Day 2:

Cat

Pairing: Thor/Jane, mention of Thor/Sif and Phil/Pepper, Sort of Frostiron

Rating: T

Warnings: Animal Abuse, Mating Cycles, Twisting of "Warriors", Allusion to "Next Avengers"

Loki had been lost, abandoned by his family and left to fend for himself. Then a small cat- practically a Kit still- finds him and pushes his way into Loki's life.

Tony grumbled softly to himself as he padded close to the humans' place, twisting his head to look back once he reached the road that acted as a boarder from humans and the clans to look back at Clint- the smug grey furred bastard of a tom- who's eyes slitted slightly in amusement. "Not backing out are you?"

"Not on your life." Tony growled, brown furred black striped tail flicking irritably before he bounded across the road and into human territory.

"Don't come back unless you bring something interesting!" Clint called as he twisted into another road to lead deeper into the human town. Tony huffed in response but otherwise remained silent as he walked, eyes flitting around the wooden fences and brick buildings with mild curiosity as he searched for a good enough prize, mind returning back to the reason he was even there.

x

It wasn't often that they all found time to meet together; Bruce, a brown tom that would have been mistaken for Tony's litter mate if he had the same stripes, had been busy with trying to fill the recently deceased medicine cat's paws while Steve, a yellow furred tom, had finally been accepted as a warrior's apprentice once he reached a growth spurt. Natasha, a black furred she-cat, had been sent off with Clint and Thor, a large and long furred yellow tom, on a long term border patrol in search of a fox that someone had scented. Jane, a white furred she-cat that had captivated Thor from the moment he saw her, along with Darcy, a brown furred she-cat, had been in the nursing den to help Pepper, a reddish furred she-cat, with her birthing and then kits when a report came back that Phil, the tom who had been her mate, had been killed. Tony himself had been, as was his reputation, flitting between tunneling and apprenticing as both a medicine cat and warrior-
he being the one who pulled together the odd group in the first place due to his wide array of activities.

Despite all this they had managed to come together in the day proceeding summer to lounge by the river that wound it's way through their clan's territory, that particular spot having a bridge and clearing created from large tree roots along with an abandoned fox den to be used if needed. Pepper had curled up at the mouth of the den after she had bit Tony's ear, having heard of how he had gone searching for a rabbit in the tunnels despite the fact that cornered rabbits could break bones with their back feet, with Darcy beside her as she gave the younger cat advice on her first on coming mating cycle. Jane and Thor were curled up together while bathing one another in a disgustingly sweet display, Natasha was teaching Steve how to fish, Bruce was sprawled out in the sun with his eyes closed in sleep leaving Tony alone with Clint- something that most generally tried to avoid.

"Anything exciting happen on your patrol?" Tony asked as he watched Steve swipe to hard and end up toppling into the water.

Clint rolled his shoulders in a shrug, "Not really- although the humans fixed the dividing road."

"Did you go across it?" Tony pressed when he got a negative. "What? Is the big bad warrior afraid?"

Clint's eyes narrowed, "Let's see you cross it- better yet, I bet you don't have the guts to go into the human town and bring something back with you."

"You are on." Tony said, matching his challenging stare.

xxx

A crash sounded, startling Tony from his thoughts and twisting he saw a human standing in a small road that branched from the larger ones between the human dens. "Filthy beast!" The human roared, foot lashing out to kick something.

At the pained yowl Tony went closer, spying a large yet thin black tom huddled against the wooden wall, hissing angrily at the man. "Moronic human!"

"Do not hiss at me!" The human shouted, kicking the tom again. Tony darted up cold, shiny barrels and onto the wooden wall, crouching in preparation then launching himself at the human's face when the human turned to follow the tom who had moved, claws digging into flesh as he aimed for the eyes. "Stupid cat!" The human growled tossing Tony to the ground once he pried him off.

"Move!" The tom called, a stone caged flower falling on the human once Tony obliged.

The human yelped as it crashed into him, the tom appearing next to Tony who nudged the other cat. "Come on, before he remembers us!"

With that the two of the darted away, although the tom was limping, until they made it to the dividing road where the tom stopped. "Where are you going?"

"Back to camp." Tony answered, turning to look as the tom.

The tom's eyes narrowed, "Camp? What do you mean?"

"It's where the clan lives-" Tony started then remembered where he met the other. "Oh, kitty-pet. Right. It's where a group of...wild cats live. We call each group clans, my clan is the Redleaf Clan."

xxx

"And?" Peter, a brown furred kit, asked eagerly when Tony paused. "What happened then?"

"I died." Loki answered blandly, stretched out in the sun with one eye trained on the group of kits gathered around Tony.

Torunn, Thor's daughter to his deceased mate Sif, blinked, "How terrible."

"Indeed." Tony snorted, stretching slightly. "Well, being the grumpy furred thing he is, Loki didn't come into the clan that first time."

"This didn't mean that Kitling didn't come often to bug me." Loki added. "In fact there was this one time..."

xxx

It wasn't often that Loki was able to lounge in the sun in peace, what with the humans moving about with their cars and pets, so it was with much distaste that his noontime nap was interrupted by the small cat he had met a few nights ago and had been periodically bugging him ever since. "Come on Kittypet, don't be lazy!"

"I've already told you, Kitling." Loki growled irritably, glancing down his perch to find Tony sitting at the base of the tree, peering up at him with eyes squinted in amusement at his irritation. "I am not a pet- no human is worthy of owning one such as me."

Tony's tail flicked carelessly, "Yeah, yeah, your highness. Now come on- I'm going to teach you to fish!"

"Why?" Loki asked. "I already know how to hunt."

Tony huffed, "Because it will be fun? And useful. Or is Kittypet just scared?"

"You wish Kitling." Loki retorted as he made his way to the ground.

xxx

"Why do you guys always call each other names?" Coulson, Pepper's first kit, asked.

"Pet names even- terms of endearment!" Parker, Peter's brother, exclaimed.

Peter's ears twitched in amusement, "Uncle Ben says they argue like an old mated couple."

"I'm out of his league." Tony and Loki protested at the same time causing the kits to laugh when they glared at each other.

"But your always together." Romanov, Natasha and Clint's daughter, pointed out.

Barton, Romanov's brother, nodded. "And you do that weird 'parent speak' with one another that lets you know what the other's saying without speaking."

"You and your sister do it." Tony countered.

Torunn shrugged, "That's different because they're littermates."

"Still," Tony protested. "The only reason Kittypet hangs around me is because Thor avoids me."

Potts, Coulson's sister, glared. "Mama told us how when the land attacked that Loki burst into camp and into the collapsing tunnels to find you because you mentioned you'd be working there for a quarter moon. How is not car-"

"NO!" Tony pulled a face. "Ugh. Don't bring feelings or sentiment into our relationship!"

Romanov's eyes narrowed in pleasure. "So you admit you two have a relationship."

"Go on," Loki said when Tony covered his face with his paws with a groan. "Go bug your parents."

Parker snickered, "Of course! Come on, let's leave the couple alone."

Loki rolled his eyes as Tony groaned louder.