Skire Prompt: Spirit of Gifting (Weekly)

It was a crisp autumn morning. The sun was steadily rising in the air over one of Skire’s many parks, and puffy white clouds filtered in over the pale purple sky. The air was pleasantly cool, with a breeze that ruffled leaves and hair alike. However, despite the nice weather, the park was currently empty of people. Well, almost empty. A single CCCat crouched in the grass near the edge of a small pond.

The CCCat was nearly solid white, with just enough black markings on their short coat to avoid being declared patternless. A couple spots here, a couple stripes there. Even their crowns were little more than short black lines jutting out from their cheeks. Nothing more and nothing less. This was unusual for a CCCat, but it was far from especially strange. No, the strangest part was their eye.

From inside the transparent glass orb that was carefully perched between their fangs, a fish looked out. It had shiny golden scales, with harsh, purple splotches along its length. Its fins were short and delicate, and were torn on one side. It didn’t seem to mind, however. Nor did it seem particularly concerned to be captured between the jaws of a much larger creature. It merely peered down into the pond water below, as the CCCat gently swayed their white paw in the water.

There were Fish in the pond, some shaped very much like Fish’s own self. Fish’s CCCat body laid flat against the park grass, as they reached toward those other fish. However, despite her attempts to call them over, they remained hesitant to approach. When she managed to brush the side of one, it dashed further down into the water. Where was it going? Didn’t it notice them there?

Fish nearly jumped when she heard a sudden voice behind her.

“Uh… are you ok?”

They swallowed their eye down into their throat in an instant, as if on instinct, before facing the CCCat speaking to them. Fish sat up and pushed her wet paw into the grass.

“Yes, Fish is ok. Fish is very ok.”

The CCCat cocked their head in a way she couldn’t quite recognize, then shrugged and walked away. A couple people had already filtered into the park since she first got here. Something told her it wouldn’t be safe to try to visit the other fish if there were people watching, even if she wasn’t exactly sure what. She pulled herself up onto shaky legs and stumbled away. She could try again another time.