I'M A GENIE IN A BOTTLE // p. scarlet

[BARTHOLOMEW]

✧ — Soft pawsteps go unnoticed in the quiet stillness of the pine forest while a masked feline made his way through the terrain. He looked like he was mulling over something that was on his mind, as he wasn't paying attention to what was ahead of him. His dazed gaze is focused on the clouds in the sky while he thinks to himself about his life back at the twolegplace. The other kittypets back home wouldn't have been caught dead exploring the lands on the other side of the border. Not only did the unknown scare them, but they cared far too much about their public images to be out here. Why settle for less when they had their luxurious lives back home? They wouldn't have stooped to "mingling with the peasants", as one of them had claimed. Tales of the wild cats eating crow food and smelling of bile was enough to deter the kittypets from wanting to interact with them. Bartholomew, on the other paw, found the feral cats to be fascinating as a part of him envied the freedom that they had. Though of course, he kept this a secret from his peers in order to save face. He found the twolegplace to be suffocating at times, so he often meandered off into the wilderness to get some fresh air. Surprisingly, he hadn't had an encounter with a wild cat yet on any of his trips. Though that was probably because he tended to stick around the border where the Twolegplace and forest met. Bartholomew might have been interested in the outsiders, but that didn't mean he was foolish enough to get into a scuffle with one of them over him trespassing into their territory. He rather liked his appearance and didn't want his twolegs freaking out over him missing patches of fur on his body.

Speaking of his twolegs, they were the entire reason why he was out here in the first place. He was having a midlife crisis thanks to them and was beginning to question his entire existence. Bartholomew let out a sigh while he watched a robin fly to its nest. It looked like it had brought back a meal for its young. Its chicks let out pitiful cries while they thrusted their open beaks in the air for food. A displeased frown formed on his maw as the thought of children crossed his mind. The tom was a show cat that often competed in cat shows and his owners wanted to sire litters with other she cats. This was inevitable as the winning cats weren't awarded with prize money. Instead, their kittens could be charged with high prices. Not only was it a quick cash grab, but it was also straightforward and trouble-free. His twolegs were already in the midst of making deals with clients that were interested in his future litters and he didn't know how to feel about it. He didn't think that he was ready to be a father. Aside from this, it didn't sit right with him getting involved with she cats that he barely even knew. What if they were uglier than him? They would have made a mockery out of him if that were to have happened. Bartholomew valued his reputation in the sense that he wanted everything in his life to be picture perfect. He was a cat full of ambitions and an incompetent she cat would have only brought him down. As his thoughts began to wander, he failed to realize that he had strayed a bit far from his home. Those that lived deep within the forest might have spotted him if he entered their line of vision. It would have been nearly impossible to miss the regal figure as the tom stuck out like a sore thumb with his silver pelt and tanzanite-blue optics.

@SCARLET

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[SCARLET]

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╰☆☆ Scarlet rarely strays far from the area Rain and his group have settled into. Hunting is plentiful enough close to their camp, and the uncouth ferals in the group living in the swamps have become hostile. She has no problem putting one or two of them in their place, but if one decides to attack her and she's alone, she'd be in quite the predicament. Scarlet prefers to leave the fighting to others; her talents lie elsewhere, after all.

But the influx of house pets and mange-ridden strays has ruffled her nerves. Scarlet prides herself on her composure, but the busier their home becomes, the more on edge she finds herself.

She is uncharacteristically distracted as she slinks through the piney woods. Prey scent drifts past her nostrils, but she ignores it. She's not hungry, and she's not interested in hunting for all the furbrained cats Rain has dragged into her home. Let them figure that out on their own, she thinks, delicate brow furrowing ever so slightly.

But it's not the hint of squirrel that causes her to pause. Cat scent, though untainted with the often sour stench the marsh cats carry. Scarlet instinctively crouches, though the forest floor leaves little cover for her white and red pelt. Blue eyes become round, thoughtful, as they settle on a figure she can only describe as striking.

Lined faintly with sunlight, it's the exaggerated dark features combined with the silvery blue eyes that catch her off guard. She thinks, It's not often you find a cat like that out in the wild. No, even she has to admit that there's a certain refinement to this cat, even if it's clear he's nothing more than one of the house pets who live beyond the fences.

She rises from her stalk and pads forward with a practiced smile. "A bit far from home, aren't you?" Scarlet's tail tip twitches with curiosity. "Looking for something in particular?".​

— PENNED BY MARQUETTE.​

 

[BARTHOLOMEW]

✧ — Bartholomew was frankly spooked by the she cat's sudden entrance. He hadn't been expecting to see a wild cat around these parts, since he presumed that he was still near the twolegplace. Had he really traveled that far from his home? It wasn't like him to be lost in thought like a halfwitted airhead. The thought of being a future sire must have really been getting to him. The fur on the back of his neck stood up while his body hunched up in a defensive stance. Who was this cat? Was she here to ambush him? From the looks of it, he was a lot taller than her so he might have had the upperpaw if things were to have escalated into a fight. He steeled himself and shot her a watchful glare, his light blue eyes darkening while they narrowed into icy slits. She didn't look like any of the kittypets he knew back home. If anything, none of them were nearly as pretty as her. The others were a little too chunky for his liking as they had gorged themselves on cat chow. They were also on the desperate side where they'd throw themselves on the first desirable tom that they saw. He could already tell that she was different from them. This molly was a pretty little thing with a small frame and pretty blue eyes like his. Not only did she have a stunning figure, but she had a nice smile and a pleasant, almost sultry voice. It sounded like she wasn't here to attack him, at least for now. The posh showcat reciprocated her friendly gesture with a plastic smile of his own. Once he registered that the other feline was somewhat harmless, he relaxed a little. He was fortunate that the other feline hadn't been a rogue or some other wild beast. Bartholomew held back a sigh of relief. He didn't want the other stranger to think that he had been caught off guard, so he put on a brave front. Though the tip of his tail gave his feelings away as it flicked back and forth in a restless manner.

"It appears so. I suppose I lost sight of where I was going and ended up here." He responds back to her initial question, letting out a light chuckle in hopes that she'd disregard his carelessness. The siamese was hoping that he could sweettalk his way out of this situation, in case she was here to make a fuss about him being on her territory. He could have just passed it off as him being a dumb kittypet and being bad with directions. "No, not really. I was just doing some thinking about something that was on my mind." Perhaps he was looking for a solution to his problems. What steps should he have taken to get himself out of the mess back home? He licks his chest in an attempt to self-sooth himself. He goes on to woo the petite warrior with honeyed words. "I don't normally travel this far, but I should do it more often if it means I get to come across attractions like you." he purrs out, meeting her blue gaze. Aside from him trying to weasel his way out of being here, he was genuinely interested in the other feline. It wasn't often that he found another cat that caught his fancy as he was too occupied with admiring himself. He didn't know what it was but there was something about the molly that was alluring. She probably could have passed off as one of them if it wasn't for her scent. She reeked of the forest, alongside the catnip. Maybe that was why she was so tantalizing to him? She was like a flower in the concrete, fashioned with a coat of roses and ivory. "My name is Bartholomew. It's a pleasure to meet you, my dear." He gives her time to answer him before he shoots her his own inquiry. "What about you? Do you live in this du---this lovely area?" The suave tom caught himself from calling it a dump since he didn't want to upset her.

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[SCARLET]

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╰☆☆ She's caught him off guard, she can tell, though he seems to regain his composure quite quickly. There's something stately about him, something indicative of his good breeding. The red tabby regards him curiously, blue eyes flitting from the dark ears and face, the pale, soft-looking fur, the hint of muscle beneath a rippling bicolored coat. He may be a house pet, but he's no slouch, she determines.

"Thinking, hmm? Need a shoulder to cry on?" Her smile loses some of its decor. He seems to have relaxed somewhat, as if determining she isn't a threat to him.

He's right. She has no intentions of fighting with him. Scarlet keeps sheathed claws whenever possible--blood stains the white of her pelt, after all.

"Attractions like me are quite rare in these parts," she says, whiskers trembling with her amusement. "And the further in you go, the rarer they become." She's not one to be swayed by compliments, but she can't deny the little thrill of pleasure she gets at his words.

"Bartholomew," he introduces himself. Strange name. Kittypets did go by the most bizarre things. But her smile widens a bit at his question about her living situation.

"Don't worry, dear. You wouldn't offend me. This place is a dump, but... it does come with certain freedoms." She stands and pads a bit closer to him. Closing the gap causes her heart to jump a bit, like a silver fish flashing in the sun as it leaps from a river. "I'm Scarlet. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. You must tell me about yourself... what's a house pet doing so close to the ferals' territories?"

She wonders if he truly knows anything about what lies beyond the woods. The group in the marsh, Rain's strays. He seems utterly sheltered... but perhaps she can fix that.​

—PENNED BY MARQUETTE.​