Kitten-Ra

  "Mew!"
  "Yes Shy?"
  "Mew."
  "What's that little pusskat?" He started playing with the kitten, the smallest in the brood of four Raven had birthed recently.
  "Mew."
  "We got guests?"
  "Mew."
 

---

  A floridly-dressed visitor was at Linni's door, ringing, when the door opened, the cat within its carrier at his feet said:
  "Miau."
  "A good day to you from me, and my pet, Dali."
  "Did you interpret that?"
  "I did, first impressions are important. I am pleased to meet you, I am Orange Prince Furuken Tsimori's second in command, Cat Princess Laraken Tsunamon." Floridly-dressed was an understatement, as indeed, the Tsou-designed petaled dress she was wearing was modeled after a twelve-petal flower. Briskly, she spoke fluent Kagomine, but with a Tsou accent, so:
  "I greet you in the name of the ancestors." Replied Linni, in fluent Tsou.
  "My, what a pleasant accent you have." As she switched back to her mother tongue.
  "I'm sorry."
  "Oh, don't be, you have a little burr that only a few Kagomine speakers seem to have when saying the word ancestors, I find it quite pleasant." Belatedly Linni realized, she was flirting with him.
  "I'm sure I have more of a burr speaking Kagomine, my wife quite likes that... And Shy here does too..."
  "Purrrrrrrrr."
  "Oh, you talk to them all the time?"
  "Most of the time, it's less jarring if I only speak to them when I want something, feels less opportunitistic as well..."
  "Dali?"
  "Miau-mrrow-mew-mew-mew."
  "Well, that was quite a moutful. So this is Shy?"
  "This is Shy, my youngest kitten at present."
  "You have several?"
  "Oh, yes, I have four adult cats and four kittens under my care."
  "Funny, I count nine here..."
  "Oh, that's the adult's grandmother, Robyn, she's not technically mine, she just likes the food here better than at the palace."
  "The Palace?" She leaned her head to the side, clearly expecting something strange.
  "Robyn is Meihomei's cat, and has been for as long as she's been alive, no true cat lover would think of seperating them."
  "The famous Robyn, mouser extraordinaire, grand-daughter of Rembrandt himself?"
  "The very famous Nameita Robyn, princess of Kagomei."
  "Would my lord deal with her as an equal then?"
  "I only saw them interact briefly, but I would say she got Gaigang from him, so she had the better of him."
  "Ah-ah, much droll! I meant in protocolary weight?"
  "As the third in the line of succession of the Empire of Kagomei, Robyn, as a matter of fact, would outrank him significantly, and similarly anyone but the Jade and Silk Princes."
  "And people say you are the people of peace? Such a blunt statement would cause much strife, if uttered at the wrong moment."
  "I but replied to a blunt question with a blunt answer... It is said that the Kagomei are only a people of peace, if you come yourself with peace in your heart..."
  "It seems I join the piles of people who underestimated you on the metaphorical fields of the dead..."
  "Dali knew better..." He looked down at the cat in the carrier, now urgently insisting upon something.
  "What?"
  "He wants out, so he can see me for himself..."
  "Ah, but should I? You know what'll happen if I unleash him in a house of nine female cats..."
  "In a house with Robyn in it? I'm sure he'll be well behaved..."
  "Miau!" From her perch on the mantle above the fireplace, Robyn's meow sounded almost like a commanding yowl... Perhaps 'behave!'.
  "Mew." Dali, from inside his carrier, sounded subdued by comparison.
 

---

  Corbo had scouted out this newcomer, her human called him Dali, he had a nice muzzle, and gorgeous green eyes. He wasn't a nice shadow colour like her though, being white, and mottled with green and black, but two out of three ain't bad, and he was, very importantly, not a numbskull, when Grandmother Robyn laid down the law on him he realized just how outmatched he was.
  But then, Raven had won the genetic lotto, four kits, all of them shadowfur? And clearly she had the trust of their common grandmother and mother. That counted for a lot in the colony, and Dali was willing to play by the rules, if it meant he got the rewards from the rules. Which meant he just might get lucky. Corbo hadn't had the attention of a male of her species in a while, and Raven didn't think he was that interesting... She was next in line in priority, being bigger and stronger than Corvo or Kruk. Not that they'd fight outright about it, but the order for "the good things" was set, and that was that.
  Corbo was in a good place, with her grandmother and mother visiting, still a lively part of the community, her elder sister(by a few moments) in a strong position, helped by her kits, and the colony was thriving, those humans they'd tamed kept bringing the sweet fishes and birdmeat, she even stole a bit of the otter's cooked egg, and thought it wasn't half bad. Their two-legs. especially the grey-furred one, he kept making such delicious meals.
  And the brown-furred two-legs kept building new places to exercise, Corbo loved that she'd been getting some swimming done, the way Dali kept looking and sniffing her sure seemed to mean it hadn't gone to waste... Shadowfur cats, like herself, loved water, and did make a point to swim almost every day. Corbo loved that she got to indulge, and had a nice solarium to dry in, drying herself in a patch of sunlight after a long swim had to be the best way to nap, ever. He wasn't a real member of the colony, really, since he wasn't a cat, but he belonged, and her sisters and their kits would defend him. He even seemed to listen to what they had to say, that was the oddest thing. But then, Grandma Robyn said it was what she was used to, lots of attention by careful, competent humans, and noone was going to complain if he didn't have a crown like the others did.
  Dali's two-legs was strange though, and lonely, like she was away from her colony. Dali was away from his colony, but he was sure he'd go back to them, even if he wasn't sure how he got here. This shaky contraption in the middle of the trip... To Corbo that meant he wasn't going to stick around, which was fine, some tomcats even hurt their progeny, the idiots! Dali wasn't a numbskull, but just in case, he probably wasn't going to more than a few warm nights. Well, yowl, better make the best of it then! Corbo told herself.