i've got me a dream

[irrational]

"Let go of my tail, you mangy fleabags!"

Laughter broke forth from the pale lips of a child as she tugged even harder on the tail of the yowling cat, cooing the creature's name.

"You can't go outside. C'mere, Storm face. C'mon! I have food! Wanna play with your mouse?" Chubby fingers loosened their grip on the cat's grey tail and, without hesitation, she surged forward, slipping out of the house and into the lush green backyard. A yowl broke out behind her and the kittypet looked over her shoulders to see the Twoleg kit coming after her. Bah! Didn't the creature know when to give up?

The small cat turned to face the Twolegkit, arching her back as a throaty growl slipped into the air. Her ears flattened against her skull and the Twolegkit froze in its tracks, eyeing the cat warily. Storm repeated the growl, taking a slow step forward and the Twolegkit took a few steps back, all color fading from her face. "Ha! Now go!" Storm snapped and the Twolegkit turned and ran, screaming about the mean kitty. Storm watched her go, not at all feeling sorry. Her tail was nothing to be tugged on and she'd be a mouse before she let it happen.

Storm turned around, staring up the massive white fence before her, crouching down before leaping upward. She scrabbled for something to hold on to for a moment before managing to pull herself up. The grey she-cat's green eyes narrowed as she examined her tail. The fur was only ruffed up; there were no cuts, although her pride had suffered a good blow. Smoke sniffed slightly before leaping off the fence, landing lightly on the ground below. If it wasn't for the blasted nosiness of her Twoleg's neighbors, she would be able to leave this place sooner. As it was, the Twolegs that knew Smoke often walked through some trails in the woods and they would certainly look for her if her Twolegs called to report her missing. And they knew the woods very well, pesky bunch of elders.

My life will be better the moment they all drop dead, she thought bitterly.

The bitter thoughts remained in the small cat's head as she slowly looked around at the fences surrounding her, wondering if any other kittypets would enjoy exploring with her today, though she highly doubted it. The majority of them couldn't hunt for themselves, much less put up with having their pelts get dirty, which was inevitable in the forest.

________
(-flails- New charries are awkward to work with)

[Solo]

B R A I N

It was odd, being back.

Well, perhaps not "back" to this town in particular, but the familiar stench of dogs and garbage and twolegs was the same as any other neighborhood. There was more open land and less smoke and trash here, and none of the infamous alleyways where cats fought off rats on dumpsters. It looked peaceful, but after many experiments and observations, Brain could conclude that not everything was as it seemed.

The loner fit into the neighborhood scene better than most wildcats, for while his muscle was the lean strength of a feral animal, and his ribs testimony to reliance on prey rather than kibble, he carried a collar. The red thing was tattered and close to falling off, but it marked his past. It was probably the only reason no twoleg had scooped him up and taken him off. And so, on edge though unburdened by threats so far, he explored and observed and counted.

The tenth mailbox came, and Brain turned his head. There was a little gap between the fences here, rather than wooden boards shared as a wall between two houses. He was reminded of the scuffles in the alley, and his pupils became fierce slits in his yellow eyes. This was worth checking out; it might lead somewhere besides this scattering of house and barn and field.

Loping up the driveway, the tom quickly dashed out of sight of a young twoleg and came to the fence. He sniffed the grass curled alongside its base and couldn't detect any territorial tom's scent markers. That had been what he was most worried about. Sighing, he continued his investigation, counting the planks that made up thee fence, stopping to listen for barking dogs, and then coming across the scent of another cat at last.

It was a she-cat, young, tame. He blinked with interest, having not seen a kittypet in a while. The only cat he'd talked to the past few days had been Wind, the tabby "queen of the moors," and by association her father, not that they'd much talked. Are kittypets here different from in the city? he wondered. Eager to test this hypothesis, he scampered toward the scent.

He came across a far from intimidating creature, thin like him but dwarfed by his height. She had dark grey fur, though he didn't much pay attention to that or her green eyes. Neither color was special, though her dark eyes looked nice in her face, and it didn't matter.

"Hello!" Brain greeted, lifting his black tail as if to wave it at her. This was the critical moment to see if she'd be intrigued or flee from such a ragged-looking stray. The fact that his would-be happy voice was instead rather flat didn't help his friendliness factor much.

header image made using *neikoish's game on deviantart

[irrational]

Someday, she would learn to look and scent the air, preventing any heart attacks from having random cats approaching her. Until then, Storm supposed she would have to take the punishment, however mild or severe it may be. She only started slightly as a voice rang out in greeting, rather toneless though, as if the cat really didn't mean anything by greeting her. Puzzlement glowed in her eyes as she looked over at the tom. He was tall, far more tall then she was and for a moment Storm was hesitant to contiue the conversation. What fun was there in talking to a cat that had no choice but to look down on you? After all, most loners and rogues already did that due to her kittypet status.

But her gaze was immediatly attracted to the ragged collar around his neck, that seemed to serve as a screaming red flag. Look here! Look here! A kittypet, it must be. Storm thought to herself, for what other cat would wear a collar? A bit of releif flooded over Storm as she offered forth a half smile, "Hello, there! I haven't seen you around here before," She mewed.

Not exactly the traditional way to start a conversation, but she was really curious. Had some new Twolegs moved in? She hadn't noticed any of those long, bulky monsters around that signaled the arrival or departure of a family.

[Solo]

B R A I N

The feral tom was delighted that she did not run away; she instead faced him curiously, pausing as if weighing her options. He realized how he must look and loosened his posture a bit, letting his shoulders sag, making sure his chin was not lifted so high. His confident posture came from his thrill at being in a new place, and a quiet place at least compared to the old city neighborhoods. Hardly a monster or dog had barked at him.

The smaller female smiled, and he returned the expression, if the faint shifting of his lips could be called much of a smile. It was more polite than sincere. Mirroring the expressions and body language of others connected cats, he’d discovered, though he’d not stick around a frustrated one for long.

She remarked that she hadn’t seen him around, and his smile disappeared into a confused scowl. Why would she say such an obvious thing? Did she observe out loud? He supposed that must be it and nodded quickly, picking his fake smile back up.

“I have not been around here before,” Brain meowed, confirming her statement. “Thus, there is little chance you could have seen me.”

header image made using *neikoish's game on deviantart

[irrational]

The black and white tom's lips shifted, but it was a subtle moment. Blinking at the wrong second would have caused her to miss it. She frowned lightly before shaking off whatever strange feeling had settled over her; some cats just weren't the smiling type. There was no reason to get all suspicious and edgy about it, right?

But the confused scowl that soon replaced his feeble smile caused her to lash her tail tip slightly. This tom was very strange. Unable to smile, scowling with confusion at words that weren't difficult to comprehend (and something told her this cat didn't have much difficulty comprehending things...there was an air of confidence about him. Not quite arrogance, but one didn't get that much confidence if they were mouse-brained). But it was Storm that was outside of her territory, her garden. This was land free for any cat to pass by; she had no right to get irritated over simple facial expression.

"I have not been around here before. Thus, there is little chance you could have seen me."

"So you're either new in town or a runaway kittypet," Storm mused, for there was nothing else to explain the collar on his neck. Only Twolegs could put such a contraption on a cat, after all. She padded forward a bit, eyeing the tom closely. Most loners would have been able to tell right off the bat that Brain was no kittypet; at least not now. But Storm only knew that he smelt different from a kittypet, a bit more...raw. Yes, that was the word for it. But this scent had yet to be associated with wild cats. She paid no mind to the fact that he wasn't as plump as most; she was, after all, skinny, and yet a kittypet. It was possible to be healthy while living with Twolegs.

"So," she sat down where she had been standing, curling her tail around her paws,"Which one is it?"

[/color]

[Solo]

B R A I N

The younger she-cat grew more uneasy as they stared across at each other. He didn't realize it was because he was being a freak, but thought that she found him intimidating. In that, he was pretty far off. With his lanky build and skinniness, not to mention his social awkwardness, he wasn't often considered a threat by even kits. Unless he was angry, really, but that was a totally different story.

Brain sat down before she could, to show that he was comfortable enough to put himself at a disadvantage if this came to a chase. It might also be seen as planting himself in the grass as if he wasn't going anywhere, but right now all he focused on was her statement as she came forward. Her green eyes roamed over him, and he tilted his head a bit to bear his neck. Did she think he was that recently a kittypet? It wasn't like he smelled like other feral cats, though he had been in the woods for a few days.

"A long time ago," the white tom clarified, "I was separated from my twolegs. Rather than going back, I became a loner. I haven't lost this collar yet, if that's what tipped you off." His flat tone made it unclear if he was being condescending of her intelligence.

Normally Brain would lie and say that he was tired of his twolegs, for that lie impressed other strays and made them more amiable, but a kittypet wasn't a threat anyway. Quickly, he gave her another once-over and swished his black tail in the grass. "Are you roaming around? Where is your lot?" He glanced at the house beside them and sniffed.

header image made using *neikoish's game on deviantart

[irrational]

"A long time ago, I was separated from my twolegs. Rather than going back, I became a loner. I haven't lost this collar yet, if that's what tipped you off."

If cats had brows, Storm certainly wouldn've raised one. That tom should be lucky she had even stopped to talk! Half the cats in this place would've turned tail and ran, yowling for their Twolegs to open the door to their nest. There was no reason to get slightly uppity. Besides, she bet plenty of loners had mistaken him for a kittypet.

"It was the collar," Storm mewed, nodding slightly, though mainly to herself, as he carried on.

"Are you roaming around? Where is your lot?"

She missed him glancing at the nest beside them and, therefore, did not have the opportunity to become even more prickly over a simple little sniff. Storm motioned towards the very nest he had looked at, her eyes darkening for a moment, "That one," she growled lightly before clearing her throat and speaking once moe in an easy tone, "I'm one of the few kittypets that can stand entering the forest, much less conversing with a wild cat," Storm laughed, her whiskers twitching.

If this was all the forest had to offer when it came to the cats living in it, Storm was sure she could handle it. This stranger may be older and taller then her, but he certainly wasn't the muscular freaks she had imagined when the word wild cats came up. Nor was there any sign of blood or souveniers taken from his poor victims.

"I'm Storm, by the way. What's your name?" She added suddenly, realizing that they had yet to exchange names. Storm prefered to do so; conversation was easier when one could say more then "Hey, you!" to get the other feline's attention.

[Solo]

B R A I N

Her tone changed, Brain noted when she gestured toward the house and indicated it was hers. It was an obvious enough clue, though the tom wasn't an expert on reading other cats' body language and changes of inflection. He knew what was positive and what was negative, but whether she thought the house smelled funny or she hated it with a passion was beyond him.

He nodded slowly when she laughed. "Kittypets where I came from were the same, always spreading rumors. However, they learned to fear strays rather than forest-bred cats. I've only met one of said wildcats in my travels." What one had to look out for, he'd learned from experience, were those feral cats on the streets. They were much meaner to kittypets than a forest cat, who could care less.

The short grey she-cat told him her name, and Brain's face lit up. "You look like a storm cloud," he remarked, delighted. When kittypets had names that had nothing to do with their appearance or personality, it presented a challenge to understand why. However, seeing cats who had suitable names always intrigued him. Just how far did "Storm" fit this reasonably brave kittypet?

The white tomcat blinked after a few moments of pause. "I'm called Brain," he said, remembering her question. Now, he did not look like a brain. He was not wrinkled and bloody and falling out of a skull. His name, however, did have its own meanings, which one cat more or less could tell. There was a reason he wasn't called Heart.

header image made using *neikoish's game on deviantart

[irrational]

Where he came from...Storm was ignorant to the majority towns outside of her own and the ones that newcomers told them about. They tended to be the same, full of Twolegs, boring...but Twolegs were not the same, any somewhat intelligent cat knew that, and she figured there was no way all their cities were the same. Perhaps this Brain had come from one the less spoken of places? The ones that you knew were there, but never spoken about. He had, after all, mentioned strays. There were some around here, though not many, for they either got scooped up by Twolegs or ran over on the Thunderpath, a grotesque reminder of what could happen to a careless cat.

Brain's face seemed to glow as she told him her name and, for once, he actually showed an emotion. Fully, instead of halfing it. Storm couldn't help but laugh again. Yes, her dark pelt did help her connect to her name (thank goodness she wasn't called Dwarf or Shorty), though she had yet to meet a cat that actually cared to comment on it.

"I'm called Brain."

Brain...what an odd name. She tilted her head slightly and voiced her thoughts outloud once more: "Interesting name. Did your old Twolegs give it to you? Or did you name yourself?"

[Solo]

B R A I N

The stormy-grey cat laughed, and the tom twitched his black ears. He opened his mouth to chuckle as well though the sound was odd, forced, toneless. He only let out a few soft moments of laughter before the female tipped her head quizzically to the side, asking how he got the name.

Brain lifted his chin as if with pride, though really he was just getting a better look at the surrounding area. “I don’t remember my old name,” he meowed. “As for what I’m called now… It was given to me by random cats on the streets. All I could do was use my brains, and so that’s what they called me.”

A dangerous change in his demeanor came over him; he dug his claws into the grass and flattened his ears. While it would be mild irritation on another cat, it looked deadly for a cat so blank before. “Are there any gangs of cats around here?” he asked her brusquely.

header image made using *neikoish's game on deviantart

[irrational]

Ah, he could really use some work when it comes to social skills, Storm thought as Brain spoke. Most kittypets were very social animals, or at least could laugh properly, and so she was totally unaccostumed to cats that...well, simply weren't good at making friends. She found it odd. And something that she should fix.

A sudden change came over Brain and Storm shrank back slightly, her eyes widening for a moment as his claws dug into the grass and his ears pressed back against his skull. Okay, he just needs help being happy, Storm thought to herself, slowly forcing herself to sit forward once more. Hostility was not something the dark grey she-cat had yet to encounter; at least, not beyond the occasional snarl and growl.

"Are there any gangs of cats around here?"

She remembered what he had said before (how kittypets where he was from had learned to fear strays, rather then cats from the forest). Was he afraid of such a thing taking place here? That seemed to be the only logical answer.

"No, no gangs around here." Storm replied, her voice slightly caustious.

[Solo]

B R A I N

When he exhibited aggression, the kittypet understandably became wary. He noticed, but his only acknowledgment of her unease was to check himself. His claws were sheathed and his fur flat. Only his expression, a touch harder than normal, remained of his aggressive slip. He nodded when she told him there were no gangs and glanced around once, as if he couldn’t be sure. It was odd, not having to worry about aggressive strays among the tame cats. He wondered if forest cats ganged up on loners in the same way, or if they were like Wind and Spruce—surviving alone, not above lending a helping paw but not going out of their way for it either.

“There were a lot of those back home,” Brain meowed. He wondered if he’d already said that and gave his head a shake. “Never mind that. It’s illogical to stress about something that is no threat.” He flattened his ears and looked around. Really, he could have been on his way, but he had committed himself to studying this storm-colored she-cat with her assumed bravery and dark green eyes. He looked into them once more, intrigued, giving into his lust for knowledge, the only thing that really gave him a purpose.

He lightened his tone and bared his teeth in a playful way, though who knew if it just looked awkward. “So you’re the only kittypet that would talk to a deadly forest cat? Just how often do you jump over your fence? And have you hunted before?”

header image made using *neikoish's game on deviantart

[irrational]

Yep, he had earned the name Brain. Illogical. Storm could barely resist rolling her eyes; not everything in life had to be perfectly logical. Logic was boring. Logic meant no adventure, not unless it made perfect sense, and an adventure that made perfect sense was not an adventure; it was a job. The tom's tone became considerably lighter as he carried on, baring his teeth; she knew it was an attempt to be playful, relaxed, but on him it just looked silly- and not the good silly. The silly that made a cat look dumb.

“So you’re the only kittypet that would talk to a deadly forest cat? Just how often do you jump over your fence? And have you hunted before?”

Storm smiled, her eyes glowing for a moment before she replied, "Oh, some might, but by now they would've run away screaming their heads off, especially with what you just did. They'd tell stories for moons about how some nasty forest cat attacked them!"

Okay, perhaps it was a bit of an exageration; no kittypet would listen to another go into hysterics for moons.

"I jump my fence whenever I can get away from the blasted Twoleg kits- they seem to find it fun to keep me inside and pull my tail," she growled lightly, her eyes narrowing, "Pfft...huntig. I've been hunting. Now, whether or not I've caught anything worth my time is a whole 'nother story," Storm added, remembering her first catch, which had been a butterfly. Could you call a butterfly a catch?

Would that be logical?

[Solo]

BRAIN
_________________________________________________________________

The white tomcat was impressed with the timidity of standard kittypets. He blinked at her explanation and experimentally bared his teeth again, confused. I wasn’t even serious. He was beginning to think that Storm was not brave, but that the other kittypets were cowards—and had severe mental disorders if they couldn’t get over bared teeth during the span of several moon phases. This was something he would have to investigate more often.

Brain shook his head when she mentioned the Twoleg kits; he had a vague memory of them, or rather of being stuffed in a laundry basket while they giggled. He didn’t know how miserable it would be for her, but if she leaped over the fence this often, she might want another life. He had been resigned to his and grown to like it; might she choose the same path? He wanted to ask but wasn’t sure how many personal questions she would tolerate before abandoning him.

“Quite accomplished for a kittypet,” the skinny loner noted. He decided it was now or never. “Are you content where you are? I mean, do you want something more than getting your tail pulled?”

[irrational]

Storm rolled her eyes slightly as he bared his teeth once more, obviously confused by her statement. She'd have to remind herself not to make jokes that weren't obvious, unless she wished to confuse Brain every other minute.

"Are you content where you are? I mean, do you want something more than getting your tail pulled?"

The questions caught her off guard and Storm blinked, staring at Brain as if she hadn't understood what he had said. Of course she wanted something more then getting her tail pulled, then being stuck inside. She wanted something more then the dry kibble that awaited her back at home and the water with a strange metallic tinge to its taste. But did that matter? She couldn't fight, not really, nor could she hunt all that well. She'd be dead in a fortnight.

"Of course I want something more, but it's not like I can hunt well, or fight well. Besides, the old Twolegs here would find me. Or the young ones would wander out into the woods and wouldn't stop until they either found me alive or dead." Storm growled lightly as she spoke; maybe some cats dreamed about being cared for like that. Where it actually mattered if you were gone, but Storm despised it; at least, when it came from Twolegs she did.