Maggie and the Kits, Part V

Maggie is hurt. Who will help her and the kits? What will the kits do to make things happen?

After a time, she had to lay down and rest again. Why did she feel so weak? Her leg didn’t hurt as much any more, and the bleeding seemed to have stopped. She knew she needed to rest, or she would never make it back to her kittens. She was far away from where the humans and dogs had been. She didn’t hear any noises that alarmed her. She went under a bush and laid down. She could not be seen, but she could see.

As much as she fought sleep, it eventually caught up with her. It was a troubled night. Worry about the kittens kept her restless and on the very edge of deep rest.

As the sun rose over the mountain tops, she woke. She was so thirsty, and hungry. And what was that noise? She held very still. A rabbit was just a few feet away from her. All of her hunting instincts awoke. Despite the pain, she knew if she held very still and the rabbit got closer, she would be able to bring it back to the kits. She prayed the rabbit had not heard her awaken.

The rabbit nibbled at shoots on the ground, and kept one ear and one eye on the surroundings.  It, too, was hungry, and there were some really nice shoots right over by that big bush. Sniffing the air, looking around, it hopped closer to the bush, pausing after each step forward and testing the surroundings. All seemed well. It hopped one step closer.

Maggie waited. So close, so close. Wait, wait, wait - NOW! Her big paw flashed out and grabbed the rabbit, killing it with one swipe. The rabbit did not know what hit it. Its death was painless.

Maggie slowly got her feet, so grateful to the rabbit for providing a meal for her kittens. She picked the soft body up in her jaws, and headed once more for her den, listening closely for any sound that wasn’t of the forest.

All was quiet.

She had to move so slowly. It was aggravating. She was accustomed to making this journey in a few hours. She feared it would take her more than a day to get back. But she pressed on.

Her leg felt warm and really wasn’t working very well. Maggie continued to limp, and ignored as best she could the fact that it was really slow going with that awful heat and pain in her leg. Her goal was to get back to the den, and back to the kits.

At last! She saw the trees that surrounded the den, and there, sitting outside in the sun, in a dry patch of ground, were her kits. When they saw her coming, they jumped up.

“Mama! You’re back! What did you bring us?”

Maggie tiredly dropped the rabbit next to them, and went into the den to lay down.

The kits devoured their meal. They argued over the juiciest parts, but made sure nothing went to waste.

Once their bellies were full, and paws and faces were cleaned, it occurred to them that their mother didn’t seem to be acting in a normal fashion. Usually she would have been right there, refereeing any arguments and making sure they all got some of the food, including herself. She hadn’t eaten. The kittens thought that was a little odd.

Fiona stuck her head inside the den.

“Mama?”

Maggie was laid flat out. She had licked her wound and cleaned it up, and it still felt quite awful. She opened one eye reluctantly.

“Mmmmm?”

Fiona came into the den and sat down beside her mother. Jack followed, not sure how to behave.

“What’s the matter, mama?” Fiona asked.

“I need to rest, children, come here and snuggle up with me and keep me warm. I feel a little cold.”

The kittens slipped beside their mother and tried their best to make her as warm and comfortable as possible. Maggie sighed with the first bit of contentment she had felt in days, and went wearily to sleep.

The next morning, Maggie slept on. Her body was slowly repairing itself, but it was going to be a close thing. She had worn herself out getting back to the kittens. She did get up now and then and go down to a nearby creek for a drink of water. The kittens went with her. They would drink their fill, and then Maggie would slowly limp back up the hill and go right back into the den and lay down, the kittens gamboling and frolicking around her, trying to cheer her up. But she wouldn’t be cheered. She was tired, hungry, and upset. This den was so nice. Would they have to leave?

The kittens were worried. They were also hungry again. They stayed around the den for several days while their mother slept. They weren’t sure what to do, but they knew if their mom didn’t get some food, she could die. Where could they find some food that would give her some needed nourishment?

They sat outside the den and discussed it.

“We know how to catch voles,” announced Fiona in a big-sister voice. “Let’s see if we can get a couple.”

The vole chase went very poorly. It was late in the year, and the voles were not coming to the surface like they had in the summer. The kittens were frustrated.

They thought some more.

“What about that human place about a mile from us?” Jack asked boldly. “Don’t they have animals in cages? We could break in and take what we need for ourselves and for mama.”

Fiona was appalled. “We can’t do that! Mama told us to never, never, never steal from the humans. It makes them very afraid and angry. We want to live with them, not against them.”

“But we have to do something!” Jack shouted, then realized he was disturbing his mother. He lowered his voice. “We don’t know enough to know what to do. Where do we get help?”

Fiona thought carefully. The people in the house in the woods were always friendly, but never approached them when their paths crossed. The lions respected them as well.

“I wonder….” She mused.

Fiona has had an idea. What do you think it is?