PURR by Elizabeth Black Read Free Book Online Page B

happening. I doubt Derp would give up his lands without a fight." He waved an arm towards the field, and for the first time Muca saw a checkerboard pattern built into the soy field. "Derp made us deface our soy field for his own entertainment."
    "What on earth is that?" Muca eyed up the field, trying to make sense of what she saw. She expected life-sized chess piece bishops and knights to take their places on the squares.
    "It's a game board for Derp's latest form of entertainment that costs us a fortune." He threw a towel to the ground. His brows knitted together, face contorted with rage and frustration. "It's for a game Derp calls "Cow Patty Checkers". He demands everyone in town place bets on where his prized steer will drop a load, and we always lose. Derp has stolen much money from us with this dreadful game."
    "What's "Cow Patty Checkers"?"
    "Everyone places bets on which block the steer will grace with its shit. Then, Derp releases the animal onto the field. We wait while it takes its good old time wandering from block to block, munching on clover and swatting flies with its tail. Then, it squats over a square and takes a huge dump – always on the square Derp has chosen. We are robbed like this at least two or three times each month."
    "That's more asinine than the women in the other field harvesting tea leaves with their mouths!"
    He tossed his arms up in a gesture of futility.
    Muca's rage stirred for the man whose spirited chatter grew on her. The more he talked, the more she liked him, not to mention his physique aroused her in ways she hadn't felt in a long time. Add her amorous stirrings for his supple wife, and the two of them captivated Muca's heart. She didn't enjoy seeing people she liked feeling so cornered.
    "Ah, yes! Another one of Derp's brilliant ideas to keep us humiliated prisoners of his whims. I suspect Derp does something to the field over the square he chooses, like sprinkling the steer's favorite grain so it heads right for it." Muca's heart lurched for the poor man, but his lovely wife distracted her attention as she nursed her infant.
    "Derp is horrid," the woman said. "He won't leave us alone. We lock our doors at night now since we hear him wandering around the grounds late at night. It's terrifying."
    Outraged at the news, as Muca concentrated on their story, she grew more intent up on helping them rid themselves of Derp's rule forever.
    "If I were able to prove it, Derp would probably kill me anyway, so there's no point in stopping him. We can't make enough of a living to gain any independence here because Derp finds ways of taking our money as well as our land, our women, and anything else he wants. I'm surprised I've been able to keep my wife away from him, although he's expressed interest."
    The more he talked, the more Muca knew what she must do. Not only would she improve her Master's standard of living with her great plan, she wanted to help this farmer and his wife. "What if the Marquis of Carabas came to own these lands? Would you enjoy his rule more than that of the ogre?"
    " Anyone would be better than that ogre! He steals from us. Burns down our homes if our village gets too big. Kidnaps our women for his personal use. We're too scattered and poor to stand up to his abuse."
    "Leave that to me. All you need to do is tell the King when he drives by tomorrow that these lands are owned by the Marquis of Carabas. I'll take care of the rest."
    "What's in it for us, cat?"
    "A better way of life, a fair and compassionate land owner, and comfort you've never felt before. Does all that meet your qualifications?"
    "It certainly does. You have a deal! How can we ever repay you?"
    "Invite me to your Harvest Festival. I would love to spend more time with all of you. And I'll show you that I'm perfectly capable of partying with the best of you in ways you can't imagine!" Her gaze fell upon his buxom wife who gently placed her sleeping infant in a pram. The hunger didn't get past the woman's