Soft Kitty, Warm Kitty (OPEN)

[Neil Villanueva-Harris]

Running outside before noon was the last thing Neil would’ve imagined himself doing on a cozy Thursday morning. Especially with his husband’s fourteen-day break about to come to a close. But as luck would have it, a crisis would erupt in the wee hours of the morning and since his husband was a heavy sleeper, he’d be the one to hear the annoying ringtone and feel the uncomfortable vibrations first.

Out of luck on the things he could do – going back to bed wasn’t such an interesting option now that his favourite warm body was gone, he’s already caught up with all the tv shows he’d been watching, and they’re already done unpacking and decorating his new apartment – the man decided, after slipping his husband some much needed coffee and a towering plate of waffles, eggs and bacon, that it’s high time he try the whole running outdoors thing. It’d be a great way to be reoriented with the town he once called home.

He was just about to make a right by Fraser Street to check if the ice cream shop he frequented before was still standing when he heard what seemed to be a very weak whimper. So weak that he swore had it been just a bit busier, it would’ve escaped him entirely. Following the source led him to a dumpster by an alley. Beside it, a seemingly sick and frail kitten.

“Oh dear.” He tried to reach for the feline, but it simply hissed at him and retreated under the dumpster. “Hey there buddy. I won’t hurt you.” How do these things go again? If only Lionel was here to help. “I’m here to help, I think.”

[Sienna Reid-Estrada]

Sienna, who had been eagerly preparing for the winter break at hand, had found herself on a stroll through the town, taking in the sights and sounds of the small town. It was peaceful to say the least, with Christmas lights and decorations on every street corner, and the sound was minimal, aside from the occasional sound of a car horn honking or people speaking on their telephones. While she may have not appreciated the cold, the Miami-born woman definitely found herself enchanted by the small town feel that Pilot Ridge offered.

But due to the silence, the sound of a rather... needy mewling (one that she recognized immediately as a young kitten, having had one not a few months earlier), to which her attention was stolen from. Not only that, but in that same direction, a voice whose words could not be easily made out, but it was still audible.

There was a part of the young woman that told her to veer away from the sound, as it came from a rather suspicious looking alleyway, but she most definitely could not leave a kitten on such a cold day. Or could she? Sienna bit her lip, peeking down the alleyway, still staying in plain sight of the street and the people on either side of her.

"Is everything okay down there?" God, she hoped she wasn't making the mistake that could cost her her life.