Page 75 of Enchanting the Elf
“Maybe he now approves of you after you listened to him and saved me?” I suggest.
Adelbert’s brow furrows but he silently scoots back. Sir Purrington jumps onto his lap, turns in a circle, and settles down into a ball.
“Pet him,” I encourage. “Stroke his fur a little.”
“How hard should I press?”
“Just go softly, like you’re playing with my hair. He’ll let you know if he likes it or not.”
A hesitant hand raises and barely touches the cat’s fur with the first stroke. Sir Purrington lifts his head a bit and Adelbert’s hand freezes.
My heart aches for Adelbert who has been so bereft of affection all his life that he doesn’t even know how to pet a cat.
Picking up on my emotion, Adelbert’s voice is rich with concern. “Are you sad because Sir Purrington came to me?”
I shake my head and smile fondly at him, silently vowing to make up for all that he’s missed. “I’m just sad for the little boy that you were, but I’m so very happy to be part of what we’ll call your ‘affection’ era.”
“I’m looking forward to learning all I can from you,” Adelbert says. The mushiness of the moment is so sweet, I almost giggle.
I redirect the conversation back to an oddly patient Sir Purrington.
“Try stroking him again. He likes it a bit harder than that.”
“I know someone else who likes it hard too,” Adelbert quips under his breath.
I raise my hand to my chest in mock outrage and put on a thick accent.
“Mr. Alberad, dost thou jest?”
“I’ll let you know, I do have a joke or two saved for a special occasion.”
“I’d love to hear them! Tell me one, pretty please,” I pout playfully and lace my fingers together in front of my chest.
“You’ll have to work for them. They only come out on special occasions.”
“Then work, I shall,” I declare. In a softer tone I add, “Don’t look now, but that is one happy cat.”
In the time it took to have that little exchange, Adelbert had relaxed enough to start petting Sir Purrington the exact way he likes it. The resounding purr filling the kitchen is evident of that.
“Are we pet owners now?” Adelbert asks me, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head as the realization hits.
“I think Sir Purrington adopted us first,” I surmise.
Adelbert stares at his hand as he keeps up the petting, seemingly entranced by Sir Purrington’s response to his touch.
“Cats are very unique creatures,” Adelbert remarks. “I don’t personally know any big cat shifters, but I might get in touch with Rollo or Sawyer and ask them to connect me to one.”
“Let me get this straight…. you want to call Rollo, your wolf shifter friend, and Sawyer, your bear shifter friend, to ask about a cat shifter because you have a cat now?” I try to follow the thread of his thought process, but I’m not quite sure how it’s all connected.
“Yes. Is that strange?” Adelbert asks and shifts his hand to scratch under Sir Purrington’s chin, eliciting an even louder purr from the cat.
“And may I askwhyyou want to talk to a big cat shifter?”
“I think a lion or tiger, or maybe even a jaguar shifter can give us some insight into Sir Purrington’s mind and some guidance as to his care,” Adelbert explains like it’s the most sensible step to follow.
“That’s… really, really sweet. I appreciate you trying to logic your way through having pets, but he’s just a cat. A very smart cat at that. But cats tend to be private. And I can guarantee that if you call anyone with feline genes then they’d be offended ifyou asked them about a pet,” I warn gently, not even willing to imagine how his questions might be received.
“What could possibly offend them about it? Isn’t it the responsible thing to do?”
