Hide and Seek (Kriket)

[`K E Z Z I ♥♥]

[bg=006633][atrb=border,0,table] [atrb=width,375,table] [th] A black figure darted into the hospital as the snow came down in heavy flakes, smoldering amber eyes burned in the night. She was supposed to be hunting but Holly's paws felt like they were about to drop off! She hissed irritably, shaking her delicate ebony paws. Her sleek, gleaming fur was shaken as she stretched and removed all the snow. It was thick and kept the cold as pretty well actually, her little pink nose lifted to the air and she scented her surroundings. Cats. Everywhere, and lots of them by the smell of it. Well, it was better than having dogs here.. Holly gave a horrified shudder, remembering those great gnashing teeth clamping over her sisters throat. She curled back her lip in defiance, despite her eyes losing their sparkle. How she missed Jasmine, she had been her sister through and through. They always had each other, and now Holly was without her. Of course she had mother, yes Acacia would always be there.. but it wasn't the same. Thinking now of her ginger tabby mum, Holly pondered as to check out the place for food. Probably a good idea, if I return without something, mom will freak. She prowled forward, simply a shadow amongst others. Only her devilish amber eyes could be detected. The beautiful she-cat was in a ward, hospital beds strewn randomly here and there, were the humans had been in anarchy and panic. A flick of an ear, and twitch of a whisker and Holly had picked up the scent of a mouse. Puurfect. She lowered herself to the floor, and stealthily crept forward under a bed. She stalked the little creature, as it scuttled to and fro. Finally she got close enough to pounce, and she leapt from her hiding. The ebony feline jumped down on the rodent, stunning it before leaning down and killing it with a swift bite to the neck. She twitched her tail in satisfaction, one paw over her kill. A smile flickered, and her smouldering amber eyes danced. When suddenly she heard a sound.. Oh God.. Who was that?!

[/blockquote][/blockquote]
[/size][/color]
[/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[MudBug]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background,http://i53.tinypic.com/s168sj.jpg] Watch my moves! Read my mind! "Hear my voice!" Kriket had been attempting to catch this mouse for well over thirty minutes. The hunt had been strenuous, teasing, and downright aggravating. He had curse his own sad lack of hunting skills more times than could be counted, and was beginning to question if he really was hungry enough for this fight. He was in a hallway, it's walls dingy and cold, despite the spring weather. Kriket was always cold, always shivering, always naked. The walls of the hallway were marked with doors down the entirety of their length, but Kriket would not have to go that far, as the evasive rodent skittered into a room just ahead. Kriket promptly followed, peering his head around the door frame, testing the air for scents. There was the mouse, that cursed mouse, but it couldn't hold his attention. There was someone else here, another cat. Well of course it's a cat, you're in Iris remember? Yes, of course. Kriket's form moved forward, his front legs softly padded just inside the door, his rear still exposed to the stretching hallway. He scanned the room, beds strewn about like playthings, soiled sheets left a fowl stench that he was all bu used to. There, just a few paces to his right, a black female was cornering his kill. Kriket watched with fascination plane on his face, as it took her mere moments to accomplish what he had been incapable of for the last half hour. Kriket was drawn to this female, Kriket was drawn to almost everyone, but he could not scare himself away from this female. She had so much grace, so much beauty, so much..muchness. That mechanism, that trigger, the switch that flipped when Kriket's heart pledged itself to the service of another being, went to the on position. Nobody knew if he sold himself over to others willingly or not, he himself did not know why this happened. It was just his reaction, his way, his lifestyle. Indeed, he did not know another way to live that was not lived in service to another. He crossed the room, almost in a daze, taking slow creeping steps, eyes not leaving the area where his Muchness awaited. He reached the bed, crouching on it's left side, but his tail caught edge of an old bed pan, resulting in a short scraping noise, across the tiled floor. Oh no! Fear wreaked havoc on his bare face, as a cry of alarm meant that he had frightened the beautiful stranger. He would have to speak up, and calm her fears, or she could run, and he'd have lost her forever. It flashed across his consciousness that his bald body was a humiliating sight, no matter. Humiliating and Kriket were old friends, he almost welcomed it, it helped him remember his place. His voice was soft, weak, almost always in a tone of fear. It would shake randomly, a word here and a word there would have a faint wobble. "Please, don't be afraid. I'm just a cat, I mean you no harm. My name is Kriket, who are you?" The words sounded as rushed as they really were. He was not good with breaking the ice. In fact, Kriket was not good with any social activity, in all honesty. But, this female, she so perfect, he had to face his fears, just this once, for her, for himself to have her.

[`K E Z Z I ♥♥]

[bg=006633][atrb=border,0,table] [atrb=width,375,table] [th] Holly let out a short cry, her ebony fur standing out on end, her amber eyes burning with alarm. What was that noise, or more importantly, who had caused that noise?! She didn't run away though, she simply stood her ground and waited there in hope that this .. cat, yes it was a cat scent, would show themselves. The smell of this male filled the air around her, and she relaxed slightly. If he had wanted to do her harm then he would of pounced out a long time ago, but he was still hiding which must mean he was afraid of her. Holly flattened her neck fur, and her smouldering eyes lost their surprised look, it was replaced by curiousity. It was on an impulse that she stepped forward to investigate this new stranger, leaving her catch unatended foolishly. Suddenly she saw him, and a gasp escaped from her inky lips. What had happenend to this poor creature, who had stolen all his fur? He must be so cold, oh my Lord! I wish I could share some of my fur with him.. Holly heard his words and looked deep into his eyes, she didn't see any evil intent there and it calmed her. She settled down on her haunches and gave a bright smile, hoping to put him at ease too. This Kriket guy looked very fearful, "Hi there Kriket," she frowned, "Where's all your fur gone, Sir? You must be very cold!" She felt sad for him, but then feeling sad for somebody wasn't going to help them. That was what her mother had always told her, and Holly knew it was right. Despite his odd looks there was something so... intruiging about Kriket that made her feel slightly self-conscious and flushed. Holly looked down, suddenly realising she hadn't introduced herself. "Oh my, I am so rude... my name is Holly, I'm don't live here, I was just trying to seek some shelter or some food. Oh yes,!" She beamed, bounding back to the little mouse. "Here, are you hungry?" Her kind heart overruled her mothers rational words in her mind, 'Holly, make sure you bring back something substantial for yourself and me.'

[/color]
[/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[MudBug]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background,http://i53.tinypic.com/s168sj.jpg] Watch my moves! Read my mind! "Hear my voice!" The lovely creature stepped out to greet him, and gasped. Instantly his entire body turned bright red. He thought he was ready for the embarrassment, he knew he was. What he didn't realize was that he wasn't ready to be humiliated in front of this gorgeous onyx angel. The look of horror on her face made his entire body recoil, taking half a pace backwards. He averted his gaze, feeling unworthy to even look upon her beauty, while he was the hideous reject of nature that he was. "I'm-I'm so sorry. I think I should just go.." Despite himself, he dared one last glance at her, to burn her into his memory, and the pity in her eyes struck him. Could she..could she really feel bad for me? Could she really pity my condition? Then, it occurred to him, that not once had she laughed, chuckled, or even grinned. Nothing but horror and pity had shown on her delicate features. He listened as she spoke, and his hopes, however fragile, raised hesitantly. "Hi there Kriket. Where's all your fur gone, Sir? You must be very cold!" His shock was almost plain on his face. She honestly did feel for him, feel pity, but she did not think it disgusting, or hilarious, or scary. His chest nearly swelled to bursting with respect. Her question almost brought a smile to his face. "My fur did not go anywhere, it is not lost. I'm afraid, Madam, that it was never mine to lose. I was born this way." The pain in his voice was so searing that it nearly burned his throat. Though he was used to his baldness, it did hurt to talk about it to a beautiful stranger. More so, it hurt to know that he never in his life had a chance at a normal coat. Not a chance. He felt bad now, for his recoiling reaction. He hoped he hadn't offended her. He relaxed as well as he could, to a very unnatural affect, and listened greedily to her soft voice, as she spoke once again. "Oh my, I am so rude... my name is Holly, I'm don't live here, I was just trying to seek some shelter or some food. Oh yes!" Her name played through his mind again and again. Holly, just one letter between it and Holy. Kriket did not think it a coincidence for such an angel to be named so. She smiled, wide and beautiful, and Kriket's breath caught. He must have turned red yet again, the pace of his heart quickening to sen the blood rushing through his veins at top speed. She bounded away gracefully to her kill, and politely offered him a share. His eyes lingered on the felled rodent for a moment, but he slightly shook his head, trying to harden his resolve. He did not deserve to take this beauty's hard earned food away from her. He couldn't accept it. "No, no I couldn't. It's your kill, Madam, I have no right to intrude. If you'd like to enjoy your meal, I could be on my way." The thought of leaving her presence almost caused him a physical pain, but he had wasted too much of her precious time on himself already. Her wish, even if she did not yet know it, was his command. He could only hope that she did not truly wish him to go.

[`K E Z Z I ♥♥]

[bg=006633][atrb=border,0,table] [atrb=width,375,table] [th] Holly was never one to judge by appearences, not at all. Her gentle wise mother had brought her up to be a confident, considerate young lady with boundless bundles of energy. Everything the onyx she-cat did was full of emphasis and excitement, and every step she took was so energetic and fun-filled. To her, life was one big game.. Of course she had faced some devastating situations.. her sister being murdered, the two males in her life abandoning and rejecting her.. Holly smiled gently, her smouldering amber eyes cast softly over the other felines eyes. She didn't mind at all that he was different, in fact the she-cat envied him slightly for being so unusual.. He would be noticed in a large crowd, Holly was just a plain old black cat. She sighed, lost in her own thoughts again, failing to notice his recoil. But she did hear his words, jumping forward a little Holly was desperate for him not to leave. In truth, she was lonely, mother wasn't much company these days, especially after Acacia had died. "Oh! Please don't go!" Feeling slightly embarrassed with herself, Holly looked down at her paws and shuffled backwards a little. "S-sorry.." she mumbled awkwardly. The pretty little cat brightened up when she saw Kriket swell with what looked like respect, and it seemed he liked her. How brilliant! She beamed brightly, listening eagerly to his intruiging quiet voice, it really did soothe her.. it was so .. soft. Holly shook her head, trying to clear the little haze that had settled over her head. Holly felt sad when he spoke with pain of his coat, but at least nobody had stolen it! She moved a little closer, "Well, Mr Kriket, I think it suits you very well! Have fur really isn't that great you know, it can look very messy sometimes!" She chuckled, her amber eyes hopeful. Holly was constantly shifting from paw to paw, finding it difficult to stand still. It wasn't that she was bored, it was just that she had so much energy! Holly always had, and it wasn't something that was likely to go away for a long time yet. When he turned down her offer, she felt almost relieved.. at least she would have something to give back to her mother. But when he said it was time for him to leave, Holly gasped and rushed forward, circling round him to sit beside the sweet little tom-cat. "Oh no sir, I'm not that hungry, please.. stay here? It's a bit chilly outside is it not?" She smiled, hoping to pursuade him, the ebony feline had only just met her new friend and the thought of him leaving was just... out of the question. completed ^^

[/blockquote][/blockquote]
[/size][/color]
[/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[MudBug]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background,http://i53.tinypic.com/s168sj.jpg] Watch my moves! Read my mind! "Hear my voice!" Kriket looked utterly inconsolable as he watched Holly - now to be known as Her Muchness, to Kriket's self - appear incredibly uncomfortable. She mumble an apology, and begged him to stay. Really? He couldn't comprehend anyone begging for his useless company. He turned to her with a blank, almost piercing, gaze. "It cannot be so cold as to justify me wasting anymore of your time, madam," he explained gently. Still, she stood in his path. Of course, he could not imagine being so disrespectful as to step around her. He stared into her eyes for a few long seconds, before he sighed and resigned himself to his fate. She truly did want him to stay, so stay he would. "So be it, madam. If that is your wish, I shall keep you company 'til you see fit to excuse me." With that, Kriket backstepped until he could sit lightly, just beside the rodent she'd caught a few moments earlier. Sitting with his maw just above the kill, a wave of scent made his head spin, and his stomach churn. With a practice indifference Kriket ignored his own physical needs in favor of Her Muchness' concerns. "Please, madam, don't mind me. Enjoy your catch, you hunted so skillfully." Kriket gently slid her kill toward her as he spoke. It took more willpower than he had expected, not to dig his claws into the lifeless creature and scoop it into his jaws. Instead, he simply kept his eyes balanced between the dead mouse and the shining eyes of his new found patronage.

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,background-color: #90a98c; border: solid 2px #ffffff; -moz-border-radius: 10px 10px 10px 10px; width: 400px; padding: 0px;,true] - -MudBug vomits language; [div style="color: #ffffff; text-align: justify; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10px; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1[br"]em 0.1em #6a6a6a; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px;]So.. yeah.. sorry it fails so badly. BLAME PIC. It's her fault I must cram out museless posts. /whinewhineshot

[/div][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[`K E Z Z I ♥♥]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true]

[atrb=background,http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m515/kezzi1/Hollymiddle.jpg] Certainly, Kriket had an interesting look. He wasn't handsome, or attractive or in fact in the least bit good looking, but Holly wasn't one to make first impressions solely on appearances. Her mother had taught her not to judge a book by it's cover, and she for one wasn't about to defy the only guiding figure present in her life right now. Acacia had protected and taught Holly many things, so the black she-cat trusted her with life and held the utmost respect for her mother. No way would she go against any teaching she had learnt. So here she stood, with a wide pair of smoldering amber eyes which indeed gleamed with worry, worry that she would lose her companion to the freezing cold outside. If her fluffy ebony pelt struggled to retain a decent amount of warmth out there, then this bald turkey stood about as much chance as a mouse against a lion. However, Holly was somewhat disheartened by the resigned note in his voice. It was as if she was forcing him to stay, and this was not something she desired nor had she aimed for. In fact it almost made her feel worse than expelling him into the freezing weather! Taking a step back, Holly listened silently to his words and cocked her head slightly. 'Till you excuse me', what did that mean? Did he think she was his Mistress or something. The confused little feline, twitched her tail but didn't say anything. She decided to wait and see what he would do first, and so settled down quietly onto her haunches. Then he swiped her catch towards him, and a wave of hunger rolled over her. She didn't however miss the fact that he too looked longingly at the mouse, even if it was for a split second. Kriket was such a slight little thing, Holly felt obliged to let him eat before she finished it off. The ebony queen smiled softly, tilting her head and flicked her ear. "Hey, I'm not going to make you stay you know! If you wish to leave then that is fine!" She beamed, before leaning down. Holly had realised that there seemed to be only one way of getting Kriket to truly do something, and so she would use this to her advantage. "Listen, I ate earlier on anyway.. so i'm not going to take a bite out of this mouse until i've seen you satisfy your hungry belly!" She grinned, and bounded over to him, bumping his shoulder in a friendly fashion. Holly liked this guy, she liked him a lot.

[MudBug]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background,http://i53.tinypic.com/s168sj.jpg] Watch my moves! Read my mind! "Hear my voice!" It seemed this awkward exchange would go on for an eternity, but the strained feeling of it all was lost on Kriket, as was usually the case. He sat, still as death, using every ounce of his willpower to keep his eyes trained anywhere but directly into the beaming gaze of Holly; Her Muchness. Every nuance of her being was like a juicy nugget of information for Kriket's mind to cling to. Of course, her suddenly troubled gaze did not escape him. It seemed to be his presence troubling her, but still she spoke in riddles, to him. He couldn't make sense of it all. His mind was a maze of doubt, as he battled with his own desires. Did she want him to leave? He argued with himself. Did her words carry a double meaning, a hint perhaps? Surely she couldn't imagine he wanted to leave, himself. It would taking nothing more, or less than Her Muchness' own words to make him leave her presence. She sat, gracefully, and simply looked him over, as if she awaited his response. Again, she slided her kill to his paws. He limply lifted a paw to glide it back, but then her speech stopped him a moment before he could. She asked him - no, commanded him - take her kill and quench his own hunger. The bit about her having already eaten fell on deaf ears. All he heard was that she wanted him to eat. So, with a sullen look on his features, he nodded a deep thanks as he took his first weak hearted bite out of the rodent's hide. What should have tasted like sweet bliss on his tongue, now felt tainted with bitterness. He could barely cope with it. The scene played through his head in gruesome detail. There he sat, eating greedily, while her graceful Muchness sat in hunger, just watching her prize be taken from her. Three, four, five callous bites later, Kriket could no longer stand it. He lifted his muzzle from the rodent, and licked his chops in an exaggerated fashion. HE hoped beyond hope that she would believe him to be full to bursting. Still overacting, he let out a moan of pleasure. Surely, she couldn't believe he could hold another bite. Holding back a sigh of relief, he watched his paw glide her kill back to where it belonged, at her feet.