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Sharp mewls pierced the air as kittens wobbled over one another, crying out hungrily for their mother. Zareh the black cat trotted over and stood above them, licking the heads and faces of her children as they unsteadily leaned towards her. She laid down, a kitten wriggling out from under her and seeking out an inflamed nipple to feast upon.
Lagill laughed and patted Zareh on her head, “What are you doing, laying on your children like that? What a silly mother you are.”
The woman looked up as two sets of armored feet approached, and she smiled to Kisara and Alphen. “What is you wanted to show us?” her longtime friend asked warmly.
“Zareh’s family!” she grinned, waving an arm over the mother and her nursing babies.
Kisara let out an undignified squeal of delight, then cleared her throat self-consciously and walked over to kneel down beside the cats. Alphen grinned and joined them, keeping a little more distance as he wasn’t sure just out comfortable Zareh would be with him. The cat didn’t seem to mind, simply cleaning her children as they scrambled over one another in search for a meal. There were five of them, their eyes recently opened and various shades of blue, their fur fluffed out to keep their small bodies warm as they grew.
“Shionne would love to see this,” Alphen breathed out, removing a gauntlet before reaching out tentatively for Zareh to inspect. She simply closed her eyes to him then turned her attention back to the kittens.
“That means she trusts you,” Lagill informed him and watched as he carefully pet the mother on her head. “Where is Shionne, anyway? I had hoped she would make it, too.”
“She’s helping Dohalim in Pelegion right now. She should be back in a few weeks.”
“You should bring home one of the kittens then! They might be ready to leave when she gets back, so maybe surprise her?”
Alphen grinned at that and smiled as Zareh licked his finger like it was one of her children. “Can I? Would Zareh be alright with that?”
As if to answer him, the mother stood up, kittens falling over one another with indignant squeaks. One of the babies hung on tight, suckling for all it was worth. She ignored it and gently took a tortoiseshell by the back of the neck and held its curled form out to him. He cupped his hands under the kitten and an angry ball of fuzz fell into his grasp. He brought the kitten up to his face, listening to its loud screams of anger, one belted sound after another. “At least you know its lungs are healthy,” Kisara laughed, and took the one kitten without a trace of black in her own hands at Zareh’s insistence. It was just as loud as its sister, screaming to be returned to the warmth and nourishment of their mother. “I can have this one, when they’re older, Zareh?”
The mother cat meowed and looked pleased, sitting and letting the other three kittens fight to feed themselves. Alphen brought the kitten up to his face and laughed as it wrapped its mouth on the tip of his nose, seeming desperate to find something to suckle on, perhaps for comfort more than hunger.
“Has Rinwell had a chance to meet them yet?” Kisara asked.
“Yeah, I went to her the day they were born, and she helped me find some books on caring for kittens. Though Zareh seems to have it all well in hand. Isn’t that right?”
Zareh meowed proudly and reached out towards Alphen. He returned the kitten to her and grinned, giving the hard working mother another pat on her head and earning a loud rumble of a purr for it. He sat back on his heels, watching as Kisara did the same with the pale ginger that seemed to match her hair well. “How much longer until they can leave, Lagill?” he asked.
“Probably another four weeks. You should asked Rinwell to help you get everything you’ll need for when you take one home. She’s gotten really into her research about kittens lately. Though she won’t take one with her, because of Hootle. I think she feels a bit left out.”
He laughed softly and nodded, standing up with a quiet groan as his armor clanked and ground on stone. “I’ll do that.”
-+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+-
Alphen stepped into the house he shared with Shionne and could instantly tell something was different. He smiled, noting the pair of heels that were in place near the door, a sign that his wife had finally returned home. He had missed her fiercely while she was away, and the timing was perfect. She came around the corner, hair down, wearing a simple dress the color of Dahna’s rose blossoms. “I missed you,” were the first words she spoke, her eyes and voice warm with affection.
He set a cloth covered basket down on the kitchen table and held his arms out for her. She stepped into his embrace without hesitation and he kissed the top of her head. “I missed you, too. Home isn’t the same without you.”
She sighed happily, leaning against him, and they enjoyed the moment. Movement caught her eye and she looked at the basket curiously. “What’s this?”
That made him grin, and he waved to it, “Take a look.”
Her brow raised at the mystery and she watched as something pressed up from under the thick cloth that lined and covered the whicker basket. “What…?” she asked softly, even as she pulled it back. She gasped sharply as an orange-mottled black head popped up and green eyes fixed on her. A loud meow pierced the room and the kitten scrambled out of the basket and immediately scaled Shionne’s dress and found a perch on her shoulder. “A kitten? Alphen…?”
“Zareh had kittens while you were gone. She hand-picked this one to come home with me,” he grinned.
“Paw-picked…,” Shionne corrected, her voice dazed with delight. He laughed and nodded his agreement. “She’s beautiful… Does she have a name?”
“Not yet. I didn’t think I could come up with anything that would do her justice. I’m likely to name her ‘Gladius’ or something.”
Shionne scowled at that then laughed, plucking the kitten from her shoulder to instead cradle it in her arms. “That won’t do. But, I wonder, just what kind of name does suit you, hm?” She brought the kitten up close her face and giggled happily as a small rough tongue tried to clean her nose. “How about… Hadia?”
The kitten began purring at the word, rubbing its little face against Shionne’s, marking her as one of her family. Alphen smiled fondly, leaning a hand on the kitchen table. “I think she approves.”
“‘Hadia’ it is,” Shionne laughed, rubbing her face against the kitten’s in return. It mewled in protest as it fell over in her hands, then it went right back to cleaning her face.