When Miranda's biological brother Emil
(http://community.webshots.com/photo/552460626/2554483110058511339DXQxaG)
arrived on the island, the terrible two gradually became the terrible
threesome. Caliban met Emil first. He hissed a bit. Emil flopped down on
the ground (he is the most non-aggressive cat I have ever met). Caliban
sat down and looked confused. All the other strange cats he had met so
far on the island had attacked him and chased him away (my other niece's
cats Kevin and Bella, my sister's cats Linus and Ronja). He had thought
attack would be his best defence. But this cat just lay down! Caliban
tried another hiss. Emil gave a slight hiss back, but didn't get up.
Finally Caliban, too, flopped down on the ground, and they spent some
time looking at each other.

They got up, did their own thing for a while, then looked at each other
some more. They circled a juniper bush, either cat's head popping up
above the juniper now and then to see what the other cat on the other
side of the bush was doing. Some more circling. Then they forgot about
each other - for now.

The next day, Emil was investigating the clump of grass where Miranda
usually rolls around when she is feeling especially good. From afar,
Miranda spotted him sniffing around the grass. Emil had her back to her.
So far, she had hissed and run away every time she saw him, but now she
started slowly creeping towards him. Every time he looked up, she froze
in her tracks, and every time he started sniffing at the ground again,
she crept closer with short quick steps.

When she was inches from him, she started to prepare for the pounce.
Wiggle-wiggle-wiggle of the bum, measuring of distance with the head
bobbing... Emil was oblivious, with his nose to the ground and his back
to Miranda. Some more wiggling... and POUN...

At that moment, Caliban came out of nowhere and jumped on Miranda.
Miranda jumped three feet straight up and landed on he cliff above Emil,
and took off running with a hiss and a growl. Emil was startled and came
shooting out of the tall grass with a 'What the...???' look on his face.
Caliban trotted a few steps after Miranda, then he stopped and looked at
me: 'I blew it, didn't I, Meowmie?'