taking out the human [FOX]

[Kat]

Midas was a big cat, and he was a difficult cat, and Jackson loved him anyway. At almost seven pounds, Midas proved to be significantly larger than most cats, but he also managed to hold his weight in a way which kept a simple appearance of slender muscle to his form. Midas was not fat; he was just large, and his build was athletic and powerful. When he had purchased the cat, Jackson had hoped he would turn out as he was, and the man had not been disappointed with the creature. His parents, that Jackson had seen, were equally big, although Jackson’s coloring was lighter and more delicate than either of his parents. Isabel had picked Jackson out. She had seen the kittens in the house of a friends, and she had demanded that Jackson purchase her one. And Midas had been her cat, absolutely, until her death. The result was that the cat, in some ways, represented a piece of Isabel, and Jackson was attached to the animal for that reason. The man buried his nose into Midas’s neck, so that his skin contrasted with the light fur of his creature. Even though he was big for a cat, and even though Jackson was thinner and weaker than his previous size, it was easy to carry the creature, or at least to lift Midas. The cat, though, did not like being handled in this way. He much preferred to move himself, because Midas was the master of his own body, and he disliked when Jackson intervened. His body thrashed a third time, and Jackson used his chin to press against the scruff of Midas’s neck, where the man had nuzzled the cat previously. Midas reluctantly calmed, but he threw tight glare to Jackson.

Midas, though, had to be taken out at least four times a day so that he did not soil Jackson’s room. He doubted Embry would appreciate the smell of cat urine, since he hated the cat already. And Midas did not necessarily like going out; he liked being outside, and he liked the Eyrie gardens, but he did not like the process of locomotion between the two areas. Jackson sighed, his frail-looking body shrinking, as they finally reached the familiar patch of vegetation. He dropped Midas, who almost leapt out of the man’s arms regardless, and the cat launched into the air. The jump, as it was not really a fall, propelled the cat a few feet, but Midas landed on his feet regardless, and before he started to move, he twisted his head to snarl at Jackson. The human shrugged as he eyed his cat sniff around the edges of the garden, before Jackson shuffled towards the base of a tree, where he sat down in the shade.

The man knew that he did not need to worry about the cat. While Midas pretended to dislike his master, the truth of the matter was that he would always return to Jackson. The man pressed his knees to his chest, and he grabbed them with his large arms. Even though he had slimmed quite a bit, his arms kept a good deal of their muscular definition, even though such athleticism had already drained from his chest. The sleek line of his biceps could be seen under his loose fitting, light shirt. He wore pants, and because it was only fall, he did not yet need a jacket. He did well cold temperatures, and he rarely wore jackets anyway. The truth of the matter was that he liked being uncomfortably cold. He liked the feeling of discomfort. It felt appropriate for his mentality in life.

After urinating, Midas returned to Jackson and knocked his head against Jackson’s calf. Jackson dropped his gaze to look at the animal, and he shook his head.
”Just give me a few more minutes, mm’kay?”
Jackson requested. He had just sat down, and he did not want to move yet. Midas knocked his head into Jackson’s leg a second time. Then he mewed, but Jackson did not move. The cat would live.

[Fox]

Silvanus was seventeen years old when he acquired Lady. Or, rather, when Lady decided to adopt him. It had been a normal winter morning, and the boy had been tasked with setting up shop for the day when he’d noticed the tattered bundle of fur curled up on the doorstep. It was cold out, and he’d been surprised the cat hadn’t found a warmer place to stay, but it hadn’t had much to do with him. So Silas had just stepped over the creature and opened the door. Faster than he could blink, the cat was inside and curled up against the small hearth, green eyes glaring at him balefully. That was the start of a rather interesting relationship. The boy had frowned and tried to shoo the cat away to no avail. She was perfectly content to plonk herself on the warming stone and resist all attempts to move her. And she was a big cat even then, though she was thin enough that her ribs stuck out against her skin.

Eventually, Silas had given up. The next day, she was waiting by the step again. And the day after that, too. His Uncle Graham just raised an eyebrow at the feline presence in the shop and instructed Silas to make sure cat hair didn’t get into the products and left it at that. After a week, the seventeen-year-old finally admitted defeat and put down a saucer of milk for the cat, and she was his from then on. He grew attached enough to her that he brought her to Eyrie rather than leave her with Graham, even though it meant that he had to let her out regularly to preserve the clean, catdirt-free environment of his room. But Lady was always a fairly well-behaved cat, and Silas was complacent enough that most days he left the door open and allowed her free reign of the place. She always turned up again at meal times anyway.

Sometimes, like in this particular instance, she insisted on going with him when he went out. When she had been smaller and skinnier, she had occupied the spot on his left shoulder with her tail curled around his neck, but as she’d gotten healthier and fatter, her owner had stopped allowing her to sit there. Not only did it leave Silas with a horrible neck ache afterwards, but a heavier cat meant that he couldn’t balance her as well, and he already had scars enough from her claws that he wasn’t keen on adding more of them. So poor Lady was demoted to trotting at Silas’s heels, occasionally weaving between his feet and forcing him to do some fancy footwork to avoid tripping over her. She was a troublesome cat, but he loved her anyway.

Silas was really just out for a walk. He’d gotten bored cooped up in his room in the barracks between chores and lectures, so he’d decided to go and do some sightseeing. The gardens should be interesting to see, even though it was coming on to winter. Lady just wanted to be with her owner; who knew what trouble he’d get into without her sobering presence to stick a claw into him if he got too full of himself. She was surveying the scene boredly; there was nothing for her to chase here, and she wasn’t interested in vegetables. Her interest did perk, though, when the faint scent of another cat drifted to her nose. With a loud meow, she darted between Silas’s feet-- eliciting a curse from the man as he tripped-- and streaked off, making a beeline for a particular tree beneath which someone was taking shelter. Silas, intrigued, followed. As Lady slowed to approach the other cat cautiously, her owner snorted a laugh as he recognised the man beneath the tree. ”Enjoyin’ the afternoon, are we?” He asked with a smirk, heedless of the fact that the man had obviously been enjoying the peace and quiet. ”Tha’s a nice cat ye’ve got there. Siamese?”

[Kat]

Midas tensed at the realization that the other cat approached, but as soon as he spotted Lady, Midas relaxed as he decided that he was interested in the other cat. He trotted to meet her, and as soon as he arrived, he began to sniff at her, and then he mewed cheerfully. Jackson eyed the strange cat with distain. He did not want his Midas mingling with other cats—but that was not it at all—really, Jackson did not like being interrupted. He liked his quiet time, and this cat was ruining his time with Midas. Jackson had to admit that the cat was beautiful, a large, fluffy creature. She looked positively soft, and she was a very lovely color. Jackson loved cats, really, and because of this affinity, Jackson would warm quickly to the large cat who Midas now sniffed gleefully. He liked the presence of another creature that was not a simourv. He was a spoiled cat, and difficult, but he did like other cats, which was unusual. Then, though, the cat’s owner came barreling towards him. The man must have tripped. Jackson pushed his body backwards, so that he scooted out of the way of Silas’s body. Jackson knew this man. He was in the same candidate class with Jackson, who scowled up at Silas for a minute before he forced a smile across his mouth. Grumpy or not, there was not reason to be downright rude, especially since Silas had never been—offensive to Jackson.

A curt, brief nod signaled Jackson’s decision to interact with Silvanus. Then, Jackson paused, breathing a small puff of air into his lungs, before he spoke.
”Yeah, I had to take Midas out.”
Jackson replied as he gestured towards his cat so Silvanus would know to whom Jackson referred to by name. At the sound of his name, Midas perked, his ears twisting towards Jackson. The compliment about Midas made his owner smile, a small, twitch of his lips, a scowl, almost, but one which looked pleased.
“Thank you, he is a Siamese, yes—my wife bought him.”
Jackson announced as his hand reached up to twist the ring around his finger. He always touched it when he thought about his wife. Jackson then turned his gaze to the two cats again, where he looked over the larger of the pair again.
”Your cat is very pretty, too. She is quite large.”
Jackson added with a small shrug of his shoulders. Midas, after examining Lady for a long period of time, trotted back to his owner. The cat rubbed his cheek against Jackson’s knee, before he wrapped his entire body around Jackson’s leg. He was soft, Jackson noted, and the man reached down to stroke Midas’s head.