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sharpcompassionFǫnn 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.
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.
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Date: 2020-07-03 01:40 am (UTC)"It sounds like your wife is a real animal lover," she says. "What's the name of your friend there?"
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Date: 2020-07-03 01:51 am (UTC)Truth was there were only two or three species of animals left on Anthea and those few had been taken aboard a different ship. They also made poor pets. Tom wondered how many she would end up connecting with and what was in their history that allowed for it. This was going to be a trip to the Anthean archives for sure. "Radley. He showed up at the house the day we moved in looking like he'd been through hell."
The cat had some of its fur back but there were still some thinner patches of hair,a weird kink in its tail and a bit of missing ear. "I think my wife told him to keep me company."
He knew, or suspected anyway, that his wife had told this cat to keep any eye on him. Though, he wasn't going to complain. He was growing to like the scrappy old tomcat.
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Date: 2020-07-03 02:58 am (UTC)Seals aren't really pets, either, but they're similarly sweet and furry.
"Hello, Radley," Fonn greets the cat mildly, not really expecting an answer, but the animal's body language suggests intellect, and it's better to be overly polite than find out you've insulted someone later. In the Nexus, even animals that seem ordinary might harbor secrets.
"The kittens don't seem afraid of him. That's a good sign."
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Date: 2020-07-03 03:18 pm (UTC)Radley comes over to bump his head into Fonn for petting. Tom still has the desert colored kitten cradled in his arms. He's stroking it and is back to imagining his wife's infectious excitement. "Do they need to be kept in a group? I know cats do better that way."
But these were winged cats so who knew? The question was hanging but he was already looking over the kittens for a potential second, and maybe one for his son.
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Date: 2020-07-03 06:24 pm (UTC)Cats are probably a better choice, and when Radley comes over, she doesn't hesitate to pet him, with a soft, friendly cooing noise. "Thank you, Radley, I'm happy to meet you, too."
"From what I've seen, this species does live in groups. I'm not sure if they operate like a pride of lions or if they have a looser structure. I know I've seen a group of three toms and several queens around Prince Loki's cottage."
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Date: 2020-07-03 07:52 pm (UTC)He looks in the box and picks up both the blue mass from the pile and the red one with blue-green markings. The blue one for thier house and the red one for his son. The colors were what he had always been attracted to since he was a boy. Now that his son had a stable place to stay, a cat might help him.
"Two should be more than we probably need. My wife has 6 cats already." It's said with love. His wife and the cats adored each other's company and his. That was all that mattered.
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Date: 2020-07-04 01:11 am (UTC)The mass of blue and violet turns out to be two kittens, so closely entangled they were indistinguishable. One has more black on its face than the other, but otherwise they're almost twins.
"That might be good, though, to have other cats around to show them how to...be cats." She gives a helpless little shrug. "I've been trying to read up, but animal medicine isn't the same as what I've been taught, so I'm not completely sure about the developmental stages."
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Date: 2020-07-04 01:50 am (UTC)He can't do it, he can't bear to separate the twins cuddling with each other. And he takes both. Four kittens, three for his wife and one for his son. Radley gives Tom a side eye about all the kittens.
"My wife's a biomedical specialist and she's been devouring medical texts. I've noticed more and more cat books recently." Sure his wife was obsessive but it was harmless. He pauses to looks over the kittens in his arms, noting the pin flight feathers. "If these were birds they'd be leaving the nest soon to fledge but kittens take longer to mature." He shrugs helplessly. Despite his own lack of confidence, he's sure his wife will quickly figure it out.