Pascha himself was a big cat for his age and, once Sherpa had regained his strength after a shaky start in life, he too started to show signs of growing into a strong adult. Pascha’s father was probably Izit, a big peach-coloured alpha-male, and Sherpa’s father was most likely Thundercat, a strong orange-and-white cat and one of the new generation of alpha-males. So both Pascha and Sherpa looked destined to grow into big, strong cats.
They were still close and still enjoyed adventuring together (one of their common interests being attacking my gloves), but there was no getting around the fact that they were both maturing.
Pascha had played several roles in Sherpa’s life, firstly as his protector and then as an older brother figure, and now they were becoming more equal. Sherpa, for his part, had been Pascha’s guide, showing him the sighted cat’s way of doing things and opening up new horizons.
And now they still spent time together, just not as much; they washed together, but at a bit more of a distance.
They still tussled, but sometimes it was Sherpa who wanted to tussle and Pascha who wanted to nap.
And sometimes Pascha would have to remind Sherpa of who was the boss in this relationship.
They were two independent males, both potentially with alpha-male futures ahead of them, and, as such, their characters did not lend themselves to living a quiet garden life. It was inevitable that they would want to strike out on their own and do things their own way.
