<em><strong><span class="bbc_u">(Play this linked track while reading the scene to follow...)</span></strong></em>(https://youtu.be/sjaUXay05Kk)<br/><br/>Tikva had the early lead as the group had explored the chamber, soon to be followed by the others.  When she had stopped to examine the arthropods, the rest of the company lingered a moment, but no one else seemed to offer any other suggestions as to what the creatures might have been, or how they got there.<br/><br/>When the injured Tooka was encountered, Leri sent her medical droid Imego to see what could be done for it.  Unfortuantely the droid explained, the extend of the wounds and amount of venom in the feline's system were more than enough to be fatal.  The most that could be done for the poor creature was to ease her pain and make her comfortable for her remaining moments.  However, she struggled to drag herself towards the towering pile of crates and comtonos, desperately to reach whatever was at the top.<br/><br/>Following her instincts, Elesei walked ahead towards the steep pile, eventually hearing the soft cries from above.  Calling upon The Force, she easily brought down the industrial comtono that marked the peak of that artifical cliff, and opened the lid with a surprised coo at finding the Tooka kittens within.  As she tried to feed them with the fragments of her food rations, the kittens mewed piteously and nibbled at her outstretched fingertips.<br/><br/>Joined soon after by Tikva, the two women were soon adoring the little fuzzy creatures, cooing and encouraging them as they made small tentative bites at the offered sustenance, though it was obvious that they were not quite used to only solid foods yet.  Both women could tell that the kittens were still being weaned.<br/><br/>Teslo joined Imego and Leri in tending to the struggling mother Tooka.  The weakened  Tooka crawled and wriggled out of grasp again and again, attempting to press out of Imego's grasp although she seemed grateful for the easing of pain from the droid's soothing care, and the relief of the medkit offered by the Zabrak.  Giving soft meows and calls to her litter, she pulled herself slowly up the sides of the comtono and into the nest of the wriggling kittens.  The tiny offspring all broke off from Elesei's and Tikva's attention, and started to push and headbutt their way atop the mother Tooka's heaving form.<br/><br/>When Elesei looked to Tikva to see if she knew of any means to help, Tikva called upon the Force, attempting to undo the damage done by the arthropods and their venom.  The weakened mother looked to be still laboriously breathing, but she had regained enough strength to begin licking and nuzzling her kittens, meowing to them with concern.  The tiny fuzzballs likewise mewed back, and for the next several minutes they all pressed in around their ailing mother, sensing that something was wrong.  The affection and care displayed by the felines was a reminder to the observing party just how fragile and precious life was, to the Force as well as the parallels to the misfit refugees' own disadvantaged circumstances.<br/><br/>It was difficult to tell just how much time passed as they all watched the poignant scene unfold, but eventually the sounds of meowing stopped, leaving only the sad cries of mewing kittens as they all innocently kept pressing against their mother's still form, all breath and life having quietly slipped away from her body...