#cathold

[bla-ble-bli]

♛  Studying at university:  Journalism

Catherine Snow

[bla-ble-bli]

                          Who do you think you are?

I know I can't take one more step towards you Cause all that's waiting is regret Don't you know I'm not your ghost anymore You lost the love I loved the most

       And who do you think you are?       Running 'round leaving scars       Collecting your jar of hearts       And tearing love apart       You're gonna catch a cold       From the ice inside your soul       So don't come back for me       Who do you think you are?

          I hear you're asking all around           If I am anywhere to be found           But I have grown too strong           To ever fall back in your arms           Dear, it took so long just to feel alright           Remember how to put back the light in my eyes

Catherine Snow x

[dalish-farther-roam]

CATS OF SKYHOLD

So I saw a post a while ago (that I can’t seem to find again) about Anders as an agent of the Inquisition inevitably bringing stray cats to Skyhold, being assisted, of course, by Cole. So much so that the hold is soon filled with cats, and refugee children that become attached are often told that they can keep the kitten as long as they take care of it, and eventually all the companions and advisors would have cats too. And I thought that Cole would be particularly adept at matching people to cats that would suit each other best. Imagine:

-Leliana gets a black cat that seems to vanish before your eyes when it steps into shadow. It has a reputation as a vicious fighter and has rooted out several spies from dark corners and yet is remarkably gentle with Lelania’s birds and nugs. 

-Josephine gets a tortiseshell kitten that seems impossible to upset, and its charms have settled the nerves of countless visiting nobles, though it’s true joy is playing with Josephine’s dolls. It seems to enjoy spending time with Blackwall’s cat. 

-Cullen gets a beautiful Norwegian (or in this world, Ferelden) forest cat with brilliant golden fur. It rides regally on the back of his Mabari and can send the Jims running with a single glare. When shown affection, it flops over awkwardly and purrs loud enough to wake the old gods. 

-Vivienne is given a mangey looking kitten. With her love and care though, it became a large and glorious, shimmeringly white cat who loves nothing better than to sit with viv on the couch in their corner of skyhold and listen to her read aloud from her books, or to stand on the balcony and look down upon the goings on of skyhold. Occasionally has to be shooed off of the Inquisitor’s throne.

- Cassandra is given an old scrappy cat with one ear and a fearsome reputation, often hissing and scratching at passers by, though when it grows to trust it reveals itself to be one of the cuddliest and snuggliest cats in all of skyhold.

-Sera has a ginger kitten who loves to wrestle and play tricks. It has destroyed at least one slipper from every stuffed up Orlesian noble who has visited skyhold. Steals things and hides them in Sera’s room. Sometimes seen with a swollen paw from trying to catch bees, though it never seems to pain the kitten much. 

-Blackwall has an old tomcat (or a Thom-cat, eh? Eh?... I’ll go now.) Black for the most part, except for white beard-shaped spots around it’s mouth. It often seeks out the refugee children to entertain and comfort. It lives in the barn with Blackwall and has never seemed to fear the horses or dracolisks or “unicorns” at all. It is very wary of newcomers though. Hides things in the barn. 

-Solas has a sphynx that often wanders off to who knows where, though it always seems to return in time to rest on Solas’ chest as he sleeps. Perhaps they walk the fade together. Hides things EVERYWHERE. 

-Dorian’s cat is glorious. The Val Royeux of cats, and by that I mean that it is constantly preening and cleaning itself - though this may be due to the fact that it spends most of it’s time in the dusty libraries, where it seems to enjoy listening to Dorian mutter to himself about what he’s reading - the more esoteric the subject matter, the better. It keeps mice away from the books and often yowls down at Solas’ cat in the rotunda, as if mocking it. 

-Varric’s cat was scraggly when he got it. It is a black cat with blue eyes and a bright orange streak across it’s nose. He is fiercely protective of it and will only let a select few people even hold it. The cat rarely leaves his side, except to sneak off to different parts of skyhold which always seem to end up in varying states of chaos by the time the cat has left. He calls it Champion and has been teaching it to play Wicked Grace. 

-The Iron Bull is given the runt of the litter, who quickly shows itself to be rather brilliant, mastering tricks like “play dead,” “hide and seek,” and “scout ahead.” Often seen riding on Bull’s horns or drinking from a saucer of milk with the Chargers, who spoil it endlessly. 

And then one day, the Inquisitor finds a kitten, locked in a box on the side of the road, left to die, which is should have by all accounts, starved as it was. They bring the small albino kitten back to skyhold and nurse it to health. The other companions marvel at how this tiny thing, so mistreated, kneads and snurgles at any hand offered, as if asking for a hug, or trying to give one. The advisors and followers present this tiny, fragile thing to Cole on what Leliana has discovered was the original Cole’s birthday. He immediately brings it up to his face when the Inquisitor explains that it is for him, or he for it. To this Cole says  only “You are my friend.” Nobody is quite sure if he was speaking to the kitten or the Inquisitor, but whenever they see the cat at their ankles, appearing there as it does seemingly out of nowhere, the all say “there you are, My Friend,” and pick it up for a hug.