After I got my shoes on, I began the long trek back to my house. I lived in a cottage that was on the outskirts of the town. My only neighbor was an old dairy cow who had wandered off from her herd and now lived on my property. I decided to call her Ryu, which means beautiful. I picked up the name in my studies before I moved to the mountains, and thought it fit her. 

     On my way home, I stopped in the town to pick up some grain for her. I always made sure she was fed and warm. After buying the grain, I set off to my house, though I was weighed down greatly by the bag of grain. One long walk later, I stepped into my house, but only to find Ryu standing in it, looking very confused. Shaking my head, I set down the bag to lead Ryu outside. But as I did so, I heard a small meow from the bag. I saw a small rip in the top and cautiously reached my hand in the bag. 

     Feeling around, my hand hit something small and furry. Carefully grabbing it, I pulled out what seemed to be a small, dirty kitten. It looked as if it might be white but was so covered in grime it was more of a dirty brown. Panicking, I looked for the phone to call Shae. Finding it, I quickly dialed her number. 

     Once she picked up I quickly turned it so she could see me and then hurriedly signed how I had found a kitten and Ryu was standing in my house. 

     “Okay, calm down. You’re going to need to wash the poor thing, but make sure not to get any on its face. But who is Ryu?” Walking over the bathroom, I found some soap and turned the water to warm. I signed to her that Ryu was a cow I had found a few months back. I think Shae was surprised because I didn’t hear anything from her for a few seconds. “You know what, I’m not even going to ask. Make sure the water isn’t too hot as well.” 

     When the water was just right, I started to wash out the dirt out of the kitten’s fur. I felt worse and worse with every pitiful cry it made. When I finished cleaning the kitten, I realized it was actually more of a crème color. Not only that, but it was a she. Looking into her small face I realized something was extremely wrong with one of her eyes. I picked up the phone again and called the local veterinarian’s office.