quick allegiances! all except Holly and Sol are characters I made up on the spot, technically OCs but im not putting a claim on them
Vincent - mottled grey and white tom, green eyes
Pip - small siamese she-cat, blue eyes
Jerky - dark brown tom with white paws, amber eyes
Luna - short-furred black and brown she-cat (pregnant, father not-present), amber eyes
Penny - copper and white tom-kit, being fostered by Pip, green eyes
Oliver - orange tabby tom-cat with a white underbelly and paws, amber eyes
Holly(leaf) - small black smoke tabby she-cat with thick fur, green eyes
Sol - large, mostly black tortoiseshell tom, amber eyes
Sunset ; 7:23 PM
Previously...
Panic coiled up in Hollyleaf's stomach as the scent of a mix of different cats hit her nose, and she kept herself as close to the wall as possible. Sol seemed relaxed however, stepping in right beside the lithe she-cat.
Faint paw-steps neared before the sight of a cat rounded a corner of hay, their eyes widening in surprise as they admired the two cats.
"Harry?"
Hollyleaf felt confusion prod at her, who was 'Harry', and why did Sol react to the name? Her jade eyes squinted, her previous fear fading into a suspicion as her focus shifted between the two cats.
"Ah, Pip. Good to see you once more, I go by 'Sol' now."
Sol said in an amused voice, leaving Holly's side in order to initiate a friendly greeting towards the she-cat. Pip stared at him with a questioning gaze, but seemed to accept the new name within seconds as she butted her head against Sol's chest affectionately. For a brief moment, Holly felt a spark of jealousy, an unfamiliar emotion, but quickly relaxed as Sol turned back to her.
"Holly, meet Pip. An old friend from here."
He gave an almost too-sweet smile and waved his tail in order to beckon the tabby forward, in which Holly foolishly obeyed like a spell. She reluctantly dipped her head in greeting, feeling like an apprentice who is attending their first gathering, anxious and desperate to make a good impression. Her paws threatened to collapse beneath her, especially after walking all day.
Pip gave a slight laugh and flicked her black-tipped tail, a smile gracing her face.
"Are you two staying? It's always nice to have new company." She commented, before turning directly to Sol, "You'd better not run off again, I swear, we all thought you died!"
Pip scolded, giving a light bat at Sol's ears as he let out a laugh, promising that he won't. Holly stood to the side a bit and swished her tail, watching the two interact playfully with a twinge of disappointment. It wasn't long before a small, curious head poked around a wooden box, the small pitter-patter of tiny paws making it's way around as the kit stared up at Pip.
"Mama? Hungry!"
The small kit whined, it's tiny paws batting at the black fur of Pip's leg. Pip simply gave a slight chuckle as she leaned down to lick the kit's forehead.
"I know, Penny. I'll be there in a second, why don't you go see what Luna's doing?" She recommended, but to no avail, the kit simply stared up at her eagerly, before turning his head towards the two newcomers.
"Who?"
Penny asked quietly, his small face twisting into confusion at the two cats, before playfully bounding his way over to an awed Holly. Stepping back a bit, Holly gave an excited smile to the kit before moving into a laying position as the kit pawed at her swishing tail energetically. She flashed a hopeful gaze towards Sol, who was simply watching the two with amusement.
Holly had always wanted kits of her own, even since she was one herself, the simple thought of having a litter excited her to no end - and Penny's playfulness didn't help either. She figured she was getting ahead of herself, Sol and her weren't even mates yet, and she wasn't even sure if Sol thought of her that way.
She gave a friendly smile at Pip, "He's adorable- I've always wanted kits myself, just never found the right tom." The she-cat expressed, leaning down and giving an affectionate lick on Penny's forehead as he bounded up to play with her front paws.
Pip laughed, "Yeah, he's a pawful though, can barely get him to settle down at night." Penny stopped his playing and looked over at Pip curiously, before scampering over towards her and batting at her tail, just as he did to Holly just a few minutes ago.
The siamese she-cat paused for a moment and looked between Sol and Holly curiously.
"Aren't you two mates? Y'know, it's never too late to start." Pip teased, sitting down and giving a playful flick of her tail.
Holly froze and flushed beneath her fur, curling her tail up beside herself, "I mean, n-" Sol shot a look at her as he interrupted, "Yes, Pip. We are."
The onyx tabby gave a confused mewl at the words, her tail flicking a bit. Sol gave her a look in which she could only interpret as a warning, in which she just laid her head on her paws quietly, nodding at Pip. A soft yawn escaped her muzzle as she curled in her spot, tiredly blinking her eyes.
Truthfully, she wasn't that effected by Sol's outburst, being far too sleepy to care. After all, a long day of travel in the hot sun took a lot out of her, not to mention she hadn't had anything besides that rabbit to eat earlier.
Pip nodded suspiciously at the two of them, a bit of an odd look plastered on her face before she pepped up again,
"You two look tired, why don't you go get some sleep? Feel free to set up a nest anywhere, we don't really have a set sleeping area." Pip explained, mostly to Holly, as Sol had already known the dynamics. "I'll introduce you to the others in the morning, I think you'll like them."
With that, the siamese flashed a smile at the two cats before heading back to where she came from, Penny at her back paws, still as hyper as before. There was a tense silence for a few moments after Pip left, before Sol started setting up a nest with hay, dragging and combining two pre-made nests towards the back of the room, into a tipped over wooden box.
Holly was already starting to doze off in her spot, losing track of time before she felt a maw grab her scruff and tug her upwards. Her eyes darted open, but she quickly was soothed as she realized it was only Sol. The she-cats paws barely touched the ground as the tortoiseshell lifted her up and set her in the nest, before wrapping himself around her.
"You have to stop doing that, Sol. I'm too big for you to be tugging around like a kit."
The tabby huffed, her emerald eyes squinting at the tom, who simply gave a teasing smile, "Maybe I'm just practicing, you're about the size of one." Sol chuckled, pressing his muzzle into the fur of Holly's cheek.
Curling herself up, she didn't dare bring up the interaction earlier, instead just accepting the fact that Sol was her mate now. It wasn't like she cared anyways, after all, she'd admired him since she was a mere apprentice. After a moment of thought, she realized she didn't feel tired anymore, but a bit giddy at the thought of meeting a few new cats in the morning.
Night ; 9:07 PM
She stretched a bit and pressed into Sol, who let out a gentle purr and licked her forehead. Holly blinked at him and let out a purr herself, before intertwining her tail with his own contently.
"I'm not tired anymore." She mentioned reluctantly, but let go of her worry as she saw Sol wasn't as well.
A nod came from Sol's head as he began to groom her, just as he did earlier, but this time, it was focused around her neck. There was a few comfortable heartbeats of silence, minus the loud purrs coming from the two of them as Sol traced his tail up her spine.
"You heard what Pip said, it's never too late to have kits." He eventually said with a teasing tone, watching how Holly adverted her gaze and flushed.
"I don't know, Sol- maybe it's best to wait a bit, until I get used to this place." The onyx cat murmured meekly, her tail giving a nervous flick as she very briefly felt Sol's discontentment with the statement, even without looking at his face.
The tom was persistent, however, "Oh, come on, kitten. I saw how excited you looked when you talked about wanting to have your first litter, and the hopeful look you gave me while you were playing with Penny. Just think, our own-"
"Sol, stop it. I want to get used to this place first, please. I want to be sure my kits will be raised in a safe environment." Holly gave a slight hiss, though her voice wasn't one of warning, instead, it sounded pleading. She curled protectively around her stomach, as if she really was expecting.
This didn't settle well with Sol, but he didn't push it any further. The tom shifted closer and wrapped himself around his mate again, giving a comforting lick on her ear as if to settle their disagreement. He felt the she-cat reluctantly relax against him, her jade eyes slowly closing.
Holly's breathing slowed eventually, pulling her into a well-needed slumber, and soon enough, Sol did as well, the two cats curled against each other.
;w; short chapter, but chap. three is coming soon! hopefully by like, tomorrow, if my motivation doesn't disintegrate by then lol
faves/follows/reviews are appreciated!