Hepbeth snorted her displeasure at Tragar's departure, but kept her ears up so the little cub wouldn't think Hepbeth was mad at her. The tabbi sprawled on her back, offering her tummy again for Traci to rub. As Traci leaned over and rubbed her fingers through the tabbi's luxuriously thick, cream-colored abdominal fur, Hepbeth began purring again.
An adult human entered the room just then and saw the cub and tabbi highlighted in the sun's soft rays slanting in through a window. Hepbeth heard the human thinking, "Oh isn't that lovely! Hepbeth's fur is the same color as Traci's hair. I won't bother them. I'll just go get Bannie, she'll love to see this."
Humpf, Hepbeth thought to herself, Allie should say Traci hair same color as Hepbeth fur. Humans always put humans first, then other creatures second. She heard two human females come and stand in the doorway. After saying, "That's lovely, Allie," the other human left. Allie walked over to the human cub and said, "Traci, are you having fun playing with Hepbeth? She sure likes what you're doing. I could hear her purrs all the way from the door."
"Oh, yes, Allie!" Traci giggled, grinning up at Allie. "Tragar was here, too, and he spoke to me! He said he wanted me to scratch his back, so I did and then he said thank you. He's a very polite tabbi."
"Traci," Allie smiled as she stooped down next to the cub, "honey, I know you'd like to think the tabbin can talk to you. But they really don't, you know. Only we humans can talk, not the other animals."
Traci's lower lip stuck out and Hepbeth heard her hurt and confused thoughts. The cub had been so sure she'd heard Tragar, but since Allie was an adult, Traci was deciding reluctantly that Allie must be right. Traci decided she'd just imagined hearing the tabbi, just like her mama kept telling her, too.
Annoyed, Hepbeth rolled over and sneezed vehemently. She wished Allie would leave so Hepbeth could tell Traci the truth. Fortunately, Allie chose that moment to say goodbye and leave. Hepbeth immediately butted into Traci to get her attention. "Traci, tabbin can talk. Allie wrong. Tabbin not speak words loud on air like humans. Tabbin send throughts to Traci. Traci hear Hepbeth thoughts inside Traci head now. Allie not know. Allie not listen in head." A long speech for a tabbi, but Hepbeth continued to stare at the cub.
"But why can't Allie hear you in her head?" Traci asked, confused.
"Allie hear tabbin when Allie human cub. Adult humans tell Allie tabbin not talk. Allie not listen any more. Now Allie not hear tabbin."
"I do hear you, Hepbeth, and I heard Tragar, too. But Mama says tabbin don't talk, just like Allie says."
The tabbi rubbed against the confused cub again, then stepped back and captured Traci's blue eyes with her tabbi-green ones. "Jozlyn, Theor hear tabbin. Traci ask magin." She again rubbed against Traci, then padded swiftly from the room. |