[Luna16]

Max’s eyes shot over to where the cat emerged, startled to see such a strong and confident voice coming from a cat who barely looked to be better off than he was. He nodded at the tom, showing appreciation for him stepping out. “I wish I could offer you something but…” He glanced around at the remnants of his home.

Max blinked warmly when Wilder introduced himself, but heaved a heavy sigh at his question. “I know it seems…odd to forest cats.” He meowed, nimbly making his way down the wreckage to get to the ground. He didn’t want to speak to Wilder from a higher angle like that, it seemed rude. His extra toes helping him to grip the planks of wood as he made his way, allowing him to compensate for not having a tail. He leapt and landed in front of Wilder, sitting down in front of him. “I fled after the fire, and ran into the forest with some other cats from the neighborhood.” He explained. “When I came back, my housefolk - er, Twolegs - they were still gone…” He looked down as he shuffled his paws. “I stay because…well they could still come back for me. They were…they were my family.”

Even as he spoke, he knew the odds of that were slim. It had been almost two moons since the fire, and his housefolk hadn’t returned for him.

[ @geoblazer - Wilder]