Pitch Slam Entry 3: Catnapped, MG

Title: Catnapped

Genre: MG

Word Count: 30,000

Hogwarts House: Gryffindor. Although Max starts out as being somewhat of a scaredy cat, he overcomes his fear in order to venture into the deep, dark forest to rescue his best pal, Chevis (the cat). This shows true courage, and the obstacles he encounters along the way help him grow and also shape his character in very unexpected ways.



Pitch: Young puppy Max turns detective when the family cat disappears, but finds himself up to his muzzle in trouble in a forest overrun by genetically-modified apes intent on snatching the nine lives of stolen cats.


First 250:

I am Maximilian the Stealthy, on the trail of a trickster cat with a weird sense of humor and no tact.
Max’s nose twitched with excitement as he followed Chevis’ fresh minty scent. Hide ’n Sniff was as easy to play as eating. No wonder Chevis hadn’t taught him the game sooner.

Because he knows my nose is sharper than his sharpest claw.
At the laundry room door, Max slouched to the floor and snuck up on the spicy aroma coming from the dirty-clothes basket. He took aim and jumped.

His face rammed into the side of the basket, which fell over. Clothes spilled out: Doug’s school shirts, Mom’s dresses, Dad’s gym stuff. The ache from the basket slam vanished as he pounced and pranced, bit and rolled. His ears tangled themselves in his paws and—

Hey! Chevis isn’t here.
Max shook himself in disgust and his ears whipped him across the face. Tricked again!

I am Maximilian the Hunter, resistant to distractions. Always.
“Meeoooow. That you, Max?”

“Chevis?” Max dashed up the stairs. What a dumb thing to call out before the end of the game. But Chevis had sounded scared.

The living room and bathroom were empty. That left the kitchen. Max skidded to a stop against the refrigerator. A strange smell prickled his nostrils and his hackles rose. He sniffed the floor: rust and grime, mingled with a metallic, sweaty odor he’d never encountered before.

Someone had broken into the house and Chevis had meowed to warn him.

Wait! Where was Chevis?




Team Slytherin  Points and Spells