Painted on your door - private

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    WE'RE ALL MESSED UP INSIDE — dreamkit — serval — she/her — tags

    [fancypost=border-width:0px; width: 450px; text-align: justify; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 125%]It comes and goes in waves. It always does. Even when she thinks the good feeling is set in stone it slips through her fingers; the moments of magic and wonder that had come so easily since finding the Clan had to leave eventually. Would it ever come back? Feeling herself shut down, the serval kitten desperately searched for a hidden place to subtly slip away and ride it out.
    Her mother hadn't cared. She'd disregarded every thought and opinion she ever had. Taught her to sit at home and craft and read. Dreamkit was not permitted to leave. Constantly under watch. Constantly under someone else's control. Hold it in, don't let them see you. Find somewhere. Anywhere. Dream had only ever wished to travel and explore the world and all it had to offer, but was contained in the house she couldn't call a home with a mother only in a biological sense. Down there. Hide.
    Breaking from her thoughts for just enough time to crawl into the hole behind the hut, Dreamkit curled up and let the feeling consume her. Her heart slammed in her chest. Her breath quickened like she'd ran a marathon. Her eyes were scrunched shut. Tiny whimpers escaped her as her mind raced, the panic taking over her body as she lay and thought too much about the past, wishing for the comfort and contentment she'd been feeling to return.

    [fancypost=width:50%; text-align:justify; font-size:9; font-family:georgia;]/my keyboard is committing suicide because I have a lot running in the background rn. Please disregard my horrible s pelling.


    Lottie was young. She was only two years of age, nearly three- a thought that she didn't want to quite think about. Yet, she was proud of her current accomplishments, and proud of her Clanmates- people she now c ]alled family. Pierce was like her little Brother. Alastor was her boyfriend- though it wasn't exactly public news. Sweetopheila was her best friend, and everyone else was someone to be protected and cared for. She had no children of her own, though she often tended to mother people and look after them regardless. Such was simply her nature, something she couldn't help; it's why she had been made a Medic in the first place. Though she had worked long and hard to obtain t he knowledge that she did have.


    But she had no mother, no father; her real family was long since gone. Her mother died when she was born. And her Father died when Lottie was still but a child, succumbed to sickness that she could now- which she noted with some sorrow, though did her best to push it from her mind- heal. Had she had the knowledge she had now then, her father would not have died. Her father was a wonderful man. He taught Lottie much of what she knows now. Music, and faith in the Stars, adventure, and the whole wide world that was right in front of her. But she knew many were not so fortunate, and her brief moments of sorrow, the moments of her weakness and turmoil, were only a tool she could use. To make her stronger. To give her a means of moving forward.


    Perhaps that's what drew her to Dreamkit. That, or her little whimpers and cries were enough for Lottie to want to spring in and comfort the child without a blink of her eye. She hadn't intended upon stumbling upon the child, but she had, upon crossing through the territory on her way back from collecting herbs and supplies. At first, she wasn't sure if she was really hearing anything at all; the quiet little sounds making her flick an ear dismissingly, before it continued. It had taken only but a few moments to find Dreamkit, of which Lottie had quickly set down her basket and moved closer, lowering herself to the ground to make her large Panther form less imposing. She didn't think that her or Dreamkit had met before, and she didn't wish to scare the child.


    "Darling," she would call out gently, her voice soft and sweet like honey. "Come now, child. You are fine..." she murmured softly, reaching out to gently brush her nose against Dreamkit's side. "I'm Iselotta.. What's the matter?"
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    WE'RE ALL MESSED UP INSIDE — dreamkit — serval — she/her — tags

    [fancypost=border-width:0px; width: 450px; text-align: justify; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 125%]Dreamkit had not realized the approaching panther until she called out, and despite the gentle voice she couldn't help but flinch and curl in on herself. Slowly, the soft murmurs calmed her and the kitten lifted her head, blinking her bleary eyes at the large white feline before her. As she reached out to touch her, Dreamkit tensed and shrunk away, unable to remove the image of her mother from her head. However, the touch was gentle, and instead of pain the kitten was overcome with a calming warmth as the panther brushed her fur. Eventually, her breathing began to slow and her vision cleared. "Is..elotta..." she repeated drowsily, relaxing under her gentle touch.

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    [center]Lottie did not mean to scare the child, and as such, whenever Dreamkit flinched or startled at her actions, she would pull back her advances gently, until Dreamkit seemed more comfortable with her. She was happy to see when she seemed to be calming down, carefully moving to draw herself around Dreamkit gently.


    "Mhm, Iselotta.. Or Lottie, if that is better for you, young Mademoiselle. " She would answer softly, keeping her voice low and quiet. "What's your name? What about your favorite color, hm?" she would continue, as a means of distraction


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    WE'RE ALL MESSED UP INSIDE — dreamkit — serval — she/her — tags

    [fancypost=border-width:0px; width: 450px; text-align: justify; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 125%]Dream's heart rate was decreasing to something close to a resting rate, though her breathing was still unsteady and her body trembled slightly. "I-I'm Dr-Dreamkit," she replied, burying her face in the panther's white fur. As Iselotta posed a question, the kit stopped to ponder it for some time. She'd never really considered a favorite color. "I-I like y-yellow...." she murmured, eyes drifting shut. "A-and blue.."
    /rushed, sorry

    [fancypost=width:50%; text-align:justify; font-size:9; font-family:georgia;]//SOrry for late reply, been cleaning up!


    Lottie gently brushed the young kitten's fur, not minding that Dreamkit was hiding away into her side. She was glad she could be of comfort for the young kit, and startled by the idea that someone, or something, had driven one so young into a literal corner, hiding away from the world. "Dreamkit, what a beautiful name," she would answer, a soft smile on her face as she watched the young kitten closely. Her tail would lightly flick over the kitten's back, protecting her further from her own thoughts, as if such a thing could even be accomplished through the simple gesture. "Yellow and blue, hm?" she murmured thoughtfully. "How lovely. You know why? When you mix those two colors, you get green! Which is my favorite color," she would add thoughtfully, considering of what else to say to make the kitten focus on something else. "Have you ever tried painting? I think you'd might like it."
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    WE'RE ALL MESSED UP INSIDE — dreamkit — serval — she/her — tags

    [fancypost=border-width:0px; width: 450px; text-align: justify; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 125%]Dream nodded slowly, sniffling and twitching her nose. "I-I h-have," she murmured, "A-and I like t-to read." She had been taught by her mother, and ordered to practice her skills almost constantly to the point she started to hate the task. However, reading had always been different. An escape. A portal into another reality, where Dreamkit was not herself and her experiences were different. Through reading, the child felt as though she had experienced a thousand lives separate from her own, and explored a thousand universes. Hiding in a book was the main way for the child to cope with the life she spent cooped up by her mother.
    That woman had not been a mother any further than biologically. A mother should be a refuge from life's storm, not a hurricane in her own right. And despite her thoughts, Dreamkit always believed there was something of her mother really trying to do good. Trying to do what she believed best.

    [fancypost=width:50%; text-align:justify; font-size:9; font-family:georgia;]Read? Well, it s eemed the two had something in common, for Lottie had quite the extensive collection of books, in French and English; not to mention the various medical books that they kept in the Medicine Den. "Reading? Why, that's wonderful," she would praise, tilting her head slightly to catch sight of the kitten's face. "But, my dear child, why are you out here? Would you like to come have tea and cookies with me instead? I can show you my own book collection, too! It was a bit of a long shot, as Lottie wasn't sure if the kitten would be too stubborn to move, but she seemed to be settling, at the very least. Plus, Lottie often found that children could hardly resist the temptation of sweets; she just hoped Dreamkit was no different. But it wouldn't do to continue to let Dreamkit sit out here in the cold, no. She just needed a bit of a helping hand; though Lottie had no inclination of her past, and her knowledge of Dreamkit was rather minimal.
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    WE'RE ALL MESSED UP INSIDE — dreamkit — serval — she/her — tags

    [fancypost=border-width:0px; width: 450px; text-align: justify; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 125%]Cookies? Ears perking at the word, her eyelids fluttered open and she slowly lifted her head, blinking blearily up at Lottie, stretching her legs out in front of her and arching her back. Promises of food and books were always enough to persuade the child. "'M'kay..." she murmured, standing to follow the white panther. "Th-thank you, Lottie."

    [fancypost=width:50%; text-align:justify; font-size:9; font-family:georgia;]Lottie smiled warmly, flicking her tail gently against the kitten's cheek in a gentle gesture as she rose back to her paws, sticking close to Dreamkit's side as she would begin to lead the way back to her own hut. "Gladly, mademoiselle. You are very kind, after all," she would murmur, padding along slowly as she knew she had a larger gait than the smaller feline,not meaning to leave her behind or struggling to keep pace with her at all. Once reaching her hut, she would push open the door for Dreamkit, allowing her to go inside first. Her hut was nicely decorated, with pressed flowers in frames, or other paintings on the walls, lace blinds covering the one window that she had; candles on the walls, not yet lit for it w as still light out, and Lottie had not been home. A table in the middle, set with its own little table cloth; a large bookshelf, with a cabinet below it,and her bed in the opposite corner. There were a few counters along the other wall, ad cabnets above it as a sort of kitchen, and a h earth to provide warmth when the nights were cold. It was cozy, and comfortable, though still bright with the decorations, making it seem homely.


    Padding over to her sort of 'kitchen' area,she would pull open one of the cabinets on the wall to pull out the container of cookies she had kept, turning to set them on the table before she began to gather up her kettle to fill it with water, and the teacups for the tea itself. "Please help yourself."
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    WE'RE ALL MESSED UP INSIDE — dreamkit — serval — she/her — tags

    [fancypost=border-width:0px; width: 450px; text-align: justify; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 125%]Smiling as she entered the cozy, homely hut, she observed the decorations that created a warm and comfortable environment. Nothing like the house she had been kept in: dark and bare, with Dreamkit constantly wary of what was going on to keep her mother pleased. That had felt suffocating and strict.
    Lowering her head on instinct, the child followed the snow leopard, sitting herself at the table. 'Help yourself', she'd said, but Dream was still hesitant. Help yourself. I won't do everything for you. Do as I say.
    Except Iselotta wasn't like that. The snow leopard was not harsh nor irritated by Dreamkit's struggling; Lottie had done the exact opposite: helped her. Now that Dream thought, she had even said 'Please help yourself'. It was an offer of kindness, not a command. The large feline's tone was gentle and her gait graceful, and Dream would look up at her and aspire to be like her.
    Timidly, the kitten reached up to take a cookie, flashing a bright smile to Lottie. "Thank you, miss!"
    The kit would continue to ponder as she nibbled at the cookie, thinking and rethinking how to phrase what she was wanting to say.
    "I-Iselotta..." she started, voice quaking, "I... I-I'd l-like to stay here. W-with you." Tears brimmed in her eyes again, and she contined to stare at the table cloth. "I-if you w-wouldn't mind... Y-you're.. very kind, a-and I..." Dreamkit's voice trailed off, her thoughts spinning round her head too fast to select the appropriate ones to say.
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    [fancypost=width:50%; text-align:justify; font-size:9; font-family:georgia;]Lottie hummed a soft little song to herself as she busied around, carefully hooking the tea kettle over the hearth to start warming up, taking the task slow so she didn't accidentally singe her fur. Her ear flicked at Dreamkit's thanks, and she looked over her shoulder to give the kitten a warm smile. "Of course, darling," she would answer, before looking back, slowly humming the song again as she straightened up, turning to gather the tea cups from the counter and set them on the table; one in front of Dreamkit, and the other one where Lottie would be when everything was done.


    Thinking back to it, Dreamkit had never given her an answer about why she had been in that hole out in the camp. She had not spoken of why she had been driven to such a dark place- and for one so young, Lottie already worried for her. She could assume it had something to do with her family; or lack or; or some aspect of her upbringing, yet it was hard to say.


    She looked up suddenly as Dream began to speak again, concern lighting her eyes at the way her voice shook,and the pinpricks of tears that began to gather in her eyes. What had caused that? Had she said something? Her concern turned to confusion as she continued to speak; hearing the words, but not processing them for a moment. Abandoning her task,she moved over to Dreamkit's side and gently tried to brush her cheek with the tip of her tail. "Why do you cry, dear child?" Lottie had questions she wanted to ask, but wasn't quite sure if it was appropriate to bring them up before or after her acceptance of Dreamkit's request of her. "I would be happy to take care of you," she answered carefully, her voice soft, but it began to edge on confusion. "But I must ask why? What kind of life have you known before this, Dream?"
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