And here we go ! This was inspired by a writing prompt on Tumblr. This is a sort of "modern" AU. It will probably be a short story, with short chapters... But I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless !

The sun rose, bright and early as it could only be in tropical lands, while a brisk wind blew the few colourful flags disparately hanging between houses. In short, it was the lovely beginning of a bright day in Kuo Kuana.

Well, bright day as long as it didn't suddenly shift to thundering rain as it was common around here, Yang thought while opening the curtains of her small, practical home. Sighing, she popped her spine back in place while waiting for her sister to emerge from her slumber. It was still a bit odd, waking up so far from Patch and its chilly pasture, or from the busy Vale, and perhaps that's why Yang was awake so early… Their father had decided to move on Menagerie around a month ago, and Ruby and her had followed begrudgingly. At least he had waited for them to wrap up school before moving out to the other side of the world…

Finishing up her morning stretches, Yang smiled when she heard the distinct 'thud' of Ruby's hand trying to smack off the light, utterly unable to ignore her sister's desperate attempts at pushing back the day.

"Wake up Rubbles," she said softly as to not startle her. "You can't be late to school."

"Don't wanna go…" came the tired, whining and partly-muffled-by-the-blanket answer.

Shaking her head, Yang knew that Ruby would get up eventually. Despite all her complaints, Ruby actually loved school. She was always thrilled to learn new things, whatever the subject… The only part of school she was reluctant about was making new friends. Still smiling into nothingness, she slowly eased herself into a split, closing her eyes as to focus more on her feelings, the subtle twitch of her muscles that gave her way more information than any visual cue ever could.

A decision she would come to regret immensely later, as she did not see the small, silent puff of white fur and paws more commonly referred as a kitten that approached her and suddenly headbutted her side. This of course triggered a yelp of absolute surprise, and a wrong move that sent a bolt of pain in her entire leg. She toppled over and curled, feeling like her muscles had been suddenly ripped off of her with burning claws, and didn't even find the strength to stay mad at the offender as it stared at her, its green irises round and surprised, entirely still.

Groaning, she let go of her aching leg to softly pet the cat between the ears, voluntarily ignoring Ruby's barely masked laughter. Another thing she had yet to get accustomed to : there were cats everywhere, and they didn't know humans foolish concepts such as boundaries or personal space. On cue, several other furballs trespassed the window, softly purring, and very shortly Yang found herself overrun with cats of all shapes and colours, purring and rubbing their cheeks against her arms in a visible display of affection.

It was something new, but overall not that uncomfortable. After all, she always had had a soft spot for felines, and being greeted every morning by a clowder of cats was something she'd gladly look forward to. Not to mention that for some reason, maybe her higher-than-normal body temperature, every cat she ever met instantly trusted and liked her. Even the most feral ones, that usually fled all human presence, those were quick to come to her and purr. All of the sudden, she noticed that there was one more cat compared to yesterday, a slender, coal-haired one whose eye glimmered with an intelligence unparalleled in its siblings' gazes. It was sitting on the edge of the window, a glimpse of mockery in its deep, gold-amber irises and if Yang didn't know better, she could have sworn it was laughing at her expense in its very own feline way. Smiling warmly, Yang slowly extended a hand toward the newcomer, palm low and turned upward as an invitation to come closer.

At her surprise, the obsidian feline suddenly tensed, its back arching and fur raising as a low growl slipped between its now barren teeth. Taken a bit aback, Yang recoiled her hand a bit abruptly, eliciting a displeased meow from the striped cat that was on its path.

"Sorry I scared you kitty-kat," she said softly, having completely forgotten about Ruby.

Tilting its head to the side, it visibly relaxed as if it could understand Yang's words. Or more likely, it understood the apology in her voice and the reassuring tone she had tried to slip in… Its ear flicked, and for a second it looked ready to jump in the room, paw hovering the edge of the window and collar pendant softly jingling in the morning breeze. That was until Ruby's giggle escaped her, startling the ebony cat that then fled lightning fast as Ruby erupted in laughter, surprising most of the cat in the room. Except maybe for the white kitten that tickled her palms with its whiskers and purred in contentment.

"Sorry I ruined the moment Yang," Ruby slipped in between two laughs. "It's just that between you speaking to a cat and this one here nuzzling my hand…"

"Don't worry about it."

She rose up to her feet, not without difficulty as she had to push back some of the most clingy cats, and was about to start getting dressed when the door to their small living room opened, Taiyang beaming just behind it.

"Rise and shine honeys! Today is a great day and… where did all those cats come from?" He suddenly stopped, blinking at the flurry of felines that blinked back, soon causing general laughter.