Post by Snow on Dec 31, 2013 18:54:03 GMT -5
Ryuuka hung back in the alley. Her shoulder length hair was a total mess, and she attempted to fix it. Finally giving up as it refused to obey her wishes, she let it just stay fluffy as she settled down in a corner of the alleyway. Almost immediately, cats swarmed around her. Grinning, she gave a small meow of greeting.
"Hi, kitties! I think I recognize some of you... Yeah, I do! Twist, Echo, Kink Tail, Yarrow, Mallow, Stone.... Where's Rina?"
Stone answered her awkwardly, as though he wasn't used to speaking with a human. "She was really upset that she was too busy to come see you. She promised that she'd-"
"Ryuuka!" A cat with blazing ginger fur, dark ginger stripes, a white chest and paws and fiery amber eyes landed lightly on the teenage girl's head. She immediately noticed the difference in Rina's scent.
"Rina, you've kitted!"
"Yes, in fact I did," the she-cat purred. "And I've brought them to meet you. Kits, come here, please!"
She landed lightly on the ground at Ryuuka's feet as three kittens stumbled out of a soggy cardboard box to meet her. Each were only a month old, and Ryuu couldn't help but purr as Rina instructed them, "This is called a human. This human right here is named Ryuuka, and she is the only human you may ever go near. Okay?" She purred louder as the kits each squeaked their agreement.
"Momma, why is she purring? I thought you said that only cats purred?" said an adorable, tiny little tom's voice.
"This human is special. She can talk to animals like us. Say hello to Ryuuka."
"Hello!" the three kits squeaked. Two she-kits, one tom-kit.
"Hello, kittens," she mewed back softly.
Rina stepped forward and nudges the tom towards her, bringing him close to her face so that she could smell his sleek fur. "This little tom is Storm. His fur is a dark grey, his paws are black, and he's a tabby like me. His eyes are the strangest hazel color."
She placed the kit on the ground next to her other kittens, and carefully brought a she-kit to her face. "This is Flower. She's a tortoiseshell kitten with warm amber eyes. Her muzzle is black white the rest of her is a mixture of white, brown, and orange."
Finally, she brought the last kit up to her. This one was by far the smallest, and she could smell the little kitten's fear at being so close to Ryuuka. "This is Fire. Her fur is a blazing red color, and her chest, stomach, legs, tail tip, muzzle, and ears are white. Her eyes are blue."
"Momma, why did you describe us to her? Can't she see us for herself? And why are her eyes all foggy like that?"
Ryuuka could sense Rina's awkwardness at her kit's question, but Ryuuka purred, letting Rina know that she didn't mind the question. In fact, it was when the cats avoided mentioning her blindness to her face that she got upset. She liked the feeling of knowing that young cats didn't stumble over their words, trying not to say the wrong thing to her.
"To answer your question, Storm," Ryuu mewed gently, "No, I can't see you for myself. My eyes are foggy because I'm blind."
Storm was silent. Then, Flower piped up, "Wow! How do you find your way around, being blind? How do you hunt if you can't see?"
Fire joined in with, "What's it like, being blind?"
Purring, Ryuuka answered the little kits' questions truthfully.
"I find my way around using my sense of smell and hearing and touch. I might not be able to see, but I can hear and smell and feel everything just fine. I actually don't hunt. Instead, I steal food from around here or eat plants. Fire, your question is slightly harder to answer." She thought for a bit, and then perked up. "All three of you, close your eyes."
Storm grumbled about being told what to do, but all three kits eventually had their eyes closed. "What do you see?" she prompted.
"Black," Storm answered.
"I don't see anything," Flower mewled.
"Is this what it's like, being blind?" Fire wondered.
"Yes. That's exactly what being blind is like. The only color I see is black, and I see nothing else."
The clanking of metal armor interrupted their flood of questions. "Go, hide," she hissed to the cats. The cats did as she asked immediately, scrambling over the wall and away, or over the dumpster or under it. Rina dragged her kittens back to the cardboard box, telling them to shush, that it was dangerous.
Standing to glare at the guards when they passed, Ryuuka realized she wasn't alone in the alleyway with the cats. She rolled her eyes best she could and reached forward, grabbing the person's shirt and dragging them farther into the alley, into the shadows. When the guards had passed, she snapped in Common, "Are you a complete idiot? Just standing there as guards were about to walk past." She sighed and then said in a calmer voice, "Be more careful, alright? I'd hate to hear that you got caught. I can scent the paranoia on you."
Turning away from this male, she quietly disappeared out of the alleyway and managed to get back to the forest without any trouble from guards.
"Hi, kitties! I think I recognize some of you... Yeah, I do! Twist, Echo, Kink Tail, Yarrow, Mallow, Stone.... Where's Rina?"
Stone answered her awkwardly, as though he wasn't used to speaking with a human. "She was really upset that she was too busy to come see you. She promised that she'd-"
"Ryuuka!" A cat with blazing ginger fur, dark ginger stripes, a white chest and paws and fiery amber eyes landed lightly on the teenage girl's head. She immediately noticed the difference in Rina's scent.
"Rina, you've kitted!"
"Yes, in fact I did," the she-cat purred. "And I've brought them to meet you. Kits, come here, please!"
She landed lightly on the ground at Ryuuka's feet as three kittens stumbled out of a soggy cardboard box to meet her. Each were only a month old, and Ryuu couldn't help but purr as Rina instructed them, "This is called a human. This human right here is named Ryuuka, and she is the only human you may ever go near. Okay?" She purred louder as the kits each squeaked their agreement.
"Momma, why is she purring? I thought you said that only cats purred?" said an adorable, tiny little tom's voice.
"This human is special. She can talk to animals like us. Say hello to Ryuuka."
"Hello!" the three kits squeaked. Two she-kits, one tom-kit.
"Hello, kittens," she mewed back softly.
Rina stepped forward and nudges the tom towards her, bringing him close to her face so that she could smell his sleek fur. "This little tom is Storm. His fur is a dark grey, his paws are black, and he's a tabby like me. His eyes are the strangest hazel color."
She placed the kit on the ground next to her other kittens, and carefully brought a she-kit to her face. "This is Flower. She's a tortoiseshell kitten with warm amber eyes. Her muzzle is black white the rest of her is a mixture of white, brown, and orange."
Finally, she brought the last kit up to her. This one was by far the smallest, and she could smell the little kitten's fear at being so close to Ryuuka. "This is Fire. Her fur is a blazing red color, and her chest, stomach, legs, tail tip, muzzle, and ears are white. Her eyes are blue."
"Momma, why did you describe us to her? Can't she see us for herself? And why are her eyes all foggy like that?"
Ryuuka could sense Rina's awkwardness at her kit's question, but Ryuuka purred, letting Rina know that she didn't mind the question. In fact, it was when the cats avoided mentioning her blindness to her face that she got upset. She liked the feeling of knowing that young cats didn't stumble over their words, trying not to say the wrong thing to her.
"To answer your question, Storm," Ryuu mewed gently, "No, I can't see you for myself. My eyes are foggy because I'm blind."
Storm was silent. Then, Flower piped up, "Wow! How do you find your way around, being blind? How do you hunt if you can't see?"
Fire joined in with, "What's it like, being blind?"
Purring, Ryuuka answered the little kits' questions truthfully.
"I find my way around using my sense of smell and hearing and touch. I might not be able to see, but I can hear and smell and feel everything just fine. I actually don't hunt. Instead, I steal food from around here or eat plants. Fire, your question is slightly harder to answer." She thought for a bit, and then perked up. "All three of you, close your eyes."
Storm grumbled about being told what to do, but all three kits eventually had their eyes closed. "What do you see?" she prompted.
"Black," Storm answered.
"I don't see anything," Flower mewled.
"Is this what it's like, being blind?" Fire wondered.
"Yes. That's exactly what being blind is like. The only color I see is black, and I see nothing else."
The clanking of metal armor interrupted their flood of questions. "Go, hide," she hissed to the cats. The cats did as she asked immediately, scrambling over the wall and away, or over the dumpster or under it. Rina dragged her kittens back to the cardboard box, telling them to shush, that it was dangerous.
Standing to glare at the guards when they passed, Ryuuka realized she wasn't alone in the alleyway with the cats. She rolled her eyes best she could and reached forward, grabbing the person's shirt and dragging them farther into the alley, into the shadows. When the guards had passed, she snapped in Common, "Are you a complete idiot? Just standing there as guards were about to walk past." She sighed and then said in a calmer voice, "Be more careful, alright? I'd hate to hear that you got caught. I can scent the paranoia on you."
Turning away from this male, she quietly disappeared out of the alleyway and managed to get back to the forest without any trouble from guards.
