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Frerin loved Custard. It was obvious, the little bundle of fluff gave him the needed comfort in his time of need. for everyone else in the Halls, however, the opinions of the cat were mixed, to say the least.
Thrain for one, really doesn't appreciate the bi-annual shedding of his youngest son's kitty. Custard herself was a bundle of love, rarely leaving any of the Dwarrows around her alone, mainly hanging around in the many, many forges and workplaces that the Halls had produced. Thrain was no exception; like all the others, Thrain was prone to finding the cat circling his legs.
The bi-annually thing? Yeah, Custard shedding. It got everywhere, attached to any sort of fabric, and it was funny how much she shed.
"We could make a second cat from all this shedding." You could always be certain of Thrain muttering during these months. The fur Custard shed onto his trousers alone was possibly enough to create another cat. The fur from the lining of Fris’ instrument cases could make five.
Secretly, many Dwarrows found this hilarious, and so did Custard.
She loved her Best Person.
~*~
Custard also seemed to know when people needed her, it was almost as if the cat had a sixth sense.
Early one morning, the fluffy bundle of fluff wandered into Fris and Thrain’s room, sneaking through the crack in the open door with stealth only Custard could have managed.
The fluff ball gazed up at the bed in the dying light of the room’s fire. She noticed that one, the Dwarrow tossed and turned in his sleep; the Dwarrowdam wasn’t sleeping peacefully either.
Saunterting forwards, Custard lept upon the edge of the bed, dipping a little in the mass of duvets upon the bed.
The next thing Fris is aware of, is the light pressure on the blankets near her feet, and the light purring coming from it. The sound was quiet, but Fris knew even in sleep that it was Custard. Sitting upright, she found the fluffmonster staring back at her, purring even more.
A smile fell into her features; Fris leant forward to stroke Custard before falling back to sleep, knowing Thrain would be better for it.
Custard always brought it upon herself to look after her favourite people.
Custard loved her People. And her people decided it was time to let her have her own cat flap in the doorway. No more needing to leave the door open; this queenly kitty was to have her own special entrance.
~*~
If there was one thing that everyone was know beginning to understand about Custard, is that she was unpredictable; a mind of her own that you could never tell would lead her next.
Fili, one morning while he was heading to the Chamber of Sansûkhul, he swore that he could hear something around the pool. Not from the other Dwarrows, but, as he turned to look at Hrera’s cushioned chair, the redness being covered by what seemed to be another cushi-
Custard.
Fili couldn’t help the smile on his face when he realised she was asleep on Hrera’s chair. Of all the places within the hall, that chair.
Walking over, he scratched behind her ears, the place he and Kili had learned from experience (and many, many cat-related scratches later) was the best (and safest) place to wake up Custard.
Like expected, she purred loudly at the contact, stretching out upon the cushion, before turning to the blonde.
And before he knew it, Fili was walking back to the dining tables, where he knew Frerin would be, with the fluff-monster trailing behind, her tail high and with all the dignity that a cat could muster.
Frerin instantly noticed her trailing his nephew; Custard ran lightly over the smooth flooring, the pitter patter of her paws being the only sound she made until she reached his grasp, and began purring loudly.
Frerin immediately placed his face into her soft fur, scratching her cheeks lightly.
Kili, still deep into his conversation with Thorin, never noticed the fluffy kitty staring at him in thought. Well, not him exactly, more like the tuna on his plate. Fili had noticed - so had Frerin - and from experience, they knew what was about to happen next.
POUNCE. Custard lept from Frerin’s lap onto the table, startling many of those who had not seen the cat arrive. Then, in a flash of yellow-y fur, she pounced. With a confused Kili, staring at Frerin in shock, Custard darted forwards and stole as much tuna as he could.
Custard only relinquished her goal, when Thrain had returned from the Chamber.
“Come on, little fluffy one” he cooed, gently picking up the cat and gently placing her on his lap as he sat down. As usual, Custard was batting Thrain’s hand with her head, seeking attention. He obliges, scratching the itch on her cheek, her purring resonating in the room, where few people now sat.
However, a moment after this, Custard stopped purring, gazing at something hidden from the view of the others. Then -
POUNCE, skitter skitter skitter.
Off goes Custard chasing the “invisible pixies once again”.
Custard, off again to defend her People.
~*~
Thorin sighed deeply as he sat down at his customary place beside the Pool, the troubles concerning his Star and the Fellowship almost physically weighing him down.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, to steady his mind before a bundle of furry weight leapt gracefully onto his lap. The King Under the Mountain opened his eyes to find Custard staring up at him, as if expecting him to pet her.
His superior cheek-scritches made Thorin the go-to person for the perfect scritches.
Purring loudly, Custard made herself comfortable on his lap, getting ready for a long nap, while Thorin glanced back into the world of the living.
Mahal, Custard loved his people.