Mabel Paws and her cat Bunny

Photo:  Pinterest

Mabel and her mother Sofie raised cats.  They weren’t just any cats, they were Familiars.  They were cats who knew, and were, magic.  They were Witches’ cats.  They were cats who had power and knew how to use it.

Mabel’s mother didn’t know how far back the line of cats went.  Raising Familiars was simply what the Paws family did.  Mabel, herself, was raised surrounded by cats.  They slept in her cradle, licked milk off of her rosebud lips, purred into her tiny ears and cuddled around her to keep her warm and safe.  To say that Mabel and her mother loved cats was a huge understatement.  The cats loved them back but everyone knew they couldn’t stay together.  Each had a job to do and a path to follow.  Everyone except for Bunny.  Bunny was a stray.  She was a tiny little thing, undernourished, dehydrated and desperate.  Mabel saw her on the street and ran to her side.  She picked up the cat, whispered a spell into her ear and rushed her to the hospital, in an outbuilding next to their house.  The other cats gathered around the newcomer and sang their magic into her weak and fading body.  They took turns sitting with her, and with Mabel, during the long days and nights, never leaving their sides, until Bunny was out of danger.  The herd of cats breathed a collective sigh of relief, once Bunny was back on her feet, and went on with their lives.   Once back to health, Bunny refused to leave Mabel.  Fortunately, Mabel’s cat  Featherwing didn’t mind the newcomer and they happily shared Mabel’s pillow curled in two fluffy balls.

As to the Familiars and their Witches, well, a Witch would arrive at the Cat Ranch.  All of the cats would come to greet her and then one by one they would walkaway until only one, or sometimes two cats, would remain.  If two cats remained, the Witch would talk to the cats, tell them what she needed and what she did.  The cats would walk back and forth, communicating in their own way, until finally one would turn and leave.  The remaining cat, was the Witch’s Familiar.  When the cat and Witch were paired, they immediately pledged their protection, love, and their very lives, to each other until death.  The Witch kissed her cat and the cat Marked the Witch as her/his own.  No one has ever heard of a mistake being made.  Once the deal was sealed, nothing could separate a Witch from her Familiar or a Familiar from her or his Witch.

The system has worked from the beginning of time and will continue to its end.  Any animal, reptile or bird can be a Familiar, as long as the two agree, seal the deal, and take their vows.

Bunny eventually learn some simple magick, under the watchful eye of Featherwing.  She never became a full fledged Familiar, of course, but she had fun just the same.  Everyone loved and cared for Bunny because bof her great joy, her sweet disposition and her beautiful open heart.