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“Hey, sis, is it me or is Belladonna putting on some weight?” asked Adaine one day while visiting Aelwyn and her fifteen cats.
“Oh really? Let me take a look.” She walked over to where Adaine was petting the fluffy black cat and picked up Belladonna. “Is ooo a pudgy-wudgy kitty?” she murmured while gently bouncing her in her arms, feeling her weight. “Hmm, yeah, she does seem to be a bit heavier.” She raised the cat up and looked at her from the side. “Good, she could use the weight gain; she was rail-thin when I took her in.”
“Isn’t she the one who keeps slipping outside?”
“Yes, she’s a very naughty kitty, yes you are!” Aelwyn cooed, peppering Belladonna’s face with kisses. “Mommy’s little escape artist!”
Adaine rolled her eyes at her sister’s nauseating display, but smiled all the same; she was glad that Aelwyn had her cats to keep her company after everything she had been through.
“Well, I’ve gotta run,” said Adaine as she stood up, another cat vacating her lap with a small hiss. “I’ve gotta meet up with Riz to work on a project.”
“Say ‘hi’ to the nerd for me,” called Aelwyn as Adaine opened the door. They waved goodbye and Adaine left.
Aelwyn turned back to the purring cat in her arms and gave her another kiss. “I’m glad you’re gaining some weight, Belly-baby. Let’s get you some more food.”
“Oof, Belly-baby, you’re getting heavy, aren't you?” said Aelwyn a month later as she lifted up the cat. “I’m glad you’ve gained weight, but you’re getting quite the belly! But then again, you’re my Belly-baby, aren’t you?” she babbled. The cat mewed quietly and wriggled in her arms, uncomfortable with the attention. Aelwyn let her leap out of her arms, Belladonna landing with a soft yet audible oof.
“I should schedule an appointment with the vet to see if I need to change your diet,” she reminded herself as the cat wandered off.
“Belly-baby, where are you?” called Aelwyn as she walked through her house. “It’s dinnertime!”
The other cats were greedily eating their food in the kitchen, but the distinct lack of a fat black cat concerned her as Belladonna was not one to miss her meals.
“Bella! Belladonna!” she called out, but no response came. “Oh, I hope she didn’t escape outside again! But I don’t recall her having the opportunity…”
After searching for twenty minutes, Aelwyn resigned herself to scrying on the cat to glean her location.
She set her ritual up in the living room and began her search. Immediately she saw her bedroom, but no sign of the cat. In fact, the focus of the scrying was on her dresser. She frowned. “She’s sleeping in my dresser?” she asked herself as she stood up and headed back to her bedroom. “Bella!” she called out louder. “Where are you, baby?”
A small mew, barely audible, came from within the dresser.
“Are you stuck?” She began to open the drawers, and there, in the bottom drawer, she found Belladonna surrounded by tufts of fur and blood.
“Bella!” she cried, reaching for the cat. Belladonna meowed again, and her stomach convulsed. Aelwyn hesitated.
“...Bella?”
Aelwyn watched in shock as a small sac emerged from the rear of the cat, and Belladonna leaned over and began to clean it, revealing a blood-covered kitten. Speechless, Aelwyn fell to her knees and watched as the tiny kitten squirmed around in her sock drawer. She watched as Bella continued to lick the kitten until it was at last clean and had latched onto a nipple, drinking hungrily.
Belladonna had more surprises in store, though, giving birth to two more kittens that night, and Aelwyn sat back and watched it all in rapt silence. Once it looked like Bella was done, she brought her in some food and water. As she ate, Aelwyn reached into the drawer and pulled out a kitten. It was black with a white belly and wriggled and mewed loudly, searching for its mother. Startled by its piercing squeaks, she hastily put it back. Belladonna immediately checked over her kitten and then meowed at Aelwyn.
“You’re never going outside again,” she muttered as she stroked Belladonna. The cat looked up at her with soft, yellow eyes and blinked slowly.
“That won’t work on me, slut,” Aelwyn said affectionately. “I’m getting you fixed as soon as I can. Oh, Belly-baby, what have you gotten us into? Eighteen cats is too many!”