Feline Faults
ChipsAhoyPup
Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. Never have, never will. (This doesn't stop me from wishing I did, though.)
The sun rose, and L rose with it. He stretched his stiff body, his forepaws reaching forward, his spine arching up. A yawn escaped his jaws. He stood straight again, his gaze drifting upwards toward the sun. He instinctively flinched when the blinding rays made contact with his eyes.
Time to find some food and water, L decided, shaking out his ebony fur. He drowsily padded out of the alleyway. Cars were already buzzing up and down the pavement, and people busily swarmed the sidewalks. L stared with wide eyes, feeling more lost than ever. Too many pairs of legs, too many bodies, too many people…!
"Kitty!" A young human shouted as he passed, stretching a hand out towards L. The cat's eyes widened even more, and he stumbled backwards, panic clear in his expression. The mother of the child said something about fleas; L was still backing away, out of hearing range.
People… are everywhere… L shook his head, trying to push away the fear that was rising up in his chest. No. He had to get through this. He couldn't stay in this alleyway all day. He would die without any food or water.
Gathering up all his courage, L charged forward, out of the alleyway. As he entered the crowd of feet, he found himself bouncing over shoes and scrambling out of the way of giant boots. It didn't take long for him to break out of the throng of people. L sighed in relief, his ears flattening in exhaustion. Just getting out of the alleyway took a lot of energy out of him.
Now to find something to satisfy my hunger and thirst, L thought, feeling more confident than usual. He walked with his head held high and his ears erect. The earlier excitement came back, draining away the exhaustion. As he explored the area, he noticed a small puddle. There had probably been a lot of them, in every spot of the city. But L had been too scared of the large buildings and alarmingly-close cars to notice.
He bounded over to the puddle, lapping the water. He was aware of how germy it was; he could practically taste the rhinovirus cells. But it was either dirty water or no water at all. And if he went with the latter, he wouldn't live much longer. When you're on the verge of dying, you can't be picky. L drank his fill, and when he finished, there was barely any liquid left on the ground.
Feeling somewhat satisfied, the obsidian feline sprang forward, away from the nearly-dry puddle. He scampered down the sidewalk aimlessly. He didn't care where he was going; just as long as he ran into food at some point or another. Then, the least expected thing happened. "Woof woof!" The sound came from the direction in which L was racing towards.
The cat skidded to a halt; the dog heading in the opposite direction, however, didn't seem willing to stop. He barreled into poor little L, pinning him to the ground. L yowled, terror gripping him as tightly as the dog was. He frantically began clawing at the golden retriever's face. The dog whimpered in pain, and yet, despite that, he began gently licking L's face.
This stopped L. His paws halted in mid-swipe, and he lay there limply, allowing the dog to cover him in canine slobber. After a full minute of the dog rasping his tongue against the cat's fur and flesh, there was a shout from barely three feet away. "Matt!" The golden retriever froze, pulling his tongue back into his jaws. He didn't loosen his grip on L, though.
The dog picked L up by the scruff. The cat dangled from his jaws, as stiff as a rock. The dog pointed his nose towards the sky as he walked, as if L was an award that he had won. L closed his eyes, trying not to focus on the feeling of hovering in the air. And, before he knew it, his belly fur gently brushed against the pavement.
L opened his eyes, placing his paws on the ground simultaneously. He glanced up, and nearly did a double-take. A human towered over him, his clothes darker than L's fur. Except his clothes were shining, the sunlight reflecting off of it. Whereas L's fur was dull, due to the fact that the sunlight was absorbed into it, not reflected off of it. The human had golden hair that hung to its chin. Its eyes were an icy blue, and its expression looked cross.
"Matt, who is this?" It growled; from the sound of its voice, it was a male.
"Woof," The dog barked. L assumed that the dog's name was Matt. That would explain why the human had been calling the name "Matt" as he ran towards them.
L bent his tail so that it was in the shape of an L. He nosed at it, trying to indicate it. He was hoping that this human would take the hint. The human stared, then snorted in amusement, as if the very possibility of a cat understanding a human was absurd. "So, what, is your name L?" L nodded furiously, his tail going back to its normal position.
The human gaped. "Did… did you just…?" L nodded again. "W… wow. You're some smart cat, huh?" L tilted his head from side to side modestly. "Nice to meet you. I'm Mello." The man knelt down, holding a hand out. Said hand had a black material on it, the same type of material that covered Mello's whole body.
"Meow," L replied, putting his paw on top of Mello's hand. The pleasure is all mine, L thought. He wished more than ever that he could speak human language.
"Heh. Matt can't even do that. And he's a dog. He's supposed to know how to shake hands," Mello said with a roll of his eyes. Matt sat there, a dumb expression displayed against his face, his tongue lolling out of the side of his muzzle. L purred in amusement. "So, L, do you have an owner?" L's purring abruptly cut off. His ears flattened and he lowered his gaze, staring at his paws. "I'll take that as a no."
"Meooowww," L whimpered, drawling out his meow due to the distress that he felt. Memories were flooding back. And right after he had succeeded in pushing them away, too.
"Are you a stray?" Mello pressed, not taking the hint. L shook his head. "Well… if you don't have an owner, and you're not a stray, then what are you?"
L looked up again, staring intently into the cobalt eyes of the human. Then, he lifted his head even higher, stretching his neck upwards to reveal the chain embedded in his neck. "Ooh, ow, that looks painful," Mello murmured sympathetically, wincing. "So, were you abandoned or something?" L nodded, letting his head rest on his shoulders again. There was a long, awkward silence.
"I bet you I could find you a better owner," Mello spoke up after a moment. L's head snapped up, and he stared at Mello with large, disbelieving eyes. Was this human serious? He couldn't be serious. He just couldn't be. "In fact, I promise you that I'll find you a better owner," Mello continued. "But, in exchange, you have to do whatever I want for one day. Just one."
L was about to nod in agreement, but his stomach chose that moment to interrupt. Mello laughed. "Okay, how about I get your stomach filled first? You can help me tomorrow, after you've gotten plenty of food and water in your stomach, and a full night's rest."
L purred, rubbing his head against the slick material that covered Mello's legs. Mello laughed once more and gently picked L up, cradling him in his arms. "Come on, you. Let me show you where you're going to live for these next two days," Mello cooed, stroking the cat's ear with an index finger. L couldn't hold back the purr that exploded from his throat. Mello whistled quietly, and Matt instantly stood up, loyally padding beside his master.
L kept his eyes on the path ahead. His irises shone with happiness, for the first time in four days.