Matty was trying to convince Oobis that hiding in his backpack wasn't humiliating. Mrs. Windsor had made her feelings about that stray coming into her very clean house pretty clear. The cat remembered that day very well and had a mind to waltz in very muddied from the Windsor family flowerbeds.

The two of them glared at each other, the cat had his butt firmly planted on the sidewalk, his chin poking up in the air, as he stared at his human defiantly. Mathias felt a bubble of anger rising up and he was pretty sure it would fly out his mouth if he didn't put something else in it. He rummaged into a very deep pocket in his baggy black jeans and pulled out a handull of saltwater taffies.

Oobis fought for control of his kitty face, only the eyes betrayed him. An almost imperceptible twitch of the pupils. Matty had already unwrapped two taffies and popped them in his mouth before Oobis's paw, of it's own mind, left the ground. He was begging. How humiliating.

Rage roiled within the cat's belly. A growl trickled from the cat's thin black lips. Matty tossed the still wrapped taffies into his backpack and chewed slowly, staring down his very angry friend. The growl turned into a primal yell of exasperation. Matty dropped the bag and the cat, grumbling, crawled inside and deftly began unwrapping taffies.