It had been a rough couple of weeks with the runt of Asha’s litter, but the fragile little guy was improving. Daily, his appetite grew and he was even trying to suckle on his own sometimes. They still didn’t have names for the cubs but Ulwazi referred to the runt as 'Ikati'. It literally meant 'cat' but Bella had taken quite a liking to the sound of it. Bella was sitting on the floor near the ‘den’ they’d created for Asha and the cubs. She’d successfully checked on Ikati and now that the cub was asleep, Bella figured she could put him in with his siblings. The temperature in the room was well-monitored. Since the cheetahs couldn’t properly regulate their temperature and Asha was not always in the mood to remain by her cubs’ side, it was of utmost importance that the staff at Ithemba checked on the cubs often.
Perhaps it was Asha’s more domestic side that made her want to just leave her cubs behind sometimes, but overall, she was quite a wonderful mother. “Alright, Ikati. Back with your siblings,” said Bella. She rose from the ground, the cheetah cub wrapped in the towel in her arms. For a brief moment, the world around her swayed. Keeping Ikati firmly in one arm, Bella reached her other arm out to hold on to the wall. “Whoa…” Ulwazi was near the door, checking on the thermostat to make sure the temperature was optimal. “You okay?” he asked in his heavily accented English. “Yeah,” said Bella, still holding on to the wall. “Just a little dizzy spell. I’m fine.” “Many dizzy spells,” said Ulwazi. Bella knew what he meant. They’d gotten more frequent these days, especially when she got up too fast. Then there was the increasing fatigue. Even now, in the middle of the day, she could use a nap. Maybe it was just her body still fighting against her decision to be medication free. Or maybe it was something more. For now, she just blamed it on coincidence.
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Isabella Kaylee DwyerWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2017
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