[Bucky has honestly been having a pretty decent time as a wolf-dog-thing. It was kind of weird, to feel like you wanted to go into the CES and chase squirrels and maybe catch a few rabbits for lunch, but the pack instincts and general nature of the animal didn't feel too far off, and really, there were way worse floods they could have had.

He was headed back up on deck to see if anyone would let him back into the CES looking around and- holy shit, that is a huge cat.

He freezes and just stares for a minute at Rhade playing with the lettuce, because man.]

Holy cow.

[Rhade stops his bounding after the rolling ball as he hears the words, twitching his tail since he's still in a primed position. But the voice he recognizes, and he comes trotting over as if nothing is wrong in the world.]

Not tried to chew your own shoes yet, have you? [The voice is Rhade's, and just as surprisingly light for a mammoth cat as it is for a too-stocky man.]

[Rhade was a giant lion... thing. He'd never seen a liger in person before, so really, for all he knew this was some alien species native to Rhade's homeworld rather than Earth. Still. It's weird to see him like this, just as it's been weird to see Steve the dog and Natasha the leopard and Ben the cat, but.

He grins, and sticks to his usual sense of dry humor.]

Nah. Tempted, but I don't wanna have to ask the Admiral for a new pair and wind up with some girl's shoes or something.

[That big nose suddenly comes very close to Bucky's head as he's compelled to sniff. It's what's keeping him from going back and attacking the lettuce because OMG IT MIGHT RUN AWAY WHILE HIS BACK IS TURNED. Fortunately, their acquaintanceship is distant enough that he's not at risk of face rubbing, healthy wallowing, or cleaning, but he is curious about where he's been.]

I'll bet Ben needs a scratching post. [He's a cat. Rhade can pretty much bet money that Ben is a cat.

Or he would bet money, but it's irrelevant here and also he is naked and without pockets.]

[Bucky jerks back slightly at the sniff, cautious, but the new instincts are pretty much demanding he sniff back, so while he keeps his distance, you are also being smelled a bit.

He grins at the comment, because, well.]

How'd you know?

[Ben isn't getting bored, necessarily; he's perfectly capable of sitting out this flood in one spot as long as he's not bothered. But it's definitely his own compulsion, not that of the cat, that is steadily driving him higher as he relocates from place to place in the ongoing pursuit of staying out of everyone else's way. The deck is going to be a problem, of course, but he wants to be high - he'll just have to be quick about coming off the staircase and into the lee of the greenhouse.

There's someone or something moving behind him that startles him into rushing, and then he makes it halfway darting across the deck before he's nearly flattened by... ...that's a vegetable.

And that is a very, very large cat chasing after it. Ben flattens himself to the deck and hunkers for impact, because there's no chance he's getting out of the way in time.]

[The big cat suddenly sees the smaller one just in time to slow down, skidding on the deck and paws coming to a rest cn either side of Ben. He looks down at him, and mouth drops open as he sniffs.]

Oh. Hello Ben.

[He resists the urge to resume his chase and just sits, looking down at the bitty kitty. Who perhaps is not as small as he feels to Rhade at that moment.]

[Perhaps not, though Ben is holding himself very small and tense while he braces to take a hit that never comes. Ears back and eyes barely slitted open, he doesn't move for even a few moments after nothing happens and Rhade is talking to him.

He opens his eyes, whiskers twitching forward and sniffing back in unconscious confirmation, but doesn't relax otherwise just yet.]

Rhade. ...I can't say I'm surprised.

[And then there's just the tiniest lick to Ben's head. And by tiny, the tongue covers it and combs it for a milisecond, before Rhade stands upright quickly, tail raised and flicking.]

There's more room up here. The hallways are cramped and confining.

Hold still. I'm going to take you somewhere.

[And then he picks up Ben and carries him to the greenhouse. He can hide better in there. He's guessing with all the dogs running around, that's what he'll want to do.]

[Who is this? What is this? He's in the middle of some impulsive imaginary chase scene when there's a furry creature on the head of lettuce. One Rhade isn't familiar with.

Rather than speaking, he bounces to the left and to the right, looking for an opening to bat away the vegetable again. Who needs to explain themselves anyway?]

[The liger is more amused by this, wondering who's so brazen as a person or an animal that size (or strength) doesn't matter. He gets kudos for bravery.

But now that head of lettuce is a challenge and Rhade wants it back.

This would be easier if he had a pride. For now, he tries circling the angry faced badger monster land shark.]

[After her hunt in the CES Beatrix saunters back onto the deck, ready to investigate the very intriguing supply of catnip Arkady's left there. But she's not alone, and the present company gives her reason to pause.

She thought she was rather superior in terms of size this time but this cat is easily three times bigger than she is. And he's batting around a vegetable as if he were a kitten. For a while she remains still, watching Rhade chase the lettuce and catch it before batting it away again. Then suddenly the urge to get involved is too much and she pounces, bounding for the lettuce and swiping a claw at it to volley it back toward Rhade.]

[The catnip is not a thing he's found yet, but people will likely know when he does. In any case, suddenly there's another big cat vying for the lettuce- but there's no competition really. He sees her come in and bat, and instead goes straight to trying to cut off the rolling head of lettuce.

A couple of bats between his paws and he shoves it speeding towards her, but still comes trotting after it so they can close in on it.]

[Woe to any non-feline who stumbles upon the deck after they've broken into the catnip, but for now this other plant is much more fascinating. She leaps back as it skids across the deck towards her, then runs after it and swats with her claws bared, slicing off a few leaf shreds.

It spins off at an angle and she stalks around it, eyes fixed on the lettuce as if it'll dart away at any second.]

[It's moving, of course it is. And right now, in his mind it's prey. So as she bats it away and it rolls to a stop, he comes skulking over as low as he can go.

Which is not very low, but he bumps the lettuce with his paw, and it moves a little. Which means obviously that it might move more, so he bats it again, and away it goes rolling.

At some point, he should maybe introduce himself. Maybe. For right now, this is a very occupying task.]

[Dylan comes up the stairs on stands on the deck, head held high. He sees Rhade and recognizes him by smell even a hundred yards away. Run run run run run run. Tongue hanging out happily.]

Gaheris!

[The dog in him is making him even more exuberant than usual.]

This is great!

Uh...so long as its temporary like the other floods.

[And not likely to lead to him killing Gaheris.]

[Dylan is going to wear him out, he can already tell.] It could be a lot worse. [That means Rhade loves this flood when it happens. Loves it. He reluctantly abandons his head of lettuce to go trotting over to Dylan, posture pleased as far as lions go.]

It's temporary. This happened to me before.

[And he tries to reach out a paw to drag Dylan closer, but he's a very happy, hyper dog.]

[Dylan bounds back and forth, playing Dodge The Giant Paw. Then lets himself be dragged closer and promptly licks Rhade's spotted face.]

Then I'll enjoy the little vacation.

[He makes a much less human and much more big-cattish noise at the frustration from the dodging (though not real frustration), but once he has him dragged closer he gives him a lick that ends in ruffling Dylan's fur and leaves a streak of it poking in the wrong direction and his ear flapped inside out.]

Good. Now the dilemma is... I can't get into the CES. [And his rounded ears droop a little.]

"You're a cat again?"

If it's possible for a huge armored warhorse to imitate a predatory slink, that's exactly what this one is doing.

It's Arthas' voice, of course, and the glowing eyes and flaming hooves are probably a clue to the fact that he's still something supernatural that just happens to be taking the shape of a pony today.

"You're not, I see." He had no shame in whatever he was doing. It was instinctual for him, but he does stop to pay attention to the peculiar animal which he's really only seen in a few ports. Rarely as himself.

He flared his nostrils in confirmation. Yes, definitely more Arthas than horse, it smelled like him. "Are you a breed exclusive to your world?"

"It's one I created. Animals have to be specially modified to willingly carry the undead."

He sounds proud of himself.

"You're talking this time, I see. Rhade?"

[He doesn't blame them. He would throw a fit to have something with that smell jump on him.] I could the last time. I just chose not to.

[He finds that nice warm spot by the greenhouse to lay down again.]