As the wind blew past them, they stared into each other's eyes as understanding passed between them. A dog could be heard howling in the distance as a bond formed between them, unbeknownst to them, they were now bound to each other and as she reached out and gently scratched his head a sense of peace came over her.
The whole house smelled of pine gel as she mopped up the last remaining bit of floor, stepping out onto the veranda with the mop and bucket. The heat of the October sun radiated off of the earth and it scorched her skin while she spilled the dirty water into the drainage. As she stepped back her leg brushed against furry warmth. A low meow came from the creature and she yelled "Voetsek!" startled by its sudden presence. The cat weaved its way through her legs as she tried to walk back into the house, almost tripping her as she grew more annoyed by the moment. "Heavens!" she shouted with her brow furrowed as the creature tried to follow her in the house. She had just cleaned the whole house so there was no way that was going to happen. Gently shoving it out of the way with her leg she said, "Can you not bother me today? Please go away..."
Sitting on it's hind legs the cat looked up and stared right at her as it meowed again. Wishing she could afford to be nicer to it she simply sighed, this was her mother's house after all, not hers. Without another thought she walked into the house, closing the door as she tiptoed to the sofa so she could watch the telenovela omnibus before it ended whilst she rested. She figured a nice cool shower would be perfect once the house was dry. It was a pity they always had to keep the gauze doors closed all the time to prevent the stray cats from getting into the house like they always did whenever there was a slight opening, most especially the one they'd nicknamed Stripes because he had the most unique pattern of the whole bunch.
The group had wandered into the neighbourhood a few years prior and had been "adopted" between the girl's family and their closest neighbours because they always placed food outside for them. At this point they already knew which cat was which, which one had a litter with which one and so on. Thus far the friendliest had been Stripes that had taken after his own father. Admittedly, Stripes had taken a preference to brushing against and weaving it's way through the girl's legs, evidently taking a liking to falling asleep at, or more commonly on, her feet when she sat outside.
The girl, though she would never admit it, had grown quite accustomed to having Stripes around her. Stripes presence offered her an odd sense of calm she did not really understand, most especially at night. If it so happened that she had to go out of the house at night, say to bring down the laundry from the clothing line or close the chicken coop then anyone can bet that if she did not see Stripes, or in the least one of the other cats, she would not step foot out of the house. Why did she do this? Even she did not have the answer to that question. All she knew was that she felt safer, and luckier, whenever the cats were around. The one time since they'd had them around she stepped out without a cat in sight she had paused by the door as she felt the hair at the back of her neck rise, a cold shiver running down her spine. She'd squinted her eyes trying to see anything in the eerie darkness surrounding their quarters but she'd seen nothing. Although, after much staring she was startled, shaken to her core when the wind had blown and a white plastic blew passed the yard and headed in her direction. A scream barely escaping her lips she'd panicked and near hit the door trying to get back inside and lock the door. Her dress had even hooked on the door handle and she had been petrified thinking whatever demon had finally caught up to her.
Needless to say she never stepped foot into the darkness without the presence of a human by her a side or one of the cats. Just as on this particular night she opened the door and assessed the environment. It was actually well lit but her inner voice told her that even that was not enough. The neighbours had been outside but had just recently turned in so as far as she could see she was definitely the only human in her street line that was outside as far as her sight could carry. However, on this night she felt an odd sense of serenity as she took one step outside, laundry basket in hand. It had been quite the busy day of cleaning and washing clothes. As she approached the clothing line she heard a meow as Stripes strode casually onto the scene and stood by the wall of the house. She smiled and turned to taking the clothes down and putting them into the basket.
As the girl carried on with her task she realized that she kept looking back towards the house to look at Stripes who was simply minding his own, but his presence was enough. Realising the effort exerted by constantly having to confirm that the cat was still there she gently called out, " Pssst!" Immediately Stripes headed towards her, but unlike the other times when he would urge for a petting he positioned himself a little bit from her and sat within her line of vision. Granted, she was surprised by this but she kept on working until she finished the line in front of her. After taking the first load in she walked out to find him still in the same spot, tending to licking his own ass. Not wanting to seem too demanding she walked to the other line on the other side of the house with another empty basket to get the rest of the clothes. As she started her task she craned her neck to check on Stripes. She thought of how silly she probably looked. As she was about to check again she noticed he wasn't in that spot anymore but noticed him waking towards her and sitting on his hind legs at about the same distance as before looking in her direction now. Calm washing over her, she carried on until she finished.
Turning to the house, she walked to and stopped in front of Stripes who had been fixed in that same place licking his paw. Placing the basket down for a moment, she squatted and held her hand out causing him to flinch as he inspected her hand. Slowly she reached out and brushed his soft fur. " Thank you, Stripes. Thank you," she repeated as she stroked behind his ear. Then came the moment when their eyes locked. The girl only smiled as they stayed like that for a few moments beneath the full moon.
