#anakitty

Toasted Anakitty post-Mustafar fight

Haven't done one of these in a long time, but today was a good day for our cat. Well, he wouldn't say it was a good day, but he's geriatric and he pulled through a pretty big medical procedure, so I'm just overjoyed to have him home. I cannot emphasize how worried I've been. I haven't slept in days.

So I thought I'd share something cat-related 🐾 Here's an excerpt from a WIP based on this random idea I had a while back about feral injured Anakitty who is being cared for by cat rescuer Obi-Wan.

Hug your pets and tell them you love them ❤️

Hi anon! 👋 Thanks so much for this question about the hugs and sharing a bed ficlet I wrote for Obikin Promptober 2024!

LOL I like to think that Anakin keeps some of his cat behaviors after he's turned back into a human.

Even before he was a cat, he would make a displeased grunty noise whenever he was hangry, so that doesn't change.

Maybe he and Ahsoka both make a little trill when they see each other, like a special greeting just for them.

Maybe they're on a mission to a heavily wooded planet and Anakin disappears, only to be found on tree branch, crouched in a pounce position as he's stalking a bird. Ahsoka figures out that the only way to get him down is to have Artoo flash a red laser pointer, and suddenly Anakin's running in circles chasing after a red dot.

He insists on sleeping next to Obi-Wan every night and takes up 85% of the surface area on the bed (but I'm willing to bet this is an Anakin thing and not entirely a cat thing).

He hisses at spiders and crawly bugs (this also might have been true before he was a cat).

He scratches at the door when Obi-Wan's in the fresher. Demands to be let in.

He purrs when Obi-Wan pets his hair.

And when he's not listening or having murdery thoughts, Obi-Wan grabs the handful of curls at the back of his head to scruff him and gives him a firm tug.

"No, bad Anakin. No."

“Anakin, no! Don’t—”

A blinding white flash and a crackling shockwave sends Obi-Wan and the rest of their expedition team careening backwards. His back collides with the cold stone of the cave ground as the air is punched out of his lungs.

Gasping for breath, Obi-Wan sits up. He grimaces.

“Anakin!” he calls, head pounding.

There’s no answer. Only grunts from the clones around him who have similarly been knocked backward.

When Obi-Wan’s eyes finally refocus, Anakin is nowhere to be found.

“Anakin?”

Obi-Wan scrambles to his feet. Wincing, he grabs his side as he approaches the dark robes, tabards, and tunic that Anakin had been wearing moments ago.

The holocron that Anakin had removed from its pedestal lay on its side next to the pile of clothes, still glowing.

Panic rises in Obi-Wan’s chest. Then he feels a familiar tug on the training bond that he and Anakin should’ve severed, but never did.

“Blrrrt?”

The pile of robes moves and Obi-Wan drops to his knees. Gingerly, he lifts the robe to find a scared, three-legged feline. Its fur is a dark, rusty orange, almost brown—an odd and striking color for a cat, but the exact same shade as—

Leaning in, Obi-Wan studies at the cat and the scar running down its right eye.

“Oh, Anakin,” Obi-Wan mumbles.

~~~~~

“Mrrow.”

“Yes, I’m almost done,” Obi-Wan says.

There are about a dozen or so of Anakin’s vocalizations that Obi-Wan understands. The short, simple meow is his greeting. There’s the high-pitch trill when he’s excited about something, usually when Ahsoka arrives with a new handmade cat toy. A drawn-out growly trill means he’s hungry.

And then there’s the impatient mrrow when he wants Obi-Wan’s attention.

Taking a deep breath, Obi-Wan taps at the screen of his datapad a couple more times and then shuts it down.

In the three rotations since The Incident, Obi-Wan has combed through every piece of information about the holocron that the librarians at the Jedi Archives could transmit to his device and has found nothing to explain Anakin’s present form or how to restore him to human form.

It would be another two rotations before they arrive back in Coruscant to hand the holocron over to the Council for investigation.

Rumors had spread quickly through the 501st that something had happened to their General during their excursion. To spare him any more embarrassment, and maintain morale on the Resolute, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka decided it was best for Anakin to stay sequestered with Obi-Wan in his quarters onboard the Negotiator after he’d been examined by the medical team.

Obi-Wan shuffles over to his bunk where Anakin had been waiting for the last ten minutes. With an exhausted groan, he lies down and closes his eyes.

Anakin emits a low purr as he positions himself next to Obi-Wan, body stretched along his former Master’s side while his furry head is tucked under his bearded chin.

Immediately, their bond is flooded with Anakin’s feelings.

Comfort. Safety. Warmth.

Both Obi-Wan and Ahsoka noticed right away that Anakin’s shielding had become faulty as a result of the accident. There were moments when Anakin would become overcome with worry and fear. Distraught over what might happen if they wouldn’t be able to reverse whatever spell the holocron had cast.

So when Anakin jumped onto the foot of his bed that first night, appearing lost and sad, Obi-Wan’s heart ached. He patted the space next to him, signaling for Anakin to sleep there.

After all, he’d done the same when Anakin was a lost and sad Padawan. He’d sworn back then that he wouldn’t abandon Anakin, and he sure as hell won’t abandon him now.

Obi-Wan tightens his arm around Anakin and places a kiss on his head, between his ears.

“We’ll figure this out,” Obi-Wan whispers. “I promise.”

And the cat hugs him back.

Obi-Wan falls asleep with a paw pressed against his heartbeat.

In his dreams, he’s inundated with love and devotion. The feelings are so intense and overwhelming that Obi-Wan’s flung back to consciousness.

Glancing down at the sleeping cat in his embrace, Obi-Wan realizes the dreams aren’t his.

He closes his eyes and drifts to sleep again, twining himself around a familiar golden thread that binds Obi-Wan to the one who is most precious to him, and wraps him in a protective blanket of comfort and affection.

~~~~~

More than a week’s passed and only a handful of people who have been sworn to secrecy know exactly why Anakin’s been placed on long-term medical leave.

Stubbornly, Obi-Wan refuses to accept another mission until they’ve resolved the issue at hand, heatedly threatening to leave the Order altogether, if that’s what it comes down to. He ignores the look that Master Yoda exchanges with Master Windu.

After half a dozen visits to the Halls of Healing, countless meetings with the Council, there still doesn’t seem to be a solution.

“He’s so sad,” Ahsoka comments quietly one afternoon with Anakin cradled in her arms. She rubs her cheek on his head as Obi-Wan putters around his small kitchen preparing dinner for them.

“I know,” Obi-Wan responds.

He can’t bear to tell her about how Anakin’s bedtime purrs have become plaintive cries. How he buries his face into Obi-Wan’s neck as waves of anguish roll off him.

Obi-Wan forces himself to smile at both of them. He reaches over and takes Anakin’s front paw in his hand and squeezes it encouragingly.

“But we mustn’t lose hope,” Obi-Wan says. “We will find a way to fix this.”

~~~~~

By the third week, Anakin grows more despondent with each passing day. He curls himself into a ball and naps by the sunny window in Obi-Wan’s apartment at the Temple, waiting for him to return home from the Archives or meetings with the Council, ears perked up, awaiting good news that doesn’t come.

Anakin’s happiest when he’s sitting on Obi-Wan’s chest, purring contentedly while he’s being pet. Obi-Wan rubs his fingers under Anakin’s chin, over his cheek. He coos at him. Talks to him. Grins when Anakin presses their foreheads together. Obi-Wan stares into blue eyes that are shaped differently, but that he recognizes nonetheless.

Obi-Wan knows that it’s still Anakin in there. He’d know even without Anakin’s Force signature swirling around them.

The emotions that filter through their bond during Anakin’s dreams always start the same way. Golden and warm, brimming with affection. But they morph into yearning and longing. Then frustration. And finally despair and loneliness as Anakin’s front paw twitches in his sleep.

With a sigh, Obi-Wan hugs him closer, and for a fleeting moment, scolds himself for wishing that Anakin’s human body was next to him—lanky and solid and strong—and continues to push comforting thoughts toward Anakin.

But after a few nights, the depth of Anakin’s consuming grief brings Obi-Wan to tears.

“It’s alright, dearest,” Obi-Wan whispers to the sleeping cat. “I’m here. I’ll always be here.” He presses his face into Anakin’s fur and tries to hold back his sobs. “We’ll figure this out. I love you. No matter what happens, I’ll always love you.”

He dreams of Anakin that night. The way Anakin used to be. His bright eyes and sweet smile. His long arms enveloping Obi-Wan in a tight hug. His voice, whispering in Obi-Wan’s ear that he loves him.

And a feeling of peace settles over him. Obi-Wan is certain he’ll see that beloved face again.

By the time Obi-Wan wakes again, the furry head tucked under his chin has been replaced by soft, honey brown curls. The paw on his chest is now a hand, with its long, elegant fingers tangled in the fabric of his sleep shirt. The small feline form he’d fallen asleep next to transformed into that of a naked, human man.

“Master?”

In an instant, Obi-Wan’s arms are around him, crushing him to his chest as he breathes in the scent of his hair. Relief and joy vibrate across their bond.