Nine Lives

ix

In my ninth life I am home.

A little blonde boy finds me in the park one day, happy and smiling widely as I let him pet me. I meow loudly in surprise as he picks me up in his arms and slings me over his shoulder like a coat.

I think better of scratching him for I know it would be rude so I let him carry me wherever he wants. I can only see behind him as he struggles to open a door but as soon as he walks through the doorway I recognize where I am. I'm in Erwin's house.

"Daddy daddy look! I found a kitty!" The little boy tells as he walks into the kitchen.

He takes me off his shoulder and holds me under my front legs in front of Erwin, who is standing in front of the stove holding a spatula. He looks down at the boy and smiles gently, the same smile I remember from our last life together.

"Where did you find this kitty?" He asks.

"In the park!" The boy yells. I manage to wiggle out of his grasp and I run over to Erwin, snuggling and rubbing against his long legs before I sit beside him on the floor and start to tell him about how much I missed him and how he should keep me.

He presses a button on the stove before he turns to me.

"Okay okay, I get it." I start to purr immediately as he kneels down and pets me under my chin and around my ears, my favourite spots.

"Can we keep it!?" The boy asks, begging Erwin and jumping in place. I begin to plead along with the boy for him to keep me and Erwin laughs kindly as he pets me. "I guess we can keep him."

"Yay!" The boy begins to celebrate and runs out of the room yelling for a girl named Krista along with his mother.

I nuzzle into Erwin's legs as he continues cooking.

Erwin has changed from the last time I met him. He has a wife, Marie, and two children now, Armin and Krista. They fight over my attention constantly and they settle on the name Lynas. Armin came up with it and it was either that or Princess, which was Krista's idea. I'm glad we went with Lynas.

A dog now lives in the house as well and his name is Eren. I don't really like him that much but I slowly warm up to him. He can be a bit too energetic sometimes and can play fight a little hard but he's a good dog. He has a bond with Armin that is similar to the one I have with Erwin.

There is a feeling of being at home when I'm in the house that I never felt anywhere else and I find myself always being happy. I found a home.

I try to spend as much of my time with Erwin as I can, snuggling up with him when he's on the couch or in his office. His presence makes me feel warm and I feel a spark each time he touches me. I never thought I'd love someone as much as I love him.

I live a full life, at home, with Erwin and his family.

Old age takes over my body and they find me curled up under the kitchen table one day, clinging to life.

I'm glad that Erwin holds me and let's the kids pet me while I'm in his arms. I can feel myself slowly slipping, my breathing slowing down as I look up at Erwin once more.

"Thank you." I say, even though I know he can't understand me.

I thank him for taking me in and giving me a home when no one else would, for making me happy and allowing me to spend my days with him. I thank him for loving me when I thought I was unlovable, and for saving me again and again.

My lives flash before my eyes as I look up at him as he smiles down at me and I am happy that I spent my last three lives with him. These last three lives were the best of all and I cannot thank him enough for giving them to me.

I am happy that my existence ends in his arms.