Drew's Trouble with Cats and Roaches Pt. 14

Kitten glued herself to Drew and kept her eyes on the smaller spider. His nervous movements were making her nervous. The female spider finally reached out during one of his skittering movements and smacked him. That quieted him down and made it more comfortable for all in the small hut.

Drew sent a mental message that friends were coming and they would learn to talk together. In the heat, the large female stopped most of her vibrating and she seemed to settle in and lower herself to the floor. She sent a message of thanks. He felt her gratitude was for the heat and that they would allow her and her mate in their nest.

Everyone took a deep breath and realized this meeting of species was going to be special.

***

The large shuttle landed and disgorged the most motley collection of beings Drew had seen in a while. It was mixture of species with one Avian Xeno. Eddie headed up the entourage of three scholars, several biologists, two xeno-linguistic scientists, one being Eddies mate and one slim Chinese interpreter who now governed one of the colonies.

Drew stood in front of the doorway and stopped the entourage before they crossed the threshold.

"To all of you, if you have any reservations in being in close quarters with two spiders, one being much bigger than you are, now is the time to go back to the shuttle. My hut is not large and she, the female is quite impressive." Drew stopped to look everyone in the eye. No one moved.

They all passed by him, Eddie leading them in. Drew just waited for the new governor to pass by. He held up his hand signaling for her to stop.

"Governor, I would not have expected you to be here. May I ask why you are on this mission? We are not quite ready to have diplomatic relations."

She shivered and looked up at him for a second. He finally noticed she was only dressed in a skirt, button down blouse and simple flats. Drew pulled his coat off and wrapped it around her, she grabbed the edges pulling the warm fabric close to her body.

"My first degree was in biology with a focus on Entomology, the study of insects. My Masters was concentrated on Arachnology, the study of spiders. My doctorate focused on the potential for the use of spider silk as a substitute for petroleum based plastic threads. When I landed, someone brought me the windblown threads from the jungle spiders. They are amazing." She seemed giddy, frozen giddy, but giddy nothing the less

"And now you are talking to them" she said trying to clap her hands in joy through the layers of his protective coat.

***

Drew sat with his feet propped on a coffee table. He was feeling melancholy and he was drunk. Thing One and Two lounged, on the sofa next to him, they were drunk too. They leaned on him from either direction. Empty beer bottles littered the table and the adjacent floor where the Other young lord had staggered into the table while trying to hand Drew another beer. The Clan Queen and her entourage were obliterated and half or more were asleep.

For Drew it was the most successful negotiations he had ever been part of.

It started with an idea, that came from a simple concept, 'there were not enough cats in the three separate clans to rule anything.' 'So' thought Drew "combine them under one Lord or Queen.' Of course, easier said than done. But the introduction of tequila into the negotiations seemed to be the defining factor.

His melancholy came...because they chose him.

He had high hopes that he could play ambassador to Earth for a bit and then settle down and build a cabin in the woods near the refuge. Then the issue with Tiffany suddenly burst into being and he knew he had to lead at least the first of colonization efforts. He had hopes of playing advisor and building that cabin in the 'free space' he had left at the caldera on continent Atlantis. He had cheated and put hundreds of thousands of acres in his own name at the top of that mountain. He did it, so he could make sure it stayed open for all inhabitants.

There was a beautiful valley with a native type of tree and flowers where he could build his cabin and have a garden...not now.

He just wanted to be normal again.

His adventure had started with his adventure into space.

Then it shifted to survival with life as a slave under the cats.

Then he awoke in a chair on the bridge of a warship and realized he was in charge.

He fought to keep his Pride alive by going home.

He fought humanity to keep his Pride safe.

He fought Other cats to keep his Pride safe

He killed one he loved, to keep his Pride safe.

He just wanted to be normal.

He wanted to spend his time growing a garden. Playing with his children. Taking walks with Elsa. Just being normal.

Now, he was Lord Protector of three clans and the responsibly to turn them into one, the Pride. The Pride now numbered over 400 cats and he was responsible. Always responsible.

End of Chapter 14