Worlds Apart Pt. 02

She glanced up at him with those big, brown eyes as she carried her book over to him, standing there with her tail flicking back and forth behind her. She held it up, showing him the stylized princess on the cover.

"Can you use your words?" Jamie asked.

She lowered it, seeming to consider for a moment.

"Dada," she chimed. "Baba."

"Come on then," he said, patting his thigh. Hazel hurried over and passed him the book, climbing into his lap, watching eagerly as he opened it up. Sure, they could have just given the kids a tablet computer to play with, and it could even have read stories to them. But this was a bonding experience, and more importantly, it was a way for the kittens to start learning about reading. They were approaching nine months now, and they were getting smarter by the day. They were very talkative, even if their language skills were currently limited to strings of random vowels and consonants. The kittens would try to copy what Liz and Jamie said, and they would mimic their gestures. They could point to their favorite toys, they knew their own names, and they were becoming far less clumsy with their hands.

"You really want me to read this one again?" Jamie asked, turning to the first page. Hazel reached out to tap at one of the pictures with her hand. "Alright then."

He read through the story, letting Hazel turn the pages on her own, guiding her eyes with his finger as he read off the text. He didn't know how much of it she really understood, maybe she just liked the sound of his voice, but it was always this specific book that she chose. It was a story about a princess who lived in a castle, the usual fare for little girls, the simplistic pictures depicting colorful scenes with smiling characters. Did she see herself differently from them? Did she know that she was a Borealan, and they were humans?

He looked up, noticing that Liz was watching him. She gave him a wave, taking a bite of her sandwich as Toza tugged at her pants. She dropped a small piece of chicken to satisfy the hungry kitten, then made her way over to the couch, sitting down beside Jamie.

"What did I miss?" she asked, draping an arm around his shoulders. "Do I need a recap?" She reached down to stroke Hazel's head, the kitten leaning into her furry hand.

"Well, you missed the subplot about how the princess rides a pony, but I think you can follow the overarching themes of wearing pretty dresses."

"I am known for wearing pretty dresses," she replied sarcastically, taking another large bite of a sub sandwich.

"You joke, but I remember how good you look in a sundress."

As he continued to read, Toza climbed up as well, nestling himself between his parents. The other three soon woke up, wondering what all the fuss was about, climbing up to join them. Before long, Jamie and Liz were covered in a pile of sleepy kittens.

"Let's stay here for a little while," Jamie whispered, setting down the book on the armrest once Hazel had fallen asleep. "Look at them. It would be a crime to wake them up."

"Agreed," she replied, watching Bren's little ears twitch in his sleep.

***

"Is the cake ready?" Liz asked, Jamie kneeling in front of the oven as he opened the door.

"Yeah, but it's not really a cake," he replied as he pulled it out. He set the pan on the kitchen counter, Liz walking over to join him. "I know that Borealans don't like sweet flavors, but meatloaf for a birthday cake?"

"They'll love it, trust me," she replied with a wink. She leaned over beside the fridge, Jamie hearing the creaking of hinges. She emerged with a handful of transparent containers full of amber liquid, the Jarilan honey that Hollyhock had given them as a parting gift so many months ago. "This is the last of it," Liz said, gazing down at the three packets. "Feels like the end of an era, doesn't it?"

"I can't believe it lasted this long," Jamie mused.

Liz took his place next to the counter, unscrewing the caps from the packets one by one and upending them on top of the meatloaf. She used a bread knife to spread the syrupy substance around, treating it like icing on a birthday cake. Once that was done, they pushed five birthday candles into the loaf, one for each kitten. Jamie lit them, and they brought it over to the table where the kids were sitting in their high chairs. Their eyes reflected the flickering of the candles as it was set down in the middle of the dining table, full of wonder at the strange sight.

Liz and Jamie began to sing a birthday song for them, and some of the kittens were more amused than others by the display. Daz clapped her hands along with the beat, while Hazel kept her eyes locked on the wavering flames.

"You have no idea what's happening," Jamie said as he began to cut the cake into slices, plating one up for each kitten. "But you're one year old today. Well, one Earth year. I'm not really sure how that's going to work, but congratulations."

He and Liz blew out the candles, as the kittens were too young to do it themselves, then set the plates on their trays.

"Damn, you were right," Jamie muttered as he watched the carnage that ensued. "They really do like it."

Even a human baby of their age wouldn't be able to use cutlery yet, and Borealans commonly ate with their fingers, the kittens gripping handfuls of meatloaf and shoving it into their mouths. It was a messy affair, as were most of their meals, but Liz and Jamie watched with satisfaction as they showered the surrounding area with half-chewed meat.

When the meal was over, and they had eaten their fill, they cleaned themselves with their barbed tongues just as Liz did when she got food on her hands. With a little extra help from a damp washcloth, they were safe to release, the kittens relocating to the couch for a nap. Jamie had noticed that the older they got, the more they seemed to stick together. Maybe it was some kind of early pack behavior. He wasn't quite sure.

"I think that was a success," Liz said, planting her hands on her hips as she admired the mess. "It doesn't feel like a year has already passed."

"How much maternity leave did the embassy give you?" Jamie asked. "I know they were generous, but we need to start thinking about what we're going to do when it runs out."

"I'll have to get in touch and ask them when they want me back," she replied. "We still have savings left that we can eat into, but I don't want to be looking for a new job right now."

"What about me?" Jamie asked.

"With what we'll save not having to pay a nanny, I think you're more valuable here than at the supermarket," she said as she reached down to ruffle his hair with a clawed hand. "Hold off your job search for now. You're great with the kids, and I'll feel a lot better knowing that you're here to look after them."

"So...I'll be a stay-at-home dad for now?"

"Before you get all emasculated, remember how worked up it makes me when I see you being all responsible and fatherly," she added with a toothy grin. "You looked out for me practically my whole life, you fawned over me when I was pregnant, you're better with the kittens than any Borealan parent I ever saw on the homeworld. Maybe this is your calling."

"I'll do it," he replied. "But on one condition."

"What's that?" she asked, cocking her head curiously.

"When you get back from work, you'll watch the kids for an hour or so. I haven't been for a real run since we left Jarilo, and I feel like my muscles are turning to mush."

"Deal," she chuckled. "Can't have my Jamie going all soft on me."

***

"Mama," Daz demanded, rubbing her tearful eyes with her furry little fists. Jamie lifted her out of the playpen and cradled her in his arms, the kitten nuzzling her face against his shirt, inadvertently wiping her nose on it. He gave her ears a scratch, which seemed to calm her a little. The other kittens were starting to get upset, too. Whenever one of them was unhappy, they all were.

"It's alright, Daz," Jamie crooned. "Mama will be back later, she has to go to work. She hasn't vanished."

His reassurances did little to persuade her, so he reached into the pen for her favorite toy, picking up her rattle. He sat down on the couch, waving it in front of her, her sniffles stopping as her ears locked onto it. She watched the colorful toy, reaching up to bat at it, seeming to enjoy the sound it made when she slapped it. She was so small right now, but as an adult, a strike like that could probably have decapitated the average human. He had noted that the kittens often played like, well...kittens. Most of their games were playfighting, practice for dominance bouts, mock stalking.

So far, they hadn't played with any other children. With so many siblings, they had no need for playdates. Still, perhaps it would be wise to socialize them a little more, lest they be too rough with their more fragile human counterparts. Jamie's forearms were already covered in small cuts where they had inadvertently caught him with their sharp claws during play. Liz could be incredibly gentle when she wanted to be, so he knew that the kittens could do the same. They just had to learn.

Once Daz had calmed down, he checked around the apartment to make sure that it was safe, then opened the gate to the pen. The kittens came flooding out, most of them heading straight for their discarded toys. Hazel made her way over for a quick cuddle, then waddled off when he set her back on the carpet. He watched her curiously as she began to play with one of her picture books, flipping through the pages clumsily. She was a long way off being able to read, but she babbled quietly to herself as she admired the pictures, perhaps mimicking Jamie when he read to her.

Bren and Toza were engaged in a high-speed chase, their little feet pounding on the floor as they raced around the circumference of the apartment. Bren barreled into a dining chair, knocking it on its side, the clatter disturbing Hazel. She looked up to glare at her boisterous brothers, then resumed pretending to read.

Jamie would have leapt to his feet in a panic to check if Bren was alright if he were a normal child, but he had quickly learned that the kittens were nigh impervious to damage. He had always found the idea of Borealan parents being hands-off as strange, not understanding why any responsible caregiver would leave their young child to its own devices, but there wasn't a lot that could damage a Borealan kitten. Sure, drowning, electrocution, falls, and other dangers were always a factor, but they were remarkably sturdy for their size.

As he had anticipated, Bren shot out from under the dining table none the worse for wear, Toza soon catching up with him. He pounced on his brother, the two of them tumbling along the carpet, their fur too thick for their mock bites and scratches to do any real damage.

An idea occurred to Jamie as he watched them playfight...

***

"A dog?" Liz asked, pausing with her fork an inch from her mouth. "We have five kittens in the apartment, and you want to throw a dog into the mix? Do you know how much extra work that would be? What if it craps on the carpet, and the kids go playing with it?"

"Think about it," Jamie replied, cutting off another slice of beef tenderloin. He dabbed it in gravy, then brought it to his mouth, Liz waiting as he chewed. "Dogs are pack animals," he continued, pausing to swallow. "It would fit right into the family. I also feel like the kids need to learn how to interact with creatures that are more fragile than they are. If they go to kindergarten and start wrestling with the other children, we're gonna have problems."

"It's not like they're savaging each other," Liz replied. "When one kitten is too rough with their siblings, they cry, and that helps them learn what the limits are."

"Yeah, the limits for a Borealan," Jamie added with a wave of his fork. "A one-year-old human is a hell of a lot more susceptible to injury. How did you learn to be gentle with humans?"

"I guess I was always pretty timid as a kid," she replied with a shrug. "Being a runt always put me at the bottom of the litter, and I never did much roughhousing. I knew to keep my claws to myself."

"The same might be true for Hazel, but not for the others," Jamie mused as he prodded at his meal. "I feel like getting them a puppy would be a big help. It's this little, fragile creature that they'll learn to take care of."

"When would you have time to walk it?" Liz asked. "We live in an apartment with five kids that need constant attention. I know that you like running, but I don't think you'll be able to leave the kids alone for that long if it needs to go out to pee."

"Hmm, you might be right on that count," Jamie conceded.

"You do bring up kind of a good point, though," she admitted. "What about a cat?"

"A cat?" he repeated, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah. Cats are indoor pets, they can be taught to use a litterbox, and they're pretty independent. You won't have to leave the kids alone to take care of it."

"There's something odd about a Borealan with a pet cat," Jamie said, staring into space as he imagined the scene.

"It's no different than a human with a pet monkey," she added with a grin.

"Exotic pets are legal in this state," he replied, Liz shaking her head at the suggestion.

"Oh no, we are not getting a monkey. The ratio of felines to primates in this apartment is just fine as it is."

"Then, a cat it is."

***

Kenneth pressed his pink nose up against the glass window of the pet store, transfixed by the sight of a python in a tank on the other side. The albino reptile curled itself into a tight ball, its forked tongue flicking out as it watched the kitten leer at it.

Liz lifted him up and unhooked his leash, slotting him back into the pouch on her carrier as they entered the store. Controlling all five of them inside a veritable wonderland of things to touch and destroy would be a challenge. The employees watched with wide eyes as the strange couple walked inside, the kittens' heads swiveling back and forth as they took in the new sights and smells.

There were aisles stocked with pet toys and treats, and the walls of the building were lined with tanks of colorful fish, along with incubators for reptiles and baby animals. Liz made her way over to the fish tanks, giving the kittens a better view, their eyes sparkling as they watched the tropical pets swim around.

"Need help finding what you're looking for?" one of the employees asked, approaching Jamie. He was a young man wearing a purple apron with the company's logo emblazoned on the front. He paused to glance at the kittens that were strapped to Jamie's chest, not knowing what to make of them.

Toza was the first to introduce himself, loosing a string of nonsensical baby-talk as Hazel watched quietly.

"Yeah, thanks," Jamie replied. "We'd like to adopt a kitten. I know it looks like we already have plenty of kittens to go around, but these aren't the kind you buy from a store."

"I can see that," the man said, glancing over at Liz. "Well, if you'd like to come take a look at what we have, the puppies and kittens are at the back of the store. Our kittens are fostered from a local shelter," he continued as he led Jamie down one of the aisles. "We don't sell animals from mills."

The employee took Jamie over to a pen, not unlike the one that the kittens played in, and he leaned over the fence to see two dozen little cats. They must be a few weeks old, as their eyes were open, and most of them were playing. Toys were scattered about their enclosure, and they had cat trees to climb on. Hazel and Toza immediately started to kick their legs, enraptured by the sight. It probably looked just as appealing to them as it did to the cats.

"These guys range between twelve weeks old to a couple of months," the employee said, swinging a leg over the barrier as he stepped inside. "They've been spayed and neutered, and they have all their shots. If you want to pick one that you like, you can take it home today. We sell cat kits with a litter box, food, toys -- enough to get new owners started out."

Liz came over to join them, watching as the man snagged one of the cats, scooping it off the floor. It was a tabby with a fluffy coat, the little animal mewling loudly as he presented it to them. The kittens were fascinated. This might as well be an alien creature to them, their wide eyes locking onto it as it peered back at them with equal confusion.

"Feel free to pick them up and handle them," the employee said. "They're all socialized. At least, they're used to humans. Might want to keep the, uh...young children away until they've had time to acclimate. I'm not sure how they'll react."

"They might just think they're other cats," Liz replied, the employee nodding his head in agreement. The comparison was so obvious, but he had probably held his tongue, not wanting to be insensitive in front of his alien customers.

Liz reached into the enclosure and scooped up one of the kittens, the tiny creature spitting at her angrily as she clutched it in her giant hand. With claws, she couldn't scruff the animal, so she just enclosed it gently in her fist like she was holding a messenger pigeon.

"I like this one," she said, the cat hissing its reply. She held it just out of reach of the kittens who were strung from her chest in their pouches, letting them get a closer look at it. Jamie had expected them to be all over the animals, pulling at ears and tails, but even Bren watched quietly.

It only took them a few minutes to pick the kitten they wanted. She had a fluffy, silver coat and a pair of vibrant, orange eyes. According to the employee, her breed was called a Chartreux, a French pedigree. This kitten wasn't a pure breed. It was likely that one of the neighborhood toms had been getting busy with some of his more high-society neighbors.

They signed the paperwork and paid the adoption fee, also picking up the cat kit that the employee had mentioned, leaving the store with armfuls of cat-related equipment. Their new pet was in a carrier, the sound of her loud protests keeping the kittens' furry ears turned in her direction.

***

Jamie and Liz returned the kittens to their playpen before letting the cat out of her carrier, not wanting to overstimulate her. It might be best to introduce them to their new pet one by one. They had already decided on a name for the cat -- Smoke.

Liz set the carrier down on the bedroom carpet, opening the door, the two of them waiting as the cat slowly poked her head out. She sniffed the air warily, staying low to the ground, glancing around the room.

The guy at the store had told them that she needed a safe area, a sanctuary, somewhere she could go to escape the kittens if she wanted to. The apartment was small, but the bedroom was one of the few places that could be sealed off if she needed a break. In time, she would acclimate, but the first few days should be handled with some degree of care. She had a litter box in here, as well as her food and water, and her cat bed. When the kids were in the bedroom, they were generally confined to their crib.

"Look," Liz said, nudging him as the cat began to sniff around the crib. "She seems interested in the kittens."

After maybe ten minutes of sniffing, Smoke warmed up to them a little, coming closer to investigate her new owners. She had been handled by humans before, but she had never seen a Borealan, and she treated Liz with more skepticism than she did Jamie. Once she figured out that both of them were just as eager to play with her, she didn't care about which of them was holding the toy mouse on a string.

***

"Gently," Jamie whispered, keeping hold of Hazel as she watched Smoke clean herself on the carpet. The cat looked up, eyeing the baby warily as Jamie guided her closer. Hazel was transfixed, her brown eyes locked onto the cat, her furry ears pricked up. He had to hope that she wouldn't see the cat as another stuffed toy to disembowel.