Hammers in the Shadows

Part Two: Hammers in the Night - Chapter Sixteen

"It's about time." Anna said with a measure of acerbity, "Those clouds have been piling up all day long, and now, finally they begin to dump on us."

I nodded in response. "Yes," I replied with a slight nod. "It is nice to see it snowing again." I told her.

One of the cats to my left laughed slightly as she hugged her son to her chest tightly, the little cub, who was perhaps six years old was relaxing in her arms much like Tanya was in mine. "I always look forwards to the snow, though my mate and I both agree that a wet cub is the price that we pay for that." She said, she was one of the Blackwater cats and she was good cat with strong ideals.

Anna smiled at her, "I agree with you there Sandra." She said reaching over gently to pat the top of the cub's head gently. "Ian is growing, quickly isn't he?"

Sandra nodded softly, "Yes he is," She replied, hugging her son softly. "It seems like only yesterday when I was bringing him into the world at the Pride House at Blackwater, and yet that was six years ago."

Both Anna and I could only smile at that as we thought about our own cubs and how they'd entered our lives.

Four days later I awoke slowly and looked around before I recalled, that for once, I was sleeping in my own bed with my mate, and our youngest daughter. Tanya was still sleeping, cuddled up against my chest, her thumb in her mouth as she slept like a baby. Both Anna and I were becoming more and more worried about her emotional regression as she was still acting younger and younger, trying to find some point from which she could rebuild her life. During the day, she could act like a somewhat normal cub her age, though her reliance on her Pull-Ups did bother us a bit. However, at night we both saw the full extent of her regression and it was disturbing how young she sometimes acted. When I'd brought the matter to Beth's attention the previous day she'd told me that from what she'd been able to discern, Tanya was still suffering at night, from the horrors that had been inflicted upon her. It would probably take years to heal her mind of all of the damage, and for the time being we needed to do our best to show her that we loved her regardless of her behaviour at night.

Across from me Anna opened her eyes and then seeing Tanya's thumb in her mouth she nodded slightly at me and then reached across to the bedside table to retrieve an item that I was very nervous about giving to a seven year old cub. However, she could do real damage to her teeth if she continued to nurse on her thumb in her sleep so I nodded, reluctantly to my mate and I watched as she gently and carefully replaced the thumb with the item. Tanya seemed to fuss for a moment before she relaxed and fell back asleep. *Anna, how long can we keep this up? Watching her regress at night...* I began, while looking at the cub I'd adopted.

*Mark,* She began taking my hand gently. *Look at that kitten and tell me that anybody else would be able to do what you've done for her?* She said firmly.

I did as my mate told me, and I had to admit, that I knew that what she was saying was true. All the same I didn't like the idea that my seven year old daughter acted like a toddler in her sleep. *Anna...*

*Mark during the day she appears to be okay, but at night we, her new parents, see how much damage those monsters really did to our cubs.* She told me, squeezing my hand tightly, *I've talked with the rest of the people who've adopted orphans who were under Yasmira's care and they all tell me that Tanya received the worst of it.*

I had to nod softly in understanding, *I can understand that but...* I began,

*Mark the reason she regresses so much is because she's literally been through hell, and the only way that she can find any measure of peace is to revert to a point in her life when she wasn't the target of so much...* Anna began before her body shook softly, and I could see tears flowing from her eyes in the dim light of pre-dawn.