Chapter 6- Helping Hand

Jemima had fallen asleep sometime during the night. As the sun rose and fell across her sleeping figure, she awoke to find herself quite far from the main junkyard. As she lay there, trying to get a grip on reality, she heard footsteps. Skittish, she jumped up only to find Astrid heading toward her.

"Jemmie?" he asked, seeing her crawling across the ground, as if backing away from him in fear. He saw her eyes were red from crying, with bags under them from lack fo sleep. Her fur had become dusty and slightly matted from lying on the ground all night. She had now curled up into a small ball looking very helpless and upset. "Jemima? Are you okay?" he padded over and kneeled down beside her.

"A-astrid?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah Jem, its me.....shhhh....its okay..." he held her close as she scooted closer to him for comfort. "Jem what happend?"

They sat there for a while as Jem told him everything that had happend between her and Alonzo, including things that had happend between her and Pouncie as well. Astrid simply listened, comforting her as she cried or got angry during her stories. When she was finished he let go and looked at her sadly.

"Jem....can I try to help?"

"How?" she asked skeptically.

"Well.....it sounds like Alonzo's one of those toms that you'll always like, the kind of tom you like even when you don't think you do anymore. Thats usually the case for a lot of queens, it just happens, one of those things you can't explain. You can say you don't like him as many times as you want but deep down you know its not true, you still have feelings for him."

Jemima stared at Astrid, realizing how true his words were. No matter how hard she had tried to get over Alonzo before, she just couldn't. She had thought she was over him, but then the night he had kissed her came along and she realized that she definitly still had feelings for him.

"Wow Astrid.....since when do you give such good advice?"

"I dunno." he laughed.

They sat there, not talking as Jem tried to wrap her mind around the advice Astrid had given her. Suddenly, another thought came to mind."Hey....you do know Rumpleteazer thinks your cute right?" she teased.

A wide grin came to his face as she answered. "Yeah Sergei overheard you guys...."

"Soooo...."

"Sooooo what?"

"What do you think about her?"

"Uhm....I dunno, she's pretty cool. Not to mention cute."

"Awwww I'm gonna have to hook you two up." she stuck her tongue out at Astrid who laughed.

"Come on Jem I can get a girlfriend on my own."

"Would that possible girlfriend happen to be Teazer?"

"I dunno...maybe." he grinned at her, his eyes sparkling witht he thought of the calico queen.

Jemima giggled, thinking of Teazer's reaction if she knew Astrid was thinking about her as a possible girlfriend. She'd be giddy with happiness no doubt.

"Oh by the way, Munkustrap and Demeter have been looking for you. Since you didn't come home last night."

"Oh jeez....what am I gonna tell them? I can't just say I had tom problems....I wasn't even thinking about that when I ran off last night." she looked at him for help.

"Well you could tell them you lost track fo time an then got lost....you couldn't find your way back and I was lucky enough to find you this morning."

"Perfect. Thanks Astrid." she said with a smile. With that story in mind, Astrid led her back to the main junkyard. Sure enough, Munkus and Dem were worried sick and had called the whole tribe to help fine her. They were mostly just happy to see Jemima safe. She stuck to Astrid's story and they seemed to buy it. Though Jem couldn't help but notice that Alonzo was nowhere to be seen.

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