Oola

Family: Wikky (father), Marygold (mother), Ona and Orin (older twin siblings)

Personality: If there was every a cat that lived a sheltered life, it would be Oola. While in the care of her parents, she saw very little and learned even less. She was flawed – not “show” material, and was often casted aside while her parents’ attention was focused elsewhere. What she has learned she has done so on her own, or by the occasional acts of kindness from her mother. She isn’t the best when it comes to social interactions. She fumbles over her words frequently, and if uncomfortable or unsure as to whether or not she can get her point across, she’ll release a soft giggle and look away. It is a nervous habit, and one she will eventually have to get over, but riding herself of the quirk will take time. Seventeen years of nearly complete solitude will take more than five years of fleeting interaction to resolve.

For that same reason, Oola is extremely gullible. She will believe almost anything she is told - reasonably so. She is a bright queen though, and she might have even been a scholar should her life had taken a different turn early on, and she isn’t so gullible as to believe the most ridiculous of notions. Nevertheless, Oola is oblivious. She doesn’t understand the workings of each tribe, and why the Henches hate the Jellicles and vice versa. She doesn’t understand the rivalries within the Warehouse, and honestly, she doesn’t quite understand the world in which she has recently been shoved into. There are times when she wishes to withdraw - to go back to the simple life she once lived, but she can’t. Besides, she is far too curious now. She wants to know why, and what, and how, and she’ll eat up anything and everything she’s told. She thrives on every story she is told and every passing conversation she is given, and she is far too willing to trust. She is “brain-washable”, though harmless in every meaning of the word.

Despite her awkwardness, Oola is undeniably gentle and good natured. Oola is rather eager as well - wanting to know and wanting to be included. She has a pleasant aura about her, and her eyes soften when she smiles. She is very doe-eyed and innocent in her behavior, and will smile and wiggle her fingers at a passing stranger without a second thought. Although she isn’t the best conversationalist, Oola is very open with her hand gestures, and will provide physical comfort above oral. She’s quick to pat you on the shoulder or squeeze your hand. Although short, she’ll bring it in for a hug before thinking twice (even if it isn’t kosher) and wipe tears away should someone cry. She subconsciously knows this side of her comes from watching her parent’s humans interact with one another, and touch seems to be their way of comforting each other. Her hands might linger far too long for comfort’s sake, but she does not know any better, and it is the best she can offer at the time being.

Lastly, with gullibility comes curiousness, and Oola is as curious as a weaning kit taking on the world for the first time. She is extremely light on her feet and quiet, and if she hears voices in the next room over, she’ll tip-toe her way in without the slightest peep and simply listen. She is a natural “sneak”, and much of her acquired knowledge comes from the gossip she listens in on when no one is looking. Oola has yet to be caught. Her tiny figure allows her to hide and crawl through cracks and spaces that a normal sized cat might not be able to fit in. She can scoot behind the tightest nook and cranny, and she has perfected the “quick exit.” She has the tender foot of the thief, though the only thing she cares to steal is knowledge.

History: Most assume that the wealthy and well-to-do have standards. They believe that if said standards aren’t met, then whatever of (in Oola’s case) whomever, is to be looked over and casted aside. As a newborn, she was anything but, but as the tiny queen grew, her family held little interest in her and held very little affection for her.

Oola is a purebred blue pointed Kinkalow cat - an extremely rare breed founded in the United States in the mid 1990s. There are very few out there, which makes them a high-dollar prize. Kinkalows are a cross between the American Curl and munchkin cats, making them extremely short in stature, albeit in Oola’s case, proportional and cute. Her father, Wikky, was a full blooded blue pointed munchkin cat, and her mother, an American Curl. They were brought together by their human’s desire to make a little money and produce winners in the show ring. While Wikky and Marygold were technically forced together, they found that they had much in common - their taste for the finer things in life and high stature - and grew rather fond of each other.

Their first litter, a pair of twins, were their pride and joy. The twins were perfect examples of the breed, and were sold in their teens to humans who desired a cute little kitten that (thanks to breeding) would always remain “cute.” WIkky and Marygold were sad to see their children go, but they were still young enough to produce, and tried for a second litter. Their second litter wasn’t what they hoped for…

Oola was the second born out of triplets. Sadly, the other two were stillborn, and Oola was slightly larger then a newborn kitten of her breed should be. At first, her parents and their humans thought it was something she’d grow out of - a flaw due to the imperfections of her two dead siblings - but as Oola grew, it was obvious that she wasn’t an ideal example of her breed. She was still, by any normal cat’s standards remarkably tiny, but Oola developed longer limbs then what her breed was suppose to have. Once Oola was found to be “imperfect,” her human breeders paid little attention to her, and her parents were deeply ashamed. Wikky and Marygold seemingly casted their youngest aside, practically ignoring her for the majority of her young life.

Oola didn’t understand, but at the same time, she had known nothing else, and figured her parents’ behavior was nothing out of the ordinary. On occasion, her mother would show her brief affection, but she never received the love and attention and young kitten should from their parents. Instead, Oola was left to her own devices in her human’s expensive upper east side apartment, staring out the window at the birds or anything else that could occupy her boredom for the time being. She wasn’t allowed to leave on the account that her humans had hopes of selling her, but Oola, at her young age, didn’t have the desire to leave. She was far too afraid of what was beyond the door to attempt an escape.

As said, she didn’t know any better…

It wasn’t until Oola turned 17 that her father found a use for her. Wikky had been a horrid gambler - always making ridiculous bets and never being able to pay up. He had lost many bets to Ghengis, a known “employee” of Macavity, and the amount that he owed began to pile up. Many times he had told the ex-captain that his payment was coming…just to give him a couple more days…but Ghengis’s patience was running thin, and Wikky was running out of options.

With little to no choice, Wikky offered Oola to Ghengis as payment - an imperfection in the eyes of breeders but still a treat to look at. Wikky had explained to his oblivious child that she had been bought, and that he was taking her to her new owner. He told her that like any good “pet,” she had to obey her new owner and treat him with respect. Oola was far too gullible to really understand whom she now belonged to, or what she had been thrown into, and did not protest out of fear of being a complete disappointment. She knew she already balanced on a thin line.

It was only after she was physically handed over to Ghengis that the young queen knew her life had completely changed. This wasn’t a fine home of luxury that she only assumed her elder siblings had gotten. This was a place crawling with the likes of toms and queens she had never dreamed of existing, and for the first time in her life, she knew real fear. For the first few weeks, Oola didn’t wander far from her master, but as time went on, Oola began to feel more comfortable. She knew she didn’t belong, but she was constantly over looked due to her size, and could easily hide and make do for herself when she feared the worst.

Ultimately, Ghengis is her protection. That isn’t to say she isn’t untouchable - she is well aware who the real boss is, but it means she has a place - maybe even a purpose. Now at age of 23, Oola remains a pretty piece of Ghengis’s property, but she is far more aware of her surroundings. She has learned to cope and hardly complains, for complaining in such a place will do her no good. She doesn’t matter. She holds no real position, and so, Oola tries avoid any conflict and remains socially inapt.