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 Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 11:05 pm
The first settled snow of the season was already starting to melt away. There would be more, in fact it was likely that the snow starting to drip off trees and form slushy puddles would still mostly be there when night fell to freeze it into icicles and treacherous iced puddles; but for now, the sun was pleasant, the snow didn't hide packed ice, and one Maneki Neko in particular was finding an unusual amount of pleasure in the situation.
Raumo was playing in the slush; although playing in it wouldn't have been his wording. His was splaying his paws and slamming them enthusiastically into piles of the more melted snow and into slushy puddles. He wandered up the street, leaping from patch to puddle to patch, seeking out the ones which would create the largest snowy splash; although he found pleasure in the smallest ones, as well.
He spent a good minute simply thwapping at the same shallow puddle, singling "splot splot SPLAT" under his breath happily and taking pleasure in the noise they made, before seeing a pile of nearby snow which looked unusually melted and wet. A gleam appeared in his eye; the shallow puddle, it's snow and water splashed out of it, was insignificant now. He crouched, every muscle tense and his tiny bob tail twitching, before he sprinted towards it and leaped.
SPLASH. Raumo landed, front paws first, in the mound of wet snow that concealed the large puddle; and a splash of water soaked his legs as a wave disrupted the rest of the snow around it. He looked bewildered for a moment; stared down at his legs, the water covering his paws as it ran back into the puddle.
"...Huh." He blinked; then shrugged his muscled shoulders and bounced on the spot. The puddle made a little "splosh" and he grinned happily, before bounding along the street, looking for more puddles and patches of melted snow to make fun noises with.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:42 pm
 The small bundle of white fur could have easily concealed himself among the melting piles of snow, were it not for his vibrant crimson stripes. Regardless, he seemed to have discarded this reality, and was confident that he was invisible, as he stalked the considerably large Maneki Neko. It was the tufts on top of his ears, and the vastly different color of his coat that had initially caught Nao's eye, not to mention the opposing cat's spotted design intrigued the striped kitten. But all interest in spots and fur color disappeared as soon as Nao was close enough to witness the details of the older cat's sporadic actions. He seemed to playing a game with himself, or perhaps something that had escaped Nao's attention; all Nao cared about was how fun the game looked, and that he was prepared to announce his presence to the older neko.
Wiggling his way through all the slush, Nao stalked the spotted cat, keeping low as he followed along diagonally behind. When the older cat paused to pounce into another puddle, Nao slithered into a sparse bush and crouched, head near his front paws, and his hindquarters in the air. After a pause, Nao leaped from his hiding place, sailing out of his hiding place and landing in a larger puddle. The impact sent a wave of icy water forth, drenching Nao from the tips of his ears to the sole of his paws. But he hardly seemed to notice, simply shaking out his fur with a second of violent shakes, leaving him damp, and with his naturally slick fur standing on end, so that he looked like an over-sized cotton ball.
His tiny tuft of a tail wagging enthusiastically, and his ears perked, Nao crouched once more, his small paws partially submerged in the puddle he remained standing in. He gazed up at the large cat with his bright ember eyes, looking more like a puppy than a kitten in that moment, and lifted his right paw, bringing it down abruptly to create another, though smaller, wave of water. He was mimicking the older cats previous actions, attempting to bait the cat into playing the game with him, rather than continue alone.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 8:20 pm
Raumo turned abruptly to look at the kitten as soon as he heard the rustle of his leap from the bush; watching as the kitten did a caricature of Raumo's leg-soaking leap into the snow and puddle, drenching his tiny frame. His mouth dropped open and he took a few steps towards the tiny white and red ball of fluff; but the kitten seemed entirely unfazed, simply shaking himself until his soft kitten fur was standing on end. Raumo grinned at the sight, exposing the tips of his sharp teeth.
The kitten had clearly noticed- or had been trying to get?- his attention; he stared straight into Raumo's warm honey-coloured eyes as he... splashed the puddle. Just like the grown Maneki Neko had been doing as well. Raumo blinked; coming closer to the kitten and lowering himself to his level, his hind quarters and tail still in the air.
"What's up, little man?" Raumo's voice was deep and warm rumble, friendly and gentle right now, but lacking the cooing tones that most individuals employed when talking to kittens. "Did you want to play with me?"
He was a little concerned about the kitten. Sure, if he got too exhausted he could just return to his figurine; but that didn't mean the elder Maneki Neko was okay with the little bundle of fur being alone and possibly being distressed, if he hadn't been trying to join in Raumo's play. He intended to watch over the kitten either way. Maybe take him to dry off and warm up at the warm house he'd been sure not to stray too far from.
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:45 pm
 Blinking twice, the kitten paused, a little confused when the older cat didn't immiediately launch into continuing the game, but with Nao, rather than by himself. The older cat bowed to Nao's level, and Nao, suddenly feeling uncertain, righted himself, lifting his head so that his shoulders and hindquarters were once more level with one another. He cocked his head slightly to the right, brow furrowed lightly as he tried to make sense of the strange sounds emanating from the older cat's mouth. He was still unfamiliar with most words and speech patterns, but one word he knew fairly well caught his immediate attention: play. Nao's ears perked, and the kitten smiled joyfully. Yes, he wanted to play! He nodded, a single, sharp jerk of his head, and he reared his front paws, splashing the water of the puddle once more. Some of the water landed in his face, and Nao wrinkled his nose, shaking the water from his face.
The kitten was slowly starting to realize that perhaps the game he had been so excited to play wasn't the best idea. The water was cold, and the more he splashed on himself, the colder and wetter he got. The kitten frowned, hoping back out of the puddle, and shook out his paws, dismayed. The older cat had made it seem far more fun than it was revealing itself to be. But he wanted to play! Perhaps...a race? Yes, a race! Excited at his new idea, Nao reared up once more, and hoped around, waving his paw at the other cat, as if to keep his attention, and alert him of the change in games. Once Nao was certain he had the older cat's notice, he took a few running steps to the right, skidding to an abrupt halt to peer back at the other cat. And then another hop to the right, attempting to convey his intentions, since he lacked the ability to simply verbalize his thoughts.
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 5:05 pm
Raumo watched, his head tilted to one side, as the kitten first splashed at the puddle; then seemed to change from eagerness, to unsurity, to dismay. He guessed, as the white fluffy guy seemed bewildered and unhappy when water splashed into his face, that the little one hadn't really known what was going on; perhaps he had seen Raumo playing in the snow and had assumed it was fun, not realising that it was also wet.
Raumo felt a little bad; admittedly, it was just a learning curve for all youngsters to find out what they did and didn't like, and to discover that snow was wet and cold, but if he guessed correctly the little guy had only discovered it now, in a way which had soaked him, because of Raumo's actions.
As soon as he had decided to try and see if the kitten would be comfortable with his trying to groom the fur into a dryer and more organised state in the hopes of comforting him, the white and red fluffball took the matter out of his hands by changing his mind not on the idea of playing; but on how they were going to play. He seemed to want to run, perhaps to chase. Raumo picked up on his eagerness and his smile returned; this he could do, and if he played it right he could steer the kitten towards his nearest home to get dry and warm. There shouldn't be anyone in at this time of day to alarm the youngster.
Raumo started "chasing" the kitten; taking very slow but long strides to make it look like he was actually running, instead of just staying at kitten-speed. He was ready to keep pace with the little one and kept a close eye on him, chuckling to himself.
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 8:57 pm
Eager that the older cat had grasped Nao's idea, and was engaged in the game, Nao's breath hitched, his eyes wide and bright with excitement. He took a moment to do a little hop-spin, releasing some jitters, before he turned toward the direction Raumo was heading and sped off. He strained his legs, extending his strides as long and far as possible, desperate to beat the older cat and reach his destination first...whatever that destination was. He had no pre-determined plan, other than to run, and to win.
Eventually, this became evident. He had yet to stray far from where he had left his figurine state, and even though he had only run down the street, and things looked relatively the same, he was entering unfamiliar territory yet to be explored. Not only that, but he had yet to remain outside for an extended period of time, and the cold he was unaccustomed to was taking its toll. Wet, cold, and confused, the kitten slowed, finally coming to a stop.
He glanced around, feeling lost. Clearly, the kitten had a short attention span, and while one moment he had been so eager to play and to race, all exciting thoughts were gone, replaced with growing uncertainty. Unsure of what to do or where to head, he glanced back at the older cat, eyes wide.
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 9:09 pm
Slowing as the kitten slowed, and stopping at about the same time as well, Raumo kept a close eye on the little one; and could clearly see that he was starting to become unhappy again. He looked lost- he probably felt it as well. They hadn't moved all that far- but it was probably still new and unfamiliar, and scary, to the little guy.
Raumo moved to nudge him with his nose, in a gentle way that was supposed to be comforting. "It's okay, little man! We're not lost." He didn't know if the kitten could understand much in the way of words yet, but he hoped his tone of voice- and the fact that he was speaking to him- would help to calm the youngster. "See, just here- that was lucky, you stopped right by my home! Well, one of them."
Raumo nudged the gate and opened it; looking back at the kitten often he approached a window open just wide enough for him to slip in and out. He stood up on his back legs; easily able to reach the window sill, he put his front paws on it, gesturing at it with his head in the hopes that, if he couldn't understand the words, the kitten would get the point through his body language. "This is one of my homes! This is how I get in. It's warm inside! Warm and safe."
He turned back to the little one. "I can pick you up and take you in, if you like. Is that okay?" He stepped up to the kitten and nodded at the window again; then moved to nose near the scruff of his neck, hoping the kitten would understand. The last thing he wanted to do was alarm this already nervous little guy.
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 9:42 pm
 Nao stood rooted to the spot as the older cat hurried forward, his limbs rigid and trembling subtly. His gaze wandered around the area, though continued to slide back to the older cat, who Nao had quickly come to trust and look to for comfort. He flinched, just a tad, his body shying away from the gentle nudge without stepping out of place; he had never experienced the gesture before, and during the action, wasn't sure what to make of it. However, it wasn't a painful experience, or even uncomfortable, so he softened, deciding the gesture was meant to be positive. It helped that it was shortly backed by Raumo speaking to him once more, his voice a warm, deep rumble, soft and comforting. Already, the kitten was feeling more at ease, despite his physical discomfort and the fact that he couldn't quite understand the words being spoken. He was confident that this older cat was one he could rely on.
Nao followed his new friend as the cat first opened a small gate, and then led Nao toward an open window. Unsure of what to do, Nao sat back and watched, head cocked to the side, as the older cat reared up to place his front paws on the sill of the window, casting a glance over his shoulder over at Nao. The cat spoke again, and a word slowly becoming familiar to the kitten perked his attention: "home". It seemed to be associated to places he wanted to be, so Nao stood and slowly approached, crouched low, his eyes switching from his friend to the open window, and back, interest and inquire evident in his gaze.
When his new friend approached him and pressed his nose to the scruff of Nao's neck, the kitten thought at first he meant to nudge him again, but this felt different. He entirely sure, but he thought perhaps his friend meant to help him reach the window, in some way. Regardless, he trusted his new friend, and was certain the older cat only had his best intentions in mind, so he remained still, allowing his friend to do as he intended.
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 10:34 pm
The kitten was pretty relaxed now; he didn't flinch or move away from Raumo, instead staying still and calm. He took this as the closest he was going to get to permission to pick him up, and gently took the scruff of the damp kitten in his mouth, lifting him carefully and gently.
He didn't want to draw this out, and he also didn't want to swing the kitten back and forth; but he wasn't quite large enough to simply put the kitten on the window sill without worrying about him slipping, and he wanted to directly place him on the inside window sill. He couldn't see any other option, but he wanted to make the jump as smooth as possible.
Putting his front paws on the sill, he shoved off with his back legs and climbed more than jumping. It was much more effort and his front legs- not designed for feats of strength like this- shook as he pulled himself up; but he reached the window sill without swinging his little bundle too much; and feeling rather pleased with himself, he tucked his head around the window and placed him gently on the inside sill, which was much wider, made of polished wood, and had the back of a sofa near it.
This sofa- soft on the paw pads, and warmed from the heat of the room- would be very easy for the kitten to climb onto. It was shoved back against the wall, the top only a couple of inches under the window sill. To ensure the kitten understood how to get down, Raumo slipped in through the window- he'd try to pull it more closed once the kitten was comfortable- and carefully stepped around him, stepping first onto the back of the sofa- looking often to the kitten again to try to show him what to do- then down onto the main seat. He moved up to leave plenty of room for the kitten and sat down.
"There," he spoke. "Nice and warm in here." He could help the kitten down; but he knew the kitten was perfectly capable of making his own way onto the sofa, and he wasn't one to coddle and smother the timid. He smiled reassuringly, waiting to see if the kitten would make the climb into the warm room proper, or if he would need further reassurance and assistance.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 6:06 pm
Nao remained still, and allowed the older cat to clamp his teeth gently around the excess skin and fur nuzzled between his shoulder blades and head. He was more curious than fearful or nervous, and once he was up in the air, dangling from the older cat's mouth, he found, in a way, he actually enjoyed the unorthodox ride to the top of the window. He swung gently with each movement the cat made, and if he could, he would have been laughing. But some aspect of him understood that this was difficult for his new friend, and it wasn't a game, so he refrained from wiggling or pawing at his friend. Once he was inside and placed on the inside sill, Nao crouched and shook out his fur, casting the cold and the water out.
The warm was considerably warmer, dim, and far dryer than it was outside. He skittered aside quickly as the older cat pulled himself into the room, taking a spot beside Nao before he hoped onto the back of the sofa, casting a glance back at Nao as he then descended. Knowing it was possible and acceptable for him to move onto the sofa, he needed no further reassurance. Crouching, he leaped, claws out to catch himself on the couch as he landed, to avoid slipping and sliding off the back. Once he had his footing, he stood at the edge of the back of the couch, peering down at the main seat. It seemed a little high, but the kitten made a go for it anyway, slowly sliding his front paws over the edge and simply allowed himself to sort of tumble down, landing awkwardly on his feet. But it didn't deter him; he merely shook himself out and went one step further than his friend had, hoping down onto the ground.
Once he hit the ground, he took off, rushing around the living room and sniffing at everything. He peeked into every corner, pawing at things unfamiliar to him. Eventually, he returned to the center of the room and stretched out, flopping down onto the ground. He rolled over onto his back, his bright, crimson eyes peering over at his friend, head titled slightly to the side. After a pause, he yawned, showing a mouth full of tiny teeth. It had been such a long and exciting day for the kitten.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 6:49 pm
Raumo chuckled to himself as the kitten eagerly hopped into the room proper and began hastily exploring. Now that he was in the warm and dry he seemed much more confident and content;which Raumo was glad to see.
Keeping half an eye on the youngster, Raumo stepped back onto the back of the sofa and hooked his paw around the window handle. This was his normal entrance and exit, so the humans here had tightly wrapped the handle with some rough fabric to stop his paw from slipping as he put his weight into pulling. He managed to tug the window most of the way closed; and, satisfied, he stepped back down onto the sofa, then onto the floor and sat there, still remaining aware of the kitten currently sniffing at everything as he set about grooming his damp front paws and legs.
Eventually, the kitten tired of his exploration; and Raumo stopped his grooming and headed over to the sprawled out kitten. It only seemed fair to him that he help get the kitten clean, dry and comfortable; so he moved to start grooming the kitten's head, giving the tiny one ample opportunity to move or protest if he wasn't comfortable being groomed by someone he barely knew.
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 11:42 pm
 Nao watched as his friend approached, his eyelids growing heavy and drooping slowly. He purred softly as the older cat proceeded to groom him, his tongue making long, even strokes over the top of his head. The sensation was comforting, similar to being pet or having the base of his ears scratched. Perhaps other kittens or older cats would have protested, but Nao was quick to trust. He was a friendly sort, and his new friend had shown him nothing but kindness; there was nothing not to trust.
Slowly, he allowed his eyes to close, unable to keep them open any longer. After a moment, he squirmed and flipped over onto his belly, taking a moment to situate himself. He cuddled closer to his friend, resting his head on his front paws, and tucked his back legs underneath him. The warmth of the room and his friend, and the rhythmic lapping of his tongue eventually lulled the kitten to sleep, the excitement of the day finally wearing on him.
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Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 10:20 pm
Raumo purred slightly himself in response to the kitten's purring; it would seem his upsets hadn't been at all lasting and the little one seemed perfectly contented with the world as the older male tried to remove most of the moisture from his soft fur. Raumo's job was made much easier when the little one flipped onto his stomach; and he groomed his shoulders and was slowly putting the fur on his back into some semblance of order when he realised the little kitten wasn't exactly with him any more.
He stepped back a pace; the little white and red kitten had his vivid red eyes closed and he was breathing deeply. Knowing what was to happen, Raumo started grooming himself, rather unconcerned, although looking over at the kitten relatively regularly.
He was unsurprised when the kitten started to fade. First he simply seemed less substantial; then Raumo could see the carpet through the kittens white fluff. Then he was barely there at all, and then...
Gone.
Dedicating himself to grooming his own damp fur now, Raumo pondered as he did so as to whether or not he'd see the kitten again. Life had a funny way of working, and he thought it was likely; but either way, he felt good about the day. He'd had some fun himself, and had hopefully ensured the kitten would be left with good memories as well. That was enough.
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