Maple bats a crumpled tissue across the living room. It flutters onto the sofa.
Bella laughs and picks up the carrier. 'Vet day,' she says.
Maple's ears flatten against her head. She darts behind the sofa. The carpet is cool under her paws.
Bella coaxes Maple into the carrier with a treat. Maple steps inside, tail high.
The car ride is bumpy. At the clinic, a kind vet checks Maple and gives her a sleepy shot.
Maple dreams of chasing mice. When she wakes, her neck is ringed with plastic.
Maple tries to bite the cone. Click, click — too hard.
She rubs her neck on the rug. Scratch, scratch — stuck.
She wiggles under the couch. Dark and quiet, the cone bumps a leg.
Bella finds Maple under the couch. 'Let's get this off,' she says.
The cone pops free. Maple blinks. A dust bunny wiggles under the radiator.
Her pupils blow wide. She pounces — but slips on the hardwood. Tumbles into a heap. Then she scrambles up, tail high, and chases the dust bunny into the kitchen.