Log [Catseye, Moira] The Cat always makes it better...

[x-catseye.livejournal.com]

Backdated to Sunday. Catseye decides someone needs a little distraction and this results in Moira making an interesting new friend.



Moira was half dozing on the couch in her and Nathan's suite, a book nearly falling from her fingers onto the floor.  There was some residual grumpiness from earlier, she hadn't _wanted_ a nap and did not like the fact that as soon as she laid down she had drifted off.  The effects of what happened on Muir were still getting to her.  And probably would, for a while.

Catseye had been patiently waiting for a while now, the tiny mouse neatly tucked in her mouth, only the tail peeking out - and twitching occasionally, but that was just a detail. And all part of the Plan anyway. Which meant staring patiently at Moira until the dulled instincts most humans had kicked in and she realized she was being stared at. And woke up properly.

Glancing downwards, she nearly jumped as she finally caught sight of the purple cat staring at her.  "Catseye!"  Sitting up, she clutched at her heart as the book fell the rest of the way to the floor.  "Scared th' livin' daylights out o' me!"  As started as she was, she suddenly realized that the company was probably what she needed.

"Mrrf." Catseye frowned a bit, or as much as cats could. The odd muffled sound at the end of that had been something of a giveaway, though Moira hadn't yet noticed the tail, it would seem. With a small preen, the lavender cat leapt on the free spot of the couch, then delicately picked her way closer to Moira. To drop the slowly awakening mouse in her hands or in her lap? Decisions, decisions...

"Wha' on eart' are ye up ta?" Moira asked, watching her intently.  Cats always had this air about them when they were doing something.  Catseye was certainly no exception.  And what was sticking..."Ach, another present?"

Well, she wasn't screaming her head off yet, but then again Catseye knew Moira to be made of sterner stuff than that, as humans went. With great reverence, she leaned forward and opened her mouth wide, dropping the tiny brown - and damp - bundle of fur in Moira's lap. No mama mousie.

Part of her had been expecting a mouse, Catseye had done that before. What she wasn't expecting was it to be shivering and squeaking just slightly.  A part of her wanted to jump away but she simply stared, unwilling to dump cat or mouse onto the floor like that.

Baby mousie! Catseye gave Moira a patient look, then reached out to paw at her fingertips lightly, nudging them closed just a little over the petrified creature. Whiskers hovering along the inside of Moira's hand, a pair of black, bright eyes peering up at her widely above a small pointy nose.

Hesitating a little bit--it was a wild creature after all--Moira started to reach for it.  Her brain, waking up, told her that this was too small to be an adult sized mouse.  Not like the ones Catseye had been bringing her previously.  Those had been adults and very, very dead.  "Did ye catch a wee one?" she asked, still trying to figure out what on earth was going on.

Ah, finally. "Mrreow!" It was a low sound however, uncharacteristic of Catseye unless you took into account that perhaps she was trying to not spook the small bundle in the hollow of Moira's hand. Whiskers twitched once more, in clear reaction to the sound, the baby mouse hunkering down and making itself even smaller, as though counting on the hand cradling it to keep it safe from harm.

Watching both Catseye and the mouse closely, she gently cupped her hands a little more, allowing the warmth to go from them to the creature inside.  "Why on..."  She paused as her brain finally caught up with her.  "'Tis because I'm goin' ta 'ave a baby?"  The mouse was certainly  cute, at least.  If damp from being inside a cat's mouth and scared to death...also, from being inside a cat's mouth.

Heart aches. SadGentleHands needs the simple things. Catseye shifted off her lap and curled up next to Moira, purring lowly in approval as she looked at the mouse. Harmless baby mousie. Needs help. SadGentleHands helps. She looked at Moira patiently, waiting for her to understand and go about taking care of the mouse.

What she would give to have Nathan's powers right now, Moira thought. But the meaning was pretty clear even if the words were not.  "Ye want me ta take care o' it?  Angie does 'ave some o' th' thin's I would need, I suppose..."

A resounding raise of the purring level indicated clear approbation of that decision, though Catseye toned it down again at the squeak of protest from the mouse. Uppity mousie. Eating it now though would be a Bad Thing. It was meant to cheer up Moira and make her focus on something else, after all.

Smiling, she freed up one hand to reach down and scratch Catseye behind the ears.  "Yer a smart one, lass," Moira said, making sure to still be able to cradle the baby in her other hand.  It looked like it wanted to curl up and disappear.  "Wanted ta give me somethin' ta do ta take me mind off o' thin's?"

Eyes closing in bliss, Catseye leaned into the touch. Cats are clever and smart! And the baby mouse would need a lot of attention for the next week or so, Catseye knew, which would be more than enough to give Moira time to get some perspective and fall into a new rhythm which didn't involve smelling of tears and sadness.

"Everyone's conspirin'," Moira said, laughing a little as it became quite obvious that she had hit a sweet spot.  "Bet I could get used ta this."  She eyed the mouse who, in Catseye's silence, had started to explore just a little bit.  "Hmm, wha' do ye say we go an' find some supplies for this wee one?  Bet I could find some tuna for ye alon' th' way."

Catseye deserves pastrami for this! The offer was met with a very definite nod, Catseye gracefully twisting off the couch and to the floor without drawing the mouse's attention too much, other than a sharp glance. Someone, Catseye decided, was fast getting used to being a human's pet. Mice. Uppity little things.