Her Son
Judy’s pulse raced like an Olympic runner going for gold. She looked at the screen and watched the cat stare longingly at the photo. Was she trying to tell her something? Did it have something to do with her military son?
She decided that this was no coincidence and decided to do the only thing that she could. She called her son, but she wouldn’t be ready for what she would hear when a voice finally answered the phone.
Judy Miller
Judy Miller always thought of herself as a mother before anything else. After getting married to her high school sweetheart John, she never looked back and pushed their relationship to the next level - becoming a mother.
Judy still remembered the day her baby boy was born. She had tears in her eyes as she said the first words he would ever hear, “I love you, Adam.”
A Doting Mother
Judy always put her son above everything else. She set up a college fund in his name and made sure he went to a good school. And at the age of 12, when he asked her to get him a cat, she finally gave in.
That’s how little Toothless joined the family. They adopted her as a kitten from a shelter and never looked back. Adam was overjoyed to have a new companion so that he wouldn’t be alone anymore.
Finishing Highschool
Six years passed in the blink of an eye, and Adam graduated from high school. But when he told his mom what he planned on doing, she nearly had a heart attack. He told her that he was going to join the army.
As much as it upset her to see him go somewhere uncertain, she understood that it was what he wanted to do. He needed to fulfill what he felt his purpose was, and she couldn’t stand in his way.
Toothless
But one year into Adam’s service and Judy noticed something strange going on with the family cat - Toothless. She was now six years old and was Adam’s best friend. It was clearly apparent that she missed him.
But she had never shown strange behavior before. Judy didn’t understand why she would start acting up now. But she had to be sure of her behavior before she came to any conclusions.
Strange Behavior
Judy started noticing that a particular photo in the living room would be knocked over. The first time she chalked it up to chance, but it had happened three times now.
She knew her husband wouldn’t do it, so there was only one culprit. Toothless must have been the one knocking over the photo. But she had to figure out why her cat was doing it. She decided that there was only one way to find out the truth for sure.
A Camera
Judy decided the best course of action would be to set up a camera in the living room to watch her son’s cat while she wasn’t in the room.
She found an old security camera in a box in their house and set it up to view the picture. With the camera set up and connected to her laptop, Judy was able to watch from her home office. Now she just had to wait and see what toothless got up to when she wasn’t watching.
The Footage
The next morning while Judy was tidying up, she caught a glimpse of Toothless in the living room. She rushed over to her laptop and checked in on the footage. She watched as Toothless slowly crept up to the picture in question.
Judy watched with bated breath as the cat wistfully looked at the picture, then knocked it down. Judy now knew that it was her for sure but still didn’t understand why she did it. That would come in time, and the realization would shock her to her core.
The Picture
The photograph that Toothless had decided to keep looking at and knockdown was a photo of Adam. It confused her. Why that photo, and why every day? She hadn’t touched any other photo in the living room.
Judy tried her best to think about why Toothless was acting the way she was. But she quickly forgot about it after she cooked dinner, hung up her washing, and watched her favorite series. But the next morning, she would have all the answers she was looking for.
Next Day
The next morning when Judy woke up, she brushed her teeth, got dressed, and started her morning routine. She made her morning cup of coffee and went into her office to start work.
But when she got to her office, she noticed that she had forgotten to turn off her laptop with the camera on the screen. But the weirdest thing she saw was Toothless looking at the photo through the laptop screen. Then it clicked.
What Was She Doing?
Judy’s pulse raced like an Olympic runner going for gold. She looked at the screen and watched the cat stare longingly at the photo. Was she trying to tell her something? Did it have something to do with her military son?
She decided that this was no coincidence and decided to do the only thing that she could. She called her son, but she wouldn’t be ready for what she would hear when a voice finally answered the phone.
Phone Call
The phone was finally answered, and Judy heard a familiar voice on the other end. It was Adam, she asked him if everything was alright, but she had no idea that it was no coincidence. She told him about what Toothless was doing.
But when Adam heard about his cat, he had a reaction that she could never have expected. She could hear him break down over the phone and start to cry. But she could never have guessed the reason.
Long Service
Adam enjoyed his service and felt that he was helping his country. But at the same time, it was hard adjusting to his new environment. He missed his family and his pet dearly. So when he heard about what Toothless did, he couldn’t keep it a secret any longer.
He had something planned that he hadn’t told his mother about yet. He wanted to keep it a secret from her, but it seemed that somehow Toothless knew about it and didn’t want his mother to be kept in the dark any longer.
Surprise Visit
Adam decided to take matters into his own hands and pay his mother and kitty a surprise visit. He put in leave and tried to keep it from Judy. He had been in town for two days, and somehow his cat knew that he was close.
In fact, the closer Adam got to the house, the more restless Toothless got. Adam couldn’t believe that his feline was so in tune with her owner that she could feel when he was nearby.
A Reunion
Adam spilled everything and told her that he was in town. The cat was out of the bag, so to speak, and he was heading to his home immediately. Judy waited an hour until she heard a knock on her door.
But nothing could have prepared her to see her son, who she hadn’t had a face-to-face conversation with for over a year. Adam sat down with her and caught up. He was happy to be home.
Toothless Was Overjoyed
When Toothless spotted Adam, she immediately leaped up into his lap. Nuzzling him with her head and purring with contentment like never before.
It was to everyone just how much the cat had been missing her owner. Adam was also over the moon to finally be reunited with his best friend. The family reunion was a joyous occasion but soon came to a grinding halt.
Bad News
Adam was only four days into his leave. He and the family had planned many outings to spend some quality time together. Everything was going fine at first.
The family planned a hiking trip to the Bulow Creek State Park on the Friday that marked the first weekend of Adam’s vacation. However, before they could even reach there, the family received some distressing news.
Adam’s Service
Adam’s first tour in the military had been a deployment to a notoriously dangerous middle eastern region. Despite the risks from ongoing civil unrest and constant animosity towards U.S soldiers stationed there, Adam’s service thus far had been relatively sheltered.
As a qualified computer engineer, Adam was usually stationed at his unit’s base and spent most of his time away from the action. This would all change after a call from his commander.
Judy’s Worst Fears
Ever since Adam had enlisted, Judy had gone through the same anxiety and stress that all military family members experienced.
Her anxieties had been helped somewhat by the fact that he had so far spent most of his service within the safety and confines of a base. After that fateful call, Judy’s worst fears were instantly at the forefront of her mind once more.
The Life Of A Soldier
While things near Adam’s base had remained relatively calm and safe for many years, this was soon changed. His commander’s call was a devastating blow for the family.
In the short period that Adam had been away from his base, a large insurgency had broken out in the region. Adam’s leave was cut short as his entire unit had been scrambled on an emergency deployment.
News From The Base
Adam rushed off to pack again and await his flight out. He kept a close eye on the news and stayed in touch with the other members of his unit.
Day by day, the news grew more distressing. The uprising was gaining traction, and militia groups in the area were increasing. The threat posed to Adam’s base was now very real.
Gone Again
For Judy, watching her son fly off this time was a lot more stressful than ever before. She had at least had the comfort of knowing that he was relatively safe in the past.
For the first time ever, Judy had to face every mother’s worst nightmare square on. As the threat of grave danger to his life and safety loomed larger than ever, Judy said a tearful goodbye to her son, and just like that, he was gone again.
Scary Times
As soon as Adam reached his base, he could immediately tell that things had changed drastically there. Fortifications and security had been tightened considerably around the base.
There seemed to be a tense atmosphere about the place that Adam had never experienced before in all his time there. It wasn’t long before he realized his days behind a desk and away from the action were over.
The Mission
After being given a thorough briefing on the situation, Adam learned that intelligence operations had recently revealed that there might be an imminent threat to the base.
In addition to this, bands of militia had gained a foothold in the mountainous regions near the base. This meant that Adam was given his first mission, which placed him right in the middle of the ongoing conflicts.
She Was On His Mind
When Adam joined a team tasked with hunting down a militia group, he faced real danger for the first time. After successfully finding the groups’ hideout, the unit was ambushed and suddenly under heavy fire.
Adam’s training kicked in, but the fighting was fierce. After being pinned back, Adam contemplated the fact that there was a genuine chance he wouldn’t make it home. He thought of everyone he loved, but it was someone else that kept him going through it all.
It Was A Sign
To this day, Adam never worked out if he had imagined the entire thing. Trapped behind a hill and under heavy fire, Adam had seen something that gave him a boost of motivation to make it home no matter the odds.
Amid the rocky terrain, despite all the mayhem around them, Adam spotted something in the distance that he took as a sign that he would make it home. Inexplicably, it was a cat!
Back Home
Back home, Judy thought of a novel way for Toothless to feel like she was still close to Adam without having her knocking over any more frames. Toothless had a favorite sitting spot right in front of the TV.
Judy began putting on old videos of Adam. Every day, as toothless heard Adam’s voice and saw his face on the TV, she would immediately start purring and stayed glued to the screen.
She Brought Him Home
Adam and his squad, against terrifying odds, were able to execute their mission without any loss of life on their side.
Whenever Adam recounted the story to his friends and family, he was sure to always mention seeing the mysterious cat that looked strikingly similar to Toothless. Adam wasn’t usually the overly spiritual type, but he was convinced that Toothless had somehow appeared to him and had guided him home.
A Hero’s Welcome
After their successful mission, Adam and his team were given medals of honor for their bravery and courage under fire.
Over time, the insurgency was eventually overcome, and relative safety returned to the base once more. After months of grueling and dangerous work and having his leave cut short, Adam was looking forward to finally getting some time off again.
The Second Reunion
After Adam reached home for his second reunion with the family that year, Judy was ecstatic to have her boy home safe and sound.
Toothless and Adam were also finally reunited again. Adam’s harrowing experiences on his mission had cemented the bond he had with the special cat, that he was convinced had saved his life.