A Rival?

After they finished packing things up, the group was off once again to their destination. Everyone was still looking at Corrin with a certain look in their eyes, it was something along the lines of awe and pride.

Passing by different houses dotting the countryside, maybe inhabited by magical families, maybe not, the adults' views on how beautiful the world can be was renewed. They should really take more trips like this. Away from the hustle bustle and every day rush, away from the business and the buzz.

Again, Corrin felt the winds blowing away at his face, like a gentle caress from his mothers. Except less warm and less motherly. Nevertheless, it still felt calming.

Traveling for a couple more hours, they set down for lunch. This spot was more more of a forest, the vegetation plentiful. The cold hadn't seemed to bother this area as the wildflowers were still in bloom, the leaves just starting to turn colors.

This time, they had ate a little more. Biscuits with jam, no limits on how many. The kids quickly gobbled up a few, then ran off to play. Ellie got up to watch them, two biscuits in her hand.

"Momma, let's play hide and seek!" Evelyne asked as if no wasn't an answer.

"Okay, but you guys can't go any further than that tree, that rock, and the creek." Ellie laid down some boundaries so they wouldn't get lost. She began to count to thirty, the kids running away as fast as they could. For the first time in forever, the two hid in separate spots. Granted, they were still relatively near each other.

This was Evelyne's idea, the reasoning behind it being that she got them caught multiple times before. If at least one of them didn't get caught, that would be good enough. Corrin reluctantly agreed, seeing as it doubled their chances of winning.

Hiding in a large bush bearing red berries, Corrin began to think back on his flight. He now knew for certain that he wanted to play quidditch at Hogwarts, maybe even go pro. He also thought that his father's job was really cool, a back up career so to say.

While he was deep in thought, he heard a mewling very close by. Searching around, he found the source of the sounds: a feline covered in dirt, tangled in some roots, and nursing what looked to be a broken leg.

Sensing Corrin's approach, it began to hiss, attempting to scare of this potential predator. Despite its best efforts, this was largely unsuccessful, as the blurry figure was still approaching. The cat redoubled its efforts when Corrin got nearer, even attempting to bite and scratch him.

Corrin suffered some minor injuries, his sleeves torn, arms lightly bleeding. He decided to tough it out and continued trying to untangle it. The cat struggled with all its might, but to no avail. It hadn't eaten in days and was in a weakened state. It could feel it getting easier to move and decided to resign its fate to the human.

Encompassed by a warmth long forgotten, the feline's consciousness began to slip, falling into a much desired sleep. This cat was kind of heavy for a seven year old, being fully grown. Corrin would carry it for a bit, then sit down, and repeated that until he was near the edge of the bush again.

"Corrin, I give up! I already found Eve but we can't find you anywhere!" Ellie called out nearby.

"I'm over here, I need some help!" Corrin answered back.

Thinking he was stuck or something, Ellie rushed over to find his arms covered in blood, holding a cat. Her scream could be heard throughout the forest, causing the rest of the adults to rush towards where the scream came, wands drawn.

They found Ellie crying while hugging Corrin from the side, with him nonchalantly petting a cat with bloodied arms. Kate almost passed out while Arthur quickly asked what happened.

"I found a kitty!" Corrin said happily as he softly stroked the cat's fur.

After checking his arms, Arthur said the cuts were not too serious, mostly just at the surface. After the initial shock and fear of the situation died down, Kate and Ellie felt a dangerous vibe coming from the cat. Not a physical threat per se, as the men would feel that too, but the aura of a mature woman was radiating off the cat that was fast asleep in the arms of their little boy.

'Oh no you don't, Kate, you're not gonna be jealous of a freaking cat. It's not going to steal away your son. Relax.' Kate's mind was whirring, her thoughts a mess.

Ellie had nearly the same reaction. 'There's no way this little cat can be what I think she is... calm down, it's just an animal. Breathe.'

This was about when the feline woke up, staring at all these new faces with judgmental eyes. Then it looked up to the one who was petting her. A beaming smile, a gentle hand... the eyes of judgement were long gone, replaced with one of happiness. She snuggled up closer to his chest, feeling the movements as he giggled. Her tail wrapped around his arm and she began to purr.

Ellie and Kate would swear that it was this moment when the devilish cat gave them a teasing stare, as if to say 'What? You jealous?' This, of course, was unacceptable.

"Honey, I don't think we can take a random ca-" Kate was cut off by Arthur.

"Do you have a name for it yet? Is it a boy or a girl?" Arthur asked excitedly.

"I dunno, haven't checked." Corrin said dismissively, as he entered a staring contest with the cat.

During this all, Evelyne was standing off to the side, seething with jealousy. She didn't know she was jealous, but this vanished as the feline beckoned her over. When she came close, the cat moved a bit to make room for her. Evelyne was now situated on Corrin's left half, leaning on his chest while petting the cat, who was on his right.

The cat began to mewl happily, the fathers' hearts melting at such a scene, the mothers' too, yet there was that underlying feeling of the feline stealing yet another of their precious children.

"It's a girl, I just know it." Kate said under her breath.

Ellie decided to make certain. Making eye contact with the cat, she felt a strong feeling of anxiety, as if the cat was telling her to hurry up.

"Yeah... it's a girl" Ellie said, placing the cat back in Corrin's arms.

"It looks like an Egyptian Mau, wonder how we found one up here..." Eli said thoughtfully.

"I think I'll call her Femi! After the seventeen... fifty-seven Egyptian team's keeper!" Corrin announced, unaware of the meaning of the name.

Femi seemingly raised an eyebrow at Kate and Ellie, dealing critical damage to both after Ellie had told Kate what the name meant.

'Why did that keeper have to be named love...' They both thought.