Thank you to the wondeful Beta's who encourage me and helped me correct my mistakes.
Blair as a child.

Cats in the Cradle
Gremlin

Laying her small son down, Naomi covered him with warm blankets, and smiled at the tousled hair of her beautiful baby. At three years of age Blair was too old for a crib, but that's all that was available, all the small beds were occupied. But he was so small that it didn't confine him, in fact he seemed to enjoy sleeping in it, making a little house with blankets over the top, his bear keeping him company.

He was agile enough to climb out on his own if he needed her, next door in the room she shared with her current lover, Marcus.

"Mama, can I have a kitty?" He asked, eyes wide in entreaty. "The mama cat in the barn has little kittens, and Mr. David said that soon they have to go to new homes. I saw them borned and my animal book has a picture of a big cat, so can I have one please? Little kitties need little boys to look after them, I can feed it and give it some of my milk and it can sleep with me and I'll pet it and play with it and...and..." He broke off as he saw his mother shaking her head.

"Oh sweetie, I'm sorry, we can't take a kitty with us all the time. Some places won't let us keep one and it would be cruel to keep it in a cage when we travel. Don't you think? When they go to new homes, they won't have to be in cages," Naomi murmured, hugging her son.

Blair pouted, but heard the tone and knew, that this time she wouldn't go back on her decision. "Can I play with them sometimes? I like how they purr and their fur tickles my face when Mr. David lets me hold one, and the mama cat, she likes it when I stroke her fur."

"Sure sweetie, you can play with them, but only when Mr. David or another adult is there. Okay, baby?" Naomi asked as she tucked the blankets around Blair. Kissing his forehead, he nodded sadly. "Sweet dreams little one, mama is right next door if you need me. Good night, Blair."

"Ni Ni mama." Blair yawned as he snuggled under the covers, drying his tears with a closed fist, hugging his teddy closer. Eyes closing, he dropped off to sleep.

*Blair was in a flower filled meadow, surrounded by huge trees. He ran and laughed, naked as the day he was born, a warm breeze played with his curly hair, as he raised his face to the golden sun, revelling in the freedom. He wasn't even startled when he saw a large black cat stalking towards him, its blue eyes fixated on Blair. He stopped and looked around, but couldn't see his mama anywhere. Hearing the purring of the big cat as it came towards him, he fearlessly ran towards the large predator. The cat lay down before the boy reached him, so was prepared when the child pounced and landed on it, hugging with everything he had. When the small hands gently rubbed under the silky ears, the cat began to purr. "Hello kitty, where did you come from? Is you losted? I got losted once, but mama founded me. And now I founded you. Wanna play?" The rumbling purr increased, going straight through Blair, who couldn't stop the giggles that erupted. Patting the cat's head, he lay over the cats back, and still didn't stretch far enough to cover its massive body. "Mama said I couldn't have a little kitty cause we move all the time. You isn't a little kitty, you is a HUGE kitty. Maybe she'll let me keep you?"

Rolling off the cat, Blair stretched out on his back in the grass, one of his hands still rubbing its ears. Sinuously, the cat rolled as well, the large head never losing contact with the little boy's hand. The cat's four legs waved in the air as it scratched its back on the grass, then rolled onto its side, to face Blair, its long whiskers, tickling the boy's nose and the long tail wrapping around the boy's ankle.

Laughing the little boy jumped up. "Catch me if you can kitty!" he called running around the meadow. The big cat rose gracefully, stretching and arching its powerful back, then sat down and yawned while watching child's antics. When Blair got too close, a large paw reached out tripping Blair gently, and then pouncing, the cat began washing his face. Ineffectively pushing at the large body crouched over him, Blair laughed and started tickling the cat. "Yucky, stop that. Bad kitty." Laughing exuberantly, Blair batted the large mouth and teeth away from its licking of his face, and jumped up. "Come on kitty, let's play!"

The black jaguar trailed in the wake of the excited child, occasionally weaving its way around his body as he ran; rubbing against him and tickling his face with its whiskers, other times tripping Blair so he landed on the soft fur, purring and nuzzling the child as they cuddled close.

Eventually the little boy dropped down onto the grass and began to make flower chains. He crowned the cat with the first, then another around its neck, before making some for himself. "There, all pretty now." Blair exclaimed, clapping his hands. The cat narrowed its eyes, huffing in resignation.

Shifting around the little boy curled up against the black jaguar's stomach, closing his eyes and listening to the beating heart. The cat lay on its side, watching over him. "You are the wonderfulest kitty in the whole world, you can be mine and I can be yours, forever and ever." His words were greeted with a rumbling purr and nuzzle from the cat. The jaguar curled up around the little boy as he drifted off to sleep.*

Rolling over and stretching, Blair felt something out of place. Opening his eyes he gasped when he saw the cat in bed with him. Hugging the jaguar, Blair started babbling. "Mama, mama, come see the kitty!"

Naomi came quickly to see what had excited her son. In the crib with Blair sat a beautiful toy cat with silky black fur, and the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen. Blair was hugging it tight and she could hear him softly talking to the toy.

"Blair sweetie, where did the toy kitty come from?" Naomi opened the side of the crib and sat down next to her son. She was puzzled - while her son was a favourite amongst the people at the commune, she didn't think he was close enough to anyone to get such a gift. It was worrying that someone had come past her and Marcus during the night, placing the toy in the crib.

"He's my kitty, we played on the grass and he kept licking me and purring, and he doesn't have to go in a cage when we go in the car to a new place, see he has blue eyes too just like me, but he's smaller now so I can carry him, he's going to be my bestest friend for ever and ever," Blair announced as he continued stroking the soft fur and rubbed the toy's face against his own.

"Can I see him to say hello for a minute, baby?" Naomi asked. At Blair's nod, she stroked the toy's fur and examined it for hidden dangers. There was no store tag, but it didn't look handcrafted; the blue eyes were true glass, they gave her a comforting feeling looking into them. She could also see faint spots marking the back fur in an irregular pattern. The face was stitched on in black thread, with a red velvet tongue just peeking out from between white cloth teeth. Soft tufted ears and the blue eyes, gave the cat a look of smiling smugness.

While Naomi was examining the toy, Blair jumped out of the crib and dug through his backpack, pulling out his 'Book of Animals'. Opening it to the correct page, he raced back to his mother to show her.

"Look mama, see the kitty in the book and my kitty are the same, it says jaa-g-u-aa-r, jaguar, but what's the big words next to it, mama?"

Naomi handed the toy back to her son and took the book to read the description. As she read, Naomi explained the meanings of the words to her son. He absorbed the information eagerly, stroking the toys soft fur with his hands. Bouncing on his toes, his face glowed with happiness that he had his very own special kitty from his favourite book.

Family - Felidae
Genus - Panthera
Species - Panthera Onca JAGUAR
Weight= 90-300 pounds
Length= 72 inches
Tail= 22 inches
Status - Endangered.
The Jaguar is the fourth largest of the wild cats. Stockier, with a shorter tail, sturdier legs, bigger paws, and broader head than the leopard. Colour and pattern are variables even within a single population, but there are also average regional differences, with background fur ranging from pale yellow through yellowish brown. Feline Melanism occurs because of an abnormality or mutation of one of the feline's genes, which is associated with fur colour and markings. It is hereditary, possibly passed down from one generation to the next, but can skip a generation, so it is a common thing to have a litter with both the normal golden coloured cubs and the dark coloured cubs. Melanistic jaguars are more or less uniformly dark brown or black, with markings only visible at close range or in oblique light. Also known as the "Black Panther". This term is also used for black leopards. (Often used in connection with the larger black felines.)*

Well, the description certainly fit the toy, as an example of toy making it was excellent quality, and its realism was remarkably accurate. Blair plopped himself onto the floor and kept whispering into the ear of `his kitty'. She would have to find whoever gave Blair the toy, but she couldn't see the harm in him keeping it at the moment

Naomi smiled down at her son, stroking his hair till he looked up. "Time to get dressed sweetie, don't want to miss breakfast, do we?" Helping him get ready for the day, Naomi carefully observed Blair, and could see no obvious signs of interference, he didn't shy away from her, nor were there any marks she didn't know the origin of. Slightly easing her worries over the gift and strange dream. Naomi found it amusing having to manoeuvre around the stuffed animal that Blair never put down. He happily chattered as they made their way to the eating hall.

Greeting people as they went, Naomi wondered who had left the gift. She waited for someone to make some remark about the toy. It hadn't left Blair's hands during the meal, or as they headed for the playroom where the little ones were watched in the mornings, while their parents worked at tasks in the commune.

Blair spent the day drawing pictures of his 'big black kitty' and he playing in the meadow, talking happily to anyone who would listen about the jaguar from his book. Just before lunch, when his mama would usually come to collect him, Blair looked up to see his favourite `uncle'. "Uncle Gabriel!! Look at my kitty, isn't he the bestest! He was in my dreams and he licked and tickled me, and we played, and he purrs really loud!" Blair jumped up and into the arms of the man kneeling next to him.

Laughing at the flood of words, Gabriel stood with Blair in his arms. "Hello Blair. I see you that you like him a lot." Laughing, Gabriel tossed Blair into the air before catching him gently. "Your mama asked me to bring you both to lunch - she's just washing up after helping in the gardens. You ready to go eat, munchkin?" Gabriel asked after blowing a raspberry on the little belly button the actions had given him a glimpse of.

Blair giggled and nodded his head vigorously. "Me and kitty are very, very hungry. My tummy is rumbling, and kitty's too!"

Blair held the toy to Gabriel's ear; smiling as he heard a faint purring, Gabriel winked at the cat. The jaguar's eyes sparkled with a blue glow, that vanished before anyone else could see, and a wink as the kindred spirits met. The black fur ruffled as ghostly wings brushed over the toy.

Laughing in delight, Gabriel walked out of the playroom, holding Blair in his arms, nodding to the babysitters and giving them a cheery good-bye.

Resting his head comfortably on a shoulder, Blair grinned, enjoying the ride, as Gabriel strode towards the eating hall, they chatted about Blair's morning and his dream. Blair eagerly went to his mother hugging her in greeting, when Gabriel joined Naomi and Marcus. Blair didn't like Marcus, and was glad Marcus ignored him more often than not.

Eating didn't take long, and was interspersed with laughter from Naomi and Gabriel, and scowls, from Marcus, at Blair's attempts to mimic his kitty's growls and purrs. Afterwards, Naomi headed back to the sleeping rooms, Blair trotting by her side, Gabriel and Marcus chatting as they followed.

Walking into Blair's room, Naomi washed his face and hands before changing him into clean clothes. Marcus stayed in the main room as Gabriel stood leaning in the doorway, watching mother and son.

"Naomi, I hope you don't mind that I gave Blair the black cat?" Gabriel asked diffidently.

Stopping, and turning to look at him in surprise, Naomi smiled. "No, of course not. Actually, I'm relieved, I trust you, and Blair loves you very much. Finding it his morning, and hearing about his dream, had me concerned, and worrying over how it had gotten there during the night. How did you get past us?"

"Ahh, even little miracles happen every day, and shouldn't be explained." Gabriel chuckled, not explaining further.

"Where on earth did you find it? Blair hasn't put it down since he woke this morning. I'm glad though, because last night he was asking for a real kitten from the litter in the barn. But, with our lives, taking a cat just wouldn't be practical, or safe." Naomi said as she turned back to Blair.

Blair swivelled his head back and forth as the adults talked. "Uncle Gabriel, you put the kitty in my bed and my dreams?" Blair asked sleepily, sitting on the edge of the crib while his mother got him ready for his nap. "Does he have a name? He hasn't told me."

Coming closer, Gabriel crouched down to look into Blair's eyes, "That's right, he's a gift from me, little one, he's your very own kitty, and he'll look after you even when you grow up. No matter where you go, you can always find him in your dreams. Call him your guardian angel, until you can hear his true name for yourself." Kissing Blair's forehead in benediction, Gabriel stood and after touching Blair's head and kissing Naomi's cheek, he smiled and left.

"Well that's a mystery solved, isn't it, sweetie." Naomi tucking Blair under his blankets. Hugging his black kitty close with one arm, and his teddy with the other, Blair smiled sweetly at his mother and nodded as he snuggled down. Stroking his soft cheek, Naomi read from his favourite book until he had drifted off to sleep, hopefully to dream of his black jaguar and the future.

~0oOo0~

*Information on Black Jaguars found at http://www.wtv-zone.com/BigCats/jaguar/jaguars.html

End Cats In The Cradle by Gremlin: thegremlin@bigfoot.com
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