Come out. We won't hurt you, Tigresa called gently.
Yes, please come out, Spot said in agreement. A plump little mouse peeked put of the weeds. Tigresa and Spot slowly laid down so they wouldn't seem so scary.
W-w-who are you? H-h-how did you find us? stammered the little mouse.
I'm Spot and this is my best friend Tigresa. replied Spot. We live here on the plantation. We found you quite by accident.
Slowly the plump little mouse stepped put of the weeds.
Me and my friends live here, too. the mouse said carefully. My name is Miles.
Nice to meet you, purred Tigresa.
Yeah, nice to meet you, agreed Spot. Wanna be friends?
I don't know. I just met you, Miles said. Tigresa extended her paw slowly in friendship.
Go ahead and touch my paw, kinda like a handshake, she said. Miles cautiously reached his tiny hand out, and quickly pulled it back, fearing she would grab him. Sensing his dear, she assured Miles she wouldn't harm him in any way. He reached out again and touched her paw. As promised, she didn't move, but gently purred in acceptance.

Ooh, how soft your due is, he said.
Thank you, she purred. Spot stick his paw put too, and Miles touched it in friendship.
Your fur is nice too, Spot, Miles said. Spot wagged his tail and barked once. His bark startled Miles, but only for a minute.
One by one the other field mice slowly crept out of the meds. One of the children boldly asked if she could touch their paws too. her mother productively pulled her back, but Miles assured her it would be ok. He brought the little girl to the pair, and as he promised, nothing happened. then everyone in the village came over to them and touched their paws, oohing ang ahing at how soft their fur felt, and how beautiful Tigresa and Spot were. Tigresa, Spot, and the field mice spent the rest of the afternoon getting to know each other. All of a sudden Spot's ears perked up.
Come on Tigresa. My mistress is blowing the whistle. We gotta go now. Sadly, Tigresa got up to leave. The mice asked them if they would come back tomorrow. Spot and Tigresa happily agreed to return.
Bark! Bark! Race you home buddy. She roared and chased him all the way home. Kim was waiting on the veranda with food and water for the two of them.
Now what have you two been up to?
Bark! Bark! Spot happily wagged his tail.
Meow! Meow! Kim laughed and said to Romana, I still can't get over her meowing like a house cat.
I know, Romana laughed. She learned that as a cub, chasing and playing with all the wild kittens that used to roam the plantation. Her cry said that since she was raised around house cats, it's possible that she learned to mimic their meows.

The next morning, bright and early, the two friends headed to the little mice village. Miles and another mouse greeted them when they arrived. They had a worried look on their face, which promoted Tigresa to inquire what was wrong.
Hi Tigresa. Hi Spot. This is my wife, Fiona, said Miles.
Hello, she said, and proceeded to answer Tigresa's question. The weeds around our village are dying fast, and if we don't get any rain soon, our homes will be exposed to the wild animals that roam around here. And as you know, the wild cats like to rat mice. Can you help us?
Oh my goodness! exclaimed Tigresa. Spot, what can we do?
Hmmm, mused Spot. There are irrigation ditches around the crops here to keep them watered. I wonder if we can do something like that here for your village.
There is a big lake behind the weeds, but it is too far for us to being water. Our tint buckets couldn't hold enough to help us, said Miles.
Can I take a look at your homes, Fiona? asked Tigresa.
Sure, answered Fiona. Follow me. She looked the area over very carefully. not only were the weeds very dry, but some of the homes were already exposed. She came up with an idea.
Hey Spot. I know how much you like to dig. Do you think you could dig up some ditches to being water to the weeds to protect their homes? Tigresa asked her friend. Spot looked around, thinking to himself as he went.
Yes, I could, but once the ground got too wet their homes would sink.
We have some old bamboo shoots that we found, Miles stated. we could use those as pipes, and the water could flow through them. We could put little holes in them so the water could drain out slowly and not flood the ditches.
And we also build a water gate to control the water coming in and out of the village, another mouse volunteered.
That's a good idea, Charlie, replied Miles.
Thanks, Miles. I will get the others to decide where the ditches should go, build the gate, and prepare the pipes. said Charlie.
I'mll start digging from here back to the lake, said Spot.
And I'll make a way through the weeds to the lake with my claws, said Tigresa happily.
Great! said Miles. Let's get started.

So they all worked throughout the day, only stopping to eat. By dusk, they were almost finished. They had reached the lake.
One more stroke and the water will start flowing, Spot called out.
Ok Spot, make it happen, answered Charlie. Spot dug the last stroke, and the water did indeed start flowing through the pipes.
It will take us too long to get back to the village to make sure everything is working properly, declared one of the workers. spot and Tigresa offered to give them a ride on their backs. For a big dog, and an even bigger tiger, it wasn't very far at all to the village. But for tiny field mice, it was a very long way back. The mice agreed and hopped on their backs. they walked slowly, so they could make sure the water was flowing smoothly. Everything looked good, and when they got back, the others were ready to check the water gate. that was working perfectly. The tiny village cheered and thanked their two new friends for their help.
You're welcome, they replied to the village.
I wish we could stay longer and help you celebrate, but we have to get going. they are waiting for us at home, Spot said. Tigresa and Spot bid the villag good night and raced back home. I enjoyed helping them Tigresa, Spot said wearily.
Yeah, me too, agreed Tigresa. they ate their dinner and curled up under their favorite cherry tree for a good night's sleep.
And to this day, nobody but a black labrador, a white tigress, and tiny field mouse village know why a certain patch of weeds, in the back of a huge plantation, is greener than the rest.
~Doc~

Please add your comments, etc., in the topic marked Story Comments. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as much as I did writing it. More adventures to come for Tigresa and Spot.