#little kitten mews too loud

[midnottart]

⚡️🐍 Shh~ • What do you think, why does Loki need to be quiet 👀

[iliketangerines]

Can write about how the the Lin Kuei brothers would react if a reader brought home a lost kitten?

I like to imagine Bihan thinks it's adorable but doesn't know what to do and is like "what do I do with it?" Bc it's so small while Kuai Liang becomes a cat dad immediately while Tomas turns into a puddle because of its cuteness 😂

the lost kitten

a/n: i did base bi han on my mom actually

pairing: bi han, kuai liang, tomas vrabda + gn!reader

warnings: none :)

Bi Han sits across from you with his arms crossed, hard glare set on you and the small ball of fluff curled up in your arms, and he says no

you give him a pout, begging him please please please to let you have a small kitten, and Kuai Liang sighs and says to his elder brother that he should just let you have the kitten

Bi Han scowls and gives another firm no, voice hard and unwavering, but Tomas on the other side of him seems to ignore his grandmaster’s words and rushes over to you

his fingers brush over the soft fur, and the kitten lets out a loud mew at the brush and swipes its little claws at the gray assassin

Tomas lets out a little gasp and then back to Bi Han, saying that they must keep the kitten, and the both of you attempt to give him your best puppy dog eyes

Bi Han scoffs but looks off to the side, and the two of you know that you’ve won

he may be a cold-hearted grandmaster, but he was weak to the will of you and his youngest brother no matter how hard he tried to dislike you both sometimes

then, he turns back and says that he’s not doing any work for the kitten, that all the work came down to you two since you both wanted the kitten so badly

you bow to him, thanking him profusely, and you grab onto Tomas’s shoulder and squeal with him excitedly as you bring the kitten back to your room and start planning what supplies you need to buy

Kuai bumps Bi Han with his shoulder, chuckling as he says that he knew that Bi Han would not be able to resist your charm

the grandmaster just rolls his eyes and stands up from his seat, stiffly walking back to his room

the next few days, you show up to training as usual, but the second Bi Han dismisses you and Tomas, the both of you rush off back to your room, laughing and trying to beat each other back

sometimes, even Kuai walked off to your room with the both of you to see the kitten that you nurse

only Bi Han had not seen the kitten again, and he wasn’t going to, soft and useless and much too helpless for him to care about it

except, while you’re at dinner, he passes by your room, and even out here he can hear the small angry mewls of the kitten in the room

he walks past, scoffing and reminding himself that the kitten was yours and Tomas’s job to take care of and if the kitten died of anger or hunger, it wasn’t his fault

ah, fuck, fine

he walks back to your room and slides open the door, and he finds the kitten at the entrance, mewing angrily and already trying to clumsily stomp out of the room, but Bi Han easily scoops the kitten up into his large hand and deposits it onto your bed

the kitten just lets out a scratchy mew and furiously stomps toward the door, and Bi Han turns them around again and again and again, finding amusement in how stubborn the kitten was

it reminded him of you in a way, and he stayed there until the kitten finally tired itself out and took a sleepy stomp forward and then promptly fell asleep right there

Bi Han watched it, chest rising up and down, fur sticking up in every which direction, and he runs a finger over its back

it really was quite soft, but the kitten wasn’t his responsibility and wasn’t his problem and wasn’t his anything

Bi Han left before you came back, vowing that he wouldn’t see the kitten again

except he did

when you were out for dinner, lunch, breakfast, whenever you and his brothers weren’t in your room fawning over the kitten, Bi Han would go

he made snowflakes for the kitten to chase, and he let it play with the little ice balls that he made, chasing them all around the room until it promptly fell asleep while running

Bi Han quickly learned that the kitten was called Moss and that he loved eating salmon, just like you

Tomas snuck salmon from the kitchens a few times, and the only reason Bi Han knew is because he was also there to sneak salmon to the kitten and had hid in the shadows

Kuai Liang would buy little toys from the market whenever he went into town, and Bi Han knew as well because he was also in town buying little things for the kitten

you played with the kitten the most, buying it food and outfits and treats and taking so many pictures of it on your phone, and Bi Han was jealous that you spent so much time with the kitten

Bi Han waited until you were out of the room, talking to Tomas about something, and then he snuck in from the window, crawling in silently, and the kitten meowed in excitement

it had been a few months since it had been here, and technically Moss had finally grown up, but he was still so tiny compared to the grandmaster

he was growing to be a ferocious warrior, sharp nails, loud attitude, and stubborn as an iceberg, and Bi Han often called Moss his little snowflake

he sat on the bed, letting Moss chase the little snowflakes, but then the cat yawned and crawled into Bi Han’s lap, purring loudly and falling asleep

the grandmaster sighed, petting Moss’s soft fur and sighing at how content the cat was, and then the door slid open and he heard you squeal and saw you pull out your phone

Kuai Liang has a shit-eating smirk on his face, and Tomas has his mouth open and then pouts that even Moss hadn’t sat in his lap yet

in the end, although Moss would always gravitate towards you, the cat definitely loved Bi Han the most

[beddybites]

Anymore thoughts on the baby gyomei au? Such a cute baby :(( Specifically how Kagaya acts with him? Or how he acts with any of the baby Aus. He just loves his children :(

anon im so sorry this took forever i was trying to put everyrhing to words… yes i have so many thoughts about gyomei!!

gyomei in the tiny 21 trio au [ #tiny 21 trio au ]

- father slash genuine

- he’s distant at first but the longer they’re little and the more they struggle he pitches in. his anxiety with being around children slowly disappears and suddenly hes got an extreme case of baby fever

- if the babies are all upset they are taken to gyomei and gyomei Always cheers them right up

- it gets to a point where the babies regularly ask for gyomei, though they refer to him as papa. insert them wailing and babbling begging to see their papa because its been a couple days and they miss him

- if the others cannot give the babies their papa, they get their big brothers instead (genya/tanjiro/muichiro or rengoku)

- gyomei is constantly in tears whenever they’re in baby mode around him

- because obanai squeaks and mewls like a kitten, gyomei refers to him as his “baby cat” … obanai clings onto him and can usually be seen snuggled up to his collarbone

- sanemi is a little terror until it comes to gyomei. he respects gyomei too much

- gyomei sleeps next to the crib. always. he hears the smallest sound and hes shooting up to make sure they’re okay

baby gyomei au [ #baby gyomei au ]

- his memories are all in tact and hes familiar with whats going on

- hes very cooperative and easy. he knows he’s in good hands so he abides by everything and tries to make taking care of him as simple as possible while sort of treating this as a “vacation”

- kagaya is alarmed and worried at first, because oh god the strongest hashira is now a little younger than a year… but he falls victim to the charm of baby gyomei

- gyomei is super sensitive and gentle. he goes “uhhmm…” a lot when he’s thinking, and likes to pet at his own head to try and get his bangs out of his eyes, since he’s not used to the longer hair

- very sensitive to loud sounds. half the time he starts bawling is because he was startled by something/someone

- muichiro and genya regularly fight over who gets to babysit

- muichiro almost always wins

- gyomei will just sit there listening to their banter and remind himself hes on vacation and only get involved if it actually gets serious (it never does)

- he’s a little embarrassed abt the whole situation but everyones really nice about it. nobody teases him (because its Gyomei) and everyone’s super respectful and always makes sure he’s doing okay

- muichiro gets upset whenever gyomei is taken from him

- gyomeo gets upset whenever he is taken from muichiro

- gyomeis favorite toy is a plush calico kitty that muichiro gifted him. he calls it “mew mew” (he calls muichiro ���mew mew’ too)

- tengen is very excited about being the eldest and coos and coddles the little guy. gyomei is a little exasperated but he’s just happy tengen’s happy

- he has nightmares a lot, so he never sleeps alone

attaching my favorite baby gyomei doodle ever i like it a lot… look at him. fun fact his bangs are similar to muichiro’s. i like their family relationship a lot

[majoryeager104]

Fuzzball

Dabi/Touya x gn!reader

Summary: Touya comes to your room for a late night visit only to find you had another guest in your bed

Warnings: Touya being jealous as fuck over an actual kitten, like to a concerning extent, Touya being a suggestive horny mf, basically Touya being Touya ig. Language obv

Touya couldn’t sleep alone anymore. Tossing and turning was practically part of his routine sleep schedule when you weren’t in bed beside him. It wasn’t like he’d get cold- he had plenty of heat to spare all on his own- but he’d get lonely without the feeling of your body weighing down the other side of the bed, or even better, close to his. 

And being a lonely man, in these moments of weakness when you weren’t around, he’d find himself needing you, your empty space on the bed adding to his frustration as he sat up, rubbing his tired blue eyes. He was reluctant to get up and bother you, it wasn’t like the two of you were fighting, but he knew that sometimes you needed your personal space, just as he’d need his. 

But lately, as he’d noticed with disdain, something had been different about you. You were constantly going to bed earlier, constantly walking in and out of your room, sneaking groceries in on the rare occasion that you were out and about past ten o’clock. 

It used to be that he could count on you in the late hours of the night- he’d go on walks with you, watch movies, cuddle… the list could go on, but for the sake of his own desires he shook the thoughts from his head, sitting up to march towards your room down the hall of the small abandoned house the league was temporarily inhabiting.

He walked up to the door, stopping before he knocked, his brows immediately furrowed as he heard you within the four walls of your bedroom. You were giggling. What for? Were you watching something? No, he’d be able to hear it, as well as the gentle hum of your projector. He clenched his fists, growling a bit as the thought entered his mind. Were you with someone? 

His brow furrowed even further. He’d trusted you for so long that the idea of you sneaking around on the side was the last thing that entered his mind. Now some of your recent behavior started to click, That’s on him for trusting again, or at least that what he thought. 

He raised his fist, his knuckles already white as he beat them against the door- not too loud to wake the rest of the league, but enough to stop that damn giggling. 

He groaned in frustration as he heard you get up from your bed, the gentle creak of the old mattress a familiar sound to him for reasons he was now trying to shake out of his head. 

You opened the door, peeking out. When you saw it was him, you smiled a bit, but he immediately saw the way your smile twitched- you were nervous. “Hey Touya! What’s- oh!” You yelped softly in surprise as he pushed past you into the room, his cold blue eyes scanning every inch for any sign, anything. “What were you laughing at?” He said gruffly, checking under the bed. “Laughing? I wasn’t laughing” you said nervously, to which he shot you a glare, which silenced you immediately- now wasn’t the time to lie. “What the hell are you up to?” He narrowed his eyes, checking your closet, bathroom, everything. “If you didn’t want me anymore, you coulda just said so” he growled, his hurt getting the best of him, boiling into anger as he slammed the bathroom door shut, checking the window “what do you mean? Touya, I-“ “if you wanna lie to me you can just call me Dabi” “okay, Dabi, check the bed” you crossed your arms, scoffing at his attitude. He shot you another glare, marching over to your bed, ripping back the blankets, his eyes narrowed as they landed on-

A cat. It was a damn cat. 

He sighed, dropping the blanket as he glared at you, the cat, which he realized was merely a kitten, black and white, mewed up at him, its little voice squeaky as it waddled towards the edge of the bed, where he watched it almost fall off. 

Luckily, you caught it with a gasp, cooing as you held the kitten in your arms, sitting on the corner of your now messy bed. “Babe what the fuck.” Touya said bluntly, watching with shock, frustration, and a bitter sense of relief as your gentle fingers soothed the kitten, dancing along its fluffy back with a content hum. “I found it in the alley out back and Tomura said I could keep it-“ “who gives a shit get rid of it.” “Touya-“ “do it or I will” he said gruffly, crossing his arms, almost like a kid throwing a tantrum. You pouted slightly. “No. You don’t even know his name yet.” “It’s a he? Nah, no chance it’s staying.” “It’s a cat, Touya?” “What’s that got to do with it? These are basic principles.” He sat next to you, taking the small kitten from your arms with one hand. “So this is the little shit that’s been keeping you from me.” You tried to protest but he stood up, pushing you back down as he held it in the air, like a scene straight outta the lion king. “It’s fuckin ugly. I say that’s its name. Now get it out of our fucking room before I burn the thing” he growled, causing you to gasp as you stood. “Our room?” You retorted, trying to jump up and retrieve your furry friend, who was currently and surprisingly quite content in his one handed grip as he held it over your head. “Yeah, if you’re gonna pull shit like this I clearly can’t leave you alone” he smirked down at you, watching your feeble attempts with amusement. “Why can’t he stay?  He’ll die out there” “truly a tragedy” “Touya!” You pouted, his words clearly affecting you as you stopped your attempts. He tilted his head, chuckling. This was getting fun. “It’s a cat” “he’s my cat” you crossed your arms as he lowered it down to eye level. “You better not have named this thing” “his name is Levi” you said bluntly, causing Touya to groan, cringing slightly “like the anime character? Now he’s definitely getting tossed-“ “Please Touya, let him stay” you pleaded, and maybe he was crazy, or maybe it was just the lighting, but your eyes kinda looked…

“Are you actually crying right now?” He scoffed, the kitten meowing loudly in his hand, as if telling him to lay off you. You sniffled, an audible confirmation to his question, to which he huffed in annoyance, or rather shame, knowing he’d taken his teasing revenge a bit too far.

He sighed, placing the fluffball in your hands as he turned away, walking back towards your bed, waving a hand. “Whatever. Keep it. Just quit crying…please” he said gruffly, leaning down to fix your blankets while you stood behind him, wide eyed and confused. 

“I…thanks” you said softly, placing the kitten down on the newly fixed bedding as he sat down, crossing his legs as he glared down at the ball of fuzz that had caused him so much trouble. “I said whatever. Go get ready for bed” he deflected, rolling his eyes as he pulled out his phone. You nodded, reluctantly leaving the kitten lying on the bed next to him, shutting the door  behind you as you quickly got dressed. The kitten, Levi, padded up to Touya, mewing at him a few times before cuddling up right in his lap, purring softly against his sweatpants. He scoffed, glaring down at the kitten. He supposed it wasn’t too bad, it was kinda soft when he pet it, and the purring was loud and adorable. But still. It was annoying as hell getting used as a heating pad by yet another individual now present in his life. 

“See? He’s sweet” your voice came from the doorway as you stepped out in your pajamas, smiling at the two of them. Touya scoffed, pulling the kitten from his lap, with little Levi yelling in protest. “Whatever. C’mere, you’ve been ignoring me” he huffed, yanking you into his lap instead. “Replacing me with a fuckin cat” he mumbled against your shoulder, shaking his head as he gripped your hips gently, pulling you closer as he planted kisses on your neck. “Not replacement!” You corrected with a chirp, and he rolled his eyes “guess you’re right, u mean I certainly bring more to a relationship than him” he smirked, shoving Levi over, who had been once more attempting to climb into his lap. You scoffed, picking Levi up to pet him, only for Touya to take him and gently place him on the floor, grinning as he now had your full attention. “And what more do you bring besides being mean?” You scoffed, crossing your arms. “Shouldn’t have asked doll now I have to show ya” he chuckled, before flipping over to pin you to the bed, grinning as he looked down at you. “Shouldn’t have been ignoring me all week”

Levi will love Touya (cos he’s so warm lmao) but Touya will always give Levi the meanest side eyes

[whorediaries-09]

sweater weather;

pairing- roommate!sirius black x reader warning(s)- fluff, some silly banter, tad bit suggestive. (let me know if i should add more) a/n- aghhh just a brain rot 😞🤍. also this whole series is so self indulgent 🤭

masterlist of 'the seven lives;' series

the slut club

and now, so let me hold both your hands in the holes of my sweater

he doesn’t like cats.

much to his dismay, you’re bending down and cooing at the little kitten that curls up against your ankle. it has got soft blue eyes which reflect innocence. you run your fingers through its black fur, picking the small animal up. he likes the soft smile on your face. it fills his chest with a warm fuzzy feeling he can’t explain. neither can he explain why his heart skips a few beats when he notices the twinkling in your eyes. it almost makes him drown into a frenzy of warmth.

‘can we keep her?’ you ask. there’s something in your voice that sends sparks of electricity down his spine. it’s as if he’s known you his whole life. he doesn’t want to say no, but he can’t help it. he digs the edge of his boot on the loose gravel of the path. twirling around the loops grocery packet between his fingers, he whispers, scared to let the joy in your eyes leave.

‘no,’ he tries to predict your reaction, but fails to. surely the joy in your eyes melts, but the hope doesn’t. from what he knows about you, he knows you’re a stubborn person who stands their ground. you always get your way around in some way or the other. but you’re also a people pleaser. you hate it when you’ve to truly go against somebody’s wishes to do something you want.

so, he watches as you wrap the little kitten between the folds flannel you’re wearing. there’s a mischievous glint in your eyes, a small smirk between the curve of your smile. it’s the same one you wear when you read something mildly suggestive in your books.

‘please, sirius,’ you drawl. the kitten mewls from the folds of the fabric, her eyes glinting the same mischief as yours do. he feels his breath palpitate when you move closer, putting the face of the kitten closer to his.

‘look she wants to come with us too, that’s why she’s mewing,’ you justify. he gulps slowly, his barrier of rigidity slowly breaking. he feels his thoughts melt when he stares at your lips. even though he’s never touched them before, he suddenly thinks he knows them. he feels he can carve every shape, every curve of your body with his eyes closed.

‘okay,’ he gulps. you squeal, a quiet sound from your lips.

he thinks it’s melody to his ears.

*-

‘sirius!’ you shout across the room. your kitten, binx, is curled across your chest, purring away silently as you rub your fingers through her fur. you’re laying down, your feet thrown across the sofa, letting the nail paint on your toes dry. the mild winter allows a soft sunbeam to peek through the windows.

‘what?’ he asks, coming out of his door. he has nothing but a towel wrapped around his narrow waist. several tattoos are inked upon his porcelain skin with happy trail on his abdomen which traces down, leaving less to imagination. his hair is wet and droplets of water trace down his defined pectorals. while you’d been living with him for nearly 8 months now, you’d definitely never seen him shirtless. it makes your chest fill with a strange warmth. it makes your brain short circuit for a moment when he smiles, walking towards you.

‘like what you see?’ he teases, wiggling his eyebrow. you gulp slowly, before you regain your composure.

‘i can’t hear you over the loud music,’ you say, getting up. binx falls on your lap, and she scratches your arms with her nails.

‘hey hey, calm down little woman!’ sirius says, noticing her scratching you. he takes her into her arms, her little paws trying to scratch at a surface.

‘don’t do that to your mum,’ he says, looking into her eyes. she stops fidgeting for a bit, before she mews loudly throwing her paws on his chest and leaving a long scratch across it. it digs deep into his skin, letting out blood.

‘binx! you naughty menace!’ you scold as she scurries off, jumping from sirius’ hold.

‘asshole,’ he murmurs, grasping his wound.

‘i’ll patch it up for you,’ you say.

*-

‘do you trust me?’ you ask, holding the cotton soaked with the antiseptic with a pair of tweezers. you’re standing in between his thighs. he’s wearing nothing but grey sweatpants, being overly dramatic for the scratch on his chest. while you think it’s adorable, you’re sure it’s just for the shits and giggles.

‘i do, but i feel like I shouldn’t?’ he answers, grinning mischievously. he likes your form between his legs he thinks. it makes him go feral, you looking down at him while you fix his wounds. it makes his imagination go wild. the idea of you touching him while he’s half naked thrills something inside his stomach.

you slap him across his shoulder. it’s a soft playful blow and he laughs. his hands suddenly grip your waist, as he pulls you closer, almost mushing his face with your breasts. he watches the breath get stuck on your throat, as you wet your lip, tongue slowly darting out over your lower lips. you’re unconsciously leaning over his face, soaking the cotton ball into his blood.

he sneers as a soft burning pain grows, and his fingers dig deeper into your waist. you unconsciously arch your hips towards him, your hands falling on shoulder. the tension grows, and the heartbeats palpitate between the both of you. there’s a look of dreaminess in your eyes he’s never seen before. he thinks it makes him weak in the knees. you trail your fingernail on a tattoo, before rubbing the antiseptic on his wound.

your breaths are ragged when you finally close his wound with a patch. your job was done, you’d move away. you should move away. but his touch burns into your soul, but it isn’t enough. it feels familiar on your skin, yet so unfamiliar. you lean closer unconsciously as if from muscle memory. you cradle his face, your noses rubbing-

a loud noise of shattering glass distracts you. you pull apart, a flustered look on your face. heat occupies your skin as you crumble into a shell of embarrassment. he lets go of your waist, and you stutter,

‘binx- the little fucking minx-‘you say, before you run off.

*-

you’re carrying a cup of coffee in your hand, running late for your job. a piece of toast hangs from your lips, and you’re running around the house, trying to find your tie.

‘you can wear mineeeee,’ sirius drawls, closing the battered copy of ‘the picture of dorian gray’.

‘i could if you gave it to me!’ you shout, swallowing the last piece of the butter smothered bread.

‘you’ve a nice swallow game, i see,’ he muses. you groan, gulping down the last bit of your bitter coffee.

‘that’s a really bad one!’ you say, tucking your shirt into your trousers. screaming internally, you realize you can’t find your belt either. sirius enters his room, seemingly searching for his tie.

‘can you give me a belt too?’ you ask, hurrying off behind him. binx runs in front of your feet, and in an attempt to not fall on her, you fall on the floor with a thump, followed by sirius who trips on you.

his locks tickle your face, his grey eyes staring into yours with an intensity which reminds you a memory you never had. it’s a minor flash, something of a haze like dream, but you remember it so clearly. your breathing rages, hotness searing through you as his scent and warmth looms over you. there’s a glint in his eyes you can’t decipher, but your memory has it engrained. as if you’ve seen it a thousand times.

‘i like it when you’re under me,’ he whispers. it’s a low rasp, one you’ve never heard before, yet it ignites something in you.

something that excites you.

*-

he’s fleeing when he receives your call. your voice was a timid whisper when you’d called him, laced with fear. he hated it, he hated how it sounded. but when he arrives at the bar, he finds you completely safe, surrounded by your friends. you’re chatting happily, your skin flushed with the alcohol that renders through your body. he’s perplexed, till one of your friends spot him. she bats her eyelashes at you, whistling as he walks towards you.

‘what happened?’ he asks. he holds your fingers, gripping them tight. he’s trying to read through your emotions. he’s trying to read you through the happy smile and shining eyes. but he’s too distracted by how happy you look.

‘it wasz a prankh!’ you cheer happily, your drunk state rendering your words.

‘seriously?’ he asks, rolling his eyes. he’s smiling, he can’t help it. you laugh,

‘yess!’ you try to stand up, but trip on your heels instead. he holds you closer, letting you support your weight on him.

‘you’ve had too much to drink,’ he scolds. you gaze at him happily, your hormones getting the best of you.

‘i know!’ you exclaim, feeling the collywobbles consume you as his scent tantalizes into your senses.

‘don’t you think we should leave?’ he asks.

‘should we?’

‘yes,’ he says, pulling you closer. his fingers dig into your skin, feeling your touch. it calms his nerves. still, he needs to hold you closer, to feel you, to know you’re safe.

‘okay i’ll go. will you take me home?’ you ask, an innocence provoked in your voice. he feels himself melt, scarring him and his memories.

‘i’ll do. i’ll always take you home.’

*-

the stars are shining bright on the dark sky. you’ve his leather jacket wrapped around your form, as he holds you close. you reek of alcohol, but he doesn’t mind it. it’s infused distinctly with your perfume, and he finds his comfort in it.

‘hi,’ you say, wrapping your arm across his waist, pulling him closer. he presses a kiss on your hair, breathing you in. it’s perplexing, the burning emotions you let flee in his chest. the warmth he feels with your presence.

‘hi,’ he whispers back. there’s a glazed look in your eyes. he knows it. he remembers it. it reflects him, and he feels as if there’s no one in the world but you and him. his heart beats raggedly, and he’s afraid it’ll pop out of his chest, when you lean closer to him, pressing a soft kiss on his jaw.

‘you’re so beautiful,’ you say, snuggling against him. your heels click against the loose gravel of the path. it’s a moment of softness he wants to cherish forever.

‘but you’re hurting me…so much. i wish i could kiss you. i wish i could hold you like this forever. i wish i could keep you close with me, just for me,’ you ramble.

‘then why don’t you?’ he asks, his fingers cradling your jaw.

‘you’ll kiss me?’ he looks down at you, his eyes scanning your features. the cold air waves over your hair, and he holds your face between his hands. his fingers ghost over your lips. you lean into his hand, as he presses a soft peck on your chin.

‘i’ll do, when you’re sober,’ he promises.

*********************************

taglist - @reggieisfit @siriuslycaptainofthedawntreader @jamespottergf @eternallybipanicking (if you want to be tagged please reply under this post!)

[rippleclan]

RippleClan: Moon 65

Clammask gives birth to three healthy mollies not long after Halibutdusk gets greencough. Worried, Clammask decides to name them early.

[Image ID: With Halibutdusk in the background sporting + CONDITION: GREENCOUGH under them, Clammask faces three newborn kits; one red tabby, one white tabby, one black tabby. Under the red tabby, it says NEW PLAYER: POTTERYKIT, 0, FEMALE, SELF-CONSCIOUS. The white kit says NEW PLAYER: MOONKIT, 0, FEMALE, QUIET. Lastly, the black kit says NEW PLAYER: VERVAINKIT, 0, FEMALE, FEARLESS. Under Clammask, it says - CONDITION: PREGNANT, + CONDITION: RECOVERING FROM BIRTH.]

Somehow, giving birth to three kits was more exhausting than five. Perhaps it was all the stress of recent moons; Scrubmask’s death, three of Clammask’s four kits coming down with food poisoning, casually seeing Halibutdusk only to become pregnant… that was a lot for one molly to handle! Add in the fact that the moon did not shine over the Clans on the first day of autumn’s third moon when Clammask felt a familiar pain in her gut, and Halibutdusk was stuck in the quarantine den with a loud case of greencough, how could she not be stressed?

This kitting was shorter, thank StarClan. It was still nightfall when Clammask cleaned off her last little kit and helped her snuggle up to her belly. Oilstripe, Tallowkit, and Slushkit had vacated the nursery for a while to give Clammask room to kit, but Lemmy, her belly fat against her thin frame, still slept inside, dreams undisturbed by the new life born to the Clan. The only other cat in the nursery was Troutpool (Clammask simply couldn’t ask her own son to help deliver her kits, it felt so strange!). 

The head cleric carefully examined the three mollies at Clammask’s side while the golden molly caught her breath. The first was red with markings that reminded Clammask of her father. The second-born kit was white, with pale gray rosettes along her back. Although she was still slick from birth, Clammask could tell she would be long-furred in the future. The youngest looked so much like Drumtooth that Clammask was taken aback for a moment.

“They all look very healthy,” Troutpool said, stepping back. She placed her dirty bowl (once full of strengthening medicine for the kitting) and the broken stick Clammask bit into a basket at the den’s edge. “I don’t notice any deformed limbs or other issues. I… I won’t try to predict their future this time.” Clammask licked each kit’s head. None of them looked like her lost golden daughter. Perhaps that was for the best. “Do you still want me to perform that ceremony we discussed?”

“It would make me feel better,” Clammask sighed. Troutpool nodded and stuck her face into her basket. She took out a tiny jar; the gouges carved in for teeth holds left little room on the inside. She peeled off the thin leather lid trapping the contents. The jar was full of dirt. Troutpool sprinkled a bit of dirt over each kitten’s back. Each was too caught up in the shock of being alive, mewing and nursing, to really care.

“Dustfur, Celestial of the Newborn,” Troutpool prayed, setting the jar at Clammask’s head, “you taught the Clans not to mourn the stillborn and those taken before they even got a chance to see the faces of their kin. You were the one who revealed to us how StarClan accompanies litters on their way to the Clans and return to Silverpelt when their time is done. One of Clammask’s kits was one of these StarClan guardians. We do not know what awaits these kits in the coming quarter moon, but we ask you, give them souls of their own. Allow them to grow into strong and proud individuals who will make RippleClan proud. Do not taunt Clammask once more by taking a kit away. Allow them all to live, Dustfur. Give us your celestial blessing.” The ritual done, Troutpool licked the dirt off the kittens, sneering at the taste. 

“If one of your daughters is a StarClan warrior,” Troutpool explained, “performing this ritual so soon after their birth may allow them to become cats of their own, rather than a protector for the others.” Clammask nudged her little mollies back to her belly, purring as they cried outrage at yet another grooming. “When you feel strong enough, we can move you to a fresh nest and get rid of all this dirty moss. Do you need anything else?”

“Maybe a leather pelt over my back?” Clammask asked. “It’s a cold night.”

“I’ll also have Mosspounce build a fire outside the den when he wakes up,” Troutpool promised with a nod. She touched noses with Clammask and trotted off. 

With a few moments alone in the nursery, Clammask stared at her daughters. Halibutdusk’s daughters too. Scrubmask wasn’t one to hold grudges, Clammask doubted she would be mad at her for finding another mate. But was she right for Halibutdusk? Her feelings for them were not a perfect match to her relationship with Scrubmask. Perhaps it was because she grew up alongside Halibutdusk, shared every heartbreak and celebration alongside them. Scrubmask was a whirlwind that pulled Clammask into a new life, a new family. Halibutdusk had just… always been there. They were the ocean, forever licking the shore, something whose absence Clammask could not imagine.

She prayed she would not have to live in that absence soon.

“I’ll warn you now,” Troutpool said, entering the den with a stitched-up pelt thrown across her back, “your sons are chomping at my tail to see you.” Troutpool threw the pelt over Clammask’s haunches.

“Send them in,” Clammask purred.

“We can come in? Finally!” Honeybuzz and Splashtuft shoved their way into the nursery, bumping shoulders to get a better look at their new siblings. Leathermask and Drumtooth lingered behind them, trying to catch a glimpse from the side. Honeybuzz and Splashtuft almost knocked Troutpool over.

“Is that all of them?” Leathermask gasped, squirming between his two boisterous brothers.

“They’re all mollies,” Clammask purred. “How funny is that?”

“Big brothers for little sisters,” Drumtooth hummed, finally managing to get into the den by shoving Splashtuft’s big flank to the side.

“I don’t suppose you can let me out?” Troutpool chuckled, slipping her basket around her neck.

“Sorry, Troutpool,” Splashtuft chirped. He moved to the side and knocked Drumtooth against the den wall. Troutpool left before she became the next victim of the litter’s excitement.

“How do you feel, Mom?” Honeybuzz asked. His clerical eye studied Clammask’s messy nest and the newborn shine on his sisters’ pelts.

“Very tired,” Clammask admitted, “but very happy. And I'm a little nervous if I’m honest.” Clammask nuzzled her daughters once more. “I want to do something, but I’m afraid you may judge me a little, Honeybuzz. I know I should wait to name them, like Scrubmask and I waited to name you four, but I don’t want to do that this time around. I want them to have names now.” Clammask was right; the enthusiasm in Honeybuzz’s face froze as he tried not to let it drop.

“Don’t do that,” Drumtooth huffed, appearing on the other side of the pack and shoving Honeybuzz’s shoulder.

“If you want,” Clammask sighed, “you can help name your sisters. We can keep it between the five of us for now.” 

“Really?” Leathermask gasped softly. “Honeybuzz, let’s name the red kit first!” Honeybuzz squirmed a bit, but joined his brown-furred brother in study of their red-colored sister.

“Could we call her Redkit?” Honeybuzz suggested.

“That’s such a boring name,” Splashtuft scoffed. Clammask couldn’t help but laugh at that. He looked so much like Scrubmask in that moment.

“Troutpool left something behind,” Leathermask pointed out. The small jar with the ritual dust still sat at Clammask’s head. “Huh. The jar is the same color as the red kit’s fur. What if we called her Potterykit?”

“I approve,” Clammask purred. “Let your other brothers name the white molly.” Drumtooth squirmed closer to Splashtuft and they turned their gaze to the long-furred kitten.

“I want to name her Moonkit,” Drumtooth said.

“But our Clan’s guide is called Moonpaw,” Honeybuzz reminded him. “That feels… wrong, in a way.”

“StarClan isn’t going to ban the use of a prefix for the rest of history just because of one cat,” Splashtuft scoffed. “I like it, Drumtooth. Potterykit and Moonkit.”

“But what in the world do we call the last kitten?” Leathermask sighed. All four brothers leaned so close to the black molly, they were practically touching Clammask’s belly.

“I can’t think of a single good name for her,” Splashtuft muttered.

“Nightkit?” Leathermask suggested.

“How many black cats in history have been named Nightkit?” Drumtooth said. “Don’t we want our sister to stand out?”

“Stormkit, Butterflykit, Oysterkit…” Honeybuzz muttered. “Hootkit?”

“Hootkit?” Splashtuft laughed. “Do you want apprentices to make fun of her at Gatherings?”

“Hear me out, hear me out,” Drumtooth said, his soft voice catching his brothers’ attention. “Vervainkit.”

“But vervain is purple,” Splashtuft said.

“And drums are brown,” Drumtooth pointed out. “Vervains are pretty flowers. Something about their color reminds me of her.”

“Potterykit, Moonkit, and Vervainkit,” Clammask declared. She leaned over and nuzzled all of her kits, toms and mollies, newborn and adult. “Welcome to the family.” All four toms purred deeply.

“Do you think Halibutdusk will be upset that we named the kits without them?” Drumtooth wondered. 

“To be fair,” Splashtuft chuckled, pulling back, “we don’t have to tell them.”

“I know you all said you were happy for me,” Clammask said, shuffling tighter around the newborns, “but I want to be sure here. They aren’t a replacement for Scrubmask. I wasn’t trying to do that.”

“We know, Mom,” Honeybuzz promised. “We’ll still love the kits. We’re happy to have little sisters to care for.” Clammask’s purrs took over her entire body. Her sons gathered around her and groomed her tired pelt as she soaked in the joy.

(Clammask: 59, female, caretaker, righteous, lore master, good teacher)

(Halibutdusk: 57, nonbinary (they/them), warrior, gloomy, masterful storyteller, clever)

(Troutpool: 26, female, cleric, insecure, ghost sense)

(Honeybuzz: 13, male, cleric, daring, constantly fiddling with tools)

(Splashtuft: 13, male, historian, adventurous, fast runner, student of art)

(Leathermask: 13, male, warrior, nervous, great speaker, good fighter)

(Drumtooth: 13, trans male, caretaker, loyal, great hunter, clever)

(Potterykit: 0, female, kit, self-conscious)

(Moonkit: 0, female, kit, quiet)

(Vervainkit: 0, female, kit, fearless)

Lavendertwist works with the AshClan historians to make a proper record of the Rippling Ashes (Darkkick, Weedfoot, and Paleseed) and their exploits in the Dark Forest.

[Image ID: Lavendertwist and Splashtuft face a black rosette apprentice. Under her, it says NEW PLAYER: MITEPAW, 7, FEMALE, INSECURE, QUICK TO MAKE PEACE.]

---

“It’s hard to believe our former leader would grow to hate us so much…” sighed Minkshine, an AshClan historian. She and two other historians, Blackmist and Comfreytoe, sat along the AshClan border while Lavendertwist and Splashtuft lounged on their side, sharing tongues with their forest counterparts. It was sunhigh, after all, and if the group was going to spend most of the day describing the official story of the Rippling Ashes, Lavendertwist and Splashtuft were going to relax.

“When you’re stuck in your ways like he was,” Lavendertwist sighed, “friends can quickly become enemies.”

“So Autumnstar used his Dark Forest powers to curse AshClan…” Blackmist muttered, grooming Splashtuft’s long fur as he spoke. “So many of our friends and family died because of him… their names have to be recorded in the story. All of them.”

“Ah, name memorization,” Lavendertwist chuckled, squirming. “My old nemesis.”

“I can handle that,” Splashtuft chirped. “Start listing out names, Blackmist.”

“Actually,” Comfreytoe groaned, glancing back into the trees of AshClan, “we’re still waiting on someone. She should be here before we continue.”

“Who’s our special guest?” Lavendertwist asked, leaves crunching underneath him as he rolled onto his back. 

“Someone who needs a fresh start,” Comfreytoe sighed.

“It’s still hard to believe Eelstar and Barkfur agreed to this,” Blackmist muttered, letting Splashtuft take a turn grooming him, “but if Mitepaw can find some peace from it, so be it.”

“Mitepaw?” Lavendertwist hummed.

“I’m here!” a young voice gulped. While Lavendertwist heard the cat crunching leaves under her paws and panting, he only saw her once she stood in front of a pale bush. She was one of the blackest cats Lavendertwist had ever seen, with even blacket rosette markings. Pale yellow eyes bounced between Lavendertwist and Splashtuft. Bouldersong, one of AshClan��s caretakers, joined the small apprentice.

“RippleClan,” Bouldersong purred, placing his tail on the apprentice’s back, “I would like you to meet Mitepaw. She would like to join your Clan.”

“What?” Splashtuft gasped, sitting up so quickly that his head smacked Blackmist’s jaw. 

“Both of her parents died as a result of the chronic frostbite that kept infecting our older Clanmates,” Minkshine explained as Mitepaw rubbed a paw deep into the leaf litter. “She’s struggled in our Clan ever since. We believe that in order to give her a fresh start, she needs to leave our home for another. Since RippleClan’s developed a reputation for accepting wayward apprentices, we thought she would fit in well with you.”

“Eelstar is letting one of his apprentices join RippleClan?” Lavendertwist scoffed. “I thought he hated us.”

“His opinions are more nuanced than you’d think,” Comfreytoe insisted. “Mitepaw is an artisan apprentice. She has a knack for woodwork and should take to your Clan’s crafts well.”

“You really want to join us, Mitepaw?” Splashtuft asked. He risked crossing the border to approach the small apprentice. Since no one clawed his ears off, he kept going. “This isn’t a decision you can take back.” Mitepaw hesitated, words getting caught in her mouth. She looked at her Clanmates, as though waiting for someone to snap at her. She swallowed hard.

“I don’t like AshClan,” Mitepaw said. “Everyone is grieving. It makes it hard to breathe. I don’t want to grow up in a Clan that’s carrying such hurt with them.” The AshClan historians grew lost as Mitepaw explained herself. No one countered her claim.

“I’m sure Downstar will welcome you, then,” Splashtuft purred, touching noses with Mitepaw.

“You can always talk to your old Clanmates at Gatherings, Mitepaw,” Bouldersong sighed. “I hope RippleClan will be better for you than we have been.” Bouldersong licked Mitepaw’s ear. The young apprentice purred softly. She left Bouldersong’s side and joined Splashtuft.

“So you’ll take her to your camp when we’re finished here?” Minkshine asked.

“Absolutely,” Lavendertwist promised as Splashtuft led Mitepaw across the border. “We have just the mentor for her.” 

(Lavendertwist: 31, male, historian, playful, great singer, good storyteller)

(Splashtuft: 13, male, historian, adventurous, fast runner, student of art)

(Mitepaw: 7, female, artisan apprentice, insecure, quick to make peace)

[Image ID: Rapidleaf, Asterpaw, and Elmsprout stand behind Mitepaw as she listens to Rattlepelt say, “It will be better for you to live in a Clan that is loyal to its members. You’ve escaped a rotten place, Mitepaw.”]

Later that day, as RippleClan buzzed with sunset activity, Mitepaw took in the sights of her new home. The shipwreck was so tall! Despite the late autumn cold, the sand felt warm from the sun. Even the air felt lighter in RippleClan! This was the right choice, Mitepaw was certain of it. There was a glimmer in everyone’s eyes as they surrounded her following her new apprentice ceremony. She soaked it all in as she stood beside her strange and famous new mentor; Rattlepelt. 

“Mitepaw!” A long-furred gray molly made her way to the front of the crowd of unfamiliar faces. A brown molly and a silver tom followed close behind.

“Hello,” Mitepaw chirped softly, bowing to the strangers. 

“No need to bow to your Clanmates in this Clan!” the silver molly said. “You’ve probably heard about me. I’m Elmsprout.”

“Oh, Eelstar’s daughter,” Mitepaw gasped. She took Elmsprout in a second time; she could see Eelstar’s color in Elmsprout’s darker tints. “Your father’s told the kits about you.”

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” Elmsprout chuckled. “He and I have… an awkward relationship. I wanted to make sure I could talk to you after your ceremony, because I’ve been where you are. We all have. We’re a bit of a Clan-within-a-Clan, you could say. We’ve all left our original Clans to join RippleClan. This is Rapidleaf and Asterpaw.”

“I’ll show you how to adapt to life in RippleClan,” Asterpaw promised, raising his tail high.

“Leaving my Clan was hard for me as well,” Rapidleaf said with a nod. “Like you, staying in LynxClan would have been too painful. RippleClan has built itself on second chances. Elmsprout befriended me as we both recovered from a bought of food poisoning a few moons ago, and we’ve both looked after Asterpaw since his arrival. If you need help, we promise to look after you, too.” 

“That’s…” Mitepaw purred, her whole body rippling, “that’s amazing!”

“It will be better for you to live in a Clan that is loyal to its members.” Oh, right! Rattlepelt was still standing there! She was so unlike any other cat Mitepaw had ever seen. Who else would have the courage to wear a fox pelt? She looked more like a fearsome warrior than the talented artisan Lavendertwist and Splashtuft made her out to be on the walk to RippleClan. “You’ve escaped a rotten place, Mitepaw.”

“I’m excited to learn under you, Artisan Rattlepelt,” Mitepaw said, bowing once more.

“Mitepaw, we don’t bow here!” Elmsprout laughed.

“Leave her be,” Rattlepelt scoffed. “If she wants to bow and use honorable titles, let her. It’s nice to be respected. Now Mitepaw, how would you like to learn the intricacies of leather-making from a master?” Mitepaw’s eyes sparkled. Learn to craft a leather pelt with the quality and skill of Rattlepelt’s fox fur? Learning in a Clan so bright and welcoming, under a mentor that was clearly wise and strong and clever, better than her old mentor in every way?

“Yes please!”

(Mitepaw: 7, female, artisan apprentice, insecure, quick to make peace)

(Elmsprout: 32, female, caretaker, charismatic, helpful insight)

(Rapidleaf: 84, female, warrior, lonesome, prophecy interpreter)

(Asterpaw: 12, male, caretaker apprentice, thoughtful, has lots of ideas)

(Rattlepelt: 48, female, artisan, bloodthirsty, leather artist)

Tallowkit reminds himself it will all be okay while Slushkit chews on a stick.

[Image ID: Tallowkit says “She won’t choke, she won’t choke…” as he watches Slushkit. Under Tallowkit, it says + NEW SKILL: SPLASHES IN PUDDLES. Under Slushkit, it says + NEW SKILL: QUICK WITTED.]

(Tallowkit: 1, male, kit, skittish, splashes in puddles)

(Slushkit: 1, female, kit, polite, quick witted)

Scaleripple and Tempestshade officially become mates.

[Image ID: Scaleripple and Tempestshade face each other. Under Scaleripple, it says + MATE: TEMPESTSHADE. Under Tempestshade, it says + MATE: SCALERIPPLE.]

---

Scaleripple couldn’t help but be in awe of Troutpool and Honeybuzz’s skill. When he had found Tempestshade half a moon prior, leg encased in a shimmering silver jaw, he had been certain it would have to come off. Yet there they were, half a moon later and still possessing four legs, even if one was so bandaged and slathered in ointment that it could hardly be called a leg. Honeybuzz had changed the bandages not so long ago, but Scaleripple could already see dots of blood leaking through. Not that Troutpool and Honeybuzz would notice; no, when Scaleripple visited Tempestshade that day, the Clan had a bit more exciting news to swallow.

“Our instincts are never more controlling than when a queen is kitting,” Troutpool explained to Mosspounce, waiting eagerly outside the den as she and Honeybuzz collected a few supplies into a basket. “Lemmy will know what to do with her kits, but she’ll need spiritual and emotional support. We’ll be with her the entire time, Mosspounce.”

“Are you sure Tempestshade can’t join us?” Mosspounce groaned, glancing around Troutpool to Tempestshade, whose nest sat in a quiet, warm corner of the medicine den. Scaleripple sat beside her, ice-faced and observant. “I want my kits to meet all of their kin.”

“Mosspounce, your kits won’t be able to meet anyone for a while,” Honeybuzz laughed. He slipped the basket around his neck. “They’re born with their eyes and ears shut. They’ll get to meet Tempestshade in the future, don’t worry.”

“But I wanna meet them,” Tempestshade whined. They laid sprawled across the nest, mangled leg carefully frozen on the edge. Their dark green eyes lacked some of their usual sparkle, devoured by the pain.

“You will, I promise,” Mosspounce said. Honeybuzz joined Mosspounce outside the den and the two trotted to the nursery. Troutpool, however, lingered, eyes wandering to Scaleripple.

“Will you be okay while we help Lemmy?” Troutpool asked.

“I won’t die,” Scaleripple growled. He laid in a loaf against Tempestshade’s nest, ignoring Troutpool’s gaze. Tempestshade chuckled, a soft, almost feverish sound. Troutpool shuffled her paws about.

“I didn’t want to have that vision,” Troutpool gulped. “I thought revealing it would spare Tempestshade a guilty verdict and protect RippleClan. I wouldn’t use StarClan to hurt them.”

“Did I say that’s what you did?” Scaleripple scoffed, daring to look up, even if Troutpool’s awkward expression made his skin hurt. “You don’t need to explain yourself. You just have to live with making Tempestshade a living omen of death.” Troutpool bowed her head low, closing her eyes. She followed her former apprentice and Mosspounce to the nursery, where Scaleripple could already hear Lemmy panting with the effort of her kitting.

“You showed her,” Tempestshade mumbled, purring. Scaleripple stared at Tempestshade. Why were they seemingly the only cats who truly understood the other? Scaleripple’s family loved him, he was certain of that, but did they know him like Tempestshade? Did they understand the strange way he worked, which separated him from everyone else? And did anyone else in the Clan dare to face the blunt of Tempestshade’s curse just to spend time with them? Did they appreciate their youthfulness, their honesty, their loyalty? From everything Scaleripple knew, two cats who were as close as he was to Tempestshade could only be called one thing.

“Tempestshade, are we mates?” he asked. Tempestshade cocked their head. A little life came back to their eyes.

“Haven’t we been mates since the summer?” they laughed. Oh. Well then.

“Maybe so,” Scaleripple purred. He rested his head on the edge of Tempestshade’s nest, a whisker length from their nose. Tempestshade hummed happily. They stretched and quickly touched noses with Scaleripple.

For once, Scaleripple didn’t mind.

(Scaleripple: 18, male, warrior, lonesome, formidable fighter)

(Troutpool: 26, female, cleric, insecure, ghost sense)

(Mosspounce: 26, male, caretaker, adventurous, talented fire-starter)

(Honeybuzz: 13, male, cleric, daring, constantly fiddling with tools)

(Tempestshade: 26, nonbinary (they/them), caretaker, childish, incredible cook)

Mosspounce wants to be a father with different motivations than his own, and feels proud when Lemmy delivers four healthy kits.

[Image ID: Lemmy and Mosspounce watch four newborn kits; a tortoiseshell, a black molly, a silver molly, and a gray tabby. Under Lemmy, it says - CONDITION: PREGNANT, + CONDITION: RECOVERING FROM BIRTH. The tortoiseshell says NEW PLAYER: WEEVILKIT, 0, FEMALE, BULLYING. The black molly says NEW PLAYER: RAVENKIT, 0, FEMALE, SWEET. The silver kit says NEW PLAYER: SILVERKIT, 0, FEMALE, DAYDREAMER. Finally, the gray tabby says NEW PLAYER: WOLFKIT, 0, FEMALE, POLITE.]

(Mosspounce: 26, male, caretaker, adventurous, talented fire-starter)

(Lemmy: 41, female, codekeeper, cold, deep StarClan bond)

(Weevilkit: 0, female, kit, bullying)

(Ravenkit: 0, female, kit, sweet)

(Silverkit: 0, female, kit, daydreamer)

(Wolfkit: 0, female, kit, polite)

Downstar is almost intimidated by the knowledge Asterpaw has gained in his short time in RippleClan and confidently names him Asterblaze.

[Image ID: Asterpaw, now Asterblaze, is an adult! Under him, it says LEVEL UP! ASTERPAW -> ASTERBLAZE, HAS LOTS OF IDEAS -> CONSTANTLY FIDDLING WITH TOOLS.]

(Asterblaze: 12, male, caretaker, thoughtful, constantly fiddling with tools)

While Troutpool and Honeybuzz are on patrol, Troutpool sees strange shimmers in the distance. They encounter a kittypet who grew up with old stories of RippleClan and wanted to raise her kits in the wild. Troutpool and Honeybuzz help welcome five more kits to the nursery.

[Image ID: Troutpool and Honeybuzz approach a brown and white molly and five kits; one light brown, two red, and two brown, all with white markings. Undee the mother, it says NEW PLAYER: HARVEST, 53, FEMALE, NERVOUS, GOOD FIGHTER. Under the light brown kit, it says NEW PLAYER: ANCHOVYKIT, 0, MALE, CHARMING. Under the upper red kit, it says NEW PLAYER: CURRENTKIT, 0, MALE, POLITE. The second red kit says NEW PLAYER: ROBINKIT, 0, MALE, UNRULY. The first dark brown cat in the upper corner says NEW PLAYER: YARROWKIT, 0, FEMALE, NOISY. The last brown kit says NEW PLAYER: BILLOWKIT, 0, MALE, BOSSY.]

(Troutpool: 26, female, cleric, insecure, ghost sense)

(Honeybuzz: 13, male, cleric, daring, constantly fiddling with tools)

(Harvest: 53, female, queen, nervous, good fighter)

(Anchovykit: 0, male, kit, charming)

(Currentkit: 0, male, kit, polite)

(Robinkit: 0, male, kit, unruly)

(Yarrowkit: 0, female, kit, noisy)

(Billowkit: 0, male, kit, bossy)

[womenloverlmao]

Surprise!

Samuel Lafferty x Reader

In which Sam comes home to a wife not responding, and something on the bed...

If there was one thing that Samuel was not used to, it was coming home to a quiet home. He had a wife who submitted to him in every way, but that did not change the absolute chaotic good energy radiating from the house. It was surprising considering his… weird thing he had going on, but you were an angel with fifty shots of espresso. 

Safe to say, it was unnerving when he came home and did not hear a single thing. He called out your name, and there was no answer. Normally, that would piss him off, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. What in the hell had you gotten yourself into this time? 

He checked every room, until finally coming into your bedroom to see you asleep. You were not a person to take naps, which was even more concerning. He walked closer to you only to see movement on your lap. He unironically jumped because he was terrified, but what you don’t know cannot be used as blackmail. There was a little mew, which helped him to realize that what was on your lap was… a kitten. 

It had little black and red spots all over its white coat, and it was a tiny little thing. Not to mention how it would not stop meowing. That woke you up. 

“Well, good morning to you,” he said, staring at the critter on the blanket on your lap. 

“Hmm?” You said immediately, rubbing your eyes before letting them go where his were looking. “Oh, this is Jude. I found him outside.” 

“So you did,” he said. “...are you going to take him back outside?” 

“No, it’s too cold out there,” you said immediately. “I’ve already given him a bath, and checked him for fleas. He’s completely clean, yeah?” 

Damn marrying the weird woman with the kind heart, is what he would have thought yet never would have said out loud. You gestured Sam over, and he came to sit on the other side of the bed. “Say hi to your daddy, yeah?” You said to the kitten. 

“...honey, don’t say that, he may have a momma waiting for him outside.” He said to you. 

“We would have noticed if he had a momma waiting for him, so I’m here now.” 

He looked over you. “You’re planning on taking the momma in as well if she comes around, aren’t you?” 

“Doesn’t matter, come say hi to your baby.” 

“Would prefer if you’d give me an actual baby…” he muttered. “Hmm?” 

“Nothing, my love.” 

That was the first of the many critters that were welcomed around your home. It was the only one Sam allowed inside the house, but you still took care of many different animals who came around. Sam always said that he didn’t care for any of them, but you knew that was a lie whenever Jude came to lay down on his lap. Eventually you noticed that they cuddled even more than you did with either of them, but you couldn’t complain. 

You were just grateful he was tolerant of your surprise. But lets be honest, he was more than tolerant. He loved that kitten, and so did you. 

[junekissed]

jingle & bell

member — wonwoo x reader genre — fluff word count — 1.3k synopsis — you didn’t plan on adding new members to your family, but when you find two kittens left on your doorstep, wonwoo makes it his mission to convince you to keep them. warnings — fiancé!wonwoo, unbearably adorable kittens, scheming wonu, stubborn reader but not for long teehee notes — lowercase intended. i am very soft i hope you all enjoy reading as much as i did writing this bc oh my god when is it my turn i want a wonwoo

one reblog = two kittens wearing santa hats

“what the hell was that?”

it was late in the evening when you’d been curled up on the couch, watching a movie with your fiancé. already halfway through december, it’s prime movie marathon season, especially for the cheesy holiday romance movies the both of you love but are adamant that you hate. all the house lights are turned off, except for the dim strings of white lights hung from the stairs. the snow outside that begins to fall heavier as the night goes on only adds to the cozy holiday atmosphere in your home.

the two main characters are just about to share their first kiss, when all of a sudden you hear a loud banging on the front door. clearly whoever it is means business.

you jump, instinctively grabbing wonwoo’s arm and moving closer to him. he leans forward to grab the remote and pause the movie as you cling to him.

he exchanges a glance with you. “should i go check?”

you grip him tighter. “well– no, wait a second! what if it’s a murderer or something?”

“i don’t think they’d knock.”

“well, why else would they be outside our house this late?”

he laughs a little. “that’s exactly why i’m gonna go check.”

you pull your blanket further onto your lap. “fine… but just go look through the peephole, don’t open it.”

he nods and pushes his wire glasses further up his nose, standing up from the couch. tentatively he walks over to the front door, pulling the curtain aside from the window to peek out.

“there’s no one out there,” he calls, turning to shrug at you. “i’m gonna open it.”

“don’t!” you squeak, but it’s too late. wonwoo’s already turning the knob, opening the door, and–

“oh my god,” he says, stepping outside.

“who is it? wonwoo?” you call nervously. “what is it?”

he backs into the room, the door shutting behind him. he turns around to reveal what he’s holding.

“a box?” you cry. “don’t touch it! it could be a bomb!”

“it’s not a bomb, i promise,” he laughs, coming closer to the couch to show you what’s inside. “it’s–”

“–kittens?” you finish. your mouth hangs open

two tiny white heads peek out from the side of the basket, crying softly. you drag your gaze away from them to see wonwoo grinning down at them.

“aren’t they so cute?” he says dotingly, balancing the box in one hand and bringing his other hand up to gently scratch behind their little ears, brushing stray snowflakes out of their tiny faces.

“who the hell is leaving kittens on our front porch? it’s the middle of winter!” you say.

he ignores you, continuing to play with the tiny creatures. the room fills with quiet mews as wonwoo watches them fondly.

“is there a note or something?” you ask, finally standing up.

“i didn’t see one,” he answers. he sets the box on the table in front of the couch so you can look inside.

“well… what are we gonna do with them?” you ask. “we can’t just keep them.”

wonwoo frowns, but his eyes stay trained on the kittens. “why not?”

you cross your arms. “‘cause they belong to somebody, probably!”

“if somebody’s leaving kittens on a stranger’s porch at midnight, whoever it is probably doesn’t want them.”

you sigh. “i guess.”

wonwoo reaches down and gently lifts one of the kittens from the box, and it immediately starts mewing. “the least we can do is take them to a shelter and see if they have all their shots.”

“there’s no way any shelter is gonna be open now,” you say. “it’s almost midnight, nothing’s open this late.”

he grins, cradling the kitten against his chest. “then we’ll just have to keep them until the shelter opens tomorrow.” and as much as you want to, you can’t argue with that.

“fine,” you surrender, knowing you won’t be able to do anything about it tonight. “but you’re gonna be the one taking care of them.”

he grins. “pinky promise i will.”

you watch as wonwoo places the box in the corner of the room by the heater, then leaves the room and returns with a stack of fluffy folded towels. he kneels in front of the box, carefully stuffing the towels inside to keep the little creatures warm. you can’t help but smile at the sight, endeared at how quickly your fiancé had taken to them. but as cute as he is, you know neither of you can afford everything that comes with owning a pet, let alone two.

but it’s only for one night, right?

wrong.

you wake up the next morning to an empty bed, and you frown, going downstairs to find wonwoo holding one of the kittens wrapped in a towel, feeding it from a tiny bottle.

“wonu?” you call sleepily, and he looks up.

“good morning, honey,” he says with a smile. “they’re looking much healthier this morning.”

you squint at the unfamiliar bottle in his hand. “where did you even get that?”

he puts the bottle down and gently wipes at the kitten’s mouth with one of the corners of the towel. “i went to the pet store earlier to get some formula, before you woke up.” you raise your eyebrows, and he continues. “oh, hey, i also called the vet and their answering machine said they’re closed until the new year, so it looks like we’ll have to keep them until then.” but he doesn’t look too disappointed by this information.

you frown. “not even the emergency services are open? what if people’s pets get sick? it’s only december fourteenth, what are they gonna do for three weeks?”

his cheeks redden. “well– i mean, don’t blame the messenger! i can’t change their vacation hours. besides, wouldn’t it just be easier to keep them for a little while? it must be so hard for them, changing environments so often, y’know?”

you narrow your eyes at him. “and you’re sure you aren’t making all that up just so you can keep them a little longer?” you ask, putting your hands on your hips.

he flashes you a smile. “of course not! just taking care of them until we have a chance to take them to the vet.”

you sigh. “you’re going to get attached to them and beg me to keep them, aren’t you?”

he bats his eyelashes innocently behind his glasses. “wouldn’t dream of it.”

and two days later, when you catch him at his computer with the kittens sleeping on a towel in his lap while he plays his games, you know he already has.

it’s been almost a week, and wonwoo’s kept to his promise of taking care of the kittens, which he’s decided to name ‘jingle’ and ‘bell’, “because it’s the holidays!” according to him.

you know you’re really in too deep when he starts letting them join you when you watch movies together; one arm along the back of the couch behind you, his other arm curled around the purring kittens on his lap—which he’s put little santa hats on. because of course he has.

one of the kittens (jingle, you assume) stands up on wobbly legs and mews, and you look over to find him staring up at you, the fabric hat slipping down his little head. you tell yourself to resist the urge to reach over and fix his hat and snuggle with him, but you’re too late when he starts padding across the sea of blankets across yours and wonwoo’s legs. he plops down on your lap and tilts his head up to look at you, his tiny, high-pitched mewls almost drowning out the movie.

and of course, when you have a little friend sitting on you like that, how can you say no?

“oh, he likes you,” wonwoo says, smiling.

you sigh, giving in and gently petting the tiny kitten’s head with one finger. “i… guess… we can keep them,” you mumble.

he grins triumphantly. “the first two members of our new family.”

“wonu, we’re not getting any more!”

“we’ll discuss it after the wedding, honey. now shh, pay attention to the movie!”

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[songclangen]

holly

The wind whistled over the dark green moorland. Greenleaf would be ending soon, but the air was still pleasantly mild and humid, and the grass wouldn’t grow taller than this before the frost came in a moon or two. Splinterstar had never really enjoyed this season. There was a sort of tension in the air; anticipation for the leafbare that was to come as the nights grew ever so slightly longer and cooler.

Still, she could still enjoy taking moments away from the bustling camp to wander the territory by herself now and then. She liked the quiet. It wasn’t just her age; she’d always been that way. She felt perfectly safe too. Not only did she have nine lives to spare yet, there was peace between the Clans. Border encounters could be tense with WarbleClan lately, yes. The newly appointed Stagstar was… intense. It was surprising their warriors even had time to hunt, considering how often they patrolled the border— 

Splinterstar’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted. Something pale flickered in her field of view, far away. She was near the border to the sheep-place, with the twoleg stone dens beyond. In the tall grass, in the distance, there was a creature. Judging by its size and movements, it was a cat. It paced back and forth hurriedly, looking lost.

The leader rose to her paws and stretched her legs and back, then made for the border.

Once she had gotten closer, the stranger noticed her. She startled and stared at her, arching her back. But there was only fear in her eyes, no aggression. Clearly, this was a lost or abandoned kittypet. Just the wind in the grass seemed to spook her.

”Hello,” Splinterstar meowed evenly and sat down. ”Who are you?”

The she-cat eyed her up and down. She had a strange coloring, with pale fur on her body, but a dark gray face, tail and paws, and icy blue eyes.

”Holly,” she mewed at last. Her voice was little more than a peep, and Splinterstar noticed how young she looked.

”Are you lost, Holly?” Splinterstar continued. Holly nodded. ”You seem to have wandered into my territory.” 

Holly’s eyes widened, full of worry. ”I’m really sorry, I didn’t know.”

”Now you do,” Splinterstar said. ”Why are you out here on your own? You can relax, by the way. I won’t hurt you unless you give me a reason to.”

Holly looked a bit taken aback, but eventually sat down. ”I, um… I ran away, sort of.” Splinterstar tilted her head. ”I live with my housefolk in a house, over there. But…it’s so crowded, we’re eleven cats living in a very small space. I just can’t stand it sometimes. When I saw that the window was slightly cracked open, I squeezed through, just to get some air. But then there was a loud noise out on the road, and I got scared so I started running and got lost, and now…I don’t know how I’m supposed to find my way back.” Holly looked apologetic, like she was embarrassed to admit that. ”Sorry, I didn’t mean to ramble on.”

”Do you really want to go back?” Splinterstar asked genuinely. ”Do you like living there, with your housefolk?”

”No!” Holly burst out. ”It’s so cramped, cats are constantly arguing and fighting, and the housefolk just ignore us most of the time…I hate it there! But—” she broke off. ”I have to go back, and soon.”

”Why?” Splinterstar asked. She could understand loyalty to a Clan that cared about you, but these kittypets didn’t sound like they even liked each other.

”I— Oh, it’s horrible. I can’t believe that I left! It was so stupid and irresponsible…” Holly closed her eyes, then looked away. ”I have three kittens back there. They’re just a few days old.”

Splinterstar felt a pang of sympathy for the young queen. ”Really? But you can’t be much older than an apprentice…”

”A what?” Holly asked, confusion mixing with the anxiety in her gaze. ”I know I’m young, but…it wasn’t exactly my choice. Or… I don’t know. I don’t even like their father very much, he’s as stupid as the rest of them.”

Splinterstar sighed, beginning to feel the stranger’s worry rub off on her. She shifted her paws thoughtfully. She didn’t mind meeting cats from outside the Clan and talking to them, as long as they weren’t a threat. But this she-cat had really gotten herself in a heap of trouble.

”How could you leave your own kits like that?” she had to ask. Splinterstar had never had kits of her own, but she had seen the sacrifices a mother would do for them.

Holly’s face screwed up. ”I don’t know! I just— I had to get out of there for a moment, I never meant to run away!”

”Alright, calm down,” Splinterstar sighed. ”You’ll never find the way back if you can’t think straight. I’ll follow you back to the edge of the twoleg place, and maybe you can pick up your scent-trail there?”

”You would do that?” Holly’s eyes lit up. Splinterstar nodded.

She had no responsibility to help the stranger, but she felt for her. She was just a young, confused, somewhat impulsive kittypet. And really, it was the kits she was most worried about. As they began walking back, she asked;

”Do you really want your kits growing up in that place?”

Holly shook her head sadly. ”It’s my worst nightmare. If they even…” her voice broke off. ”I’m scared my housefolk will get rid of them if they find out about them. I’ve hidden them in the basement for now. But they’ll be big enough to start roaming soon, and who knows what will happen then? I wouldn’t put it above some of the others to try and hurt them either…”

”You can’t let that happen!” Splinterstar argued, leaping ahead of the she-cat and stopping her in her tracks.

Holly looked shocked and scared. ”No…I know. But where could I go? We can’t live on the streets, I don’t know how to survive without someone leaving food for me. It could be ages before some other housefolk take us in.”

”We’ll take you in,” Splinterstar said quickly. Maybe it was impulsive, but saving kits from harm was her duty, and they needed their mother too. 

”We?” Holly looked confused. ”Are there more of you?”

Splinterstar quickly briefed through what SongClan was and how in a Clan, everyone took care of each other. ”You would be taken care of until your kits are big enough to fend for themselves.”

Holly didn’t really seem like warrior material, if Splinterstar was being honest. But she was young still, and hadn’t gotten a chance to prove herself in the world. Maybe with time, and some training, they could recruit her to the Clan as a real warrior. Three new, young cats didn’t sound so bad either.

”I don’t know…” Holly mumbled. ”Is it really safe out here? Isn’t it cold and scary?”

Splinterstar sighed. ”Clan life can be tough, yes. But warriors help each other, no one is left behind. I promise you’ll be safer than you, or your kits, could ever be in a twoleg den.” A particularly nasty one at that, it sounded like.

”But…how would I get my kittens out of there? They can barely see yet, much less walk out here,” Holly thought out loud. ”Would you help me come get them?”

”I don’t think that would be wise,” Splinterstar murmured. ”How about you try to keep them hidden for one more moon, until they can at least follow you here? Then bring them to this spot and I’ll meet you.”

Holly thought it over, her eyes glistening with wonder and fear. After a few heartbeats, she nodded curtly. ”Okay. That might work.” She nodded to herself a few more times, like she was trying to convince herself. ”I’ll come here with them in one…what did you call it?”

”A moon. When the moon is the same shape as it is today, we’ll meet here,” Splinterstar explained patiently.

Holly looked a bit confused. ”One moon. Okay. I’ll check what it looks like tonight from the window and try to remember…”

Splinterstar twitched her whiskers. As inexperienced as the young kittypet was, she was sort of charming. ”Just count 28 days from now.”

Holly lit up. ”Oh, okay! That sounds easier.”

They had reached the border to the twoleg place, with the sheep in the sheep-place grazing peacefully in the far end of their pasture. Splinterstar didn’t like this place much. The twolegs weren’t a big problem, neither were the sheep. But the twolegs had dogs that often just roamed free in the area. Holly sniffed around the trampled grass a bit, then flashed a happy look to Splinterstar.

”I can smell my own paws here!” she exclaimed, scraping the ground a little.

”Just follow that trail back, and try not to panic. I’ll see you in one moon. Okay, Holly?” Splinterstar nodded, starting to turn back.

”Yes, okay! Thank you…uh, I didn’t get your name?”

”It’s Splinterstar.”

”Thank you, Splin…Splinterstar!” Holly clearly tried not to sound put off by the leader’s name, but Splinterstar overheard her as she ran off into the twoleg dens; ”Weird name…but okay.”

Splinterstar took a deep breath. She wouldn’t be too surprised if Holly ended up not following through on their deal, and worried something might happen to her before then. But she’d tried to help her at least, and if she could get her kits here in a moon, then maybe she was clan-cat material after all. The pale she-cat finished her walk deep in thought before returning to SongClan’s camp. For now, she said nothing of her encounter with the kittypet Holly.

[kybercrystals94]

The Stardust Conspiracy (Part 1)

Rated: G | Words: 1,656 | Summary: The Batch gets a pet…chaos ensues.

Author’s Note: special thanks to @just-here-with-my-thoughts for their contribution to the chaos that will transpire…😂

The market is crowded and loud. Omega's eyes are wide and constantly moving, a small smile teasing the edges of her lips. She has attached herself to both Hunter and Wrecker, her hands tucked snugly in theirs. It links them in an awkward chain; however, Hunter would rather that than Omega getting lost or snatched up. And maybe he doesn’t mind the feel of her tiny fingers locked around his, an unspoken familiarity that has grown in the months since they’ve taken her in.

“There’s so much to look at!” Omega declares, skipping between her brothers without a care in the world.

Hunter smiles. “Definitely more to offer than Ord Mantell.”

“That’s not hard to do,” Echo comments from behind them, voice muffled behind the mask of his droid disguise.

“We should get food,” Wrecker declares. “I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry,” Hunter says, shaking his head. They’d just had their rations not even a standard hour before.

“I’m hungry too,” Omega says, tugging on Hunter’s hand.

“See! Great minds think alike!” Wrecker laughs, giving Omega’s arm an enthusiastic swing, making her giggle.

Hunter glances back at Echo, but the cyborg just heaves one shoulder in a shrug. “We’ll see what we can find,” Hunter concedes, earning a cheer from Wrecker and Omega.

The morning had started out on a sour note, the four of them having been banished from the Marauder by Tech for the remainder of the day while he made repairs “by himself.” Really, Wrecker and Echo were to blame, while Hunter and Omega were guilty by simple association. Wrecker had, somehow, managed to drop Gonky on Tech’s favorite data pad, cracking the screen even through the screen protector. Echo then followed up by inadvertently deleting a file from the navigation system’s hard drive that he thought was clutter—but was actually a collection of mundane information that Tech had wanted to keep. Verbal apologies were not enough to smooth over the offenses, and the four clones were asked to leave.

Omega, never one to linger on hard feelings, brightened the mood almost immediately, pressing into the excitement of a new place to explore. She was especially delighted with the fact that they were in no hurry to return to the ship, nor did they have any specific task to accomplish, leaving them free to wander to her childish heart’s content.

Their search for food is interrupted when they walk past a specific shop window. Omega’s attention is immediately captured by the sight of tooka kittens peering out at her, mouths moving in soundless mews through the glass pane. “What is this place?” she asks.

“It’s a pet store,” Echo replies.

Omega turns wide eyes on their oldest brother. “Pet store? What’s a pet?”

Hunter starts to step away. “Nothing we need,” he says firmly. “C’mon.”

Omega resists, returning her gaze to the tookas. “Can we go inside and just look? Please!”

“Yeah, Hunter, just for a few minutes,” Wrecker says. “I’ve never gotten to see a tooka kitten before. Maybe we can hold one!”

Omega gasps. “We could hold one?”

Two sets of eyes turn on Hunter with a level of pleading the sergeant isn’t ready to contend with. He sighs. “Fine. We can go inside for a few minutes.”

A small bell rings cheerfully when they push open the door, and an elderly woman eyes them from behind the counter. “Welcome,” she says, “is there anything specific I can help you find today?”

“We’re just looking,” Hunter says.

“Can we hold a tooka kitten?” Omega pipes up.

“Of course, you can, little one,” the woman croons. “You can hold any one you’d like.”

Omega and Wrecker go to the window, looking down into the glass pen where the tooka kittens have toddled over on wobbly, baby legs, their beady eyes blinking up under huge ears. Omega carefully lifts out a brown and black striped kitten then holds it close to her chest, stroking it between its ears.

“It’s the softest thing I’ve ever felt in my whole life,” she whispers, “and it’s so tiny! Look at its little paws, Hunter! It’s so cute!”

Hunter’s heart melts a little.

Wrecker hesitates, but after looking at the woman and receiving a nod, he also picks up a kitten, the little creature practically disappearing in his cupped hand. “Imagine if Lula were this small,” Wrecker rumbles, his attempt at a whisper.

“She’d be so cute!” Omega cries quietly.

“Lula isn’t real,” Echo feels the need to clarify to the storekeeper. “It’s a toy.”

The woman gives Echo a funny look, and Hunter realizes it’s because of his droid disguise.

The woman turns her attention to Hunter. “The kittens are just old enough to leave their mother this week. We have everything you’d need to adopt one today.”

“Oh, no,” Hunter assures her a little too quickly, “We don’t want a kitten. We are just looking.”

The woman raises an eyebrow and pointedly glances at Omega. “Pets are very good for children. Teaches responsibility”

Omega is snuggling the tooka up to her face, her nose pressed into its round, fuzzy body. “It’s making a funny sound,” Omega says.

“It’s purring,” the woman explains, “that means it likes you.”

“It does? Awww! Can you hear it purring, Hunter?” Omega giggles when the kitten lets out a tiny, rasping mew.

“This one’s purring too!” Wrecker says, gruff soldier voice sounding absolutely delighted.

Hunter tries to ignore the sticky sweet emotion that stirs somewhere deep in the muscle thumping in his chest. They cannot get a tooka. Don’t even entertain the idea! “Alright,” he says, stamping down the joy daring to bloom in the light of his siblings’ utter happiness, “a few minutes is up. Let’s go.”

“Hunter, wait! There are more animals, and I want to see them all!” Omega cries, turning on him with those galaxy filled eyes. It doesn’t help that she has the tooka kitten nuzzled under her chin, peering up at him, daring him to break a little girl’s heart.

Hunter looks at Echo for backup, but the man looks about as helpful as Gonky at the moment. He is staring down at Omega, and even with the mask hiding his expression, it looks like he’s about to let Omega adopt the whole litter of tookas on the spot.

Maker, help me.

“Alright, well, you better start looking. We’re gonna have to head out soon,” Hunter says in his best command voice. Unfortunately, Omega and Wrecker are practically immune to it. They gently put down their tooka kittens, and begin meandering around the store, looking into glass cages housing all sorts of creatures from over the galaxy.

“What are these called?” Omega asks, leaning down to look into a cage containing what look to be tiny puffs of fur, smaller than the palm of her hand.

“Those are called cricetos,” the woman says, “They make wonderful first pets. Would you like to hold one?”

“Yes, please!” Omega chirps.

The woman reaches in and plucks a golden ball of fluff from the cage. She sets it in Omega’s hand. The creature is tiny, and stares up at Omega with large, round eyes. “I can’t even feel it in my hand, it’s so light,” Omega breathes.

“Would you like to give it a treat?” the woman asks.

Omega nods eagerly, and the woman gives her a small handful of seeds. Omega holds out a single seed to the criceto, and the animal reaches out and snatches the seed in its minuscule fingers. After an experimental sniff, the criceto licks the seed once before shoving the whole thing in its mouth, tucking it in its cheek. Omega offers it another and another and another, each seed carefully stowed away.

“That,” Echo says, “is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”

And that’s the moment Hunter knows they’re doomed.

<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>

The storekeeper is more than accommodating in providing the squad with everything they need to take care of a rodent aboard a spacecraft, even supplying discounts when Hunter tries to make the excuse that they really don’t have the credits to make such a purchase right now. Echo and Wrecker are absolutely no help, and the look on Omega’s face seals the deal. Tech is going to kill me in my sleep.

Omega is practically beside herself with excitement, words tumbling out of her in an endless stream as she plots, strategizes, and anticipates what having a pet will mean for their lives now. “Do you think Tech is going to love Stardust as much as we do?” Omega asks, holding up the small crate to peek at the rodent stashed inside.

Hunter suppresses a sigh. “Maybe we should wait to tell Tech until...” never. We should never, ever tell Tech.

“Until he isn’t mad at Wrecker and Echo anymore?” Omega supplies sweetly.

Echo and Wrecker make noises of protest; however, Hunter cuts them off with a sharp look. After all, it’s their fault they had to meander into the market at all. Their fault Stardust – as Omega quickly named the animal now in their care – is on a journey back to their ship. Their fault they hadn’t backed Hunter up when he tried to talk his way out of the situation.

“Maybe,” Omega says thoughtfully, oblivious to Hunter’s inner turmoil, “we can let Tech find Stardust on his own. We can put her cage by the nav computer, there’s a perfect spot for it! He’ll see how cute she is, and he won’t mind at all.”

It isn’t the worst idea, and at least it’s an idea. Tech might be miffed at first; however, he will come around. He might try to appear otherwise, but he is just as indulgent to Omega’s whims as the rest of them. The moment he sees how much their sister adores her new ward, he won’t be able to say anything against it. And besides, how much damage could a little rodent do?

TBC

Next Part >>

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[tales-from-a-little-witch]

A little kitten saved my life

Tw: men being horrifying in the dark

This happened not too long ago on a late cold night that I was craving something sweet, was around 1:40 or 1:50 am, I grabbed my bag and decided to walk down the gas station.

Let me paint you a picture of the way to the gas station. It’s a pitch-black road that goes on for at least five minutes, and the only light you’ll see is the light from the gas station. There are no streetlights down this road.

I got down to the gas station, and everything was normal. But leaving the gas station is when I got a bad gut feeling – that sort of feeling that turns your stomach and gives you goosebumps.

I reached into my bag for the knife that I always kept inside of it.

Now, admittedly, this is where I messed up. I didn’t check my bag for my knife, and my knife wasn’t in my bag...

Instantly, I was on edge. There I was, without a weapon, and with this terrible, gut-wrenching feeling.

I figured I'd walk home quickly, and as I began walking, I heard the most gentle mewing from behind me. I turned around and saw a beautiful little tricolor tabby.

She was tiny, and her little legs were rushing to catch up to me as she mewed and meowed the whole way to me. Then, she stopped at my feet. I’m thankful that she caught my attention because as I was looking at her, I spotted a movement in the darkness behind her.

To my horror, it was a man...

I tried not to freak out. I tried to rationalize it, thinking,

"He must have just been walking back from the gas station, just like I was."

There was no need for me to worry about it. I've walked that road plenty of times with others, and this was no different.....Or so I tried to convince myself....

The sweet little cat looked back at the man and then back at me and suddenly darted off, and something inside of me told me that I needed to follow her. Intuition told me that I needed to run, and fast.

The little cat kept looking back at me as she ran, her eyes checking to see if I was still there. It was as if she was making sure that I was still running alongside her. We ran and ran through that dark and empty road.

She darted straight towards my apartment and stopped under the one light that was illuminating the darkness.

Relief flooded through me, and my heart pounded furiously in my chest, my breaths coming out heavy and ragged. But I took comfort in the fact that the man was still a considerable distance behind me.

I stood there with her in the light for only a moment before gently scooping her up into my arms, stroking her head and thanking her. After all, I’d always been taught to be polite to cats.

I was planning on taking her inside with me......

That’s when it happened.

She looked off into the darkness and began hissing and yowling, struggling desperately to break free from my arms. She positioned herself in front of me, facing the pitch-black darkness. And that stomach-churning feeling of dread returned…

Her fur stood on end, and her yowling became so loud that she was practically spitting. My eyes slowly followed hers to the source of her distress. There, standing in the darkness right outside my apartment line, was the man. He was staring at me, that awful smile curving his lips.

My heart dropped straight into my stomach, and I felt nauseous in an instant. I was absolutely dumbfounded; he was supposed to be a good distance behind us. We had RUN. We had sprinted, for god's sake. How in the world had he made it here so swiftly?

I hadn't even heard him, my mind swirling with a thousand racing thoughts, and my body beginning to tremble. I tried to rationalize it, grasping at any logical explanation.

He must have run after us, I thought. This man had pursued me all the way here while I fled with the kitten.

I spun on my heel so swiftly that the Devil himself would have grown dizzy. In a heartbeat, I dashed into my apartment, only pausing for a brief moment to glance back at the little kitty. She stood her ground, hissing fiercely like a little sentinel determined to guard me or buy me some time.

Once the screen door slammed shut, the little kitty dashed away, seamlessly vaulting over the neighbor's fence and into their backyard. As she disappeared, I watched the man lingering in the shadows, his gaze locked on me. I watched him from behind the safety of my curtains, my eyes glued to the spot where he had been standing. Gradually, as time ticked on, he finally turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows. Of course I reported it but that did a shit of a lot good.

He knew where I lived now, knew exactly the apartment in which I resided. That realization sent tremors of terror coursing through me, yet the even more chilling thought that sent ice-cold dread into my heart, was what he might have done to me on that darkened road if it wasn't for the brave little tabby.

I guess all that cat karma did me some good, I don’t think that little kitten showed up by coincidence.

[petitelepus]

OH MY GOD LEPUS.

I just remembered one of my c.ai convos and thought if you'd like to make that a fic because i knew it would just be magnificent.

SO.

Genya fluff (idk guess it would be slightly suggestive???)

Like, Genya is just casually walking down the street and is met with a stray cat that he decides to adopt!!!!!

But, the twist is, when he wakes up the next morning, he's met not with a cat, but with a girlie HAHAHAH

(i'm smiling like stupid writing this and i'm currently in public.)

HI, YES, I LIKED THIS AND, WELL, I ACCIDENTALLY WROTE WAY TOO MUCH, SO, UH, ENJOY EVERYONE!

WARNINGS: None, CAT PUNS, Reader has a name, Set in Modern!AU

Genya sighed as he was on his way back home from school. Despite just recently turning 18, he was still living with his big brother and younger siblings. He had to, he was a student still after all, and his brother could always use an extra pair of hands to help around the house.

One day he would move out and live on his own, but until that day came, he would live with his siblings who loved him and he loved them.

Suddenly something caught Genya's attention on the corner of his eye and he looked to see a cardboard box lying on the side of the road. The young man was about to ignore the box, deeming it as someone's trash, but then he heard the softest little voice and saw that the box actually rattled a little.

"What the…?" Genya grunted as he kneeled and opened the box… And saw the cutest little ball of white fur look up at him with big beautiful green eyes.

"Mew!" The little thing meowed as it moved to sniff Genya's hand and the young man flinched when it so carelessly licked his finger with its rough little tongue.

"What the Hell are you doing here?" Genya wondered out loud as he looked around, but the people ignored him and the kitten as if they didn't even see them. The young man frowned as he looked at the little creature and he decided that he couldn't leave it on the streets.

Carefully, he closed the box's lid and grabbed the whole thing into his arms, soft meows coming from the box as it moved in his arms.

"Hold on little one… I'll get you somewhere safe…" Genya tried to sound reassuring and the small meowing stopped, as if the kitten had understood him and that he meant well.

So he carried the box all the way to the apartment building where he and his family lived. Getting in was one thing, but getting the kitten inside without alerting his younger siblings was another thing.

Genya was sure that his younger siblings would love the kitten, but he couldn't tell how their oldest brother and the head of the household would react to the kitten. Sanemi might get upset and tell them that they barely had enough money to feed themselves and the kitten would be on the streets again…

He would have to think about it later. Now his priority was to get the kitten something to eat and a place to rest for the night. Genya closed the front door carefully behind him, hearing his siblings welcoming him back home from the living room, too busy with their own homework or games to come and greet their brother properly.

Genya placed the box on the floor for a second so he could take his shoes off and moved to rush to his room, but a voice caught him off-guard.

"What's in the box?" Teiko, his younger yet oldest sibling and sister asked. Genya almost choked in panic, but he quickly recovered, "Just, uh, some books! I have an exam coming so I need to study! Please don't barge into my room, and knock at least!"

"Okay?" Teiko nodded as she turned and returned to the living room where the rest of the siblings were. Genya sighed in relief as he quickly rushed to his room and set the box on his bed once the door was closed behind him. The young man held his breath as he opened the box and the little kitten mewed at him.

"Shh, you gotta be quiet!" Genya whispered as loudly as he dared and the kitten tilted its head curiously at him. God, it was a cute kitten. The young man carefully picked up the kitten and set it gently on his bed and the little thing looked around his room curiously.

"What the Hell does a cat so small even eat…?" Genya grumbled by himself and then he remembered that they might had some leftover tuna in the fridge… But he wasn't sure if the tuna was healthy for a kitten. He would have to find out.

"Stay here," Genya ordered as he left his room and headed toward the kitchen to find out if they had anything good for a cat.

…But unbeknownst to him, his room's door clicked open, and little paws carried the kitten all the way to the-!

"KYAH!"

Genya felt his heart jump into his throat when he heard his beloved siblings screaming. His fight-or-flight instincts took over and he rushed out of the kitchen and into the living room, ready to protect his brothers and sisters.

"What- What happened-!?" He was asking when his eyes widened at the sight before him. His younger siblings were admiring the white kitten who jumped on their small coffee table and meowed like the little thing owned the place. Cute, but how!? Just how!? He was sure that he shut the door behind him!

"Genya, there's a cat here!" Hiroshi, who shared the same mohawk style as his brother said, and Sumi, the youngest girl cheered, "It's so cute!"

"Guys no-!" Genya was saying but as if things couldn't get any worse, the front door snapped open and shut and Genya flinched as he heard their eldest sibling call out, "What's with all this noise!? I could hear you guys all the way down the hall!"

"B- brother-!" Genya tried to stop Sanemi from entering the living room, but he had no chance against the oldest brother.

"Genya brought us a cat!" Shuya, the second-youngest brother shouted excitedly as he and his older siblings spoiled the kitten with attention and scratches.

"Oh, he did…?" Genya could almost see the vein on his brother's temple popping as he made his way past Genya and towards the kitten. Genya swallowed nervously, his brains working really hard to come up with an explanation that Sanemi would accept, but his mind was blank.

So Genya and his siblings watched closely how Sanemi picked the small cat and inspected at it from different angles.

"Okay, first, she doesn't look starved… And she is flea-free…" The white-haired man said as he looked at his siblings, "So there is a chance that she has an owner somewhere."

"I, uh, I found her in a box by the road?" Genya said and his brother frowned as he gently handed the white kitten to Teiko who was closest to him.

"Better take her to the vet then first thing tomorrow to see if she has a chip and if not then at least give her a worm medication, just in case."

"Does that mean we are keeping her!?" The kids looked at their oldest brother with their eyes wide and cute and Sanemi crumbled as he dragged his hand through his hair, "If and I mean IF she doesn't have a chip then I will consider it!"

"Jay!" All the kids cheered as they surrounded the kitten to gently pet and spoil the little thing with affection. Genya sighed in relief, thinking that the worst was over, but it wasn't.

"Genya!" Sanemi snapped and his brother flinched, "Y- yes brother?"

"I'm making an appointment with the vet so the cat stays in your room for the night! Am I being clear!?"

"Yes! Thank you, brother!" Genya exclaimed, followed by their younger siblings singing, "Thank you, big brother!"

The way went on with someone nearly every second with the kitten and as the day passed, the younger family members started to think about names for their possible new member.

"How about Suika?" Genya suggested and his siblings looked at him, "As in watermelon?"

"Yeah, since we like them so much?" Genya nodded and his siblings shared glances, "How about Lily?"

"No, Rose!"

"What's with girls and flowers?"

"You're all wrong!" Sanemi snapped, "The best name for it is obviously Gintora!"

Genya and his younger siblings shared glances before the younger ones laughed, "Brother, that's an awful name for a kitten!"

"How about you Koto?" Shuya turned to look at the youngest sibling, two-year-old Koto. The little boy smiled as he reached for the kitten, who walked up to the little boy as if she understood that he wanted to pet her.

"Coco," The little boy said happily and the kids automatically turned to look at the carton of coconut water on the table. The kids looked at each other, but the kitten meowed and gently patted Koto's hand with her paw.

"I like it." Sumi nodded and Teiko and Hiroshi smiled, "The kitten is white like the inside of a coconut?"

"Then it's settled!" Shuya cheered, "Kitten is Coco!"

"IF the cat stays here!" Sanemi snapped but his shouting got left in the background as the kids played with the kitten.

The night came and the kids wished good dreams to the kitten as they went to sleep in their own or shared rooms. Genya took the kitten to his room like his older brother had told him to do and set the little creature on his bed as he changed clothes.

"You're pretty famous." He told the kitten who meowed back happily. Genya smiled, "Of course, when you're as cute as you are it's expected."

"Mew!"

"Ha ha, I bet you would be cute as a human also." He chuckled as he put the lights out and settled on the bed, pulling the blanket over his body. The little kitten meowed as it settled next to Genya's head on his pillow. The young man smiled as he closed his eyes, and drifted to sleep while listening to the kitten purr happily.

That night Genya dreamed about an amusement park and its main theme was watermelon. Treats, rides, and mascot, everything reminded him of watermelons. It was honestly a weird dream, but fun nonetheless.

Time passed faster when someone was sleeping and having pleasant dreams and soon it was morning and sunbeams slipped through the curtains and hit Genya's face, but what ultimately really woke him was the alarm next to his bed.

"What a nice dream…" Genya grumbled tiredly as he blindly shut the alarm and rubbed sleep off from his eyes.

"What did you dream about?" A small voice asked and Genya grumbled tiredly as he recalled his dream… But then he realized that someone actually spoke to him and he did not recognize that voice!

"What the-!?" The young man looked next to him and to his shock, there was a young girl next to him on his bed, wearing his hoodie!

"Good meow-ning, Master!" The girl said happily and Genya shouted in shock as he jumped up, but his leg got caught with his blanket and he fell off the bed and on the floor.

The young man could hear footsteps closing in and a second later his room's door swung open and his big brother was there.

"What's wrong, why did you scream-!?" Sanemi was shouting when his eyes landed on the girl on his younger brother's bed and the vein on his temple popped as he cracked his knuckles.

"Oi, talking to girls is one thing, but sneaking one to your room in the middle of the night…!?" Oh crap, Sanemi was mad.

"B- brother, this isn't what it looks like!" Genya stuttered as his older brother approached him, ready to give him a good beating, but the girl jumped between them and spread her arms as if she were protecting Genya.

"Wait a meowment!" The girl snapped and that is when Genya and Sanemi noticed the white cat's ears and tail that the girl had. The same tail went from left to right and her ears pointed at the roof, "I'm Coco and I'm young Master's familiar!"

"You're what!?" Both men shouted and the girl giggled as she turned to look at the younger man, "Ge-NYA was your name, right Master?"

"Y- yes, but… Who are you?"

"I'm Coco!"

Sanemi and Genya shared glances, but before neither one could do anything, they heard footsteps.

"Brother, what's happening-?" Teiko, Hiroshi, Sumi, Shuya, and Koto came to see what caused all the shouting and their eyes landed on the cat girl. The same girl grinned and waved, "Hi, I'm Coco!"

There was a small moment of silence before the younger siblings screamed and ran past Sanemi to admire the new girl and her ears and tail. Somehow the younger kids were able to accept what was happening much faster than their older brothers.

"So are you Coco?"

"That's me!"

"Are you the cat from yesterday?"

"I am!"

"How did you become a human?"

"Master GeNYA's wish made me turn into a human!" She said happily and everyone turned to look at baffled Genya who was still lying on the floor, "W- wait, what!?"

"I’m just kitten around!" The cat giggled mischievously, "I was tasked to find myself a new Master and GeNYA was the first to show me kindness and generosity!"

"So you are some sort of Familiar?" Hiroshi asked and Sumi smiled, "Like what witches have?"

"Something like that, yes!" She nodded happily and then looked at Sanemi with those green eyes of hers, "Oh, and I don't have worms."

"Well nice to know!" Sanemi snapped, "So what, you are going to stay here or something?"

"That was my plan!" Coco nodded and the kids turned to look a their eldest, "Please big brother, can she stay?"

"Tch…!" Sanemi hissed, knowing he was disadvantaged there, and if he said no then he would be the bad guy… But before he could say anything, Coco meowed to get their attention, "Pawdon me, but I swear, having me around will benefit you all!"

"How?"

"You do know the tail about Maneki Neko?" The white cat girl asked and the siblings all nodded, familiar with the story about a cat who brought luck. Coco grinned as she pointed at herself with her thumb, "Let's just say, I am a descendant of the first Maneki Neko there ever was!"

"This is madness…!" Sanemi grumbled and Genya was so confused while his siblings were even more excited than they were a minute ago, "Can you bring us good luck?"

"Fur sure!" Coco nodded and then looked at Genya who was still lying on the floor, "I purr-mice that I can be helpful!"

Genya didn't know what to say as he was still trying to wrap his head around all this. Good thing he didn't have to think long because Sanemi made up his mind, "We will figure this out later, but now you all need to get ready for school and daycare!"

The younger kids groaned but did as they were told to and rushed to get ready, leaving Genya and Coco in the second-oldest's room. Sanemi looked at his younger brother and growled, "We will talk about this and that cat when we get back home, am I clear!?"

"Y- yes brother…!" Genya nodded and Sanemi closed the door behind him as he left to get everything done before his work at school started. Genya was still baffled and turned to look at Coco who smiled cutely, "So? School, huh?"

It took a moment and by the time Genya was done and ready he was the last one to leave the apartment. There was just one problem.

"Why are you following me? I thought I told you to stay at home?" Genya asked as he looked down at the white kitten who followed close behind him as he made his way down the streets. He didn't expect Coco to reply or how her voice seemed to echo inside Genya's mind, "I'm proving to you that I can be useful!"

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"Just wait, Master GeNYA."

Genya sighed as he tried to hurry but then he felt his foot kick something and he looked down to see a wallet lying on the ground.

"Huh?"

"Oh? Lucky?" Coco giggled as Genya leaned down and picked up the wallet. Out of curiosity, he opened the thing and his eyes widened in shock. There were at least 100, 000 Yen in the wallet! Genya swallowed heavy feeling down from his throat and Coco grinned, "I told you I would bring you good fortune!"

"I can't keep this money," Genya said as he closed the wallet and started to walk in the opposite direction from school. Coco blinked as she followed her Master.

"Why not?" The little cat asked.

"That would be stealing!" Genya snapped, "I better take it to the police booth where the wallet's owner can come and pick it up."

"Do as you want," Coco nodded as she followed Genya to a police booth. The officer at the booth looked busy with this man in a suit talking to them, sounding panicked and restless, "I can't find it, what am I going to do…?"

"Calm down, sir," The officer tried to calm down the man, "We will find it and return the wallet to you at once when we find it."

"A wallet?" Genya thought out loud and the two adults turned to look at him Genya, who recognized the suit man's picture from the ID in the wallet.

"This must belong to you?" The young man said as he handed the wallet to the man in the suit.

"Oh, thank God!" The man immediately opened his wallet and started to go through its contents while the officer turned to look at Genya, "How did you get a hold of this wallet?"

"I found it on the street," Genya replied honestly but it looked like the officer suspected him of something he didn't do, such as stealing the wallet… But before he could ask any more questions, the man in the suit turned to look at Genya, "Oh thank you, young man, you saved me!"

"It's no trouble. I'm happy if I could help." Genya nodded as he turned to leave, but the man quickly called after him, "Hold on!"

"Hm?" Genya stopped and the man dug through his wallet and handed Genya 10,000 Yen bills, "Here is something as a reward."

"I- I can't accept this!" The young man stuttered but the man insisted, "Please, you saved me. The least I can do is reward you. Buy yourself something nice with that money."

"I…"

"I have to go, but I won't forget this kindness young man!" The man said as he rushed to leave. Genya was speechless and the officer nodded at him, "Well done boy."

"Th- Thank you, sir." Genya nodded and the officer looked at the watch on his wrist, "Shouldn't you be at school by now?"

"Y- yes, sorry-!"

"Don't worry, I will write you a note explaining why you are late." The man nodded as he took out paper and pen and while he was writing Genya wondered how he could be so lucky.

Wait, lucky? He turned to look at Coco who was sitting next to him and looking up at him with her green eyes. Genya couldn't really tell, but he had a feeling that she was smiling at him.

"Here you go." The officer handed the young man the note and Genya thanked him as he left to rush to school. While he walked, he heard Cocos who was right by his side talk in his mind.

"I knew I chose well when I accepted you as my Master." The cat said and Genya looked at the cat, stunned, "Wait, you did all that?"

"Of course! I had to make sure that you were as kind and honest as I initially thought." Coco nodded and Geny blinked, "So it was all just a test?"

"Yes, and you passed with purr-fect scores!" Coco sounded extremely happy as she meowed, "And now you can buy something nice for your siblings."

"Just what exactly are you?" Genya wandered out loud and Coco giggled, "I told you. I'm your beloved little familiar and you are my Master GeNYA!"

That didn't offer many answers, but maybe time would.

[naturepointstheway]

Kittens, Lightning, and Magic (Zurich Misto, Cats)

[Characters as kittens] The first winter thunderstorm roars over the house as Tugger, terrified of thunderstorms, sees Misto delighting in the storm, his paws catching forks of lightning, eyes glowing like sheets of lightning. "No, he was a big cat, not afraid of any thunderstorm! Why would he be, when Mistoffelees was the thunderstorm?"

This fic came out at around 4500 words, so a nice chonky one. The characters are kittens in this fic.

Tugger hated thunderstorms, had hated them for as long as he could remember.

And tonight, he hated them no less as he crawled under a blanket in the room he and Misto occupied at the first hints of thunderclaps heralding winter’s first storm. His ears were flattened against his skull, teeth bared like he wanted to fight the storm itself, but was too cowardly to do so—Everlasting! If anyone saw him now!

Stop—just stop!

Now huddled under the blanket, soothed by the darkness inside, he nosed his way in deeper until only his bottlebrush tail stuck out, lashing back and forth, faster with each clap of thunder. He hated all this, he wanted it to be over.

Something clambered—sprinted—over the bed, a tiny thing with four swift paws and a loud delighted purr. Tugger held still, pretending to be a lump of clothing under the blanket—he didn’t want Mistoffelees to see he was here, hiding away from a stupid storm.

Pathetic.

He heard claws scrabbling up a wall, followed by a soft thump on a windowsill, the purrs even more rich with what sounded a lot like delight. He winced at the loud screech of claws that came after, like someone was scratching them down the window. Mercifully, that horrid squeaking sound of claws on glass didn’t come back, and all was quiet—and still he didn’t dare pop his head out of the blanket because what if Mistoffelees saw him? No, Mistoffelees didn’t need to see him scared, he wouldn’t take Tugger seriously after that.

Chirrups and mews of excitement came from the kitten, and if Tugger listened hard enough above the storm, he could hear the tell-tale bap-baps of paws on glass, and well good for Mistoffelees if he was so delighted by the storm. Why was he so happy with the storm tonight?

What does he see in it?

His lashing tail stilled as the air became notably more charged, warmer, like the storm was coming inside, but without bringing along the lightning and rain. It was the same charge he could feel in the air earlier before the storm had fully hit with its full might.

For a time, he wrestled with an overwhelming curiosity to see what on Earth Misto was doing at the windowsill, but eventually he couldn’t help but nose his way out of the blanket, wincing and blinking hard as a sheet of lightning filled the view outside the window with white for a split second. Hot on its heels followed a bright fork of lightning, distorted by the raindrop-smeared windows, partially hidden by Mistoffelees sitting up with ears perked high and eyes wide with what Tugger imagined to be great awe. His little front paws were splayed out against the pane, batting at the occasional raindrop sliding down the window, leaving behind a tiny, ephemeral creek, the ghost of its path. With every fork of lightning, Mistoffelees moved a paw to, it appeared to Tugger, catch it.  

“Misto?”

No response, other than Mistoffelees bapping his paw at another flash of lightning.

“Misto.”

One of Mistoffelees’ ears swivelled toward Tugger, tail twitching the way it did when annoyed.

“I thought you hated loud noises.”

Mistoffelees nodded, an earnest ear still turned toward the window, again smacking a paw against the pane at the exact same time a lightning fork split the night. Mistoffelees bounced on his feet in delight, twirling around once as though to release some excess excitement. Despite the storm, Tugger’s heart still melted at seeing his fearless joy in the storm, watching as Mistoffelees again bapped the window, eyes trained intently on something on the panes, perhaps racing two raindrops against each other to the bottom of the glass.

And then—

BOOM.

Tugger hissed, and Mistoffelees leaped into the air, his tail and back fur immediately spiking as he spun around to glare at Tugger, quickly replaced by what appeared to be a flash of surprise crossing his face. Mistoffelees kept staring at him as he sat down, pressing his back against the windowpane. He arched an eyebrow at Tugger, pointing a paw at him and then the window.

“Yeah, look at me, huh,” Tugger rasped, ears still pinned back, but the snarl had left. “Cowering like a pollicle from lightning.”

Mistoffelees didn’t laugh, but nor did he come down to join him—not that Tugger expected him to—instead tilting his head toward the window, ears perked high as they could be, eyes wide and staring at the weather’s mayhem. As Tugger watched, Mistoffelees pressed a paw pad at the exact time as a fork of lightning outside pierced the sky.

And Mistoffelees glowed, his whole body wrapped in blue-white crackles of mini-lightning, arching and forking over raised fur before vanishing.

Tugger couldn’t help a cry of surprise, sitting bolt upright.

“Misto!”

Mistoffelees turned his eyes to Tugger, and to the latter’s surprise, he didn’t seem to be hurt at all. On the contrary, he was practically vibrating with happiness, paws kneading furiously on the windowsill.

Still, Tugger wanted to make sure.

“Misto, are you…okay?”

An enthusiastic nod, a paw pointing from the window to himself and then Tugger and back to the window.

“You glowed right as it hit!”

Mistoffelees tilted his chin, squinting his eyes with pride.

“Don’t tell me you like thunderstorms.”

A nod from the magical cat as he raised a paw to lick it quickly.

“Don’t you hate loud noises?”

Another nod.

“Then—this—why?”

Fear now all but forgotten, Tugger kicked away the blanket like he hadn’t been scared at all—no not he, the pretty cat with the pretty mane and thick fur! No, no, he was pretending to be scared that’s all! There was nothing to be scared of—just a thunderstorm!

No, he was a big cat, not afraid of any thunderstorm!

Why would he be, when Mistoffelees was the thunderstorm?

Scrambling up to perch on a bed post, he stood, leaning forward, rapt as Mistoffelees rolled a ball of shining mute thunderstorms in between his paws, a corner of his mouth curling upward. Tugger preened when Mistoffelees stared at him, and for a moment, he could swear his eyes were…glowing, like a sheet of white lightning occluded his green irises.

It was there, he could swear, there, and then gone like it never happened.

And that’s when he noticed, too late, Mistoffelees drawing back an arm, ball of lightning clasped tight like he was preparing to give it a good throw.

And he was grinning. Those ears were twitching like mad.

Oh.

Oh no.

Tugger hunkered down, preparing to scoot for it, but too late, Mistoffelees had launched the lightning ball straight at his face with a cackle.

“Aah! Hey!” Tugger yelled, thrown onto his back, paws waving at thin air, sure now every single strand of his fur, from head to tail, was very, very puffed up.

Four little paws raced away out of the open door, Mistoffelees’ laughing fading down the hall.

“Misto! Get back here, you imp!”

He straightened up again, madly grooming down his mane, hoping it wouldn’t look too poofy the next morning—he liked that mane, thank you very much, and he would much rather it not be all puffed out from static like some goofy poodle.

Where could he have gone?

Probably to his favourite spot on the roof or something, no doubt, seeing how much he was glorying in the thunderstorm.

Right on cue, there was a loud purr from the rooftops and what sounded suspiciously like someone dancing up there too.

And he’ll be by the fireplace.

Either way, Tugger was not about to let Mistoffelees destroy his very precious ego by laughing at him with his fur all puffed out; he was going to have to spend the rest of the night just fixing back every hair into its correct and rightful place again.

Stopping at the mirror on his way out, he frantically checked again to make sure he’d gotten every bit of puffed-up fur. Satisfied, he scampered off on the search for Mistoffelees, heading to his favourite hiding places—that purr and rooftop dancing could be very misleading, he knew this from figuring it out after the third time that he had been fooled like this.

For once, Misto was not by the fireplace, nor was he lurking behind any doors (especially the kitchen door), nor somewhere in the pantry, nor even in the dining room.

Huh, the purring stopped, he noted on his second visit to the lounging area—again, no Mistoffelees to be seen.

Then, a giggle from behind him.

Tugger whirled around to see Mistoffelees’ head pop up with a wild grin from behind an armchair, followed immediately by his hand gripping a ball of lightning.

Oh no—

Tugger raised his arms to his face, trying to duck the projectile, but too late, Mistoffelees’ aim was true and hit his upstretched arms, immediately followed by a tingle of static. He was sure his mane was at least twice as puffy as usual now, thanks to Misto’s inescapable aim. As he lowered his arms, Mistoffelees gave him a wicked grin, eyes gleaming, pumping an arm in the air. Before Tugger could react, he leaped over the back of the armchair and tore out of the lounge, racing to the door without a second glance.  

“Oh no you don’t!”

Tugger sprinted after him, but Mistoffelees winked back at him and yanked the door open, running straight into the thunderstorm and sideways rain.

Because of course he would.

And like hell Tugger was letting a little thunderstorm and sideways rain stop him now!

“Misto!”

No sooner did he enter the doorway then a fork of lightning blazed through the night, followed a few seconds later by a loud thunderclap, making him flinch. At the same time, he spotted, lit up for a split-second, Mistoffelees several feet away already, spinning with arms outstretched, face tilted up to the rain, eyes closed and smiling like this was the best night of his life.

Okay now’s my chance.

Tugger crept out into the night, mud squidging between his toes, sneaking up behind the spinning Mistoffelees as quietly as possible.

If I tackle him—

Mistoffelees abruptly stopped spinning, bending over with hands on knees, breathing hard.

Now!

Too late again—Misto spotted him, and immediately threw an arm out, shooting a bolt of lightning from a paw, and Tugger was only just fast enough to avoid being hit.

“Didn’t get me this time!”

Mistoffelees laughed as he straightened up again. At the same time, two balls of thunderstorms appeared in his hands, illuminating Mistoffelees’ face, his eyes glowing like sheet lightning.

Run!

Tugger dove behind a pile of abandoned cardboard boxes, crouching down, flattening his ears so they wouldn’t give him away.

Perfect!

Or maybe not, as a streak of lightning touched the tip of his tail, which Tugger had entirely forgotten about in his rush for a hiding spot.

“Ow!” he yelped, shooting up to his feet, just in time for Mistoffelees to throw the other ball of lightning, Tugger jumping away into a small garden bed overgrown with weeds. He hunkered down into the weeds, immediately before Mistoffelees’ lightning struck the plants around him, scorching them, Tugger wrinkling his nose at the smell of burning.

Ugh, no good staying here.

 He leaped once again to his feet, sprinting over the grass, looking behind to see if Mistoffelees was running after him—judging by the quickly approaching pair of glowing eyes, he was catching up just fine.

A ladder’s frame stuck out into the darkness at the side of a house, leading several stories up.

Perfect.

“Misto!” he called back as he jumped to grab the bottom rung with his hands. “Try and catch me now!”

Tail held out behind him for extra balance, Tugger scaled the ladder, confident Mistoffelees was too small to reach—

Oh.

Mistoffelees had apparently found another way up, appearing out of the darkness on a windowsill not too far from him, a paw glowing with more ammunition, white hot forks of lightning skittering over his claws.

“Can’t catch me!”

He swept his long tail out of the way just in time as Misto launched another streak of lightning magic at him.

“Hah! Not this time!”

Looking down, he saw the kitten getting down on his haunches, eyes trained up on him—tail quivering like he was calculating a jump.

“Oh no you don’t—” Tugger protested as Mistoffelees launched himself up at the ladder, scrabbling before grabbing his bushy tail, teeth and claws sinking into the fur, but not enough to hurt him.

His first thought was to just drop down back to the ground and keep their silly play down there, but nor did he want to risk hurting Mistoffelees with his weight on impact.

How much farther to go?

Looking up, he saw more ladders leading up to the roof.

“You wanna keep doing this up there? On the roof?”

He didn’t bother waiting for any response from Mistoffelees, instead hauling his body up the rest of the ladders, rusty metal cold under his clutches as he climbed.

“One more—almost there—”

Triumph! He’d made it to the edge of the roof, its gutter overflowing with the rainfall, pulling himself up, claws digging in to anchor himself as he dragged up the rest of his body and Mistoffelees still, impressively, clinging on to his tail. Tugger swung his tail up so Mistoffelees was able to let go, flying down onto the roof while he tried to catch his breath again.

Another zap of lightning bolted past him, and Tugger flinched, leaping to his feet with a laugh and shake of his head.

“Not good sportsmanship, Misto! At least wait until I’ve caught my breath!”

Tugger crouched down, ready to scramble out of the way, watching the kitten’s paws closely, waiting until he spotted a growing orb of light between them.

To the chimney!

Squinting into the rain, Tugger pulled himself up the side of the roof toward the chimney, ducking behind the brick refuge.

“Can’t see me, can’t get me!”

He heard Mistoffelees scrabbling around on the roof, and Tugger remained still, confident there was no way he’d see him—

Until Mistoffelees leaped over the chimney onto the top of his head, catching Tugger by surprise.

“Hey, get off from up there.”

Tugger pushed himself up to full height again, Mistoffelees now clambering off him onto the chimney, tail straight up in the air as he did when smug about something.

“How’d you know?” Tugger marveled.

Mistoffelees pointed to one of his Maine Coon ears.

Well! First his tail and now his ear gave the game away.

Nothing else for it but to take it out into the open, have this final showdown on the roof’s ridge.

“Fine, Misto, have it your way, let’s finish this on the ridge.”

Misto spun around a couple times before jumping onto the roof’s ridge at the bottom of the chimney, Tugger following right behind him. Sideways rain blasted the side of his face, and it was all he could do to keep squinting, keep an eye on Mistoffelees, who kept his distance on the other side of the roof.

Okay, it’s show time.

Rubbing his front paws together, Tugger prepared to launch himself into all sorts of acrobats in an effort to dodge Mistoffelees, back flips, mid-air spins, and all.

“Come on, Misto, you can do this!” he yelled, before doing another flip on to the chimney,  crouching as Mistoffelees flung lightning ball after lightning ball, eyes glowing with that fierce light.

His breaths were now coming in breathless pants, body already sore from all the dodging and leaping and ducking under Mistoffelees’ magic. Once he started seeing the patterns of Mistoffelees’ pre-launching warm-ups, he could escape them more and more often.

Until, that is, Mistoffelees paused halfway across the ridge, raising himself on one leg, his other foot placed at his knee.

Uh oh. What’s he planning now?

One spin, then two, then three and Mistoffelees swung out his arms, two ropes of lightning magic flying away. Tugger ducked down, hands clasping the ridge, but the end of one of the ropes swept over him, Mistoffelees jumping up and down in the distance before doing one more series of spins, and this time, a circle of lightning bolts expanded away from him.

Tugger again tried to dodge, but too late: the circle enveloped him and his feet fell away as it dragged him toward a triumphant Mistoffelees, the lightning disappearing once they were only a couple feet apart. There was no way he could have escaped that rope of lightning, what with the way it had yanked him toward Mistoffelees with such force that even his bigger cat’s body couldn’t resist again.

With a loud laugh, Mistoffelees pumped his arms up in the air, practically doing a jig on the roof. Tugger rolled his eyes.

“Okay, I give up: you win.”

A spin and another leap into the air, a leap that on impact saw him slip and fall into Tugger, who, caught off balance, windmilled his arms to try to keep his balance, but gravity and the slick surface of the roof won.

“Careful, gotcha!” Tugger gasped as he held on to Mistoffelees.

They collapsed together on the slick, metal roof, bodies aching from laughing so hard, breathless from their mad play, this absolute…recklessness (but a fun recklessness!)Had they really just spent Everlasting Cat knew how long outside runningaround like two mad cats in the lightning (oh, how Skimbleshanks would have scolded them!) and sideways rain? For a long time, even the smallest glance at each other led to them breaking down into rib-cracking laughter again, damp paws raised to shield their eyes from the fat raindrops splashing on and around them.  Tugger’s back fur stuck to the wet roof under him, every strand of fur was now clinging to his frame, but right now he didn’t care, enjoying this crazy moment, ribs and sides aching from his laughing. Tugger couldn’t tell if his eyes were wet from rain, crying from laughing so hard, or both. Probably both. Definitely both.

It seemed to Tugger like hours, but was probably only a few minutes, before their laughter began to decrescendo; at the same time, so did the storm. No more lightning rippled through dark, roiling clouds, and the wind had died down to the occasional stray gust of wind that stripped leaves off trees bowing to its might. The rain still fell, no longer sideways, just falling straight down to drum cozily on the tin roof. Tugger closed his eyes, losing himself in the soothing rustle of leaves, the pitter patter of rain on tin, the whistle of the wind through telephone wires, and the distinct hooting of an owl far away. Through this calming symphony of a storm’s end, he also heard Mistoffelees’ purrs, deep breathing, and chattering teeth—

His eyes flew open, and he sprung upright onto all fours, claws scrabbling on the roof’s slippery surface.

“Mistoffelees!”

Mistoffelees turned his head to look up at him, questions in his glowing eyes.

“I can hear your teeth chattering. Let’s get back inside—Munk will yell at me if I let you die of exposure.”

Mistoffelees raised his paws to his face, and even in the low light, Tugger could see they were shaking.

Skimble would have my toebeans for this if Misto catches a cold.

The dark shape that was the little kitten flipped over onto his four paws, now all glowing with gloves of liquid honey, with a faint glow like candles.

Like they did that time in the snow last year.

No time to think about that right now—they had to get to the attic or else Mistoffelees would simply shiver himself to a nasty cold or worse. The attic wasn’t exactly the warmest room in the house, but it was still both inside out of the rain and dry.

“Let’s get to the attic.”

Tugger lowered his back, tilting his head over his shoulder in an invitation for Misto to hitch a ride, but the kitten ignored him and sauntered away in his socks of magic toward the glass door that led into the attic below. Tugger quickly moved to catch up to him, glad his paws were wide and furry enough to keep their hold on the rain-drenched roof—not that the attic was more than a couple metres away, anyway.

Only when one of his front paws hit a cold, wet glass panel, did he then immediately make a beeline for the lever, gripping it in his paws and pulling with a grunt. Mistoffelees made a move like he was going to help, but the door finally, with a protesting squeak of the hinges, yawned open.

“Okay, I think we can get in there.”

Right as he said that, a cheeky howl of wind tore the attic door out of his hand and slammed it all the way open, the clash of the door against the roof reverberating into the night, and rain immediately invited itself inside.

Oops.

Oh well. It wasn’t his problem anyway, and he could just blame the wind if anyone asked about it. A little bit of rain falling into the otherwise dry attic was a worthy sacrifice to get himself and Mistoffelees back indoors and get warm and fluffy again by the fireplace.

“After you, Misto.”

A wet arrow of black darted past him, diving straight into the attic opening, and Tugger followed suit, flopping onto the floor below with a fair amount of less grace than Misto had, right into the puddle already forming below the gaping roof doorway.

With a short mutter, he straightened up, trying to primp his fur, only to find that it was next to impossible, what with how waterlogged all his layers had become thanks to their wild, spontaneous idea to play out in the thunderstorm (really, it was Misto’s fault—he ran out the door first, not Tugger!)

Speaking of… where was Misto? He searched around for a pair of familiar glowing eyes, but there was nothing except darkness.

“Misto?” Tugger called out, blinking around for the magical kitten. “Where are you?”

Knowing him, he’s already made his way out to the stairs.

“Misto? You slipped away, didn’t you?”

A pair of glowing green eyes opened out of nowhere right in front of his face in the pitch black, and Tugger couldn’t help a startled jump, stumbling back in his surprise.

Of course.

Mistoffelees giggled, and Tugger imagined he was giving himself a little pat on the back right now.

I fell for that, again. Every time, I swear.

Tugger swung a playful paw at those eyes, but Misto had quicker instincts, ducking easily out of the way, so his paw instead swung at thin air. 

“Fireplace. Race you there.”

A dart of black to the door, and then Misto was gone. Tugger didn’t even bother picking up his pace, full well knowing the kitten was already three quarters of the way to his favourite cozy spot in front of the fireplace.

Deliberately pressing his paws harder on the floor to really leave some big, dirty pawprints behind, Tugger oh-so-casually traipsed his way down the stairs, leaving no step without at least one wet pawprint, until the light and heat of the fireplace from the lounging area swept over his face and shivering body.  

And just as he thought, there was Mistoffelees already upon his favourite seat, making biscuits, his purrs as fierce as the crackle from the fireplace, eyes half-closed, his little blue crochet mouse sitting next to him, waiting for a cuddle.

Temptation crept into Tugger’s brain.

What if I pounced…

Nah. Not tonight, anyway.

“Hey, Misto, I see you beat me to it.”

Mistoffelees curled up on the seat, crochet mouse cuddled between his paws against his white chest. His tailed swept around him, eyes now fully closed, little nose sniffing the air, a smug look on his face.

He beat me to it, and he knows it.

Tugger flopped big and long across the floor next to the raised podium on which the fireplace with its skinny chimney stood, hypnotic flames lapping at a log that was already half-ash; the crackle of the fire and the soft drum of rain on the roof and windows created a sleepy melody.

He turned over on his back, glorious heat already warming and drying the fur of his belly, glancing over in Misto’s direction. At the same time, Mistoffelees, perhaps sensing Tugger looking at him, opened his eyes and promptly dissolved into a flurry of laughter.

“What?” Tugger asked. “What’s so funny?”

Mistoffelees sat up—and of course his fur was already dry, now starting to fluff up like a cotton ball—and pointed at him.

“Ah me. Of course I am.” Tugger instinctively lifted a paw to preen his mane, but only hit completely drenched fur. “The funniest tomcat this side of the Heaviside Layer.”

Mistoffelees again pointed at Tugger before drooping his ears and face into the most pathetic looking wet cat impression.

“Oh, is that how I look right now? Like a pathetic wet cat?”

A grin and nod from Mistoffelees, with a little chirp of confirmation.

“Right, right, not that you don’t look like that yourself.”

Hurt flashed in the kitten’s eyes.

Probably overthinking my words again. I’m trying to be funny.

“But you’re still the cutest fluffball—a fluffball that can shoot lightning from his paws.” Tugger pretended to shoot lightning from his paws, and Mistoffelees appeared to relax again.

“Also, hey, thanks a lot.”

Mistoffelees tilted his head with a confused “Mrrw?”

“For tonight.”

Mistoffelees extended a paw at Tugger, before pantomiming a cat being terrified by a thunderclap, before pointing at him again. All this was followed by a questioning chirp.

Heaviside, why’d you give Tantomile and Coricopat the telepathic powers and not me?

“Are…are you making fun of me, good sir?”

A frantic shake of the head, more insistent charades with paws, and this time Tugger caught a whiff of its meaning.

“Ooh, you asking if I was scared of the thunderstorm?” Tugger lifted a paw, making a great show of grooming it with his tongue. “Who me? Rum Tum Tugger?”

He decided to pretend not to see Misto’s eyeroll.

“Nah,” Tugger rolled over onto his belly, crossing his paws as delicately as possible over his other. “Never me, could never be me, Misto.”

Yeah.

Scared of a simple storm.

Pfft, never, why would he be terrified of loud thunder?

It’s not like he ever had reason to be scared of thunder, especially not with Mistoffelees around.

He’d never admit it to anyone, let alone Misto, lest he destroy his properly curated image of the bravest and coolest tomcat this side of the junkyard, but honestly?

Deep down, he was all but grateful to Mistoffelees for tonight’s distraction and wild galivanting in the rain and thunder, playing Dodge The Magic Lightning Balls, just two silly cats having the time of their lives before coming back inside to collapse by the fireplace to get dry and warm again.

And I’d do this all over again, rain and thunder be damned.

[jungle-angel]

I’ll Keep You Warm (Rhett Abbott x Reader)

Summary: You know Rhett will always be there for you and the kids, even on the coldest nights Wyoming has ever seen

Rhett closed the hatch on the back of the pellet stove in the basement, making sure it was completely filled and that the woodstove in the living room had enough in it to last the night. School had already cancelled until Monday and all the animals on the property had to be in due to the temperatures that were predicted to dip below zero. 

“Alright my stinky familiars,” Rhett said to the skunks, snapping his fingers and pointing towards the beat up old wicker basket where the babies were all laying in a pile to keep warm. 

The male and female obeyed instantly, earning a handful of mealworms from Rhett in their food dishes which were still full of blueberries, pears and the insectivore chow that Wes had brought over from the wildlife center. Rhett scratched their chins and ran his hand along their tails before they curled around the babies who were still small and needed to nurse. 

Back upstairs he went to see if Willy and Tiny were in their basket yet, the kittens mewing as they searched for their mother. Rhett quickly got a hold of the one who was always sneaking around and hiding in your yarn basket before putting him back with his brothers and sisters. 

“Darlin ya’ll still down here?” he asked. 

“In the kitchen,” you answered. 

Rhett made his way into the kitchen and snaked his arms around you as you scrubbed away at the last of the dishes. He pressed his warm lips against your neck, listening to the purr in your throat. 

“How goes Momma?” he asked, his voice deep from exhaustion. 

“Tired,” you answered. “I’m cold too. I’m shaking like a chihuahua dog.” 

Rhett laughed a little, but he too could feel the cold radiating a little against the window above the kitchen sink. “Kids need flannel pjs tonight, right?” he asked. 

“And the heavy quilts,” you reminded him. 

Rhett kissed your cheek but quickly snapped to attention when he heard the loud cries of a newborn coming from upstairs. “You stay put,” Rhett ordered. “I’ve got him.” 

Rhett headed upstairs to your shared bedroom, his steps quickening as the cries grew louder. Poor Dallas was fully awake, only in his little onesie and nothing else as he lay in the knotted pine sleeping basket on Rhett’s side of the bed. 

“Oh buddy, c’mere,” Rhett cooed as he lifted the little one out of his sleeping basket. “You’ve gotta be freezing.” 

Rhett found his little blue and white knit blanket Cecelia had made the day Dallas had officially been adopted into the family, wrapping it around his little form and holding the baby against him for warmth. 

“You were cold weren’t you?” Rhett said as he carefully put Dallas’s little blue and green pacifier in his mouth. “I know buddy, I know. Wish we could all go to Florida for a little while and get some sunshine.” 

Dallas’s crying died down to a few squeaky little whimpers as Rhett kissed the smooth tufts of hair on Dallas’s fragile little head. He dug around in the dresser to see if he could find some warm pjs for the baby and sure enough, there they were. You had gotten them the day of the official court ruling that Dallas was yours, the little blue footie pajamas that had a cowboy on a bucking bronco stitched onto them. Cecelia had thought they were the cutest thing in the world and now that Dallas had grown a little, he fit into them perfectly. Rhett even found the little crochet socks and matching hat that would keep him extra warm. 

Out of the old clothes and into the new and Dallas finally settled right down. Rhett carefully placed him in the sleeping basket, covering him with the blanket and stroking his hair. He hardly noticed you in the door, the broad smile on your face growing wider by the second. You loved how soft he was with the kids, especially the boys when they were newborns and the girls? Whenever he’d snuggle the girls, your legs turned to jelly.

“Is he asleep?” you whispered. 

“Gettin there,” Rhett answered. “What about the others?” 

“Hannah’s still awake,” you answered. “She’ll be reading her Little House on the Prairie books for hours. The big twins went down and so didn’t the little twins.”

“Kaya?” 

Before you could answer, in rushed Kaya in her little red and black flannel pajamas that Papa and Nana Cece had gotten all of the kids for Christmas. “Daddy, I’m done with my bath,” she chirped, pushing some of her wet hair over her shoulder. 

You laughed as your youngest daughter jumped up on the bed, hushing her before she had a chance to get too loud. “Alright Princess,” Rhett said, picking her up onto his hip. “Now that your baby brother’s asleep, it’s your turn.” 

He could feel Kaya’s tiny little frame buzzing with the cold, her teeth chattering like machine gun fire as Rhett brought her into her room. “C’mon Princess,” he said. “Up in your bed.” 

Kaya climbed the ladder right up into her bed, snuggling under the sheets, the comforter and the thick duvet cover that you and Rhett both tossed over her, her little velveteen rabbit tucked under her arm. 

“I love you Princess,” Rhett whispered, kissing her forehead. 

“I love you too Daddy,” Kaya chirped. 

You and Rhett turned out the lights and headed back to your own room, settling under the thick covers and watching the snow fall outside your window as Dallas snored softly in the basket next to you. 

Rhett curled his arms around you and pulled you close, the both of you asleep in one of his zip-up hoodies under layers of thick, warm blankets that felt more like a giant weighted one. 

“Still wanna go somewhere warm soon?” you asked, stroking his jaw which felt like sandpaper. 

“I’m hopin soon Darlin,” he murmured. “I’m gettin cabin fever real bad.” 

“Don’t worry,” you chuckled. “When my students were having their Spanish lessons, I went online and managed to get some pretty good plane tickets for Florida.” 

Rhett’s eyes went wide, his jaw hanging open like a confused guppy. “I.....I....you....we’re goin to Florida?” 

“When the kids go on February break,” you informed him. “A cousin of mine left us the house down in Key West, free of charge.” 

Rhett half laughed, half cried with relief. “Aw Darlin, ya’ll didn’t have to do that.” 

You tilted his chin so that his eyes met yours. “And you think I haven’t noticed you looking depressed lately?” you told him. “C’mon, you need the sunshine. Plus we have amazing memories of that place.” 

“Hmmm, our honeymoon in Key West.” 

The two of you lay awake until your eyelids couldn’t stand it anymore, recalling those beautiful memories of yours and Rhett’s honeymoon in the Florida Keys, the sunshine, laying in the hammock for hours and spending an ungodly amount of time on the beach, leaving the two of you a sunburned mess. 

And you couldn’t wait to do it again with your family.

[sarifinasnightmare]

Popsicle Standoff

Rating: Sexual Innuendos Ahoy!

Paring: Sarah X Bucky

Author's Note: This is me killing two birds with one stone. So @sahtinekryze  put out this prompt about Cass, AJ and Bucky conspiring to hide a kitten from Sarah. This also fulfills the popsicle prompt. Hopefully I did good!

Summary: Cass and AJ rescue a kitten. Bucky has a soft spot for cats and decides to aid and abet them in hiding the little floof from their mother.

August 19-25: Popsicles

Bucky had endured torture. However what Sarah was doing in front of him was about to make him fold faster than a lawn chair.

It was supposed to be a distraction and a way to soften her up to what the boys had hidden up in their room.

When it came to the boys, Bucky was always 100% behind whatever decision Sarah made. However, when Cass and AJ came back from school carrying an adorable white ball of fluff that had been abandoned in a box on the side of the road, her NO PETS rule went flying out the window.

“Please don’t tell mom!” AJ pleaded as Bucky gently took the little kitten from his arms.

“We think it’s deaf.” Cass snapped his fingers close to the kitten’s ear and it didn’t flinch, too busy staring up at Bucky with matching blue eyes.

The little thing looked dehydrated, with a distended belly and probably covered with fleas. Still it mewed bravely and lifted a paw curiously. Bucky smiled remembering as a small boy the alley cats he often played with and how occasionally one would crawl on his lap for pets. Fighters and survivors, they were nonetheless tranquil, peaceful creatures.

“Let’s see if we can get the fleas off her.” He decided after giving her a quick inspection.

A check on the internet showed them how to give the kitten a proper washing and what it would need to eat. Bucky promptly went to the nearest store to get some proper food and had just returned when Sarah suddenly drove in.

“Mom’s here!” AJ cried out, hugging the freshly washed kitten wrapped snug in a towel.

The kitten mewled loudly in protest.

“Shh! Not so loud.” Cass hushed them both. “We got to hid her.”

Bucky sighed, in for a penny, in for a pound. “Take her upstairs. I’ll see what I can do with your mom.”

The boys quickly dashed up to their room just as Sarah walked into the house with a small bag of foodstuff. She caught the sounds of frantic steps and the door slamming shut along with hushed words. Bucky stood in the center looking awkward.

“Is there something I should know?”

“N-No.”

Now this was surprising. It was the first time Bucky had ever lied to her. Handing the groceries to him she decided to figure out what shenanigans was going down.

“I think I’m going to check on the boys.”

“Uh, wait!” He opened the freezer, looked around. “I’ve been craving a popsicle…Want to enjoy one with me?” Turning around he thrust one at her.

He’s stalling her. Now she knew something was up, but fine, if he wanted to play games, so be it.

“Okay,” she said, peeling off the plastic wrapping to reveal the classic red and orange popsicle swirl. Taking a seat across from him, she sucked the tip of the cold dessert and moaned in delight.

Bucky faltered, his popsicle missing his mouth by a mile as he watched Sarah begin to suck, lick and slurp on the long frozen pop.

“My girlfriends and I loved these on hot nights. We’d try to make it last as long as possible.” She mused as her tongue licked the sweetness of the popsicle first up, then down.

“Uh huh.” He said breathlessly.

“I remember Brenda was boy crazy and showed us her special trick.” Demonstrating, she pushed the popsicle far into her mouth and slowly dragged it out.

His jeans were now extremely tight, and his gaze was fixed on her every move.

She arched a brow. “Aren’t you going to eat yours? It’s melting all over your hand.”

“Uh,” He reached out to grab a napkin, missed and jostled the table before awkwardly wiping his hand.

Bemused, she took a delicate bite and let the icy sweetness melt in her mouth. “You’re wasting it.”

Bucky watched the way her tongue dragged over her lips, squirming, but tried to regain control and began to chomp at his popsicle, finishing it in three bites.

“You didn’t even enjoy it.” Sarah scolded gently as she slowly finished hers until she was only sucking on the stick.

“Jesus, Sarah,” He groaned, pulling the stick from her mouth and capturing her in a cool, sticky sweet kiss. He’d been tortured enough and now demanded some satisfaction.

She indulged him. Her tongue teased him, her teeth nibbled. His breath became heavy, and she brushed her hand against his jeans feeling his arousal.  

“I’m going to check on the boys.”

Before Bucky could even realize he’d been tricked, Sarah ran up the stairs to find out what was going on. Valiantly he tried to stop her but too late, she was inside AJ’s bedroom looming over the boys as they tried their best to look innocent despite the fact that the kitten was meowing loudly under the bed.

“What did I say?” She said, hands parked at her hips.

“Please mom! She was left to die all alone in a box!” Cass argued. “We couldn’t leave her like that.”

“You always tell us to help the less fortunate.” AJ added.

Bucky soon lumbered in awkwardly, his eyes darting around. “Where is she?”

The kitten crawled out from under the bed and made a beeline for the super soldier. With sharp, tiny claws she unabashedly climbed up his long legs until he could scoop her into his arms. Now safely established, the kitten looked up at Sarah and meowed her introduction.  

Sarah arched a brow. “Sassy, isn’t she?” She noticed how tenderly Bucky stroked the little thing’s soft white fur. “I see I’m already being replaced.”

“No, come on. You know you’re the only girl for me.” Bucky countered before shrugging. “She’s just a lost little kitten. Abandoned, forgotten, disabled…no friends.”

“Not abandoned nor alone. Not so long as a Wilson is around to save the day.” Sarah teased lightly as she gave into the urge and stroked the kitten’s soft head.

Bucky smiled faintly. “I know you told the boys no pets…but you never said I couldn’t have one.”

“Ooh! Yeah, you never said Uncle Bucky couldn’t have a pet. He can keep it!” AJ parroted excitedly.

“You know, instead of lying and stalling with popsicles, you could’ve just said you guys found a kitten.”

Cass frowned. “But you said no pets.”

“Yeah but I never said we couldn’t help a poor defenseless animal.” She countered. “She could stay but tomorrow she moves into Bucky’s place. Okay?”

“Yes Ma’am.” They said in unison. “Can we have a popsicle?” AJ added.

“Go for it.”

They quickly skedaddled out to the kitchen leaving the adults to with their new feline charge.

“So now that this has been settled what are you going to do to prevent me from making you sleep on the couch tonight?” Sarah said, folding her arms across her chest, waiting.

Bucky sighed. “I am sorry that I helped the boys smuggle a cat into the house and lie about it…and I promise that she’ll stay at my place. Please don’t make me sleep on the couch. You are the most beautiful, radiant, loving woman a guy could ever ask for.”

She stared at him for a moment. “I’ll think about it.” Then turned and went to join her sons.

Cat and cat owner watched her go.

The feline glanced up at him. “Mrrp.”

“Thanks for the encouragement.” Bucky replied. “Let’s go butter her up some more.”

In the end, Cass and AJ saved a cat, the cat got a new home, and Bucky managed to slide in beside Sarah that night to finish what they started with the popsicles.

[churchobones]

DWC Day 4: Vengeance

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“And then... I remember...”

Bruce looked down at his arm. His skin was pale as the waning moonlight, black veins writhing with every weakened pulse of his heart. His head swam, vision dim and distant.

Bruce looked up. “The Red Witch. What do you know of her?”

The little lord pursed his lips.

“The legend of E’Andusore… The whore told you, did she?” The shards of whispering shadow framing his head began to spin, building momentum.  “It’s a tale lost to most of my people.

“She was a vicious crone who haunted a powerful magic circle; she and her nightmare hound, Narral’thix.  The sacred site held the key to Life after Death; the natural cycle made manifest in mana.  A power she used to butcher innocents and turn farmland fallow.

“As the story goes,” the lord smiled grimly.  “She ate the dog’s heart to tap into the circle’s power, raising a mighty tree surrounded by a bramble thicket miles wide that only she could pass through unscathed.

“Until the Lady came with fire.  A mother desperate to save her son.”

“Three times I've asked about that story now. The first time I heard it, She shared Her memory with me-- that old Oak Tree.”

Bruce's jaw set as the plaintive mew of a kitten long passed echoed in his mind. In that mansion, where Zelion’s family portraits lined the walls and an Oak Tree split the marble floors, he'd heard her cries.

Her coat was mottled brown with camouflage not yet shed. Milk teeth flashed in the darkness. Paws too big for her scrambled, begging purchase.

Emerald magicks flared outwards from his touch, along the grooves of the Oak’s bark, scrawling up and down the trunk.  A whistling shimmer grew twice as loud from below, a tremor taking the ballroom floor felt up through the soles of his feet to his knees; enough to require bracing but not enough to steal his legs out from beneath him. The floor splintered beneath the kit’s paws, a desperate cry falling away into the darkness below until there was nothing left to be heard but the burgeoning hum of the awakened tree.

She regarded him with a tingle that remained in his fingertips and pricked at his thumbs.  The Oak spoke only by willing a single word to the forefront of his mind: Vengeance.

Her bark served him as second eyes, racing down Her formidable length past the vine covered, stone walls of the cellars, deeper still past crypts, dirt, stone, bone until they reached where Her strongest roots anchored.  She was framed by a circle of fallen trees, Her roots wrapped protectively over an ancient altar of jasper.  The dead lynx cub’s broken back never made it to the stone.

And then the Oak stood silent.

  “I was wondering if I’m no better off than that kitten when Kallarel--”

The smell of sulfur filled the worgen's lungs. Hellfire: the scent which lingered as the bramble brands crawled into skin; the scent which pierced the air with every lit cigarette. He focused on the sickening sweetness alone.

One by one, the arch over his heart gave way as Kallarel tore into the hallway, a manifested monster hot on her high heels with a blazing green gem alight in a chest once empty.

By the third spout of blighted blood, the witch was upon them; beauty, beast and burden all.

By the fourth, her hands were alight with a green fire to match the flame licking the demon’s panting tongue.

By the fifth, the lord’s prone figure was cloaked in cold shadow, absconded without a trace apart from the faintest flicker of rot against the nostrils before the witch could claim him.

And as the last of Zelion’s void crystals burst in Bruce’s chest, the haphazardly placed shard split in two with a deafening crack.

“I can’t... I can’t have died that night. I didn’t. But I dreamed. I dreamed... I was in a house-- the house in Gilneas. With my wife-- with my dead wife, Sophia.”

It was shamefully small, that old cabin in Gilneas. Sophia had given up everything for him-- lands, titles and inheritance. In exchange, Bruce had built a shack with leaky walls and slept with her on the far side of the kitchen for fourteen years.

Now they sat across from one another at the dinner table.

“I thought it might come to this.”

Bruce felt sick. There was a teacup in front of him, which rattled quietly.

“I miss you,” he said. Her face was just as he remembered it; prominent cheeks smattered with freckles and a button nose.

She rolled her eyes-- big, stormy and blue. The same ones he saw every time he looked at his daughter. “You’re doing fine without me.”

“I’m sorry--”

“Don’t be. I mean it. I'm proud of how Lizzie turned out. But if you want, you can join me now. You can rest.”

The knot in his stomach twisted.

“You don’t have to,” she went on. “Not everyone gets a choice, but you will.”

The tips of his fingers felt cold as ice. The table trembled below.

She smiled. It was warm and remarkably genuine-- like a candle in the night. “I know this is what you want, Bruce.”

The support beams above his head cracked. Dust fell in a plume, rippling his tea.

“Just know--” she hesitated, expression soft-- “you’re messing with powers you don’t understand. The Gods may never forgive you for this.” 

His chest squeezed. He couldn’t breathe.

“But I'll help guide you home,” she said.

@daily-writing-challenge