Post by tarra on Dec 20, 2009 3:52:44 GMT -5
She had gone feline-hunting the week after she arrived at the Weyr. It was something she had wanted to do for months, turns almost, ever since she first glimpsed a Fort Wingleader wearing one of those magnificent furs at a Northern Gather. Not that the chance would ever present itself to a hard-worked bluerider, but Selenitas was not Fort, and at the first chance she had she had set out to gain one of those luxurious furs for herself.
She eventually got more than she had bargained for. Lithe-winged Sonarth proved himself an uncanny finder of the elusive cats, his keen sense of the hunt unnerving when one considered how languid he usually was at the Feeding Pens. What they had not expected were the kittens: two of them, a male and a female, mewing out from the den near their mother's still body. Katar's first thought was to end their misery then and there, an opinion shared by Sonarth with his usual pragmatism. But it had seemed such a waste: felines were useful in more ways than one, and they might well fetch a good price in the Weyr or its surrounding Holds. And when the cubs had discovered her and came todding up with curious snuffs and sniffles, she could not help but sigh and rummage for a suitable carrier. Big they were, but they were still kittens, with all the kittenish tendencies of their age.
"Well, I think we might be able to find some use for you two..."
Nearly a month had passed since then. The male she had given away to the Blossom Hold Gather's raffle (some fool must have dropped her name into it, since she certainly hadn't done so herself), but the female was still with her - and proving more the handful than she might have imagined.
"Sereina, out," the bluerider's voice, exasperated, brought the small feline up with perked ears from the pile of cushions - newly gotten! - she had been ransacking. Mewing with obvious delight at seeing hers back in the weyr, she tumbled from the mound and scampered over as Katar slid from Sonarth's back. The blue folded his wings and lowered his muzzle to push the feline away gently, giving his tider space to unload her bundles without being tripped.
I don't understand, he said drily, why we havn't given this one away yet.
Well, maybe because no one would take her at this time, she replied just as icily, setting a sack of new blankets and leathers on the ground, Too many gifts going around. No one ever told me that new felines were such a bother.
No one here knows us well enough to, yet.
Maybe, she untied the loops tying another box onto Sonarth's flanks - it was her own gift raffle, the item that the Gather exchange had granted to her. Pulling the big shipment box off her blue's back, she set it down beside the sack just as Sereina eluded the dragon's nose and flopped happily against her ankles.
"How should I work when you're all over me?" she pulled the kitten away by the scruff, "Come come, you'll be flattened if you stay here..."
Pushing the cub aside, she pilled the sack onto the box and began to push it all into the weyr. A sharp scuffling from beneath her hands stopped her up short, however, and she stared down at the crate even as Sereina paused to sniff at it. Sonarth followed his rider's gaze.
I thought there was something interesting about that box.
Katar dumped the sack off it and began to pry at it with her fingers. Failing, she pulled the long kinfe from her belt and used the blunt side instead. The crate came open with a creak and a cracking clatter, and the bluerider let it fall to one side.
She saw nothing at first except for a lot of straw and assorted packing materials. Then something flickered in one shadowed corner, and she gaped as she realised what had blinked. With gentle hands she reached in and pulled out the midnight-black kitten.
Shards and shardings...
And we have another one of these? Sonarth, lying on his belly beside them, snorted, You should have just given that one away earlier.
I...wasn't expecting this, she managed, still staring blankly at her newest acquisition. For a moment, she was at a loss for words. Sereina pounced with a pearling mew, and as the empty box fell over Katar lost whatever train of thoughts she had managed to link. The wildcat cub was batting at the new kitten with a curious paw, and with little squeaks the black kit seemed to be returning the favour with her hindpaws. The bluerider lifted her up onto one shoulder, out of reach, and began pulling down her wildcat as she sought to climb after her.
"Sereina, enough, that's no way to greet her," she growled, "And we still have this mess to clean up, and then decide what....(she pulled the box upright with one hand) needs to be done..."
With a despairing mew, the cub jumped away and sat staring in dismay at the black kitten now gazing warily at her from Katar's shoulder. Her tail flicked gaily around her haunches as she watched the bluerider stand and reach for the feline beside her neck.
"Well, let's get to know each other first, aye?" she strolled towards the bed as she spoke, little more than a bunk with storage space beneath, taking care not to trip over the rumbunctious bundle of fur weaving between her steps. She settled on the edge of the covers and pulled the kitten from her shoulders, taking care to be gentle. It settled into her hands and lap like a small ball of fluff, long silky hairs flowing over her knees. Shy but curious now that the wildcat cub was safely confined to the floor, she began to look around with bright eyes. Katar rubbed the back of her ears, marvelling at her how small she was. And so soft - almost like holding new suede or worn leather. The black kitten squeaked, and burrowed into the bluerider's lap under her hands.
"You're certainly smaller than that furball, but I think you'll like her," a querying mew sounded from the nearby pile of cushions, where Sereina had resumed her paw-whacking classes, "Not everything's a plaything, you; wait your turn."
Having investigated her lap and the folds of tunic over it, the black kitten began to clamber over the side onto the bed. Katar scooped her back with one hand.
"No no, no cats on the bed - you can join her on those cushions, I suppose. They're so gone already they won't matter..."
Still speaking, she stood with the black kit in her hands and started towards the mound. Sereina espied her coming and rolled out to meet them, white fluff still sticking to her claws. With a sigh, Katar settled down beside it and permitted the two felines their introductions through her carefully placed hands.
"Here, be nice now, no fighting..."
She eventually got more than she had bargained for. Lithe-winged Sonarth proved himself an uncanny finder of the elusive cats, his keen sense of the hunt unnerving when one considered how languid he usually was at the Feeding Pens. What they had not expected were the kittens: two of them, a male and a female, mewing out from the den near their mother's still body. Katar's first thought was to end their misery then and there, an opinion shared by Sonarth with his usual pragmatism. But it had seemed such a waste: felines were useful in more ways than one, and they might well fetch a good price in the Weyr or its surrounding Holds. And when the cubs had discovered her and came todding up with curious snuffs and sniffles, she could not help but sigh and rummage for a suitable carrier. Big they were, but they were still kittens, with all the kittenish tendencies of their age.
"Well, I think we might be able to find some use for you two..."
Nearly a month had passed since then. The male she had given away to the Blossom Hold Gather's raffle (some fool must have dropped her name into it, since she certainly hadn't done so herself), but the female was still with her - and proving more the handful than she might have imagined.
"Sereina, out," the bluerider's voice, exasperated, brought the small feline up with perked ears from the pile of cushions - newly gotten! - she had been ransacking. Mewing with obvious delight at seeing hers back in the weyr, she tumbled from the mound and scampered over as Katar slid from Sonarth's back. The blue folded his wings and lowered his muzzle to push the feline away gently, giving his tider space to unload her bundles without being tripped.
I don't understand, he said drily, why we havn't given this one away yet.
Well, maybe because no one would take her at this time, she replied just as icily, setting a sack of new blankets and leathers on the ground, Too many gifts going around. No one ever told me that new felines were such a bother.
No one here knows us well enough to, yet.
Maybe, she untied the loops tying another box onto Sonarth's flanks - it was her own gift raffle, the item that the Gather exchange had granted to her. Pulling the big shipment box off her blue's back, she set it down beside the sack just as Sereina eluded the dragon's nose and flopped happily against her ankles.
"How should I work when you're all over me?" she pulled the kitten away by the scruff, "Come come, you'll be flattened if you stay here..."
Pushing the cub aside, she pilled the sack onto the box and began to push it all into the weyr. A sharp scuffling from beneath her hands stopped her up short, however, and she stared down at the crate even as Sereina paused to sniff at it. Sonarth followed his rider's gaze.
I thought there was something interesting about that box.
Katar dumped the sack off it and began to pry at it with her fingers. Failing, she pulled the long kinfe from her belt and used the blunt side instead. The crate came open with a creak and a cracking clatter, and the bluerider let it fall to one side.
She saw nothing at first except for a lot of straw and assorted packing materials. Then something flickered in one shadowed corner, and she gaped as she realised what had blinked. With gentle hands she reached in and pulled out the midnight-black kitten.
Shards and shardings...
And we have another one of these? Sonarth, lying on his belly beside them, snorted, You should have just given that one away earlier.
I...wasn't expecting this, she managed, still staring blankly at her newest acquisition. For a moment, she was at a loss for words. Sereina pounced with a pearling mew, and as the empty box fell over Katar lost whatever train of thoughts she had managed to link. The wildcat cub was batting at the new kitten with a curious paw, and with little squeaks the black kit seemed to be returning the favour with her hindpaws. The bluerider lifted her up onto one shoulder, out of reach, and began pulling down her wildcat as she sought to climb after her.
"Sereina, enough, that's no way to greet her," she growled, "And we still have this mess to clean up, and then decide what....(she pulled the box upright with one hand) needs to be done..."
With a despairing mew, the cub jumped away and sat staring in dismay at the black kitten now gazing warily at her from Katar's shoulder. Her tail flicked gaily around her haunches as she watched the bluerider stand and reach for the feline beside her neck.
"Well, let's get to know each other first, aye?" she strolled towards the bed as she spoke, little more than a bunk with storage space beneath, taking care not to trip over the rumbunctious bundle of fur weaving between her steps. She settled on the edge of the covers and pulled the kitten from her shoulders, taking care to be gentle. It settled into her hands and lap like a small ball of fluff, long silky hairs flowing over her knees. Shy but curious now that the wildcat cub was safely confined to the floor, she began to look around with bright eyes. Katar rubbed the back of her ears, marvelling at her how small she was. And so soft - almost like holding new suede or worn leather. The black kitten squeaked, and burrowed into the bluerider's lap under her hands.
"You're certainly smaller than that furball, but I think you'll like her," a querying mew sounded from the nearby pile of cushions, where Sereina had resumed her paw-whacking classes, "Not everything's a plaything, you; wait your turn."
Having investigated her lap and the folds of tunic over it, the black kitten began to clamber over the side onto the bed. Katar scooped her back with one hand.
"No no, no cats on the bed - you can join her on those cushions, I suppose. They're so gone already they won't matter..."
Still speaking, she stood with the black kit in her hands and started towards the mound. Sereina espied her coming and rolled out to meet them, white fluff still sticking to her claws. With a sigh, Katar settled down beside it and permitted the two felines their introductions through her carefully placed hands.
"Here, be nice now, no fighting..."