#w:tdc

[natusvincere]

That Darn Cat || Sam and Vic

TIMING: about a week ago LOCATION: Downtown PARTIES: @natusvincere & @uncannysam SUMMARY: Vic comes across a scuffle, which turns out to be Sam being attacked by a Cat Sith. She has to decide if she wants to pet it, or help. CONTENT WARNINGS: none!

Vic was stressed. Things felt too upside down with the Good Neighbors, even more than she ever expected them too.  She knew when joining there was a good chance that something was awry, but conversations she’d been overhearing were pointing to something deeper than she had ever expected every day. And now, everything seemed to be happening all at once, faster than she was ready for.  But life rarely cared if she was ready.  

She was determined to do more research- to find out exactly who this ‘Winifred’ was and if she was really as nefarious as Vic had begun to expect.  Unfortunately, her leads were going nowhere fast, and she kept following ones that lead her to dead ends.  Actually, this one led her to a poorly-lit alleyway, but the sentiment was still the same.  She was about to head home, defeated, when she heard a commotion from the other end.  Even with her superior sight and hearing, she couldn’t quite make out what she saw, only that it seemed to be the beginning of a scuffle.  Instinctually, she slowly made her way toward the sight, trying to get a better look.

It had been a long day and the afterwork errands were always the hardest, especially when customers wanted to pick arguments or try and haggle prices with her. Luckily for Sam, she didn’t have too much to do. A quick trip here and there, and she could be back home to Scout and her nice comfy bed. However, that’s not what fate had in mind for her tonight. No, there had been something waiting just beyond the path back to her truck, and as Sam rounded the corner there it stood waiting.

At first, she had been startled by it, but as soon as her eyes adjusted, Sam realized it was a cat. An oddly very large black cat except for the one patch of white fur on its chest, but nothing too bad. Or so she thought, “Fuck, you scared me. What are you doing back here?” The animal cautiously moved towards Sam, soon rubbing up against her thigh and purring; its larger body pressing into hers slightly knocking her off kilter, “Hey, whoa. I don’t have anything okay? Just my groceries.”

As she continued to move forward, the cat followed her. Sam fumbled with her keys trying to get them into the door of her Bronco, but before she could, the animal rubbed up against her again, knocking them out of her hand, “Dammit.” Sitting her groceries on the ground, Sam dropped down looking for her keys and while doing so, she felt the animal rub some more as its purrs grew louder, and soon she found herself pinned up against the truck in a sitting position while this enormous cat continued to rub on her legs moving back and forth, “Okay, alright, I get it. You just want some love.” Reaching out, Sam put her hand on the back of the animal’s neck, but before she realized what was happening, the large creature pulled up its paw and smacked Sam across the cheek; claws fully extended.

“What the fuck?!” Yelping in pain, the woman pulled her hand up to her cheek only to find blood, and without thinking, she quickly shoved the animal off of her trying to scramble to her feet, before it could get another swipe in.

It was more than just a scuffle.  Vic knew, because as she walked closer toward it, the sickenly sweet smell of blood permeated the air around her.  Her instincts told her to pounce, or to let the creature do what it wanted and then eat up the aftermath.  But she was better than her instincts.  And extremely well-fed.  She was thankful for both of those facts.  But it seemed as she investigated further that what caused the blood was a… really big cat?  She found herself moving toward the scuffle in double time, trying to think of the best way to help.  “Hey!”, she said, in her loudest, booming voice, hoping to scare it away.  She even tried hissing at it, sticking her tongue out in the process and feeling entirely ridiculous.  “You need to get control of your demon-cat before it hurts you again”, she called to the woman, avoiding eye contact with the blood on her cheek.  What would it taste like, she wondered, to feed again from a warm body?

She shook her head, taking in a deep breath as she reached down for the cat, wrapping her arms around its belly and trying to pull it off the girl.  Even for someone of her strength, the cat was big, and she had to grunt out her words as she tried to pull it away.  “This… thing…has to be a…code violation…somewhere”, she grunted, setting her feet in place on the ground.  It wriggled in her grip, but she pulled it away so the girl just might have been able to wriggle away.  “But the best… thing to do…”, the cat finally wriggled from her grip, pacing between the two of them, “...is to get that thing trained.  Do you know how much of a fine they could charge you if it hurts someone else?” 

She watched the cat as it walked between the two of them, rubbing against both of their legs as it did so.  She remembered reading, years ago, how cats sometimes got overstimulated with too much affection, even though this one seemed to be actively seeking it out.  “Do you have a leash or something?”  She couldn’t ask about the girl’s injuries, because thinking about the blood and talking about the blood were two entirely different things, and she could only handle one of them. 

Sam continued to struggle with the massive cat, until she noticed someone come running to her rescue. Watching as the woman tried to convince the cat to leave, before she was actively tugging it backwards had given Sam the chance to get back to her feet, “This isn’t my cat! I was walking back here to get in my truck and leave, and it just came out of nowhere!”

The shorter woman quickly snatched up her keys from the ground, before the cat had broken free from the other person’s grip and started rubbing up against both of them, “Fuck if I’m getting fined for anything. Why does everything around here have to be so massively overgrown?” She looked down to her groceries and to the locked door of the truck. All she had wanted to do was gather up her stuff and leave, but she wasn’t about to leave this stranger, who had helped her, with this large cat that clearly had no training whatsoever, “What do you suggest we do with this thing?”

Sam backed up against the door of the Bronco while the animal moved back and forth between the two of them. It had done a number on her cheek, and she knew it was going to suck trying to doctor it considering blood was still trickling out of it. Pulling her shirt up, she tried to dab some of the crimson liquid off of her face, her eyes set on the woman standing across from her, “And thanks…this thing probably would've eaten me alive if you hadn’t come along. Sometimes it does not pay to be short in this town, when most animals are almost twice your size.” She let out a frustrated sigh.

“It’s something in the water”, Vic said matter-of-factly, shaking her leg free of the beast as it rubbed against her again.  She still knew how important it was to keep the average person off the scent of the supernatural, and this demon-cat was definitely some sort of zombie cat, or something.  “They put growth hormones in it a few years ago because our children were under the national average for height.  Someone must have overdone it this month.  Curse our natural yearn for being the best.”

She watched as the woman dabbed her shirt long her face, her eyes lingering on the spot left on the shirt.  Her eyes found the woman’s a little too late- she hoped she didn’t notice.  “It was nothing.  I uh… I hate cats, so…”.  She actually kind of liked cats, but the aloof facade was much more important.  “So I really did that more for me than you.”  

She looked back at the animal again, wondering the same thing.  “I don’t know- Animal Control in this town is usually pretty busy, aren’t they?  But… this bastard is pretty persistent.”  As if on cue, the cat took a break from rubbing against their legs to instead stand on it’s hind legs and rub against her shoulder instead.  She resisted the urge to reach out and give in.  “You don’t have any catnip in any of those bags, do you?”

Sam rolled her eyes at the answer dripping with sarcasm. Though a part of her did almost want to believe it. Wicked’s Rest was becoming stranger by the day, and the long she lived here and the more she discovered, Sam had wondered if her parents were as oblivious as she once was or if they just didn’t tell her about the things that went bump in the night. It really would’ve helped though, the night Zach was attacked, if they had known. But regardless, there was a situation in front of her, and one she and the other woman had to figure out, before it became more than just a nuisance. Things around here like to do that quite often – become more than just a nuisance that was.

“Oh, well, thanks I think. I mean, I’m more of a dog person myself, but cats are okay. This one, though…” Where did this thing come from? A zoo? And how were they going to get it back to whom it belonged to? Sam definitely wasn’t taking this giant ass feline home with her. It’d eat Scout and murder Sam in her sleep, “Animal control is really our only option though right? Unless you want to take it home with you.” Sam was hoping she would say yes, but there was definitely a slim-to-none chance she would.

Watching as it jumped up on the other woman, Sam took that opportunity to finally unlock her door and quickly throw her groceries inside, before the beast decided to shift its attention to her again. And though she didn’t do it, it had taken everything within Sam not to hop in the truck as well and drive off. But instead, she shut the door and shoved the keys back in her pocket for safe keeping, “Why would I have catnip, when I don’t even have a cat?” She narrowed her eyes in the direction of the woman and the massive cat.

Vic looked over at the creature, who was practically at eye-level, and tried to glare it into submission, the way a teacher might do with a small child.  It didn’t work, obviously, so her scowl momentarily switched to the woman in front of her.  “I have a 3-year-old and a Rottweiler, I don’t think my home would be the best fit.  You’re sure you don’t want to take it home?”

She wasn’t even sure a cat that size would fit in someone’s front door, nevermind make a good house pet.  “If we do call animal control, are we supposed to just… sit and wait until they come?  And what if it… goes rabid again?”  She didn’t mind squaring up with the demon cat if it tried to attack the woman again, but it would have been ever so humiliating to do it in public, especially in front of this stranger.  

Vic held her hands up in defense, the cat backing down as she did so. “Hey, it’s not my place to judge what you do or don’t do with catnip in your free time.  I can’t just go assuming you didn’t buy catnip.”  It sauntered it’s way back across to the other woman and Vic watched it carefully, on edge as she waited for it to pounce.  “It seems friendly enough now… what did you do it make it to angry that it tried to claw your face off?

When the other woman explained her home situation, Sam quickly realized there was no good option for this cat, “I’m positive. I live in an apartment, and I highly doubt this thing would even make it up the steps.” She couldn’t imagine trying to explain to the building manager why there was a massive cat living there. And she had her business to think about also. There was no way she was going to take a chance on hiding this thing, when the landlord could easily kick her out for a double pet violation forcing her to give up the space she rented downstairs for Escape Your Fate.

“I mean I don’t know. I’ve never dealt with a cat this size before…” Sam had seen some weird stuff, and though the cat was pretty, it was still intimidating, and she didn’t have time to wait around for someone to come and try and catch it. She had groceries and a hungry dog to get home to. “Are there any animal shelters around here close by?” Sam glanced back at her Bronco. She didn’t even think the thing would fit in the back, but maybe they could figure out a way to get it to follow them to a shelter.

With the idea swimming around in her mind, Sam was almost going to pull out her phone to check, but decided against it as she noticed the feline coming back over to her. Leaning up against the truck for support, she watched nervously as the animal began rubbing against her leg again, a bit distracted from the other person’s response, “Well…you assumed wrong.” Sam was careful to keep her hands by her side this time out of fear of getting scratched again, “I just went to pet it before. It looked like it wanted to be rubbed, but when I touched it, it freaked out on me.” Her heart rate picked up slightly as she heard loud, but soft purrs rumble from its throat, “It’s purring. What does purring mean? I’m not a cat person. I don’t know these things, and I don’t want to try and pet it again if it’s going to murder me…” She looked at the other woman somewhat panicked.

Vic gave a huff, looking down at the creature walking between their feet again.  She couldn’t imagine this creature on her massive property, nevermind a small apartment.  And then there was the whole issue of it being extremely dangerous and unpredictable…  No, she didn’t think either of them taking it would be a good idea at all.  “I don’t keep a list of all the animal shelters in town tucked away, you know”, she said, crossing her arms.  It was a lie, she knew exactly where all of them were, thanks to a rather unfortunate obsession with counting them a few years ago.  The alley they were in was about the farthest they could get from any of them.  The universe continued to show its way of being so unfortunately inconvenient.

The creature became obsessed with the other woman, and Vic noticed her anxiety.  When she was anxious, not much helped, unless she found herself painting. Maybe the girl needed some distraction herself.  “What’s your name?”, she called out of nowhere, avoiding the sight of the blood once more, hoping it wouldn’t pool up in any deliciously tempting ways.  “Mine is Vic.”

She squinted her eyes though, when the woman claimed all she did was pet the cat.  “The cat whisperer says cats get overstimulated.  Maybe it’s not used to affection.”  Although, the way the cat was rubbing up against the woman made it seem like it was definitely asking for more pets.  What the hell was up with this thing?  “Relax!  Purring is good.  It means contentedness, I think.  Or it could point to anger… what are the rates per minute of the vibrations?”

The more this thing rubbed against Sam, the more anxious she became. She didn’t like being cornered by a giant cat. It was like accidentally falling into the lion’s den at the zoo without any way of escaping. Sam was tiny. She always had been. And the harder this thing rubbed, the more claustrophobic she was starting to become. This woman’s smartass replies weren’t helping either. Thankfully that had all shifted, when Sam heard the question.

Forcing back the knot forming in her throat, mixed with a few cat hairs, Sam tried to focus, “Uh…It’s…It’s Sam. I wish this thing would just leave already.” She couldn’t go back any further into the door of the car and at this rate, she already felt like she was leaving a Sam shaped dent in her door. “Purring is good. Okay. Purring…wait…what?! How the hell am I supposed to know the answer to that?!” The question was so ridiculous that Sam laughed nervously, until she noticed the cat had quit rubbing and was staring up at her with narrowed slits, “Fuck.”

Closing her eyes and shaking in fear, Sam didn’t want to know what was about to happen next, until she felt it. The Bronco had jarred causing the woman to open her eyes. And when she looked up, the cat was looking down at her from a reclined position on the top of her truck, “Oh come on!!!” Sam growled in frustration as the cat stretched out and rolled around on the roof of the vehicle.

“I’m not going to let it hurt you, Sam”, Vic said, knowing her word probably didn’t mean much.  Sam didn’t know her from a hole in the wall, and if a stranger promised Vic safety, she might have laughed in their face and kicked their shins.  “It’s just an unfortunate side effect of this town.  Being afraid of it is just going to give it power.”  She didn’t know if that was true, but she didn’t want to see anyone feel so afraid, either.  Cats were supposed to bring joy, not…whatever this bastard was doing.  

Uh oh.  It was time to put her money where her mouth was, because that giant pussy-cat was getting dangerously close to Sam’s face.  She was almost too late to react too, until she realized the cat was jumping on top of the truck and not Sam like Vic had worried was going to happen.  Okay.  Maybe her confidence in her ability to fight it off had been false, because this thing was fast.  “Hey!”, she yelled at it, holding eye contact.  Cats hated that, right? She reached down, grabbing a rock from by her feet.  If she wanted to, she could have gotten it square between the eyes (she knew her aim was on point), but she wasn’t about to harm an animal only due to its large, threatening claws.  This was just about scaring it.  “Get outta here!”, she yelled at it, chucking the rock toward it.  It went straight over its head, like she’d planned, but the cat seemed especially interested in where it had landed.

Vic peered over the side of the truck, and a few feet from where the rock had landed, a squirrel was rustling through the dirt.  The cat’s position on top of the truck suddenly became low to the ground, like those lions in that movie Rosie loved when they were ready to pounce.  “Sam…”, she whispered, slowly walking toward the truck.  “I think its distracted…”

Hearing Vic yell at the cat had pulled Sam’s attention away from the massive animal. And in doing so, she slowly backed away from the truck and closer to the woman. The cat was at an even greater advantage now being on top of the Bronco, and if it decided to jump they were done for. But she watched as Vic bent down to pick up a rock and bravely threatened the animal. It was the chucking of the rock clear over the massive feline’s head that had surprised Sam. If that cat had been angered, they were both screwed.

But instead, it did something else. It followed the rock, before setting its eyes on a nearby squirrel. Sam quickly looked back at Vic upon hearing her whisper, “I-I think you’re right.” Her voice was shaky, but low, and slipping her hand into her pocket, Sam quietly pulled out the keys. She had been so careful not to jingle them knowing jingly shiny things were like crack to cats of all sizes. But the biggest issue had been her door. The Bronco was old, and no matter what, the doors squeaked. This was their only shot though, unless they ran, and Sam was pretty sure they couldn’t outrun a cat that size.

Holding her breath, she slowly opened the door as she kept her eyes trained on the animal. It’s body low and butt raised ready to pounce on the squirrel below, “Vic get in…” She waited with baited breath hoping the woman would slide into the truck and to the other side fairly quickly.

For a moment, Vic wondered who would be faster- herself, or the large, demanding cat.  She was faster than the average human, sure, but would she be quick enough to place herself in front of Sam if the cat tried to attack her again?  She wasn’t sure, and she slowly took a few silent steps closer to the truck for good measure.  She wasn’t about to risk losing someone innocent.  

Luckily, the cat pounced off the top of the truck, swiftly and sneakily, and the squirrel was still none the wiser.  She watched as it slinked through the grass and managed to blend in despite it’s size.  It was an entirely fascinating creature, and if it weren’t for their impending escape, she might have stayed to watch it for hours. 

Her eyes fell to Sam’s pocket as soon as she heard the keys jingle, and a small smirk formed on her lips.  Sam Smarty pants, that would be the name she’d put in her phone if they exchanged contacts.  It was a good idea, one that Vic’s fight mechanism hadn’t even glossed over.  She nodded, because duh, she got the idea, and she cringed visibly as the door creaked loudly as she closed it.  

The cat, who had gotten much closer to the squirrel by that point, lifted it’s head and looked toward the truck at the sound of the doors.  “How old is this thing?!”, Vic asked, wiping her hands off on her jeans.  She was about to scold the girl again to let her know how dangerous it was to drive an old, potentially unsafe vehicle, when from the other side of the window, she saw the cat running back toward the truck at double speed.  “Sam! Drive this death trap!  Now!”

Somehow, they managed to evade the cat safely, but Sam wasn’t able to escape Vic’s lecture about vehicular safety in an ever changing, dangerous world.