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The Queen's purr resonated deeply within her chest. A sister kneaded into the Queen's back, the massage sending her into a deep state of relaxation. One of her brothers, a large gangly fellow with dirty fur, brought a small mouse in supplication and dropped it before her. The Queen gave a small meow of recognition before she gobbled it up in a few bites. Once done, she shut her eyes and dozed contently under the warm sun. The wind ruffled her fur but it was pleasantly mild, otherwise she would have had the gangly brother block it for her. Life had just been good. 

She had siblings who fawned over her, fed her, kept her warm when cold, and on and on. Her domain was bountiful and yielded much, so that she and her siblings were lacking for want. Indeed, even other creatures had seen the majesty of her being and brought tribute. Usually with their own lives but it was still tribute. 

The only problem she had had of late, was her mother. Her mother, who had given birth to such a beautiful Queen, such as she, was not so charmed by her benevolence. Perhaps it was because she had held authority for so long. Perhaps it was because she was a dowager. No, no, that was a bit rude. She wasn’t that old, and she had given such warm milk. The Queen had realized upon one sunny day, when her mother had cornered her and began grooming her in a display of dominance (which was quite normal for her kind and mildly annoying if anything), that if she herself was a Queen now, then that meant, at one point in time, her mother must have been a queen as well. And it all clicked into place. No wonder her mother acted in such ways!

So the Queen was learning to deal with it. After all, her mother was still her mother. Loving and annoying, wrapped in one. So the Queen reflected and she slept as her sibling purred and the sun shown. Life had never been better, in fact. But then came a day where the world was flipped upside down.

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It happened like this, the small cat had been taking a good nap, recently fed and massaged and when she woke, she had a good stretch and a yawn. She licked her leg furiously for no real reason and then looked around. 

Where was everybody? There was always at least one of her siblings about the family den, either napping or waiting on their Queen, which was her. But now… She spun around and didn’t see anyone. She sniffed the air and the scents she had grown so familiar with, were still there and so she decided to follow the strongest of them- mother. It led her to the entrance of the den and out into the well worn path. The grasses were tall and she couldn’t really see anything so the Queen decided to get to high ground. 

She had a strange feeling wash over her and a flash of a memory she couldn’t quite place; a tall burnt tree with the perfect vantage but she blinked and only saw the hill that the den was under. 
She climbed it, and then her favorite rock and sat on her haunches to look around. It was windy and the clouds were dark overhead. Still, she didn’t see any of her family. Just some birds, the swaying green grasses, of which were turning browner by the day, and some large four legged things that were too fast to hunt. 

She called out a few times but received no answer. Surely they hadn’t left her, right? They wouldn’t do that to her. They were her subjects! They were her family! She let out a small hiss of frustration. If they didn’t come back, who was going to hunt for her? Who was going to massage her? Who was going to groom her? Would she have to do those things… Herself?

It began to drizzle and the Queen curled tight into a ball, contemplating her future. 

And one thing was certain; she was on her own for now.