Something Something cats

[karappo]

[It had been about two weeks since he'd found himself in this shelter. There were animals of all sorts, but mostly they took in cats and dogs with cats being kept in their own area more securely inside as opposed to where the dogs were. Small cage-like kennels that they stayed in until they were adopted or fostered, this sort being a no-kill shelter.

They just had no clue, somehow, that one of the "cats" that a family had brought in to them was no cat at all.

Karamatsu would say that, overall, he didn't really mind this place too much. Sometimes it got loud and he got very lonely without his family, but it was something like an extended vacation, wasn't it? That's what they'd told him, anyway. And being too young to really understand it as anything else (while knowing his parents were too big to actually get inside such a small kennel with him), he wasn't too bothered by knowing they weren't immediately with him. After seeing his fellow kennel mates and other cats being taken away every day, it brought him to the realization that the only way to find his family again would be to get someone to take him out.

That's how Karamatsu learned to start making himself as obvious as he could, strutting in front of the cage bars and meowing as loud as he could, though...people didn't seem to react well to his attempts at being cute. He didn't meow so much as yowl, and it wasn't very appealing to prospective adopters. He had an unusual coat, too- orange/yellow with dark black stripes, white patches on his belly and neck...he was really odd for a cat.

But he wasn't going to give up. Someone would come along, if his parents didn't first.]

Comments

[ichimyatsu]

You've been cooped up in that cage this whole time, haven't you.

[He scoots forward, laying on his stomach and reaching across the gap between them to scritch lightly at the fur behind one of Karamatsu's ears, looking about halfway to purring himself he's so pleased. He's gonna have a hell of a time shattering this cub's world by telling him his parents aren't coming back for him.]

[karappo]

[Karamatsu doesn't reply right away, too caught up in the blissful scratching and the toy that he's captured. It's like his legs all want to go in different directions but don't know which to go first, which results in him vaguely waving and kicking his paws at the air. Eventually, the scratching becomes too much and the ball falls from his paws to roll into Ichimatsu's elbow while Karamatsu pushes his head up against his hand, purring so hard that it makes his whole body vibrate.]

[ichimyatsu]

[uGH THIS IS THE CUTEST CREATURE HE IS GOING TO DIE. Excuse him as he wheezes softly and smears one hand down his face at Karamatsu's endearing display.]

...come here a second, would you?

[karappo]

[Karamatsu's ears perk and at once he's rolling over to get up onto his feet. This is probably telling of how often he needed to be called down when he was actually with his family; he probably hardly stopped moving. Once he's up on his feet he toddles over to Ichimatsu proper, forming a little loaf with his body between Ichimatsu's knees so he can peer up at him questioningly.]

[ichimyatsu]

[He immediately reaches for the fluff at either side of his face and scritches at it gently, smiling.]

...so what I'm about to tell you is gonna kinda suck, okay? But you have to listen.

[karappo]

Mrr..?

[He appreciates the scritches, but what Ichimatsu says does confuse him a little.]

Okay...but who are you?

[ichimyatsu]

[He quirks one eyebrow.]

Me? I'm just some jackass with who likes animals more than people.

[karappo]

Oh.

[Karamatsu blinks, then his tail sways a little over his back.]

I'm Karamatsu!

[ichimyatsu]

[He blinks, grinning crookedly.]

Small world. I'm Ichimatsu. [He finds one of Karamatsu's paws and shakes it idly.]

[karappo]

[Karamatsu, not seeming to understand the gesture entirely, lets Ichimatsu take his paw and shake it. Then, he seems to attempt to mimic the gesture by batting at Ichimatsu's other hand with his unheld paw.]

Do you know my family? Is that why you are here?

[ichimyatsu]

[What the fuck why are you so cute. He's so upset. He's going to wind up taking home a fucking abandoned tiger cub and he's angry about it.]

...ah, no. See, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Do you know what this place is?

[karappo]

No!

[Ah. Well, that's only half true, isn't it?]

They said...I would have to stay here for a while. But it's been a while, so it's time to go home.

[His tail flicks constantly as he talks, the paw not held in Ichimatsu's hand currently making restless biscuits at the air.]

I've been waiting for them to come back!

[ichimyatsu]

[Ugh tiger biscuits. TIGER BISCUITS... He is gonna die. He huffs a soft sigh and shakes his head, releasing the paw possibly in hopes that it will join in restless biscuits.]

...ah, see that's... [He rubs at the back of his neck.]

Karamatsu, you said? This place is a shelter. People don't... board animals here. They surrender them.

[karappo]

[Luckily for Ichimatsu that's exactly what happens, both paws joining the effort of creating invisible tiger bread while Karamatsu focuses on what Ichimatsu is telling him while...clearly not understanding.

Maybe he's just in severe denial, but given that he's a cub...it's difficult to tell.]

What does that mean?

[ichimyatsu]

[Invisible tiger bread is the best kind of bread, Ichimatsu decides firmly. The very best. He reaches out and prods the center of each of his paws, between the main pad and his individual toes, each time he splays each paw for the bread. He frowns apologetically.]

...It means they aren't coming back for you. [It's a harsh truth, but he doesn't know how to sugarcoat. He never has been good with kids.]

[karappo]

[The silence that follows that statement is...scathing. Karamatsu's still staring up at Ichimatsu like he doesn't understand, his paws not moving as fast as they were yet still flexing occasionally, his purring petering off into the quiet.

Then, he suddenly gets up onto his feet.]

They- they just haven't gotten here yet, that's all! I need to go look for them.

[...and he's actually going to try to leave even though they're in a closed room, turning around and padding towards the door.]

[ichimyatsu]

[And now he feels like an asshole, but somebody was gonna have to tell him.]

No-- I mean, you can look all you like, but being here isn't gonna help you with that.

[He swivels, still sitting, but turning to look at him with a dull expression.]

[karappo]

[Karamatsu doesn't respond, instead walking all the way over to the door so he can raise up on his hind legs and press his paws to the surface of it. He stares up at the handle like he expects it to open, and he remains this way for a full minute before he starts yowling.

To any run-of-the-mill shelter employee it will sound like a "noisy tabby" wanting someone's attention really bad. Ichimatsu is the only one who will hear him cry out for his parents, like they're behind that door and will open it if he calls for them loudly enough.]

[ichimyatsu]

[Well even if that were any kind of a respectable volume, Ichimatsu isn't really the sort that delights in hearing kids cry for their parents. Or at all, really. With a sigh, he gets back to his feet and shuffles over to him, carefully reaching out and taking his paws down from the door and then scooping him up, setting him on one hip to open the door and then gathering him.]

Hush, you're gonna make that cranky old idiot think something's wrong with you and then he'll poke you with needles thinking you're sick.

[karappo]

[Karamatsu wiggles a little when he's picked up off the floor, kicking his feet until Ichimatsu is supporting them again.]

W-wait! They- they gotta-

[He pants, straining to see out the open door now that Ichimatsu's opened it back up.

They have to be out there, somewhere. They just have to be. But all he sees is the sterile whiteness of the shelter again with rows of kennels, meowing cats and loudly barking dogs that have kicked up an awful frenzy after hearing Karamatsu being so loud.

It causes him to huddle against the front of Ichimatsu's parka, startled into momentary silence.]

[ichimyatsu]

Shhhhh.

[He secures his hold around the spooked cub, not quite squeezing him but holding him tight enough that he can feel the slightness of pressure of him being pressed into his parka. And... then he proceeds to pause en route to where he'd been being kept and reroute himself, headed to the front counter instead. He proceeds to then claim, plainly to the grumpy keeper who insists Karamatsu is a Noisy Tabby, that he is taking him home, how much does he owe.]

[karappo]

[Karamatsu says nothing else, his ears flat against his head as Ichimatsu carries him to the front. He hears him talk to the keeper, mention something about taking him home...

Does he mean to his parents? Is he taking him home?

It causes his ears to swivel just the slightest bit, but he's still too overwhelmed to do much but remain curled up in Ichimatsu's arms, his claws pulling lightly at his sleeves.]

[ichimyatsu]

[He somehow manages to effortlessly extract a change purse from his pocket while transferring Karamatsu to just one arm's security, sign some paperwork and loop a length of rope through the handle of a large pet taxi to hook it onto his arm, and then walk out of the shop entirely with Karamatsu still settled in his grip.]

When's the last time you were outside, buddy?

[karappo]

Um...

[Karamatsu tries to think, his tail curling around Ichimatsu's elbow. How long has it been? Long enough that the bright sunlight outside is harsh, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut.]

Since I got here...

[That "noisy tabby" turned up to be a lot different than they were expecting, behavior wise. He liked to play like other cats, but it was generally rougher, more biting involved. Most keepers would rather leave him be than risk Karamatsu's needle sharp claws and teeth ripping them clean open.]

[ichimyatsu]

[He huffs softly, hefting him so he can hug onto his shoulder.]

Well, my place isn't very big, but I've got a balcony. I'll put a pull-string on the handle so you can open it.