Star Kitten

by Purple Hazel

  “Yet… we are all citizens of this bold and free planet,” Architeuthis finally added as the eruption of squealing from the females gradually dissipated.

  When everyone had simmered down a bit, and the accompanying chuckles and snickers also died down to a dull murmur, Arthiteuthis fluttered his cheeks joyously at the reaction. Then he continued, "We have come together in this beautiful setting today to witness the joining of two of our own kind in the bonds of marriage. Nausties just like all of us, they stand before us today, lovely in their appearance, committed in their devotion to one another. And they come before us to declare their union and their vows of marriage. They come before us today to profess lifelong devotion to each other... until death finally parts them."

  Next, Architeuthis paused for a moment. He lowered his voice to just where the couple could hear him, then he kindly asked, “Would you like to read any personal vows of your own choosing to each other… in your own words or in the words of others?” Solomon spoke up first, saying "Yes, great Architeuthis. I'll speak." However instead of facing Felina, he turned to face the massive audience inside the building. The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon outside, illuminating the interior with an orange and then gradually more magenta-colored misty glow as the ceremony had begun. He looked down at his feet collecting his thoughts for a moment, then raised his face to them all proudly, glancing about at the anxious throng of people. "Good morning everyone and thank you for coming," he began, with his voice clearly audible above the huge blowers circulating fresh air into the facility. "Before I speak my vows; I would wish to make a confession to all of you about who I truly am; and what brought me to this moment of great happiness today,” he said. Then in deference to the great Schpleeftkorkii leader, the audience fell almost completely silent.

  “When I was a young man, I thought like a little child,” Solomon began again. “I spoke as a child and acted as a child, because that’s all I was. Exceptional in some ways, some would say. Average in most others to tell you the truth, however….”

  Solomon grinned sheepishly, which elicited a few humorous snickers from among his groomsmen at his feeble attempt at modesty. Yet he continued, “…my ambitions might have been that of an adult; and my moral fortitude was certainly that of several men. But my heart was also filled with blind courage and naive confidence. I gained power and a reputation for bravery as I grew older. I soon gained achievement of great wealth and not surprisingly allies aplenty. Men followed me... even made me their leader on occasion, throughout my younger years. I eventually had all I’d once dreamed of as a boy; and much more. Yet my soul remained quite empty. No God could fill this void within me. My pride prevented it from occurring; and eventually my distrust for others made me but a cynical creature who I could only assume God had forsaken when my life was later turned upside down.”

  Solomon looked out into the crowd and even glanced for a brief moment at his friends from the Inshallah tribe who were in attendance. They nodded proudly at seeing how much Solomon had learned as a man—how much he’d gleaned from the time he’d visited with them. Here was a great man, powerful and respected among others throughout the planet, humbling himself before God and his “people”. That’s what a truly brave man must do, they believed.

  And Solomon went on, tapping his chest for emphasis saying, “It was only me… against the world. It was only I who truly believed in myself; and therefore I trusted in no one but me. I was born with ability and strength. I saw that I had wisdom and intelligence to become a great leader perhaps someday. Yet this ambition was never fully realized. And when I was exiled to this planet to die, as many of us also were, I finally looked to God. It was only then that I finally sought Him out." Solomon then bowed his head in shame for a moment, raising one hand and index finger to point toward the brightening sky above him. After heaving a big sigh, he raised his head once again and looked out bravely at his audience saying, "Yes... I looked to God. But not as a solution to the despair in my heart, did I finally choose to seek His guidance. Not even for protection from the threats to my own personal safety. Instead I looked to Him to have mercy on me finally as a poor sinner, and mercifully allow my life to end. THAT is what I finally, in my arrogance and desperation, prayed to Him for. I begged almighty God to let me die."

  With that, he gave a long pause and sighed deeply once more, bowing his head again in shame before an audience made up of literally thousands of the bravest and mightiest warriors he'd ever known in his life. Eyes welled up with tears. Heads bowed and nodded in shared shame for their own past transgressions and sinfulness. Many others just gasped in awe at Solomon's brave candor. Men, Porkos, even some Pumalars... Spleefs, Zorgs, and nearly all the females began to sob and even weep at his words. The emotions were already quite high; but even with all the expectations previously held of an inspiring occasion, still no one completely expected something like this.

  And yet Solomon was only just getting started. He continued proudly, "But God did not allow me to end my life... nor did he allow me to have my life ended for me. I lived on, tortured over my painful past and haunted by regret. And yet then... one day… the Almighty allowed my suffering to come to an end. I emerged from the icy cold prison which was previously my soul. And God so loved me that he sent this beautiful creature to me... to be my mate and companion.” The crowd began to murmur with delight and in waves of realization, as the message became clearer and clearer to one and all. Solomon turned slightly toward Felina and reached toward her with his big black hand. She grasped it lovingly in her paws. Solomon concluded his wedding vows thusly, “Felina, you have healed my soul and changed me into the man I was supposed to be… the man I should have sought to be all along." Then he turned completely toward her, grasping both of her paws in his hands, adding "And I will today devote the rest of my life to you my darling wife." She purred and glowed with blissful happiness, as the inside of the building grew brighter from the rising sun.

  Females could be heard gasping, blubbering, and sobbing with joy. Men and warriors nodded and murmured softly in acknowledgement. This was truly a beautiful sight to see: New Australia's greatest and most popular couple declaring wedding vows to each other. But an even bigger precedent had been set: Solomon's words had laid out the first big marital tradition of the day: that a Naustie should open up his heart to everyone in attendance, revealing his truest and most meaningful feelings about his wife or life partner.

  And with the conclusion of Solomon’s vows… it was now Felina's turn!

  Felina smiled again, and then turned to face the huge audience as Solomon had done. She knew her voice would be difficult to hear above the sobbing, sniffling, and murmuring throng, but Architeuthis gave a calming gesture with his large main tentacles that alerted the crowd to quiet down to let the elegant she-cat speak. Boldly, she lifted her lovely face to raise her buzzing purring voice loud enough to be heard inside the echoing steel fabricated walls of the giant building. She said, "When I was a kitten, the local tribal elders recognized me as having Empathic abilities. Abilities beyond that of an average female and perhaps those strong enough to eventually be honored by receiving Empathic Training at the local academy. Years passed and the dream came true—the dream of many Pumalar kittens—and to the greatest honor imaginable to my family, I was selected."

  At this, literally hundreds of Pumalar females in the audience burst into tears and wept bitterly. Many had to muffle their faces in the chests of their neighbor in the audience. True, all she-cats dreamed of achieving and receiving such an honor. As kittens they'd play games and pretend they had been chosen to go to the local academy and train to become Empaths. But practically none of them in attendance had ever actually been selected or even come close to completing the training. Felina was the exception. She was the real thing; and yet she'd never been mated to a male, had she?

  Somehow, she’d ended up like all of the rest of them scraping out a living as “entertainers”. How intriguing! Now they were going
to hear her side of the story.

  "Like any kitten, I was overwhelmed with joy and pride. My breed was delighted as well and the Toyger patriarch even held celebrations in my honor. I was the happiest I'd ever been up to that point in my entire life. A vast world of possibilities now seemed available to me. I curled up asleep to dream every night of whom I might end up being mated with. Would it be a warrior... a nobleman... a diplomat from some exotic foreign world? All of these fantasies filled my mind and my dreams at night. Yet I was destined to be denied. No such dream came true… for me."

  She paused to let the message soak in. They all needed to know. She needed them to understand part of the reason she was here. She had not been the Star Kitten because she was great or exceptional. Anyone can be exceptional, even for a brief moment in their life. No, she needed them to understand she was in reality a failure, and THAT was why she was standing before them all that day, now a fellow citizen of New Australia.

  No, Felina was no better than—nor any greater than—any Pumalar who'd ever lived and certainly nothing greater than anyone else in that crowd. Failure and disappointment had put her on Star Pussy. And failing to meet the rigorous standards of the Empath academy had led to her denial of being assigned a mate. “I eventually reached the maximum age limit," she continued, "…which meant being released from the program. My young heart was broken," she added and then closed her eyes tightly in a look of regretful sadness.

  More sobbing and whimpering could be heard from the audience; as hundreds of female pumalars gained an even deeper understanding of their personal idol. Felina was the greatest among all of them. Pumalars traditionally never did such a thing; and for males especially it was unspeakable to confess or reveal a weakness! Subsequently, it was all the more shocking to hear Felina bare her soul.

  She continued, “And so I came to be an entertainer," she continued with a smirking smile. "Just like thousands of us who ended up on Star Pussy, I took a job as a Bodyworker. A new existence offered itself to me; and I embraced it determinedly. Maybe it could lead to more I tried to fantasize; but gradually I began to accept my existence. Maybe it was all that I might ever have… at least for the time being. True, I had abilities and skills that I could use to better the lives of everyone I came in contact with. I could relieve their pain, and their loneliness, and the dullness of their existence. Yet I could do nothing for myself. I could be nothing more than I was on Star Pussy. The Star Kitten, they called me. And so I went to work every night, proud of what I could do, but seeing no future for myself... once age and time took their toll on my beauty."

  The harsh reality of this dark confession struck home with many in the audience; and not just with Pumalars! Every female of any species dreads the future, when they realize youth and beauty are fleeting at best; and only too soon to fade away like the last days of a long beautiful summer. Time ends them both slowly and gradually, and no amount of fighting nor battling and can stave off the inevitable.

  Felina again sighed and paused, looking about the audience with compassion for what likely hundreds in attendance that day had felt and dreaded in just the same way. Then she added, "In so doing though, I found a friend I could confide in, and colleagues I could win the trust of. I found clients who adored me, and fame that I'd neither invited nor relished particularly... yet I was something I'd always wanted to be in the first place. I was, at least for a brief time in my life, quite needed and quite deeply desired. I then accepted this as my fate and condition, and strove to make the best of it. However, what I had to accept… was that I would never achieve the ultimate goal of every Empath who'd ever lived: to be mated with a great warrior...” Her voice then rose to its highest pitch short of outright screaming, “… a powerful mate who could provide me with security and status that would give me a stable future."

  This dramatic comment hushed the audience to inaudible whispers, as they realized the possible implications of what she’d just said. But she was not using her wedding vows to make—nor advance—a political agenda for female equality. Not today anyway.

  After a calming pause, she smiled saying, "And yet I was wrong. I was wrong all along, don’t you see? And thankfully too! Indeed I was mercifully quite mistaken." She laughed unabashedly, in that disarming comical buzzing purring cackle which had charmed thousands already over the years. It was contagious too, leading to some relieved chuckles from the sobbing and yet still quite riveted audience. As the laughter rippled throughout the building, she raised her voice a little higher, saying "Oh yes, fate had quite another surprise in store for me; when a very evil looking but surprisingly gentle Zorgolongian burst into my life and delivered me to this wonderful world of New Australia, where I was finally able to meet this mighty and wonderful man standing next to me.”

  Kscheeech grinned and nodded proudly at being recognized so honorably by Felina, while the crowd ahhh’d with both delight and relief.

  “Yes, a man… a human,” clarified Felina, "Powerful, beautiful, and spectacular. Ironically just what I'd dreamed of finding all along.” She then turned back to face Solomon completely once again, concluding by saying, “And with you, my darling, I finally found the love and happiness like I've dreamed of ever since I was a kitten back on Pumalar."

  Above all the joyful chuckles, "aaaah's", and giggles, one laughing voice could be heard above all the rest. Yes, it was Kscheeech, dressed in his Captain's robe and wearing a laurel of flower blossoms like all the other groomsmen were adorned with. If anyone else might have been overcome with pride that day, it could not have been more greatly felt than by her loyal friend and supporter, Kscheeech. His cackling snarl echoed throughout the vast chamber above everyone else in the crowd, and only died down when she turned to acknowledge him with a respectful nod. He returned it, still laughing, nodding, and hissing with almost a paternal pride.

  Felina concluded, "So I too commit myself to you Solomon, my partner and companion, for all the rest of our days together… on this my new home planet."

  At this, cheers and applause erupted from the audience of thousands, filling the gigantic greenhouse arena with a thunderous roar. It was a cheer for the collective satisfaction of seeing a couple who was clearly in love; and yet also an acknowledgment of what Felina was implying every female on New Australia should now do: appreciate their new existence on New Australia and embrace this as their home. Take pride in it. Take a husband! And perhaps, embrace the opportunity to start a family. The applause and cheers now grew into a cacophony of noise that echoed and seemed to build upon itself. The happy couple hugged each other lovingly. Then they remained entwined while they waited for the crowd to calm down and for the applause and cheering to die down once more.

  It took quite a while, but they were in no hurry. The cheers and applause even rose up a few more times as many in the crowd just wanted the moment to last and seemed to want the cheering to keep going! But finally the arena became silent again, as the crowd appeared to get it all out of their system; and folks turned about to hush each other and let the ceremony finish. Tears were wiped away, sniffles and sobs were stifled, and bodies hugged each other warmly. Felina's words were unforgettable. Solomon’s were too.

  After a long patient wait, Architeuthis spoke to each of them directly, but again with the same booming voice which enabled everyone in the crowd to hear without so much as straining their ears. "Solomon Mwonga, do you of your own free will, take this female, Felina Toyger, as your wife and companion… to love honor and protect her… forsaking all others? To stand by and defend her, at the risk of even your own life. As long as you both shall live?"

  Solomon stepped back from his love’s embrace to completely face Felina, holding her hands, thereby setting the tradition that would become performed a thousand more times in thousands of wedding ceremonies to come. Grasping both of her paws he exclaimed in a bellowing voice, "I shall!" In response Felina gave out a joyous Pumalar roar, which humored the crowd and even elicited some pleasant laughter. Then Architeuthis
turned to Felina who continued to face her man but cocked an eye toward the aging tall Slart. Architeuthis said, "And now Felina Toyger, do you of your own free will, take this male, Solomon Mwonga, as your husband and lifelong companion? Will you love, honor, and protect him, forsaking all others besides him? Will you stand by him and defend him, even as might require the sacrifice of your own life. And will you do so for as long as you both shall live?"

  Smiling broadly and warmly toward her new husband, Felina growled delightedly, "I will!"

  "Therefore..." concluded Architeuthis, "By the powers vested in me by the Tribal Confederation of the independent planet of New Australia... I now pronounce you Husband… and WIFE."

  Chapter 23:

  Five Years Pass

  Over the next five years, Solomon and Felina continued to set quite a few precedents for the planet. And it didn’t take them long to set examples that others would rush to emulate….

  They accomplished the planet’s first legal adoption—taking in an orphaned human child as their own. And they moved into their own private home within Schpleeftkorkii territory; a cave where they could start a family and live out their lives. They even traveled around together as a family for everyone to see and desire to emulate. This drew lots of attention!