Siderians - Bo and Bel

Water rippled around Bojan’s feet as the young Siderian stood up to his belly in the stream, he could feel the current tugging at the long hair on his stomach, but his attention was on the water before him and keeping his tail steady and still.

One paw suddenly shot out, smacking the water hard and sending a fish flying out and onto the shore where it flopped about helplessly. It took only a single bite to end its pitiful struggles, and Bojan took the moment to study his catch.

His mother had many flaws, but Bojan had to give her credit for her fishing skills. When the large prey was out of their league, and small land critters were hard to locate under layers of snow, his mother would provide them with fish.

An image of her feet came to his mind as he ate.

Her paws were small, but she had long feathers on her ankles. His mother had been vain when it came to her appearance, but it was during winter when she forsaken beauty for the sake of feeding her family.

Because she had to break the ice in order to reach the fish hidden under the frozen lake, his mother often cut herself on jagged edges. The thickness of her fur kept the damage to only a few nicks, but they were there all the same.

Bojan swallowed the mouthful of fish in his mouth, but no longer did he take any joy from it. His stomach was full and that was enough. Standing up, Bojan turned and nearly jumped out of his skin.

There, standing beside the willow tree that sheltered his new home, was the scrawny kitten. Watching with eyes that were wide and round and made her look like an owl. Unlike other hungry creatures who would be more interested in the food at his feet, the kitten was watching Bojan with a curious gaze and a head tilt to one side.

As he continued to gawk, the kitten crept forward until she stood in front of the young male, peering up at him before she rubbed her head against one of his legs. It was such a strong gesture, usually reserved for mates or family, but this kitten was no relation.

And yet Bojan knew he could not turn her away now, not when she - practically a walking skeleton - had followed him several miles from the place where they had met.

“Okay…” he sighed. “You win, but just for a while. I will see if I can find any Siderian couples who wouldn’t mind taking in an orphan.” Blue eyes just looked at him, but then the kitten once again rubbed her head against his leg.

Recalling how his father once advised him when dealing with hard times, Bojan leaned down and took off a piece of fish flesh and chewed it slowly until it was softy and mushy, he leaned down and sat it out at her paws. The kitten leaned down and sniffed at it, then carefully ate it. Chewing slowly before she sniffed around for more.

Chuckling a bit, Bojan did it again, and then a third time. He didn’t want her to eat too much at once, so he stopped at the third portion and dragged the rest of his fish off to stash for later.

“Now...to find a name for you.” Bojan mused, but he was not one to easily come up with names.

At his side, the kitten was busy grooming herself. Twisting around in order to lick at the fur on her side. Bojan watched her in silence, but then noticed that one of her paws had been cleaned of mud and was now the soft white of snow. The other front paw was white as well, as was her chest and the tip of her tail.

White...Běla…

“Are you...Běla?” Bojan found himself asking aloud. The kitten paused her washing in order to look up at him, her blue eyes questioning at first. He repeated the name and watched her face closely. The brow furrowed, as if pondering the name, but then the kitten nodded, her tail waving back and forth to express her delight.

“Very well,” Bojan said. “You will be Běla and my name is Bojan.”