You are Apricot, and you are a soon mamma. Your silly daddy tried to tell you that you couldn’t have babies, but you knew better. Daddy was always a little silly. He was an ok daddy but he wasn’t the smartest.
He didn’t even know what sketties were!
So you left.
The outside was cold, and scarry, but you found a special friend. He also wasn’t the smartest. Or the prettiest. He also smelled. But he got you sketties! And you needed the best nummies for your tummy babies!
It was perfect!
At first.
Then it got cold. Your special friend had a warm nest, but it wasn’t warm enough after a few bright times. And it was full of itches. Neither of those things were good for babies.
And he was taking too long to get you sketties. He was a dummy and got leg hurties. It was so RUDE. You NEEDED the BEST to have the BEST BABIES.
As much as you hated to admit it, you needed to go back to daddy. Sure he’d be all grumpy and have his mean face, but you were a soon momma! That would make everything better.
You just had to remember where he was.
“Martha. Martha, can you bring me my bifocals?” You squinted at the hallway. Why in the world did that man need his glasses to answer the door? Plus he hadn’t had bifocals in 20 years, the bat.
“We don’t need whatever they are selling, now close the door it’s freezing outside.” Honestly that man, he complained enough about the utility bill as it was.
“Woman, would you just bring them? There is a fluffy.”
“A what?”
“A fluffy I said.”
“Just kick it and shut the door. Have you already…”
“Damnation, Martha, it has a collar. It’s a pet or something.”
You grumbled. That man was going daft, but still if he was getting pranked by a damn fuzz ball, well you had to see this. You could even send a video to Suzan! You picked up his reading glasses and the phone.
“Hello pwetty wady. My name is Apwicot. I lost. Please help find my daddeh.”
… was that fuzz ball sassing you? You swear she was rolling her eyes then.
“See, she has a collar, just need my glasses to read the address.” Steve started to bend down as he seated his glasses.
“Isn’t that Michael?”
“I think it said it was Applesaw.”
“APWI-COT, nice mistah. Please.”
Oh you remember that sassy bitch. Never understood why that man put up with her, probably something to spite his ex wife.
“Steve, that’s Micheal’s fluffy. Down the street, the red corolla.”
“Oh, the corolla? Now that’s a handsome car, still wish he’d wax it more often, not run it through those damn car washes. Automatic garbage.” He muttered, still looking over the collar, like he was only half paying a mind to you. Like always.
“Oh, that’s down the street. Michael I think.”
“You don’t say.” It’s your turn to roll your eyes, dropping his coat over his back. You were already zipped up while he ranted about carwashes. Again.
“Lets go, you can tell him all about waxing his car in person.”
“I don’t know, Martha, it’s mighty chilly out.”
“I noticed, seeing as you had the door open for the last twenty minutes, now march mister.”
Humans could be so silly. You always have to repeat what you say, they didn’t even get your NAME right. Or offer you uppsies! Or Sketties!
You were a soon momma and they were making you walk home!
Still, you were almost back home and everything would be perfect, so you focused on singing to your tummy babies.
You were the best mother!
It was almost forever when you arrived, but you could smell daddy! You’d have your warm bed, toys for the babies and nummies! You’d have to show him about sketties so he would get you better nummies, but that could wait a forever.
The silly humans started to talk as soon as the door opened, and you were tired of hearing human words. Your legs were also tired but you were so close you couldn’t stop!
It would be rude not to say anything, of course, so you let your daddy know you loved him and missed him as you walked in. You’d run, but that would be bad for babies!
Your nest still smelled so pretty, so many colors, and it was SOOO warm. You were still itchy but you’d have daddy take care of that after you rested. You had to let the tummy babies warm up.
You knew daddy was going to be grumpy, but you never expected him to give you upsies right away and put you in the water place!
“DADDEH! No upssies for soon mummah! Bad for babbehs! Wawa’s bad! DADDEH WAWA’S BAD! TUMMY BABBEHS COWD!”
He STILL didn’t LISTEN to you! He didn’t even answer, just got your fluff all WET and COLD, and put bad nasty foamies that gave you little burnies!
“Apricot STOP SQUIRMING!” That was the mean voice, you had to stop, you didn’t want to, but somehow that voice was SO mean you … couldn’t do anything. Scarry.
“You are infested with fleas. Tracked them right into your room. Missing for two weeks and you come back with damn fleas.”
“BAD WORDIES!” You were a soon mother, didn’t he understand? Was he that dumb?
“… Apricot, do you want your… babies… to be covered with tiny bugs? Tiny itch bitty bugs, eating them up?”
“NUUUUUUU!” Your heart hurt, why would he say things like that! They were babies!!
“THEN STAY STILL.” He shouted. “This will kill the fleas on you, but it has to set. It WILL hurt your eyes and mouth, so you have to be STILL. It’s for your babies, after all. You can stay still for them, can’t you?”
You felt sick, but nodded. “For… babbehs… good mummah wubs her babbehs.”
“Right. You just stay still, I have to clean the safe room now. And the hallway. Thought I was done with this.”
You had to be brave, singing to your babies. It was many forevers, but you kept singing till daddy came back and took away the burny not-water. He had to use more water, but it was better than bugs.
You were so tired, you didn’t even try to correct him as he was too rough drying your fluff, or tell him how not pretty the nest smelled. You needed to sleep for your best babies.
A few bright times passed, you could feel your tummy babies, they were almost here. The safe room even smelled almost pretty, even after you told daddy many times.
He was STILL grumpy, even with babies almost here. But he was a silly human, once they were not tummy babies he’d understand. Besides, you were too busy being a good mother to have time to play right now.
You had to eat lots to make the best milk, of course, and your milk places were so full, you could feel them straining to hold all that milk! You were such a good mother!
Daddy was smart enough to put food and water close by, even if it was silly kibble and not the best. You didn’t have the energy to correct him right now, you’d need the babies to cure his grump to get anything done.
He even put down a litter pad so you didn’t have to worry about bad poopies.
It was silly to worry about that when you had….babies…coming…. Right now.
“BABBEHS COMING!” you squealed. “SOON BABBEHS COMING WIGHT NOW BIGGEST POOPIES! WIGHT NOW”
It hurt, but you were the best mother, everything was fine. It smelled very not pretty, but you were the best mother. Everything. Was Fine.
Dummy daddy didn’t even come help, but you were the best mother and it was fine.
It was so hard, but they were HERE!
“Cheepy babbhes get wickie cweansies! Huuu, no taste pwetty, but mummah wubs cheepy babbhes!”
There was one black babby, one that was blue, like your dummy special friend, and two that were yellow, almost like you! One of them would be the best, you weren’t sure which, but you had to feed them.
“Mummah has best milkies for babbhes. Mumma wub babbehs, babbehs wub mumma! Coooo.”
Everything was perfect, you had your babbies, were giving two of them huggies and loves and feeding two. They were loud cheepies.
“Now babbehs, mummah has lots of milkes, you get wubs now and huggies now, then milkes ok. Such good babbehs!”
You were so happy, it was perfect, like how you always knew it would be. Your heart was bursting with so much love. Once daddy came he’d love you again like before and get you all the sketties.
“RRRRREEEEEEEEE” The black baby was not chipping, but started to scream, and his blue brother joined in right away.
“To loud babies! You get huggies now, sisters get milkes, silly babbhes.”
But they didn’t stop, and the yellow foals were starting to yell now. Why were they being difficult? They just needed…. Milk… They were trying to drink from your milk places but it wasn’t working.
Something was wrong.
“Daddeh! DADDEH! HELP BABBEHS” You screamed, panic setting in as you raced to find him.