#It makes him wonder sometimes how she and Bomba ever became mates but hey who is he to judge?

[theimpossiblescheme]

Thinking about my OCs again, as I sometimes do… thinking about my boy Ulysses specifically and his thoughts on not only his thoughts on being a Protector, but also on the other Protectors within the Junkyard.

He’s spent so long looking after his little brother--the only remaining member of his family--that for him to be anything but a Protector would be unthinkable.  It’s in his nature to worry endlessly about others and take constant stock of every little detail of his surroundings, so he figures he might as well put all of that energy toward a good cause.  And besides, what better way for him to justify his presence in the Junkyard pay the Tribe’s kindness forward after they took him and Prufrock in?  Once he’s officially part of the ranks, he immediately throws all his heart and soul into the job, volunteering for every patrol and hunting party and insisting on making himself useful when he can’t come along.  As time goes on, he learns not to overextend himself so much and that he’s actually at his best within the Junkyard itself as a watchful eye and helping paw.  As for his fellow Protectors themselves...

Munkustrap is the one he knows the best and–though he’d never be so presumptuous as to say it–the closest thing to a best friend he has.  God knows they're similar enough, as elder siblings with tearaway younger brothers, an unfailing sense of duty, and a lingering fear that whatever they do might never be enough.  But there’s a part of Ulysses that sort of envies how relatively well-adjusted Munk is for all his insecurities and how loved he is by the rest of the Junkyard.  If Munk were ever to admit to him that he feels like the other cats respect him more than they actually like him, Ulysses would just gesture over to his loyal army of Trainees and give him a “Really, now” look.  Again, while he’d never say it out loud, Munk is the sort of cat Ulysses aspires to be like: kind, approachable, and endlessly trustworthy.

Alonzo, however, is the cat Ulysses sees an uncomfortable amount of himself in.  He initially feared, after hearing about his reckless bravery and budding friendship with his brother, that he’d have a bit too much in common with Prufrock.  But once he observed Alonzo’s perpetual stiff-backed posture, his refusal to let his guard down for long, his easily triggered startle reflex, his grimly “realistic” outlook on so much of life… it was like looking into a crooked mirror.  Even the somewhat stiff, but still affectionate way he doted on the kittens, as well as the way they’d initially been intimidated by him before learning he was a big softie, rang true with Ulysses.  He has an endless amount of respect for Alonzo, and one day he hopes they’ll get to know each other better beyond occasional patrol partners.

Bombalurina scares him a bit, if only because he never knows what’s going on in her head.  They’re almost complete opposites in personality, and while she’s never one to mince words, she still alternates between rolling her eyes at him without a word and teasing him about loosening up a bit... almost in the same way she teases Alonzo, but never with the same amount of warmth and goodwill.  He wants to like her, if only because there’s no denying how much she cares about her job and the rest of the Junkyard, and she’s certainly fun to watch when she’s in her element.  But she’s just… A Lot, and with how different they are it won’t make him lose any sleep if she doesn’t like him.

Cassandra, however, he actually gets along reasonably well with.  He’s never sure how close they really are, at least at first, since there don’t seem to be many cats she truly likes, but it’s flattering that she at least tolerates him.  A lot of times before nightly meetings with the other Protectors, the two of them will just sit at the foot of the tire and Vibe together, chatting about little things and certainly not gossiping, thank you very much, he is above all that.  Or sometimes they won’t actually say a word to each other, but still exchange a glance as they listen to everyone else’s conversations around them.  He thinks it has something to do with the fact that Cass shares his preference to just sit quietly on the sidelines whenever they can, and she must appreciate those moments of calm as much as he does.

Socrates is impossible not to like–he’s one of the warmest and friendliest cats Ulysses has ever met in his life, and he was the second cat to welcome Ulysses into the ranks.  Whenever Munk was too busy, Socrates was always the one to tag along on his first patrols, even when Ulysses tried to insist he’d do perfectly well on his own, and yet he never talked down to him the entire time.  In truth, there’s quite a bit of Prufrock in him, too, but that’s somehow a comforting thought instead of a worrying one… maybe that’s why Ulysses can’t help but smile around him.

Murad is the one he’s not entirely sure what to make of yet.  At first glance, the younger tom seems very reserved and standoffish, preferring to operate on his own even during important missions, so Ulysses assumes he’s either shy or a bit of a snob (and the fancy collar he wears didn’t help that perception).  But as he’s discovered over the course of several evening meetings and hunting parties, Murad’s more of a blithe spirit than he realized--more than a little eccentric in his sense of humor and way of speaking, extremely curious about the human world, surprisingly good with the kittens, and even a bit mischievous.  It’s just a shame that he tends to disappear whenever the mood strikes him; if he’d stick around long enough for Ulysses to really get a read on him, maybe they’d get along better.  In fact, now that he thinks of it... perhaps Murad might be another cat he has a surprising amount in common with.

Pushdragon the Rumpus Cat and his friend Sylvani are a night and day difference from each other, and thus they inspired completely different reactions from Ulysses.  Pushdragon is also A Lot, very theatrical and boisterous and proud, and Ulysses always has to stifle a little “oh, no” every time he comes along on a patrol.  There’s no denying what a great Protector he is, even at his age, but when you’ve got a voice that can carry all the way down a street, Ulysses immediately gets a bit of a headache.  Sylvani, on the other hand, is plenty sharp-tongued and no-nonsense, but also much subtler and quieter, much to Ulysses’ relief.  The two of them have teamed up for various patrols as well, and there’s another part of him that admires how she never feels the need to raise her voice to make it heard.  If nothing else, he hopes he’ll still be an able Protector when he’s as old as they are.

And of course, he’s very fond of all the Trainees in his own way.  Plato’s always a perfect sweetheart, and Ulysses ends up becoming a sort of honorary uncle to him, always offering encouragement and advice when he’s too scared or overwhelmed to ask for it.  George and Gareth (Caramel) are also darlings, and he finds Gareth’s storybook aspirations to become “the greatest and bravest Protector in the world” charming, even if he wants to tell the poor lad not to go looking for danger in order to prove it.  Electra, Carbucketty, Pouncival, Spike, and AJ are the ones he frets after the most since they can be little whirlwinds sometimes, but he has nothing but faith in both them and their respective mentors.  And since Electra is one of Etcetera’s best friends, and Etcetera was the first Junkyard kitten to essentially imprint on Ulysses, he can’t help how fond he is of Electra as well.