The seasons changed quickly and winter began to approach. The colder months were hard on all of the cats; there was little food left in the tribal hunting grounds, which forced them to stalk into Pollicle territory, where many had been injured, or in some cases, even killed. This time was especially hard on Bombalurina, for her due date was quickly approaching and she could literally feel the tribe's eyes on her everywhere that she went. They were always observing her, always following her. No matter where she went or what she did, they were always watching her; and she hated it.
"It's just odd, that's all that I meant. It seems that the more Bombalurina needs our help, the more she tries to push us away," Demeter said, rolling over to face her mate who was half asleep and struggling to stay awake for her. "I thought that she would have wanted our help."
Munkustrap sighed before deciding to curl up around his mate in an attempt to sooth her. "Bombalurina has always been independent, you of all cats should know that."
"I know, but it just feels like she's hiding something from me. She's not acting like herself, Munkustrap," Demeter snuggled into him and licked his forehead. "Thursday, when I went over with Jenny to give her the blanket that she had knitted for her kitten, she completely tried to force us out of the den! It was completely unlike her! I'm worried. Bomba never wanted to be a mother. What if the responsibility is becoming too much for her to handle?"
Munkustrap raised an eyebrow and let a small chuckle escape his mouth. "Well Demeter dear, not that I've had much experience on the matter, but I think each queen has their own way with coming to terms with having a kitten. Let's just call it a mate's intuition, but I think that it's safe to say that if you were having a kitten, you'd be doing the exact opposite of what your sister is doing. The only way you would survive, would be because of all the cats helping you out. Your sister is just different."
Demeter shot up out of his grasp, and Munkustrap quickly realized that he had said the wrong thing. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean? Am I some kind of unsuited mother? Is that what you think?" Bearing her teeth at him, she quickly stood up and stormed out of the den entrance, leaving her mate with a baffled expression on his face.
Demeter angrily sat under an old armchair and peered up into the starlit sky. Was that what he really thought of her? That she was some dependent lunatic that needed to be constantly cared for? That she couldn't take care of herself? Her tail lashed back and forth. A sudden rustle from behind her quickly caused her furious train of thoughts to stop. "Oh! Jemima, you scared me! I didn't see you there."
Demeter smiled and the young queen sat down beside her. "I couldn't sleep. It's just such a nice night to look up at the stars; they're all so beautiful! It would be such a waste to have my eyes closed on a night like this." Jemima's eyes gleamed. "I also thought that you could use some company. So, what did our darling knight in shining fur do this time?"
Demeter looked down at the ground, an embarrassed smile gracing her features. "The longer list would be what he didn't do."
"I see," Jemima smiled understandingly and placed a comforting paw on Demeter's shoulder. Silently, the two queens continued to stargaze, reveling in the peace that the night brought, unaware of the events that were beginning to take place on the other side of the junkyard.
Bombalurina couldn't breath. The room was spinning and she couldn't manage to hold herself up any longer. Lying down on the floor, she let a whimper escape her mouth. The pain was horrifying.
Breathe, Bomba, breathe. Inhale, exhale. There you go.
She didn't need anyone else's help; she could do this on her own! A sharp pain in her lungs forced her to curl up into the fetal position. How had females done this for generations? This torture was unbearable!
Cursing Tugger's name, she sucked in a breath. She would get through this. She had to.
As the first few rays of light swept through the small cluttered den that Bombalurina called home, two bodies lay sleeping peacefully, curled up around each other. Stirring slightly, Bombalurina stilled, not wanting to disturb the tiny ball of fluff that was snuggled into her chest. Opening both of her eyes, she slowly turned onto her side and winced; all the pain from last night seemed to still unfortunately be with her. Her eyes widened as she caught the first glimpse of her newborn son in daylight.
Tiny leopard spots dotted the kitten's chest and wrists, while a thin tuff of fur around his neck, marked the beginning of a small mane. The only resemblance that he seemed to share with his mother was that he was lightly tinged with red fur, instead of black like his father. Damn it! What was she supposed to do now? There was no way that the tribe wouldn't recognize the resemblance that her kitten shared with his father. A tiny little mew forced the queen out of her desperate thoughts. As she glared down at the tiny ball of fur that was moving against her, she felt an instinctual pride and protectiveness well up inside of her. It surprised her how much an infant needed to be cared for, and how it was so dependent on its mother.
She found herself smiling. He was just so small, so innocent! He didn't deserve to be born under such circumstances- to be ridiculed for her mistakes! She wanted her son to have the best out of life- to have a family that would love and support him. She licked the kitten's forehead. She would protect him and make sure that no harm ever came to him. She knew that the tribe was having doubts toward her readiness to be a mother, but no matter what the cost to her was, no one would ever insult her son and make him feel inferior; she would make sure of that. As she stroked the infant's forehead, she felt a purr rise in her throat. He needed her. Someone actually needed her! The thought was almost incomprehensible. For once, Bombalurina wasn't about to deny her emotions. Her son needed her! And she finally wasn't afraid to admit that she had needed him, too.
