HAT: I'm tired of no reviews so eff it, you're just getting disclaimers from now on. I'm not gonna be amusement anymore if I keep getting absolutely no feedback for my stories. Heck, I might put everything on indefinite hold if this keeps up. *shakes head* This'll be the last you hear of me on my stories. *walk out of the building and lets the door slam close*
Disclaimer: I do not own CATS nor the characters save for my OCs.
Skimble hasn't had the easiest time adjusting. Over the past few weeks he's been sticking with the twins in hopes of trying to trigger something, but it never works. He hangs out with Bombalurina and Electra a good amount of his time and he's had a few run-ins with Tugger and Munkustrap and more than a few times he had gone to Deuteronomy's den and gotten talked to, or rather, checked up on every now and again. He sees Jenny every other day to keep track of his weight.
Currently he's listening to Bombalurina fuss over him and how he needs to eat more. He's gained quite a bit of weight, but not enough to be considered healthy. His stomach's so filled with grief most of the time that he usually doesn't eat until he can't take it anymore or they force food into his mouth and won't let him spit it out.
"Bombalurina," he says tiredly, making any words about to come out die on her lips. "I know what I'm risking if I don't eat. Just because I was in Macavity's clutches probably since I was a kit, doesn't mean that I don't know the risks. Despite everything, he did teach me a lot and gave me a lot of experience..."
Dark brown eyes watch his face and she sighs. "I'm sorry, it's just..."
"You're a little overprotective, I know," he says, a light smile on his face. "You know, in the future I saw... you made a great mother... I'm pretty sure that's the case now, too."
"Oh, you," she mutters, licking him between the ears.
He chuckles. "Cut it out, mom," he says teasingly.
Mom... when was the last time he had a mother? Did he have a mother that missed him when Macavity took him? Will he ever see her again? Remember her scent? Her face? Anything?
Stop! Don't ruin this for me, he thinks as he shyly allows her to nuzzle him.
"Are you hungry?"
"Not really, but I guess I can eat something," he mutters.
She rolls her eyes. "You've got to eat otherwise you're not gonna get healthy."
"Yes, mom," he grumbles as he lays his head on his paws.
"Where'd you put the bottle of herbs?" the
"It's back in the den with Tantomile."
Said black and white queen walks forward and paws over the bottle full of herbs. "Here, you need to eat."
Skimble takes the herbs with a grumble and takes out one full leaf and pauses, looking up at the queens. "What am I having? A snack or a meal?"
"A meal," both respond.
He chuckles and pops the leaf into his mouth and routinely chews the bitter tasting herb and swallows it as fast as possible. He's eaten it enough that the taste doesn't effect him as much as it did the first time, when he nearly threw up and Coricopat literally forced him to swallow it.
"What'll I be having, lassies?"
"Whatever you like, Rumpelteazer's coming back with some prey for the cats who can't hunt for themselves," Bombalurina says.
He sighs and rolls onto his stomach to stare at the sky. "Yeah, I still can't hunt for myself, can I?"
Both queens sit next to him, Tantomile playing with his head fur. "It's just until you're to a healthy weight... so that should be some incentive that you eat more."
He groans and then his glass-green orbs flicker to Bombalurina who waves someone over. He sits up and faces Rumpelteazer as she walks over with the prey that she's caught.
"Hello, I'm Rumpelteazer, you're this Skimbleshanks character that's been here for a few weeks, right?"
He bows his head politely and gives, what he hopes is, a charming smile. "Yes, ma'am, that's me."
Usually it's Coricopat, Tantomile, Bombalurina, Electra, or Jennyanydots giving him food and he hasn't had much interaction with the others so it's really been rough acting like he doesn't know any of their names at all when he wants to shout at some of them for doing something stupid.
She smiles and holds out the prey. "What would you like?"
Before he can open his mouth both queens flanking him point to the fattest mouse in her paws and say as one, "He'll take that one!"
He sighs. "I guess I don't have a say in what I do or don't do, do I?"
"Of course not," Bombalurina says with a humorous smile.
Skimble turns to Rumpelteazer and gives a shy, but charming smile. "I guess I'll take that one, lass."
"Alright, handsome, enjoy," the calico says as she gives the plump mouse to him with a wink.
He blinks in surprise and blushes as he takes the mouse. "Th-thank you lass."
She walks away and he quickly peels back the skin and fur of digs into the flesh before either of the queens beside him can speak. He doesn't want his reaction to be seen by the two queens, though he suspects that Tantomile must know what's running through his mind.
In his old life- his made up life- he hasn't been one to get any queen's affections towards him, and if they have he's never noticed them be so bold as Rumpelteazer was right then. Besides, in his mind, she's more than a few years younger than himself even the thought of giving her the idea that he was interested seems wrong. He supposes he could never find a mate within the junkyard- if he ever thinks of getting one- and will have to go out to find one.
"Looks like some admirers are starting to come your way," Bombalurina says.
"Like I could bring myself to accept any of them," he grumbles, wiping a bit of blood on the corner of his mouth. "In my mind they're a decade or two younger than me."
The two queens accept this sullenly and he finishes his meal without anything else being said. After several minutes it's just him curled up against Bombalurina while she hums a tune under her breath and runs her fingers through his head fur. He remembers his mother- the imaginary one- doing this to him. He supposes he could accept the fiery red queen as a mother figure in his life. Everlasting knows that he'll need one since he's found out only a little while ago his life was not his own.
"You know... You need to interact with more cats," she murmurs.
"It hurts," he murmurs.
"I know, but you've got to face it at some point. You'll need to meet them at some point sometime, the sooner the better."
Glass-green eyes glance up at her face. "Can't we wait a little longer."
"Is there anything that's holding you back besides your false memories?"
"Well..." Skimble grows silent for a moment, trying to think of a way to put his thoughts and feelings into words. "I guess... I'm afraid of them not accepting me."
She gives him a look of disbelief. "Really? You're an amazing young tom and you'll be sure to be accepted, even if it's unwillingly by a few. Eventually even they'll warm up to you."
"Do you really think that?" He asks, not knowing how young and scared he sounds to the queen.
Her hold on him becomes firmer to reassure her claim, "Yes, I do."