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It was more than just alarm, it was terror.
Vi had woken in the morning light of her cabin with no sense of wrongness, but that changed quickly. The only thing that was perhaps a bit odd was the cold, but that happened sometimes with that damn quirky furnace.
No, the alarm crept in when there were no paws on her, no purring chirps or the warm little weight of the purring leech that felt some days like the only thing that anchored her to the world.
"Catlyn?"
The name had started out as a dumb joke because she couldn't come up with an idea for the helpless puff of hunger and screeches left on her doorstep… was that really almost a year and a half ago? Weeks of feeding formula every few hours, hollow with fatigue while the tiny creature left in her care finally started to grow, to open cloudy eyes that turned autumn-sky blue, stubby ears that unfurled and strengthened, floppy limbs that learned how to move, to walk, to pounce. Pinprick claws learned to sheath and sharpen and tiny teeth itched and ached and chewed on Vi's calloused, gentle hands.
Vi had not realized how much living on her own was affecting her until this unexpected friend had taken over her life.
She had no idea what happened to start their journey together, the only clues the scattered trail of blood drops leading to… and away from her door in the wake of the kitten far, far to young to be on her own. Those memories fired the terror. Where was her beloved pet? Listening hard detected no sense of the cat even after Vi fumbled into clothes and stood still, feeling her space like it was a part of her.
She did feel that draft though, finding the open window off in that south-facing corner that Catlyn loved so much. Many an hour was spent there on the back of the overstuffed chair, inky belly gleaming like silk in the sunlight.
"How the hell…"
It was a legitimate question because the windows were one of the first things she'd replaced in this small home and those latches required more strength than any cat could manage. Not to mention the screen pushed open at the corner with no sign of struggle.
With only a moment's debate, Vi left the window as it was, just in case Catlyn found her way home. Then she was gone, desperation firing through her nervous system. It was a brisk morning, really more than only a sweater could combat, but she neither noticed or cared.
"Where do I even start?"
Vi looked at the forest with real dread. She took walks frequently with Catlyn, but she had never shown any desire to wander. However, there were neighbors just at the edge of earshot and their lights would have made an enticing target in the darkness.
"Okay, we start with the houses then."
At an athletic trot, Vi scoured fencelines and peered at trees and shrubs, desperate for a flash of silky black fur or the silvery chain and pendant Catlyn liked to wear. She would always strut around and preen, even looking at herself in the mirror when it was on. Eventually she tired of the weight and would fight with it until Vi laughed and took it off until the next time. The memories and stress nearly had her in tears.
And then, boom, there she was.
The relief made Vi a little lightheaded.
Unharmed and unbothered, Catlyn was down a cluttered alley between the softy bartender who would tend to strays and the noisy billiards hall next door. Which would explain the scruffy little red cat currently playing kissyface with her pet.
"Is that your new friend?" Vi found herself chuckling through her relief. As much as she wanted to rush over and bury her face in that inky fur, that might alarm either of them. So she forced patience and crouched, making the soft little noise she'd always used to coax and calm her companion. Trilling prettily, Catlyn finished her nose-touch with the strange cat and bounded over. Hopping onto Vi's bent thigh, she bonked her head into her human's chest and settled into a lazy loaf as though this were some relaxing little outing.
But she kept looking back and squinting at the stranger.
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Holding very still, Vi offered her hand in friendship, understanding that the strange cat was wary. She was a small thing with a wild red coat not unlike her own mane. Catlyn kept up a one-sided conversation at the red cat and even the human could tell the tone was one of ease, of safety and coaxing.
And damned if the red cat didn't keep stepping closer until breath and whiskers tickled at Vi's fingertips. For a long, breathless moment, the two very different living creatures simply took each other in, noting their similarities in coloring, in wants, in the third entity between them.
Then a breathless moment of indecision before the red cat tentatively rubbed her nose to Vi's fingers and accepted the gentle brush of pets over her scruffy coat.
"Cutie," Vi forgot herself and broke the silence, wincing in hope she hadn't alarmed this new friend. Little scruffy flinched, but stayed put, inching closer to where Catlyn's tail swished idly over Vi's knee, headbutting the bony cap to the human's delight. She even allowed one big hand to scoop under her body and lift as Vi awkwardly stood up. Catlyn athletically hopped up to her shoulder, still talking softly where her little friend was cradled loosely to Vi's torso.
"That's a nice box you have there. Let's bring something familiar back home, shall we?"
With the box freed from the rest of the junk in the alley, the two cats slithered in, clearly finding the hollow a comfort.
And with that, a morning of alarm and fear became a new beginning.
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