there were many things arcturus had met in his short time on the mountain. he had seen the blonde shimmer and endured the terrible beauty of a bear. how softly he had seen the flutter of a hummingbird, the light twitch of a hare's attentive nose. he had given witness to the ferocious testament of a wolverine, albeit reluctantly -- and had been graced by the lording, benign presence of a horse.

yet he had never seen a cat. it astounded him. he watched it with a squint, the agile lean limbs, the bizarre pattern of white fur brandished by black. he could make no sense of its form; it looked predatory, but it was smaller than any predator he knew.

with the wolverine, arcturus had learned to measure his wild kin with care. he did not approach, but instead settled down on his limbs and watched her groom herself, his expression bright and full of interest.

generally, everything arcturus studied was either afraid of him, or egregiously affronted by his orbital invasion. therefore, he was stunned when the creature spoke, and then padded towards him content as... well... content as a cat! not that he had a word for cats, or understood anything about their fractious dispositions or ability to purr.. he really only knew this was something very strange and unorthodox, and in disbelief he looked about him as if trying to see if amekaze, charon, or his siblings were here to witness such a bizarre parade.

but they were not here; other than the cat, arcturus was alone.

he felt a smattering of hairs raise in alarm as she drew near; the closer she got the more convinced arcturus was she was not a starved fox or a stunted and twisted wolf at all; her limbs were too disproportionate, her muzzle too snubbed -- even her eyes, drawn into strange slits, were distinctly uncanine.

he might have answered her query, if he was one to talk -- but he rarely spoke at all, and overwhelmed with a sort of childish curiosity, thrust his nose right into her face for a good sniff so he could figure out just what exactly she was.

arcturus' rude violation of the cat's personal space didn't tell him much; it didn't smell like wolf, it didn't smell like squirrel - it didn't even smell like wolverine or weasel, though arcturus thought maybe its lanky frame shared similarities to the mustelid clade. he pulled back, ears cupped ahead as the creature chattered to him. if nothing else, this strange animal was at least friendly.. luckily for arcturus, who had no earthly idea how capable those claws were of rendering him insensate with pain.

he looked around for revui or yami or yama - they were not there to share his consternation. he leaned back on his hocks and launched a playful look at the cat, but at least supplied a growly "arcturus!" before he playbowed excitedly and started doing the zoomies around her.

arcturus had almost doubted himself - up until she playbowed too! his eyes lit up and his tail whirled about his narrow hips. he was excited -- but not so excited that he lost composure entirely.. yet all the same her second question was left unanswered -- it was simply too much on the poor boy's brain, apparently, to be able to provide anything more than his name.

he was neither guilty nor dissuaded by his inability (no doubt he did not perceive it as an inability -- being quiet was a trait unique to him, and his parents certainly had never said anything aloud about his 'quirks') to freely speak; most of what could be said could also be governed by body language -- lowering his head to the ground he wriggled his bum behind him and stared intently at the cat, as if to say dare ya to come here.

this newfound play-friend was a marvel to arcturus; how sleek and lithe she appeared while he was fat and clumsy -- how artfully full of elegance her soft movements seemed, whilst arcturus had all the graceful reckoning of a boulder tumbling downhill.

she moved between his paws in a flash of pale silk, and arcturus, expecting the swat of claws stiffened and stood upright, his ears flopping as he looked down upon the giggling feline with a stupid grin. his own tail wagged fiercely behind him, and as the cat's tail brushed his nose he rocked back in a loud sneeze: "ACHOO!"

the sneeze sent his thin frame back; he rocked on his heels, clearing his fussy nose with a deep inhale. unfortunately, the cat got the brunt of his splatter, and arcturus sheepishly watched as she gracefully wiped snot from her face.

he expected an admonishment, but she didn't give one -- instead she seemed to leap impossibly quick, leaving arcturus craning his head in a dumbfound manner. where had she go-- thud.

he froze, but every instinct in him roared into life; his fur crawled, his toes curled -- and with a wild shriek the boy bolted, a black dart across the landscape.

**

they played for a while before the cat became fed up with his incessant and tireless chase; then, slick as a weasel, the cat eluded arcturus, and arcturus was forced to turn for the den to sleep.