Watching The Fur Fly
Waking up to the smell of pancakes Cat raised her head from her bed sleepily then yawning and stretching wide hopped from her basket and made her way into the kitchen to find Wufei making breakfast. Wandering sleepily over to her bowl Cat took some big gulps of water then stuck her head in before lifting it out and shaking it to wake herself up completely. Watching her Wufei smirked and rolled his eyes at her antics which were very human indeed. Soon everyone was downstairs in their boxers or pj bottoms and watching them slather their pancakes with rich maple syrup and butter Cat's stomach was soon growling. Meowing loudly Cat hopped into Quatre's lap then before he knew what she was up to lifted a paw with the intention to snap a pancake off the pile. Seeing her plan Trowa grabbed the plate just as her paw went forward earning him a dirty look and laughter from the rest. "Looks like someone want's pancakes too." Duo said with a chuckle.
"Can she eat them?" Quatre wanted to know, concerned about giving her something that would be bad for her. "She does seem to be able to eat whatever she gets her paws on with no ill effects. The other day I caught her finishing off some raisons left on the counter before I could stop her."
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"Give her a little bit so that she'll leave you alone, otherwise there'll be no living with her later." Was Duo's advice as he cut up his own pancakes. "She tried to eat some of my Smarties the other day and when I wouldn't let her have any she deliberately tipped my can of Coke over right onto the papers I was working on. She always gets her revenge, especially when it's about calling her cutie names or food. For the sake of your physical and mental well being give her some, Q-man. If she makes herself sick it's her own fault and she'll be too sick to scratch you when you tell her you told her so."
"Well I guess a little bit wouldn't hurt." Quatre said with a considering look, taking Duo's words to heart and the fact that they didn't need any more violent episodes from their furry feline. Getting up Quatre cut a pancake in half and put a bit of syrup on it for her, setting it down on the ground by her food dish. Wandering over Cat gave an appreciate meow before digging in. Who said you couldn't change men? When she was done with them they'd be giving her a pile of pancakes too and they'd be covered in syrup with butter. After all men were the heads of the family but women were the necks. It was the woman's job to turn the head any way she wanted.
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Later that Afternoon
Sitting in the grass Cat swatted leaves around the yard while she waited for Duo to finish raking the other leaves up so that she could destroy his pile just as he finished. It was a nice, warm fall day with the majority of the leaves raked up into a colorful pile and Cat was already twitching to jump in and make a mess. The leaves had all changed color when she wasn't looking it seemed and she had to admit it was a pretty fall scene in the backyard even if Duo was in it. Turning her attention back to Duo who was humming under his breath as he raked Cat had to roll her eyes at him. And she'd thought her dad couldn't sing. Wandering over with the intent to get in his way just to bug him Cat watched as he stopped raking to look up at the large chestnut tree, studying it intently for some reason. Curious Cat walked over and looked up too, trying to see what had shut him up and had his attention when she wanted it for herself. All she could see was leaves, branches and chestnuts. What was he looking at?
"Hey, Sass. Do you see what I see?" Duo asked as he looked down at her questioningly having sensed her presence. He'd been raking away but his eyes had caught on something blackish brown in the tree that didn't belong there. What the hell was it? "What is it do you suppose it is, girl?"
"What's what, you dunder head, Cat asked him mentally as she moved closer, trying to see from his line of vision but she was just too short. Whatever it was it was it was likely something stupid, Cat thought with a swish of her tail. But she didn't like being left in the dark and dammit she wanted to see too. Meowing bad temperedly Cat wandered around his legs, trying to get him to pick her up but the dumb idiot wasn't getting it. What was it for Christ sakes? Now she really just had to know. Wait a minute..she was a cat. Cat's climbed trees. Pleased with the idea and the fact that she'd solved her problem so quickly Cat moved away from Duo and walking up to the tree started to climb up it. Nearly falling a few times but getting the hang of it Cat was up to the first large branch before Duo stopped studying the spot long enough to notice and be pissed off by it.
"Sassy, get down from there." Duo said as he looked at the cat who seemed to be smirking back at him. "If you get stuck up there I am so not climbing up to get you."
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No one asked you too, Cat thought smartly before returning to her climbing, hopping from branch to branch where ever she could since that was easier and faster too. Making her way upward in her quest for knowledge her nose was assaulted by an unfamiliar and not at all pleasant smell. Phew what was it? Had someone been collecting the guys' socks and hoarding them up here? Hitting the next branch with a graceful leap Cat heard a low hissing sound from behind her and freezing Cat's eyes went wide before she turned around to see the biggest, ugliest raccoon she'd ever seen. Of course she'd never been smaller then a raccoon before but as her father had always said anything was possible and this was one big son of a bitch that could give Cuddles a run for him money. Not that she could imagine Cuddles doing anything physical like running. Eating maybe but she doubted he could even walk with all that flubber. Backing up out of instinct that said this thing was a lot more trouble then Cuddles Cat had a bad feeling and shivers running down her spine when the animal took several steps towards her. Raccoons were prime candidates for carrying diseases weren't they? She was sure she remembered reading somewhere that they were vicious creatures who tended to attack whenever they felt the least bit threatened and weren't at all shy. Staring at the creature Cat felt the saliva in her mouth dry up when the creature gave another hiss and continued to move closer, not at all intimidated by the I am the bitch queen vibes Cat generally gave off. Okay she was pretty sure the raccoon wasn't interested in exchanging grooming habits which meant it was likely a good idea to get the hell out of the tree, Cat thought backing up some more. Wait a minute, what was she thinking? This was her tree in her backyard and no flea ridden Davey Crocket hat was going to take over while she was around. Hissing back Cat stood her ground this time, lifting her claws to slash through the air threateningly. One step closer and I turn you into a fur wrap to strangle Dorothy with, Cat mentally hissed as she growled deep in her throat.
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"Sassy, what's wrong up there?" Duo called out, not liking that sound at all. The thing that had caught his eye had moved and he had a sinking feeling he'd been correct in thinking it might be an animal. He couldn't see Cuddles pulling it off but there were other cats in the neighborhood that might have found there way over or even a big squirrel. Praying it wasn't an animal they could be sued over if Sassy killed it Duo walked all around the tree and tried to get a better view of the situation. Getting up on tippy toes Duo pushed some branches out of the way then gave a shout when he saw that Sassy was facing off against this huge raccoon who looked primed to attack. Since he knew from experience that the tree was unclimbable for someone his size Duo turned and hollered at the house for someone to bring him his pellet gun quick.
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Hearing his words Cat hissed at Duo since she had everything perfectly in hand even though the thought of this walking road kill being shot with a pellet gun was appealing. Turning back to the raccoon Cat gave a yelp as the animal suddenly ran at her, body chucking her off the branch and into the air. Getting in one good swipe on the way down Cat had the small pleasure of hearing the animal's cry of pain on the way to the nearest branch under her. Peeved off Cat quickly hopped/climbed the rest of the way down and let Duo pick her up from the first branch and move away. They were only about a meter away before the raccoon appeared in their view, landing with a thud on the branch Cat had been standing on moments ago. "Jesus, I think you really pissed him off." Duo said then felt his stomach twist when he watched the raccoon hopped to the ground and move towards them as Duo backed up. But it wasn't the raccoon itself that worried him but the way the creature was walking and acting. It was weaving as it walked and it's landings weren't at all graceful. Plus he'd never seen a raccoon act so aggressive before but he'd heard about animals that acted extremely vicious, had a lack or coordination and showed no fear. They were called rabid. "QUATRE! HEERO! WUFEI! TROWA! SOMEBODY! Get a gun now!" Duo yelled out as he slowly kept walking back towards the porch with Sassy cuddled tightly against his chest. He didn't think she'd been bitten but he wasn't going to let anything happen to her either. Not remembering about the large rock close by Duo tripped over it with a yelp, going sprawling on his back. Pain radiating from his back and leg Duo was dimly aware of the feel of Sassy scampering out of his arms and tried to make a grab for her but his fingers simply grazed her side as she jumped off his chest.
"DUO!" Quatre cried as he and Heero came running out, taking the picture in one long sweep. There was Duo laying on the ground, his left leg bleeding from a heavy gash as he tried to sit up while Sassy, her fur on end and making the most horribly high pitches growls they'd ever heard stood between Duo and a large raccoon. The raccoon was hissing and growling back and Quatre leaned down and grabbed some rocks, throwing them at the animal but even the ones that hit didn't scare it, only seeming to make it growl louder.
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"Heero kill it!" Duo called out as he tried to get to his feet, ignoring the pain in his effort to get Sassy away from danger and the coon under control. "The thing's mad! Shoot it before it attacks her again!" Duo yelled as Cat continued to hold her ground against the raccoon, protecting him from the animal, Duo realized in a daze. She was putting herself in the animal's way so that it couldn't charge at him like it had been.
Not needing to be told more then once Heero leveled the gun in the right direction and sent a bullet flying through the air, killing the raccoon instantly. Hurrying over to Duo's side Heero helped his friend up while Quatre raced over to grab Sassy, picking her up to hug close before holding her out to check for any injury as he backed away from the raccoon's corpse. Finding some blood on her claws Quatre used his shirt to wipe them off so that she wouldn't lick them clean then tucking her against him with one arm Quatre hurried over to help Heero help Duo into the house. Leaving Duo to be bandaged up by Heero, Quatre went to the phone to call the appropriate people about having the animal picked up and tested. Wufei and Trowa, who'd heard the shot soon came to investigate and the talk turned to whether the creature was really rabid or Sassy had just pissed it off to the extreme. Insulted Cat sent them dirty looks and wandered over to her water bowl for a drink, peeved off that she hadn't had a chance to jump in the leaves.
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That Night
A call came in around seven to inform the guys that the raccoon hadn't been infected by rabies but had apparently been suffering from cancer which had been in advanced stages causing it to lash out in its suffering. Had the animal been captured it would have been put down anyway to relieve its suffering Quatre was relieved to hear. He understood why Heero had shot the animal but he hadn't liked it either. He was glad to know that it had turned out to be the humane thing to do and told Heero so. Heero had only been glad to hear that there wasn't a risk of there being a rabies infestation in the neighborhood. A dead raccoon was the least of his worries when it came to blood on his hands. Duo was glad to hear that they'd done the right thing as well and that it hadn't been Sassy's fault. His leg wrapped up in a bandage and a serious creak in his back he was none the less aware that had the animal been rabid it could have ended a lot worse. Everyone had just about settled in for a relaxing night at home when the doorbell rang. Getting up to get it Trowa was gone for five minutes before returning with Cuddles in his arms and a slightly pained look on his face. "What on earth is that thing doing here?" Heero demanded to know.
"Mrs. Holmes's sister fell down some steps and broke her hip today." Trowa said with a slightly peeved off voice as he set the cat on the ground with a slight thud. "She's in the hospital and Mrs. Homes came over to see if we could watch Cuddles for her for an hour or so while she goes to visit before visiting hours are closed. She was crying and everything...it's only for an hour, guys."
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"We should tie the thing to a treadmill and make it exercise for the hour he's here. Maybe it would remember how to walk then." Wufei said with a disgusted look at the cat who just lay there like a bump on the log. Wufei couldn't even remember actually seeing the cat move on the few times he'd had to be in the same room as the furball. The silly onna was always carrying the cat around like a child and Wufei could only speculate as to whether the cat weighed more then its dotty master. "I've seen walls move more then it does."
"Wufei." Quatre said with warning in his voice though he had to agree that the cat needed some serious exercise as soon as possible and in large quantities. "What do you suppose she feeds it anyway?" Quatre added thoughtfully, curious to know what they thought despite himself. He couldn't imagine a cat getting that big just eating normal food. Though come to think of it Sassy was always stealing or snitching snacks and she wasn't fat. At least not yet. Then again she was usually on the go unless she was sleeping or in her carrier so she likely burned it all off anyway. Did Cuddles even go outside?
"Hey look, it's moving." Duo said pointing at the cat who had indeed gotten to its feet and was making its way slowly but surely over to where Sassy lay on her personal pillow that no one else was allowed to use but her. "This could end badly. I think she's still pissed off that she didn't get to battle it out with the coon."
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What do you want, Tubby? Cat wondered as she sent him a dark look that said plainly she wasn't looking for company and was more then up to killing unwanted guests. She'd been forced to watch Duo and Trowa put all the lovely leaves into garbage bags without even being able to jump in them once. In other words adding Cuddles into the mix meant she wasn't a happy camper at all. The cat, obviously not seeing the danger he was in moved forward then before Cat had any idea what he was up to was treated to a huge lick on the face that had her screeching like a bat out of hell. Obviously terrified Cuddles fell over trying to get away and likely moving faster then he had in a long time waddled over to hide behind one of the couches. Spitting and hissing meanwhile Cat ran from the room and heading straight for her water dish proceeded to hold her head under water as long as she could before raising it to get air then repeating the process over and over again until hands encircled her waist and carried her away from the water. Looking up to see Trowa Cat gave him a dirty look and deliberately shook her head sending water and some cat fur all over his shirt. So there.
"I think you scared at least a life or two out of him." Trowa said with a shake of his head, not really surprised at the unexpected bath his shirt had been given. It was her after all. "And now I've got to change my shirt thanks to you. Lets go." Trowa added deciding to take her with him rather then return her to the TV area. He'd let the rest of Cuddles's stay be uneventful and keep Sassy with him in his room till Mrs. Holmes came to pick up the tub of lard.
That tub of lard is going down and he's going down painfully, Cat thought with a dark look on her wet face. You dared to lick me, prepare to die.