“Sam-wiiiiisssee! Come on!”
The squeaked voice startled the mostly-white rat, but he didn’t turn his gaze away from the figure who had just appeared several rat-lengths away. He knew from his experiences that this was a cat, but it was different from the cats he had known.
“Don’t wait for me, I’ll see you later!” He squeaked over his shoulder, then ambled toward the newcomer.
As he walked, Samwise reviewed everything he knew about cats. Most of his interactions had been with a white cat with a soft voice that reminded him of a rat’s squeaks. She liked to touch her nose to his. He guessed cats must like that, although when he had tried to do the same with the grey one who had also shared his home, she would run away from him.
He hoped this cat wouldn’t do that.
There was something about the newcomer that had caught his attention. The cat seemed important somehow. Important specifically to him.
Samwise had never been one to question his feelings. He just followed them. They usually led him to snacks, or cuddles, and away from Frodo when he was in one of his moods.
He loved the grey-and-white rat, had mourned him when he died and greeted him with joy when they were reunited. But he also knew to be wary of Frodo’s temper.
Come to think of it, this cat looked a little like Frodo, but much fluffier. And bigger of course.
Samwise was within sniffing distance now and stopped, hesitating. Though he had never found cause to fear the larger animals that inhabited this place, he didn’t want to startle this newcomer.
“Uh, um, h-hello?” He squeaked out, his voice breaking in his nervousness.
The grey-brown ears twitched toward him followed by the head turning, allowing a pair of vibrant green eyes to stare at him.
“Who are you?” The cat’s voice was raspy, but seemed friendly enough.
“Er, um, I’m called Samwise.”
The cat’s head tilted to one side. Samwise was again struck by how fluffy this cat was, with cream-colored fur that almost seemed to spill down from his face in waves covering his shoulders, chest, belly, and front legs. But it was also offset by grey-brown fur that again, aside from its stripes, made him think of Frodo. “You’re a rat, aren’t you?” The cat finally asked.
“Um, yeah.”
“I thought rats were supposed to be scared of cats.”
“That’s in the other world.” Samwise was explaining this poorly. “The um, the one we had to leave.”
The cat looked away at that, and despite the difference between species’ body language, Samwise could tell he was sad.
“I miss my person, too.” His voice broke again as emotion flooded in.
“We were best friends.” The cat’s raspy meow sounded like a lament now. “Why did I have to leave zim alone?”
“Th-that’s why we’re here though!” Samwise’s voice might have risen a little too high in pitch, but the cat’s fine hearing caught it anyway. “We’re waiting for… for them. The ones who had to say goodbye.”
The cat looked down at him thoughtfully for such a long time, Samwise began to second-guess if he had actually heard his squeaks.
“Th-that’s what this place is for.” Samwise grasped blindly at what Frodo had taught him, the knowledge passed from animal to animal as they arrived. “So we can go to whatever is next, together.”
“I’ll get to see zim again?”
“Yeah.”
“I’d like that so much.”
“Me too.”
They sat side-by-side in silence for a while, watching as distant groups of animals roamed and played in the grassy fields or rested under the shady trees. It was such a peaceful place. It could make a prey animal like Samwise forget he had ever been afraid.
“I want zim to see this place.” The cat said finally. “It’s so pretty.”
Samwise flicked his whiskers in agreement. “I want mine to see it too. I want to ride on their shoulder again so we can run through the grass and not get tired.”
“I want to play hide-and-seek in the grass with zim, so we can take turns pouncing on each other.”
“…While we wait, we can go play with the other animals.” Samwise suggested.
The cat turned back to him. “That would be less lonely.”
“It is.” Samwise promised.
The cat leaned forward, and Samwise recognized the cat-body-language offer to touch noses. He stood on his hind legs and lightly pressed his much smaller nose against the warmth of the cat’s.
“I’m Bubbles, by the way.” The cat said as they backed away.
“I’m glad to meet you, Bubbles. Let’s go play, in memory of our friends.”
“Until we see them again.”
“Yes, until we see them again.”