Nyisha

by Starsinger

Nyisha is Spock's cat, the one caught in the middle of the paintball game being perpetrated by Cadets Pine, Urban, and Shatner in my Cadets chapters of Star Trek Dribbles and Drabs. I thought it might be fun to do a fic from her POV. Don't own them.

The sharp cries of a young animal penetrated Spock's consciousness. His head peered into the dark, rainy night. Spock looked around the wreckage that was San Francisco. His thoughts going back to his friends in the hospital, one fighting for his life and the other trying to help him. Spock was determined to find the source of the cries and help, if he could. With a little luck, and his sharp hearing, he located the source of the cries.

Spock looked at the wreckage of the building, and heard the whimpers under a corner of the building. It had collapsed, but the small section in question was just a little bit of rubble atop it. Spock knelt down and started digging. The rain and dark making it more difficult. When he finally reached the bottom, he found the unfortunate bodies of a mother cat and four kittens. In the corner, crying its heart out, a small, grey and white ball of fur, its eyes barely open, sat huddled. It had wandered away from its mother and siblings, exploring, and it had saved her life.

Spock stroked the mother cat's body, sorrow conveyed in his strokes, before he reached forward and scooped up the tiny ball of fur. He pulled out his comm, "Nyota, what would a very young kitten eat?"

"A what?!" Nyota asked. Her voice puzzled, and somewhat sleepy. He had apparently awakened her from much needed rest.

"A young kitten who survived the rubble left by Khan," Spock responded.

"Oh, Spock…" Uhura breathed. "I'll be there when you get home." When Spock arrived at the quarters assigned to him by Starfleet, Uhura was indeed waiting. She held a tiny bottle in one hand, and a bag of kitten food in the other. "I didn't know just how young, so I came prepared," she said.

Spock nodded as he handed over the kitten, "It was still with its mother when I found it."

Uhura turned the protesting kitten on its back, "Well, for one thing, it's a girl. What are you going to name her?" she asked. She presented the bottle to the kitten. After several tries the baby latched onto the nipple and began to suckle. Uhura pulled her to her chest and cuddled her.

"Maybe Isis?" Spock said.

"Does she REALLY look like an Isis?" Uhura asked with a laugh.

Spock drew a deep breath, "No, she looks like a Nyisha."

Uhura leaned forward and kissed him softly, "I think Nyisha is a wonderful name."

Spock found himself waking every two hours to feed Nyisha. The next morning he brought her in a pet carrier to Starfleet Headquarters so he could keep her schedule. The Admiralty looked at him oddly as he entered the room for his scheduled debrief with the pet carrier. "I found this kitten in the ruins last night," he explained. "She needs to be fed every two hours, and I couldn't leave her alone."

Admiral Barnett stared at the Vulcan for a moment before starting in on his questions. An hour later they were interrupted by the insistent cries from the carrier. Without missing a beat Spock brought out a newspaper, a cloth, a bottle, and tiny kitten. The female Admirals and the secretary all "ooooohhhhed" at the sight. He proceeded to feed Nyisha as he continued to answer their questions. They didn't bat an eye as he finished feeding her and rubbed her back side with the soft cloth in his hand. He put her back in the carrier as she dropped off to sleep.

They went through four more feedings before they broke for the day, "She's adorable, Commander, how does Lieutenant Uhura feel about her?"

"She approves," he said succinctly. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to Zurich to check in on the Captain."

Nakimura drew breath, "All our prayers, Commander, go with you. We wish for Jim's recovery more than you could ever know. How's Pike?"

"Dr. M'Benga told me that Admiral Pike is recovering surprisingly well considering he died several times before stabilizing," Spock responded. He left the building and went to the transporting area. He had been given permission to do so because of the intense media scrutiny outside the gates. Spock and the Enterprise crew were heroes and were being practically stalked. Kevin Reilly had been practically run down by a reporter while visiting a friend in South Carolina, and many of the crew were given security escorts.

Spock materialized near the hospital and entered through the main entrance. McCoy gave him a tired smile as he emerged into the ICU. "I see it's true, you rescued a kitten. Would you like me to look at her?" Spock nodded. Spock set the carrier on the table by Jim's bedside. Bones opened the carrier and extracted the little animal. She protested as Bones held her in the palm of his hand and scanned her. "Okay, she's pretty healthy. You found her before she could suffer any permanent damage from starvation, and she has no injuries. Keep her on the kitten formula for another four weeks, but in another three weeks you can start getting her used to solid foods. Congratulations, Spock, you're a father!"

Spock nodded, acknowledging the responsibility to the life he had picked up off the streets. Bones unexpectedly put Nyisha on Jim's blanket covered chest. She mewed quietly before climbing up to Jim's chin. She butted her tiny head against his chin insistently, as if trying to get him to wake up. "Not today, little one," Bones murmured. "I hope it will be soon, though." He rubbed a finger on her forehead. She purred.

Spock soon left, Nyisha in tow. He slipped quietly into bed with Nyisha tucked beneath his chin. He didn't know what would happen, but he was determined to make her life better.

Yes, a cat fic. Encouraged by friends at jim_and_bones. My thanks to them! I don't know how often I'll update this fic, but it will when I feel like I need a pick me up, that's for sure.