琼·克雷格黑德·乔治

At dusk she awoke， ready to go First Home hunting. She looked toward the abandoned lot where mice abounded. Elizabeths First Home was there， and her Sunning Spot was on the nearby woodpile. Rachet wouldnt look there nor in the pile of brush in the field. Elizabeths Hunting Lookout. She had sprayed it with her personal odor to tell other cats it was hers. Rachet respected this. The Sunning Spot and Hunting Lookout were stations in a cats environment that it selected and regularly used.

Rachet inhaled deeply and smelled the two Roxville cat members at the faraway tollbooth in the station parking lot on the other side of the tracks. Tatters and Tachometer had left strong scents on it by rubbing their sides against the pilings as they exited and entered their home. The scents said， “This is Tatters and Tachometers property.” Rachet would stay away from their space also.

The woods were no good; they were claimed by Ringx. The raccoon lived in that large hole in the maple tree and protected it with ferocity. Lysol， the skunk， denned under a nearby slash pine. She did not want her First Home near him.

Rachet crawled out from under the tire and was stealing down her trail to check for a home near the houses when Shifty， the red fox， caught wind of her. Running low， then leaping high， he pounced with open jaws. Rachet sped through the withered thistle patch. Shifty at her heels. He was so close she heard his jaws slam closed. She leaped， aiming for a hole in a mesh fence， went through it， and alit in the yard of the big Victorian house where Queenella made her home. Shifty was too wary to follow through the hole and skidded to a halt. He sniffed the fence， then trotted away.

Old and run-down， the house had a large porch that wrapped around two sides of it. The porch stopped at a tower three stories high， then continued on the other side. Stained glass glowed in the living room windows. Elaborate leaves and flowers， moldy from neglect， were carved above the windows and doors. Rachet looked about the yard. In it were motorboats covered with blue tarps; weeds grew between them. Slender voluntary saplings cropped up here and there at the fence. Old sugar maple trees at the edge of the yard were riddled with holes， showing where woodpeckers and flickers had drilled. A sign in the yard read OCCUPIED， in case someone thought the run-down house was empty and decided to explore it.

Rachet took a deep sniff. The old house smelled of people—and Queenella！ Suddenly， Windy， the barn owl， flew at Rachet to harass; she was a predator. She dipped low overhead， then flew on as silently as the moonlight. Rachet ducked， then ran forward.

She heard the sound of a wind rushing through a hole. She followed the sound to the stone foundation of the house， found a large break in the wall， and wedged into it. She wiggled along the three-foot-deep crack in the foundation and looked into the basement of the house. She did not jump to the floor but crouched and sniffed.

黄昏时，拉齐特醒了，准备去寻找自己的“老家”。她望着那块老鼠成群的荒地。伊丽莎白的“老家”在那里，她的晒太阳处在附近的木柴堆上。拉齐特不会去那里找，也不会去荒地里的那个灌木丛。那是伊丽莎白的狩猎瞭望处。伊丽莎白在灌木丛那里留下了自己的气味，告诉其他猫咪那是她的领地。拉齐特不会去那里。晒太阳处和狩猎瞭望处是猫咪环境里的站点，是猫咪自己选好并且经常使用的地方。

拉齐特深吸一口气，闻到了罗克斯维尔火车站猫咪族群两个成员的味道。它们在铁道另一边，火车站停车场远端的过路收费亭那里。破布和转速计进出家门的时候，总是用身子蹭门口的桩子，在那里留下了很强的气味。那气味说明，“这里是破布和转速计的地盘。”拉齐特也要离他们的地方远一点。

树林里不能安家。那是林克斯的地盘。浣熊就住在枫树的那个大洞里，并且用武力守护着。莱索，那只臭鼬，家安在附近的一棵沼泽松底下。拉齐特可不想让自己的“老家”靠近他。

拉齐特从轮胎下面爬出来，偷偷沿着自己的小路出行，想去人类的房子附近找一个家。这时，希夫蒂，那只红狐，闻到了拉齐特。希夫蒂伏低身子跑过来，然后高高跳起，张开嘴巴扑下去。拉齐特飞速地跑过那片枯萎的蓟草丛。希夫蒂紧跟不放。希夫蒂离拉齐特太近了，拉齐特听到了他嘴巴咬合的声音。拉齐特高高跳起，朝着篱笆网上的一个洞跳过去，恰好穿过，然后落到一所维多利亚式大房子的院子里。……