Fomidae

Chapter Ten

     “W-why won’t you go away?” her mother stuttered loudly. She ran forward. “Get! Go! Shoo!”

     Mia shook her head, trying to act as human as possible. “No, Mom, it’s me! Mia!” she tried to say, but all that came out was a meow of protest. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t talk in English anymore, and only in cat language. Mia held out a paw as if wanting to shake hands. Her mother looked perplexed.

     “Just get!” she yelled. “I don’t want you around, cat! You don’t need to be here! Go find someone else to bother!” She kicked again, this time hitting Mia’s right shoulder.

     She flinched and yelped. Her shoulder throbbed, and she got to her wobbling paws and backed away a step. “Fine!” she yowled shakily. “If you don’t want me, then I’ll go! Go find some other daughter!” With that, Mia turned around and, trembling, limped away, wincing from the pain in her shoulder.

     Tears running down her cheeks, through her gray tabby fur and dripping off of her whispers uncontrollably, she looked back once to see her mother closing the door behind her. Then she continued on, occasionally stopping to lick her shoulder. Mia could not hold back the shaking sobs of anger and hurt that vibrated out of her body, of the salty wet tears that ran steadily down her face. She finally sat down and started to lick her shoulder, hoping maybe her rasping tongue might help soothe the pain. But it didn’t.

     Mia eventually found a leafy area and she curled up, still licking her shoulder. She winced at the pain, and finally closed her eyes, wanting to sleep.

     “Mia? Mia? Are you okay?”

     Mia opened her eyes to see a gray tabby standing over her.

     “Grace?” she murmured, blinking in the crisp light. “Is that you? Am I dead?” She blinked again, and sat up quickly, immediately wishing she hadn’t when horrible pain radiated off of her injured shoulder. She winced and started to lick her shoulder again instinctively.

     “No, don’t worry, Mia, you’re still alive. And yes, it is me,” Grace meowed. “Are you okay? How did you hurt your shoulder? Why are you laying here? Did something come and hurt you? What happened?”

     Mia moaned and flopped back down into the grass, annoyed by the constant flow of questions. “I’m fine. I don’t know why I’m lying here, and I’d rather not tell you what happened.” She closed her eyes again.

     “You don’t look okay,” said Grace worriedly, peering at Mia’s bruised shoulder. “You need to have that fixed. Did a dog come and get you?”

     Mia shook her head. “No, it wasn’t a dog. And I don’t want to tell you or anyone else what happened. And I’m fine!” she added, figuring Grace was about to ask if she was okay for what seemed like the hundredth time again.

     “Well, we’ve better get back to camp. Everyone’s been wondering where you are. Come on, I’ll help you,” Grace meowed. She nudged Mia with her nose and helped her up. Mia leaned against her friend a little as they padded back to camp.

     Soon they arrived and entered once again, Mia feeling a little bad for acting a bit rude to Grace before, but her friend didn’t seem shaken by it at all. Grace helped her toward Shard and Kia’s den, and they went into the dark cave slowly and silently.

     “Kia?” Grace called when they were fully in. “Are you there?”

     Instead, dark eyes popped open ahead, gleaming in the blackness of the cave. Mia groaned inwardly.

     No, not Shard, she thought desperately. Why him?

     Shard growled belligerently. “Who’s there?” he asked in a rumbling roar. Mia shivered.