Butterflies {Open}

[Otter]

Hot morning sunlight glared down upon the world as the small, sandy-brown kittypet slipped through the cat-door and onto the soft grass of her twolegs' garden. A cheerful purr rumbled from the she-cat's throat as she gazed around at her familiar little home, bordered on all sides by a fence that kept unwanted dangers out, but could do nothing to keep her in. Whenever curiosity prickled her into motion, the fence could do nothing to stop her.

It was onto this fence that the small she-cat jumped now, curling her tail high in contentment as the hot sunlight warmed her short coat. From this vantage point she could see into all the surrounding gardens, and even to the small, grassy park that lay beyond the gardens and houses. The park was her favorite place by far; countless butterflies to bat at and pigeons to chase away. Not that she cared to kill the pigeons--it was simply fun to run at them and have them flutter away.

Sandy was preparing to leap down to the other side of the fence when a rustling in the bushes of another garden caught her attention. Straightening up in surprise, the she-cat swiveled her ears and stared in the direction of the rustling, head tilting to one side as she pondered what could possibly be coming out of the bush. "Hello there?" she mewed curiously, tail-tip flicking in interest as she waited for the response. "Star? Moon? Sun?" she asked again, naming three of the other kittypets she knew to be living around this place. "Jack? Tom? Lily?" she asked again, this time naming her own family.

The wind was blowing away from her, hiding the cat's scent. Finally, curiosity got the better of her and Sandy leaped down into the garden and approached the bush. Leaning forward, she gave the bush a dainty sniff and was rewarded with the clear scent of cat.

((Hmm...not such a good post. Sorry x.x Wouldn't mind having another kittypet show up, but a wild cat would do as well ^.^))

[Willow]

It was entirely too hot for such a cat as Star. Too hot and too sunny. She felt her skin burning beneath her creamy fur. Her ears were back against her head and her eyes were narrowed in a glare. Her stupid twolegs had forgotten to open the cat door before leaving, so here she was. Stuck in the sweltering heat with a rumbling belly while Sun was inside in the nice, cool house, eating some nice, cool food. With an angry sniff, the she-cat padded towards a large, leafy bush. It was some kind of fern, or so she had been told. But that detail was entirely insignificant. All Star cared about was the shade it created with its large leaves.

Circling as always, she created a nice bed in the leaf-matter beneath the bush with a dull rustling noise. She then lowered her slender body into the nest, curling her long tail around her body and raising her head slightly with a proud expression. Even in this heat, Star would not let herself lose her beauty and vanity. Her pale green eyes closed slowly as she began to cool off in the fern’s shade.

But of course she couldn’t remain so peaceful and undisturbed. A she-cat was calling from a ways away, apparently having heard the rustling of her tail in the brown leaves. Star scowled and even as she heard her name called, she remained exactly where she was. But the cat was persistent and came sniffing around at her bush. With a huff of anger, Star pushed her way out to see Sandy, an older she-cat from a few houses away.

“What are you doing in my garden?” she asked quite rudely. Star liked Sandy just fine. When Sandy was not poking around and disturbing her rest.

[Otter]

((Crappy, awful post ahead))

Harsh words, accompanied by the sudden appearance of a white she-cat, greeted Sandy quite suddenly. Startled and a bit hurt, the sandy-brown she-cat sprang backwards, fur fluffed up a bit in surprise. "I'm...I'm sorry," she mewed a bit breathlessly, glancing around her and realizing, with a start, that this was, in fact, the garden of Sun and Star. Why had she not noticed before? I was too focused on the park, I suppose, she thought, a bit surprised at herself.

"I did not recognize your garden. What...what are you doing out here, Star?" she asked unwisely; this was not the kind of day Star would enjoy being outside in. In fact, Sandy herself didn't much like how powerfully the hot sun beat down upon her pelt. Glancing about, Sandy could not catch sight of Sun, so she assumed the tom was back inside the cool twoleg nest. What, then, was Star doing out here alone?

[Willow]

Sandy apologized for disturbing Star's rest but it hardly helped. She was still angry. Mainly, she was angry about the sun and being trapped in it. The she-cat fluffed out her fur and shook herself as the other cat glanced around the garden, obviously just realizing where she was.

What...what are you doing out here, Star?

At that question, Star let out a loud "hmph" and sat back on the parched grass. "My idiotic twolegs forgot to unlock the cat door. I'm stuck out here and Sun, who likes the outside, is stuck inside. Irony is cruel, Sandy. It really is." The drama queen note was entering her voice and she rolled her green eyes in emphasis of this.

[Otter]

Green eyes widened at her companion's little tale, and Sandy mewed sympathetically, "You poor thing! Twolegs are so careless sometimes." She glanced towards Star's house, half expecting to see her brother standing at the window, gazing out at them. It truly was a shame that Sun and Star were not switched. Surely Sun would enjoy chasing butterflies, while Star slept in the cool house, but what was one to do now?

"Would you like to come into my home?" she asked after a moment, glancing back towards her own garden. "It's nice and cold in there, and my twolegs left some water in the bowl. We could get out of the sun." Sandy didn't really want to go inside; she was more interested in wandering about in the park and batting at some butterflies, but she didn't think Star would enjoy that kind of thing, and...well, Sandy had barged in on her nap. The least she could do was help get her comfortable...

[Willow]

[[They are such kittypets xD]]

Sandy sounded sympathetic which cheered Star up considerably. She loved it when the other she-cats felt bad for her predicaments. And this was an awful predicament. Sandy's next statement cheered Star up even further, though she forced herself to contain her happiness.

"Would you like to come into my home?"

"Oh, I couldn't possibly invade your house!" she exclaimed just to sound as if she wasn't quite as longing to get inside. "But... if you insist I couldn't refuse! Cold water does sound lovely right now."

Star knew just how to work cats. Now Sandy would think it was all her idea. Perfect.

[Otter]

Well, as long as she was making Star happy....the sand-colored she-cat nodded her head and leaped back onto the fence. Tail held high to keep her balance, she walked along the edge of the fence until she reached her garden. She landed lightly in the soft, green grass; after a quick glance over her shoulder she slipped quietly through the small cat door, pushng aside the flap with her nose.

The small house was perfectly air-conditioned, and Sandy purred with pleasure as the pressing, humid heat began to seep away from her pelt. Curling her tail happily (perhaps coming inside had not been such a bad idea, after all), she trotted across the kitchen tile and to the small clay bowl full of fresh water.

A little, less-than-tasteful metallic zang clung to the twoleg water, causing it to be not nearly as tasteful as the puddles outside, but...well, it was what it was, and Sandy wasn't particularly picky. She lapped up a bit of the water and turned to see if Star had followed her. "I already ate my breakfast, but the twolegs left plenty of water," she mewed, stepping back to give Star full access to the bowl. "How have you been recently, Star?"

((Sucky post, sorry))

[Willow]

Star followed Sandy happily onto the fence and down the path to her own house. She was careful to avoid splinters and dirt to keep her pelt shiny and clean as ever. The cream she-cat pushed her way into Sandy's house, inwardly hoping her twolegs didn't panic at the sight of her. Thankfully, they were no where to be seen and she trotted after her friend to the water dish.

The air conditioned room felt amazing on her burning skin and the water felt wonderful and crisp on her tongue. Star didn't know what other cats were talking about when they complained about twoleg water. It was so much better than the muddy stuff that was outside.

Once she had drank her fill she sat back and washed a paw, dragging it over her ears.

"How have you been recently, Star?"

"Oh, I've been good. Sun is getting so annoying about wanting to go outside and leave but for the most part life has been good. I think my twoleg is expecting kits though. She's getting so fat!"

[Otter]

Sandy watched her friend begin to groom, and as Star spoke the sandy-furred she-cat wondered how Sun could love the outdoors so much, while Star hated it. So intrigued was she by this question that she ventured to ask it aloud, "Why don't you like the outdoors, Star? When it's cool outside, it's fun to smell flowers and bat at butterflies. Have you tried it?"

At the mention of a twoleg having kits, Sandy cringed slightly and sent Star an uncertain glance. She had heard what happened sometims when twolegs had kits. The babies would take up all the twolegs' time, and then the cat would be disregarded. But it doesn't always happen that way. Sun and Star have good twolegs...they should be fine, she thought, nodding her head decisively. There was no need to mention this to Star...not now.

[Willow]

"Why don't you like the outdoors, Star? When it's cool outside, it's fun to smell flowers and bat at butterflies. Have you tried it?"

Star sniffed and continued her grooming for a few minutes more before supplying an answer to Sandy's question. "Outside is fine when it is autumn or even winter. I just cannot stand the heat and I don't know what cat would. Flowers can be smelled indoors and butterflies aren't as interesting as the fireflies that come out when the weather cools."

Star was a weird house cat and she knew it. Most loathed winter but she liked the bite of frost on the air and even the feel of snow beneath her paws. Of course, she loved being able to run inside after she had her fill and curl up on a warm blanket.

"Well Sandy, what's new with you? Have you any news about your kits?" Star's question held a veiled insult. She knew Sandy had had two kits at one point and they had been taken from her. If this had been Star, she would have searched far and wide to find them but she knew Sandy had done nothing of the sort.

[Otter]

Sandy nodded in agreement to the words Star spoke. She could see how the she-cat could feel this way about the weather. It was true that the fireflies of newleaf were incredible to watch. Whether sitting by the window or basking in the garden, watching the little bugs light up the night was a favorite pasttime of most any kittypet.

"Well Sandy, what's new with you? Have you any news about your kits?"

Sweet little Sandy did not catch the real meaning behind the words. She gave Star a friendly look and replied easily, "I do not know where they are, Star. But I do trust my twolegs, so I am certain they are in a good home." It could not be said that Sandy did not want to see her kits. In fact, she would have given much to know where they were. But the sand-colored she-cat would not know where to begin to look for them, so what was she to do?

However...the sudden thoughts of her kits sparked her curiosity, and Sandy decided to store this away in her mind to ponder tonight. Perhaps I could start looking...if only a little bit. They are probably in the town somewhere, she thought decisively, tail-tip twitching in intrigue.

"I will find them one day. They must be...twenty moons now. Practically grown."

[Willow]

Star blinked as Sandy stated she trusted her twolegs to find them a good home. "Really? My twolegs seem rather dumb, but maybe yours aren't. I couldn't say." She stretched and looked at Sandy, wondering what the other cat was thinking. Obviously the words about her kits had sparked something inside her.

"I will find them one day. They must be...twenty moons now. Practically grown."

Star stared. "It's been that long? Amazing. They'd be only a few moons younger than me!" Star tried to imagine what it would be like to see someone after so long. Such thought brought up her black and white brother from long ago. What if she saw him again, prowling through the forests? "If it were me, I would start looking. This town is small after all. And I'd think they'd be somewhere around here." The pale cream tabby stopped to think. "But then, if it were me... I wouldn't have had kits in the first place. Too much work and I might lose my beauty."

Something in Star made her continue, some nice streak she was having or something of the sort. "But I could help you look for them. Maybe Sun would too."

[Otter]

Sandy purred at Star's naive words, giving the younger she-cat an affectionate look as she mewed, "You can't really help it when you fall in love." Unconsciously, Sandy's gaze slipped into one of deep reverie as she pictured Noah in her mind. He had been a real charmer, and kinder than most loners she had met. No matter that he was a homless, feral street cat; it hadn't made any difference to her. And then, moons later, after he'd disappeared...her two kits had been a wonderful gift, and one of them, little Storm, had looked just like her father.

Shaking her head, Sandy forced her mind back to the present, eyes widening slightly at Star's offer. An appreciative purr rumbled from the tan she-cat, and she mewed, "Thank you, Star. You're right; it is a small town. Maybe when the weather cools off we could look." She wouldn't ask Star to brave the hot weather with her; Sandy had a feeling her friend wouldn't be so eager to help her that way.

[Willow]

"You can't really help it when you fall in love."

"Hmph," Star responded to Sandy's argument. "What tom would be worthy of my love anyway? They're all too dumb, too much of a show-off or too mean. I don't need a mate. I have my brother and I have my friends. I don't need anything else." Her independent nature shone through with this response. It was true, Star had yet to fall for any tom and she would try her hardest to never do something so foolish as take a mate.

Star wondered how much of this Sandy had truly heard. Her eyes had a vague, misted quality to them as if she wasn't truly in the present but was thinking of the past. Finally she broke her thoughts and thanked Star for her offer. "Yes, I'd rather help look when it's cooler," she agreed with a dark look at the door through which she'd soon have to enter the outside again.

[Otter]

Star's rebellious words coaxed a purr of amusement from Sandy's throat, and her mind turned from her long-lost children and settled back on her independent young friend. The sandy-brown kittypet knew better than to tell Star straight out that she was sorely mistaken if she thought she couldn't fall in love. In fact, Sandy knew it was best not even to mention the fact that Star was wrong. The she-cat would, one day, find out the truth.

Turning to another subject (which Star may embrace or completely reject), Sandy asked her, "Have you smelled traces of fox around your yard? I swear one has been hanging around the park. And the dogs have been making a racket the past few nights. I wonder if the twolegs know?" Sandy realized a bit too late that mentioning a fox might discourage her friend from helping her find her children...but Star had a right to know.

Foxes were not among Sandy's favorite creatures. She didn't mind dogs when they were civil but foxes...dangerous, wild, and they'd kill you as soon as look at you. The kittypet shivered unintentionally and shot an uneasy glance towards the door. This was one of those moments in which she wondered how any cat could live outdoors all the time. Who wouldn't want a nice, warm home to come back to when night fell and danger came knocking?