Nimbus had found himself walking along the shore of the sea, following it until it stopped....only, it never seemed to end. The white tom craned his neck back to look in the direction of the twoleg town. He could just barely make out the smoke from the chimneys and the sounds of the monsters at the Treecut Place.

It was rare of him to venture this far, so Nimbus felt a little uneasy. Tail pointed straight out, Nimbus felt his muscles tighten with each step as his ears swiveled at every little noise he heard around him. Blinking, he could just barely make out the shape of another cat down the coast. Curiosity pulled his paws forward, though uncertainty slowed his steps.

As he got closer, Nimbus's tail swished behind him as he tried to determine if the cat looked hostile or not. Approaching a feral cat could go one of two ways for him, as he determined in his past-- they either attack or the willingly share tongues. He quickly decided he'd bet on the latter, despite his consciousness telling him to remain weary.

"Hello there!" Nimbus called out, raising his tail as a sign of friendliness. As he got closer to the cat, he realized that maybe she wasn't a fellow kittypet out for a stroll. No, she was far skinnier than he was from what he could tell under her thick coat, and had a look about her that made her appear like she lived and breathed the wilds. Slowly lowering his tail as he got closer, the tom looked towards the waters. "Were you thinking about fishing?" he asked, curiously following her gaze.

Ice

Her surprise caught Nimbus off guard, and the tom could do nothing but watch as she lost her footing and fell into the waters. Nimbus froze, watching her head go under the water briefly, then sprinted towards the shore. He was no swimmer, but he'd do his best if the she-cat didn't surface. Luckily, her head quickly broke the surface and she hauled herself back to shore.

Nimbus watched as the water dripped from her slicked back fur. Heat rose to his cheeks as he blubbered an apology, "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!" Nimbus dipped his head, unable to bring himself to make eye contact as she began to dry herself. When she spoke, it was oddly gentle---friendly even. Nimbus raised his head, moving closer to sit next to the white feline. "Minds are fickle like that, huh?" he chuckled, offering her a toothy smile. "Maybe I can help you?" he asked, a hopeful glimmer in his eyes. The closest he got to "fresh" food was his twolegs' scraps, or wet petfood.

Though he was quick to offer to help, Nimbus had never hunted, much less fished. Perhaps the loner cat could teach him a thing or two. Nimbus wrapped his tail over his paws to hide his excitement, watching as she groomed herself. "Oh, yes," he purred, "I suppose kittypets are easy to spot in the wild." Nimbus laughed, warmth rising to his cheeks again. Kittypets were softpawed in comparison to the loners that roamed the twoleg outskirts and forests. Next to her, he felt lame in comparison.

"Do you live around this area? I'm Nimbus by the way, what can I call you?" Nimbus felt the stress slowly fade from his muscles, allowing his shoulders to relax. The she-cat didn't feel like she'd pose as a threat.

Ice

Nimbus's green eyes softened, "Oh, do you live in the wilds with your family?" His voice was solemn, his thoughts wondering towards the last memories he shared with his own kin. Most were hazy, even their faces were undistinguishable after so many moons.

"I-I don't," Nimbus bashfully turned his head away, facing the river. Peeking back towards Ice, he continued, "But, I'd love to learn!" Though he'd never admit it, the cats who lived in the wilds truly impressed him. Sometimes Nimbus would lay on his twoleg's fence, just watching some of the strays interact with one another. Instead of a fine layer of fat, they'd have slim bodies, with notable muscles underneath their fur. Something about hunting for his own food excited, yet terrified, Nimbus. He'd fear if he ventured too far, he'd end up starving to death.

Following her nose, Nimbus's eyes widened as he realized she meant the greyish mountains that were almost fuzzy they were so far away from the lakeside. "That was some big journey just to get some fish..." Nimbus commented out loud. "Do you live in some sort of colony in the wilds?" He asked curiously.

"It's nice to meet you," Nimbus purred, tail swishing happily behind him. "It's so refreshing to meet such a lovely she-cat such like yourself," he meowed, green eyes glimmering from the sun off of the lake.

Ice

Nimbus watched as Ice's expression changed. Though it was brief and short-lived, Nimbus felt a little bad asking about her family. "You're very lucky to have had her," he meowed, sympathetically reaching out with his tail to touch her shoulder. "I don't remember much about my family, but I think if I had someone like your grandmother, I would've felt really blessed," Nimbus added, offering her a small smile.

Tail wagging behind him, Nimbus let out a rumbling purr. "Really?? The thought of hunting made his fur feel like it was vibrating. Nimbus was lucky enough to catch one of his twolegs' toys, let alone a live creature. The tom looked to the calm waters of the lake, imagining himself fishing and landing a big carp! Oh, how proud of himself he'd be. "I'm sure you're going to be the best mentor across the great lands of the basin!" Nimbus meowed.

Growing more curious, the white tom almost felt himself drawing near as Ice described her loner friends. "They almost sound like family... he murmured, lost in his own thoughts. The kittypet pictured himself, scampering amongst the Highstones, laughing with the area's loners. The thought warmed his cheeks. "Maybe I could stay with you sometime---" the words left his muzzle before he could stop himself. Nimbus's green eyes widened, embarrassment spreading scarlet up his neck. "To help you hunt of course! Eight paws are better than 4," he quickly added in attempts to save his hide.

"To be free and cared for," Nimbus purred, lifting a paw and giving it a lick. "Kind of like a found family, rather than blood," he said between licks. The white tom used his paw to wipe his face. "I would be tempted to leave my twolegs for something like that." He knew that was all it'd ever be though; just a dream. Though he had seen groups of loners, of two's or maybe even four's, word had not gotten to the twoleg town about any real colonies around the lakeside.

Nimbus snorted, "You got that right! I almost had one cat try to take my right ear off. How could they go and hurt a handsome face like mine." He pouted, faking a little whimper.

Ice