Verone

Verified Encounters

• 1811
  
  "Verone was born last year in 1809. Her grey tabby mother laid down on the floor of a barn, strewn about with straw and bits of hay. Dainty huffs could be heard under the cover of a heavy purr and the thump of her unruly tail. In moments, Verone was flushed head first into the world. Just a little tabby kitten. Wet and crying and toiling in my hands, I cleared her little nose and her little mouth. I watched her take her first breaths and wiggle toward her mama cat's belly for her first meal. Bat at her first toy, enjoy her first heinie scratch," she pauses, sighs.
  
  "She was just 8 months old when the Madam took her; that would've made her about 2 or 3 years old for a human. Madam swept in and took her right from my barn while I was working in the field. I knew because she left behind the faint smell of cinnamon and a bundle of confused mama and siblings. That smell coats every one she claims.. Madam is a local witch that studies her art at the rim of the deep woods here in Jubaia. She collects certain animals from the community to be her children based on their markings and personality. The ones that she finds to be remarkable or beautiful or... both. She transforms them into anthros when they are too young to really realize what's happened. She teaches them quickly about manners and how to blend into society. They grow up with foggy childhood memories, believing they've just suffered some sort of amnesia. They age exceptionally slow, something like... they only age a single year over the course of 11 years. Madam keeps them under her thumb. They are home-schooled together and fill their spare time with further studies or chores. They may not speak with strangers or venture farther than the front gate until they are 10. I feel they all end up quite sheltered and unsure due to that. Plus, whatever else goes on in there.
  
  Most are sent out into the world at the age of 18, human 18, to find their footing. By that time, she'd have been living on this earth for 198 years. Select a job, make friends, start a life. I should be happy my Verone was chosen to be something so much more than a simple barn cat. I should relish in the fact. I could have seen her grow to be an amazing and wonderful young lady. Albeit through the tall, pine fence that surrounds Madam's property. But sadly, by the time she's grown, even if she could come find me, even if she could remember... I'd be long, long gone."
  
  - Verone's previous owner, Margaret McDonald
  
  
  
  1974
  
  The library's hardwood floors look dull today, like they've forgotten to stain them for the past 10 years. Still the mottled, faded brown wood spans the whole floor unmarked. Dark brown oak desks are set up here and there for private, quiet study time. Each one is topped with varying stacks of papers and books. Only about half of them have occupants. A rather tall canine male strolls through and selects the desk farthest from the door, he takes a seat. Then unloads a science textbook and a simple black composition notebook before him on the marble sick-green tabletop. Rummaging through a black backpack, out comes a pencil, a pen, and a calculator. He positions his books to their appropriate pages and immediately begins to scribble down some notes. He appears quite focused on his studies, eyes darting from the page to where he writes. Back and forth. The sliding glass doors of the entrance part, squeaking quite unusually than they typically do. Shrill, straining. The canine's ears twitch and he looks upward briefly in the direction of the sound.
  
  The glass doors make way for a young female feline. Her expression exudes displeasure at the obvious draw to her entrance. Green eyes stare at the door tracks as the glass softly screeches over them, willing them to silence but they do not. Simple mechanical issue. The canine's eyes are glued to the female, as she was quite a looker, especially for around here. Around her petite body, she wore a torso-tight long dress the shade of fresh cream. It billows gently around her feet as she enters, as though she were walking on air. The rim of her cloak-like attire hardly shields bare feet wrapped loose with cloth to protect from heat and freeze, maybe the smaller rock or thorn. Shifting upward, the neck of the dress spoons somewhat low, revealing only the top of a slight but full bust. Eyes like soft emeralds sink slightly into her high cheekbones, giving her a doll-like look. Blood red waves crash and recede over her shoulders, halting one-third's way down her back which her dress nearly completely exposed. When the male seeks her eyes, he struggles a bit. She met them for but a moment before those green crystals shot away. In that split second, the male felt her green orbs drill into his own. As though both he and she had already fallen into them, like some sort of spell, swirling and swirling. They drew him in. The canine tilts his head a bit to one side, curious.
  
  The girl hurries through the quiet study room and out the manual glass doors that lead into the fiction section without a second glance. The heavy glass door would slam behind her if it were not for the stoppers to prevent such things. A rush of cinnamon pours over the silent room. Others seated around the canine look up, noses twitching at the faint but certain smell. The male canine's eyes stare at the door that took the feline for minutes, waiting, then abruptly turns back to his notebook. He stares down at it, blinks slow, as if just now realizing he was here to do work. He looks back at the door to the fiction room, sighs. The canine stands in a rush, forcing an audible squeal into the silence of the library as his chair legs rush the floor. Heads shoot up around the room, everyone disgruntled about being disrupted. He raises a hand in apology before heading towards the fiction room; leaving all of his things behind askew on the table.
  
  The fiction room opens to a wide rainbow of open books over the entryway. Rows and rows of shelving stood tall and proud before the male; labelled by category and then alphabetized by author's last name. His eager eyes scan over what he can see, searching for the newly familiar face. The second floor sits in the back balcony-style; in the third row from the left he spots a dash of the blood red hair that graced the girl as it disappears behind a shelf. He darts up the far steps two at a time, reaching the top out of breath. He heads to where he'd seen her, unsure even of what he would say, just that he had to pursue, to meet, to know. Those eyes. He nearly ran directly into her, lost in his thoughts. Quickly gathering the situation, he notices she's looking through a book titled the Amazon Rain Forest's Hidden Treasures. The feline looks in the direction of the canine without lifting her head, she seems nervous right off the bat.
  "Hello, I just saw you in the Quiet Study Room," he grins, trying to appear charming or interesting.
  The feline girl's ears rest backward against her head, polite, "Ah, yes.. I am sorry to have intruded upon the silence and disrupted your studies."
  The male lets out a soft chuckle, "No, no.. I'm not upset. I just wanted to say.. Uhm.. Well, I'm Truarch."
  Still, the feline cautiously evades eye contact, "Hello," she sounds.
  Truarch shuffles a bit in place, now feeling somewhat silly coming up her without a plan. He reaches up and ruffles his hair a bit, "Hello.. Nice to meet you. What is your name?," he gestures toward her with his last sentence.
  The femme chews at her lip a bit, maybe choking back words. She looks to her side nervously, to where the exit door rests, then back to the male. "You should focus on your studies, it's very important to always continue to learn."
  Now, the canine smiles, assuming she must be shy or just private, "You can tell me. I won't bite, ha ha, I swear."
  Girl's tail begins to swish back and forth, building in speed. She places her book on the shelf and maintains her sideways glance, refusing to meet his eyes. Her expression does not change from resting, not even the slightest smirk.
  She turns away from the male and heads for the library exit door without another word. He calls after her, "Wait, what did I do?" The sweet waft of cinnamon almost overwhelming him as the wind pushed her scent backward to say goodbye. With a heavy thud, the metal door slams shut.
  
  The male stood quiet for a moment, again staring at a door because of this girl. She hadn't been rude, just distant, like the only book at the library he could not open to read. She was nervous and quiet and selective with her choices of words. There was something about her, especially her eyes. He felt light-headed and feeble as though under a trance. "Ah.. Well," he sighs and turns to head back into the Quiet Study Room to gather his things and head home. Too distracted now to focus. Although he hoped to, he did not see her outside the library, just a slight hint of cinnamon on the wind in her wake. In fact the male never saw her again, he would swear that every now and then when the wind was strong, he could smell the signature scent and every time he is brought right back to this moment.
  
  - Excerpt from A Godly Autobiography by Minister John Shepperd
  
  
  
  2017
  
  "News Channel 18 is here to report breaking news on Amaranth Road in East Jabaia. Reports are telling us that there was a massive block party overtaking the street you see behind me here, Amaranth Road, going on way past legal curfew. Multiple noise complaints were reported as early as 3AM according to nearby neighbors. There were reports of loud, thumping music and even fireworks in these early morning hours. Luckily, local police officials were able to break up the party of nearly 300 people and have taken two very drunk and disorderly teenagers into custody that appear to have been the masterminds behind this event. Investigation into these individuals is currently ongoing.
  
  One young female feline, believed to be between the ages of 15 and 20, was possibly injured during the fireworks and is now wanted for questioning and medical appraisal. The girl is an anthro feline with grey fur and black stripes in a tabby pattern. She has red hair and is believed to be between 5'1" and 5'4" tall and about 100 lbs, last seen wearing a black knitted sweater, dark blue jean shorts and going bare foot. Party-goers also state that she may be wearing a faint cinnamon scented perfume, the brand is not known at this time. She was last seen at the western most end of Amaranth Road shortly before police arrived at approximately 3:26AM. If you see this female, please call 1-800-JABAIAPD. Information leading to the whereabouts or health of this individual comes with a reward. This has been News Channel 18 Breaking News."
  
  - News Channel 18, Breaking News segment, Carley Simmons