Happenstance

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own this. If I did, the second season would have been out already, and I would be all over that like white on rice.

Author's Notes: Hi, everyone!

WAR rolling by again. Here we have it, I am rolling out something new. Happenstance is going to be a lot of one shots and drabbles. Each chapter is going to feature a new character (or characters) and a new prompt. Suggestions are welcome. OC's may occasionally be present just to grease the gears. Echo may pop in from time to time just to say hi.

Each chapter may take place at a different time in the storyline of the 2011 season.

But I figured I would roll out something new for myself, too. Gotta give myself a break from writing that big monster I'm tackling!

So yeah, give me your prompt ideas! I'd love them!

For this prompt:

Kit and Kat were raised on a farm. They were dirt poor. I kinda just took liberties with it! I figured, with poverty comes no education, as they'd be needed to help with the farm.

Also, some fluffiness. There is not enough fluffy moments of these three running around. Expect more.

Illiteracy

"To the uneducated, an 'A' is just three sticks."
-A.A. Milne

It was their dirty little secret.

It was hard to imagine that she and her brother even had secrets - they were kittens, after all, and thieves on top of that. The only secret they really shared (and secret was a relative term) was they were runaways. It was unspoken bond between her and Kat that they wouldn't talk about their mother. It would only make them sad, wondering if she'd died from a broken heart. . .

But this secret was far more bearable.

Kit peeked around her, contraband hidden cleverly against her backside. The pack she wore over her back had a small strap on the inside - and that was where she'd secured it. The rest of the group was out, Cheetara, Lion-O, Tygra and Panthro having traversed into town to buy more supplies. Like usual, they had been left to "guard the Tank."

Rolling her eyes, Kit clambered on top of the tank and pulled her bag off of her back. Really. If the "adults" didn't think they saw through the ruse. . . well, they had another thing coming. Settling her stolen goods on top of the sun-warmed metal of the tank, Kit rapped her knuckles on the top hatch.

"Kat! I got us something!"

She was the only one who truly fed this habit. When the older Cats had left, Kit had invited herself along with them, hiding in the brush of the forest. She'd crept into the outskirts of town, swiped what she'd come to get, and had hightailed it back to the tank.

Within seconds, Kat popped out, lifting the hatch.

"What? Where did you go, I was. . ." He trailed off, looking at her goods, and then back up to her, ". . . Kit, why? I don't wanna try anymore. It's boring."

"No, it's not. Cheetara says that well-educated Cats are a benefit to society."

Kat hopped out of the tank, leaving the hatch open behind him, a smirk on his face.

"And Tygra says thieves get their hands cut off."

Kit rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. C'mon. I got it, so let's look at it anyway! Maybe stuff about El Dara will be in there."

Kat gave in and settled down beside her, and together, both of them stared at what Kit had stolen.

A book.

A brand new, never-before-read book.

Kit's happy smile quickly transformed into a frown as she opened the cover to the book. Pages upon pages of text.

"I thought. . . I thought this one would have more pictures!" She said, thumbing through the pages rapidly.

"What's the point of stealing a book if we can't read it?" Kat grumbled, propping his chin in his hands.

Their terrible secret.

They were illiterate.

Born and raised on a farm, to poor parents, Kit and Kat had never been given the opportunity to go to school. Kit remembered how limited in education their mother had been, and she'd only learned to write her name in the dying light of the fireplace one long night ago. . . and that was all she knew how to write.

Kit sighed, joining her brother in his solemn mood. Nobody knew they couldn't read or write - and really, what reason had there been to bring it up? Kit and her brother were with the king and his crew to help stop Mumm-Ra - and find El Dara. There was no reason to teach young kittens to read and write.

"Maybe," Kit said, flipping the pages a little more slowly, "Maybe if we look at it-"

"What in Thundera are you two doing?" A deep voice boomed.

Kit nearly jumped five feet in the air, and beside her, her brother did the same thing. She whirled around, and both of them found Panthro, climbing up the side of the tank.

"P-Panthro! We were just-" Kit protested. Where's Lion-O and the others?

The big cat was a lot faster than he appeared. He reached over and snatched up their stolen goods, easily holding them aside as he flipped through the book.

"Panthro!" Kat cried, jumping up and trying to fish the book out of Panthro's hold, "Give that back! It's ours!"

"Yeah!" Kit joined in, trying to climb up onto the cat and grab the book that way, "You can't just take it from us!"

"Why in the blazes are you two reading a book about cartography?"

"Cartta-whatta-whatta?" Kat asked.

Kit, at this point, was perched on Panthro's shoulder, her arm vainly stretched out to grab the book. She peered down to stare at Panthro's face.

"What's catography?"

"Cart. Car-tog-raphy. It's mapmaking. never figured you two would be the type to read this drivel. It's dry as a bone."

"Uhm, yeah. That's us." Kit nervously chuckled.

"We love maps! It'll take us to El Dara. We read it was in there." Kat continued.

Panthro stared at them blankly.

"This is a cartography book centering on the northern mountain ranges." He said, voice deadpan.

Uh oh. Caught red handed.

With a sigh, Panthro reached behind him and picked up Kit by the back of her shirt and deposited her in front of him.

"I thought I heard one of you crawling around in the underbrush. Alright, come clean. Why did you steal this book?"

"We already told you!" Kat said, voice defensive.

"It says El Dara's in there!" Kit finished.

Panthro looked at them, to the book, and then back to the twins.

"You two can't read, can you?"

"What?!" Kit exploded indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest, "How dare you!"

"Yeah! We're not stupid, of course we can read!" Kat said, glaring up at Panthro.

"Uh-huh," Panthro said, eyebrow cocked, "Then tell me. What does the title say?" He offered the book out to them.

Kit felt the little balloon of defiance pop inside of her. Beside her, Kat hesitated just a second too long, and their silence was all the answer Panthro needed.

"That's what I thought. Lousy thieves you are, stealing books you can't read. Sit."

"Beg your pardon?" Kit asked, staring up at Panthro quizzically.

In response, Panthro pointed to the side of the tank.

"You heard me. I told you to sit."

Reluctantly, Kit obeyed, seating herself, suspicious. Kat echoed the motion, distrust in his gaze.

It surprised them both when Panthro inserted his hands in between them and created a space for him to sit down. He invited himself to sit in between them and opened the book on his lap.

"Thundera never woulda allowed two kittens like you to go around, not knowing how to read. I'm gonna teach you." Panthro said gruffly, selecting a page from the book.

Kit sat there, completely blown away - but a beat later, she smiled. She didn't even mind when Panthro semi-snapped at them to pay attention as he pointed to pieces of the book and began to explain it all.

Kit and Kat didn't even notice when the rest of the group returned, so sucked up into their new-found teacher and his studies they were. Kit didn't even mind that half of the content rolled over her head.

It was enough to know that somebody cared enough to teach them something.