ORIGIN

The cat had wandered aimlessly after the meeting with the warm-bird, taking on and forgetting the moniker of Skin-Thing just as quickly. It seemed no matter where he went he couldn't find another heat-maker, nor could he find the other cat he'd hatched with, with the stone in her ear. To make matters worse, it seemed every new room and tunnel he discovered grew colder, and soon he was shivering, then trembling violently, every step hesitant and shaking.

The lights of Orion had distracted him.

It only took one misstep, and then the floor dropped out from under him. The kitten opened his mouth to yelp, the sound deadened by nature, and fell into the tunnel below, cushioned only by crushed ice, making the goblin-like creature flinch and twitch, trying to roll away from the cold only to find more of it. The whole tunnel was full of it, and so the cat tried to stand, get away, only to find his back leg giving out, twisted from the fall.

And so, in the middle of Tunnel M, lay a shivering, flinching heap of miserable, freezing cold, hairless cat.

It was just a little bit pitiful.

Okay, maybe a lot pitiful.

His body beginning to go numb from the freezing cold, the stick-thin feline curled up even tighter, looking quite like a ball of squishy goose-pimpled flesh. Trapped in a building panic, the sensation uniquely foreign, the unnamed kit just about jumped out of his skin at the sound of a voice - a big voice. Wide, owlish eyes blinked up at Kerberos, blank of anything but... being cold. It was rather hard to tell if the cat was feeling anything at all, but a solid guess would be "no."

Hello? Oh, that was an easy one - the cat raised one shaking paw, the elongated fingers wiggling in an imitated wave, lack of voice making the whole responding thing difficult. Aren't you cold? The paw dropped, and the cat simply stared, before its frame was rocked by a massive sneeze. That seemed to be answer enough. Skin-Thing, Goblin - whatever you wanted to call him, considering he didn't exactly know his own name - watched, curious, as the big white thing's paw grew closer, tensing in an inkling of fear... and just as quickly relaxing.

Warm. The paw was warm, deliciously warm, and a low, scratchy, strangled purr began to emit from the hairless cat-rat, leaning forward to push his cheek into the appendage, marking it, sniffing at white fur and sneezing again, almost knocking himself out when his head thunked against the stone paw pad. It's alright, Kerberos is here now.

Kerberos. The cat blinked, leaning back to raise a paw again, slowly reaching forwards to align his own paw pad with the dog's. Warm.

The purr strengthened, and the kitten seemed quite content to stay put, just about holding hands with a massive boofer.

In moments, he went from shaking, heat climbing up his paw and slowly thawing him, to surrounded by warm, fluffy fur, circled by two absolutely massive white paws. It was... good. Very good. And very warm. The kitten's purring ratcheted up a notch, sounding like a tiny, contented engine, standing up only to curl into a happy puddle, head resting on one of Kerberos' paws and tail wrapped around the other. All better now. There was wet lick to his head, and the cat-rat sneezed again at the sensation, only just missing smacking his face into stone again.

What's your name? The cat's snout wrinkled, and he raised his head, wide, unblinking eyes staring at Kerberos, roving from one of the dog's heads to the others, seemingly without a pattern. Frankly, it was an impossible query to answer without a voice, and so the hairless sack of skin finally shrugged, raising a paw to gently pap the middle dog head's nose with an over-large grin - more a mimic of a learned gesture than a true expression. And are you all warm now? The cat nodded, purr loud and rumbling, and gently butted his head against the pup's snoot, before leaning back and re-curling into a lump of fluffless kitty.

The hairless creature's purr only deepened at the questioning whine, as if to reassure the pup, comfortable as he was surrounded by plush fur. Wide eyes watched the dog's heads as they seemed to puzzle something out. It didn't take long for words to flow into the air, and the goblin-like beast simply blinked, ears flicking as he took in the alien words. They twisted and crawled over and into his ear canals, and then the dog was peering down at him. May I call you... Mikró gymnó paidí?

The cat's purr tapered off, as if it was thinking the question over. Mikró gymnó paidí. It was certainly an odd name, but then, he'd never had a name before - at least not one that could be spoken. Another moment's deliberation, and the kitten nodded, one paw coming up to pat at the dog's haunch in approval, wide eyes slowly blinking. It was the best sign of affection he could give, being both a cat and devoid of skill when it came to personal interactions. Mikró gymnó paidí.

It felt... nice, to be named. And to have a companion, a warm one at that, who seemed content to stick around. His hatchmate, wherever she was, hadn't been so keen on the whole obsessive snuggling thing.

He rose, stretching to shake off the thought, and hopped up onto Kerberos' shoulder, curling up to lay down, muzzle moving to rub against one of the dog's snouts in appreciation, a purr rocking his tiny hairless frame.

One of his leaf-green eyes cracked open to peer down as the ground below seemed to sink - though he knew it had to be that the dog was rising, not the opposite. Snuggling deeper into plush fur, he listened with his gaze drifting closed once more, content and, for once, comfortable in his own skin. You can stay with me. Mikró gymnó paidí purred deep and rumbling, pressing his cold nose into one of Kerberos' snouts.

I will protect you. A sleepy nod.

And I will keep you warm no matter what.

With that, a kind of contract was sealed. Although he couldn't verbally reply, Mikró gymnó paidí promised both himself and his host that he'd return the gift of warmth with something valuable - protection, companionship. He would grow strong, sharpen his claws, bite with needlepoint teeth.

No one would hurt his friend.

[ exit ]