But if I'm not? {Tommyinnit au}

I hate to sleep outside ( oh, a cat :3)

I don't usually post three chapters on the same update, but since there have been so many people coming here, this is an extra one!

When I got home, I put the cat's box away in the storage room, before I immediately set about building a shelter for me and the cat to spend the night in.

There were several points I wanted to include in the build. I wanted it to be fairly dry to sleep in, protected from rain (nowadays it always rained at least once a day), and then it would have to be big enough that both a cat and a raccoon could fit in it. I wanted my lair to be near to the house, but not too close. And I wanted it to be warm.

But as I dragged pieces of plastic I found in the dumpster (primes, I was really becoming a raccoon at heart) to a small cavity under a tree root that I had excavated a little more, I foresaw that my last point would be difficult to get through. On the run, I could have slept outside without any problems, but after I had become a pet raccoon, I'd get used to always having a soft bed to sleep in, placed in a warm room.

But in a rainy forest, in the middle of a November night, it would be difficult to keep the temperature comfortable.

I sighed to myself, before placing the piece of plastic at an angle, so that rain and wind wouldn't enter my den. I frowned, before starting to shovel soil over the slab, to hide the protruding paint. The last thing I wanted was for Phil to find us.

The cat, who had been staying close to me the whole time, now came forward, curiously sniffing the hidden plastic, before rubbing against it and going inside. I peeked in, and was greeted by the pussycat's cold gaze as it stood on the muddy ground. I could sense what the judging look meant, and with a grunt I threw off my jacket, shooed the cat away, and spread it out on the ground. Satisfied, the cat lay down on his new bed. 

As a last resort before descending into my nightly misery, I went into the house and fetched a packet of bacon and a plate to put it on. I was careful to brush off the dirt on the doormat so that my muddy shoe prints wouldn't show against the floor. The cat curiously sniffed the package when I arrived, but I pulled it away. "That's for later, you can't eat it all now, furball!" I snarl half-heartedly. The cat doesn't seem to care about my annoyed tone, but simply lies down, at the same time as the first raindrops start to fall. I transform myself into a raccoon again, and huddle next to my grey friend. In the distance I can hear a car rolling over the dirt road. I can almost see Wilbur's face in front of me, eager to get home to his beloved raccoon. I narrowed my eyes and wished I could change my mind about leaving the cat.

It was a long night for me. After I had opened the bacon package and fed it, the cat fell asleep after half an hour of constant purring. Its warm body against me helped a little against the chill that was starting to spread through me, but I still felt a stab of sadness in my heart when I saw Techno through the window of the house, where he was talking to Phil with a worried frown. I could guess the topic of conversation.

Around 7pm, when it had gotten really dark and the rain was still pouring down, I saw the front door being opened. Illuminated by the house lights, I saw Wilbur walk out into the dark garden, an umbrella in one hand and a small can in the other.

"Theseus? Theseus! Are you there?" I heard him call several times, as he searched every meter of the immediate area. The heavy raindrops pattered against the umbrella, and the light that shone on his face revealed his anxiety.

"I don't know where you are or why you're out, but please, just come inside." Wilbur's voice sounded pitiful.

I wanted nothing more than to abandon my idiotic plan and rush to him, feel his arms around me as he carried me into the house of the others.