They called her Sunshine, but that wasn’t always her disposition. She was regarded as patient and kind, but there were rules. And no one broke the rules.

Of course, not everyone was perfect. And not everyone knew the rules when they arrived at the convent. So Dappled Sunshine was kind and patient. For a while, at least. She’d give them a few months, with maybe a little more patience for kittens. Kittens’ growing bodies often superseded their ability to behave appropriately and make good decisions.

Her job at the convent was to make sure everyone felt welcome. She operated on the assumption that any new resident would be grateful to be here. In most cases, that was true. Most of the time, new residents were frightened and exhausted. Through her experience with her own kittens, and the litter she adopted, Dappled Sunshine knew that gentle purring, kind words, and a full belly could overcome most of the challenges faced when someone new joined the family. 

It was the times when conventional wisdom did not work that stayed in Dappled Sunshine’s mind. 

“I’m hungry!” demanded the gray feline. “Get out of my way!”

Dapples stepped aside, motioning to the gray one to please step in. He shoved her aside and commenced to gobble down the food. “There’s plenty, you know.”

“Shut up,” the gray one snarled, spattering food as he spoke. 

Dapples stepped back further. 

“Don’t have time to deal with fat ones,” the gray one grumbled. 

Dapples sighed at the slight. She wasn’t fat. She was curvy. And the kittens loved it because she was soft. It wasn’t worth the battle. There was plenty of food. This cat was scarred from many fights. He was even missing his tail. She had no interest in tangling with him. There were different battles to fight.

She padded off into the other room. She was hungry, as it happened, and she saw an unoccupied dish on the other side of the room. Deftly, she jumped over three cats and approached the dish. The other gray one was there, crouched, guarding. He was fluffier than the angry gray cat, and still had a full tail. Some of his fur was matted, which she knew as uncomfortable. She hoped she could help him.

“Well hello there!” Dapples sing-songed.

The cat growled to himself and crouched lower. 

“You shouldn’t be afraid of me,” Dapples said. “I won’t trouble you.”

“I don’t know,” he grumbled.

Dapples purred. “I know it’s new, but you’re safe in this place!”

He crouched even lower. “I don’t know.”

Dapple stepped back from the dish. “You know, why don’t you just eat? I don’t need to eat. I’ll stay here and make sure everyone leaves you alone. Would you like that?”

He eyed her skeptically. “I don’t know.”

Dappled stepped back and turned. She got herself comfortable as a feline barrier between the new gray cat and the food dish. Soon, she heard crunching behind her. He was eating. That was good.

“You again?” The first gray cat stood looming over her. “I want that food now.”

She stood and blocked his path. “No. It’s not for you.”

“You said there was plenty,” the angry gray cat sneered.

“There is. Over there.” Dapples pointed behind him.

“But I want that.”

Dapples turned her ears back. “You can’t have it.”

“You can’t stop me.” The angry gray cat tried to shove her aside. She didn’t budge.

“You can only move me if I allow you to.”

The gray cat leaned over her, growling. She laughed.

He attacked, slashing at her shoulders and biting her ears. She clawed back. The rolled and collided with the fluffy gray cat. The fluffy cat screaming and slashed with claws and teeth. It was such a noise that the angry cat released Dapples and reared up on his hind legs in defense. The fluffy cat lunged and clawed. The thick fur on his back protected him from return slashes from the angrier foe. 

Dapples righted herself and smacked the angry cat across the nose. “Stop it!”

Both gray cats froze. 

Dapples pointed a finger at the tail-less cat. “Go find food elsewhere. Now!”

The cat wheeled and left, grumbling to himself. 

The fluffy cat remained, visibly upset and purring to calm himself. “I don’t know,” he mewled.

Dapples went in for a head butt, but he backed away. She stopped. “It’s okay,” she said. “He’s been mean to everyone. We’ll watch out for you.”

Dappled sunshine rapped the stick against the wall calling for a gathering. Nearly everyone was there, except for the outside cats and the deaf ones. The angry gray one was outside, so that was good. 

She clapped her paws and all ears turned to her, even when several cats continued to groom themselves.

“I want to remind everyone that we all share this space,” she shouted. 

Several cats rolled their eyes and one very large ginger cat went so far as to flop over dramatically. Dapples slapped the stick against the wall causing everyone to freeze and turn to her.

“We all have to live here and some of us think we are worth more than the others.”

“You’re talking to the wrong clowder,” grumbled the flopped-over cat. “The cats you need are elsewhere.”

“No, I’m talking to you.” She pointed a claw at him. “You push aside the skinny ones to feed your massive body.”

“I wouldn’t talk about being fat,” the ginger cat laughed as he struggled to sit up again. “You’re not exactly skinny.”

She put her hands on her hips. 

“I’m hungry,” said one of the more elderly cats. “But I don’t want to be pushed around.”

Dapples stared pointedly at the ginger cat as she indicated toward the speaker. “You’re young and healthy. Please defer to the sick and elderly.”

“Why don’t you tell that to the gray one,” grumbled the three-legged black cat. “He’s the bully.”

“Yes,” Dapples nodded, “and that’s why I gathered you here.” She motioned toward the back of the crowd. “Have you all met our new member?” 

Heads turned and the fluffy gray cat crouched as he so often did. “I don’t know,” he said softly.

“The angry gray one went after him today,” Dapples said. “And attacked me. Do you think that’s acceptable?”

Everyone mumbled. “So what do we do?” said a younger cat in the back. “He’s attacked me before, too.”

“We just need a plan,” said Dapples sitting down. “So let’s come up with a plan.”

“I don’t want to fight him,” said the three-legged cat. “I don’t think I’d win, anyway.”

Dapples chuckled. “We’ll kill him with kindness. And if that doesn’t work, we’ll redirect him to be somewhere else.”

“I don’t know,” said the fluffy gray cat.

The angry gray cat stormed through the house. The rest of the cats scattered before him. “Where’s my food?” he demanded. 

The others said nothing, only got out of his way. He had made several laps through the realm, visiting all the food dishes and grumbling that there was nothing fresh. No one said anything to him. They only got out of his way.

He stopped where the new fluffy cat was crouched. “Where is the food?”

The fluffy cat shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“What good are you?” The angry cat waved a paw and marched on, continuing his angry path through the homestead.

He rounded a corner and came face-to-face with the ginger one, who sat squarely in a doorway, blocking everyone’s passage. “You ate it all, didn’t you?” the angry one snarled.

“Or maybe not,” shrugged the ginger cat. “Maybe there is no food.”

“I’m hungry and I expect food!”

The ginger cat shrugged and laid down. “It’s not here.”

The angry cat growled and leaped over the ginger one. When his paws touched the ground he realized he may have made a mistake.

Dappled Sunshine sat directly in front of him. “In a hurry?” she purred.

The angry cat shifted his gaze to the gathering of cats that had surrounded him and were getting closer. He took a step back and bumped into the ginger cat, who’d sat down behind him. 

“What are you doing?” demanded the angry cat.

“You need to stop,” said the ginger. “We all share this space.”

“Stop what? I’m not doing anything wrong.”

“Stop bullying everyone out of your way.”

“It’s not my fault you’re all weak,” he said. “I just deserve to eat more.”

“No you don’t,” said an older cat from the back. “I need to eat more because I’ve been sick.”

“I need to eat more, because I’m a kitten,” said one of the younger cats. 

“I need to eat more,” said the ginger cat, “because it’s how I regulate my blood sugar.”

“Are you out of your mind?” said the gray cat. “I need to eat the most because I go outside.”

“You don’t need to go outside,” said Dapples. “But you do, and that’s your choice.” She stood and came closer. “You don’t need to harass everyone. You don’t need to scratch everyone. You don’t need to be mean.”

“I live here too.”

“Then act like it!” said the three-legged cat. “We all do our part to make this the best kingdom. You need to do your part.”

“And what’s your part, gimpy?” snarled the angry gray cat.

“I am a defender of the homestead!” the three-legged cat announced. “I may be missing a leg, but I run as fast as anyone, and my claws are just as sharp.”

The angry cat snorted. “I could take you.”

“You’ve never tried. I’ve never given you a chance.”

“So you’re a coward,” said the angry cat. 

“No,” smiled the three-legged cat. “I’m just not willing to waste my energy on such nonsense.”

“What?!”

“But, rest assured,” continued the three-legged cat, “from this day forward, you be be assured that I will defend those who cannot defend themselves.”

“As will I,” said the ginger cat.

“And me too,” cried a kitten.

All the cats, even the weakest and most frail shouted that they would no longer tolerate the bullying. The angry cat sat down and waited.

Silence fell over them. 

The angry cat snorted. “And what about you?” He pointed at the fluffy cat.

The fluffy cat was crouched in his usual way off to the side. “I don’t know,” he said. 

The angry cat guffawed.

The fluffy cat straightened. “I don’t know about anyone else,” he said, “but I’m not gonna let you push me or anyone else around.”

The cats cheered. All of them except the angry one. He crouched and dipped his ears backward. 

The ginger cat came around in front of him. “See? You can go now. And you’re welcome here. Just don’t pick on anyone.”

The angry cat turned and ran away toward the exit to the outside. 

Dapples came through the halls the following day. Everyone greeted her with a smile and a nod. All the bellies were full and everyone was comfortable and happy. 

The fluffy cat came up to her and gave her a gentle head bonk. 

“How are you doing today?” said Dapples.

“I don’t know,” he chuckled, “but I’m not scared any more.”

Just then the angry gray cat trotted by. He slowed and eyed them both warily then continued moving toward an unoccupied food dish. They watched him disappear around a corner.

“I don’t know,” said the fluffy one, “but it’s better now, isn’t it?”

Dapples nudged him with her nose. “Yes it is!”