Covenant of Man: Rebirth

Terre Haute She’s a Lady “Margaret” laid on her bed, restlessly thumping her coifed, permed and beautified tail against the floor. The angle of the sun through the window was quickly becoming her favorite angle, but wasn’t there yet. She knew it wouldn’t be long, but she hated the waiting.

As the sun continued to shift in the sky, and Maggie’s tail started to thump faster and faster, Mac, Maggie’s pack mate, began to stir from his seemingly impossibly contorted position on her back. Maggie winced slightly as Mac’s claws dug into her back slightly. He was stretching from his nap. She bore the pain with equanimity. Mac was strange, and secretive, and antisocial most of the time, but he was Pack, so he was ok. Plus he liked to groom her sometimes, which felt nice. But most importantly, Mac loved the Master!

Well, maybe not as much as Maggie did, but he still did in his own way. Speaking of which, based on the way the sun slanted through the window…

“Mac, Maggie! I’m home!”

Master!

Maggie jumped off her bed, tail wagging a mile a minute, and jumped up, covering Master’s face with kisses. Mac twined himself around Master’s legs, singing in joy.

“Alright, alright! Down girl. Sit!”

Maggie sat on her haunches, tapping her forepaws in excitement.

“Maggie, honey, I’ve got something special for you tonight. You’ve got a date with a handsome young man! We’ve got to get you dolled up sweetheart.”

Master was the best! Master taught her to do fun tricks, gave her fun toys, and tricky puzzles. Master gave her yummy food, and a nice soft bed (even if she did sometimes share it with Mac), Master even provided her with a mate!

Maggie knew this boy. She had had “dates” with him before, and it had been fun! But something was different today. She felt… warm.

….

Maggie laid on her side, her swollen stomach squirming every now and again. She huffed a sigh of deep contentment. Mac sauntered up, as he often did, and curled up on the side of her belly. The hiss-beast wasn’t often so sweet, but ever since Maggie had returned from her date with the handsome male dog, Mac had been gentle and loving. He sang to the pups growing inside her and Maggie melted in bliss.

But then a sad thought occurred to her. Master doesn’t have a mate. He doesn’t go on “dates” like Maggie did. Did Master ever feel this… content? She wondered what a Master’s pup would smell like.

Terre Haute X Trial Run “Sam” paced restlessly in his room. Something was wrong with Shannon. Shannon had recently gotten very fat after one of her midnight strolls, and Sam had worried. Shannon was acting different.

The Cat-Pack-Mate was always odd, but she was a good friend. Affectionate, friendly, maybe a bit reserved compared to Sam’s own rambunctious, outgoing nature, but still good inside. Recently though, Shannon had become reclusive, defensive. Standoffish.

“Sam. Get Master.”

It was Shannon! She was shaking, looked like she was hurting.

“What? Shannon ok?”

She yowled low in her throat. A low pained sound.

“Get Master!”

Sam looked at the clock. Five minutes until four, the Master would be home soon.

“Master work. Home soon. Wait.”

She screamed, Sam’s ears laid back and his tail hid between his back legs.

“CAN’T WAIT. GET MASTER NAOW!”

Sam whimpered, pacing in front of the door. Five minutes was forever! Back and forth, back and forth, Sam kept walking. Waiting.

The sound of the key turning in the lock made Sam’s ears stand up. Master was home!

“Sam? What’s wrong buddy?”

“Master! Shannon! Pain!”

….

Sam watched in awe as Shannon laid on her side, nursing her children while she sang.

“Shannon?”

“Mmmmmrow?”

“Fat cats mean… little cats come?”

“Not fat!” She hissed. “Kits come.”

“Kits… good?”

She sang, deep and loud. “Kits very good.”

Sam thought hard for a long time. “Masterkind have… kits?”

Shannon rolled her eyes. “Masterkind have kids. Chil-dren.”

“Master has… chil dren?”

Shannon grumbled under her breath. “Master is young. Barely adult. Maybe one day. Might improve mood. Master should find a mate.”

“Mate?”

“Master should find miss-tress. Female. Then master has kids.”

“Female. We should find. Help Master.”

“Is Masterkind matter. Drop it.”

Sam hated “drop it”. Just when he had something good in his jaws, something to sink his teeth into, he’d be told to “drop it” and he couldn’t play with it any more.

THX Lexi was anxious. She paced back and forth in her room, worried. Coming to a conclusion, she reared back onto her hind legs and walked out to Lena’s room.

“Lena?”

The neo-cat didn’t answer, but that was normal. Most of the time. Lexi didn’t really understand neo-cats, but Lena had been a friend long enough that she could usually understand how she thought.

“LENA!”

“What?!” She hissed.

“Master and Mistress…”

“Mistress is in labor. They had to go.”

“What’s labor? Where’d they go?”

“Labor means… little Masterkind comes. They went to a hos-pit-al.”

“Hospital?”

“The Masterkind vet.”

“THE VET?!”

“Sigh… the MASTERKIND vet. For Masterkind?”

Lexi whimpered. She didn’t like the vet, with the weird smells and the sharp pokes. If Mistress was in a place like that, it couldn’t be good. And they had been gone for days.

Lexi dropped to all fours, walking into the living room. She looked around, trying to find the special button Master had shown her. There! Next to the not-window! Lexi nosed the button, and a funny ringing sound started to chime.

In a small corner of the window, Masters face popped up!

“Lexi? What’s wrong sweetheart?”

“Master! You and Mistress have been gone for days! Lena said you went to the vet! Lexi doesn’t like the vet! Mistress probably doesn’t either!” Lexi’s ears fell. “When does Master and Mistress come home?”

Master laughed, but he looked very tired. “We’ll be home tonight sweetheart. Annie’s tired and a little sore.” Annie was Master’s word for Mistress. What did she do that made her sore?

“Ok. Lexi misses her Master and Mistress. Lena does too. Lena hides in her room.”

“Are you two ok? Was there enough food in the fridge?”

“Lexi and Lena ate. Food was good. Miss Master and Mistress.”

“We’ll be home very soon sweetheart.”

The door began to open and Lexi started awake. With a growl, she ran into the front hallway. But then her growl turned into a yup of excitement. Master and Mistress were home!

“Hey Lexi! We’re home! Calm down hon. Sit for me, please?”

“Master is home! Where is Mistress?”

“Shhhh sit please Lexi. Annie’ll come in if you calm down. We have something very important to talk to you about.”

Lexi sat still, going into “guard mode” at the words ‘very important’. She patiently waited as Mistress slowly shuffled into The House, carrying something in her arms. Mistress gingerly sat on the couch, settling the bundle in her arms before she patted the spot next to her.

“C’mere sweetie.”

Lexi slowly stepped up onto the couch, sensing something was different. The bundle moved, and Lexi’s ears perked up.

“Lexi, this is Michael.”

Lexi’s eyes widened in wonder. It was a tiny Master! She leaned her face in close, sniffing the tiny Master’s hair, learning his scent. He smelled new, like milk. Almost like a pup.

“It’s a tiny Master!” She whispered. “Is it Pack?”

Mistress chuckled. “Yes honey. He’s pack. He’s my baby.”

“He looks like Master.” Lena said from the back of the couch.

Mistress stiffened. Mistress was not as close with Lena as Master was. She didn’t quite trust Lena like she did Lexi.

“Mine?”

“No Lena. Ours. Our baby.”

“Ours.” The neo-cat sang. The baby drifted to sleep.

….

“John?”

“Yes dear?”

“Are we sure that Lena and Lexi are going to be safe around Michael?”

“Babe, my family has raised those two bloodlines for generations. You can’t find a more loyal or loving pair than those two.”

“Are you sure? Lena worries me. She can be cruel.”

John smiled. “Look at this hon.” He pulled up the feed from the nursery on his tablet. Michael was sleeping deeply, his blanket tucked lovingly around him.

Tucked lovingly around the blanket was Lena. The neo-cat was curled protectively around the slumbering babe, purring softly.

“See?”

“Awww”

Ron Landrum stood by the hospital bed, his tail drooped, listlessly. His ears hung down by his face. Next to him stood his brother, Reggie, his ears laid back flat against his skull, whiskers drooping, tail lashing back and forth with agitation.

The figure on the bed breathed laboriously, his lungs filled with fluid, his skin covered in sores and lesions. The once bright eyes of the Master were now faded, nearly blind. The sickness was in its final stages. The boys’ Master was one of the last. And his time was growing nearer.

“Boys…”

“Master?”

“I’ve… asked you…. not to…. call me… that…” he chuckled. But the chuckle turned into painful hacking coughs.

Ronnie gently held Master’s hand in his. Reggie gently stroke Master’s arm.

“Boys. Take care… of each other… Be good… to others…”

“We will.” Reggie whispered.

“Heal…. the divisions… Make and… keep peace…”

“We will.” Ronnie sobbed.

“It’s time…. for me… to go…”

“Master, please! Don’t go where I can’t follow!”

“I’ll mi…” the word strangled in Reggie’s throat. “I’ll mi… I’ll missssss you. Please don’t go.”

“Was I…. a good… person?”

“The best.” Both boys said in unison.

As his final breath left him, Ronnie let out a long, mournful howl. Reggie whimpered for the first time since he was a kit.

The nurse took a pulse, and finding nothing, spoke into the recorder. “Roland Landrum, age 36. TOD: 22:45, August 02, 2224. COD: complications from xenovirus alpha. Witnessed by sons Ronald and Reginald Landrum.”

She allowed her whiskers to droop. Scenes like this were becoming far too common.

Dr Samantha Landrum pored over the historical records one last time. Her bloodline was a long one, prestigious. Hers was one of the first documented homo Canis lines to have been created. She could trace her bloodline all the way back to Maggie Landrum, faithful companion of one Mark Landrum, a professional dog breeder who had been instrumental in the uplift of both cats and dogs.

Mark himself had had two children. A son, who carried on his breeding kennels, and a daughter, a noted geneticist whose name Samantha proudly carried. Luckily for her, especially after the announcement by Felid geneticist Dr Grace Potter, Samantha Landrum had had her genetic sequence analyzed as one of her first experiments in canid and felid gene splicing, hundreds of years ago. The hard drives containing her research had been passed down through her family for generations, a treasured heirloom of humanity.

Dr Potter’s announcement and documentation of the birth of her son, her HUMAN son, had rocked the very foundations of the United Empires. Dozens of worlds turned their attention to Old Home Earth, and the tiny male whose first cries caused tears of joy and rampant celebrations across all worlds.

The birth had, however, caused a minor panic. There was a male human, living! But he was alone. Much speculation abounded about what kind of life he could be expected to live. Debate raged, from canid and felid alike, about whether or not this resurrection was a mercy or a cruelty.

The virus that had taken mankind from their faithful companions had been fervently and doggedly tracked down and destroyed, so there was no fear of another plague. Rather, the debate was over whether or not he could be happy. There was a male now. A bright young boy, appropriately named Adam, but there was no female. No mate for the young Master.

Dr Landrum had taken steps to end that debate. Indeed, as she put the tablet on her hospital bedside table, her contractions began in earnest. No Braxton-hicks this time. This was actual labor.

….

“Push! Push!”

“I can see the head!”

“Keep pushing sweetheart, you’re almost there!”

“Nurse, get me a tri-d scanner!”

“Wh-what is that?!”

Dr Landrum grinned, in pain and amusement.

“Masters above!”

“What in the cone?”

“Oh! Oh she’s perfect! Dr Landrum you sly bitch!”

“Ten fingers, ten toes. Healthy lungs. Perfectly formed. Dr Landrum, I don’t know what I’m supposed to look for here. Does anyone have Dr Potter’s birth record!?”

“Sh-show her to me!”

They laid her in her mother’s arms, and she calmed. Dr Landrum’s tri-d scanner indicated no abnormalities.

“A perfectly healthy, human, girl. Eve Mary Landrum. If you would, would someone get me the contact information for Dr Grace Potter? I think this is something she’ll be interested to see.”

….

“Dr Landrum.” Said the orange tabby.

“Dr Potter.” Said the brindle collie.

“A pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Likewise!”

“Is- is that?”

She smiled, lifting her daughter up to the camera. “This is my little Eve.”

“She’s beautiful!”

“She is. 99% fidelity with her original genetic template. She’s healthy, she’s real.”

“She’s perfect!”

“Play date?”

“Play date!”