As soon as Rudis saw the kittens, he said, “Oh!” in amazement. She immediately put a cloth in a basket of reeds to make a small nest for them.
Max gently laid the kittens in a small warm basket, while Riftan slightly warmed the goat’s milk. He poured some into a spoon and gently placed it towards their mouth and they rushed towards it.
Max took the cushion and put it on the floor. She sat down and watched Riftan feed the kittens lukewarm milk. They drank till they were full, and after they were satisfied, they purred and nuzzled their heads under his big hands.
“What will you name them?”
Riftan asked Max, gently stroking the soft fluffy cat with his fingertips. She watched the kittens as they stretched their limbs at the touch of his hand in a bit of envy. In no time she pulled out of him and looked up to him in amazement.
“I-I can n-name them?”
“You stay in the room longer. It would be best for them if you were the one to name them, don’t you think?” After a long hesitation and struggling to speak, she finally opened her mouth.
“T-the cat with the s-stripes, I will n-name him Ron, the wh-white cat Rola, a-and this bl-black cat Roy”
“Ron, Rola, Roy?”
“I-It’s the n-names of the 3 fairy brothers in a n-narrativeT-the story I was t-told as a little g-girl l-long ago just came to t-thought….”
Riftan smiled faintly at her small explanation, and his fingertips picked up the fluffy black cat.
“It looks a little too tacky to be a fairy, doesn’t it? ”
The cat suddenly raised his claws and, in rebellion, wielded its paws. At the slightest attack, Riftan burst into laughter.
“Looks like this little guy knows how to be feisty.”
“Yo-you can’t an-annoy w-weak an-animals”
“Who said I was annoying them?”
Riftan complained and laid the cat back down. Max moved the basket to a place that was neither too hot nor too cold, and then placed a small ball of thread next to them. The cats started playing with the ball of thread, biting and clawing at it until they soon fell fast asleep from expending a lot of energy.
Max looked down at their small stomach as they inhaled and exhaled with short breaths. She bent down and rubbed the underside of one of their chins carefully. He took a long, satisfying breath in happiness.
As Max was looking down lovingly at the cats, Riftan suddenly grabbed her arms and pulled her towards him. Max turned around and looked up at him, wondering what had just happened. He placed a cushion between the pillar and himself, leaned back to sit and then tapped his thigh.
“Come and sit here.”
Max’s face turned bright red. She knew very well what that secretive lowered tone of voice meant. The pleasures of sharing intimacy with him felt good, but she hesitated because she thought it might be a bit too much in this situation. Riftan raised one eyebrow and smiled at her hesitation.
“I just want to hold you in my arms. Don’t be nervous and just come here.”
She hesitated for a bit longer, then slowly approached him. Riftan lifted her up, sat her in his firm thighs, and leaned her head against the concave part of his neck and shoulder.
In perfect harmony, leaning comfortably against him, Max gently curled her toes with satisfaction in his embrace.
Riftan gently wrapped one arm around her knees and pulled her in closer. His other hand gently traced the back of her spine slowly.
Max, who felt like a small chick nestled in the crook of its mother’s embrace, burst out in a small chuckle.
“Your laugh is adorable.”
There was an inevitable tone of satisfaction in his voice as he spoke. Just as he had lightly caressed the young kittens, he lightly brushed his fingertips up and down her back before he gently massaged the nape of her neck.
Max barely swallowed her soft moans and a heavy, ecstatic thrill swept through her body. Riftan gently squeezed her cheeks between the palm of his hands and gently caressed them before he pressed his lips against her forehead in a gentle kiss. A surprisingly peaceful and relaxed atmosphere surrounded the two. She felt completely comfortable and at ease. She was so relaxed, that all she could hear were the sound of his steady heartbeat, the rattling in the wind, and the flames licking the firewood in their silence.
After a while of staring deep into the crackling flames in the fireplace, Riftan opened his mouth and spoke.
“Did you enjoy living in Anatol?”
Max was dazed by the warm air, as if she were drunk, and wondered at the question, gently raising her head to look up at Riftan. Riftan looked at her with no particular expression, but in his eyes she could see a hint of anxiety hidden within.
“Is there really nothing that is discomforting? Something that you’re lacking….?”
“T-there is nothing that I a-am la-cking… And no-nothing that ma-makes me feel un-uncomfortable.”
Max shook his head quickly back and forth. Life in Anatol was perfect. For the first time in her life, she seemed to have finally found where she really belonged. There is always someone who needs her, she is surrounded by kindness everywhere, and everyone is willing to listen to her story. Most of all, right next to her, there was this person who would hold her and kiss her. There could be nothing more satisfying than that. Like a newborn baby, she leaned against his chest and curled herself up tightly into his arms.
“I… I like it here.”
He stopped breathing for a second, and then embraced her even tighter to him, enough for it to even be painful to her. Her ribs were squeezed tightly and breathing became a bit difficult, but she didn’t let out a single complaint. If it was Riftan, she didn’t care how tightly he held her, even if it were to feel like her bones would break. His light touch and caresses along her back, the sounds of his fast and loud heartbeart, and his masculine body odor, everything was lovable to her.
