So, to recap, Wolf is Kat’s pet cat who thinks he’s a dog. A tree is “is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves.”
Dunstana lies on the floor, gazing expectantly at Wolf.
She bites her lip to suppress her giggles as she thinks of the funniest joke, like, ever.
“Hey, Wolf,” she asks, unable to completely stop herself from snickering. “What’s a tree covered in?”
The dog-like cat quizzically tilts its head.
“Aw,” Dunstana groans. “Don’t leave me hanging here! What’s a tree covered in?”
“Grrrrr,” Wolf growls.
“No. That’s not right at all!” Dunstana groans. “Come on, it’s easy. Just tell me what a tree is covered in.”
“Woof!” says Wolf.
Dunstana narrows her eyes at the dogly cat. “Are you doing that on purpose?” she asks.
Wolf stares innocently back at her.
She blinks.
“Oh,” she mutters. “So that’s how it feels…”
Wolf continues to stare at her.
“Okay, so listen, Wolf,” Dunstana says. “If we get this right, I’ll buy you a nice piece of fish, okay?”
Wolf pads forward and licks Dunstana’s cheek.
“Okay. Deal. Cool,” Dunstana says. “But you have to keep your promise now, right?”
Wolf licks Dunstana’s cheek again.
“Okay, cool.”
She stares gravely at Wolf.
“Right, so when I ask What’s a tree covered in, you say —”
“Arf!”
“No. When I ask What’s a tree covered in, you say —”
“Borf!”
“Well,” Dunstana admits with a sigh. “Getting closer. When I ask What’s a tree covered in, you say —”
“Bark?”
Dunstana leaps triumphantly to her feet.
“Yeah! But let’s just make sure that wasn’t a fluke.”
She clears her throat.
“Wolf,” she asks. “What’s a tree covered in?”
“Bark!”
Dunstana falls to the floor and rolls around in the throes of fits of hysterical laughter. This is the funniest thing anyone in Realmgard has ever done. And Dunstana is feeling immensely pleased with herself for thinking up something so clever.
See, it’s funny because dogs go bark!, and a tree is covered in bark. So when you ask a dog what a tree is covered in, the dog — or in this case, a cat raised by a mother dog — goes bark!
Hilarious.
“Quick,” Dunstana says, scooping up Wolf and running out of the room. “We need to show Kat!”
At the sound of the little pirate’s feet pounding into the room, Kat cautiously opens her eyes on her beloved plaid couch and sits up.
She is not pleased to see Wolf dangling in Dunstana’s arms.
“What are you doing to my cat?” Kat asks hotly.
“Hey, Kat,” Dunstana says. “Check this out. Wolf, tell Kat what a tree is covered in.”
“Bark!”
Kat stares blankly, her gaze travelling back and forth between her hand and her little sister.
“I said, Hey, Wolf. What’s a tree covered in?”
“Bark!”
Kat continues to stare blankly.
“See,” Dunstana offers, “because a tree is covered in bark, and Wolf barks, so it’s funny when you ask him what a tree is covered in, because —”
A smile slowly creeps across Kat’s face and she stars snorting as the laughing starts. Soon, she has her face buried in her hands and she is wracked by the same fits of laughter that had visited her sister.
“Nailed it,” Dunstana says proudly.
FYI, you can also get you dog to describe the texture of bread:
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