The Eterna

Contrary to expectation Aquila is a small stocky tom with thick, creamy blue-striped fur, snowy paws, a white blaze, and light green eyes. Even fully grown, Aquila is unlikely to weigh more than 9 pounds, nor is he likely to be taller than 9 inches or longer than 12 inches with the exception of his feathery tail. At his young, still-growing age, he has yet to obtain even this size.

His growth stunted from a young age, Aquila does not have the size advantage that his build implies he was supposed to. Despite this, however, he is still stronger than he looks, and rather resilient. With impressive stamina and endurance, not to mention his stubbornness, Aquila is decent in battle. What he lacks however are speed and grace, and his skillset does not pass far beyond hunting, fighting, and climbing as far as knowledge goes.

If there were one distinct feature that anyone might notice about him, it would be his his neutered status, altering his scent and some aspects of his behavior.

The most notable thing about Aquila has always been his spirit; bright, untamed energy that often perks up those around him. His playful confidence and eager curiosity are quite contagious, getting him into trouble alongside those he may drag along. His boldness is a clear risk, and one that has gotten Aquila into a lot of messes, but he seems to have an equal knack for getting out of them. Alert, quick-thinking, and a rather fast learner, Aquila may rush in head first, but he has gotten as good at turning tables as he had at pushing buttons.

Just as many may find Aquila brightening their day, he is not without those who find him irritating. With curiosity leading to impulsiveness and passion to stubbornness, it is hard to divert Aquila's path once he is set on a goal. To make matters worse, his bright energy comes with its own downside, in a seeming inability to stay still. When he's in the zone, Aquila may make a worthy opponent and fine hunter, but this young tom needs someone patient and organized to keep him in line and on track.

If Aquila were asked to describe his family, the first memory to come to mind would be the gentle twoleg girl who tugged him from the claws of death. Alessia. To Aquila, she was his first family. It was hard to miss someone he had hardly ever known in the first place.

Alessia had found Aquila as a frail and dying kitten, seemingly abandoned to his own devices, and brought him into the warmth of her home. No one could pass on to Aquila the meaning of his mother's abandonment, even as Alessia's grandfather warned her it was because of his sickness and the risk he posed to her other kittens; that she should not get her hopes up on surviving. But Alessia did not give up.

While Renato kept his distance at first, giving little more than instructions and demonstrations when needed, Alessia was by his side every moment. She would sleep in the same room as him, keeping him in an odd warm box that smelled of what he later learned to be chickens, waking at any hour to feed and tend to him. She became his constant companion, but not his only one.

As the kitten began to strengthen and mewl, curiosity grew. Renato seemed to become a little more invested in the kitten, but the surprising visitor was another cat. Perhaps impressed by the kit's fighting spirit, Arturo became a quiet, lingering companion from time to time, watching from his perch outside the window.

Alessia's efforts paid off. Able to eat and walk around by himself, Aquila felt energy coming to him that he had never experienced, and it grew stronger as he progressed to being fully recovered. It seemed even being pricked and poked by another strange twoleg could not bring him down, although Alessia made certain to shower him with praise and reassurance throughout.

In time, and after another visit to the strange twoleg, Aquila was finally brought outside by Alessia. To his surprise, the first to greet him beyond the door was Arturo. The tom did not speak, perhaps he was unable to, but he seemed pleased to see Aquila in good health. The two spent some time together, to Alessia's apparent delight, before Aquila was brought back inside. This became a regular occurrence in the young tom's life, and steadily, Arturo began to teach him to stalk and pounce in all his silent wisdom.

Aquila was five moons old when Alessia and Renato brought him somewhere new. The sights, sounds, and scents were both scary and fascinating to the young tom, but his curiosity won out as he explored the barn. Aquila's farmfolk spent the day out there with him before Renato retired for the evening. After departing briefly to eat, Alessia returned with food and water, before they watched the night sky together. That was not the first time, nor the last, but their nighttime star-gazing became less frequent than before.

In time, Alessia stopped bringing food with her when she came to visit him, but Aquila did not mind. Under Arturo's tutelage, he learned to make do with the mice and some small birds. Renato seemed especially pleased when he left the occasional extra catch near his grain-stuff stores, although he always gave them back to him after a quick pet, so it became a ritual for the young tom.

But after another moon went by, Aquila began to realize his life in the barn left him stifled and frustrated. While he did not plan to leave for good at the time, with Arturo's teachings of hunting and self-defense, Aquila began to venture further. His curiosity was quick to take the lead, and each day he traveled a little longer before returning home. He got into his fair share of trouble, of course, but this was also how Aquila met his first outside friend. The first, he hoped, of many to come.