Somewhere In Neverland

The Neko kept to himself as he walked along the lonesome streets, eyeing a few normal citizens pushing strollers with pudgy-faced children inside and construction men sitting on the sidewalks to enjoy a cup of coffee for the early morning. It was that time of year that once again, seasons would change, for what he presumed to be autumn, his favorite season out of the four. The breeze was a bit cool, but the sun was enough to warm his skin long enough without having to duck behind alleys and turn so he would be covered in fur to warm his body entirely. His tail and ears had disappeared, just for the sake of himself to get through the town that blocked his way. As of course he knew of the hidden kingdom of cottages, the tom found himself becoming a lot more social instead of his usual quiet and mysterious self towards more of his kind. And for the Queen, he'd do anything for she saved his life. He knew not of what happened to the nice Inu he met in the labs, hoping out in this small world they lived on he would come around or even possibly already be there aiding Willow's side.

The air filled with the smell of his kind nearing close, the image of her orange eyes making him quicken his pace a bit more. Connor bit his lip, fathoming the issue of walking so far for what he wanted. Taking the easier way, he decided to grab a cab and a white peony flower to give the queen as a gift of his gratitude. If it weren't for her, he'd more or less still be in that damned cage with the rest of their kind. That morning he had skipped on using his casual best, instead he had slipped into a grey and darker grey striped sweatshirt, a blue baseball t-shirt and a pair of denim-washed jeans to cover the sides of his black converse sneakers. His hair was naturally a charming brown and black cowlick atop his head, some of the strands leaning to frame the sides of his angular face and olive green eyes. His dimples could be seen from a mile away, something he didn't all enjoy, but for some reason the girls always found it attractive. When it came to females, Connor was very distant. Not because he hated girls, that wasn't it, it was because he didn't know how to speak to them, nor did they ever catch his eye. All he could ever think was the Queen's beautiful orange eyes, the natural sparkle they always had whenever she'd blink. As he watched the scenery change to a better background, he slipped in his earbuds and listened to music, patting his palm against the window side of the car lightly to the beat.

As the car soon slowed to a stop, the Neko bowed his head politely to the cab driver, handing him the amount of wanted money before stuffing his hands in his pockets and heading towards the edge of the village kingdom. Their scent was stronger, at its best even, the sweet smell of her perfume sending him on his toes; cinnamon. He had to hand it to her, not even he could do this on his own, maybe she was getting help with the place, but he'd be more than happy to help her so she wouldn't be alone. This was his change though, to make something of himself and have a real family he wish he could of had. But that was the thing, all Mora's were orphans, none had a family to love them for all their lives or be treated like the most precious thing in the world. Their lives were endings, tragedies made by the ways of man-kind for experimentations. And for what? To be part of an animal and walk around with ears and tail? What use could one ever benefit from that? It was pointless to get all worked up over this now, he calmed his mind, seeing no one was around so he sighed and let out his black ears and long black tail with the white ring at its tip. Straightening his attire, he held his arms comfortably behind his back and the peony in his hand so she wouldn't see. He waited, listening to the sounds that nature at to offer in the peaceful silence.

The neko Queen’s eyes opened to the bright light of day. Her one day off of work was one she chose to sleep in on. Warmth from both her cottage and her big, heavy blanket kept her reluctant to move. The thuds of a heavy tail and feet were what caused her eyes to open in the first place, only to see Bruce standing at the entrance of her bedroom. Smiling at the alligator, she hopped from her bed and kneeled in front of her pet. “Hey Bruce, how is my big boy?” Her question was followed by a small click of the alligator’s jaws snapping. To any other, it would look like the albino creature was going to take a bite of her arm. This, of course, was and would never be true. Willow simply stood and hopped over her pet, heading to the freezer. Opening the heavy door, she took out the large fish that she had bought the night before. The neko gave a laugh, finding Bruce suddenly in the kitchen and grunting at her. Willow smiled and unwrapped the fish, placing them in front of the albino creature and placing a soft kiss to his head. “Alright buddy, enjoy your breakfast while I get ready. We can go for a walk afterwards.” While Bruce ate the fish, Willow walked quietly to her room and turned on the shower. Removing her pajamas, she hopped into the shower and began to wash her body and hair all at once. For some reason, she was suddenly quite excited to get outside. Hopping out of the shower, now fully clean, she dried her body and hair before moving to her closet. She quickly pulled on orange shorts, a color slightly darker than her eyes. Down the front, there were white tie-dye marks. The neko put on a white, transparent flannel shirt. A tank top the same orange as her shorts was seen beneath, going to inspect herself in the mirror. She tied her auburn and brunette hair into a messy bun before doing her makeup. Carefully putting it on, she smiled and shrugged to herself before slipping on her orange converse. Willow walked to the kitchen and patted Bruce’s head as she snapped her fingers for him to come. The alligator quickly responded and followed his owner out of the cottage, not willing to leave her for a second. She smiled and skipped out the door, holding it open for her pet and locking it quietly behind them. Skipping down her porch steps, she hummed and went to discover the events of the day.

Willow often forgot when her tail and ears were out unless she was planning to go into human territory. Today was not one of those days, and she walked through the barren lands of what was her kingdom. For a while now, she had been hoping to see at least one of her own kind. Those hopes had failed her time and time again, and she began to feel as if maybe there was something wrong with her. She had learned to fight over the years she had been waiting, and her small build was made up of tattoo and muscle. Of course, she still held her feminine curves. The neko was desperate to never look like she had in the labs again, to look and feel healthier. Though she was still quite thin, it was in a natural way. Willow couldn’t help but think she needed to weigh more than she did, like the women who were anorexic thought they needed to be thinner. The Queen wanted to meet others, but feared none were coming because they found her too weak. The words that Grey had left in her mind brought her spirits back up. He had told that she wasn’t weak, that she would never be weak. Everything she did was now in the memories of her beloved brother, the one that saved her. Each tattoo was a tattoo Grey would’ve gotten, as was the ring around the flesh of her nostril. The kingdom was set how Grey would’ve wanted it, and everything about it was in his honor. As Willow walked with Bruce at her side, her mind drifted off to Grey.

The scent of someone else along her borders caused her to freeze in place and earn a small hiss from Bruce. Even though she had stopped, her alligator began to move forwards and push her along with his tail. Willow told herself not to get her hopes up as she moved along with her pet, not knowing if it was a human who had wandered astray. She began to skip slightly along, Bruce at her heels as the person came into view. Something was pulling at her from the back of her mind, telling her that this was someone she knew. At the sight of darker colored hair, she at first thought it was Grey. She shut that thought down the minute it went through her mind. This was a stranger, one she had never met and probably a human. A soft wind carried the scent of one of her kind to her nose, and she gasped before walking faster. Willow tried to keep her face composed and keep the huge smile off of her face, but it was hopeless. She skipped up and stopped at a respectful distance from him. Her smile was bright and wide, orange eyes alight with excitement. “Hello, I’m Willow. Welcome to my lands. May I ask what you are looking for?” She tilted her head, her smile becoming a gentle grin as she took a look at his eyes. There was a sudden remembrance, though it was very faint. Somehow, she knew this man before her.

Coiling and uncoiling his tail for his own dropping patience, he stood leaned against one of the nearby buildings alone, silence captivating his surroundings along with the songs of a few birds calling to each other. They were interesting creatures, always leaving him to wonder what some of the calls may be about, wether it be to an exceptional mate, or maybe to its young that have yet to feast upon a nice meal that morning. It then occurred to him that he would never have that, a mate, children of his own kind, there was never going to be something like that. He had had girlfriends in the past, but none that spoke to him the way he would like, ending to be him left in the dust and heading back home with his belongings. Connor was beginning to feel that no one would come to his aid, growing a bit more impatient as he tried to fiddle with the necklace his mother had supposedly given him before Mrs. James had taken him in like the rest of his so-called 'brothers'. Rolling up his sleeves of his sweatshirt, revealing his tattoos across his arms, he looked up to see an orange figure walking his way with a creature at its side.

Strange... was all of that he could think as it moved closer, then once it straightened out in his vision, his eyes widened to then realize it was an alligator. Moving to stand, his attention turned to the Neko, mouth slightly agape to see it was.. her. His dimples shown as he smiled wide at her presence, coughing to clear his throat and keep still as the Queen moved closer, and closer, the space between them shortening the closer she got. In all secret, all he wanted to do was give her a joyous embrace, but he hid that by loosing the emotion in his face to remain serious, "Good evenin', your Majesty. I, am Connor James and I am here to meet your acquaintance and given possibility to join this kingdom you have roaming about. It seems I am of the first to meet your arrival, hopefully not the last of course." Connor bowed his head in a friendly nod, taking a risky step forwards without looking at the alligator to know it was there and handed her the white peony, "May it be a token of my gratitude, it isn't much, but I would hope you would like it, if not, its quite alright. I've come for many reasons of which would take far too long for me to explain, but as a short summary, I feel I would be a valuable addition to help you with bringing out kind together. I was trained well to keep things controlled with myself and have been keeping myself in disguise for as long as I could remember. You, being the one that saved me, miss. Though as it may bring us both to forget and soon then remember, you freed me and now I am here to pay the debt with all my trust and loyalty to work with you."

With two snaps of her fingers, the hissing that began within Bruce stopped immediately. Willow lifted her foot to slightly rub beneath the alligator’s chin as her eyes focused on the one named Connor. At his offering of the peony, her cheeks turned a pinkish color. The Queen too the flower gently and brought it to her nose, spinning it slowly. The aroma was pleasant and such a kin gesture couldn’t go without a smile. Turning her harvest eyes to him, she gave him and wide smile and nodded her thanks. She couldn’t find what was so familiar to her until he spoke, then it all hit her. The cages, the death, and the starvation. This neko in front of her had been in front of her for more times than she could count. Willow had always known him for the tuxedo whose cage was across from hers, though she had never placed a name on him. Now that she knew, the memories came clearer. Nearly a week after she had been tossed into the cage, he was there. At first she had known nothing. He was just another animal to her before she had started watching him. The sanity he kept made her both interested and knowing that he had no clue what was to come. She remembered him staying with her when the others were gone, though she just felt it was a coincidence. Willow had watched Connor act how a sane person would’ve and had copied his movements. Grey wasn’t the only one who had brought her back, but she couldn’t let herself remember until that moment. Those olive eyes of his brought out the pieces that were missing, and she gave him a warm smile. As he finished speaking, she nodded slowly and thought over his words before speaking.

“Well, for starters, I have to thank you. For the flower and for being the first one of hopefully many to take a chance on me. I had never expected to try to lead an entire race, yet here I am. I remember you now, you were the first for me to have released. I don’t let my mind go back to that chaotic day often, but I shall say that the pleasure to release you was all mine. As for you joining among my ranks, I would be glad to welcome you Connor. I am glad to hear you have taken the valuable skills and practiced them, it pleases me to see one do so. For now, I am going to start you as a Noble. Their job is an important one, but I think you are up to the the task.” She smiled and took a breath before speaking again. “I was just exploring my lands before I saw you. If you wish, you are welcome to come back to my cottage with me for a meal. If not, then you may explore the lands. It is all up to you, but my big boy comes with me everywhere.” Willow smiled down at her alligator and bent to pet the soft top of his head before looking back up to Connor. For a moment, she wanted nothing more but to hug him and know that she wasn’t alone. She had made friends outside of her territories, but she wanted to be able to share her lands with at least someone. Her mind was telling her that maybe Connor was one she could confide in, though her heart found it hard to trust. She stood to her full height and looked up at him, tilting her head and waiting for his answer.

He was merrily surprised at how well she had taken the situation, mostly leaning towards the niceness of control she had to coup with the obviously well-mannered reptile at her side. The fact she had taken the flower kindly and willingly, caused him to immediately relax in his state of position, only to soon begin to feel a bit shocked at such a title be gifted to him at such an early time. A small smile lit his face, nothing more to keep himself tamed of how happy he secretly felt inside at her own presence. Her eyes speaking to him without the use of words as he nodded along, "They're probably off hiding, nothing to be so worried about just yet, my Queen. I promise in all my heart to fulfill and work up to my expected duties, as well as control the majority of the kingdom to its rightful being. We are mistakes, in some ways, but sometimes a bit of faults when come together, can be a positive thing. Two negatives make a positive, huh?" It was enough to know he cared about her more than one would think, his heart was to protect her, not only because she was special to Grey, which he hadn't seen in so long, but because she was the reason behind him staying sane. This was to be his home now, professionally working under her aid and side as long as he existed in the world. In secret, he noted to guard her from any possible threats to come, any sign of danger or in any need of help, he'd be there. He wondered how long this rank could stretched to his allowance of certain things, including how much time he would be able to spend with her instead of just the Mastons that worked about the kingdom alone.

Looking to the alligator, he noticed they, as in the Queen and the reptile had the same shade of eye color, a pinch of a grin sending him back to look at her, "He's quite the handsome fellow if I must add. A beautiful choice in animal too. I would agree I am a fan of the type, but I am ironically interested in birds overall, and not because they taste good." He laughed, hoping see her features in action with the spark of a smile upon her face. The tinge of light to sparkle in her eyes just urging him to try harder to make her laugh or do something to cause her to notice him upon the rest of Neko toms she had probably met over time. Connor looked to the queen, bowing once more before stepping to her side and hooking his arm for her to wrap around his, "I'd be obliged to spend the evening with you, Queen Willow. It would be nice to have some friendly company on my first day, also the lucky feeling of a guy like me to spend it with such a lovely and beautiful dame like yourself." As he had finished, he began to worry if it were a bit too much to compliment her so soon, they had just spoken for the first time after all. You're such an idiot, why can't you just act normal for once around a girl? He asked himself, coming up short to see nothing hit his mind as he looked at her. "The alligator is more than welcome to come along of course, as long as he doesn't bite me, I'll stay." Connor gave out a small chuckle, walking a bit closer with his arm extended out. "Shall we, your Majesty?"

Willow was surprised at how reassured she was by his words. They were actually very logical, with perfect explanations. Mora were known to be sneaky unless they decided to expose themselves for some unknown reason. The neko knew enough to know that there was probably no way a Mora would expose themselves willingly. Fear of going back to the dreadful labs was too terrifying to even tempt the fates. His words of them being a mistake made her frown slightly, but she answered all the same. “You’re right, Connor. I set out word with some other Mora I know for ones in hiding to know this is a safe haven. I appreciate that you are willing to work so hard and I cannot wait to see what a benefit you are to these lands. I am sure that I will not regret meeting you or allowing you into my lands.” A wide smile crossed her face as she grew comfortable with his behavior. The Queen wanted to be as friendly as possible to her new members, but she also had a side that would be hard and strict when need be. Grey had spoke to her in what a new leader would need, and she would give them that. Willow took pride in helping the others escape from the labs, even the thought of it made her want to stand straighter. Their meeting was a test for Connor and a test for her. She wanted to know how good of a leader she could become, and hopefully she was doing a fine job of it.

Connor’s compliments seemed to be understood by the alligator near her ankles. Bruce seemed to life himself up more and click his jaws as a thank you. The Queen soon began laughing, kneeling down to pet him and answer Connor. “Yes, he’s been mine since the day I found him. Not many people want a pet alligator, and I have enough room to take care of him and provide him with what he needs. Birds are marvelous creatures, even though I have to agree on their taste.” Standing up straight, she slid her arm around his and hooked her own with a small laugh. His compliments made her smile widen slightly, but she took them in stride. “Bruce wouldn’t bite you unless it was needed or I told him to. Yes we shall go. Welcome to the ranks of the Mora, Connor.”