Your wish is my command. How about a few kitty friends?
Thank you for this request! I am slowly making progress on works that are not my usual genre and this was a good break :) ~2.4k words
November…the month of sunny, windy and crisp days. A harsh breeze sent a chill down Larissa's back as she made her way to the Weathervane. As soon as her heels clacked against the hard floor, the smell of coffee beans and warmth engulfed her. It's not that her coat wasn't warm, after all it was wool, she was just easily susceptible to the cold.
After ordering a hot chocolate to go, Larissa reluctantly stepped back out into the town square. She started toward the Nevermore van which was parked outside of the therapists office. Lost in thought in an attempt to distract herself from the chill, she almost didn't hear the distant meowing coming from behind her. She stopped in her tracks, did she hear something?
"Meow"
Larissa knit her brows as she spun around and found her gaze on the ground. There was a skinny black cat with fangs and shiny yet scruffy fur, sitting on the sidewalk, looking expectantly at her.
"Mew"
Larissa looked around for who's cat it could've been before concluding that it must be a stray. The cat's large green eyes and Larissa's bright blue's focused on each other, as if they were having a staring contest, before Larissa lost. She blinked.
"Meow"
Larissa sighed and crouched down, making a psspss sound and holding out her hand. The black cat cautiously walked closer, sniffing her glove lightly. Larissa pat it softly on the head until the cat got comfortable and smacked its face into her palm, deciding to use her hand as a scratching post.
"Mrrrrah" the cat purred. Larissa chuckled.
When she realized how long she had been out in the cold, she stood. The cat stared up at her once again before it took to walking circles around her feet, tail swaying elegantly. Larissa noticed the cats prominent back bones and realized that it must be hungry. She debated running to the store and buying some cat food, but as she looked toward the therapists office, her student was exiting the building.
"Sorry little one, I have to go" and she left.
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One day after school the next week, Larissa ventured to the liquor store. She had to park on a rather grungy road, as it was oddly busy today. She walked past an old abandoned church and noticed a hole in the base that lead to underneath. 'This is an eyesore' she thought, shaking her head and continuing on.
As she carried her wine back to her rather far away car, she took note of a cat wandering around the sidewalk. It looked just like the black cat from last week, but it didn't seem too friendly with others. She watched a few people try to shoo it away, even though it wasn't close, it actually seemed to be wary of them. A couple of teenagers eyed it and let out disgusted gags, and Larissa winced as one spooked the cat by running at it. She shook her head in dismay.
Larissa knew that black cats were often associated with witchery or thought of as omens of bad luck, but what was wrong with that? They were just precious little animals, and she actually really liked them. She thought that someone or something who could be described as an 'outcast' or the 'odd one out' was enticing, they were usually interesting, usually pure souls. As she got to her car and placed the drinks in her trunk, she heard a familiar sound coming from beside her.
"Meow"
The black cat didn't hesitate to run up to her, purring as it rubbed against her ankles.
A smile lit up her face. "Hi darling" she said joyfully, crouching down to pet the cat.
"Mrrahh"
Larissa noticed suddenly that there was a dead mouse on the sidewalk in front of the cat, which was now right in front of her.
"Oh, god" she said, turning her head away and scrunching up her face. Larissa decided she would buy the cat some food, she was going to the grocery store anyway.
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The store had many flavours and brands of cat food, and Larissa hadn't owned a pet before. After searching the internet for the best brand of cat food, she bought a few cans of chicken, did her shopping, and left.
❅❅❅
Larissa pulled a can of food out of the bag and walked around the town square, searching for the black cat. It wasn't at the Weathervane, it wasn't at Uriah's heap, and it wasn't at the flower shop. She walked around every which way, sure she had covered most of the streets by now. As a particularly cold wind hit her legs and made her shiver so hard that she dropped the can of food, she thought about how stupid this was, searching in the cold for a stray cat.
She had ventured down a dead end street, and just as she turned around to walk back up, the black cat was running towards her.
"Mowww""
The annoyance Larissa felt disappeared instantly, and she opened the can of food and placed it on the sidewalk.
"Here you go, love" she whispered, pushing it towards the cat.
It sniffed the food, walked a circle as if searching for something, and then started licking the contents of the can. The cat only ate for a few seconds though, before it looked at Larissa wide eyed.
"Mrow"
It then turned and trotted away.
Larissa was confused, was it not hungry? Surely it had to be, it was skin and bones. She watched the cat as it turned a corner and she picked up the can, deciding to follow close behind.
The black cat led her down two streets, the second familiar to her. It was the grungy street she had never been on before, not until she parked here earlier today. Larissa watched the black cat as it crouched down and made it's way underneath the abandoned church. Larissa's face fell in disgust but also in remorse. No wonder the poor cat took shelter in there, it was chilly out, and it would soon be terribly cold.
With reluctance, Larissa moved closer to the hole in the wall and turned on her phone flashlight. When she bent down and peered into the hole, eight bright eyes were staring back at her.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, pulling away.
The abundance of eyes caught her off guard, and she dropped her phone on the sidewalk. As she went to pick it up, the black cat emerged from underneath the church and licked her gloved hand with its rough tongue. She turned her flashlight back on and shone it into the hole, three kittens were nervously staring back, eyes big. Surprised and saddened, Larissa's lip quivered. The black cat must've been hunting earlier to feed her babies. She felt incredibly guilty that they were stuck out in the cold with nowhere to go.
"You’re a mom" she said in acknowledgement, turning her attention to the black cat.
"Meow"
Larissa placed the can of food into the hole, careful not to startle the kittens. She sat up onto her knees and scratched the black cat behind the ear. Larissa smiled in knowing.
"So am I."
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As the weather grew colder, Larissa visited the black cat whenever she was in town. She had fed the kittens and gave them water on multiple occasions, as she knew that any water they'd find would surely be frozen. She had become attached to the black cat, often thinking of her and the kittens throughout her work days at Nevermore. The poor cat was strong and brave, she was inspiring. Larissa knew she'd do anything for her kittens, just as she would for her students. She hoped that they would be alright during the winter, she prayed that they wouldn't freeze or starve.
Larissa hadn't owned a pet throughout her lifetime. She loved animals dearly, but her parents never allowed her to have a companion. When she moved out, she didn't have time to take care of an animal, as she was always on the run.
She couldn't get the black cat or the kittens out of her mind, no matter how hard she tried. She couldn't help but think that they'd be safer at Nevermore with her, they would be healthier, warmer, and happier. Right?
❅❅❅
Larissa set out to the town one December day, deliberately walking past the abandoned church. The snow that had fallen stood a foot high, and frost was evident in the places where the snow had been removed. She felt helpless knowing that there were stray cats and kittens, her stray cat and her kittens, stuck out in this weather. She dug out her phone and turned on the flashlight as her hands shook, shining it into the hole in the wall.
The black cat was huddled up with her three kittens, licking them to get their blood flowing and keep them warm.
"Oh, my darlings" she murmured. She couldn't bare to see them like that, obviously frozen and tortured. The beautiful black cat taking care of her babies warmed her heart, but she deserved to be taken care of as well.
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The next day, two Nevermore employees arrived at the abandoned church in a van. Unsure, they stepped onto the sidewalk, easily finding the hole in the base of the church. They looked at each other in confirmation before one of them crouched down, finding the black cat and three kittens in the hole.
"Aw, they must be cold" he said. He then stretched his arm out toward the mother cat, but she flashed her teeth as she hissed at him.
"Shit!" the man nervously spat, pulling away.
The other man tried to reach the black cat, but she carefully moved herself and her babies out of his proximity when he stuck his hand in the hole.
After a good twenty minutes, the men decided that it was no use.
"I guess we should call principal Weems." "Yeah."
The principal was a bit fed up that she had to go into town today. She had an incredibly busy schedule, how hard was it to capture a cat and her kittens anyway? As she pulled up behind the Nevermore van, the two men were staring down at the hole in the wall. "What's this, now?" she questioned.
After the men explained the situation, Larissa scoffed and kneeled down onto the sidewalk. The black cat immediately recognized her and emerged, rubbing itself against her jacket in delight. The men were surprised, and they placed a crate down onto the sidewalk. Larissa slowly picked the black cat up and took it into her arms.
"I'm going to save you, darling" she whispered. "I'm going to help you and your family."
When Larissa saw no resistance from the cat, she placed her back onto the sidewalk. She then carefully reached in and picked up the kittens one by one, placing them in the crate. The mother cat was the last to go in with her children.
❅❅❅
Larissa smiled in success as she admired the black cat and her babies. She wasn't allowed to have animals inside Nevermore, but she did have an old shed. She had built a tall pen for them to roam around in, and a small shelter insulated with Styrofoam and straw. They had an abundance of food and water, and a heat source outside of their enclosure to ensure that they would never be cold. She had the absolute most fun picking out toys for them, she even bought them treats. They all got medicated baths, so that Larissa could cuddle them knowing that they were healthy.
The most brave kitten was all black, a little boy. There was a black and white mixed cutie who was a shy boy, and an all white fluffy demanding female. Her heart beat with joy and excitement as she watched the kittens play, and she finally felt content having something so special to her.
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One day, Larissa was in her office typing up a report when she heard a small thump against a door. She turned to her balcony doors and found the black cat, paws against the glass.
"Mrowww"
Larissa stood in shock, how did she get out of the shed? She quickly and nervously opened the balcony doors and scooped the cat up, bringing her inside.
"How did you find me little one? Did anyone see you?" she asked, placing the cat in her lap and sitting by the fire. The black cat revelled in the warmth as it nuzzled into Larissa, and she relaxed into the comfort the cat brought her. She purred against Larissa, but as much as she wanted to stay and take in the warmth, she had found Larissa for a reason.
The cat suddenly let out a loud meow, to which Larissa gasped and prayed that nobody heard. The cat jumped off of her lap and ran to the balcony doors, scratching to be let out. Larissa wracked her brain around how she would get the cat back to the shed without anyone seeing, so she decided to let her out and follow her.
Larissa walked quickly outside, finding the cat waiting for her underneath her balcony. As she went to pick her up, the cat ran away from her reach.
"Darling, come here" Larissa said nervously, beginning to walk faster.
The cat eventually started running, but Larissa's panic faded when she realized she was running towards the shed. Larissa found the door to the shed slightly ajar, which was odd, she had locked it. The black cat entered and ran right over to her kittens.
It took Larissa a second to notice that one of the kittens was tangled in thread, it's paw stuck to a unicorn plush.
"Oh baby" Larissa murmured, picking up the white kitten and untangling it gently.
"Mew"
Larissa giggled at the kittens mewls, they made the cutest sounds that she's ever heard. She placed the kitten back down in the pen with her bothers, and took note of the toy. It seemed that someone had broken in, left the door open, and offered the kittens a new plush. She sighed in relief, at least the culprit wasn't someone with bad intentions, Enid must've really wanted to play with the kittens.
"Meow"
The black cat caught Larissa's attention as it rested it's head on her foot.
"Mow"
Larissa chuckled and reached her arms out, scooping the cat up and hugging it close to her chest.
"Who's my brave mom?" Larissa beamed, kissing the black cat on the top of the head.
