It was a bright and sunny morning at Oak Hill farm.

Muffin was tucked up in the hay alongside her siblings. She was the only one awake, and she was bored.

'Why does Mother always take so long at hunting?' she thought impatiently. Father had gone with her too this time because the kittens were now old enough to be left alone for awhile.

Muffin recalled her Mother's words if anything bad were to happen whilst she was away:

"If something bad happens like a fire in the barn or one of you is badly hurt, rush to find help that's closest to where you are."

"Who should we look for?" her brother Chip had asked.

"Either your uncle Charlie or if it's really urgent, the humans," her Mother had replied calmly. 

...

After what seemed like hours, Muffin grew restless. 'I wonder.. they wouldn't notice if I just slip outside..,' thought Muffin. She got up and jumped nimbly down from the cozy hay bale and onto the cool, stoney barn floor.

The smell of the outdoors made her pad faster towards the wooden doors of the building. Finally she reached the entrance and, seeing it was open a crack, peered cautiously round.  She could see farm animals pens and big, open stretches of land with fluffy, white blobs on it, which she knew were sheep. She knew because her parents

described them to her and her siblings. She hesitated as she put out first one front paw and then the other. She had never been out alone before. But the different scents and sounds ahead of her lured her out into the open. 

Soon she was out of the barn and deciding where to explore first.

"Hey!" Muffin jumped at a meow coming from beside her. "What are you doing out the barn, and by yourself?" As she turned to look who it was, she recognised Pepper, another farm cat who also lived here.

"Uh, I..," Muffin searched for an excuse, she hadn't even gone further than a few paw steps from the barn and she longed to explore. "I.. lost my way. I was just going back."

"Oh, ok. You know.. I might as well show you around while your here.