It had been a strange adjustment to civilian life for Brutus; he has been scarred and hardened by combat and now to be in a safe home with a new little sister, a kitten of all things, was more than a little tough to get used to.

He would rarely show it but he had grown to love Pixie very much, she was silly, and happy and nice and after the horror of war that was what Brutus wanted. Still, it was sometime hard to be a part of Pixies life when she could never understand what Brutus had been through.

Night-time was hardest, the noises had been the worst, nobody warned him about the noise of war and Brutus could still hear the guns and the screams in his nightmares most nights.

Pixie never knew what made his sleep so disrupted so she had taken to curling up next to Brutus on the rug where he slept even though she had her own cat bed to herself. She preferred sleeping next to Brutus, he was so big and warm and cuddly. So when she was awoken by Brutus muttering in his sleep she just wanted to cuddle him.

"Brutus". Pixie whispered to him as he growled softly and was twitching in his sleep. He didn't stir so Pixie tried nudging his nose

"Brutus" Pixie said a little louder, "wake up".

Suddenly Brutus's eyes shot open and he didn't know what was going on or where he was. He bared his teeth into a vicious snarl and was on his feet in seconds.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" He barked violently as his eyes adjusted to his surroundings, his hot breath making the kittens whiskers shudder.

Pixie screamed in fear, eyes suddenly wide as saucers as Brutus continued snarling and barking. She ran away immediately, crying and shaking with terror, she has never seen her big brother so angry.

Brutus suddenly realised where he was and who he was with and snapped out of his nightmare. "Oh no…Pixie wait" he grizzled.

Pixie ran screaming under the stairs, burying herself between and pile of shoes and discarded coats, crying through a mixture of shock and fear of her big brother. She heard his paws padding closer to her and she buried herself further under a coat.

"Pixie" Brutus uttered "I'm…..I'm sorry. Please come out of there".

"No!" Pixie meowed through her tears. "Go away!"

"I didn't mean to yell at you. I was very mean. Please come out" Brutus said gruffly

"Go away! I hate you!" Pixie meowed again.

Brutus sighed…he had really scared her. He hadn't meant to he had just had a nightmare and was confused. He didn't go away but he didn't say anything more to Pixie that night. He just lay down near the stairs listening to Pixie as her tears stopped and her breath steadied out again. He just waited…waited until she was asleep again and stayed there all night near to her, being the protective big brother again.

The next morning Pixie was still upset and the two of them ate their breakfasts in silence. Brutus would try to go next to her to show he wasn't scary but every time he did Pixie would just move away from him. He sighed…this was going to be tricky.

That afternoon he spotted Pixie looking sadly out of the window and he got an idea, he found one of his best tennis balls, one that he hadn't completely chewed up and still had plenty of bounce left in it, he grabbed it in his mouth and padded over to Pixie, dropping it next to her.

Pixie looked but still said nothing

"Hmm, I wonder who will play with this ball" Brutus said "It certainly is a good ball, lots of bounce to it" Brutus picked it up again and leaned his head back to drop it so it would bounce.

"This is a very good ball" he said again noticing Pixie watching him with a confused expression. "If only I had someone to play with me….."

"Nobody? Then I will just have to play with it all on my own" Brutus pawed at the ball, rolling it around on the floor, rolling around the floor himself on his back as he pretended the ball was out of control. "This ball is the best ball" he said as he began pawing at the ball and growling softly at it "Rawr rawr rawr, if only someone would play with me and this ball" he growled

Pixie smiled at Brutus and finally walked over to where Brutus was playing with the ball, "You're so silly Brutus" she said happily and Brutus looked up at her, smiling back with the ball in his mouth

PIxie laughed hard, "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Oh Brutus you look so funny!"

Brutus dropped the ball next to Pixie and booped his big snout onto Pixies tiny snout, kissing her to make friends with her again.

"I love you Brutus" Pixie said, looking at him with her cute big eyes

"Hmm…"Brutus growled quietly. He had never heard someone say that to him before "I….love you too Pixie"

Suddenly Pixie pounced on the tennis ball sending it flying out of their reach and Pixie sprinted off to chase it.

"My ball!" Brutus exclaimed