Maternal Instinct

“WilyKit?”

Pumyra and Cheetara leaned over the kitten’s bed and called her name gently. Their slight faint had been brief. They had recovered over night. But WilyKit was still out like a light. More than that, she had just recently acquired a fever but it wasn’t high. Tygra guessed it was from shock. Shock typically did that to Thunderians.

“Tabithina!”

Pumyra and Cheetara immediately jerked back to the kitten when her shrill voice rang like a bell. Turning around, they saw the Thunderkitten, kicking, thrashing, in a panic. Her forehead broke out in a sweat and salty tears began to stream from her eyes. She called the name ‘Tabithina,’ again and her voice choked.

Pumyra rushed to her side and immediately tried to restrain her rapid movements. Cheetara meanwhile rushed off to get the others. Pumyra would need help. Cheetara knew WilyKit inside out and knew when she felt like it, she could be amazingly strong.

“WilyKit!” Pumyra tried desperately to get through to the cub. She stopped shouting and tried to get to Kit’s consciousness with gentle words. “Kit please, answer me. Please!”

“Tabithina!” she cried again. “Tabithina!”

Pumyra was close to a panic when a strong voice entered her thoughts.

“Pumyra! Here!” she turned and the orange tiger thrust a needle into her hand. She nodded and gestured to the kitten. Tygra bit his lip. The puma pulled the child up and Tygra readied her left arm for the injection. Thunderians were famous for their art of healing. This wasn’t a tranquilizer. It would numb her muscles. Then they could analyze what caused this wild fit.

It took all the tiger’s strength to hold the kitten’s arm still enough for the injection. Even with the full force of his strength, the kitten’s arm still wobbled. Pumyra saw this too and cursed silently. WilyKit’s not that strong. She silently murmured. Not even in fear is she that strong.

“TABITHINA!” the Thunderian girl shrieked aloud again. Tygra wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms across her chest. Luckily, the girl’s tantrum was beginning to die off. Her strength faded.

“Pumyra,” the architect said slowly. He looked up. “Go get Pantro.”

She swallowed hard. When he called Pantro into a situation like this, it worried her. Both the panther and tiger had extensive knowledge of biology and history. Not necessarily knowledge to be healers but knowledge she lacked.

“Kit, wake up.” Tygra tried again. She shivered. The tiger hugged her tightly. Just then Pantro torn in.

“Tygra what’s…Dear Lords.”

Tygra nodded. Thunderians didn’t normally have to be restrained but now Tygra had had no other choice. Pantro sat down on the bed. He opened his arms and Tygra transplanted the shock-worn child into the panther’s powerful arms. If she went into a fit again, Pantro could restrain her.

But as Tygra prepared to go retrieve the others a soft gentle voice startled them both.

“No.”

“Kit?” Pantro asked softly, a voice he saved for rare occasions. The kitten in response shuddered.

“No, please please no.”

Tygra sat back down. The kitten’s eyes were open but she didn’t see him. Her pupils were a little glazed over so Tygra knew then.

“Semi-conscious Pantro. She doesn’t know where she is.”

As he said this, the architect reached over into the sink near sickbay’s bed and wet a washcloth with lukewarm water. He lifted the child’s face and stroked her cheeks with it. She sighed.

“No, don’t let them take her.”

“Who Kit?” Pantro once more tried to get through to her. For the first time, Kit seemed aware he was there. Her eyes rolled upward and she answered slowly,

“Tabithina. Don’t let her get hurt.”

The tears came then. Silent, desperate tears. Tears of self-worthlessness, of failure.

Tygra smiled but it wasn’t the smile that he usually wore of content. It was a smile he used to try to calm down someone when he was worried himself. Kit buried her face into Pantro’s shoulder. Then to their shock, the kitten curled up into a ball, something she hadn’t done since her fifth birthday.

She was scared.

“What about Tabithina?” Tygra tried.

“We’ll listen,” Pantro assured her. Kit looked up, a smile slowly invading her face.

“Actually,” she said slowly as she crawled from Pantro’s lap. “I need to talk to Cheetara and Pumyra. It’s a girl thing.”

Pantro and Tygra nodded. They left promently and in a few minutes the healer and psyhic entered.

Cheetara sat down at the head of the child’s bed and Pumyra took the foot.

“Okay, Kit,” Cheetara started. “What brought that little hissy fit on?”

Kit shrugged. “I don’t know. I just remember the dream.” At this, the tears rose again and kit put a hand to her eyes to try and hide them. Pumyra smiled gently and put her hands on the cub’s shoulders.

“What dream, kitten?” Cheetara asked gently as she scooted closer to the adolescent.

Kit sighed. “I’m alone. In this dark room. The only light I see is this dark red glow. An evil glow. Then I hear this shriek and then hands shoot from the ball of light and the next thing I know I’m clutching at this child’s hand and trying to prevent her from being sucked in. All the while I’m crying, “Don’t leave Tabithina!” Then, she disappears and I fall to the ground and lose my strength. Before I wake up, I always hear her scream for me to find her mother.”

Kit stopped talking and buried her face in her hands. Pumyra and Cheetara couldn’t think of what to say so they merely held her and stroked her hair. They kept muttering, “It’s be alright.” But they both knew it wouldn’t. A Thunderian female would rather die than fail a kitten. From the minute they were born, the instinct was there. They knew that Kit’s failure to save this girl would haunt her until she figured out how to alter this dream.

* * *

Tabby sat up and felt the sheets fall from around her. She liked Willa and Nayda. They were very kind to her. But she was only six. She missed her home. Tears clouded her vision. She cried out as if she would be heard.

“Mommy! Come get me! I wanna go home!”

Continued

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