Little Smushie was born on a hot Spring day. Not melt the wallpaper hot, but hot for the season. Smushie was excited to join this world. So, she ran to the front of the line. You know what they say about first borns. Up until that day, Smushie’s quarters had been pretty crowded. She was joined in this world by two brothers and a sister, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Smushie was the first to see the sunshine on that warm May day.
Little Smushie had no idea what to expect in this new world, but she was determined to get started. That is something that would define little Smushie for all of her days. Smushie waits for no one. Well, that’s not exactly true. There was one exception, Smushie’s little sister Lila, and she was right behind Smushie from the start. Lila was the second precious baby kitty out that day, right on Smushie’s heels. Funny how things like that work out because for the next few years, Smushie made sure to follow Lila anywhere.
The last two out were the boys. Trouble from the start. Frank and Lank, typical boys and big bullies. You see, while Smushie fought her way out first, she was still the smallest. Frank and Lank made a critical mistake by thinking they could push little Smushie and Lilly around.
Smushie and all the kittens loved their mom so much. She was a great mom. Caring and nurturing for all her babies with love and affection. She’d had many kittens before and she loved and remembered them all. She was moving towards the end of her life when Smushie came, but she never mothered and love a litter more. She saw something special in Smushie’s big blue eyes and she knew this litter might very well be her last. Smushie’s mom dedicated her life to those precious little kittens.
While Smushie’s mom was attentive, the boys didn’t make things easy on that first day. As you can imagine, they were doing their best to hog all the milk. They were constantly pulling Smushie and Lilly’s hair, biting at their tails and just generally making their lives difficult. Smushie could take it. She was strong, but Smushie was worried about her little sister, Lila. That’s when Smushie showed off another one of her defining characteristics, the one nobody saw coming, her mighty roar.
God’s sense of humor is often described as perverse. I like to think that God gives us exactly what we need. As I mentioned, Smushie was the runt. You could fit her right in the palm of her hand on that first day. She looked like a cotton ball with bid blue eyes. God’s big joke was on the inside. You see, God crammed the heart of a lion into that little cotton ball, and on her first day that lion heart was on full display.
As Lank and Frank pushed Smushie and Lilly aside on their way to their sweet mother’s milk, Smushie felt her lion heart beat for the very first time, and she let out her first mighty roar. It was magnificent. The roar hit her brother Lank like a shockwave. The blast that hit Lank and knocked him directly into Frank. Dazed, the boys looked in astonishment as little Sumshie led Lila to their mother’s milk. They drank and drank their very first meal together. Lila loved her big sister. Smushie purred.
As the days past, the boys learned their place. Occasionally, they would test their luck and play a little too rough or interrupt one of Smushie’s epic naps. The result was always the same. Smushie’s eyes would get wide and blue. Her ears would lay down, her head would cock back and her lion heart would start to race. At this point the boys knew it was too late, and Smushie would let out her mighty, deafening roar. Rattling windows and putting those boys right in their place. Smushie was the best big sister. Lila purred.
It was the hottest day of the year when everything changed. When she woke from her nap, things look different. You see, Smushie loves to nap. Where were they? Things looked different. She let out a big yawn. As she looked around, she noticed Lank was gone. Humm… she purred. One less pussy to deal with around here.
Then, the monsters showed up. Giants really. They would come almost every day. One day, much to Smushie’s dismay, a couple of giants came in and grab her precious sister, Lila. Smushie felt her lion heart start to race, and the hair on the back of her neck stood straight up. Is this what happened to Lank? Did the giants take him? Well, not Lila. Smushie looked up at the giants with her big blue eyes, and she could see the giants passing sweet Lila back and forth. Then, they turn and started to leave. Smushie’s fears were quickly realized. They were taking her sister.
Smushie let out her loudest roar yet. The cage rattled and the walls shook as Smushie roared with all her might. Her roar stopped those giants right in their tracks. They turned around and they were coming back. That’s right Smushie thought. Big me back my sister. But the next thing Smushie knew, she was flying through the air. The bad news – the giants had her too. The good news – she was back with her sister. Looking down at her old home, Smushie saw the face of her brother left behind. Smushie purred.