The Adventures of Milo and Otis (1986) Movie Script
We're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
We're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
On a pretty little farm
The sun comes up
On a curious cat
And a pug-nosed pup
A brand-new life
Outside the door
Follow your nose
And go explore
'Cause we're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
We're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
Such a great big world
It's all set up
For a curious cat
And a pug-nosed pup
Friends to meet, places to be
It's all so new and fun to see
And we're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
We're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
Except for the
activity up in the hayloft,
the farm was pretty quiet
that morning.
The noise upstairs didn't disturb
the dogs that slept in the barn.
They could sleep through anything.
But a lot of the other animals
were awakened
by all that scurrying overhead.
Some of them just accepted it.
Some were pretty annoyed.
And a few quietly plotted revenge.
But the mood was very different
up in the hayloft.
The farm cat
had just given birth
to her first litter.
She was determined
to be a good mother
and never yell at her kittens.
But that approach
would not last very long,
because Milo, one of her kittens,
was trouble
from the very beginning.
As soon as he could walk,
he began wandering
to the edge of the hayloft.
"Milo, dear," his mother said,
"that's not a good idea!"
"Come back here, Milo!"
she yelled.
The first animal Milo met
outside of his family was Otis,
one of the barn puppies.
"You're a strange-looking cat,"
Milo said.
"Oh, I'm not a cat. I'm a dog,"
Otis replied.
Milo tried to figure this out
and said,
"Oh, all right, a dog.
I understand. But, um,
really, deep down inside,
we're all cats, right?"
"Uh, no," Otis barked.
"No. Deep down inside, I'm a dog.
I'm a dog."
Nevertheless, as if they knew how
much they would need each other,
Milo and Otis became best friends.
Pretty soon, it was the beginning
of a big day for Milo.
The kittens were now big enough
to leave the hayloft
and see the world
beyond the barn.
As usual, Milo got into trouble.
He was the first
to start calling out for food.
"Milo, finish your breakfast
or the puppies will get it!"
his mother yelled.
It seemed to Milo she yelled a lot.
"Milo, did you hear me?"
"And, Milo, I've told you
again and again,
please, don't walk
on the chickens."
"Now, listen carefully,"
Milo's mother said,
once again trying to speak softly.
"This is the dock
and down there is the river.
Now, you must never, never go
too close to the edge of the dock.
Everyone understand?"
"What's too close?" Milo asked.
"Is this? Is this too clo? Oh! Ah!"
"Milo, get back here,"
his mother demanded.
But Milo Ah. Ooh.
He was swept away by the river.
And his mother had to go after him.
"All of you, back on the dock,"
she ordered.
"Right now. And behave while
I'm gone. Milo! Milo, I'm coming!"
"Oh, Milo!" his mother said.
"Look at you. Are you all right?"
"Eh, yes," Milo meowed.
"Do you think you can follow me
back to the shore?"
"I I I think so," Milo said.
"All right, be careful,"
his mother ordered,
and began swimming.
"All right."
"All right. I'm not going to yell,"
his mother said.
"I'm just glad you're all right.
Now dry yourself off, like this:
And follow me back home."
"Can't we swim back?" Milo asked.
"That was fun. Ha, ha."
"Milo! Get over here!"
The months passed,
and the farm was humming
with the sounds of summer.
Milo and Otis grew big enough
to play outside by themselves.
Milo had some new hiding places
he couldn't wait to try out.
Otis sniffed around the yard
for a while.
"You're in the pipe, Milo. Try again."
"How does he do that?"
Milo wondered.
And he tried another spot.
"Oh, not the old puss-in-boots trick,"
Otis groaned.
"Cat's in the can!" Otis shouted.
And Milo slipped off
to another hiding place.
It wasn't easy fooling a dog's nose.
Otis started following
his trail immediately
and found him again.
Milo tried a harder spot.
But Otis found him there too.
Now Milo needed a brilliant idea.
"Aha." He thought of a place
where Otis could never sniff him out.
It worked.
But Milo wondered
if it was really worth the trouble.
The following day,
the henhouse was in an uproar.
Milo and Otis went to see
what all the commotion was about.
Suddenly,
one chicken's voice rang out:
"Okay, you lot!
Clear out! Clear out!"
And all the hens left
in a clucking flurry
because that was Gloria talking,
a young chicken who had scratched
and pecked her way
to the top rung of the henhouse.
Gloria had a good reason
for wanting to be alone.
"There it is, fellas," Gloria cackled.
"My first egg.
Keep an eye on it, Otis,
while I spread the word."
Otis took the egg-watching
assignment very seriously.
"Did you hear about Gloria?"
"Oh, the egg?
So it finally happened."
"Is she staying at home with it
or is she going back to work?"
"Ha-ha-ha. You want me to kick it
back to you, Otis?" Milo asked.
"Now, stop that!" Otis said.
"I kicked it by accident.
We can't start playing games with
the egg. Now, just leave it alone."
"Look, this isn't funny," Otis said.
"Gloria gave us a job to do."
"How long do we have to
stick around this henhouse?"
"Until Gloria comes back.
Maybe you don't realize it, Milo,
but this is a major day
for me because
Well, maybe you don't realize that this
is the day I've become a watchdog."
Naturally, the sight of a dog
and a cat watching an egg
brought the usual string
of gawkers
and thrill-seekers.
Some strange noises brought Milo
out of the henhouse.
What was all this about?
"Hey, could you cut that out?"
Milo said.
Hey!
But the bird just ignored him.
"Hey!
Your singing stinks.
Will you quit it?
Hello in there."
"Otis, Otis, Otis, Otis.
Come here, Otis," a frog croaked.
"What is it?" Otis said.
"I'm supposed to be egg-sitting."
"Otis, it's your cat buddy.
He's got the whole farm crazy.
Do something, and quick.
Otis, come on."
The frog was right.
At that moment,
Milo was teasing a crab
that was waddling
through the farmyard.
But this time,
someone got the best of Milo.
"He deserved it," the frog croaked.
"Hey, he's my friend," Otis said.
"He still deserved it."
The trouble with guarding an egg
is you have to always be on guard.
And outside, Milo and Otis
suddenly remembered:
Ah!
The egg!
"Freeze!" Otis barked.
"Touch that egg
and you're dead meat!
I mean it, punk!" Otis growled.
"Just try something.
Make my doggy day."
"Lighten up. I didn't touch
your cruddy egg,"
the hedgehog grumbled.
"Probably rotten anyway."
Milo wanted just one more look
at that weird animal.
The noise attracted
a group of local snoops
looking to dig up some scandal.
But Milo's attention
was focused somewhere else.
"Milo," Otis said,
"I I I think we're having a baby."
The chick dried itself off,
looked at Otis and cheeped:
"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!
Mommy! Mommy! Mommy?"
"Oh, no, I'm not your mommy,"
Otis said. "Your mommy's a chicken."
The other animals told Otis he'd better
take the chick to Gloria, and quickly,
which he did. But the chick
kept coming back to Otis.
"Mommy."
"Mommy, Mommy,
ha, ha, Mommy, Mommy."
"I told you, I'm not your mommy,"
Otis said again and again.
"Now go back to Gloria.
Do you understand?
You're a chicken, not a dog. A chicken."
"Woof," the chick peeped.
"Woof, woof, Mommy."
Once again, they tried to make
the mixed-up chick
join the other chickens.
"Okay, you want to be a dog?"
Otis barked.
"Here's what you've got to do.
You've got to be a rough, tough,
mean, fighting dog, like this."
The chick didn't like
the sound of this at all.
"Okay, puppy," Otis ordered.
"Your turn. Give it a try. Give it a try."
"Mommy. Chicken mommy,"
the chick peeped, and ran to Gloria.
"Oh, it worked," Otis thought.
"I'll miss him. I'll miss him.
But at least he finally found out
that he is a chicken."
"Are you sure you know
where we're going?" Otis asked.
"Sure. The dock is right this way,
and you've never seen the river.
Come on," said Milo.
Phew. Otis had a feeling
there was trouble ahead.
"Wow, look at this thing, Otis,"
Milo said.
"Do you think we can eat it?"
"Who would eat something
that looks like that?" Otis replied
and continued on to the river.
And then it happened.
When Otis was just sitting
on the dock, wasting time
"Oh. Oh. Aah!"
Otis dried off and came back
to settle the score with that
That, uh, thing.
Milo, meanwhile,
stumbled on
an excellent hiding place. Ha, ha.
Ah, he was sure Otis would never
be able to find him this time.
"Surprise!" Milo shouted.
"I finally fooled you!"
"Milo," Otis barked,
"get out of there
before something happens."
But something did.
"Ha, ha. Quick, jump in! This'll be fun!"
Milo shouted. Otis didn't know what to do.
"Hey, this is great. Come on!
Hurry up, Otis! Come with me."
Maybe Milo was having a terrific time,
but Otis was pretty scared.
He knew he had to rescue Milo,
so he ran alongside the river,
trying to keep up,
and without much success.
Then Otis saw a bridge up ahead.
Maybe he could jump off the bridge
into the box if he hurried.
"Oh!" But he was too late. There was
only one way to catch up with Milo now.
"Oh, boy.
Here we go. Oof! God."
But that didn't work either.
Otis just couldn't swim fast enough
and the river took Milo
farther downstream.
Milo wasn't really worried
until he lost sight of Otis.
Suddenly he heard something
moving in the bushes.
Was it Otis? Definitely not.
Milo tried to duck low in the box
so the bear wouldn't see him.
But the box was drifting
right towards the hungry animal.
"Close call," said Milo,
poking his head up.
But unfortunately much too soon.
The bear saw what was in that box.
Then came Otis.
He surveyed the scene and he knew
sometimes a dog's gotta do
what a dog's gotta do.
Suddenly Otis started
swimming away
and said to himself,
"What am I doing?
That bear is 10 times my size."
And Otis came up
with a much more sensible plan.
He ran up on the riverbank, leading
the bear away from Milo. It worked.
The bear followed him
and forgot all about
the orange cat in the floating box.
Milo kept drifting along,
but he was getting a little concerned
because the river
was beginning to move faster
and faster.
Milo was all right,
except for being wet.
He'd lost track of Otis now,
and he was drifting
farther and farther from home.
By the time the moon rose,
the river had carried Milo
deep into the forest.
Now and then, he saw some eyes
flashing among the trees.
And he heard mysterious hoots
and growls
and cries in the night.
His trip down the river
wasn't fun any more.
It had turned into something
lonely and frightening.
He began to wish
he'd never jumped into this box
and he began to wish
he was home.
In the water, Milo could see
the reflection of the moon.
It seemed to be trembling
as much as he was
in the chilly, misty night.
Sleep was not possible.
He drifted on
through the darkness,
hoping to find the morning
waiting just around the bend.
When daylight came,
Milo saw a farm on the riverbank.
For one happy moment,
he thought he was home
and cried out for joy
But he looked again.
Those cows were all strangers
and he remembered
he was far away from his farm.
He didn't know when he would
ever see it again.
Otis had not given up his chase,
not by a long shot.
He was running along the riverbank
in hot pursuit.
To keep up his spirits, he began
singing a dog marching song.
Here comes the
dog Strong and brave, woof
Here comes the dog
Your life he
He then decided
to skip the whole thing.
Otis followed the river
until it flowed into the wetlands
and he came to
a forbidding place,
a place like none
he'd ever seen before:
The Deadwood Swamp.
A bog where skeleton trees
grew without leaves or branches,
and where no creature could live,
except for the dreaded
Deadwood birds.
And one of them was perching
on a familiar wooden box.
"Okay, punk," Otis barked.
"There's the box.
Now, where's the cat?"
"Poor cat. Cat so sad,"
the bird croaked.
"Look in the box."
Otis prepared himself
and peeked in the box
and saw only
a solitary black feather.
And the bird flew away, cackling.
In fact, Milo was nowhere
near the Deadwood Swamp.
After his box got stuck there,
he ran.
He ran from those birds
as quickly as he could.
Now he found himself
in a burning valley.
The ground was hot
and the smoke made his eyes sting.
He had to get out of there.
Milo ran until he came
to an open meadow
where he saw a kind of animal
he'd never seen before.
Feeling pretty hungry,
he immediately wondered,
"Is that something you can eat?"
Well, perhaps not, but even
if this creature wasn't food,
maybe he had some
hidden away. Heh.
"Hello, someone there?"
the fox called.
Milo kept himself well-hidden.
"Oh, well,
time for lunch break anyway. Ha, ha."
Which was exactly
what Milo wanted to hear.
He trailed the fox, waiting to see
just what was on his lunch menu.
"I must be very careful,"
Milo thought.
"I must make sure
I stay out of sight.
And above all,
I must keep absolutely silent."
"I know I put it around here
somewhere," the fox said.
"Oh, there it is!"
And Milo's mouth watered
when he saw the fox
holding a plump, juicy muskrat.
The fox felt someone watching him.
"Hello. Who's there?
No sense taking chances
with a lovely meal like this."
And he began burying his lunch
where he figured no one
would ever be able to find it.
"Yeah, here, my precious muskrat.
You should be safe there
till dinnertime," the fox said.
Milo crept slowly down the tree
and watched the fox
run over the horizon.
And then, once on the ground,
Milo knew just how to
get his paws on a big
tasty muskrat lunch.
Otis, meanwhile,
had traveled through the wetlands
to a beach full of clam holes.
A clam might be able to help him,
but how does a dog talk to a clam?
He remembered there was one
magic word everyone understood
and that was "please."
So he marched up to a clam hole
and said,
"Excuse me, please.
Aww. Oh."
But Otis had a bigger problem
than rude clams.
The clouds were getting
darker and darker
and a chilly wind
was whipping across the countryside.
Milo was several miles
from the beach
caught in the same storm.
He got a little wet
and he felt awfully lonesome
without Otis,
but at least he was safe.
At the shore
Otis was not so lucky.
The tide came in so fast
that the rock Otis
had been sitting on
was completely surrounded
by water.
Soon his dry rock
would be underwater.
The beach was far
and the water was rough.
Ah, he'd never be able
to swim to shore.
And the water was growing higher.
Now the water was up to his paws.
He'd have to try to swim.
He took a deep breath, but just
when he was ready to dive in
"Oh, not again,"
the sea turtle gurgled.
"Every time the tide comes in
some fool gets stuck out here."
Otis wasn't sure
what this turtle wanted.
"I say, look, do you want a ride
back to shore or not?
I mean, don't you know
I came out here to save you?"
"No," Otis said,
"I didn't know that."
"Well, now you know. Get on."
"Now, just stay on the shore, where
you belong," the turtle grumbled.
"Thanks for saving me," Otis said.
"Hmph. Thanks, nothing.
Next time the tide comes in,
I'll have to rescue somebody else.
What a life."
"You saved mine."
"I save someone just about
every month. Did you know that?"
"No," said Otis,
"I didn't know that."
"Well," said the turtle,
"now you know. Heh.
Oh, dear, back to sea."
Under a fresh, bright sky
Otis resumed his search for Milo.
He saw in the distance an animal
that he thought might be helpful.
"Ahh, God.
Ooh, much better."
"Excuse me," Otis called out,
"I'm looking for a friend of mine."
"I'm looking for someone
to play with," the fox said.
"Wanna race me
across the stream?"
"I haven't got time," Otis said,
sensing this fox
wasn't gonna be any help.
"Wait. What kind of animal
are you anyway?"
"I'm a dog, of course,"
Otis answered.
"How can you be a dog?
You have no tail."
Otis was outraged.
"I certainly do. Look."
"Ha! You call that a tail?
This is a tail. Ha-ha-ha."
And with that,
the fox jumped away laughing
Milo, far away,
stumbled upon a road
that looked clear and safe.
He marveled at this road
made of wood and iron
and decided to follow the road
and see where it would take him.
But then
Milo had ducked just in time.
"What was that?" he wondered.
"It could've run right over me."
But Milo was determined.
He made up his mind
to follow the wood and iron road.
Although he'd certainly keep on
the lookout for another of those
noisy animals.
The iron road led Milo
to a meadow of wild cotton blossoms.
Now Milo was plenty tired.
Maybe someone could help him
find a safe place to rest for a while.
Maybe someone like
her.
"You look tired and thirsty,"
a deer whispered.
"Follow me.
Bound with me through
fields of clouds," the deer sang.
"Um, I'm I'm not sure cats
know how to bound," Milo said.
"Well, just let your heart lead
and your feet will follow.
And we'll bound and leap,
like a gentle breeze.
Bound and leap,
like a zephyr set free.
Bound and, of course, leap."
"Well, I don't know. It just
doesn't look right when I do it."
"Frolic with me, friend.
Come, frolic. Frolic."
"Okay. Okay, look, I've got it.
I'm frolicking.
I'm frolicking. You see?"
"Ahem.
You can stop frolicking now,"
the deer cooed.
She showed Milo
to the cool water of a forest pool.
"I think I'm a little tuckered out,"
Milo said.
"Yes, it is possible to over-frolic,"
the deer murmured.
"Here, let me show you a place
where we can rest."
And the deer took Milo
to a soft, mossy spot
on the forest floor.
And Milo was asleep
within moments.
Otis knew he was
on the right track.
He had trailed Milo
from the Deadwood Swamp
to the fox's meadow.
And now, if he just kept going,
maybe he'd finally find
the friend he missed so much.
But now, it was the end
of a long day
of hard traveling.
As evening was falling,
Milo decided the safest place
to spend the night would be in a tree.
He settled down
and watched the sun set,
wondering what sorts of creatures
would begin stirring
after dark.
"And what are you doing up here?"
a strange bird said to Milo.
"Hiding from the screech owls,
I suppose."
"Sorry, sorry," Milo said.
"Does this nest belong to you?
I didn't know."
"Yes, and it's not just any nest,
I'll have you know.
I'm the night bird,
and that is a dreaming nest."
"What do you mean?" Milo asked.
"Well, dear cat,
anyone sleeping there
will have his sleep flooded
with dreams," the bird said.
"But it's a safe place,
safe from those screech owls.
So settle down in the nest,
dear cat,
and be prepared for the dreams.
They may be sad or frightening
or beautiful,
but sleeping in that nest
dreams will surely come."
And Milo's dreams began
almost the moment he was asleep.
First, a sweet dream
about being back on the farm
and seeing old friends.
And about the time his mother
left him
with a doting babysitter.
And then came a dream
that was very sad.
A dream about Otis
and how they used to play together
when they were young.
Oh, would it ever
be like this again?
Would he ever see Otis again?
It seemed so real.
Milo could almost hear
Otis' voice.
But it wasn't Otis' voice at all.
It was a cry for help
from down on the ground.
Milo woke up and, forgetting
all about the screech owls,
he climbed down the tree
towards the desperate cry.
Milo hid as an owl swooped down
and carried off a field mouse.
And though he was a little scared,
Milo still followed the cries for help.
Help!
Please, somebody help me!
Oh. Ow!
Ow, my leg is caught,"
the pig cried.
"And that bird, he'll be back."
"Take it easy," said Milo,
working quickly
to free the pig's foot.
"You're fine," Milo said.
"Now, do you know a place
where we'd be safe?"
"Well, back with my family,"
said the pig. "Come with me."
"Come on!"
The pig's family squealed with joy
when they saw him return.
And over the noise, the pig yelled,
"Hey, Mom, here comes the cat!
Yeah, the cat that saved me."
The pigs offered Milo
a place to sleep.
And the next morning,
he woke up and thought,
"These pigs are all right.
I mean, friendly and kind.
Just a nice bunch of pigs."
But then the mother pig squealed,
"Breakfast!"
And the table manners
of this family
came as quite a surprise to Milo.
The whole business was
a little too messy for any cat to take.
But that was the way it was done
at mealtime in this particular family.
Milo went to say goodbye
to his friend
who still had some breakfast
on his face.
"Come on," said the cat.
"You've at least got to keep
your face clean."
After goodbyes, Milo reflected
on the family he'd stayed with.
"Jeez," he thought,
"no wonder they call them pigs."
After a whole day of traveling,
Milo arrived at a brook.
In the water, he could see
some delicious-looking trout.
After some consideration,
he figured out
how he could catch one.
"That cat has got to be kidding,"
muttered a nearby raccoon.
But all at once
Milo caught one.
And the raccoon wanted it.
"Hey, cat, nice fish,"
the raccoon said.
"Too bad it's gonna be
the one that got away."
But the raccoon wasn't the only one
interested in Milo's fish.
They battled over the trout until
the bear caught sight of something
bigger and tastier:
A cat.
Milo knew he wouldn't have a chance
against the bear on the ground,
but perhaps in the air.
Milo was safe,
but never did get his lunch.
Pretty soon, he had another chance
for a meal.
"Some seagull eggs might be tasty,"
Milo thought.
But suddenly, up above
a seagull screamed,
"Cat! Cat! There's a cat
near the babies!"
A chorus of birds joined in.
"Cat! Cat!"
"Come on, peck him away!
Peck him away from the nests!"
The seagulls were pecking him,
hurting him.
There was only one way
for Milo to escape.
"All this just for a lunch?"
Milo thought to himself.
"Well, who ever heard of
eating seagull eggs anyway?"
Milo climbed out of the sea,
feeling salty, wet and cold,
and there'd been times
he'd looked a lot better too.
But at least he came to shore near
a shack that looked warm and safe.
He would have thought differently
if he'd known who lived in the shack.
Milo's fur was beginning to dry off
and he was feeling safe at last,
until he looked
at what was right outside.
"Oh!"
"Stay calm," Milo thought.
"It's all right,
as long as he doesn't
Oh, no!"
Milo tried to hide, but the bear
smelled the cat right away,
and Milo knew somehow he was
going to have to outsmart this bear.
"Okay, tough guy!
Come and get me!" he shouted,
darting back into a drawer.
The bear reached for Milo
with an open, hungry mouth.
"No, no, up here!" Milo yelled.
"Up here!"
"Come on, just reach in
and grab me!
Too late!
Hey, down here!
Wanna come in?
I'll help you.
I'll pull you in by your nose.
Which drawer has the cat?
Now, here's a little hint."
Now the bear was raging mad.
He'd had enough of rummaging
through drawers after a cat.
Now he was going to pull
the whole shack apart.
Phew. It looked bad,
but Milo had one last plan.
He jumped on top of the dresser.
The bear came closer.
Milo could feel the tips
of his claws.
And just when the bear
almost had him
"Perfect shot," Milo said,
feeling pretty good.
And the bear, knocked silly,
stumbled out of the shack,
wondering what hit him.
Milo was afraid
the bear would be back.
He thought he'd be a lot safer
hiding at the top of a tree.
But he was wrong again.
Climbing out of the pit
was impossible.
Milo called for help,
even though he knew it was useless.
Nobody would hear him out here.
But someone did.
Milo couldn't believe what he saw.
Could it really be Otis?
"Don't worry," Otis barked.
"I'll get you out somehow."
"Did you try climbing out?"
"It's too deep. See?" Milo said.
"I have an idea," Otis said.
"Climb it!" Otis barked.
I think it's too short
"Don't worry!" Otis barked.
"I've got another idea."
"Grab the end," Otis shouted.
"We did it!" Otis yelled,
opening his mouth by mistake.
"All right, hold on!" Otis growled,
making sure to keep his teeth
tightly clenched.
"Ha! Are you all right?" Otis asked.
"You have no idea
what I've been through.
Bears, snakes, even seagulls!"
But that was all behind them.
Now they were bursting with joy
because, finally,
they were back together.
"Listen. What was that?" Otis said.
They ran to the cat cries
and Milo was suddenly breathless.
"Hello. I'm Joyce."
"Joyce?"
"Joyce!"
Joyce and Milo seemed to get
friendlier and friendlier. Heh.
Otis had never seen
such ridiculous behavior.
Never.
"Joyce, come back with me
to my farm."
"I I don't know.
A farm isn't exactly my lifestyle."
"Oh, you'll love it!" Milo said.
"They'll all love you. I love you."
Joyce finally said yes.
And the three travelers began
the journey back to the farm.
Milo had a plan.
They would find the river
that carried him away
and follow it back home.
Joyce knew where a river
flowed through these woods,
so she led the way,
with Milo by her side
and Otis trailing behind.
"Are you sure you know where
we're going?" Otis said. "Huh?
I don't see any rivers
around here."
"Trust me," said Joyce.
Otis just growled.
"Come on, Otis!" Milo called out.
"We want to make it home
before winter."
"Otis, where are you?"
Milo shouted.
"Have you known him long?"
Joyce asked.
Finally, just as Joyce said,
they came to a river.
"I hope it's the right one,"
Milo said.
They followed it upstream,
hoping to see something familiar.
"Yes, this is the right river!"
Milo cried out.
"I'll never forget those waterfalls.
I told you she'd do it! Otis! Otis!"
Otis was feeling pretty rotten
about the way the trip was going.
Milo was always with Joyce
and hardly paid any attention to him.
So Otis made a decision.
"Um
you two follow the river.
I'm going over the mountains
by myself."
"Don't be a fool, Otis.
Stay with us."
"I'd rather go alone."
"Hey, where are you going, Otis?"
But he didn't answer.
And he didn't even look back.
Otis was only gone a few days
when the first snowstorm of winter
interrupted the journey.
Traveling through the snow
would be too dangerous.
Milo and Joyce knew they'd
have to find shelter in the woods
and wait until spring.
They took a cozy winter home
in a tree trunk.
While Otis trudged through the snow,
continuing on his way.
That afternoon, the winter sun
was warm enough to melt the snow
and it came tumbling down
from the trees.
Otis was all right, but he was sure
he heard a call for help
coming from somewhere.
Otis fought his way
through the snow,
heading towards
the voice in the woods.
"Where are you?" Otis hollered.
"Um, over here,"
whimpered a dog's voice.
"I I I can't dig out.
It's solid ice."
At first, Otis was exasperated.
But then he saw her.
"I'm Sondra," she said.
"Who are you?"
"Otis. I've never met
a dog like you, Sandra."
"No, Sondra.
It's a French pronunciation."
"She's smart too."
And Otis, for the very first time
in his rather serious life,
began acting very silly.
Now Otis began to understand
what had come over Milo.
He and Sondra kept on
romping through the drifts,
kicking up snow
and disturbing some of the more
proper neighbors.
Sondra had been
spending the winter
in a small but comfortable cave.
She and Otis decided
to stay there until spring.
And though a chill wind
was blowing outside,
the winter
suddenly seemed warmer.
Sometime later, during the last
weeks of the long winter,
Joyce was making preparations.
The time was drawing near.
"You okay, Joyce?" Milo asked.
"Want some more dinner?
Remember, you're eating
for eight now."
"Milo. Milo, I think it's time."
"Okay," Milo said.
"Remember the way to breathe?"
"I hope that turns out
to be a kitten," thought Milo.
"It is! It's a little girl kitten!"
"And six more to come, Milo.
Heh, Heh. Yeah."
That same day, not too far away,
Otis was in his cave with Sondra,
who was heavy with puppy.
"Is it going to be soon?"
"Well, any minute now, Otis,"
Sondra whispered.
"Oh. Oh! It's Otis, Jr.!
Oh! Ha, ha!
It's Otis, Jr.!
I'm a father! I'm a father! Oh, ha!
It's a boy! It's a boy! It's a boy!"
"Uh, Otis,
you ran out a little too soon."
"it's a litter! It's a litter!"
Milo watched as the kittens
got bigger every day.
And the puppies grew even faster.
"You know," Otis said, "we really
should think of names for them."
"Oh, I did that already,"
Sondra replied.
"I gave them all French names.
This one is Jean-Pierre.
That's Francois, and the one
on the end is Suzette."
As the kittens grew,
Milo soon noticed
that one of them was turning out
to look just like him.
"I'll bet that one's gonna
be trouble," Milo thought.
And Milo started remembering
when he was a little kitten
back on the farm.
He even remembered
the day he met Otis.
But as the cold weather
dragged on,
Otis and Sondra faced
a serious problem.
There was too much winter left
and too little food.
Otis knew he'd have to
go out and find some.
He remembered a pond
where he'd seen a bear
scoop up some fish
through a hole in the ice.
Maybe he'd be lucky
and find some fish there.
But the bitter, cold weather
had frozen over the fishing hole.
And the fish were locked
in solid ice.
And a blast of icy wind
signaled the start
of a winter storm.
It looked bad for Otis.
The wind was stinging his face
like needles.
His paws were numb
from the cold.
He was beaten down by the storm.
He had to rest.
Almost frozen,
Otis laid down in the snow,
ready to give up.
But then he began thinking
about Sondra and the puppies.
They were waiting for him back
in the cave, depending on him.
What would happen to them
if he never returned?
And Otis
Otis felt his strength renewed.
He forced himself up on his paws,
knowing that he had to
go on for Sondra,
for the puppies,
for dogs everywhere!
The storm finally died down,
but Otis had no idea where he was.
Then in the distance,
he saw a sign of hope.
He barked loudly to announce
that there was a hungry dog outside.
And a familiar form
appeared in the window.
"Look what the blizzard blew in,"
Milo said.
"You look hungry.
How about some fish?"
"Okay, but not for me.
For my puppies."
"You have puppies? Me too."
"You have what?"
"I mean, uh, kittens," Milo yelled.
Otis knew his family
would love to have these fish,
but how was he going to
reach them way up there?
Milo had it all worked out.
"Hey, Otis.
I've really missed you."
So Milo and Otis
made an agreement.
They'd meet in the spring
with their families
and all together
they'd travel back to the farm.
And spring wasn't that far off.
On the first warm day,
just as planned,
Milo brought out his new family.
And they waited for Otis.
Otis was having a little trouble
getting his puppies organized.
And on this glorious spring day,
all the animals
all around the countryside
were bringing their young
out into the sunshine.
The fox who hid the muskrat
now had a cub.
And so, of course, did the raccoon
who stole the fish.
And the deer was teaching
her fawn to frolic.
And Milo and Joyce
had their kittens.
Finally, Otis arrived,
and the two families
saw each other for the first time.
At first, they were a little
But then
Otis led the charge, and the puppies
ran towards the kittens,
eager to meet the cats
they'd heard so much about.
"This is your Uncle Milo,"
Otis said to his puppies.
"The one you pulled out
of the pit?" Francois asked.
And all the puppies and kittens
began to get to know each other.
"You're a strange-looking dog,"
Suzette said to Milo, Jr.
"You're dogs, we're cats,"
he replied.
Then Otis barked, "Hey! Hey!
Hey! All right, everyone quiet.
Quiet!"
And after the whole group
was gathered together,
Milo and Otis
led the way down the road.
The road that would take them to the
place where their lives had begun.
The road that would
take them home.
Now the journey's over
And we're heading back home
With a very good friend
You're never alone
Stories to tell, stories to hear
Be a lot more in the coming year
We're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
We're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
Such a great big world
It's all set up
For a curious cat
And a pug-nosed pup
Friends to meet, places to be
It's all so new and fun to see
And we're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
We're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
Saw a box and an owl
And a turtle and a bear
Different animals everywhere
Each one
Where they wanted to be
Some on the farm
Some living free
We're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
We're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
Now our story
Has come to an end
But we'll have more to share
My friend
Tomorrow morning
When the sun comes up
On a curious cat
And a pug-nosed pup
Oh, we're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
We're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
We're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
On a pretty little farm
The sun comes up
On a curious cat
And a pug-nosed pup
A brand-new life
Outside the door
Follow your nose
And go explore
'Cause we're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
We're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
Such a great big world
It's all set up
For a curious cat
And a pug-nosed pup
Friends to meet, places to be
It's all so new and fun to see
And we're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
We're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
Except for the
activity up in the hayloft,
the farm was pretty quiet
that morning.
The noise upstairs didn't disturb
the dogs that slept in the barn.
They could sleep through anything.
But a lot of the other animals
were awakened
by all that scurrying overhead.
Some of them just accepted it.
Some were pretty annoyed.
And a few quietly plotted revenge.
But the mood was very different
up in the hayloft.
The farm cat
had just given birth
to her first litter.
She was determined
to be a good mother
and never yell at her kittens.
But that approach
would not last very long,
because Milo, one of her kittens,
was trouble
from the very beginning.
As soon as he could walk,
he began wandering
to the edge of the hayloft.
"Milo, dear," his mother said,
"that's not a good idea!"
"Come back here, Milo!"
she yelled.
The first animal Milo met
outside of his family was Otis,
one of the barn puppies.
"You're a strange-looking cat,"
Milo said.
"Oh, I'm not a cat. I'm a dog,"
Otis replied.
Milo tried to figure this out
and said,
"Oh, all right, a dog.
I understand. But, um,
really, deep down inside,
we're all cats, right?"
"Uh, no," Otis barked.
"No. Deep down inside, I'm a dog.
I'm a dog."
Nevertheless, as if they knew how
much they would need each other,
Milo and Otis became best friends.
Pretty soon, it was the beginning
of a big day for Milo.
The kittens were now big enough
to leave the hayloft
and see the world
beyond the barn.
As usual, Milo got into trouble.
He was the first
to start calling out for food.
"Milo, finish your breakfast
or the puppies will get it!"
his mother yelled.
It seemed to Milo she yelled a lot.
"Milo, did you hear me?"
"And, Milo, I've told you
again and again,
please, don't walk
on the chickens."
"Now, listen carefully,"
Milo's mother said,
once again trying to speak softly.
"This is the dock
and down there is the river.
Now, you must never, never go
too close to the edge of the dock.
Everyone understand?"
"What's too close?" Milo asked.
"Is this? Is this too clo? Oh! Ah!"
"Milo, get back here,"
his mother demanded.
But Milo Ah. Ooh.
He was swept away by the river.
And his mother had to go after him.
"All of you, back on the dock,"
she ordered.
"Right now. And behave while
I'm gone. Milo! Milo, I'm coming!"
"Oh, Milo!" his mother said.
"Look at you. Are you all right?"
"Eh, yes," Milo meowed.
"Do you think you can follow me
back to the shore?"
"I I I think so," Milo said.
"All right, be careful,"
his mother ordered,
and began swimming.
"All right."
"All right. I'm not going to yell,"
his mother said.
"I'm just glad you're all right.
Now dry yourself off, like this:
And follow me back home."
"Can't we swim back?" Milo asked.
"That was fun. Ha, ha."
"Milo! Get over here!"
The months passed,
and the farm was humming
with the sounds of summer.
Milo and Otis grew big enough
to play outside by themselves.
Milo had some new hiding places
he couldn't wait to try out.
Otis sniffed around the yard
for a while.
"You're in the pipe, Milo. Try again."
"How does he do that?"
Milo wondered.
And he tried another spot.
"Oh, not the old puss-in-boots trick,"
Otis groaned.
"Cat's in the can!" Otis shouted.
And Milo slipped off
to another hiding place.
It wasn't easy fooling a dog's nose.
Otis started following
his trail immediately
and found him again.
Milo tried a harder spot.
But Otis found him there too.
Now Milo needed a brilliant idea.
"Aha." He thought of a place
where Otis could never sniff him out.
It worked.
But Milo wondered
if it was really worth the trouble.
The following day,
the henhouse was in an uproar.
Milo and Otis went to see
what all the commotion was about.
Suddenly,
one chicken's voice rang out:
"Okay, you lot!
Clear out! Clear out!"
And all the hens left
in a clucking flurry
because that was Gloria talking,
a young chicken who had scratched
and pecked her way
to the top rung of the henhouse.
Gloria had a good reason
for wanting to be alone.
"There it is, fellas," Gloria cackled.
"My first egg.
Keep an eye on it, Otis,
while I spread the word."
Otis took the egg-watching
assignment very seriously.
"Did you hear about Gloria?"
"Oh, the egg?
So it finally happened."
"Is she staying at home with it
or is she going back to work?"
"Ha-ha-ha. You want me to kick it
back to you, Otis?" Milo asked.
"Now, stop that!" Otis said.
"I kicked it by accident.
We can't start playing games with
the egg. Now, just leave it alone."
"Look, this isn't funny," Otis said.
"Gloria gave us a job to do."
"How long do we have to
stick around this henhouse?"
"Until Gloria comes back.
Maybe you don't realize it, Milo,
but this is a major day
for me because
Well, maybe you don't realize that this
is the day I've become a watchdog."
Naturally, the sight of a dog
and a cat watching an egg
brought the usual string
of gawkers
and thrill-seekers.
Some strange noises brought Milo
out of the henhouse.
What was all this about?
"Hey, could you cut that out?"
Milo said.
Hey!
But the bird just ignored him.
"Hey!
Your singing stinks.
Will you quit it?
Hello in there."
"Otis, Otis, Otis, Otis.
Come here, Otis," a frog croaked.
"What is it?" Otis said.
"I'm supposed to be egg-sitting."
"Otis, it's your cat buddy.
He's got the whole farm crazy.
Do something, and quick.
Otis, come on."
The frog was right.
At that moment,
Milo was teasing a crab
that was waddling
through the farmyard.
But this time,
someone got the best of Milo.
"He deserved it," the frog croaked.
"Hey, he's my friend," Otis said.
"He still deserved it."
The trouble with guarding an egg
is you have to always be on guard.
And outside, Milo and Otis
suddenly remembered:
Ah!
The egg!
"Freeze!" Otis barked.
"Touch that egg
and you're dead meat!
I mean it, punk!" Otis growled.
"Just try something.
Make my doggy day."
"Lighten up. I didn't touch
your cruddy egg,"
the hedgehog grumbled.
"Probably rotten anyway."
Milo wanted just one more look
at that weird animal.
The noise attracted
a group of local snoops
looking to dig up some scandal.
But Milo's attention
was focused somewhere else.
"Milo," Otis said,
"I I I think we're having a baby."
The chick dried itself off,
looked at Otis and cheeped:
"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!
Mommy! Mommy! Mommy?"
"Oh, no, I'm not your mommy,"
Otis said. "Your mommy's a chicken."
The other animals told Otis he'd better
take the chick to Gloria, and quickly,
which he did. But the chick
kept coming back to Otis.
"Mommy."
"Mommy, Mommy,
ha, ha, Mommy, Mommy."
"I told you, I'm not your mommy,"
Otis said again and again.
"Now go back to Gloria.
Do you understand?
You're a chicken, not a dog. A chicken."
"Woof," the chick peeped.
"Woof, woof, Mommy."
Once again, they tried to make
the mixed-up chick
join the other chickens.
"Okay, you want to be a dog?"
Otis barked.
"Here's what you've got to do.
You've got to be a rough, tough,
mean, fighting dog, like this."
The chick didn't like
the sound of this at all.
"Okay, puppy," Otis ordered.
"Your turn. Give it a try. Give it a try."
"Mommy. Chicken mommy,"
the chick peeped, and ran to Gloria.
"Oh, it worked," Otis thought.
"I'll miss him. I'll miss him.
But at least he finally found out
that he is a chicken."
"Are you sure you know
where we're going?" Otis asked.
"Sure. The dock is right this way,
and you've never seen the river.
Come on," said Milo.
Phew. Otis had a feeling
there was trouble ahead.
"Wow, look at this thing, Otis,"
Milo said.
"Do you think we can eat it?"
"Who would eat something
that looks like that?" Otis replied
and continued on to the river.
And then it happened.
When Otis was just sitting
on the dock, wasting time
"Oh. Oh. Aah!"
Otis dried off and came back
to settle the score with that
That, uh, thing.
Milo, meanwhile,
stumbled on
an excellent hiding place. Ha, ha.
Ah, he was sure Otis would never
be able to find him this time.
"Surprise!" Milo shouted.
"I finally fooled you!"
"Milo," Otis barked,
"get out of there
before something happens."
But something did.
"Ha, ha. Quick, jump in! This'll be fun!"
Milo shouted. Otis didn't know what to do.
"Hey, this is great. Come on!
Hurry up, Otis! Come with me."
Maybe Milo was having a terrific time,
but Otis was pretty scared.
He knew he had to rescue Milo,
so he ran alongside the river,
trying to keep up,
and without much success.
Then Otis saw a bridge up ahead.
Maybe he could jump off the bridge
into the box if he hurried.
"Oh!" But he was too late. There was
only one way to catch up with Milo now.
"Oh, boy.
Here we go. Oof! God."
But that didn't work either.
Otis just couldn't swim fast enough
and the river took Milo
farther downstream.
Milo wasn't really worried
until he lost sight of Otis.
Suddenly he heard something
moving in the bushes.
Was it Otis? Definitely not.
Milo tried to duck low in the box
so the bear wouldn't see him.
But the box was drifting
right towards the hungry animal.
"Close call," said Milo,
poking his head up.
But unfortunately much too soon.
The bear saw what was in that box.
Then came Otis.
He surveyed the scene and he knew
sometimes a dog's gotta do
what a dog's gotta do.
Suddenly Otis started
swimming away
and said to himself,
"What am I doing?
That bear is 10 times my size."
And Otis came up
with a much more sensible plan.
He ran up on the riverbank, leading
the bear away from Milo. It worked.
The bear followed him
and forgot all about
the orange cat in the floating box.
Milo kept drifting along,
but he was getting a little concerned
because the river
was beginning to move faster
and faster.
Milo was all right,
except for being wet.
He'd lost track of Otis now,
and he was drifting
farther and farther from home.
By the time the moon rose,
the river had carried Milo
deep into the forest.
Now and then, he saw some eyes
flashing among the trees.
And he heard mysterious hoots
and growls
and cries in the night.
His trip down the river
wasn't fun any more.
It had turned into something
lonely and frightening.
He began to wish
he'd never jumped into this box
and he began to wish
he was home.
In the water, Milo could see
the reflection of the moon.
It seemed to be trembling
as much as he was
in the chilly, misty night.
Sleep was not possible.
He drifted on
through the darkness,
hoping to find the morning
waiting just around the bend.
When daylight came,
Milo saw a farm on the riverbank.
For one happy moment,
he thought he was home
and cried out for joy
But he looked again.
Those cows were all strangers
and he remembered
he was far away from his farm.
He didn't know when he would
ever see it again.
Otis had not given up his chase,
not by a long shot.
He was running along the riverbank
in hot pursuit.
To keep up his spirits, he began
singing a dog marching song.
Here comes the
dog Strong and brave, woof
Here comes the dog
Your life he
He then decided
to skip the whole thing.
Otis followed the river
until it flowed into the wetlands
and he came to
a forbidding place,
a place like none
he'd ever seen before:
The Deadwood Swamp.
A bog where skeleton trees
grew without leaves or branches,
and where no creature could live,
except for the dreaded
Deadwood birds.
And one of them was perching
on a familiar wooden box.
"Okay, punk," Otis barked.
"There's the box.
Now, where's the cat?"
"Poor cat. Cat so sad,"
the bird croaked.
"Look in the box."
Otis prepared himself
and peeked in the box
and saw only
a solitary black feather.
And the bird flew away, cackling.
In fact, Milo was nowhere
near the Deadwood Swamp.
After his box got stuck there,
he ran.
He ran from those birds
as quickly as he could.
Now he found himself
in a burning valley.
The ground was hot
and the smoke made his eyes sting.
He had to get out of there.
Milo ran until he came
to an open meadow
where he saw a kind of animal
he'd never seen before.
Feeling pretty hungry,
he immediately wondered,
"Is that something you can eat?"
Well, perhaps not, but even
if this creature wasn't food,
maybe he had some
hidden away. Heh.
"Hello, someone there?"
the fox called.
Milo kept himself well-hidden.
"Oh, well,
time for lunch break anyway. Ha, ha."
Which was exactly
what Milo wanted to hear.
He trailed the fox, waiting to see
just what was on his lunch menu.
"I must be very careful,"
Milo thought.
"I must make sure
I stay out of sight.
And above all,
I must keep absolutely silent."
"I know I put it around here
somewhere," the fox said.
"Oh, there it is!"
And Milo's mouth watered
when he saw the fox
holding a plump, juicy muskrat.
The fox felt someone watching him.
"Hello. Who's there?
No sense taking chances
with a lovely meal like this."
And he began burying his lunch
where he figured no one
would ever be able to find it.
"Yeah, here, my precious muskrat.
You should be safe there
till dinnertime," the fox said.
Milo crept slowly down the tree
and watched the fox
run over the horizon.
And then, once on the ground,
Milo knew just how to
get his paws on a big
tasty muskrat lunch.
Otis, meanwhile,
had traveled through the wetlands
to a beach full of clam holes.
A clam might be able to help him,
but how does a dog talk to a clam?
He remembered there was one
magic word everyone understood
and that was "please."
So he marched up to a clam hole
and said,
"Excuse me, please.
Aww. Oh."
But Otis had a bigger problem
than rude clams.
The clouds were getting
darker and darker
and a chilly wind
was whipping across the countryside.
Milo was several miles
from the beach
caught in the same storm.
He got a little wet
and he felt awfully lonesome
without Otis,
but at least he was safe.
At the shore
Otis was not so lucky.
The tide came in so fast
that the rock Otis
had been sitting on
was completely surrounded
by water.
Soon his dry rock
would be underwater.
The beach was far
and the water was rough.
Ah, he'd never be able
to swim to shore.
And the water was growing higher.
Now the water was up to his paws.
He'd have to try to swim.
He took a deep breath, but just
when he was ready to dive in
"Oh, not again,"
the sea turtle gurgled.
"Every time the tide comes in
some fool gets stuck out here."
Otis wasn't sure
what this turtle wanted.
"I say, look, do you want a ride
back to shore or not?
I mean, don't you know
I came out here to save you?"
"No," Otis said,
"I didn't know that."
"Well, now you know. Get on."
"Now, just stay on the shore, where
you belong," the turtle grumbled.
"Thanks for saving me," Otis said.
"Hmph. Thanks, nothing.
Next time the tide comes in,
I'll have to rescue somebody else.
What a life."
"You saved mine."
"I save someone just about
every month. Did you know that?"
"No," said Otis,
"I didn't know that."
"Well," said the turtle,
"now you know. Heh.
Oh, dear, back to sea."
Under a fresh, bright sky
Otis resumed his search for Milo.
He saw in the distance an animal
that he thought might be helpful.
"Ahh, God.
Ooh, much better."
"Excuse me," Otis called out,
"I'm looking for a friend of mine."
"I'm looking for someone
to play with," the fox said.
"Wanna race me
across the stream?"
"I haven't got time," Otis said,
sensing this fox
wasn't gonna be any help.
"Wait. What kind of animal
are you anyway?"
"I'm a dog, of course,"
Otis answered.
"How can you be a dog?
You have no tail."
Otis was outraged.
"I certainly do. Look."
"Ha! You call that a tail?
This is a tail. Ha-ha-ha."
And with that,
the fox jumped away laughing
Milo, far away,
stumbled upon a road
that looked clear and safe.
He marveled at this road
made of wood and iron
and decided to follow the road
and see where it would take him.
But then
Milo had ducked just in time.
"What was that?" he wondered.
"It could've run right over me."
But Milo was determined.
He made up his mind
to follow the wood and iron road.
Although he'd certainly keep on
the lookout for another of those
noisy animals.
The iron road led Milo
to a meadow of wild cotton blossoms.
Now Milo was plenty tired.
Maybe someone could help him
find a safe place to rest for a while.
Maybe someone like
her.
"You look tired and thirsty,"
a deer whispered.
"Follow me.
Bound with me through
fields of clouds," the deer sang.
"Um, I'm I'm not sure cats
know how to bound," Milo said.
"Well, just let your heart lead
and your feet will follow.
And we'll bound and leap,
like a gentle breeze.
Bound and leap,
like a zephyr set free.
Bound and, of course, leap."
"Well, I don't know. It just
doesn't look right when I do it."
"Frolic with me, friend.
Come, frolic. Frolic."
"Okay. Okay, look, I've got it.
I'm frolicking.
I'm frolicking. You see?"
"Ahem.
You can stop frolicking now,"
the deer cooed.
She showed Milo
to the cool water of a forest pool.
"I think I'm a little tuckered out,"
Milo said.
"Yes, it is possible to over-frolic,"
the deer murmured.
"Here, let me show you a place
where we can rest."
And the deer took Milo
to a soft, mossy spot
on the forest floor.
And Milo was asleep
within moments.
Otis knew he was
on the right track.
He had trailed Milo
from the Deadwood Swamp
to the fox's meadow.
And now, if he just kept going,
maybe he'd finally find
the friend he missed so much.
But now, it was the end
of a long day
of hard traveling.
As evening was falling,
Milo decided the safest place
to spend the night would be in a tree.
He settled down
and watched the sun set,
wondering what sorts of creatures
would begin stirring
after dark.
"And what are you doing up here?"
a strange bird said to Milo.
"Hiding from the screech owls,
I suppose."
"Sorry, sorry," Milo said.
"Does this nest belong to you?
I didn't know."
"Yes, and it's not just any nest,
I'll have you know.
I'm the night bird,
and that is a dreaming nest."
"What do you mean?" Milo asked.
"Well, dear cat,
anyone sleeping there
will have his sleep flooded
with dreams," the bird said.
"But it's a safe place,
safe from those screech owls.
So settle down in the nest,
dear cat,
and be prepared for the dreams.
They may be sad or frightening
or beautiful,
but sleeping in that nest
dreams will surely come."
And Milo's dreams began
almost the moment he was asleep.
First, a sweet dream
about being back on the farm
and seeing old friends.
And about the time his mother
left him
with a doting babysitter.
And then came a dream
that was very sad.
A dream about Otis
and how they used to play together
when they were young.
Oh, would it ever
be like this again?
Would he ever see Otis again?
It seemed so real.
Milo could almost hear
Otis' voice.
But it wasn't Otis' voice at all.
It was a cry for help
from down on the ground.
Milo woke up and, forgetting
all about the screech owls,
he climbed down the tree
towards the desperate cry.
Milo hid as an owl swooped down
and carried off a field mouse.
And though he was a little scared,
Milo still followed the cries for help.
Help!
Please, somebody help me!
Oh. Ow!
Ow, my leg is caught,"
the pig cried.
"And that bird, he'll be back."
"Take it easy," said Milo,
working quickly
to free the pig's foot.
"You're fine," Milo said.
"Now, do you know a place
where we'd be safe?"
"Well, back with my family,"
said the pig. "Come with me."
"Come on!"
The pig's family squealed with joy
when they saw him return.
And over the noise, the pig yelled,
"Hey, Mom, here comes the cat!
Yeah, the cat that saved me."
The pigs offered Milo
a place to sleep.
And the next morning,
he woke up and thought,
"These pigs are all right.
I mean, friendly and kind.
Just a nice bunch of pigs."
But then the mother pig squealed,
"Breakfast!"
And the table manners
of this family
came as quite a surprise to Milo.
The whole business was
a little too messy for any cat to take.
But that was the way it was done
at mealtime in this particular family.
Milo went to say goodbye
to his friend
who still had some breakfast
on his face.
"Come on," said the cat.
"You've at least got to keep
your face clean."
After goodbyes, Milo reflected
on the family he'd stayed with.
"Jeez," he thought,
"no wonder they call them pigs."
After a whole day of traveling,
Milo arrived at a brook.
In the water, he could see
some delicious-looking trout.
After some consideration,
he figured out
how he could catch one.
"That cat has got to be kidding,"
muttered a nearby raccoon.
But all at once
Milo caught one.
And the raccoon wanted it.
"Hey, cat, nice fish,"
the raccoon said.
"Too bad it's gonna be
the one that got away."
But the raccoon wasn't the only one
interested in Milo's fish.
They battled over the trout until
the bear caught sight of something
bigger and tastier:
A cat.
Milo knew he wouldn't have a chance
against the bear on the ground,
but perhaps in the air.
Milo was safe,
but never did get his lunch.
Pretty soon, he had another chance
for a meal.
"Some seagull eggs might be tasty,"
Milo thought.
But suddenly, up above
a seagull screamed,
"Cat! Cat! There's a cat
near the babies!"
A chorus of birds joined in.
"Cat! Cat!"
"Come on, peck him away!
Peck him away from the nests!"
The seagulls were pecking him,
hurting him.
There was only one way
for Milo to escape.
"All this just for a lunch?"
Milo thought to himself.
"Well, who ever heard of
eating seagull eggs anyway?"
Milo climbed out of the sea,
feeling salty, wet and cold,
and there'd been times
he'd looked a lot better too.
But at least he came to shore near
a shack that looked warm and safe.
He would have thought differently
if he'd known who lived in the shack.
Milo's fur was beginning to dry off
and he was feeling safe at last,
until he looked
at what was right outside.
"Oh!"
"Stay calm," Milo thought.
"It's all right,
as long as he doesn't
Oh, no!"
Milo tried to hide, but the bear
smelled the cat right away,
and Milo knew somehow he was
going to have to outsmart this bear.
"Okay, tough guy!
Come and get me!" he shouted,
darting back into a drawer.
The bear reached for Milo
with an open, hungry mouth.
"No, no, up here!" Milo yelled.
"Up here!"
"Come on, just reach in
and grab me!
Too late!
Hey, down here!
Wanna come in?
I'll help you.
I'll pull you in by your nose.
Which drawer has the cat?
Now, here's a little hint."
Now the bear was raging mad.
He'd had enough of rummaging
through drawers after a cat.
Now he was going to pull
the whole shack apart.
Phew. It looked bad,
but Milo had one last plan.
He jumped on top of the dresser.
The bear came closer.
Milo could feel the tips
of his claws.
And just when the bear
almost had him
"Perfect shot," Milo said,
feeling pretty good.
And the bear, knocked silly,
stumbled out of the shack,
wondering what hit him.
Milo was afraid
the bear would be back.
He thought he'd be a lot safer
hiding at the top of a tree.
But he was wrong again.
Climbing out of the pit
was impossible.
Milo called for help,
even though he knew it was useless.
Nobody would hear him out here.
But someone did.
Milo couldn't believe what he saw.
Could it really be Otis?
"Don't worry," Otis barked.
"I'll get you out somehow."
"Did you try climbing out?"
"It's too deep. See?" Milo said.
"I have an idea," Otis said.
"Climb it!" Otis barked.
I think it's too short
"Don't worry!" Otis barked.
"I've got another idea."
"Grab the end," Otis shouted.
"We did it!" Otis yelled,
opening his mouth by mistake.
"All right, hold on!" Otis growled,
making sure to keep his teeth
tightly clenched.
"Ha! Are you all right?" Otis asked.
"You have no idea
what I've been through.
Bears, snakes, even seagulls!"
But that was all behind them.
Now they were bursting with joy
because, finally,
they were back together.
"Listen. What was that?" Otis said.
They ran to the cat cries
and Milo was suddenly breathless.
"Hello. I'm Joyce."
"Joyce?"
"Joyce!"
Joyce and Milo seemed to get
friendlier and friendlier. Heh.
Otis had never seen
such ridiculous behavior.
Never.
"Joyce, come back with me
to my farm."
"I I don't know.
A farm isn't exactly my lifestyle."
"Oh, you'll love it!" Milo said.
"They'll all love you. I love you."
Joyce finally said yes.
And the three travelers began
the journey back to the farm.
Milo had a plan.
They would find the river
that carried him away
and follow it back home.
Joyce knew where a river
flowed through these woods,
so she led the way,
with Milo by her side
and Otis trailing behind.
"Are you sure you know where
we're going?" Otis said. "Huh?
I don't see any rivers
around here."
"Trust me," said Joyce.
Otis just growled.
"Come on, Otis!" Milo called out.
"We want to make it home
before winter."
"Otis, where are you?"
Milo shouted.
"Have you known him long?"
Joyce asked.
Finally, just as Joyce said,
they came to a river.
"I hope it's the right one,"
Milo said.
They followed it upstream,
hoping to see something familiar.
"Yes, this is the right river!"
Milo cried out.
"I'll never forget those waterfalls.
I told you she'd do it! Otis! Otis!"
Otis was feeling pretty rotten
about the way the trip was going.
Milo was always with Joyce
and hardly paid any attention to him.
So Otis made a decision.
"Um
you two follow the river.
I'm going over the mountains
by myself."
"Don't be a fool, Otis.
Stay with us."
"I'd rather go alone."
"Hey, where are you going, Otis?"
But he didn't answer.
And he didn't even look back.
Otis was only gone a few days
when the first snowstorm of winter
interrupted the journey.
Traveling through the snow
would be too dangerous.
Milo and Joyce knew they'd
have to find shelter in the woods
and wait until spring.
They took a cozy winter home
in a tree trunk.
While Otis trudged through the snow,
continuing on his way.
That afternoon, the winter sun
was warm enough to melt the snow
and it came tumbling down
from the trees.
Otis was all right, but he was sure
he heard a call for help
coming from somewhere.
Otis fought his way
through the snow,
heading towards
the voice in the woods.
"Where are you?" Otis hollered.
"Um, over here,"
whimpered a dog's voice.
"I I I can't dig out.
It's solid ice."
At first, Otis was exasperated.
But then he saw her.
"I'm Sondra," she said.
"Who are you?"
"Otis. I've never met
a dog like you, Sandra."
"No, Sondra.
It's a French pronunciation."
"She's smart too."
And Otis, for the very first time
in his rather serious life,
began acting very silly.
Now Otis began to understand
what had come over Milo.
He and Sondra kept on
romping through the drifts,
kicking up snow
and disturbing some of the more
proper neighbors.
Sondra had been
spending the winter
in a small but comfortable cave.
She and Otis decided
to stay there until spring.
And though a chill wind
was blowing outside,
the winter
suddenly seemed warmer.
Sometime later, during the last
weeks of the long winter,
Joyce was making preparations.
The time was drawing near.
"You okay, Joyce?" Milo asked.
"Want some more dinner?
Remember, you're eating
for eight now."
"Milo. Milo, I think it's time."
"Okay," Milo said.
"Remember the way to breathe?"
"I hope that turns out
to be a kitten," thought Milo.
"It is! It's a little girl kitten!"
"And six more to come, Milo.
Heh, Heh. Yeah."
That same day, not too far away,
Otis was in his cave with Sondra,
who was heavy with puppy.
"Is it going to be soon?"
"Well, any minute now, Otis,"
Sondra whispered.
"Oh. Oh! It's Otis, Jr.!
Oh! Ha, ha!
It's Otis, Jr.!
I'm a father! I'm a father! Oh, ha!
It's a boy! It's a boy! It's a boy!"
"Uh, Otis,
you ran out a little too soon."
"it's a litter! It's a litter!"
Milo watched as the kittens
got bigger every day.
And the puppies grew even faster.
"You know," Otis said, "we really
should think of names for them."
"Oh, I did that already,"
Sondra replied.
"I gave them all French names.
This one is Jean-Pierre.
That's Francois, and the one
on the end is Suzette."
As the kittens grew,
Milo soon noticed
that one of them was turning out
to look just like him.
"I'll bet that one's gonna
be trouble," Milo thought.
And Milo started remembering
when he was a little kitten
back on the farm.
He even remembered
the day he met Otis.
But as the cold weather
dragged on,
Otis and Sondra faced
a serious problem.
There was too much winter left
and too little food.
Otis knew he'd have to
go out and find some.
He remembered a pond
where he'd seen a bear
scoop up some fish
through a hole in the ice.
Maybe he'd be lucky
and find some fish there.
But the bitter, cold weather
had frozen over the fishing hole.
And the fish were locked
in solid ice.
And a blast of icy wind
signaled the start
of a winter storm.
It looked bad for Otis.
The wind was stinging his face
like needles.
His paws were numb
from the cold.
He was beaten down by the storm.
He had to rest.
Almost frozen,
Otis laid down in the snow,
ready to give up.
But then he began thinking
about Sondra and the puppies.
They were waiting for him back
in the cave, depending on him.
What would happen to them
if he never returned?
And Otis
Otis felt his strength renewed.
He forced himself up on his paws,
knowing that he had to
go on for Sondra,
for the puppies,
for dogs everywhere!
The storm finally died down,
but Otis had no idea where he was.
Then in the distance,
he saw a sign of hope.
He barked loudly to announce
that there was a hungry dog outside.
And a familiar form
appeared in the window.
"Look what the blizzard blew in,"
Milo said.
"You look hungry.
How about some fish?"
"Okay, but not for me.
For my puppies."
"You have puppies? Me too."
"You have what?"
"I mean, uh, kittens," Milo yelled.
Otis knew his family
would love to have these fish,
but how was he going to
reach them way up there?
Milo had it all worked out.
"Hey, Otis.
I've really missed you."
So Milo and Otis
made an agreement.
They'd meet in the spring
with their families
and all together
they'd travel back to the farm.
And spring wasn't that far off.
On the first warm day,
just as planned,
Milo brought out his new family.
And they waited for Otis.
Otis was having a little trouble
getting his puppies organized.
And on this glorious spring day,
all the animals
all around the countryside
were bringing their young
out into the sunshine.
The fox who hid the muskrat
now had a cub.
And so, of course, did the raccoon
who stole the fish.
And the deer was teaching
her fawn to frolic.
And Milo and Joyce
had their kittens.
Finally, Otis arrived,
and the two families
saw each other for the first time.
At first, they were a little
But then
Otis led the charge, and the puppies
ran towards the kittens,
eager to meet the cats
they'd heard so much about.
"This is your Uncle Milo,"
Otis said to his puppies.
"The one you pulled out
of the pit?" Francois asked.
And all the puppies and kittens
began to get to know each other.
"You're a strange-looking dog,"
Suzette said to Milo, Jr.
"You're dogs, we're cats,"
he replied.
Then Otis barked, "Hey! Hey!
Hey! All right, everyone quiet.
Quiet!"
And after the whole group
was gathered together,
Milo and Otis
led the way down the road.
The road that would take them to the
place where their lives had begun.
The road that would
take them home.
Now the journey's over
And we're heading back home
With a very good friend
You're never alone
Stories to tell, stories to hear
Be a lot more in the coming year
We're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
We're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
Such a great big world
It's all set up
For a curious cat
And a pug-nosed pup
Friends to meet, places to be
It's all so new and fun to see
And we're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
We're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
Saw a box and an owl
And a turtle and a bear
Different animals everywhere
Each one
Where they wanted to be
Some on the farm
Some living free
We're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
We're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
Now our story
Has come to an end
But we'll have more to share
My friend
Tomorrow morning
When the sun comes up
On a curious cat
And a pug-nosed pup
Oh, we're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today
We're gonna take a walk
Outside today
Gonna see
What we can find today