Касл Дженнифер

Welcome To The Creature Cafė. The Great Biscuit Bake-Off

1. WELCOME TO THE CREATURE CAFĖ

On a bright, warm morning in Paris, inside a grand mansion on a cobblestone street, three kittens sat looking up at a big wooden door. Their tails swished nervously back and forth.

“Maybe we shouldn’t go in today,” said one, a white kitten named Marie. “Mama told us to go play in the courtyard.”

“But that’sso boring,” said her brother, a gray kitten named Berlioz. He tapped the door with one tiny claw. “We’re going to have a lot more fun in there.”

“Yeah, we can’t just go back to our same old routine,” added orange kitten Toulouse, the other brother. “Not after everything that’s happened!”

The three kittens, along with their mother, Duchess, had just experienced the adventure of their lives. Maybe even allnine of their lives. They’d been catnapped by a scheming butler, but with courage, luck, and some critter cooperation, they’d found their way home to their beloved human, Madame Adelaide Bonfamille. Along the way, they’d seen many amazing things and met fascinating new friends…especially some very cool alley cats.

Marie smiled.“You’re right. Let’s do it. On my count! One…two…”

Before she could saythree, Toulouse pushed open the door himself and burst into the room.

“Typical,” Marie sighed. “But yay! We’re in!”

Ever since Madame had opened up her home as a shelter for the stray kitties of Paris, felines of every type imaginable had filled the parlor behind the big door: busy and lazy, chunky and fluffy, fancy and scruffy. The kittens liked to call it Alley Cat Parlor.

Berlioz raced past twin tabbies snoring in their bunk beds and a group of four alley cats playing cards, straight to the piano. He leapt onto the keys, causing a sound like pots and pans crashing to the floor.

[Картинка: img_3]

“Mrow!” one of the alley cats exclaimed, flattening his ears.

“Sorry!” Berlioz replied. “I just can’t wait to play the new song I wrote!”

Toulouse rushed to the far corner, where an easel, an empty canvas, and painting supplies were set up. He dipped one paw into the yellow paint and one into the black, then smeared both blobs of color onto the canvas.

“A masterpiece!” declared a little gray mouse who was standing nearby, munching on a cracker.

“Hello, Roquefort!” Toulouse said. “Do you really like my painting?”

Roquefort, who lived in the walls of the mansion, was a loyal friend to the kittens and their mama. He’d helped rescue them when they were catnapped. Now he liked to hang around Alley Cat Parlor, nibbling on leftovers and licking the milk bowls clean.

“I love it!” Roquefort exclaimed. “It’s a delicious banana, right? No, wait. A yellow cupcake with chocolate icing?”

Toulouse frowned.“It’s abumblebee.”

“Oh,” Roquefort said with a disappointed sigh. “Well, that’s not yummy at all.”

Marie bounded past her brothers and through the door that led to the kitchen, where a fluffy gray cat sat on the counter, kneading dough with his two front paws.

“Louis!” Marie said, laughing. “You’re covered in flour!”

“Oh, my!” the cat said. He shook out his fur, and the flour rose up around him like a cloud. Now he appeared to be the fluffyblack cat he really was.“Would you like to help me make kitty croissants?”

[Картинка: img_4]

“Yes, please! Your pastries are the best things I’ve ever tasted, Louis. Do you think I could be a chef like you someday?”

“Ahem-meow,” said a voice behind Marie.“That all depends on what your mother does when she catches you down here.”

Marie spun around to see a big orange-and-white tomcat grinning whisker to whisker. It was Thomas O’Malley, the coolest of the cool cats, who’d helped their family during the big catnapping adventure. He’d since become their stepfather.

“Toulouse! Marie! Berlioz!” Duchess called from upstairs.“Come along, darlings! Madame is taking us to the park!”

Marie shot a panicked look at Louis and O’Malley, then rushed back into the parlor to warn her brothers. “It’s Mama! Quick! Hide!”

Berlioz and Toulouse both tried to scurry under the same chair, causing a kitten collision.

“Ow!” Berlioz howled, swatting at his brother. “Can you be more careful?”

“Hey,you crashed intome!” Toulouse said, swatting back.

Marie skidded across the floor, then hopped into a basket kitty bed. She dove under a blanket just as Duchess, an elegant white cat in a sparkly gold collar, walked into the room.

“Duchess!” O’Malley said as he strutted through the kitchen door and spotted the kittens’ mama. “Can I just tell you how much your eyes still sparkle like sapphires?”

Duchess blinked her big blue eyes slowly at O’Malley. Once, twice, three times. Then she glanced around the room, noticing the lumpy blanket in the basket.

“Thank you, Thomas, darling,” Duchess said. Then she smiled sweetly. “Now, canyou tell our kittens to come out of their hiding places and meet me outside?”

[Картинка: img_5]

Duchess, O’Malley, and the kittens strolled along behind Madame into the Luxembourg Gardens, one of Paris’s busiest parks.

“Mama,” Berlioz asked Duchess, “are you angry that we’ve been spending so much time with the alley cats?”

Duchess nuzzled Berlioz’s cheek with hers. “I’m not mad, my darlings, but you must promise not to keep things from me anymore. It’s a kitten’s job to be curious, but not secretive.”

“We promise!” the kittens meowed, weaving in and out of Duchess’s legs.

Duchess laughed.“Very good. Now, go play while Thomas and I help Madame find the perfect picnic spot.”

Marie, Berlioz, and Toulouse raced onto the grass. They loved the park! It was filled with so many colorful sights, exciting sounds, and interesting smells. Nearby, two children tossed a small rubber ball back and forth. Berlioz started watching, then Toulouse joined in, and soon all three kittens were hypnotized by the ball as it flew through the air.

Suddenly,PONK! One of the children threw the ball too hard. It bounced off a tree, fell to the pavement, and rolled away.

“Let’s catch it!” Toulouse shouted as he launched himself like a rocket after the ball.

“Wait up!” Marie called, taking off behind him.

Now Berlioz was chasing the ball, too, and it picked up speed as it rolled toward the park gates.

“Chook-chook-chook!” a voice chattered from above. A brown squirrel with a big bushy tail perched on a tree branch, watching the kittens.“Where are you going? Why are you running? What is happening?”

“Hi, Pouf!” Toulouse called to the squirrel. “Can’t talk now! Important kitten business!”

Berlioz, Toulouse, and Marie pursued the ball as it traveled across the street, around a corner, and into an alley. There, it bounced off a wall and flew back toward them.

Marie jumped for it but missed. Berlioz leapt next, but he missed, too, and landed on Marie. Toulouse made a final grab for the ball, but it escaped his paws as he fell onto the kitten pile.

[Картинка: img_6]

“Ow!” they all yowled.

The ball was headed straight for a metal grate in the wall…when a tiny door in the grate opened! A rat scampered out. The kittens watched the ball sail through the door and disappear.

“Um…” Berlioz said. “What just happened?”

“Should we go after it?” Marie asked.

“Mamadid say it was our job to be curious,” Toulouse replied.

The kittens inched toward the open door and, one by one, crept through.

They tumbled down a couple steps and landed landing in a dark space. Toulouse and Berlioz flattened their ears and puffed up their tails, but Marie just sniffed the air. Light glowed from around a corner.

“You go first,” Berlioz said to Toulouse.

Toulouse sprang forward, but then he froze, glancing back nervously at his siblings.“It’s not like I’m afraid, but I…um…”

“Oh. Meow. Gosh,” Marie said. “I’ll go first. Follow me.”

Slowly, stepping softly on their paws, the kittens slinked around the corner.

They gasped at what they saw.

An empty restaurant. More than empty. Old and abandoned, with dust everywhere. Some of the wooden tables and chairs were broken. Windows were cloudy from dirt, and a rickety piano stood against a far wall.

“Is this some old café?” Berlioz asked. He walked over to the piano and played some notes, but they rang out horribly off-key.

“I think so, but something’s not quite right,” Toulouse said. “What is it?”

Marie thought for a moment, her whiskers twitching, and then exclaimed:“It’s small! Everything’sour size!”

Toulouse’s face brightened as he bounded through the room. “You’re right! I bet you—pffft…pffft…Yuck, I just ran through a cobweb!”

Marie and Berlioz started laughing at their brother. But then:

“GRRR…WOOF!”

The kittens jumped, their fur standing on end.

“GRRR…WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!”

An angry French bulldog stood behind them, baring his teeth.

[Картинка: img_7]

The kittens huddled together, flattening their ears.

The French bulldog growled again and took a step closer. He had light brown fur and a white chest.

“I’ve got this,” Toulouse whispered as he moved protectively in front of his littermates. He then arched his back and fluffed up his tail, trying to make himself look much, much bigger. “Mrrrow!Ffft-ffft-ffft-ffft. Go away and leave us alone!”

Toulouse held up a paw, showing his tiny claws, and swiped at the air.

The bulldog froze in his tracks. His eyes grew wide.

“He’s frightened!” Marie whispered to Berlioz. “Maybe Toulouse has actually gotten much scarier!”

The dog burst out laughing.

He laughed so hard he flopped onto the ground, his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

Toulouse flattened his ears and tilted his head, looking confused. Marie took a deep breath and inched closer to the dog.

“What are you doing, Marie?” Berlioz called softly after her. “You could get hurt!”

Marie looked back at her brother and said,“Mama always tells us, ‘Good manners and kindness are always in fashion.’”

“Yeah,” Berlioz said, “but…I don’t think that bulldog cares about what’s in fashion.”

Marie kept approaching the dog, her whiskers quivering with fear. She’d almost reached him when he stopped laughing and suddenly sat up straight. She took a deep breath, gathered all her courage, and smiled her friendliest smile.

“G-good afternoon, monsieur. My n-n-name is Marie. Charmed to make your acquaintance.”

She held out a dainty paw.

The bulldog stared at the paw.

“Is it just me,” Berlioz whispered to his brother, “or does he look hungry?”

The bulldog sat up extra straight and…broke into a huge grin. He held out his own paw, touching it to Marie’s.

[Картинка: img_8]

“Bonjour, Marie,” he said in a gruff but polite voice. “My name is Pierre.”

Marie looked over her shoulder at Berlioz and Toulouse. Her expression said,I told you so!

“I sure do hate it when she’s right,” Toulouse murmured.

“These are my brothers, Toulouse and Berlioz,” Marie told the bulldog. “I’m sure Toulouse is very sorry that he hissed and swatted at you like that. We were just frightened.”

“Oh, no harm done,” Pierre said. “I was scared, too. Apologies for all the barking and snarling. I often find rats here playing cards and eating the furniture, so that’s how I chase them away. When I got closer, I realized you were kittens!”

“Is this where you live?” Toulouse asked.

“Bah, no!” Pierre replied. “Perhaps you’ve seen the Luxembourg Brasserie restaurant across from the park? My humans are the owners. I live with them in the apartment right above.”

“Wehave seen the Luxembourg Brasserie!” Marie exclaimed. “Every time we walk by, our stepfather, Thomas, says those are his favorite smells in the whole world.”

“So what is this?” Toulouse asked. “Is it part of the restaurant?”

Pierre let out a sigh and started walking around the room. With his nose, he pushed a fallen chair back into place.

“This was a separate restaurant,” Pierre said softly. “Le Café des Creatures. Or as we all knew it, the Creature Café.”

“Humans,” Berlioz said, shaking his head.“Where do they come up with these names?”

“This wasn’t a human restaurant,” Pierre said with a knowing smile. “It was a restaurant for animals. All the animals of Paris, in fact! Whether you had fur or feathers or scales, if you had a tail or no tail…everyone was welcome. Even the rats—as long as they behaved themselves.”

Marie looked around at the broken chairs and tables and the old piano in the corner.“Oh, it must have been just super.”

Pierre sighed, then ran a paw along a dusty tabletop.“It really was. Always filled with music and delicious food and excellent company.”

“Well, now it’s a supermess,” Toulouse said.

“Toulouse!” Marie scolded, swatting her brother. “That’s rude!”

“Not rude at all,” Pierre said. “It is a mess. Bah! My dear friend Monsieur Midnight would be so sad to see his beautiful restaurant like this. He was the best feline chef in all of Paris, and he was always so proud of the café. My job was to bring him leftovers from the restaurant upstairs,and—voilà!—like magic, he would turn them into the most amazing dishes.”

“Where is Monsieur Midnight now?” Toulouse asked.

“Oh, I’m sure he’s living a fabulous life in America with his human,” Pierre replied. “Midnight’s human and my human are brothers, you see, and together they ran the restaurant upstairs. But the brothers had a big fight, and then Midnight and I had a fight overtheir fight. When his human left for New York City, Midnight went with him.”

Tears formed in Pierre’s eyes, and he dabbed at them with a paw.

“Oh, no,” Toulouse whispered to Marie and Berlioz. “I didn’t mean to make him so upset.”

“How can we cheer him up?” Marie asked.

“We could sing a song,” Berlioz suggested. “The one that always cheers up Mama when she’s feeling down.”

“That’s a great idea!” Marie said.

“Notthat song,” Toulouse groaned, rolling his eyes. “You both sing it so loud.”

Marie stuck out her tongue at Toulouse.“Well, it’s two against one.” She turned to Pierre. “Monsieur Pierre, we have a little something to help you feel better. A one, a two, and a one-two-three.”

Berlioz sat down and started thumping one front paw against the floor, creating a beat. Then he and Marie began to sing:

When the world makes your fur stand on end

When you feel like you need a forever friend

Toulouse let out a sigh, then joined in, too.

Just call my name and flick your tail

I’ll come running, without fail

[Картинка: img_9]

By the time the song ended, Pierre had stopped crying. He shuffled toward them and patted Berlioz’s head with a front paw.

“Thank you, kittens,” he said, quickly patting Marie and Toulouse as well. “I needed that. Will you come visit me again?”

“Oh, most definitely,” Marie said. “We come to the park all the time….”

She froze and turned to her brothers. They all exchanged glances and at the same time cried,“Mama!”

“I’m so sorry, Pierre,” Berlioz said. “Our mother and stepdad and human, they’re all across the street getting ready for a picnic. If they realize we’re not in the park—”

“They’ll think we’ve been catnapped again!” Marie finished the sentence for him. “But we’ll be back soon, we promise!”

The kittens raced toward the door to the alley, climbing over one another to be the first to make it through.

[Картинка: img_10]

Toulouse, Berlioz, and Marie all shared a cozy cat bed in the corner of Madame’s room. It had supersoft blankets, silk pillows, and a curtain canopy. When the kittens didn’t want to go to sleep, they stayed up and pretended their bed was a fort.

Not that night, though. Toulouse couldn’t stop yawning, which made Berlioz yawn. Then those double yawns made Marie yawn, too.

“My darlings, you must be so tired from your adventure today,” Duchess purred at them. She picked up Toulouse by the scruff of his neck and placed him gently under the covers.

“I’ve always wondered what happened to the Creature Café,” O’Malley said as he nudged Berlioz with his nose until Berlioz crawled into his sleeping spot between Toulouse and Marie. “I ate there once, but it was too fancy for me. Not exactly my scene, you know? But plenty of my cat compadres liked to go for the sardine soup.”

Marie snuggled in and sighed.“I really wish I could have seen it.”

Duchess used her teeth to pull a blanket up to her kittens’ chins. “Good night, darlings. May you all have sweet-cream dreams.”

Duchess leaned over and kissed each kitten on the forehead. O’Malley gave them his most charming wink, and they winked back. Then the two big cats walked out of the room, leaving the door open a crack, because Berlioz was afraid of the dark.

Duchess was right: all three kittens really were exhausted. It took just a few moments for them to fall fast asleep, purring—and, in Toulouse’s case, snoring.

[Картинка: img_11]

Marie’s whiskers twitched as she started to dream. In her dream, the Creature Café was not a dusty, abandoned space but a busy cake and pastry shop—in France, they call this a pâtisserie—filled with many animal friends. There was Roquefort, the mouse, eating a slice of maple nut cheesecake. Somehow, Madame’s horse, Frou Frou, was sitting at a table in the corner, wearing her flowered hat and declaring, “Neeeeigh! These are the best carrot apple cookies I’ve ever tasted!”

The dream version of Marie was in charge of the kitchen. She wore a chef’s hat as she kneaded dough into kitty croissants like the ones her friend Louis made.

“Coming right up!” she murmured in her sleep.

On the opposite side of the bed, Toulouse was having his own amazing dream. The old restaurant had become an art gallery. Paintings created by Toulouse and other neighborhood creatures covered the bright white walls. Animals of all types wandered through the gallery, oohing and aahing over the art.

In between Toulouse and Marie, Berlioz started flicking his tail in his sleep.Thwack-thwack-thwack. The tapping made the beat to a song he played in his own dream, where he’d turned the café into a jazz club. His paws danced up and down the piano as cats from Alley Cat Parlor played their instruments along with him. Berlioz started singing.

Everyone in Berlioz’s dream clapped and danced to his song. He was the jazz club’s star, and a crowd of animals had gathered to see him perform. He raised his voice louder….

The problem was, he wasn’t just singing in his dream. He was singing in the real world, too. Toulouse jolted awake to the sound of Berlioz’s musical stylings.

“Awww, man,” Toulouse grumbled. “You and your sleep-yowling. I was in the middle of the best dream ever.”

He flicked a paw at his brother’s head. Berlioz’s eyes popped open.

“Me too,” Berlioz grumbled as he sat up. “Inmy dream, I turned the old café into an awesome jazz club.”

“A jazz club?” Toulouse echoed. “That’s ridiculous. It’s perfect for art, not music.”

“But I need a place to perform!” Berlioz said, poking Toulouse.

“And I need somewhere to show my art!” Toulouse elbowed Berlioz.

Berlioz jumped on his brother.

“Music!” he growled as they started to wrestle, tumbling their way across the little bed.

“Art!” Toulouse growled back.

“No, music!”

“No, art!”

Toulouse tried to leap onto Berlioz but missed, landing on a still-snoozing Marie.

“Owwww!” she cried, opening her eyes. “What’s happening?”

“Berlioz thinks the old café should be a silly jazz club,” Toulouse told her.

“A jazz club would be better than a boring old art gallery,” Berlioz said, rolling his eyes.

Marie stood up and huffed.“Stop! Both of you. Stop it right now. It’s the middle of the night.”

“Sorry…” the brothers mumbled.

“You should be,” Marie said. “Especially because thatold café should be turned into anew café. One where I’m the chef!”

Toulouse scrunched up his nose.“Eh. My idea’s better.”

“And mine is best of all,” Berlioz added.

“You know there’s only one way to settle this,” Toulouse said, raising his eyebrows mischievously.

“Oh, no,” Marie said with a sigh. “Not another Grand Staircase Race.”

“First one to reach the bottom has the best idea. Ready? Set? Go!”

Before Marie could protest, Toulouse bounced out of bed, followed quickly by his brother. She leapt like lightning after them as all three scrambled through the open bedroom door toward the house’s grand staircase. When they started to turn into the hallway, Berlioz caught up to Toulouse, grabbing at his tail to try to slow him down.

Toulouse let out a“Mrrrrrow!” and jumped out of reach, turning around for a second to stick out his tongue at Berlioz. But he caught one claw on the rug and tripped over his own four feet.

Berlioz skidded to a stop.“Are you all right?” he asked his brother.

“I think so,” Toulouse said, rubbing his face with one paw.

“See you guys later!” Marie shouted gleefully as she sped past them, around a corner, and toward the staircase.

“Come on,” Berlioz said, pulling at Toulouse’s blue bow collar with his teeth. “We can still catch her.”

The brothers took off running again, their paws pitter-pattering. Berlioz reached the staircase first, but Marie was already halfway down.

“I can go faster than that,” Berlioz said, and started hopping from step to step.

[Картинка: img_12]

“That’s fast,” Toulouse called after him, “but taking stairs one at a time is for beginners!” Then Toulouse launched himself off the top of the staircase, flying over the first two steps and landing…right on Berlioz.

“Mrrrrroooow!” Berlioz squealed, toppling over. The two of them rolled down several steps and right into Marie, who had almost reached the bottom of the staircase.

Marie let out a startled“Mee-oh!” as all three kittens became one big ball of fur, tumbling down the final steps and onto the floor…toward a table holding a fancy china vase.

BUMP. They barreled right into one of the table legs. The china vase began to topple as the kittens broke apart and all shouted,“First!” at the same time.

The vase started falling. Berlioz, Marie, and Toulouse looked up in horror as they watched it sail through the air and…

In the blink of an eye, O’Malley jumped up, caught the vase with both paws, and landed on his back.

THUD.

The vase was safely hugged to Thomas’s chest instead of shattered into a thousand pieces.

Duchess appeared and walked over to him.“Thomas, that was truly heroic! Are you all right?”

“Just dandy,” O’Malley said. He sat up and carefully placed the vase next to him.

Duchess turned to her kittens and started thumping her tail hard against the floor.“Who is going to tell me why you’re out of bed, chasing one another around in the dead of night, and almost breaking Madame’s favorite vase?”

Toulouse stepped forward.“We had a good reason, I swear. It all started when each of us had a different dream about the old café.”

Marie joined her brother.“I imagined it as a pâtisserie, Toulouse thinks it should be an art gallery, and Berlioz wants to make it his jazz club.”

“So we tried to settle it with a race,” Berlioz added. “Sorry, Mama. We’ve just been really bored. We want to do something new and fun.”

Duchess took a long look at her kittens. Then her blue eyes twinkled and she smiled.“You need another adventure, don’t you?”

The kittens all nodded.

“My darlings,” Duchess continued, “I know how you love to create and share what you create with others. I adore that about all three of you. But you each have something that’s more important.”

“Beautiful collars?” Marie asked.

“Sparkly toys?” Toulouse suggested.

“Sparkly toyswith bells inside?” Berlioz guessed.

“You have one another,” Duchess said.

Marie looked at Toulouse. Toulouse looked at Berlioz. Berlioz looked at a bug that had just started crawling up the wall.

“You are a team,” Duchess said. “So think as a team. Ask yourselves,How can our ideas work together?”

The kittens were quiet for a moment.

“Well,” Marie began, “my pâtisserie would feel much cozier with art on the walls….” She turned to Toulouse.

Toulouse’s face lit up. “And great food and beautiful art go really well with…”

“Some hot jazz!” Berlioz exclaimed.

“A new café could have all three!” Marie declared.

“Now that is one lovely idea,” Duchess said. “And you didn’t need to shout and chase each other to decide on it, did you? Now, back to bed with you all. In the morning, you can figure out—quietly—what to do next.”

The kittens glanced at one another. They already knew what to do next: they had to ask Pierre’s permission to transform the old café. Hopefully, he’d say yes!

[Картинка: img_13]

The next morning, three fuzzy streaks sped along the sidewalks of Paris—one white, one gray, and one orange. A human who looked closely would have seen a trio of kittens dashing as fast as they could toward their new bulldog friend. Toulouse, Berlioz, and Marie each wanted to be the first one to tell Pierre about their fantastic, fur-raising idea for the old café.

When they reached the corner of the alley, they were all tied in the race. But Toulouse leapt over Marie and took the lead. He was so excited to be winning one of their races, he turned back to shout at his littermates.

“Haha! Slowpokes!”

SPLASH.

He ran right into a big puddle.

“Me-EW!” Toulouse cried, trying to shake globs of mud off his face.

Marie and Berlioz skidded to a stop, glanced at each other, and started laughing.

“That’s what you get,” Berlioz began, “when you—Marieeeeeee!”

While Berlioz was still chuckling, Marie had dived toward the secret door. She pawed at the tiny handle, but it wouldn’t open.

“Let me try,” Toulouse said, swatting at Marie’s head until she moved to give him room. But the handle didn’t budge for him, either. “It must be locked.”

[Картинка: img_14]

Marie frowned, thinking. She took a few steps backward and stared up at the second-floor windows overlooking the alley. Pierre had told them he lived with his humans in an apartment above their restaurant. Maybe that was where he was now, and perhaps those were his windows.

“Pierre?” she shouted. “Pierre, are you home? It’s Marie!”

“And Toulouse and Berlioz!” added Toulouse. “We need to talk to you!”

“What if we howled like the alley cats do?” Berlioz suggested. “That would catch his attention.”

“Along with everyone else in the neighborhood,” Toulouse said. “But you know me. I never say no to a howl.”

All three kittens drew in a deep breath, then let loose with their loudest, longest howls. Their alley cat friends would have been proud! But the noises just echoed down the alley into silence.

Marie hung her head in disappointment.“He’s not here.”

“We’ll have to try again tomorrow,” Berlioz added.

“But I’m so excited!” Toulouse groaned. “We’reall so excited! If I have to wait another day, I’ll burst!”

“Well, try not to,” Marie said, rolling her eyes.

The kittens shuffled out of the alley and back onto the street, headed toward home.

“Kittens!” A voice rang out above them. “Hi-hi-hi!”

Pouf, their squirrel friend, sat perched on a tree across the street, just inside the park fence.

Toulouse shouted up,“Hello, Pouf!”

“Are you here to play?” chattered the squirrel, flicking his bushy tail back and forth. “I’d like to play! We can play ‘You-Chase-Me-up-a-Tree-but-I-Am-Always-Faster-than-You’!”

Toulouse started to reply:“Aw, we’d love to, but—”

“Hey!” Berlioz interrupted. “Have you seen our friend Pierre, the bulldog? He lives above that restaurant.”

Pouf stared at them for a few long moments, twitching his nose.

“Pierre, the Dog-Who-Thinks-He-Can-Catch-Me-but-Never-Can?”

“Ummm,” Marie said. “Probably?”

“Pierre, who used to run the Creature Café?” Pouf added.

“Yes!” Marie exclaimed. “You know the café?”

“Every animal who lived in the park back then knows about it. They served thebest berry acorn tarts! Yum-yum-yummy-yum!”

“We have an idea to start up the café again,” Toulouse shouted up. “We’re looking for Pierre so we can get his permission.”

“Café? Again? More YUM?” Pouf babbled. The kittens nodded. “Follow me! I think I know where you can find him!”

Pouf scrambled down from the tree as the kittens darted across the street and through the park fence. Duchess would never let them enter the park that way instead of through the front gate. But the kittens were definitely not thinking about what was proper and what wasn’t. They’d learned that sometimes, in order to tackle a big task, you had to try something new.

When they caught up with Pouf, the squirrel said,“I saw him earlier at the pond. Come on!”

Now there were four fuzzy streaks, bouncing and barreling down the Luxembourg Gardens paths toward the water basin, where dogs often liked to bring their humans.

But when they reached the basin, there was no sign of Pierre.

“Pierre!” Toulouse shouted. “Pierre?”

A voice came from the pond:“Is your friend a French bulldog?” One of the ducks paddled in place, watching them.

“Yes!” Marie replied. “Have you seen him?”

“Just a few minutes ago,” the duck said. “He picked up a strange dog’s scent and started following it. I think he was headed for the fountain.”

“I know a supersecret squirrel shortcut!” babbled Pouf. “This way!”

The fuzzy streaks were off again, through some bushes and across rocks. Duchessdefinitely would have disapproved. When they reached the park’s big stone fountain, the kittens scanned the area, huffing and puffing from their run.

“There!” Berlioz exclaimed, pointing a paw.

Pierre was sniffing his way down a path, wagging his tail in excitement.

Now the race to reach Pierre first was on again. The kittens tumbled and tangled with one another as they ran, but Toulouse grabbed the lead. When he reached Pierre, he stopped short. Marie got there next, but when she stopped, she stumbled over Toulouse. When Berlioz saw that, he tried to leap over them both…but landed right on Pierre’s back.

“Ouch!” Pierre barked.

“I’m so sorry!” Berlioz sputtered. “And also…hello.”

“Pierre,” Marie said, “we really need to talk to you!”

“Bah! I was on the trail of the most interesting-smelling dog.” Pierre sighed and gave the kittens an annoyed look. “This had better be important.”

Toulouse, Marie, and Berlioz began speaking at the same time.

[Картинка: img_15]

“We want to open a new café—”

“There will be food and music and art—”

“We’ll run it, but we need your help stocking the kitchen—”

“ROWWWWWWFFF.” Pierre let out a long, gruff bark.

The kittens got the hint and quieted down. Berlioz hopped off Pierre’s back and joined his littermates.

“Let me get this straight,” Pierre said. “You want to reopen the old Creature Café?”

“Serving up sweet and savory treats,” Marie said.

“With jazz music,” Berlioz added.

“And amazing art on the walls,” Toulouse chimed in.

“This will be run by…the three of you?” Pierre asked.

“Yes,” Marie said, “working as ateam. Right, boys?”

Toulouse and Berlioz nodded.

“Mama says we can do more together than we can apart,” Marie said.

Pierre thought about that.“Your mama sounds very smart. But I’m not sure. It won’t be easy to get that old café fixed up. The furniture needs to be repaired and painted. There are plates and cups and baking pans tossed here and there. You’d have to find them all and wash, then polish them. It will all take so much time.”

“We have time,” Toulouse said. “Lots and lots of time!”

“And energy, too, I’m sure,” Pierre said with a smile. “But what about the food? Where will that come from?”

“Um, well…” Berlioz began. “We were hoping you could get it from the restaurant upstairs, like you did for Monsieur Midnight.”

“Just like the old days, Pierre!” Pouf exclaimed from his perch on a rock. “Yum-yum-yummy-yum!”

“Ah, yes,” Pierre said dreamily, a smile growing on his face. “Just like the old days with my friend Midnight…”

Marie, Toulouse, and Berlioz all exchanged glances. Was Pierre going to give the paws-up?

But Pierre sighed.“I’m sorry, children, but no…As much as I’d love to reopen the café, I just don’t see it. You have no idea how much work it takes to run a café.”

Toulouse and Berlioz let their tails drop and their ears droop. They were filled with disappointment. Not Marie, though. She stood up even straighter.

“Let us see for ourselves,” she said.

“Pardon?” Pierre asked.

“Let us see for ourselves how much work it is! We could do a kind of tryout. I’ll create a sample menu. Berlioz, you can play some of your music. And Toulouse can paint a huge mural to decorate one of those dirty, dusty walls.”

“We would need some customers for the tryout, too,” Toulouse said.

“Who do we know who would want to sample your cooking, Marie?” Berlioz asked.

The kittens all looked at one another and had the same idea at the exact same time.

“Roquefort!” they exclaimed together.

“Let me guess,” Pierre said. “With a cheese name like that, Roquefort is a mouse?”

“One of our best friends,” Toulouse said. “He’s always up for helping us.”

“Plus, he knows a lot of other hungry mice,” Berlioz added.

Pierre gazed at Berlioz, then at Toulouse, and finally at Marie. Had they done enough to convince him?

“You are threevery determined kittens,” Pierre said, sighing. “If you can put all that determination into the café, it will really be something.”

“Does that mean yes?” Marie asked.

Pierre broke into a huge grin and nodded.“Let’s give it a try.”

Marie cheered,“Yay! Oh, thank you, thank you, Monsieur Pierre. You won’t regret this! Berlioz, you run home and ask Roquefort if he can be our tryout guest. Toulouse, can you go with him and collect your paint supplies? You’ll need to get started on the mural right away.”

“We’re on it!” the brothers both shouted over their shoulders as they scurried away.

“Oh,” Pierre said, watching them go. “So you meant…you were going to do all thisright now.”

“Now I need to plan a little menu,” Marie said, pacing back and forth across the park path. “Pierre, can we get ingredients from the restaurant?”

Pierre thought for a moment.“We’ll have to sneak into the kitchen before the lunch rush, but that should be easy. I used to do it all the time.”

“We also need to find those dishes and baking supplies,” Marie reminded him.

“I think I remember where they are,” Pierre said.

“Can I help, too? Can I help, too?” squeaked Pouf from the rock.

[Картинка: img_16]

Marie watched Pouf’s huge fluffy tail swish back and forth, back and forth. Then she got an idea.

“The café floor is really dirty,” Marie told him. “Could you sweep it for us?”

Pouf twitched his nose a few times before agreeing.“Sure! Okay! Yes! No problem!”

He scrambled off the rock and disappeared into a bush.

“If we’re going to get ingredients from the restaurant,” Pierre said, “we’ll have to hurry.”

Marie followed Pierre out of the park and across the street to the Luxembourg Brasserie. He scratched at a front window while Marie hid under a chair at one of the outdoor tables. A human came and opened the door.

“Out exploring again, Pierre?” the human asked him. Pierre let out a soft bark as he trotted into the restaurant. When the waiter was looking the other way, Marie slipped in behind Pierre.

But she accidentally brushed her tail against the human’s leg.

[Картинка: img_17]

“Huh?” the waiter said, glancing down.

Marie moved like lightning to hide behind Pierre. The waiter couldn’t see her, so he shrugged and closed the front door, then walked away.

“Bah!” Pierre said. “That was a close one.”

“I guess sometimes being little is agood thing,” Marie added.

“Follow me. The restaurant kitchen is over there.”

It wasn’t long before Marie and Pierre were climbing down the restaurant’s back stairs to the old Creature Café. Each carried a basket filled with berries, nuts, cream, flour, butter, eggs, and more.

When Marie saw what the café looked like now, she almost dropped her basket. The floors were already sparkling clean!

Pouf sat on a windowsill, brushing his tail.“Did I do a good job? Did I? Yes? Yes?”

“Good?” Marie laughed. “Pouf, you did anamazing job! How can I ever thank you?”

“Three words: Acorn. Berry. Tart. Acorn berry tart! Remember that!”

As he dashed out the door to the alley, Marie shouted after him,“You got it!”

[Картинка: img_18]

Toulouse and Berlioz returned, and there was no time to waste. Roquefort happily agreed to act as the customer for their tryout and would be there soon, along with some hungry mouse friends.

Marie popped a tray of cheddar walnut puffs into the oven. They didn’t look exactly like the ones she’d once cooked with Louis, but she hoped they tasted just as good. Berlioz rehearsed on the old piano while Toulouse worked on his mural. As Marie started to wash some old plates she’d found in the kitchen, Berlioz’s voice rang out through the café. He sangabout scales and arpeggios.

“Urrrrr!” Marie grumbled.“It sounds like that pianohates the scales and arpeggios. We’re lucky Mama isn’t here.”

“Well, it’s not my fault,” Berlioz replied. “I tried to tune it, but it didn’t help.”

“Could you at least stop playing until we find someone to fix it? It’s really distracting!”

“Toulouse doesn’t seem distracted.” Berlioz pointed at their brother, who was scooping up green paint from a can with his paws.

“You know how he gets when he’s doing art,” Marie said. “He doesn’t pay attention to anything else.”

[Картинка: img_19]

They both watched Toulouse for a moment. He smeared a blob of the green paint on the wall next to a blob of pink paint.

“Hey, Toulouse!” Berlioz said, moving closer. “What exactly are you painting, anyway? I thought you were going to make it look like a window with a view of the park.”

Toulouse glared at his brother.“Ahem, thatis what I’m painting.”

“Really?” Marie asked. “Because it looks like you just splattered colors all over the place.”

“It’s modern art,” Toulouse said, “and it’s better than your music on that broken piano!”

The brothers scowled at each other as Marie looked over the rest of the wall. At the very top of the mural, big letters spelled out THE PAINT PALETTE PâTISSERIE.

“And what’s that?” Marie asked Toulouse, pointing to the letters.

“That’s what I think we should name the café. Do you like it?”

“But this isn’t a café about painting!” Berlioz protested. “Plus, I have a much better idea for the name: the Jazz-a-ma-tazz Pâtisserie.”

Marie and Toulouse exchanged glances.

“That’s too hard to say,” Marie said. “And we might want to play other music besides just jazz.”

“Let me guess,” Berlioz said. “You’ve come up with the perfect name.”

“Well…” Marie began, smiling. “This is a critter café, right? And the food will be tasty. So I was thinking we should name it the Tasty Tails Pâtisserie.”

“Ew,” Toulouse said. “It sounds like we’re baking tails into the food!”

The brothers laughed while Marie sat there, thinking.“Okay, that does sound a little strange. But you don’t have to tease me about it.”

Suddenly, Berlioz stopped giggling and sat up straight.“Hey, do you smell something burning?” he asked.

Marie sniffed the air.“My puffs!” she cried, darting into the kitchen.

When she opened the oven, a cloud of gray smoke billowed out. Marie removed the tray and dropped it on the counter. One of the puffs had caught fire! She blew on it like a birthday candle until the flame went out. But the other puffs were completely black and burnt on the bottom.

Marie sat down on the kitchen floor, tears welling up in her eyes.

[Картинка: img_20]

“Maybe Pierre was right,” she said, sniffling. “Maybe it’s just too hard to run a café. Especially for us. We can’t do anything without ending up in a fight.”

Berlioz’s tail drooped, and Toulouse shuffled his paws against the floor. The brothers exchanged guilty looks. They both went to their sister.

Berlioz gave Marie a quick, comforting lick on her nose.“I’m sorry I made fun of your name idea.”

“And I’m sorry your puffs got burned,” Toulouse added, nuzzling her. “I’ll paint a better mural, and Berlioz will get that piano fixed. Won’t you, Berlioz?”

Berlioz nodded and said,“Don’t give up yet, Marie. I know we can make this happen.”

Marie wiped away her tears with one paw and looked at her brothers.“Hey, you both said sorry without Mama here to remind you. Maybe wecan work as a team.”

“Maybe we just need some helping paws,” Toulouse suggested.

Marie suddenly sat up straight.“Yes, we do! And I know exactly who to ask!”

[Картинка: img_21]

“I need to go home,” Marie said.

“Why?” Berlioz asked, confused.

“Home is where Alley Cat Parlor is,” Marie continued. “And Alley Cat Parlor is where Louis is. Louis is a chef, get it? He can help me with the menu!”

“Great idea, Marie!” Toulouse exclaimed. “We’ll go with you if you’d like. Teams should stick together.”

Marie thought for a moment.“Right now, I think teamwork means that you keep working on the mural, and, Berlioz, you keep trying to fix the piano. That way we’ll get three things done at once.”

“I like the sound of that,” Berlioz said, and Toulouse nodded in agreement.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Marie told them.

She darted out the secret door and raced home, imagining all the scrumptious café treats Louis could help her make. Once she arrived at Madame’s, she ran straight through the kitty door, past the grand staircase, and down the main hallway, then pushed open the big wooden door to Alley Cat Parlor.

She found Louis curled up on a purple velvet cushion by the fireplace. He was fast asleep, his paws and whiskers twitching.

“Louis,” Marie whispered. When he didn’t wake up, she said his name a bit louder. “Louis!”

[Картинка: img_22]

One eye blinked open, then the other.“Are you okay, Mademoiselle Marie?” Louis said as he raised his head. “You’re out of breath.”

Marie’s words tumbled out quickly. “I ran all the way here from…Well, this is the first thing I need to tell you: my brothers and I want to open up our own café for the animals of Paris! We’d serve kitty croissants and cheddar walnut puffs and salmon mousse and all the other treats you’ve taught me how to make.”

“Ah, Marie,” Louis said, his eyes shining. “That sounds wonderful.”

“But first we need to pull off a tryout to prove we can do it. And I know we can. It’s just that…well, we could use an extra set of paws and, of course, your expertise as a chef. Monsieur Louis, would you please help us?”

“Help you cook and bake for a café?” Louis paused, thinking. “I haven’t done anything like that in years. Perhaps it’s time.”

“Oh, thank you, Louis!” Marie exclaimed, hugging him. “And just wait until you meet Pierre!”

Louis narrowed his eyes.“Pierre?”

“Our new friend. The café is in the secret basement of Pierre’s humans’ restaurant, the Luxembourg Brasserie. Near the park. It used to be called Le Café des Crea—”

Louis held up a paw, signaling Marie to stop.“I’m sorry. I was mistaken. I can’t help after all.”

“What?”

“I just remembered that—you see, I’m very busy—unfortunately I have somewhere to be right now and I’m already late.”

With that, Louis fled from the room in a flash of black fur.

Marie blinked at the spot where Louis had been sitting.“What just happened?”

Had she offended Louis? Where could he be rushing to? Why would he say he could help, then change his mind so quickly? And what should she do now? If Marie and her brothers failed the tryout, Pierre wouldn’t let them open the café.

She had to think. Marie slunk out of Alley Cat Parlor and went to the one place she knew she could be alone with her thoughts: a special spot that nobody else knew about.

Marie crept into Madame’s private study, then quietly jumped onto an open drawer, then a stack of books, then the back of a chair, and finally the top of the bookcase by the window. She lay down with her head on her paws, closing her eyes to the sun streaming in from outside.

She thought of her dream, where she was serving up treats to animal friends in a busy, happy pâtisserie. Then she added to that image, with Berlioz’s music filling the air and Toulouse’s art brightening the walls. All three kittens were cheerful and proud of their work as a team.

WHOMP!

Something furry and heavy landed on her. Marie opened her eyes to see Toulouse, smiling wide.

“Looks like we finally found your hideout,” he said.

“I’ll get you back the next timeyou’re having a great nap,” Marie said with a laugh as she swatted at Toulouse’s bow.

“What did Louis say?” Berlioz called from below. “Will he help us? And what are you doing up there when there’s so much work to do at the café?”

Marie peered down at her brother. A small cloth bag lay at his feet.

“Why aren’tyou at the café?” she asked.

“We found something very interesting. Come down and see.”

Marie sighed as she stood up and made her way to down to her brother. Toulouse followed.

“It’s a bunch of photographs from the Creature Café,” Berlioz said as his littermates landed softly on the floor. He nudged the bag toward Marie. “I discovered them in a box that was stuck inside the piano. That’s what was making it sound so awful.”

Berlioz opened the bag, and dozens of photos tumbled out. In them, all types of animals posed at the café tables: mice and rats and rabbits. Chipmunks and squirrels and groundhogs. Pigeons and ducks and geese. Dogs and cats and—wow!—even a pig.

[Картинка: img_23]

“They all look like they’re having so much fun,” Marie said wistfully. “I’m glad you found this, Berlioz. It really gives me inspiration to make the café work somehow.”

“Hey,” Toulouse said, pointing with his paw to one particular photo. “There’s Pierre.”

Marie leaned in to get a better look. In the picture, Pierre stood under a sign that said WELCOME TO LE CAFé DES CREATURES.

Next to him stood a fluffy black cat—who lookedvery familiar.

“It’s Louis!” Marie cried. “They know each other! Now that I think of it, Louis changed his mind about helping us as soon as I said Pierre’s name….”

Berlioz pointed to another photo. In this one, Louis was in the kitchen on his hind legs, holding out a tray of kitty croissants.

[Картинка: img_24]

“Mmm,” Toulouse said. “Looking at these photos is making me hungry.”

“What does his chef’s hat say?” Berlioz asked.

Marie leaned in close so she could read the writing on the hat.

“Oh. Meow. Gosh!” she said. “It says ‘Monsieur Midnight’! Louis is Monsieur Midnight!”

“Yes,” said someone behind them. “I’m Monsieur Midnight.”

[Картинка: img_25]

“Louis!” Marie exclaimed.

The fluffy black cat sat in the doorway of Madame’s study with a chef’s hat on the floor in front of him.

“I’m sorry I ran off like that,” he said. “I was just so surprised to hear you mention Pierre and Le Café des Creatures. And, you know, we are cats, after all. Catshate surprises.”

“I’m confused,” Berlioz said. “Pierre told us that Monsieur Midnight and his human moved to America.”

“Yes, that was the plan,” Louis said. “But right before we were supposed to leave, I realized I would miss my beloved Paris too much. My human could tell I didn’t want to move, so he let me stay behind. I’ve always wanted to live the alley cat life! I’m happy, but I wish I could see my old friend Pierre.”

“Then why didn’t you go tell him you were still here?” Toulouse asked.

Louis hung his head.“Pierre is a very loyal dog. At first I was afraid he’d still be angry with me, becausehis human was angry withmy human, and we had such an awful fight. Then the more time passed, the harder it became to go visit him.”

“Oh, Louis…” Marie said. “I think Pierre misses you very much, too. You should have seen his face when he talked about Monsieur Midnight and all the fun you two had running the café.”

“He remembers all the fun?” Louis asked, his face brightening.

“Yes!” Marie said. “And obviously, so do you. Wehave to get you back together.”

Louis waved his paw.“Don’t worry about that. We have a café tryout to plan.”

“But first we have a friendship to save,” Marie said.

“That’s more important,” Berlioz added.

Toulouse thought quietly for a few moments. Then he exclaimed,“Hey, I think I have a plan for both those things!”

[Картинка: img_18]

Late afternoon light seeped in through the small windows of the café, throwing patterns across the floor. Toulouse worked on his mural while Berlioz repaired a broken table leg with a piece of chewing gum he’d found in the alley.

He paused, sniffed the air, and turned to his brother.“Mmmm,” he murmured. “Fresh cream.”

Toulouse nodded.“Cheese, too. And spinach. Also, maybe a tomato?”

“Plus eggs. They must be making quiche!”

Both brothers began to purr at the delicious thought.

In the kitchen, Marie peeked into the oven. Louis had fixed it, but she was still worried about another food-on-fire situation. The black cat stood near the counter, mixing up cookie batter for dessert.

Knock-knock.

“Hello?” a squeaky voice called from outside the secret café door. “Kittens, are you here?”

“It’s Roquefort!” Berlioz told Toulouse. “Go let him in!”

Toulouse opened the door to find their mouse friend, dressed up in a little red cap and coat.

“Greetings, Berlioz!” Roquefort said, and stepped aside to reveal three other mice, also wearing coats. “This is my cousin Brie, and my other cousin, Camembert, and myother other cousin, Munster.”

“Welcome to our café!” Toulouse said, leading them inside to a mouse-sized table. “I’ll take your coats.”

“Your meal should be ready soon,” said Berlioz. “I can play you a song while you’re waiting.”

Berlioz sat down at the piano and started to play one of his new jazz tunes. The instrument sounded much better now that it didn’t have a box of old photos buried inside it.

Pierre appeared on the back stairs.“Is it time yet?” he called. “It smells like it might be.”

“Yes,” Toulouse told him, pointing to a dog-sized table set with a matching plate, cup, and silverware. “We set this table just for you.”

“Psssst,” Marie whispered to her brothers from the kitchen doorway. “Come here. Your bows are crooked.”

Berlioz and Toulouse let their sister fix the ribbons around their necks.

“There,” Marie said when she was done. “Now, here’s a cart with the quiche and lemonade. Don’t you dare drop anything!”

[Картинка: img_26]

“Sure, Mademoiselle Chef,” Berlioz said. He wheeled the cart to Roquefort, his cousins, and Pierre. He and Toulouse had barely finished passing out all the food and drinks when Roquefort declared, “Dee-li-ci-ous! Double dee-li-ci-ous, in fact!”

The mice were gobbling up the quiche, but Pierre was taking his time. He scooped up one pawful, popped it in his mouth, and chewed slowly.

“Bah!” Pierre said. “This tastes so much like Monsieur Midnight’s quiche it’s eerie. It brings back many memories.”

“Good memories?” Berlioz asked.

“Definitely,” Pierre said with a smile. “Although I must say, this quiche might even be better than his. His quiche was always a little too…cheesy.”

“TOO CHEESY?” someone howled from the kitchen. “You were always telling me to putmore cheese in it!”

Pierre froze midchew, then swallowed hard. He slowly turned toward the voice. When he saw Louis standing in the kitchen doorway, his mouth fell open.

“M-M-Midnight?” he stammered.

Berlioz and Toulouse slunk into the kitchen to join Marie, and the three kittens crouched down to watch what happened next.

“Hello, mon ami,” Louis said, taking a few steps forward. “It’s good to see your face.”

“Wh-wh-what are you doing here?” Pierre asked.

“I’m here to help my friends Berlioz, Toulouse, and Marie learn how to run a café. The animals of Paris need to have their own eatery again, don’t you think?”

Pierre hopped off his chair and stepped closer to Louis so their noses were nearly touching.

“I thought you were in America,” Pierre said.

“I thought you never wanted to speak to me again,” Louis said in return. “That was quite a fight we had that day my human told yours he was leaving.”

“It was,” Pierre said with a nod. “But we shouldn’t have let one fight ruin a whole friendship.”

“I agree.” Louis bowed his head. “Is it too late to say I’m sorry?”

“Not for me,” Pierre replied. “I’m sorry, too, my friend. Bah, how I’ve missed you!”

They touched noses. The kittens exchanged excited glances. Success!

“My quichewas too cheesy back then, wasn’t it?” Louis added. “I’ve learned not to use so much.”

The brown-and-white bulldog and the fluffy black cat laughed.

[Картинка: img_27]

After a few moments, Toulouse bounded toward them and said,“Hey, Pierre? How did we do on our tryout? Do you think we can run a café?”

Pierre smiled.“Bah! I certainly do! Maybe you can talk Monsieur Midnight into coming in to help again.”

The kittens started jumping on one another in excitement.“Yay! Woo-hoo!”

“But I can’t officially say yes,” Pierre added, “unless you agree to one more thing.”

Marie, Berlioz, and Toulouse stopped wrestling.One more thing?

“The name of the café,” Pierre continued. “It came to me in a dream last night.”

He held up a paw to Toulouse’s mural, showing them where the words might appear. “The Purrfect Paw-tisserie.”

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

“I love it!” Berlioz exclaimed.

“Ha ha ha!” Toulouse laughed. “Yes!”

“That’s the best name ever,” Marie said, rushing to nuzzle the bulldog. “Thank you, Monsieur Pierre! Thank you!”

“Together, we all make a great team,” Louis said.

Berlioz thought for a moment, then chimed in:“Everything does come out better when we get over our differences and cooperate.”

“Yes,” Pierre agreed. “And that’s good…because we still have lots of work to do.”

[Картинка: img_28]

WELCOME, FRIENDS FURRY, SCALY& FEATHERY!

ENJOY LIFE AT THE PURRFECT PAW-TISSERIE!

High up on a ladder, Toulouse finished the finalE on the café’s new slogan. The letters were bright gold, and below them, he’d filled his park painting with greens for the leaves and grass, brown for the walkways, and blue for the sky.

It was opening day at the brand-new café.

“The more I stare at it, the more I see what a lovely park it is,” Marie said, standing next to a cart full of fresh-baked dog bone biscuits and looking over the mural. “Your art is really beautiful, Toulouse.”

“The other walls look cool, too,” Berlioz said from his bench at the piano. He glanced up at the wall above him, where Toulouse had hung several framed paintings by other neighborhood cats. One was a portrait of a fish, calledI Love Tuna! Another was a view of Paris rooftops at night, surrounded by stars, with the simple title ofHome.

“When do we get to hear your new song?” Marie asked Berlioz, pushing her tray of biscuits into a big glass pastry case. The cats from Alley Cat Parlor had built it for them. Inside were rows and rows of colorful treats.

[Картинка: img_29]

“I’m not going to play it until the grand opening party,” Berlioz replied. “So you’ll just have to wait.”

Marie stuck out her tongue at Berlioz. Berlioz gave her affffffft in return. Then they both giggled and grinned at each other.

“Enough of that, my darlings,” called their mother. Duchess and O’Malley had come in while the kittens were busy with their last-minute tasks.

“Mama!” Berlioz squealed, spinning on his piano stool with his arms out wide. “What do you think?”

Duchess walked slowly around the café, swishing among the freshly painted white tables of all different animal sizes. O’Malley leaned in to the pastry case and sniffed, his whiskers and ears twitching.

“App-e-ti-zing, baby!” he said.

“It’s lovely from top to bottom,” Duchess declared. “I’m so proud of you, children!”

“Thank you, Mama!” the kittens cried, rushing to nuzzle her.

Pierre and Louis came in through the secret door. When Pierre saw Duchess and the kittens, he said,“I hate to break up this giant cat cuddle, but you have some hungry guests outside, waiting to come in.”

“Just one more moment, if you please, Monsieur Pierre,” Duchess said to him, then turned back to her kittens. “Working together to get the café ready was not always easy for you…but you did it! This is such a special day. Can you get through it without any more fighting?”

“Of course we can, Mama!” Marie said, then blinked her long lashes a few times. “Or at least, I knowI can.”

“Me too,” Toulouse added.

“Methree,” Berlioz insisted.

“We do argue a little,” Marie admitted. “Or maybea lot. But we really do make a great team.”

“Very well, then,” Duchess said with a smile. “Pierre and Louis, please open the door!”

Pierre and Louis smiled at each other, and together, the two old friends threw open the secret door in the grate and said:“Bonjour! The Purrfect Paw-tisserie welcomes you!”

Four sets of scurrying little feet—belonging to Roquefort and his cousins Brie, Camembert, and Munster—rushed inside and up to the pastry case.

“Hello, kittens!” Roquefort greeted them. “We couldn’t wait to come back and try more of your—Good heavens! Look at all these treats!”

As the mice began picking out items from the pastry case, something moved like a streak across the floor.

“Pardon me! Pardon me! Acorn-berry-tart-pardon-me!”

Pouf skittered toward one of the squirrel-sized tables, picked up the chair, and started chewing on it.

“Pouf, no!” Toulouse cried. “The treats are over there! Behind the glass!”

Marie handed him a tart, which he popped in his mouth whole and stored in his cheek.“So good! So good! Yum-yum-yum-can-I-have-another!”

The door opened again.

“Louis!” half a dozen cats from the Alley Cat Parlor sang as they rushed in.

Suddenly, the Purrfect Paw-tisserie swirled with activity. Marie and Louis served up treats while several of the alley cats gathered around the piano, singing along with Berlioz as he played a song about how wonderful it was to be a cat. Roquefort and his cousins tasted every single type of treat in the pastry case while O’Malley and Duchess admired Toulouse’s artwork.

[Картинка: img_30]

After a little while, Pierre went to the piano and barked to get everyone’s attention. The crowd quieted down and gathered around.

“I think I speak for both myself and my dear old friend Monsieur Louis Midnight,” Pierre began, “when I say it’s wonderful to once again see the animals of Paris gathered here. I had my doubts that it would work, but Berlioz, Toulouse, and Marie have shown us what they can do with some kitten creativity and collaboration. Congratulations, you three!”

Everyone applauded. Marie took a step forward. Toulouse took two steps forward. Both of them stopped when Berlioz hopped on top of his piano stool.

“Thank you!” Berlioz said, taking a bow. “You know, the night I had a dream we opened our own café, it looked a lot like this, and then—”

“Ah, so this was allyour idea!” Brie the mouse exclaimed. “You deserve a special round of applause!”

Before Berlioz could correct her, everyone started clapping again. Marie and Toulouse exchanged confused glances.

The crowd cheered:“HOORAY, BERLIOZ! BRAVO! BRAVO!”

“Oh!” Berlioz said, realizing what he’d done. “No, wait!” But nobody heard him above the noise. “Hello? Everyone?”

He spun around and banged his paws on the piano keys. The whole café fell silent.

“I think there has been a misunderstanding,” Berlioz announced, then spotted Marie and Toulouse in the crowd. “This wasn’t just my idea. My brother and sister and I…well, we did it all together. Marie? Toulouse? Will you come sit with me at the piano?”

Toulouse and Marie smiled and made their way, purring, up to the top of the piano.

[Картинка: img_31]

“You see…” Berlioz continued. “Well…let me tell you the story the best way I know how.”

One by one, he stretched out all ten toes on his front paws, then all eight on his back paws, making a big cracking noise each time. Finally, he started playing and singing:

We’re just three little kittens, but wait, you should listen

To the story of this here café

We have paws and tails and whiskers, then we start to differ

We each spend time our own way

Toulouse paints the world, with colors swished and swirled

To brighten your walls and your day

Marie mixes and measures, bakes fun into treasures

“Can I please have some more?” they all say

As for me, I do my part by singing what’s in my heart

Just give me some cool jazz to play

We kittens worked together to bring YOU all together

And now that you’re here, we’ll let out a cheer

For food and art and song

And everyone getting along

At the Purrfect Paw-tisserie!

When the song ended, everyone applauded even more loudly than before.

Duchess beamed with pride at her kittens. Marie and Toulouse leapt off the piano and into the air toward their brother…landing on him in a triple-kitten cuddle. They cuddled for a long time, purring together.

After a few minutes, Louis came up and tapped Marie on the shoulder.

“Ahem, Marie? I’m sorry to tell you this, but I think you have another problem.”

“Problem? What is it?” Marie asked.

“Come with me,” Louis said, his face serious. “I’ll show you.”

Marie, Toulouse, and Berlioz exchanged worried expressions. What could be the matternow?

He led the kittens to one of the windows overlooking the alley. They had to climb a chair, then hop onto the frame of a painting and onto the windowsill.

Out in the alley, there were animals. Lots of animals! More cats and dogs, hamsters and rabbits, and so many squirrels it was hard to tell where one ended and another began.

“What are they doing?” Berlioz asked.

“What do you think?” Louis said. “They’re waiting to get into the café! News travels fast among the animals of Paris. Oh, my, you’re going to be busy. Can you handle it?”

Marie, Berlioz, and Toulouse exchanged smiles. It was like a secret language between them now. The smile said:Together, we can do anything.

Marie said,“Open the door, Louis. We’re ready!”

2. THE GREAT BISCUIT BAKE-OFF

Toulouse looked up at the wide, empty canvas sitting on the easel in front of him. Then he closed his eyes and thought:Which color should I start with?

He tried to remember exactly what he’d seen on that morning a few months earlier when he’d woken up on a riverbank in the French countryside. Toulouse; his brother, Berlioz; his sister, Marie; and their mama, Duchess, had all been “catnapped” away from their home. It had been confusing and scary at the time, but now Toulouse looked back on it as a great adventure. After all, they’d met their stepfather, Thomas O’Malley, that day…and it had been their first time ever outside of Paris.

Now it all started coming back to Toulouse: the tall, thick blades of emerald-green grass, the brown cattails waving in the breeze, and the deep blue water that sparkled with sunlight.

“Hmmm,” Toulouse said to himself. “What color were the flowers on the lily pads? Were they orange or pink? Or maybe orange-pink?”

Toulouse was working on a painting for a new“City Versus Country”–themed art exhibit at the Purrfect Paw-tisserie, the hidden creature caf? he ran with Marie and Berlioz. They’d opened just a month earlier, in the basement of a famous restaurant.

Jingle. The front door of the caf? had a bell that rang every time a new customer came in. That day, the Paw-tisserie was quite busy, with the bell jingling every few minutes. This time, a pair of skunks sashayed in from the alley and up to the pastry case. It was filled with a rainbow of colorful treats that appealed to every type of animal. The skunks ordered two half-black, half-white cupcakes from the French bulldog working behind the counter. This was the kittens’ friend Pierre, who lived with his human family upstairs and had helped Toulouse and his littermates start the caf?.

Toulouse glanced at the other customers filling the tables, and at his brother, Berlioz, who was finishing a song on the piano.

Next to the piano, a small hedgehog sat by himself, listening.“Can you play ‘Curl Into a Ball and Roll’?” he asked Berlioz. “My mama used to sing that with me.”

[Картинка: img_3]

“I’m sorry, Spike,” Berlioz replied. “I don’t know that one, but here’s a little something I came up with the other day when I was trying to catch my own tail.”

Berlioz began to play again, and the hedgehog happily bobbed his head to the beat as he took another bite of earthworm mousse.

The thought of earthworms reminded Toulouse again of the French countryside and that riverbank.Aha! He finally remembered the color of the water lilies. He dipped his paw in the pink paint.

“Ooh la la!” someone squealed.“Marie, that looks so cute!”

The new sound made Toulouse lose his concentration. His beautiful flower ended up as a beautiful smudge.

Someone else let out a giggle.“Nowyou try! See if you can make a swirly design with the red icing.”

Marie sat at a counter behind the pastry case. Next to her perched a white French bulldog puppy with three brown spots on her back. The puppy held a pastry bag, trying to squeeze red icing onto the top of a Bow-Wow Bonbon. It was one of Marie’s specialties: a dog biscuit made with vanilla yogurt and fresh berries in the shape of a giant bone.

Blurrrrrrp.

Red icing squirted all over the dog biscuit, the counter…and Marie’s whiskers.

Toulouse glared at them. He was the painter. Why didn’t they ask him for help with the treat decorations?

“Oh, no!” the puppy cried, dropping the decorating bag. “Marie, I’m so sorry! I’m really bad at this!”

But Marie laughed.“It’s okay, Claudette. At least you decoratedsomething! Don’t you think my fur looks pretty this way?”

With one paw, Marie wiped some icing off her longest whisker, stared at it, and then flung it at Claudette. Giggling, Claudette squeezed the tube and squirted some more at Marie.

[Картинка: img_4]

“Knock it off!” Toulouse yowled at them, jumping down from his stool. “Nobody will want those messy treats.”

“Oh, Toulouse,” Marie said. “Don’t be such a grump. I promised Claudette I’d teach her how to decorate pastries before her visit with her uncle Pierre was over. Her human family will be leaving Paris soon.”

Marie put her paw on top of Claudette’s.

“I’m going to miss you terribly, Claudette,” Marie said. “It’s been so much fun having you around here.”

Toulouse flattened his ears as he glanced at the tray of Bow-Wow Bonbons.“How come you’ve never taughtme to decorate your treats?”

Marie laughed.“You’ve never liked baking, Toulouse. Besides, your job at the caf? is to be the artist.”

Toulouse looked sadly at his canvas.“I guess you’re right. I do have a lot of artsy things to do around here. But…”

He took a deep breath, gathering the courage to tell Marie he reallydid want to learn to bake and decorate. But she and Claudette had gone back to the treats, giggling about how funny they looked. So he wiped his paw clean on a rag and went over to the piano, where Berlioz was playing the final notes of his song.

Spike, the hedgehog, clapped his tiny paws together.“Bravo! Bravo!”

“Thanks,” Berlioz said to him, then turned to Toulouse. “Uh-oh. I know that look. It’s your I’m-mad-at-Marie look.”

Toulouse glanced back at Marie and Claudette, who were leaning in close to each other, smiling and whispering.“It’s just strange to see our sister having so much fun with someone who’s…”

“Not us?” Berlioz suggested.

Toulouse’s ears and tail drooped. “I thoughtwe were her best friends. And why is Marie letting Claudette decorate the Bow-Wow Bonbons? She’s not a chef.”

“Maybe she doesn’t want to take us away from our art and music,” Berlioz replied. “Besides, you don’t even like baking.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Toulouse said. “I’ve never tried it, but I’d like to. It looks fun.”

Berlioz smiled, hopped down off his piano stool, and gave Toulouse a little boop on the nose with his paw.

“Don’t be jealous,” he said.

“I’m not jealous,” Toulouse insisted, playfully swatting back at his brother.

“Oh, I don’t know. I think if you were any more jealous, you’d go from being an orange cat to agreen one. As ingreen with envy.”

“You’re going to get it for that!” Toulouse said, breaking into a mischievous smile.

“Just try!” Berlioz dared him, and took off running across the caf?. Toulouse started chasing. The two kittens raced around chairs and tables, accidentally bumping into a few of the legs.Thump-thump-thump.

[Картинка: img_5]

Marie shook her head and sighed.“I apologize for my brothers!” she announced to all the customers. “It’s a kitten thing.”

Toulouse chased Berlioz toward the front door of the caf? and into a corner. “I’ve got you trapped!”

“Mrow!” Berlioz spat back, swiping at the air.

Suddenly, the door to the caf? burst open.

“AAAHHH-OOO!”

Berlioz and Toulouse froze in fear, puffing up their fur.

A brown basset hound puppy with stubby legs and long, long ears stood in the doorway, howling at the top of his lungs.

“AAAHHH-OOO!” the basset hound howled a second time.

The caf? door opened again, and a chocolate-colored bloodhound puppy barreled in.

“Oh, shush, Leon,” the bloodhound puppy said to the basset hound puppy. “You don’t need to do that every time you walk into a place. Here, let me do it.”

The bloodhound puppy sat down and planted her oversized paws firmly on the ground.“Attention, everyone at the Purrfect Paw-tisserie! We’re looking for the three kittens who were catnapped from Paris by their evil butler! Are they here?”

The kittens exchanged nervous glances. Who were these strange puppies, and why were they looking for Berlioz, Marie, and Toulouse?

[Картинка: img_6]

Toulouse and Berlioz raced across the caf? and into the kitchen, then huddled with their sister behind the pastry case.

Marie turned to their canine friend Pierre.“Do you know those dogs?”

Pierre shook his head.“Bah! No. If I did, I’m sure I’d remember that howl.”

“One of us should find out what they want,” Berlioz said. “Marie, you’re good at that kind of thing.”

Marie thought about it for a moment, swishing her tail.“That’s true. Iam a bit…gutsier than you two.”

Toulouse bopped Marie on her ear.“Gutsy? I’ll show you gutsy—”

“Hello?” The bloodhound puppy’s voice echoed through the Paw-tisserie. “Three kittens? This is their caf?, isn’t it?”

Before Marie could speak up, Toulouse summoned his courage, puffed up his fur, and stepped out in front of the pastry case.

“Hello,” he said, trying to make his voice sound deeper. “I’m Toulouse, one of the kittens you’re looking for. Can I help you?”

The puppy raised one eyebrow and stared at Toulouse with big dark eyes.

Toulouse stared back, not blinking. He swallowed hard.Gulp.

Then the puppy broke out into a toothy grin.“Leon, we found them!”

The two dogs bounded toward Toulouse in a flash of fur and wagging tails. The basset hound sniffed Toulouse’s left ear, then the right. The bloodhound ruffled the fur on Toulouse’s head with one big paw.

[Картинка: img_7]

“We’re mighty pleased to meet you,” the bloodhound puppy told Toulouse. “I’m Nadine.”

“Leon here,” the basset hound announced, then carefully looked Toulouse up and down. “You’re acat. I’ve never gotten this close to a cat before.”

“You smell funny,” Nadine added.

“Hey, don’t be rude,” Leon scolded her, then turned back to Toulouse. “We’ve come a long way to meet you and the rest of your litter. All the way from the countryside, in fact.”

Nadine took a look around the caf?, which had fallen silent since they’d walked in. All the animals were watching.

When Nadine spotted Toulouse’s painting in the corner, she moved toward it. “Well, gosh-a-golly. That looks just like the riverbank where we live. And is that supposed to be a water lily?”

“Yes!” Toulouse replied. “You recognize all that?”

“Of course,” Nadine replied. “That’s where you and your family ended up the night you were catnapped. Right?”

“How did you know?” Toulouse asked with surprise.

Leon chimed in:“My dad, Lafayette, and Nadine’s papa, Napoleon, found the basket you were sleeping in when the butler drove you into the country. Not too long after, we saw a newspaper that reported the story. We put two and two together.”

“Don’t you mean one and one?” Nadine asked.

“It’s just anexpression, smarty-paws,” Leon said, rolling his eyes.

“I’ll finish the story,” Nadine announced. “So last month, we were out looking for scraps at a farm.…Early morning is the best time for that, because…Wait, that’s not important. At the farm, we met some geese who’d just come back from Paris. They told us all about the catnapped kittens opening a creature caf?. Said it was the most special place they’d seen in the whole city!”

“We just had to meet you all and see it for ourselves,” Leon added. “But where are the other kittens?”

“Hello!” Marie said as she marched out from behind the pastry case. “I’m Marie. Welcome to the Purrfect Paw-tisserie.”

After a moment, Berlioz crept out, too.“Hi, I’m Berlioz,” he muttered.

“And I’m their friend Claudette,” their puppy pal said as she joined the group.

Nadine looked at Toulouse, then Marie, then Berlioz.“So it’s true? There’s just three of you?”

“What happened to the rest of your litter?” Leon added.

“Leon!” Nadine exclaimed. “Remember, our papas told us to mind our manners when we got to Paris.”

Toulouse puffed up his chest again.“We’ve always been a litter of three.”

“Wow,” Leon said, then paused to scratch behind one ear with a hind leg. “I’m the oldest often.”

“Me too,” Nadine added proudly.

Claudette nodded.“That’s the way it is with some puppies. My litter was five, but we all got adopted by different families.”

“Only five?” Leon echoed. “And now you’re alone?”

When Marie saw the hurt look on Claudette’s face, she said, “Right now we’re all together! If you’ve come all the way from the countryside, we should make it worth the trip. Have a seat and we’ll bring you a tray of treats!”

The kittens took the dogs to the biggest table in the caf?, the blue one in the sunny corner.

Nadine and Leon hung back, circling Claudette and trying to sniff her.

“So…you live with a human family?” Leon asked her. “Doesn’t that get boring?”

“I love my family,” Claudette said. “And I never get bored. They take me everywhere! They have a big car and let me hang my head out the window.”

“That’s my favorite part, too,” Leon said. “I’ve ridden in so many cars. Trucks, too! And wagons. And carriages.”

“Madame has a carriage,” Toulouse chimed in. “They’re bumpy, but fun.”

“And our friend Frou Frou the horse lets me ride on her hat,” Berlioz added.

“Can’t be as much fun as the sidecar of a motorcycle,” Nadine said. “That was the best thing ever.”

Leon nodded.“We’re really good at sneaking onto human moving machines without anyone seeing.”

“We did that once!” Toulouse said. “When we were catnapped.”

“Then you know how exciting it is,” Nadine said with a sneaky smile. Then she turned to Claudette and asked, “Hey, how many human thingamajigs have you chewed up? I’ve ruined three pairs of slippers, a boot, a suitcase, an old umbrella…”

“I destroyed ahuuuuuuge rubber ball!” Leon exclaimed.

Claudette looked down at the floor.“I don’t chew up human things. That’s naughty.”

Nadine raised one eyebrow and glanced at Leon. Leon did the same thing back to Nadine.

“But I, um, do other cool things,” Claudette offered, perking up her ears. “I can smell a stick of salami from the other side of the house!”

Nadine’s eyes widened. “Wow, is that it? I have quite the sniffing record. Iam a bloodhound, after all.”

Marie glared at Nadine for a moment before announcing,“Claudette? Boys? I need to talk to you about a really important, um, problem with the, uh, oven.”

She pulled Claudette, Berlioz, and Toulouse into a huddle on the other side of the caf?.

“Those puppies are really rude,” Marie whispered.

“They’re just being competitive,” Toulouse said. “Maybe because they have so many brothers and sisters, they’re always trying to feel special.”

“But they’re makingus feelbad,” Claudette added. “Whatever anyone says, they’ll just come back with some way they’re better.”

“It is kind of annoying,” Berlioz agreed, “even if they don’t mean to be.”

“It does seem like they turn everything into a contest,” Toulouse said. “But what’s so bad about that? Contests are fun.”

“Hmmm,” Marie said, her eyes lighting up with an idea. “You know what? If they want a contest, we can give them a contest. I’ll be right back.”

With that, she scampered off to the kitchen.

[Картинка: img_8]

Fifteen minutes later, everyone in the caf? had gathered around two tables. Claudette sat at one, while Nadine and Leon sat at another.

Pierre and Marie emerged from the kitchen, pushing a tray that carried two identical large dog biscuits. They were shaped like hearts and decorated with red and green stripes.

“These biscuits are a new secret recipe I’ve been working on,” Marie said. “I haven’t told anybody what’s in them. Not even my brothers!”

Toulouse frowned at Marie.“You’re keeping a secret recipe from us?”

“I’m sure she’ll tell us later,” Berlioz whispered.

Marie turned to the crowd and announced,“There are six ingredients. Your challenge is to sniff out all of them.”

“Easy as pie,” Nadine said with a confident smile.

“You mean basic as a biscuit!” Leon said, nudging her.

They both laughed, then started examining the dog biscuit…with their noses. They sniffed the top; they sniffed the bottom. They sniffed all around the edges. Then they started whispering to each other.

“I like their strategy,” Toulouse murmured to his sister.

At the other table, Claudette sat quietly, staring at her treat for a few moments. Then she took a long breath in through her nose, closing her eyes. She breathed out, then in again.

“I likeher strategy better,” Marie commented.

“Can we go first?” Nadine asked after a minute, excitedly hopping up and down on the chair.

Marie opened her mouth to reply, but Nadine didn’t wait for an answer.

“Peanuts!” she announced. “Also cranberries! Honey, too…”

“Oats!” Leon exclaimed. “And flour…and…” He paused, stuck, then sniffed the treat again.

[Картинка: img_9]

“Come on, Leon,” Nadine said. “It must be whatever is making the green color. Reminds me of home, actually. I think it must be…”

“Grass!” Leon declared.

“Yes, I think so, too.” Nadine turned to Marie. “And grass. That’s six. Did we guess them all?”

Marie slowly shook her head.“You got five, but one wasn’t exactly right.” Marie then turned to Claudette. “What do you think, Claudette?”

“I agree about the cranberries, honey, and oats,” Claudette said slowly. “Peanut butter and flour, too.”

Marie nodded.“Those five are correct. What about the sixth ingredient?”

Claudette took one last, long whiff of the biscuit.

“Do you know?” Nadine asked.

As Claudette paused, every animal in the caf? seemed to hold their breath, waiting for the answer. It was so quiet you could hear a mouse tiptoe.

“I think I do,” Claudette said.

[Картинка: img_10]

All eyes were on Claudette.

The little brown-spotted puppy sat up as tall as she could and thumped her tail twice against the chair.

“Spinach,” she finally said. “I know that smell from the vegetable garden my humans keep.”

Now everyone turned to Marie…who broke into a big smile and started purring loudly.

“You’re right, Claudette!” she exclaimed. “Itis spinach!”

All the animals in the caf? cheered, except for Nadine and Leon.

Toulouse went over to them.“You were close! Personally, I like grass better than spinach.…”

“That wasn’t a fair contest,” Leon muttered. “I bet Marie told Claudette her secret recipe.”

Marie spun around to face them.“I would never,ever do that,” she said, so insulted that the fur on her tail stood on end.

“Don’t pay attention to him,” Nadine told Marie. “He’s just a sore loser. Nice job, Claudette.”

“Thanks,” Claudette replied.

Nadine added,“I’ve never even tasted spinach, let alone smelled it. Is that biscuit yummy?”

“If Marie made it, I’m sure it is!” Claudette said, then pointed toward the biscuits with her nose. “See for yourself!”

Nadine took a bite of the biscuit. Then Leon took a turn. They both chewed and crunched and slobbered.

[Картинка: img_11]

“Well?” Marie asked.

“It’s…kind of…” Leon began.“Eh.”

Berlioz frowned.“Eh?”

“I agree,” Nadine added. “It’s…fine.” She took another bite, then turned to Leon. “I bet we could make something that tasted even better.”

“I bet you’re right!” Leon replied. “We’re puppies, not kittens, so we know dog biscuits. Imagine what we could create if we were back home in the countryside, where there are so many delicious ingredients to scavenge. Much more than in a city!”

Marie twitched her nose.“I disagree. Paris is full of different foods and flavors.”

“It’s true,” Claudette added. “You can find anything here if you know where to look.”

“Do you think you could invent a better dog biscuit recipe than we could?” Nadine asked, tilting her head.

“No!” Claudette replied. “I was just—”

“Sure she could,” Marie said. “I’ve been teaching her, and she’s great at baking!”

“Oh, no,” Berlioz groaned. “Not another argument.”

Toulouse looked at the red-and-green heart-shaped biscuits, thinking about how he would have made them a different shape. Maybe a paw print, or a bumblebee to reflect the honey flavor. He knew if he had the chance, he could turn a dog treat into a work of art.

Suddenly, he had a brainstorm and motioned to Berlioz to step away from the group.

“Maybe another competition would be a good thing,” Toulouse told his brother. “If the country puppies and Claudette want to see who can make the yummiest treat, we could make it an official contest. Everyone could taste the treats and vote on who should win.”

Berlioz hesitated, looking over at the three puppies. Claudette had gone into the kitchen to wipe off her paws while Nadine and Leon were examining everything in the pastry case, trying to sniff through the glass.

Finally, Berlioz nodded.“Actually, I like that idea. If we really spread the word, I bet we’d get a lot of new customers to come to the caf?.”

“Yes, you’re right!” Toulouse agreed. “Let’s tell Marie.”

They called their sister over and filled her in. As they explained, her eyes lit up.

“What a wonderful idea!” she said.

“What should we call it?” asked Berlioz. “Every contest needs a catchy name. And a great prize, too!” Then his eyes lit up. “Oooh! I’ve got it! Our contest can be the Dog Biscuit Bake-Off.”

“I like the sound of that!” Marie said.

“Me too,” Toulouse agreed. “I didn’t know you had these kinds of ideas in you, Berlioz.”

Berlioz smiled shyly.

“What if the winner got their dog biscuit added to the Purrfect Paw-tisserie menu?” Toulouse added.

“Good thinking, Toulouse!” Berlioz said.

Toulouse scrambled to the top of the piano, with Marie following close behind. Berlioz pounced on the piano keys to get everyone’s attention.

[Картинка: img_12]

“Attention! Attention, everyone!” Toulouse announced. “We’ve decided to hold a Dog Biscuit Bake-Off! Anyone can enter, and anyone can come to taste and vote on their favorite. Whichever biscuit gets the most votes will be added to the Purrfect Paw-tisserie menu!”

“We’re in!” Nadine and Leon shouted at the same time.

Claudette raised a paw.“I’ll enter.”

“Anyone else?” Toulouse offered. Not a peep, squeak, honk, quack, bark, or meow. “Well, think about it. All you have to do is bring your treat here in two days, at noon, for judging.”

The caf? was suddenly abuzz with excitement about the contest. Marie and Toulouse leapt down from the piano, and Claudette padded over.

“What did I just sign up for?” Claudette asked Marie. “I’m not sure I can actually create a treat recipe.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you,” Marie said to her friend.

“I can help, too,” Toulouse offered.

Marie glanced at Claudette, then back at her brother.“Oh…er…I was thinking this could just be a girl thing for Claudette and me. I don’t think you’d have any fun.”

A hurt look flashed across Toulouse’s face, but he quickly tried to hide it. “Yeah, sure. I probably wouldn’t.”

Marie turned away and began whispering to Claudette. Berlioz started playing one of his jazz tunes while a crowd of animals gathered around to watch and dance.

Then Toulouse spied his painting in the corner. It was still sitting unfinished on the easel, with that big pink smudge that was supposed to be a flower.

“I must be good for something else around here,” he muttered to himself.

He heard Nadine and Leon bickering behind him.

“I like your ideas for ingredients,” Nadine said. “But where will we find them here in Paris?”

“And you have a great plan for the decorations,” Leon added. “But we’re not exactly artists.”

Toulouse’s ears perked up, and he slowly approached the puppies.

“Ahem…” he said, his whiskers twitching nervously. “I think I can help you with both of those problems.”

“What do you mean?” Nadine asked.

Toulouse took a deep breath, then smiled.“Let me join your Dog Biscuit Bake-Off team and you’ll find out.”

[Картинка: img_13]

Two brown puppies chased an orange kitten down a Paris sidewalk, weaving in and out of the afternoon bustle of cars, wagons, and horse-drawn carriages.

At least, that was what it looked like. But the dogs weren’t chasing the cat. Toulouse was leading his new friends to his third most favorite place in the city: the Luxembourg Gardens.

(His first favorite place was home, of course, and second was the Paw-tisserie.)

“Whenever I need inspiration for a painting, I come here!” Toulouse called to Nadine and Leon. “Being outside helps me think, so maybe it’ll help us brainstorm for the Bake-Off.”

The puppies caught up with Toulouse as they rounded the corner into the park. It was a typical day at the Luxembourg Gardens: people walking in pairs or groups or sitting on blankets in the sun. A woman pushed a baby carriage past them.

Leon shook his head, his long basset hound ears brushing the ground.“I’ll never understand why humans can’t carry their young in their mouths, like dogs and cats do. They must be so lazy.”

Toulouse laughed.“I’ve never thought of it that way! There’s a lot I don’t understand about humans, but at least they’re interesting. Come on. There’s so much I want to show you.”

He started running along the path, but when he looked back, Nadine and Leon were no longer right behind him. Instead, they’d raced off in another direction, yipping with excitement.

[Картинка: img_14]

“Hey, guys!” Toulouse shouted. “My mama says you’re supposed to stay on the—”

The puppies, headed straight for a thicket of bushes that was separated from the path by a little fence, were too far away to hear him. Toulouse had often seen those bushes and wandered over to investigate, but he had always been too nervous to go past the fence.

“It’s okay to explore a bit, darling,” his mama, Duchess, always said. “But be careful and listen to your whiskers: they’ll tell you if something’s not safe.”

Now Nadine was jumping over the fence and Leon was crawling under it.

When he reached the other side, Leon called,“Here, kitty, kitty! Are you coming or not?”

Toulouse stood very still for a moment. His whiskers seemed to be saying,You’ll be fine as long as you stay with the puppies. He took a deep breath and ran under the fence as fast as he could. He followed Nadine and Leon into the bushes. There, it was cool and dark, like a little secret cave.

“You’re right, Toulouse,” Nadine said. “The parkis fun. Show us the best hiding spots in here.”

“H-h-hiding spots?” Toulouse stammered.

“Yes. Where do you go when you want to jump out suddenly and bark at something?” Leon asked. “Or, I mean,meow?”

“I don’t usually—”

“We’re here to get inspiration for the Bake-Off, remember?” Nadine reminded Leon.

“You and Toulouse can work on that part,” Leon said to Nadine, giving her a little kick with a back leg. “You’re better at that brainstorming stuff anyway. I’m the chaser and fetcher.”

Toulouse tilted his head.“That sounds like me and my brother and sister. We each have something we’re really good at.”

“Yup,” Nadine said. “Leon’s been teaching me how to run faster, and I show him how to calm down enough to do some thinking.”

“Really?” Toulouse asked with surprise. “You don’t just stick to your own jobs?”

Leon exclaimed,“Of course not! It would be boring to do only one thing all the time.” He spotted a branch above his head, then reached out and grabbed it with both paws. “You have tobranch out, get it?”

“We both wanted to get better at finding hiding spots,” Nadine told Toulouse, “so we took lessons from our dads.”

“Should we give you some tips?” Leon asked, and Toulouse nodded. “Well, first you get as low as you can to the ground. Then you keep climbing over roots and under branches.…”

“Go as far as you can into the bushes,” Nadine continued, “until you find a place where the leaves are so thick nobody would ever see you in there. But also not so thick that you can’t see out. Then, you watch.”

“Like this,” Leon said, and motioned for Toulouse and Nadine to follow him farther into the web of branches. They scrambled over some and scooted under others, their bellies almost touching the ground.

Finally, Leon stopped in what seemed like the deepest spot inside the thicket.“This is the perfect spot. Gather in close.”

They huddled together in the space, which was just big enough for the three of them. The wall of leaves had a tiny gap in the middle, like a window for them to peek out.

[Картинка: img_15]

“Pretty cool, eh?” Nadine said, nudging Toulouse.

Toulouse breathed deep and took it all in. The smell of dirt and greenery whirled around him, and the air felt heavier. People in the park were going about their business, with no idea that there were two puppies and a kitten watching them from a secret hideaway.

“Super cool,” Toulouse said with a sigh. “I wish I could come here and paint.”

“Hey, let’s be quiet for a few seconds,” Nadine whispered. “This is a good thinking place.”

After just a moment of silence, Leon said impatiently,“I don’t hear any ideas, but I do hear a wagon coming.”

“How can you tell it’s a wagon?” Toulouse asked.

Nadine and Leon explained what to listen for: the way the wheels squeaked, how fast they squeaked, and the kind of noise they made on the dirt of the park path.

“I’ve never been good at reading sounds that way,” Toulouse said. “But I’mgreat at reading colors and shapes.”

“What do you mean?” Leon asked, frowning.

Toulouse pointed with his paw to a woman sitting on a nearby bench, reading a book.

“See her dress?” Toulouse asked. “It’s dark blue. That’s a serious color. And the curve of her back as she’s bending over the book, like she wants to dive into the pages? It’s human body-speak forI’m thinking hard. So I bet she’s sad about something.”

Leon and Nadine both stared at Toulouse, their puppy noses twitching.

“I know, it sounds weird,” Toulouse admitted, pawing at the dirt with his front claws. “Berlioz and Marie are always making fun of me for stuff like that.”

“No!” Nadine said. “It’s not weird at all. It’s neat that you know so much about colors and shapes. That’ll really help us make a treat that will win the Bake-Off!”

Toulouse smiled with surprise.“Thanks! So…what else do you country puppies like to do outdoors?”

Nadine and Leon exchanged glances.“It rained last night,” Nadine said to Leon.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Leon said back.

“MUD BATH!” they both exclaimed.

“Follow us,” Nadine said to Toulouse. After they squirmed out of their hiding bush, all three friends took off across a lawn of green grass toward an area filled with tall trees. Nadine and Leon kept their noses close to the ground, sniffing for something.

“Found some!” Leon shouted, then threw himself into a muddy patch. After rolling back and forth a few times, he stood up and shook the mud off his fur. It surrounded him like a gray cloud.

“Too dusty,” he declared. “We’re looking for wet mud—the kind that feels cold and soft on your fur and gets you really messy.”

“Like this,” Nadine said, sniffing at the base of another tree. She threw herself onto the ground and came back up covered in drippy brown stuff. “It’s the best.”

Leon bounded over and did the same.“Woo-hoo!”

“Getting dirty for fun isn’t really a cat thing…” Toulouse murmured, but the puppies didn’t hear him. Then Toulouse spotted something: some of the mud had splattered onto the tree trunk in an interesting shape. It reminded him of deer antlers.

Toulouse dipped his paw in the mud and drew a head underneath the antlers. Another dip into the mud and he added a body, then legs. He stepped back to admire his work.

[Картинка: img_16]

Leon looked at the tree trunk and stopped his mud roll.“Wow!”

“Toulouse, let’s give your deer a name,” Nadine added.

“Wait, you can tell it’s a deer?” Toulouse asked them.

“Of course!” Leon said, laughing. “It looks just like the one on the sign at an inn near our home. Every night we howl outside the door and the chef gives us leftovers.”

“Berlioz and Marie can never tell what I’m painting,” Toulouse said, shaking his head in amazement. “But you do.”

“Hey, let’s pretend we’re chasing that deer right now!” said Nadine.

Nadine, Leon, and Toulouse took off together through the trees, with the puppies spraying mud as they went. They scampered across another field, around a flower garden, and up a flight of stone steps, laughing the whole way.

“This is the most fun I’ve had in the parkever!” Toulouse shouted to his new friends.

And then…

WHOMP!

He ran right into something big and furry.

Toulouse stumbled backward. When he looked up, he was staring right into the eyes of an orange-and-white cat—a veryfamiliar one. The cat was thumping his tail on the ground.

It was Toulouse’s stepdad, Thomas O’Malley.

“Well, hey now,” Thomas said. “If it isn’t the kitten I’ve been sent to find because he’s late for dinner.”

“I’m so sorry…” Toulouse muttered. “I, uh, lost track of time.”

Nadine and Leon had skidded to a stop at the sight of the big alley cat.“We were working on our Dog Biscuit Bake-Off idea,” Nadine said.

Thomas O’Malley looked over the three mud-covered critters and broke into a sly grin. “If your dog biscuit is going to be made of mud, it certainly looks like you were working pretty hard.”

Toulouse turned to the puppies.“I have to go, but come by my house tomorrow. Just ask any dog you see where Madame Adelaide Bonfamille and her cats live, and they’ll show you the way.”

“Can’t wait!” Leon said. “Our treat’s going to be so yummy.”

“Better than yummy,” Nadine added. “Toulouse, with your help, it’s going towin.”

Toulouse waved goodbye and followed Thomas O’Malley out of the park, smiling all the way home.

[Картинка: img_17]

It was Monday, which meant the Purrfect Paw-tisserie was closed and the kittens had the day off to play at home. Marie had gone out to meet Claudette, leaving Toulouse and Berlioz to come up with a two-cat game.

Thwap.

Berlioz batted a red pom-pom down the long downstairs hallway. It rolled and rolled and rolled…

Until Toulouse sprang out, in a flash of orange fur, from a doorway. He caught the pom-pom with one paw.

“Good pounce!” Berlioz said. “My turn. Hit it back to me.”

As Toulouse knocked the pom-pom toward his brother, he said,“Berlioz, um…I have something to tell you.”

Berlioz jumped on the pom-pom with both paws and grabbed it in his mouth.“Zhat shounds sherious.”

[Картинка: img_18]

“I’m, uh, helping Nadine and Leon with their entry for the Bake-Off,” Toulouse said.

The pom-pom plopped out of Berlioz’s mouth. “So you really are interested in baking?”

“Yes, I really am. After all, I love eating treats. So I’d like to learn how to make and decorate treats, too, you know?” Toulouse sat down and laid his head sadly on his paws. “It seems like Marie only cares about Claudette these days, and she doesn’t think I’d be any good at baking ordecorating. But I want to prove to her that I can do it.”

“Let me guess,” Berlioz said, abandoning the pom-pom to join his brother. “Nadine and Leondo think you’d be good at baking and decorating?”

“Yes,” Toulouse said. “Also, they’re really fun. If you and Marie got to know them, I bet you’d like them, too.”

Berlioz thought for a moment.“I’m glad you’re trying something new.”

“Hey, Berlioz! Why don’t you join our team?”

“Thanks for the invitation, but no, I’m busy,” Berlioz said. “Speaking of trying something new, I had a great idea about how to get more people to come to the Bake-Off, so I’m—”

Suddenly, Duchess’s voice echoed down the hallway. “Toulouse! Toulouse? Are you back here?”

“Yes, Mama!” Toulouse replied.

Duchess rounded the corner and smiled when she saw her kittens.

“Darling, you have visitors,” she said to Toulouse. “Two puppies named Nadine and Leon, I believe? They seem very nice, even if they did forget to sayplease when they asked to see you.”

“Those are my new friends. Thank you, Mama!” Toulouse turned to his brother. “Looks like my Bake-Off team needs me, but we can finish talking when I get home.”

Berlioz’s tail dropped. “Sure.”

Toulouse dashed off down the hallway, toward the front hall. He found Nadine and Leon sniffing their way along the tiled floor.

“Hi!” Toulouse greeted them.

“Fancy house,” Nadine commented.

“With a lot of fancy smells,” Leon added.

“We did some more thinking at the park,” Nadine told Toulouse, “and we came up with the best dog biscuit recipe. With your amazing decorations, it’ll win, for sure.”

“We’re calling it Country Days Delight,” Leon explained. “It’s made up of all the yummy foods they give us at that inn near our home. The deer you painted with mud was the inspiration for the recipe!”

“But for this contest, we have to get ingredients the hard way,” Nadine said. “Toulouse, can you help us find them?”

Toulouse’s face lit up. “Of course! What do you need?”

[Картинка: img_8]

The best food market in Paris was ten blocks from Madame’s house: six blocks toward the midday sun, then four blocks toward the Eiffel Tower. Toulouse’s mission was to get a sweet potato, which was hard to find, but he knew just the right market stand. He pranced down the street, feeling proud that his new friends had given him such an important job.

At the end of the second block, he was about to step off the curb and cross the street when—KA-RUMP.

Something white and furry landed on top of him. Toulouse tried to kick it away with his back paws but stopped when he saw that the something wore a pink ribbon around its neck.

“Marie?”

“I could smell you coming from around the corner!” Marie said, laughing. “I don’t think there are any other cats in Paris who smell like oil paint, fish,and fresh cream.”

“What are you doing here?” Toulouse asked. “I thought you were at the caf?, working on your Bake-Off recipe with Claudette.”

“I was,” Marie replied. “But we need one more ingredient, and there’s only one place I’ve ever seen them in the city.”

They both narrowed their eyes in suspicion.

“Sweet potato?” they asked at the same time.

“Why doyou need a sweet potato?” Marie asked Toulouse.

“It’s…um…for Nadine and Leon’s recipe.”

The fur on Marie’s tail puffed up a bit. “You’re helping them?”

Toulouse pushed out his chin.“Yes.”

“But why?”

“Because I have some great ideas. You and Claudette didn’t want anyone else on your team, but Nadine and Leon did. They wantedme.”

Marie rolled her eyes.“Oh, Toulouse. You’re great at art, but baking and cooking aren’t exactly your thing.”

Toulouse stared at her.“I can have more than onething, you know. I’ll show you how good I am at finding ingredients!”

Then he suddenly launched himself over the curb and headed for the next street.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Marie called from behind him. “I’m going to get to that market first!”

Toulouse raced along the sidewalk, with Marie right behind him. She was close enough that she kept batting at Toulouse’s tail as they ran. The sidewalk was like a big obstacle course, and the kittens weaved through human legs, baby carriage wheels, and dogs on leashes.

[Картинка: img_19]

After two blocks, Toulouse hit a bumpy patch of cobblestones and stumbled. Marie caught up and leapt onto his back.

“Gotcha…again!” she said. Before Toulouse could react, she hopped off him and started running. Now it was Toulouse’s turn to chase his sister.

Marie rounded the corner toward the market and tried to scramble around a man pushing a cart. Toulouse caught up and swatted at her tail.

“Now we’re even!” he cried, and kept racing down the street. Marie followed, and within a few seconds, they were running alongside each other.

Their finish line was up ahead: a market stand with a big sign reading BELLE JOUR FARMS. The stand was crowded with baskets full of all types of vegetables: green lettuce, red onions, yellow peppers, purple eggplants.

A huge fluffy gray dog lay stretched out on the ground under the stand.

Marie got to him first and caught her breath.“Hello, monsieur! Do you remember us? We usually come here with our friend Pierre.”

The dog lifted his head and peered at Marie and Toulouse.“Ah, yes. From the Purrfect Paw-tisserie?”

The kittens nodded, still huffing and puffing from their chase.

The dog gave them a sideways glance.“I have to say, I’ve never seen anyone—human or animal—so eager to buy vegetables.”

“We need just one today,” Marie said.

“Actually, two,” Toulouse said, correcting her.

The dog slowly stood up, stretching his front legs, then his back legs. Toulouse and Marie flicked their tails impatiently.

“All right, then,” he said. “What can I get youtwo of?”

“Sweet potatoes!” Marie and Toulouse said.

The dog frowned, then shook his head.“I’m sorry, but we’ve been very busy today and sold the last sweet potato a few minutes ago. We’ll have some more tomorrow, though. Come back in the morning.”

He flopped back down on the ground and closed his eyes.

[Картинка: img_8]

Disappointed and frustrated, Toulouse and Marie walked slowly toward home. After several blocks of awkward silence, Marie finally turned to her brother.

“So,” she said, “have you tasted Nadine and Leon’s treat recipe?”

“Not yet,” Toulouse admitted. “But it’s going to be delicious. It’ll definitelylook delicious with the decorations I’m planning.”

Marie flattened her ears.“Mine and Claudette’s, too.”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see which one the customers like more,” Toulouse said.

They were quiet for a few awkward moments as they turned up the path to the front door of Madame Adelaide’s mansion.

Finally, Marie mumbled,“I guess you were serious about wanting to help me with my baking.”

“Of course I was,” Toulouse said. “I thought it would be fun to try something new. You probably wouldn’t understand.”

“But I do!” Marie protested. “I don’t want to just be baking and cooking all the time, either. I would love to—”

Before she could finish, a horse trotted by, pulling a carriage. The wheels sprayed water into the air, and Marie jumped to avoid it. She landed in front of Toulouse. The two kittens just stared at each other, not sure what to say next.

“Guess what?” Toulouse said.

“What?” Marie asked.

“Last one through the cat door is a sticky-paw!”

Toulouse started running.

“Hey!” Marie called, chasing after him. They had just about reached the door at the same time when Berlioz’s head popped through from inside.

“Aaaah!” Berlioz said, then gave a little hiss as he pushed his way out.“You scared me!”

“Sorry,” Marie said.

“Also, sorry I was gone so long, Berlioz,” Toulouse added. “Do you want to finish our game?”

“Maybe later,” Berlioz said, running off down the path to the street. “Can’t talk now! I’m in a rush!”

[Картинка: img_20]

Toulouse and Marie watched their brother disappear around a corner.

“Why was he in such a hurry?” Marie asked.

Toulouse thought for a moment, flicking his tail up and down.“Hmmm. Earlier, he was about to tell me about a great new idea he has for the caf?. Maybe it has something to do with that.”

Marie narrowed her eyes.“Hmmm is right.”

All they could do now was wait and see how the Bake-Off would play out the next day—and maybe Berlioz’s big idea would be revealed then, too.

[Картинка: img_21]

DOG BISCUIT BAKE-OFF TODAY

TAKE A NIBBLE AND CAST YOUR VOTE

Toulouse stepped back from the banner to wipe his paws clean of blue paint and admire his work. Soon the Paw-tisserie would open its doors and lots of customers would arrive. Berlioz had been running around all morning, spreading news about the Bake-Off among the animals of Paris.

Toulouse hoped all those customers would think that the Country Days Delight was the tastiest treat. He had managed to find that sweet potato and the other ingredients in Nadine and Leon’s recipe. Then he’d had the idea that the puppies should bake the treats in a pie shape so they could serve them as slices. Toulouse used icing to draw a little red deer on each treat, beaming proudly at how they turned out.

Marie and Claudette emerged from the kitchen area, whispering to each other. They stopped when they spotted Toulouse.

[Картинка: img_22]

“Look, it’s my brother,” Marie declared. “A member of the losing Bake-Off team.”

Toulouse rolled his eyes and replied,“And hi to my sister, who’ll definitely win the award for Most Annoying.”

“I’m not overconfident,” Marie protested. “I’m just telling the truth.”

“The Bake-Off hasn’t even happened yet, and the truth might surprise you.”

Marie stared at her brother.“I really wish I could pounce on you right now. But I’m a lady, and ladies don’t tussle in caf?s. Especially ones that they run.”

“Lucky for us both, huh?” Toulouse said.

He walked away, his tail swishing back and forth behind him.

[Картинка: img_8]

A short time later, the caf? officially opened for the contest. Berlioz had apparently done a great job spreading the word, because it was quickly crowded with customers eager to taste and vote in the Dog Biscuit Bake-Off.

Pierre and Toulouse had arranged the tables to display the entries. Leon and Nadine’s biscuits were in a big flat basket, while Claudette’s biscuits sat on a fancy round plate decorated with fruit. Her treats were covered in yellow icing and shaped like bananas. The sign behind the plate read TROPICAL ADVENTURE TREATS.

[Картинка: img_23]

Pierre stood with Duchess and Thomas O’Malley, examining the two entries.

“I have to say, I’m impressed with these puppies,” Pierre said.

“Don’t forget the kittens who helped them,” Duchess added, flashing a smile at Thomas. She turned to Marie and Toulouse. “I’m so proud of you, Toulouse, for trying something different! And you, too, Marie, for working so well with a new friend. As for Berlioz…”

Duchess looked around.

“Berlioz? Where are you, darling?”

“He must still be out on the streets, spreading the word about the Bake-Off,” Toulouse suggested.

Suddenly, Berlioz rushed in from outside.“I’m here! I’m here! I’m so sorry I’m late! Has the tasting started yet?”

“You’re just in time,” Toulouse replied. “Which do you think looks better? The Country Days Delight or the Tropical Adventure Treats?”

“They, er, both look yummy,” Berlioz muttered, then made a beeline for the piano. He sat down and started playing a bouncy jazz tune that made the caf? seem extra festive.

Toulouse turned to Marie.“Does Berlioz seem odd to you?”

Marie nodded.“Yes, but we can talk to him about it later. It’s time to start the judging. I’m going to get up on the piano and make an announcement—”

Toulouse stepped in front of her.“Why doyou always make the announcements?”

“Because I have the loudest voice,” Marie said.

“Don’t be so sure.”

He opened his mouth and started to yowl.

“Toulouse! Haven’t I taught you that yowling indoors is rude?” Duchess said.

Toulouse stopped yowling and shut his mouth.“Sorry, Mama.”

Duchess turned to Pierre.“I believe this is more of a barking occasion. Would you do the honors?”

“My pleasure,” Pierre said before he let out a loudwoof! And then another. Then a few more.

Every creature in the Purrfect Paw-tisserie fell silent.

“Welcome to our first ever Dog Biscuit Bake-Off!” Pierre called. “Everyone, please take just one sample of the Country Days Delight and one sample of the Tropical Adventure Treats. Then decide for yourself which one you like better.”

“Hi! Hello, hello! Pierre?” someone with a high, squeaky voice piped up. It was Pouf, the squirrel. “What about the third treat?”

“Pardon me?” Pierre asked.

“The third treat! On the table with the other two! It’s right here and it looks really delicious and I can’t wait to try it, actually I think I’ll taste that one first—”

“Bah!” Pierre exclaimed.“There’s a third entry?”

Marie and Toulouse looked at each other.A third entry?

Both kittens scrambled over to the judging table. Sure enough, in addition to Claudette’s plate and Nadine and Leon’s basket, there was a tray covered in leaves and blades of grass, and it was filled with little oval treats frosted in bright colors: pink, yellow, green. The name Eggs-ellent Eats was written on a leaf that was fastened to a stick in the middle of the tray.

[Картинка: img_24]

Marie leaned over and sniffed.

“Hmmm,” she said. “These smell sweet. Sugary and buttery.”

Leon, Nadine, and Claudette also rushed to see.

“Wait,” Nadine said. “Were you expecting a third treat?”

“Did anyone else say they were entering?” Leon asked.

“Not to me,” Marie replied. “What about you, Toulouse?”

Toulouse shook his head.“Me neither. Is there a name on the entry?”

Leon, who’d been carefully inspecting the tray of treats, said, “No.”

“Hey, everyone!” Nadine shouted to all the customers with a little bark. “Whose entry is this?”

They looked out at the other animals in the caf?. Which one was the mystery biscuit chef?

[Картинка: img_25]

Nobody spoke up or stepped forward.

“Um, these treats didn’t bake themselves!” Leon said.

“It must be an anonymous entry,” Toulouse said to Marie.

“Should that be allowed?” Marie asked.

“I don’t know,” Toulouse replied. “Let’s ask Berlioz.”

Toulouse and Marie pulled their brother away from the piano and into a corner to discuss.

“It seems strange that someone would bring an entry and not put their name on it,” Toulouse said. “I don’t think we should let it be judged.”

“Oh, Toulouse, you just don’t want the extra competition,” Marie scoffed. “But don’t worry. Claudette’s treat will win anyway.”

“How can you be so sure?” Toulouse asked. “I just heard a poodle saying how much she loves the decorations on our treats.”

Marie glared.“I can’t believe you teamed up with Nadine and Leon. You’ve just met them!”

“Well,they didn’t make fun of me when I said I wanted to learn to bake.”

“Stop bickering, you two!” Berlioz said. “We’re supposed to be talking about the Eggs-ellent Eats.”

“Okay,” Marie said. “What doyou think, Berlioz?”

“I think it’s okay that there’s an anonymous entry in the Bake-Off,” Berlioz replied. “And I also think it’s okay if we want to do more than one thing at the Paw-tisserie. It was fun this morning when I went out to spread the word. I met a lot of interesting animals, and I have more ideas to help the caf? get new customers.”

Marie looked away.“I never said we could only do one thing here. In fact, I’ve been wanting to help you with the entertainment, Berlioz. I would love to start singing again. I just thought both of you wanted to stick with what you know best!”

Berlioz and Toulouse stared at Marie with surprise. Before either of them could reply, Pierre stepped into the middle of the trio.

“So? What did you three decide?” Pierre asked.

Berlioz jumped onto the piano keys and announced in his loudest, most official-sounding voice,“The third entry is allowed! Let the tasting begin!”

There was a sudden buzz of barks, meows, squawks, squeaks, and other noises as all the animals started tasting the treats.

“Mmmmmmm-eow,” Thomas O’Malley purred as he sampled the Country Days Delight.

“Scrump-de-li-icious!” Pouf, the squirrel, said, licking every last crumb of a Tropical Adventure Treat from his paws.

[Картинка: img_26]

“Grrrrrr-yummy,” Pierre growled as he nibbled on an Eggs-ellent Eat.

“You’d better taste Claudette’s treats before they’re gone,” Marie said to her brothers.

“You two try the Country Days Delight,” Toulouse urged them.

The kittens took one of each biscuit. They shared a Country Days Delight and a Tropical Adventure Treat.

“Mmmmm,” Toulouse and Marie both said at the same time.

“This really does remind me of a country inn,” Marie said. “It’s actually…er…well, very delicious. And the pie-slice design is super creative.”

Toulouse licked his lips.“This treat is definitely a tropical adventure.…Marie, it could be, uh, a great one to have on the menu.”

Then Berlioz chimed in, holding up a half-eaten Eggs-ellent Eat.“Don’t forget the last biscuit.”

Toulouse took one, broke it in half, and gave the other half to Marie.

After a few nibbles, Toulouse said,“Wow. I taste the egg, but also fruit and vegetables.…”

“And something sweet,” Marie said. “It all reminds me of a garden.”

“These taste like springtime!” Toulouse added. “Are there actually flowers in this recipe?”

“Yes,” Berlioz replied. “They’re amazing, right?”

Toulouse frowned.“How would you know?”

Berlioz just smiled and returned to the piano to play.

Marie and Toulouse followed him, but before they could pester their brother with more questions, Pierre appeared and said,“Bah! Every last treat from all three entries has been gobbled up! It’s time to take a vote.”

He hopped up onto a chair and barked everyone to attention.

“Are you all ready to choose a winner of the Dog Biscuit Bake-Off?” he asked, and all the animals replied with a chorus of sounds.

“Who thinks the Country Days Delight should be the winner?”

Some of the animals piped up. Nadine and Leon looked very pleased with themselves.

“Who thinks the Tropical Adventure Treats should be the winner?” Pierre asked.

Other animals piped up this time. They sounded about as loud as the first group—there was no clear winner yet. Claudette reacted with a happy yip.

“And finally,” Pierre continued, “who thinks the Eggs-ellent Eats deserve the title?”

This time, the noise was much louder and longer than it was for the first two. There was no question who’d received the most votes. Nadine, Leon, and Claudette all looked at one another with shock and disappointment.

“It sounds like we have a clear winner!” Pierre announced. “Will the creator of the Eggs-ellent Eats please come forward?”

The caf? fell silent. All the animals looked around, eager to see who the mystery biscuit baker was. After a few long moments, a high, faint squeak rose from the corner of the room.

“It was me,” the little voice’s owner said.

The crowd of animals parted as something made its way to the piano. It moved along the floor until it reached Berlioz’s piano bench. Berlioz bent down and helped it climb up to the keyboard.

It was a hedgehog.

“Spike?” Toulouse asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

“Hello, all,” Spike said, then shyly hung his head. “I’m so happy you liked my treats. Thank you.” Spike then turned to Berlioz. “Thanks especially to you, Berlioz, for helping me find all the ingredients I needed.”

[Картинка: img_27]

“Berlioz…helped you?” Marie asked.

Berlioz twitched his tail nervously.“I…um…did. Spike told me he wanted to make up a treat recipe inspired by his favorite food, eggs, and his favorite season, spring. I thought it was a great idea and wanted to lend a paw! So I went into the park and asked every animal I saw what flavors and smells meant springtime to them,and we came up with the list of ingredients. I came up with the name Eggs-ellent Eats, too!”

“Why didn’t you tell us that you and Spike were entering the Bake-Off?” Marie asked.

“You and Toulouse were already arguing about helping different teams, and I didn’t want us all to be mad at one another.” Berlioz turned to his brother. “Toulouse, remember when you said you entered the Bake-Off with Nadine and Leon because you wanted to try something new?”

Toulouse nodded.

“It was the same for me,” Berlioz continued. “I can be more than just the musical kitten in the family.…I’d like to be other things, too—like someone who can run special events at the caf? and advertise them to all the animal customers out there.”

All three kittens were quiet for a few moments, letting that sink in.

“You did a great job, Berlioz,” Toulouse finally said.

Marie sighed.“And, Toulouse, your treats looked and tasted amazing.”

Pierre cleared his throat and let out a soft bark.“It sounds just right to me that each Bake-Off entry had some help from one of the kittens. I’m pleased to officially announce Spike, the hedgehog, and his delicious Eggs-ellent Eats the winner of the Purrfect Paw-tisserie Dog Biscuit Bake-Off!”

The animals started to cheer again, but Spike frantically waved his little paws around.

“No, no, no!” he cried. “Please stop!”

[Картинка: img_28]

The caf? fell silent.

“What do you mean,stop?” Nadine asked Spike.

“I don’t want to be called the winner!” Spike replied.

“Who wouldn’t want that?” Leon added.

“We’re happy for you, Spike,” Claudette said. “Your treats really were the best.”

Spike smiled.“I’m glad everyone liked them. But I didn’t enter them to win or get them on the menu. That’s why I didn’t put my name on the entry. I baked them because it made me happy, and it made me even happier to see all my friends and neighbors eating them.”

“So, wait,” Nadine said. “You did all that work just forfun?”

Spike smiled big and puffed up his spines.“I did.”

Toulouse turned to his littermates.“Marie, Berlioz, I have an idea! Spike just reminded me why we started the caf? in the first place: because we all love making things and sharing them. Nadine and Leon and Claudette, you feel the same way, right?”

“I do like winning,” Leon said. “But…maybe that’s not so important. I really liked sharing the biscuits we made with all of you, too.”

“I agree,” said Nadine. “And, uh…maybe we got a littletoo competitive and forgot that the treats are the best part. Claudette, your biscuit was super delicious.”

Claudette smiled.“Thanks. I liked yours, too.”

“What if…” Toulouse began, “we added allthree biscuits to the menu?”

After a moment, Berlioz said,“I love it!”

Marie smiled.“I’ve been wanting to have more dog biscuits in the pastry case. And, Toulouse, if you can do some of the baking, I’ll have more time to start singing again. If Berlioz is okay with that, of course.”

“I’m okay with that!” Berlioz said. “It’ll free up some time for me to promote the caf?.”

“So it’s a paws-up from you both?” Toulouse asked eagerly.

“Paws up!” Marie said.

“Way up!” Berlioz added.

[Картинка: img_29]

Toulouse gave Pierre a nod, and Pierre got ready to make another announcement.

“Everyone,” Pierre barked, “we have some exciting news!”

[Картинка: img_8]

The next day, the three kittens and three puppies sat together in the alley outside the Purrfect Paw-tisserie.

Claudette hugged Marie.“I’m going to miss you so much.”

“Me too,” Marie replied. “Your humans come visit Pierre’s humans every few months, right? So you’ll have lots to tell me when you come back again.”

Nadine and Leon wagged their tails.

“And we’ll never forget how much fun we had on our Paris adventure,” Leon said.

“We’re so glad we met you!” Nadine added.

“Us too,” Berlioz said.

“Would you all want to come visit us in the country sometime?” Nadine asked. “You too, Claudette! We can go on a sniffing adventure together.”

Claudette barked her approval.

“I would love that,” Toulouse said. “I could bring my art supplies, and paint without having to guess what colors things are.”

“So we won’t all say goodbye,” Marie said. “Just au revoir…until we see you again.”

“Yes!” Claudette said, then booped Marie on the nose. “That’ll be soon, I promise.” She bounded up the alley and turned at the corner to meet up with her human family.

“See you soon, Monsieur Artiste,” Leon said to Toulouse, playfully swatting him on the nose.

[Картинка: img_30]

“Go find some great new hiding spots in the park for us,” Nadine added.

“I will,” Toulouse said. “But how are you two getting home?”

“Pierre told us where we can hop on the back of a truck headed to the countryside,” Leon replied.

“I’ll find one first!” Nadine cried, launching herself up the alley.

“Not unless I do!” Leon called, chasing after her.

The kittens watched them disappear around the corner, then turned to one another.

“So…” Marie said.

“It’s just us again,” Toulouse added.

“And a Paw-tisserie full of customers,” Berlioz reminded them.

“Who’d have thought, just a short time ago, that we’d be running a caf? together?” Marie wondered aloud. “We were so good at teamwork when we started the Paw-tisserie. Then we got all jealous and competitive. What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Toulouse replied, thinking hard. “I guess I saw you having fun with your baking, and I wanted to try, too. I felt really sad when you were teaching Claudette but not me.”

“I’m sorry,” Marie said. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

“And, Toulouse, I get lots of ideas for promoting the caf? and for exciting events,” Berlioz told his brother, “but that seemed like your thing, with your art shows and signs. I thought you’d get annoyed if I did that kind of stuff, too.”

“Berlioz, that wouldn’t annoy me…but someone keeping a secret from me does!” said Toulouse.

“Got it—no more secrets,” Berlioz said, and the brothers smiled at each other.

Marie had been thinking hard.“I guess I felt like my only job was to be the chef here, so I had to be really good at it. I didn’t mean to be so competitive.”

“Me neither,” Toulouse said. “I just wanted to prove myself.”

“Now I understand,” Marie continued. “None of us should ‘own’ any of the caf? jobs. I was afraid to ask Berlioz if I could perform, because I didn’t want him to think I was trying to take over the entertainment.”

“Can we just agree that we can try whatever we want to?” Berlioz asked. “Maybe we can all be like Spike, and do things because they make us happy. Not because we want to be the best at them or because that’s our one thing.”

“I agree!” Marie said.

Toulouse smiled.“Me too.”

They went together through the door to the caf?. Inside, Pierre was struggling to serve a mama duck and her seven ducklings, all in a line behind her, waiting at the pastry case.

“Looks like Pierre needs some help,” Marie said. She took a step, then stopped. “Hey, Berlioz. Why don’t you go over and lend a paw? You’re so good at talking up everything on the menu!”

Berlioz smiled.“No problem. And, you know, we’re going to need some entertainment in a few minutes. Would you sing a song with me?”

“I would love to!” Marie exclaimed with a purr. “But first, I have some cupcakes to finish. Toulouse, would you like to come help me? I’ll show you how to frost them so the icing makes a perfect swirl on top.…” Then Marie raised one eyebrow. “I mean, it would be fun to do something together that’s not me chasing you.”

“You meanme chasingyou,” Toulouse said, correcting her.

Marie rolled her eyes but then smiled.“That too.”

Toulouse smiled back.“Sure. Let’s show everyone what you and I can do as a team.”

As Berlioz stepped behind the counter and greeted the mama duck, Toulouse followed Marie into the kitchen, purring, with his tail held high.

Content

Касл Дженнифер Welcome To The Creature Cafė. The Great Biscuit Bake-Off