Companion piece to Prentiss and Isles by Magrat70
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
The Adventures of Bargio
Chapter 1 - Sergio
If you had asked me last year if I would ever be in this situation, I would have thought you were crazy. No one could have predicted that I, Sergio Felinus Prentiss, would be sitting with a friend watching our people giggle like school girls. No one could have predicted that Emily Prentiss, the bane of criminals everywhere, would be giggling. A few years ago I would have been upset by this turn of events…we have a reputation to protect after all; however, she's happy and my priorities have changed. Maybe it was the seven months with Penelope, who while very generous with treats also had a terrible habit of putting me in sweaters, or maybe it's the fact that I now have a friend whose sole purpose is companionship and not feeding me, but no matter the reason, her happiness is more important than our street cred; it also doesn't hurt that the happier she is, the more treats I get. And Maura is pretty generous, too.
But that's neither here nor there for this origin story. You may be wondering about my friend who doesn't feed me. This is the story of how I met Bass 'Not-A-Turtle' Isles.
It all started a few months ago when I was pretty miffed that Emily had forgotten about me one night after she had promised me that that wouldn't happen anymore. Okay fine, I admit it, I was more furious than miffed, but I was not worried because I do not worry; I mean it's not like every time she doesn't come home for a night she is injured…or gone for months at a time, but again, I was angry not worried. Sergio Felinus Prentiss Esquire does not worry. However, if she had been much later, and if she hadn't forgotten to put away my food bag, than she would have gotten a scratching that she wouldn't soon forget, but I digress.
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Emily comes rushing in apologizing to me before lavishing me with attention for a few minutes, which is another reason, besides the sweaters, that I prefer Emily to Penelope. Being an expert in behavior, Emily always knows when to just leave me alone and give me my space, whereas Penelope tended to treat me like a lap dog whenever she was home, always petting me and picking me up. I mean, do I look like a dog? No, I don't. I'm an excellent example of feline magnificence and independence meaning that sometimes I just want to bathe by myself without all the scrutiny. Anyway, Emily feeds me and leaves for work, and in her rush, she left a window open! As you can probably guess by looking at me, I'm a wild beast and even though this place is nicer than our old apartment, I can still easily grow weary of this mundane interior, especially since Emily hasn't finished unpacking my toys. Not toys! I, Baron Sergio Felinus Prentiss, don't play with toys. I meant…training implements so I can keep my instincts and hunting skills sharp. Anyway, I seized my chance and went to explore my surroundings…after a nap of course. It's hard to get a good night's sleep when you're worried. Furious! I mean furious.
A few hours later, after waking up and making sure my claws were presentable (just because Emily came in that morning all rumpled, wearing the same clothes from the day before, doesn't mean that I'm going to go out looking like a ragamuffin), I made my escape. So I wandered around a bit, getting used to my territory when I found a great place to survey my entire domain; it also afforded me a high vantage point to see if there was any danger approaching. Sitting on the fence is where my life changed irrevocably…altered by something that any other day would be inconsequential.
The breeze shifted slightly; all of a sudden I could smell Emily, but it was very faint and mixed with some scent that was completely unfamiliar. I turned my head to see where she was, but all I saw was a rock. At least it looked like a rock, but it appeared to be moving and not by the wind; something odd was definitely going on next door; being the brave beast that I am, I decided to investigate.
As I cautiously approached the moving rock (I might be brave, but I'm not reckless after all), I confirmed that her smell was indeed coming from whatever that thing was and that it's moving wasn't a trick of light; after observing how slowly it was moving, I realized that I, Sergio Felinus Prentiss, Earl of Prentiss Manor, could outrun it if it proved to be dangerous, so I decided it was safe for me to get closer.
It was alive!
After tapping his nose, which, for future reference he does not appreciate and will not hesitate to bite me the next time it happens, he informed me that his name was Bass and that he is a Geochelone sulcata, also known as the African spurred tortoise. After telling him I was not familiar with tortoises (thanks a lot Emily), he started telling me about himself; the most important thing seems to be that he is not a turtle, whatever that is. Apparently it's a touchy subject for him.
When I asked why he smelled like my human, he informed me that his human, a woman named Maura, had brought her to his home to sleep on the couch last night. She was right next door all night! I worried myself silly when she was a few hundred yards away. I may have to rethink not scratching her when she gets home. But until she arrives, I may as well go with him and check out this 'heat lamp' that he was telling me about. If it was half as good as Bass made it sound, I may have to figure out a way to get Emily to get me one; although, one in each room may be more convenient.
