[PRP] That Darn Cat! [Jump Scare, Party Fowl]

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Tiny footsteps, familiar noises- a jarring, inquisitive screech, followed by an exaggerated yelp- these were all heralds of the undeniable situation of that owlcat returning. The noises weren't long followed by the frantic beats of galloping hooves as Jump Scare, scut of a tail flashing and long ears streaming behind him, came sprinting into the clearing where he'd last seen Party Fowl. The yellow kimeti, to his slight relief, was still there. He skidded to a halt in front of her, catching his breath. Flecks of sticky mud spackled his underbelly; the normally fastidious buck was far too distressed to care about grooming. He hadn't expected to see that thing back yet, at least not for another several days- but here it was, interrupting his nap with its noise and its general awfulness. "Party Fowl," he whined after catching his breath, long ears pressed flush against his neck. "It came back. Why does it keep coming back?"

Behind him padded a dark owlcat, its black eyes turned upward at the fleeing acha. Jump Scare was pointedly avoiding its infinite gaze; it was far too unsettling to make eye contact with it for any length of time.

Moonstone Dazzle

 

[So Long Gay Bowser]

The telltale signs of the return of both her friend and... that thing startled Party Fowl from her daze. Since Jump Scare had taken off, intent on disposing of the Owlcat, Party had decided it was a good time to consider what the crew would be eating that evening. She had a rather serious craving for hare, but with all the rains lately, fish could very well be a good option. On top of that, they hadn't had good fish in a very long time... The yellow doe found herself shaken from her thoughts as the acha skidded to a halt before her, breath shaken from his lungs. Party Fowl frowned, regarding her friend.

Honestly? She DID know why the Owlcat kept coming back. In one of her fits of feeding, she had encountered the monstrous little being... and for all of its fear-inducing looks, the poor thing looked hungry. It was, at the end of the day, Party Fowl's biggest fault: she couldn't leave hungry mouths unfed. They had shared a dead mouse... or five... and the little thing had taken a bit of a shining to the crew. It was a horrible, unsightly thing that haunted her nightmares, but...

"You gave it a good run," She said sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders a bit. By no means was the doe immune from the fear- Life Giver terrified her just as much as he did her friends. Still, she was... pitiful of the little thing. Grimacing a bit, she trod over, and picked the Owlcat up by the scruff of his neck. The little beast gave a mix of a hoot and a purr- the terrifying noise Party Fowl had learned to signify delight.

"Mahee ee cah geh rih oh ih aher dinnuh?"  

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Jump Scare shuddered a bit, a ripple of horror trailing his spine as his pounding heartbeat slowly returned to normal. "I... am not sure if I really want it watching me eat." It was ridiculous to fear something as small as an owlcat, but Jump Scare couldn't get the image of that black beak opening to a wider maw, a toothless, hard-edged grin that split its face in two and swallowed him, Party Fowl, and the entire swamp whole. There was no such thing as an all-consuming owlcat. Not even in his wildest stories would he concoct such a monster; it was one of his very few forbidden topics. You don't talk about... that other thing, and you don't talk about the owlcat. Its existence was personally devastating, not only was it creepy, but it managed to terrify kin by just existing. Jump Scare was a storyteller; tales of spine-tingling horror and chilling thrills were one of his professional delights. He prided himself in being able to scare even the toughest of kin- but he had to work at it, and it was all in good fun. Not true of Life Giver. "There's something fundamentally wrong with that owlcat," he muttered, giving it an aside glance as it writhed in Party Fowl's grip. Was it trying to... nuzzle her? What a nightmare. He couldn't believe she was letting it.

"Maybe you could put it over there while we have dinner?" he said, motioning to a snag of fallen logs. "There's probably some mice in there. They'd, uh, distract it enough that it might leave us alone for a bit. And do you want any help with it- dinner, I mean, not the owlcat? I mean, if you're working on dinner, and we're going to take it out later... I'm not doing anything. I could help out." The long-eared acha shook himself, finally noticing the mud spattering his belly and flanks. He dipped his head to groom, now that the wave of immediate panic was over. It wasn't a question that Party Fowl would be attempting to rustle up a meal that wasn't just for herself- feeding kin was what she did, after all.  

[So Long Gay Bowser]

The suggestion of the fallen logs seemed reasonable without rousing the suspicion of the others. Party Fowl knew she was far too soft on the thing for everyone else's liking. Hmming in agreement, the doe trotted over to the logs, and laid Life Giver on the wood. The Owlcat yowled its displeasure, pawing unhappily for Party to pick him back up. She offered him an uneasy smile, then turned back to her friend.

"Oh, please. He can't help that he's..." completely, soul-rendering horrific, "...a little unconventional." That was diplomatic enough. Party Fowl was pleased with herself, fluffing just a bit bigger at her perfect wording.

Then Jump Scare asked her about dinner, and the doe turned from indifference to glee.

"Ooh! I was just thinking about food!" She chirped with giddy, her tail flicking in excitement. To be fair, it was very rare that Party Fowl was NOT considering food. A hum was on her lips as she considered what to eat, wondering what Jump Scare would bring to the thought party.

"I was between... fish, and some herbs I saw down by the river... or maybe some good hare. I don't know!" Party Fowl gave a string of delighted coos, growing more excited the more she thought. "It's been some time since we had fish, but the rains likely mean they'll be especially good! Maybe even frogs!" The thought made Party Fowl drool in excitement.

"What do you think? What are you in the mood for?"

As Party Fowl questioned her friend, in the distance behind the doe, Life Giver stared unwaveringly at the Acha. In her entire speech, the Owlcat did not blink. Not even once.  

[Scaramouche Fandango]

"Nobody can help what they are, it's what they do with it that makes the difference. I swear that thing actively tries to creep us out." He could feel the owlcat's stare burning into his back. It was an all-seeing presence. He wasn't actually sure it slept. Jump Scare's face relaxed as he thought about dinner. Party Fowl was always so enthusiastic about eating- it was a pleasant change from the unease that came from spending even a few moments alone with the owlcat.

"Honestly, fish sounds amazing. A big juicy grayling- and maybe some of those big watershrimp or those little crayfish- something on the side just for crunch, you know? Think that might be good with some of those herbs." He dared a furtive glance back at the owlcat, hoping it wouldn't follow them down to the river.

 

[So Long Gay Bowser]

"Crayfish! Yes, that's perfect!" Party Fowl crowed in delight. Grinning like a madkin, she nuzzled her friend in delight. Her enthusiasm for eating was rubbing off on her friends- how absolutely wonderful! Here was Jump Scare, mister spooking-kin-is-everything, concerned and thinking about food! And making suggestions!

With a gleeful cluck, Party Fowl skipped off towards the river she had been considering earlier. Perhaps graylings would be here... or whatever she could get her hooves on!

For her many talents, Party Fowl was GOOD at getting food. She was light on her hooves and quick through the bramble, and very few prey creatures stood a chance at getting away from her. Staring into the waters, the doe went completely still- a shadow passed beneath the waters, and her purple eyes tracked along the surface. Her body was motionless-- in a snap, she was into the murky waters, after whatever scaled creature had crossed her eye.

In the distance, Life Giver hooted in pleasure at the strike.  

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Jump Scare had to smile at his friend's enthusiasm. It was hard to be upset around Party Fowl, it really was. The doe's zest was infectious, and it was nice having somebody as affectionate as her around. Her nuzzle fluffed his fur a bit, but he left it as was- touch was worth looking mussed for a bit. As he followed Party Fowl to the river, he decided to take his chances with the crayfish. Party Fowl was a much better hunter and fisher than he was, but it wasn't too hard to nose up some of the little crustaceans. He just had to mind his ears- they were pinchy little buggers.

In the distance, he heard a twig snap and froze for a moment, instinctively jumping to the owlcat. He didn't really know why he was afraid of it. It was an owlcat. It couldn't hurt him. He had another fear- a very real fear that they all shared- and it was a fear that could be explained. But the owlcat was inexplicable. Best not to think of it; there was hunting to do.
 

[So Long Gay Bowser]

Breaching the water's surface, Party Fowl emerged with a fish in her jaws, and tread carefully back towards the shore. With a flourish, she crunched the creature's neck, and tossed it towards the muddy shore. Thankfully, it landed solidly, skidding to a halt in its now-dead state. Party Fowl watched it in pride, then turned to Jump Scare with a beaming smile.

"How's it going for you, Jump Scare?" She called, tail swishing excitedly in the water. Just as much as she loved eating, the preparation of food had Party Fowl thrilled beyond compare. Something about the hunt just made the doe's blood sing like it rarely did.

Her head cocked to the side, and her ears flicked. Something had caught his eye, and...

"...I swear, if you're thinking about that Owlcat, I'm coming out of here and getting you."  

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Guiltily, Jump Scare shook his head. "Not anymore. Out of sight, out of mind." He had to not let that thing get to him, had to be careful and not let it affect him so much. Returning his attention to the crustaceans, he nosed over them. "One, two, three, four, five... six of 'em," he muttered. "I've got six of the little waterbugs pulled up- kinda on the small side, but isn't there a saying that the small ones are sweeter?" One of them was still twitching; as he'd pulled them out, he'd done his best to kill them quickly with a crunch to the head. He didn't know if they felt pain, but if they did, he didn't want them to feel it for long. Almost gently, he squished the crayfish's head and back between his hoof and a rock. "Think we need more than six? There's a whole bunch over here."

From somewhere, there was a hoot. He emphatically ignored it.
 

[So Long Gay Bowser]

Party Fowl's stern look softened as she saw Jump Scare shake himself out of his fear. It wasn't that she didn't understand the gang's fear- she did, really! Life Giver was an unnerving little thing. Really, it was how deep into his own mind Jump Scare went that upset Party Fowl. It just didn't seem healthy for the acha to be so scared of something around them. It constantly put him on edge, and stressed him out, and that wasn't what the party crew was about! They were there to bring smiles to kin's faces, and spread laughter and joy.

"Mhmm... try for as many as you can! We'll just eat more than we need to!" Party Fowl laughed, then dove back under the water once more. Around her, the swamp was alive with fish- she would've cried out in glee, were she not needing to hold her breath. Instead, she swum forward, hunting down another of the beasties to get for Jump Scare's dinner.

Meanwhile, on the surface, Life Giver crooned softly. How he had gotten behind Jump Scare? Well. That wasn't too important.  

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Out of sight, out of mind. Out of sight, out of mind. Out of si- uh-oh, I can't hear it. Jump Scare focused on the crayfish. One more, two more, three more, four more- I can eat these all day, and if not, Party Fowl'l find somebody else to feed. She's good at that- really good at it. So good at bringing people together, bringing them around for fun. Which- really, that's the point of it all, isn't it? Life should be about the happy times, not the bad ones. A little smile on his face, he dug crayfish out of their muddy burrows and flicked them up onto the surface... until something brushed against his pastern and purred. The owlcat! Jump Scare jumped forward, pronking out of panic; as he landed, he whirled on his hooves, not wanting to let the animal out of his sight. What he saw was extremely disheartening. In his brief state of panic, he'd kicked one of his crayfish backwards. It had landed between the owlcat's paws and the creature was now staring down at it, a hungry look in its cold eyes.

Great, now I've gone and fed it. He could hardly believe his ill fortune; it was bad enough that the cat followed Party Fowl, but what if it followed him now, too?