I dropped to Lynn's level so I could look into her eyes. Expectation was written all over her face.

"Are you sure you want to Lynn?" I whispered to her gently, breaking the rule of no speech within the caves. "Are you sure you don't want to keep the name 'Mommy' for you real mother."

"I know my first mother is dead. She will always be my mommy. But I want another mommy. Would you be my second mommy? Please be my mommy." Tears rolled down her face and her little body began to shake.

"Yes, yes, thank you, I would love to be your second mommy." I said pulling Lynn into my arms. Her little arms went around my neck and hugged me tight. Then she pulled away from me and looked at Kitty.

"I have a mommy again," she said.

"Yes, you do," Kitty said. "Are you ready to babysit the kittens?"

"Yes," Lynn said softly.

"Kitty, I'm going to take Clark home," Jake broadcast. "I'll be right back." Ash swirled into the cave, then swirled Jake and Clark away.

"I'm going to eat this salmon then I'll find the group," Brock broadcast. He began to pull the salmon apart. I shook my head in amusement.

The remainder of the group followed Kitty into a side cave. There was a small alcove off the side cave just the right size for a small child and a collection of kittens. Lynn and Shock quickly settled down with the kittens in the alcove while the rest of us settled down in a circle. Brock entered smacking his lips. I quickly realized that I had too much adrenaline in my system to stay seated. I rose and stood leaning against a side wall of the small cave. Jake and Ash returned and joined the circle.

"Jake, why don't you tell me what happened at the zoo." Kitty asked. As Jake told the story, I began to pace. When he finished, Kitty turned to me.

"Amber, are you still upset from the zoo visit or is something else bothering you?" Kitty asked. I glared at her and folded my arms still pacing.

"Amber, spill it!" Kitty ordered. I stopped pacing and dropped my arms to my side.

"I'm not comfortable with the information omissions anymore, not after what happened today. I feel I will not be able to protect folks if information is kept from me. I need to be told more about what is going on and who knows who. Kitty you should have told me about Ebony. Jake, I get the impression you have been visiting Kitty and I want to know why. Kitty, do you know Ranger Dave?"

"I agree with you Amber. The time for omissions is over. Brock told me about Jake and how he helped him when he was injured. I contacted Jake. He has been helping me with health problems. Jake is trying to figure out if there are therapies he can provide that will lengthen my lifespan. I know Ranger Dave and I know your Aunt Rose. I've been working with Ranger Dave for a while. He helps me keep folks away from the cave system. Your Aunt Rose contacted me recently about some potential options for the cave community that she wanted to discuss."

"I needed to be sure you could handle the stress a protector experiences," Kitty broadcast. "You convinced me today that you can handle the stress. If you still want to train as a protector, I will be more transparent about the cave communities and our supporters."

"Thank you, I'm glad to hear that. Yes, I still want to train as a protector."

"Amber, I want you and Lynn to spend the night here in the caves. Jake, can you confirm Ebony returned to the zoo. I suggest that you spend the night in the caves if you can arrange it. I want to make sure everyone is well protected in case Ebony returns. I will be contacting her tonight to make sure she plans to live up to her commitment. Rocky, Brock, Twitch, Shock and Ash please stay as well and protect the group. I will contact Smoke and ask her to bring Rose to the caves. I will contact Dave and see if he will bring a tranquilizer gun and stay the night."

"Tomorrow there will be a meeting to discuss future plans. I hope everyone can attend. Jake, if you need to be at the office tomorrow, Amber or I will bring you up to date at a later time. I will be back before the evening meal. I need to have a side cave prepared so everyone can stay the night comfortably."

*********************************

When we entered the side cave where we were to spend the night, we found Aunt Rose was already there. She had brought sleeping bags, sleeping mats, blankets, a small lantern and food. Several of the cave communities had donated food at Kitty's request. A small waterfall in the cave provided drinking water. Smoke left and returned with Ranger Dave. By the time we sat down to eat the cave had taken on a festive atmosphere.

"I confirmed Ebony is at the zoo," Jake broadcast. "Apparently, no one had missed her. I let one of the gifted zoo staff know what had happened. They have her under camera surveillance and will let me know if she leaves again."

"I'm assuming Ebony is a shifter," I broadcast. "Why is she living at the zoo?"

"Ebony has trouble shifting," Kitty broadcast. "She spends most of her time in the jaguar form. She was caught in the forest two years ago by non-gifted folk and donated to the zoo. By the shifter agreement she must remain at the zoo until she can be purchased by the shifter community. The shifter community raised money to purchase Ebony, but the zoo refuses to sell. Ebony understands the chaos a missing jaguar can cause, so she has honored the shifter agreement until today. The punishment for breaking the shifter agreement includes a possible death sentence."

"Look at Brock." Lynn quietly giggled pointing at the back of the cave. Since Brock was a messy eater, his plates of fish had been placed away from the group. He was on his back rolling in fish parts and blood. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Brock, I hope you plan to sleep back there tonight," I broadcast. Brock rolled on his stomach and lay panting in the remainder of his dinner. I could hear Rocky snickering. I wondered if Rocky was capable of verbal speech.

"Get over here Brock," Kitty grumbled. "He did that on purpose so I would give him a tongue bath." Brock lumbered over and plopped down at Kitty's feet. Kitty began to lick him down. Brock grunted with pleasure.

"Mommy, will you tell me a story," Lynn asked quietly snuggling into her sleeping bag with Shock under her arm. By the time I was done with the story, everyone was fast asleep.

During the night, I awoke to find Kitty leaving the cave with Dusty and Red.

"Kitty is something wrong?" I asked Kitty privately.

"Intruders, stay here Amber."

Kitty returned after two hours had passed. Her coat was damp with moisture. She began to give herself a tongue bath.

"Kitty, I need to ask you a question but I don't want to upset you."

"Just ask Amber." Kitty glowing eyes blinked.

"Do you find that you sometimes need to kill intruders."

"Killing intruders is something I do not take lightly. Intruders come in all species. Those who enter the community territory or the caves without malicious intent leave with their life. However, those who repeatedly trespass or trespass with the intent to kill or who have already killed are sometimes dispatched. Usually I can contact Ranger Dave and the forest service will send out a search party to find and remove human intruders. It is rare that I need to kill a human. A search party for a missing human creates the threat of discovery for our hidden communities."

"Tonight, a bunch of human teenagers were having a drinking party in the woods. Their campfire was not built in the right location and they were setting off firecrackers. I gave them a good scare. I swirled in and out of the sight with a lot of hissing and mock attacks. They will have some wild stories to tell, but I doubt anyone will believe them."

"Thank you, Kitty. That takes some worry off my mind. I've been told you are very dangerous."

"Amber, I am dangerous."

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