Labyrinth: A Darker Season

Chapter 8

------------Day 27

The next morning, Sarah woke up to getting licked by her little ones. She smiled and petted them as they purred and flipped over on their backs for tummy rubs.

Sarah got up and went out to go to the bathroom. She heated water for tea and moved the bucket over to the three horses to get a drink. She gave them each an apple and a handful of sweet feed. Sarah packed up everything after breakfast and tied the horse by their reins, one behind the other.

Sarah rode into the capital city of Íonachta. She rode up to an inn and got a room for a week, dropping off her gear in the room, securing it with a wish and taking the horses to the blacksmith three buildings down from the inn.

The fae blacksmith asked, “What do you need?” He was a red haired fae with his hair braided on the sides and pulled back into a ponytail. He was dressed in a white shirt and a leather apron and black pants.

Sarah said, “I found these three horses by my campsite and took them to my fire. Nobody claimed them all night. Can you take them off my hands?” She technically wasn't lying.

The fae man smiled as he spoke, “How much do you want?”

Sarah said, “Whatever you think is fair.”

He went up to them and looked them over and said, “I'll give you twenty eight gold because they have their own tack.”

Sarah said, “Fine with me. I'm just glad they will be taken care of instead of freezing in the woods.” The fae gave her the money and she put it in her purse. She boarded Shadow for a week and unsaddled him, hanging up his gear on a wall peg. She kissed him goodbye.

Sarah went back to her room at the inn. The night was bitter cold, and she was glad to get in the room and get a fire going. She got out her dirty clothes and soap, towels and nightshirt. She fed the kittens and went down to eat dinner. After dinner, Sarah sat on the bed with the kittens. They were four weeks old tomorrow, and it was time to litter train them.

Sarah thought about it and wished, “I 'wish' for a wooden box that is one and a half by two and a half feet and is five inches deep with a quart bottle of sand that never runs out and a tight sealing cap and a wooden slotted spoon four by five inches wide with a ten inch handle.” It all appeared on the bed.

Sarah grabbed the leather balls and took everything to the floor and sat it in front of the fire. She scooped up the kittens and took them to the floor and sat them down and filled the box with sand. She sat Magus in the box. He froze, started flexing his toes in the sand and then kicked his back legs behind him and peed in a little spot and started trying to cover it up. It was cute how their instincts took over.

Merlin watched his brother and climbed in the box on his own and started flexing his toes and peed in a little spot. Magus covered up Merlin's pee spot for him. Sarah thought about how smart they were. Merlin sniffed around and sneezed. They both climbed out and into Sarah's lap in the middle of her crossed legs.

She picked them both up and looked them in the eyes, saying, “You're such good boys. Now you need to use this box to go potty in from now on. I'll set it up in the rooms and in the tent for you to use.” Magus swiped his paw out, trying to put it on her nose. She smiled and held them both to her neck, cuddling them.

Sarah put the box on the floor by the window with the bottle and scooper. She pulled out the blanket from the foot of the bed, so it reached the floor.

Sarah sat on the floor and started rolling around the leather balls. The kittens watched, fascinated by the movement of them. Merlin was the first to start chasing them. Magus ran after the next and tackled it. Sarah laughed and rolled the other two, and the games began. The little hunters started stalking and pouncing on them. She giggled at their antics and started getting ready for her bath.