Tiger stood up cautiously. The cold seemed to have made it harder to know what he was doing – his paws didn’t feel quite right and he shook as he tried to walk a little way along the branch. He dug in his claws and clung on, suddenly feeling the wind blowing through the tree and shaking the branches. Until now he had felt safe up in the tree, so far from everything else. He hadn’t thought about getting down.
He had gone up the tree so fast, he hadn’t really thought about anything at all, only escaping. Now that it was light, the ground seemed so far away and he realized that he was higher up than he had ever been before. Far higher up than he wanted to be. Tiger mewed in sudden fright, again and again. He was stuck.
Ava ran out of school, still pulling on her raincoat, with Jess chasing after her. She had spent the whole day watching the hands creeping round the classroom clock, desperate for home time, so she could go and search for Tiger again. Mum had promised that if he turned up, she would ring the office and get the school secretary, Mrs Marshall, to take a message down to Ava and Bel, saying that Tiger was back. There hadn’t been a message, though. Ava had even gone to the office at lunchtime to check, just in case Mrs Marshall had been too busy to come to her class.
Mum had also explained to her teacher, Mrs Atkins, which was good. Otherwise Ava thought she’d probably have got into trouble, as she’d hardly done any work all day. She’d just been waiting and waiting.
She could see Mum and Lucy by the gate but Mum didn’t look happy – she’d probably be jumping up and down and waving if it was good news.
“Did you ask the neighbours again?” Ava burst out, looking up at Mum anxiously.
“I did. Lucy and I went all the way up and down the street, and to the roads close by. And I rang the vet’s but they hadn’t seen him either. That’s good news, Ava. It means –” Mum swallowed – “well, it means he hasn’t been hit by a car and taken there.”
Ava nodded, her eyes filling with tears again. She sniffed. “Yes. That’s good.”
Jess came hurrying up and gave Ava a hug. “We can look for him on the way home. I really want to help and my mum will, too. Mia’s going for tea at Amy’s house.”
Ava’s mum smiled at her. “Thanks, Jess. I’m sorry we didn’t walk with you this morning. We were so late, I ended up dropping the girls in the car – we went looking for Tiger again before breakfast, you see.” She sighed. “Not that you ate anything, Ava. Please tell me you ate your lunch? Dad told me you didn’t have dinner last night, either.”
“I ate a bit,” Ava said. She had – a tiny bit. She just didn’t feel hungry. There was too much worry inside her to fit in food as well.
“There’s Bel.” Mum waved as Bel’s class came out into the playground. Ava went over to the gate and stood a little way away with Jess. She didn’t want to hear Mum explaining to Bel that Tiger was still missing. She’d tried so hard to be brave and to tell Lucy and Bel that it was going to be OK – but she was starting to think that it wasn’t going to be OK at all.
Tiger had watched people going along the path all day long. He’d mewed, hoping they’d look up and see him, and help him get down. But it was a wet, windy day and the few people hurrying by hadn’t heard the sad little noises up above. He was starting to feel desperate. Every time the wind gusted the tree shook, and the branch where he was perched swung up and down.
Where was Ava? Why had he ever gone out into the front garden in the first place? He should have just stayed safe at home with Ava and Lucy and Bel!
There were footsteps again now. But no one was going to hear him – they hadn’t all the other times. Miserably he slunk back along the branch, right up against the trunk of the tree, trying to stay out of the wind.
The footsteps came closer – they were almost under the tree now. And then Tiger’s ears pricked up as he heard a familiar voice.
“I’m sorry, Jess. I’m just so worried about him. If I cry in front of Bel and Lucy they’ll be really upset. They think that because I rescued Tiger before, I’m going to be able to find him.”
“We will find him,” Jess said, giving Ava a quick hug. “I’ll help you make some posters when we get back. He’s probably stuck in someone’s shed.”
“Maybe…”
Tiger sprang up, forgetting for a moment to be scared of the swaying branch. He darted out as far as he could and mewed frantically for Ava.
Ava froze in the middle of the path. “I heard him! Jess, I heard Tiger mewing!”
Jess stopped, staring around. “Oh, wow! I heard him that time, too! Where is he, though? I can’t see him.”
Ava turned round slowly, listening for the mewing, trying to work out where it was coming from. She was almost certain it was Tiger – he was all right! At least, she hoped he was. He sounded scared.
“I can’t see him. Oh! Jess, look! He’s up there!” Ava pointed over to the tall tree by the side of the alley.
“Where?” Jess squinted up at the tree. “Are you sure?”
“Yes!” Ava’s voice shook. She pointed again, impossibly far up into the branches. “Right at the top. Tiger! Tiger! He can see us!”
Tiger yowled loudly and started pacing up and down the branch.
Jess swallowed. “Do you think he’s been there all this time? Is he stuck?”
“He must be. Mum! We found him!” Ava waved madly at her mum, who was just catching up with them, along with Jess’s mum. “Bel, he’s here!”
Bel ran over and Mum broke into a jog with Lucy’s pushchair. “Up in the tree? I might have known he’d be stuck somewhere silly! Oh, Ava, I’m so relieved, well done…” Her voice trailed off as she looked up into the tree and saw how high up Tiger was. He was still walking up and down the branch, mewing down at them. “Oh, my goodness!”
“How are we going to get him down?” Ava asked, clutching her mum’s arm. “I don’t mind climbing trees but I don’t think I can get up that far.”
Mum shook her head firmly. “You’re definitely not climbing. I don’t want you stuck up there as well. We could call Dad but it’ll take him quite a while to get back from work. I wonder if we could ring the fire brigade?”
“A fire engine?” Bel asked, hopping up and down excitedly.
“They couldn’t get a fire engine down here,” Jess’s mum put in. “But Dave might be able to reach her if he used his long ladder.”
Ava looked at her hopefully. Dave was Jess’s dad and he had ladders for trimming trees. “Has he got a really tall ladder? We’ve only got a little one.”
Jess’s mum nodded, smiling at her. “He definitely has. And I’m pretty sure he said he was doing a garden down the road today. It’s going to be all right, Ava.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Hey, love. Look, are you nearly done? You’re in Fircroft Lane, aren’t you? It’s Ava and Bel’s kitten, he’s stuck up a tree in the alley by their house. Have you got your long ladder with you?” She listened for a moment and then said, “You’re a star. See you in a minute.” Then she patted Ava’s shoulder. “It’s OK. He was just finishing. He’ll be here soon.”
Tiger peered down through the branches at Ava. He wanted to get to her so badly but he didn’t see how he could. Ava kept calling up to him. He loved hearing the sound of her voice. Surely she’d find a way to bring him down?