MAE DAY 2 - GUARDIANS (ON HOLD TILL FURTHER NOTICE)

Chapter 11

Lee loved listening to the stories over the next few days. I was obviously the one doing all the talking as he was mute. Maybe I couldn't hear him as the counsel had removed that ability from me or maybe he was not allowed to talk, either way it was down to me to communicate for both or us and attempt to play charades with a lion.

I was quite surprised that I seemed to be able to handle being around him in lion form, even to the point where I looked back on my previous treatment of him and shook my head for being such a wimp. He wouldn't hurt me, he was a big pussy cat... literally. Then I would remember than he had attacked both myself and Suri, I could only assume he was spelled as I was still non the wiser about what happened. Being human or transitioning meant I learnt pretty quickly to not ask questions since my attack. I had been determined to sit quietly on my egg until it hatched, egg being Lee Graysons baby.

I told him about the birth, and how I never wanted to do it again... at least not for a long time. The pain still to fresh in my mind, as was his absence. I had wanted him to be there so badly for the birth of our daughter that I couldn't enjoy the experience, not that birth is enjoyable but that moment of awe parents should share and feel was stolen from us, along with many other moments. He never got to see or feel her move. He didn't get to watch my belly grow or see her tiny face on the screen for the scans.

When next we ventured outside to replenish the stocks, Lee was like a bull out of the gate. I had to hold on with all my might. He didn't have to tell me, I could see that the sky was dimming quicker than usual. We would have to be faster this time. If time was changing here, did it mean that we were spending longer away from the children or was time in their realm shorter? I hoped for the later as I didn't want Leona to be any bigger than I remembered her and the memories were fading. My heart ached for the others too but they were bigger, more able to amuse themselves as cubs. Leona was a new born who didn't understand where her mummy had gone or why. She was a sensitive soul so she would be confused. I hoped she wasn't giving her grandparents a hard time. They had enough with all of Conrads children, the twins, Lilly Mae and Suri without Leona fretting.

Lee remembered the way to find our rations and avoid him getting fleas. I was only off his back long enough to fetch something. He didn't like me away from him for long. I washed myself off quickly in a waterfall we spotted along the way as the night closed in. I gave Lee a rub down with water to help him and was rewarded with a few rough licks through my matted hair. I teased that I need a dog brush to sort his mane out as it was in desperate need of brush, he replied by shaking his fur all over me. It was the first time I had laughed aloud in a long while. We filled the water bags and headed off back to the cave. He didn't ask me to pass things into the other cave as before so who or whatever was in there a few days ago was either dead, gone to fetch their own or served their time.

Dropping into the cave again I realised it had been an uneventful outing. No attacks, I was tucked into his mane like a jockey and no winged beasts had tried to scratch me. I didn't stop Lee giving me the once over when we were back in the cave and I did the same to him. We knew the dangers out there and I was scared that even find a leech on us could be a death sentence but we were free. My plan to make a fire had worked. The sun had dried out the branches and I only wanted it to boil the water to ensure no bugs were in it. Sure we had been ok so far but you never know what else was out there having a wash. Finding that waterfall had been a stroke of good luck.

The past few days we had been chipping away at a boulder to make a well in it because it had broken with a dip in the middle so we just had to keep working on it. It was the nearest we could get to a pan for boiling and Lee liked to sharpen his claws so we were killing two birds with one stone as he scratched at it. If we started a fire when it was cold we could use the heat to keep boil the water and the stones would keep the cave warmer. Boiling the water would only be necessary once but we could ration the wood.

The only issue was, I couldn't start a fire. Lee couldn't help as he was a bloody lion and my arms were exhausted from rolling the stick back and forth between my hands, close to blistering as I tired desperately to get a spark to ignite the dried leaves to try and start it. When I finally got a tiny gold ember Lee huffed at it to get the fire burning. I was so excited I did a happy dance as his lion leapt about too. Who knew warm water would be such a luxury, especially with fruit in it. I impressed Lee with my impromptu fruit kebabs by poking bits onto some sticks. It was heavenly.

That was the first night I feel asleep with a full stomach, snuggled up to my lion as I annoyingly plaited his mane.

***

Waking to Lee's rough tongue slopping against my face was not appreciated, but he was insistent. He wanted me to open the trunk I had locked when we went out yesterday. The caves were flooded whilst we were on the prowl so I secured it. With all the excitement about the fire and having something to do to occupy our time I hadn't opened it. I sat up and opened it with eyes too weary to glare at him.

"Ok, calm down fluffy," I moaned as he huffed and rubbed his head against the box. "Yeah, yeah I get it. Open the trunk. Could this not have waiting until I woke up? Your cat napping drives me insane. Most cats sleep all day or at least for a few hours. You sleep for three or fours hours max, it is like having a newborn, I get hardly any sleep with you..." I stopped as I remembered I had a newborn out there. A newborn, toddler twins and a little girl who needed her parents back.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I opened the trunk and saw what all the fuss was about. We had gifts. Someone had sent us new pictures of the children and drawings from them. I scooped them up all excited, immediately crying happy tears as I saw their faces beaming out of a photo. Holding it out for Lee to see too. I had learnt that his vision as a Lion was better at a distance so he preferred arms length. I fussed his mane as he looked at Suri and the twins with his little sister at cubs. All were wearing t-shirts with a photo of their cub on it. Suri was so proud with her little cub face beaming from the t-shirt she wore. Bay was cute as a button and Willow was scruffy as always. No doubt she had been dropped off clean and presentable but the minute eyes were taken off her she would pull her hair bobbles out, climb things and roll around in dirt. Lilly Mae was holding her dress hem up, with one sock falling down and a foot turned to the side like a tiny Shirley Temple.

The next was all of them together at home on the sofa with Leona in Suri's arms. They were all laughing hysterically so someone was amusing them. Leona's eyes were wide open. Her face seemed thinner, more grown up but at the same time still so tiny and precious.

"Look how much she has changed," I said my eyes wide taking in every thing in the image. Lee huffed in agreement and rubbed his head against the picture lovingly.

Suri's picture was obviously something she had put a lot of hard work and love in to. A huge lion drawn on a piece of card, with a beautiful mane, in a heart with 'I love you Daddy' on the top and 'Suri' at the bottom with lots of kisses all over the rest.

Bay, Willow and Lilly Mae's were scribbles with every colour crayon they could find. Leona's hands and feet were painted and pressed to her card. I could see how big they had grown, at least a finger tip bigger on each hand... ok her finger tips were tiny but it was still something we were missing.

A few strands of their hair was attached to each card with a sticky bow. I knew it was for Lee so he could smell their scent. As I held Suri's up to him I had to ask, "It is your birthday today?" he huffed and nodded his head. "Happy Birthday," I hugged and kissed him, giving his ears an extra scratch. He wrapped one paw around me, noticeably bigger than my backside and as heavy as a slab of concrete. His head rested on my shoulder like a boulder. I struggled to not crumble under the weight as I comforted him but he didn't linger long enough for me to fall.

There was no cake or treats, just the cards, photos and hair but it was enough for him. I watched as he tentatively moved towards Leona's card. He had never met her, this was his first time with her scent, other than what he smelt on me when I had first arrived, not that I had let him near me. We had come a long way since then and the memory of Lee's mother sharing the tale of how her and his father were sent to another realm together all those years ago, flowed through my mind.

I decided to share the story with him even though he must know it, it was passing time and he lay back as I held up the cards and lockets of hair for him to sniff, rubbed his belly and fed him fruit... well it is his birthday.