[fancypost bgcolor=; border-width: 0px; width: 450px;][justify]Think about something else. Anything else. Everything but the present.
Her friends back home often told her that, if she keep her mind and her body busy then she couldn't think about how much the flash of lighting and the sound of thunder bothered her so much. Squeezing her eyes shut she breathed deeply, nodding confidently to herself. Simon knew she could do this, she could.
Her thoughts immediately went to her kithood. The sweet memory of her mother, curling around Si and her siblings, was almost enough to comfort her now. But then there was nothing like those early memories in life, when your sight and hearing were nothing compared to your sense of smell. Honed onto the warm smell of milk and the heat of siblings pressing close. It was not often Si thought of her early days in life, hadn't for a while. But then her life was happy as it was. After turning five months old she was given to another human, her current housefolk, and hadn't seen her sisters since. It was a sad fate, for all house cats, but the pretty she-cat had come to terms with it. Just like others had. She wouldn't see her family again or her parents, but she would most likely make a family of her own one day.
She was friends with the other cats in the neighborhood, had fun playing with them during the hot hours of the day. And as the sun set her housefolk would call to her and she would come, to slip into their nest and curl up in their lap. It was a simple life.
A simple life.
It was almost insulting. Her life. As a kit she and her closest sister, Diamond, had often told each other stories of how their life would end up. They'd both wanted housefolks that owned large nests, allowed them free roam of their estates and gardens. To chose their own mate, to have kittens and know that they would always be with them. Grow up and live under their loving eyes. To grow old and happy with a large family. The adventures they had during life would always be remembered...
Venturing out into the forest, so far form home, had been one such adventure they'd talked about. But Si hadn't thought she'd get stuck here. In the middle of a lighting storm!
Well damn. So much for pretending it wasn't happening.
Despite her eyes still being squeezed shut Simon could sense the shadow falling over the hollowed entrance. Felt her shoulders tense in alarm and the fur along her them bristle. Was it a dark cloud covering the sky? Darkening the land below with it's ominous presence? It wasn't till the house cat felt a shift in the air, heard the movement of paws, that her eyes snapped open. That was no dark cloud. It was the largest cat she'd ever laid eyes on. With a shrill hiss she shrank back into the tree, arching her back threateningly. But really, what could threaten this large creature? Certainly not her.
Storm forgotten about in the face of this new danger Simon growled, "What the hell are you?!"
The cat smelled feline, sort of, but her body was massive and towering. A rich ruddy color with black stripes. It was certainly something she'd never seen before or heard off. But curiosity was there, probing her with its insistent paw. It was enough to flatten the fur along her slender shoulders, but her eyes stayed narrowed with impending hostility.
"Who are you?" Giving a curious sniff, Simon realized the strangers pelt carried the hot, sand-scented smells of the desert. The land she'd discovered only a short while ago. "You smell like sand. Did you come from the sand-place?" What else could she call it? She'd never seen or heard of a place with so much sand before. Knew only it was sand and a lot of it.
The longer she stared up at the tigress the more her uneasy feelings melted away. Replaced with a tingling feeling of excitement and adventure. Her paws were tingling with it now, and Simon had to hold back the urge to jump up onto her paws and dance around the stranger. Asking question after question because, it was obvious to her now that this cat was a wildcat. A forest cat. A cat without owners and orders. Wild and free. Eyes shining with emotion she asked, "aren't you one of those wildcats?"
Suddenly Simon wished her sister was here. Diamond would have enjoyed this meeting with a wildcat. Someone who could answer their questions about the wild life. Hell her smaller sister would have enjoyed it more then she was enjoying it. Reminded of her rugged appearance Si gave her chest a few quick licks. Hoping to soothe and clean all at the same time. Damn. Had she been aware that she might just meet a wildcat she'd have cleaned up a bit better!
Ears perked to listen to the other felines response, Simon twisted to reach her shoulders and back. Straightening up her ruffled smoky coat as best she could in the short time she had. The housecat did what she could had sighed, wishing her owners were here to give her a quick brush. Later. "Sorry about that," she meowed, straightening into a sitting position. But she didn't move to leave the hollowed tree. She wasn't stupid. No matter how curious she was this cat could still eat her. Not only that but the storm still raged out there, although rain hadn't yet begun to fall. "I fear my adventure through the woods had left my pelt a bit dirty."
It wasn't until the words had been said that Si realized how... vain she most have sounded. But she shrugged it off, deciding she didn't care what this cat thought of her. After this odd meeting she'd return home and never see this gorgeous cat again. Gorgeous? Where had that come from?
Blinking up at the cat with sudden surprise she realized yes, this cat was beautiful. Very much so. More so then any normal sized cat she'd ever seen. Maybe even more then herself. "You're beautiful," she blurted out.[/justify]
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