I Was An Alien Cat Toy (28 page)

Gredar’s mother got to her feet and walked over to T’meen, grabbing his hair without hesitation and

yanking his head upright, exposing his throat. As she laid her claws across T’meen’s neck, Gredar refused to

close his eyes, though he fervently did not want to see this. He owed T’meen this much but....

No.
This was wrong. “Mother! He saved your life!”

She didn’t turn to look at him. “He’s a danger to us all.”

“But he’s been a danger all this time, and he’s done nothing! Nothing! Filwui forced him, hurt him,

nearly killed him, and he did nothing! He only acted to save us! Mother....”

She turned her head and her lips pulled back in a snarl. “Be quiet, Gredar!”

But then Jilen got to her feet. “Mother...you’re wise in all things. But...this may send a message to

those who would support us against the traitors.”

“I can explain why, if anyone questions it.” But still his mother didn’t move her hand. She only

yanked T’meen’s hair a little more, so he was nearly lifted off his knees—it had to be hurting him, but he

made not a sound, nor any movement to stop her. It was as if he had simply given up.

But Gredar refused to. “Mother, he came to you of his own free will. He’s put himself at your mercy.

Please—think what that tells you.” He strained forward, willing his mother to understand.

“I
am
thinking, Gredar. But there is more at stake than my own feelings.” With the grip she had on

T’meen’s hair, she twisted him so he was forced to look up into her face. “You’re dangerous. You must

understand that.”

“He doesn’t know those....”

“Yes, he does.” Slowly she lowered him, and released his hair. The claws on his neck became a

caress. “If you harm me or mine, I will kill you where you stand. Explain it, Gredar.”

Not daring to believe what he was seeing, he tried. “T’meen, no hurt Kadit or any? Kadit will kill, if

T’meen hurt. Understand?”

T’meen swallowed and gave a single sharp nod, still staring up at Gredar’s mother. “Can hurt day-neh

like Filwui, ye-ess?”

“Ye-ess,” she said. “Kill our enemies, not us. On that basis, you may stay. To reward loyalty and

bravery with death is not wise.” She looked at Jilen who nodded, then grinned like a young kitling instead of

the gravely responsible mother she always tried to be. Gredar felt himself smiling in response. It was going to

be fine.

His mother gently stroked T’meen’s hair. “You can get up now.”

But his friend didn’t seem to understand, because he didn’t even twitch. “T’meen is okay. Stand.”

Gredar urged, wishing he could rise easily from this position and go to his friend.

T’meen, strangely clumsy, got slowly to his feet. “No...kill?” His voice was barely a whisper, his eyes

wide and staring.

“No kill,” Jilen said, walking over to him, still grinning madly. But before she could reach T’meen, he

suddenly collapsed, Gredar’s mother barely catching him before he hit the ground.

No!
Gredar struggled to stand upright, desperate to get to his friend. “T’meen! T’meen!”

~~~~~~~~

Temin swum up out of unconsciousness, his vision grey and spotty. He jerked a little as he realised he

was being cradled by a day-neh, but settled as he heard Gredar’s familiar rumble. His head hurt and he was

too dizzy to make out actual words. He jerked again as the memory of what happened came back to him.

Gredar’s mother...holding him, about to....

He shivered, and a big paw settled carefully on his forehead. “T’meen is okay?”

That wasn’t Gredar. He tried to focus. “J’len?”

He wasn’t lying on Gredar either—he was being held in J’len’s arms, and around him was a circle of

huge furry faces. “What happened?” He tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness forced him back.

Gredar said something he didn’t understand. “T’meen rest.” That was J’len, speaking slowly for his

benefit. “Want water?”

“Yes. Very much.” Had he just passed out? He appeared to be intact. She’d said she wouldn’t kill

him...he’d been ready to die. Why had she changed her mind? “Kadit no kill Temin?”

That amused J’len. “No kill T’meen. T’meen is safe. Rest. T’meen is sick?”

It was a struggle to translate her words, and to remember how to answer in the same language. “A

little. Head hurt. Is okay.”

Only when someone turned up with a smallish cup of water did she help him sit up and help him

drink, which settled his stomach a little. Now he saw most of the others had left the room—it was just J’len,

Gredar and his mother. The older female was sitting on her haunches, watching him in that curiously

expressionless way they all had. Nothing about her suggested she was tense or angry, and J’len seemed in a

very good mood. Gredar looked the most anxious, his tail tapping T’meen’s foot and stroking it. T’meen

caught his friend’s eye. “Temin is good. Is okay, Gredar. No worry.” Gredar gave a relieved little chirrup,

and curled his tail around Temin’s ankle.

More water and a little time made him feel almost normal, though he wasn’t going to try and risk

standing up. No one seemed in a hurry, which was strange because Gredar’s mother always had a dozen

things to do. Maybe they’d declared a public holiday in his honour. He chuckled to himself at the feeble joke

and considered he was maybe just a little cracked right now.

“T’meen?”

He shifted so he could face Gredar’s mother. “Yes?”

“Will huu-man come to find you?”

At least that was what he thought she was asking. He made himself sit up straighter, appreciating

J’len’s paw at his back. “No. Friend try, T’meen no see him. Friend go away, no come back. Kadit no worry.

Day-neh is safe. T’meen alone.” Gredar nodded, and stroked the inside of Temin’s leg with his tail. “T’meen

can stay? Try to be good for day-neh. Want to be good. Is tired to be afraid. No can go home. Want home

here—can stay?”

The two females exchanged glances, then Gredar’s mother leaned forward to pat his head. “Yes. Can

stay.”

Then she said something else, and suddenly Temin found himself being lifted. He yelped and

struggled in J’len’s arms. “Hey! She said I could stay!”

“Shhh, shhh. T’meen, is okay!” Gredar, still seated, was urgently trying to calm him. “Kadit talk to

Gredar, J’len take T’meen to place to rest one strike. Is okay.”

Temin stopped struggling. Of course it made sense for Gredar to stay still—the poor bugger was still

having trouble walking, and getting up and down had to hurt like shefting crack. “T’meen see Gredar soon?”

“Yes, soon.”

It was a lot more trouble than it was probably worth to convince J’len to let him walk to wherever it

was she was going, and since Temin didn’t trust his legs right now, he didn’t even try. He’d never expected

to walk out of this room again, and he wasn’t going to argue about how, if he was alive when he did.

~~~~~~~~

His mother waited until Jilen left with T’meen. “She can take him to the infirmary to make sure he’s

all right. I didn’t mean to torment the poor creature. You do realise that, don’t you, Gredar?”

He bowed, not quite as deeply as was polite because of his injuries. “Yes, of course, Mother. You

were trying to act fairly. I appreciate your mercy, and so does he.”

She sighed. “It’s so hard to know what to do sometimes, but when I looked at him, I had to wonder

why I was destroying someone who was more devoted to our welfare than one of our own. Several of our

own.”

“What has Wilna discovered?”

Her tail lashed back and forth, just the once. “That Filwui’s been laying his plans for some time, and

attempting to build alliances with disaffected members of the river clan. Bold for a male, but then he was

always trouble. This is a dangerous time for our family, Gredar. We don’t know if all the conspirators are

dead. While I believe now that T’meen poses no threat in himself, there are those who would use him,

whatever they can, against us.”

“So he should...remain hidden?” He shifted—he’d been sitting stiff and under stress for too long, and

his torn stomach muscles ached.

“Lie down, dear, if it’s easier. I don’t want you to suffer.”

She patted her lap, and he lay down, his head on her thighs as if he was a kitling again. She began to

stroke his arm absentmindedly. “We can do one of two things—we can hide him, or we can make him a part

of the clan, so that people who saw what he did the other evening know that power is at our disposal. I think

we should integrate him, but discreetly. Can he work at all? In the pottery?”

“I haven’t tried him. I believe him when he says he wants to make his home here, so I think he’d try.”

“Then this is my command. His connection with the events Martek uncovered must not be discussed

outside the adults in this family, preferably not at all. We don’t want a panic.” Gredar nodded. “If anyone

asks, we simply say that his origins are unknown, but that he believes he’s the last of his kind. You tell him

to say that too. As for this house, he must stop hiding in your room. He’ll attend meals when you do, be

treated with the same courtesy as you, and behave towards us in the same way. I don’t believe he’ll have a

problem with that, but he’s defied me once and that’s the only time I can allow that.”

“Mother, it was unusual....”

“...Circumstances, yes.” She raked her claws down his shoulder. “But discipline had never been more

important. Tell him that. I must be seen to have control.”

“Yes, of course. Have you any objection to him staying in my room?”

“Who you fuck is none of my concern,” she said, giving him a sly flick of her ear. “So long it’s not

your sisters or me.”

“Mother....”

“I note you don’t deny you
are
fucking him.”

“Er...not
exactly.
”

She stared down at him. “Oh, my dear. That’s really not very dignified, is it? Someone in your

position, my oldest son?”

“It’s not like I tell people about it, Mother.”

“I should hope not.” She sighed. “There’s no precedent of course. He can hardly dominate you in

other ways. But I suggest you remain discreet, and if he gets you pregnant, the clan isn’t going to look after

the offspring.”

“Mother!”

She smiled. “Don’t be so humourless, Gredar.” She sighed again and touched his face. “This is nice,

being with you. I’ve missed your company, especially since...since Halit....”

He caught her hand and squeezed. “I’ve missed you too. I miss her. I’m so glad you chose not to add

to the loss today.”

“He’s a more faithful friend than Filwui, for sure. Anyway, that’s how we handle T’meen’s situation.

Be discreet, make him useful...and find out as much about his people as you can. He may believe they won’t

return but if they do, I want to be prepared. Do you know how he got here?”

“Not...exactly.” Gredar thought back to the mysterious shelter that had appeared and disappeared. “He

claims his people can fly in a kind of special vessel, like a boat that sails in the air. After seeing his weapon,

I’m more inclined to believe that.”

“Fly? Then we really need to learn more.”

“Mother, I think he might need a home of his own one day. This one is the wrong scale for him. I

know he’s the size of a child, but he’s an adult, and needs independence.”

She frowned. “Perhaps—but we just lost our master carpenter and his senior apprentice, not to

mention several other useful workers. A house for your pet...friend...will have to be low on the list of

priorities.”

“Of course.” He didn’t wish to argue with her.

The conversation appeared to be over, and she called Karwa in to help Gredar get to his feet. “Rest,

heal, Gredar. Jilen says it will be another five or six sun passes before you can return to work, so take that

time. The singing for Halit will be shortly after that—I want you to sing as well as her sisters.”

“It’s an honour to be asked.” He didn’t know if he could sing of his sister without choking up, but it

was what she deserved. “Mother—I think it would not be wise for T’meen to wander around on his own,

outside the house, I mean. It’s not a problem now because of the snow, but later...he might prove tempting to

our enemies.”

“I’d be more concerned if he had reason to use that weapon of his. Tell him he’s to carry it at all times

outside the house—but he’s not to use it unless it’s life or death. No showing off to the males.”

“He’s not like that. He has no liking for male daiyne, thanks to Filwui.”

“He likes
you
well enough,” she said, twining her tail with his. “Karwa, help your uncle to his room,

then tell Jilen where he is. T’meen can continue to care for you in your room until you’re fit, Gredar. Then

you and he rejoin the household. I want my kits around me.”

She looked so forlorn that Gredar did what he would never normally dream of doing—he put his tail

around her waist and his arms carefully around her shoulders, hugging her respectfully. “Thank you,” he

whispered. “For today, and for all you’ve done for us.”

She allowed the liberty, leaning against him a little, but then asked to be set free, murmuring

something about his injuries. “For a male kitling, Gredar, you’ve been one of my greatest joys.” She patted

his arm. “Now go to your friend, and get well.”

He rubbed his face on hers, and let her lick his muzzle. This was not how he’d expected this to end,

and he would be forever grateful for that.