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Ankha wasn’t the type of villager to be openly curious, that she knew since the day she gained full consciousness during kittenhood. Of course, it didn’t mean she was never curious at any point of her life as that was impossible for anyone to accomplish, but most of the time, Ankha just never bothered to seek out the object of her curiosity if it didn’t have anything else she could gain in return.
Today wasn’t going to be like that, however..
Ever since she first moved to the island of Acornville; a silly name for an island that severely lacked acorns, the stone-faced cat noticed something interesting about one of the other residents on the island. Well, apart from the fact that the only human in the town, who also happened to be the Resident Representative of said town, seemed to have an obsessive fascination with her from the day she moved in. It was odd but endearing, and Ankha couldn’t deny the constant gifts and conversations from her Representative were immensely flattering.
But no, this wasn’t about them. Instead, it was the only monkey villager in the town that caught Ankha’s attention for a while now.
Shari, a friendly squirrel monkey who lived in a house not far from Ankha’s. It didn’t take long for the yellow cat to understand the kind of person Shari was, thanks to her keen senses. If the squirrel monkey wasn’t busy tidying up her garden and getting herself dirty with a small hum of Steep Hill, she’d be visiting at the Nook’s Cranny store for more plants or the equally dirt-obsessed sloth in the Plaza if he was dropping by the Island. And if she wasn’t doing that, then she’d be chatting with the other villagers and that’s usually when Ankha notices something strange about her.
Whenever it was Shari’s turn to speak, she kept her responses short and sweet with no less than a few words. Of course, Ankha would’ve ignored this trait about the gardener girl if she was just shy or not the talkative type.. But she knew better. She knew Shari wasn’t shy at all and if anything, was like a big sister to most villagers, including the Representative. So, why was the primate so dedicated to keeping her damn mouth shut??
It didn’t take long for Ankha to find out.
While speaking to Shari one day about something unimportant, Ankha wasn’t really paying much attention when the primate started to show signs of irritation. Whether it was that she woke up on the wrong side of bed or today wasn’t working out all that great for her, the Egyptian cat’s snootiness about her dirty gardening habits were not making it any better. And Ankha wasn’t aware of the effect her words were having on Shari herself until it came down to the final breaking point.
“And while we’re on the topic of plants, why do you choose those plants to grow in your garden?” Ankha questioned as she gestured with one yellow paw finger toward the multicolored assortment of Cosmo flowers that had already grown to full bloom. “I mean no offense, but they’re pretty basic for something for someone who’s an expert in plants. Wouldn’t you think so, Shari-”
“Can you just leave me alone already?!” Shari suddenly yelled back as her already tense grip on the weeds beneath her gloved hands tightened to the point of some being ripped out of the ground, and she snapped her head to glare at Ankha. And although Ankha was already pretty surprised to hear the normally kind gardener speak with such volume, it didn’t compare to when her wide eyes caught sight of Shari’s open mouth… and the pair of big, sharp, glistening fangs jutting out from both the top row and bottom row of her teeth. Oh. So that’s why she didn't talk a lot. “Oh, wow..” The yellow cat muttered under her breath.
Ankha didn’t get to observe the squirrel monkey’s fangs for long, though, as Shari quickly realized her mistake and closed her mouth before looking away with pinned ears at the torn weeds. She didn’t notice the look of surprise on Ankha’s face changing to show a bit of disappointment at the fact that those fangs were no longer in her view before she could fully take them in. “S-sorry.. about that. I didn’t mean to-”
“No, there’s no need to apologize.” Ankha calmly interrupted, her stone-faced expression returning as she spoke. It was silent between the two mammals for a moment before Ankha continued. “I understand it’s not my place to talk about your precious plants, Shari. Really, I should be the one apologizing. …But I guess I should just leave you to your own business.”
With that, Ankha turned her back and walked away from the fence that separated her from the inside of Shari’s garden, not bothering to look back at the other woman who was now the one being surprised this time. But with a small embarrassed or guilty sigh, the squirrel monkey just muttered something under her breath before getting up from the ground and entering her house. She couldn't bear to show her face for the rest of the day and just wanted to sleep instead. As for Ankha, there’s no way she’d be able to easily forget those fangs. Even as she walked along the path towards her own house, she was distracted by the recent memory of Shari’s open mouth to the point of her pupils dilating without her realizing.
She didn’t know why she was feeling so.. strange about that reaction Shari had. It’s not the first time she’s seen the teeth of other villagers, especially sharp teeth. Hell, she had sharp teeth herself as a feline! So, why- Ankha's spiraling thoughts were put on pause when she reached her doorstep. Taking a moment to let herself silently breathe through her nose, Ankha opened her door and entered the safety of her home, finally allowing her ears to turn outward and flatten before letting out a loud sigh. Her ringed tail twitched from side to side from frustration before she decided to go and make something to eat. All while a single question remained in her head, repeating over and over while her pupils kept their dilated shape. “What is it about Shari that made seeing those fangs so different from others?...”