As the somewhat familiar tabby she-cat stepped into the den, Kitty's clear blue eyes widened, and her pink tongue momentarily peeked out mid-lick. When the small tabby neared, depositing a bundle of herbs and prey, Kitty retracted her tongue and offered an awkward smile, listening as she apologized for the delay. "Ah, that's alright, I wasn't really expecting you to come at all," she responded sincerely, scanning the room to gauge her denmates' reactions to the tabby's arrival. Seeing no hostility, she relaxed, unaware of when she had tensed up. Upon the she-cat's introduction as Barrow, Kitty nodded politely, waiting until Crow and Honey had introduced themselves before speaking. "Pleased to meet you, Barrow. I'm Kitty, and as Crow said, thanks for the extra supplies," she meowed.

Then Oscar chimed in, introducing himself and sizing up the newcomer with his keen green eyes, displaying curiosity rather than aggression. He wondered at the chances of Kitty encountering this cat amidst the storm, and it was just as unexpected as their meeting of Crow had been. Memories of his ethereal time with Mistyfur surfaced, leading him to speculate if Barrow too had been guided here. The thought was a bit unsettling if he were honest. Shaking off his musings, he warmly greeted Barrow, also expressing gratitude. "We certainly won't send you back into the storm, especially with the supplies you've brought. Please, find a comfortable spot to settle in and clean up a bit," he suggested. At that moment, Honey's stomach rumbled, and was quickly echoed by his own, prompting a laugh from Oscar. "I don't know about you guys, but im so hungry I could eat dog kibble," he joked earning a snort of amusement from Kitty.

"How about we finally dig into our waterlogged meal and then get some rest?" Kitty suggested, rising to distribute the prey from the pile. There were six pieces of prey in total from their earlier hunt—not including Oscar's lost bird—and only five mouths to feed. Surprisingly, they had one piece of prey to spare, even with Barrow's unexpected arrival. Kitty chose not to ponder on this coincidence. She claimed the chipmunk for herself, handed a mouse to both Oscar and Honey, slid the squirrel towards Crow, and offered Barrow one of the sparrows, leaving an extra sparrow for anyone still hungry later.
Kitty returned to her spot with her prey and quickly began eating. The moment the food touched her tongue, she realized her intense hunger. The meal disappeared in an instant, and she proceeded to clean her muddy fur, casting curious glances at Oscar and Honey. She was particularly interested in Oscar's reaction to his first taste of fresh-kill, regretting only the meal's soggy condition.

Oscar expressed his gratitude to Kitty for the prey and examined the mouse, his eyes shining with a mix of excitement and curiosity. He bit into the mouse slowly, relishing the flavors. Despite being waterlogged and cool, the mouse's wild taste was undiminished. His delight was evident as he quickly finished his meal, oblivious to Kitty's gentle laughter. To him, it was the finest meal he'd ever had, surpassing any Fancy Feast. After cleaning his paws and muzzle, he settled down, purring contentedly, and fell asleep almost immediately.
Meanwhile, Kitty, in her corner of the den, had also fallen asleep where she lay, her pink tongue sticking out yet again, indicating that she had knocked out in the middle of grooming herself.

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Cricket - loner - Interacting with Mantis

Cricket hummed softly under his breath, his thoughts elsewhere. The tug around his heart had eased, though he missed having some idea of where he had to go. Surely it meant something? His ears rose at Mantis' voice and he stopped to pay attention, offering a brisk nod of understanding. He couldn't relate much, so the most he could do was show his sympathy. The tom lay down, content with his dried fur as he lay his head on his aching paws, waiting to speak. Originally he planned to make a quick escape back to the streets, but it wouldn't hurt to be helpful. 'When the storm's over we could try hunt? Only if you like,' Cricket offered, his tail tip twitching as he warily motioned to the mouth of the den. He flexed his claws into the damp soil, trying to ease his sore joints in case Mantis did happen to agree to his offer.

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Mantis | Loner | Tags: Cricket

Mantis let out a big yawn, stretching his tired limbs as he did so. “Sure, that would be nice.” The young tom replied, laying down on the hard ground. He flinched as another roar of thunder came from outside the den. “I’m glad I’m not alone.” Mantis added, lowering his head to his paws. Before he knew it, he was asleep. Exhausted from his journey.

Honey | (former) Kittypet | Tags: Kitty, Crow, Barrow & Oscar

Honey couldn’t help but giggle at Oscar’s comment, glad the tom could make a joke out of any situation. The fluffy tabby stared down at the mouse, lowering her head to give it a sniff. She had tasted meat before… well… cooked meat from her twoleg. However this was new. Another growl from her stomach sold Honey on the mouse and she opened her mouth to take a bite. Maybe it was because it was the first food she had all day, or maybe it was actually tasty, but Honey loved it. With a satisfied flick of her tail, Honey quietly began to scarf down her meal. She then joined in with the others, tidying herself up. Before curling up next to Oscar to fall asleep.

Crow | Loner | Tags: Kitty, Barrow, Honey & Oscar

Crow cracked a soft smile as Kitty slid him the crow. Did she know it was his favorite? He flashed her a grateful look before settling down to eat. Golden eyes scanned over the new group. A group. Crow shook his head, looking down at his meal. He had never in his life imagined he would be part of a group of cats… let alone a potential clan. Yet somehow he felt… happy? He was unsure what this new feeling was, but it was different, and he liked it. His gaze landed on the newcomer, Barrow. He hoped she wouldn’t bring trouble, however already bringing them supplies and food was a green flag in his book. The charcoal tom let out a yawn, tired from their early battle, and soon found himself asleep as well.

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Cricket - loner

Cricket's ears strained at the thunder outside, curling up into a tight ball and wrapping his paws over his ears. His stomach growled with a familiar hunger and he found himself regretting not taking advantage of the rain and catching a frog. The newfound silence in the den as Mantis fell asleep gave him plenty time to think while he refused to do the same. His exhaustion eventually forced him to give in, sleep overcoming him.

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The Next Morning: Dawn

Deep green eyes slowly fluttered open and gazed straight ahead in mild confusion, not immediately recognizing their surroundings. Eventually though, as the fog of sleep lifted, the events of the previous day came trickling back. The start of their journey, leading his friends in a circle, meeting Crow, his first successful hunt, coupled with his first fight with a badger. Then there was his dream of Mistyfur and her mysterious words, and finally, the appearance of Barrow during a crazy storm. So many events were packed into a relatively short span of time.
His maw parting in a wide yawn, Oscar extended his legs forward in a stretch, wincing a bit as he did so, the movement pulling on his freshly scabbed wounds. He relaxed his limbs and glanced around the den at the other occupants. Noting the sleeping forms of the others, he smiled a bit at the sight of Honey curled up beside him. Her long fluffy tail draped over her nose. He was glad that she had managed to get some rest.

Slowly he got to his paws and headed for the den entrance, pausing for just a moment to listen for any indication that the storm from last night was still lingering. All seemed quiet, so he slipped outside as quietly as possible. He emerged back out into the forest and blinked rapidly in the early morning sunlight. His paws sank just slightly into the earth that was still soaked from the torrential rains the evening before. He took a deep breath of the freshly washed air, and slowly released it. A smile appearing on his face. Today was a new day, and while the start of this journey had been rocky, he was determined to make today better. He only hoped no one was getting second thoughts, though he would not blame them if they were. Yesterday was a lot to digest after all, and they were barely two hours away from their old homes. That was his own fault though. He shook his head slightly at his initial blunder with direction.
Now sitting down and wrapping his tail around his paws, he waited for the others to join him outside the den, mulling over what he would say to them.

Kitty eventually woke up, albeit slowly and very reluctantly. Her blue eyes opened just a crack, and she stretched out all four legs where she lay, her toes spreading and her legs trembling slightly from the motion. She felt quite stiff an unkempt after the events of yesterday and was by no means ready to face today. But she was awake now thanks to her internal clock, and there would be no returning to the sweet bliss of sleep.
Muttering and mumbling under her breath, she relaxed back into her makeshift nest and gazed through bleary, slitted eyes around the den, noting the missing occupant. Where did that silly tom get off to so early?

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Honey | Loner | Tags: Kitty & Crow

A chill gust brushed made its way into the roomy den, brushing against Honey’s fluffy fur. The she-cat woke with a small start, relaxing when she saw Kitty. The tabby yawned and gave a small stretch, trying to be mindful of her wounds. She winced slightly, sore from the day before. “Good morning Kitty.” Honey greeted her friend, offering her a soft smile. A dark, furry blob shifted to her left that she recognized to be Crow. “Good morning Crow.” She added, slowly forcing herself to sit up. Green eyes looked to the spot where Oscar had been sleeping next to her, now empty. Of course he was already up and about. Honey sighed and shook her head, when would that tom rest? “Anyone know where he snuck off to?”

Crow | Loner | Tags: Kitty & Honey

Crow slowly awoke as the atmosphere in the den changed, indicating that the others were beginning to wake as well. He shifted in his make-shift nest, both surprised and grateful he had been able to sleep in. A soft ‘good morning’ from behind him woke him up, briefly forgetting he was no longer alone. He grunted a tired greeting, lazily flicking his tail before sitting up and turning around to face the others. His gaze fell to Oscar’s empty nest after Honey’s comment, flicking his tail in annoyance. Did he want to reopen his wounds? “He better not have gone far. You both need to have your wounds redressed, we have enough supplies.” Crow replied, looking towards the exit of the den.

Mantis | Loner | Tags: Cricket

Large, ice blue eyes slowly opened, gasping quietly as he was met with Cricket; momentarily forgetting what had happened the night before. Mantis sighed quietly as he remembered, glad they had both made it safely out of the storm. The young tom got to his paws, quietly crawling out of the den to take a look around. The air was crisp, the forest wet from the storm. The bengal shivered, backing up into the comfort of the new den. He would wait until his new friend woke up to go outside. The small cat circled once before lying down, tucking his paws under his body. His stomach let out a loud growl, making the tom flinch in surprise. It had been a while since he had eaten. Maple had been able to catch a plump mouse for them to share the day before, but he hadn’t eaten anything since then.

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Cricket

His ears strained at all the noise, stirring awake with a tired huff. The scent of another cat made him freeze for a second, taking a few seconds to properly come to as he sat himself up against the wall. Wet, fuzzy-feeling air met his fur, a more peaceful alternative to the raging storm earlier before. 'Can you hunt? Do you have any injuries?' Cricket murmured, admittedly not scenting any blood. It never hurt to check, however. His paws itched to dig into a mouse, but he dared not show that eagerness in front of Mantis.

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