It’s insane.
I can sense Rowan watching me out of the corner of my eye, still standing. “Something’s wrong with their tails,” he mutters.
At the kitten’s insistent cries, Ryland begins petting the feline in his arms. “They’re not doing it now, though,” he murmurs.
I sigh. “That sounds about right for animals.”
The two other kittens have stopped playing, and I dangle my fingers in front of them. The duo excitedly trots to me, their tails standing up ramrod straight.
As one gets closer, the tail begins to shake quickly, almost like a rattle.
“There!” Rowan says, pointing. “That’s it! That’s what they’ve been doing!”
At the realization, a smile breaks out on my face. “Wait. Really?” I look up at him. “That’s what’s been happening? The rattling of the tail?”
“Yeah,” Rowan says quickly, breathless. “Is that normal? Are they seizing?”
There is so much genuine panic in his eyes that it makes my chest ache with fondness. “No,” I tell him gently. “They’re fine.”
Rowan lets out a shaky sigh. “Are you sure?” he asks hurriedly.
“Why are they doing that?” Ryland asks, the voice of reason. “I’ve never seen a cat do that before.”
Rowan runs his hand through his hair, messing it up even more than it already is. “Me neither.”
“It means they’re happy to see you,” I say. “It doesn’t happen with all cats. But when it does, it means they’re excited. At least, in this case.”
“And, you’re sure?” Rowan turns to me, his eyes narrowed. “You’resure? They’re fine?”
The two kittens climb into my lap. “They’re all girls, right?”
“Yeah,” Ryland says.
“Then, I’m sure. Sometimes male cats can do it if they’re spraying, but these kittens are just happy to be around the two of you.”
Inside, that makesmefeel better, too.
The kittens respond to the Alphas with upturned tails and happy trills.
They trust them.
Ryland, Rowan, and Travis are doing something right.
“Crisis averted,” I say. “Is there anything else strange they’re doing?”
Ryland shakes his head.
Now that there’s not an animal emergency, it gives me time to take everything in.
I’m sitting in a room with my scent matches, surrounded by kittens.
“Thank you,” Rowan murmurs, his eyes piercing into mine. But I can still see the panic in his face, as if he’s not sure he believes me.
I want to soothe his fear.
“It’s nothing,” I murmur. “The kittens are fine. They’re okay.”
As if to make a point, one leaps into the air high over my head when it lays eyes on a toy mouse.
