Lunar Heart, Shadow Bound ✓ [when the moon lies]

Ch.7: Discriminated 'Kitty'

Edited: Apr, 26, 2020

Note: Slightly longer chapter. Character art by edoggypaws  

=============

In her room was a cot, a desk by the window, a little balcony, a narrow closet with a broken hanger, and a shower-and-toilet room. Pinti glanced down at herself—fur completely covered in orange sand that she almost looked like a completely new race.

"Bath time." She decided and jumped in the shower. It took her a while to figure out the faucet but once it glugged and gurgled it let out a spray of clear ice-cold well water.

"Ah," she sighed as the water flattened her fur and washed the grime off. Unlike cats, Kathula enjoyed a good bath and she was glad this inn had fresh well water which she drank while bathing. Just as she was about to wash her face, the water switched off and there was a pounding on her door.

"Hey, kitty, what a kitty like you need water for? We aren't wasting it on you. Lick like the animal you are," came a young female's voice.

"Heizak," Pinti cursed and stomped her foot. Kathula never licked. The only time she did spit on her paws was to straighten her bangs and make herself presentable—but that was after taking a shower and brushing her teeth. The thought of doing it before all that was disgusting, but she couldn't not do it. She didn't want to look like she was partially bathed, so she stuck her tongue out and began to lick her paw to 'wash'—basically rubbing off the dirt with her spit-wet paw and licking off her dirty spit, ingesting it. Afterwards, she collected as much saliva in her mouth as she could and spat it out down the drain heaving a little as she tasted her own sweat and grime on her tongue.

I hate, no, loathe those stupid Huamanoas. She bristled at the door and shook herself off, sending splatters of water onto the floor. Yanking off one of the sheets, she began to dry herself with that. There was still some orange on her, and it stained the white sheet.

She stood on the balcony and let the cold wind dry her off. Temperatures dropped with the desert night and the sky filled with stars. As she dried off, she combed her fur through lightly with her claws and patted her fur down to look presentable.

"Pinti?" came Deel with a tentative rapping on the door. "Dinner."

"Okay, I'll be out in a bit," she answered and hurried inside. The thought of food was making her light-headed. Since leaving Bairenshire this morning—and she couldn't believe all that had happened this morning—Pinti hadn't had much to eat except for one scrawny mouse.

She quickly dried herself off the best she could, combed her fur through once more, checked herself in the mirror, and opened her door. Human Deel stood opposite the hallway, leaning his back against the wall.

"Shower?"

Pinti scowled. "As much as I could." She didn't feel like bothering with it now. Her stomach was grumbling like a famished beast and her mouth watered. Deel shrugged and led her through the hallway to a set of stairs that stretched all the way down to the first floor.

Inside the diner, Humans were drunk already and talking loudly. Half the room was filled with reptilian Halfhumans of various forms. There were even ones that only had green scales running up Human arms.

She spotted a reptilian Halfhuman drinking beer from a long skinny tube-like cup. Pinti couldn't help but stare. It was her first time seeing one like that. He had a lizard head, but his hands were Human while his feet were bare and lizard-like with four scaly brown toes. He winked at her and gave a sideways grin with no teeth.