kitten. She lifted her head just as Muchnkin re-adjusted herself. Not wanting to bring attention to the fact that their owners still hadn't come for them, Molly decided not to mention Munki's grolwing stomach and laid her head back on her paws.

"No, of course not," Gage said quickly, refusing to believe that thier owners had just abandoned them. "I'm sure they just got caught up in some human stuff."

Emily nodded, once again swallowing the hard lump forming in her throat as she tried her hardest not to cry. "Thank you, ma'am," she mumbled before trudging after her parents to wait for their taxi.

***

Gizmo's ears flicked backwards and his tail began to quiver in excitement. Slowly, the old tom crept towards the carrier's wire door before sitting again, posture errect and mannerisms matching that of high alert.

"Gizmo, what is it? What do you hear?" Midnight mewed from the rear.

"Someone's coming," the old cat chirped.

"Is it Emily or the Callisters?" Excitement colored Midnight's tone as she also crowded the front of the cage.

"No, it is a Man," Gizmo replied.

OOC: meh...mild writer's block again. Hopefully this isn't too terrible.

Molly remained laying next to Munchkin, but whispered hopefully, "Maybe he's come to take us to Emily."

Gage glanced at Molly skeptically as he trotted to the front of the carrier as well. He sat beside Midnight and Gizmo, staring at the man as he came closer.

Duke watched for the carrier, picking it up with a slight struggle. It was heavier than he original thought it would be. He waved to some of the workers as he walked out of the backdoor of the airport and into the employee parking lot. "I don't know how much Lucy is going to like this," he muttered as he set the cat carrier in the back of his car.

"Taking us to Emily?" Munki purred slightly, eager for a nugget of good news after the trauma of air travel.

"Maybe," Midnight murmured vaguely, not wishing to raise her daughter's hopes accidentally.

Suddenly, an upward force on the handle caused the carrier's center of gravity to shift. Gizmo unleashed a sharp yowl of surprise as gravity pulled him to where the other four cats sat near the mesh door. Munchkin squeaked in alarm as the weight of the four adults nearly flattened her small frame against said door and another adult accidentally placed her weight on her tail in a vain attempt to regain balance.

Her mother's instinct taking over, Midnight quickly snatched her remaining offspring by the scruff and attempted to run uphill to the adjacent corner to their litter pan. "Gimmo, Gange! Do sommthin!" she mrowed through a mouthful of fur.

Gizmo opened his mouth to respond, but closed it; instead, the old tom found a spot in the center and the crate's top-heaviness stabilized slightly. He arched his back slightly to allow him a better glance out the front. Soon he saw their carrier approach a set of automatic doors, pass through, and approach a series of parked automobiles...cars is what humans called them? The crate's gravitational center shifted again as the man stopped in front of one, unlocked a door, and set it down on an empty seat. The door slammed shut with a muffled bang; moments later the engine growled to life.



Peter Callister glanced at his wristwatch again, and began to anxiously glance down the road -even though he knew that it was unlikely that he'd recognize either the car or the driver by sight. Still, he had to resist the urge to pace. Where was that driver?

"Daddy," Emily called. "We'll find them, won't we? We'll find them, right?"

Mr. Callister glanced down at his child and mentally swatted the back of his head for letting his anxiety show. "Of course we'll find them, Emmy. It just may take some time."