Story
I was going to post something from the new kittens story, but it seems the next chapter isn't finished. But I did find a little bit of backstory just hanging around.
Sapulvado's Very Bad Day
from the In Trouble Series/Wizard world
>1k
The thin blanket around Sapulvado warmed his body, but didn’t comfort his soul. He shivered again. One of the paramedics brought him some hot tea. It tasted horrible, but holding it was better than holding nothing.
His parents stood just within sight of the back of the ambulance he’d been put in after the police arrived. His mom was bleeding tears. The blood from his father’s nose and ears had stopped a while ago, but he still held the bloody tissues.
Sapulvado shivered again. Couldn’t they just go away? Just of a bit, so he could wallow in his misery without guilt?
A man in a different color jacket than the others leaned on the ambulance door. “Hey, Champ. I’m Klaus, can you tell me what happened here?”
Sapulvado pulled the tissue thin blanket up over his mouth. “They say it’s my fault.”
Klaus looked him over. His eyes weren’t as angry as the last guy’s. “What do you think?”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“What happened?”
Sapulvado pulled the blanket up around his ears.
Klaus smiled. “I’ve had days like this too.”
He couldn’t have.
“Although I’ve never brought down a building before.”
Sapulvado hadn’t done anything.
“At least on my own.” Klaus grinned this time. “What do you remember?”
“I was playing.”
“Your violin.”
Sapulvado nodded. “Everything was going beautifully. Every note was just right.” He relaxed his grip on the blanket. “Both my parents were there. Dad can’t always come.”
His mother was still standing at the corner, bleeding tears. His father gave her another tissue. She wiped her bloody face and balled the tissue into her hand. Sapulvado shivered again.
“It must have been nice to have him there.”
Sapulvado shrugged. His mother pulled away from his father and marched up to the nearest person in a navy blue jacket. The man didn’t look pleased to be interrupted.
“Would you be more comfortable in your cat form?”
Sapulvado pulled the blanket nearly over his head. “Mom doesn’t want anyone to know.”
“Well, since I already know…”
His mother raised her voice and pointed toward the ambulance.
“Not here.”
“Not here?”
“My clothes…” He’d never live it down if the people let her through and she found a cat and a pile of clothing. He’d be grounded for months. He might never get to play again.
“Your mom didn’t raise you around other familiars?”
Sapulvado shook his head. “Dad doesn’t like me to be a cat. I’m not allowed to talk about it.”
“Even to your mom?”
Sapulvado hunched down. “She doesn’t want to… She gave up everything to marry Dad. Her family was pure bred familiar. No human. No wizard. But she ran away and married a human. She wanted me to be human too.”
“Wanting doesn’t make it so. You’re a familiar. Purring makes you feel better, doesn’t it?”
Sapulvado pulled the blanket over his head and purred.
Klaus climbed in the back of the ambulance. “That’s a neat trick. But to backtrack, you said your dad’s human?”
Sapulvado nodded to the growing mass of people surrounding his parents. His father tried to pull his mother away. She shrugged out of his grip.
“That’s him?”
Sapulvado nodded.
“You’re right. He’s human. But you are not.”
True.
“And you’re not just a familiar either.”
Sapulvado jumped to his feet.
Klaus held out his hands. “Easy.”
He sat on the far bench. “I’m starting to see what happened.”
“What did happen?” Sapulvado sunk back onto the bench.
“You were playing your heart out.”
He had been.
“And what you didn’t realize that you are part wizard or djinn or demon-”
“Demon?” Sapulvado was back on his feet.
Klaus held out his hands. “Not the red, forked-tongue guys you read about in stories. Demons can be really nice.”
Sapulvado hunched lower.
Klaus laughed. “Ok, you got me there. When they’re chasing your ass, that can be pretty scary. But sometimes scary is nice too.”
He got up and closed one side of the double doors as he told what must be a children’s version of meeting his work and life partner. He paused every time it started taking Sapulvado’s mind off his circumstances.
The driver’s door of the ambulance opened and someone wearing a jacket matching Klaus’s climbed into the seat. He grinned back. “Ready when you are.”
Klaus nodded. “So, Champ, as you played, your power bloomed.”
“I have no power.”
His mother was forcing her way closer to the ambulance. He wanted her to come rescue him from all the trouble he was in, but she couldn’t. Not really. He’d made a mess she couldn’t clean up.
“You do,” said the driver. “We’re just not sure what kind yet.”
“But you weren’t the one who destroyed the building.”
“I wasn’t.”
“No. The eye witness consensus was a sense of euphoria. You made people happy to hear you play.”
“Then what was the boom?”
“The boom was a malignant spirit drawn to the untrained power.”
“So it was my fault.”
“No. I’d blame Mom first.” The driver gestured with his thumb out the back door. Mom was closer than ever. “Hold on.”
The ambulance jerked forward. The back door slammed shut. Then the vehicle sped away.
Sapulvado was being kidnapped. He pawed his way through his clothes until his face poked out.
Klaus grinned. “That’s better. I know a place that makes the best fish.”
He climbed towards the passenger seat. The driver slapped his ass. Klaus’s lover then. And a demon.
But Sapulvado was too exhausted to be scared anymore and he purred himself to sleep.
Sapulvado's Very Bad Day
from the In Trouble Series/Wizard world
>1k
The thin blanket around Sapulvado warmed his body, but didn’t comfort his soul. He shivered again. One of the paramedics brought him some hot tea. It tasted horrible, but holding it was better than holding nothing.
His parents stood just within sight of the back of the ambulance he’d been put in after the police arrived. His mom was bleeding tears. The blood from his father’s nose and ears had stopped a while ago, but he still held the bloody tissues.
Sapulvado shivered again. Couldn’t they just go away? Just of a bit, so he could wallow in his misery without guilt?
A man in a different color jacket than the others leaned on the ambulance door. “Hey, Champ. I’m Klaus, can you tell me what happened here?”
Sapulvado pulled the tissue thin blanket up over his mouth. “They say it’s my fault.”
Klaus looked him over. His eyes weren’t as angry as the last guy’s. “What do you think?”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“What happened?”
Sapulvado pulled the blanket up around his ears.
Klaus smiled. “I’ve had days like this too.”
He couldn’t have.
“Although I’ve never brought down a building before.”
Sapulvado hadn’t done anything.
“At least on my own.” Klaus grinned this time. “What do you remember?”
“I was playing.”
“Your violin.”
Sapulvado nodded. “Everything was going beautifully. Every note was just right.” He relaxed his grip on the blanket. “Both my parents were there. Dad can’t always come.”
His mother was still standing at the corner, bleeding tears. His father gave her another tissue. She wiped her bloody face and balled the tissue into her hand. Sapulvado shivered again.
“It must have been nice to have him there.”
Sapulvado shrugged. His mother pulled away from his father and marched up to the nearest person in a navy blue jacket. The man didn’t look pleased to be interrupted.
“Would you be more comfortable in your cat form?”
Sapulvado pulled the blanket nearly over his head. “Mom doesn’t want anyone to know.”
“Well, since I already know…”
His mother raised her voice and pointed toward the ambulance.
“Not here.”
“Not here?”
“My clothes…” He’d never live it down if the people let her through and she found a cat and a pile of clothing. He’d be grounded for months. He might never get to play again.
“Your mom didn’t raise you around other familiars?”
Sapulvado shook his head. “Dad doesn’t like me to be a cat. I’m not allowed to talk about it.”
“Even to your mom?”
Sapulvado hunched down. “She doesn’t want to… She gave up everything to marry Dad. Her family was pure bred familiar. No human. No wizard. But she ran away and married a human. She wanted me to be human too.”
“Wanting doesn’t make it so. You’re a familiar. Purring makes you feel better, doesn’t it?”
Sapulvado pulled the blanket over his head and purred.
Klaus climbed in the back of the ambulance. “That’s a neat trick. But to backtrack, you said your dad’s human?”
Sapulvado nodded to the growing mass of people surrounding his parents. His father tried to pull his mother away. She shrugged out of his grip.
“That’s him?”
Sapulvado nodded.
“You’re right. He’s human. But you are not.”
True.
“And you’re not just a familiar either.”
Sapulvado jumped to his feet.
Klaus held out his hands. “Easy.”
He sat on the far bench. “I’m starting to see what happened.”
“What did happen?” Sapulvado sunk back onto the bench.
“You were playing your heart out.”
He had been.
“And what you didn’t realize that you are part wizard or djinn or demon-”
“Demon?” Sapulvado was back on his feet.
Klaus held out his hands. “Not the red, forked-tongue guys you read about in stories. Demons can be really nice.”
Sapulvado hunched lower.
Klaus laughed. “Ok, you got me there. When they’re chasing your ass, that can be pretty scary. But sometimes scary is nice too.”
He got up and closed one side of the double doors as he told what must be a children’s version of meeting his work and life partner. He paused every time it started taking Sapulvado’s mind off his circumstances.
The driver’s door of the ambulance opened and someone wearing a jacket matching Klaus’s climbed into the seat. He grinned back. “Ready when you are.”
Klaus nodded. “So, Champ, as you played, your power bloomed.”
“I have no power.”
His mother was forcing her way closer to the ambulance. He wanted her to come rescue him from all the trouble he was in, but she couldn’t. Not really. He’d made a mess she couldn’t clean up.
“You do,” said the driver. “We’re just not sure what kind yet.”
“But you weren’t the one who destroyed the building.”
“I wasn’t.”
“No. The eye witness consensus was a sense of euphoria. You made people happy to hear you play.”
“Then what was the boom?”
“The boom was a malignant spirit drawn to the untrained power.”
“So it was my fault.”
“No. I’d blame Mom first.” The driver gestured with his thumb out the back door. Mom was closer than ever. “Hold on.”
The ambulance jerked forward. The back door slammed shut. Then the vehicle sped away.
Sapulvado was being kidnapped. He pawed his way through his clothes until his face poked out.
Klaus grinned. “That’s better. I know a place that makes the best fish.”
He climbed towards the passenger seat. The driver slapped his ass. Klaus’s lover then. And a demon.
But Sapulvado was too exhausted to be scared anymore and he purred himself to sleep.