The Head Forester
by Deidra Kelly

"Ah, yes, I remember that Cat particularly well," said the Fir. "Such a stir he created..."

"Please, tell us," asked the Pine.

"Certainly."

-----


"Good riddance!" shouted a haggard old peasant as he chucked an old burlap bag into the woods. "Serves you right if you lose your other eye and ear, you quarrelsome old tomcat!" With another contemptuous glare, he stomped off back toward his village, glad to be rid of the pesky tomcat.

"Huh," said the tomcat as he rolled out of the bag and examined what he presumed to be his new home. "I suppose this isn't so bad. I bet I can be the Head Cat here, too." With that happy thought, he strutted off to explore the forest.

Before long, a pretty young fox came across his path. She paused with a start to examine the handsome stranger to her forest; she had never seen any animal like him before and was enchanted. Since she had never met such a creature like him before, she gave a slight bow and asked:

"Hello, my lord; what brings you to this forest?" The cat enjoyed this attention very much and puffed up his chest proudly.

"I am Cat Ivanovitch, and come from the frozen forests of the north to be Head Forester over all of you animals," the tomcat proclaimed, feeling very pleased with himself.

"Please, let me take you as a guest in my home," the pretty vixen asked, batting her eyes.

"Of course," the cat purred. "What is your name again?"

"Lisabeta," the fox answered as she showed him into her den. Inside, she made him a meal of the rabbit she had caught earlier. Cat Ivanovitch made himself quite comfortable as she fed him and cleaned.

"Lord Cat...may I be so bold as to ask if you have a wife?" Lisabeta asked shyly as she cleaned.

"I am not married," the cat returned cooly.

"May I marry you? I would make a good wife," she asked hopefully.

"Very well," the cat replied, deeply pleased with himself as the happy fox went to her store and they had a great wedding feast.

The next morning as Lisabeta went to hunt and her new husband slept, she ran into an old friend, the wolf.

"I haven't seen you in a long time. How are you?" he asked cordially.

"Don't be so familar with me...I am now a married woman," the young vixen replied with a slight air of importance.

"Who has married you?" the wolf asked.

"Why, the great Lord Cat Ivanovitch! He has been sent from the frozen north to be the head forester," she returned, her eyes dancing happily as she told him about her husband's importance.

"What should I do to pay him respects?" the wolf asked nervously. He had never heard of a cat before, and was wary of the new ruler.

"Bring him a sheep, I should think," Lisabeta replied. "But leave it near my den. I should think he will be angry if I let him see you." The wolf scampered off and the fox decided to have a lazy walk, knowing the wolf was catching their meal now.

Before long, her old friend the bear came across her path.

"Hello, Lisabeta! You look just as lovely as ever," the bear flattered.

"Careful of your words! I am a married woman now," the fox explained for the second time that day.

"Who has married you?" the bear asked.

"Why, the great Lord Cat Ivanovitch! He has been sent from the frozen north to be the head forester," she replied proudly.

"Should I go see him and pay him dues?" the bear asked, a little afraid of this new ruler.

"No, he will be angry and can't be bothered to see anyone. Go kill and ox and leave it by my den for him; this should do," Lisabeta explained as the bear lumbered off to kill an ox. The fox returned to her den just as the wolf was dragging a sheep carcass not far away from it, wondering and thinking of what to do next. He sat for what seemed like a long time until he heard a rumbling from not far off. Bear had come to the same place by the den with a dead ox in his muzzle.

"Have you seen the Head Forester yet?" asked the bear.

"No, I have not. You should go ask," the wolf suggested.

"Not I! You go," the bear countered as a hare came hopping by.

"You there!" shouted the wolf. "Go to that den and tell the Head Forester the wolf and the bear are here to see him." Trembling, the little hare nodded and hopped away with no intention of fulfilling their wish.

"Let's find places to hide. I will climb this tree," said the bear as he climbed a fir. The wolf crouched in the bushes.

The cat and the fox just so happed to be going on a walk at the suggestion of the fox, her knowing that food awaited them. The cat spotted the ox and leapt onto it, clawing and eating a great amount of meat. The wolf nosed his way forward in the bushes to get a better look at the strange animal. The rustling attracted the cat's attention and he pounced on the wolf's nose, mistaking it for a mouse.

Startled, the wolf leapt up, frightening the cat as he fled to the fir tree.

"Oh no, I have been seen!" the bear cried when the cat climbed high enough to see him. The bear jumped from the tree, hurting himself badly on the way down to the ground by the thrashing branches.

It is said that after this encounter, all animals fear the cat, who will always get along with and love the fox.

-----

"That poor tricked wolf and bear," the Fir sighed.

"Well, I don't think they had it so bad as the poor Hunter did..." the Elm contended.


Author's Note:
I was the most exited to retell this story. I found it very charming and it reminded me of a cat that my boyfriend's room mate owns that thinks it is the Head Cat. I have to say, I never really knew that Russian's thought that animals feared the cat, but I just went along with it. I changed it to make it shorter, of course. I left out a lot of detail I wanted to add and barely made the word limit. I feel that Cat Ivanovtich is a very distinct character and I wish more of this story had involved him directly. Nonetheless, the reader can still see the chaos he created. My goals for this story was to try and make it better and feel less rushed than my last story did. I feel like this story was much easier to write. I think that I had a good balance of dialog and action, but it felt exhausting to type all of the little details sometimes. I was glad there weren't more than two animals Lisabeta had to tell about the cat! Overall, I feel like this was a good attempt at this assignment and I am proud of the work I put into it.

Coverpage

Image Information: One Eyed Cat. Web Source: Zombie Kitten

"The Cat Who Became Head-Forester" by
Arthur Ransome from Old Peter's Russian Tales (1916). Web Source: SurLaLune Fairy Tales