For Siojo, on the occasion of her birthday. And why aren't there character tags for Kotatsu or Stefan?
This ship is big and new. There's scents everywhere, so many and so different. It's a lot louder, too, and there's a lot more feet to avoid. He nearly got stepped on twice before he learned to stay out of the way.
He didn't used to have to stay out of the way. There's a low mrrr building in his throat as he backs into a corner as yet more humans run past, and his ears flatten. He didn't used to have to hide, not on the first ship.
That ship was not so big, not so loud, and he could walk around and not fear. The humans would pet him and call to him and scratch his ears and sometimes slip him bits of jerky or cheese.
But his people moved to this ship, so he had to follow. Warm-human was gone for a long, long time. It was lonely, and Kotatsu paced the ship and asked where warm-human was. He sat and waited for wam-human to come back.
But warm-human is here now, on this big ship, so that is where Kotatsu will be too. Just as soon as he finds warm-human.
There is a break in the legs and Kotatsu dashes forward and across the hall. There's too many doors, now, and with so many scents he has no idea which his people are behind.
Some strange human booms above him, and he hisses and scuttles backwards as far as he can. The human takes a step back starts making fast human noises some more, but at least they're much quieter.
Kotatsu keeps his ears back but doesn't hiss again. The strange human drops down to be as tall as him, and holds out one hand, slowly. It speaks again, and its voice is calm and even.
Kotatsu flicks his tail nub and does not move an inch.
Strange person then takes its hand back and does some weird human gestures. Then it puts its hand out again, and this time it smells amazing.
His ears go up and forward and he leans into it as far as he can without moving. There's salt and fish and the good kind of grass and he wants it. He wants it.
The human's fingers smell like fruits and plants, and his white body fur smells like fire and food. It's not unpleasant. Kotatsu lets one front paw creep forward, just enough to get his mouth in snatching distance.
The human doesn't move when Kotatsu snaps it up, and it's even better than it smelled. It's crunchy and then turns chewy and the taste gets stronger. It's his new favorite thing ever.
He licks his lips and stares at the human, who makes the excited-human-purr noise and then offers more of the best thing. Kotatsu doesn't hesitate this time.
The human stays there for a long time. The light shifts, at least, and after an entire sheet of the best thing, Kotatsu is happy to take it from the human's fingers. He even lets the human brush his ears, and the human makes a happy noise.
Kotatsu licks the human's fingers one last time to be sure he got it all, and he blinks once, long and slow, to show that the tribute was received and appreciated. Then he wanders off to find some water.
That, he decides, can be food-human. The food-human is pretty okay.
He finds water easily enough and then meanders on until he catches a familiar scent, and the smell of warmth leads him straight to a door that is closed.
Well. That's no good.
He runs his paw under the gap to see if he can open it himself. The gap is not big enough for his paw, not like the other ship's were. He scratches at the door instead and informs the human within that he would like to enter.
Warm-human never made him wait, but the door does not open. He tells the human inside that this is unacceptable.
The door still stays closed.
He puts his paws up on the door, reaching for the opening-lever. This one is round and he cannot work it, so he leans his weight against the door and loudly explains to the human that this door should be opened.
Finally, it is, and he falls forward onto his paws gracefully. He pads in, looking around; this is not the warm-human's room.
This is not the warm-human either, he discovers. This is a taller human who is making the upset-human noise that they use instead of growls. Kotatsu sniffs it. It smells like warm, yes, but not like warm-human.
It smells a bit like bird, actually. He rears up, placing his paws on the human in order to get closer. Is there a bird around?
The human certainly squawks like a bird, and there is a bird nest on its head, but no actual bird. The bird-human is warm, though; warm like the warm-human.
He drops back down and explores the rest of the room. There is nothing interesting, not really. There's not even a piece of weird human-fur on the floor to lay on. There's one of the big human sleep-nests, though, that smells like warmth and bird.
He jumps up on it and the bird-human makes bird noises again. Kotatsu turns to look at him, then turns a few more times. This is a nice human-nest, he decides. The smell of warmth is soothing. He'll take a nap here before he keeps looking for warm-person.
The bird-human does not try to convince him otherwise. The bird-human is also okay.
He sleeps well, and stretches when he wakes. The bird-human makes noises but opens the door when prompted, and Kotatsu resumes his search.
Warm-human likes sunlight, Kotatsu knows, because warm-human is the closest to being a cat itself. He goes outside on the main deck to look for warm-human next.
There's many humans here, and none of them are warm-human. Kotatsu finds himself a corner and huffs out a cat sigh.
There is an answering huff, and the click-click of proper toes on wood. Kotatsu looks up to see another animal approaching. It is big and white and has its tongue hanging out in a most undignified fashion.
It has the decency to stop and sit a proper distance away, though, and woofs happily. Kotatsu watches it through narrowed eyes, then leans forward to sniff. It is a dog, he decides, and male, and smells mostly of big-human.
This is acceptable. Kotatsu greets the dog. The dog chuffs and approaches.
He's nice enough, Kotatsu decides, and looks away pointedly. The dog's tail wags. This dog will be an acceptable co-captain, Kotatsu decides, and tries to ask if he knows where warm-human is.
The dog wants to play.
Kotatsu narrows his eyes.
After his decisive victory over the dog, Kotatsu retreats to find a place to groom his hair back into place. The dog is still following him, though.
Kotatsu hisses at him. He does not stop.
Well, there are other ways. There's not much to climb out on the deck besides the not-trees, but humans don't like it when he climbs the not-trees. The second tallest thing on the deck is the chair of the big-human.
That will do.
The dog's tongue comes towards him with intent to slobber and Kotatsu takes off. It's a tall leap, but he's made taller, and he uses his claws to steady himself on the landing.
There's the happy-excited-purr, only deep and massive, and Kotatsu looks up. There is big-human, looking down. Kotatsu puts his ears back in clear warning, but the dog is down there.
The big-human does not try to pet him. The big-human just looks and makes human noises, and Kotatsu sits upright and stares back.
The big-human looks away first, to say things to the other humans. Kotatsu counts this as his victory. Good. It is important that even the big-human knows who is in charge around here. He turns around a few times and kneads for a minute. The fabric feels nice under his claws, and he eventually lays down enough that the dog cannot see him.
He doesn't mean to nap, but big-human is comfortable.
He wakes up to the big-human making human-purr noises. It's loud but nice.
His paws have spread a bit since he fell asleep, and he manages to sit up and not be splayed all over the big-human's leg. Then he yawns, wide and slow, curling his tongue up and his whiskers forward. That was a good nap.
"Kotatsu!" some human yells, a word he recognizes, and he looks over the edge of the big-human's knee.
Then he tenses and jumps right at the human. The human falls over but catches him, making the human-purr and saying, "Kotatsu, Kotatsu," into his fur.
Kotatsu pins the warm-person down with his full weight. The warm-person is still warm, so warm, and smells like comfort. Kotatsu puts his face in the warm-human's face and loudly complains about being left alone.
Warm-human tangles fingers in Kotatsu's fur and scratches just the right places. It's making human noises, and Kotatsu purrs back. This is a strange ship full of strange humans, but they're not bad. If this ship is home now, well, that's okay.
Warm-human is here, at last. That is all Kotatsu needs, really, and so he bumps his head into warm-person's shoulder and purrs louder.