Not Your Ordinary Family {Sanders Sides cat AU}

Chapter Two~ Barn Cats

Janus slipped through the large hole in the barn's side, the black kit still dangling in his jaws as he trotted to one of the many piles of hay. He stepped over to a nearby hay pile when two heads popped out of them, one a dark brown the other a dark ginger. Both heads had hay dangling between their ears and on their muzzles, but they simply giggled at one another before shaking it off.

"Heya Janus? What ya got there? More prey?" the dark brown head asked as they slipped out of the hay, other cat following.

Janus shook his head before continuing to his head pile, leaping to reach the top without sinking and pushed the material around to create a nest like divet. He then curled up in a lazy ball, the black kit laying next to his stomach. Janus looked up when he heard the hay shift to see the twin cats looking down at him and the kit.

"Wow. Ya found a kit? Where's its mother?" the ginger tom asked while poking the kit with a exposed claw.

"Dead. Found her laying dead on the thunder path with this kit and another huddled in a clump of grass. The mother must've been looking for a home and either never made it across or never made it back," Janus said while pushing the tom's paw away from the kit.

"What bout the other kit?" the brown tom asked.

"Dead as well. Must've gotten too cold or sick. It's a miracle that this kit lived. And I couldn't leave him out there to be buzzard bait so he's mine now," answered Janus while looking down at the black lump with tender, loving eyes.

"Janus! Remus! Roman! Where are y'all!" a loud, peppy voice called.

"Over here Patton! Janus found a new kit to keep!" the brown twin called.

A light thumping could be heard on the barn floor, soon joined by another. Then two heads peered over the hay as well, one light grey face and the other a young dark grey face.

"It's so tiny," the grey tom commented.

"Indeed Patton. I couldn't leave him so I claimed him," Janus said.

"Does this mean I'm no longer the youngest here?" the young dark grey cat asked

"Yes Logan. You're now the second the youngest," Patton, the grey tom, said.

"Good. I'm tired of everyone babying me," Logan said with a small, relieved smile.

"Oh no! Heavens forbid Logan get all the attention from the two oldest! Woe is him and his pitiful life!" the ginger tom cried, dramatically falling onto his back causing his twin to snicker and Logan to cast them both a sour look.

"It wasn't easy Remus and not funny Roman! I'm sorry if I just don't want all of you up my a-" Logan started but was cut off by Remus shoving his paw over Logan's white muzzle.

"Logan! There's a kit here! There is no fucking way you're going to say horseshit like that!" Remus said.

Logan looked at Remus with this 'are you serious?' face and then it dawned on Remus. The dark brown tom's face fell with the realization and casted a nervous glance at Patton who was looking at him with a glare that could kill. Remus winced slightly before chuckling anxiously.

"Hehe. . . . Good thing the kit's too young to hear that," said Remus as his green eyes darted between the cats.

"Yeah, good thing. Because if he had heard I would've ripped your tongue out and feed it to the crows so you'll never speak such foul language again," Janus said calmly.

Remus lowered his ears in fear before skittering away and up to the barn loft, Roman sprinting after him while laughing and with a less enthused Logan trotting behind as he shook his head. Patton watched them leave then looked back at Janus with a sigh.

"Strange kittens those ones are," he muttered.

"Yup," Janus agreed.

"So what're you gonna name this little fella?" Patton asked, nosing the tiny kit so it mewed, showing off its tiny pink mouth, absent of teeth as it was too young.

"I think I'll name him. . . . Virgil," Janus said.

"Welcome to the family Virgil," Patton whispered.