Tiki Bug's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Tiki Bug was no bigger than a thumbnail, but Tiki Bug had one job in this whole wide garden: keep Stephanie safe. Stephanie sat cross-legged in the grass, sorting flower petals into neat piles, humming a song. She never saw the black kitten crouched behind the fern. Tiki Bug saw it. The kitten's bright eyes locked on the girl's bare ankle, and its tail flicked once. Tiki Bug's wings buzzed in panic. A kitten was a hundred times bigger than a bug. Punching it was useless. Biting it was useless. But Stephanie kept humming, and the kitten crept closer through the stems. Tiki Bug thought fast. The kitten hunted things that moved. So Tiki Bug made itself move. It flew low across the grass, right past the kitten's nose, and landed on a wide green leaf. The kitten froze. Its ears swiveled. Those curious eyes forgot the girl and fixed on the little bug instead. "Come on," Tiki Bug buzzed. "Chase me instead." The kitten pounced. Tiki Bug darted up just in time. A soft paw smashed the leaf flat. Tiki Bug flew in a crooked line toward the far end of the garden, and the kitten bounded after it, leaping and swatting. Each jump pulled the hunter farther from Stephanie. Tiki Bug's wings ached, but it did not slow down. Up ahead stood a small bamboo cottage, sturdy and snug, its thatched roof low to the ground. A narrow gap sat under the door. Tiki Bug aimed for it. The kitten lunged. Tiki Bug slipped through the gap and shot out a crack on the other side. The kitten crashed into the bamboo wall. It shook its head, confused, and could not squeeze through after. Tiki Bug circled back to Stephanie, gasping. The girl had stood up now. She brushed grass off her sundress and wandered toward the strange little cottage, drawn by the noise. Tiki Bug's heart sank. Stephanie was walking straight toward the kitten. But the kitten had given up the hunt. It sat by the bamboo wall, licking one paw, no longer a hunter at all. Stephanie crouched down and smiled. "Hi, kitty." She reached out a gentle hand. The kitten leaned into it and began to purr. Tiki Bug landed on the cottage roof and watched. The chase had worked. The kitten was tired and soft now, not prowling. But Tiki Bug saw the truth: Stephanie loved the kitten. She would want to keep it close. And a kitten that lived in the garden would grow, and grow, into a full-sized hunting cat. The one danger Tiki Bug had chased away was now the one friend Stephanie would never let go.