Open Loner/Rogue Kittypet A Telltale Sign of A Wasted Youth - Intro

[Mocha Mocha]

Jingle Jingle~

Mocha's bell rang out clearly as she pulled herself up onto of the dresser with a grunt of effort. "Oh, hush you." She muttered under her breath, glancing up at her reflection in the window to give her collar a rueful look. Her and the little accessory usually got along wonderfully. Ever since her twolegs had first given it to her, she had treasured it as a sign of their affection for her. It was also a very practical gift; the ringing of its bell made it much easier to get the attention of her twolges so that they could attend to her needs.

But attention was the least thing she needed while she tried to sneak out.

Mocha was just so lonely. Oh, how she wished her old friend Biscuit were still with her. Even if he had been quite a miscreant, sneaking out every night. Though she had disapproved, she had done nothing to stop him. They had grown up together, and she had not wanted to ruin their relationship. As long as he had repaid her kindness with stories of her adventures, they had gotten along just fine. But he was gone, their twolegs had taken him one day and returned without him. Ever since then Mocha had desperately missed his stories. She had never been alone before. Without anyone to talk to she would surely languish and pass away.

Biscuit had shown her how he got out every night; this window, which their twolegs thought too high to reach. This was higher than she had ever gotten. With a lot of effort, she had managed to ascend the series of open drawers in a desperate scramble. Now, she took a moment to catch her breath as she assessed the window above her. It was slightly ajar, and the gap looked just wide enough for her to squeeze through.

With a breath to steady her nerves, she pulled herself up onto the windowsill and scrambled through the window. She got about halfway before she got stuck. "Ah... oh, oh dear. Oh my, oh goodness." With each word Mocha's alarm grew as she attempted to wiggle free. Her paws flailed against the open air in front of her. There was a tree branch beneath her, but it was too far to reach, and even if she manged to push through she was afraid she'd miss it and fall to her death. With mounting panic she tried to pull back, more than content to go back and forget the whole idea at this point, but she could not manage to do that either. She was stuck fast. "Can someone please help me? Anyone? Please?"

 

[ZII]

Another twist of the knife, turn of the screws
It's all in your mind and it's fighting you
Arm yourself, a storm is coming
Well, kid, what you gonna do now?
It's your reflection looking back to pull you down

.

Red eyes locked onto the kittypet below, a flicker of amusement dancing behind them. Zii tilted his head, his expression unreadable save for the ghost of a grin tugging at one corner of his mouth. " How do you suggest help gets given, huh? " His voice was smooth, slow, almost bored. " I could ram you back inside, won't be pretty. Or... " he drawled, stretching lazily across the tree branch overhead. " You could push forward. Stop panicking. That's not helping you, is it? Makes you feel more trapped than you really are. "

He let the silence linger, watching the kittypet squirm. Zii had seen their kind before, soft-living things chasing fantasies of the wild, only to yelp for their twolegs the moment the wind howled too sharp. Still, some had bite. And he was always curious to see who did. " So how 'bouts ya stop yer yappin' and whinin', and put your weight behind it, huh? " he hummed, glancing at the window for a second before back to the kittypet. " Even if you launch yourself forward, you should be able to take the leap. " His grin grew, flashing fangs. " This branch should be easy to catch, even for you. "

He flicked his tail once, deliberately slow, and settled back like he was watching a performance. Because he was.

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30 MOONS

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[Mocha Mocha]

Mocha's bell rang wildly as she flailed uselessly. It was so loud that, for a moment, she did not hear the voice calling out to her.

When it finally caught her eat, she paused her escape attempts for a moment to glance up. The sharp, grizzled face that met her gaze was something right out of one of Biscuit's stories. Still, with her current predicament she was hardly going to be choosy about who came to her aid. "Hello! Oh, thank goodness you're here. I-" She paused as he asked her how, exactly she wanted him to help. Truth be told, she had been too busy panicking to think of a real plan. So she jumped on the first suggestion he provided. "Yes, yes, a good push would be just wonderful. These scant few moments under the sun with you have been wonderful, but I have had quite enough and must be going now."

Her anxious babbling stopped as he mentioned that shoving her back in wouldn't be pretty. That was true enough. "Or...?" She asked hesitantly.

It annoyed her how simple he made pushing herself forward sound, as if it was so simple that a kit would have thought of it. Her annoyance only grew when he told her to stop panicking. "Easy for you to say..." He gave no response, simply looming silently above her. Her gaze fell, for just a moment, to the ground so far below her. Reflexively she tried to inch away, but only managed to thrash and jingle her bell.

Her eyes met his again as he spoke. "Yapping and whining?! Why don't you be quiet you rude, good for nothing, scoundrel." She snapped back irritably, flailing against the air to emphasize her point. Here she was with her very life in danger and he had the gall to treat her as though she was in hysterics.

To top it all off, he suggested she should catch the branch on the way down. Mocha laughed mockingly. "While I appreciate your faith in me, I promise I am less capable than I seem. Such acrobatics are quite beyond me."

To her dismay, he did not raise a paw to help her. Perhaps insulting her would be savior was not her wisest decision. She took a breath too settle herself. Even if she didn't think she could get herself free as easily as he claimed, maybe he'd be more willing to aid her if she humored him. "Put my weight behind it, hm? Well then, let's see here..." With some wriggling, she managed to plant her hind paws on the windowsill behind her. She pulled herself back as far as she could manage, before heaving forward with all her weight and pushing off with her paws. The wood around her creaked, but that was all the resistance she felt as she popped free with shocking ease.

Mocha let out a shrill yelp as she plummeted. She was, for a moment, certain she was going to die. Then her claws hooked into the wood of the branch and she scrambled onto it, hanging on for dear life. "Oh thank goodness. Whew. Be still my faint heart." With a huff, she flopped down on top of it, letting her limbs dangle loosely over the edge. For a moment she let herself lie there, breathing in and out slowly. Her nerves were frayed and all she wanted was to crawl back inside and take a long nap.

Slowly, she pulled her limbs under her and sat up with something resembling dignity. Then she finally met the gaze of the rogue above her again. "Well. You were less help than I would have liked, but thank you anyway." Mocha paused for a moment, measuring the length of the scars on his face. "I do hope there are no hard feelings for what I said earlier, my panic got the best of me. May I ask the name of the ruffian perched outside my nest?"

 

[ZII]

Another twist of the knife, turn of the screws
It's all in your mind and it's fighting you
Arm yourself, a storm is coming
Well, kid, what you gonna do now?
It's your reflection looking back to pull you down

.

Zii said nothing as the kittypet spat curses up at him. He didn't flinch, didn't blink. Just let the words fall like leaves in the breeze, utterly useless, weightless, forgotten before they landed. His red eyes shimmered with a quiet tease, a spark of amusement burning behind the lazy half-lid of his gaze. He remained draped across the thick branch like it was a throne, one paw dangling carelessly, tail tip flicking in a slow rhythm. He'd seen this before. Soft fur, soft eyes, soft heart, until they tried to play wild. Tried to pretend they were made for trees and wind and mud under their paws. Twolegs had a way of turning fire into fluff. But she was trying, he'd give her that.

She'd wedged herself halfway out of some cracked-open window, panicking, stuck, fur puffed and tail lashing. At first, she'd been all noise. Now, she was finally putting her claws into it. Good. He would've shoved her back inside if she'd begged for it, forcefully. He couldn't promise it wouldn't have hurt.

He shifted, eyes narrowing with interest as the kittypet finally committed to the jump. She caught the branch. Barely. Claws digging in, limbs shaking, but she held. Zii grinned. " See? " he purred, voice like silk dragged over stone. " Easy as a rainbreeze. " He stretched leisurely, spine rippling beneath his pale coat, and then leapt down beside her with effortless grace. The branch quivered beneath their combined weight, and his landing was close, closer than polite, just enough to make her stiffen.

" Oh, absolutely not, no... No hard feelings. " he drawled, glancing sideways at her with a lazy smirk. " If you were hoping to offend me, you'll have to try harder. You're not the first to spit at me, and you certainly won't be the last. " He looked her over, not rudely, but with a predator's calm curiosity. She wasn't trembling anymore. That was something. He dipped his head just slightly, a gesture somewhere between a bow and mockery.

" You can call me Zii. " he purred out, a smirk to his face. " Named myself. No one owned me, so no one got the privilege. " He tilted his head, red eyes catching the dappled light through the leaves. " Sharp. Short. Easy to remember. Like a thorn in your paw. " And then, he smiled again. That same sharp grin, charming if you weren't smart enough to be afraid. " And what... " he said, stepping just a touch closer. " May I call you, dear lady? Or do your twolegs call you something embarrassing like Snickerdoodle? "

He chuckled under his breath, the sound low and warm, but never kind.

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30 MOONS

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[Mocha Mocha]

"Oh goodness gracious me." Mocha startled as he landed a hair's breadth away from her, terribly shaking the branch beneath her. Just as she had managed to recover her wits, he scattered them once more. Her claws sunk into the wood, and she held her breath until it was steady again. "My word," she breathed, giving him a look that was more exasperated than truly angry, "I do wish you were less keen on watching me pass away from fright." With a few licks, she smoothed her fur and did her best to make herself presentable once more.

Mocha gave a sigh of relief to hear that he wasn't cross with her. "Well, that is good to hear. I would so hate to have gotten off on the wrong paw." It would have made her just miserable if she had managed to insult the first face she'd seen in ages. While she was not sure she liked or even trusted this ruffian, she was in too dire need of conversation to turn him away so quickly.

He dipped his head, and she was thankful that he had at least some concept of manners. Zii was his name, a name he likened to a thorn. "Hmm, it is, isn't it?" Mocha agreed, though chose not to add that the sound was as painful as one too. It was an unusual, abrasive word to her ears. It would be far too rude to say as much, and her manners had slipped enough already. Besides, he seemed so proud to have come up with it himself that she did not want to take the wind out of his sails.

Zii grinned at her, and his smile told her he thought himself charming. Unfortunately for him, she was far too wary of him for that. But, it was honestly kind of reassuring that men out here could be as boldly self-assured as the kittypet toms she had known.

Her ear flicked if he asked if her twolegs had called her Snickerdoodle. "Please do mind your manners. I knew a girl named Snickerdoodle once and she was such a sweetheart. I won't stand for anyone to mock her. The dignity of a name is in how you wear it, not its sound." Her words were polite, but firm. It was a silly name, for certain, but the earnest kindness of the young lady bearing it had kept it from being embarrassing. Given his own name, Mocha was of the opinion that Zii could stand to learn something from dear Snickerdoodle. Her name, meanwhile, was the height of refined dignity. "Mocha is my name. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." She told him, dipping her head in greeting.

 

[ZII]

Another twist of the knife, turn of the screws
It's all in your mind and it's fighting you
Arm yourself, a storm is coming
Well, kid, what you gonna do now?
It's your reflection looking back to pull you down

.

" No need to fret, doll. " Zii drawled with a lazy smirk, eyes glinting as he watched her smooth down her fur. " This branch can hold the both of us just fine. Now, if my dear friend were here, I'd be a bit less certain of that. " He let the words hang, the hint clear, his friend was someone to be reckoned with. She was a pristine little lady, wasn't she? All high talk and careful grooming, making sure her fur stayed flawless, and more importantly, that she didn't ruffle the fur of anyone stronger than her. Smart, that was undeniable. Even if she was a pompous kittypet.

" Besides... " he continued, flashing a smirk. " You're not dead yet, are you? " With a roll of his eyes, he began clambering down the tree, glancing back up at her with a slow tilt of his head. " Snickerdoodle's a ridiculous name. " he said plainly, tail flicking lazily. " I feel sorry for the poor chap who was given that. Glad she was a sweetheart, though. Hopefully, she had better nicknames from the friends she actually cared about. " Zii stretched out onto the soft grass, letting the sun warm his pale coat as a low rumbling purr escaped him.

" Now, don't think I'm mocking your friend, I don't even know her. " he added smoothly. " I'm just mocking the name. Knowing someone called Snickerdoodle doesn't make it any less ridiculous, my dear Mocha. " He gave her a wink, the corner of his mouth tilting upward in amusement. " So, are you only planning to explore that tree, or do you fancy a walk through your very own garden? "

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30 MOONS

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[Mocha Mocha]

To her credit, she did not shrink away at the hint of his dear friend. Instead, Mocha rolled her eyes, saying dismissively, "Yes, yes. I am sure a great many of your friends would give me cause to worry." No doubt someone like him knew any number of scoundrels and ruffians that would easily make a meal of her. Not that he would have any need of them, he would be more than able to take care of her himself if he were so inclined. Fortunately, she was close enough to the window that she could scramble back into her twoleg's den if he tried it. "What an exciting life you must lead, with such scary friends and such few family to take care of you. How do you ever have a moment to rest?" She wondered aloud, hoping to make conversation.

Mocha sighed as he insisted on calling Snickerdoodle a ridiculous name. She watched as he climbed down from the tree with shocking ease, getting a measure of him. He had the confidence of the worst suitors she had ever had with the skills of the wild cats from Biscuit's stories, and it was a bad combination. It did not surprise her that Zii was a rude man, but it was exasperating to deal with. Even worse that the pot was making fun of the kettle's name. Still she was not in the mood to argue with him, so she said, "Yes, well, I think the name is simply adorable, just like her." and left it at that. At the very least, she thought, his abrasiveness made him an interesting character. She had no doubt Biscuit would have whittled away hours with him if only to tell her the tales of his wild personality.

Zii suggested she come down, and her paws shifted uncertainly as she searched for the safest way down. "I'll get down in my own time, thank you. Patience is a virtue you know." Mocha reminded him sternly. For a moment she considered staying right where she was. Getting down would put her further from the window, and thus further from safety. Sitting up in a tree all night would make for poor conversation however, and even once on the ground she would still be right by her twoleg's den. It would be easy enough to get their attention if she needed it. Taking a breath, she scooched toward the trunk of the tree, took a moment to make sure she had a steady grip, then slowly inched her way down. It was not a dignified descent, but it was a safe one. Mocha breathed much easier once her paws touched the ground.