The young girl opened her eyes, surveying her surroundings.
She was wrapped in a strange, spider web-like blanket, woven with extreme care. Walls that appeared rather tall to her loomed overhead, beige wallpaper peeling to reveal wooden frame. The air was chilled.
A fuzzy face hovered over hers, mottled with black and red fur. The face sported stunning green eyes, and a curious expression.
Startled, the infant began to cry.
The cat looked almost concerned at this, and began to lick the child reassuringly. The infant giggled, causing the cat's eyes to glimmer with a sort of joy. Turning his head away from the baby, he let out a yowl. Another cat poked her head around the corner, frowning and responding with a sharp hiss. The first cat gestured to the babe with his head, and the second feline sashayed over with a growl. Once she laid her eyes on the kid, however, her expression softened, and she licked the child's face approvingly.
The baby laughed joyously, raising her hands to pet the cat but only succeeding in bonking her nose. The creature didn't mind, however. She only seemed to smile.
Deep inside her, the girl felt a strange, painful sensation, wrapping around her heart and mind and piercing both. It was almost as if this pain was deliberately trying to force its way through her bloodstream, through her very being, taking her body and mind from her. She hardly even knew what this feeling was, or how much it would affect her later on. All she could really do was cry.
That, she did. And she would cry more. Tears would be a familiar presence in her life, the same as fear, anger, confusion, and horror.
After all, this isn't just the beginning.
This is the beginning of an end.