Disney Descendants : Scene From Freddie's Shadow Cards
As Freddie waded through the murky water, listening to Ally list off more imaginary illnesses, she made a mental note of all of the creatures of the swamp her father had told her about over the years.
Obviously there were the gators. Those were dangerous. The egrets—tall white birds with pointy beaks—were only a problem if you were a frog. Crayfish could pinch you under the water, but nothing deadly. And she wasn’t even going to think about the scorpions and anacondas.
But as she ticked off the animals on her fingers, she had the feeling she was forgetting something. Something important. Something big. Something…
Freddie heard a vicious snarl and froze in her tracks.
Something like that.
Jordan, who clearly failed to notice that Freddie had stopped, ran right into Freddie’s back, nearly knocking her down in the knee-deep water.
“What’s the deal?” Jordan griped. “Why are we stop—” But she never finished her question, because suddenly she saw the thing too.
It was standing on a rock in the middle of the swamp, like a king of a small island, completely blocking their passage.
It was huge. It was terrifying.
And it was angry.
The beast opened its mouth and let out a roar, showing off its humongous fangs.
“What is it?” Jordan whispered, her voice trembling.
“I think it’s a—” Freddie started to say, but she was interrupted by Ally, who was excitedly moving toward the terrifying creature.
“Aww! It’s a big kitty!”
Freddie tried to grab Ally to pull her back, but Ally was already too far ahead and approaching the giant cat, which snarled and hissed at her.
“Come here, pretty kitty!” Ally cooed.
“Ally!” Freddie whispered frantically. “Come back! That’s not a kitty. It’s a cougar!”
But Ally ignored her and kept moving forward, her hand outstretched.
Freddie couldn’t watch. Ally was about to get her hand chomped off by a vicious cougar!
The cat roared again and lashed out at Ally with an angry swipe of its paw. Ally yelped and jumped back, landing on her bottom in the swamp water. After a moment, she pushed herself back to her feet and placed her hands on her hips. “How rude!” she scolded the cat. “Naughty kitty! Naughty, naughty kitty!”
The cougar hissed in response, shaking its head.
“Ally,” Jordan warned, “I think we need to turn back. That is not a kitty. That is a very angry cougar and—”
“No,” Ally retorted. “We came this far. I’m drenched in muddy swamp water. I’m covered in mosquito bites. I am not turning back just because this kitty doesn’t remember its manners.”
“Ally,” Freddie said, her wide eyes pinned on the cat, “it’s a wild animal. It doesn’t know any manners.”
“Nonsense,” Ally insisted. “That’s no excuse. Mum says everyone should have good manners. I’ll just have to explain that to him.”
Freddie was starting to lose her patience. She would’ve liked to just grab Ally and drag her away, but she didn’t want to get any closer to that ferocious cat. “Ally, you can’t explain anything to a wild cougar.”
But Ally ignored her. She placed her hands on her hips and in a stern yet patient voice said to the cougar, “Now, you listen here, kitty. Just because you live in a swamp, that does not give you an excuse to be rude.”
The cougar hissed and spat, clawing at the air with its mighty paw.
“That’s a good point,” Ally said, as though actually responding to something the cat was saying. “We are strangers walking through your home. So why don’t we all get to know each other. My name is Ally. And this is Freddie and Jordan.”
Jordan gave a weak, petrified wave, but Freddie refused to move.
“Freddie,” Ally admonished. “Say hi to the kitty so you’re not strangers anymore.”
This is ridiculous! Freddie thought.
Freddie had always suspected Ally was a little peculiar, but now she was sure of it. In fact, this girl had to be mad as a hatter. And she was about to get them all eaten because of it.
“Freddie,” Ally warned again.
“Hi, kitty,” Freddie said reluctantly.
“Very good. Now what is your name?” Ally asked the cougar.
The cat roared and crouched low, looking like he was ready to pounce.
“Ally,” Freddie said. She was terrified now. “He’s about to attack.”
“Biscuit!” Ally exclaimed. “Well, that’s a lovely name.”
Biscuit? Freddie thought. Is she serious? Where does she get this stuff?
“Now, Biscuit,” Ally went on. “I would like you to be a good little kitty and lie down so I can pet your belly.”
The cat couched lower, narrowing its dark vicious eyes at Ally and flicking its tail. It was definitely going to attack.
Freddie readied herself to run. Ally could do what she wanted, but Freddie was not going to get mauled by a swamp cougar.
“All the way down,” Ally commanded, pointing toward the ground with her finger.
Then, just when Freddie swore it was about to spring into the air and make a delicious lunch out of Ally, the cougar lay down instead. Freddie’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Was that a coincidence?
“Good kitty,” Ally commended. “Now roll over.”
The cat rolled onto its back, his legs sticking straight into the air.
Freddie couldn’t believe what she was seeing!
“There you go,” Ally said, approaching the cougar. She slowly extended a hand and scratched its stomach. The cat began to purr.
“Is this for real?” Jordan murmured to Freddie out of the side of her mouth, keeping her gaze locked on the scene in front of them.
“I’m not sure,” Freddie admitted.
“Good Biscuit,” Ally trilled, reaching up to scratch the cat’s neck.
The cat purred louder and let his head hang back.
“Pretty kitty.”
The cat licked its paw and rubbed its ear, grooming itself. Ally laughed. “Yes, you are a pretty kitty. Yes, you are!”
Careful not to scare the creature, Freddie slowly approached and gaped at Ally in wonder.
“What?” Ally asked, seeing Freddie’s astonished expression.
“
So you really can talk to cats?”
Ally tilted her head like she didn’t understand the question. “You can talk to anyone.”
“No, I mean, they can actually understand what you’re saying,” Freddie clarified.
Ally stood up and wiped her slightly dirty hands on her dress. “Of course they can, silly.”
Then she walked around the rock, where the subdued cougar was still lying, and continued wading through the swamp. Freddie just stood there, still in shock, as she glanced back and forth between Ally and the wild cat, which right then looked no scarier than a stuffed animal.
Maybe she’s kind of a genius.
“Hey, slowpokes!” Ally called back to them. “Are you guys coming or not?
Freddie looked at Jordan, who looked back at Freddie.
“Uh, did Ally just save us from a swamp cat?” Jordan asked.
Freddie nodded, still completely stunned by the recent turn of events. “I think she did.”
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