Fur and Feathers ((open post, slow tagging))

[sharpcompassion]

Fǫnn has been checking up on Loki's cottage while he is away periodically, tidying up here and there, making sure the weeds and vines aren't overtaking it too much. There is no need or desire for a mowed lawn or a manicured flower bed; berry brambles are allowed to climb the wooden fences beside the meadow and mice and snakes are welcome in the woodpile, but the children's play equipment is kept cobweb-free, and anything living in the chimney gets promptly, if gently, evicted.

So it's a surprise to her when she enters one afternoon to check that the electricity and water are running properly, and finds the sofa a mess, cushions askew, stuffing on the floor, with tiny sounds coming from within the framework. An investigation turns up a little of kittens, eyes-open but not quite weaned, in an array of colors, each with a pair of bitty feathered wings.

She's seen the winged cats around this place before, but they seem to keep to themselves. She never imagined they'd sneak inside for any purpose. Unwilling to just snatch the babies away, she sets out a little food and water and waits. No sign of a mother appears before she leaves for the evening, and the next day when she returns to check, the food and drink are untouched.

A lot of things can happen to a small animal in the Nexus, this close to the Wilds. Maybe the mother's uncharacteristic behavior in hiding the babies indoors is a sign she was in danger? Or maybe winged cats lay eggs and they just never realized? She doubts that, but stranger things have happened.

She carefully removes the outer layer from the sofa and extracts all the kittens, checking them for injuries or illness. The rest of the day, and the next, are taken up with treating eye infections and fleas, feeding them with eyedroppers and preening their wings. Not until they're reasonably healthy does she wander to the edge of the plaza with a box of mewing and purring and flapping wings. On the edge of the box, she puts a sign that reads: CATWINGS: UNFLEDGED, NEED RESPONSIBLE HOMES.

She has no intention of charging anyoneto adopt, of course, but she's not eager to give them away to someone untrustworthy, either.

Comments

[chiaro_oscuro]

Ben already has a Higgeldy and a porg accompanying him in the Nexus, so he has a few companions already. But he feels a pang of sympathy for the kittens he sees in the box, so his attention is drawn. On a closer look, the creatures have wings. He kneels to examine them more closely.

After looking over the kittens, there's a black and white one he takes a shine to, kneeling to rub him behind the ears. Earth cats are an alien species to Ben's home galaxy, cats with wings even more so. He wonders which universe these strange, marvelous creatures found their way from.

"Can I adopt this one?" Ben carefully lifts it out of the box."It's hard to choose, but I have a soft spot for him."

[sharpcompassion]

The kitten he's picked out makes funny little noises halfway between a mew and a purr, which makes it sound a bit like a cricket or cicada chirping. Fonn's lips quirk in a faint smile as Ben pets him, and she reaches in and fishes out what appears to be a malformed mitten. "If you take him, you have to take his favorite toy, too. He's been dragging it around in his mouth all morning."

"Will you give him a good home? I want to make sure they're going to people that will be good to them."

[chiaro_oscuro]

Ben looks over the roughed-up toy and nods. He has to admit, it is cute that the kitten's already selected a favorite toy in its short time alive so far. He thinks about what he'll name it. Perhaps he'll consult Rey on what to call it. Ben named the porg, it's only fair that she get to name the new catwing. He's already thinking about how he'll give the news to his dyad partner.

"You have a promise. I'll take good care of him. Is there anything I need to know about these catwings in particular? Care tips?"

[sharpcompassion]

Fonn gives a faint chuckle and nudges the mitten into the kitten's paws, where it clings obligingly. "It's a mitten I made. Or tried to make. I got the pattern all wrong so the thumb is crooked. I just sewed it shut and let them play with it."

"I'm going to have to study them to be sure," she says. "From what I've seen, the adults eat more or less what normal cats would, and I've never seen the young nurse from a mother, but they took formula from a bottle for me...um, once. Then one got angry and chewed the rubber nipple off, so I had to switch to wet food."

"I'll let you know what I learn as I learn from them," she offers. "I think I'm going to keep the white one, myself."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"I know what to do, I think, but I'll borrow a book from the Grand Library on the care and keeping of cats." There have to be books about pet care in the Library. Ben's going to do some research as soon as he takes the catwing home and introduces it to Phantasmogoria and Kana, so everyone's on the same page.

He's probably going to go through a lot of fish between himself, the porg, and the catwing.

"That's a pretty one." Ben smiles, looking at the white catwing. He scratches under the chin of the one he picked, and it purrs. "She suits you. I don't believe we've met before. My name is Ben. I live in a downtown apartment, near the industrial area. It's a pleasure to meet you."

[sharpcompassion]

"I do think they might need extra calcium," she tells him. "I thought about getting cuttlebones for them in the pet shop, but they're barely old enough for solid food yet anyway. Here, I've got a couple extra cans of the food I got for them."

She reaches into her bag and pulls out a small can of veterinary-formulated kitten food. "Take this, for now. It's not hard to find in the Plaza."

"Hello, Ben. I'm Fonn. I actually don't live in the Nexus; I'm from Asvera." She offers a handshake, and her expression is solemn, but not unfriendly.

[chiaro_oscuro]

"Thank you. I'm glad you were able to give these kittens a chance to find homes." Ben accepts the food and puts it away. "Kitten food in the Plaza. I'll go shopping for supplies for him once I make it back to my apartment and get us both settled."

He'll make a list of the supplies he needs for the catwing. Food and water are on the top of that list, and he'll make a note of what Fonn gave him.

"Good to meet you, Fonn." Ben accepts the hand offered and shakes it warmly. "What is Asvera like, if I may ask?"