“We’re back!”
Zoë opened her eyes. Had she passed out again? Her injuries had gotten worse without treatment. She had a fever. She was having trouble concentrating. She tried her best to put on a strong face for the sake of the children.
“Great! What did you find?”
Biki held out the container that Zoë had given the pair before sending them out to forage for food. It was full of berries and nuts. Meagre fare, but it was more than she could have hoped for.
Her big plan had been to keep the kids busy by sending them out in pairs to look for food. They would tie one end of the rope from her pack to a tree at the edge of the clearing. One of the pair would tie the other end to their paw. When they reached the end of the rope, the one would rummage around for food. The other would wander a little further out, keeping the first in sight at all times. That way they would always be able to find their way back to the clearing.
Zoë forced an encouraging smile, “Good work! Who’s going out next?”
“You don’t look so good,” Biki told her. Biki was the youngest of all the kittens. The others had probably noticed the rough state Zoë was in as well, but they were too nervous to broach the subject. The presence of an adult was comforting and none of them wanted to think what would happen to them if Zoë’s condition worsened.
She decided to be honest about it, “You noticed huh? Well, I won’t lie to you, I’m really hurting here.”
“Can we help?” Trip asked after poking his head out from the bushes where he’d been rummaging.
“You’re already doing lots,” Zoë replied. “We need to eat.”
“I’m hungry!” Greggy chimed in.
Zoë’s smile was genuine this time. “Me too. I guess now is as good a time to eat as any, right? Let’s divide this bounty up, shall we?”
The kittens crowded around her and she doled out their portions. To their credit, nobody complained. Not even the ever-hungry Greggy.
The berries were tart but good. They wouldn’t last though. Sooner or later they would rummage all there was to find in the area. She could only hope that Popkin returned before then.