The next morning Henry woke to his Mother banging on his bedroom door.
"Henry get up, you've already overslept. The cow needs milked, and the egg gathered."

She continued with many more of his chores, but moved away from the door so he couldn't hear her as much.

He groaned and sat up, blinking at the brightness of the room. He sighed, then crawled out of bed, flinching when his feet hit the cold floor. All the cats were either grooming themselves, or were already done, and had jumped off the bed, waiting by the window.

"Your hair is sticking out all over the place." Thorton commented.

Henry looked surprised for a moment then remembered what had happened the night before, and smiled.

He squinted his eyes closed as he tried to think, Give me a minute I just woke up. Then shrugged his shoulders and said it out loud.

Sydon shook his head, "You'll never learn to talk like a cat if you don't even try."
Henry laughed.
"I've just glad I can talk to you at all!"
"Believe me Henry cat speech will come in handy." Where said. 
"Now say it again, this time the right way." Sydon finished.

Henry grumbled, but thought about it as he got dressed, and just as he was putting his cloak on sent the message. 
"Purfect!" Sydon said starting to purr. 
Mimsy jumped off the bed,
"After awhile it comes as a second nature to you, you won't even realize you're talking like a cat, and wonder why your Mother can't hear you."
"That's what your Father said anyway." Maimsy added. 
Henry smiled and opened the window to let the cats out.
After thinking a moment he said,
"Meet you at the barn, after I grab something to eat."
Sydon jumped out the window, into the mud below it,
"It's been raining," he said, then ran off towards the barn.
Henry closed the window, then opened his door, and hurried down the hall to the kitchen.

When he got there his mother was looking in a cupboard, but quickly closed it when she saw Henry.
"Your bread's at the table."
Henry sat down and picked up the thin stale slice of bread.
"Aren't you going to have any, Mum?"  
She sat down in the chair across the table from him.
"I'm not very hungry this morning."
Henry eyed her carefully.  This was the third day in a row he had not seen her eating. The day before she had said she had already eaten, but Henry did not believe her.
"Mum, are we out of food?"
"No!  What ever put such in idea into your head? Of course we are not out of food."
"Mother, you need to eat. Here."
He thrust what was left of his bread towards her. She stood up, and moved towards the stove ware she had a pot of water boiling.
"I told you I'm not hungry, now just hurry up and eat so you can get your chores done."

Henry gulped down the rest of the bread and went outside, still thinking about food.
He knew they were, or almost were out of food, and he was pretty sure his mother was not eating to save the food for him. How long had it been since she last had something to eat? He screwed up his face trying to think.
Oh yeah, she had made a stew last night with a rabbit Sydon had brought to him. He had not told his mother that it had been caught by a cat.
She had eaten some of the soup, maybe she was just "not hungry".
She seemed a very mean mother, but he loved her in his own funny little way, and did not want to see her starve to death.
At least they might have an egg once in awhile, he thought as he threw open the door to the chicken coop.

Or not.

 
The whole coop was a mess. There was blood and feathers all over the place. Everything had been moved and pushed about, and something had dug a big hole under the fence. He groaned.
It had not been a very healthy chicken, and had only layed an egg once, or twice a week, but at least it was something! What would he tell his mother?

He quickly looked around the coop to make sure the chicken had not layed an egg before its ungraceful end with a coyote. Upon finding none, he left and slowly walked to the barn as it started to rain.

Once inside the barn he did not have to look long to find the cats. When he first stepped in the door he heard Rosie shout,
"Will you get off me and leave me alone?"
Then he heard Chartreuse say,
"Spud, leave Rosie alone.  She doesnt want to play right now."
"She never wants to play."
Henry followed the sound of the voices to an old, empty stall, and peered in.
Spud was climbing up one of the worn out walls, and Rosie was trying to lick a ruffled hair down.
Chartreuse was curled up in some straw, and looked like she was asleep.
"Do you know ware Sydon is?" He asked.
Chartreuse raised her head.
"He went out to catch a quick bite to eat, he should be back soon."
"Okay.  Thanks."

Henry went and got the cow. Lately she had not been milking well at all. Yesterday he had barely got a cupful of milk.
He tied her up, grabbed his bucket and stool, then sat down to milk, only to realize her udder was empty.
He tried to milk her anyway hoping for something. Nothing.
"It looks to me as if you have a problem."
Henry turned to see Sydon watching him,
"She's not giving any more milk."
"Well that much is obvious.  I don't really blame her, you can almost see right through her, she's so thin."
"That's not my fault, what on earth am I going to tell Mum?"
"I could take a crack at that one. How about you tell her the cow stopped giving milk."
"Very funny, my question, I guess, is not what to tell her, but what will I do after I tell her?"
Henry put his stool and bucket away, then untied  the cow, and let her outside.
"I still have to  tell her about the chicken."
"What about the chicken?"
"There isn't one."
"Oh."