RoK for naranda1

A heat wave had taken over the area, as though spring was just beginning to push through the chill of winter and establish itself once again. Though most knew better than to trust that the warmth would remain for more than a day or two, it was a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoors without being weighed down by a heavy coat. That was exactly the reason Sakari and Sayen had decided to take a long walk alongside Ishida and Millaina, their two shaggy-furred yeti tokotas. It was mid-morning, and with the easy warmth in the air and the bird singing in the trees, one almost could be fooled into thinking spring had succeeded in ending winter early.

The smells of the forest were almost overwhelming to the two tokotas, who had spent a few months scenting little more than cold and snow. The animals of the area had evidently been active; trails of scent painted the lands, and if they were quiet enough, they could even spot the occasional forest-dwelling creature watching the small group from a distance. Ahead of them, a doe spotted them through the trees, froze for a moment, then dashed off as though it had just occurred to her to run; Milliana smiled at seeing the beautiful creature bound off so gracefully. A few minutes later, she was interrupted from her quiet observations at the sound of Ishida’s voice. “Squirrel.” He gestured with his nose to where the creature perched in a tree watching tokotas and riders; it chittered at them then continued on its way.

Amid the sounds and smells, Sakari and Sayen chatted easily, walking side-by-side and allowing the tokotas to walk on their own accord- of course they could trust them not to run off, both tokotas being well-trained and close to their hearts. All was peaceful when, suddenly, Sakari was interrupted mid-sentence by the sight of Ishida freezing in alarm, as though he was listening to something. Sayen too stopped mid-sentence, alert to something Sakari couldn’t quite make out. However, it was Milliana who first took off towards the source of the sound in a hurry, leaving the others without so much of a second glance. Ishida was on her heels.

Hidden in a small depression in the ground, a mother cat lay, limp as a doll. Her breathing was quick; the sounds of her squeaky, desperate meow filling the clearing. Six kittens bundled near her belly, all mewing worriedly and poking at their mother but receiving no response. Only when Sakari and Sayen could get close enough to see past the two concerned tokotas could they see what the problem was- the mother cat had a strange object twisted around her. It encircled her neck and legs, restricting her movement and causing evident pain. With disgust, Sayen realized it was a hunter’s trap; the barbed wire had cut into the cat’s fur and twisted her leg. She needed medical care, or she would pass away, and her tiny kittens would be left to starve.

Without hesitation, Milliana hurried forward, looking for some way to help. She poked her nose into the space of the bundle of kittens, looking for a way to fear the mother but only causing her to struggle more. As soon as she saw the mother’s reaction she backpedaled with a low whine, guilt clear on her face, and looked towards the two handlers nearby for assistance. They were chatting quietly, discussing something in hushed undertones; though at Milliana’s pleading Sakari approached the trapped cat and her kittens. “Be careful.” Sayen called out in warning; Sakari just nodded and, under Ishida’s watchful eye, carefully pulled at the trap. Though she succeeded in not cutting over her fingers, she quickly found that the cat was wrapped too tightly, and she was forced to pull up the barbed wire with the mother cat, wrapping both in a threadbare rag.

“We’re going to need supplies. Something to cut the wires with, and to bind her leg.” Sakari noted as she looked over the cat in her arms. Now that the mother was off the ground, she was completely limp, looking up at her captors with terror in her eyes. Around Sakari’s ankles, the kittens cried out pitifully and stumbled on short paws, looking for the familiar sight of their mother, but she had disappeared. Six little mouths called out in worry.

Sayen looked to the two tokotas- Milliana observing the kittens carefully, Ishida observing his rider to be certain she wasn’t hurt. “We’ll have to leave the kittens. Milliana and Ishida can watch them.” She decided, knowing that there was no other way- they had no way to carry the kittens with them, and no way to take care of the mother without the supplies to treat her. Ishida heard his name mentioned, and looked down to the little scraps of few that cried out loudly. Watch them? What did he know about kittens?

Apparently, that was good enough to Sakari. With little more than a reminder for Milliana and Ishida to stay put, she and Sayen took off with the mother bundled in her arms, and the two tokotas were left with six loud little creatures and no real clue about what to do.

Ishida looked cautiously from where he was, a few paces back from the pile of kittens. “So…what now?” he couldn’t help but ask out loud, though the question was rhetorical in nature. That, however, didn’t stop Milliana from answering.

“We keep them warm, and make sure they don’t run off and get hurt.” Her attention still hadn’t left the pile of tiny forms snuggled together. The curious little creatures were a mix of colors and patterns, huddled together. They climbed over each other so easily, and yet fell over their own paws when they tried to wander off. In short, they were completely adorable. She beamed down at them, more than pleased to be given what she viewed as such an important task- no amount of Ishida’s uncertainty was going to stop her from enjoying the time with the baby animals. She spotted one black kitten, complete with such tiny white paws, get onto his feet and make for something of an escape. In an attempt to stop him she blocked his path with her muzzle, causing him to come to a quick halt and look up at her with those big innocent eyes. Her intention was to guide him back towards the others, but evidently, he had his own plans. Much to Ishida’s amusement, he jumped up at Milliana’s face, and dug his little claws into her fur in an attempt to climb over the obstacle in his path.

In her shock, the tokota began to throw her heard up to escape his tiny claws, but the kitten stuck there easily thanks to her shaggy fur. As quickly as she could, she froze. Any faster and she would have ended up throwing the tiny creature into the air. “Ow, that hurts!” She huffed, then, to Ishida, “A little help here?”

Though he didn’t have the same gentle instincts as his companion, Ishida did his best to encourage the small kitten to get off, gently nudging it with his paw. Eventually, and much to Milliana’s relief, it eventually decided to release itself from her face- only to land back on the ground where, surprisingly, there was no longer a pile of kittens. Blinking in surprise at the quick change, Ishida spotted two little striped ones bouncing over each other in one direction; three other had chosen separate directions of escape, and were pouncing on the sparse blades of grass. Though they didn’t move very fast, they were chaotic in their own way- sniffing one pebble, then another; pouncing over each other’s back to catch wayward tails, or mewing for attention. One of them latched itself to the shaggy fur on Ishida’s leg; another spotted a butterfly and took off after it.

“Apparently, they’re a lot bolder when mom is away.” Ishida noted, gently shaking the kitten from his paw. How were they possibly supposed to watch over these things when they were so far outnumbered?

Milliana was trying to put herself between one of the kittens and the thicker forest, encouraging them back into the slight depression in the ground they had been resting in with their mother. “Where did all this energy come from, anyways?” Already, their zeal appeared endless- she managed to get one of the kittens into the divot, only to have it trying to run off as soon as she looked away. Others were already putting a good distance between themselves and their siblings. Seeing one investigating the remains of the trap, Ishida quickly scooped the little guy up in his mouth in attempt to save him from being inadvertently hurt- who knew if the trap held more dirty tricks? With as soft a touch as he could manage, he carried the kitten in his jaws, and deposited it back in the divot unceremoniously. Though he succeeded, he caught Milliana giving him a look.

“What?” he protested, ignoring the taste of cat fur in his mouth. “It worked.”

Unsurprisingly, the kitten he had put back was already trying to escape again. Both tokotas knew that their only chance of not losing a kit was to keep the kittens contained, but that alone was a feat only possibly to some omnipotent power- put one back, it would soon be tottering off on little feet despite their best efforts. And yet letting them roam also wasn’t a possibility; there was no way to stop them from choosing different directions and, with persistence, evading the two tokotas’ watchful eyes.

To the kittens, it was a game- how far away could one get before they were scooped up and placed unceremoniously in the hole? A game they enjoyed repeating, over and over, with various levels of success. To the tokotas, it quickly became a tiresome process; not a single kitten cared to stay still for more than a moments time.

Eventually, Milliana laid down in the dirt, if just to catch her breath- who knew creatures so small could be so tiring? The kittens were going to play whether the tokotas allowed it or not; perhaps their best bet really would be keeping them out of trouble instead of keeping them contained. Strangely enough, when one of the kittens came close to her, it sniffed at her fur for a moment, then curled up at her side happily.

Ishida couldn’t help but blink in surprise the sudden change in demeanor, though Milliana was downright thrilled that she had been chosen by this finicky little creature. The kit had settled down. Considering the track record, that was almost a miracle. Curious to see if it were a repeatable trikc, Ishida deposited another kitten beside it’s sibling; that one too seemed more than happy to accept Milliana as a substitute mother and curled its tail over its nose. To Ishida, that was far more than enough evidence- he moved the rest of the kittens beside Milliana’s fur, and was rewarded with the sight of seeing the troublemakers lay down contently, thereby freeing the tokotas from this endless game.

“Problem solved.” Ishida noted, not intending to say so out loud; though naturally, his statement came a moment too soon- one kitten, an adventurous little scrap of fur, stayed only a moment before wandering away. Instead of playing, however, he curled up beside Ishida’s paw, which was handily nearby.

Milliana couldn’t help but laugh at Ishida’s bewildered expression. “I think he likes you.” She teased. To her, there was little better in life than the chance to snuggle with a litter of kittens; Ishida had his own opinions. However, even Ishida seemed a lot less apt to return the kitten to the spot at her side after seeing its peaceful nap. Instead of pushing the kitten away, he crouched to the ground, careful not to disturb the tiny figure. The kitten simply snuggled closer, as though it had been doing so its whole life; perfectly comfortable there beside Ishida.

That was how the tokotas passed the time, eventually even dozing off with the heat of the sun on their fur. The return of their handlers work them; they spoke loudly and carried with them the form of the mother at arm’s length. She was evidently far from tame, unwilling to relax, even hissing at the sight of the tokotas. However, when she saw her kittens she allowed herself to be placed on the ground. On a leg, well-bandaged and secutre, she walked without too much trouble; evidence of a job well done on the parts of Sakari and Sayen. A different noise came from her throat as the family was reunited; she purred. Quietly, the two tokotas joined their handlers; together, they left the mother cat and her kittens in peace.