Electra ran to the woods, clutching the baby kitten to her chest with Mistoffelees hurrying behind her. She darted through trees and bushes, trying to find a safe place. Finally, she started to sag from tiring. The tortoiseshell collapsed onto the ground in a patch of oak trees, then set the unconscious kitten into her lap. It was a beautiful little thing, a pretty brown with a few goldy-tan streaks mingling in with it. Electra started sobbing. Why in Heavyside someone would kill a kit, she couldn't imagine. Let alone such a pretty little thing. Misto knelt beside her a looked at the small kitten. He gingerly patted Electra on the back in a comforting matter.
The queen calmed down slowly, until the sobbing was reduced to an occasional hiccup. Then she looked up at the tuxedoed tom. "Thank you so much for distracting them," she said. "I don't think I could have saved this poor thing without you," she said, looking down at the kitten, whose breathing was deep and even. She had begged Mistoffelees to go on a walk with her, and they had come across a couple of cats getting ready to slash the little princess to pieces. Misto had distracted them with some lightning, and Electra had grabbed the kitten and ran.
"Hey Lecs," Misto said, grabbing Electra's paw and spinning her and the kit around. Their eyes met, and some sort of spark went off. Mistoffelees stared at her for a second, then shook herself. "I gotta go. I told Victoria I'd meet her. Look, I'll tell Jenny about the kit, okay?" He jumped up, and without meeting her eyes said, "I'll talk to you later."
Electra deflated as she watched him run off. Sadness filled her heart. She stared after where he had disappeared. She sighed and looked at the kitten, then hugged it close to her. Then she started singing, partly to herself and partly to the innocent soul she was clutching with a small, sad smile on her face.
"Hands touch. Eyes meet.
Sudden silence. Sudden heat.
Hearts leap in a giddy whirl.
He could be that boy,
But I'm not that girl.
Don't dream too far.
Don't loose sight of who you are.
Don't remember that rush of joy,
He could be that boy.
But I'm not that girl."
Electra stood up with the kitten and slowly swayed through the forest, heading towards the junkyard. She sighed sadly, and with the same little smile continued to sing, absently looking at the kit.
"Ev'ry so often we long to steal
To the land of what-might have been.
But that doesn't soften the ache we feel
When reality sets back in..."
The queen found her way back into the junkyard. She past by one of the more secluded parts of the junkyard, and the moonlight reflecting off of something, causing a pearly sheen to fall on the ground caught her eye. She backed up a few paces, and saw Victoria showing Mistoffelees a few ballet steps. He said something, and they both started laughing. The pang of jealousy was almost too much for Electra. She turned away with a long sigh, then slowly walked to her den, singing again.
"Blithe smile, lithe limb.
She who's winsome, she wins him.
White fur, shines like a pearl.
That's the girl he chose.
And Heaven knows
I'm not that girl."
Electra took the kitten to her den and fixed a spot for her. She curled up next to the kitten, and fell into and uneasy sleep.
A few hours later, she was awakened early the next morning by Jennyanydots, who bustled in. "I'll just take the kit now, dearie," she said reaching for the little princess. Electra jumped up and hissed at the Gumbie Cat. Jenny recoiled, then gave a glare to the younger queen.
Electra gave a guilty look, then straightened up and cleared her throat. "Sorry," she said quietly. "I just...I want to keep her," she said.
Jenny recoiled again, but this time from shock. "Electra, do you know how much responsibility it is to raise a kitten?" she asked.
"I do know. But I want to keep her," the queen said, bending down and stroking the kit.
"Well then," Jenny huffed. "What are you going to call her?"
Electra's eyes got bigger slightly. "Ummm..." she looked at the kitten. She thought hard very quickly, running over names in her head. "Adara," she said finally. The kitten started to stir, then its mouth opened into a silent mew.
Jenny's eyes bugged out. "It's eyes haven't opened?" Electra shook her head. The Gumbie Cat huffed, then picked up the kitten and inspected her. "Well, I can tell you something. She was the runt of her litter. She's probably going to have some health issues. Are you positive that you want to take her?"
Electra nodded firmly, then gently picked up the kitten from Jenny. Then she looked at the older queen. "Do you have something I could feed her? And something to feed her out of?" she said weakly.
Jenny sighed, then hurried out. She returned with a couple of bottles and a container of white powder. "All you have to do is put three pinches of powder in the bottle, then fill it with water." She sighed, then looked at the kit. "Good luck, little one," she said. Jenny left the den silently, watching over her shoulder as she walked.
Electra looked down at the kit. Then she gently placed it on a soft pillow of hers, and made a bottle like Jenny told her to. The queen picked up the kitten, and stuck the bottle in her mouth. Adara drank the bottle quickly, then let out the softest sigh Electra had ever heard. The little brown and gold kitten cuddled up against Leccy's chest and promptly fell asleep again.
The tortoiseshell queen sighed again, but this time with a small smile on her face. She gently set her new kitten on the pillow again, then curled up around it and fell asleep.
"You can do it!" Electra said, crouching on the ground and holding her paws out. "Come on! Come to Mommy!" Adara looked at her adoptive mother with scared hazel eyes, clutching desperately to the leg of an old table. "You can do it, Adara! Walk to Mommy!" Electra said again. The kitten took one tentative step towards the queen, then pulled her paw back and shook her head. "You can do it! I know you can!"
"Scared," the kitten said.
Electra smiled. "It's okay. You can do it!" The kitten took one step. Then another. And another. "Come on, Adara! You're almost there!" The kitten took a few more hurried steps, then fell into Electra's arms. "Good job!" the queen said, standing up with her kit in her arms. "Do you wanna go show Aunt Jemmy?" she asked.
Adara looked at her mother. Then she nodded. Jenny was right. She was the runt. Already two moons old, and only just learning how to walk and talk. She was kind of weak, which scared Electra. She would be the oldest out of her generation of kittens, because most of the queens Electra's age hadn't found a mate yet, let alone had kittens. In fact, Rumpleteazer was the only one that had found a tom. And that was Mungojerrie. Nothing changed except for the fact that she stayed with him now instead of with her parents. Electra had been scorned and shunned by her friends for taking in the kitten, even by her own sister. The only one that respected her choice was Jemima, who had been similar situation as Adara as a kit.
Electra carried her kit to the main clearing, ignoring the stares and whispering. "Jem!" she called to her friend, who was lounging on Pouncival's chair with its owner. The rust-black queen looked down, then smiled. She poked Pounce, then dragged him down with her to see Electra and the kit. The patched tom was slowly beginning to accept the fact that she had a kit. Electra placed Adara on the ground, who automatically clung to the queen's legs.
"Hi Lecs! Hi Adara," Jemima said bending down to look at the kitten. When Pouncival stayed silent, Jemima turned to look at him, glaring, then dug her elbow into his stomach.
"Ow!" Pounce yelped. Then he cleared his throat and bent down. "Hi Adara," he said, glancing at the rust-black queen nervously.
"Look at what we learned this morning," Electra said, detaching the kitten's arms from around her legs, then whispering into her ear, "Walk to Aunt Jemmy!" Adara looked at Electra with hazel eyes, then turned to Jemima, who backed up a little bit and smiled. Then Adara walked the few steps that were needed to reach the petit queen and latched her small little arms around Jemima's stomach.
Jem squeaked. "That's awesome!" she cried, grabbing the kitten into a hug and nearly jumping up. Then she bent down again and placed the kit on the ground. "Can you walk to Uncle Pounce? Huh? Wanna walk to him?" she cooed, holding Adara's shoulders gently. The kitten glanced at Electra, who smiled and nodded. Then the kitten slowly walked to Pouncival and latched onto his leg. The tom looked down in amazement at the warm little thing wrapped around his leg. "Pick her up," Jemima whispered to him. Pounce gave her a scared look, but bent down and gently grasped the little thing. He brought Adara up to his chest, where she latched on and pushed her head up against his neck.
"Awww," Electra and Jemima cooed at the same time. Pouncival shot them looks as he awkwardly held the kitten, who gave a yawn. Her eyes fluttered, and then she was asleep, snoring lightly, against Pounce's chest.
"How adorable," Electra breathed.
"I agree," Jemima said, nodding. "Pounce, you're good with kits!"
The tom gave her a look. "Leccy? Uh...could you take her?" he asked. Electra giggled, then gently took Adara from him.
"Jemmy?" she said. "What's up with the 'Uncle Pounce' thing?"
Jemima smiled. "Well, 'Lectra? Can't you guess?" she said, wrapping Pouncival's arms around herself.
Electra's face broke into a grin. "I would squeal," she said, "But I with kitten." She nuzzled Adara's head.
Suddenly, Pouncival and Jemima's expressions changed. "We'll...talk to you later, Leccy," Jemima said, then they both turned and quickly walked away. Leccy's face was confused, until she heard the voice.
"Hey, Lecs."
The queen whipped around to face Mistoffelees. "H-hi Misto," she choked out.
The tuxedoed tom gave her a small half-smile. "Look, I know I've been a really rotten friend the past couple of moons. Can you forgive me long enough to let me talk to you?" he asked.
"Sure," Electra said, nodding. Misto motioned for her to follow him, and he led her down to the lake.
"I- I wanted to ask you for some advice," he said, sitting down on the grass. Electra copied his motions, and settled Adara in her lap.
"What's up?" she asked, looking at him with intense green eyes.
Misto sighed, then ran a paw through his headfur. "I need to ask a queen something really important. But I don't know how to do it," he confessed.
Electra gave him a small smile. "It's easy. Just ask her like you would anything else. But make sure you have her full attention if it's really important," she added.
Misto seemed comforted by this. "Alright. Thanks, Lecs. You're the best friend anyone could ever have," he said. He kissed her forehead quickly, then smiled. "I gotta go talk to Vicky. See ya later, kay, Lecs?" he called over his shoulder as he ran off.
"Okay," Electra called, but he was already out of sight. She sighed sadly and looked down at her sleeping kitten. She knew exactly what he was going to ask Victoria.
"Don't wish,"
she sang.
"Don't start.
Wishing only wounds the heart.
I wasn't born for the rose and pearl.
There's a girl I know,
He loves her so.
I'm not that girl."
Cats (c) ALW, TSE, RUG. Wicked (c) Stephan Schwartz.