Fennec's Hideaway

[Brilliance]

~Just making sure to keep this alive xD ~

[Beam]

Originally Posted by Constellation

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.

Fennec gave a small, awkward smile next to the small golden cat, his cream colored ears folding back with his bashful demeanor. He still didn’t understand this cat would join the Syndicate-from what he heard was an awful place. It was like putting a ray of sunshine in a moonless night. But sometimes nothing can shine without darkness, like how fireflies always waft in the nighttime. Timid gave him a cheery nickname- and it didn’t take much thought for him to figure out that the cats in the Syndicate weren't the nickname type. His eyes dilated as she spoke, and his head dropped back in a look of disbelief. She had blurted those names like they were good things to her. Fennec shook his head after watching the small cat’s ears fall back, ”Not really, no” he mewed lightly. Fennec repeated his small smile again when she purred. Having cats around was better than not; but it could go either way. He enjoyed the time he lived with his family, but mainly his sisters. Although, living alone was good too.
He frowned again. He was very touchy and sensitive about his thoughts of family. If he saw a holly bush, he would launch into his longing thoughts of his sister. And what surprised him he most was that he already hinted to Timid more than he had ever said to anyone else- and they practically just met. He knew it was harder to keep a wall up than to let it fall, because you needed every ounce of effort to make it stand, but when one thing falls the whole wall collapses too. Destruction, in a sense, was extremely easy. Peace, not so much. It was much easier to turn on one than to love one another, in fact, if he had chosen to, he could’ve turned away those lost kits he had met a while ago or maybe even chased them out. He could have even attacked Timid, but he stayed nice. There were so many bad options to choose from, and so little nice ones. No wonder why his mother had turned out the way she did-she was tired of straining through the nice options. And no wonder why there was a Syndicate, there was always bad in a world full of peace. His eyes studied the pink mark on his shoulder, his amber orbs shifting to accumulate the long tiny mark from the day Holly caught her first prey. His eyes flicked upward just to see Timid looking at him. “Sorry.” he mewed quietly, drawing his gaze away from his shoulder and back to Timid’s pretty-hued irises, “Um, your eyes are very-” he trailed off for a moment after he said the first thing that came to his mind, his eyes still looking at hers. He didn’t know quite how to finish that sentence, beautiful sounded too…it just didn’t sound right, it made his fur prickle nervously. “-dainty?” he finished questionably, a small grin peeking at the corners of his mouth.

He threw his feathery cream tail lazily to the side. He gave a little scoff-laugh to himself at Timid’s running words, planting his paws carefully next to each other. He was sure they had to sprint back and forth to capture prey, but she should try running away from everything. A mist glazed his eyes while a faraway smile imprinted on his maw. He had to run from his mom, for sure, he had to run towards his father the time he had spotted him in the woods, the time he had to run for what seemed like hours after Holly, then running and fear away from what happened to her. And still, still running from reliving, or rather, retreating form being hunted and chased. He perked his ears once Timid spoke again, and not quite hearing her, just smiled charismatically. He tilted his head playfully at Timid, “I think if I were a finch, I’d fly away from being hunted.”

He turned his attention back to the deer, watching its gentle hooves, and he remembered sometimes these delicate creatures were hunted. He tried to recall this one time when he and his sibling were every young, they stumbled across an antler of a buck. It was amazing then, and father brought it back to the den for safekeeping, and he had thereafter wondered how it got there, but now he knew it probably (and hopefully) just fell off. He then listened intently to Timid's opinion on pouches, his head bobbing. However, when she spoke of having kits of her own his whiskers twitched with a sudden reflection. Fennec had really never thought of having kits, he was too occupied with the thought of how his siblings, mother and father were dead. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing to have miniature Fennecs running around all day. “Kits?” he chuckled quietly, “wonder what it's like to have them. Must be a total pain.” he released another one of his small laughs and turned to Timid, leaning towards the other cat “I'm joking” he purred smoothly. “They seem...fun.”

Then the words came, his sudden thoughts of his family and everything: like that one thing making the wall crumble and fall. He knew at the moment that he had hurt Timid. But it was just another one of his attacks, like his head was a cave and it was where everything and became something new, vibrating and vibrating bd shutting out the whole world until all he could focus on was that he was just being overdramatic. He had a relatively tough personality, easily surpassed by kindness, but he really knew how to ruin a moment and turn everything wrong. Oh, why couldn't he just accept the fact that what happened had happened and everything is past that point in his life? That would make everything so much easier instead of him having thought attacks every two seconds.

Fennec, now telling at himself internally for being such a dramatic being, watched apologetically as Timid turned around to him. His eyes darted around, everyone was scared of death, yet none would ever escape it. He perked his ears a little more as Timid turned back to him. Why did he have to overdramatize everything? He heaved a sigh, Good job Fennec, way to go he thought to himself. He just needed to keep his mouth shut.

His eyes became much more alert as She spoke again. Timid had a great point, she survived in a literal dog pack for many moons, so his luck wouldn’t be so hard to avoid, right? He was just overthinking coincidences. “Anything?” He echoed her, “If you’re sure…” . His fur prickled again and Timid’s paws rested on his shoulders, he tried moving his gaze down, but they found the other feline’s irises again. He gave a small laugh at her lighthearted pep talk. He liked the sound of a pair, as in he and Timid as a team. The two against the great outdoors. And memories, lots and lots of memories…

He stopped himself there, focusing on the Tiimmy and Fenny Team Against the Wild, and stared back at her widened eyes as she let go of his shoulders. “Sounds good to me.” he nodded with an apologetic look plastered on his face, a sudden cloud of embarrassment opening up. He never knew he could be such a ditz. He smiled at her awkwardly, unsure of what to do now that his big dramatic scene had peaked in its limits. He relaxed his posture, making a more comfortable sitting position for himself as the cloud of embarrassment slowly passed over his head. He cleared his throat, his ears still flat against his head-the reason why they were doing that was not there, however. “What would you like to see now?”

[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Beam

Fennec gave a small, awkward smile next to the small golden cat, his cream colored ears folding back with his bashful demeanor. He still didn’t understand this cat would join the Syndicate-from what he heard was an awful place. It was like putting a ray of sunshine in a moonless night. But sometimes nothing can shine without darkness, like how fireflies always waft in the nighttime. Timid gave him a cheery nickname- and it didn’t take much thought for him to figure out that the cats in the Syndicate weren't the nickname type. His eyes dilated as she spoke, and his head dropped back in a look of disbelief. She had blurted those names like they were good things to her. Fennec shook his head after watching the small cat’s ears fall back, ”Not really, no” he mewed lightly. Fennec repeated his small smile again when she purred. Having cats around was better than not; but it could go either way. He enjoyed the time he lived with his family, but mainly his sisters. Although, living alone was good too.
He frowned again. He was very touchy and sensitive about his thoughts of family. If he saw a holly bush, he would launch into his longing thoughts of his sister. And what surprised him he most was that he already hinted to Timid more than he had ever said to anyone else- and they practically just met. He knew it was harder to keep a wall up than to let it fall, because you needed every ounce of effort to make it stand, but when one thing falls the whole wall collapses too. Destruction, in a sense, was extremely easy. Peace, not so much. It was much easier to turn on one than to love one another, in fact, if he had chosen to, he could’ve turned away those lost kits he had met a while ago or maybe even chased them out. He could have even attacked Timid, but he stayed nice. There were so many bad options to choose from, and so little nice ones. No wonder why his mother had turned out the way she did-she was tired of straining through the nice options. And no wonder why there was a Syndicate, there was always bad in a world full of peace. His eyes studied the pink mark on his shoulder, his amber orbs shifting to accumulate the long tiny mark from the day Holly caught her first prey. His eyes flicked upward just to see Timid looking at him. “Sorry.” he mewed quietly, drawing his gaze away from his shoulder and back to Timid’s pretty-hued irises, “Um, your eyes are very-” he trailed off for a moment after he said the first thing that came to his mind, his eyes still looking at hers. He didn’t know quite how to finish that sentence, beautiful sounded too…it just didn’t sound right, it made his fur prickle nervously. “-dainty?” he finished questionably, a small grin peeking at the corners of his mouth.

He threw his feathery cream tail lazily to the side. He gave a little scoff-laugh to himself at Timid’s running words, planting his paws carefully next to each other. He was sure they had to sprint back and forth to capture prey, but she should try running away from everything. A mist glazed his eyes while a faraway smile imprinted on his maw. He had to run from his mom, for sure, he had to run towards his father the time he had spotted him in the woods, the time he had to run for what seemed like hours after Holly, then running and fear away from what happened to her. And still, still running from reliving, or rather, retreating form being hunted and chased. He perked his ears once Timid spoke again, and not quite hearing her, just smiled charismatically. He tilted his head playfully at Timid, “I think if I were a finch, I’d fly away from being hunted.”

He turned his attention back to the deer, watching its gentle hooves, and he remembered sometimes these delicate creatures were hunted. He tried to recall this one time when he and his sibling were every young, they stumbled across an antler of a buck. It was amazing then, and father brought it back to the den for safekeeping, and he had thereafter wondered how it got there, but now he knew it probably (and hopefully) just fell off. He then listened intently to Timid's opinion on pouches, his head bobbing. However, when she spoke of having kits of her own his whiskers twitched with a sudden reflection. Fennec had really never thought of having kits, he was too occupied with the thought of how his siblings, mother and father were dead. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing to have miniature Fennecs running around all day. “Kits?” he chuckled quietly, “wonder what it's like to have them. Must be a total pain.” he released another one of his small laughs and turned to Timid, leaning towards the other cat “I'm joking” he purred smoothly. “They seem...fun.”

Then the words came, his sudden thoughts of his family and everything: like that one thing making the wall crumble and fall. He knew at the moment that he had hurt Timid. But it was just another one of his attacks, like his head was a cave and it was where everything and became something new, vibrating and vibrating bd shutting out the whole world until all he could focus on was that he was just being overdramatic. He had a relatively tough personality, easily surpassed by kindness, but he really knew how to ruin a moment and turn everything wrong. Oh, why couldn't he just accept the fact that what happened had happened and everything is past that point in his life? That would make everything so much easier instead of him having thought attacks every two seconds.

Fennec, now telling at himself internally for being such a dramatic being, watched apologetically as Timid turned around to him. His eyes darted around, everyone was scared of death, yet none would ever escape it. He perked his ears a little more as Timid turned back to him. Why did he have to overdramatize everything? He heaved a sigh, Good job Fennec, way to go he thought to himself. He just needed to keep his mouth shut.

His eyes became much more alert as She spoke again. Timid had a great point, she survived in a literal dog pack for many moons, so his luck wouldn’t be so hard to avoid, right? He was just overthinking coincidences. “Anything?” He echoed her, “If you’re sure…” . His fur prickled again and Timid’s paws rested on his shoulders, he tried moving his gaze down, but they found the other feline’s irises again. He gave a small laugh at her lighthearted pep talk. He liked the sound of a pair, as in he and Timid as a team. The two against the great outdoors. And memories, lots and lots of memories…

He stopped himself there, focusing on the Tiimmy and Fenny Team Against the Wild, and stared back at her widened eyes as she let go of his shoulders. “Sounds good to me.” he nodded with an apologetic look plastered on his face, a sudden cloud of embarrassment opening up. He never knew he could be such a ditz. He smiled at her awkwardly, unsure of what to do now that his big dramatic scene had peaked in its limits. He relaxed his posture, making a more comfortable sitting position for himself as the cloud of embarrassment slowly passed over his head. He cleared his throat, his ears still flat against his head-the reason why they were doing that was not there, however. “What would you like to see now?”

For the merest of moments, Timid had pinned her ears down. She had told Fennec a few nicknames that she was known for, but he commented that they weren’t good. Yeah, she figured. Timid always knew she was a coward. Of anything and everything. She just hoped that her phobias wouldn’t make their appearance while she was in this tom’s company. That would be...rather embarrassing. Unknown to her, however, Timid always embarrassed herself. It didn’t click in her mind that maybe - she was talking too much. Like when she spilled about the Syndicate, or how she was treated there. Not all the cats were bad...like Allure. Allure was nice. She had took Timid in from the queen who nursed her. Allure was patient from her, she protected her. Oh, Allure! Timid completely forgotten about the fawn older fighter. She must had been worried sick that Timid have not come back from her hunting trip. The other members would assume she was dead. Maybe...it was for the best. Allure should assume she was dead too, because this was a new beginning for the small golden cat. She would live out in this wild and embrace every moment of being free. The molly hadn't even noticed that her friend was a little...off. She figured he wanted to be alone with his thought - questions swirling in her head. What is he thinking? Who is he thinking about? Why must he think about such? Of course, these questions made her agitated because she knew she was quite the nosy feline. Not everyone liked for others to be in their business, but it was something she couldn't help, but do. Even so, she wanted to, Fennec already started speaking again, staring at her. Timid blinked. When Fennec continued, the molly’s ears perked. “My eyes?” at that moment, didn't she wish to see what he saw. Her irises were like a deep pretty green, midnight extravagant. But, when light reflected in them, they became a brilliant green color. Very gorgeous indeed. “Dainty?” She repeated the word. Her nose scrunched for a moment, but she took it as a compliment. “Oh! Thank you.” She smiled. That came by surprise - she had pretty eyes? Her eartips heated slightly. Timid slid her ‘dainty’ eyes to look at her paws. Her nose twitched: should she give him a compliment in return? That would had been the kind thing to do. Timid was always a kind cat. “I like your eyes too!” She suddenly, chirped. A little too excited than she intended. “I always found amber to be such a unique color, you know. It's very beautiful.” All the while, she mustered up the ability to stare at his eyes, finding the golden flecks within. They were...very stunning, she had to admit. Instead, she gave a light giggle, and nudged him with a paw.

Timid hummed casually upon the tom’s words. Suddenly, she brought her eyes to look up at the sky, catching a few birds overhead as they flew with their flock. “If I could choose to be a bird. Any bird, that is. I would want to be,” she paused, her expression in deep thought. What would she have wanted to been? All creatures fascinated this feline. Every bird, even though she hunted them, she studied their feathers and the way they were sculpted from the creator above. No doubt, they were all different. All unique. “A dove.” She nodded, firmly. “Only because they're so peaceful and very beautiful birds. Smart too.” Timid felt that the dove was her counterpart. If she weren't a cat, she might as well be a dove. “Why would you want to be a finch?” Her ears flicked. Maybe, he just threw out a random bird breed. The molly slipped her tail in the back of her, keeping it still as possible. She observed the other animals around her with a glint in her eyes. “Heh, what bird want to be eaten?” She giggled. “I feel that if I were a dove, I would fly away from being hunted too!” She snickered.

“I do want to thank you for bringing me to this lovely place.” She bowed her head towards the Tom. She couldn't offer him a gift or any sort, but she could give him a thanks. Hopefully, he'll accept that and save her the embarrassment. To think she lost her prey and stumbled upon such a breathtakingly scenery that had to be far from real. But, it was real. She was standing within it, soaking in all its astounding beauty. Timid shot a knowing smile towards Fennec, tilting her head for a moment to nod slowly. “Kits.” She smiled, sheepishly. The she cat shyly glanced at the Tom, her paws shifting uncomfortably below her for a moment. “Well, I heard giving birth to them is the most painful experience in life.” Her eyes widened, she simply could imagine that pain. It mustn't felt great at all. In fact, that was the only reason she didn't want to have kits. Timid was afraid of pain. It was one of her phobias that she tried to stay away from as much as possible. “Though you wouldn't have to worry about that since you're a Tom.” She smacked him with her tail. When he leaned closer, the she cat found herself pulling back slightly, lifting a paw for a moment, yet still smiling at her friend. Shyly, she reciprocated his purr. Though her was much more quiet. “Joking…” now, she found herself out of place. Only because discussing kits was such a tender subject to her. The kits in the syndicate were so sweet and wonderful. Timid truly adored them. The molly vigorously shook her head to rid her thoughts, pulling herself together she agreed with Fennec. “Oh, yes. I'm sure kits are much more joyous than we’ll ever know.” She gave a glowing smile, hoping that she didn't draw herself away too much.

Timid didn't want Fennec to see her as the enemy. Or, a scaredy cat. So, the former was definitely not seen. What other cat would see her as their enemy? Frankly, Timid never had an enemy since she was constantly the one being frightened instead of feared. Neither did she wish for Fennec to see her jumping constantly. Surely, he would be annoyed with that and wish for her to leave. It was an exaggeration, but it was how Timid felt.

Timid knew little to nothing of the past trauma events Fennec went through. She didn't want to appear nosy, but she was. She wanted to know why he was entirely sad, or was trying to push her away. He was one of her first friends to not push her away. He was kind to her, and she liked that greatly. To think he thought of himself as bad luck made the molly want to roll over in laughter. If anything, Fennec was a lot stronger in her eyes than he thought. He survived alone out here all these moons without any company. He experienced much sadness than she could ever bear. The least she could do is provide him the comfort as long as she would be here. She had faith that she would stay for the longest. But...someone would find her. That was a deep secret in her heart. She would dote over Fennec until her last day came, if ever. She hoped they would never find her.

The molly puffed out her chest, proudly. She seemed to have stored some faith in her companion. She knew it was going to be a long path, but she was ready for it when he was. The molly stood by his side and she offered him a pleasant smile. “No, of course I'm far from being sure.” She didn't know what dangers they would face, or the possible arguments that'll go along with them. “But, I'm having faith everything will be okay.” Her faith was enough. That's all she held onto. Despite her not believing in Starclan...a small, very small part of her did. She knew and she wondered about Starclan, but all her life, her loyalty was for the Dark forest. “Because if it's...not okay. Then, it's not the end.” Growing up in the syndicate, a feline like Timid should had lost all her will. All her creativity. It was beaten out of her. Obviously to them, Timid had succumbed to such life, but...she was still breathing. And, she knew that if she weren't happy; then it wasn't the end. To her, every ending was happy.

Timid enjoyed the little set of silence coming between the two. She simply stayed near Fennec, and watched the other animals with her usual keen interests. Her mind was scattered with different questions when it came to the traditions of these lovely questions. But, she dared not ask them aloud. At least, not today. She was beat out. She got up to stretch, and her stomach let out an ugly growling sound. Timid’s eyes appeared widened, and she glanced sheepishly towards Fennec. “Is there anything to eat around here?” She could eat. Eat a lot. And, she was tired. She could nap. She just needed to get used to this new...surroundings.

Home…

The word was entirely weird. But, that's what this was...her home.

[Beam]

Originally Posted by Constellation

For the merest of moments, Timid had pinned her ears down. She had told Fennec a few nicknames that she was known for, but he commented that they weren’t good. Yeah, she figured. Timid always knew she was a coward. Of anything and everything. She just hoped that her phobias wouldn’t make their appearance while she was in this tom’s company. That would be...rather embarrassing. Unknown to her, however, Timid always embarrassed herself. It didn’t click in her mind that maybe - she was talking too much. Like when she spilled about the Syndicate, or how she was treated there. Not all the cats were bad...like Allure. Allure was nice. She had took Timid in from the queen who nursed her. Allure was patient from her, she protected her. Oh, Allure! Timid completely forgotten about the fawn older fighter. She must had been worried sick that Timid have not come back from her hunting trip. The other members would assume she was dead. Maybe...it was for the best. Allure should assume she was dead too, because this was a new beginning for the small golden cat. She would live out in this wild and embrace every moment of being free. The molly hadn't even noticed that her friend was a little...off. She figured he wanted to be alone with his thought - questions swirling in her head. What is he thinking? Who is he thinking about? Why must he think about such? Of course, these questions made her agitated because she knew she was quite the nosy feline. Not everyone liked for others to be in their business, but it was something she couldn't help, but do. Even so, she wanted to, Fennec already started speaking again, staring at her. Timid blinked. When Fennec continued, the molly’s ears perked. “My eyes?” at that moment, didn't she wish to see what he saw. Her irises were like a deep pretty green, midnight extravagant. But, when light reflected in them, they became a brilliant green color. Very gorgeous indeed. “Dainty?” She repeated the word. Her nose scrunched for a moment, but she took it as a compliment. “Oh! Thank you.” She smiled. That came by surprise - she had pretty eyes? Her eartips heated slightly. Timid slid her ‘dainty’ eyes to look at her paws. Her nose twitched: should she give him a compliment in return? That would had been the kind thing to do. Timid was always a kind cat. “I like your eyes too!” She suddenly, chirped. A little too excited than she intended. “I always found amber to be such a unique color, you know. It's very beautiful.” All the while, she mustered up the ability to stare at his eyes, finding the golden flecks within. They were...very stunning, she had to admit. Instead, she gave a light giggle, and nudged him with a paw.

Timid hummed casually upon the tom’s words. Suddenly, she brought her eyes to look up at the sky, catching a few birds overhead as they flew with their flock. “If I could choose to be a bird. Any bird, that is. I would want to be,” she paused, her expression in deep thought. What would she have wanted to been? All creatures fascinated this feline. Every bird, even though she hunted them, she studied their feathers and the way they were sculpted from the creator above. No doubt, they were all different. All unique. “A dove.” She nodded, firmly. “Only because they're so peaceful and very beautiful birds. Smart too.” Timid felt that the dove was her counterpart. If she weren't a cat, she might as well be a dove. “Why would you want to be a finch?” Her ears flicked. Maybe, he just threw out a random bird breed. The molly slipped her tail in the back of her, keeping it still as possible. She observed the other animals around her with a glint in her eyes. “Heh, what bird want to be eaten?” She giggled. “I feel that if I were a dove, I would fly away from being hunted too!” She snickered.

“I do want to thank you for bringing me to this lovely place.” She bowed her head towards the Tom. She couldn't offer him a gift or any sort, but she could give him a thanks. Hopefully, he'll accept that and save her the embarrassment. To think she lost her prey and stumbled upon such a breathtakingly scenery that had to be far from real. But, it was real. She was standing within it, soaking in all its astounding beauty. Timid shot a knowing smile towards Fennec, tilting her head for a moment to nod slowly. “Kits.” She smiled, sheepishly. The she cat shyly glanced at the Tom, her paws shifting uncomfortably below her for a moment. “Well, I heard giving birth to them is the most painful experience in life.” Her eyes widened, she simply could imagine that pain. It mustn't felt great at all. In fact, that was the only reason she didn't want to have kits. Timid was afraid of pain. It was one of her phobias that she tried to stay away from as much as possible. “Though you wouldn't have to worry about that since you're a Tom.” She smacked him with her tail. When he leaned closer, the she cat found herself pulling back slightly, lifting a paw for a moment, yet still smiling at her friend. Shyly, she reciprocated his purr. Though her was much more quiet. “Joking…” now, she found herself out of place. Only because discussing kits was such a tender subject to her. The kits in the syndicate were so sweet and wonderful. Timid truly adored them. The molly vigorously shook her head to rid her thoughts, pulling herself together she agreed with Fennec. “Oh, yes. I'm sure kits are much more joyous than we’ll ever know.” She gave a glowing smile, hoping that she didn't draw herself away too much.

Timid didn't want Fennec to see her as the enemy. Or, a scaredy cat. So, the former was definitely not seen. What other cat would see her as their enemy? Frankly, Timid never had an enemy since she was constantly the one being frightened instead of feared. Neither did she wish for Fennec to see her jumping constantly. Surely, he would be annoyed with that and wish for her to leave. It was an exaggeration, but it was how Timid felt.

Timid knew little to nothing of the past trauma events Fennec went through. She didn't want to appear nosy, but she was. She wanted to know why he was entirely sad, or was trying to push her away. He was one of her first friends to not push her away. He was kind to her, and she liked that greatly. To think he thought of himself as bad luck made the molly want to roll over in laughter. If anything, Fennec was a lot stronger in her eyes than he thought. He survived alone out here all these moons without any company. He experienced much sadness than she could ever bear. The least she could do is provide him the comfort as long as she would be here. She had faith that she would stay for the longest. But...someone would find her. That was a deep secret in her heart. She would dote over Fennec until her last day came, if ever. She hoped they would never find her.

The molly puffed out her chest, proudly. She seemed to have stored some faith in her companion. She knew it was going to be a long path, but she was ready for it when he was. The molly stood by his side and she offered him a pleasant smile. “No, of course I'm far from being sure.” She didn't know what dangers they would face, or the possible arguments that'll go along with them. “But, I'm having faith everything will be okay.” Her faith was enough. That's all she held onto. Despite her not believing in Starclan...a small, very small part of her did. She knew and she wondered about Starclan, but all her life, her loyalty was for the Dark forest. “Because if it's...not okay. Then, it's not the end.” Growing up in the syndicate, a feline like Timid should had lost all her will. All her creativity. It was beaten out of her. Obviously to them, Timid had succumbed to such life, but...she was still breathing. And, she knew that if she weren't happy; then it wasn't the end. To her, every ending was happy.

Timid enjoyed the little set of silence coming between the two. She simply stayed near Fennec, and watched the other animals with her usual keen interests. Her mind was scattered with different questions when it came to the traditions of these lovely questions. But, she dared not ask them aloud. At least, not today. She was beat out. She got up to stretch, and her stomach let out an ugly growling sound. Timid’s eyes appeared widened, and she glanced sheepishly towards Fennec. “Is there anything to eat around here?” She could eat. Eat a lot. And, she was tired. She could nap. She just needed to get used to this new...surroundings.

Home…

The word was entirely weird. But, that's what this was...her home.

Fennec’s thoughts just went on. He had found, for him, that if you stop a painful or difficult thought from happening, you could never truly get over it. Whenever he found himself claiming it was too hard to think about Holly or Swift, he would tell himself to think it through, and he would feel better. In a strange sense, it was like completing the thought so it was truly behind him, not yet to be rediscovered in the future. It was an odd tactic, but it helped him- he had a lot of material to go through. The hardest thoughts he had were the two days his sisters passed away. They were the light of his life, really. His father refused to witness what was happening, but he also refused to face his mother. In Thomas’s head, he must have thought it would have been smart to just get up and leave. That way, he wouldn't have to watch or stand up for anything. In other words, leave because of his cowardliness. He would rather let his own kits suffer than to put a stop to it. Fennec had always been mad at him, he could have always run away with him and his sisters and leave his mother, but it was only Thomas who ran away. And then Swift died, the smallest, most gentle and sweetest cat ever, killed by torturous claws of another cat they had always been afraid of: Birch, their mother. He remembered vividly: his mother screaming louder than usual, accusing Swift of something she didn’t do. He and Holly ran up to the den entrance to look outside. The silver tabby calico was cornering his small sibling against a tree, while Swift’s tail was between her legs and she was trembling in fear, and Fennec stood there. That’s when claws flew, and Swift ended up being thrown into the middle of the clearing, and her eyes were already pale. Fennec and Holly just shrunk back into the dark depths of the log pile den.

It was enough thinking, for now, it was not the time to replay the memory, now, he was with Timid. As Timid replied to his odd compliment, his ears fell back to his head in a nervous sort of way. Usually, he was very sure of himself when talking to other cats, but he just felt his fur prickle in this current situation. “Erm...yeah. Dainty.” he echoed, his voice sounding less confident than it should’ve been. He was almost worried when her nose scrunched up as if she took it in a bad way. His eyes started to widen, in case he had to hurriedly explain himself. The start of his explanation, however, was interrupted by her thanks to him. He felt his face start to get awkwardly heated and bashful. It was an awfully complicated interaction, and it was all because now-embarrassed Fennec had to compliment her. It wasn’t an overall bad thing, it was just he wasn’t the best at charming others. He wasn’t surprised, his charisma had dropped since he left. He hadn’t spoken to cats for a while now. It was partly his fault, he stumbled along this place and decided to stay here, alone and solitary. His ears perked and his whiskers twitched in alarm, did she just say she liked his eyes? As she further explained why amber was such an idiosyncratic color, he became confused. “Amber?”he echoed softly as a small little electric shock ran through him as Timid met his eyes. ”It’s not a very remarkable eye color. It’s as rare as a blue sky, really. ” a smile cracked at his maw as she nudged him with a paw.

Fennec listened carefully to the small golden cat next to him, he could see why Timid would want to be a dove. They were a symbol of peace and love and most importantly, serenity. A gentle cat like her would definitely be a dove, if, that is, she was to be a bird. The pale cream loner nodded along with her explanation of why. Timid seemed undoubtedly smart, and he couldn’t agree more on the ex-syndicator being a dove. “I heard a group of doves was called a pitying.” he whispered softly, his eyes traveling closer to the sky. He kept it to himself, but it also sort of fit his view of Timid. She was kind, gentle, intelligent, but Fennec also felt bad for her. She had no place in the Syndicate, yet there she was. Plus, he had always liked doves. In his early morning gökottas, he would always hear the owl-like coos of doves nearby. “A finch? Oh, I meant that as an example.” he said softly, “Yeah, being prey wouldn’t be very fun.” he agreed, seeing that her tail had dropped down. He frowned a little bit, he didn’t mean to be curt, or if he did, cause it. “If I were to be a bird, though...” he chimed quickly, trying to lighten the mood slightly.He pondered for a second. A small songbird like a chickadee didn’t seem to appeal to him, but a bird of prey seemed a little fierce. Hawks and eagles and falcons seemed a little too hardcore for him. Maybe a woodpecker? He knew that was like a songbird, but they just seemed…different. He’d like to be that ‘different from a songbird just not a prey bird’ type of fowl. “I guess I’d be a blue jay or something. They seemed to be pretty cool.” He’d seen a couple around the forest, sometimes even when it was chilly and snowed. They had this electric blue color that was beautiful, not like the sky, but like a rich, royal blue with light accents and black outlines. On the tips of the wings, they seemed to have very decorative splashes, which he liked. As well as the feathers on their heads were in an anomalous style, and he liked their fiery and spirited personalities. That is what he liked about them: they were passionate.

Fennec smiled at Timid as she thanked him. He really didn't bring her anywhere, she more of just stumbled along into this area, well, she didn't really stumble. She ran in the forest and ending up pummeling him. “Of course, I’m glad you enjoy it.” he replied quickly, feeling his fur prickle. “And I want to apologize. I’ve been thinking a lot about-” he started slowly, stopping halfway through to avoid any more talk about the subject that was on his mind constantly. His tail curled in a concentrated way as he thought of his continuing response. “Lately, I’ve just been… distant.” he felt his head lower in a more embarrassing position. “Don’t take it too personally if you have, it just me being dramatic.” he took a deeper breath, “ and I guess if you have any questions, you can ask.” he said quietly, almost under his breath. He didn't regret saying it, it was just forcing himself to be a little more open. Awkwardness settled over him as the subject of kits showed up. It was just odd to discuss the matter, that's all. He gave a nervous swallow as Timid mentioned how painful having kits is, he couldn't imagine going through that, and he was glad he didn't have to like she had said. The pale tom felt a pang of doubtfulness and sheepishness in him when Timid slightly pulled away from him, he was probably overthinking it. He was just doing a kind of friendly shoulder-tap in a humorous way, to emphasize his joke. Maybe Timid was afraid? He didn't really know, but it nagged in the back of his head. To reply, he just smiled, he didn't want to bring anything new up that could create a more awkward atmosphere around the two felines.

Fennec was quite frankly glad that Timid was there for his little overthinking thought-attacks. He had no clue what the dark and evil-shrouded place of the Syndicate was like or was horrors lurked within, especially for Timid, who seemed to have many phobias. Who could blame her? She was raised in a place of brutal demeanor and aggressive ways. The cats there were malicious and belligerent, he would just be too scared to even speak or function if on a daily basis there were threats and killer thoughts drifting through the air. It made him uncomfortable just thinking about it. Fennec just watched the molly’s face, and how she had hope that everything would turn out to be fine, and he believed her. This was the quiet, peaceful present; not the rough and harsh past. Fennec nodded along with what she said, just thinking happy thoughts. Fennec took a deep and fresh breath of forest air, yeah, that felt nice to think blissful things. Everything would be okay.

His gaze carried over to Timid when she spoke of getting something to eat. He had totally forgotten to ask if she needed something. He got to his paws, his claws sliding out in an eager way to stretch his limbs and to hunt. “You’ll find birds like chickadees and magpies and such around here.” he informed her and his paws started to move around, “There are chipmunks too, but I think they're too cute to catch.” he chimed, realizing he sounded sentimental and less strong-sounding than he’d like to be. A blush rose to his cheeks and his tail fur prickled in alarm, “ I mean, they may be a little too fast and too small to catch.” He corrected, leaving a playful tone in his voice to shape it into a joke.

He straightened his posture and looked towards where the trees became more dense, which was in the direction of where the deer was. He started to slowly walk forward, looking back at Timid and beckoning her forward with his tail. “I have a little competition we can have.” he prompted, “Want to hear it?”. He smiled, glad to be having fun again.

[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Beam

Fennec’s thoughts just went on. He had found, for him, that if you stop a painful or difficult thought from happening, you could never truly get over it. Whenever he found himself claiming it was too hard to think about Holly or Swift, he would tell himself to think it through, and he would feel better. In a strange sense, it was like completing the thought so it was truly behind him, not yet to be rediscovered in the future. It was an odd tactic, but it helped him- he had a lot of material to go through. The hardest thoughts he had were the two days his sisters passed away. They were the light of his life, really. His father refused to witness what was happening, but he also refused to face his mother. In Thomas’s head, he must have thought it would have been smart to just get up and leave. That way, he wouldn't have to watch or stand up for anything. In other words, leave because of his cowardliness. He would rather let his own kits suffer than to put a stop to it. Fennec had always been mad at him, he could have always run away with him and his sisters and leave his mother, but it was only Thomas who ran away. And then Swift died, the smallest, most gentle and sweetest cat ever, killed by torturous claws of another cat they had always been afraid of: Birch, their mother. He remembered vividly: his mother screaming louder than usual, accusing Swift of something she didn’t do. He and Holly ran up to the den entrance to look outside. The silver tabby calico was cornering his small sibling against a tree, while Swift’s tail was between her legs and she was trembling in fear, and Fennec stood there. That’s when claws flew, and Swift ended up being thrown into the middle of the clearing, and her eyes were already pale. Fennec and Holly just shrunk back into the dark depths of the log pile den.

It was enough thinking, for now, it was not the time to replay the memory, now, he was with Timid. As Timid replied to his odd compliment, his ears fell back to his head in a nervous sort of way. Usually, he was very sure of himself when talking to other cats, but he just felt his fur prickle in this current situation. “Erm...yeah. Dainty.” he echoed, his voice sounding less confident than it should’ve been. He was almost worried when her nose scrunched up as if she took it in a bad way. His eyes started to widen, in case he had to hurriedly explain himself. The start of his explanation, however, was interrupted by her thanks to him. He felt his face start to get awkwardly heated and bashful. It was an awfully complicated interaction, and it was all because now-embarrassed Fennec had to compliment her. It wasn’t an overall bad thing, it was just he wasn’t the best at charming others. He wasn’t surprised, his charisma had dropped since he left. He hadn’t spoken to cats for a while now. It was partly his fault, he stumbled along this place and decided to stay here, alone and solitary. His ears perked and his whiskers twitched in alarm, did she just say she liked his eyes? As she further explained why amber was such an idiosyncratic color, he became confused. “Amber?”he echoed softly as a small little electric shock ran through him as Timid met his eyes. ”It’s not a very remarkable eye color. It’s as rare as a blue sky, really. ” a smile cracked at his maw as she nudged him with a paw.

Fennec listened carefully to the small golden cat next to him, he could see why Timid would want to be a dove. They were a symbol of peace and love and most importantly, serenity. A gentle cat like her would definitely be a dove, if, that is, she was to be a bird. The pale cream loner nodded along with her explanation of why. Timid seemed undoubtedly smart, and he couldn’t agree more on the ex-syndicator being a dove. “I heard a group of doves was called a pitying.” he whispered softly, his eyes traveling closer to the sky. He kept it to himself, but it also sort of fit his view of Timid. She was kind, gentle, intelligent, but Fennec also felt bad for her. She had no place in the Syndicate, yet there she was. Plus, he had always liked doves. In his early morning gökottas, he would always hear the owl-like coos of doves nearby. “A finch? Oh, I meant that as an example.” he said softly, “Yeah, being prey wouldn’t be very fun.” he agreed, seeing that her tail had dropped down. He frowned a little bit, he didn’t mean to be curt, or if he did, cause it. “If I were to be a bird, though...” he chimed quickly, trying to lighten the mood slightly.He pondered for a second. A small songbird like a chickadee didn’t seem to appeal to him, but a bird of prey seemed a little fierce. Hawks and eagles and falcons seemed a little too hardcore for him. Maybe a woodpecker? He knew that was like a songbird, but they just seemed…different. He’d like to be that ‘different from a songbird just not a prey bird’ type of fowl. “I guess I’d be a blue jay or something. They seemed to be pretty cool.” He’d seen a couple around the forest, sometimes even when it was chilly and snowed. They had this electric blue color that was beautiful, not like the sky, but like a rich, royal blue with light accents and black outlines. On the tips of the wings, they seemed to have very decorative splashes, which he liked. As well as the feathers on their heads were in an anomalous style, and he liked their fiery and spirited personalities. That is what he liked about them: they were passionate.

Fennec smiled at Timid as she thanked him. He really didn't bring her anywhere, she more of just stumbled along into this area, well, she didn't really stumble. She ran in the forest and ending up pummeling him. “Of course, I’m glad you enjoy it.” he replied quickly, feeling his fur prickle. “And I want to apologize. I’ve been thinking a lot about-” he started slowly, stopping halfway through to avoid any more talk about the subject that was on his mind constantly. His tail curled in a concentrated way as he thought of his continuing response. “Lately, I’ve just been… distant.” he felt his head lower in a more embarrassing position. “Don’t take it too personally if you have, it just me being dramatic.” he took a deeper breath, “ and I guess if you have any questions, you can ask.” he said quietly, almost under his breath. He didn't regret saying it, it was just forcing himself to be a little more open. Awkwardness settled over him as the subject of kits showed up. It was just odd to discuss the matter, that's all. He gave a nervous swallow as Timid mentioned how painful having kits is, he couldn't imagine going through that, and he was glad he didn't have to like she had said. The pale tom felt a pang of doubtfulness and sheepishness in him when Timid slightly pulled away from him, he was probably overthinking it. He was just doing a kind of friendly shoulder-tap in a humorous way, to emphasize his joke. Maybe Timid was afraid? He didn't really know, but it nagged in the back of his head. To reply, he just smiled, he didn't want to bring anything new up that could create a more awkward atmosphere around the two felines.

Fennec was quite frankly glad that Timid was there for his little overthinking thought-attacks. He had no clue what the dark and evil-shrouded place of the Syndicate was like or was horrors lurked within, especially for Timid, who seemed to have many phobias. Who could blame her? She was raised in a place of brutal demeanor and aggressive ways. The cats there were malicious and belligerent, he would just be too scared to even speak or function if on a daily basis there were threats and killer thoughts drifting through the air. It made him uncomfortable just thinking about it. Fennec just watched the molly’s face, and how she had hope that everything would turn out to be fine, and he believed her. This was the quiet, peaceful present; not the rough and harsh past. Fennec nodded along with what she said, just thinking happy thoughts. Fennec took a deep and fresh breath of forest air, yeah, that felt nice to think blissful things. Everything would be okay.

His gaze carried over to Timid when she spoke of getting something to eat. He had totally forgotten to ask if she needed something. He got to his paws, his claws sliding out in an eager way to stretch his limbs and to hunt. “You’ll find birds like chickadees and magpies and such around here.” he informed her and his paws started to move around, “There are chipmunks too, but I think they're too cute to catch.” he chimed, realizing he sounded sentimental and less strong-sounding than he’d like to be. A blush rose to his cheeks and his tail fur prickled in alarm, “ I mean, they may be a little too fast and too small to catch.” He corrected, leaving a playful tone in his voice to shape it into a joke.

He straightened his posture and looked towards where the trees became more dense, which was in the direction of where the deer was. He started to slowly walk forward, looking back at Timid and beckoning her forward with his tail. “I have a little competition we can have.” he prompted, “Want to hear it?”. He smiled, glad to be having fun again.

Timid knew nothing of her past. Nada. Zilch. Unlike Fennec, if anyone asked Timid how her biological mother was, Timid would only respond with positive vibes. With sweet nothings, and remarkable compliments. To her, Timid’s mother must had been very beautiful, very smart, and very sweet. Even when asking about her biological father, Timid would still believe everything good about her family. That's because Timid wanted to believe that her parents weren't horrible. That they gave her up for a valuable reason. Maybe her mother thought she would survive out in the world than the comfort of a twoleg’s nest. Just, maybe. When Timid thought of a new home with her actual parents, she imagined something gigantic, fully decorated with pretty flowers, and perhaps vintage furniture? Maybe it's a nest all hidden by a hill. Or, maybe real nearby. And, what if her parents were together? Sharing a nest, and grooming each other? It was too bad that their biggest mistake was giving up her. Though, the small cat was grateful that Allure took her in, raised her and such, but like an orphaned child’s heart, soul, and mind, she was plagued by the internal brokenness of her mother and father’s identity. Timid was dearly not an orphan, as her parents weren't dead, but still...the absence made it seem like she was. Timid didn't like to think of her mother and father. As she couldn't picture their faces in her mind, it always left her in a disheveled state. Somewhat stressed, and mildly lost. Evidently. She turned to glance at Fennec, wondering about his own family. He looked pretty young to her to be venturing out here. Which also meant that he was...brave. To him, it wasn't a big deal. Any cat could live on their own, if given the chance. But, for a feline like Timid - a kitty who practically jumps at her shadow whenever she catch a glimpse of it - obviously it was a big deal to her. It occurred to her that perhaps Fennec shared a past like her. Did he also think of both of his parents as...dead? Or, have he never met them? Was he a kittypet born? Have he belonged to a clan once? Oh, something must had happened! Since Timid found him a tad mysterious, she thought of him as an angel sent from Starclan to save her from that no good Syndicate disaster. Oh! That must had been it. Of course! By all means, Timid didn't meet this Tom by accident had she? Wasn't he sent to her to give her a sign that she must leave the Syndicate? It was dearly what she believed. Timid found herself liking the tales of folklore, and perhaps this thing called “magic” was real. Anything was possible. Really.

The Tom had called her eyes...dainty. Meaning small, mostly meaning pretty. If it was one thing Timid loved about herself, it was the color of her hues. Green. Pretty, dark, Irish green. Not the light green that many cats strutted around with. But, that dark green that made it appear hard to tell that it was, indeed, a green color. She known her eyes looked black, taking on that verge, but with help of the sun, that Jade gaze reflected beautifully. Fennec looked embarrassed, and she didn't understand why. So, she simply giggled, and had thanked him for the compliment anyway. “Oh. But I like the blue sky.” She tells him, proceeding to stare up at the color of tranquility. “Just like how I like the color of your eyes.” Fennec was right about one thing; Blue was a very common color. “It might be very common, but you wanna know something personally? I think that every time we look up at the sky, we forget that it is such a recognized color, but we still become so intrigued by the beauty it holds. So, common or not, blue never goes out of style.” Her eyes never left the blue streak sky. Few clouds here and there, but it was all good. The sky was painted artwork. That light, gorgeous blue...like the ocean. “And, to be honest...I never met many felines with amber hues. So, to me, your eye color is very...unique.” She seen many other colors. Blue, green - now, her eye color was incredibly common - the occasional, orange, and maybe even a tad of yellow. Was that a little too much? Timid never held back on compliments. She would give them out as long as the other cat decided to take them. She just didn't want Fennec to appear so flushed. Then, it would had been awkward. The she cat could detect a flustered other because it was a natural instinct for her to become so embarrassed after one of her troublesome fears.

If Timid was honest with anyone she met, then they would had known that Timid rather had been any other creature instead of a cat. It's not that she hated her species, but she didn't feel so connected with the ones that shared her communication. If she could be a Bird, she would fly away. If she could be a bee, she would buzz away. If she could be a butterfly, she would flutter away. If she could be a horse, she would gallop away, if she could be a monkey, she would climb away. Anything but a cat. Because being a cat made her feel so small and vulnerable. Her ears twitched, had Fennec said something? She didn't catch his little comment, so she thought it was the wind rustling of the trees or some sort. Though, his next words drew a light giggle from the cat. “Oh, definitely!” She pranced, excitedly. “Birds are a treat,” Timid licked her jaws. “I had a Finch before. A hunter in the Syndicate would be lucky to land their eyes on something juicy as a bird. Well, you know, the less feathery types. Because let's face it - the feathers are annoying. You have to always plunk them off, but the meat is soooooooooo delicious! I found myself chewing on the bones on -” Closing her mouth, the Molly shook her head fondly. The memories were bitter, but in her heart, it was something she cherished… For an odd reason. Perhaps, it was her sweetheart side. Or, her tendency to always remain too sweet without a venomous side added to it. Whatever it was, Timid knew she wouldn't miss the life of hunting for others and starving constantly. But, she would miss the others who raised her into being a very...well, not strong cat. Tolerable? Most definitely. “Blue Jays are beautiful,” she purred lightly. A cat like her found all species beautiful, which was no surprise to those who actually took their time to get to know her. “You'd make an excellent blue Jay, given the chance.” She laughed. It was funny, really hilarious to imagine the cream tom a different species. Let alone a bird. Just like Fennec, Timid found the pretty birds as passionate. Something most cats weren't. Though, she felt if she got to know the Tom a lot more, then maybe she would discover a passionate trait from him. She never thought of herself as being very passionate. She knew she was compassionate, however. And, being a hunter always conflicted her. Timid didn't like killing, and this counted as hunting as well. In fact, why not apologize sincerely to the life you have stolen just to fuel on energy?...or, was she the only cat to have ever done that go every meal she hunted?

Oh, this place was just simply wonderful! So, beautiful! The most satisfying scenery she ever came across. It beat that horrible home that she once knew. Absolutely revolting! If Timid could sing, she would melt her soul out. If she could dance, she would prance her heart away. This...was all new and sudden to her. Allure would kill her for rashfully accepting this Tom’s offer to live with him. The nagging thought in her mind reminded her that she was fully grown to make her own decisions. She wasn't a kit. She wasn't a trainee any longer. She gained the title of a hunter, and this meant she made her own decisions. Well...that would be a lie. Even Timid didn't know what she wanted. Let alone the mere thought of her existence every now and then. This life always been a hectic one, and judging by the tone Fennec was using, she wasn't alone. She simply gave a soft smile at his words. “Dramatic?” She repeated, then tended to roll her eyes afterwards. When you're on the outskirts constantly, one would know what dramatic was. Good acting. That's all the Syndicate ever was. Felines that acted like they cared. That acted like they were tough. That acted like they were so fearless. “No, Fennec. I don't think you're being dramatic. If anything, you're just...hurting.” That wasn't the right term she wanted to use, but it was out in the open now. He may not have known it, but Timid paid close attention during his closed off moments. When he goes into deep thought, making her wonder what he was thinking about. “Something happened, and it was a milestone in your life. Not easily forgotten. I understand.” She understood why he was distracted, but she didn't understand the feeling. She didn't know his sadness. Frankly, she didn't wish to. Sadness was a large fear to her. Just like madness. Upon his quiet remark, Timid fluttered her tail. This was the moment she been waiting for - asking the millions of questions that swirled and haunted her mind since she met her new friend. Where have you come from? How you stumble here? How long have you been on your own? Have you ever got into any fights? Have you ever saw the clans? Who are your family? Where are they? What happened to them? Most importantly; what happened to you? Timid blinked her eyes. Thinking about her questions made her second think this through. She didn't want to overwhelm the Tom. Were they even appropriate at this time? Blinking once more, Timid shifted uncomfortably. “I'll take you up on that offer,” she flicked her ears back. Now, that she had permission to ask questions, she wouldn't allow it to slide that easily. If she were to live with him, then she needed to get to know him. And, vice versa.

“Ohhh, chipmunks!” She squealed, cutely. Indeed, they were very cute to catch and eat. Just like squirrels. Yet, squirrels were tasty. Chipmunks had those fat cheeks, and Timid rather indulge in a game of chase with them than a game of catch with them. The mention of birds that were around made Timid stretch her small body, entering into a crouch to crack the front half of her body in a satisfying manner. The molly gave Fennec a sideways glance. His little correction made her playfully swat her tail at him. “Oh, sure. They're too fast to catch. Gotcha,” she winked at the little joke. Then, she trotted about, looking around at the scenery to see if she could spot one of these birds he mentioned. She couldn't recall if she ever had a magpie before. Maybe they were...delicious? She obviously seen the pretty black and white birds. Sometimes having different colors visible on them. Her paws itched to catch, well, something. Anything to calm a thunderstorm within her gut. Why did every single choice have to be so indecisive to her? Timid scrunched her nose at the distaste of her thoughts.

Timid lowered her nose to the ground, trying to catch a whiff of anything that her nose took as desirous. She stalked forward, the opposite way of where Fennec was heading. She didn't get far, however. She lifted her head, and vigorously looked from left to right, her heart pounding thinking that the Tom left her. When she saw the visible flick of his tail, Timid stumbled forward blindly after him. “Hey, wait up!” She called after him. Once she caught up to him, she trotted at his side, almost jumping at his suggestion. “A game?” She uttered. Then began prancing around, like the giddy feline that the Syndicate was not used to. “I love game!” Despite the fact that she never truly got a chance to act playful. But, Timid was a playful feline. She was addicted to having fun. It was like a drug. Upon the idea, Timid felt her hunger drop like enormous rocks within her belly. “Yes, yes, oh yes!” She jumped happily. “I wanna play, I wanna play, I wanna play!” She giggled, her eyes sparkled, and she continued to Leap about; lighter than air.

[Beam]

Originally Posted by Constellation

Timid knew nothing of her past. Nada. Zilch. Unlike Fennec, if anyone asked Timid how her biological mother was, Timid would only respond with positive vibes. With sweet nothings, and remarkable compliments. To her, Timid’s mother must had been very beautiful, very smart, and very sweet. Even when asking about her biological father, Timid would still believe everything good about her family. That's because Timid wanted to believe that her parents weren't horrible. That they gave her up for a valuable reason. Maybe her mother thought she would survive out in the world than the comfort of a twoleg’s nest. Just, maybe. When Timid thought of a new home with her actual parents, she imagined something gigantic, fully decorated with pretty flowers, and perhaps vintage furniture? Maybe it's a nest all hidden by a hill. Or, maybe real nearby. And, what if her parents were together? Sharing a nest, and grooming each other? It was too bad that their biggest mistake was giving up her. Though, the small cat was grateful that Allure took her in, raised her and such, but like an orphaned child’s heart, soul, and mind, she was plagued by the internal brokenness of her mother and father’s identity. Timid was dearly not an orphan, as her parents weren't dead, but still...the absence made it seem like she was. Timid didn't like to think of her mother and father. As she couldn't picture their faces in her mind, it always left her in a disheveled state. Somewhat stressed, and mildly lost. Evidently. She turned to glance at Fennec, wondering about his own family. He looked pretty young to her to be venturing out here. Which also meant that he was...brave. To him, it wasn't a big deal. Any cat could live on their own, if given the chance. But, for a feline like Timid - a kitty who practically jumps at her shadow whenever she catch a glimpse of it - obviously it was a big deal to her. It occurred to her that perhaps Fennec shared a past like her. Did he also think of both of his parents as...dead? Or, have he never met them? Was he a kittypet born? Have he belonged to a clan once? Oh, something must had happened! Since Timid found him a tad mysterious, she thought of him as an angel sent from Starclan to save her from that no good Syndicate disaster. Oh! That must had been it. Of course! By all means, Timid didn't meet this Tom by accident had she? Wasn't he sent to her to give her a sign that she must leave the Syndicate? It was dearly what she believed. Timid found herself liking the tales of folklore, and perhaps this thing called “magic” was real. Anything was possible. Really.

The Tom had called her eyes...dainty. Meaning small, mostly meaning pretty. If it was one thing Timid loved about herself, it was the color of her hues. Green. Pretty, dark, Irish green. Not the light green that many cats strutted around with. But, that dark green that made it appear hard to tell that it was, indeed, a green color. She known her eyes looked black, taking on that verge, but with help of the sun, that Jade gaze reflected beautifully. Fennec looked embarrassed, and she didn't understand why. So, she simply giggled, and had thanked him for the compliment anyway. “Oh. But I like the blue sky.” She tells him, proceeding to stare up at the color of tranquility. “Just like how I like the color of your eyes.” Fennec was right about one thing; Blue was a very common color. “It might be very common, but you wanna know something personally? I think that every time we look up at the sky, we forget that it is such a recognized color, but we still become so intrigued by the beauty it holds. So, common or not, blue never goes out of style.” Her eyes never left the blue streak sky. Few clouds here and there, but it was all good. The sky was painted artwork. That light, gorgeous blue...like the ocean. “And, to be honest...I never met many felines with amber hues. So, to me, your eye color is very...unique.” She seen many other colors. Blue, green - now, her eye color was incredibly common - the occasional, orange, and maybe even a tad of yellow. Was that a little too much? Timid never held back on compliments. She would give them out as long as the other cat decided to take them. She just didn't want Fennec to appear so flushed. Then, it would had been awkward. The she cat could detect a flustered other because it was a natural instinct for her to become so embarrassed after one of her troublesome fears.

If Timid was honest with anyone she met, then they would had known that Timid rather had been any other creature instead of a cat. It's not that she hated her species, but she didn't feel so connected with the ones that shared her communication. If she could be a Bird, she would fly away. If she could be a bee, she would buzz away. If she could be a butterfly, she would flutter away. If she could be a horse, she would gallop away, if she could be a monkey, she would climb away. Anything but a cat. Because being a cat made her feel so small and vulnerable. Her ears twitched, had Fennec said something? She didn't catch his little comment, so she thought it was the wind rustling of the trees or some sort. Though, his next words drew a light giggle from the cat. “Oh, definitely!” She pranced, excitedly. “Birds are a treat,” Timid licked her jaws. “I had a Finch before. A hunter in the Syndicate would be lucky to land their eyes on something juicy as a bird. Well, you know, the less feathery types. Because let's face it - the feathers are annoying. You have to always plunk them off, but the meat is soooooooooo delicious! I found myself chewing on the bones on -” Closing her mouth, the Molly shook her head fondly. The memories were bitter, but in her heart, it was something she cherished… For an odd reason. Perhaps, it was her sweetheart side. Or, her tendency to always remain too sweet without a venomous side added to it. Whatever it was, Timid knew she wouldn't miss the life of hunting for others and starving constantly. But, she would miss the others who raised her into being a very...well, not strong cat. Tolerable? Most definitely. “Blue Jays are beautiful,” she purred lightly. A cat like her found all species beautiful, which was no surprise to those who actually took their time to get to know her. “You'd make an excellent blue Jay, given the chance.” She laughed. It was funny, really hilarious to imagine the cream tom a different species. Let alone a bird. Just like Fennec, Timid found the pretty birds as passionate. Something most cats weren't. Though, she felt if she got to know the Tom a lot more, then maybe she would discover a passionate trait from him. She never thought of herself as being very passionate. She knew she was compassionate, however. And, being a hunter always conflicted her. Timid didn't like killing, and this counted as hunting as well. In fact, why not apologize sincerely to the life you have stolen just to fuel on energy?...or, was she the only cat to have ever done that go every meal she hunted?

Oh, this place was just simply wonderful! So, beautiful! The most satisfying scenery she ever came across. It beat that horrible home that she once knew. Absolutely revolting! If Timid could sing, she would melt her soul out. If she could dance, she would prance her heart away. This...was all new and sudden to her. Allure would kill her for rashfully accepting this Tom’s offer to live with him. The nagging thought in her mind reminded her that she was fully grown to make her own decisions. She wasn't a kit. She wasn't a trainee any longer. She gained the title of a hunter, and this meant she made her own decisions. Well...that would be a lie. Even Timid didn't know what she wanted. Let alone the mere thought of her existence every now and then. This life always been a hectic one, and judging by the tone Fennec was using, she wasn't alone. She simply gave a soft smile at his words. “Dramatic?” She repeated, then tended to roll her eyes afterwards. When you're on the outskirts constantly, one would know what dramatic was. Good acting. That's all the Syndicate ever was. Felines that acted like they cared. That acted like they were tough. That acted like they were so fearless. “No, Fennec. I don't think you're being dramatic. If anything, you're just...hurting.” That wasn't the right term she wanted to use, but it was out in the open now. He may not have known it, but Timid paid close attention during his closed off moments. When he goes into deep thought, making her wonder what he was thinking about. “Something happened, and it was a milestone in your life. Not easily forgotten. I understand.” She understood why he was distracted, but she didn't understand the feeling. She didn't know his sadness. Frankly, she didn't wish to. Sadness was a large fear to her. Just like madness. Upon his quiet remark, Timid fluttered her tail. This was the moment she been waiting for - asking the millions of questions that swirled and haunted her mind since she met her new friend. Where have you come from? How you stumble here? How long have you been on your own? Have you ever got into any fights? Have you ever saw the clans? Who are your family? Where are they? What happened to them? Most importantly; what happened to you? Timid blinked her eyes. Thinking about her questions made her second think this through. She didn't want to overwhelm the Tom. Were they even appropriate at this time? Blinking once more, Timid shifted uncomfortably. “I'll take you up on that offer,” she flicked her ears back. Now, that she had permission to ask questions, she wouldn't allow it to slide that easily. If she were to live with him, then she needed to get to know him. And, vice versa.

“Ohhh, chipmunks!” She squealed, cutely. Indeed, they were very cute to catch and eat. Just like squirrels. Yet, squirrels were tasty. Chipmunks had those fat cheeks, and Timid rather indulge in a game of chase with them than a game of catch with them. The mention of birds that were around made Timid stretch her small body, entering into a crouch to crack the front half of her body in a satisfying manner. The molly gave Fennec a sideways glance. His little correction made her playfully swat her tail at him. “Oh, sure. They're too fast to catch. Gotcha,” she winked at the little joke. Then, she trotted about, looking around at the scenery to see if she could spot one of these birds he mentioned. She couldn't recall if she ever had a magpie before. Maybe they were...delicious? She obviously seen the pretty black and white birds. Sometimes having different colors visible on them. Her paws itched to catch, well, something. Anything to calm a thunderstorm within her gut. Why did every single choice have to be so indecisive to her? Timid scrunched her nose at the distaste of her thoughts.

Timid lowered her nose to the ground, trying to catch a whiff of anything that her nose took as desirous. She stalked forward, the opposite way of where Fennec was heading. She didn't get far, however. She lifted her head, and vigorously looked from left to right, her heart pounding thinking that the Tom left her. When she saw the visible flick of his tail, Timid stumbled forward blindly after him. “Hey, wait up!” She called after him. Once she caught up to him, she trotted at his side, almost jumping at his suggestion. “A game?” She uttered. Then began prancing around, like the giddy feline that the Syndicate was not used to. “I love game!” Despite the fact that she never truly got a chance to act playful. But, Timid was a playful feline. She was addicted to having fun. It was like a drug. Upon the idea, Timid felt her hunger drop like enormous rocks within her belly. “Yes, yes, oh yes!” She jumped happily. “I wanna play, I wanna play, I wanna play!” She giggled, her eyes sparkled, and she continued to Leap about; lighter than air.

Fennec perked his ears for a second at the sound of a flap of wings, hoping it was maybe close enough to catch. It stopped very quickly, and he turned his wandering gaze that was scanning the trees back to the beryl-colored eyes of the cat next to him. She seemed to be thinking, and he caught himself staring for a second. In a sheepish manner, he turned his head away. Was that what he was like when he was thinking? He hid back a flinch because he must look deep into thought most of the time. To waste the silence between them away, he just looked to the woods. Clean, fresh, green, and turning orange. He spotted some leaves on nearby aspens starting to change to warm, fire colors. Fall was here, which means the prey would start to disappear. He had always had a love-hate relationship with winter. Everything was so frosty and pretty, but it was always difficult. But now he had a benefit-he had an excellent, trained hunter on his side in a more plentiful place. Either way, he’d been ok trough the other Winters, but now he’d have two times more the prey. Well, Timid would eat too. So they’d both be okay. He suddenly blinked in surprise, he had just imagined himself and Timid living together, and Winter was like one or two moons away.

They already seemed extremely compatible

He smiled at her comment, his eyes traveling to the blue sky above him, again, which was getting pale in the nearing cold weather. He listened to Timid’s sophisticated words carefully, finding a wanderlust inside of him as he studied the infinite expanse of cool blue sky, shrouded with the outlines of leaves and vegetation rooted in the ground. At the elevation he was perched at, the clouds moved so fast, that it was nearly impossible to capture and remember a perfect scene since it would be gone so quickly. If Fennec could, he would just study the sky all day and feel the cool breeze tickle the fur on his ears and listen to the birds sing. That would be heavenly, just to forget everything and watch. Everything in this world moves so fast, and everyone needed to slow down and take a moment to appreciate the atmosphere around them, or else they would miss true beauty. “You’re right.” He agreed, drawing his eyes back to Timid. “Maybe sometimes simplicity is better.”

Timid and Fennec were from two opposite worlds. A sweet cat in a hostile place and a messed up tom from the regular world would meet should sound awfully like a bad idea, but nothing had gone wrong. It was also odd how the conversation led to the subject of birds, funny little creatures who lived in bowls of sticks. It was such a little, underrated thing that it seemed almost silly to talk about it. A scared molly and a guarded tom talking about birds, it seemed pretty interesting to him, or was it that he was just thinking about the smallest things? Whatever it was, it was confusing him. His head tilted to the side in curiosity as Timid cut herself off. Didn't she want to keep talking about how good birds were? She wasn't annoying him, so maybe it was just personal. He had plenty of experience with that. “I bet the Syndicate was lucky for any prey.” He added thoughtfully, imagining a place where the prey-rich Summer never came “But sometimes birds are a nuisance. I remember I once climbed up a tree for one, and it was all feathers-no meat whatsoever. I thought it was this plump little sparrow and it turned out to be the skinniest thing ever. I had good bedding though. That’s a plus for feathers.” He studied her facial expressions for a moment, wondering what she was thinking again. Maybe she was thinking of the Syndicate, or this place, or why she was talking to him in the first place. He didn’t know. She seemed somewhat troubled in the way, and maybe he could try to attempt to lighten the mood just slightly, after all, everyone could use a laugh once in awhile. The keyword there was ‘try’, he wasn't very good at this whole cheering up thing. “I have a question,” he stated calmly, a twinkle of humor catching in his eyes, Fennec really hoped it would be somewhat funny or at least distracting to get their minds off other things, plus, it was a genuine question. “Do Syndicate cats even use feathers as bedding? Or bedding at all? Or do they sleep on thorns and stuff?”

Excellent? An excellent bluejay? Fennec didn’t know how to qualify for that title of excellent, but he took the compliment anyways and gave a small, sheepish smile. He couldn't see himself shrinking into a little blue bird. He’d start shrieking with that weird bird call at everything and panic his life away. The little blue mohawked bird was just in a whole new level, or just different from everything else. No songbird, no prey bird. Just kind of itself. Fennec could relate, he was different from the status quo, weird, maybe even intimidating, but never the same.

He felt as if he could trust Timid. She had a lot in her life, she could understand. If not, she was just sweet enough to know. Oh, wow, how would he start this off if she asked the right question? So, my mother killed my sister and so my other sister ran away and I followed her and witnessed her being crushed by a rockslide. So then in panic and numb shock, ran away. There I saw my cowardly father, screamed at him, continued to fight him, I won, by the way, and came here. The End. That would be quite the shocker, and a lot of information to take in. He wouldn't want to put all of that direct, compressed truth right on her. He took a few tentative seconds to reply, being careful. “Dramatic? Yes, I am very dramatic. I’m not going to deny it.” in her next phrases though, it left him in relief. She understood something happened, she actually understood. She must’ve had so many questions for the times he closed himself off just to sit and ponder, Fennec didn’t blame her, he would too. He watched her blink a few times and accept. He was expecting a flood of questions, but he underestimated her. She was caring and smart, and definitely compassionate to him. “Alright, Whenever you’re ready.”

He never knew how much Timid liked chipmunks, she seemed very excited to hear about them. He was eager to go out and chase, and it seemed as if she was too. “Very fast indeed. Good luck catching one of those little lightning bolts.” He too stretched as Timid wandered off to sniff something. He pivoted and began to search for a hint of prey, his tail flicking with interest at every sound and he turned his ears, eyes, nose, and paws on. He liked how he could just switch from a regular demeanor to a hunting expert. It was like he was two different felines. He stopped and lifted his head, his ears swiveling to catch a sound when he heard Timid's voice. Was she in trouble? Was something there? He became relieved when she caught up but then realized that he forgot she had a skittish behavior. “Sorry.” he apologized quietly. Happy to hear that she would take up his offer on a little game, he watched her hop around in joy, giving him a blissful vibe as well. Neatly, he sat down to explain to her, keeping his ears alert for prey that was nearby.

“Okay.” He mewed confidently, his paws itching to get active again. “If you’re comfortable with splitting up, I say we have ourselves a little competition.” He watched her for any change in expression. He hoped she’d be okay with it, or else he would have to dream up another little wager very quickly. “Let's see who catches the most prey by the time…” He looked up at the sky, the sun was starting to drop but there was really no time to tell with. “By the time we can’t carry anymore. Sound fair?” His eyes searched for an accepting acknowledgment, knowing very well that if she did accept he and Timid would not be hungry for the next day, assuming they both catch prey.

(sorry this is really short)

[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Beam

Fennec perked his ears for a second at the sound of a flap of wings, hoping it was maybe close enough to catch. It stopped very quickly, and he turned his wandering gaze that was scanning the trees back to the beryl-colored eyes of the cat next to him. She seemed to be thinking, and he caught himself staring for a second. In a sheepish manner, he turned his head away. Was that what he was like when he was thinking? He hid back a flinch because he must look deep into thought most of the time. To waste the silence between them away, he just looked to the woods. Clean, fresh, green, and turning orange. He spotted some leaves on nearby aspens starting to change to warm, fire colors. Fall was here, which means the prey would start to disappear. He had always had a love-hate relationship with winter. Everything was so frosty and pretty, but it was always difficult. But now he had a benefit-he had an excellent, trained hunter on his side in a more plentiful place. Either way, he’d been ok trough the other Winters, but now he’d have two times more the prey. Well, Timid would eat too. So they’d both be okay. He suddenly blinked in surprise, he had just imagined himself and Timid living together, and Winter was like one or two moons away.

They already seemed extremely compatible

He smiled at her comment, his eyes traveling to the blue sky above him, again, which was getting pale in the nearing cold weather. He listened to Timid’s sophisticated words carefully, finding a wanderlust inside of him as he studied the infinite expanse of cool blue sky, shrouded with the outlines of leaves and vegetation rooted in the ground. At the elevation he was perched at, the clouds moved so fast, that it was nearly impossible to capture and remember a perfect scene since it would be gone so quickly. If Fennec could, he would just study the sky all day and feel the cool breeze tickle the fur on his ears and listen to the birds sing. That would be heavenly, just to forget everything and watch. Everything in this world moves so fast, and everyone needed to slow down and take a moment to appreciate the atmosphere around them, or else they would miss true beauty. “You’re right.” He agreed, drawing his eyes back to Timid. “Maybe sometimes simplicity is better.”

Timid and Fennec were from two opposite worlds. A sweet cat in a hostile place and a messed up tom from the regular world would meet should sound awfully like a bad idea, but nothing had gone wrong. It was also odd how the conversation led to the subject of birds, funny little creatures who lived in bowls of sticks. It was such a little, underrated thing that it seemed almost silly to talk about it. A scared molly and a guarded tom talking about birds, it seemed pretty interesting to him, or was it that he was just thinking about the smallest things? Whatever it was, it was confusing him. His head tilted to the side in curiosity as Timid cut herself off. Didn't she want to keep talking about how good birds were? She wasn't annoying him, so maybe it was just personal. He had plenty of experience with that. “I bet the Syndicate was lucky for any prey.” He added thoughtfully, imagining a place where the prey-rich Summer never came “But sometimes birds are a nuisance. I remember I once climbed up a tree for one, and it was all feathers-no meat whatsoever. I thought it was this plump little sparrow and it turned out to be the skinniest thing ever. I had good bedding though. That’s a plus for feathers.” He studied her facial expressions for a moment, wondering what she was thinking again. Maybe she was thinking of the Syndicate, or this place, or why she was talking to him in the first place. He didn’t know. She seemed somewhat troubled in the way, and maybe he could try to attempt to lighten the mood just slightly, after all, everyone could use a laugh once in awhile. The keyword there was ‘try’, he wasn't very good at this whole cheering up thing. “I have a question,” he stated calmly, a twinkle of humor catching in his eyes, Fennec really hoped it would be somewhat funny or at least distracting to get their minds off other things, plus, it was a genuine question. “Do Syndicate cats even use feathers as bedding? Or bedding at all? Or do they sleep on thorns and stuff?”

Excellent? An excellent bluejay? Fennec didn’t know how to qualify for that title of excellent, but he took the compliment anyways and gave a small, sheepish smile. He couldn't see himself shrinking into a little blue bird. He’d start shrieking with that weird bird call at everything and panic his life away. The little blue mohawked bird was just in a whole new level, or just different from everything else. No songbird, no prey bird. Just kind of itself. Fennec could relate, he was different from the status quo, weird, maybe even intimidating, but never the same.

He felt as if he could trust Timid. She had a lot in her life, she could understand. If not, she was just sweet enough to know. Oh, wow, how would he start this off if she asked the right question? So, my mother killed my sister and so my other sister ran away and I followed her and witnessed her being crushed by a rockslide. So then in panic and numb shock, ran away. There I saw my cowardly father, screamed at him, continued to fight him, I won, by the way, and came here. The End. That would be quite the shocker, and a lot of information to take in. He wouldn't want to put all of that direct, compressed truth right on her. He took a few tentative seconds to reply, being careful. “Dramatic? Yes, I am very dramatic. I’m not going to deny it.” in her next phrases though, it left him in relief. She understood something happened, she actually understood. She must’ve had so many questions for the times he closed himself off just to sit and ponder, Fennec didn’t blame her, he would too. He watched her blink a few times and accept. He was expecting a flood of questions, but he underestimated her. She was caring and smart, and definitely compassionate to him. “Alright, Whenever you’re ready.”

He never knew how much Timid liked chipmunks, she seemed very excited to hear about them. He was eager to go out and chase, and it seemed as if she was too. “Very fast indeed. Good luck catching one of those little lightning bolts.” He too stretched as Timid wandered off to sniff something. He pivoted and began to search for a hint of prey, his tail flicking with interest at every sound and he turned his ears, eyes, nose, and paws on. He liked how he could just switch from a regular demeanor to a hunting expert. It was like he was two different felines. He stopped and lifted his head, his ears swiveling to catch a sound when he heard Timid's voice. Was she in trouble? Was something there? He became relieved when she caught up but then realized that he forgot she had a skittish behavior. “Sorry.” he apologized quietly. Happy to hear that she would take up his offer on a little game, he watched her hop around in joy, giving him a blissful vibe as well. Neatly, he sat down to explain to her, keeping his ears alert for prey that was nearby.

“Okay.” He mewed confidently, his paws itching to get active again. “If you’re comfortable with splitting up, I say we have ourselves a little competition.” He watched her for any change in expression. He hoped she’d be okay with it, or else he would have to dream up another little wager very quickly. “Let's see who catches the most prey by the time…” He looked up at the sky, the sun was starting to drop but there was really no time to tell with. “By the time we can’t carry anymore. Sound fair?” His eyes searched for an accepting acknowledgment, knowing very well that if she did accept he and Timid would not be hungry for the next day, assuming they both catch prey.

(sorry this is really short)

Simplicity was life. At least it could be for many of they chose not to complicate it. Since Timid found herself to be...a rather complicated cat, she didn't believe her life was simple at all. It was more than just being a wild cat, and growing up in a place that should had longed been destroyed; never started. There was nothing simple about being forced to hunt - not for yourself, but for others. For the fighters who need their nutrients and the hunters or healers didn't matter. There was nothing simple about growing up in a place, scared for your life! Believing everyday that it may be the last moment you'll breathe. That you'll live. There was nothing simple about survival at its best. Everything else around her, Timid found it was very simple. The sky was blue. Leaves grew on trees, cats couldn't fly. Those were all simple, delicate, and the truth. Albeit, Fennec was right; Simplicity was better. It was beautiful. Out here. Where she felt, well, semi-safe. As safe as a cat could he when she was frightened by the entire earth's surroundings. Timid may have been a very intelligent cat, but she wasn't the most bravest. She wasn't afraid to show that she was scared of one thing, of many things. It was tough growing up in the syndicate where kits were murdered by their parents if they weren't deemed enough to help the syndicate grow in numbers. It was all about power, and she was...spared. Why had she been spared? Timid shook her head, frowning for a moment as she thought about the friends she never said goodbye to. Her decision was a bit rushed, but this Tom offered her a home here after she voiced the trouble she gone through. Was it a smart decision to stay with him? He didn't seem like he could do no harm... he seemed...as lost as she was. Maybe, even in a deeper type of trouble that he didn't feel much comfortable with voicing.

Neverminding that, Timid gave a dutiful nod, her irises glowing brilliantly as she embraced the sky. "Simplicity is better." She muttered. When they started talking about the creatures with feathers, Timid made the decision that she wished to be a dove. They were a calming white. A color, to her, was bland. There was nothing special about the color white, but the birds of peace made it seem like the beauty of white was under appreciated. Whereas, Fennec chose a bluebird, now those birds were a gorgeous color. Should she have chosen another bird? Like a peacock? Or a hummingbird? Maybe a starling? No, no - she had been overthinking, another fear of hers. Timid wanted to stay far from being worried. She wasn't in the syndicate where she had to worry everyday of it would be her last sunrise. She was in this...humble, plentiful place that made life seem so simple for all the animals. This was the place where she didn't have to worry about her last sunset...hopefully. Even a place such as this had its predators, and she wasn't a molly fit enough to fight in a battle. She was prettier being seen than being heard. "Yeah...we were." She gave a lighthearted shrug, her eyes downcasted at the ground, and her claws aimlessly making shapes into the dirt. Fennec wouldn't know how much trouble the syndicate was. Numerous times she almost failed and lost her life. She didn't even bother to look up at him as she reminisced. "Everything was considered a luxury in the syndicate. We'd go days without eating. The fighters always had to eat first before any of us. We always had to feed them, and some of them were so big that we...never got to eat. Everything was so scarce there. To be honest, a piece of a feather was the most lavish thing." She sulked. However, a small smile reached the Molly's face as the tom recollected his tale about a bird being scrawny. Timid tilted her head up to look at her companion, her smile widening. "Sparrows aren't my favorite treat, anyway." She purred. Those birds were rather scrawny, and she only had one herself. Never again would she hunt those birds. There was only few pieces of prey that Timid preferred to kill. As she continued to listen, her eyes lit up in a humorous fit. "Feathers do sound very soft," she replied, dreamily. She could imagine sleeping on stacks of bird feathers. That would be the most luxurious object she ever had. "I wish!" She crowed, almost falling over laughing. The syndicate...ever having something soft to lay upon? That was a large NO. Timid couldn't speak for the commander, who kept everyone in check. He most likely had all the riches in the world. She didn't doubt that one bit. "I always slept on the cold ground," she squeaked. That was embarrassing to admit. She didn't sleep on moss nests or feathers or any other dead animal's fur that was considered bedding. "It wasn't so bad, though!" She quickly added, "You'll get used to it after a while." Still, there was no justice with being treated like a second citizen. As a hunter, she wasn't treated with respect from anybody. Allure always had came to her rescue because Allure regarded the scaredy-cat as her own kit; her own daughter. Timid inwardly felt like a disappointed. She was glad she left that place, but what if she started becoming a disappointment in Fennec's eyes as well? Then, where would she go?

No. She couldn't think like that. What she forced herself to believe that she could be useful to this Tom. She wasn't just going to live off of him freely, munching away as he is doing all the work. Timid wasn't the best huntress, but she was a huntress. She knew the smell of prey, she knew how to endure her stamina, despite her legs being heavily short, so she had to take multiple breaks after running for a burst of a period.

Just as she had been, the Tom looked deep in thought. It made her ears flicked because she noticed a somewhat look of apprehension crossing his face, like he was shocked, surprised. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but he suddenly said something that made her genuinely laugh. Dramatic, eh? She didn't take him as such, and maybe he had been joking, but whatever the reason was, she didn't mind. "I'll keep that noted." She winked. Nothing funny than a dramatic tom. Possibly, this new friend of hers wasn't at all dramatic, but his life had been. Which couldn't be a surprise since every life held such a suspenseful thriller like on a movie. Timid was grateful that she bumped into him. Literally. He offered her protection. He just didn't know how easily frightened she would become. Back in the syndicate, they pushed her away. They watched her cry; they made her cry. She was worthless there...but, here? She hoped it would be different. She hoped she wasn't falling in the same misery that she unintentionally escaped from. "Maybe, we can talk tonight." As they're laying down, in a nest, about to sleep. Maybe, that was the perfect time to talk. To get to know each other tonight.

"Is that a challenge?" She questioned, giving a knowing glance towards the Tom. Chipmunks were cute. They were...cuddly. Like a teddy bear for a small child. They were one of the preys that Timid refused to catch and gobble down. In fact, she rather liked to frolic with the little critters. Sometimes she would blow her cheeks up to copy their fat ones and hop after them. But, this had been a secret that she was embarrassed to tell anyone about. "Fast or not - the only thing you need is determination. But, they say the mind is a lot faster than any movements." Yes, chipmunks were fast, but if a predator could outsmart the little speedmasters? Then, there was no competition. That's the entire tutorial that Timid learned from her hunting coach. Any prey faster than her, she had to come up with a sneaker plan to catch them. It was the way she hunted. When Fennec suggested the two play a game, it made her day a whole lot brighter. Timid adored playing. It was her favorite activity ever. Back in the syndicate, they ignored those motives. She was deemed as immature - but what was wrong with a little game? She bounced after the Tom, a gleam in her eyes. She continued to bounce around even after he began explaining the intentions of the game. When he mentioned they would be splitting up, Timid stopped her prancing, and she felt her ears flatten against her head instantly....split up? "But, I, I, uh - I think that's fine." She corrected herself. She was a stuttering mess, but it had to come a time where she accepted being independent. She wasn't supposed to be relying on him on her every little step. Yet, she was still scared. She didn't want to run into any trouble, but she gulped this down, feigning determination. "I bet I'll win." She purred. All she had to do was catch as much prey as she could. How hard could that be? She was, after all, a hunter. Not an expert one, but she had enough skill to trick her target and catch them swiftly.

"And, if I win?" She emphasized. Confidence...was an awkward apparel on her. Timid was not a confident feline, so her voice may have sounded force than anything else, but she felt herself semi (not at all) prepared. She circled around her companion, throwing him a quick sweet smile before she looked in the distance. She had to get a good whiff of the most dominated area of potential prey. When she found it, her nose locked in the distance, and her eyes slitting to show she was ready to run. "...deal." She said, softly, and scurried off one way to began the competition. Gosh! How fast was her heart beating? It was off the charts! She felt wary of her surroundings. As long as she breathed nature in, then she would be fine...right? Right.

[Beam]

Originally Posted by Constellation

Simplicity was life. At least it could be for many of they chose not to complicate it. Since Timid found herself to be...a rather complicated cat, she didn't believe her life was simple at all. It was more than just being a wild cat, and growing up in a place that should had longed been destroyed; never started. There was nothing simple about being forced to hunt - not for yourself, but for others. For the fighters who need their nutrients and the hunters or healers didn't matter. There was nothing simple about growing up in a place, scared for your life! Believing everyday that it may be the last moment you'll breathe. That you'll live. There was nothing simple about survival at its best. Everything else around her, Timid found it was very simple. The sky was blue. Leaves grew on trees, cats couldn't fly. Those were all simple, delicate, and the truth. Albeit, Fennec was right; Simplicity was better. It was beautiful. Out here. Where she felt, well, semi-safe. As safe as a cat could he when she was frightened by the entire earth's surroundings. Timid may have been a very intelligent cat, but she wasn't the most bravest. She wasn't afraid to show that she was scared of one thing, of many things. It was tough growing up in the syndicate where kits were murdered by their parents if they weren't deemed enough to help the syndicate grow in numbers. It was all about power, and she was...spared. Why had she been spared? Timid shook her head, frowning for a moment as she thought about the friends she never said goodbye to. Her decision was a bit rushed, but this Tom offered her a home here after she voiced the trouble she gone through. Was it a smart decision to stay with him? He didn't seem like he could do no harm... he seemed...as lost as she was. Maybe, even in a deeper type of trouble that he didn't feel much comfortable with voicing.

Neverminding that, Timid gave a dutiful nod, her irises glowing brilliantly as she embraced the sky. "Simplicity is better." She muttered. When they started talking about the creatures with feathers, Timid made the decision that she wished to be a dove. They were a calming white. A color, to her, was bland. There was nothing special about the color white, but the birds of peace made it seem like the beauty of white was under appreciated. Whereas, Fennec chose a bluebird, now those birds were a gorgeous color. Should she have chosen another bird? Like a peacock? Or a hummingbird? Maybe a starling? No, no - she had been overthinking, another fear of hers. Timid wanted to stay far from being worried. She wasn't in the syndicate where she had to worry everyday of it would be her last sunrise. She was in this...humble, plentiful place that made life seem so simple for all the animals. This was the place where she didn't have to worry about her last sunset...hopefully. Even a place such as this had its predators, and she wasn't a molly fit enough to fight in a battle. She was prettier being seen than being heard. "Yeah...we were." She gave a lighthearted shrug, her eyes downcasted at the ground, and her claws aimlessly making shapes into the dirt. Fennec wouldn't know how much trouble the syndicate was. Numerous times she almost failed and lost her life. She didn't even bother to look up at him as she reminisced. "Everything was considered a luxury in the syndicate. We'd go days without eating. The fighters always had to eat first before any of us. We always had to feed them, and some of them were so big that we...never got to eat. Everything was so scarce there. To be honest, a piece of a feather was the most lavish thing." She sulked. However, a small smile reached the Molly's face as the tom recollected his tale about a bird being scrawny. Timid tilted her head up to look at her companion, her smile widening. "Sparrows aren't my favorite treat, anyway." She purred. Those birds were rather scrawny, and she only had one herself. Never again would she hunt those birds. There was only few pieces of prey that Timid preferred to kill. As she continued to listen, her eyes lit up in a humorous fit. "Feathers do sound very soft," she replied, dreamily. She could imagine sleeping on stacks of bird feathers. That would be the most luxurious object she ever had. "I wish!" She crowed, almost falling over laughing. The syndicate...ever having something soft to lay upon? That was a large NO. Timid couldn't speak for the commander, who kept everyone in check. He most likely had all the riches in the world. She didn't doubt that one bit. "I always slept on the cold ground," she squeaked. That was embarrassing to admit. She didn't sleep on moss nests or feathers or any other dead animal's fur that was considered bedding. "It wasn't so bad, though!" She quickly added, "You'll get used to it after a while." Still, there was no justice with being treated like a second citizen. As a hunter, she wasn't treated with respect from anybody. Allure always had came to her rescue because Allure regarded the scaredy-cat as her own kit; her own daughter. Timid inwardly felt like a disappointed. She was glad she left that place, but what if she started becoming a disappointment in Fennec's eyes as well? Then, where would she go?

No. She couldn't think like that. What she forced herself to believe that she could be useful to this Tom. She wasn't just going to live off of him freely, munching away as he is doing all the work. Timid wasn't the best huntress, but she was a huntress. She knew the smell of prey, she knew how to endure her stamina, despite her legs being heavily short, so she had to take multiple breaks after running for a burst of a period.

Just as she had been, the Tom looked deep in thought. It made her ears flicked because she noticed a somewhat look of apprehension crossing his face, like he was shocked, surprised. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but he suddenly said something that made her genuinely laugh. Dramatic, eh? She didn't take him as such, and maybe he had been joking, but whatever the reason was, she didn't mind. "I'll keep that noted." She winked. Nothing funny than a dramatic tom. Possibly, this new friend of hers wasn't at all dramatic, but his life had been. Which couldn't be a surprise since every life held such a suspenseful thriller like on a movie. Timid was grateful that she bumped into him. Literally. He offered her protection. He just didn't know how easily frightened she would become. Back in the syndicate, they pushed her away. They watched her cry; they made her cry. She was worthless there...but, here? She hoped it would be different. She hoped she wasn't falling in the same misery that she unintentionally escaped from. "Maybe, we can talk tonight." As they're laying down, in a nest, about to sleep. Maybe, that was the perfect time to talk. To get to know each other tonight.

"Is that a challenge?" She questioned, giving a knowing glance towards the Tom. Chipmunks were cute. They were...cuddly. Like a teddy bear for a small child. They were one of the preys that Timid refused to catch and gobble down. In fact, she rather liked to frolic with the little critters. Sometimes she would blow her cheeks up to copy their fat ones and hop after them. But, this had been a secret that she was embarrassed to tell anyone about. "Fast or not - the only thing you need is determination. But, they say the mind is a lot faster than any movements." Yes, chipmunks were fast, but if a predator could outsmart the little speedmasters? Then, there was no competition. That's the entire tutorial that Timid learned from her hunting coach. Any prey faster than her, she had to come up with a sneaker plan to catch them. It was the way she hunted. When Fennec suggested the two play a game, it made her day a whole lot brighter. Timid adored playing. It was her favorite activity ever. Back in the syndicate, they ignored those motives. She was deemed as immature - but what was wrong with a little game? She bounced after the Tom, a gleam in her eyes. She continued to bounce around even after he began explaining the intentions of the game. When he mentioned they would be splitting up, Timid stopped her prancing, and she felt her ears flatten against her head instantly....split up? "But, I, I, uh - I think that's fine." She corrected herself. She was a stuttering mess, but it had to come a time where she accepted being independent. She wasn't supposed to be relying on him on her every little step. Yet, she was still scared. She didn't want to run into any trouble, but she gulped this down, feigning determination. "I bet I'll win." She purred. All she had to do was catch as much prey as she could. How hard could that be? She was, after all, a hunter. Not an expert one, but she had enough skill to trick her target and catch them swiftly.

"And, if I win?" She emphasized. Confidence...was an awkward apparel on her. Timid was not a confident feline, so her voice may have sounded force than anything else, but she felt herself semi (not at all) prepared. She circled around her companion, throwing him a quick sweet smile before she looked in the distance. She had to get a good whiff of the most dominated area of potential prey. When she found it, her nose locked in the distance, and her eyes slitting to show she was ready to run. "...deal." She said, softly, and scurried off one way to began the competition. Gosh! How fast was her heart beating? It was off the charts! She felt wary of her surroundings. As long as she breathed nature in, then she would be fine...right? Right.

In a way, silence always spoke the loudest. When he thought, it was always vivid, despite the fact that there would be no sound around him. The voices were always filled with melodrama, which meant he was probably overreacting on every little thought that entered his mind. He had only known four cats extremely well in his life, so he didn’t really think much of meeting someone new, he was-in most circumstances-solitary. Did that make him go crazy sometimes? No, Fennec just wasn’t used to the aspect of talking to someone that wasn’t his family. He promised he would keep quiet, but did he? No- but maybe it was because he thought that opening up was bad, but once he tried, it wasn’t that bad. Sure, it was awkward and he was dramatic, but maybe it was because Timid had empathy, unlike Thomas or Birch. He sighed, his amber eyes flickering towards the forest again to try and spot something Timid would enjoy, like another deer. Melodramatic, Melodramatic .

A bluebird and dove. Serenity and Passion. The ‘birds’ seemed to fit together, just like the sky. Sometimes thundering, sometimes sad, sometimes clear and fine. It was sort of...calming to know that the two animals seemed to have that analogy. He didn’t know how to describe it- the relation was just calming, aesthetic, even. Luxury, luxury. What did he consider a luxury? Maybe someone close to him-that he could trust and confide in, someone like Holly and Swift. “Sounds rough.” He added to her though, not really knowing how to express what he was trying to say. “Me neither. I don’t really like hunting them anyway.” Fennec had never seen why so many cats adored over having a sparrow as if it was some kind of miracle. The tom’s head nodded in agreement about her feather inquiry. He would have to get her some. “Cold ground?” Fennec echoed, his eyes dictate son the Molly, his face curved into a disregardING expression “That doesn’t sound very nice. I’ll make it my mission to go get you some bedding. [I] Real [I] bedding.”

He didn’t have it so bad. In his eyes now, the place he lived in seemed like a paradise. Sure, when the cold came prey seemed to leave him all alone, but the snow was just a complication he would just need to deal with- as he had done. But this place was like a glimmering haven compared to what the syndicate seemed like.

It’s not that he was using dramatic as an excuse - or was he?- never mind the facts, but he seemed to have a tendency to overthink, over do, and over dramatize. He just needed to tone it down. So what? His life was his life, even if he missed his family, well, [I] most[/] of his family, doesn’t mean he had to be a solitary, act-very-lone-wolf Tom. He just had to, well, he didn’t know- calm down. That seemed like a good personal promise. He laughed a little as she winked, his tail curling with a sense of serenity. “Tonight sounds...good.” He stammered. They could talk, on authentic bedding. It was good for him, and he was grateful that he actually had someone to tell. Even if he thought he wouldn’t, he would. It was better that way. Probably.

“No. It’s a friendly competition.” He mewed. “But a challenge sound nice.” He returned his glare back at Timid. Oh, was that the right thing to say? His Mouth moved faster than his brain could comprehend. He shook his head quickly, getting ready to go against Timid in a hunting competition. If he won, there was still prey, and hopefully feathers for the ex-syndicater. ”But it does help being fast.” He added playfully, actually thinking of his response this time. His brain was faster than movements, but his younger was faster than both. Oh no, she seemed scared. Maybe she shouldn’t had proposed splitting up. He had no intentions of making her scared, at all. He shifted his paws, “are you sure?” He questioned the small she-cat, just in case. His claws already itched to go into the woods. Maybe he’d find one of those wild strawberry plants. The Tom instantly wondered if Timid would like to try such a thing like the small, sweet red fruits-or if she had ever heard of them in the first place. “We’ll see about that.” Fennec purred, almost buzzing on his feet. He bounced forward, his spirits lifted.

“Hmm, I don’t know. Maybe first pick at the prey collection? We’ll figure something out.” He smiled, searching her expressions for an answer. He reasoned himself to begin, then pranced off into the thickening forest, picking his way over small trees and undergrowth, adrenaline pounding and determination rising. With every log he passed, he checked for scents, with every tree he saw, he checked for the scratches of squirrels. This is where he belonged: friendly competitions, in the middle of nature, where nothing could bother him. Except, of course, those stupid sparrows.