Chapter 2: Snow Day
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the canon characters. They belong to Dreamworks.
Before returning to Spain, Kitty and Puss remain in Far, Far Away for a few days after Christmas. During this time, Kitty has gotten used to the snow being under her paws. She's adapting to the change in weather far faster than Puss in Boots himself ever did. A new morning breaks on the horizon, sending golden rays into Puss and Kitty's room at the Poison Apple. Puss in Boots wakes up first, his emerald eyes blinking to adjust to the new light. He turns his attention to the room's other bed and smiles upon seeing Kitty Softpaws, his new fiancée, sleeping soundly. The ginger tabby finds himself thinking Kitty looks like an angel when she sleeps. He decides that he must wake her up where they can complete the activity he has planned for them.
"Buenos días, Kitty, mi amor," Puss softly whispers in her ear, making Kitty purr softly.
The black and white tuxedo she-cat rolls over in the bed where she is now facing Puss. Her piercing blue eyes slowly blink open, and a grin overcomes her lips when she catches sight of her soon-to-be husband.
"Good morning, Puss. What are we going to do today?" Kitty asks with a purr, sitting up and wrapping her arms around Puss' neck and shoulders.
"I was thinking we could have a snowball fight," Puss in Boots smirks as he wraps his arms around Kitty's waist.
"A what?" Kitty demands, for she has never heard this term before.
"You shall see, Señorita Softpaws," he laughs.
She should have known. Anytime Puss in Boots laughs this way, it leads to trouble. Well, it at the very least leads to trouble for Kitty. Today is no exception. Kitty stands next to Puss, silently watching him dig his paws through the snow.
"What are you doing, Puss?" the she-cat asks with a laugh as the ginger tabby mumbles about how cold the snow is this morning.
"Watch and learn, chica," Puss chuckles with a smirk.
Kitty does as he asks and observes his movements, absorbing each detail to memory. It's a talent she's picked up from being a thief for so long. She notices that Puss in Boots packs the snow into a ball, which makes her deduce that this is the so called "snowball" her lover spoke of when she awoke this morning.
"And that, mi amor, is a snowball," Puss explains, placing it in her paws for a moment before taking it back. "Now it's your turn to make one, Kitty," he smiles at her.
Kitty Softpaws bends down closer to the ground to collect snow in her paws. The snow chills her paws and Kitty is glad she has boots on two of her black and white paws. However, she's slightly put-off by the cold sensation on her front paws. Kitty soon gets into the groove of making snowballs. She creates her own supply of them, ready to pelt them at Puss at a moment's notice. He would regret challenging her to a snowball fight. Puss in Boots should know by now that Kitty Softpaws never loses.
As Kitty smirks at her own thoughts, something cold and wet hits the back of her neck. Turning around, the female cat sees Puss smirking and laughing at her expression. The mixture of liquid and solid runs down Kitty's fur. It feels an awful lot like….. Snow. Puss in Boots had the nerve to throw a snowball at her!
"What gives, Ginger?" Kitty demands, preparing to launch her own snowballs at Puss.
"Lo siento, mi amor. I didn't see you there," Puss tells her in what would appear to be an apologetic tone. "But, all is fair in love and war, Kitty," he laughs while picking up another snowball.
He throws the snow at her head, but Kitty jumps out of the way just in time. She still has her snowball in hand.
"If it's a war you want," the she-cat starts to say to her fiancé with a dangerous smile on her face. "Then it's a war you will get!" Kitty tells him in a louder tone before releasing her snowball.
Puss has no time to move from his current position, so the snowball hits him dead in his chest. Kitty Softpaws has always had good aim; no one can deny this fact. The ginger tabby takes the time to wipe the snow out of his fur before picking up more snow.
"It's on now, mi corazón!" Puss yells in a playful tone.
Pretty soon, Kitty and Puss are engaged in an all-out snowball war. Both felines have refused to back down. It's already midday, but the two lovers show no signs of stopping their on-going feud. By now, Puss' fur is covered in snow, completely concealing the orange stripes on his body. Kitty's fur contains more white in it than usual as the snow continues to stick to her body. Forts have been constructed for both Spanish gatos to hide behind. The two legendary outlaws know all about the benefits of using all available cover during a mission. Kitty Softpaws remains hidden in the snow, barely peeking over the fort wall to see where Puss in Boots is hiding. She sights him within ten seconds. His orange fur cannot be hidden in the crystal white snow. An idea forms in Kitty's head as she watches her lover clumsily make his way through the snow. The tuxedo she-cat begins to creep from behind the fort, staying low to the ground and out of Puss' line of sight. Puss in Boots continues walking, not seeing Kitty Softpaws lying in wait for him.
The time couldn't be more perfect. Kitty springs from the snow and stretches her paws out to try and catch Puss. However, the legendary outlaw has been expecting a trick like this. He dodges Kitty's outstretched paws, making his love fall face-first into the snow. A smirk appears on his face when Kitty rises from the thick snow with some stuck to her face and whiskers like a beard.
"You are going to pay for this, Puss in Boots!" Kitty playfully growls at her fiancé as she wipes her face.
"You'll have to catch me first, Kitty Softpaws!" Puss smirks before getting down on all four paws and running through the snowy clearing.
Kitty rolls her eyes at his childness before dropping down to all fours herself and running after her partner in crime. She easily weaves around the trees as her blue eyes scan the area for Puss. The more she runs into the forest, the more Kitty seems to lose sight of her target. Sure, Puss in Boots has escaped from under the noses of many guards, but she is Kitty Softpaws. Her lover could not hide from her for long. Unless….. He's using one of the tactics Kitty came up with for pulling off heists.
She pulls his hat off his head when he pounces. Puss lands in the snow on his back, courtesy of Kitty side-stepping his attack and pushing him down. Kitty holds one paw against Puss' chest, holding him down in the snow. She looks down on him in mock superiority, her blue eyes shining in mischief. Puss looks up at her with a goofy grin on his face.
"Meow," he says in the same tone he did at the Giant's castle soon after they met.
"Knock it off, Ginger," Kitty smiles, knowing exactly what Puss is doing.
She isn't going to let the mistake from last time happen again.
"Kitty, what's wrong with you?" Puss smirks, knowing well and good why Kitty won't let him up.
"You tell me, Puss. Who was it that pushed me into the river after I let you up last time?" Kitty challenges, her piercing blue eyes staring at him in disapproval.
"Me," Puss barely mumbles.
"I'm sorry; I didn't hear that. Who pushed me?" the she-cat tries again.
"Me! Now, mi corazón, please let me up. It was just a joke," he apologizes, looking up at he with pleading green eyes.
Kitty slowly lets him up from the ground. It is then that she smashes a snowball against his head.
"What was that for, Kitty?" Puss in Boots asks as he wipes the snow off his head.
"Now we're even," Kitty smirks before turning and running through the snow with Puss' hat in her paw.
"Why you- - ….!" Puss in Boots trails off, not being able to insult Kitty.
He loves her too much to hurt her or call her names.
"You can get it back if you catch me!" Kitty calls over her shoulder, taunting Puss by placing his hat on her head.
Puss simply chuckles before running after his lover, intent on getting his hat back. The orange tabby realizes that Kitty is slowing down, so he puts on more speed. Within seconds he is right behind her, so Puss reaches for his hat. His orange paw settles on his hat as Kitty screeches to a halt. Kitty grabs Puss' wrist with one paw and tightly holds onto it, regardless of Puss' efforts to escape.
"Let go, señorita," he smiles, taking this moment to stare into her eyes.
"Pay the price, Puss," Kitty mischievously grins.
"And what might that be?" Puss in Boots inquires, his green eyes twinkling as if he already knows the answer.
"One kiss," his lover answers, moving closer to his face.
"Can we discuss that price? It seems a little too low for someone of your beauty," Puss purrs softly.
"Just shut up and kiss me, Ginger," Kitty commands before pressing her lips against his.
Puss in Boots instantly closes his eyes before wrapping his paws around Kitty's waist. Both gatos purr in contentment as they continue to kiss. Kitty softly laughs as Puss' whiskers tickle her cheeks. As the kiss begins to end, Kitty gently slips Puss' hat back on his head. When the two cats pull apart, they smile at one another.
"Was that an acceptable price?" Kitty grins.
"Sí, Kitty. It's one I'd be happy to pay again," Puss smiles as he lightly chuckles.
"Don't push your luck, Puss. Now, let's go back to the Poison Apple. I'm cold," she tells her fiancé.
By the time the two cats reach the Poison Apple, the sun has set on the horizon. A thick, white fog has settled in the area, obscuring Puss' and Kitty's vision as they walk. Cold air rushes through the trees, chilling both gatos to the bone. Puss notices that Kitty is shivering, so an idea pops in his head.
"Kitty, are you cold?" he asks in concern for his love.
"Sí. Estoy muy frío. It's so cold tonight," Kitty returns as her teeth start to chatter.
Puss softly drops his arms around her shoulders while pulling her closer to his warm chest. They continue walking through the snow in silence when Puss decides to reveal his idea to Kitty.
"Mi amor, would you like to try some chocolate caliente when we get back?" he inquires out of curiosity.
"Hot chocolate? How does that work, Puss?" Kitty replies with a slightly skeptical look.
"You shall just have to trust me and wait to see," the ginger cat smiles as he presses a light kiss to Kitty's head.
Once they return to their room at the Poison Apple, Puss presents Kitty with a cup of hot chocolate. She grips the cup in her paw before raising it to her lips. Kitty cautiously tastes the liquid, not knowing how this "hot chocolate" will taste. Her first sip makes her smile.
"That's great, Ginger! It's so warm," Kitty compliments her lover with a grin as the liquid warms her cold body.
"Gracias, my love. It's my own recipe," Puss in Boots smiles back as he comes over to press one last kiss to her lips before they go to bed.
Kitty kisses back and then the two cats climb into their respective beds to go to sleep. Puss watches Kitty across the room as she falls asleep.
"Today was a good day," he whispers into the night.
Author's Note: There's Chapter 2! I hope everyone enjoyed, and please leave a review with your thoughts. I appreciate everyone's comments on the last chapter; they were all great! I didn't expect this story to get as much traffic as it has already since this is a small fandom. You guys and girls have happily proved me wrong. Thanks for your support! Oh, and sorry for not updating for a while. Semester exams at school have required my attention, as well as my other homework. Now I'm on Christmas Break, so I will try to update at least once more before going back to school. Until Chapter 3, my amazing readers!
P.S. Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, and Happy Hanukkah to all of you who celebrate any one of these. Happy Holidays to all of you, my dear readers!