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When you agreed to pursue a romantic relationship with one of the most powerful mages the kingdom had seen in generations, you knew what you were getting into. Being dragged to accompany her for official events, having to deal with her being away whenever she was summoned, worrying over her well-being while she was away, the like.
But when Her Majesty had summoned her away to a neighbouring country — whose name you could not pronounce to save your life — for a covert operation that spanned a few months, that was where you drew the line.
You had protested while you watched her pack — her belongings floating across the room and into a little briefcase that seemed too small to fit everything that was going into it. Her magic fascinated you, even if you were annoyed at the circumstances.
"Alcina, must you go?" you flopped dramatically onto the bed. "Why can't Her Majesty send Lady Beneviento instead?"
"Donna is tied up with other matters at the moment, darling."
"Then why can't she send Lord Heisenberg instead?" You rolled onto your side, watching Alcina snap her luggage shut. "Isn't he the poster child from the mage academy?"
Alcina sighed, taking a seat next to you. She had given you a short spiel during the early days of your relationship about honour and duties to the queen and the kingdom. She knew that you knew and were simply being dramatic about it.
"Are you quite done, darling?"
You could hear the amusement in her voice as she smoothed your hair that was splayed all over the mattress.
"Yes, I'm done." You grumbled and sat up begrudgingly, resting your head on her shoulder. "It's just that you're going to be away for so long this time. I don't like it."
"I know," Alcina took your hand into hers, her thumb drawing soothing patterns on the back of your hand, "But duty calls."
Alcina left at the crack of dawn the next morning, not before waking you and leaving you with a kiss that had you pulling her back into bed. Her resistance was commendable as she tucked you back under the blankets and pressed one last kiss to your temple before she headed out the door. She stopped at the threshold, taking one last look at your sleepy self. You gave her a tiny wave and shooed her off.
"Go, my love," you croaked, your voice heavy with sleep. "Duty calls."
"I will come back to you as soon as I can, darling."
You nodded and buried yourself deeper into her side of the bed, inhaling her scent that still clung onto the pillows and sheets, missing the way she had flicked her wrist before she closed the door. You vaguely heard her whisper something, but decided that you would ask her about it later when you were more awake.
The soft padding of footsteps made their way to you, hopping onto the foot of the bed just as you drifted off.
You awoke a few hours later, your body feeling oddly heavy for some reason. Yes, Alcina had been thorough with you the night before but it was never to this extent. You felt as though there was a rock on your body. Still, you tried wiggling about to break out of whatever spell you might be in.
Meow
"Huh?"
The first thing you saw when you cracked open your eyelids was a fuzzy black ball lying on your chest. You caught sight of the gold collar nestled amongst the fur and the gears started to spin in your sleepy mind, registering them.
If this one was here, then..
You cleared your throat as quietly as you could, not wanting to jolt the rest awake, and called their names softly.
"Bela? Cassandra? Daniela?"
The fuzzy black ball uncurled itself and three kittens untangled from each other, revealing their colour coded collars – gold for Bela, red for Cassandra and green for Daniela. They yawned and stretched on you before padding their way up and settled themselves around your face. Not a bad way to wake up if you were being honest. You had met them a handful of times previously and they had taken to you quickly, much to Alcina's delight.
The kittens curled around you, their fur tickling your face and neck. You wiggled yourself into a comfortable spot, turning your face slightly to inhale their scent. They smelled faintly like Alcina. You let yourself fall back asleep, smiling as you felt the three kittens relaxed against you.
Alcina, half way across the kingdom, smiled as a cosy tingle ran up her neck, her cats — her familiars — were playing with you at home. Excellent, just as she had hoped. She could feel a sense of comfort buzzing from the kittens as they playfully swat at you. Alcina raised a brow when she felt Cassandra raised her paw — claws out — poised for an actual swat.
Ahem, Cassandra…
She smirked at the sad meow Cassandra sent, tickled at her familiar's reaction. She might have manifested them, but they certainly had a mind of their own. The amount of trouble they would get into — especially when all three were together — was, well, legendary.
They were obedient at least. There is that.
"Madame Mage?" Her attendant's voice brought her back to the carriage she was in,
"Yes, Ingrid?"
"Is everything alright?"
"Yes, everything is fine now." She allowed herself another smirk, "Just a little thought crossing my mind, is all. How much further is the journey?"
Ingrid turned to open the speaking hatch behind her, the latch unlocking with a soft click, to speak to the coachman. Alcina rolled her eyes when she heard his reply, another hour. Good lord. She could have easily flown there in her dragon form but Her Majesty had given strict instructions to keep a low profile while travelling. So there she was, stuck on a long carriage ride.
Your first week with them was nothing short of amusing for Alcina, watching how you and her kittens adapted to one another — sharing the space. You could feel her snorting at your expense every single time any of the cats managed to sneak up on you, especially at night. Their black coats blended perfectly with the shadows where the candle lights were out of reach.
“Darling…” She had to pause to snort, almost cackling like the witch she was, “I’m sorry, but I cannot believe you jumped that high this evening.”
“Alcina! Your cats are so quiet!” You defended, almost to the point of whining. “Can’t you make them — I don’t know — less sneaky?”
“They’re cats, darling. That would defeat the purpose,” she tried to placate you, knowing full well that you adored them and they were huddled on your lap at the moment, purring away as you patted and scratched them.
“Well, if you’re not going to be helpful, Madame Mage…” You rolled your eyes, “Then I suppose I’ll have to do something about it myself.”
Alcina laughed, you could already picture her waving you off, giving you a look that said she would love to see what you came up with. You said your goodnights and returned the receiver to its holder, staring at the three of them curled on your lap. As menacing as they were, you found it difficult to stay annoyed at them for a prolonged period of time, much like how you were with their mistress.
An idea came to you as you tucked all four of you into bed. It was brilliant, and you just knew that Alcina would get a kick out of it. Tomorrow, you thought to yourself. Tomorrow you will put your plan into action.
The marketplace was buzzing when you got there with your little troop leading the way, drawing the attention of onlookers. You paid them no mind, surely they would get used to seeing you out with the three kittens in due time. You made your way to the local livestock supplier, hoping that they would have what you were looking for.
The bell at the door clanked as you swung it open, pausing to allow the three kittens to enter before you. They explored the shop and its wares, sniffing curiously at the bags of feed in a corner.
“Daniela,” you called out when you saw her wiggling her bottom, getting ready to launch herself onto the bags. “Don’t even think about it.”
You swore her two sisters cackled at her dejected meow.
The shopkeeper greeted you and the kittens, asking if you were looking for animal feed for your livestock or perhaps some farming equipment.
“No, I’m looking for some bells,” you stated matter-of-factly.
“We have a few to choose from over here.” He directed you to a shelf where an array of cattle bells sat. “Are the bells for goats or cows?”
“It’s for them actually.” You pointed at three of them, who had somehow frozen on the spot, turning their heads slowly at you. “They keep sneaking up on me at home.”
The shopkeeper paused to contemplate before heading inside, rummaging for something else. He returned with three smaller versions of the cattle bells he had on display. He gave them a shake. You were delighted by their dull clank.
“Excellent!” You beamed. “I’ll take them!”
You almost skipped your way out of the shop, missing the way all three kittens looked at you — completely aghast.
You wrangled the bells on them the moment you got home. Each struggled valiantly, pleading their case with sad little meows to spare them from the cattle bells, to save their dignity. You weren’t having any of it.
“There!” You lined them up when you were done, giving them a once over. You chewed on the inside of your cheeks to stifle your laughter when you saw them trying to get the bells off with their back foot. “Perfect!”
The bells clanked as they moved about and you felt as though you were finally free of the sneak attacks.
It all but lasted for ten minutes before your phone started to ring.
“Hello?”
“Darling, I’ve been getting some very…distressed signals from my cats,”
You narrowed your eyes at them, “You three complained to your mistress?”
Bela meowed innocently while grooming her sisters, the bell clanking as she moved.
“Oh good lord, those things sound even more horrid over the phone.”
You could already picture Alcina rolling her eyes.
“Yes, well, I told you that I would do something about it.”
“But cow bells? Really, darling?”
You wanted to be offended that her cats snitched on you, but Alcina had sounded even more offended at the bells, and you almost wanted to laugh.
“Yes, well, that was the best they had—”
“Take them off, please,” she interrupted.
“Not the first time you’ve said that to me—”
“Darling!”
“—but this will be the first time I tell you no.” You finished smugly.
“Fine, if you must…” Alcina sighed in defeat, much to the kittens’ horror. “But,” she continued and they perked up with great interest. “Expect a parcel later today.”
Alcina sent you three beautifully crafted golden bells later in the evening, with a note that read ‘If you insist on bells, then I must insist you use these instead’. You inspected the bells, the gold gleaming in the setting sun. Engraved onto the bells were little patterns of grapevines along with their names.
You rolled your eyes, she could’ve sent you these in the first place and saved her cats from the horror of the cow bells.
“Bela? Cassandra? Daniela?” You called for them, giving the little bells a shake, loving the soft chimes they made, “Your mistress sent you something pretty!”
By the first month, you realised that the kittens insisted on accompanying you everywhere. And you came to terms with it. Surrendering to your fate of having three little voids as your shadow — you swore sometimes it felt like they had morphed into one singular cat — you brought them with you whenever you needed to step out of the house.
The folks in the marketplace greeted you as you strolled by for your groceries, peering over their carts and stalls to greet the voids — watching the four of you out and about was a regular occurrence now.
The three of them were oddly well behaved whenever you were outside, gladly accepting any treats that the vendors might toss their way. Their little faces all smug when they successfully caught the treats in midair and the vendors clapped at their brilliance.
You could only roll your eyes and you knew that Alcina was being smug as well, wherever she was.
“Good morning! I see your little party is out with you again today,” an elderly fruit vendor gestured at your little troop resting by your feet.
“Morning, yeah. They’re cute so I keep them around.” You surveyed the fruits on display, picking an apple up before lowering it to the kittens, “What do you girls think of this?”
Bela took a preemptive sniff of the apple, prompting Cassandra and Daniela to follow her lead. They lost interest in it fairly quickly, yawning and turning to groom each other as they waited for whatever you would present to them next.
“Guess not,” You shrugged and returned your attention to the fruit cart, picking out a few more apples for yourself when Daniela jumped up and perched on a watermelon. You raised a brow at her, “You want that?”
Daniela blinked slowly at you as if to confirm it before her sisters joined her on the fruit cart, lightly tapping on the watermelon with their paws, meowing at you to make the purchase.
The elderly vendor laughed at their antics when you conceded to their demands, winking at Daniela as she placed the sizable watermelon into the little shopping satchel Alcina had made for you. The melon was much bigger than the satchel, but disappeared into the bag effortlessly, down into the void.
Speaking of voids, they had hopped down and were circling your feet, brushing themselves at your ankles with their tails flicking high in the air.
“I see you three are happy with the melon,” You mused, “Demanding little things, aren’t you? Just like your mistress.”
With that, Bela stopped and looked you in the eye — a familiar glint flashed across her eyes before she blinked it away. You raised a brow, wondering if Alcina had heard your little complaint.
You decided to test your theory.
“You know, girls, Alcina can be soooo fussy at times when it comes to her food…” you trailed off, glancing at them, assessing their behaviour. They hadn’t reacted to your words yet, but they did seem like they were waiting for you to continue. “Did you know she has a spell that flips her steaks at the exact timing so that they’re done right each time?”
You snorted when Cassandra started to bump her head against your leg and you were met with a scowl and a haughty tilt of her chin when you glanced down.
Alcina definitely heard it, you chuckled, bending down to scoop all three of them into your arms.
Meows of protest began.
“Tell your mistress that I find that spell adorable and very useful actually,” You nuzzled into them, giving each tiny head a kiss before setting them down on the ground again.
You thanked the elderly vendor before setting off for the next item on your shopping list — there were only a few more items to buy. You were a few paces away when you noticed the absence of bells chimes and your feet were moving a little too freely, devoid of any furry obstacles.
“Girls?” You called out to them when your eyes found them staring curiously at an alleyway in the busy marketplace, their tails swishing from side to side and their ears flattened. It must have been a dog or a rat that caught their attention, you deduced when you made your way to them and found the alleyway empty.
“Come on, girls.” You scooped them up, placing one on each of your shoulders while Bela clambered up to flop on your head. “It’s going to rain soon so let’s get going before it does.”
Alcina narrowed her eyes at the flash of caution when the kittens raised their guard. The document in her hand started to crumple as her frown deepened, the crinkling of the paper startling Ingrid.
“Madame Mage?” She warily implored.
Alcina waved her off, mumbling that her cats would take care of it. Puzzled, Ingrid shrugged and went back to her paperwork.
Waking up to the soft tapping of paws on your face was no longer an odd occurrence the second month in. The first time it happened, you woke up with a jolt thinking that something had happened while you slept. They led you out of your room meowing at you to follow. You quickly rubbed the sleep from your eyes and hurried after them into the kitchen. It was when they started pawing at their empty bowls that you understood what they were trying to tell you.
“Fill up our bowls, please.” You imagined they would say.
For magical creatures who supposedly lived off their mistress’ mana — magical reserves — they sure liked milk a lot. They woke you up like clockwork, demanding to be fed their favourite beverage each morning.
“Alright, let’s see if the milk man has dropped by,” You led your little troop of voids to the kitchen door where you had placed the empty bottles of milk the night before. The door squeaked open, the fresh morning air sweeping into the kitchen and you found two full bottles of milk waiting for you at the doorstep.
Daniela excitedly weaved herself in between the bottles, meowing happily as you moved her away to pick the bottles up. They trotted behind you as you nodded towards their bowls.
“There you go, girls.” You smiled as they began lapping up the milk, “Breakfast is served.”
You poured yourself a glass, getting out a pan and some eggs to get started on your own breakfast. Bela, who was done with hers, hopped onto the kitchen counter to keep you company while her sisters scampered out of the kitchen playing with each other.
“Are you my little supervisor for the morning?” Bela purred as you scratched her chin and in between her ears. “How is your mistress today? Did she sleep well?”
Bela tilted her head to one side, seemingly pondering your question. Then she stared at you for a moment before turning her head towards the living room. As she did, the phone rang.
You brought both your plate and mug to the living room, knowing full well who would be calling this early in the morning. Bela trotted behind you and settled herself on your lap once you were seated on the sofa, purring when you started to pet her.
“Hello?”
“Good morning, darling and happy birthday to you, my love.”
You smiled into the receiver, “Thank you, Alcina.”
“Why is the birthday girl up early this morning?” You could hear the amusement in her voice. “You mentioned wanting to laze around a little today.”
“Well, this birthday girl is up early because somebody’s cats like their milk a little too much.” You mocked complaining, smiling as Bela meowed for attention when you stopped petting her. “But seriously, Alcina. Why do they like milk so much?”
“I haven’t a clue, darling!” Alcina laughed. Oh, how you missed the sight of her laughing. “They have a mind of their own sometimes and it seems they have latched onto the simple comforts of drinking milk.”
Both of you chatted while you slowly worked through your breakfast. You tried not to be too disappointed at her absence. Alcina had hinted a few days ago that she might be able to get away for a bit and come home for your birthday but something came up the night before. You were convinced that Her Majesty caught wind of her plans to play hooky and sprung something on her at the very last minute.
“You know, I never thanked you for leaving your cats here with me,” You mused, catching the sight of Cassandra and Daniela from the corner of your eye. “They’re a lot like you, you know, cuddly with an attitude and all.”
You paused when you heard Alcina snort before continuing,
“It helps a lot…with you away like this,” You trailed off, beckoning them close and they pranced over, wrestling each other along the way. Bela startled as they collided into her, almost rolling off your lap.
You snorted at the sight — never a dull moment with them around.
“I’m glad.”
Alcina fell silent, you could hear her content sigh just as you started scratching Daniela’s chin.
“I should be done here soon, a few more weeks perhaps,” she continued, “Then I’ll be home with you.”
“Can we keep the cats around even if you’re here?”
“Adorable bunch, aren’t they?”
“They really are.” You held out your hand in a claw to play with Cassandra, who was eagerly swatting at your fingers. “They’re blowing through the bottles of milk, though.”
You glanced at the lone bottle of milk sitting on the kitchen counter, half full. The other one had already been emptied.
“Oh, my poor darling and babies,” Alcina woefully lamented, “whatever shall we do about the dairy supply?”
You rolled your eyes, biting back a grin at her melodramatics. Ingrid’s muffled voice from Alcina’s end drew her attention away for a few moments, signalling the end of your call. Alcina wished you happy birthday once more and let you know to expect a delivery later in the day.
You went about your day at home, as one did on a weekend. A long list of chores bounced in your mind, there were preparations to be done. After a little over two months, Alcina’s work was finally ending. She would be due to return in a few days and you wanted the house to be spotless for when she returned.
Easier said than done when there were three kittens who were constantly brushing up against your ankles, demanding for attention ever since they were left in your care — or perhaps you were the one left in their care. You laughed at the thought, having brought it up to Alcina during a phone call when she first left.
“Your cats are so clingy, Alcina!” You huffed into the receiver, “Not that I’m complaining, they are very cute. But sometimes I swear I’m going to step on their tails by accident.”
Alcina’s rich laughter filled your ears. “Like I said, darling, they like you.”
“Are you sure it’s them and not you wanting to be clingy?” You hummed, chuckling when you heard her suck in her breath on the other end. “I knew it.”
“I have no idea what you mean, darling.” You could already imagine her waving her hand flippantly, trying to brush it off.
Yes, the big and powerful Madame Mage, Lady Dimitrescu, clingy. A sight to behold. And since she could not be clingy around you in person, her familiars were there to take her place.
Which made you realise that you had not seen them for the majority of the morning.
You rested your hands at your hips, an eyebrow raised. The house was quiet. Too quiet, gone were the scratching of their nails against the doors, or their incessant meows for milk or attention. The chime of their bells noticeably missing, the havoc of having three kittens around suddenly non-existent.
There was a saying you’ve heard from around the marketplace and amongst your relatives, especially those with young children, that when the house is in chaos – there is nothing to worry about.
It made no sense to you back then, but now that you have had these three with you for two months, you connected the dots.
A sense of uneasiness crept up the back of your neck as you looked around their usual hiding spots.
“Bela? Cassandra? Daniela? Here kitties,” You gave the bottle of milk in your hand a gentle shake, letting the milk slosh in the container, a sound that usually had them running to you — skidding across the floor, “I have your favourite milk!”
Still, nothing.
The living room was devoid of their presence, their usual lounging spots on the sofa and by the fireplace bare. As were their beds in Alcina’s study. The cellar door remained sealed, unless they managed to phase past it, something you weren’t sure if they were capable of doing. You would have to ask her about it later, you still had three kittens to find.
Something caught your attention as you walked past your room door, doing a double take at the bundle of black on your white pillows. Relief washed over you when you realised it was them.
Bela’s ears flickered when you sat on the bed, her eyes opening slowly to register you. A tired yawn escaped her and she uncurled herself from her sisters to pad her way towards you. It didn’t take long before Cassandra and Daniela sensed you and joined Bela on your lap.
“What’s gotten into the three of you today?” You hummed as you petted them gently, giving each little chin scratches. You smiled at the soft rumble of their purrs, “You’re sleeping more than usual.”
Your hands stopped as something clicked in your mind. The kittens were an extension of Alcina, in some sense. She could feel whatever they felt and they in turn, were a reflection of her. And if they were being tired like this…
“Is Alcina alright?” You asked, your voice soft as not to startle them. “Did she overwork herself? Is that why you three are so sleepy today?”
A little meow from Daniela confirmed your suspicions. You tutted. Alcina’s tendency to overwork was not lost to you and you could only hope that it was just that.
“Come on, you three,” You scooped them into your arms and moved towards the living room where the telephone was at.
Picking up the receiver, you dialed the rotary phone, allowing yourself to take a few calming breaths in between as the dial rolled back into position. The soft bundle of black were still curled up on your lap, unbothered that you had moved them. That alone was enough to spike your worries – they were usually fussy when you disrupted their naps.
“Hello, this is Madame Mage, Lady Dimitrescu’s field office, Ingrid speaking.”
“Ingrid!”
“Oh! Hello, miss!” Ingrid greeted enthusiastically, “Madame Mage is resting at the moment, shall I get her?”
“Is she alright?”
“Yes, she’s alright.”
You began to relax as Ingrid recounted the previous day, it seemed that Alcina had overestimated herself the day before and had spent too much mana, which explained the three lethargic kittens on your lap. You breathed a sigh of relief.
“Please have her call me back when she’s awake enough,”
“Will do, miss. Is there anything else?”
“No, Ingrid. That will be all. Have a nice day.”
“You, too, miss!”
You shook your head as you returned the receiver to its holder, your hand absentmindedly stroking the bundle of fur sleeping on your lap. You glanced down at them, smiling when their ears flickered and their tails swayed lazily, nuzzling further into you.
“It seems your mistress is a sleepy baby now much like you three,”
When Alcina finally rose from the dead later in the evening, Ingrid relayed your message and she picked up the phone right away, dialing for you at record speed.
“Hello?”
“Darling?”
“Oh! I was wondering when you would call, I figured you would be awake right about now.”
Alcina chuckled at your response, mildly curious,
“How could you tell?”
“Well, for starters,” There was a pause on your end, followed by some rustling and a muffled ‘no, Cassandra get down from there please’.
“Darling?” She bit back a grin and tried to get your attention, “Still there?”
“Yeah, I’m still here.” You huffed, “As I was saying, I could tell you’re awake, because your cats are up and running again. Bela—!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, very much so. Wait.” You put her on hold again, but this time, you didn’t cover the receiver, “Daniela, don’t even think about swiping my glass!”
Alcina laughed when she heard Daniela protesting with an annoyed meow.
Ahem…behave, three of you.
She smiled to herself when the three of them agreed begrudgingly, and you sounded triumphant when you announced that you managed to get them to stop being mischievous.
At first glance, the quaint woodland cottage you lived in with Alcina at the edge of the village was as unsuspecting as they came. One would never have thought that Madame Mage would live in such a humble abode — far away from the capital — given how decorated and important she was in the Royal Court.
But human ego and stupidity knew no bounds.
There had been several attempts at Alcina’s life ever since she assumed the title of Madame Mage — most out of jealousy and some out for revenge. She paid them no mind. They were, in her words, not worth her time.
You had an inkling of suspicion that Alcina left her cats with you for company and for protection — you never clarified the latter with her, always wondered how three menacing kittens would protect you.
Perhaps Alcina placed a spell on them? Maybe they had conjured a barrier around your home without your knowledge? You glanced at them wrestling each other on the rug, Daniela almost hissing at Cassandra who was chewing on her tail, Bela flopping herself on both of them as if to stop them from rough housing further.
You shook your head at the sight. Alcina had called them ‘beasts’ that one time. You couldn’t really picture it at the moment.
Standing from your seat, you announced that it was time for your daily evening walks and all three of them perked up.
Somewhere in her field office, Alcina was snorting at her cats.
During your first few attempts to bring your small litter of kittens out for walks like such, you had briefly considered the idea of putting them on a leash, lest they ran off somewhere. But given how well behaved they were and how impressive their recall was, you decided to let them run free as long as there were no threats of them getting trampled on.
The air was crisp in the evening, the three little voids prancing and hopping about on the desired path leading to a small meadow behind the cottage. Typically you allowed them to lead the way for your walks, the village was a safe enough place for you to be wandering about tailing three kittens.
“Alright, girls.” You rounded them up just as you reached the meadow, “Be careful and don’t get lost in the tall grass, okay?”
If they could nod, you were sure they would. You swore Cassandra almost rolled her eyes at you — you gave them this little ‘talk’ before letting them run free every single evening.
“Okay, off you girls go. I’ll be along the edge over here.”
You watched as they set off, pouncing on one another as they went, their bells chiming away. You headed toward the fallen log that was your usual bench and dug out a book from your satchel, intent on reading a few pages while the sun was still up.
The tall grass danced in the wind, sending ripples through the meadow. You looked up from the pages every few sentences to keep an eye out for them. Easier said than done at times, their colour served well as camouflage in the deep bushes. But at least you could still hear the chime of their bells. All was well.
As the words on the pages reclaimed your attention, you were oblivious to a figure creeping up behind you with a knife clutched in his hand.
You caught the reflective glint of the knife on the pages of your book when he was a few steps behind. You were on your feet in an instant as he lunged forward. You twisted your book shut and used it as a shield against the stabbing. The knife was lodged in the book, thank god for hardcovers. You flung the book as far as you could and turned to run, your satchel forgotten.
The man chased after you and you willed yourself to run as fast as you could towards the tall grass, hoping the vegetation might slow him down — you were quite confident of your mobility in the meadow after spending every evening there with the girls.
The girls. In your panic to flee, you had missed the chime of their bells, racing toward you in utmost urgency until it suddenly disappeared.
He grabbed the flowing material of your shirt sleeve, tugging you back. You almost fell to the ground from the motion but he grabbed you by the shoulder and that was when you saw that he had unsheathed a dagger from his boot.
A blur of black leaped from the patch of tall grass, tackling the man onto the ground. He landed with a heavy thud, groaning and struggling until he realised what attacked him.
You watched the scene unfold as you heaved from the sprint. A black panther pinned him into the ground, its front claws digging painfully into his shoulders. He tried to kick it off, a futile and pathetic attempt. You almost wanted to snicker.
“H-help!! Aarrghhh! Get this thing off me!” He pleaded to you when your eyes met. You merely raised a brow at him.
As you approached, you studied the panther. Predators were uncommon in these parts, even if you were at the edge of the village, they rarely wandered into human settlements. The panther was about to sink its teeth into the man when it suddenly stopped.
Ahem…do not maul the man in front of her.
You blinked. Did the panther just…huff?
You watched as it begrudgingly retracted its claws and sat on the shaking man, locking eyes with you. There was something familiar about how it was behaving, just like when you told Cassandra ‘no’.
Then it clicked.
“...Girls?”
A reply came in the form of a lazy yawn, as if it was already bored of terrorising the man since it was not allowed to end him.
“You girls can morph into this?!” You reached out a shaky hand to pat its head, relieved when it nuzzled into your palm. And then you squinted, “Alcina, why didn’t you tell me this?”
Another yawn. You rolled your eyes.
The town guards arrived soon after. You had to bribe the panther with promises of extra milk for it to get up from the man. Demanding little things.
“We’ll make sure he’s locked up good until Madame Mage gets back, miss.” One of the guards assured you.
Ah, so that was how they showed up suddenly.
That night all of you retired early after your phone call with Alcina, the panther having morphed back to their kitten forms and settled themselves around your face and neck. You let them be, enjoying the comfort of their weight on you.
“I’m alright, truly.” You whispered, knowing that Alcina could hear you. You turned your face to nuzzle into the three of them, feeling the comforting rumble of their purrs, “Thank you for being there for me today.”
“Cassandra, please leave some for the tart!” You sighed as you caught her nibbling on another blueberry from the bowl you had set out.
The kitten in question merely tilted her head at you, feigning innocence before stretching lazily and hopping off the kitchen counter. You pressed your lips into a thin line watching as she left little flour covered paw prints in her wake.
Bela, perched on your head as usual, watched you work on the dough that would form the tart’s crust. You had the idea of baking Alcina her favourite fruit tart since she would be back tomorrow.
You looked up from the dough you were kneading, trying to take stock of the rowdy kittens. Bela was accounted for, and Cassandra just hopped off the counter, circling your ankles like a tiny land shark. Daniela was not anywhere in sight — she was up to no good somewhere, you were sure of it.
“Daniela?” You paused to listen to the chime of the bell on her collar. But you only heard Cassandra’s. Where did she run off to?
Ahem…Daniela, out of the bag please.
You heard a tiny meow and the chime of her bell when she appeared, positively unrecognisable as the front half of her body was completely white. Had it not for her green collar, you would’ve thought a stray had ventured into your kitchen.
“I better not find any cat hair in the bag of flour later, missy.” You paused your kneading and rested your hands on your hips, giving her a pointed look. “Don’t you dare— !”
A mischievous glint flashed in Daniela’s eyes as she wiggled her bottom, launching herself at you, covering your shirt in flour when she nuzzled into you.
“You’re lucky you’re cute.” You moved her to your shoulder and got cleaned up before resuming, not before letting Cassandra scale up your leg and up your torso to get to your other shoulder.
With a kitten on both shoulders and one on your head, the tart somehow managed to get baked to perfection, save the little paw print at the bottom of the crust — hardly noticeable now that the filling had covered it.
You had always thought of Bela as the sensible one among the three of them. She always seemed to be the one quietly observing her sisters’ rough housing, occasionally inserting herself between them to stop them from escalating further.
So when Bela decided to hop off your head and land on the beautiful fruit tart you had painstakingly worked on all morning — when there was ample space on the kitchen counter to land on — you simply could not believe your eyes.
“Bela Dimitrescu?!”
Bela meowed sheepishly and took off, leaving a trail of sticky, sugary paw prints. Oh those were going to be such a joy to clean. Cassandra and Daniela wasted no time by helping themselves to the tart as you gave chase to Bela.
The front door swung open amidst the chaos, Alcina’s beaming face coming into view.
“Dar…ling?”
She paused to assess the situation — you were holding Bela by the scruff of her neck, Cassandra and Daniela’s faces covered with remnants of fruits while a vandalised tart sat in front of them.
“Well,” She snorted, “I saw this from behind the door but seeing it in person is something else,”
“I hope you have a spell to clean up the house.” You crossed the room to deposit Bela in the kitchen sink, “Because I’m not cleaning up all those sticky paw prints,”
Alcina chortled at the scene, easily cleaning up both the house and her cats with a flick of her wrist. The cats swarmed around Alcina instantly, brushing up against her ankles, meowing for attention.
“Hello to you, too, my little darlings.” She scooped them up, giving each a kiss on their heads, “You’ve done so well in keeping her safe. I’m so proud of you three.”
You watched them from the sink, your eyes softening as you took her in. She seemed tired, either from the long journey home or from the taxing work. You had been worried about the latter but the kittens had been as mischievous as ever — there was nothing to worry about.
Alcina set them free once their wiggling became too much for her to contain, they hopped off and disappeared somewhere — their bell chimes no longer within earshot.
“So, what did I miss?”
She came up and collected you in her arms. You sighed into the embrace.
“You raised three menaces, left them with me and asked ‘what did I miss?’” You leaned back, eyebrow raised. “You missed so much, is what.”
Alcina hummed, a smile tugging on the corner of her lips.
Yes, she had missed so much, but she missed you most of all.