Snowpea the Puppy Queen, page 1
For every perfectly imperfect person, puppy, and kitten embracing life’s messiness
CHAPTER 1 Perfectly Perfect
Snowpea’s bedroom was spotless.
The cat beds were freshly fluffed, and all the little toys were tucked away neatly into the toy bin. Not so much as a speck of litter was out of place.
Snowpea, a small white kitten with soft stripes and icy blue eyes, walked daintily along the edge of the windowsill, dusting it with her tail. “A clean home is a happy home!” she said, pausing to glimpse her reflection in the glass. She licked her pink paw pad and ran it through her fur. “And a clean cat is a happy cat!”
Next, Snowpea checked on her potted plants, rotating the cat mint to give it even sunlight, then tapped her paw into a dish of water and shook it to spritz the leaves.
With her plants tended to and everything looking just the way she liked it, Snowpea hopped down and pranced through the center of the room, which was lined on either side with tall scratch posts shaped like palm trees and sunflowers. It was a bright and cheery path that led to the tallest tower in the room: a cat castle where she liked to rest in the sunshine and enjoy the silence. She leapt to the tippy-top and gazed over her flawless, peaceful territory.
Life hadn’t always been so perfect. Snowpea was born on the street, where all she knew was the horrible crunch of dirt between her toe beans and the sound of horns blaring on the highway. Back then, she didn’t have a single thing to call her own, and she would cry out to the people passing by, longing for a chance at a fresh start. Luckily for her, a fairy godmother had scooped her up, dusted the filth from her fur, and brought her to Fosterland—a temporary residence where she could clean up and prepare for a forever home.
A forever home! The thought alone made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. Who’d have thought a crusty little kitten like me could one day be adopted? Sitting on top of her castle, she daydreamed about her future life as the ruler of her very own kingdom. Would she be a dignified duchess, demanding pets? Or a peaceful princess, purring on a lap?
At least in Fosterland, she could get plenty of practice being pampered!
One of the best things about being a foster kitten, it seemed, was that she was showered with gifts. Each day, her fairy godmother would bring her something new and exciting to play with! As the door creaked open and the yellow-haired godmother approached, Snowpea leapt up, asking, “What do you have for me today?”
On this day, the fairy godmother pulled out a glittering wand, which sparkled in her hand. She waved the wand over Snowpea’s head, and the way the light flickered upon it was enchanting. Snowpea squealed with delight as she reached for it again and again, tapping it with her paws until she finally grabbed the wand and pulled it onto the castle top with her. As the godmother exited the room, Snowpea held the wand at her side like it was a royal scepter.
“Hear ye, hear ye! I am Queen Snowpea!” she called out. “Queen Snowpea,” she repeated under her breath. “I like the sound of that.”
“Looking quite regal up there,” called a voice from the doorway.
It was Haroun, a big brown cat with a leopard-spotted coat. She knew him as one of the rulers of the Three-Cat Kingdom, the land just beyond the foster-room door. There, he lived with Coco and Eloise: wise, full-grown felines with shining coats and complete reign over their home and humans. Snowpea aspired to be as royal as them! She sat tall atop the tower, holding her wand at her side, trying to impress her visitor.
“Just don’t take yourself too seriously!” He smirked.
“But ruling over a territory is serious business,” Snowpea said. “This is important practice for when I become the queen of a real kingdom someday—as all cats ought to do!”
“Indeed, Your Highness,” Haroun joked.
“Which is precisely why everything has to be perfectly perfect! That’s what forever families want in a cat, after all!”
Haroun looked at her with soft, wise eyes. “Just remember: No one is perfect. Not you, not the cats you might share your home with in the future, and not even me!”
Snowpea scrunched up her face. It had never occurred to her that she might someday have to share her kingdom with others.
Haroun took a deep breath and spoke softly:
“You don’t have to be pristine
To be a cherished, worthy queen.
Someday soon you’ll come to see
It’s love that makes us royalty.
Just be yourself, and do your best;
Embrace the real, embrace the mess.
Love others for their charms and flaws,
And they’ll love you—with open paws.”
Snowpea listened carefully, but when Haroun finished, she said, “Thanks, but you lost me at ‘mess.’ A queen doesn’t do mess! As far as I can tell, I’m the only foster in Fosterland, and I like it that way. Besides, you know, everything must be orderly if I want to protect my territory against… you-know-who.”
CHAPTER 2 You-Know-Who
Vrrrrrr…
As if she’d summoned him from across the land, Snowpea heard her mortal enemy rolling toward her room. It was the one and only thing that could threaten her happiness in Fosterland, and it was quickly approaching.
Vrrrrrr…
Startled, Haroun ran off, and Snowpea shot straight into the air. Louder than the cars that used to speed past her on the highway, this was the sound of a terrifying beast.
“THE EVIL ROBOT MONSTER!” she screamed, her pupils widening like big black saucers.
VRRRR!
Her fur stood on end as her nemesis slid into the room. It was a dark circle-shaped monster that banged into the walls, bumped into scratch posts, and wreaked devastation by suctioning everything in its path through its teeth. All that it touched would be swallowed deep into an inner chamber, where it would never be seen again.
Snowpea’s eyes darted around the room to search for any misplaced toys, but everything was exactly where it belonged.
“You won’t steal from me today!” she hissed.
Snowpea remembered the first day she’d seen the monster. She was brand new to Fosterland, and she’d just been given her very first toy: a beautiful sparkle-mouse that made her leap through the air with glee! But then the monster had barged into her room, made a beeline for her sparkle-mouse—and swallowed it whole.
She could still feel a lump in her throat as she remembered watching the little ribbon tail vanishing into the robot’s teeth. It had stolen the first nice thing she’d ever had.
She vowed that day never to forgive it or to leave a single toy within its reach.
“There’s nothing for you here, and there never will be! Now—be gone!” she growled over the whirring sound, holding her wand tightly between her trembling paws. She didn’t want it to take away anything else she cared about!
The robot bopped against the castle, spun around, and exited the room to seek destruction elsewhere.
“And don’t come back!” she shouted as it turned the corner and rolled into the distance.
Snowpea hopped down to assess the damage. Nothing too bad: a couple of scratchers bumped out of place, a few blankets wrinkled. As she straightened everything back up, she could still feel her paws shaking.
Snowpea took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “This is why I have to protect my land,” she whispered to herself. “It can all be lost in an instant if I don’t keep everything just right.”
She hopped into bed, closed her eyes, and felt glad that at least her room was peaceful and clean again… for now.
CHAPTER 3 Puppy-nado
The next day, Snowpea munched on a bit of breakfast kibble, swept the crumbs from underneath her, licked her lips spotless, and looked to the doorway in anticipation of the fairy godmother.
“What gift do you have for me today?” she said with a grin, jumping up and down to try to get a glimpse as the human approached, cradling a large pillowy bed in her arms.
“A new bed?” Snowpea grinned. “You shouldn’t have!”
But the bed began to whimper, and Snowpea looked up, trying to understand. Slowly, the fairy godmother lowered it to the ground, and to Snowpea’s surprise, there were already two little sleeping furballs inside!
Is my gift… alive? she wondered.
What were they? They had black fur, wet noses, and floppy ears. They were just the same size as her, though they didn’t look anything like her reflection. She leaned in to investigate the napping duo, her whiskers wiggling wildly as she took deep whiffs of their fur. She wasn’t sure what to think, but she was sure she’d enjoy them, whatever—or whoever—they were!
“Maybe when they wake up, they’d like to help me tend to my garden… or have a tea party with me.” She began to daydream quietly. “Oh, this will be just splendid!” Lying there curled up together, they looked so gentle and calm.
Suddenly, one of them began to yawn, which prompted the other to stretch, and it seemed they were both waking up.
Snowpea offered her paw to introduce herself. “How do you do? I’m Snowp—”
But faster than she could say her name, chaos broke loose.
“PUPPY-NADO!” one hollered, and jumped out of the bed, ripping through the room like a windstorm.
“PUPPY-NADO!” echoed the other, her big ears flopping up and down as she chased behind.
Snowpea’s head bobbled wildly, trying to keep up as they ran in circles around her. Back and forth, side to side… they were zooming with no direction at all!
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Next, they galloped toward the windowsill, bumping into her beloved cat mint and smudging the glass with their slobbery snouts. “Mind the pots!” she cried as she caught the planter just before it hit the floor.
One puppy pulled a blanket off the cat bed and shook it between her teeth, growling.
The other ran over to the litter box and began digging enthusiastically, shoveling litter all over the floor. They were out of control!
Snowpea watched, stunned. Why would the fairy godmother bestow upon her this dreadful gift? Could they be returned?
The puppies slipped and slid on the tile, which was now covered in little sand-like grains, and once they caught their footing, they leapt up and pulled down Snowpea’s brand-new glitter-wand.
“No!” Snowpea called out. “Not my wand!” But it was too late—the puppies were deep in a game of tug-of-war, fighting over her precious new toy as if it were a stick they’d found in the grass.
“Drop it!” Snowpea finally screamed loud enough to get their attention, and the wand fell to the floor as they opened their mouths in surprise. Had they not noticed her until now?
“Oh-em-gee, are you a new friend?!” shouted one puppy, her feet excitedly tapping the ground.
The other puppy ran over and planted a big, sloppy kiss on Snowpea’s cheek. “NEW FRIEND!”
Snowpea rubbed her face with her paw, wiping away slimy puppy slobber. “Ick!”
The next thing she knew, the puppies were shoving their noses in the direction of her bum, sniffing wildly.
“That. Is. ENOUGH!” Snowpea screamed, her voice booming. Every hair on her body stood on end, making her look big and spiky. “That’s quite enough!”
“Did we do something wrong?” said one puppy, her tail between her legs.
“You’ve done everything wrong! You’ve shown up and torn through my room like, like… monsters! And you sniff my butt? Have you no manners?”
“We were just trying to get to know you,” said one pup.
Snowpea was aghast. “By smelling my rump?!”
The second pup lowered her head. “Isn’t that how everyone introduces themselves?”
“No! I’ll show you how you properly introduce yourself,” Snowpea said, clearing her throat and extending her paw. “How do you do? I am Snowpea: Queen of Fosterland. I hail from the west—progeny of the great felids of the coastal sands. I am bound by fate to protect this glorious land and its bounty.”
“Huh?” one pup whispered to the other.
“Um, I think she said she’s from outside,” the pup whispered back.
“Precisely,” Snowpea responded. “As a baby, I was all alone outdoors with nothing to my name. But I always knew I was bound for greater things—that one day I would be a queen.” She shook the saliva off her glitter-wand and held it at her side. “Queen Snowpea.”
“I’m Martha,” said the wiry-haired pup. “My sister and I are from outside, too; we come from a long line of scruffy street dogs.”
“And I’m Katharina, but you can call me Kat,” said the pup with the long wavy fur. “Sorry to mess up your stuff. We were just trying to have a little fun.…”
“I see,” Snowpea said, sighing. She stepped into the arched doorway of her castle and looked back at them. “Well, you may call yourself ‘Kat,’ but no feline would act that way. Now, please, leave me in peace. I’ve had enough excitement for today.”
CHAPTER 4 Muddy Paws
After a brief catnap, Snowpea awoke to the blissful silence of Fosterland, and the puppies were nowhere in sight. She stretched her front legs out before her, then got to work cleaning up her room.
“I see you’ve got quite a mess on your paws,” Haroun said from the doorway. Snowpea was embarrassed for him to see her space like this. Proper cats don’t make messes!
“Oh, dear!” she peeped. “I can explain. It was these messy creatures who tore through the room—with no regard for feline decency!”
Haroun laughed. “That’s puppies for ya! They sure know how to party. Don’t you worry, puppies are generally simple creatures—eager to learn, easy to train. How are you coping with the new roommates?”
Snowpea’s brows dropped. “Roommates? Haven’t they gone away?”
Haroun pointed to the window. “They’re probably just outside playing or getting puppy training. They’re foster puppies—they live here in Fosterland for now. Just like you.”
Snowpea stood on her hind limbs and peeked her nose over the windowsill. Sure enough, Kat and Martha were right outside, and they were running in circles through the dirt! With the back of her paw to her forehead, Snowpea fell backward, pretending to faint with all the drama she could muster, then opened one eye to check if Haroun was still paying attention to her.
“Every cat needs to learn to play with others before they can go to their forever home. But I’ll be honest… you and foster puppies? Even I didn’t see that one coming.” He chuckled.
Snowpea looked horrified.
“You’ll be all right, kid,” Haroun said, and continued on his way.
Snowpea sat in the window and watched the puppies zipping past, their tongues lashing wildly as they ran at warp speed. They seemed filled with pure joy, and for a moment she felt the corners of her lips curling into a smile as she watched them. But then—splat! A smattering of mud splashed against the window as they chased by, and Snowpea shook the grin off her face. Ugh! They were a mess!
Puppy training, she thought. That’s it! I can train them to have good manners. After all, I was here first—I make the rules.
Soon, the puppies’ energy seemed to wane, and they returned to the room exhausted, dragging their dirty paws on the floor. Snowpea’s eye twitched at the brown prints that were now stamped across her room, but she took a deep breath and held her head high.
“Welcome back, puppies. We may have gotten off on the wrong… foot,” she said, frowning at their dirty paws. “As the leader of this land, it is my duty to see that you are raised up right. And so, I’d like to extend to you an invitation to puppy school.”
“Will there be treats?” asked Martha, with her tongue sticking out.
“Will there be toys?” asked Kat, with her feet tapping at the floor.
“You’ll receive lessons in the proper usage of toys and treats, surely.”
The puppies wagged their tails, and Snowpea smiled. It seemed they really were eager to learn!
“Well, then,” Snowpea said. “The classes shall commence tomorrow!”
CHAPTER 5 Proper Puppy School
The next day, Snowpea stood with her wand at her side and her head held high. She was ready to teach the puppies to abide by her rules!
“Ahem!” she began. “Queen Snowpea’s Proper Puppy School is officially in session.” The puppies sat side by side, their butts wiggling eagerly. Puppies are generally simple creatures, eager to learn, Snowpea remembered, and took a deep breath, hoping it was true.
“Now, if we’re going to get you two into tip-top shape, we’re going to have to start with a baseline. First, I will assess how you drink water. Let’s begin.”
The puppies walked up to the bowl and began sloshing the water all around with their big tongues. Gulp, gulp, gulp! Water spilled out of the bowl, wetting the floor around them.
“Ugh, no! Here, watch me,” she said, mopping the floor with a nearby blanket. She twinkled her toe beans and explained that the proper way to drink is to dip your paw into the water, bring it to your face, and lick each droplet one at a time.
The puppies tilted their heads, confused. “That seems like a really inefficient system,” Martha noted. “But we’ll try it.…”
After the puppies tried their best to impersonate Snowpea’s paw work and managed to get only a few drops of water on the floor, Snowpea brought out three bowls of wet food. “Now we’ll try it with food.” Snowpea dipped her paw into the dish and curled her claws around a small bite-sized shred of meat, then brought it to her face and took a nibble. “Try to really savor each morsel. Simply delicious.”
