Ballistic Runaway (OPEN! TO EVERYONE!)

[Erina]

@BlueGamerGirl @damaatsii @Cloudsky @ponyapan

Bonewing was taking a small stroll through the woods when she noticed a few cats off in the distance. Fear immediately hit her with full force, and her legs felt weak. Anxiety took over her mind and her first instinct was to run, but a quiet voice at the back of her mind told her to overcome her fears and approach the cats.

Many questions about the little gathering rushed through her mind. After a short moment of thinking, she cleared her throat and began to speak.
"Hello. Who are you all?" She eyed the cats with pure curiosity. Her heart was pounding heavily and her paws were trembling but her personal promise to open up to others kept her from running away.

[ponyapan]

@damaatsii @Cloudsky @BlueGamerGirl @Erina

Suddenly, Soot had to surpress a giggle. The sight of the many cats gathering here was just... odd, but at the same time very natural. She didn't want anyone to think she was making fun of them, though!

She turned to the new arrival, trying to convey her own calm that she'd gotten from this group. "Hello." She nodded a greeting back at the cat. "I'm Soot! This is Smudge, Lady, and-" Soot turned towards the last cat sitting beside them, no longer remembering their name. "Uh, and well, we're a group of cats living together, from on now." she explained. "Right! And that's Cloud!" she quickly added as she remembered.

Sitting down non-threateningly in front of the cat, she tilted her head curiously at the stranger molly. "...And, who are you?"

[Silhouettes]

(Hope y’all don’t mind me coming’ in ^ ^)

@damaatsii @Cloudsky @BlueGamerGirl @Erina @ponyapan

Laceleaf was... curious. The loner picked up the smell of several cats. At least three, from what she could tell. Privilege oozed off of one, possibly two. Kittypets, most likely. She didn’t have any particular feelings towards the two-leg owner felines. Only... the stereotypes that surrounded them. Snobby and spoiled is how the brown tabby recognized them. She herself had been a loner her entire life, always having to hunt for herself. Always having to defend herself. Her pelt showed evidence of such, small scars here and there, along with one particularly long one stretching from her side to stomach.

Finally, curiosity overcame her. Following the scents, the molly eventually found her way to the group of... five? Five cats? That seemed right. One of ‘em was a little kit, and another held the stench of a clan cat. How disgusting. With the sound of a rustling bush, the skinny feline made her presence known. “My oh my, look at this. Kittypets conversing in the forest. Y’all little sweethearts lost?” Laceleaf trilled in her southern accent. Sitting down a bit of a distance from them, she licked her paw to get rid a bit of dirt that made its was on her pelt. Amber eyes were trained on all of them. She couldn’t tell if all of em were kittypets- spare the one clan cat. She didn’t see any scars on the others, from what she could tell. Oh well. Supposed she would know soon.

[damaatsii]

@Cloudsky @BlueGamerGirl @Erina @ponyapan @Silhouettes

Lady startled at the sound of more cats approaching. So many! It was beginning to feel a bit crowded with so many. The two newest cats smelled... strange. Like they had never left the forest in their lives, like... like they never knew housefolk. Were they born here? She felt a surge of protectiveness in her chest for Smudge. Lady had never fought anything fiercer than the little red dot that scurried around her housefolk's home, but she was willing to unsheathe her claws to protect the kit.

"Are you a wild cat?" she managed to ask, moving closer to Smudge. Her skin shivered beneath her short pelt, not because of the company, but because of the cold. What she wouldn't do for a warm lap or even a pillow to lay on -

[ponyapan]

@Cloudsky @BlueGamerGirl @Erina @Silhouettes @damaatsii

The newer cats carried a strange scent on them, and Soot shivered as she spoke the words. "Wild cat?" she echoed. She'd heard it before, but it still felt strange. "What's a wild cat?" Still, Soot felt like the word made her defensive. Noticing how Lady was slightly bristling, Soot scurried closed. She didn't know if it was because she needed protection, or if she could offer protection, but the closeness felt safe- and warm. Despite that, she didn't feel aggresive, just protective, and she observed the cats to see how they'd react.

[Silhouettes]

@Cloudsky @BlueGamerGirl @Erina @damaatsii @ponyapan

Tensing up as the two cats moved closer to the kit, she quickly relaxed once again when she realized they meant no harm. Surprised by both of their questions involving “wild cats”, Laceleaf couldn’t help but laugh slightly. Yup, these were Kittypets alright. “I suppose, if you wanna call us that. Though I myself prefer the term “loner” and all.” The term “wild cat” sounded so... well it made her seem hysterical- not the level headed molly she was. The two felines seemed to be extremely protective of the kit. Neither of them shared any likeliness with him, though. How confusing.

She noticed Lady’s fur bristling- not knowing it was from the cold. Laceleaf let out a sigh. “I’m not here to hurt you dears. Y’all can calm down, you know.” She mewed as she changed her position, stretching before walking closer to them. To get a better look, of course. The gray molly had... well, the poor dearie had her paw twisted! And the one with multi-colored eyes looked utterly starving! The kit seemed... well he seemed ok. “Oh gosh, when was the last time y’all had a good bite to eat?” Concern was clear in her amber orbs, and her words dripping with it too. Laceleaf was skinny, though she liked to thing of herself as lean. She couldn’t seem to get any meat on her bones no matter what she did. Though always traveling might do that to a car. But nonetheless, this poor group of cats seemed like they needed some help.

[BlueGamerGirl]

(sorry for the late post..)

Smudge looked around with wide eyes. He had DEFINITLY never seen so many cats in his whole life! I wonder if there's any big groups of wild forest cats.. He thought to himself.

He saw the other two cats come and smiled at them. He replied, "Hello!" when Soot told the other cat his name. When the scarred she-cat spoke, Smudge told her with excitement, "We're not lost, we're living in the forest together now!" He felt Lady bristle up and wondered whether she was scared, or cold. It was very chilly out here, after all.

Smudge listened to the older cats' conversation, and felt his growing hunger when food was mentioned. "Now that I think about it, I think the last time I ate was a little bit of food at my- the twoleg den." he corrected himself, realizing that he is what the cat called a loner now. When was that?.. The thought, trying to remember. So much has happened that it seemed like ages ago.
@Cloudsky @Silhouettes @Erina @damaatsii @ponyapan

[ponyapan]

@Cloudsky @Silhouettes @Erina @damaatsii @BlueGamerGirl

Soot released the breath she'd been holding when she was sure the wild ca- no loner meant no harm either. She felt a little bad about their wary behaviour, but when Laceleaf laughed about it she realized that she wasn't that intimidating to begin with. Twisted paw, not even a fully grown cat yet? Yeah, not much of a threat. However, Soot was kind of glad for that. Threatening another cat didn't feel right. She would have given Laceleaf some kind of pretty flower to make up for her rudeness, but the cold kept any from being around. Maybe some stone...

The cat's voice brought Soot out of her thoughts again. I should be careful not to space out close to a road, she thought. It wasn't until Laceleaf pointed it out that Soot understood how feeble they must seem to this strong cat. It "True." Soot was better off than that, but she could use some food too. "I think it's time to go hunting soon- or, well, does anyone here know how to hunt?" Soot was sure she'd be able to hunt something for herself, even like this, but if no other cat could hunt there'd be a problem...

Where would they even hunt? The frozen water wouldn't be giving them any fish, and a lot of prey stayed holed up during the colder times. Maybe there'd be some mice or birds somewhere, but aw, now she was really longing for a fish. Fresh, plump fish from the river, together with clear, cool water- No! No more spacing out.

[Cloudsky]

Cloud looked at the cats standing before her. Excited as a kit she introduced herself "I'm Cloud, nice to meet you all! Oh, and I'll join you all. After all, most of you don't seem fit to hunt." Cloud looked at them all, and could see they all needed help, well, except the loners, maybe. "I know a good spot in the forest with plenty of prey and shelter, follow me!" She looked at the loners at that moment "And I'm not a kittypet."

[BlueGamerGirl]

Smudge somehow perked up even more at the mention of hunting, assuming that it meant food. He didn't know what the other words that they were using were, like 'kittypet' and 'loner', but he probably could just ask someone later. "Ooh, could I help hunt?" he asked to, well, anyone who heard him, wondering if hunting would be fun. Maybe it would be like chasing the little green strips that were sometimes left on the floor at the twoleg house, except you could eat it afterward! @Cloudsky @ponyapan @Silhouettes @Erina @damaatsii