Hearts and Stones - Robin D. Owens Page 0,12
set Pizi in Karida’s hands.
“Her fur’s so soft,” Karida said, and cuddled the cat against her cheek in a gesture revealing her inner child, one with a spark of hope that she yet felt, and contrasting with the thick jacket over personalized body armor.
Another little yeep from Pizi. I know where there is a nest of young Cats, some nearly as smart as Me!
Karida’s caught breath matched Levona’s.
Not very far from here. Pizi gazed at Karida with big eyes that probably glowed in the dim light. They need human companions to help Them be all They can be. Come with Us and I’ll take you to Them.
Karida’s jaw set and she looked around suspiciously. “There are only the two of you?”
Yes, Pizi and Levona said at the same time.
“Not distracting me so someone can sneak in?”
“No. And you have patrol guards on the grounds.”
“Mostly to give alarm if the gov incites the mobs against us again. Not so much to guard the ship, and not military trained, just doing their duty to pay their passage as crew.”
“Yeah,” Levona said. “No one having second thoughts now that they see the ship where they’ll be living in the rest of their lives and maybe that of their children’s and grandchildren’s?”
Karida hesitated. “Perhaps.”
“Some of the singles, maybe, ’cuz they’ll have to find mates from the folk on board?”
Another pause and a hard look at Levona. “Perhaps.”
More hope unfurled inside Levona.
Pizi revved a small purr, touched Karida’s face with a paw. You need an animal companion. And someone needs YOU!
More wistfulness emanated from Karida, but not aimed at the hope of the colonists, a new planet of their own, but yearning for a living being, an animal friend, here and now. She held the cat in front of her, and Pizi dangled. “You say these cats are like you?”
Not as SMART as Me, but …
“They can talk telepathically?”
A teeny bit. Images, but still can be a true companion to You. Bond with You.
“Okay,” Karida said. “Let me instruct the head sentry and we’ll go.”
She handed Pizi to Levona, walked over to the one on the right side of the ramp, and began talking. Levona petted Pizi with shaking hands and wondered if there was any way to finesse the situation and elude Karida and get on the ship. Or at least get her ID back. Levona’s mind spun with thready plans, more hope than real. She couldn’t give up hope.
Soon Karida joined them and Pizi leapt from Levona’s fear-damp grip down to the ground to lead the way to the other cats.
They walked off the field and traversed several blocks in silence, all three of them female psi mutant-freaks, accepting of their gifts and themselves, but the humans wary of each other.
In a few minutes they reached the darkness of an alley off a street of small restaurants that made Levona’s mouth water and stomach grumble — she hadn’t wanted to try the dubious food The Frigid Rush served. There Pizi led them to a cat stink corner holding a box and stained cloth scraps. All the while she mentally broadcasted, We come with food and love and love and food for YOU!
Two skinny gray tabby cats, smaller and younger than Pizi herself, hovered over a heap of rags. Their muscles tensed as they readied to spring away and bolt from the alley.
“I don’t have any food,” Karida whispered.
“I do,” Levona said, louder. “Radiate love and acceptance.”
Yes! Pizi agreed.
“That’s simple to do,” Karida said, and the whole alley filled with reassuring, positive feelings, most from Karida, with a good amount from Levona and Pizi.
The cats relaxed and turned toward them, sending a yearning need back, until Levona’s stomach rumbled with their hunger. Tentative hope unfurled from them to Levona and Karida.
They don’t know where to go to find peoples like Us and human companions, Pizi said.
“I didn’t even know cats like these existed,” Karida muttered.
It is good You all know of each other now, Pizi insisted.
“Absolutely,” Levona said, shrugging off her pack and opening a long pocket containing food bits she kept for Pizi. With a spellword, she rehydrated and heated them and the beef smelled tasty.
A chorus of mews erupted and the cats stropped their ankles.
“Here, hold out your hands,” Levona said to Karida. When the woman did, Levona dumped most of the bits into her hands, and Karida hunkered down to feed the felines.
Yowls stopped abruptly.
They’re WONDERFUL, quite, quite, incredible, Karida said mentally. Levona sensed that the woman’s throat had closed with