Ohhh What a pair

PenguinEatsCarrots - PEC - Pale
TheGreatCattacoon - TGC - Mint

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TGC - A small black and white figure poked it's head out of a small hole in the base of a tree. Mint's large green eyes searched for any signs of danger. The young cat had been alone now for a few weeks and he wasn't doing very well. He managed to eat when he found discarded prey from other animals, but it was usually rotten and gross. He woke up this morning with a growling stomach and decided it was time to venture out again. He had been staying in the small tree den since his sister had passed away a few weeks ago. Mint burried her and tried to stay close to her grave, but had to leave after knly a few days as her scent was drawing in the monsters. Now he slowly cralwed on his belly in an attempt to stay somewhat hidden as he searched for food. He had learned to keep out of sight, or something was bound to chase after him in hopes of a snack, that had happened a gew times, but they had only been small monsters, so he was able to hide and get away. He darted quickly from hiding places and tried to stay as quiet as possable, not wanting to attract attention by making noise. The small cat had the ability to be abnormally quiet. He was about to dart forward again when a dark, clawed food landed in front of his hiding place, followed by a snarl as the beast infront of him took a whiff of the air, looking for the small thing just inches from its paw.

PEC - It was dark. Well, it was always dark. What do you expect from a world covered in ash? Pale's originally white pelt, was now reddish black. "My face feels crusty," he muttered absent mindidly to himself. Luckily for him he had gone two days thus far without incident. The worst.. Thing he's encountered so far was a sort of badger-porqupine type creature. He didn't know how to explain the horrors.
His long skinny tail drooped pathetically behind him, the tip of it missing and the fur gone up to the middle. The left side of his face was covered in ash and crusted blood. If one could see under all the crust and dirt they would find the fur completely missing, a gruesome scar covering his face down to his shoulders. "Sigh," he said slowly. His remaining ear perked up when a loud yowl of sorts was heard. "Shit.." He cursed, thinking the beast behind him. He bounded forward on shaky legs. He skidded to a cold silent halt when he came face to back with the larg blackish figure of the badger-porqupine creature. His breath hitched in his throat, especially when he saw a small black and white paw poking out from in front of the creature.

TGC - Mint tried to scooch back farther under the small bush he was using as cover, only to send out a crack as he stepped on a twig behind him. He let out a yelp as the face of the monster appeared quickly infront of him. It snarled and shoved its paw under the branches, scratching at the ground in an attempt to find Mint. It didn't take long before it got its thick claws latched onto Mints small body. The little cat yowled in pain as he was dragged out into the open. He felt the warmth of blood on his shoulder as the beast flung him to the side. It turned on him with a vicious snarl and Mint frantically searched for an escape.  His eyes fell on a rather bloody looking cat crouching not far off "Help!" He cried out as he tried to run away, but another paw batted at Mint. It was as if the thing was toying with him before killing him. He tried  clawing at it, but his tiny claws barley scraped it's thick skin and did no help. "Don't just stand there!" He yelled over to the ash covered cat, "help me!" His voice shook with fear . There was no way he could get out of yhis on his own, if he nobody helped him, he was surly going to die.

PEC - The badger creature then lunged for the small.. Cat? Yes definitely cat. He wanted to help but- look at that thing! It's huge! He stood frozen, the first cry for help falling on a deaf ear. His red eyes widended. He never was good at this uh fighting thing. Even as one of the Skinner's sons he never fought well. "Uhh um uh.." He stammered pathetically.  By the second cry for help he broke out of his trance. "I-I-I got you kid!" He scrambled. How does one even fight off this thing? Distract it! "Hey! Meathead!" He shouted, kicking up a ashen stone. "I can promise you I taste waaaayyy beter than that scrap!"

TGC - "Did yiu just call me a scrap?!" Mint growled to the cat, ignoring the large creature now, even though he was a tiny cat, he didn't like being told it. However he quickly shut his mouth as the enraged and now confused creature turned back to him. The other cat must have caught it off guard because it had whirled around to face him. Now it stood between the cats, judging which would be an easier catch.  While it debated, Mint took the opportunity to limp as quickly as possible to the scarred cat. The monster turned his head with an angry snarl and lunged again at the little cat, after all he was injured and an easier target. Mint let out a squeak and barley managed to dive away, the things claws snagging his back as it sailed over him and crashed behind him. Mint sat petrified, crouched and unable to move as it lumbered to its huge paws again.

PEC- Pale took a chance and dove towards the kit, gripping his bloody scruff tightly in his mouth. He skidded slightly on the loose ash. "Take that!" He muffled the growl. He kicked up a stone with his back paws. The stone flew straight at the badger thing's eye. It let out a loud cry, "you dirt cat!" He heard it growl, its rugged voice choppy. "Kill you dirt cat!" It snarled. Pale paled (pun intended) slightly when the huge creature lumbered their way. Red eyes widened and Pale was lucky he jumped in time to avoid a large missile like spike shot at him. He felt the all to familiar sting as the spike grazed his side. He glanced over at the tail length sized spike. "We're outa here!" He mummbled through the kits fur. He scrambled comically in the ash for a second before dashing forward. He duck underneath the badger monsters huge clawed paws. He flew through bushes and branches, his already marred face becoming even more covered in scratches. His eyes watered as he ran. His neck hurt so had, this scrap is so freaking heavy! Like damn!

TGC - Mint watched as the pale cat darted towards him and let out a yelp as he felt his teeth dig into his scruff "owww...that hurts!" He told the tom who was carrying him, his teeth dug deep into his skin and he was already soar from the monster thing and now he was being dragged around by this cat. As he began to run, he bounced off the cats chest, his shoulder rubbed against him and he winced as the cuts swiped along the other cat. After running for a while the fear ebbed away from Mint and he got himself together. he started to squirm in the cats jaws. He was uncomfortable and figured they were safe enough and far away from whatever attacked them to be annoying now. "put me down!" He whined to the whiteish cat. He realized that now he was being carried by a strange cat who could very well be as desperate as all the beasts roaming the lands amd not have the best intentions. "Let me go" he mumbled, he was tired and in all honesty didnt want to walk, but the cat had obviously never held a kit before and didnt know the first thing about it, he dug his teeth in ti deep and pinched Mints skinn uncomfortably, not to mention Mint didnt trust him at all despite the fact he had just saved his life. He was unknown and in this world, Mint was taught not to hang out with strangers.

PEC - After another couple minutes of running, Pale slowed down. He let out a huff and dropped the kid. He sat down with a plop and huffed. "You.. Huff huff.. Kid.. Huff huff.. Are heavy.." He mummbled between breaths. He lifted his red gaze to look at the kit. Minus all the blood and ash he could tell this kit was black n white. Pale took his paw and laid it on his chest, "The name's Pale," he told the kit. He gestured towards the kit and asked, "and who might you be?"

TGC - Mint let out a grunt as he was dropped onto the ground "I'm not heavy, you're just weak" he mumbled.  He stood up to face the taller cat, only to stumble forawrd as pain shot through the leg from where he had been scratched his shoulder throbbed and his legs shoik as the pain spread down. He plopped down again and turned to look at his shoulder. He let out a sigh, it would take a while to clean...what if it got infected? He didnt want to think about that now, and raised his eyes to the cat, "well Pale" he muttered, "thanks for saving me...I guess that's what you'd call it..." he said "my name is Mint, though I dont see why thats important to you...you can go now" he said. He was trying to sound tough, but in all honesty, Mint was scared out of his mind. He was injured and there was no way he could run away if this cat decided to turn on him. Not to mentiom the blood and ash crusted scar on his face. It was obvious this Pale character had been in a fight, who knows how the other one came out. Mint wasnt sure if he was looking at the winner or loser right now , either way, it was bloody and gross looking and the sight of it made Mint scared and a little disgusted. All he wanted now was to find a safeish place to lie down and sleep, so hopefully this cat would leave him alone, but then again, it wouldn't be to bad to have someone to talk to again.

PEC - "Well," Pale grunted not all to smoothly, not like he cared seeing the situation. "Kid, obviously you're alone," he made the assumption. He figured his parents were dead. Pale could only wish his parents.. Well  parent were dead. He wondered if this kit was going to the same place he was? "Did you hear the call?" He asked. "Cause a kid like you can't last longer than you already have in this," honestly he didn't want to have to travel with a scrap like this but he was glad to see another friendly, sorta, feline face.

TGC - "The call?" He asked "is that what that was...?" He shook his head to the tom "My parents said not to go...they said ummm..." he paused, what had they called them? "Clan cats?" Mint asked allowed, he never understood what exactly the 'clans' were, but afyer a while he stopped asking "yeah! Those...they said clan cats are going to be there, and their dangerous and mean" Mint told Pale what his parents had warned him of. About The cats they lived with before all the monsters infected everything, how they were mean and always fought each other. And how his mother left them to be with his father and that they would never be accepted back. "Momma said that they couldn't be trusted and that we weren't supposed to go near the other cats, they would try to hurt us" he said, looking at Pale. "Besides, I'm fine on my own!" Of course that was a lie, he never got enough to eat and he was pretty sure he wouldn't last more than a few more weeks by himself, if that, but he wasn't about to tell Pale that, from the looks of him, though, he wasn't doing to well either, with the scar that is. Not to mention, traveling with this strange cat didn't seem like to much fun.

PEC - "Clan cats?" Pale tilted his head to the side. "Never heard of these 'clan cats'," he commented. He licked his paw, using all his power to not gag at the taste, and swiped it over his remaing ear. It stung as he swiped over his fresh scars. "As far as I know it called to all cats.. Survivors I guess." He tolds him. He let out an obnoxious laugh. "Ahahaa yeah you were doing so fine on your own.. That badger thing cornering you was definite proof of that."

TGC - "What's a badger?" He asked quietly to himself, every one talked about before the ash covered everything, he just had no idea what they meant, "whatever,  I was doing fine until today, I was still doing fine!" He huffed, getting to his paws, annoyed, his injured leg keeping a little less weight that usual, "and I'll be fine from here on out!" He snapped to Pale, before turning away to limp off in the other direction. "I'll be fine" he muttered to himself with a grouchy huff, he jad grown used to being alone after these few weeks and Pale didn't have to tell him how bad he was doing. "Stupid cat doesn't know what he's talking about...I've been on my own...I'll keep on my own..." he continued to mutter to himself to as he flopped half way under another bush not far from where Pale sat, his shoulder hurt to much to walk very far and so did his back. He would need to clean out his wounds soon, but right now he just didnt feel like it.

PEC - Pale watched in forced sympathy. He wasn't much of a kit type of tom but he knew he had to help the poor scrap. "Ah kid," he groaned. "I ain't gunna kidnap ya.. And besides if you come with me you won't have to fend for yourself!" He knew if he left Mint he'd always regret it. Damn empathy.. he growled. He wobbled onto all fours and sluggishly followed where Mint went off too. "This uh.. I forgot what it was called but this place is for all cats!" He said. Though he hoped that most of Skinner's Gang would not be there.. He couldn't imagine running into them at this sanctuary of sorts. Pale shook his head and called out again, "kid i bet this place has some good food! And a nice warm bed and someone to clean your wounds," he licked his mouth and tasted blood. He could use some wound cleaning himself.

TGC - 'Food?' The thought jumped into Mint's mind and his stomach let out a deep growl. he pricked his ears at the rustle pale made as he moved 'is that creep following me?' He thought with a grunt. Mint shifted a bit to peak out from his little bush and sure enough, Pale stood only a few tail lengths away, going on about some sanctuary thing that Mint knew absolutely nothing about. A place where all cats could go? He poked his head out to stare at Pale. What if his dad was there? He could do without seeing him ever again. But then again, he could use a warm place to sleep. "What if we run into more monsters?" He asked Pale, "you dont seem like much of a fighter..." he said, looking at the damage to the toms face and tail, he wasn't sure how much protection Pale would be...but maybe he could at least catch some fresh food to eat for a while "how far away is it?" He asked, maybe traveling together wouldnt be so bad.

PEC - "Pfft like you're much of a fight yourself Scrap," Pale snickered. He'll admit; Pale was not a fighter. Never was one and never will be. It was a cold hard fact and Pale came to terms with that no problem. He saw the kit eyeing his scars and smirked, "see this scar?" He asked turning his head. "I got this from a gruesome battle with the leaders of one of the most -if not the most- vicious gangs in the world," he made sure to put emphasis on 'the world'. He wasn't lying either. "I honesty don't know.. My gut tells me its about a quarter moon away.." He didn't know how to describe the feeling. He just knew the way.. And it was a long way.

TGC - "I'm just a kit, of course I'm not good at fighting, stupid" he stuck his tongue out at Pale, "I'm not supposed to be good at fighting" he listened to Pale talk about where his scars came from "so you lost and they did that to your face?" Mint asked, inching forward a bit, "what gang was is? Who are their leaders?" He started to ramble on with questions like kits do but soon caught himself and closed his mouth again. He still didn't know to much about Pale, and he didn't know if he wanted to let his guard down just yet. still, he was curious about Pale's scars and where he got them. He inched out further and sat in front of Pale, staring at his scars then to his tail and back. "So you cant fight...can you hunt? I'm hungry" he told Pale, his stomach rumbling again.

PEC - "I never said I lost!" Pale snapped. He would never admit he lost. "It was just a draw! A stale mate!" He whiped his mangled tail. "Skinner's gangs the name," he told Mint. He placed a paw by his face scar. "The leaders son did this," he moved his paw to his neck and shoulders. "The leader himself did this," he flicked his tail. "And his killer did this.." He felt a shudder go through his body. His family. "Yes i can hunt! How do you think I've survived this long!" He stood up stuffly. "You're gunna have to come with me though if you wanna eat,"

TGC - "So you're telling me it was three on one and it was a 'draw'" Mint flicked his short tail at Pale "thats hard to believe. .." he trailed off, "ya know I've survived too..." he muttered,  "and I dunno how to hunt..." he told Pale, but then again, he hadn't been on his own for very long, his mother had only died a few weeks ago, but he liked to think he was doing okay, though that wasn't entirely true. "Will you find me something to eat then?" He asked , it had been about a day and a half since Mint had found something that could be considered food "you said you could hunt...prove it" he challenged. "Before we go to...where ever it is we're going...prove you can hunt...cause if you can't then we'll both just starve" he said to Pale.


PEC - Pale rolled his red eyes. "You're a snippy lil thing aren't ya," he said. "The reason I want you to come with me, scrap, is so I can make sure you don't get taken off with one of those bird-fox creatures," he told Mint. He flicked his ear and stalked off anyway. He sniffed the air and ground in hopes of finding some thing. He hadn't eaten real well since he escaped the gang. He padded silently through the ashy forest. He kept what was left of his tail up and off the ground. "Hm?" He inquired when he heard a scuffling sound a few pawsteps in front of him. It was one of those flying mouse things. That should be great! He shifted on his haunches and pounced. "Uahg!" The feathered mouse flew right through his paws as he pounced. He turned around angrily and shot after the mouse. It hit a tree and not to long after Pale's claws hit it to. He sunk his teeth into its odd flesh and killed it. "There!" He nodded proud of himself. He stood there for a moment, debating weather to keep the mouse for himself. "Damnit.." He grumbled as his better judgement took over. He walked back to Mint and droped the feathered mouse in front of him. "Eat up,"

TGC - "Aww, you do care" he told Pale as he stalked off to, Mint assumed, find food. Watching him from a distance, Mint laughed as the thing flew from Pale's claws and onto a tree "smooth" he commented as the older cat dropped the dead animal infront of him. He pulled it towards himself with a paw and sunk his teeth into its flesh. He rembered the first time his mother had caught him one of these, it was just after he had stopped drinking her milk and the first actual prey he had tasted. Mint looked up at Pale as he ate and felt a little guilty for scarfing almost all of the food down without even considering him "umm...thanks for the food" he said, sitting up and licking his lips off. His stomach was finally full after a so long of only ever finding small scraps that barley gave him two bites. It was nice to actually have a good meal, thanls to this Pale guy, and mint hadn't even saved him any.

PEC - "Aww Kid.." Pale whinned. His stomach growled audibly. "You could have saved me a bite! Neh.." He sighed. Mint was a kit afterall, he deserved the meal more than Pale, but that didn't mean Pale wasn't bitter. "Aye no problem," Pale shook his short pelt out a bit. "Well," he kneeled slightly. "Your highness, if I meet your expectations then lets be on our way," All Pale wanted was to get to this safe haven and be safe. "Okay scrap we're gunna be moving at my pace," which wasn't much of a pace, but for a half starved, wounded cat it was better than nothing.

TGC - Letting out a snort at Pale, Mint staggered to his paws and stuck his tongue out at him. "I can walk at a faster pace than you!" He told him, trotting along his side, a slight limp in his front leg, but other than that he seemed to be walking fine. "Sooo...whats a badger?" He asked Pale. He remembered that was what he had called the beast that attached them earlier, "was that something before all the ash?" He asked. His parents had told him the world they lived in had been a lot different before Mint was born. There had been all kinds of different animals and prey, and less dangers to face. But Mint still wasn't sure he believed all that they had told him. Maybe hearing Pales views on it would give him more of an idea? "My parents said that before I was born, there wasn't ash everywhere...is that true?" He asked. He had always been curious of what the past was like, but his parents never seemed to talk about it...maybe Pale would?

PEC - "Hm?" Pale lifted a brow towards Mint. "You don't know what a badger is?" Hes never found a cat who didn't know what a badger was. "Its a huge black and white beast.. About twice my size.. It kinda looked like what attacked you earlier just without the spikes or the big obnoxious ears." He described them to the best of his abilities. This kid must have been born after the calamity. They kept at their briskish pace. "There was indeed a time when ash did not cover the land with its gloom..." He then went on to speak about green trees, greener than his eyes. He spoke about blue crystal waters and mice who couldn't fly. He told Mint about human cities, which was where he lived most his life in Skinner's Gang. He even told him about the gruesome creatures like the large shiny rock monsters that his anything in its path on their black paths. He let out a sigh, "ah kid.. You were born a at the wrong time.."

TGC - Mint's eyes widened as Pale told him about the past, and all the colors it once had, unlike now where everything was smeared in ash and grime. "Mice that couldn't fly?" He asked allowed, thinking of the thing he had eaten this morning, but without all the feathers on it or their wings.  "Thats just weird" he commented, still listening carefully to Pale's story. He tried to imagine what it would look like. All the ash and grayness gone, color filling the world.  He tired to see what it would be like to have the color of his eyes match the color on the trees, to have water be clear and the sky blue, instead of blackish gray. It all looked amazing in his mind, so much better than the world he had been born into. His ears flicked as Pale mentioned 'human cities' and more questions pored into his mind "what are humans? And whats a city?" He asked, probably being a little annoying with all his questions, but hey, it's what kits do. Especially kits who were born in to a world so different than the one everyone else remembered. He wanted to know about all the things he had missed.  His parents had never told him about it and his curiosity was only growing as Pale spoke. It all sounded so interesting, so safe. He wished he could have seen it before it had gone.

PEC - "Pfft," Pale shook his head. "What's weird are these feathered.. Things," he added with a flick of his paw. He let out a sigh as the memories of the world flew across his eyes. "The thing I miss most was the color," Mint's question brought him back to his senses. "Humans? Hmm how to describe them.. Imagine a cat with no fur cept on their head. And they walk on two legs instead of four and they're very tall," he never liked humans. It didn't help that his father would have killed him if he thought so much of coming in 10 cat lengths of one. "Cities are just a bunch of Human nests all clumped together," he kicked at a rock. "They're nothing special," he added.

TGC - "Oh," Mint said, trying to imagine tall, hairless cats wandering around "they sound really ugly" he wrinkled his nose at the thought "were they dangerous?" He asked,  tilting his head to the side. He wasn't sure how long he and Pale had been talking, let alone walking, but his paws were beginning to become sore and his wounds were starting to sting. He was debating on asking Pale to rest for the night, but the tom had said they were going at his pace, and he didn't want to be too annoying and get left behind.  Still the complaint found its way out of his mouth "pale I'm tiiiired" he moaned up to him.

PEC - "They were pretty ugly," Pale said with a chuckle. "and yeah, for the most part they were pretty dangerous.. They'd snatch some of us up and take em to a human nest and they'd never be seen again or they'd become human pets," Pale looked toward the sky. It was getting darker. "Okay okay, scrap, we'll stop for the night." He huffed. He wanted to keep walking, get as far as he could. He glanced down at Mint, his green eyes half lidded. Pale could almost the tiredness flowing off the kit. "Don't you start yawning now kid.. You'll make me yawn.."

TGC - Ignoring Pales request, Mint yawned loudly and staggered slightly on his paws before plopping down to sit. He looked around "where are we speeping?" He yawned, quick to take Pale's acceptance at his request. "Cause I could just...sleep here" he yawned through his sentence. Here  probably wasnt the best place to sleep though, being in the open and all. Mint got to his paws again and sniffed around tree trunks and knotted shrubs. He had been sleeping in makeshift dens from the holes in the knots for a while now and was fairly good at finding holes that were about as safe as they were gonna get. He circled around a rather fat trunk and found a small hole between it's knotted, thorny, low hanging branches "hey pale!" He called groggily,"can you fit your big butt in here?" He asked through a yawn as he inspected their could be den.

PEC - "Brat," Pale growled mid yawn. He followed Mints path to the tree roots. "Aye kid I'm right behind ya no need to yell.." He rubbed his ear with his pale paw. "And my butts not that big scrap!" He inspected the hole. It looked big enough for the both of em, it would just be a tight squeeze. "C'mon kid you go in first," he would push Mint to the back of the hallow and then he would squeeze in himself.

TGC - "Looks pretty big to me" Mint grumbled, climbing into the shallow makeshift den. "And stop cakking me kid! I have a name!" He huffed, sliding into the back of the hole. He curled up in the farthest corner he could find to give Pale room to climb in. He curled up in a tight ball, his black spots making him a little hard to see, especially since his white patches were mostly covered in soot and ash. He looked like a dark blob in the shadows. He felt Pale enter the den and curl up, their pelts brushing together in the tight space. "Move over, Pale! Your big butt is crushing me" he pushed Pale's body away with his small paws, though the older cat didn't really seem to move.

PEC - "I'll call ya scrap then," Pale grumbled at him. "My but ain't big.. Its fluff!" He knew that was a lie, his fur was shorter than his claws. He squeezed on in, he almost had to suck in to fit. "Aye kid, i barely have any room on my end either! You'll have to deal with it for the night," he huffed continuing to call Mint kid. "Just close your eyes 'n go to sleep scrap. We have an early start tomorrow," he laid his head on his paws, his body curled around Mint's small one. It felt weird sleeping next to someone else, kit or not kit. He's never slept near anyone who wouldn't claw his ears off.. In fact they already did.

TGC - Mint let out a huff as Pale curled around him. He tried to stay away from the larger tom but sound it quite hard in the tiny den. Plus, pale was quite comfy to lay on. "Pale?" He asked as the toms breathing started to slow "are you asleep?" He asked. When he didnt answer, Mint pushed himself into Pales stomach and climbed onto the tom, his small body laying across Pale. He had always gone to sleep like this with his parents, letting Pales rising and falling stomach lul him to sleep.