[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Beam

Fennec gave Timid a small smile, a playful glint in his eyes as he watched the small golden cat speak to him. ”Actually, I’ve never had one before. Until now.” he laughed playfully, his tone bubbly and light hearted. Actually, he was bending the truth- he remembered vividly when Swift and him were falling asleep on the rain, and she had said to him ‘Fen, did you know I've always loved the rain? It's smells so good’. That night, they both smelled of petrichor and had a fear for Holly, who had not returned until morning. Fen, Fenny and Fennec were the only names he'd ever heard. He smiled in joy as Timid did too, glad she liked his nickname. He felt his ears lie back slightly, and a blush rise to his cheeks at her last comment, his fur prickling slightly. “They sound kind of like a pair...don't they?”
(I AM SCREAMING OML )

Fennec looked ahead of him, remembering some happy empties of the time-minus the claws and the rockslides. He remembered the first time any of the three siblings caught prey. It was Holly, who had been practicing for a quarter-moon. She was so proud when, while he and Swift had been wreathed quietly in Shade, she pinched and scored a plump vole. The smile on her face, and how she enjoyed that vile while giving them a few bits, her eyes were bright as she watched her siblings enjoy her catch. Only, her happy smile was Spoiled when Birch stalked out d the woods with narrowed eyes. Their mother took one look at their content expression, and decided that they didn't deserve it. In seconds, she chased after them and then… he stopped thinking there. Fennec looked down at his shoulder, where a faint scar marked his fur. He remembered every single injury and day perfectly. Which sometimes was like living in a horror scene.

He shook his head and looked back at Timid. Fennec stared back at Timid, he took a dramatic breath of air, “Phew, you’d win. I'm out of breath.” he puffed, flicking his tail tip at the green-eyed cat. “chase me? Are you sure you could catch me?” he joked playfully, stretching his legs dramatically. He mirrored Timid’s position, except he was a little more upright, his tail Curling upward like an unfurling fern frond. He placed his paws squarely and staggered, his ears forward to he could watch Timid’s next move. He straightened up as Timid spoke, at her question, he shook his head as he rose to a sitting position, his tail flapping form one side to another.

Given his current living condition, Fennec thought he would know a lot more about life far away from him like Timid did. He only knew about the simple things: Fennec foxes, local animals. And so on. Since he lived in this alpine-like, riparian area, he knew of deer and elk and moose and squirrels and regular red foxes. Kangaroos? Not so much. But he had seen a few interesting animals in his time: this one time he saw an ermine. No, it was called a stoat. No, wait, it was a weasel. Whatever the rodent was called, he found it so fascinating how in summer it’s coat faded to a dark brown, and in winter it was as the snow itself. He wondered what he would look like. Dark brown in the summer, bleach white in the winter. Boy, he would look funny. At least it would make Timid laugh. His pupils displayed at the thought. Why would it matter if he made Timid laugh? Of course, he wanted to make her smile, but why? He pushed the thought away and turned back to her. “A pouch?” he echoed, his eyes widening more, “That’s so interesting!”. He paused, trying to imagine a gigantic rabbit standing up with a pouch. But kangaroos were somewhat small and red. Still, he had no idea. He bobbed his head along with Timid and focused on his surroundings.

He watched the deer, his gaze taking in every speck of the Evie around him while his eyes shone with the glow of the Aspen leafs, which washed the clearing in a wave of sunny colors. With Timid's reaction to his joke, he returned the small smirk-ish smile; A small laugh bubbling in his mouth. He tilted his head at her next words about the birds. He couldn't imagine waking up to find the air heavy and silent the the ominous clouds of evil the Syndicate must've been shrouded in. He had always overlooked all of the flying creatures around him. Even the smallest made a difference in his daily life. He only nodded, the faint echo of birds rebounding as a thought of the sharp-winged swift, his sister's’ namesake. He could see Swift as a bird: graceful, Delaware, soft, gentle, and underestimated. Not to mention and most importantly, a gift.

Fennec felt the flashback all rush in his mind as Timid moved against him, and he was aight backing away with his gaze stuck to the ground. Just because of his small panic attack, Timid must've been hurt. Because out of the corner of his eye he saw her ears pinned back to her skull, it was all his fault. Because of his little attack, he would be caught explaining. He breathed deeply, this was for her sake. His eyes shot back to the ground when Timid spoke to him.

“Of course I want you to stay here-”

He paused, the images of a rockslide settling and the dust slowly falling to the ground. Again and again, Swifts’ bright eyes becoming dull and glazed, like a puddle. And Holly being swept aside by rocks in a black tabby blur. How he saw his dad and immediately wanted vengeance. And his mother, who he knew was gone. Everyone around him, anyone that was ever pulled close to him. Gone. Dead. Nonexistent. “Look, I don't go around telling everyone about my past, the only ones that know what happened to me are my family; and they're all dead. You see, everyone that has been close to Me has died.” he paused, hesitating for a moment before he could bring his gaze up to Timid’s, ”I don't want you to have the same fate as them because of my bad luck, I just met you, and I don't want that to happen.” he shuffled his paws, pushing aside any part of a thought that included spilling to Timid right here and right know.

He thought it would take ages for him to tell someone, but really, he was easy to crack. Timid was pretty much his only friend, the only living cat that he had known the longest. And already he had told her about how his past was bad, and his family is dead.

He sure has great conversation starters. And he hoped that Timid would still take up His hospitality, even though he was a bad omen.

(Sorry to break it to you, but it's super cold in the Winter)

Timid gave a slight wide of her green orbs. It was hard to believe that the tom didn't have a nickname! Everyone had a nickname - right? Even within the syndicate Timid was known as Titi. Or, maybe even something less thrilling such as a ‘Coward’ and the occasional ‘Scardey Cat’. Though a name was a name. And a nickname was unique. “I had all sorts of nicknames! Like Coward and Scaredy Cat!” She blurted out, as if that was a good thing. She didn't notice it at first, but realized that the names...sounded bad. So, she pinned her ears to her head, wanting to shrink in the tom’s presence. “Okay...those don't sound very appealing.” But, what else was to be expected of the Syndicate? It was a lonely cold place. Rough exterior. Tough interior. When the tom agreed that their names sounded like a pair, Timid thought of two turtle doves. She didn't notice the slight blush that the tom hid, or how sheepish he must had been when she first brought it up, but Timid simply blinked her eyes and smiled at him. “Yep! I've been always told that two is better than one.” She purred, a content feeling inside her as she happily remembered those words. Only from who, she didn't remember. A team was better than going solo after all. And, Timid felt that her and Fennec would make a great team.

When a delicate calmness settled between the two, Timid stared at her friend for a moment. He seemed to be deep in thought. Maybe, he was thinking about his family. Or, something important. The small golden cat didn't want to ruin his thoughts. So, she continued to look around the area, her eyes landing on a soft pastel colored butterfly as it hovered over a flower bed. She started to imagine the language of the butterflies, and wondered if they different in any way from a cat. As soon as that thought left her brain, she somehow crossed the Syndicate. Just thinking about the place made her upset. She was very depressed, but being around the other animals brought life to her lonely heart. And, Fennec had showed her this. He showed her a new side of life, and he had soared her life. Timid was afraid of so...many, many things. It was apart of her nature to be frightened. She couldn't help but scream on impulse when she met the unimaginable. Or, met anything that suddenly jumped out at her. On the plus side, Timid found herself to be marvelously friendly, which made up for the fact that she would tremble at anything and everything. The she cat shook her head, scattering her thoughts around. She saw Fennec staring at his shoulder, and she thought she caught a glimpse of a scar. She wanted to ask 'How did you get your scar?' But, maybe it wasn't the right time to be asking such questions.

Soon after, Timid immediately jumped to her paws, entering into a playful crouch. She giggled upon hearing Fennec's words. "Give up already? Well, I am a hunter. We had to practice running at fast speeds." She stated proudly, once again embracing her syndicate culture. It wasn't anything to be proud of. Timid could visionally remember her hunter trainee. One of brute force who made her run for days it seemed! Her small legs always tired out, and when she slowed down, he would yell at her. Timid became apprehensive when being yelled at. It made her want to run further and longer than she ever could. But, with her stubby legs it was still hard to keep up with much longer legs like the ones Fennec had. Timid shot up once more, almost ready to bound off again. Her eyes were shining with mischief, and she noticed how Fennec was showing off his well brawny legs. Well athletic and powerful for running. Obviously, he could beat her. "Yeah - no need to show off," she brushed her tail to the side in a bashful manner. "But it's all about the technique. Pretty sure I can corner you like the last finch I caught." Fennec was pretty smart. It was like a game of cat and mouse. He was the prey, and she was the predator. The mouse ran, and the cat tried any technique in order to catch them. Because mice were fast, no doubt. Other than that, the she cat deemed she was very tired. Even if she learned repeatedly to keep up endurance. Timid was built for endurance. She lasted longer than a lot of other cats because all hunters did was run. Run. Run. And more running. She was glad there was no one in her ear and yelling at her to continue running. She could relax for once.

Animals - as in other species, always been a type of admiration for the young she cat. In her free time, which she rarely had, she would watch the birds, or the insects, even she was aware of the predator animals that every cat needed to watch out for. The thing was; the forest was large. For a she cat her size, she was in deep awestruck at it. Sometimes, it was so large, you would get lost in it! Which happened on more than a couple occasions for this feline. At one point she found herself crossing two leg territory, almost being hit by many monsters. Obviously, she was panicking. She was beyond scared. She thought she was going to die. It was a miracle that she even made it back to the forest. Where the trees were able to lead her home. One thing she did learn while venturing out? So many different animals. The forest was not limited to the common species. In the outside world, there were plenty of them. Even if she didn't understand their language, she stayed long enough to observe their peculiar ways. "Pouches do sound nice," she thought about the little makeshift bag that was attached to any animal considered a marsupial. "But, I think I prefer nursing my young - out of a pouch. If given the chance, I have any." She nodded, cheerily. It was a rare occurrence when Timid thought about kits of her own. Since she was young, all she focused on was surviving and hunting. Kits were cute and all, but if she were to have any in the syndicate. They surely wouldn't survive. Kits hardly ever survived the syndicate.

They were on to a good start. A great friendship. Earlier, Fennec had invited the small feline to stay with him. She didn't know how she could ever repay him for such a wonderful proposition. Internally, she felt that she would had been a disgrace. Unwanted company. What if danger came around? Timid knew how to run and avoid it, but she didn't know a thing about fighting. Nothing about her was sharp or athletic. Sure, she had ran, built up her stamina and endurance, but that was it. She took up his offer, and even gave him an affectionate nuzzle. Which was meant to be friendly, but had ulterior motives to it. This has went unbeknownst to Timid however since she remained to be a sweet feline with no intentions of breaking their friendship apart.

Suddenly, he had pulled away. He backed up out of a warm embrace, and it made the she cat feel baffled. Why had he backed away? Did she do something wrong? That's what her first initial thought was, and she started to consider his offer to be a failure. Maybe, it was best that she did leave. As she was about to, the she cat stopped in her tracks. Her body was still turned away from him, but her ears stayed alert. She felt herself become tensed when she did turn around to face him.

She wished she hadn't. A part of her was frightened, and another part had felt bad for her friend. When he talked about parts of his past, Timid flattened her ears to her skull. She didn't know what to say. She felt a whimper escape her maw, her eyes growing wide at his words. She shook her head vigorously. "I'm scared of death, Fenny! I don't know if-" Timid paused, breathing in deeply. Okay, now here she was about to have a breakdown. Her tail was twitching irritably and her eyes flitted around every corner. Death was scary. Yet, it was inevitable. If she chose to go back to the Dusk Syndicate, wouldn't she be torn apart anyway? That was sure to happen. But, in this open, if she were to die...Timid didn't want to think about that.

The tom sounded so sorrowful. And, why wouldn't he? His entire family died is what Timid picked up on. Truthfully, she had no words. Nothing to say. Possibly, this was because she was from the Syndicate. Cats died everyday. She was left to die on the outskirts by her own mother. Her eyes held a blank stare for a moment. Just blinking repeatedly at looking at her friend. She didn't bother to move from her spot. "Hey," she spoke softly. Very softly, that one needed to strain their ears in order to hear her. "I'm from the syndicate - remember? If I survived there for so long," she paused. Surviving by hiding, begging, cornering herself. She continued, "then I could survive anything!" She wanted to bring anything lighthearted to the conversation. It was steering onto a dark path pretty quickly. That was the last thing they needed.

The she cat used her two front paws to grasp onto Fennec's shoulders lightly. "If you're bad luck, then so am I. Fenny and Timmy is a team," she purred. "We're a pair, remember?" She giggled, and let go of his shoulders as she sunk to the ground. The golden cat stared at her friend with bright moon-like eyes, and she hoped she had sparked some kind of inspiration into him. Even so, maybe she was good luck. A dynamic duo. Who knows.