the nameless child was almost content - that is, she was as content as a unborn child with limited emotional range could be. inside the warmth that she was encased in, she didn’t feel much and had no senses to rely on. she could feel the soft sway of movement, which, as something inside her told her, was from the outside world. she couldn’t comprehend what ‘outside’ or ‘world’ was, but she trusted told her these things. she could feel soft jostling and then, later, other shapes pushed into her body as she drifted to sleep. she trusted these other things due to the same logic she knew that the movement came from the outside world; something inside her told her that they were to be trusted.

when the child woke up inside her mother’s womb, there was no change to alert her to the wonder that this day would bring. the shapes beside her were squirming as they always did and she was swayed by the outside, as she always was, and it was still warm and safe. safe was also a concept she knew little of - but the voice inside insisted that this was it, so she accepted it. instinct was a tricky thing to someone who knew so little about life. the day went on as it always did, with the child taking her naps and shoving the other shapes and generally doing very little, besides a kick here and there to alert the outside that she was still there and please don’t move so hard!

the child was very nearly ready to sleep when she first felt it. it was a strange pressure that, while not painful, was interrupting the world that she was comfortable with. she squirmed aggressively and gave the outside a sharp kick, hoping that this would cause the pressure to go away. except - the pressure didn’t go away. it began to grow and then fade, only to come back more strongly each time. the child didn’t know how long this was occurring, but she certainly didn’t like it. the pressure swelled to what she was sure was the peak and all of a sudden, the big shape next to her was gone. if panic was an emotion that the child could feel, she most certainly would have at that moment. she searched blindly for it, only to find herself where it usually resided. the pressure began again, this time like it was focused on her. she wanted to crawl back to the other shape and stay tucked in close to it, but she was being pushed and pulled until all of a sudden, her world was turned upside down.

the pressure was back, this time on her lungs and she couldn’t breathe!, but before she could really assess this problem, something rough and warm was upon her and she found that she actually could breathe. but it was still cold and she was alone and that was terrifying. that problem was solved momentarily by this large thing that had helped her breathe, as she was lifted and moved. that, too, wasn’t a pleasant experience, but she was soon by another shape. the voice in her head said that this was the shape from her previous home and that this large body of warmth was her life-giver and that she should eat. and while these thought processes were going on, her name was given - aurelia. however, her life-giver was shifting around, enough so that aurelia’s voice picked up in protest with a yelp.

soon enough, all was well again. another shape was placed next to her, the other shape from their home, if the voice was correct. aurelia began nursing, unaware of the stranger in their new home. shortly after she began nursing, aurelia was too full to continue (she was just a little body, wasn’t she?) and wiggled further into the warm fur and the smell of her life-giver. within moments, the only female of the litter was asleep.