Belle stared off into the forest ahead of her, her fingers absent mindedly gliding through the fur of a rather petite cat with fur the color of stone and deep blue eyes with pupils that resembled a bursting star; the black melting into the iris, who had settled into her lap. Around her, 7 other cats were scattered through the grass. Sighing as she tore her sights from the rising green of the trees, she glanced around at her little miss matched family.
Baby, a thin tortoiseshell cat with pale green eyes and a constant look of fierce determination, sat at the edge of the group. Her gaze swept the land around them, her breathing slow, quiet, and steady. Belle smiled to herself. Keeping watch of us, as always.
Mama, a larger cat with pale cream fur speckled with pale grays and oranges and eyes as blue as the sky, was asleep in the grass next to Baby, her two youngest at her side.
Onyx, who slept against the belly of his mother, was the average size of a kitten of 6 moons; he was a cat with markings similar to that of a Siamese though his build was that of the American shorthair. His eyes as blue as his mother's.
Lux, who was larger than his brother, had similar markings. The difference, however, was that the majority of his pelt was white, the bridge of his nose and ears a pale orange, and his tail was long and had what resembled pale markings of an orange tabby. He, too, slept peacefully at his mother's belly.
Belle's line of sight shifted to Bear, a small, tuxedo tom who seemed to prefer sleeping on his back, belly exposed, legs splayed, tongue peeking out.
Nosferatu lay next to Bear, carefully grooming and cleaning him while Bear slept. She smiled once again to herself as she watched the large black cat go about his task, chuckling at the display of ticks the mentally challenged feline had developed. He seemed to despise dirt, and it always made Belle think of a show she watched as a child. "Filthy, filthy, filthy," she thought to herself, quoting the character she had been reminded of.
Her eyes swept to Pumpkin, who was at her side with one amber eye peeking jealously at the cat in Belle's lap. "Oh, stop it. You know I love you, Pumpkin," she whispered as she stroked the ten pound orange tabby. He huffed and glanced at her, clearly not pleased he was forced to share.
Finally, her gazed settled on Pretty Lady. Sound asleep in her lap. Her depression over recent events momentarily forgotten as she slumbered.
Belle sighed, curly ginger hair sliding forward and hiding the porcelain skin on her face and her green eyes. She wasn't sure where they were going, and had no idea what lay ahead. All she knew was that she had to get away, and she wasn't leaving her family behind. She just hoped it was the right choice.