As Miaowie Tuna walked through the streets of Meowty, Catland, she listened to the cars honking, other cats talking, and the occasional phone ringing. She found a bench near a bus-stop and sat down, gazing at the scene in front of her, of cats hurrying here and there, going in and out of buildings. This place, she thought, was just like how her parents had described it. It was as free as they said it would be. But the freedom didn't feel as nice, not without her family there with her.

Miaowie had escaped from a human just one week ago. She remembered it vividly: humans yelling, her parents, sister, and older brother attacking them, her younger brother urging her on. She'd jumped out the window, pausing only to glance back at the tussle of humans and cats. Then Miaowie ran. She ran and ran and she didn't even know how far she ran, just that she collapsed at some point and woke up in Catland. Apparently there were cats whose jobs were to find cats on the streets in human towns and bring them here.

She had found herself at some shelter, staying only till yesterday. Cats there trimmed her fur and gave her clothes from a donation box, then told her to go to the "CatPet" station to rent a house and get a spot at a school. It was where most cats who escaped from humans went first, according to them.

So she'd gone, just this morning, to the station. Miaowie glanced down at the jingling keys in her left hand, and then at the tiny envelope of money in her right. Her family, she thought, would be proud of her for getting through all this without them. A wave of emotion washed over her and tears started streaming from Miaowie's eyes.

After a while, she got annoyed at herself. She, at least, was in Catland, with house keys in one hand and some money in the other. Other cats were trapped in human houses or maybe on the streets in human towns starving to death. Miaowie imagined her younger brother commenting, "Wow, they sound like cats that need to be rescued by supercats! You aren't that type of cat; you're too awesome."

That last imaginary comment made Miaowie feel a whole lot better. She could do this. Today she would find her rental apartment. A week later, she would start school at Abyssinian High. At some point, she would find some sort of part-time job.

One day, she would go back to rescue her family.

She got up from the bench. Her life had been mostly terrible. But she could change that.

It was time for a new beginning.