Chapter Text
"Mama!"
There was a tumbling of pebbles as a rambunctious kitten ran so quickly into a small cave at the bottom of a hill that he nearly toppled over. There was a series of soft hisses in response, to which the kitten gave a shy, but not sorry, grin.
"What have I told you about running, Socks?" a creaky voice grumbled. The cat the voice belonged to got up from where she laid in a grassy nest, stretching out her limbs. She walked over to Socks, licking his forehead.
"Sorry Mama," Socks said. He impatiently raised and set down his paws on the ground. "But it's real important. I got a friend and he needs some help and-"
There was the sound of growling from outside of the cave, which made Socks's ears perk up towards the sound. He bounded towards the entrance once again, making his way to the surface. There, two cats stood, both with their hackles raised. One was an older queen with scarred ears and muscles rippling beneath her striped fur. The other was a tiny, hairy, sabertooth kitten, his tail low to the ground in apprehension.
"Leaf!" Socks called out, causing the grown cat to turn and look at him. "Don't worry it's okay! This is my friend."
The other cat, Leaf, stood her ground, though her fur laid flatter than before. "You picked up some straggler?" she grunted. "I was about to kick him out to the tar pits."
Socks gasped. "No!" he cried out. "His name is Fluff and he's all alone and he's my friend!"
The kitten, Fluff, looked a bit shy. "I-I… Greetings, ma'am…" He dipped his head respectfully.
Leaf flicked her tail with an annoyed grunt. "Let's get inside then," she said. The three of them went inside of the cavern.
Fluff's eyes widened as he took in the surroundings. With the cat who was going to chase him out, Leaf, inside, there were 3 total grown queens inside of the den. One was vastly older than the others, and one was nursing 4 kittens at her belly. Socks bounded over to Fluff's side eagerly.
"Okay so Leaf is the one you were talking to," he babbled. "She's really strong! And over there with the babies is Honey. She just gave birth so she's not really hunting a lot. And that's my mama! Her name is Whiskers."
The aforementioned cats gave little nods of acknowledgement as Socks named them. All eyes were on Fluff. Whiskers padded over, sniffing the kitten hesitantly. "So you're Socks's friend?" she meowed. Her voice sounded weak and tired. Socks looked like her spitting image, if she was not wracked by age.
Fluff shifted on his paws. "I-I think so."
"Yeah," Socks said.
"Let him speak for himself, dear," Whiskers said gently. Socks nodded obediently. "Are you by yourself?"
"Y-yes," Fluff said. "My mother died several moons ago. She was the only one taking care of me. And I've been alone ever since."
Whiskers hummed, taking in Fluff's appearance. "How old are you?"
Fluff's fur prickled. "9 moons, ma'am."
Her eyebrows raised. "You're runty. I don't think I've ever seen a kit your age be this small."
"I was born like that," Fluff said defensively. "My littermates were normal, and… And they got to be normal." His voice trailed off, his eyebrows furrowing. "Th-they got to be hunters and travel in a pack while I…" His pupils rounded with sadness.
Socks nuzzled against the other kitten while Whiskers nodded in thought. "Well," she said. "We have our little clowder here. It's only me, Leaf, and Honey. We protect each other and take care of our kittens. You are a kitten after all, there's no reason why you shouldn't stay with us for your own safety."
"And 'cuz he's my friend," Socks butted in. He pulled Fluff in with his paws, drenching the sabertooth kitty with very sloppy licks. "Little Fluff. You like that name? I just thought of it. 'Cuz you're little."
Fluff grimaced, but in an amused way. "Fine," he giggled. His own eyes widened at his happy tone.
"Hold on a second." Leaf came forward, glaring at Fluff dismissively. "Whiskers, I've already made my viewpoint of your coddling clear. Extending it to another cat feels too far."
"I'm not coddling-" Whiskers inhaled deeply before continuing. "Speak."
"This kit is already 9 moons old. He's even older than your son. He'll be a danger to Honey's kittens even quicker," Leaf said. "We don't need two toms stinking up the place. At least this one seems able to survive on his own."
"Honey's kits aren't in danger," Whiskers said with annoyance. "I know your colony was absolute dino shit, but I never had any such experience even with mature tom kittens."
"Oh, I'm sure. Did you raise all your boys like you do Socks, here?" Leaf countered. "He doesn't know a damn thing about much at all. You raised an idiot."
"Quit it," Whiskers hissed, stealing glances back at her son. "Quit insulting him in front of his face. He isn't good on his own yet. It'll happen in time. He just needs patience."
Leaf's tail swished angrily. "Maybe a friend will make him grow a brain. He certainly won't get one from you."
"Stop fighting," Honey's voice rang out, soft yet full of irritation. "Both of you. Let the damn kit stay. Worry about what's in the present." She grumbled something about her own children being used as hypotheticals. Leaf and Whiskers glared at each other, but stepped back.
Fluff's ears were angled with interest towards the entire conversation.
"You're actually listening to that?" Socks said, causing Fluff to jump with surprise. "They argue a lot… I just ignore it. Nothing ever happens." He flicked his tail. "Let me show you my nest!"
Fluff's eyes darted between Socks and Whiskers. "But they're talking about you," he said. He couldn't help but feel a bit down. "Aren't you worried?"
"Just means that Leaf will take me out hunting more and Mama will give me extra food for a few days," Socks shrugged. "Come on!"
Then, Fluff followed Socks's lead. Near the back of the den, there was a little smattering of soft grass and ferns, as well as some feathers. Socks playfully pounced on it, kneading into the ground. He then rolled over onto his back, exposing his belly with a giggle. "Welcome!"
Fluff oohed and aahed at the collection of feathers. Tiny downy ones made up most of the center, while larger, more decorative ones made up the outsides. He shoved his face into them, with one sticking to his nose, causing him to sneeze.
"Little Fluff you have little sneezes too!" Socks said with a rather unneeded amount of surprise. Fluff felt his face heat up. "But yeah so your nest would go riiiight next to mine! We can find some stuff for it soon!"
Fluff hesitated. "So I'm… I'm staying with your colony t hen?" he asked meekly. "It's okay?"
"Well duh," Socks said. He pressed a paw against Fluff's nose. Socks had large paws for a kitten his age, a sure sign he was going to grow up huge. "We're gonna play every day and stuff together now."
Fluff couldn't help but feel a purr start up in his throat.