Kittens
It was a warm February day, so Vivienne had decided to talk her baby for a walk. Varian was so curious, always ready to learn new things. He said several words now and was getting better at standing up, though he couldn't take more than a few steps without stumbling. She thought she'd take him to the barn, where he could crawl around in the hay, and play with the animals.
They had chickens, cows, pigs, and donkeys, but what Varian currently liked best were the barn cats. There was a particular grey and white tom named Ol' Smoke who had taken a shine to Varian. Ol' Smoke didn't normally approach humans unless milk was involved, but he would amble closer to Varian and let the baby pat him. Vivienne felt that Ol' Smoke could tell Varian was very young and no threat, so he should be treated gently. It warmed her heart to see her baby had already made his first animal friend.
Varian liked Ol' Smoke because he was grey and soft, just like his stuffed raccoon toy. Ol' Smoke was the biggest and eldest of the barn cats, and he always ate first when a saucer of milk was set down. When not drinking milk, he spent his time prowling around the barn and surrounding area, looking for mice. Vivienne hated to admit it, but she was a little frightened of the mice, even though they couldn't hurt her. She was glad that the cats did their duty every day as mousers.
Today she wanted to show Varian something special. Ginger, a young tabby had given birth to her first litter, two weeks ago. The kittens had their eyes open and were just starting to move about. Like Varian, they sometimes wobbled, but they generally got where they wanted to go.
"See, Varian? Ginger's a mommy too. She has three beautiful kittens." Vivienne introduced them.
"Ginny!" Varian squealed. He got down on his knees and scooted towards the family of cats.
"Remember to let the kittens sniff you, so they get used to your scent. Then they'll like having you around more." Vivienne reminded him, not that she needed to worry.
Varian and the kittens got along great. He petted each one in turn, chanting "ki kat, ki kat" as he stroked their fur. Vivienne was glad her child was gentle and didn't pester animals. She wasn't 100% sure but awhile ago she saw a boy in the distance, chasing the cats, and she thought it might have been Burt's son, David. There was something about that boy she didn't trust, like the way he played too roughly, always tagging the other kids harder than necessary. But mostly she didn't like the way Varian cried around him, even though David always swore he didn't do anything.
"Ma ma." Varian tugged at her skirt, interrupting her train of thought. "Where Smo?" he asked.
"He's probably outside hunting. He'll come in soon. I have to give the kitties their milk." Vivienne explained. She lined up four saucers and picked up one of the milk jugs they stored in the barn. It was heavier than she remembered (or else she was getting tired more often, but she preferred to think it was the first option.) Still, she was able to pour the milk.
Like magic, Ol' Smoke appeared, ready for his meal. But first, he walked over and let Varian pet him. Varian was a good baby and knew never to grab a kitty's tail, even if it was the fluffiest part of their body. Tails were sensitive, Vivienne had told him, and it hurt a kitty to have their tail pulled.
"Now that the kitties are being fed, I think it's time we went home and had our own lunch. We can visit again another time." she promised.
"Nuth time." Varian echoed. He reached out his hands and let his mommy pick him up. He would miss his friends, but Varian knew the animals would still be there in the barn, waiting for him to come back another day.
The End
Fun fact: One of my cats is actually sitting next to me as I typed this. She loves the computer, it's warm and she likes the clacking sounds of keys. :D Ol' Smoke is based on our previous cat Aslan who passed away last February. I think it's a fitting tribute.