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The sun was warm that July day I was born to my mommy cat. It would be a 6 weeks before I would have a name or even an owner, because I was born at a breeder's house, a purebred Bengal cat. I don't remember much about the early days, but around the time I turned 6 weeks old, a family came to visit me. They had never seen a Bengal before and I was excited. We all went into a cardboard box and our breeder took us into the big room where we sometimes played. It was very exciting!

"I think we want a silver spotted male," said a female voice, "of course we would like to meet them all though."

She peered into the box and picked up one of my silver spotted brothers who began to cry out, scared. "Awe what a perfect little boy,"she said as she petted the crying kitten.

Another larger and hairy hand reached in and picked up my silver sister. She too cried and even tried to get away. I just sat in the corner scared, but not crying out for my mommy like the others. One by one my 6 brothers and sisters were held and each of them cried for mommy. Soon it was my turn to be held. The woman reached in and picked me up. I was scared but I didn't cry like the others had, instead I reached down and gave the woman a soft lick and a loud rumbling purr. Love filled her eyes and she held me for a long time. As I climbed up her shoulders and down her back, the man grabbed me, maybe a little too rough, so I followed my Bengal instinct and I bit the man! He let go and handed me back to the lady. I licked her again and heard her say I was the one she wanted.

"Are you sure?" asked the man as he went to put me back in the box and pick up the biggest of my 3 brothers, a silver spotted like they wanted.

I got really scared then. I liked this lady and I wanted to be her Bengal, it didn't matter if I was a girl and Brown instead of silver! I was hers and, darn it, I was going home with her, so I remembered what my momma kitty had told us when she was grooming us for the visit, "Be strong and loving. One of you may get lucky and get a new family today, so act your best." I looked up at the man with sad eyes and softly meowed as he placed me in my corner, then I licked his hand also! YUCK!!! He didn't taste good at all! I licked my sister to get rid of the taste and the lady laughed!

"Looks like you taste bad hon, she is trying to get the taste out of her mouth!" she giggled as she placed my brother back.

I jumped in her hands then and gave my loudest purr! The man let out a laugh as I batted at her earrings and played in her hair. "Ok ok she is all yours! It looks like she isn't taking no for an answer!"

We played until they left with a promise to come back and see me soon. They visited often over the next 6 weeks and always the man played with another and the woman held me. They even gave me a name.

"We are naming her Takarra Tola," the lady told my breeder one day, "It means Priceless treasure in Japanese. Look how she glitters in the sun! It is a perfect name for a perfect kitten!"

"Takarra Tola," I thought, "yeah I like that!"

I remember their last visit to me at the breeder's house. The lady picked me up and said "Today you are going home with us. I will be your mommy now and you will have a Siamese brother named Mew and a Siamese sister named Gemini. You also have a baby bunny brother named Casey, try not to eat him, ok?"

And then I was in the car and scared, but my new mommy loved on me all the way to my new home. My home, it was mine! I was so excited! As the door unlocked, I saw my brother and sister, boy were they ever funny looking! Not a single spot on these two! My sister hissed when she saw me, but my brother ran over and Daddy picked him up.

"Mew, this is your new sister, Takarra Tola. Be nice to her!"

My brother started licking me and I knew we would be good friends from here on out. Gemini would take longer to warm up to me, but we became good friends in time. I loved my family and they loved me, even though they said I was a very picky eater because I would only eat canned cat food and I often stole their dinner. My first night home, I bit daddy over his roast. I bit daddy often, but he just wouldn't share with me! Mommy always let me eat whatever I wanted before she ate anything! One time I even crawled inside her taco and ate all her meat and cheese, leaving her only the yucky beans and lettuce! Shrimp was another favorite food of mine and I would steal it often from her! We had many adventures in my 4 months there. Mommy played with me often and I was a very spoiled cat. Maybe too spoiled for my own good! Nothing was ever off limits and mommy never told me no, as that is the one word no Bengal ever wants to hear!

Maybe Mommy should have told me no when it came to my canned food though, but mommy didn't know the future. She didn't see the bad stuff that was being put in our food. Three weeks before the food was recalled I came here to the Rainbow Bridge. Like most cats, I searched for a warm and quiet place when the time came. Mommy started her dryer never knowing I was inside it. Why would she? I could often be found hissing when the timer went off! I was scared of it and it was the last place she would have looked for me. I know she has blamed herself for me leaving, but it wasn't her fault at all.

I remember the door closing behind me, but that is it. When I woke up, I was on a wooden bridge that led to an open field of catnip and tall grass that bounced in the wind. It was beautiful with flowers all around and in the middle, by some trees was a lake with it's own giant litter box around it! What an amazing place, but I was scared. Mommy got upset whenever I tried going outside and I knew I needed to go home. Where was home though? This wasn't my backyard and I couldn't find my mommy anywhere. I walked across the bridge and through the meadow, stopping only to chase a butterfly that landed on my nose! Maybe she was scooping the litter box down by the lake? I would go there first if I didn't find her before I got there.

The walk was fun, but when I got there I was in for a real shock! Mommy was in the lake and she was sad. Daddy was there too and they were both crying and saying they missed me and wanted me back.

"Oh no,they think I ave ran away!!!" and with that I started crying and meowing my loudest. I knew they would hear me and save me from this weird and beautiful place. "I'm here! I'm here!" I cried!

Mommy looked around like she heard me, but she didn't come get me, she just held my sister and cried. "It was my fault. I should have looked in the dryer before I started it! My beautiful sweet Takarra, I am so sorry this happened to you."

Mommy was heartbroken and I couldn't get to her! I hated water and even for all the love I had for my mommy, I wasn't going through a lake to get to her!

From behind me I heard footsteps though and I turned around hoping it was my daddy coming to get me, It wasn't. There was a lady there, blonde and beautiful with green eyes and huge bird wings. She picked me up and held me to her chest, saying how sorry she was that she wasn't here when I arrived.

"My name is Azuradawn and I am your keeper. Your life on Earth has ended and you are at The Rainbow Bridge now. Someday you will be with your mommy again, but until then I will take care of you. I am very sorry I wasn't there to greet you at the bridge, many pets have come here before their time and all the keepers have been very busy here lately. "

"How did I get here? And why didn't Mommy come with me? Look at her, she misses me and says that it is her fault that I am gone. My mommy would never send me away. I just want to go home."

Azuradawn sat down and pulled me in her lap, rubbing my favorite ticklish spot. I giggled at her and purred some more. I liked this strange creature, she was beautiful and knew just how to pet me. She pulled some shrimp from the leather bag around her neck and fed it to me!

"Do you want to hear a story Karra?" She asked using my mommy's nickname for me.

"Yes, I would like that very much," I said between gobbling shrimp. "Do you have anymore shrimp? This is the best!"

Azuradawn reached in her bag and pulled out more shrimp. I kissed her magic shrimp bag and then her and tried not to growl as I purred and gobbled!

"Here the shrimp is endless! And now on with your story."

"Many years ago when the Earth was new there were 2 Lightkeepers, each in charge souls. The first was in charge of human souls the second animal souls. The lightkeepers each had their own special places where souls would rest because they never planned for animals and humans to be such good friends. Animals are guided by their instincs while humans are guided by their hearts. It seemed that humans and animals were meant to be though and it was love at first sight. This scared the lightkeepers a great deal, because animals didn't live as long as their humans, and when the very first pet died, many tears were cried on both sides. The Lightkeepers held a meeting and decided to create a special place for the animals where they could watch over their humans that were left behind. It started with a bridge between the worlds, a welcoming place that you know as the Rainbow Bridge. All pets come to the bridge where they will play and enjoy paradise until their humans also pass thru. Someday you will look up and see your mommy on the bridge waiting for you and you will be able to run to them and there you will cross the bridge to eternity together, but that wasn't enough. Watchers Lake was formed from the tears of the first pet. The Lightkeepers decided they should be healing tears, and so here you can come and cry while watching over your humans down below. The Lightkeepers wanted to make this a pet haven but didn't want the humans to suffer alone, so it was decided that each animal when they were ready, could send a special gift to their human, and you also can send a gift to your mommy and daddy one they will know is just from you. When the time is right, I will take you to the Lightkeeper and you can send your gift, but think about it first because you only get one gift."

"I know just what my mommy needs! Can I see the Lightkeeper today?" asked a very excited Takarra as she bounced around and batted at Azuradawn's wings! "Oh please please say yes!"

"Ok, but it is late, I will take you first thing in the morning! We both need some rest. Just over yonder is the cat tree forest. There are many cat trees there to choose from, go on now, pick a bed and I will meet you back here at Watcher's Lake at the first rays of sunlight."

I headed through the cat trees until I found the biggest one of all! And would you believe? It was Bengal Print! After a good claw sharpening, I scurried up to the tallest post and cuddled in the warm house. I didn't sleep much though. I was excited, tomorrow I would shower my mommy with love and show her I was watching over her! My gift would keep her so busy that she wouldn't have time to be sad at all!

The night dwindled on, it felt like a whole year before the sun came up! I was starving, but much much too excited at the thought of my gift to care. Later, I would ask where the food was, but for now, I had the perfect gift in mind! I ran to Watcher's Lake and there was Azuradawn waiting for me, with a bowl of shrimp! Oh yes, this place truely was Heaven! I gobbled up my breakfastas fast as I could and off we went to see the lightkeeper.

I was so excited I made up my own song as we walked,

                      Oh we're off to see the Lightkeeper the wonderful lightkeeper of the                                                                          rainbow bridge!

Azuradawn looked at me like I was crazy, but what can I say, I was ever so excited! I had thought all night about what to send mommy and I knew just what she needed! She was going to love it  and she would be so busy she wouldn't have time to be sad. 

As we walked through the forest, there was an opening and under a beautiful arch sat a man on a thrown made of flowers. He looked older, but he had a glow of love all around him.  I just knew he had to be the Lightkeeper!

"Well, hello, Azuradawn! And who is this pretty kitten you have brought to see me today?" said the man.

"I am Takarra Tola and I am a purebred Bengal cat! My mommy always said she has never seen a more beautiful animal than me!"

"Well, Takarra, your mommy is right, you are a very beautiful kitty, and I bet your mommy misses you! Would you like to send her a gift?" asked the Lightkeeper.

"Yes sir and I know just what I want to send her! I want to send her a litter of Bengal Kittens to help her heart heal, also with a litter of us, she will be too tired to miss me and cry! It is perfect!"

"Well Miss Takarra Tola that is quite the request! Most animals just send one to their mommies and daddies!"

"One, huh? Ok even better! I want to send my mommy one pregnant Bengal! Then she can watch as the kittens are born and she can watch them grow from the very first day and she can choose the kitty she likes the best!"

"And where do you think this pregnant Bengal will come from?" asked the Lightkeeper

"Send her to my breeder and she will know what my mommy needs! They are good friends!"

Three days later, I sat at Watcher's lake and watched as Mommy visited my breeder and I saw them both cry as mommy told her how I had passed away.  My breeder knew just what mommy needed, a chance to raise a litter of Bengals. When mommy left she had an expecting momma named Targa with her. She would care for Targa until the kittens arrived and then care for the kittens until they were old enough to go to their new homes, but 1 lucky kitten would be hers to keep. Mommy was going to be busy busy and I knew she wouldn't have much time to hurt for her loss. I knew it was for the best because loosing me wasn't her fault and she didn't need to cry for me anymore.

Three weeks after I came here to the Rainbow Bridge the babies were born. Three beautiful marbled Bengals. The first born was a little silver girl my mommy would name Kianna Rayne, the second was a big boy my mommy would call Chubbs and the third was a very tiny brown marble who my mommy called Kaidyn Makahne. If not for my mommy Kaidyn might have died as he would not nurse and as momma cats do when their babies are sickly, Targa turned her back on her littlest kitten. It was decided that Mommy wanted Kaidyn as her kitten and she cared for him through a rough babyhood.  My mommy was happy and busy but she never forgot me. Each year on the day she lost me she would share my story with others and ask them to always look inside their dryers before starting them. She said my story might just save one innocent life and that I was an angel now. Well, I don't have wings, but with enough catnip, and here it is always unlimited, then I can soar across the tree tops like a truely wild animal. I must say, I love it here, and even now, 6 years later I still stop and watch my mommy every day. I know it is many years away but someday she will arrive at the bridge and I will run to her and purr! Kaidyn joined me here two years ago but it was the gift that he sent mommy that has kept her the  busiest! But that of course is a story for another day!