Unlikely Friends: Volume Two

Chapter Sixteen

Before

"Okay, so you can turn into a cat but that doesn't mean you're not mutated," Pando said as he picked up the orange kitten by the scruff of her neck, pulling her away from his chest. She stubbornly kept a tight grip on his shirt between her claws. "I'm not mutated," the tiny kitten replied in an equally tiny voice. Pando scoffed as he pried her off his shirt. He lifted her to his eye level and held her green eye gaze. "Really?" he asked in an obvious mocking tone. The kitten wrinked her nose, her whiskers twitching as she spoke. "I told you I'm a cat."

'If you say so," Pando shrugged, dropping the small animal. She landed on her feet with a slight thump before returning to her human form. The girl pouted for just a moment then  chased after Pando. "Can I stay with you?" she asked cheerfully, seeming to have completely forgotten their previous conversation. "What?" Pando asked in confusion as he stopped and faced the girl. "It's scary out here," she looked up at him, pouting and grabbing onto his left arm. Her orange ears laid back pitifully atop her wild hair and her green eyes shone back at him. Pando couldn't deny she was cute and wondered if this made him a furry. And she was right; such a small girl wouldn't be able to defend herself against most mutants on her own. She had every reason to be scared.

"No," Pando said as he abruptly turned around and continued walking home. The small girl allowed her arms to fall to her side, letting out a soft whimper. She chased after him nonetheless. Pando tried to ignore her as she insisted on following him home. Still he tried to tune out the pleas and cries the young girl persistently weaponized. She even begged please with sugar on top. Pando ignored her. The small girl stopped and stomped her foot, tired of the lack of attention. Why did he save her from mutated thugs just to leave her out in the cold? He should know that outside was where even more mutated thugs lurked! And besides... the further he walked away, the more her skin would itch. 

The girl ran after Pando. She got a few feet behind him and jumped once again. She leaped through the air, slowly transforming into a tiny kitten. She landed with a soft thud on his shoulders and held on with her tiny claws. "What now?" Pando asked, not even bothering to look her way. "This isn't how you should treat your friends," the kitten scolded next to his ear. Pando rolled his eyes, tilting his head away from her. Could this girl not take a hint? "We're not friends," Pando reminded, continuing his walk home.

The kitten nuzzled close to him, rubbing her orange fur against his cheek. He shifted uncomfortably, feeling the vibrations on his skin as she began to purr. "I know we're friends," she argued. He didn't say anything as she walked in a small circle before curling up against his neck. He could feel her tiny paws as she got comfortable yet he didn't try to stop her. "You didn't fly away from me," she purred as she peacefully fell asleep on his shoulder. Pando nervously swallowed, hesitating for a moment.

With a sigh of defeat, he reluctantly turned down his street.