Tripod Kills a Fawn
Tripod, the three-legged cat, began to keep watch on the back yard. He still felt badly about his brother Quadpod's death and was determined to keep unkind animals out of his territory. Deer had been overrunning the place, eating apples from the fruit trees and munching the green garden plants and flowers. The young man in the family had attempted to chase the trespassers away. But his methods were flawed. The young man would throw whatever was nearby, usually a piece of windfallen fruit. The deer got so they rather enjoyed not having to walk all the way to the tree for their apples. They even began sniffing at rocks tossed by the young man expecting something sweet and juicy. Tripod knew it was important to protect the place since his people seemed so incompetent at it.
One day a dazed and frightened fawn stumbled into the yard. Tripod ran out to see what was wrong. The fawn was startled by the approach of the three-legged cat. He turned, ran and fell to the ground at the corner of the yard. The fawn lifted his head one last time only to see scorn in the red watchcat's face. With one swipe of Tripod's paw, the fawn died. Within a few nights, coyotes completely devoured its carcass. And Tripod went on to rule his little piece of the West.
