Sucre had found hope in the form of a sweet natured donkey and his chicken friend. Oscar and Nugget had very quickly and very easily become her new favorite things in the world. The tiny orange cat found delight at their bond, their banter, and she was slipping back into her bright personality. The cloudy and rainy days hadn’t been very fun though, and as Sucre set out to explore one morning, she had eyed the clouds above with a wary eye. She had even decided to explore on her own within the forest again, confident that if she ran into trouble she could call for her new big brother and Oscar would come save her. Not that she didn’t miss her other siblings, or wonder what became of them, but their scents had faded by the time she had gone back to look for them.

Taking steps on the forest floor now, dwarfed by the massive trees that seemed to reach for the skies themselves, Sucre was on the lookout for something that would draw her attention. The sounds of other creatures moving through the undergrowth could be heard, and the molly would pause every so often, paw in air, as she listened to what was going on around her. But very quickly something new caught her attention. The smell was alluring, the smell of blood. Sucre felt her stomach rumble. She didn’t smell anything dangerous… maybe it couldn’t hurt to take a peek? Maybe she could find something some other predator left behind.

What she found instead was a rabbit, still alive, though barely. A trail of blood in the opposite direction led away from it, leading the trail in which it had taken. The thought that a predator had caused the injury and could be tracking the meal never occurred to Sucre. The year old molly pounced on the rabbit and delivered a bite to the rabbit’s neck. It kicked weakly for a few seconds, but its life quickly faded. Sucre let it go then, licking her lips free of some of the blood that had gotten on her face. She could worry about the rest of her face later! She was hungry.


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Word Count: 366 Words
Total Word Count: 366 Words

"Speech,"'Thought.'

now familiar with the forest and it’s surrounding lands, Dulla had been out picking berries, humming merrily to herself as she worked. now that winter had completely melted away she found her mood lifting, endeared by the flush of new life that had sprung around her. using a large leaf as a makeshift basket of sorts, Dulla carted the berries around as she wove through the trees, already dreaming of their sweet juices and the satisfying pop they’d make in her mouth. as such, she stumbled upon it all quite suddenly, eyes widening in surprise as she halted to peer curiously around at the scene before her. a small ginger cat, the first feline she’d ever encountered, crouched over the limp body of a rabbit. judging by the scents in the air and the blood staining the cat’s chin, it seemed she’d killed it herself and was preparing to feast.

unbidden, Dulla’s stomach gives a rather fierce growl, and a hot blush comes to her face. had the cat heard her? was she laughing at her? well, she very couldn’t just scurry off now that she had the cat’s attention. it’d be…well, rude! and that rabbit did look very tasty. “hel-hello…” she began, voice hesitant as she set her ‘basket’ down. the scent of rabbit laced the air, and drool collected around her mouth. this was so awkward! how did one navigate a conversation like this? did cats have different customs and such? “um…I was wondering, perhaps, if you’d…be willing your meal with me? in exchange for some berries, of course!” she sketched an awkward little gesture at the leaf spread out between them. “i imagine they’d make a nice sauce for the meat.”

WC: 652/1500

Sucre had not expected another predator to be nearby, let alone a wolf. Hearing the growl, Sucre immediately startles, spinning toward the other creature with wide eyes. Instinctively her fur stood on end, tail puffing out as her back arched in fear. Wild dogs had taken her family away from her, and wolves were… Well, they were a lot like wild dogs, weren’t they? Just bigger. She could feel her limbs tremble as she took a step back as the wolf set the basket down. But the aggression she had been expecting and waiting for, did not come. The stranger spoke with a hesitant voice, as if she had been the one intruding. Well, she kind of had, but Sucre certainly wouldn’t have put up a fight if the wolf had made for the rabbit. She had been seconds away from fleeing, her fear scent permeating the air as her ears lifted ever so slightly.

The wolf was asking to share the rabbit? Share? Sucre felt her heart racing in her chest, blinking with surprise at what she was hearing. A wolf wanted to share a meal with her? In exchange for some berries? That would make the meal tastier for sure. Her mother had sometimes given her and her siblings berries as a treat. Realizing she was looking to be a mess, Sucre allowed her fur to lay flat upon her spine once more. Her ears slowly came up to upright positions on her forehead and her eyes shifted back to their normal size and position. She was still breathing quickly, but she supposed it would be mean to turn the wolf away when the other was trying her hardest to be polite. Maybe it was possible to be friends over a meal?

Sucre took in a breath. “Oh, um…” The young feline would move aside, still not sure what to make of the wolf that had happened upon her and the meal. “You are welcome to join me.” She gave a little nod. “I’m… just a bit surprised you didn’t just want to take the rabbit away.” She admitted, moving to the other side of the rabbit to give the wolf room to come and join her. “My name is Sucre, by the way. What is yours?” It was acceptable to ask for someone’s name only after you gave your own, right?

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Word Count: 394 (1,046)

"Speech,"'Thought.'

as expected, the cat was startled, and Dulla couldn’t quite shake the guilt at frightening this small, solitary creature. she could imagine it from her point of view, enjoying fresh kill while a large predator stumbled across her with the supposed desire to share. honestly, Dulla was impressed her companion hadn’t reacted with hostility - it’d have served her right, after all. and did she still have berry juice smeared across her bottom lip? how frightening! in the right light, it could appear to be blood! only the lack of an iron scent might’ve convinced the cat otherwise. as Dulla set down her berries, she wondered at the stranger, trying to discern the thoughts whirling through her mind. was she planning an escape? winding up to attack? Dulla wouldn’t blame her. in fact, if the cat sprung up and scratched her right across the name, she wouldn’t hold it against her. Dulla must look scary, for her size if nothing else. she’d never be bulky, but she wasn’t a slip of a thing, either. not anymore, anyway. the last year had completely stripped her of her girlishness and crowned a woman in its place, revealing defined muscles, wider hips and a thicker pelt. these lands had stripped the childishness from her in ways she hadn’t fathomed possible, and she wasn’t yet sure what to think of it. in the cat’s place, she’d likely be frightened, too.

but then, maybe she wasn’t giving the cat enough credit. after all, she’d been surviving out here seemingly on her own for a while. it was likely she was sturdier than she looked, and less prone to flight, too. “i can see why you might think that,” Dulla murmured, settling back on her haunches. she tried to keep a respectable distance between them, just in case the cat was feeling uneasy. “but i’d much rather share. i don’t make a habit of stealing dinner from my friends.” she winked, a playful thing, and allowed the words to hang in the air like a verbal olive branch. perhaps she was being premature, but Dulla liked to think she and this girl - Sucre - could be friends, even if only for today. she seemed friendly enough, and Dulla had never met a family before. maybe, once they’d eaten, she could pick her brain about her travels. Dulla loved a good story, and it’d been a while since she’d had cause to hear one. “it’s a pleasure to meet you, Sucre. i’m Medulla - er, well, Dulla, if you’d please.” an incline of her head, and then the tawny woman is gazing at their feast with a practical eye. down to business. “now, would you like me to shred the rabbit or mush the berries?” it often took a bit of collaboration to prepare a meal, which was just as well - there were two of them, after all.

word count: 483 (1,529/1500)

The wolf before her was understanding at least, for which Sucre was grateful. She didn’t mean to be afraid, but after what had separated her from her family, canine species were something to be wary of. “It is appreciated.” Fur laying flat once more, Sucre was feeling more comfortable in the presence of this wolf. It seemed not all of canine kind were cruel. Maybe she and her family had just run into some bad ones. “Dulla, a pleasure to meet you as well.” She would move closer to the berries, sniffing at them. b]“It would be faster if you shredded the rabbit, if you don’t mind that is.”[/b] A happy swish of her tail revealed her new level of comfort. “You seem rather relaxed talking to another species beside your own. I’m… glad. The last batch of canines I met were less than kind.” Her ears fell a little. “So I’m glad there are nice ones out there.” She began to clean her paws, wanting to make sure they were clean before she began smushing the berries. "Speech," 'Thought.'

Dulla fell into an easy rhythm with her new companion, nodding in easy assent as she begins to skin the rabbit. her claws slid easily beneath its fur, working under its flesh until she could peel back its furred layer and reveal the morbid pink of its naked form. Dulla licked her lips, stomach rumbling as her hunger mounted, but she couldn’t help but flick an anxious glance in Sucre’s direction. would the cat be disturbed by such a gory sight, or would she view it simply as Dulla did: a meal ready to be devoured. Dulla wasn’t so naive as to think cats didn’t relish in their prey as much as their canine counterparts, so she hadn’t known Sucre very long; perhaps she preferred a more pacifist approach. “i’m sorry to hear that,” she murmured in response to Sucre’s explanation, a sympathetic wrinkle between to her brows. “unfortunately, some of my brethren are rather…detestable.” her nose crinkled in disgust. “but i must say, i’m surprised you’re so comfortable talking with me.” "Speech"

Sucre’s paws work in a steady rhythm as she uses the kneading motion to squish the berries. The action gives her a sense of comfort, a rumbling purr leaving her lips. She allows her guard to fall beside the other predator. In the young cat’s mind, if Dulla had wanted to make a meal of her she would have done so. Instead, just like she had formed a bond with Oscar, another creature was providing companionship. A rumble from her companion’s stomach is met with a flinch at first, but then realizing what it was the tiny cat could only laugh. “Sounds like you’re ready to chow down! I’m ready to tear into some food myself.” A rumble from her own stomach echoed that. Dulla would apologize and Sucre paused. “You don’t need to apologize for someone else’s actions… but I appreciate the sympathy.” Losing her family had hit the girl hard. She missed her mother, her siblings… maybe somewhere out there they had survived. Her brothers in particular had always been pretty smart and crafty. “It would be harder to talk to you if I hadn’t met another creature who showed me kindness… he doesn’t eat meat, but he very easily could have trampled me. Both him and his chicken companion had been wonderful.” She looked up from the berries. “So… so long as another creature doesn’t try to harm me first, I’m willing to give them a try… but if I think I’m in danger at any point I’m high tailing it out of there.” The rabbit was skinned, and with an eager grin she moved the berries over to the meat and began to spread the sauce across quickly and efficiently with her delicate paws. Once finished, the meal looked stunning, and Sucre licked some of the smushed remains of the berry from her paws as she beamed. “You dig in first~ I’ll be right behind you.” "Speech," 'Thought.'

Sucre's sentiments were admirable, and Dulla smiled as she listened. "sounds like the rest of the world could stand to learn a thing or two from you," she mused. there were plenty of people out there were more inclined to fear and hate at first glance, warranted or not. the idea of Sucre in danger, however...it didn't sit well with the tawny fae. her lips twisted down, brow scrunched in a physical manifestation of her displeasure. "how about this," she offered, "if you're ever in danger...come find me. i'll help if i can." granted, she wasn't exactly a proificient fighter, but surely having a wolf on Sucre's side would be better than standing alone. such unpleasant thoughts were side-tracked, thankfully, as Sucre worked the berries into the meat. the scent was positively mouth-watering, and Dulla was beyond grateful that the little cat was allowing her to go first. "thank you," she said primly, inclining her head. she lowered her mouth to their dinner and, now drooling, bit down on the meat. flavour bathed her tongue at once, drawing a moan from Dulla; Sucre had done a wonderfully thorough job with the berries. despite her hunger, Dulla made sure not to eat too fast, wanting to leave plenty for her companion to share. she deserved to bask in the fruits of her labour, after all. "Speech"

Dulla’s comment earned a soft chuckle from the cat as she licked a berry stained paw. “Possibly.” Her green gaze was thoughtful. “Animals can learn a lot from each other in general, if we only give each other the chance to see what they’re like.” So many were reactive, to never give the others a chance out of fear and hate. While Sucre would often hide, she was willing to ease back out if another animal proved that they weren’t interested in making a meal of her. But, to her surprise, Dulla would make her an offer. That surprise was replaced by a warm smile and Sucre gave a nod. “I will, thank you.” The she-wolf was kind. Sucre had hoped to avoid trouble, not being much of a fighter herself, but perhaps that would change one day. For now however she was happy just hunting and interacting with her friends. Dulla would take the first bite, thanking her, and got in her first bite. It looked good, it smelled good, and once the wolf had gotten a couple bites in Sucre would tear off some meat for herself as well. The sweetness of the berries really accented the meat well, elevating it to a new level. A soft “mmm~” was given in response, her eyes closing and ear tips twitching happily as she swallowed. “Do you normally do more with your meat beyond just straight hunting?” Sucre asked. "Speech," 'Thought.'

Dulla inclined her head, impressed by the little cat's wisdom. who knew such profoundness could exist in such a tiny body. "perhaps you're right there. though, mind you, i'm not about to try and befriend a grizzly bear anytime soon." she chuckled, hoping to elicit a laugh from her new friend, then returned to their meal. after a few more minutes of contented chewing, Dulla paused again to consider Sucre's question. "no, actually," she mused, head tilting thoughtfully. "i've never done anything like this before." she couldn't even exactly say what had spurred her to suggest it. hunger, probably. a desire for friendship? the opportunity to share? she took anther bite, closing her eyes and savouring the flavour. "but now that i've tried it, i might just have to do it again." her mind began to whirl, sifting through the possible ingredients and flavour combinations. it was like her meal with Sucre had opened up a whole new world of possibility. "what would you try?" Dulla urged, leaning in eagerly. "if you had to put something else with this - not berries, but something different - what would you do?" "Speech"