Whisper the Witch's Cat

Chapter III

The ground shook under paw.
I heard a scream which must have been Elliot. I flexed my claws as I dashed for the window, using my magic for it to part when I was three feet away. I heard footsteps behind me, and crashing as Elliot stumbled through the darkness.
"No!" she screamed. I ignored her, I was leaping for the window when I froze. The window slammed shut and slowly, the feeling of thousands of maggots ripping through my stomach washed over me.
I yowled and my paws gave in under me and the footsteps behind me halted as Elliot shot down beside me. Through the corner of my eye I could see her reaching for me, and I hissed. Realization dawned on her young face and she withdrew her hand which had been centimeters away, pulling it against her chest as if forcing herself not to react.
"Whisper... w-what's wrong with you...?" Elliot mumbled, her voice made me head boom.
"T-The l-l-lantern... it's low on fuel..." I managed as I tried to rise. Elliot shook her head. "Stay down, I'll get it." She stood, turned and dashed for the hatch leading into the upstairs hall. I lay in the darkness, my cheek pressed against the cold, wooden floor. In the distance, the voice of Elliot boomed. Her voice was like static, like one of those television boxes when I nipped through the cable to annoy the human who had it up too loud while I tried to sleep. I wouldn't last long without my lantern.
Yes. That was the only thing that could kill me. I, Whisper, the powerful immortal one, brought down by a light going out. How pathetic.
The imaginary maggots continued to gnaw at my insides, I was helpless. The world spun as I sunk into a dream.

✦ ✧ ✦

The baby gurgled joyfully as her father raised her triumphantly to the air. "A boy!" He cried in delight. "It's a—" He paused and narrowed his eyes at the baby's loins. After a long while he whispered, "A girl..." all excitement in his voice had vanished. The woman on the child bed raised her head feebly, her lips cracked, eyes exhausted and skin pale. "A...A girl?" She managed. Her eyes seemed to shine for a second. "Praise, praise..." She whispered. Her head fell heavily onto the pillow with a final sigh.

"Lyza...?!"
          At the cover of nightfall the man strode through the forest, heart sunken, with a silent, wrapped up bundle in his arms. His child being a girl had hit him hard but the death of his wife had hit him harder. There was not a single star in the sky, all swept over by a dark cloud. A late Autumn storm was gliding in and the wind made him shiver. He raised his eyes skyward, up to the moon. It was as if magic was surrounding the pearl of the sky. No cloud dared to touch it.
The witches. The man lowered his gaze to follow the trail of moon beams to where he could already see a gnarled hut. The place made his skin prickle. Roots and ivy clung to the wooden walls, under all the leaves you could see no roof and the shutters on the windows kept the secrets that went on within. Passing the baby onto one arm he knocked with a shaking hand.
A beautiful woman opened the door, her hair curly and orange as fire. Upon her shoulder a pure black cat sat, the tip of its tail flicking, stroking the woman's cheek. The man forced himself to ignore the fact that her hands had remained behind her back as she had opened the door. "Moon sister of sun," She said. "Moon is woman, we are moon. What do you wish of us, sun?"
The man pressed his lips together, managing to retain his composure, "I deliver a new... moon, to you." He extended the baby towards her, finding his hands shaky. The woman withdrew her hands from her back and with a single nail she scratched into the area beside the baby's eye. Leaving a small crescent mark. Again, the baby did not wail in the slightest. The witch brought her finger to her lips. The dark blood to her lips. She drank. After a few moments she smiled and took the child from him. "I will take care of the little moon. Do not worry."
The man let out a shaky sigh. His little sister, now a witch, how could she scare him so much now?
"What is the moon's name?" the woman questioned. The man shook his head, "No name."
"Mother's last words?"
The question took him aback and it felt as though a fist closed around his heart. "Well... 'Praise, praise'... She said that when she found that her baby was a girl. Then the baby killed her."
"Then her name shall be Praise."
Fury filled the man and his tongue ran away with him, "She can't be called Praise. She is sent from Satan just like all you witches. She is a murderer!"
The woman just waved his comment off, "How lucky that my darling just a had kits just today, like your little moon, born under the same star. This little moon can have one." Her free hand reached to her shoulder and scratched under the black cat's chin. The purrs seemed to make the ground vibrate. "Goodbye, sun." She shut the door on him before he could react.
That was the last time he seen his baby.
And that baby was my first Mistress.

✦ ✧ ✦

I gasped as my eyes flew open. No, I didn't want to remember. No, I hissed. Elliot looked shaken beside me, her legs where crossed, her breath ragged as if she had been running. The only light was the golden glow of a lantern sitting protectively between her knees. My lantern.
"You... you saved me..." I whispered. Elliot shrugged, "I couldn't just let you die."
"You could..." I slowly pushed myself up. I stared at her, our green eyes connecting. "But you didn't."
"It's so boring around here, but you make it interesting. There isn't even WiFi here yet to keep me busy. So I really appreciate you being around. You spice things up, Whisper. Plus, I like cats," Elliot gave a smile.
"Wi-what?" I questioned.
"Nevermind," Elliot laughed. "I can show you when we do get WiFi. I can show you cat videos."
I didn't even bother trying trying to comprehend her modern talk. Elliot sighed and leaned back, staring at the cobwebs wiring the boards together.
"How long have you been here?" Elliot asked. I looked up at the girl, and I couldn't help but chuckle sadly, my tail stroking the lantern softly, causing ripples on the light that danced across the room, “So long.”