How Green Becomes Wood

Cooger worked with the skill of someone who had groomed many, many kittens and grown cats in his day. He held them firmly but gently, scruffing only when strictly necessary. Since they were kittens it wasn't too bothersome, but he still knew it could be distressing and therefore tended to avoid it. He ran a fine-toothed comb through their fur to be absolutely certain they were all perfectly clean and nothing nasty was hiding in their fur, and soon enough they had seven fully washed and dried kittens snuggled up in a pile on the cat bed, snoozing and safe.

"Well," He said, drying his hands after giving himself a good scrub down to the forearm, "They're all settled now. Nothing else urgent needs doing. I'm glad you found them when you did, it's supposed to get pretty cold tonight."
 
"And no fleas in sight," Lex remarked. She watched the kittens fondly. "This part I can see getting addicted to. I bet there's a lot of less savory aspects to this job, but this part? Lovely." She folded her arms loosely and leaned against Cooger. "Precious."
 
He sighed in satisfaction and put one arm around her waist, resting his head against hers, "Yeah, they're sweet. And fairly healthy, all things considered. Some of 'em might have an upper respiratory infection, but most kittens do when they've been out on the street like that. It ain't too hard to treat."
 
Lex smiled for a new reason. It felt good to be held like this. Safe. Secure. Cared for. Loved? Possibly. Definitely cared for. She didn't move for a bit, savoring the feeling.

"I'm glad they are doing alright or will be soon," she said. "I never liked cats - I mean, I didn't hate them or anything. Neutral toward them, I guess. But even if I didn't like them, innocent little like them don't deserve to be stuck in a box for who-knows-how-long and forgotten."
 
"Oh Hank's the best," Cooger replied, kissing her forehead because she was just so cute when she smiled up at him like that. Then he headed downstairs and whistled. From the highest level of the cat tree, an old cat with a scarred face, and a torn ear mrowed deeply, hopped down with a heavy thud and sauntered over to them, rubbing first against Cooger's legs before staring up at Lex. "This here is Hank."
 
Lex blushed when Cooger kissed her forehead. No one had done that before! It was cute. And made her feel cute. She shook herself and followed Cooger down to meet Hank. She eyed him speculatively as he examined her. "Nice to meet you, Hank," she greeted him gravely. "Nice to put a name to the face. You're the guardian around here, aren't you? The lawman?"
 
Lex smiled as she watched them. She considered crouching down with him but decided not to. "Good thing. You need an adult around here, after all. Right, Hank? All you need him for is the opposable thumbs."
 
"Nah, he don't need me for my thumbs, he just likes the convenience of it, don't ya buddy?" He scratched Hank behind his ears and then scooped him up and stood again. Hank, used to his, settled himself over Cooger's shoulder as though it was where he belonged best. Turning his back slightly towards Lex so Hank's face was towards her, he said, "Now, Hank, this is Lex. She was who I was telling you about, alright? You don't go trying to chase her off, okay?"
 
"I promise to behave and leave your chickens and kittens alone," Lex promised the cat, grinning. He looked so comfortable there! "I wouldn't dare offend you." She was only partially joking. "He's an intense boy, that's for sure!"
 
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