- Dec 4, 2024
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When the old man chose to adopt a kitten from the local shelter, he was probably hoping for something that aged bones could keep up with. Sure, there would be some energy as the young tom grew and took to his surroundings, but it would inevitably fade until the man was left with an average lazy house cat.
What the elder didn't expect was to bring home a cat with the soul and exuberance of the average dog.
Yet, that's what he got. For six months, Tori terrorized the old man's house. Tearing up couches and carpets, crying at the crack of dawn for attention, or pouncing on wrinkled skin the second it came through the door. Needless to say, the twoleg learned fairly quickly that the young tom could have more fun outside. There was effectively an open-door policy for the growing cat, allowing him to come and go as he pleased to tire himself out.
The old man was honestly less worried about the blizzard, and more worried about his beloved cat would do stuck inside for its duration. Unwilling to let his energetic pet freeze to death, the patio door had been firmly locked. While the blizzard raged outside, a tornado of energy had ripped through the house yet again. It was a situation neither were particularly happy about, to the point that both pet hand human let out a sigh of relief as the outside was eventually deemed habitable.
"Finally!" Tori chirped, hopping out of the house and sinking into snow. Though the substance was foreign to one so young, the kittypet had no time to play around in it (though that would certainly come later). Instead, stark-white paws scrabbled over the fence and carried the cat to his neighbor, someone twice Tori's age but half his energy or enthusiasm.
"Yo, Tuna! Wanna fight?"
The older cat scoffed in annoyance at the soot-covered head peaking over his fence. "I'm surprised you didn't freeze to death."
The insult sailed clear over an empty head. "Nah, Grandpa kept me inside! I'm not cold at all, so can we fight? Just a little spar?"
"Not in the mood."
"C'mon, don't be like that! You're just mad I beat you last time."
It seemed the battle-addict had struck a nerve. "Who wants to get all sweaty and bruised? It's a pastime for wild cats." A self-satisfied sneer appeared on the older kittypet's face as an idea took shape, revenge for the constant pestering (and humiliating losses). "Y-Yeah, you should go challenge those wild cats to a fight. You're way stronger than me, so I can't give you a proper challenge, but those cats are unbeatable!"
Tori had finally managed to clamber on to Tuna's fence, but the kittypet nearly fell straight off as ash-covered ears took in the suggestion. The boy's eyes went as wide as the sky that shared their color as he steadied himself, thankful for Tuna hooking a claw around his collar. "That's a great idea! Where are they?"
Tuna felt a little bad as he watched the orange-and-black ball of fur shuffle his way through the snow towards Skyclan territory, but it would be worth it when the runt came back crying after finally losing a fight.
Tori, for his part, felt like he was about to burst from excitement. He'd heard of the wild cats before, but none of the kittypets who supposedly mingled with them lived on his thunderpath. It was all rumor and hearsay, passed from far-away fence lines like a game of feline telephone. For some reason, it never occurred to the single-minded boy to seek out these mysterious not-kittypets. "Tuna's so smart!" He hummed to himself, weaving between unfamiliar trees without a worry in the world.
Tori took that approach with him everywhere in life. It was useful, staying calm and optimistic, but it was a hinderance whenever the kittypet was faced with something actually serious. Snow-white paws stopped as a strange scent filled his nose, arbitrarily marking the forest floor in a line. Innocent eyes narrowed as an empty head tried to make sense of the anomaly, at least until a kittypet appeared on the horizon. Scratch that, a group of kittypets. Double scratch that, they weren't wearing collars.
All thoughts of potential danger exited the boy's head (along with his scream). "HEEEEEEY! ARE YOU THOSE -" Invisible eyebrows scrunched in annoyance. Yelling from so far away was dumb; it hurt his throat, and it was kinda rude (well, that last part didn't bother Tori too much). "HOLD ON, I'LL COME CLOSER!" The kittypet didn't give it a second thought, stepping over the border like one would a crack in the pavement. Starclan knew what the patrol was thinking, seeing a kittypet that was barely out of the nursery coming up to them like this, and it only got weirder.
"Hey! I'm Tori! You're those wild cat guys, right?" Tori huffed, skidding to a halt and catching his breath. "Can we fight? I heard you're all really strong, so…" Sky-Blue eyes scanned the group, waiting for someone to accept his challenge.
