Of Caring and Names.
Brainstormed and written by: Maven and Firecatt
(Jennifer D'Agostino and Aislinn Graves)
Peter gently sat his burden down on the kitchen table. The black kitten promptly began cleaning itself, licking the matted fur smooth. He watched in fascination as the tiny creature first cleaned one side, then the other, and finished with its ears and whiskers.
"Mew?" The kitten dropped its paw and stared at Peter.
"What's the matter, little one?" He carefully ran a finger between its ears, down the back of its skull, and along the spine.
The kitten arched in pleasure, flicking its tail, then mewed again.
Still not understanding, Peter chucked the kitten gently under the chin. The tiny thing turned its head and grasped the end of his finger in its mouth. Peter could feel a slight sucking sensation and suddenly came to a realization. "You must be starving!" The kitten drew back at the exclamation, then mew piteously again.
"Stay put," he commanded as he turned to the refrigerator. "Gotta be something in here for you." He pulled out a milk container and sniffed it, glad it hadn't gone bad. Finding a shallow bowl in a cupboard, he poured some of the milk in it and placed it in front of the kitten.
The ball of fluff walked over to the milk, sniffed it, then stared at Peter and mewed.
"Go on. That's for you." He reached down to push the bowl closer to the kitten and it latched onto a finger again.
"Humn... guess you haven't been weaned yet." He glanced about his kitchen in
consternation. "Now, what can I use..." He began opening drawers and cupboards. "Too bad Caroline didn't leave any baby bottles behind when she last visited," he mused.
The kitten paced the edge of the table, its cries of hunger becoming louder and more demanding.
"Just a minute. Hold on." He pulled open a drawer. "Ah, hah!" He pulled out a box of plastic sandwich bags and brought one over to the table. "This'll work. Hopefully."
Opening it, he poured the milk inside, then he tied it closed. With the bag of milk in one hand, he pulled out a paring knife from a drawer with the other. Sitting at the table, he very carefully cut a tiny hole in the corner of the bag. A small amount of milk spilled out before the kitten attached itself to the bag, drinking desperately.
Startled, the detective just sat there as the kitten drained the bag. "Wow. You must really have been hungry."
The kitten cleaned its whiskers, looking very pleased with itself.
Peter had a thought, then checked the sex of his new guest. She howled at such an indignity, but soon forgave him as he petted her in apology.
"Can't just call you 'cat,' even if you don't stay here long." He stared off into the distance, wondering what to call her.
"Fluffy? Nah. Stormy? Too obvious." The kitten purred slightly as he scratched gently under her jaw.
"Shadow?" he asked. The kitten's reply was an elegant yawn that showed pink tongue and tiny teeth. "Ah. Of course." Peter nodded solemnly. "I'll call you Dragon Child. One so brave should have a name worthy of them."
Dragon Child showed her approval by licking the knuckles of Peter's hand.
"Good. Now that's settled, I should find something for you to sleep on."
Peter found a shallow box lid in which he piled a couple of towels in for the kitten. He placed it in the bedroom, so that he could hear if she needed anything. "I remember a friend of mine saying that baby kittens had to eat every few hours. I'm sure you'll let me know when you need to be fed again, won't you?"
He sat on the edge of the bed, watching as she curled up in the towels. "Gonna need to get a litter box for you. Take you down to the vet, make sure you're healthy." He yawned, swung his legs up on the bed, and turned off the light. "Good night, Dragon Child."
Later that night, Peter felt a tugging on the bedclothes, then the pad of tiny feet as they crossed the bed. Black fur brushed against his hair as the kitten made her way over his pillow. Scant moments later, a warm ball of fur curled up under his chin in the hollow of his throat. When he made no move to evict her, Dragon Child began to purr, a comforting sound that eased him into sleep.
Dragon Child cuddled closer to her human, comforted by the deep even breathing that meant that he was asleep, and drew her into sleep as well.
The End
******
So... What do you think?