Odette [Complete]

Having grown up a kittypet, Odette has only ever had her family for company– that and a fear of the outside world. This has translated into a shaky sort of naivety. Though happy to socialize with other cats, and eager to trust, she has a hard time getting over her instincts and truly letting down her walls. She can be very perceptive of her spatial and emotional surroundings but her innate intuition often clashes with an anxiousness bordering on paranoia. She’s cautious yet impulsive, curious yet flighty, logical but often very superstitious– a trait she developed in the time spent with her “grandmother”.

More than anything else, Odette craves connection. Unable to trust herself or others, she often conflates that connection with company and has a tendency to latch onto the nearest cat regardless of who they are or whether or not they seem to care for her. Thought undoubtedly loyal, she can also be overbearingly clingy and employ clumsy manipulations to try and keep others around.

Though Odette was born on the street, one of a litter of two, she didn’t grow up there. Her brother was sickly and lived only to a moon. Shortly after his death her mother, Clove, and her were taken in by a twoleg home. The twolegs had an elderly cat by the name of Willa, and soon Clove, Odette and Willa formed a family.

Odette spent the majority of her childhood following the two around. While both her mother and “grandma” Willa had lived lives beyond twoleg walls, Odette had been raised as a kittypet and was spoiled accordingly. Clove could never quite hang the hang of the soft kittypet life, but she was protective of her only child and tried to keep her as sheltered as she could. Because her mom would leave periodically to venture outside, Odette would often spend time playing and talking with Willa, who would tell her stories. The old cat was tight-lipped about her past, but at Odette’s urgings she would sometimes tell heart-pounding tales of battles with badgers or rats. Her memory was failing as well as her eyesight, so the stories were sometimes confused or repetitive, but Odette listened intently all the same.

At 11 moons old Odette’s mother was killed on an excursion, run over by one of the gleaming monsters that occasionally roared past their house. From that point on, Willa’s condition deteriorated as well. She would sit silent for ages and when she did speak she spoke only in stories. Her tales transformed from feats of strength to delirious ramblings about cats in the sky that watched over all you did. She feared them and sometimes would yell at cats who weren’t there. Sometimes she would try to hide from them, and Odette would have to plead with her to come out from a corner or the underside of some furniture. Odette began to have nightmares of those cats who were always watching, who, in her mind, had invaded the home she’d loved so much.

When her grandmother finally died, Odette was 13 moons old. She was alone. Clove had never spoken of Odette’s father–she wouldn’t know to recognize him even if she did search for him. What was more, she was scared of leaving. She had never gone far from the twoleg house and while the twolegs were nice, she missed her mother and grandmother fiercely. The arrival of a neighbouring kittypet seemed to be the answer to all her problems.

Mickey was around her age–perhaps a little older–and, most importantly, he was willing to talk to her. She spent more time outside than she’d ever had in her life, circling the fence and chatting to him about whatever she could think of. Mickey was funny and clever and Odette was sure that perhaps she could be happy talking over the fence forever.

However, Mickey was not so content. He was restless, adventurous, he wanted to go out and discover what was beyond. It first, his invitations to explore were jokes, but being met with refusal after refusal frustrated him. He ventured out more and more by himself, and began to pull away once Odette’s clingy complaints increased in number. Eventually, when Odette was 16 moons old, he ran away from his owners entirely and left her alone once again.

It was then, that Odette decided to leave too. She was lonely and frustrated with her fear of the outside and her previous rejection of Mickey’s offers. If she’d gone with him, if only once, maybe she wouldn’t have to be alone now. Determined to live a new life with new cats, Odette drew up what little courage she had within her, and set out into the unknown

white and orange molly with yellow-green eyes
faceclaim: princess