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1x was one to think she would never have kits. she never wanted them, nor would they ever fit with her lifestyle. she didn't think a child deserved to see such violence and face such anger. especially now, in hell.
but here she was.
staring down at a tiny little scrap of ginger fur- well, he wasn't tiny (not with the spectre's influence), but regardless: a bundle of energy and sharp teeth.
"wow," the kit beams, his little ears peeking forward and big eyes wide, "you look so c00l!"
mentally, 1x took a note not to get attached. alas, they were never really good at following rules.
🐈
nobody here was truly normal, but they could tell c00lkidd was rather strange for a feline.
one of the first oddities they noticed about the kit was the tail wagging. at first, 1x thought c00lkidd was just rather easily annoyed; understandable, in her personal opinion.
or, maybe scared. they're aware that the kit wasn't the biggest fan of john doe, but this happened even around her. despite their intimidating presence, the kit never really feared her.
the discovery came to a head when she watched as c00lkidd bowed low— tail wagging, and all— to try and convince slasher to play a game of tag.
...of course, she harrumphs, he's picking up the behavior of others in the glaring. perhaps i should train him more, have his habits more befitting of a cat of his stature.
🐈⬛
while she wasn't necessarily wrong, they certainly weren't fully correct. especially once he got a chance to snap up that annoying little rat that c00lkidd talked about so fondly.
a dog. c00lkidd's father was a dog.
floppy jaws, sad eyes, and even oversized ears hanging over his shoulders.
"you are... nothing like your son."
1x was unable to keep the disgust out of his voice.
upon returning to the camp, she took a forlorn look at the only other feline on this damned team and let themself come to the realization she's the only one who knows.
c00lkidd certainly didn't with the way he snores beside the hulking (and much louder) figure of john.
🐈
armed with this new knowledge, it was rather easy to pick apart c00lkidd's personality- dogs were predictable, after all. overly friendly, energetic, and affectionate are the main traits that stood out to them, especially as everyone in the glaring is currently dealing with one very excited kit. 1x suppresses the instinctual hiss building up as c00lkidd zooms across the camp, easily jumping over all obstacles (besides john, laying curled up; instead, the ginger blur uses him as a bounce pad).
while entertaining, 1x was curious. the child usually got all his energy out in a round, what's different this time?
on c00lkidd's next loop, she stuck out an arm to easily snap the light-weight up, tucked up in her arm with the other supporting his flank. he looks up at 1x with overly large eyes. seriously! it's like they're made to wound her non-existent heart!
"what in the world has got you running around like your paws are on fire?" 1x commands, lightly baring his teeth.
instead of properly flinching at their voice, the kit giggles and throws his arms up in the air, "i caught dad! he was the last player left and i caught him!"
c00lkidd wiggles, but instead of asking to be put down, he climbs up to lean over her shoulder.
"that hasn't happened in so long..." his voice is wistful, more subdued than his typical manic energy. "we used to play often, but he got sooo busy. and he started just leaving before i got the chance to tag him."
1x feels something boil in her chest, paws tightening the hold he has on her kit, while her feetpaws dig claws into the barren dirt. through the slowly growing haze in their eyes, she can see both canines turn to face her.
a sigh too big for a child his size leaves c00lkidd as he purrs, "it's nice to be able to do this again."
that's it, she's killing that miserable mutt.
🐈⬛
1x's next round has her easily finishing that pathetic excuse of herder before breaking off to hunt down the hound on his hit list.
it's rather easy to find him when she actually bothers to look, and they track him down with growl already rumbling. idly, the feline notes that the others in his pack aren't bothering to come to his aid at all. good.
007n7 is looking up at her with a befitting fear coating his face, and he doesn't fight as she uses her claws to tear him apart. it's just as satisfying as killing shedletsky, and right before they rejoice in seeing the light leave the dog's eyes she hisses one thing:
"you are nothing like your son."
and 1x MEANS it. he is not any of the great things she can see in the little ginger ball of fluff, and she's come to the conclusion that it is not only because of their species, but more so because of the man's inability to look past his own nose.
c00lkidd was always so much brighter.
🐈
despite 1x's previous round going brilliantly, c00lkidd comes back from his with a deep frown and wet eyes.
the whole colony perks up as a unit, coming over to check on the sniffling kit.
slasher lets out a concerned whine, paired with john's chuff and them both leaning close to check on the child leaves 1x stuck as they watch as tears bubble up.
"i don't understand," comes c00lkidd's near-silent whimper. "why am i so different? what makes even dad avoid me?"
the older members feel their hearts hurt for the little thing, and 1x steps in to take the kitten into his arms.
"there's nothing wrong with you, kit." soft boofs of agreement surround them. "nothing at all."
🐈⬛
luckily, things go back to normal- with a few exceptions, of course.
the main one being c00lkidd had finally realized he is, in fact, a cat. but, it doesn't affect the colony's dynamic. after all, they weren't lying.
there's nothing wrong with the pup-like kit.