[Kitty]


    She found she didn’t much like the quiet.


    Which was a conflicting feeling, seeing as she didn’t like the noises either. They made her nervous and she much preferred to avoid them. Moose could handle whatever the noises were. When she fully became a moose, then she could go find out. Until then, she was happy to hide behind Moose and let things play out.


    That was the problem though.


    Moose always handled the noises. He always handled everything.


    And if he was off handling something, he wasn’t there with her.


    The lack of his presence was always so silent. All she could hear was her own heartbeat. And the noises, on occasion. When he was nearby, she could hear his breathing. Or hear him walking or talking or doing magic. Even when she slept, her ear to his chest brought her a constant stream of sound from him. To be without that sound, things were so quiet.


    So empty.


    She had dealt with the emptiness before. Had used the things Moose gave her to overcome it. She had used Moose to overcome it. So how did she overcome it without him? The new creature didn’t have magic. It didn’t have much of anything, always following either her or Moose. Never using its own mind. Not to mention that the creature took Moose’s time away. Even if the creature fell back or didn’t try to contest her, it was inevitable that Moose would need to spend some of his time on it.


    Making food took longer, even if not by much. The rain room took longer, the creature needing more care. Settling in for sleep took longer, as more bodies took time to arrange. Even her time with Moose in the strange room he had taken to spending much of his attention on could be cut short. She much enjoyed sitting on Moose, listening to words or sounds. Doing her best to train Moose to listen to her as well. The heat and tingles she took in were what kept the cold at bay.


    Kept the emptiness back.


    But even that time wasn’t safe. Should the creature come to need something, or any new routine happen, her time sitting on Moose would end. She didn’t care to count how many times she had been told by Moose to help the creature with some small thing or other. Even worse when it was something she had no interest in. Why should she have to help the creature relieve itself in a rain room? Why should she have to guide the creature to that odd area for bedsheets? As if the creature had no ability to do things itself, she was told to accompany it. She wouldn’t be surprised if next she would need to carry it around like her trinket.


    Why did Moose dote on this little creature?


    Had he grown bored? Found her lack of turning into a moose to be a failure?


    Had she failed?


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    She could give the creature a grudging acknowledgement. Every command was followed, even if most of them required more explanation. The creature didn’t stop until it collapsed, even if that didn’t take long. The creature was not smart or sturdy or fast or even all that impressive. But that didn’t seem to be from a lack of trying. The creature almost reminded her of herself. The time before she had met Moose. When she had been watched by the Others.


    When she had been alone.


    It had been the only reason she had not rebuked the creature. It was almost painfully clear to her that the creature was empty. She could see it in the eyes. In the way it stood and walked and acted. An emptiness she recognized. One that scared her.


    Had this been what she looked like before, a tiny pathetic shell?


    She might begrudge every moment that the creature stole Moose from her, but the painful reminders always kept her quiet. It was better for the creature to understand what it was depriving her of. Maybe then it would stop being so needy.


    <hr>


    She had no idea how long the creature had been with them. The female. Moose labeled her ‘Pup’, something about ‘girl’ being wrong? It had been a confusing conversation. What was wrong with the label ‘girl’? She guessed it didn’t matter much, one label the same as another.


    ‘Pup is easier to speak, maybe that’s why it’s better?’


    Easy magic for a small creature. It made sense.


    She was sitting on Moose, idly listening to the sounds as she watched the lights dance about. She would never give up the chance while they were both in this strange room, even if she didn’t much like it down here. It always chilled her skin, made her tense. Stealing heat from Moose was the only solution. She enjoyed the tingles as well, even if they had changed a bit recently. She knew the creature was responsible for that, though didn’t know why or how. She thought they felt more… intense… though that wasn’t really the best word. Worse she didn’t know if it was some scheme of the creature or simply a change in herself.


    She watched the lights flash a bit and turned her thoughts to the creature again. Something that had been happening often.


    “Uni…………ip, thi……….ity off……….. Respo………….ance or be t……………... I repeat….”


    She perked up at the sound. As did both Moose and Pup. There was a great deal of noise and crackling, making the words basically useless. Moose shifted under her and she braced as she slid to the floor when he rose. Walking over to an area with rapidly blinking lights, he started doing something. Likely magic to make the words better.


    “Unidentified ship, this is…….ity off……….. Respond ……….ance or be t………as a…... I repeat….”


    ‘Hmm, more words but still basically useless.’


    “Translation isn’t working. Please repeat in a different language.”


    Moose rumbled into the air near the area he was in. She didn’t understand anything he said outside of ‘Please’, but he was clearly doing something.


    “Unidentif……….., transmit…………ived but ……..lligible. Please re………………..nized g……….mat.”


    ‘Guess the magic isn’t working right.’


    Moose did some more things, then motioned to her. She padded over and gave him a quizzical look.


    “Kitty. Speak. Other words.”


    He motioned to the air afterwards.


    ‘Other words? Like with the creature?’


    “Speak, what words? Not using good.”


    “Unidentified ……………. received. What’s n………..d? Plea…………….red communication format.”


    As Moose worked the crackles lessened a lot. The words came in but she still had no idea what they meant.


    “I think they want us to pick a better radio channel.”


    Both she and Moose looked at the creature as it spoke.


    ‘Did the creature know what the words were supposed to be? Why is she smart now?’


    Rather than try and figure that out, she simply picked up the creature. She was a little heavier than she looked, but it wasn’t much to place her in the raised sitting area near Moose. Waving her hand she passed the command on.


    “Know, then you speak.”


    Looking at Moose she nodded.


    There that problem was solved.