Ask to Join An Adventure for a Kittypet

Survival demands caution, but greatness requires daring
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"Stuuupid cat!"

The brown-headed cowbird gave a sharp caw, wings snapping open just as she gathered herself on wing, easily outpacing her clumsy leap, circling once overhead as if to mock the attempt. The kittypet would hear only the questionable squwak, but to Kosmo, it was an insult he understood.

The ruddy mink cat stepped from the alley shadow, where ivy crawled think along the brick. There was still a touch of blood along his maw, hints at a nearby meal enjoyed not too long ago. Probably still fresh. His mismatched eyes tracked the cowbird's depature for a moment before they turned to Artemis. Along with his prescence came the faint perfume of lavender, musk of someone graced in shamanic ways.

He eyed her collar. "She felt you coming. Birds have a way of seeming one step ahead of clumsy hunters." He would not give any advice on how to hunt them - it was against his ways. "Why don't you try running down a fat squirrel instead?" His half tail flicked once behind him as he stepped forward.

I wanna be where the people are.

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Artemis flinched at the sudden loud caw from above. Why was it circling above her? Was it going to attack her? She crouched low to the ground, looking up cautiously at the other creature. Yet it never attacked her, it just circled and left.

When her gaze shifted back towards the ground she saw there was another cat and startled, her fur standing on end and she shrunk into the ground the best she could. There was blood around their maw, was that cat blood? Was this one of the dangerous cats she'd been warned about? Was he going to eat her next?

"How did it feel me coming. It's a bird." She said, her voice showing confidence her body language did not. She took a few steps away from the other cat, trying to give some distance so she could run to safety if needed. 

Survival demands caution, but greatness requires daring
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Kosmo watchedher shrink away as if he were an ill omen. He'd seen it before. Many times. His ears flicked once at her question.

There was an absence of urgency. Nothing threatening or wearing the face of someone who was hungry or spiteful. "And you're a cat. And you were loud...at least, worth noticing."

Another moment passed before he shifted his attention briefly to the direction the cowbird had gone. At her retreat, he didn't follow but he figured an introduction could disarm the tension. "What's your name? You can call me Kosmo." His paw swiped at his maw again to clean up the mess of his recent meal.

I wanna be where the people are.

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Artemis nodded, this cat was trying to help. Maybe he wouldn't hurt her? She relaxed her stance just a bit, still cautious and ready to run if he tried anything. Would he catch her anyways? Probably, but it didn't hurt to try. 

"My name is Artemis." She mewed, standing to her full height once more, her gaze following Kosmo's paw as he swiped away the blood. Maybe it wasn't cat blood? Would he be talking to her so casually if he'd just eaten another cat? Or was he just trying to be nice before he ate her too?

"Whose blood was that?" She squeaked out before she could think otherwise. Almost jumping at the sound of her own mew. Gosh, why did she say that?

Survival demands caution, but greatness requires daring
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Kosmo's paw paused mid swipe at her question. It seemed more like an accusation to him, but still, he wasn't offended. If anything there was a sliver of wryness in his odd eyed gaze as they swept over her agan.

"Nothing but a rat." He answered her simply, his usual candid tenor lifting from his muzzle. He finished dragging his tongue over his paw, then over the last trace of red along his muzzle, as if the question had been as casual about an inquiring about the weather.

"Plump one too. Caught near from human-bins of soiled food stuffs." Careful though. It was all too common for some of these humans to poison them - he surely was cautious before the feast.

"You seem...well fed. Why stray from such comforts anyway?" He mused to her, theroritical.

I wanna be where the people are.

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Artemis let muscles she didn't even know she was tensing relax after finding out that the blood wasn't cat, but a rat. She didn't really have a reason to trust Kosmo at his word, but she didn't have a reason to not trust him either. If he wanted to hurt her he would have done so by now, right? She stood at her full height now, instead of being somewhat crouched and ready to run. 

"I don't want to rely on the humans to feed me." She answered honestly, if this cat was friendly maybe she could have a friend outside the cafe. "I've gone hungry because a human died." Her voice wavered  at the mention of her past human, and she took a breath to steady her breath before continuing. "I couldn't get any food until a different human saved me. I don't want that to happen again."

Survival demands caution, but greatness requires daring
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The suspicion was like rain water melting off her fur when he gave her an explanation. How she believed he was licking cats blood from between his toes said more about her than he cared to know. He listened to her without interuption, glancing at the path she had took to get where she was now.

An ear flicked at her explanation as he bowed his head towards the human huts. "Humans don't have nine lives like some of us, I'm told." He mused a bit to himself. When a human died so did their care. It was better than waiting for an empty food bowl, at least.

"That's good. It's not proper for cats to be forced to live with humans. They are..." His words grew soft, pausing as his brows furrowed. Humans were so far removed from animals...predators and prey, it was a wonder they were a part of this world at all.

"Unreliable." Was the word he chose to settle on. And it seemed to fit for the moment. Sliding both of his forepaws forward, his front half dipped into a arching yawn. It seemed the shadows under his eyes stretched nearly to his muzzle, indication a sleepless night.

"So...As an independant she-cat would you be willing to hear some advice? Maybe join me for a little stroll?" Both could be seen as clear as day. If she had any worry, let it be forgotten.

I wanna be where the people are.

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Artemis nodded silently, humans were nice but she didn't want to rely on them. They were far too unreliable. That's why didn't want to have to rely on them anymore. With all that had happened, maybe one day she'd be able to leave the cafe and not return, but right now that seemed so far off. Maybe this cat.. Kosmo.. could help? 

She half-mindedly scratched at her collar with her hind leg, the thin piece of cloth missing its distinctive bell from when she pulled it off once she found her little hole into the outside. The humans were yet to notice it missing, or if they had it wasn't replaced at least. 

Even with that thought already in her mind she hesitated when he offered to go on a walk with her. She wasn't familiar with the area, what if he brought her somewhere and she couldn't find her way back? Or if he was going to lure her somewhere? But he hadn't seemed to want to hurt her yet, and if he could help her..

"I'll take some advice, if that entails a stroll then.." Her mew wavered for just a second, and she took a short breath before continuing. "Sure." Her mew was still soft and uncertain but she had agreed. At least she knew the blood wasn't cat now, so he claimed.

Survival demands caution, but greatness requires daring
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His paws traced a path along the edge of the road where grass met the stone of the asphalt as they turned to begin their stroll. She was wise to seek his aide, given her choice to follow. "While hunting is important you should familiarize yourself with how to stay alive should something go wrong...given the wide, unexpected world."

He slowed near a patch of softer ground, nosing lightly at the earth. Between every crack and cobblestone was the springy texture of soft green moss. He paused to motion with his paw, spreading through the patch with his claws. "If you're bleeding...you'll want to find patches like these. Press moss into the wound to help staunch the flow..."

He offered her an easy smile, the kind that came naturally on his jowels, while white whiskers twitched in invitation. "Mouse fluff works in a pinch too...but you'll have to catch a mouse first."

Kosmo then ambled down the path, down the way to the line of southern houses keeping an ear out for anything out of the ordinary. "...Shall I continue?"

I wanna be where the people are.

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

The multicolored she-cat padded alongside Kosmo as he led the way, careful to keep a bit of a distance between the cats as she walked along the grass near the road. She softly nodded in realization when Kosmo told her she should learn things other than hunting to live outside. If somecat got injured the humans just took them to the vet, there was no vet outside. But how would some cat heal themselves without bandages and medicines? 

When Kosmo slowed down so did she, eyeing the familiar springy green substance. It was called moss... It could help stop bleeding? The idea of that was weird to her, but she didn't doubt his knowledge. She trusted Kosmo wasn't trying to trick her. "Moss is probably easier to find.." She mumbled, not fully acknowledging her difficulties with hunting.

Continuing to walk with the other cat she tried to remember landmarks of where they were going, just in case she had to find her way back home from this unfamiliar territory on her own. "If you're willing to." She said in response, appreciating the stranger's help even if she didn't entirely understand why he was helping her. 

Survival demands caution, but greatness requires daring
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Kosmo’s pace never faltered, though his ear flicked in quiet approval at her response. It was nice to know his lesson was being absorbed and that she had questions. Easier to find and carry, if you think ahead.'

He angled them slightly off the road where a shallow dip in the land had collected the last of the rain. A thin ribbon of water still moved there. "Next is to clean your wound - keep running water in mind. Try not to use stagnant water if possible. Keep dirt and whatever else off of it..."

With a wordless purr he continued forward at that same measured pace, guiding her along the edge where weeds and wild growth began to thicken between the houses. "What do you see here..." He motioned with a half paw towards the thicket of stalky ruffage.

I wanna be where the people are.

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Silently paying attention to Kosmo's teachings Artemis followed along. All this learning how to care for a wound.. She hoped she never got injured in the first place. But still it would be useful. Maybe she'd help another cat someday. 

The scenery changed slightly as they traveled, but it was still a human neighborhood. Her gaze shifted to the thin river Kosmo was showing her, there was so much tucked away between the buildings.. So much she hadn't seen yet. 

As they continued and she was taken to a space between two of the houses, the humans hadn't cut the grass in what looked like a while. Then Kosmo asked her what she saw. Was she supposed to see something? "Grass that the humans need to cut." She mumbled quietly, unsure about her answer. 

Survival demands caution, but greatness requires daring
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Kosmo loosed a controlled half laugh, barely a breath that marked his amusement. Well, she wasn't wrong... He stepped into the overgrowth careful where he placed his paws. To Artemis it might have looked like neglected weeds and tangled green for a cat like him this was a living buffet.

His nose dipped toward a low growing plant tucked beneath the taller grass. Broad leaves spread outward around a cluster of orange-yellow petals. "This is marigold...If you ever get a bee sting, sprain, or inflamed eye, chewing these flowers and applying it there can reduce swelling and pain..."

He nosed through another patch until he found a plant with oval shaped evergreen leaves. "And this is Thyme. Chew and apply them to any sore or wound to cool and disinect the wound to prevent infection. You can also chew the leaves if you feel nauseous or conjested with mucus."

Komso enjoyed sharing knowledge almost as much as he enjoyed becoming enlightened. Most cats would just walk by these patches and think nothing of them. Who knew if this would save her life one day.

"The trick isn't memorizing every plant you come acorss...but it pays to learn to notice what others ignore." Or underestimate.

I wanna be where the people are.

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So the tangle of weeds and overgrown grass that the humans clearly simply neglected was useful? The marigold looked like one of the flowers she might have seen her late owner bring in for decoration. As Kosmo pulled away from the marigold, she hesitantly moved forward to smell the flower, only to find it didn't smell half as good as those flowers. Taken aback by the smell she flinched and pulled her head away from the otherwise pretty flowers. At least she wouldn't forget that odor anytime soon, although chewing them sounded very unappealing. 

Attention then shifting to the next plant, it looked simply like a bunch of leaves on a stem. There was a certain strangeness to all this, how could all these leaves and flowers actually help to heal? She trusted Kosmo enough now to assume he wasn't lying, but it was all so strange.

 "Do all plants do something?" She asked, wondering just how many medicinal plants she'd passed by unknowingly. Not that she had any use for them yet, and she hoped she never would, but how many useful plants had she looked at unknowingly.