Ka's Backyard Adventure

It was a bittersweet day.

The sweet part was when Ka donned his smart red walking jacket and ventured out in the wilds of the backyard. This wasn't his first outing. A few weeks ago, he wore his red jacket and yo-yo'ed in and out before he could muster up the will to stay outside. He would put a paw on the step outdoors, retreat to his room upstairs. Then he would come down a few minutes later and sit on the step. He would retreat upstairs again, then come down and sniff the patio tile below the step. It took him six or seven tries to slink over to the patio table and lie down in the moss. He cautiously explored the area just outside the door with me scrambling to make sure the leash didn't get tangled up in branches, chairs, or plant containers. This time, he didn't need the retreating iterations to get outside but it still took several laps around the backyard before he stopped slinking around. The sheer joy of pouncing on bugs probably did it. It was Lee's turn to "walk" Ka. Although Ka's pace was relatively slow, he would unexpectedly speed up to jump on anything of interest.

The bitter part came when he returned inside. During his adventure, Zaia stayed firmly inside. She also yo-yo'ed up and down the stairs, but the closest she came to outside was to stand at the threshold and sniff the air. When Ka came back inside, she made it a point to smell him thoroughly. Apparently what she found wasn't to her liking. They're no longer on speaking terms. Perhaps she's jealous that she wasn't able to experience whatever it was that made him smell so differently. But there was much hissing and growling within a radius of about 3-4 feet. Ka has spent the rest of the evening asleep on my lap. Zaia spent the evening cavorting in their room alternating with coming downstairs to see how close she could get to her brother before he starts hissing or growling. We did have some moments of peace when we had a trick and treat session, but it ended with Zaia cuffing poor Ka upside the head. As I type this, Ka is under my desk, hunched up, staring at Zaia who's on the other side of Lee's chair, similarly hunched up and staring at Ka.

Hopefully they'll remember they're each other best friends soon.