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The first time that Doris visited Andy was when they were 4.
They'd been running past the trees and into the open field, covered with a variety of flowers that they knew Rachel loved to pick, giggling as their sister chased them down. They were playing a game of tag, one of many games they played that was their favourite—mainly due to the fact they could run around and they could still be supervised, but also use all that energy trapped in their small bodies up until dinner. Rachel was merely two then, but her legs drove her faster than any toddler in town.
Andy had ventured out into the back parts of the town, where behind the colorful houses, the endless forest stretched out miles and miles on end. They ran, their giggling ringing throughout the tall trees, not realizing the echo of their sister had left their own echo when she'd stopped right in front of the woods, terrified of how scary it looked. It wasn't until they were already four kilometers in that they turned to see that their sister had not, in fact, been following them.
"Rachel?" Andy had called out then, and once no response came back, they'd turned terrified. "Rachel? Rachel!" No amount of calling out would help them, and even the echoes of any voice would become too faint to catch this deep in the woods. They'd slumped down in their spot, their body shaking and they were in near tears.
Until a figure moved near the roots of one of the Spruce trees.
Andy blinked away any tears that slipped their way out, trying to see if a... 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, whatever it was, was truly there. Perhaps it was their pure imagination that had started to mess with them.
But no, there was indeed something moving. And upon revealing itself and distinguishing itself as a separate thing from the shadows: a black cat with a subtle but warm glow pouring out its body. it quietly purred, tail flicked up and it went at a slow pace in its knowledge to not startle the kid.
Andy sniffled then, and once the cat got close, they crouched down and pet it gently. The cat purred even deeper, maybe an attempt to try and heal any cries away from Andy, rubbing its soft fur against their leg. It waited until Andy was back at being a smiling, calm kid at ease that it moved to step a few feet East, looking back to see if they would follow.
Wiping their tears, they nodded as if they understood the cat, and followed. They headed forward, taking turns that Andy hadn't realized they'd made while they were running in oblivion to no one chasing them, all with confidence confided only in the cat in front of them. Andy flinched at every sound, from a thrashing squirrel in a bush to the plush sound of a fall from a mushroom that had been barely hanging on, as their hearing was subtly but noticeably better than the average kid, and the cat waited each time until they were back to normal.
Nearing the end, they saw the silhouettes of their dad and Rachel, and immediately ran as fast as they could to them. Andy hugged the leg of their father and cried, feeling the rub of a large hand that belonged to their dad's and the echoing but higher-pitched crying from their sister who hugged them with a grasp that refused to be loosened. Andy hadn't been able to turn and thank the cat before the enigma disappeared, but to their oblivion, their father had.
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The second time Doris visited Andy was when they were 7.
The weather had been depressing that day. Rain pounding heavily on the wood like knocking, thunder roaring in the sky covered by the darkest of clouds. All the dirt had been soaked into mud and more than the occasional puddles here and there. Wind blew with a harsh tone, unforgiving in its addition to be worse.
Rachel was helping their mother cook in the kitchen. She had practically 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘥 to do something other than playing around their toys boredly in the same story for the seventh time in a row. Their mother had been reluctant, but she couldn't resist the adorable puppy eyes of desperation that belonged to her daughter, and so she had nodded, letting Rachel stand beside her on a stool as she helped the best she could.
Even their father hadn't gone out in this weather, and while he did make a quiet comment about his worries about some of the trees breaking in the harsh conditions, he settled to making some of his well-liked small wood sculptures. When Andy had asked him when it was 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 turn to do that, he'd smiled, ruffled their head, and told them that when they grew just a bit older and their hands grew more familiar and trusting with their body, they'd learned how to do it just like him. (They didn't know then, but later on, it would become a comfort habit of theirs.)
As of now, they were over here, watching through the window in their bedroom as the bushes and trees swayed ungracefully to the side by the wind. They sounded loud, and occasionally, they'd have to press their hands against their ears because the screams of hundreds of living 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 were too much for them to handle, causing them to nearly cry if they didn't try to muffle the noise. They didn't understand why they could hear trees despite them not being supposed to, and all they knew was that the only person who understood was dad.
That's when they'd seen them. Andy, with tears beginning to slide down their face and hands pressed against their ears that refused to muffle the chaos of horrid torture any further, froze at the feeling of something flicking their side. They opened their eyes and looked down beside them to find the cat that had saved them once, purring like an engine as it pressed its body and head against Andy's own.
Andy sniffled, bringing the cat to their lap and hugging them against their trembling chest. It hadn't protested, not in the slightest, purring what was practically a healing spell with how it planted a sheet of odd calmness onto every inch of their being. Calming them until their shaking breaths grew slower in pace and steadier in motion, their eyes began to dry of tears, and their flinches landed with a softer edge with every sound of loud thunder that came.
The cat had stayed until dinner came. The announcement from their mother allowed Andy to gently place the cat out of their lap and onto the wooden floor. "I'll be back soon, okay?" They told the cat in some sort of reassurance, scratching underneath its chin before making their way downstairs. However, the cat hadn't planned to stay forever, not with their powerful presence after all, so by the time Andy came back half an hour later, they were gone once again.
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The third time Doris visited Andy was when they were 10.
This visit, however, was very different.
For the past couple of weeks, Andy had noticed the slow, perhaps subtle, but still noticeable change of their mother's bond straining with them and strengthening with Rachel. The woman stayed beside Rachel more, helping them with the arts of magic. She praised Rachel every time she got close to creating hints of magic, the flame in her palm or the glow of healing that brought the most wilted of flowers slowly back to life. Her eyes shined at her daughter's growing use of magic, and her attention no longer stayed on Andy much.
Andy hadn't minded at first. They weren't a fan of magic, even before the lessons their mother tried to give the both of them, seeing the magic as something not particularly interesting to them, and they technically always had (and still have) preferred to be beside their dad.
But they had to admit that, the first time around when they tried to create magic, and it hadn't worked no matter how many times they tried, they were upset to see their mother squeal alongside their sister at the spark that grew from their finger. They wanted that same love, even when they couldn't do magic, and as the weeks grew with her attention only on Rachel, they wanted to finally prove themselves capable.
So, when the night fell into a dark blanket of slumber, they grabbed a torch and headed out the door. They weren't sure where they were going, honestly, all they did was let their feet lead them the way. Soon, they reached the back of the village, and just a few kilometres away, they noticed a looming building that was haunted from even at the bottom of the hill. A mansion that was rumored to have only ghosts and witches living inside, that scowled at the sight of anything with a hint of pureness to it.
Inside, the place was dark. There on the walls hung torches all around, but they provided little light and not nearly enough warmth. If it was colder than ice outside, than inside, it was as cold as snow, surely dropping into the negatives. Andy began to shake, and admittedly, not all of it was because of the temperature.
The floorboards creaked heavily under their footsteps, groaning with each step as they continued moving forward. Their eyes quickly caught onto a flight of stairs, and so they went down. The deeper they went, the darker the atmosphere felt, and the thinner the air became. It was unbearable, walking down what seemed to be endless of stairs, damp walls reeking of a pungent smell that will never leave their memory. Somehow, the deeper they went, the hotter it became, yet somehow, it still stayed ice cold. A mix of a desert hotness with a scorching sun and an atlantic coldness with even the warmest of coats slashed around in all the wrong ways. Even scratching your skin off entirely to reveal a new layer of flesh wouldn't be enough to get rid of what was worse than the hottest summer and the coldest winter Andy has ever seen.
Once they reached a certain point of their venturing, Andy noticed an old set of stone stairs as a haunting melody bounced off the walls, the sound so terrible it almost made anyone who heard it beg to stop lest they rip their ears out entirely, for the blood would be much nicer to feel than for the melody to play back in their ears. They clenched their jaw and moved forward, travelling down the corridor, and into what was an unforgettable sound.
There stood a witch that defied all logic of creation from Andy's previous knowledge. Her body shifted from shapes to creatures to objects, somehow connecting all of those things in a mess that made no sense. Her eyes darkened into colors that Andy had yet to see even exist, and the emotions on her face blurred into a flurry that landed on the final destination of anger. She practically swallowed the darkness around her, considering it emitted such depth that Andy couldn't even stare for too long, should they drown in whatever remained in her eyes, as there certainly wasn't a soul left in her body.
They collapsed onto the ground, but managed to lift their arm to point their sword at her. Andy willed it with desperation to flood with magic and seep into the witch of a creature, to do 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 to help them in the situation they got themselves stuck in. Pleaded for it to at least save them, if it cannot banish this abnormal 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 away. Then they begged for it to even give the small spark of light, for 𝘢𝘯𝘺 action of magic would've been good enough for them then, even if they would meet their fate. But nothing came out, nothing listened. The world had went quiet, now in its deep sleep, and it wasn't going to wake up for Andy like it probably hadn't woke up for anyone else in the like.
Despite this, Andy did what was the only thing left to do: they screamed at the top of their lungs. First for their father, then for their sister, and at the end, they even yelled for their mother. It was useless, for they knew they had been way too far from Giredale for even the people at the end of town to hear them, too deep into the woods. No one would hear what was the last of their words, their cries.
But somehow, someway, someone did. Appearing out of thin air was a familiar figure, small as can be. The black cat that had visited them twice, and third time to save them, standing between the monster and them in a braver manner than they did. Its voice was loud as it screamed at the monster, and before Andy could reach to pull it into their arms and away from danger, a bright golden light seeped from its body. Brighter than the sun in the hottest days, and stronger than any magic Andy had even 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 about. It was only a flash, the divine light. But they had reached for it and touched it, and so the spell caught onto the skin of their arms, scorching it in the process. This would leave an extremely terrible pain, though surely not fatal, and later on, would leave an imprint of the scars in a white color for the rest of their life.
Eventually, they got out of the basement. The memory was blurry of how they escaped, but the aftermath wasn't. Not as much, at least. They recalled their father beside them, as he had found them somehow, reassuring them that it was all a nightmare, despite knowing through the pain on their arms, the tears slipping from their eyes, and the figure of the black cat still beside them that it was all real. They didn't tell him that, of course not, instead they pretended that it was just a plain nightmare. Even when years later they both knew under the guise of their words, and excuses to anyone who askes, of a simple bad dream that it was real.
That day, they learned that the black cat was a girl, and decided to name her Doris. Their father didn't deny the cat nor the chosen name for her, even sending her off with some food and a thanks while he thought Andy wasn't looking.
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The fourth time Doris visited Andy was when they were 19.
It was when they'd been dating the princess of the castle, Lucy. They'd been training to be one of the royal guards, and apparently, they'd caught the attention of the girl. She had reached out for them, and since then, they talked the way up until they fell for one another. After a sudden confession from Lucy saying she loved them, and after they admitted to reciprocating the feeling, the two of them dated.
However, it was during their relationship, the morning after last night's argument, that Andy caught note of how toxic Lucy had been, and how terrible they felt around her despite not noticing it before. She refused to ever admit she was wrong, she'd practically find anything she could to blame Andy as if it was a game, and she was definitely quite manipulative. It didn't help that the pressure of the responsibilities of being royalty weighed heavily on their shoulders.
It wasn't until Doris appeared and seemingly insisted they leave her for their own good that Andy actually contemplated the thought of breaking up with Lucy.
She'd headbutted the closed window until Andy heard her, which was almost immediately, and they let her in quickly after. The sight of Doris always warmed their heart and, for the first time since the argument, their body could finally relax, and they could properly breathe. She was their beloved guardian angel, protecting them physically and mentally.
She moved to curl up on their lap, purring quietly as Andy pet her gently, a soft smile playing on their lips. It was her own way of healing them without magic, the vibrations travelling through her small body and right into theirs. She kept at this, letting them properly calm down, then she moved out of their lap. They were momentarily confused, then as Doris gently pawed at the necklace Lucy had made for them in the beginning of their relationship, they sighed in realization.
"I know, Doris, I know," they mumbled, their mood dampening again, but not nearly as much as before. "But I can't reject her. Well.... I can, but it'll be hard to. Who knows what she'll do."
Doris didn't stop insisting there, though. She kept pawing at the necklace, then to the picture frame. It was at the castle, where the two had been practicing their dancing, just a few hours before the argument. They couldn't put it off, Andy realized. Either they could ignore Doris, which considering how many times she's saved them, is not a good idea, or they relieve themselves from the unnecessary pressure with just a momentary conversation. They'd functioned on without royalty, surely they didn't need it now, did they?
It wasn't until Doris moved to paw at the axe they were given from their dad that Andy made the final decision to just do it. Their dad always taught them to know their boundaries, their limits, and to never cross those lines or blur it together. The man had wisdom beyond years, and Andy couldn't recall a single moment where his advice had failed them, the same way Doris had never failed them. If both of the people they trusted the most agreed on one thing, then they shouldn't hesitate to do just that.
And Andy didn't. Well, technically they 𝘩𝘢𝘥 hesitated and nervously paced around as they waited for Lucy to meet them, but they had went and done it. Telling Lucy of their pressures, of their discomfort, and how it was best for them to break up. The aftermath didn't turn out as well as they wanted it to, but this was Lucy after all. The girl was unpredictable in the worst ways possible.
Doris stayed with them since then, and while it was odd for her not to leave, Andy happily welcomed her stay. She still disappeared off, of course she would, they couldn't be too surprised for that, but she always came back around dinner time or later on. Slipping out and in the house without a single person seeing her. At some point, even Andy learned to look away, just to keep up with her entries and exits being mysterious. It was also funny to see their mother and sister be confused but just as welcoming to the cat that, to them, Andy seemingly became close to immediately.
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The fifth time Doris visited Andy was when they were 26.
It was the first time they'd seen her since she left them and continued travelling with their father on his adventure. If you didn't count the times she appeared in their dreams, which they didn't. Andy always sent her and their father a monthly letter to explain what had happened during that time period. It was a way to spill their emotions into paper, despite the difficulty, even if their feelings were mostly shown in their letters to Doris.
It was the evening of the Masquerade Ball. Andy had been considering whether to go or not, landing on staying home, when she appeared. Apparently, it was absolute necessary for them to go on this silly party. She'd gave them this rather nice outfit and even granted them wings made of her magic, which they learned later was holy magic. Andy didn't get a chance at backing away from this, as she led the way and made absolute sure they were behind her.
"Do I really have to, Doris?" They asked anxiously. They stood at the very top of the castle, on the rooftop, fidgeting with the ends of their sleeves and pacing around when they weren't watching the masked people down below. "I mean- why should I even have to? There's no reason for me to, Doris. I have time, I haven't greeted them yet, I can just leave!" But could they really when she was looking at them with a soft but, somehow, still strong expression in her eyes?
No, no they could not. Instead, they made their way down by flying, learning rather quickly how to do so despite the lack of experience with magic, and landed, mostly, gracefully to the ground with the group. And to be fair, Andy didn't have much to complain about, not that they wanted to, anyways. Doris kept around them, they met a gentleman named Lonan, and they interacted quite nicely with the masked people whose identities they couldn't quite place a finger on.
By the end of the night, Andy pet Doris and thanked her for the night. The anxiety had seeped quickly in the beginning, the night went way better than they expected, and they couldn't let the face of a beautiful man with a following crow slip their mind.
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The one time Doris visited Ethan was the night of Valentine's day.
He'd been feeling upmost shitty. His date, Angel, hadn't showed up at all, he'd gotten himself way too drunk even after swearing off alcohol with how badly it made him, and on top of that, Andy came in with their 𝘰𝘸𝘯 planned date and the feelings he thought he got over crashed all at once since the last time he was with them, which was when he confessed. It didn't help that Andy revealing they were waiting for a date broke his heart into fragments that would never glue back the same way again, which he of course shoved the jealousy down his throat and wished them well with this date of theirs.
He'd smashed two, now empty, bottles of wine into the wall in anger. He wasn't an angry alcoholic, but he'll be damned the way his emotions were only able to burst open like this when he wasn't even clear-headed. He was thinking about how he was sure to have the worst hangover ever when he saw, in the corner of his eye, a small, dark figure.
He sat up immediately, having been slumped in his chair. It was a small black cat, and with his mind slushing around, it took him a few, embarrassingly long, moments to realize it was the same black cat that followed Angel. Oh, his sweet, sweet Angel.
As the cat slowly made her way closer, he couldn't help but smile. He loved animals, and he loved Angel even more, the same way he loved Andy, so this was the sweetest gift he could've been given this terrible day. He wiped the sweat off his palm and onto his shirt, not caring how more messier he looked, and opened his arms for the cat to offer the cat a seat on his lap. Thankfully, she did just that, purring a vibration through his body that grew louder as he pet her gently. Cats did that as a way of healing, he recalled, and he knew that healing was exactly what he needed at the moment.
"Who sent you here?" He asked, his voice melting into a soothing tone. He almost wished she could talk, just to hear her say that Angel sent her here. If they had sent her here, that is. They did say she had a mind of her own and did whatever she want, so for all he could know, she could've came here for the mere purpose of somehow knowing he needed the healing.
That night, he fell asleep in that chair just as Doris did, for he couldn't bare to allow himself to move while she slept lest she moved away. He treated them the same way Angel treated her, the same way Angel would've wanted 𝘩𝘪𝘮 to treat her. His lovely Angel. May he meet them again.