A/N This is a small gift for LizzieXX. It was a story I thought of in the shower.
It was based on one of my favorite scenes in the Academic series, when the Professor had found a kitten when she was still in the Academy. She took it back to her dorm and asked the Doctor to watch it. When she came back, string was everywhere and the Doctor was strung up to the ceiling, suspended by the string.
Title: Kata and the Kitten
Word count: 1,235
Type: One-shot, completed
Again, this is a gift for LizzieXX. Don't get it confused with plagiarism.
~8~
Kata paused and looked over her shoulder as a sound reached her ears. It didn't sound like much, but it never hurt to be cautious. She was on her way back to her dorms (and knowing Theta like she did, he would be there) from doing an extra credit assignment on Earth in her History of the Universe class. She was walking along in the halls of the Academy when she heard the mysterious sound.
"Hello?" she called out into the growing sunset, feeling more paranoid by the second. "Is anyone there?"
The sound was growing louder as the sound grew closer. She identified the sound as a pained one. It almost seemed as if it was coming from the ground. A series of clicks, like an animal padding across concrete also reached her but only added to her growing fear.
"Mrroowww" came the sound again. Her panic levels were rising as the creature moved closer to where she stood. She started backing away. Knowing her dearest friend, the sound was probably connected to an animal that undoubtably became one of the enemies that they had made when they were out illegally exploring the universe. Though logically the animal could not have gotten into the Academy's hallways, fear clouded her mind as the different enemies Theta and she had already made flashed through her mind.
Her back hit the wall of one of the school pillars lining the courtyard and she froze. She hoped that if she stayed still for long enough, the animal would go away. The sound continued to grow closer and the clicking grew louder.
Her breath caught as the figure started emerging, but blinked when it came into full view. It was a tiny creature, no bigger than a small teddy bear similar to the one Theta gave her a while ago. It was covered in fur, but it was plastered to its body like it had been doused with several gallons of water. It was very thin, the ribs being visible from her viewpoint of three feet away. It was gray in color and it was meowing very pitifully.
She let out a sigh of relief and started speaking to the animal as calmly as she could considering her hearts had nearly jumped out of her throat.
She put her hand out and cooed at the animal. "Come here little thing. I won't hurt you. You can trust me." She nearly snorted as she uttered those words. The last line was one that Theta liked to say a lot, and, sad to say, always got her to go along with his crazy plans.
The creature moved closer to her and she identified it as a small kitten. In the sunset hues, it looked as if it was a cross of an Earth house cat and a Keroberos.
The kitten apparently accepted her words and moved to nuzzle her outstretched hand. She picked it up and was more surprised than she should of been. One, that the kitten was a light as a feather. Two, that no one had discovered the kitten before her. The Academy had a very strict no animal policy with no exceptions to the rule.
The kitten nuzzled into her chest as she thought of what she should do with it. Keeping it was out of the question but she could not leave the poor thing to starve. She thought about what Theta would do in a situation like this and decided to house the pet until she thought of a better plan.
She changed directions, now heading to the labs instead of her dorms to see if they had any spare boxes or things of the like for her temporary pet.
~8~
Kata finally arrived back at her dorm after half an hour of sneaking about the labs. She had not found any boxes, but instead found several balls of string of different variety. The kitten hybrid was already chewing contentedly on these as she held him under her clothing, trying not to look suspicious.
As she had suspected, Theta was already in her dorm waiting for her to come back from classes.
"Kata! There you are! I've been waiting for a while now. Why were you so late? Did you get lost or run into another teacher? Did our teacher for TARDIS driving class hold you back? Wait, you had History of the Universe class last. Did Koschei run into you and have you do something for him? You know how much he doesn't like you.
Theta continued to ramble on as Kata watched on, amused. The kitten however was not as amused and decided to let out another pitiful meow from under her shirt.
Theta paused in his ramblings as he heard the sound. "Kata, what was that? It sounded like a cat. Where is the cat? I don't see one. Do you have a cat somewhere Kata? "
"Theta." Kata tried to cut in to explain.
"Nah, you're too much of a goody two shoes to break the no pet rule."
"Theta, listen to me." She tried again but was met with similar results.
"Did the scientists run experiments on you to change your DNA at a molecular level, changing it similar to a cat? Oh, I will kill them!"
Kata shook her head as his theories became weirder and sillier as he rambled on. They finally got to a point that she had to stop him before he went on a rampage against the Time Lords for "changing her control center in her brain and making her believe she was a cat and forcing her to participate in cat-like activities." How he had gotten to that point was beyond her.
"THETA SHUT YOUR GOB SO I CAN EXPLAIN PLEASE."
Theta paused in his ramblings as Kata's words hit him. "Geez Kata, no need to shout. I can hear you just fine."
Kata was close to face palming as he turned his attention to her. " I found this kitten wandering the halls of the Academy. I couldn't leave it to starve, so I brought it back to the dorm with me to further plan out what I am going to do with it." There was no way on Gallifrey that she was going to tell Theta that the kitten had scared her.
After several seconds of watching her and looking down at the kitten, Theta turned his attention back to her. "Well at least you weren't caught with the kitten, Kata. Who knows what the superiors would have done to you."
Kata shuddered just thinking about it. "For once I agree with your thinking. But now I need to ask you a favor Theta."
He stared as she looked at him with complete seriousness. "I would do anything for you Kata. You should know that."
"Good," she replied, "because I need you to watch the kitten for me."
"What" Theta whined as she sprung this news on him.
"Relax, it won't be very long. It's too late to sneak the kitten out of the school so I need to go and get him or her supplies for the night. It'll one, two hours tops. And I swear, if I come back to see you doing something you shouldn't be I won't be a happy camper. "
Kata walked out the door again, not knowing what she would find when she came back.