Kotlc Oneshots

...that's a lot of cats. - platonic Sokeefe and some Kam

a/n So I just had this thought about what might happen if Keefe went to an animal shelter... lets see how this goes. Sorry this is so late - I am so bad about procrastination. I left an essay and, like, twenty homework assignments until the last minute. Whoops. Anyway, enjoy, friends. 

When Sophie asked him if he was down to come with her to her old city, Keefe had absolutely no reason to say no. The council had sent Tam to Loamnore, the dwarven capital, so Keefe was alone, and frankly, quite bored. So he dressed in the human clothes he had from their last couple of escapades into the Forbidden Cities and leaped to Havenfield.

"Keefe! There you are. Ready to go?" Sophie asked. Her blond hair, tied into a high ponytail, shone gold in the sunlight. She was wearing a simple turquoise tunic and blue leggings that resembled jeans.

"You know me, Foster. When am I ever not ready to break the law?" He said with a smirk. Sophie laughed and punched his arm.

"You know it's not really illegal for me to go; Tinker made me this cool thing that nulls my registry pendant. So we're fine."

"Yep. It's not illegal if the council doesn't find out!" Keefe raised an eyebrow. Sophie rolled her eyes, but didn't quite manage to restrain her smile.

"You're one to talk, mister Foxfire Vandalizer."

"Hey - you helped with that!" The two continued to jab at each other until Flori poked Sophie and reminded them to leave. With sheepish grins, they ran to the cliffs, locked hands, and leaped.

The void was, as usual, dark and unbearably cold. It was the kind of cold that sliced you to the bones until you were both numb and in pain at once. There was no feeling other than the biting chill; there was no sense of bodily presence. Keefe couldn't breath, but he didn't feel the need to either. Then, just as quickly as it had come, the darkness dropped away and Keefe suddenly found himself tumbling through the grass with Sophie. They seemed to be in a small park. A toddler in a fluffy white cardigan was staring at them. Keefe stood up and brushed the dust from his clothes.

"You okay?" Keefe asked Sophie, who was curled up in a ball in the grass. She offered what was probably supposed to be a smile, but it ended up more like a pained grimace.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm getting better at it, but teleporting still tires me out, so it's hard to block out the voices." She said, her voice strained. The blond haired elf forced herself to her feet.

"So... why are we here again?" Keefe asked. "All I heard was 'we're doing something illegal' and I was in." 

"I... I guess I just wanted to see it again." Sophie said, looking around. "The city, I mean." She added. She snapped her fingers. "Here's an idea: lets go to an animal shelter! I love seeing the cats and dogs there." Keefe, having no clue what she was talking about, decided it was safest just to nod. The pair began to walk along the busy street.

"There! A cat shelter. Perfect." Sophie exclaimed. They walked inside to find the most simultaneously adorable and sad scene Keefe had ever seen in his life. Cages full of cats lined the walls, their fluffy little faces pressed against the wire mesh. 

"Why.... why are they penned up like that? They can barely turn around!" Keefe exclaimed. How dare humans treat animals like this? A bored looking woman behind a desk glanced up at him, looking bemused.

"Because they're animals; they don't need that much space. Besides, those are the ones on the euthanasia list." She said haughtily. Her bored superiority pulsed though the air. Keefe felt his insides simmer with anger.

"You're one to talk. Humans are animals too, or hadn't you noticed? And yet you have the majority of the world to exploit. I hardly seeing you with two square feet to move." Keefe said, scoffing at the woman. He only realized his mistake when Sophie stepped on his foot and the woman began to speak again.