Forest of Secrets - Chapter 7
Chapter 6 || Index || Chapter 8
WARNING: This chapter contains animal husbandry from the perspective of animals. There will be themes of: dubious consent, pregnancy, abortion, and implied animal abuse.
If you do not want to read any of the above, the chapter summary below describes all the important plot beats going forward. If you do wish to read the chapter, see below the cut.
Chapter summary for those who wish to skip: Fireheart visits with Princess and learns that she is carrying kits. Seeking to help her, he brings Yellowfang and Dewpaw to speak with his sister under Tigerclaw's nose. They bring back some catmint to use for any leafbare greencough, and Fireheart learns about the greencough epidemic the leafbare before he joined, in which many older warriors and elders died, including Peppermask's grandmother Swiftbreeze.
The days grew colder and colder as the last of the leaves dropped from their trees onto the forest below. Fireheart shivered as he passed between the barren bushes, his long puffed fur not keeping him warm enough in the cold leafbare morning. He had told Tigerclaw he was off hunting near Tallpines, hoping that the location far from camp would yield more prey. While he would, eventually, the truth was a little different.
“Princess!” He called over the fence, trying to keep his voice light even as his body shook from the cold. It was about this season that he had first been taken from the nursery to his new Twoleg home, and something about it made him long for his sister’s comfort more than ever. He wouldn’t dare tell anyone in the Clan that, of course, as they would surely make fun of him for having such kittypet weakness, but he knew his sister would understand.
Cold silence filled the air around him as he stood there, waiting for her to appear. Perhaps she was in her Twoleg nest, curled up beside her Twoleg for warmth. They had plush beds that kept heat long after the body that had warmed it was gone, and burning fires that they kept in little stone dens to warm their nests. Very few kittypets would be willing to brave the cold when they had all of that at their paws, and he couldn’t say he blamed them.
Still, he thought - he hoped - that his sister would come out, at least for a little while, to talk to him. “Princess?” He called again, unable to keep the apprehension from creeping into his voice. She took longer before, when he had come to the wrong garden, but he was certain he had the right one this time. And yet, as he stood there and shivered patiently, there was still no response.
Maybe she just hadn’t heard him? He hesitated, not sure if he should call for her louder. He didn’t want even the cats in Riverclan camp to hear him crying for a kittypet, though, and part of him worried what might happen if a Twoleg heard his yowl. Maybe he could enter her garden, just this once?
Still, as he bunched up his legs for the jump, part of him held back. He recalled Lionheart’s dire warning when Bluestar had first extended the offer for him to join Thunderclan; “If you did become a Clan cat, you would never return to your Twolegplace. If you did, then you would be exiled.” Just the mere threat was enough to make him shiver, not from the cold, but from fear.
He shook his head. They had meant that he couldn’t return to being a kittypet. And he wasn’t going to! He would only talk to his sister, nothing more. He wouldn’t even go in the Twoleg’s nest. It would be fine.
His mind made up, he jumped to the top of the fence in one easy bound. He hesitated at the top, looking down into his sister’s garden. It was filled with flowers, much like his own garden had been, although they were dying off now that the frost had come. In the center was a circular stone floor; a ‘patio’, they had called it; with spindly chairs and a table on top of it. His own Twolegs had had a similar setup, though they had rarely used it.
He still didn’t see Princess as he scanned the flowers. Where had she gone? His heart quickened as he imagined her entering the forest searching for him. But surely that would have been news amongst Thunderclan? Unless she-
A flash of motion from the Twoleg nest caught his attention, and he was about to leap back the way he had come when he realized it was Princess emerging from the cat flap. “Princess!” He mewed happily from where he sat on the fence. “Why didn’t you say something? You had me worried!”
“I’m sorry, Fireheart.” Her voice was even softer than he remembered it, and he frowned as he looked down at her. Her tawny pelt, normally silky and smooth, looked as though it hadn’t been groomed in several days. Her tail was low, brushing against the ground, and even her emerald eyes seemed to have lost their spark as she looked up at him. “I… I suppose I must not have heard you the first time.”
“What’s wrong?” He asked with a frown. “Is it because I almost entered your garden? I’m sorry. I can stay outside, if you prefer.”
She hesitated, then slowly shook her head. “No, it’s not you. I’m sorry, Fireheart, I just…” Her voice trailed off as she slowly looked down to her slightly dirty white paws.
He glanced around, looking for any sign that someone might spot him, but the forest and Twolegplace were both still and quiet. Gathering himself, he leaped down into her garden, fur prickling in worry as he pressed into her side. “What’s wrong? You look-” He cut himself off. Life in the Clan had quickly taught him that making comments on a molly’s appearance was a bad idea. “Are you sick? Did something happen? If any cat attacked you, I’ll-”
“No, Fireheart. I haven’t been attacked.” He blinked gently at her as she interrupted him. She looked briefly up into his eyes, before squeezing them shut and turning away. “Fireheart, I- I think I’m going to have kits.”
“Huh?” He stared at her in confusion. He knew what that meant; after all, Goldenflower had carried Frostfur’s kits, back when he was an apprentice. But they had been mates, and they were both queens, and that was normal for them. There had been talk of Whitestorm and Lionheart having kits come newleaf, thanks to the Clan’s queens. But they too were mates that cared deeply for each other. “You’ve never even told me you had a mate!”
“I don’t.” She was on the verge of tears as she looked back down at her paws. “I don’t- I don’t know if I even want kits, Fireheart!”
He stared at her, his mind racing. None of that made any sense. And yet, he knew that he loved his sister, the only family he had, and that whatever else happened, it was his responsibility to help her. “Tell me what happened.” He mewed at last, padding over to sit beside her and beginning to gently lick at her forehead.
“Oh, Fireheart. I don’t know what to do. I’m all confused inside.” She cried, tears dripping down her cheeks even as her eyes were screwed shut. “I- I trusted them. My housefolk, they’ve always been so good to me, but now… I don’t know. I don’t know!”
He didn’t answer for several moments as he lapped at one of her ears. “Why don’t you start from the beginning?” He finally suggested to her.
She hesitated, then nodded softly, letting out a small hiccup as she did. “It all started about a moon ago. My housefolk, they took me to the vet. It was this big, strange smelling place with all white floors and walls. Another housefolk, they came in and felt me all over and poked me a few times with strange claws. It was weird, but it seemed like it made my housefolk happy, so I just smiled and purred.”
He stopped washing her for a moment as something in what she said tugged at the back of his mind. “We’ve been to the vet before, haven’t we? When we were young kits.” He mewed softly. “Our mother’s housefolk, they put us all in a big hard box with a little door. They poked us with those big claws then, too.”
“They did!” She seemed surprised at the mention of it, then gave him a weak purr. “Do you remember how our littlest brother howled when they first poked him?”
“Do I ever! You would’ve thought they were killing him.” Fireheart shook his head bemusedly at the memory. “That was just before we went to our new housefolk, wasn’t it?”
“It was.” She was suddenly somber again, and he gently lapped at her cheek twice before moving on to groom her neck. “My housefolk took me in one of those boxes to the vet last moon as well. It wasn’t… it wasn’t fun, but they seemed pleased with themselves, so I just let them do it.” She flicked her ear sadly. “But then, a few days ago, they put me in that box again and carried me back out to the Monster.”
“Again?” He mewed in surprise. The box, as he recalled, had been a very rare occurrence when he had lived as a kittypet. “Why would they take you back to the vet?”
“That’s what I thought, at first.” She replied, her voice tinged with regret. “But they took me somewhere else, instead. They put me in a nice room, with furniture and scratching posts and lots of food and water. And… and there was a tom.” She choked up for a moment. “His name was Oliver.”
Fireheart flicked an ear to show he had heard, but said nothing yet. “He asked me if I knew where I was, and I told him I didn’t. He told me that was normal, and he’d tell me everything.” Tears started flowing from her eyes, staining her tawny fur a dark brown. “He told- He said that he was what housefolk called a ‘stud’, and that other housefolk brought him their cats so they could have his kits. I asked him why, and he said he didn’t know, but that the housefolk got very angry at him if he didn’t do his job, so…”
The ginger warrior struggled to understand what she was saying. “So the housefolk make him father all these kits? But why?”
“Yes- no- maybe? I don’t know.” She struggled to find the right words. The young tom pressed closer into his sister’s side and began lapping at her fur faster. “He said that the housefolk would get really excited when the queens had kits, and they’d take good care of them before giving them to other housefolk. Sometimes the same queens would come back, and that’s how he knew, but not all the time. Sometimes, he thinks they would then go to different ‘studs’ instead.”
Her whole body was shaking now, though her fur still held the warmth of the Twoleg nest. “He was so nice, and my housefolk were so gentle when they came back for me, but I hated it. I hated it!” She howled it out into the cold, still air, icy tendrils curling around her mouth as she did so. “Do you think this is going to be the rest of my life, Fireheart? Having kits to make the housefolk happy?”
He didn’t know how to answer that. In the Clans, kits always seemed to be a joyous occasion. They were new life, and they would eventually become new warriors that served the Clan. That was a good thing. But the queens did so happily, and they never seemed to harbor doubts about their role in Clan life, not like his sister was.
“Do you think that the same thing happened to our mother?” Princess asked softly as she stared out at the flowers in her garden. “Do you think she’s had another litter by now?”
“I- I don’t know.” Fireheart meowed at last. “She seemed happy around us. She seemed to love us.”
“She seemed to, though.” The light brown molly’s body was wracked by another sobbing fit. “What if she didn’t? What if she only did it because she thought she had to?”
Had their mother been happy? He wished he could go fetch her, or one of the queens, to talk about it with her. But if he did, then the whole Clan would surely know that he had been talking to a kittypet. What cat in the Clan could he trust to keep such a secret? As he thought about it, he realized he might have an answer to that question.
“Princess, I won’t leave if you don’t want me to, but I think I know a cat that might be able to help you.” He mewed softly. “She- she takes care of all the queens in our Clan. She’s seen a lot in her long life. Maybe she knows of something that can help you.”
His sister was silent for a long time. Just as he thought she might not have heard him, she shifted away slightly. “Help me how?” She asked distrustfully.
“I- I mean, like I said, she takes care of all the queens in our Clan, and the kits when they get sick. She probably knows a lot more about being a queen than I do.” He thought back through all the interactions he’d had with Yellowfang. “And she treats them with herbs, too, to help them with their kits. Maybe… maybe she knows something about preventing queens from having kits, as well?” He didn’t know if such a thing existed, or if queens would even have use for such a thing. He didn’t know a lot, as he was very quickly realizing.
They sat in tense silence for a long moment. “If you think she’ll help.” Princess finally agreed with a small dip of her head, beginning to lap at her chest fur, though he could tell her heart wasn’t in it.
“I- I hope she will.” He didn’t know for sure, but he had to have hope. “I’ll be right back, regardless of whether she agrees to come or not. Okay?” As his sister flicked her tail farewell, he turned and bounded back out of the garden.
He encountered no cat within the forest: all were busy on other patrols. He raced through the forest, not daring to stop for anything. Luckily, nothing disturbed him.
At least, not until he dashed through the bramble entrance into camp. “Where are you going?” He flinched as he heard Tigerclaw’s familiar growl from near the leader’s den, and turned to see the dark tabby watching him. “I thought you were out hunting.”
“I was!” He panted, winded from running back so quickly. “But- I saw a flower- still growing- saw Yellowfang- use it once-”
The deputy’s lip curled in a grimace. “And that’s enough for you to come back to camp without any prey?” He snarled down at the young warrior. “The Clan needs food, not herbs.”
“I know, but I-” He noticed Dewpaw slip out from the healer’s den. “Dewpaw!” He called quickly. The small tabby molly perked up at the call, and scanned the clearing to notice him and Tigerclaw. She padded over with a polite smile to the both of them. “Can you convince Tigerclaw for me? I saw a rare flower in the forest, one that I think Yellowfang needs.”
She looked a bit confused at his statement, but her ears perked forward nonetheless. “What did this rare flower look like?” She asked him quickly.
He hesitated. Was she calling his bluff? “It- it was golden. Like the sun. But it had orange flecks too!” He stared at her, pleading with her to understand the hint. It was exactly the same way that he had described Redtail’s eyes to her, as proof that he wasn’t lying about seeing the former deputy’s spirit.
Her eyes widened, and she nodded quickly. “Oh yes! That sounds like the firefern. It only blooms for a few days, after the first frost, but we can use it to cure suncough. Yellowfang will want you to show her where immediately!” She turned to Tigerclaw, a scowl quickly coming to her face. “As for you! Why would you detain a warrior that is only trying to help his Clan thrive? Just because you’re deputy now doesn’t mean you can interfere with healer affairs!” She flicked her tail for Fireheart to leave, clearly prepared to square up to the deputy for him.
He gratefully scuttled away, leaving the two to bicker behind him as he sped into Yellowfang’s den. The grizzled molly was pawing through the herbs, mumbling to herself about stocks and supplies. “Yellowfang!” He whispered urgently. “I need your help, but I also need you to keep it a secret from the Clan. Can I trust you to do that?”
The healer paused, and for a few heartbeats he wondered if she was thinking about yowling for someone to help. Instead, she turned to face him. “I’ve kept Redtail a secret, haven’t I?” She replied in her usual bitter growl. “What is so important that you would need my help, of all things?”
“I-” He hesitated, trying to figure out where to start. “I’ve been meeting with my sister. She’s a kittypet, in the Twolegplace.” Yellowfang’s ear flicked, but she didn’t seem very surprised by the admission. “She thinks she’s going to have kits, but she’s not sure if she wants them, either. It- it’s complicated. I think she can explain better than I can.”
The old molly regarded him with a stern copper gaze. “You want me to use my limited stores to treat a kittypet?” She asked him slowly, a fiery spark in her eye.
“I- maybe? If she needs it. Look, I just- I want you to talk to her, at least. She needs someone that isn’t a mousebrain to help her, and I just can’t do it alone.” He pleaded with her, hoping that she would agree rather than reveal to the Clan what he had been doing the past few moons.
She stared at him a little longer. “I’ll talk to her. But only if Dewpaw can come along.” As Fireheart bristled, opening his mouth to reply, she shushed him with a flick of her tail. “These are rare healer secrets you’re asking me to use, and as my apprentice she should be there to learn them. You know as well as I do that Dewpaw will never reveal your secret to the Clan either.”
He hesitated. He hadn’t told Princess that he would be bringing back two cats. Yet, he couldn’t deny Yellowfang’s request either. “Alright.” He admitted with a sigh. “Just- be gentle with my sister, won’t you? She’s very confused right now, and scared, and I don’t want her to be hurt more.”
Yellowfang chuffed in amusement. “I’ll treat her however I very well please, thank you. Now, then; the Twolegplace, you said?” She asked, beginning to push past him.
“Yes. I’ll show you the way.” As she moved towards the entrance, he remembered Tigerclaw and Dewpaw were still likely arguing in the clearing. “Wait! Before you go out there, I, uhm, lied to Tigerclaw to come see you. I told him I had seen a rare flower while out hunting, and Dewpaw said it was a ‘firefern’, which treats suncough, or something.”
The old healer snorted. “At least she’s better at improvising than you are.” With that, Fireheart followed her out of the den and towards where the deputy and apprentice were still bickering. “Dewpaw! Come on! That firefern isn’t going to last very long in this frost!”
The two turned to look at Yellowfang storming her way across camp, the ginger warrior on her tail. “Right away, Yellowfang!” She chirped, trotting beside Fireheart as they headed for the bramble entrance. He could hear Tigerclaw yowl something at them as they exited, but he didn’t want to put the energy or thought into puzzling out what the deputy was saying.
His heart raced faster than his paws as he led the two healers to his sister, filling Dewpaw in on the way. He was risking a lot, and he knew that, but he also knew that he would do anything in his power to help her, and this was hopefully one such thing.
It seemed impossibly long before he saw the treeline, and beyond that the fence of his sister’s garden. He slowed to a halt at the edge of the trees. “Wait here until I call for you. She’s scared, and I don’t think she’ll react well to two strangers appearing in her garden without warning, even if I’m with you.”
Yellowfang nodded and sat down, muttering something to Dewpaw he didn’t catch as he bounded out to the Twoleg fence. He leaped over to find her sitting in the same place he had left her, shivering in the cold but waiting determinedly for him nonetheless.
“I’m back.” He mewed softly, rubbing his cheek against hers in greeting. “I brought back the cat I was telling you about. Her name is Yellowfang. She might look scary, but I promise you, she’s the best healer I’ve ever met.”
“I- Okay.” Her white-tipped tail twitched nervously at his words, but she didn't voice any worries she might have.
“She also brought her apprentice, Dewpaw. She’s training to be a healer, like how I was training to be a warrior.” His sister stiffened at his words, but he quickly held up his tail to hush her. “It was the only way I could get Yellowfang to agree to help. And I promise that Dewpaw is much nicer than her mentor. She’s about our age, and she’s very understanding.”
Princess stared down at her paws for a moment before finally nodding almost imperceptibly. “Okay. If you believe it’s for the best, I believe you.”
“I do.” He nuzzled her once more and bounded back up to the top of the fence. “You two can come out now.”
The healers came out from the bushes warily before they scrambled over the top of the fence, evidently not quite used to having to make such high leaps. As they all dropped down into the garden, Dewpaw looked around with wonder. “There’s so many herbs here! And- is that catmint?” She gasped as she caught sight of a frosted, bushy plant. “Yellowfang-”
“Hush, child.” Yellowfang murmured. “If his sister allows it, perhaps we can harvest some to take back with us. But we have a job to do first.”
Princess’ green eyes were wide as she stared at the two new wild cats. “You’re Fireheart’s friends?” She asked cautiously, though she didn’t move away as they approached.
“His Clanmates, yes.” Yellowfang replied, though he could tell she was holding back the barbs she would normally have used in response to being called his ‘friend’. “My name is Yellowfang. I am responsible for healing all manner of ailments in our Clan, both mental and physical.” She drew Dewpaw closer with her tail. “This is my apprentice, Dewpaw. She is learning to do the same from me. She is here solely to observe, and will only speak if you ask her to.”
The little apprentice sat primly beside the grizzled old healer and nodded to affirm her words, though didn’t speak as though she were sitting vigil. “Uh- Thank you, Yellowfang, Dewpaw.” His sister mewed, though he could tell she was still wary of them as she glanced at Fireheart. “Did- did my brother tell you everything?”
“He told us enough.” Yellowfang responded as she also sat down beside her apprentice. “But whatever you feel comfortable sharing with me is up to you. We are here to help you, whatever you think that might entail.”
The grizzled molly caught Fireheart moving close out of the corner of her eye, and turned to give him a surprisingly dirty glare. “Why don’t you go run off and do whatever it is you warriors do when you’re not bothering us?” She growled at him. “Go chase mice, or whatever. Don’t worry; we’ll take care of your sister.”
He hesitated, glancing to his sister for her approval, but she gave him a quick nod. He had to trust that Yellowfang would treat her well. “Alright. I’ll be hunting nearby; you can yowl if you need me.” With that, he jumped to the top of the fence separating the Twolegplace and the forest, taking one last look behind him at the three mollies. They were huddled close together, murmuring softly, and as he watched Yellowfang gently cleaned one of his sister’s ears while she leaned into it. The simple act made him smile, and with more confidence he bounded off into the forest, looking to return to camp laden with prey.
He didn’t return to camp until just before sunhigh, carrying a cardinal and a mouse that he had managed to catch on the way back. Though Tigerclaw glared as he walked by, the deputy said nothing as he put his prey where the freshkill pile would be. Most of the prey had been distributed out for sharing tongues; as he looked up, he could see most cats clustered around the fringes of camp, including two familiar mollies sharing a robin.
He bounded over, the anxiety he’d felt leaving Princess alone with the healers suddenly welling up once more. Just as he stopped in front of Yellowfang, mouth open to issue a greeting, she held up a paw to stop him. “I already know what you’re going to ask.” She rasped at him, swiping her tongue around her mouth to collect some stray flecks of prey. “And I can’t answer anything. If you want to know what happened, you’ll have to ask her yourself.”
“Maybe I was just going to say hello.” Fireheart retorted. “But I understand. I just want to know one thing: Did you help her?”
The old healer regarded him for a long moment. “Yes.” She answered at last. “We did.”
“That’s all I care about.” The warrior mewed with a dip of his head. “Thank you, both of you. For- for everything.”
Yellowfang shrugged in response. “We’re healers. It’s what we do. Besides, I wasn’t going to leave a young molly like her in distress. I know it’s a hard position to be in, even without being a season-cycle or so old.”
He perked his ears at that, but before he could ask more she chuffed in amusement. “Why, we should be thanking her! She let us take some catmint when we left, and while it’s old it’s still fresher than the stores Spottedleaf left me.”
He tilted his head in confusion. “Dewpaw mentioned it too. Why is catmint so important?” Nearly every kittypet’s garden had had some, and while it was a wonderful smelling plant, he couldn’t imagine that was why the healers seemed to regard it so highly.
“It’s very rare in Clan territory, but it’s also one of the best cures for greencough.” Yellowfang glanced at her apprentice with a wry smirk. “And unlike firefern and suncough, both are most definitely real. Most leafbares will bring a couple of cases of greencough, but I witnessed one leafbare where nearly a dozen cats caught it. Nearly all of them died.” She shook her head mournfully. “The fresher the catmint, the more likely it will treat it. Perhaps this leafbare we’ll get lucky.”
“That’s good to hear.” He looked up to see Peppermask and Graystripe sharing the cardinal he’d caught. “I’ll leave you two to eat in peace, but I- if you need anything from me, just let me know. I appreciate what you did.”
The old healer rolled her eyes. “Yes, for this and everything else, I’m sure.” She flicked her tail dismissively. “Go on, then. Let us enjoy our meal. Surely you can find someone else to share tongues with for sunhigh.”
He gave her one last appreciative nod before turning and bounding over to where his warrior friends were sitting. “I hope you don’t mind sharing.” He mewed as he settled down besides Graystripe, giving the tom a bump with his shoulder.
“Only if you tell us what you were talking with Yellowfang about.” Peppermask mewed, her ears perked curiously. “Did something happen while you were out hunting?”
He hesitated. Part of him wanted to tell them the truth, but he feared how they might react. Besides, what had happened was just one time; never again would the Clan need to know that he was talking to his kittypet sister. “I found some catmint out on patrol.” He mewed, careful not to lie entirely, though certainly not telling the whole truth. “I remembered Dewpaw talking about it one time. I just wanted to know if it was useful, that’s all.”
The side-eye Peppermask gave him told him she certainly didn’t believe him, at least not entirely, but she nodded slowly all the same. “Helpful as always, aren’t you?” She mewed at last as Graystripe nudged the cardinal slightly towards him. “Was it useful, then?”
“It was! Yellowfang told me about how it’s used to treat greencough in leafbare.” He mewed, before taking a carefully timed bite.
“Greencough.” Peppermask’s face dropped at the mention of the sickness. “You weren’t here for it, but it killed many in the Clan last leafbare. Between that and the Great Hunger, it devastated the Clan. So many cats died.” She shook her head slowly. “Still, if you found a cure for it out on patrol, that’s a good thing. Maybe it means we won’t suffer so much this season-cycle.”
“I did. Yellowfang said it wasn’t as fresh as she wanted, but it was still better than nothing.” Fireheart mewed, hoping she could hear the honesty in his voice. “Did anyone you know die?” He asked softly, touching his nose to her cheek for comfort.
“It never spread to the nursery, thanks to Spottedleaf’s hard work.” The spotted molly replied slowly. “But many elders and senior warriors died. Swiftbreeze, our grandmother, was one of them.” She shook her head briefly. “It doesn’t matter much anymore. I’m just glad to hear that this leafbare might fare better than the last.”
“It will.” The ginger warrior mewed determinedly. As he pushed his worries about his sister to the back of his mind, confident in Yellowfang’s promise that she had helped Princess, he instead turned his thoughts towards the coming moon. Even with Tigerclaw’s plotting, he would do his best to help the Clan survive the frigid grasp of leafbare. He just hoped that Starclan wouldn’t give them too many challenges, and that the deputy’s inevitable betrayal didn’t come before they could stop him.
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Eighteen
Warnings: 18+readersonly, trigger warnings of physical/emotional abuse by parents
Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. However, I do own my OC Elizabeth Lightwood. I do not condone any copying of this.
When Tony turned Eighteen, he woke up with a searing feeling on his arm. He jolted out of bed, still half sleep deprived from studying all night for MIT exams and flipped the light to his bathroom on. Rubbing the sleep that had collected in his eyes out, he saw the black cursive writing of the name of the soulmate he'd have.
Not the actual name, but the animal name. The name that he would call you until the bond between the two of you was strong enough that you would become a human again.
𝒫𝓊𝓂𝓅𝓀𝒾𝓃
He felt a slight disappointment. But then again, names seemed very limited when it came to animals. He shrugged it off, fixing his hair half-heartedly in the mirror and then decided he might as well head downstairs since he was already up.
"Morning sweetheart." Maria Stark said as he entered the kitchen. Breakfast was already prepared, coffee boiling in the coffee pot and bacon sizzling on the stove. "I've already set a plate out for you this morning. Happy birthday."
"Thanks Mom." He said and was slightly surprised to see that his father was sitting in the chair at the head of the table. "Morning dad."
"Morning." Howard Stark said, folding his newspaper down and taking a good look at his son. "I see you're still human."
"Howard." Maria patronized, coming into the room with the rest of the bacon. She looked at Tony. "Now, what's the name of your soulmate?"
"Pumpkin." He replied with a sigh. "It sounds like a dog name."
"I was thinking a cat." Howard said and Tony was surprised once again to see that his father actually had a real smile on his face. He caught Tony's look and said simply. "Your mother was a cat. A beautiful white cat with fluffy fur."
"Okay, okay." Tony said quickly, not really wanting to hear anything about it. His mother laughed, ruffling his hair and her and Howard kissed which surprised Tony for the third time today. They rarely showed affection in front of him, though they weren't entirely discreate at night.
Howard suddenly chuckled, "Bet you'll invent time travel son."
"Huh?" Tony asked confused. Maria smacked Howard in the back of the head with a newspaper.
Howard just smiled a secret smile.
"Well, I'm sure you'll meet her soon." Maria said as she sat down at the table herself. "You'll know when she turns."
Tony just nodded.
Three more years passed and his parents died in a car accident. He still did not have his soulmate by his side.
Then he got kidnapped in Afghanistan, fearing for his life. He still had not felt his soulmate and by this time, he was twenty eight and already more than ten years older than his soulmate. He'd become a notorious playboy by this time, flinging around with girls who didn't take the time to get to know their animal soulmate, or perhaps were some of the rare few who didn't have a soulmate period.
Then when he'd gotten back from Afghanistan, when he was supposed to be recuperating with Pepper and Happy's help, he felt this swooping sensation. It was one of the best feelings in his entire life, but there was also a melancholy edge to it.
He also felt as though his entire body was being brushed against with a soft, fluffy fur and he was almost certain this his father would be correct about his soulmate being a cat.
Cats were pretty cool animals. They would be fun to play with and cuddle with. But they could also get themselves around a lot of places.
Tony could feel the string pulling the two of them together, but as he wasn't allowed to leave the house, he could only wait until his soulmate came to him. Eventually, the thread snapped and he could hear Pepper moving around downstairs.
A refrigerator door being opened and such. He crawled out of bed, taking heavy breaths as his arc reactor started to ache painfully in his chest. He was going to have to get it fixed. Somehow.
"Pepper?" He called out hoarsely as he attempted the stairs, nearly falling down the last flight.
Pepper came rushing over, grabbing the wheelchair so that he could collapse into it. "Tony! Don't do that, you gave me a heart attack."
"Where?" He mumbled. "I know she's here."
"Yes, oh Tony she's adorable." Pepper gushed, pushing him to the kitchen.
She stopped him at the edge of the kitchen and he looked around for the cat. There was no cat. On the floor, lapping up water, the fur smudged with dirt and something that looked possibly liked dried blood, was a tiny ass bunny.
Seriously, it was so small it would've fit in his hands if he'd cupped them together. It had sharp, pointy ears sticking straight up and was a creamy white, but there were some brown splotches as well. He wasn't entirely sure how her name was Pumpkin though.
Pepper beamed up at him and he said, "Oh." He couldn't think of what else to say. He racked his brain and then said, "Can we go down to the lab? She looks hurt."
"Yeah." Pepper said, looking upset. She gingerly picked up the little rabbit, which shied away at first and then relaxed into her hold. Pepper, to his surprise, put the rabbit down on his lap.
"Gosh Tony, look how adorable she is. You'll have no problems at all." Pepper said happily as she helped him down to the lab.
He said nothing though, not sure where to go from this point on.
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The night before your eighteenth birthday, you had ended up coming home late. A friend of yours had wanted to celebrate your birthday and you hadn't figured out how exactly to get out of it. You were to timid to say no to anyone, even if it was in your best self interest to say no.
Which, in this case, you should have said no. The minute you were home, your father and mother were furious with you for not being home in time to cook dinner. Though your mother could technically cook, she was a lazy ass who preferred you cooking.
You cooked the dinner with shaking hands and then took the belt like a champ. But for good measure, of course, your father kicked you in the ribs and sent you up the stairs to your bed.
Part of you hoped that you would wake up tomorrow as a ferocious animal, but you weren't. When you woke up, you thought you were a mouse or something until you got a good look at yourself in the mirror.
You liked how adorable you were, though disappointed that there was nothing you could do to defend yourself. You were sitting on your bed in the place you'd laid down to take a nap. All around you was a curtain of fur.
You had no way to get out of your room. The windows were to high and even if you could've leapt up onto them, you couldn't have opened them. The door was firmly shut, though not locked.
You hopped down from the bed, finding that all of your wounds were gone. You felt perfectly fine, like you'd never had a whooping in your life. And the ribs that you had thought were surely cracked at least didn't hurt a bit.
You could feel a strand that seemed to glow in front of your eyes. It was pulling you towards your soulmate. You wondered if they would come for you, or maybe you had to go to them. You weren't sure yet. Probably you had to go to them.
You could hear heavy footsteps on the stairs and knew your father was coming for you. You hid on the side by the door, ready to make a run for it when he entered the room.
You misjudged it. The minute you opened the door, you went to dash between his legs, but he had already crouched down, catching you almost immediately.
He grinned as he stood back up. "That was pretty fast bitch. I knew you were going to be something small and timid and I was right. Shit, maybe we'll have rabbit stew tonight."
You had no idea if he was joking or not. Though they hit you, you had never actually feared for you life.
You squirmed in his hands, trying to bite and claw. He growled as he attempted to keep a hold on you, but attempting to keep a hold on a squirming rabbit is a near impossible thing. You flung out of his hands and scampered for the stairs.
You were not expecting the contrast of the wood however and you went slipping, sliding, and crashing down the stairs, bruising every part of your body. You lay stunned at the bottom of the stairs and then scampered for the door. You'd had a dog once and the dog door was still in place.
"GET HER!" Your father shouted after you as you sprinted for the door. But you sailed through the doggy door and continued racing down the street.
At first, you had no idea where you were going to go. You had no way to get to where you were going. You could tell the bond was a far distance and it wasn't getting any closer.
You decided on Elizabeth's house. She was the only one out of all of your friends to know about your parents. She was also the only one smart enough to figure out the clues to get you to where you needed to go as she was probably the only one not waking up with a hangover this morning.
So you headed for her house, nearly getting yourself killed in a dozen different ways. You were trembling like a leaf by the time you hopped up on a garden bucket, then launched yourself upwards onto her windowsill. You were bleeding from where a hawk had tried to grab you as a meal. And your entire body hurt from the fall down the stairs. Your paws were pocked with gravel pieces.
Elizabeth reached up and opened her window, trying to figure out what the scratching sound was and blinked when she saw you. "I really don't think you're my soulmate."
You huffed and jumped into her room, grabbing a piece of paper with your teeth and a pen. Letting ink run on your paw, you messily spelled out your name and Elizabeth's eyes widened a little.
"Oh shit. Y/N. You look like crap. Um, let me go and grab a washcloth." Elizabeth said hastily, running to the bathroom.
You couldn't even make a noise. It was infuriating being a rabbit. At least literally any other animal could make some sort of noise. You had nothing except something that sounded like a pig grunting. And you'd only done it to threaten the hawk- which hadn't worked in case anyone was wondering.
Elizabeth came back, gently dabbing the wounds, but leaving most of the other fur alone. "Alright, so I'm guessing you need a ride of some sort?"
You nodded.
"Great." Elizabeth said, getting up and stretching. "Road trip little bunny."
You followed at her heels as she led you down to the kitchen. She put some water down for you and a couple of lettuce leaves. She made herself something citrusy and also something with wheat in it Toast? Pancakes? you weren't sure.
"Alright," Elizabeth finally said. "Let's go ahead and get this show on the road."
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It took a long time before you showed up on Tony Starks' doorstep. You felt the connection dissipate as you looked up at the large house. At that moment, you didn't actually know who lived there, only that they were clearly rich.
You scratched at the door, feeling immensely tired. Elizabeth had driven you all the way, deciding to sleep in her car at a nearby donut shop parking lot before she started home. You partly wished she had come with you, but she had no desire to meet your soulmate at that moment. She would meet him when you were human again.
Well, you were pretty sure he was male anyway. You could get that vibe from the bond, but it was always possible, you supposed, that it was a very masculine woman.
You did think the red head answering the door- finally- was your soulmate until you didn't feel anything from her. She was kind enough to get you water and some carrot sticks, before a man called her name through the house.
Just the sound of his voice sent tingles down your little rabbit spine. It was rich and deep, but also almost light at the same time. And to your utmost surprise, the woman rolled Tony into the kitchen.
You had seen the look of disappointment and felt it burrow deep inside your gut. Of course a great, powerful, rich man like Tony Stark was disappointed with a rabbit. He'd probably wanted a lion or a beautiful jaguar, something like that.
Then he ordered the woman to bring you down to the lab- which sounded rather ominous- but it was just because he wanted to check out your wounds.
Which led you to where you were now. . .
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