Here On The Road

[skyblackrain]

It was cold enough to make even a long hair cat shiver and run back for shelter from the freezing cold. There was rather light snow fall but the ground was already icy and sprinkled with a little bit of snow. Today was hardly weather that Sky had wanted but he had no control over it and the best thing to do was keep on walking. His paws were so very cold and he was shaking a little but it wasn’t too noticeable, good thing too since Sky didn’t like to embarrass himself with showing he couldn’t stand a little cold. This was always the hardest thing for him, getting used to the change of the outside weather. Though onward he went, trotting down the road, with his paws only slightly hitting the ground, he avoided having his paws become numb and ache which at the moment, he was looking for some shelter to warm his paws up but for now it was nothing just the open road, literally. With the snow falling onto his coat and melting, he was rather soaked, his fur flat against his body, his ears perked straight up and his whiskers twitching a little from being irritated by the falling snow landing on them. With his light blue collar proudly on his neck with the name “Max” his human given name, he continued to match through the ever falling snow.

Well this is nice Sky thought to himself trying to keep on the positive side, the only thing that wasn’t so nice was the fact he had to deal with freezing temperatures and not knowing just where he was headed. Finally, after hours of walking and nothing in sight, there was an old abandoned trunk up ahead, it had a “for sale” sign but no one wanted a piece of junk such as that trunks conditions. Humans may have seen it as a piece of junk but Sky on the other hand found it was just the pit stop he was looking for. Seeing a car coming though, Sky stared were he was, able to know of the dangers he was in from that passing car but once it zoomed passed him, he was crossing the street. Now on the other side, Sky sat under the large truck, the ground wasn’t as chilly as it was here and he had this shelter all to himself for now. He began to lick his paws clean and shake off the extra water that managed to get lodged into his fur. This would be his break and he was enjoying it too.

After getting as clean as he possibly could, he laid down, his belly touching against the cool ground but feeling somewhat better to him now. He wasn’t out of sight from others though and to humans he would look odd to see a cat under a trunk but he felt no danger and whenever he manages to, that is when he will split. “I wonder what my family is doing right now…” Sky couldn’t held but wonder out loud. He really did miss his mother but his dad just as much, along with his humans but it had to be. His mother told him about the green paper that the humans brought things with and that it was running low and had to get rid of one of the cats so, he took it upon himself to leave but not without a gift. It took awhile but he caught a mouse and left it on the backyard pouch for them to find, they would be very pleased with the gift and he could only hope that they would enjoy snacking on it as much as he enjoyed his small nibbling on the tail. What he never knew was that humans never ate them, Shy often put himself and the humans up there as an equal.

For a moment, he thought about Tex, as the humans called him, the dog that was next door. The pit-bull was rowdy and pretty loud but as odd as it may seem, the two managed to get along. Tex was rough around the edges and didn’t know of to express his feelings either but Sky knew that the dog was kind hearted. He wondered just what his humans thought of Tex but he could recall them yelling at him one day to keep quiet. Though, as far as he knew, Tex was a bit of a teenager, in the eyes of the humans he probably seemed more like a puppy but Sky knew a bit more about him then the humans did. Just thinking about him, as well as everyone he felt behind was very upsetting but it was all the best and he would visit them some day, he kept telling himself this as though he might forget it and end up never returning which was far from what he was going to let happen that was for sure.

Sky didn’t move from the spot underneath the truck, he didn’t really have much to do at the moment, for now he would just stay and keep warm until he is ready to go back on his journey.

[Indigo Wintertrap]

The skinny orange she-cat made her way down the snowy road, wishing all this snow would just stop and go away. Forever. She was over it all. Not that she was cold- Indigo rarely had problems with that- it was just that the snow made it so much harder to get around and it was all wet and- She stopped. Wow, she had changed. When she was a kitten she had loved snow, she had played around in it and wished throughout the year for Winter to arrive. How times change... She frowned. It didn't have to be like this. Maybe she could re-discover that old love for snow, somewhere deep within herself. She tilted her head to the side, trying to see the world through her new, rosy perspective. Come to think of it, snow was rather pretty. All white and fluffy and soft. She let out a soft giggle and then leapt into a snowbank with a mrrow of amusement.

As she clawed her way back up to the top, she couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous she was being. Any observer would most likely find her insane. She shrugged, she was just outgoing. They'd realize that if they'd bother to strike up a conversation. Not that any of this even mattered as there was no observer. Just to make sure, though, Indigo peeked up over the snow, eyes widened when she glimpsed the black and white tom. Oops. Ah well. She made her way down back onto the road, trying not to laugh at the sheern silliness of the situation. Eyes dancing playfully, she made her way over to the tom. "Well, hello there." Look at that. She was being friendly without a given reason. Yes, the snow must have done her some good.

[skyblackrain]

This was a strange sight to see, a cat who wasn't much of a little kitten, playing around in the snow like there was no tomorrow. When she approached him, Sky went into full alert, eyes wide, ears perked up and sniffing the air a bit, his little nose twitching at the new scent. After this careful sniff and since that she was alright, it was than that Sky smiled a bit and sat, his back legs than sitting down and staring that the she-cat. It seemed to take forever until he spoke but hey, he was being cautious about it, not wishing to get into any fight. Female's could fight just as well as males could and that was one of the reasons he was being so cautious.

A short while pasted before he spoke up. "Hello, pretty snowy day isn't it? You must like the snow, me on the other hand I...just don't really care for it. Too cold." He said, shaking his head a bit just thinking about touching the cold snow again, even though he knew that he would sooner or later have to. "Anyway, what are you doing here?" Sky managed to get out of being in that shy state now and just chating up a storm.

[Indigo Wintertrap]

Indigo grinned at the tom in front of her. My, she really was in a playful mood today. Would you take a look at that? Her golden eyes swept over the cat in front of her, taking in his appearance before they settled on the blue collar around his neck. Strange. Either he hadn't been a stray for long - like herself - or he was a sentimental who missed being a pet. Indigo hoped it was the first though she would certainly have fun teasing him if he did end up being some downer who wished he could go back to the good old days where he got in food in a plastic bowl. Ew.

She raised one brow and gave a casual shrug as he finally opened his mouth to speak. "Not too bad. I used to hate snow- like a few minutes ago." She laughed. "Then I remembered ho much I used to love it and-" she shrugged again, "I figured I'd give it one last chance to impress me." She giggled her signature tinkling laugh. "Not much. You? How long have you been on the streets?" The question was a tad direct but she didn't care to be blunt. "Why do you still have a collar around your neck?" This was even more to the point. A small grin played upon her expression.

[skyblackrain]

The older cat listened to her, Sky's tail moving back and forth behind him slowly. That seemed a little bit strange to have hate something and suddenly revert back to loving it but he took this anyway, nodding his head a bit to let her know he was still listening. Though, he didn't expect the questions or that strange grin either, his ears perked up straight, Sky himself stood up with pride from what he had done and to get to tell someone the story again. "Maybe about a day or two, just walking to here is a hassle. I'm a wild cat now but I keep my collar to remind me of my human family. They didn't have much of the green paper they get things with and could only afford minor cat food to pay for other stuff. Well since they already had my mom, I decided to leave by myself. I saved my family." He was so very proud, his chest out and his head held high as he spoke.

After that though, he lowered his a bit, somewhat embarrassed that he was going to do this in front of another cat that wasn't one of his parents but decided to do so anyway. "Excuse me," he muttered softly as he went about cleaning his paws and side as well. His ears were perked up though and he wasn't going to miss anything she had to say either. In some hope, she would be kinder about the fact that he kept his collar.

[Indigo Wintertrap]

Indigo watched the other cat with a strange expression. He wasn't really like anyone she'd encountered before and this made her feel both admiration and pity for the cat. She was undecided on whether he was actually an interesting character or just a bit not in his right mind. She nodded as he talked so he could see that she was paying attention though she honestly would not have been too miffed if he had have thought she was ignoring him. She gave a shrug. "I never really had a collar. Hate the bloody things." She grinned. "The humans I stayed with quickly learned not to try them with me."

As he went on about green paper things- which Indigo full understood- she couldn't help but feel a twinge of surprise though it was mixed with the sudden urge to laugh. "Good for you, then," she said awkwardly, biting her lip so she wouldn't giggle. Yes this cat was definately unlike most. This was turning out to be a pleasant though interesting encounter. Indigo was glad she had stopped and said hello, that was for sure.

[skyblackrain]

"Oh? I've always liked mine, it keeps fleas off too." Sky was pleased that she didn't trash the collar or humans for that matter, twice he had managed to get in a fight because of this. She was a lot nicer than the female he had came across so he was in a much better mood to talk, even with the awful weather condictions. He had a few questions to ask her but at the moment a bit shy to, he wasn't very out going at the moment and well, he was still nervous. His whiskers twitched a bit as he sniffed the air, looking for new scents which at the moment, he didn't find. Thankfully.

After a very quick clean, he looked back at her, smiling, his eyes sparkling almost. "We've been so busy talking that we still don't know each other's name. I'm Sky Blackrain" he introducted himself and lowered his head in a bit of a bow to her, a very kind greeting as well.

[Indigo Wintertrap]

Indigo gave a shrug at his comment. "I've never really had a problem with fleas." She let out a soft laugh. "The human I lived with always used shampoo instead." The memory made her grin, she couldn't help it. And for once it was a happy memory and she wasn't sad. My, this was indeed a lucky twist of fate that had brought her here. She was certainly happy to have met this cat- her eyes widened. She didn't even know his name. This wasn't always too important to her but others often liked to know who they were talking to. As if he had read her mind, the tom spoke.

She batted her lashes playfully, sauntering playfully. "Indigo. But I'm not gonna tell you my last name. You'll find out on your own." She paused and giggled. "Eventually." She winked, happy to be releasing some of her pent up energy and just having a regular good old time. This was nice indeed.

[skyblackrain]

Sky found that she was very lucky to not have a flea problem, he had that but not ticks, thankfully. Had to be another reason why he kept his collar on, because of the fleas and it really helped him out. Sky slightly feared the day when he would get too big for the collar and have to get rid of it but then that day would come, Sky would make a trip back to his human family to give the collar to them, maybe they would even be there to see him and give him a new collar. That was a very slim hope though but a hope just the same, one that would be a nice wish come true.

He couldn't help but chuckle a bit at this and that wink, could she be flirting with him? Sky wasn't one to really know, he never had an eye for that short of thing but he would just take it as being playful and not flirting with him. His tail waved back and forth, slowly behind him again and he blinked his eyes a bit curious to know her last name but decided that he hopefully would learn this later on. "Nice to meet you, Indigo. It really has been a long time since I last met a nice street cat, though you don't look much like one." Was Sky flirting? Not even he, himself knew.

[Stellar Snowpaw]

Stellar trotted up behind.
He scratched behind his ear, then looked around.
He opened his mouth, and sniffed deeply.
'Indigo and... another male.' His eyes, his brown eyes, closed.
'Is he... flirting with her?' When he opened his eyes, for some reason, he was angry. With who, he didn't know. Perhaps himself.

"Though you don't look much like one."
'I oughta...' He didn't know. He wouldn't go in there yet. He would stay here and listen.

The words kept replaying in his head. I have to go in there... I don't know why, I just have to. He nodded, and walked up to the two. He shook his head, shaking the anger from his body.

"Hello, Indigo." he looked at Indigo, with a 'who-is-he?' look.
"My name is Stellar Snowpaw." He looked at his paws quickly, then back up at the tom.
"What is your name, sir?" His eyes were closed again. Afraid of what the two might think, they flashed open again.

[skyblackrain]

It was a bit surprising that he didn't smell this new comer right away, when the other tom approached, he twitched his nose a bit, hmm must be all the snow that seemed to be the only problem, it had to be. Sky smiled when the other introduced himself, "I'm Sky Blackrain." He was a bit nervous though, he didn't know if he had just flirted (if he had that was) with a one who was already taken. How hard would that be to talk himself out of, or maybe he still had a chance with her. Actually, he did find Indigo rather attractive, but he wasn't going to say that, mostly because Stellar was there.

"So, you two know each other?" It wasn't meant to be a question since he already had an idea, it just came out that way. Sky was getting more nervous now, lowering his head a little, a habit for when he got like this, he found that other street cats don't attack if one showed that they were in charge in a way. Sky didn't want to get in a fight over someone, he really didn't like the idea of fighting in this cold weather.

[Stellar Snowpaw]

The brown tom looked at the spotted one.
'He's getting nervous? Wha- Oh. He thinks I'm Indigo's mate...'
He tried hard not to laugh.
"We're aqquainted... We've recently went to the pond to fish. She got-"

He stopped and looked at Indigo, would she be angry if he told the other tom what happened? "She got a bit hurt." He lifted his paw and looked at it. "Do you know how to fish, Sir Blackrain?" He looked under him, pure snow. It wasn't ice. He was glad. Ice was... dangerous. And treacherous. He pawed at bit of the snow, and lapped it up quickly.

"You have a collar. Insect problem?" He looked at the collar around the other tom's neck. "I never had a collar. My mother and father old me they were things for the Twolegs to put on you so they can control you... But, if you enjoy the thing on you, I can't convince you to take it off." He smiled thinking about his old home. Such precious memories were stored in his mind.

"My father and mother were mouse cats. They hunted and killed rats and mice for our human, a farmer. We were quite valuable to him. We protected the food supply for... pretty much every animal on the farm." He was proud of his heritage. He was a born hunter, he lived outdoors all his life. His fur had adapted to the chill wind. He knew so much about survival outside. He smiled as he waited for the tom and Indigo to speak.

[Indigo Wintertrap]

"Nice to meet you, Indigo. It really has been a long time since I last met a nice street cat, though you don't look much like one." Indigo raised one brow at his comment but otherwise could not help but grin. Was Sky flirting with her? She certainly hoped so. She gave a giggle. "Yes cause you with your collar are the perfect example of a rough and tumble stray." she teased, laughing again. There was the sound of paws on the road and she turned around to see Stellar arriving. Hey!" she called with a grin as the tom made his way over. The look he sent surprised her and she could barely contain a mew of surprise. Was Stellar jealous?

She gave a slight shrug as if to say 'who knows'. After all, Sky and her were merely acquaintances, that was all. As Sky questioned how they knew each other, Indigo opened her mouth to reply though Stellar beat her two it. She grinned as the tom mentioned how they had been fishing, though she noticed he left out the details, as if unsure what her reaction would be. How sweet. She laughed. "I wasn't really paying attention when he warned me on the dangers of catfish and one of them got my paw," she admitted with a casual, nonchalant shrug.

"You have a collar. Insect problem?" Indigo's eyes widened at Stellar's dig though she said nothing. However, the tom carried on to talk about his own upbringing and Indigo wasn't sure if the comment had been meant as a dig at all. At any rate, it all depended on how Sky took the comment, though she hoped he would let it pass. She didn't want them fighting, they could have so much fun if they were just friends, however cliché that idea was.

[skyblackrain]

"Yes cause you with your collar are the perfect example of a rough and tumble stray." When Sky had heard this, he grinned a bit, laughing a little even, she knew he was only teasing her and not in a mean way like other stray cats had been.

Sky listened to Stellar explain, hearing that she got hurt though, his eyes widened and he stood to all four paws. "What? You okay right?" He didn't hate to wait long to hear Indigo's side of the story and tilted his head to the side in confusion. Dangers of catfish? They should be easy to catch though, right? After all with a name like catfish they should be, you don't put two words like that cat and fish together when its not an easy catch for a cat. This was all he was thinking about, after all he never had went fishing before so he wouldn't know a thing about it. "Sir Blackrain?" Sky repeated back blinking a few times, "let's not so be so formal, just call me Sky and well...actually no I haven't. My dad told me about it and he said that he would take me to a small pound nearby some day but well...that never happened."

At mention of the collar, he sat down on the ground again, staying away from the snow by continuing to be under the truck, his paws were starting to warm up again, thankfully. "Oh, I used to, this is just for protection against them but I wear it to remind me of my humans." Sky actually was getting out of being so very nervous now that the other didn't seem to be too threaten enough by him to attack.

It seemed that Stellar was trying to brag to him about this, he decided to just tell him a few things about his family. "My mom was a house-cat and my dad was an alley-cat. I'm not much of a hunter though but my dad sure can hunt." Not at all was Sky challenging Stellar, he was simply trying to be friendly.

[Stellar Snowpaw]

Stellar smiled as Indigo greeted him. "Hi, Indigo." He said, smiling brightly. He smiled at the other male. He had to be friendly. He was being friendly to him, so he had to return it, just to be nice.

"You seem confused, so I will tell you about catfish," he said, nodding to himself. "Catfish are a very sleek and meaty fish. They have whiskers, which is where their name comes from. These whiskers are not like ours, though. They have very sharp barbs at the ends of them, and when they get into ya, they won't get out without leaving a good-bye mark." He cringed at the sight of Indigo's bloody paw. Then he remembered pushing it onto the ice. He kinda... liked Indigo... Slightly, of course.

"My mom was a house-cat and my dad was an alley-cat. I'm not much of a hunter though but my dad sure can hunt."
Stellar smiled at this responce. He liked listening to stories of other cats. "Do you know where your father and mother are now? Are they at your old home, with the Twolegs that used to own you?"
He never really called humans anything other that Twolegs. It had just stuck when his mother had told him about them. He hoped Sky wouldn't take it offensively.