The next morning, Rosela was startled out of her half sleep by a wretched smell. She knew immediately what it was, of course, and pounded all six hands against her bed in fury. "Really?! You're going to do this to me? I gave you a place to sleep, you miserable ball of hair!" Tears welling up, she sat up in bed, carefully checking the floor next to her bed. The ball of hair in question was perched on her chair, tucked underneath the table. Had she not seen through the shadows, she would have likely only seen two yellow disks staring her down through the pre-dawn darkness.
Trying valiantly not to cry, she crawled to the end of the bed and immediately spotted her 'present', on the floor next to the hearth. Lip trembling, she cast the pair of eyes under the table a baleful glare as she slipped out of bed.
~
A bell later, with the soiled clay bits packed up in their original bag, nasty little surprise included and Kadda stuffed irritably into her crate, Rosela had flung her windows open to the chilled morning air in an attempt to air out the place while she was gone. It would be cold when she came back, but at least it wouldn't stink.
Walking with the crate and bag was extremely awkward, and Rosela wasn't sure how the technician had managed to do it with only two arms. Two arms hefted the crate along at arms length, and another kept it balanced so Kadda's anxious pacing wouldn't rock it too much. On the other side of her body, one arm pulled her skirt tight against her hips, bound and determined not to let her clothing look like the technician's mangled rags. Her final two hands kept the large bag balanced on her already strained shoulders.
It was a long, slow walk across town, and all of her arms were aching by the time she got to the Menagerie. She saw a short line of people already there and nearly collapsed at the end of it. Kadda made a small squeak at the sudden impact with the ground and Rosela whispered an apology. At the front of the line, a portly human woman appeared to be having an argument with the technician. Everyone in line looked tired and harried.
Sitting on her heels, Rosela watched the insufferable kitten attempt to knead the bottom of the crate. As the voices from the front of the line reached a crescendo, she sighed and reached in the bag for the braided toy. She hadn't even gotten to use it yet, but maybe there was time left for a chime of play.
It took Kadda a moment to register the bouncing ball of fabric dangling in her crate, and after a few bats, she latched onto it, her upper body moving up and down with Rosela's pulling. The noise of the line faded away as she focused on pulling the tiny creature from one end of the crate to the other, a child-like grin on her face. Kadda waddled ridiculously in her attempts to follow the braid while keeping her front two paws latched to it, and once, when Rosela had managed to get it way, she hopped sideways towards the knot in a strange attempt at an ambush. Her back legs swung up periodically to kick furiously at the knot stuffed into her tiny mouth and her tiny growls only made Rosela giggle harder.
It was some time before she realized the line had moved, and she was essentially sitting in the middle of the street, playing with a cat in a crate. Relinquishing the braid to Kadda, who drew it in and attacked it mercilessly, Rosela heaved the crate forward.
"Morning," The technician looked drawn and exhausted. "Name?"
"...Rosela." She could hear Kadda purring in her crate.
"Ah the ocelot kit. Yea...she looks good. Go on then." He gestured to an equally tired Akalak who stepped forward to take the crate and bag.
Rosela hesitated just a moment and then the weight was gone, and Kadda was being hoisted away, towards the door to the Menagerie. She was still wrestling with the braid, and Rosela willed her to look up just once, to realize she was being taken away. At the very last moment, Kadda released the braid, gave her paw a meticulous lick and met Rosela's eyes. Then, very suddenly, she was through the door and gone.
Rosela stood stock still for a moment, until the technician cleared his throat. "Thank you for your support, please visit us again..." He recited tiredly, reaching out to drop 10 gold mizas into her hand. She took them nodded numbly, and began to walk away, unsure of how an entire day had managed to go by so fast.
Trying valiantly not to cry, she crawled to the end of the bed and immediately spotted her 'present', on the floor next to the hearth. Lip trembling, she cast the pair of eyes under the table a baleful glare as she slipped out of bed.
~
A bell later, with the soiled clay bits packed up in their original bag, nasty little surprise included and Kadda stuffed irritably into her crate, Rosela had flung her windows open to the chilled morning air in an attempt to air out the place while she was gone. It would be cold when she came back, but at least it wouldn't stink.
Walking with the crate and bag was extremely awkward, and Rosela wasn't sure how the technician had managed to do it with only two arms. Two arms hefted the crate along at arms length, and another kept it balanced so Kadda's anxious pacing wouldn't rock it too much. On the other side of her body, one arm pulled her skirt tight against her hips, bound and determined not to let her clothing look like the technician's mangled rags. Her final two hands kept the large bag balanced on her already strained shoulders.
It was a long, slow walk across town, and all of her arms were aching by the time she got to the Menagerie. She saw a short line of people already there and nearly collapsed at the end of it. Kadda made a small squeak at the sudden impact with the ground and Rosela whispered an apology. At the front of the line, a portly human woman appeared to be having an argument with the technician. Everyone in line looked tired and harried.
Sitting on her heels, Rosela watched the insufferable kitten attempt to knead the bottom of the crate. As the voices from the front of the line reached a crescendo, she sighed and reached in the bag for the braided toy. She hadn't even gotten to use it yet, but maybe there was time left for a chime of play.
It took Kadda a moment to register the bouncing ball of fabric dangling in her crate, and after a few bats, she latched onto it, her upper body moving up and down with Rosela's pulling. The noise of the line faded away as she focused on pulling the tiny creature from one end of the crate to the other, a child-like grin on her face. Kadda waddled ridiculously in her attempts to follow the braid while keeping her front two paws latched to it, and once, when Rosela had managed to get it way, she hopped sideways towards the knot in a strange attempt at an ambush. Her back legs swung up periodically to kick furiously at the knot stuffed into her tiny mouth and her tiny growls only made Rosela giggle harder.
It was some time before she realized the line had moved, and she was essentially sitting in the middle of the street, playing with a cat in a crate. Relinquishing the braid to Kadda, who drew it in and attacked it mercilessly, Rosela heaved the crate forward.
"Morning," The technician looked drawn and exhausted. "Name?"
"...Rosela." She could hear Kadda purring in her crate.
"Ah the ocelot kit. Yea...she looks good. Go on then." He gestured to an equally tired Akalak who stepped forward to take the crate and bag.
Rosela hesitated just a moment and then the weight was gone, and Kadda was being hoisted away, towards the door to the Menagerie. She was still wrestling with the braid, and Rosela willed her to look up just once, to realize she was being taken away. At the very last moment, Kadda released the braid, gave her paw a meticulous lick and met Rosela's eyes. Then, very suddenly, she was through the door and gone.
Rosela stood stock still for a moment, until the technician cleared his throat. "Thank you for your support, please visit us again..." He recited tiredly, reaching out to drop 10 gold mizas into her hand. She took them nodded numbly, and began to walk away, unsure of how an entire day had managed to go by so fast.
