She continued walking past the grunting horses into the innermost area with a curious look on her face before she reached Riftan’s warhorse, Talon.
Max was a little more fearful of these bigger built horses than other horses, so she trailed closely behind Riftan, hardly leaving some gap between the two. To soothe her, Riftan patted her back to soothe her and she started to walk towards where Talon was bound.
Max, who had been nervously trotting along, now marched with confidence, eyes wide open and concentrated. Something had groaned on top of the mound of straws next to the warhorse.
“I found it this morning as I was visiting Talon.”
Riftan leaned in close to her ears and muttered. Max looked closely at the little creatures lying on top of the pile of straws. Three palm-sized kittens were lying curled up on top of the dry straws there. Riftan knelt down softly.
“We don’t know where the mother is.. When Talon was in a hasty rush, he found these guys nestled on this pile.”
“Oh No! Do you think the mo-mother ab-abandoned her own children?”
“It seems like it. I asked all the stables and there was no signs of cats entering or leaving. It seems that a stray cat secretly gave birth and just left them. Talon seems to have gotten his bedroom stolen.”
Riftan gently patted the back of the black horse who was kicking the ground impatiently. Max was amazed that Talon hadn’t just stomped all over on the little kittens at the sight. Riftan’s warhorse seemed very enraged. Max looked up at Talon with suspicion, wondering if he would change his mind, and as curiosity overtook her, she walked towards the pile of straws to take a closer look at the three kittens.
All three had different colors. One was white with gray stripes all over its the fur, and the other was black, as if someone had ink spilled all over it. The last kitten was so white that it looked like it was covered in flour. Max suppressed her desire to embrace them tightly and looked up at Riftan.
“C-Can I .. can I touch them?”
“Do what you want to do.”
Riftan gently leaned against the pillar and smiled warmly. Once Max received permission, she carefully started to pet the little kittens. Under the soft, fluffy fur she could feel their small and fragile bones. Max frowned. When she saw how skinny all three of them were, she felt sorry for them.
“It… It do-doesn’t look like they were a-able to e-eat much..”
“Shall we take them to a room and feed them a bit of milk?”
“Ca-Can we really do that?”
Max stared up at Riftan with an innocent expression of hope. He just grinned, bending over to lightly brush his lips across her cheeks.
“You can do whatever you want. You don’t have to ask me for permission.”
“T-then… I… I want to take them to my room.”
She murmured in a quiet, shaky voice as she softly held one of the little kittens in her arms. As Max took it back to her room, the kitten squirmed softly at the mild turbulence. It was so delicate that it looked like the tiny creature could be killed by some slight amount of pressure. She wrapped the kitten in a cloak and embraced it gently. The other two were taken by Riftan and embraced in his own arms.
“We should look for a small basket for these little guys to sleep in.”
“Ru-Rudis. If we talk to Rudis, surely w-we will be able to find one.”
Max was afraid that the harsh winter winds would cause the kitten to fall ill, so as they continued towards the stable, she hugged the kitten protectively and closely to her chest. As she listened to the kitten breathe in and out softly, a sudden sorrow swept her heart.
“I-it’s m-my first time t-taking care of a c-cat in m-my r-room.”
“Is it Really?”
“My Fa-father didn’t r-really li-like animals.. H-he wo-wouldn’t even l-let a wa-watchdog e-enter the c-castle.S-so I used to a-always sneak dogs or c-cats in to p-play with t-them.”
Riftan gently looked down at her. Max was so excited that she didn’t notice the strange way that he looked at her. He said in a soft, and gentle voice.
“Should I also bring you a watchdog?”
Max’s eyes widened and she shook her head back and forth.
“I-It’s okayH-having them is e-enough for m-me.”
“If there’s any dog you want, there is no reason to hold back.”
His voice suddenly became empowered. Max noticed his sudden discontent appearance. She wondered what could have caused his mood to suddenly change like this. Riftan, who was looking forward, spoke in a nervous and tense tone of voice.
“When we were at the Croix Palace… No, even after the day you first came, I said I would make you live more luxuriously. While you lived with me, you told me you get angered at the thought of all the things you wanted, but couldn’t have.”
Max shed an embarrassed little laugh. It seems that his opposition to Duke Croix was greater than she thought. In a slight mumble, she replied, as though a big thorn had been stuck in her throat.
“Re-really… I’m o-okay. If there is a-anything I really want, I’ll let you know r-right a-away.”
Unsatisfied, Riftan raised his eyebrows a bit before sighing deeply and continuing to walk with her. Max followed behind Riftan slowly as she gently pet the little kitten who stretched its claws in her warm loving embrace.
