My New 'Little Kitten'

Kirameki beamed as she handed 350 ryo to the man in charge of the Pet Store. Today she finally had her own pet! A brand new 'little kitten' to call her own!

 

The only problem seemed to be that... this was no 'little kitten'. Kirameki had just adopted a fully grown, 30 pound, five foot long (from head to tail) female white Clouded Leopard, whose head came up to about half-way up her (Kira's) stomach. She was big enough for Kirameki to ride. Big, gleaming white teeth were hidden inside the 'kitten's' mouth, and long, razor-sharp claws lay neatly sheathed inside its large paws. This creature was anything but a 'little kitten'.

 

But, although the beast was quite the formiddale being, it was also quite stunning and magnificent, quite the beautiful animal. It's name was Yukihana.

 

Yukihana was quite the intelligent one, and harbored great hidden strength. She had the potential to become a great Nin-Cat, er, well, Nin-leopard, maybe...?

 

Despite the dangerous appearance of Yukihana, Kirameki was in love with the beast at first sight, and it only took a few minutes for her to decide that this magnificent animal was the cat she had been looking for this whole time.

 

Once the man had taken the money, he tied a rope loosely around Yukihana's neck and handed the other end to Kirameki. "Now, listen here girly. This ain't no little kitten. Ya can't just hand her a ball of yarn and some cat chow and expect her to be happy. This big girl, she needs attention. She needs her fur brushed daily, and a wash at least once a week. She needs a diet of meat, raw or cooked don't matter, and 'cuz it’s so hot here, make sure she always has a nice trough o' water. Keep 'er fur from gettin' too long, n make sure she gets a hour of exercise every day. Now run along girly, an' take your 'little kitten' with ya," the man said, handing her a list of schedules.

 

Kirameki nodded and took the list and rope, a huge, beaming smile plastered across her face. She put the list in her black pack that was slung across her shoulders and led Yukihana out of the pet shop.

 

"Sooo... Hey there, Yukihana! You'll be staying we me now, ok?" Kirameki said gleefully. Yukihana snorted lowly and rubbed her cheek against Kira's waist, indicating she was very pleased. Kirameki giggled and patted the Clouded Leopard's grand head.

 

Kirameki lead Yukihana to one of her favorite restaurants- the local barbeque. As she walked through the doors, looks of terror and wonder were shot at her, and immediately a bunch of little children began pleading, "Mommy! Mommy! I wanna pet the kitty-cat! Pleeease!" Btu of course the mothers said no, for they were downright terrified.

 

Kirameki walked up to the waitress, who was, at the moment, absorbed in a packet of papers. "Table for two please!" she smiled.

 

The waitress, whose papers were blocking her sight of the white Leopard, looked at Kirameki quizzically. "Uhm, dear, there is only one of you. Why do you need a table for two when there is only one person to be seated?" she asked.

 

Obviously, Yukihana hated to be ignored, because just as the waitress finished speaking, she jumped up on her back legs and put her paws on the waitress's shoulders. After making eye contact, Yukihana let out a powerful roar, and then got down and circled Kirameki's feet, rubbing her head on the girl's legs.

 

The waitress, obviously incredibly frazzled, just got up and asked, albeit a bit shakily, "U-uhm, t-table or b-both, ma'am...?"

 

Kirameki, struggling to hold back her giggles, managed to stutter out, "B-booth... Please...!"

 

The waitress led the two to a nice booth. Kirameki sat on one side of the grill, and Yukihana sat on the other. It was an amusing sight to see; A small, 14-year-old girl with cat ears, a fluffy tail, strange blue eyes and crimson hair sitting on one side of the booth, and a big white Clouded Leopard on the other side, sitting politely with her tail curled around her paws and looking quite intrigued at the sight of a menu.

 

"S-so, wh-what would you l-like to eat, m-ma'am?" the waitress stuttered, her wide green eyes locked on the leopard.

 

"Just the regular please," Kirameki said, getting her laughter under control. The waitress nodded. In about five minutes, about 20 strips of raw meat was brought out on a platter and placed on the small grill. Kirameki nodded her thanks and began grilling the items. In a few minutes the waitress was back with some Japanese Sprite for Kirameki and water for Yukihana.

 

Once grilled, Kirameki split the meat- six for her and 14 for Yukihana. Picking up her chopsticks, she got a piece of Yukihana's meat and put it to her (Yukihana's) great jaws. "Here, try it! It tastes great, Yukihana!"

 

Yukihana slowly opened her mouth, reveiling her massive teeth, and took the piece of meat. She chewed thoughtfully for a moment, and then her eyes widened in delight. She bent her head down and began eating the meat off her plate one by one until it was empty. Once done, she fell back against the cushioned seat and closed her eyes, putting her big paw on her stomach.

 

Kirameki giggled, delighted. She began to eat her meat and drink her soda until she was full, and put her leftovers in a box. Walking up to the hostess thingy, the waitress still looked alarmed from the previous encounter. "So, how much is the bill?" Kirameki said.

 

"O-on the h-house... Just get that... animal away from me!" the waitress said.

 

Yukihana began a warning growl, but Kirameki put a hand on her head. "Thanks for taking care of the bill!" she said. "Come on Yukihana, let’s go for a walk." Yukihana followed the girl out of the barbeque, but not without giving the waitress a glare that would give anyone chills.

 

Kirameki and Yukihana walked the streets of Suna, getting both screams of terror and shrieks of delight as they passed civilians. Once they passed a particularly intrigued group of children, and amongst them was that young boy, Aoto, from her first mission.

 

The children swiftly ran up to the pair, immediately going to pet the clouded leopard. Yukihana struck pose after playful pose, even going as far as playing shake and rolling over for the children. Eventually, though with much hesitation from the big cat, they got her to chase her tail like a puppy, which even got grown bystanders laughing.

 

Yukihana got up on her front legs and began walking in a handstand for a few steps before she fell onto her back, but she got right back up again and ran towards the children. She let out a playful roar and began to chase the children around, though not nearly at her full speed. Their little screams of delight soon filled the air as they played this little game of tag with the big cat. Just when one would think they got away, she'd speed up and get in front of them, chasing them the other way. She never stopped until all the little kids were worn out and laughing in a little group. Yukihana appeared a bit tired herself. The great leopard lay down beside the kids.

 

All the kids began to climb atop her back. The ones that weren't on top of her were playing with her paws or tail.

 

Slowly, Yukihana began to rise up. The children on her back began to screech with glee as the leopard started walking around in large circles, giving the children rides. Once that group got off, the next got on and so on until all were satisfied and sleepy, giggling with contentment.

 

Kirameki had to smile. This great big feline was like a cat herself, and just wow. Striking poses, playing tag, giving rides, and 'reading' a menu. She was like a child in big cat form, and seemed to be incredibly intelligent. She had made the right choice in adopting the leopard, that she knew for sure. She giggled as the children played with Yukihana's ears, or batted her flicking tail.

 

Soon the children were sound asleep, cuddled against the great cat. One by one the kids were picked up by their parents and taken home. Once all were gone, Yukihana stood up and yawned. She then came to Kirameki and nuzzled her legs.

 

"Come on Yukihana, I know a great place for a swim. Leopard's like to swim, right?" Kirameki suggested. Yukihana's eyes brightened and she snorted in agreement. Kirameki walked towards the village gates, Yukihana at heel. The rope given to her by the shop keeper lay forgotten in the middle of the road.

 

As they arrived at the gates after fetching Kirameki's swimsuit, the guards attempted to stop her. "Relax, guys. Just going to the oasis a few minutes from here, like I usually do every now and then," Kirameki explained.

 

"But, the tiger...!"

 

"Uhm, sorry, but... This is a Clouded Leopard, not a tiger. Sorry for the misunderstanding...  And, uhm, I just adopted her today, so... I'll just be on my way then..." She said.

 

"Alright, go on then."

 

"Thanks!" Kirameki said, trotting out the gates with Yukihana in toe. As they traveled through the desert, they saw not much more than sand and a few cactuses. However, once they arrived at the oasis, their view grew much more.

 

A small lagoon of sweet, blue water bubbled up from under the ground. A few coconut palms dotted the shoreline, and big, pink flowers bloomed everywhere. Green grass surrounded the area, and birds chirped among the trees.

 

Kirameki switched into her swimsuit within the cover of the palms and ran towards the water edge. Once she reached the water, she called to Yukihana. "Hey, Yuki! Come on, the water's great!" Kirameki cheered, splashing into the blue liquid.

 

The great leopard slowly trotted to the shoreline. She placed one paw in, and her expression of wonder turned into that of pleasure. She placed another paw into the water, than another and another until she was submerged up to her neck.

 

Kirameki, unlike most members of her Clan, loved the water. You could say it made her even stranger, or you could say it made her more unique. Whatever your thoughts were of her, once she hit the water, she just didn't care. She was in her own world, just her and Yukihana.

 

It appeared to be the same for the big leopard, as she was just swimming in circles, her eyes closed and her expression relaxed. She gave an occasional snort of pleasure as she paddled around, often dipping fully under the water.

 

After a while of splashing, water games, and just relaxation, Kirameki and Yukihana emerged from the water and lay side by side on their backs in the grassy area under the shade of a coconut palm.

 

Soon they were both dry and ready to head home. Kirameki had changed back into her normal clothes, and Yukihana had shaken all the water out of her coat. But, before they called it a day, Kirameki decided to grab two coconuts to eat on the way back. Besides, the rinds would be good for the fire tonight, since she could only afford to live in a large tent.

 

So, using her Surface Walking Technique, she climbed to the top of one of the trees and pried two of the riper coconuts off. She quickly peeled and opened them, stuffing the rinds in her pack.

 

As they walked back to Suna, she split the coconuts with Yukihana, who had been eyeing them since they were peeled. They were very sweet; ripened perfectly. The leopard seemed to agree, because she was constantly licking her lips. Kira had been watching the bunch for some time now, waiting for the right time to harvest them. Turns out it had been a wise idea, as the taste was perfect.

 

As they arrived back through the gates of Suna, Kirameki noticed the sun had begun to set. She hurried to her tent; the desert was freezing at night, and she was wearing clothes fit for the warmest weather.

 

The stars were out by the time the campfire was lit. Both were tired, so they decided to call it a day and headed inside. Kirameki huddled into her sleeping bag, and Yukihana fell asleep curled against the girl. As Kirameki's eyelids began to shut, she uttered a short, sweet sentence to end the day. "Goodnight, my little kitten. See you when the sun shines again."

(2,115 words. Is she now registered as a Familiar?)

yes and approved