the son and heir of nothing in particular [o]

Lluse hadn’t meant to take so long to return to his home, truly. For the most part it seemed undisturbed, left just as it had been before the accident. His nose twitched, drinking in the scent of Grub and his siblings. The scent of Grub Jnr and Fish were fresh-ish, as opposed to the other’s. His ears fell back, had he misjudged them? Had they come home, hoping he’d be there only to be as disappointed as he was? Well, he hadn’t expected them to be here, but the fact they had been is what hurt. They needed better communication, but it wasn’t like they could fix that now. Huffing, Louse continued towards where his nest had been, eyeing where his favourite spots to play had been. He wouldn’t be doing much of that anymore. He settled into the spoiled moss, tail resting over his paws. Amber eyes stared unfocused in the direction of the entrance to their home. He didn’t want to be lonely, or to have to do things all for himself. Just because he could do it, doesn’t mean he should have to! His tail unfurled, swatting from side to side violently. Mother, Weaver, Echo, Spider, Papa, Grub Jnr, Fish… how could they all leave?! He was good, he was good to them! He did everything right!

He decided he hated them all. Almost as much as he hated himself for letting them get away from him. It wouldn’t happen again. Never again. He would never raise a paw for another cat, never be good again, never try to care again. He had cared, Louse knew he had, for them. He was angry and he hurt, painfully so, his chest caving in because he had cared. If he hadn’t loved them… Love?… He could continue on like they were rocks in a river, sunken stones of no importance. But, they had been important to him. Their absence was so profound, once their home had been alive with laughter and now it was silent. A deafening kind of silence, where all he could hear was his hammering heart and the way his breaths came staggered, cross and crude as he stood.

Fiery eyes turned on the moss under paw, and the rogue’s claws slid out, burying themselves into the moss. With a sudden yank, he tore at it. Again and again, shredding it as he spat and cursed and sobbed uncontrollably for the first time in his life. He’d always mocked his siblings for crying, for whining and wailing, and now he couldn’t stop, his face damp and screwed up as he took it all out on his bedding. When he could no longer shred the moss, his puffy eyes turned to the slanted and stacked sheets of metal. He leapt up there, the metal still warm from the heat of the day. He let it warm him, let it feel like the warmth of his now lost family. He sighed briefly content, and let himself drift off to sleep.

-

Louse awoke to the sound of clattering. He hoped it was prey, but as he stared down from his perch he felt his heart sinking. It was another cat, rooting around his home. Contaminating it. His lip curled back in a snarl. He wasn’t surprised someone was attempting to steal his home, but he had at least hoped for a peaceful sleep. Unseen, he sank into the shadows, sliding down from his perch so that he came up behind the intruder. His pelt was fluffed, make him appear larger than he was, his long pelt hiding his otherwise scrawny figure. “This is my home. You’re not welcome here, move along.” he hissed.