HELLO SUNRISE
#1 of SUNRISE
HELLO SUNRISE!
Chapter One.
17th October 2300
Western Australia
Swan Valley
2:35am
The hermaphrodite chakamil meowled in pain, as hir cub pushed and wiggled its way into the world, the nursemaid, a chakat named Sundance, helped calm and ease the anguish of the new mother to be.
"Shi's almost there hun, soon you'll have a new daughter to cherish and nurture." Shi said, running the warm water over the vulva, to help ease the passing of the cub, and loosen the lips so shi could slip free.
"I hope... augh that shi'll live... nngh a happy life... yowl free from torment and suffering?" Sunset panted, as hir daughter's shoulders slipped free.
Shortly, Sunset was holding hir new infant in hir arms, as shi was greedily suckling on hir teat, drinking the enriched chakat milk, purring happily.
Sundance smiled as shi washed then dried hir paws, then shi hugged Sunset softly and tussled the cubs head.
"Well, I've got to be going, it is late, and my mate is missing me terribly."
"Yes, and thanks for giving me this gift of life." The new mother replied nursing and petting hir daughters' ears, which had the small tuffs, the signature of their ancestral beginnings.
The next couple of days were filled with nursing, kitty litter training and caring for hir new infant, and then the outside world encroached on the two, in the form of Sunset's boss, Doctor Phillips.
Shi opened the door, and allowed him inside.
The fox morph smiled, and sat down on hir old but comfortable sofa, and then thanked hir for the cup of coffee shi gave him. He took a sip, relishing in the hot brew.
"So, how is your little cub?" he asked, as he saw hir in the crib, curled up and fast asleep.
"Shi is wonderful, although, I haven't named hir yet." Sunset replied, smiling and drinking from hir own cup as well.
"Oh? Any ideas?" he asked.
"None of late, to early to tell. Might let it be for awhile, see what hir mannerisms are or what shi can do."
"Fair enough, the reason I came this morning, is to see if you're up to returning to work soon?" he asked, taking another sip.
"Well, as much as I love my job, and that I need the money, the fact is, I can't leave my cub alone." Shi said, looking at the small bundle of joy, purring away contently in the crib.
"Oh, that's easy fixed, shi can be looked after at the hospital, we do have child and cub care facilities." He said, finishing the drink, and asked for another, which shi was happily too obliged.
"Are you sure?" shi asked, a little sceptical. "It's not going to be a bother?"
"No dear, none what's so ever." He said, getting up and going over to the cub, looking at hir fur, which was a light blue, with red ears. What struck him the most, was the paw pattern on hir right chest. It was blue on a red circle.
"Did you notice this pattern hun?" he asked Sunset, as shi joined him.
"Yes I did, although it is a mystery to me on what it means."
"What has your mate have to say about it?"
"Bluevein? Nothing, as yet. Hy only knows that shi's born, I haven't told him of the marking. I'll show him when he gets home tomorrow night." Shi said, petting hir cub, making hir curl up tighter in a ball.
"Oh, I see, well remember that there are facilities at the hospital to take care of your cub." Dr Phillips said, handing back the empty cup and went to use the toilet.
While he was disposed, the chakat cub chose that moment to wake up and meowl for food, which Sunrise provided, picking hir up and offered a lactating teat. The cub hungrily latched onto and proceeded to drink the warm liquid.
Phillips smiled when he saw the cub feeding, and discreetly said goodbye, giving the new mother a hug before leaving to start his shift and the hospital.
"So I'll see you later today then?" he asked through the opened door?
"Hmm maybe not, but definitely tomorrow morning." Shi replied, smiling.
"Ok, well see you then, good day to you Shir Sunset." He smiled, before closing the door and headed off.
Sunset smiled and cooed at hir child, rubbing the cub's ears and cheek softly, as the cubs happiness washed over hir through hir empathic ability. After hir feeding, Sunset placed the cub in hir crib, then made a fresh cup of coffee. Once it was made, shi took the cup along with a muffin, and sat out on the porch.
The home was spacious, as it was meant to house three or more taurs, it was nestled amongst a small group of trees, with a running brook trickling through it. There was a garden, filled with vegetables and herbs, as well as am apple and lemon tree.
A shed contained working tools and other bits and pieces that was either to dangerous around the newborn, or was too large to be placed in the home, and would just get in the way. A water tower with running reticulation provided water. A solar powered heating device made sure that there was ample of hot water, and on the days that it rained or was overcast, they had the gas bottles.
It was still early, the sun hadn't peaked over the horizon yet. Sunset enjoyed the view of the first ray of sunrise, with its beautiful colours of light blue and orange, yellow and red. Hir thought were interrupted by hir cub crying, which was strange, as shi had never made a sound before, not until later on in the morning.
Reluctantly going back inside, Sunset went to see what the problem was. When shi entered the room that was the cubs' nursery, the cub stopped meowling, and reached out for hir mother. Sunset smiled and picked hir child up, cradling hir. The cub meeped and purr, but when shi was put back in the crib, and the mother went to leave, shi started to meowl again, leaning against the crib, reaching for hir mom through the bars. Sunset, getting a little annoyed, picked hir cub up again.
"Ok, ok. I'll comfort you little one." Shi said, walking back to the front porch to complete hir morning coffee and to watch the sunrise.
As shi was sipping the golden brew, and being mindful of the cub, shi watched the birds flittering amongst the trees, a swallow chased a crow, which was mildly amusing, as the crow was at least 100 times larger than the swallow. Watching the small bird zipping back and forth, flying around the larger black bird, shi was reminded of the aerial dog fights of World War 2 footage, which was available on the History channel, where smaller fighter jets swarmed around larger less manuvourable planes.
Soon, the lone swallow was joined by 2 of its comrades, and the crow decided to high feather tail itself out of the area.
The sound of hir cub's meeping and chirping drew hir attention to what hir child was looking at, it was small and scurrying along the veranda floor, it was a spider, a daddy long legs. Small body and very thin long legs. Shi smiled and watch it make it way to the wall and crawl its way up to cluster of webs, obviously it's home, to wait for food to crawl or fly into it's trap.
Then the sudden appearance of light drew hir attention to the horizon, as the suns rays graced the landscape with it's life giving warmth. Then shi was aware of another light source, in hir arms no less, looking down at hir cub, shi gasp with awe and wonderment when hir cubs' fur started to sparkle, yellow and red with a tinge of blue, and the cub was meeping with glee, reaching out towards to suns light.
"Wow, you are... so beautiful." Shi whispered, as shi looked at the sparkling colours and noticed a change in hir cub's fur. Instead of it being just light blue, shi now had an additional set of markings, yellow and red streaks, scattered through hir fur.
"Your fur looks like the sunrise colours." Shi purred, stroking hir daughter backs, as shi curled up in hir arms, plucking at one of hir nipples.
"Hmmm Sunrise... that's what I'll name you, little one." Shi said, a huge smile on hir face. Picking hir cub up and turned hir, so that shi was facing hir, Sunset gave the cub a kisslick from hir neck to the bridge of hir muzzle, then looked hir in the eyes.
"I Sunset, child of Blackstump and Maelstrom, shall henceforth name you, Sunrise, child of Bluevein and Sunset. Hello Sunrise." Shi declared, nuzzling hir new named cub, who nuzzled back, purring.