Hey, guys. So, and this may sound weird, but I want to dedicate this book to our cat, Leo, skye4everyandever. But why a cat, you may ask?

Well, it's because he's dead. I know it. And it's so sad because we've had him for what would've been his third year this month, but unfortunately, he bit the dust a bit too soon. And today, 12/9, would've been his birthday. But I find it so strange, because this is one of those cats who would literally jump on a dog's face and claw the crap out of it, to the point where our dog was scared of him! But, I just figured that, seeing as he was a boy, he was just naturally that aggressive to any animal that threatened him or his little "girlfriend" black cat, which would scare the crap outta me at night. And yes, she did indeed get pregnant, and she just had the kittens. They are a mix of his colors and black colors, and there are six of them, though two of them are irregularly colored, with one being completely his color and the other being completely black. But, that's not the point. 

See, Leo came from a litter of our best hunting cat ever, called Gracie, named after my old, best friend Grace. Like, this cat killed whole VULTURES, snakes, birds, mice, and whatever else she found. And then, she had 6 kittens, and he was one of the only two that survived. And unfortunately, a week later, the male cat came back and killed all but two of the kittens before we finally got to them. And then a week after that, Gracie got hit by a car, and died a week later. So, seeing as we were moving, we decided to give them to my grandma, as she loves cats, and she would take good care of them. But, she had WAY too many stray dogs for a kitten to be safe out there, so we brought them with us. Of course, we have stray dogs as well, but not as many, and they wouldn't even go near him anyway, out of straight fear!

Anyways, we had named the gray, dark-gray-striped one Soxx (like the baseball team) and of course, we name Leo, well, Leo. But, let me tell you, Soxx was the MEAN CAT! THIS CAT HATED PEOPLE! Like, every time we even got near her, we had to wear gloves, as she scratched the HELL outta you if you didn't! I STILL have the scars! 

Moving on, however, she was also blind in her left eye, and had been traumatized in a horrible dog accident. But, with time, she eased up, and actually became friendly. And after three months, she became even more friendly than Leo, and he was always friendly, just like his mom. But, my stepdad got tired of the cats being in the house after a while, as he'snot really much of a pet person, anyways. He still doesn't even like Bella. He just TOLERATES her. But, yeah, out they went, because Leo, when put around Bella, definitely defended himself, and Soxx would run and hide, as she was never really much of a fighter. Well, that was our first mistake. Because while Soxx was using the restroom, one night, a week later, we were all getting ready to go to bed when we heard some dogs barking on our property, followed by some hissing and then yelps of pain. We then quickly rushed downstairs, outside, only to see that Soxx's entire hind legs and back side had been crushed, like the dogs were trying to eat her, and when we took her to the ER, we learned that she had been paralyzed, and she was in a LOT of pain, despite trying to move with her two front legs when we got to the doctor's office, around people we didn't know.

But, the doctor said Soxx couldn't be helped, and it would be best if she was put down. So....... she was. And we were all so upset. We immediately took her home and buried her in the backyard, right after giving her a dignified funeral. And then, there was only one. 

But this was the one that liked to walk by your side whenever you took a walk. Or run straight into the house as soon as you opened the front door in the morning, all the way into the pantry and into the food bag. And this was the cat that would snuggle right next to me whenever I sat in my garden, chasing after the occasional bird that flew through from time to time. But no. Now that's all gone. I mean, I assume he was hit by a car, because there is no way he was killed by a dog. But we haven't seen him in two weeks. And like I said, this is the same cat that would be meowing at the door as soon as you came to the door in the morning. So, I just want to take the time to say, Rest In Peace, Leo. Rest In Peace. And don't worry. Your grave will be next to Soxx's ❤️. 

Also, the first chapter will be posted tomorrow! 😄