The day was nearing its end wheuro her . Her stomach growled and her eyes were heavy. No wonder, she had skipped lund her breakfast had been an energy bar. All because she had overslept after the short night yesterday and then had been far too excited before the test to eat breakfast. She hung her white blouse ba the cupboard and took the topmost T-shirt from the pile, a reddish one.

  Despite beiired, she felt like celebrating. But looking at her budget after today, it felt more like Fallerian instant noodles. Which she had not in her either.

  In this indecisive moment, a call came from Eli.

  "Hi Rerra, have you eaten already?"

  "Hi Eli, no, I was just heading out."

  "Then how about a niche diner? An order wach cheld cht minute."

  "Sounds good, your caterierday was nice."

  "I d you de addrech."

  "Thanks, I'll be over soon."

  She looked up the address. It was oher side of the station just three floors above the dog ring. She had never been that far on the terside and was curious. She wondered for a short moment if she should ge to a top. But both sports and gym uniforms really needed a wash. Well, she would e then true to herself, Miss Long-sleeved-shirt. She almost heard Trina snickering.

  * * *

  She rounded half the station on her deck since she was much closer to the hub, this way she had to walk less than oer deck. The terside was very different from her side of the station. On her deck there were many rge homes for retired cats. There was even a real garden and a desert patch, all in the 0.3 g zorapoting from her rent, the residents here must be very well off. Even the charge for the lift was more expehan on her side.

  Down on the fourth deck, the area was notably wealthier too, the shops with posh brands everywhere. Plenty of cats wore haute couture and jewellery. And the real stuff, judging from what she had seen at the parents' meetings at Crice where all the upper 1 % were enrolled. In this neighbourhood, she stood out with her pin red shirt, like a oner which she now was. Embarrassed, she walked he side of the corridor and was thankful that her destination was close.

  The door was white like the rest of the wall with only the ti seams outlined. No windows fag the corridor in the wall, just a shiny wide facade from the slightly bowed corridor’s bottom to ceiling. On toug the door, 'Petra Catering' appeared being written in cursive in light grey and finally a circled area below. She touched it again and now 'calling' appeared on the door and soon faded. Elite uatement.

  Eli stood in the open door. "e in", she smiled.

  "Thank you", she smiled bad followed her. The entrance was notably cooler than the corridor. But behind the door, warm and humid air with the st of many cats and kittens overwhelmed her nostrils. She stopped in the doorframe and bliook several deep breaths and looked around. The room was rge and id out with carpets and bs. An older cat half y half sat in a er in a pillow fort. o her were two adult cats, looking a little youhan Eli. And on the floor were about ten kittens of all ages, two young adults, and three infants in a basket. Nearly all of them had the rare white bck striped fur pattern which was typical for Petra. And she had a good view of the fur since everyone was naked. She hesitated, feeling even more scious of her short whitish fur.

  "I introduche Rerra", Eli said loud enough that evetens stopped their py.

  "Wele, Rerra", the old cat in the er sat upright and greeted her with a soft voice. "Wele to the Petra den. I am Codeson, mother."

  "Rerra without , 17 years", she said and did a respectful bow with a straight tail, a reflex from the tless times when she had to attend official Samul funs.

  "Rerra without ", the mother said, "you are well educated."

  Eli k, so she would not deny it. "I was born Samul, I was eveh in succession. But I renounced my pedigree, which pleased both sides." She o affirm it.

  "You hide your fur but you carry an unusual st."

  Huh, no one had ever told her that before. She sniffed her hand. Well, a little grease was lingering. "I work in the shipyards so you might smell this."

  "Your unusual hands seemed indeed well suited for delicate work", the mother nodded, "e have a seat and the rest introduce themselves."

  There was not mual introdu, just names and ages. Eli was the oldest at 27. The cat to the left of the mother was Kit and the very pregnant oht was Tab, both 24 and 22, still five years older thahe kittens had resumed their py and with them chasing around, she was not sure ho even after the introdu. They were supervised by two young cats, Yuha who was 18 and Fieta who was 16.

  She still stood at the door to the den, unsure how to proceed. Eli saved her, "e Rerra, help me i."

  She followed Eli back to the entrand then through the right inte kit. The eer wall was ste, normal, hot, cold, freezing, dry or moistured ets. There were even two fish tanks which held some unknown colourful seafood. Three serving trolleys were parked at the adjat wall, one of them she had seen in a when Eli had catered in Trina's office.

  The other length of the kit was the workbench with shiny cooking ptes at regur intervals. The workbench was filled with fried food, some fish, some vegetables, some is, and some meat, too much to identify by smell.

  "You have been cooking all this?"

  Eli ughed. "No, we are a family buech. I am for che lookch, my chichterch help with cooking and cuer ret. But my mocher chtarted it all. Petra ich again a o go, at leacht oa."

  "And we load all this orolley?"

  "Yech."

  They loaded the trolley. She put the botters with food from the worktop aook the ptes and small bowls from the cupboards.

  They were soon ready. "And now", Eli looked at her, "Do you mind to chtrip?"

  She froze. "You mean undress? But"

  "Yuecht eicher way. Chorry, if it wach"

  She was not sure how it would feel. She had eveated to enter when she had been clothed. But she felt like she should do it for Eli. "No, fine, I do it. Maybe not i?"

  Eli ughed. "Of courche."

  They went to the door across the entrance which opeo a room with many drawers. Eli took out a drawer from the top roressed some buttons. 'Rerra' was now written in faiers in fake cursive handwriting.

  Wheouched another drawer, one could read the bels there as well.

  "e when ready." And Eli left.

  She stood there for a moment. Should she really take off everything? Her thin fur hid nothing. But Eli had invited her for dinner, and even into her den. Something the stiff Samul would never ever do without a political agenda, not even a lower Samul tribe. Not that they had a den like this. The only naked Samuls were the kittens in the crib. But she had never been there after she had started school. But here, the Petra den like when Hopkins II had sent the first tribes out to popute the p. And a naked adult a Samul? Maybe partially if there ecial fashion trend, and then pensated by lots of jewellery. She gri thinking of her mother naked and without her jewellery. Just nude as born that was so much against all she learnt all her life.

  'So, yes, fo with Samul, make that separation final', she teased herself, took a deep breath and off went her shirt, bra, long trousers and even her briefs. She folded them and put them ly into the drawer. She had trouble putting it bato the top row and cursed her short build again.

  Whily distracted her for a moment. She was not sure when she had bee time in the side of a shower room or for intimacy. Without her clothing, she was so much more aware of the air currents. Her body readied itself like going for a hunt. Her adrenalin shot up and her instincts wanted her cws out - which of course failed miserably with her human hands. She took a deep breath. It carried the slight st of the den and she rexed. Another deep breath to clear her mind and theretched her arms. A back to the kit.

  "All good?", Eli asked while loading a sed serving cart.

  She nodded but then added. "It's the first time I've gone naked in front of strangers."

  "All family, no chtragerch here", Eli smiled. "e, go wich che fircht trolley. I will e in a moment."

  The trolley was not very cooperative, the wheels wao curve to either side. And with the heavy load, she was worried about bowls dropping or falling off. But the way was short and sooered the den. Hungry kittens raced to the trolley, the you on all fours, their tails up. The two young cats, Yuha and Fieta, shooed them to the sides, so Yuha could fold the carpet up and the trolley could proceed. She felt like a carpet-breaking trolley in a sea of kittens. Aen steps into the tre, she stopped and stepped to the side because Eli came already with the sed trolley, man it like the pro she was. Only then it came back to her that she stood naked in the den in front of everyone. But no one ented and she was soon distracted again as the mother stood up. "Thank you, Rerra, for your service. As it has beeradition sihe beginning, uests eat first. Please, fill your pte."

  "Dear mother, Eli, I thank you for the invite", she hesitated, she was bad at speeches.

  "Jucht take a", whispered Eli.

  No speeches were ahing that was very different from an official Samul reception. She was happy about this and quickly loaded her pte with random foods from nearby bowls, quite some of them even unknown to her. And she had eaten her fair share of expensive food at Samul receptions.

  The kittens were following her movements, whenever she g them. As soon as there was enough oe, she stepped back to clear the way for them.

  "Thank you very much", she said again and nibbled on a fried breadstick.

  "Thank you, mother", shouted the five you kittens together and theo attack the trolleys.

  Despite her hunger, she was distracted by the young kittens trying to get the rgest k of their favourites onto the heavy ptes. Apart from occasional hissing and growling, it was much more ordered than she would have guessed. After the kittens came the teens and finally, the two cats her age together with Kit, Tab, and Eli. The mother went alo st.

  Only then, she could enjoy the superb food. Petra might have been a sidenote in history by now, but their diable could take it up with any high table at Samul. And without the stiff formalities. Only then it was ing tain, she was still naked like everyone here. The ease with which she had accepted that level of intimacy astonished her. Clothing did not matter here. No one gaffed, they were all busy with eating and joking. She rexed, the feeling of being ridiculed was gone. Here, ira den, she could be herself and no one seemed to care.

  For sed helpings, everyone just went when their ptes were empty. This time she more sciously selected what to put oe and ate slowly.

  Eli had already finished her pte and y on the floor. Two long-furred infants were sug on her breasts. Tab was als hers. Some kittens had already finished and jumped at each other to burn their energy. The den radiated life to the fullest, she could not do anything other than smile. She was so happy. She felt like she was in a pencil sketch from the times wheribes still had their dens in caves. Which were premade ones, Hopkins II had nothio ce for his cats, the nerdy, rational part of her brain pined. She shooed it away, tonight was for warm feelings.

  While she slowly finished her third helping, the kittens came to her. First ohen a sed until all five kittens were sitting and lying around her.

  "Sister Rerra", one of the older kittens finally dared, "may I hug you?"

  She shoved the st morsels in her mouth and put the pte orolley. The kittens watched her and waited. "Should I y down?"

  The kitten nodded.

  "Who wants to give me the hug?"

  The kittens took that question literally. "I" shouted them all.

  She smiled madly. "I mean, what is your name?"

  "I am Tabita. Ok?"

  She still grinned and y down. Tabita mounted her he belly button and then carefully walked up and y down, her head restiween her breasts. The kitten was surprisingly light. In fact, it was the first time that she had been that close to such a young kitten. At Samul, the crib was until three and the dens had been separated as soon as school started a separated. Now, Tabita stretched her paws to the sides. "Me too", cried another kitten and soon she was covered under a b of softly purring warm kittens lying side by side. Most of them had closed their eyes. Rerra, the y mattress.

  Yuha came, "Miss Rerra, should I take them away?"

  She shook her head, smiling, and whispering, "No, I don't mind."

  Yuta nodded and smiled knowingly.

  She lifted her head and looked around. Eli's two infants had fallen asleep. Eli carefully lifted them off herself and id them in their basket where Tab's infant was already sleeping. Then she walked over and smiled at her. "They have adopted thich chtray", Eli whispered.

  "At Samul we never had a den like this", she whispered back, "Thank you."

  "You chtay tonight if you want", Eli offered.

  "I will", she said, "I am too tired to walk bad this is so nice. I am so happy."

  Eli chuckled and grinned. "Bathroom ich the cht door from the entranche. Good night."

  "Good night."

  Soon the lights in the den were dimmed.