• the time of freedom • [open]

[lio]

edit: JOINING IS CLOSED, SORRY
salem is a simple cat.
they live their days within a large house,
head held high, nose turned up towards the sky.
but, sometimes good things come to an end,
just as quick as they began.

salum's world is falling apart. their owners have left them alone within the dirtied cage of a foreign place, in which they believe to be a shelter for abandoned, or captured, cats. they need to escape. but how do they do so, when through their whole life, they'd been given everything they wanted upon a silver platter?
it's time for salum to turn against their ways and look for help within those they had once sneered down upon for merely existing. will they escape,
or be stuck in this cage until the deadline comes— literally?

---


the introduction basically explains this whole roleplay like a clichéd book, but here's an easier way to look at it:
basically, salum is a very snobby cat who was owned by a wealthy family. but, the family had to move to a place that couldn't have animals, so unknowingly took salum to the pound to either be adopted, or killed. salum now has to escape from the pound, using help from the cats who had also been put in there, but having to go against their beliefs of "i'm the only one who matters." time is ticking fast, and escaping is the only way for the cats to make it further— alive.

this is an open roleplay, so join if you want!

---


salum scratched the side of their cage, growling and hissing. a pale, fleshy hand whacked the door,
a signal for them to shut up. after that had failed, they reached in and pulled out salum's food and water as a punishment. the cat glared, their blue eyes narrowed towards the no-brained human. salum snuck a deep scratch on the human's hand, giving them a mark of contempt.
they hated it. stuck in a tiny cage, too small for even salum's kitten-like size. their ears flattened and lips curled, snarls and yowls ringing through the metal of the prison they were left within. salum looked around once the human had gone. their eyes landed upon the other cats who were trapped in their own cages, behaving as to not be punished. to not have their deaths come quicker.
salum whimpered, finally falling and covering their nose with their tail. it was no use. nobody would save them. there was no way to escape the madness they had been put within.
all of them were going to die.

[bobtail]

salum scratched the side of their cage, growling and hissing. a pale, fleshy hand whacked the door,
a signal for them to shut up. after that had failed, they reached in and pulled out salum's food and water as a punishment. the cat glared, their blue eyes narrowed towards the no-brained human. salum snuck a deep scratch on the human's hand, giving them a mark of contempt.
they hated it. stuck in a tiny cage, too small for even salum's kitten-like size. their ears flattened and lips curled, snarls and yowls ringing through the metal of the prison they were left within. salum looked around once the human had gone. their eyes landed upon the other cats who were trapped in their own cages, behaving as to not be punished. to not have their deaths come quicker.
salum whimpered, finally falling and covering their nose with their tail. it was no use. nobody would save them. there was no way to escape the madness they had been put within.
all of them were going to die.

Sparrow frowned as she looked out of her cage at the ruckus, confused as to why anyone would be acting like that. A quick glance at the cat causing the commotion told her that they were new. The brown she-cat settled down again, amber eyes watching newcomer's cage patiently until the Twoleg left the room. Only then did she call out, "There's no point in attacking them. You'll just die faster that way." At least if you were nice to them, they fed you so you didn't starve slowly and painfully to death.

[lio]

SamCats

salum huffed and glanced around once again, trying to find who had spoken. freezing as they saw a cat looking at them, they sneered and lowered their ears. "i don't want to die as a dirty little fleabag! accept it as you will, but i don't deserve to be here. my owners were so stupid, putting me in the grimy hands of these imbeciles!" they stood, spine arched. after a moment, salum stepped back, then leaped towards the door of the cage. it didn't budge, but caught the attention of another human, who came into the room and threw salum to the back of the cage, causing them to yowl in pain at the position they had landed in.

[lio]

•bump•

[lio]

•bump•

[slappedpancake]

Ocelot let his tail hang limp - the new cat was seemingly very aggressive. This was not helpful for the cat... If they wanted to live. You had to be passive, and they would “take care” of you. No big deal, they’ll learn eventually. Ocelot sat in his cage, patiently waiting for the commotion to die down.

[lio]

salum yowled in anger, their teeth bared, "get me out of this maggot-ridden place of death!" they stood upon three paws, holding their injured one in the air. "none of these furballs should be here! no matter how weak and useless they are, not a single one of them should die in the hands of these— these idiotically hairless humans!" their yowls rang throughout the room, leaving them panting with fury. after many heartbeats, they fell on their side, a distressed wail ringing out from their throat.

[slappedpancake]

Ocelot realized something - he could see the new cat from where he was placed. The cat seemed like they were in pain, which they probably were after that throw. They were right - none of them should be here. They were all unwanted, however, and forced to come here until they were taken or killed...

[lio]

salum whimpered, their tail flicking somberly. "we need to find a way out," they murmured, half to themself, "but how?" still catching their breath, salum dragged themself to lean against the wall of the cage, looking out at the other prisoners. "does anyone know a way to trick the humans into freeing us, only long enough to escape?" their ears flattened, eyes narrowed with determination. chest heaving, nostrils flared, salum desperately looked out among those they used to sneer upon, but now were looking to confide in so they could all escape the fate of death.

[slappedpancake]

Ocelot puffed up his chest, ready to reply. "We'd need to know how to open the cages, and we'd need a cat to distract the humans!" Which could cost them their lives! Those are two very difficult things to do. He managed to pick the lock once, but the humans had taken his claws. How cruel. Do they not realize they are basically taking a cat's dignity when they take the claws?

[lio]

salum looked around, a feline-ish frown upon their maw. they cocked their head to the side in thought, then hissed. "we would need at least three cats who would be willing to sacrifice themselves to distract every one of the humans while we all pick our locks." they growled, no more ideas coming to mind. "would anyone like to volunteer?" they called, looking around with a glare. nobody replied.

[slappedpancake]

Ocelot glanced at the cat they had just caused a scene and they were starting another. Though there were plenty of cats, none of them were willing. So it just went into this period of silence. He looked at the cat next to him - who he talked to often - and noticed he was looking proud. It was never good when Ace was feeling proud. He would do anything because he felt he could do it. Before Ocelot could tell him "no," Ace said the unthinkable. "I'll do it!"

[slappedpancake]

a-durrrr

[lio]

salum blinked, their blue eyes widening. "are you sure?" they peered down at the cat with a questioning gaze before turning to hear a raspy, elder voice as it spoke, "no. me, azmarelda and marybelle will do it. we are far too old to survive in the wild, unlike all of you." salum saw a small, frail she-cat looking out, her brittle bones and shot nerves shaking. they then said something they had never thought that they would utter, "your life would not end in vain. we thank you for this."

[slappedpancake]

Ace looked sad. Was it because of the to elders or because he didn't get what he wanted? Who knows, but Ocelot was fine. All he wanted was out. To see the outside once again. After the humans had destroyed his home in the wild, and then his humans abandoned him - it was all too much. He just wanted to be back home -- back in the wild.

[lio]

the siamese twitched their nose, eyes rolling at ace. "hey, dejected little fluffbutt, perk up your ears and be glad that you're getting out of here!" salum huffed and began to pace in their tiny cage, hissing every time their injured paw moved strangely. gears shifted in their mind for a perfect time to set a plan in place. besides that, what would the plan even be? salum harrumphed irritably, scowling.

[slappedpancake]

"R-right!" Ace muttered, attempting to look proud again. It didn't work. Ocelot glanced at Salum's twisted paw and immediately looked away again. That paw looks broken... They really shouldn't be using it. They should be resting it. Ocelot shook his head to get the thought out. But it came back. If this cat is injured, they'll need help while escaping.

[lio]

salum leaned onto their haunches, lashing out at the cage door. their ears flicked as they froze, awaiting the fate of being tossed back again, before relaxing. it didn't come. the siamese mulled over whatever logic they were born with and decided on one thing: "we all need to sleep. the plan will be made and possibly set in place tomorrow." they nodded to the others before limping back into the darkest part of their cage, falling to their side with a growl of pain. once settled, they closed their eyes and fell into a fitful sleep.

[lio]

bump

[slappedpancake]

Ocelot flicked his tail in agreement. He laid down, quickly grooming himself before closing his eyes. He quickly fell asleep. Ace, though, didn't want to sleep. Well, he ended up sleeping anyway. He was just sitting and then he fell asleep. Sitting up. It's kinda creepy.

[lio]

in the morning, at the crack of dawn, salum peeked their eyes open. they immediately caught sight of ace, a disturbed shudder twisting down their spine. the siamese stretched and yawned, flinching at the pain in their paw before lightly scratching at the door of their cage. "everybody, wake up." salum looked around, noticing the other cats begin to stir, some even already awake. this plan was sure to be a success, what could go wrong? well, many things, such as an early death for them all, but that did not matter, as long as they tried. better getting caught than waiting around doing nothing.

[slappedpancake]

Ocelot sat up slowly, sliding a paw across his face to flatten the fur. When he saw Ace, Ocelot threw a paw at him to wake him up. Ace jumped, hitting his head on the top of his cage. "Oww.." He muttered, shooting a glare at Ocelot, who was quietly laughing.

[lio]

"okay, lovebirds, listen up. we are going to wait until it is feeding time before the three elders pretend to be really sick, and as all the humans are distracted, we will quickly pick our locks and make a break for it. would anyone need help with their lock?" salum blinkedz their eyes scanning the room as they ignored the fact that their paw would not allow them to escape easily.

[slappedpancake]

Ocelot raised his paw a bit. "I'd need help. The humans took my claws." He stretched out his paw to show it. "Though, I know how to pick a lock pretty quickly. I've done it before. Did I tell you all that?" Ace rolled his eyes. "You've told me that a thousand times..."

[lio]

the siamese fixed ace with a hard stare. "do you have a plan to get us out of here?" they questioned, head cocked to the side before they focused on ocelot. "i haven't, and that information would prove useful. now, does anyone volunteer to stay behind for a few hearbeats to help us out? my paw is still injured, and he has his claw problem," salum called, looking for anyone. they swiped a paw over their ear to clear away the ticklish feeling of a gnat, then awaited an answer.

[slappedpancake]

Ocelot looked to his friend. "Hey, Ace, if you think you're so smart, why don't you stay behind?" Ace didn't seem to hesitate. "Alright, I'll stay!" He stood up, walked to the very front of the cage, and stared at the lock. "Besides, like I said, Ocelot over here has told me thousands of times - how to pick a lock."

[lio]

salum stared at ace for a moment, then shook their head in defeat. he would be too much of a hassle to try and understand. the siamese looked at what they presumed to be a window, judging the time to be almost ready. "okay. once we're out, everyone run for the windows. i saw that the humans, so utterly rodent-brained, keep them all open at any times. ready, everyone?" they called out one last time before acting natural, just in the nick of a tick. the humans all filed in, opening and closing every cage, throwing in food. salum, of course, didn't recieve any, so they just waited for the perfect moment. once it was time, they sent a signal to the elder she-cats, who all in unison dropped and began foaming at the mouths, shaking and whimpering. the humans picked them up, faces full of disgust, and all walked back to the 'euthanization room.' salum sent a final thank you to them before nodding towards all the others, all of which began picking their locks and running for their lives. salum waited patiently for ace to hurry up, but grew fidgety as the heartbeats pounded by.

[slappedpancake]

Ace finally managed to get his lock open, and began to pick Ocelot's, who helped him by holding the lock still. The door swung open, and Ace raced over to Salum's cage. Ace opened the door as he heard a door opening from what he like to call the killing-room. "We need to get out, now!" Ocelot yowled.

[lio]

salum hissed as she [ salum uses any pronouns ] ran out of her cage, forced to place pressure on the paw she had injured. her eyes glinted with determination and she leaped up, clawing the human's face to distract them, then charged towards the window. she rolled outside, pausing briefly to see if ace and ocelot were following her,
then took off into the nearby alleyway. her tail whipped out behind her, paws stinging and bleeding from glass shards and other injuries. once deemed far enough, salum collasped against a fowl-smelling garbage can, then waited to catch her breath.

[slappedpancake]

Ocelot hastily escaped behind Salum, making sure Ace was okay, and he was. They followed Salum's scent, eventually spotting them next to a trash bin. Ocelot spotted the blood seeping out of their wounds and jumped to look at them. Ace followed, rather slowly for his normal speed. One of his paws was raised, and seemed to be twisted strangely.

[lio]

salum eyed ace, clicking her tongue. she flicked an ear, signalling for him to come closer, as she was still trying to breathe steadily. her eyes glinted and she lowly growled as blood seeped onto the ground, pain flaring up her legs. her chest heaved dangerously, nostrils widening greatly with every exhale. we made it, she thought. while she waited for ace, she reached a paw up and carefully began pulling out the glass, a hiss escaping her with every tiny movement. her tail flicked with pain,
pupils narrowed to barely visible slits.

[slappedpancake]

Ace crawled closer, confused. Why was Salum beckoning for him? His thoughts were interrupted by Ocelot. "You know, my humans used to work with injured animals, so if a wound gets infected, I'll know. Salum, you should be careful. That glass looks dirty."

[lio]

salum nodded, tensing up as the final piece of glass was pulled out from her paw. she turned to ace, scooting closer before tentatively pressing her nose to his tangled paw. "what happened?" she asked, voice raspy. the siamese heaved herself to her paws, puffing with the effort, and began grooming the blood from her one paw, careful to avoid the tinier shards she couldnt get. then, she turned to ocelot. "do you know anything about, like, herbs or something?"

[slappedpancake]

Ace winced. "A human grabbed my paw and stuck something into it. Now all I can feel is pain in it." Ace then looked to Ocelot, who hesitated. "Yes, actually. I met a cat who claimed they were wild, and told me what herbs to look for in certain situations. Usually I'd see cats - who my humans treated - again sometime after, but I never saw her again."

[lio]

salum paused. she spoke to ace first, saying, "rest it. we'll find a way to ease the pain as soon as possible." she looked to ocelot, expression curious. "oh? i'll have to look into that later. for now, do you think you could find some things to help us just long enough for a makeshift den, only for today, so we can all rest?" salum lay onto her side, curling around herself. "i'll be here picking more glass from my paws. ace, you rest," she ordered.

[slappedpancake]

Ocelot nodded, looking around where they were. There was a few box shapes in the shadows, and as he looked closer, he saw that they were made of something that looked paper-y and brown. He padded over to them, pawing them to test their durability. One of them fell over in a heap of whatever it was, while the other three seemed sturdy enough. Ocelot began contemplating how he was going to get these away from where they were now and to somewhere more safe. (There is a hanging metal pipe above them.)

Ace laid down, staring at his paw. His gaze then turned to Salum picking out the glass in their paw. Life was always dangerous for him, hanging around in the most public of places. Until he was taken into a monster by a human. Annd... dropped off at this cruel place. He shook the story from his head, beginning to lick his now numb paw. Like he couldn't feel it at all! Odd... He thought.

[lio]

salum whimpered as each sharp piece was tugged from her paws, yelping a couple of times. blood traced her muzzle, but luckily, the bleeding had slowed. once finished, she relaxed with a sigh, thinking back to her humans. why had they left her? she had tried to be the best pet they could ever have! her ears flattened as a somber mood washed over her, suddenly growing exhausted by the day's events; yet it was only sunhigh. salum smacked her chopps, belly growling, but ignored it in favor of focusing on ace. "how's your paw?" she asked.

[slappedpancake]

"I can't feel it," Ace replied. "It's numb." He continued licking it, trying to get some feeling. There was still none. Maybe some sleep will help, he thought, straining his neck to look for Ocelot. Ace saw him dragging a large, brown, and box-shaped thing across the dirty ground.

[lio]

[ ayy here's salum's character page document (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bNJCUIfk5MidMQXBUgvBvvlWb0iodHyI5yeTEWLgw_g/edit?usp=drivesdk) ]

salum, confused, reached over to nudge ace's paw. when no reaction came, she gently bit it, not wanting to injure it more, but wanting to test a theory. "did you feel that?" she asked, blue eyes glancing towards ocelot before twitching back to ace. her expression held concern for her new friend, and hatred for the humans that had trapped them. sides rising and lowering slowly, the siamese attempted to stay calm in the moment of need.

[slappedpancake]

"No.." Ace said, his ears twitching nervously. "Uhh... Do you think we could get Ocelot to look at it?" His gaze shifted once more to his friend, who was already walking over. Ocelot sat down, licking his chest fur.

[lio]

salum blinked, dragging herself to her paws. she nudged ace up, then limped towards ocelot. "what is that?" she asked, looking at the strange thing he had brought over. salum sat down gingerly, wincing, before examining the objects. she sniffed them, sneezing as dust was inhaled, and looked to ocelot in question. after shrugging, she moved again to watch the two, quickly explaining ace's problem and what they had found out while ocelot was searching.

[slappedpancake]

"Okay, to start with the paw: it might be broken. You said the humans grabbed it. They could've grabbed it so that it broke. If that's the case, we need to prop it up on something, and wrap in it leaves or something. Or, it could have some sort of thing in it some cats I've met have had put in them." He flicked his tail towards the box. "And, I'm not sure what it is, but it's sturdy and hollow, and could be used for shelter."

[lio]

salum blinked once, then twice. her fur rustled in a soft breeze, her tiny form seemingly smaller in her pain-ridden state. the siamese sniffed the air before nodding. "okay. you help ace with his paw, i'll work on a den," she said, limp-dragging the box towards a shaded and hidden area. her tail swayed somberly against the ground, and she winced with every movement, but refused to let up. salum was young enough to fix her mistakes, so she was going to do so- even if her life was risked while she did.

[slappedpancake]

Ocelot nods, walking over to Ace, he began parting the fur to look at the wound the humans had left. "Okay, it doesn't look like the wounds I've seen on other cats." He lowered his head, nipping Ace's wrist bone. "So... Did you feel that?" Ace shook his head. "Alright, it's broken, but I won't treat it yet - I have other things to worry about." Ocelot turned to look in Salum's direction. "Salum, when you're done, let me look at the spots that had glass in them."

[lio]

salum flicked her tail to signal that she had heard ocelot, then began to focus on the den. she arranged and rearranged everything multiple times before finally settling on it, nodding in approval. salum padded over to ocelot, reluctantly laying on her side to reveal her paws, all four in need of severe healing. her ears twitched and she huffed, her stomach growling again. stupid humans, she thought, her nose scrunched in a scowl.

[slappedpancake]

"Well.... It looks like we only need two common things. Cobwebs and dandelions. There will probably be nothing else around here anyway, so it's good." Ocelot looked towards Ace. "And I know there's an herb for that, though I can't quite remember..."

[lio]

the siamese simply exhaled rather sharply, disdainful as to her current state. she glanced at the sky, wondering how much time had passed. her tail flicked impatiently as she itched to do something to help, and to possibly get something to eat. with a snort, salum allowed her head to fall against the ground, eyes closed and legs stretched out lazily. "yipee," she muttered, whiskers twitching. groaning, salum sat up again, boredom coursing through her as the earlier adrenaline faded away.

[slappedpancake]

"I'll go looking for those. I reccomend that both of you rest. Salum, you can walk around if you want, just try not to walk where it's too dirty, or else I won't be able to treat it." Ocelot walked off, while Ace laid on his back. "Fine with me, I have nothing better to do anyway."

(There won't really be colors because I switched to mobile)

[lio]

[ mk!! ]

salum shrugged and limped to the den, curling up within the furthest corner. she closed her eyes, ears flat and paws splayed out as to not touch anything. her chest rose and fell gently, but she could not fall asleep. a growl whisped through her throat and she lay there, fitfully trying to take a nap. nothing came to her. salum whimpered quietly, just wishing for some type of sleep, relief, and food came to her, and soon. she curled in on herself, shivering slightly as the temperature began to drop.

[slappedpancake]

Shortly thereafter, Ocelot came back with a few herbs and webs in his jaws. He padded to the den, sitting beside Salum. "Eat the dandelions, they'll help the pain. They don't taste too good, though."

[lio]

salum complied, grimacing at the taste. her eyes shone with disgust, face contorting strangely. after some struggling, she swallowed, shaking her head and sticking her tongue out. "groth," she mumbled, speech distorted by her tongue. the siamese sighed and waited for what was to happen next, her shivering growing worse due to her thin pelt. salum whined softly, grumbling under her breath.

[slappedpancake]

Ocelot slowly began wrapping cobwebs around Salum's paws. He noticed Ace hobbling over, and his tail twitched in acknowledgement. Ace seemed to notice Salum was cold, so he wrapped himself around them.

[lio]

salum purred in thanks, watching ocelot carefully. she subconciously curled into the warmth, relaxing a bit more. after what seemed like forever, salum's head fell against ace's side and and she fell into a deep sleep. she occasionally twitched, giving the easy notice that she was dreaming about something. her nose wriggled repeatedly, and she occasionally mewed, sounding almost as if she were a small, newborn kitten again. salum's head burrowed into ace's fur, accepting the warmth as the temperature kept gradually dropping while time passed by.

[slappedpancake]

Ace accepted Salum, growing more comfortable. He slept, while Ocelot decided that tonight was going to be one of his sleepless nights. This was frequent. He decided to hunt, catching a few rats and a mouse.

[lio]

the siamese yawned and giggled as she slept, comfortable while burrowed in ace's fur. her cold, damp nose nuzzled into his shoulder, a quiet purr rumbling in her throat. as she dreamt, she pictured her mama, who had been taken away when she was still very little. salum remembered curling up with her mama while the other kits played, and how she had prefered staying away from the drama of her littermates. so what had changed?

[slappedpancake]

Ace opens his eyes slightly, looking at Salum, and spotting Ocelot with more dandelions in his mouth. He closed his eyes again, beginning to purr with Salum. He snuggles closer to Salum, trying to also keep warm, as well as just enjoying it.

[lio]

salum stayed asleep, paws kneading the ground. her breath was steady as she was envelopes within her dream, purring growing louder. the scent of milk and her siblins surrounded her, and she opened her eyes within the dream to see her siblings run and tumble around, but she stayed close to mama. her stubby tail twitched. she had beem the runt of the group, having a natural fear of being crushed by something much larger than her. she sniffed, ears flicking against ace's side.

[slappedpancake]

Ocelot watched them for a bit before squeezing into the den as well. He'd try to sleep, but probably wouldn't. Maybe he would, after all he wasn't in his cage anymore. He laid down, closed his eyes and slows his breathing.

[lio]

salum twitched before waking up a few hours later,
her vision blurry. it was clearly nighttime, the wind nearly ice cold. sneezing, salum groggily looked around, rising from the warmth of ace's side. her tail swished as she walked outside, sitting right in front of the den and looking to the moon. eyes shining in the bright moonlight, salum fluffed her fur out to shield from the cold, small form shivering gently. shaking out her fur, salum began to groom herself.

[slappedpancake]

Ace feels Salum's small form move from his side and he lifts his head. Ocelot is beside him, snoring quietly. "...What are you doing..?" Ace asks, rubbing his eye with a paw. Ocelot turns over, his back now facing Ace.

[lio]

salum looked back at the noise, eyes gleaming. "just stretching," she mewed, doing so as she spoke. her ears flicked in relief as her back popped twice, feeling better once it had happened. yawning, salum looked around and sniffed. "i'm gonna go for a small walk to stretch my legs. wanna come with, and allow ocelot to sleep in peace?" she asked ace, nose jerking to point at the snoring bundle of fur in the den. she waited for an answer by padding in a small circle, wincing considerably less than before.

[slappedpancake]

"Sure," Ace says, standing up and hobbling over to the small siamese. His paw felt much better after his rest, though he still didn't put it on the ground. He was surprisingly good at coping with this, as he had never had such an injury. Ace brushes himself against Salum, his tail high in the air.

[lio]

salum swept her tail against ace's cheek, trotting forward at a slow pace. her paws stung a little, as it had only been a few hours, but they were not as bad as earlier. the siamese looked in each direction before randomly choosing one, being sure not to go down the way they had came, or near any glass. her pelt fluffed up in the wind, a small shiver pulsing through her, before turning down a lighter alleyway. salum made sure to stay at a reasonable pace, not wanting to leave ace behind, especially with how dark it was.

[slappedpancake]

Ace keeps a steady pace, trying not to slow down and fall. "Are you sure you're not cold?" He asks, walking beside Salum, his tail curved, though in the air. He attempted to walk on his broken paw, though since he couldn't feel it, it was strange so he didn't.

[lio]

salum shook her head. "i'll be fine," she said, slowing down a little more to keep pace with ace. her eyes scanned the area, having never been far from her house. her tail brushed against the ground, sweeping away some dust. "do you know any place near here?" she asked, looking towards ace. she bent down to sniff a foreign object, nostrils flaring as a pungent smell wafted from it. salum sighed and sat down, paws beginning to hurt a bit.

[slappedpancake]

”I’d expect Ocelot to know ‘round here. He used to go everywhere,” Ace said as he shook his head. He tried to walk on his broken paw, but since he couldn’t feel it, it was strange. He abandoned the idea. He wouldn’t try again until Ocelot did something to it.

[lio]

salum nodded, looking ahead of them. she allowed the silence to carry on before speaking. "so, ace, tell me about yourself." her voice wavered slightly,
unused to being kind to other cats. she coughed to cover up the trip in her voice, laughing awkwardly. she froze for a moment, flexing a hindpaw, before beginning to walk again. her pelt bristled as a sharp wind cut through it, her teeth chattering for a few heartbeats.

[slappedpancake]

Ace hesitated for a moment, before speaking. “Well, unlike a lot of cats around here, I was never a house cat. I hung around one area most of the time though, which is why I don’t know places.” He paused, awaiting a response.

[slappedpancake]

bump denysiarus))

[lio]

salum thought over the new information, brewing a reply in her mind. she cocked her head to the side and began climbing up a small hill, knowing it would be easy for the two of them to climb without being injured even more. just beyond stood a forest, the scent of lush evergreens and feasting prey held within wafting to her nostrils. "wow," mewed salum, in reply to both the sight of the forest and ace's words. she gasped softly and tread towards the forest, sniffing it cautiously. moonlight bathed the forest, and salum, in a bright glow, seeming to make them sparkle.

[slappedpancake]

Ace followed slowly, his tail moving from side to side occasionally. The sky was as clear as can be. There was many familiar scents, and many unfamiliar ones. The greenery around here was very lush, which was new to Ace. He'd never really seen lush greenery. "Wow is right.."

[lio]

the siamese blinked, looking back at ace. "wanna explore a little?" she asked, her eyes wide amd intrigued. salum took a step further into the forest, having never been outside of her rather large, but boring swathe of land. she picked up a stick and threw it into the air before rolling onto her back and pawing at a bush. her tail flicked excitedly, a giggle ripping from her throat. salum mrewed like a playing kit, eyes shining with happiness.

[slappedpancake]

Ace nodded, looking at the small siamese. "What harm could it do?" He crouched down, ready to leap, and so he did, pouncing in the direction of Salum. Ace had a playful look in his eyes, and his tail was streaming his body. His thick fur flattened against his pelt. It was good to be free again.

[lio]

salum squeaked, laughing as ace soared towards her. she rolled on the ground, away from his line of fire, and yowled with a playful battle cry. once he landed, she pounced, flying towards ace with outstretched paws. missing, salum 'gracefully' leaped up from where she fell on her face, snorting with laughter. the siamese felt strange, being away from her humans, but she felt better now. she felt.... free. it was a lovely feeling, really.

[slappedpancake]

Ace laughed as well, having to stop to breathe. He sighs, "I haven't had this much fun in forever!" He pads over to Salum, breathing in their scent. "Now, should we head back before Ocelot starts to worry? He gets very salty."

[lio]

salum hesitated a moment before nodding, although slightly confused as to what the phrase 'salty' meant. "yeah. lets go," her voice held a twinge of sadness that they couldn't stay out longer, but knew that they couldn't leave ocelot behind. she pressed her side against ace for a few heartbeats, then began padding forward in the direction they had come. the scent was still fresh, so she slowly followed it along, pausing to look around a few times. her cream-coloured pelt glimmered in the now-fading moonlight, crystalic eyes shining as if they were diamonds made from the ocean.

[slappedpancake]

Ace hobbled along behind Salum, looking around and the brightening surroundings. He wanted to stay longer, but Ocelot does get pretty mad when he finds out he was left behind, or when he's worried. He'd always throw a claw or two at you, and Ace wants to avoid that. He also didn't want Salum to experience it.

[lio]

the siamese padded along the scent trail, tail waving low behind her. she sniffed and snorted in concentration, the trail gradually fading away. finally, salum trotted around a corner only to spot the den she had set up. with a small purr of triumph, the genderfluid siamese looked back at ace, silently wishing they had more time together, and slipped inside of the den. before she did, however, salum shook dirt and debris from her pelt, giggling softly as dust flew everywhere. she sat inside the den, ears perked in the lightening darkness as to hear for any snores, or any shouts of anger.

[slappedpancake]

To Ace's relief, he could hear the faint snoring of Ocelot as he stirred a bit. It was clear, though, that his friend was going to wake up soon, so he whispered, "Pretend that you slept through the whole night!" He crawled into the den, curling up where he once was.

[lio]

salum obliged, laying within the spot she had been in, against ace's side. she burrowed her nose in his fur, breathing in his scent and forcing her breath to slow. her heart still pounded in her chest, while the fresh scent of the forest hung around the two of them. her feline lips curled into a smile as she released one more soft, barely audible giggle. her whiskers twitched while her tail curled around ace, pelt now warm against his.

[slappedpancake]

Ace rested his head on the ground next to Salum, whiskers twitching as they came into contact with their fur. He could smell the forest-scent coming off of them, but ignored it, hoping Ocelot wouldn't notice. He slowed his breathing and forced his tail to stop moving.

[lio]

salum forced away the smile on her face, but couldn't stop the quiet purr that rumbled in her chest. she purposefully twitched, acting as if she were dreaming. moving gently, salum pressed their nose to ace's cheek, the damp surface cold and rough against his soft fur. she sighed, listening closely to hear once ocelot wakes up. their paws kneaded the ground as they waited, hoping that the toms couldn't hear their pounding hearbeat.

[slappedpancake]

Ace heard Ocelot stir once more before the tom stood up. He heard Ocelot walk out of the den and sit down beside it. Ace opened an eye to see if Ocelot was mad or not, but luckily he wasn’t.

[lio]

salum yawned, pretending to stir before raising her head. she glanced at ace, questioning in her gaze, stretching and shaking her pelt again. after a few moments, she eased from the den, tail low as she stumbled, acting as if she had just woken up and was still groggy. the siamese sat a tail-length from ocelot, swiping a paw over her snout and waving her tail in a silent greeting. they stared back at the den, awaiting ace's exit from it before they could state the plan of that day.

[slappedpancake]

As Ocelot glanced at Salum, he noticed Ace stir and wake. He looked more at his friend, his tail twitching with satisfaction. They were all awake now. And I have to treat his paw, and their feet, Ocelot thought.

[lio]

salum blinked, mulling over her words before speaking. "okay. today, my plan is to have ocelot treat our injuries, then we should set off to look for a much more safe and hidden den. we can't stay in one spot— the humans are most likely searching for us," explained the siamese. her tail curled up and over her paws, which were only stinging a little. they felt like an annoying itch in the back of her mind, and only needed the dressing changed. looking at the two toms, she cocked her head. "do any of you need anything? i can go and look for something, just tell me what its appearance is and i can try to find it," salum offered.

[slappedpancake]

Ocelot nods slowly. "I need some rush for Ace over here," he states, flicking his tail in the direction of Ace. "It has long, hard stalks and grows in clusters. It'll be deserted in patches of grass and such." Ace looks at Ocelot, his ears flattened.

[lio]

the siamese nodded, standing up. her tail waved as she began padding towards where the forest had been. "gotcha. i'll be back soon!" she called back, breaking into a run. once she reached the forest, salum started searching for what fit the description of the plant ocelot had said. she yelped in triumph once she found it, collecting a few stalks and racing back to the den. panting, she dropped them, a smile on her maw and tail swaying happily. "found them!" salum exclaimed, bouncing on her paws.

[slappedpancake]

Ocelot nods in approval. "That was fast. And these are the right things so good job." Ocelot picks up the rush and tells Ace to lay down. He does so and Ocelot begins to bind it around his broken paw. When he's done, Ocelot explains, "You can walk on it, though I wouldn't recommend it. Salum, do you think you need anymore dandelions?"

[lio]

salum shook her head. "the pain is only a faint sensation now. it's like a nagging pin pick in the back of my mind," she answered. her voice, held with an accent, wavered slightly as she thought of the adventure she and ace had taken. she sat near the toms, focusing on anything but them, before her gaze was pulled to the gradually brightening sky. the sun had already begun rising, casting a pastel orange glow among the horizon. "so... pretty," salum gasped, eyes reflecting the mixture of colors.

[slappedpancake]

Ace followed their gaze - it truly was beautiful. He nods in agreement. Ocelot continues, though. "Well then, we should leave then!"

[lio]

salum hums, standing once again. "follow me, i found a forest while i was searching for the rush— that's how i found it." she glanced at ace with a knowing gaze, moving and curling her tail around his leg before setting off in the forest's direction.
the siamese smirked, flicking her ears and following the trail she had begun to memorize rather well. her heart still pounded as she walked, yet ignored it in favor of leading the toms.

[slappedpancake]

Ace started to use his paw more, Ocelot sometimes glaring at him. Ace could see worry in his gaze, though. He turned back to look at Salum, spotting pride in her posture. He smirked.

[lio]

[ lol i kinda wanna make salum grow a crush for ace but go into denial™ because they've always hated other cats and have never experienced attraction at all ]

salum leaped up the hill that hid the forest from view, sitting at the very top. her chest puffed out as she sat, waiting for the other two to reach the top. the feline flicked her tail impatiently, excited to see ocelot's reaction to the discovery. purring quietly, salum turned to ace and winked, her pupils blown. as each heartbeat passed, she grew more fidgety, itching to run and play as they had done only hours before. her muscles tensed and untensed, claws tearing at the ground in anticipation. the scent of the forest was driving her crazy!

[slappedpancake]

Ace notices how fidgety Salum is, as if she wants to play. Ace felt the same way, though he didn't want to get nipped by Ocelot. "Well, it looks like you've made quite the find," Ocelot says, moving to stand beside Salum.

imagine that lol))
also I've shipped those two for a while now))

[lio]

salum nodded enthusiastically, grinning widely. her ears were perked, listening to the hymn of the forest. she desperately fought the urge to run in without looking back, but didn't want to leave the two toms. the siamese watched the two, eyes curious as to what they wanted to do. she stayed quiet and allowed ocelot to think, all the while staring at ace. her tail brushed against his, eyes wide and questioning. did he feel the same as her, wanting to run into the lush undergrowth? she couldn't read minds— although sometimes she wished she could.

[slappedpancake]

Ace stares at Salum with a knowing look while Ocelot stands up and says, "Well, let's go ahead and head in!"

[lio]

salum squeaked and bounded into the forest, trying to contain her excitement. her tail waved wildly behind her while she skipped with every step. she tripped over a root, stumbling forward but laughing at her failure. the siamese rolled over, her pelt becoming covered in dust and debris as she rolled. salum fell into a fit of laughter, snorting and giggling. her small form curled up as her chest heaved, trying to breathe after laughing so much.

[slappedpancake]

Ace bounded after her, tripping over his own foot and skidding across the grassy ground. He howled with laughter the whole time however, showing that he was fine. He slammed into Salum with force, Ocelot giving him a teasing look.

[lio]

salum squealed and pushed at ace, laughing hysterically. her ears flattened and chest burned from not breathing, but she couldn't stop giggling. she stood, stumbling and walking lopsidedly before leaping at ace, pouncing on him and burrowing her muzzle in his chest fur. salum's heart began pounding louder, her pelt heating and stomach twisting. confused, she froze for a moment, but shrugged it off and began pawing at ace's nose.

[slappedpancake]

Ace sneezes multiple times, the dust starting to get to him, as well as Salum. When he comes to his senses, he hauls Salum off of him and leaps backwards. Ocelot is still shooting him a teasing glare.

[slappedpancake]

boop))

[lio]

salum shook out her pelt once she stood, sighing softly. "we need to head out further," she said, tail swaying sadly. her eyes dulled slightly, but she knew that they had to keep moving— the humans must ne searching for them. padding ahead, she sniffed the ground. "let's go!" she bounded off, head held high once again.

[slappedpancake]

Ace bounded after Salum, Ocelot hot on his heels. He knew Ocelot was going to start teasing him, as well as scold him for running as he was. Ace felt much more... Athletic you could say. He jumped over things and ducked under other things.

[lio]

salum sniffed, sneezing as some dust tickled her nose. she leaped towards a large bush, slipping inside and looking around. after what seemed like forever, the siamese reemerged, bouncing happily.
"this place is perfect for a den! it's big, warm, and with a little bit of retouching, it will be really comfortable!" salum trotted towards the toms, eyes bright with excitement. she looked around, an idea brewing in her head. "you two find ways to touch up the bush to make it more sturdy, and i'll find a few things to make bedding," she said, already heading off to do so.