I'm not a Kitten
#1 of Hold Me Close, Don't let Go
Chapter One: I'm Not a Kitten
- * I could see my breath... Those frozen air particles floated up a bit before disappearing. Until I exhaled again, of course. As pretty as it was to watch, however, I didn't have the time. The temperature was dropping rapidly below freezing, and all I was wearing was a pair of jeans, a beanie and a thin, knee-length coat. I know my fur is unusually thick but... I really was starting to wish that I had put on something heavier. Scratch that. MUCH heavier. My god damn bones were freezing! I need to find a place to stay before I died... Making my way down the sidewalk, I saw nothing. It was late and on a Friday. All the shops had closed up early. Thoughts of going back began to creep into my mind, where they were quickly crushed under the lofty weight of hatred. There was no way I was going back there. No way in hell. Of course, if I didn't find somewhere soon, hell would be right where I was headed. Groaning, I pulled my coat tighter around my body and twisted my tail around my waist. Snow was starting to fall. I swore to myself. There had to be something open! And at last, I saw it! A tavern, with it's beautiful lights teasing me through the window. I felt warmer already. I unwrapped my tail from my coat and ran toward the tavern as fast as I could, leaving the few furs that still walked the street behind. There was a sign hanging in front of it that I stopped shortly to read. "Welcome to Avalon Tavern. All are Welcome. Come Inside and Enjoy Yourself" ~Dean Brougheart (Owner) I could feel a smile form on my semi-frozen lips. All are welcome huh? I liked it here already. However, getting inside deemed to be a challenge. I forgot that I didn't grab my gloves before I left. Bare paws plus well-below freezing temperatures tended to numb up that useful appendage quite well. I couldn't wrap my paws around the doorknob to turn it... Holy shit... This is just too cruel. I glanced through the frosted glass of the door. All that warmth, right there. And I can't get any of it because I'm already too cold. Maybe someone would see me waiting out here and come open the door. Or maybe I could make an obscene gesture when I froze. That would be funny. "Are you going inside?" I spun around quickly. A tall, rather handsome looking feline was standing behind me, looking rather impatient. I frowned a bit. Don't rush me you asshole, I'm dying here. I was about to open my mouth to reply, but he cut me off. "Well?" He asked me again, tilting his head to the side and raising an eyebrow. I sighed. "I'd like to," I said, "But my paws are... kinda frozen at the moment. I can't turn the knob." I lifted them up, demonstrating the fact that I couldn't make a proper fist. He sighed and reached around me, grabbing the doorknob in his gloved paw, the lucky bastard, and opened the door. A blast of warm air hit me in my face. I "myuued." Stepping inside, I could see a fire in the corner. My first destination. I turned around and said a quick thank you to the guy who let me in. He just nodded to me, probably wondering why I haven't gotten out of his way yet. I practically ran to that delicious flame, thrusting my paws forward. I released a nice long sigh, feeling my paws thaw. Along with my ears, my nose, my tail... I could go on but I won't. Anyhow, while I waited to reach my normal body temperature and then some, I took some time to glance around Avalon Tavern. It was a nice place with a homey feel to it. Almost like Cheers. Almost. There was a bar set up against the farthest wall from the door. The majority of the furs seemed to have gathered there, constantly pestering the poor bartender, who I assumed to be Mr. Dean Brougheart, for new drinks and refills. Watching that aged badger run back and forth fulfilling orders was kind of funny. Funny in an awesome way I mean. Every so often, he would slide drinks down the bar or flip the mugs around in his paw. It almost felt like I was watching one of those showoff sushi chefs. He glanced over and saw me watching him. He gave me a sweet smile and a wave before he returned to a conversation with some vixen sitting across from him. The rest of the tavern was set up like a restaurant, though no one had any food at the moment. About a half dozen tables were scattered about the room, each one surrounded by three or four chairs. There were even some pinball machines in another corner! Sure they looked kind of dated, but still. Pinball! And then I remembered that I didn't grab any money when I left either. I mentally kicked myself as I opened and closed my paw. Sweet, I could make a fist again. Not that I planned on slugging anyone... Anyone here anyway. It was about then that I realized that I haven't had anything to drink since I left. I glanced back over to the bar and spied an open seat near the opposite end. I made my way over quickly and sat down, hoping that I could get a glass of water for free. It wasn't too long before the badger spotted me and walked over. "Well hey there, " he said in a rusty yet friendly voice, "What can I get ya?" I looked off to the side, feeling a little silly. "Um... Do you charge anything for a glass of water?" I said, letting my eyes drift back to him, "I don't have any money." Mr. Brougheart chuckled a bit. "Water is free sonny." He said as he grabbed a glass from under the counter. He put it under the tap and filled it up just enough so that he could add some ice without having the water overflow. I gladly took the drink as he set it down in front of me and took a big swig of the ice cold liquid. It felt so good in my dry throat that I think I started to purr a bit. The badger leaned on to the bar, making himself eye-level with me. "So what's a kitten like you doing out so late by himself?" He asked while I took another gulp of the water. "I'm not a kitten," I said, wiping my muzzle on my sleeve, "I'm eighteen. Plenty old enough to be out late by myself." He just chuckled again. "Sorry. You're just kind of short for eighteen." "The short ones pack a punch." "Of course." He left me alone with my drink after that so he could make a few refills. I sat there nursing the glass for a while, watching the tavern slowly empty of customers. Besides me, all that was left was a small group in a corner being loud and obnoxious, the handsome cat that had let me inside, and the vixen that was still chatting away with Mr. Brougheart. I glanced up at the clock on a far wall and sighed. It was almost midnight. I may have gotten out of the cold but I still didn't have a place to stay. I got the badgers attention so I could thank him for the drink. "You headin' home then kiddo?" He asked me. I looked at him, wishing that he would stop calling me a kid. "Yeah, something like that I guess. My names Fyodor by the way. Not ‘sonny‘, ‘kitten‘, or ‘kiddo‘." And then I left before he had a chance to respond. The cold hit me hard. All the body heat I got from the tavern was gone in almost instantly. I stuck my paws in the jackets pockets, trying to keep them from freezing up. I looked around; where was I supposed to go? A homeless shelter maybe? I wasn't even sure if we had any near here. Oh well, not going to get anywhere just standing here. With that thought in mind, I took a right and just started walking. How long has it been? Five minutes? Ten? Fifteen? I haven't seen anything useful yet. Again, thoughts filled my head. Just go back. Why? I don't belong there. They made that pretty fucking clear. So you'd rather die then return? Maybe. I kept walking, trying not to think about the past. Just have to concentrate on finding a place to stay, which was becoming a major pain. Everywhere I looked, places were either closed or closing. I kept walking, the snow was really starting to pile up. God damn... My sneakers were soaked... I could literally feel my hindpaws becoming numb. I figured that the rest of my body would soon follow. How depressing... I kept on trekking forward though, shivering with each and every step. You're never going to find a place to stay... Shut up. And now you're to far away to make it back. I already said that I wasn't going back. You're going to die. ... It seemed like another five minutes went by with absolutely no sign of a place to stay. I was surprised that I was even still walking at this point. I turned a corner and was instantly hit by a very cold gust of wind. My eyes squeezed shut and I tried to cover my face with my paws. It didn't help one bit. The wind still went straight through me. My eyes watered. I was right. I was going to die. The wind stopped as suddenly as it had started and I was able to open my eyes again. There was a church in front of me, right across the street. I stood dumbfounded. Normally, I would have nothing to do with religion, but there was no way I was gonna let myself die out in the street. I tried to run toward the glowing warmth that the building seemed to radiate, but my feet wouldn't move the way I wanted. I stumbled and fell face first into the unplowed road. I tried to push myself back to my feet, but my body just wouldn't allow it and all I managed to do was roll over. My strength was gone. My will was following. I just lay there, feeling the snow soak through my coat, my fur, and my skin. I was dying wasn't I? A slow and painful death? Or maybe a nice relaxing one... My question was answered with a low rumble. I looked over to my left at the source of the noise and was temporarily blinded by headlights. A car? No. It was a Plow... Coming to clear the roads, whether I was out of the way or not. I started to panic. I flailed around trying to get up but it was no use. There was no reserve of strength waiting to be awakened by adrenaline inside of me. There was nothing. I gave up. See, I knew this would happen. And now you're going to freeze to death in a pile of snow. Fuck off... This is all their fault. If they hadn't reacted like that- Stop blaming other people. It's your own fault for running away from your problems. Just accept it. And in that moment, I think I did accept it. My death at least. I returned my gaze to the sky, watching the snowflakes illuminated by the Plow's headlights fall on top of me. I closed my eyes. "HEY! KID!" Some unknown voice shouted. I wanted to open my eyes to see the owner of the voice, but my eyelids felt so damn heavy. Whoever it was, they must have grabbed my paw because I was jerked upright by my arm. It hurt a tiny bit, I couldn't really feel it. I was, however, able to feel two arms wrap around my waist and pull me forward. I heard the roar of the plow pass and let out a sigh of relief. This kitten wasn't dead yet. I struggled to open my eyes. I wanted to see the guy who saved me, but it was proving to be quite difficult. He shook my shoulder gently. "Are you alright?" He asked. I nodded very slightly. His voice was amazing. Soft yet strong. I managed to crack one eye open. A very attractive tiger was staring back, his face lit up a bit when I looked at him. He was bundled up much more than appropriate for the weather. A much smarter feline than I am... I thought, coughing violently. He pulled me closer, trying to warm me up as much as he could. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of this cold. Just hang on." He said, sounding a bit scared. I opened my mouth to try and thank him. It hurt to speak. "Thank... you..." I managed to vocalize quietly. And then everything went black. End Chapter One
- * Well this took a lot longer to finish than expected. It was shorter than I wanted too but... I'm still happy with how it came out. I know that I never said anything about Fyodor's species other than he's a feline... But just so you guys know, he's a Snow Leopard. There also wasn't any sex in this chapter >.> I would have loved to put some sex in here but... It would have felt weird. So I'm saving it for later chapters. So this one ended up being more of a prologue to what's gonna happen in the future. And yes. There will be sex. And it will be hot, gay, MAN SEX! Maybe. X3 Until next time. Ciao.