13 Degrees of Separation (67 page)

He asked around, none knew of the cat's family. The cat
rarely talked, he would sit and sleep nearby or cling to Adam. Adam asked the
Neocats in the community to take the cat in, none would. They all wrinkled
their noses and turned away. “Well, you could use a bath,” Adam said looking at
the cat. Teela coughed and agreed. The medical checkup had come up clean. The
Doctor told him she had her hands full and couldn't take the cat in.

The Neocat was given a reluctant bath. At first he hated
it, sullen, ears flat. He didn't like the stink of shampoo and yowled his
protest to the world. He struggled with Adam, who got as much of a bath as the
cat did. But he did like the warm water, falling into a doze once he relaxed.
Marlena came in about that time, she chuckled softly at the sight. “So, this is
where you've been.”

“Mom...” Adam shook his head then used his arm to wipe his
face. His mother chuckled and handed him a towel. “Thanks,” he said as he
worked the cat's fur over for a second shampoo.

“This brings back memories,” Marlena said, smiling.

“I don't remember having a dog or cat mom,” Adam said.

“Oh, not one of them, you. He's about done in,” she said.

“For now. Nap time,” Adam said. He finished up, rinsed the
cat off, then helped him out of tub. When the cooler air hit the cat he yowled
and tried to get back in the tub. Marlena laughed as her son struggled with a
sopping wet cat. Finally the cat got away and went back to dozing with his nose
just above the water.

“Cats do love to be warm,” Marlena replied softly. She smiled.
“Kits love to be warm and safe.”

“I had a hell of a time getting him in the bath and now
look at him!” Adam said in disgust, shaking his head. “Now he won't leave it!”
he said, shaking his head.

“Leave him for a bit.”

“He'll drown.”

“People have marvelous instincts for self preservation,”
Marlena said softly. “Fill me in,” she said, crossing her arms and leaning
against the door jam.

Adam looked up to his mom and then shrugged mentally.
Slowly he filled her in on finding the cat. “I don't even know his name!” he
said. “He doesn't say when I asked, just mews or looks at me with those eyes,”
he complained.

Marlena nodded. “Some cats don't name their kits because
they have a high mortality rate when they're young,” she said.

“Oh,” Adam replied thoughtfully, looking at his charge. The
cat dozed, totally at peace. He snorted at the thought.

“So... what do I do here? I can't leave him like this. And
I do have stuff to do,” he said in disapproval.

His mother smiled. “Well, I don't recommend another wrestling
match, you're already soaked as it is,” she teased. He snorted. “But for you,
this always worked,” she said, reaching into the tub and pulling the drain
free. The water level dropped. A vortex formed over the drain. Free fur was
sucked down.

The cat sank, trying to stay in the warmth but it went
away. When the cold air hit him and he had no place to sink to his eyes opened
and he yowled, shaking.

Adam and his mother put their hands up laughing as they
fended off the water. The cat shivered. Taking pity on him they wrapped him in
towels and got him out of there.

They took their time cleaning him up, moving him to a table
so it would be easier.

Adam talked with his mom as they brushed the cat. “The
community said that he's not one of theirs, no one knows where he came from. I
asked Duncan to take a look, he checked the radio network, no one knows.”

“Ah,” his mother responded, vigorously rubbing the cat's
back side. The cat chirruped, nuzzling her. She stroked him.

“The medic said he's a kit, a two year old from his teeth,”
Adam said.

“I'm three,” the cat said quietly but proudly. Golden eyes
looked from one human to the other.

“Oh?” Adam asked. “Three?”

“Three?” Marlena asked,  Marlena chuckled at situation her
son had gotten herself into.  She was more than willing to help when she could,
proud of her generous hearted son. She worked at a mat. He growled at her. She
teased it out. “Almost...”

“I can do that myself,” the cat said.

“Then why didn't you? You've been on your own for a while.
Let us help,” Marlena said. He batted at her and Adam, fending the humans off
without resorting to his claws or teeth.

“Sit! Knock that off now!” Marlena said, eyes snapping. The
cat dropped to his rear fast, tail thrashing. He looked endearingly at her,
eyes wide, ears flat. Even Adam was wide eyed, staring at his mother and half
sitting. She smiled slightly, turning, her own eyes full of mischief. “Good
boy. Now behave the both of you,” she said and worked on his chest mat.

Adam winced in sympathy, stroking the cat's back and ears.
The Neocat winced and closed his eyes, giving off a suffering sigh. When
Marlena was finished she stroked him and hugged him. “That's a good brave boy.
I'm proud of you.”

“For what?” Adam said.

“For behaving. I know it hurt, but it had to be done. Sometimes
you have to do that, do what will hurt in order for things to be better later.
As long as you keep it up right?” she asked.

The cat meowed, nuzzling against her. She stroked him
smiling a soft smile. He couldn't quite purr, but he did chirrup and rumble a
bit anyway. She stroked his fur. “He really is quite beautiful. I bet he'll be
quite the ladies man when he gets older,” she said softly as the cat drifted
into a doze.

“Maybe. Right now he's a handful,” Adam said, rubbing the
small of his back.

“Well, he's a kit. That's normal. All kids are quite a
handful. They have so much energy to burn off. You for example,” his mother
teased. He chuckled.

“Three, let's see, that makes him a young adolescent. In
Neocat years he's oh, under 12 in human years.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. He's going to get bigger. From the look of his paws,
a lot bigger,” she said spreading his paws. The cat wrapped his arms around her
waist, nuzzling against her. He twitched his whiskers but stayed asleep. “A big
boy when he gets his diet settled.”

“He eats a lot of meat. He's not into vegetables at all
mom.”

“That's because he's a cat dear. A carnivore. Well, mostly
a carnivore.”

“I knew that.”

“Most cats eat meat. Meat or fish or poultry. Getting the
balance right is important.” She ran a hand over the cat's flanks. She could
still feel his ribs, he had starved for a bit. “He may even need milk,” she
said. “Or cream.”

“I can,” Adam stopped shaking his head as imagery came to
him. “The mind boggles mom.”

Marlena smiled, still rubbing the cat's side before her
hand drifted to his ears. They twitched under her ministrations but she kept
stroking gently. “He's going to be a good friend. When he's better. Right now
he's got a lot of things on his mind.”

“I, mom can you take him?” Adam asked.

Marlena looked up and shook her head slowly. Adam sighed.
“Sorry son, I've got to fly. I'm making the supply run to the mainland every
other day, plus the occasional orbital hop when I get the chance. There's no
way I can do it.”

Adam let out a long suffering sigh. “But mom...”

“Don't but mom me son. He's your responsibility. I expect
you to deal with it properly as you do with all things,
right
?” she
asked with steel in her eyes and tone.

“Yes mom,” he answered dutifully.

“That's my boy,” she said smiling as she patted her son's
cheek. “Now, you can help me squirm out of here. I've got some work to catch up
on,” she said, trying to get out of the cat's arms. He held on for dear life.
She chuckled, prying at his hand paws gently but firmly.

<=={----------

Teela noted Kringer on the floor cleaning his rear after
going to the bathroom. “Do you have to do it here? Now?” she asked in disgust.

The cat looked up. “I just went.”

“Well, next time use the flush or something,” she said
wrinkling her nose. She reached in and flushed the toilet. It made a loud
noise, spooking the cat into bolting away. “Well, that helped,” Teela said
smiling. She entered the bathroom and closed the door.

<=={----------

“He has to have a name!” Teela said. “You can't just keep
calling him the cat you know,” she said.

“I know. He won't tell me,” Adam said. “Mom said that
Neocats didn't name their kits until their fifth year.

“Oh.”

“He's a, I hate to say this, but a coward. What was the
name of that cowardly lion in that Oz series?”

“The lion?” Adam asked. He looked at the dozing cat. “He's
a tiger honey.”

“Tigger?” Teela asked, then wrinkled her pert nose in the
mirror as she brushed her auburn hair. “No, too hockey. It doesn't fit a
cowardly tiger,” she said thoughtfully, waving her brush.

“Will you stop calling him that! He's a baby Teela, give
him a chance. He's been alone for a while. Let him settle down.”

“I know!” Teela said triumphantly. “Kringer!” she said,
clapping her hands. The sharp bark of hand on hand made the sleeping cat
startle awake and dive under the bed. “See?” She asked grinning. “He's all for
it!” she said.

“You can't call him that!” Adam said in dismay.

“Wanna bet?” Teela asked, steel in her voice. “He's been
here long enough Adam. Time for him to find a home,” she said.

“I've tried,” Adam said in disgust, remembering what he'd
gone through in the past week. The cat had put on weight, gaining kilograms
almost daily. He'd filled out, his coat was now a glossy green and orange. He
was beautiful, but still no one would take him in.

“He's your problem,” Adam was told by the Neocat community.
Kringer clung to his leg. It took a week to get the Neocat to walk on his own,
sometimes he would jump on Adam's back for a piggy back ride, or into his arms.
If he was startled he'd tangle himself in Adam's feet, cowering in terror.

Adam tried to get the cat to go to school and an orphanage
but he would duck out and appear. Finally the cat settled on being nearby, in a
tree or high place watching Adam.

Marlena took to the cat right off. He liked her but she was
busy flying, which terrified the cat. The loud engines at the space port kept
him from following her. He learned to climb into Adam's window and curl up on
the floor when the door was locked.

He had a maddening ability to look small and helpless, wide
eyed kitten with his hand paws clasped in front of him, ears back, eyes
dilated. He got that way anytime he was asked to do something he didn't like.
It infuriated Teela. “The kitten puppy,” she snarled in a huff.

Adam wasn't excused from his work schedule, duties, or
training despite having an extra around. He reluctantly took the cat with him.
He had even taken the cat with Teela to Prime for a brief time to pick up their
remaining belongings before they had returned to Eternia. Kringer hadn't liked
the station, he had constantly complained about the smells and sounds the
entire time, nagging Adam to return to the planet. He had practically lived in
Adam's skin, yowling when he had his tail trod on twice. He'd finally settled
into a baleful glare in their quarters until they had returned to the planet.

Teela had lingered on the station wrapping up a few things
with station security before she had returned to the planet. Adam teased her
about getting a vacation from their surrogate child. She hadn't disagreed with
him.

Duncan wouldn't have any lay abouts, he put the cat to
work. Kringer was surprised, so was Adam, but Kringer seemed to take to the
task hesitant, but eager to prove himself. He looked at Duncan as the human
patiently explained what to do. The cat fumbled with the project, but Duncan
gave encouragement. When he passed the test Adam, Duncan, and Marlena praised
him. The cat perked up, coming out of his shell a bit.

“That's what he needs, encouragement. Keep it up,” Marlena
told him. Duncan agreed with a nod. “He's a good kid,” he said nodding in
approval to the cat. “I'll take him on as a student,” he said. Kringer perked
up, delighted.

Adam had been tempted to agree with Teela and drive the cat
off, but his mother had helped step on that. He was frustrated, tired, but she
reminded him she had been the same way with him. “That's what being a parent is
about sometimes. He'll grow out of it and into a man under the right guidance
Adam. Be patient,” his mother assured him.

That got Adam thinking about being a parent. He realized
he'd inadvertently taken on the role. He didn't want it at first, but those
trusting eyes changed his mind. There was something there, something in the
trust, in the knowing he had to look out for the little guy. He took the
teasing in stride.

Kringer also had a tendency to run and hide at the sound of
a weapon or loud bang. His least favorite place to be was the gun range. It
took Adam a week for him to teach the Neotiger about it without him diving for
cover. “Good reflexes,” Duncan commented and then moved on.