Mei of Edinburgh Pet

Of course the little cat Leaf had found months ago needed more food. After all, she was growing rapidly to the point where her food supplies were dwindling quickly like someone falling down a spiral staircase.

Leaf greeted the shop owners cheerfully (once upon a time they would have been far too nervous to even give a small wave, let alone say hello) and headed straight to the pet food section and picked out the cat food Mei liked the most. As they walked over to the counter at the back of the room, Leaf remembered that day, back in August when they were visiting Edinburgh with their dad and first met her.



The rain was cold and unforgiving. This kind of weather was usual in Scotland, but today of all days the downpour seemed to be heavier than ever. Leaf and their father were currently going for a walk in the nearby nature reserve, on the outskirts of the city. Luckily they'd remembered to bring thick, warm coats to keep dry.

As they walked through the muddy trail through the trees, a sudden rustling came from their left in the bushes. Not the kind of rustling you'd expect from a small bird, but instead a continuous, loud sound made by something larger. Leaf went over to the bush to investigate.

Inside the bush, concealed within its abundance of branches and twigs everywhere, was a little cat with fur black as midnight and eyes gold like the sun. "Dad!" Thankfully, the trees slowed the rain so he could hear exactly what they were saying instead of having to shout through the crashing.

He joined them by the Bush and stared into it from where Leaf had been crouching. "Hello, are you stuck?" He asked to which the cat replied with a soft purr. "I take that as a yes." He reached for the slim but strong branch between him and it, and pulled until it eventually gave way and snapped off. The cat held its paw tentatively over the broken branch and, deciding it was safe, stepped across it without making a sound.

It immediately headed over to Leaf and snuggled beside them, to which they responded by stroking its soft, silky fur.

"Looks like its had a rough time." Now that they looked closer, Leaf could see what he meant. "We should take her to the vet as soon as possible, then maybe, if we're allowed, she can come home with us."

"It's a she? How do you know?"

"I have my ways. Now, we're almost back to the car - she seems to like you, why don't you carry her back?" Leaf agreed and picked her up; well, when they say 'picked up', what they really mean is they prompted her to come and she bounded right into their arms.



The vet returned to the reception carrying the cat and came to Leaf and their father. "She's fine now. You're allowed to take her home if you wish." They glanced at their father but he just shrugged so they took that as a 'its your decision' kind of look.

"Yes."



Probably one of the best decisions I've ever made, Leaf thought, approaching the counter. After leaving the vets', they'd spent the whole drive home considering different names for her until they found exactly the name that suited her: Mei. Something about the name felt nice and when Leaf searched it online it appeared that the name meant something along the lines of 'beautiful'. If there's one thing Mei was, that was it.

As Mei would be staying at Hogwarts from now until the summer holidays, they would require quite a lot of food for her, so they had grabbed the largest bag available - whilst their dad could send them some, Leaf wasn't entirely trustful of the owl system so that would not happen often.

They handed over the money, said goodbye, and left the shop to go and find their father again.

Word count: 670

What animal do you wish to purchase? Bewitched Midnight Stalker
What do you want to name it? Mei
Is this a boy or a girl? Girl
What is your pet's date of birth? 28th of July 2023