Username: MireyaDC
Cat Name: Reineta
Gender: Female (She/they)
Rank: Tagoror (Mediator)
Clan: Echeide ClanPrompt:Early winter morning on the coast, and Ada rests on the balcony balustrade like a towel hanging on the sun, enjoying the sea breeze and the warmth of the first rays of the morning sun. Advantages of living on a warm island: it doesn't snow in winter. Disadvantages of living on a warm island: it doesn't snow in winter.
Looking out at the street, as the earliest twolegs were heading off to work, including her owner, who was running out so he wouldn't be late for university, she also saw a cat strolling. It walked slowly and after a few steps, it always stopped, nodding its head around.
"New? Lost?" she asked, seeing the cat, which didn't look familiar to her.
"Something like that, yeah..." And she continued making those movements, then Ada noticed that it was sniffing the air.
"What are you smelling?" she asked, imitating it, trying to capture the scent.
“I don't know, but it smells really good…”
The cat kept walking, and a curious Ada came down from the balcony to see what she meant. It didn't take long for her to catch the scent, too. “It's the baker!!! He must be making some special winter dessert. Run! I'll introduce you, maybe he'll let us try it.” And Ada started running.
The other cat was confused; she didn't know her at all, didn't know what a baker or dessert was, but it smelled so good, and that strange cat had offered her to try it… It didn't take long for her to follow and trot to an open door from which the delicious smell wafted. She hesitated about whether to go in or not; cats were usually kicked out of those twoleg’s places, but when she looked at the large window, she saw that Ada was already inside, sitting at the table by the window like another twoleg. She even beckoned for her to come in too.
The stray cat sighed, trying to gather her courage, and cautiously entered the place and sat down on the table next to Ada.
"This table is for people… twolegs with pets, so we're allowed here. The other tables aren't, especially the kitchen, where the food is prepared and where that delicious smell comes from..." Ada explained.
"You said I could try it."
"Patience, they first must come and serve us..." And immediately she began to scream in long meows. "Franciscoooo! Fraaaan...!" The pastry chef heard the meows and peeked out, knowing it was Ada, but he hadn't expected her to come with someone.
"Sorry, guys, but I'm out of spaghetti," he joked, and when Ada meowed at him angrily, as if offended by the joke, he was surprised. "I never know if you understand my references or if your reactions are just random." She shook her head, seeing the other cat, who seemed completely clueless and much more like a normal cat, only sniffing around to the kitchen. Then Ada meowed softly, and he understood and showed her the board with the day's desserts and pastries. "What do you want to eat today?" Ada read it, and when she found the name of the dessert that smelled so good, she cheekily pointed at it with her paw. "How the hell did you know that... I still can't believe you know how to read. I still think they're coincidences, but if that's the dessert you want... well, you'll have to wait for me to make you one without sugar or cinnamon. I don't want your owner to kill me."
The baker walked away, and the stray cat looked at Ada in confusion. "What did he say?"
"Oh! The one she's making now has some things that might make us sick. When he's finished, he'll make one for us, which won't make us sick. We'll have to wait here, unless..."
The baker approached again with some slips of paper and two small hanging signs. “You'll have to pay for that dessert somehow, right?”
“I saw it coming...” Ada murmured.
“What’s going on?” The other cat asked, confused.
“He wants a favor in exchange for the food. Don’t worry, I can take care of it. This isn’t the first time.”
“No, there’s no need. After all, the food is for me. I was the one who wanted to try it. I’ll help you.”
“Fantastic!”
What the cat didn’t expect was to find herself sitting on a bench in the street with a sign with the bakery’s name hanging from her neck, while Ada chased the twolegs, offering them papers with the bakery’s name on them. If she knew what animal exploitation was, she would report it. At least Ada seemed entertained running after people with signs. She soon noticed how the people who accepted the papers also petted her, and… She wanted to too. She started approaching people instead of just standing there, and she started getting petted too. Now she understood why Ada looked so happy.
After a while, they heard a loud whistle.
"Food is ready!!!" Ada shouted, running toward the bakery, and the other cat followed her.
They even had a plate on the table with a small apple tart. The stray cat sniffed it excitedly; that was exactly the smell she had liked so much; it was delicious and tasted even better. She didn't like the pastry as much and left almost the whole thing, but she didn't leave a single apple slice on the plate. Ada was just watching, and said she wasn't hungry, but she felt sorry to interrupt her new friend, considering how happy she looked.
"I see you like apples..." The baker commented, approaching, and he saw the cat licking her lips. “Let's see if you like it raw too…” He took out half an apple he had left from making one of the pies and cut off a thin wedge, giving it to the cat, who gobbled it up in one bite, seeming fascinated by the new flavor. “An apple girl, I see…” He said, stroking her head. Then he took the sticker on the apple and jokingly stuck it on her nose. “There you go, Reineta. Pero no te embostes all apple-eating on it, or it'll hurt your tummy.”
In one day, Reineta had acquired a new name, two new friends, and a new passion: apples.
