Little Cato (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
furtitude) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
wildestlogs2021-12-04 05:13 am
furtitude) wrote in wildestlogs2021-12-04 05:13 am
bad catitude
Who: Locked to Elle, Cato, and Gary
What: Just moving the wishing well thing to its own thing
Where: In the woods
When: After Henry finds the well
Warnings/Notes: N/A
[The two of them not getting mad back takes the wind out of his sails a bit, and his little ears go flat against his head.]
Can we do that? Sparring? [It's a nice suggestion by Elle and he needs something.]
Because lately, either it's been fighting stuff that's kicked our butts or being captured - again - by Lord Commander or being stuck on that stupid planet for months.
[His ears droop lower.]
Or losing Fox and Ash.
I couldn't even have fun doing that hook and grab on the comet with da - Avocato and grandma because Quinn was dying.
[He looks up at his dad.]
I like climbing the trees and everything because we never get to be outside like this unless we're running and gunning, but I hate being stuck in one place and not able to do stuff. It feels like that's all I've gotten to do forever and the only break is when it's...bad.
[That included the fight against those monsters.]
The last time we got to run around doing actually fun stuff and having the fun kinda fights was when we were finding the dimensional keys.
[Somehow his ears droop even lower and his gaze redirects at the ground and goes a little distant. He suddenly looks very tired.]
And that was decades ago.
What: Just moving the wishing well thing to its own thing
Where: In the woods
When: After Henry finds the well
Warnings/Notes: N/A
[The two of them not getting mad back takes the wind out of his sails a bit, and his little ears go flat against his head.]
Can we do that? Sparring? [It's a nice suggestion by Elle and he needs something.]
Because lately, either it's been fighting stuff that's kicked our butts or being captured - again - by Lord Commander or being stuck on that stupid planet for months.
[His ears droop lower.]
Or losing Fox and Ash.
I couldn't even have fun doing that hook and grab on the comet with da - Avocato and grandma because Quinn was dying.
[He looks up at his dad.]
I like climbing the trees and everything because we never get to be outside like this unless we're running and gunning, but I hate being stuck in one place and not able to do stuff. It feels like that's all I've gotten to do forever and the only break is when it's...bad.
[That included the fight against those monsters.]
The last time we got to run around doing actually fun stuff and having the fun kinda fights was when we were finding the dimensional keys.
[Somehow his ears droop even lower and his gaze redirects at the ground and goes a little distant. He suddenly looks very tired.]
And that was decades ago.
no subject
[She says, scooting over next to him and reaching out to put her arm around him. If he shoves her off, she'll stop, but she wants to provide some nonviolent physical contact if she can.
If she was in feline she would be rubbing up against him. Instead, she just holds him close.]
We can absolutely spar. And we can go hunting, I'll teach you how to hunt Earth prey. We can even run around and play hide and seek, or tag.
We can even spar with your Dad. He needs practice with that sword, right?
[She nudges Cato a little to show she's teasing and smiles at Gary.]
no subject
Little Cato . . . I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't know you were going so stir-crazy. Usually going-stir crazy is for the spaceship, but I see your point.
[Hmmmmm how to devise adequate stimulation for this glorious youth? Fortunately in this case, Elle does all the work for him.]
Hunting! Yes, Elle, that's a great idea. Do you think that could be fun, chasing down things and killing them? For food?
[It's not that he has to clarify that Little Cato is only allowed to chase down and kill things here for food. It's just that it feels real weird not to clarify that somehow.]
no subject
[But killing something? Chasing things through the woods and pouncing and - okay, that...that actually sounds weirdly good.]
[He squints like someone trying to figure out their feelings when they're confusing, trying to listen to their instincts.]
Yeeeeees? Yes. Yes? [A pause.] Yes. [He looks confused and looks at them both anxiously.] Is that weird?
[He's Ventrexian so having an instinct for fighting isn't strange. But killing random animals...]
Like 'budding serial killer' weird?
[He doesn't know that much about cats, having only just seen them the first time here. He doesn't know that his own species evolved from something similar, and that included all the ambush hunting. He doesn't know that running around in the woods is playing to those old instincts.]
no subject
Boy, I sure hope not, or else I'm in trouble.
[Now that she thinks about it, most of the people she knows could be considered serial killers. Technically.
That should probably be more worrying than it is.]
I find it to be a good way to burn off energy, and it can be pretty fun. I definitely wouldn't mind a hunting partner.
[She winks at Little Cato.]
no subject
I think it's a great idea. All kinds of aliens hunt for food! Hell, look at all the humans here hunting for food, and they don't even have claws or fangs.
[Little Cato seems so uncertain about it and all Gary wants to do is see him be certain about something, particularly something that can channel his violence and isn't leaping into magic holes in the ground on the off chance there will be a fight in it.]
no subject
[He springs out his claws and thinks about how little he actually uses them, since he usually uses guns. He runs his tongue over his teeth and thinks about how little he bites. He only bites people a little bit sometimes, when he's mad.]
[He likes the idea of not using weapons. Of running through the woods and jumping and pouncing and attacking. Of the blood rushing even harder in his ears than when he's usually fighting.]
[It's never really occurred to him as a normal thing to do but he's never been in the woods before like this. He's never had to rely on killing food in a galactic society, with people flying around on spaceships, where different types of rations and hydroponically grown food makes more sense.]
[Or where he had no choice what he ate or how he got it. Where he had to eat slop thrown on a tray on the floor in front of him for three years. Where he'd only had hydroponically grown food for the long decades alone.]
[If Elle is Elle but she hunts without weapons, and it's normal and natural, maybe it's not that weird. Maybe Ventrexians even used to do that way before civilized society - and the even more uncivilized war that came later. Maybe after all the time cooped up having to eat weird stuff, it's normal to run under leaves with wind in his fur and to drag an animal back to camp by his teeth for people to cook.]
[He springs and unsprings his claws, as if thinking for the first time about why he even has them. For a long time, he thought it was just because Ventrexians fight so much but evolution takes longer than the off-and-on thousands of years they've been at war.]
[Maybe he has the claws and teeth because of what Ventrexians used to be long before. Maybe he'll just be getting in touch with his roots.]
I...I feel different running around in the woods. Like...I don't know. It feels right.
A part of me is like "whaaat" at the idea of hunting - especially without a gun - but another part of me thinks that sounds fun and like...
Natural, I guess? I've never been somewhere like this for long. And it's sort of making me wonder if this is what it was like where Ventrexians came from. Like before we got all evolved.
And before we burned down our whole planet.
My da - Avocato told me one time that there were stories that said a long, long time ago - like thousands of years - there used to be lots trees there. And Ventrexians used to have houses in them.
[He wonders if that's the sort of thing Avocato thought he was fighting for, in thinking the Lord Commander could finally bring peace. Maybe he was hoping to stop all the war so things could grow from the scorched earth again.]
Okay. I'll do that instead of trying risky stuff.
[He looks at his dad.]
I promise.
no subject
The steps and ritual of it became almost meditative. Search, track, stalk, wait, and pounce. To be successful, she had to learn to be completely attuned to her body and her environment.]
And if you feel like this again, let us know. We can figure out more ways to help you burn energy without potentially putting yourself at risk.
[She stretches an arm around him and brings him in for a side-hug.]
Gotta save your butt-kicking for the bad guys, right?
[Her smile is completely genuine as she squeezes him closer for moment before letting go.]
no subject
There's gotta be plenty out here for a young guy to burn his energy off running after. Plus think how good it'll feel to eat something you hunted yourself! Like when we were on that stupid planet with the gross regenerating worms, living off the land! One with nature! But, you know, better because this place is a lot nicer than any regenerating worm planet I've ever been on.
[So far the smoke-ed meats that the rest of the campers have been sharing with them have tasted way better than infinity worms.]
no subject
[Little Cato briefly sticks out his tongue.] The stuff people can catch in this place is so much better than the worms. They tasted like buttholes.
[He throws himself at his father in a big hug.]
Thanks, dad. For, you know, not being weird about it? I think it'll help but I would've felt weird about it if you thought it was weird.