faderift | Paws & Claws

WHO: Alayre Sauveterre, Katniss Evergreen & Whomever [Open]
WHAT: The New Year doesn't exactly start off on a good note but at least the following day is pleasant enough. That is until an abomination by the name of "Buttercup" rears his ugly head...
WHEN: Morning
WHERE: Skyhold (Battlements at first, then Courtyard)
NOTES: A Templar outwitted by a cat? Now that's a sight worth seeing. All sorts of CR welcomed, especially cat lovers (and haters).

Morning is his favorite time of day.

There's something about being the first soul to greet the day that always has Alayre waking at such ungodly hours to see faint slithers of sunlight. The Hold is at its most peaceful at this time, especially since very few people dare to wake at the crack of dawn. It's for this reason that Alayre enjoys waking at this time and taking his usual spot at the battlements to enjoy the sunrise.

Despite the bitter chill of the receding night still lingering over the fortress, Alayre honestly feels at peace in this still realm in-between twilight and dawn. Eventually that peace is disturbed once others start to stir. It's then that Alayre finds him playing the role of the voyeur as he watches the fortress come to life.

Usually by mid-morning, that awkward time between eight to ten, the Skyhold is bustling with life again. Things don't get too hectic until the afternoon but it's certainly busy enough to make Alayre somewhat miss the stillness of the early morning. This is why he's quick to take his leave and head towards the courtyard in hopes of making a hasty march to his office. Usually, he'll check on his horse at the stables or prepare training regime for his men but today he wishes not to do either. With casual rumors flying about and discussion regarding the Order and their relevance; Alayre admittedly has become somewhat reclusive.

Just when he was halfway cross the courtyard, a faint cry catches his attention. It sounds something like a growl at first but soon that growl becomes a curious meow instead. "A cat...?" Alayre glances about briefly. "Why would anyone bring a cat here?"

Cats don't have much usage in a fortress like this. They're good mousers but nothing else unlike the Mabari war hounds they keep. They're typically meant to look "pretty" and nothing else. So why would anyone bring such a pet here? Maybe it came with a refugee or something.

Alayre hears another meow before spotting what had to be the ugliest cat he ever seen carefully emerging from behind a few awkwardly placed crates. The creature is absolutely dreadful looking with muddy yellow fur caked in grime, a mashed in nose and strange yellow eyes.

"Such a homely looking thing..."

He'll come to regret those words later.

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For his part, Buttercup had been minding his own business. Well, as much as one could mind their own business while fighting two mabari for the last of the kitchen breakfast scraps, chasing down a fennec and glowering at the Commander's messenger as he scurried out of reach of Buttercup's claws and teeth.

That was right, humans. Buttercup was in charge around here. He only had his Angry Girl who was his Caretaker and The Weird Smelling Lizard Girl who was his equal. There was also Sharp Eared Cat Calmer, the one with the red hair. He was acceptable. Everyone else though? Rrrrrrrr.

Which was the only warning Alayre was going to get, as Buttercup started to move back to the Buttercup Home, which was the hut near the stables. He glowered up at the human, making a low growl in his throat. This was his courtyard, and the human better move it before Buttercup became angry.

Bruce had learned. You would not like Buttercup when he was angry.

It takes Alayre a moment to realize that the cat's growling at him. Cats are sometimes a tad territorial but they're usually not this viscous. "Whoa! Easy there." He takes a step back when the fluffy menace steps forward. "I'm not going to hurt you." Alayre usually has a fairly good track record with animals but cats always been something of a mystery to him. They're too contrary and aloof for his liking but he never had any problems with them. That is until now.

This overgrown feline is close to hissing at him now. There's no doubt in his mind that this hideous poof of fur and malice is a stray. Who in their right mind would bring this monster to Skyhold anyway? Surely it's a stray.

"Look, I'm not frightened of you" Alayre says again with a huff. "So scurry off somewhere." He says dismissively. Clearly unaware of his status on the food chain currently, Alayre boldly tries to shoo the cat off.

Bad move, Templar. Bad move.

Buttercup's yellow eyes narrow, as the Stupid Human waved his hand in front of him. Clearly, this should be seen as an attack on the sovreignity of Buttercup's space. Which is, in fact, Skyhold.

So while Alayre is boldly trying to shoo him - Buttercup is boldly going to leap. And grab his arm. And sink his teeth into the tender flesh of the Stupid Human.

He will submit. They always submit.

If only Alayre could hear this little monster's thoughts, then maybe he could've avoided this little altercation. "Fils de salope!" The curse escapes him sooner than he could scream. That cat lashes onto his hand like starving beast. It bites down so hard that Alayre now finds himself hoping to pry the feline off without losing skin.

"Get off! Off!"He forcefully tries to pry the cat off him but eventually stops once it bites down more. The accursed beast has the jaws of a war hound but ten times more foul. If he tries to force the cat off, the yellow monster will only sink its fangs deeper into him.

"You win! You win!"

Well, if Alayre could speak cat, Buttercup might be moderately more impressed with him. As it was, Buttercup's yellow eyes narrowed and this time, he sank his claws into the other man's arm as well, for trying to pry him off.

You did not cross Buttercup, Oh No.

But more importantly, you did not cross Angry Girl Caretaker, who came out of her hut at the sounds of screaming, in a man's long shirt and bow at the ready, boots covering her legs up to her knees. "What's going on? Are we under attack? --- What in the name of the Creators -- Buttercup! Buttercup, you let him go, you little monster!"

She slung her weapons over her shoulders and went to try and help the Templar. "Stop struggling! It just makes him fight harder! He's proving his dominance over you!"

Once those claws really start sinking in, Alayre finds himself frantically trying to shake this devil off. "Je déteste les chats!" The Knight-Commander manages to growl as he starts pulling at the feline's tail. Forget trying to end this without harming the stupid fur ball. This cat deserves no mercy! He has no idea where the girl came from but her advice isn't well taken.

"Are you insane!? He'll damn near kill--ACK!"Alayre shouts once the cat starts really clawing him now. Maybe submitting is a wiser idea than it seems. This bastard of a cat already have this fight won.

"A-Alright! You win, you win!" Alayre ceases to struggle in hopes that the fluffy tyrant will release him.

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