The Cat and The Bug [Tycho]

Well while one creature was bored and trying to find something interesting to do, another much smaller creature would be fleeing for its life. You see earlier in the day, the little creature was just minding its business looking for small creatures, plants, roots, and nuts to take back to its home. It was a usual task that typically went without a hitch, but today...today it seemed that Lady Fate decided to bring it trouble. Just as it was reaching for a nice sized acorn it could use for various things and had gotten the thing off the branch it was on, its gut picked up the signs of danger before the sound of flapping even reached its ears. Stuffing the acorn under one tiny arm, the small creature made a dive for the ground just as the flapping intensified and the hefty wind of the bird trying to grab it brushed at its back. The wind made navigating a bit harder and forced it to use its wings to land properly on the next branch; however, there was no time for rest. That pesky bird was coming again!

Growling lightly in annoyance, the small creature would push itself from the branch it was on and make its way towards the ground and once it hit the ground it took off running full speed. Using the grass and whatever else it could use, the little creature weaved its way along the shadowy pathways it knew by heart as the threat from above pursued in a noisy fashion. The bird tried its best to grab the creature with its giant stake like claws or peck it with its over sized beak, the impacts on the ground causing small earthquakes for the small creature that kept running as others smaller than it headed into hiding too. Coming to the edge of the grass, it would burst out onto a huge stretch of dirt, surrounded by giant boulders - a small stretch of dirt and rocks to something large, but to this tiny creature a large wasteland. Scrambling across, it would have to contend with sand storms and a bunch of confusion as the bird danced around trying to corner it; however, the creature kept on the move and when it saw an opening it tried to make a run for it, but that is when the bird decided to make a lunge for it. With a small yelp the little creature went down, its legged pinned under the bird’s clawed foot. Looking up at that moving blur that was the bird, the little creature felt its heart beating fast as that shadow began to move into what it knew was a killing strike, but not today… As the bird came down, the little creature moved quickly to place the acorn between itself and the bird. With an impact that shook its body the bird did indeed hit the acorn before promptly jerking its head back, ripping the acorn right of the little creature’s hand!

At first it thought the bird was going to just toss the acorn away, but instead the creature would find itself a bit surprised as the pressure on its leg was released and the bird hopped back. Not exactly sure what was going on due to not being able to see much outside of a shadow hopping about agitated, the little creature figured that maybe the acorn had bought it some time and so wasting any time it would get back to its feet and run as fast it could to a small hole not too far away. It would move through the tunnels for a long while before cautiously poking its head out of a different hole a good distance away from what was almost its tomb. Sniffing the air and listening to the world carefully, the little creature would take in its surroundings some more determining if it was safe or not to come out again. It had no idea that the strange horned cat was dangling off the branch a few feet behind it.

The little creature would continue to observe the area for little while longer before with a quiet sigh its shoulders would slump in relief. Thank goodness. No more insane bird and hopefully nothing else that could make this otherwise peaceful day into one threatening to give it a heart attack. Feeling a bit more relaxed, the little creature was on the edge of pulling itself out of the whole when from behind something touched it. While the poke might have been light to the user, to the little creature it more like a light shove. So while it did move it and cause it to have to reach out and hold onto the ground for support, the small creature didn’t stay in one spot as it quickly ducked back into the hole for a moment debating about running elsewhere; however, it wouldn’t as it considered the scent it had caught. That scent wasn’t normal. It was a mix of animal and something else, but what it could not tell. Curious it would cautiously peek out of the whole again this time facing the direction of the poker. It would try to figure out what was before it, but the thing was too close to make a shape out clearly, so the little creature took a chance as came up a tad bit more sniffing quietly at the air.

“Umm...Yes?” it would say its voice cute and small, but surprising loud enough to hear to the one it called out. At least this way the creature could determine if what it was dealing with was hostile or not. Maybe.

The smaller creature would try to take in the large shape before it leaning back and trying to get a grasp of the outline. It could see it was something that looked like a four legged animal sitting, the head had ears that were pointed, but something else there and what was that? The little creature's head would tilt as it saw something thin swishing behind the creature. Two things? Those didn't move like worms and they were way too long, so tails? Hmm. Two tails? How peculiar.

The little creature would let out a small "hmm" as it tapped its chin with a small finger a bit distracted by trying to put it all together, but would find its puzzle shattering when said thing actually spoke. Welp it most certainly wasn't just some odd beast being curious that is for sure. Beasts didn't talk.

"Yes, Tycho can talk just like you, but what and who are you?" the little creature would ask before leaning forward and reaching out towards the creature. It would gesture what its small hand for it to come closer, but whether or not the creature would let it touch it was another matter. Either way the little creature showed no fear and showed it was maybe even bold...or just didn't care about danger enough to be paranoid all the time. There was that possibility too.

“Cryox, huh. Well Tycho will remember that,” the little bug said in friendly tones before it was reaching out towards the shadow that surprisingly moved closer after posing its question. To this the little creature chuckled lightly as it leaned forward to reach out and touch the shadow. It’s hand would meet a soft somewhat wet item. Oh the nose! Alright, but it wasn’t like a dog nose though. Hmm.

The bug would gently pat around the nose and move outward towards the cheeks meeting strange strings and softness. Whiskers and fur! As the little bug explored the face gently with its hands it would answer the question posed. “Tycho meant exactly what we asked. We do not see in the normal way you see, so we have other ways to make out our world.” The little bug would pet the creature a bit more before pulling itself out of the hole and then with a spreading of its “cape” it would unfold its wings to fly upward a bit to touch the triangles. Yup those were ears alright, but those other triangles what were those? The little bug hummed as it circled behind the creature and took note of the two thinner shadows. Okay a tail...or perhaps two, but why? The bug would scratch its head as it came back to the front and landed on the ground beside the hole. It would place its hands on its hips as it tilted its head at the other a bit. “Hmm. You be a cat yes? But if so, why do you have more than one set of ears or tails? You not a normal cat are you?” Well the creature was indeed curious as to what it found. A talking being that was a cat, but wasn’t a cat? What on earth was that it then?

"It would be a headache to try and recall that which is forgotten. This is why Tycho remember well." Nothing was worse than meeting someone, leaving and then meeting them again and having to start the whole introduction process again in a way due to the fact a name or some form of detail was missing. Regardless of that, the creature before it was a good subject. The cat thing allowed the small bug to explore what it was, not running or trying to harm it while it did its things. The smaller bug appreciated this and when it was done, it would settle before the other and give a small bow. “Thank you for letting Tycho invade your space.” It would say politely and then hearing the question posed it would hum as its arms folded and a hand went to its chin.

“Blind. Yes, Tycho is blind in the normal sense of the word and yet not blind all at once.” Yes it couldn’t use its eyes and its world was shadows mostly; however, it had other ways to “see” its world, its other senses plugged in well enough to the world. While it may seem strange, the data bank that was its brain had filed various scents, feelings, tastes, sounds, and shapes within to help it deduce from what it knew whether something was familiar or so bizarre it had to make whole new bank to define it. Yes the little bug was indeed strange, but what worked for it worked.

“Oh horns and two tails then. How amusing,” the little bug said with a chuckle and then shaking its head it would continue. “We are not surprised more amused at what we have found. Junction does indeed have things stranger than you. For example the elusive elephant fairy. We found it once, but have yet to find it again, but we know it is here. And when we do find it, we can catalog its data too!” the little bug said with a chuckle of excitement and then catching itself it would look to the side a bit sheepishly as a hand moved to rub at its skeletal antenna. “Hehe. Sorry, we just get to enthusiastic about our work,” it would say as it moved towards the cat and then slipped into the space between the leg and the body it before sticking its head out from behind the cat’s left leg as it sniffed at the world around them, its hand gently touching the leg for support. “Say Cryox. What do you do for fun hmm?” The creature would say for now not seeming to understand that what it was doing was probably a bad idea since the cat was a stranger. Welp...that happened.