Worlds Apart Pt. 02

"You alright?" Jamie asked, watching Liz feed Bren from one of the packets. She looked oddly forlorn now.

"It's just...a really special part of their lives is coming to an end," she sighed. "It was so short, it flew by so quickly. Breastfeeding is a form of bonding, and we won't have that anymore."

"You can still bond," Jamie insisted. "Come on, they've imprinted on you like baby ducks by now. You can cuddle with them and play with them all you want."

"I know I'm being silly," she added, "but I can't shake the feeling."

***

After some weeks, the kittens were entirely weaned off their milk and were eating the Bug honey exclusively. Holly had given them a large enough supply to last a good while, so there was no danger of running out any time soon.

The next step of the process was to start introducing solid foods. The kittens all had at least some teeth now, and the accumulating number of destroyed toys was a testament to that fact. This was where Jamie was totally out of his element. He could look up hundreds of articles on the development of babies and their needs, but there was no documentation concerning the diet of Borealan kittens. He had to rely on the experience that Liz had gathered during her time on the homeworld.

The Borealan diet was comprised primarily of varied meats, but they also ate grains and gourds. Fruit wasn't on their radar, as they had no affinity for sweet flavors. Jamie was more than a little surprised when Liz gave him a shopping list that included pumpkins.

"Pumpkins?" he asked skeptically, eyeing the list on his tablet as he threw on his coat. "I've seen big cats play with pumpkins on intranet videos. Is it something to do with that?"

"Pumpkins are the closest thing I can think of to our native gourds," she explained. "I sent off an email to the UAS guys just to check, and they told me that the kittens should be able to eat pretty much anything that I eat. We just have to watch out for citric acid, so nothing sourced from lemons or oranges."

"Will that make them sick?" Jamie asked, pulling up his zipper.

"Nah, it'll just piss them off," she replied. "Think about biting into a lemon, now imagine that the taste is a smell, and it's a hundred times stronger." Jamie grimaced at the thought, Liz nodding her head. "Yeah, right? So, if you can't find pumpkins, squashes would also be alright. Besides that, it's just a lot of meat. We'll boil it, make sure it's soft and easily digestible. We don't really need to worry too much about nutrition yet. We have enough Jarilan honey left over that we can take our time with this."

Jamie made a quick trip to the grocery store on the nearest plaza, soon returning with four shopping bags laden with food.

"Did you get any pumpkin?" Liz asked, taking some of the bags from him.

"Yeah, I got two," he replied. "You didn't say what size you wanted, so I got the biggest ones that I could find. They had canned stuff, but I thought fresh was probably better."

She lifted one of the orange globes from the bag, testing its firmness in her hands and giving it a sniff.

"Yeah, I think this'll do. I'll prepare it like I would an Elysian gourd."

"How's that?" Jamie asked, depositing the rest of his bags on the kitchen counter. "I don't even know how to cook a regular pumpkin. I know you can make them into pies."

"We'll bake it so that the meat's nice and soft," Liz replied, leaning down as she played with the touch screen on the oven. "Why don't you start boiling the meat?"

"Alright," he replied, starting to fill a pot from the faucet. "I got some cuts of beef from the deli. I think the owner is going to be seeing a lot of us over the next few months."

"Beef is good," she said, pulling out a baking sheet from one of the overhead cupboards. She lined it with cooking foil, then turned back to the pumpkin, cutting it into even halves with one stroke of a large knife. Once that was done, she started to hollow them out with a spoon, removing the seeds and stringy fibers until only the orange flesh remained. There was a lot less there than Jamie had expected, a layer of meat maybe an inch thick lining the outer skin. She placed them on the sheet face-down, then slid it into the oven, closing the door.

"That should take about an hour to cook," she said, pausing to rake a little orange mush from her finger with her prehensile tongue. "How's the meat coming?"

"Fine so far," he replied, watching the water in the pot bubble. "Aren't we going to season it? Seems a bit bland, even for a baby."

"I don't think we'll need to add anything other than a little of that Jarilan honey," she replied. "They're crazy for that stuff. I'm guessing they'll just follow the scent and eat whatever we put it on."

"What does that stuff even taste like?" Jamie wondered.

"Why don't you find out?" Liz asked, giving him a grin.

"See, when you look at me like that, it makes me think that you already know what it tastes like and you just want to mess with me."

"You'll never know if you don't try it," she replied with a shrug. "That question will never be answered. You'll stay awake at night, staring at the ceiling as the curiosity burns inside you."

"Alright, alright," he grumbled. She took his place by the stove as he made his way to one of the crates that were stacked beside the fridge, flipping the lid and reaching inside. He unscrewed the cap on one of the containers, Liz watching him expectantly. He gave it a suspicious sniff, but it didn't smell like much to his dull nose.

"Go on," Liz prompted, Jamie giving her a suspicious glance.

"I'm gonna."

"Chicken," she chuckled.

Not wanting to contaminate the container, he squeezed a little of the amber gel onto his finger, then sealed it back up. After a moment of hesitation, he licked it off, rolling it around on his tongue. It had the same consistency as honey, but where his instincts had insisted that it would be sweet, it was actually salty. He grimaced, Liz cackling at his expression.

"Okay, that wasn't what I expected," he grumbled. "It tastes like...pureed bacon, but without the smoky aftertaste. Yet there's no way you could reduce meat down to this consistency. Man, that's weird."

"Jello is made from gelatin, which comes from the bones and ligaments of animals," Liz explained. "Ever eat a gummy candy? It's pretty much just boiled skin and tendons. Whatever the Jarilans are doing, I think they're rendering down animal proteins and somehow adding extra nutrients to the mix, which probably explains the consistency. It's like some kind of concentrated super-food."

"Maybe we're better off not knowing how they make it," he replied as he set the container back down in the crate.

They played with the kittens while they waited for the food to cook, Jamie rolling Hazel around on the foam mat as she wrestled with his hand. He had noted that the kittens were developing claws as well as teeth now, which meant that their already impressive climbing abilities would soon grow even more troublesome. The plastic pen might not be enough to keep them contained for much longer.

"Looks like the food will be ready soon," Liz said. "We'd better assemble those high chairs we bought."

"I don't think I've ever seen them stay still for the length of time it would require for them to eat a meal," Jamie said. "This might be a challenge."

They unpacked the chairs and slotted them together, ending up with five of them all lined up in a row. They were simple, plastic high chairs with food trays. It just so happened that they had been able to find a model that had a slot in the backrest where a Borealan's tail could fit through, kind of like the plastic chairs one would often find in schools.

"Do they sell baby-sized crash couches?" Jamie joked, eyeing their handiwork. "I feel like being able to restrain them would be beneficial here."

"Stop fucking around and go pick a test subject," Liz replied. "Maybe Daz, she's always pretty cooperative."

Jamie returned to the pen and plucked the little blonde kitten from the pile, who immediately started to tell him all about her day in incoherent baby babble. The other kittens tried to climb up the fence, wanting to see what was going on outside, their underdeveloped claws scrabbling on the plastic.

"Hi, Daz!" Liz cooed. "You ready to try your chair?"

She lifted the tray as Jamie slotted Daz into the seat, maneuvering her wriggling tail through the hole in the back. He closed the tray, the baby slapping her furry hands on its surface, captivated by the colorful patterns in the plastic.

Jamie entertained her while Liz returned to the kitchen, plating up a scoop of warm pumpkin and some small, bite-sized cubes of boiled beef. She brought them over and set the plate down on the tray, Daz eyeing the mysterious substances.

Liz scooped up some pumpkin in a plastic spoon, bringing it to her mouth and taking a bite. She chewed conspicuously, making sure that Daz was watching.

"Mmmm," she said, returning the spoon to the plate. "What's this, Daz?"

The baby watched, flapping her arms in her seat as a spoonful of pumpkin neared, Liz letting her sniff it. Rather than open her mouth, Daz brought her little hand down, slapping the spoon out of Liz's hand. Pumpkin splashed her top, Jamie struggling to stifle a chuckle as she scowled at him.

"Not a word from you," she grumbled. "Alright, round two. Come on, Daz. Yummy!"

Daz resisted, turning her head away, trying to wriggle out of her seat. Liz tried another demonstration, making a show of eating the pumpkin paste, but the kitten wasn't having any of it. Every time the spoon neared her lips, she'd turn her head again.

"Try the meat," Jamie suggested. "Maybe she'll like that better."

"This is pretty much what I expected," Liz sighed. "I wondered if they'd eat without the honey, but I suppose not."

Liz picked up a cube of boiled beef, skewering it on her claw, Daz watching as she chewed it. When it was the kitten's turn, Daz refused again, looking away.

"She really has an attitude for someone who can't even speak yet," Jamie marveled.

"One more try," Liz muttered. "Come on, Daz. Eat the tasty beef cube."

"No!"

Jamie and Liz froze, slowly turning to glance at one another.

"Did she just...talk?" Liz whispered.

"I think she said no!" Jamie marveled, his stomach starting to flutter with excitement. "See if you can make her do it again!"

Liz brought the cube to her lips once more, the baby pulling away.

"Come on, Daz. Tasty beef!"

"No!" the kitten complained, pouting as she struggled to free herself from her plastic prison.

"I can't believe her first word is no," Jamie chuckled. Daz didn't see the humor in the situation, the frowning kitten glancing between her parents as Jamie's laughter was joined by Liz's. "Oh my God, where's my phone? We need to document this."

He retrieved it from the coffee table and turned on the camera, encouraging Liz to try feeding the baby again. They got another couple of no's on video, then relented before they upset her too much.

"I wonder what the UAS guys are gonna say about this one," Liz mused as she fetched a container of Jarilan honey. She mixed a little of it with some pumpkin on the spoon, then offered the concoction to Daz. The kitten leaned forward to give it a suspicious sniff, then opened her mouth. She gummed at the edge of the spoon, having never eaten before, only knowing how to nurse. When she managed to get some of it into her mouth rather than down her pink onesie, she seemed to enjoy the taste, even if most of it escaped to fall to the tray. As Liz withdrew the spoon with the intent of mixing up another batch, the baby grabbed it, Liz giggling as she let her take another clumsy bite.

"Yeah, I don't think this is going to be as difficult as we expected," Jamie said.

CHAPTER 13: DOMESTICATION

It wasn't long before the kittens had all transitioned to solid foods, eventually not even needing the enticement of Jarilan honey to eat. There was still a good amount of it left, so Jamie and Liz treated it more like a supplement due to its obvious nutritional benefits. They ate primarily pumpkin and boiled meat, with a few human foods that they showed an interest in here and there. Cheese and butter were some of their favorites, and whenever Liz and Jamie were eating fish, they made enthusiastic attempts to escape their pen.

By the sixth month, all of the kittens were starting to walk. Bren had been the first to take some tentative steps without his walker, and the rest had quickly followed. Now, they toddled around the room whenever the door to their pen was open, the less confident Hazel preferring to use a walker some of the time as she found her equilibrium.

Playtime was now a mad rush to keep the kittens contained before they could escape deeper into the apartment.

***

"Are you ready?" Jamie asked, standing beside the gate to the playpen, the kittens crowding the other side. They knew what was coming. Their little ears were pricked up, their bright eyes wide.

"Ready," Liz replied with a nod.

He swung open the gate, and the kittens piled out, jostling each other as they made a mad bid for freedom. In a second, four of the kittens had spread out into the apartment, while Hazel stopped to hug Jamie's leg. She tugged at his pants, looking up at him expectantly with those big, doe eyes. He reached down and picked her up, the kitten gripping the collar of his shirt in her little hands, resting her furry head under his chin. She was becoming a real daddy's girl, more interested in cuddling than racing around with her siblings.

Jamie looked up, watching as Liz crossed the apartment in a few long strides, catching Bren as the agile little kitten tried to get up on top of the kitchen counter. He scrabbled his way up, using the cupboards beneath it for leverage, his claws finding purchase on the doors. Just as he got his little mitts around the lip of the counter, she plucked him from it, Bren kicking his digitigrade legs in protest.

The kittens weighed a good twenty-five pounds now, and they were far more mobile than a human baby would be at their age. They could get around about as well as a two-year-old, and their more developed claws made them excellent climbers. If Bren wanted to reach something, he generally could, and all of the drawers and cupboards had to be sealed now to prevent the kittens from finding a way inside. Jamie had even caught Kenneth trying to use his spoon as a lever to pry open the fridge.

As soon as Liz set Bren down, he raced off again like a little wind-up toy, his clumsy gait making him wobble. Perhaps it was their tails that contributed to their mobility, helping them balance where a human toddler would have face-planted into the carpet.

Jamie made his way over to the couch, sitting down with Hazel, stroking her head as she clung to him like a baby monkey. Dazka seemed jealous of her sister, clawing her way up onto the couch, the faux-leather now streaked with tiny claw marks where the kittens had scaled it.

She flopped down beside him on the cushions, glancing up at him, loosing a string of half-formed words. He caught a few dada's and a couple of no's, but most of what she said was still nonsense. Daz was the most talkative of the litter, and she always seemed to imitate her mother, as though Liz had a furry little clone. Toza and Bren had said their first words, too, but Hazel and Ken were still pretty quiet.

Jamie lifted her into his lap, where she settled, rubbing her furry ears as he watched Kenneth waddle past with his prized spoon in hand. It had now been chewed so much that there was only a handle left, which made him look like he was carrying around a makeshift weapon, like a prison inmate who had whittled a shiv from a toothbrush.

There was a clattering sound, followed by a loud "Toza!" from Liz.

The kitten had climbed the dividing wall between the kitchen and living area, leaping onto the dining table, where his sharp nose had immediately located the butter dish. He was now in the process of fleeing with his prize, Liz giving chase as he made for the nearest cabinet. He squeezed his little body into the gap behind it, Liz struggling to get her large hands into the space.

"Little monster is learning," she grumbled. "He knows I can't reach him back there. Jamie, come get him before he eats that stick of butter and vomits all over the carpet."

"Alright, come take the girls," he replied. Liz walked over and lifted one kitten in each hand, Hazel digging her claws into his shirt as she struggled to keep hold of him.

"I'll be back in a minute," Jamie chuckled, taking her little hands and unhooking her talons. Liz took his place on the couch, the kittens climbing on her, Daz babbling in her ear. Liz was visibly overworked, but for a species with such a reputation for being short-tempered, she was remarkably patient with the children.

Jamie knelt beside the cabinet, trying to coax Toza out from his hiding place. He was jammed in there pretty deep, the stick of butter that was clutched in his hand already matting his fur as it began to melt.

"Come on, big guy," Jamie crooned. "Give daddy the butter. It'll make you sick."

He reached for the baby, but Toza just wriggled deeper. One option was to have Liz pull the cabinet away from the wall, and Jamie could try to snag him as he bolted, but he had a better idea...

He walked over to the crates beside the fridge, each one now firmly closed with a bungee cord to prevent theft, opening one up. The sound of the hinges alerted every kitten in the room, their little ears swiveling in his direction. Hazel and Daz dropped down off the couch, while Ken and Bren appeared from beneath the kitchen table, the four of them toddling over to him. As he turned to glance over his shoulder, he caught a pair of blue eyes peeking out from the shadow behind the cabinet.

"What have I got here?" Jamie asked, making sure to rustle the packets of honey. "I guess everyone is going to get a packet besides Toza. What a shame..."

The kittens crowded him as he unfastened the lid on one of the packets, passing it to Kenneth, who immediately sealed his lips around the plastic mouth. He sat down on the spot, sucking the fluid from the transparent container, put into a kind of trance like a baby with a pacifier. Jamie handed out a packet to each kitten, Bren scurrying away to eat his share somewhere he could better defend his treat.

Ever so slowly, Toza crept out from his hiding place, his fingers sinking into the malleable stick of butter as he clutched it in his hand. Jamie waved a packet of honey, and he approached, eyeing his father warily. When he reached out to take the packet, Jamie quickly snatched the butter from his hand, exchanging it for the more desirable snack. The kitten completely forgot about his prize the moment he tasted the honey, Jamie examining the stick of butter. It was covered in little handprints and hairs...

He brought it over to the sink and washed it as best he could before returning it to the dish, which he moved to the top of the fridge to discourage future thefts. The kitten's hand and forearm were still matted with butter, but at least licking it off would occupy him for a little while and keep him out of trouble.

Jamie returned to the couch and flopped down beside Liz, who draped an arm over his shoulders, pressing his face into her chest through the fabric of her shirt.

"You'd be in high demand as a babysitter back on Borealis, you know."

"Yeah?" he asked.

"You're good with the kids. It's hot," she added, giving him a nudge. "Gonna fuck your brains out when I'm not so exhausted."

"Well, that's something to look forward to."

***

The UAS scientist lifted Bren in his gloved hands, examining the struggling kitten. He set him back down in the pen, then made a few notes on his tablet computer. Another of the scientists was taking a blood sample from Daz, pressing a dull implement against her arm. It was a microsampler, designed to extract very small quantities of blood for analysis, and was reportedly far less painful than using a traditional needle. Daz didn't seem to notice. She was far too busy playing with her rattle, tapping it against the foam padding that made up the floor. The man then slotted the tubular device into a handheld scanner, tapping at the touch screen for a moment as he waited for the computer to display the results.