It was midnight. The moon shined brightly through the crack of the tunnel inside the trash. Anyone within three feet of the narrow entrance could hear the commotion from inside. Yet, the area was completely empty, and the only noise was coming from the burrow. Describing the events taking place inside would make me quite uncomfortable, so I will skim over what I can.
The noise made it very clear it was a painful experience for the female voice. Someone was yelling instructions, but not angrily. The voice was raised so that the message could be heard. Five minutes later, a gold Queen was excited to see the faces of her six newborn kittens. Her mates eagerly holded her hand, quite excited about the addition. They were approached by an orange tabby, whose face was damp with tears as she held a small kitten tight. "Out of the six, only one is still with us."
The golden Queen started to sob hysterically. "Five of them gone! Its his fault! It must be! Did he use his magic to sabotage me?" Her voice was grief stricken.
"Dem, why would he do that? They are his kittens after all," her mate tried to calm her down.
"He wants me to feel pain! He doesn't care about his kittens! He is angry I ran away!" Tears rolled from her eyes. "Oh Munkustrap, five kittens are dead now! And I don't understand why. Was I the problem? Or was it him?"
"Demeter, you should be thankful for your new kitten. I'm here to protect. As your mate, I promise I will help you raise this kitten. And together we can be a family, and forget all about him," Munkustrap's voice was soothing as he stroked the distraught Queen.
"Oh Munkustrap, what did I ever do to deserve a wonderful Tom like you. I consider myself quite lucky."
"I am the lucky one," he kissed her paw gently.
"But this kitten," Demeter started with a serious tone. "We must wait until it is older to tell it who its father is and what he had done to me. A kitten should never have such worries."
Munkustrap nodded, "I agree. No need to fill a kitten's mind with such wretched thoughts."
The orange tabby watched this whole conversation holding the young kitten. She smiled and cried for them at the same time. Their story lifted her heart and broke it. She did not want to disrupt their conversation, but the hungry kitten began to wail. "Would you like to hold your new daughter?" she asked them with a squeal of delight.
"Of course," Demeter responded, and the tabby set the kitten down on her mother. "Thank you for everything, Jenny."
"It's my pleasure. I do enjoy uniting Queen and her kitten for the first time." Jenny smiled at the new family. "I'll give you some privacy." Jenny turned and left in a very graceful movement. Her mannerisms were perfect, and her posture was incredible.
"What are you going to name her?" Munkustrap asked with a smile.
"She will be your daughter too," Demeter shook her head, but with a grin. "You should have a say."
"What about Gemma?" Munkustrap suggested gently.
"What about Jemima!" Demeter's eyes went wide.
"That's perfect! Jemima it is!" Munkustrap said excitedly.
The couple looked down at the kitten. She had a white face and a white patch on her chest. The rest of her fur was black except for beautiful tufts of red. Her unopened eyes were big, and she was beautiful. "She will be the most beautiful Queen to ever be a member of our tribe." Demeter said excitedly.
"So she'll be just like you?" Munkustrap put his hand on her shoulder. He smiled down at the kitten.
Just then, a ball rolled into their den. It was being chased by a young kitten of five weeks. "Oops! Sorry!" He apologized to the couple as he snatched his ball.
"It's quite alright," Demeter said. She was very fond of the child. When she was pregnant, she watched him and his mother, Jellyorum, so she would be prepared for her own litter. To Demeter he stood out from his littermates, for his mischievous yet caring personality. "Would you like to meet my new kitten?"
"Sure," Pouncival said excitedly. "Is it a boy or girl?" He peered down at the little kitten that was resting on Demeter's stomach.
"Girl. Her name is Jemima," Demeter smiled at the young boy.
"She's kind of funny looking isn't she? And really small." Pouncival cocked one head to the side and looked at the young kitten.
Demeter laughed. "She's a newborn!" Once her laughter calmed down, she answered his second statement. "She was the runt, you see."
Munkustrap stood by, smiling at them. Pouncival was a nice kitten, and he was glad Jemima would grow up with kittens that would become gentlemen and kind Toms.
"What about her littermates?" asked Pouncival, to naive to realize how that question could have a dismal answer.
"She's the only one. The rest didn't make it," Munkustrap cut in, so that Demeter did not have to answer that question.
Pouncival looked down at her sadly. Jemima would be an attractive Queen some day, he decided.