Familiar, why is this so familiar? {Tugger}

[~Deersong~]

A SOULMATE WHO WASN'T MEANT TO BE...​

---

The group they had found was a blessing in the eyes of the cream ticked tabby. Her turquoise gaze was half-closed in contentment, a soft hum flowing from her throat as her paws worked nimbly to weave together nests for herself and Spring. Deer wondered nonchalantly where her companion could be, but when she turned her head to look outside of the den, she spotted her lilac pelt sitting with a group of NPC apprentices, and a warm smile melted onto her maw.

As she resumed her work, she thought back to the day they had been accepted into the group. Of the cats who had come forward and greeted them, one in particular had stood out. She was certain she had felt like she had met the smushed-faced ginger tom somewhere before. But her memory just could not place him. It didn't trouble her that she couldn't, however, after all the molly was sure that if they truly had met before, there was a reason the world was bringing them back together once again. The sound of pawsteps entering the den would cause her to look up just as she was about to place her precious stone within her nest and she blinked in lazy surprise as the very tom she had been thinking about appeared behind her.

A smile that matched the warmth of the sun spread onto her maw as she purred in greeting, "Hello there. Tugger, right?"

//
@TUGGER

​

 

[Lionsnarl]

"GIRL, YOU'RE A DIME, I'M A DIAMOND"​

She's creepy. It was something that Tugger had decided almost immediately, within mere moments of meeting the cream tabby. There was something about her that completely disturbed him, something that you couldn't quite put a claw on. Every time he almost had a fully realized thought, every time he nearly could articulate the reason for his discomfort, it would slip back into the recesses of his mind. The words eluded him but the feeling remained.

She was discomforting.

Perhaps it was the dreamy way she held herself. Maybe it was the unguarded posture she took despite her position as a care-taker for the young she-cat she had brought with her. Maybe it was the two little fangs that protruded from her top lip when she spoke. Whatever it was, Tugger -

Sea-glass eyes meet his own dark gaze and he pauses. Somewhere, from the recesses of his mind, the feeling creeps up again. Like he had been in this exact - or almost exact - situation with this cat before, standing in a den with her preening over a stone. The faintest whiff of a milky perfume drifted across his consciousness, though that too was gone as quickly as the moment before.

He clears his throat. "Stones aren't good nesting material." A flush spreads over him, it sounded so stupid - even to his ears. "And since I severely doubt your shaggy hide is hiding wings, no amount of sitting on that thing will produce anything more than a back-ache."​

✦ ★ ✦​

 

[~Deersong~]

LOVERS' WHO WERE NEVER MEANT TO BE...​

---

His words would only pull a gentle laugh from her throat as she looked back down at her nest as if admiring her work and the stone that sat there, "Yes, I suppose you're right about that." She would reach a paw out and lovingly nudge the stone deeper into the nest before turning to face Tugger properly.

"Wouldn't that be something though? To hatch something from a stone. It's such a silly thought." She would coo her words, the tone taking on the same softness of a dove as she tilted her head in a whimsical manner. Her half tail swished behind her as she continued, "I didn't have the chance to thank you and the others for welcoming Spring and me to your home. So, thank you. I hope we do not disappoint your expectations."

Her smile returned, as she felt the same strange feeling of discomfort. She knew this tom from somewhere, she just knew she did, and yet she had no memories with him. Again, it didn't bother her too much. However, she hoped to one day remember so she could apologize to him for not recognizing him sooner. ​

 

[Lionsnarl]

"GIRL, YOU'RE A DIME, I'M A DIAMOND"​

He blinks at her. Not a slow, warm blink that is given to cats like Wrath or Yarrow. Instead, it is pure confusion that crosses over his face. Why in the world would she find whimsy in such a stupid idea? He had half a mind to drag he down to the barn and try to knock out some of the bees that were clearly buzzing around in her head - they ought to be returned to their home. Wouldn't that be something, she said in that cooing sing-song of a voice. Wouldn't that be something indeed.

And then she thanked him. He blinked again, coming down from his mental rage to look at her directly. She thanked him. Thanked him for allowing to stay in the pine forest. His home. Another weird feeling crept over him, though this trickle was not borne of his discomforting deja-vu episodes that happened only around this cat.

He cleared his throat. "Well, I - I really don't have the authority to turn cats away. Our leader has an open-door policy, so to speak." Tugger hated to think what Rain would say if he had turned away the odd pair of she-cats, especially so soon after Finch's incident. "I work under his wishes."​

✦ ★ ✦​

 

[~Deersong~]

LOVERS' WHO WERE NEVER MEANT TO BE...​

---

Deer would maintain her smile as Tugger stammered through his words and she would listen patiently as he voiced that he was acting under his leader's wishes. She had yet to meet Rain, but it was on her list of things to do once she and Spring were completely settled. She would look past Tugger, to where her younger companion was still chatting with some NPCs her age, "Well, whether it was your good heart or your leader's kind rules, I am grateful. Spring deserves to live somewhere stable for once."

The expression on her face would darken, but only for a heartbeat before her usual nonchalance returned and she purred softly, "So, where you born in this land? Any pointers you could give us for fitting in?" ​