CHAPTER 6: Injuries

Little Cato woke up in his room at 10:00 am, his usual time. He yawned while stretching his arms over his head. Looking around his room, he frowned as he couldn't think of anything he really wanted to do.

It had been very peaceful in final space recently and there had been little to no action. Although Little Cato knew he should think of this as a good thing, he kind of felt the need for at least some action.

Little Cato then remembered the bowling alley. It was almost always empty and it gave him something to do. He felt like being alone right now, so it was the perfect place to be.

Little Cato got out of bed and went straight to the bowling alley. Once he was there, he picked up a bowling ball and rolled it. He smiled as he knocked down all the pins meaning he had gotten a strike.

He was about to pick up another ball but stopped as he heard footsteps coming in his direction. Little Cato was disappointed when he realized it wasn't his father due to the footsteps being too light or Ash due to the footsteps being too heavy.

He was embarrassed and confused to why he really really wanted the mystery person to be Ash.

Little Cato shook his head and tried to think of who it could be. He was now staring at the door. He was certain that the person was going to the bowling alley.

'It could be Gary.' Little Cato thought hopefully to himself as the footsteps came closer.

Then the footsteps stopped and the door slid open.

"Quinn?"

"Little Cato?"


Quinn had been surprised when the door had opened and she'd noticed someone was in there. She was a tad more surprised that the person was Little Cato. What was he doing alone in the bowling alley? Then again she could ask herself the same question.

Quinn then thought of an idea and it took her all her will power not to smile.

She knew that Ash liked Little Cato a lot, but she had no idea if Little Cato liked Ash back. Since she'd only met Ash six days ago, she had never actually seen her and Little Cato together. Well…Except for when she got back to the ship after being saved from floating around in final space but she hadn't been paying much attention to them then.

This was her chance to find out if Little Cato liked Ash and she already had an idea on how to do it! It wasn't an amazing idea but it would probably just work. Having nothing better to do Quinn asked, "Hey, can I join you?"

"Sure." Answered Little Cato with a small shrug. He then ran to a computer in the corner of the room and started up a new game.

"It's your turn first." Little Cato stated after looking up at a screen that showed the scores.

Quinn picked up a bowling ball and rolled it across the floor. She knocked down 8 pins but got the other 2 pins in the spare. He had to admit he was pretty good at bowling but Quinn was really good too so it would be hard to beat her.

Quinn gave him a smug smile as she walked back to her seat. He just grinned competitively. He had to get a strike!

Picking up a bowling ball, Little Cato rolled it and was happy and relieved when he did get a strike.

Little Cato then walked back to his seat giving Quinn the same smug look that she'd given him. Quinn returned his look with an annoyed scowl as she stood up, picked up a ball, and rolled it a tad more aggressively than needed.

Quinn groaned in frustration when she only got 7 pins and had utterly missed the spare.

She turned back around expecting Little Cato to give her a cocky look but was surprised when she saw he was staring at the couch opposite him with a faraway look on his face. It was obvious to Quinn that he currently wasn't paying any attention to the game. This, although annoyed her slightly, spiked her curiosity.

Little Cato's tail was now moving very slowly and his expression held a mixture of confusion, slight embarrassment, a tinge of sadness, and something else… What was he thinking about?

"Little Cato, it's your turn." Quinn informed him.

Little Cato immediately looked up at Quinn and his face reverted back to his normal look.

"Oh, yeah." Little Cato replied walking over to pick up a ball.

Quinn had now completely forgotten all about her previous plan to find out if Little Cato liked Ash but she might had just thought of a new one.

"What were you thinking about?" Asked Quinn as casually as she could. Just as she had expected, Little Cato didn't give her a real answer.

"Stuff." Little Cato replied bluntly as he turned around to look at Quinn. Why did she want to know? Quinn usually didn't care too much about other's personal lives.

"What sort of stuff?" Asked Quinn persistently.

"None of your business." Responded Little Cato now slightly irritated.

Taken aback by his slightly rude reply, Quinn huffed. Then she had another idea.

"Fine. Don't tell me. I already know who you were thinking about."

Who? Little Cato thought to himself as he picked up one of the bowling balls trying his best not to look nervous. He couldn't help but wonder how she knew it was a 'who'.

"Huh?" Asked Little Cato holding his breath.

"Ash."

Little Cato froze. His eyes widened, his heartbeat quickened and his tail stopped moving altogether. He was in so much shock that he didn't notice the bowling ball had slipped out of his hand before it was too late.

Little Cato suppressed a wince as he felt strong pain coming from his right foot. Looking down, he gingerly picked up the bowling ball and found out that his metal shoe was very badly dented. He thought that the metal shoes would protect his feet but he felt like it would've hurt the same amount if he'd been wearing ordinary shoes.

"Are you okay?" Came Quinn's slightly worried voice from behind him.

"I'm fine." Little Cato replied quickly as he gave her a forced smile.

Trying his best to act as if nothing had happened, Little Cato rolled the bowling ball and was pleased when he got 8 pins but missed the spare.

Quinn simply stood there in shock as Little Cato casually walked back to his seat NOT LIMPING.

Quinn tried her best to read Little Cato's expression but the only thing she noticed was that he looked a bit embarrassed. Didn't it hurt? Wasn't he in pain?

"Doesn't that hurt?" Asked Quinn staring at his dented shoe.

Little Cato just shook his head trying his best not to look down.

Quinn just didn't understand. How could Little Cato just sit there looking all fine after a bowling ball had just fallen on his foot? 'Maybe the metal shoes helped.' Quinn thought to herself but then quickly dismissed the fact as she looked at his dented shoe. It was dented so badly that it would have definitely left quite a few bruises and maybe even blood. Also, wasn't that shoe pressing hard against his foot?

"You sure you don't want me to get you an ice pack or something?" Asked Quinn, still confused.

"I told you, I'm fine!" Replied Little Cato once again annoyed with her.

"How?" Asked Quinn.

Little Cato looked down sadly. "I guess I'm used to it by now." He then covered his mouth. He hadn't meant to say that! He looked up at Quinn who looked both shocked and sad. Why had he said that!

Quinn thought carefully about what Little Cato had said and wondered why she hadn't thought about that before. Little Cato had been in the Lord Commander's prison for 3 years and she highly doubted that the Lord Commander had treated him well.

Little Cato didn't know what to do. He hated people feeling sorry for him and wasn't liking the sad, sympathetic look Quinn was giving him at the moment. He also definitely didn't want to talk about what he had just said. So he did the only rational thing he could think of.

"Well, I had fun but I've got to go now…Bye!" Little Cato exclaimed as he quickly walked out of the room trying his best not limp or whimper in pain.

Quinn just watched him leave. She never knew Little Cato was so complicated. Sighing, Quinn turned off the computer and the screen then left the bowling alley deciding to go back to her room.


Little Cato was currently making his way to the lounge room. He didn't know why exactly but he was going there. Anywhere was better than with Quinn in the bowling alley.

Before he walked through the door, Little Cato heard Gary's voice and then Mooncake say, "Chookity!" He briefly asked himself why he was where he was but just walked forward and through the automatic door anyway.

"Hey, Little Cato!" Greeted Gary with a smile.

"Chookity Pa!" Exclaimed Mooncake happily.

Gary didn't seem like he was doing much. He was just sitting on the couch watching TV with Mooncake floating next to him.

"So what have you been…What in the three rings of hell happened to your shoe?!" Asked Gary staring at the shoe with a shocked and apprehensive expression.

Little Cato already started to wish he hadn't come to the lounge room. 'What was I thinking?! Why didn't I just go to my own room?' Little Cato thought to himself. 'My tiredness must be getting to me.'

"Little Cato, what happened." Asked Gary in a serious but gentle voice which made Little Cato slightly irritated. He was fine, why was everyone making such a big deal about it! It was just a bowling ball!

"I accidentally dropped a bowling ball on my foot." Little Cato finally stated, unable to look directly at Gary due to his embarrassment.

"A bowling ball! Are you alright? Do you need an ice pack? You should sit down." Gary said all this quite quickly looking worried.

Little Cato groaned in frustration. Not Gary too!

"I'm fine! It was just a bowling ball!" Little Cato said in a voice sounding a little angrier than he wanted it to.

"Just a bowling ball!" Gary repeated with a look of shock.

This just made Little Cato even angrier. Why was Gary being so dramatic!

"Yeah, look my shoe is barely dented!" Stated Little Cato coldly as he glared at Gary.

Little Cato took a few seconds to think about what he had just said. That had been an understatement. The bowling ball had actually left a huge dent and he could feel the metal pressing forcefully against his foot. Maybe he was being the dramatic one. Gary had only wanted to help.

Little Cato stopped glaring at Gary, who looked speechless and turned his gaze to the floor. He knew what he had to do.

"Sorry, Gary. I didn't mean to get angry. I'm just…not having a good day."

"It's alright." Said Gary giving Little Cato a small smile and then hesitated for a moment before asking, "You sure you're okay?"

Little Cato just looked up and nodded. Then Mooncake floated towards him. He had admittedly forgotten Mooncake was even in the room.

"Chookity?" Mooncake said like he was asking a question.

Little Cato didn't really know what Mooncake had asked, so he just gave the floating alien a small smile.

Little Cato noticed Gary was still looking at him in concern. 'Now is the perfect time to leave.' Little Cato thought to himself.

"Well…I'm going to my room." Said Little Cato turning away from Gary and Mooncake. He could feel both Gary's and Mooncake's eyes on him as he left and was relieved when the door closed behind him. Once he had started walking away, he could hear Gary ask Mooncake, "Do you think he's okay?" And he just heard Mooncake reply with a sad, "Chookity."

Why did everyone care so much? He bet everyone on the ship had gone through way worse than a bowling ball falling on their foot. He knew he had been through way worse. Sure it was painful but he could live with it.

Once Little Cato arrived in his room, he moodily pulled off his shoe and threw it away. Little Cato than held back a gasp as he looked at his foot. He didn't expect it to be this bad. He could barely see his foot due to it being covered in bright red blood.

Little Cato hopped over to his shoe trying his best to not drop blood on the metal floor.

As he was putting his dented shoe back on, he noticed that inside it was a small pool of blood. It was a miracle that the blood hadn't spilled onto the floor when he'd thrown the shoe across the room.

Little Cato groaned as he struggled to put his shoe back on. With his shoe being dented and his foot stinging painfully, it was much harder to put on than before the incident. Once he had forced his shoe on, he walked to the other side of the room and grabbed a clean pair of shoes from his shoe shelf. He then walked out of his bedroom, only to spot his father walking down the hallway. He really was having a bad day.

Little Cato, not wanting his dad to see his dented shoe, hurriedly walked back into his room. He sat down at the bottom bunk due to the pain coming from his injured foot making it too hard to climb up to his preferred bed. His wounded foot felt much worse than before.

Little Cato then silently listened as he heard his dad's footsteps come nearer and then they start to fade away. Once he could no longer hear Avocato's footsteps, Little Cato cautiously walked back out to the hallway and tried his best to walk properly to the bathroom.

Once he got there, he locked the door and put his foot under the water of the shower. It stung so badly that it took all of his will power not to wince or pull it away.

When he had washed off most of the blood, he noticed that his foot was extremely bruised. Little Cato sighed, he wouldn't be able to walk in his shoes without his foot starting to bleed again. He would have to wrap it up in bandages for at least a day or two.

Opening the cabinet where they kept a roll of bandages, Little Cato wrapped the bandages around his injured foot. He used just enough so his foot could still fit in his shoe but if his foot bled, the blood wouldn't soak through the bandages.

Little Cato then put his shoe back on. It was very uncomfortable and still really hurt but he could deal with it.

He washed all the blood off of his old shoe, left the bathroom, and walked back to his room to put his old shoes in his shoe shelf. Once he had done, he decided he would go to the kitchen. He had just realized how hungry he was.

After making his way to the kitchen, Little Cato walked through the door. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open in shock. The kitchen looked like a literal dump! The kitchen floor was completely covered in food crumbs and even liquids. KVN was facing away from him hovering in front of the opened fridge with half a protein bar in his hands.

He had never been so angry at KVN before and something inside of him just snapped.

"KVNNN!" Little Cato yelled, angrily.

"Oh, hey, Little Cato…" Said KVN with a laugh that sounded uncharacteristically nervous.

Little Cato slowly walked closer to KVN. He was clenching his fist so hard, that his claws were digging into his paws, most likely drawing blood, but he didn't care. All he cared about was getting revenge on KVN.

"You ate all the food in the kitchen." Little Cato stated in a low but fierce voice.

KVN started to fearfully back away, and his eyes darted around the room as if looking for some way to escape. However, Little Cato wasn't going to let him escape until he had taught him a lesson.

"I'VE BARELY EATEN ANYTHING AT ALL THIS WEEK! EVERY DAY I COME TO THE KITCHEN AND THERE'S NO FOOD! AND NOW TODAY I COME IN TO FIND OUT THAT YOU ATE EVERYTHING!" Little Cato shouted at KVN, pure anger flooding into every word he said.

KVN had now backed away so much that he had bumped into the fridge. He looked terrified!

"YOU CAN'T EVEN EAT FOOD BUT YET YOU TAKE IT AWAY FROM EVERYONE ELSE WHO DOES NEED FOOD AND LEAVE BEHIND A HUGE MESS FOR OTHERS TO CLEAN UP!" Little Cato yelled, his voice full of anger and fury.

KVN was now literally hiding in one of the shelves of the fridge covering his eye with his claw of a hand.

Little Cato just realized what he was doing and froze in shock. He gazed at poor KVN who looked more frightened than he had ever seen him. He had definitely gone too far. Part of the reason he was angry wasn't even KVN's fault!

Although he believed KVN probably deserved this, he was still highly ashamed of himself.

"I'm sorry, KVN." Little Cato apologized for the second time that day as he stepped back to allow space for KVN to get out. "I don't know what came over me."

KVN cautiously squeezed out of the fridge and laughed nervously. "I didn't know you could be so scary when you wanted to be…"

Little Cato now felt guilty, he hadn't meant to traumatize KVN.

"I'm sorry, KVN." Little Cato repeated. "Half of that anger wasn't aimed at you. I'm just having a bad day."

KVN had seemed to have relaxed from Little Cato's outburst and was now acting like his usual stuff. "Well, I'm glad I made your day that much worse." KVN stated with an insane cackle.

Little Cato let out an annoyed groan. "You better clean up the mess you've made!" Little Cato told KVN as he turned around and stormed out of the room. Why did KVN have to be so irritating?

Little Cato sighed as he slowed his pace. His foot had started to really sting! Little Cato also felt pain coming from both of his paws. Looking down he saw that there were deep marks where his claws had dug into his skin on each paw and all these marks were bleeding.

Little Cato sighed, this day couldn't get any worse.

Then he saw Ash looking to be just arriving at the lounge room. She turned around and saw him and waved with a sweet smile.

"Hi!" Ash greeted.

"Oh, hey!" Little Cato responded returning her smile. He was about to wave back but then he remembered the blood on his paws and quickly hid his paws behind his back.

Ash glanced at his arms suspiciously. What was he hiding? Ash opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by Little Cato.

"Well, I really have to go now…Bye!" Exclaimed Little Cato giving Ash an apologetic smile as he sprinted away from her. He hoped that if he ran, she wouldn't notice the blood on his paws. The last thing he wanted was Ash to ask him questions or pity him.

Once Ash was out of sight, Little Cato stopped running slowing his pace to a walk. Little Cato sighed. It cheered him up a little to see Ash but it was a shame he had to leave her like that. Although, he was sure if he stayed, the blood would have dripped onto the floor or she would've found out about his injured hands.

Little Cato frowned despondently as he went to the bathroom and washed the blood off both of his paw-like hands. He knew he couldn't bandage the injures as he did with his foot due to everyone on the ship being able to see them. So instead he just grabbed a bunch of tissues and decided to stay in his room until both his hands had stopped bleeding. Without them bleeding, he doubted anyone would notice because his fur covered them up.

Wrapping a few tissues around his hands, Little Cato miserably left the bathroom. 'Why am I having so much bad luck today?' Little Cato thought to himself as he arrived in his room.

Slumping onto the bottom bunk bed, Little Cato lay on his back and stared out the window into the never-ending darkness of final space.

(I didn't really know what to write for the rest of this day so I just ended it here and continued to the next day for chapter 7. Sorry!)