Lily Backstory

Lily loved her housefolk more than anything in the world - well, anything other than the other housecats, Princess and Pancake. It was a little strange when they'd brought home their odd-looking little kit, but she loved it all the same. (Even if the others hated it.) She'd often climb into its cage-bed, watch over it while it lay on the floor (for whatever reason), and sit with it while it ate its strange food. The other cats criticized her for this frequently, but she always brushed it off - why should she care what they thought, when Princess criticized everything, and Pancake was scarcely older than their housefolk's kit herself? And besides, she was sure they didn't really mean any of it, especially not Pancake.

And so she ignored their criticism, continuing to watch over the kit each day and night. Eventually, her housefolk didn't look as nervous as they had initially when she'd wanted to check it out. She wasn't sure why they'd been so cautious in the first place. Of course she was going to be gentle with something so small and defenseless.

Though... evidently, that wasn't true for everyone.

It started with a yowl.

"Princess?" She'd trotted quickly into the room, just in time to see the kit clinging onto Princess's tail with those grabby paws of its. She was hissing at it - they were both looking very agitated.

"Princess, hold on, I can-"

A paw lashed out.

For a moment, all three of them were still - the kit wide eyed, Princess still arched angrily, tail dangerously fluffed up, Lily staring in horror. Then the crying started, and Princess was suddenly gone - where did she go?! - and she had to hurry over, and stop the crying-

A yell sounded from the other side of the room. Lily looked over from her spot beside the kit. Oh dear.

***

That night was the coldest night of her life. Outside, all alone for the first time in her life, light rain drizzling over her pelt - and she hadn't even done anything wrong.

She waited around outside the house for a while. A few nights passed, then a few nights more, but nobody ever acknowledged her. Sometimes she spotted Princess in the window, sitting on desks and drawers, staring boredly outside. Out of the reach of tiny paws.

Her housefolk never gave her another chance. She loved them - she even loved their kit.

It just wasn't fair.