All A L O N E . . .

Ashclaw sauntered through the unfamiliar territory, his step a slight bounce to it. It was a well enough day. Everything seemed peaceful and calm. Something needed to liven this place up. Like a giant dinosaur or something. Yeah. Ashclaw shook his head, his silky, light ginger fur gleaming in the sun. There wasn't anyone. None of his friends were there, there were no she-cats to charm... He sighed. What must he do to spark something up of interest around here?

Then, he heard... what? A voice? How strange. He tracked the sound, his ears perked with intrigue. "Hello?" He meowed, looking around. He couldn't find the source of the noise, so he may as well see if he can get it to say something again.

Ashclaw swallowed hard and went rigid when he heard a young voice supposedly say 'prey'. Regaining his friendly and candid composure, he followed the sound to its origin, dark blue eyes warm when he came upon the creature. A fox. How cool! And yet it called him prey... Well, it was too small and pathetic looking to do him too much harm, it seemed. And why, he'd dealt with wolves before!

"So is that my name?" he meowed, his tone rather comforting and nice. You know. The tone he used when he was actually feeling serious or trying to be alluring. "Actually, I'm Ashclaw," he practically purred, ending his introduction.

The golden tom smiled a catty smile that was absolutely not threatening or creepy. It was meant to be friendly, but what cat looks 'friendly' when they smile? What a wretched personification. Ashclaw watched the pup calmly as it said his name. He fancied that the fox was testing it, almost tentatively. When it finally said its name, Ashclaw almost bounced right there. "Hello, Crevan!~" he meowed in a sing-song-like mew.

"May I ask where your mother is? A pup like you should not be alone like this," he meowed. He couldn't help but wonder at why he hadn't been chased off by some giant canine by now.

He blinked stupidly at Crevan's response. He didn't know whether to be amused by this or profoundly disturbed. Maybe he had his words confused; he was very young after all. Clearing his throat, he managed to query steadily enough, "Prey...?" But then the possible meaning dawned upon him. Eyes widening sharply, he took on a sad and grave look. He wasn't sure exactly how to take what Crevan said. He needed specification. The tom could take it light-heartedly and say something totally unforgivable, or frighten the thing by jumping to conclusions. What a conundrum.

Ashclaw tilted his head slowly to the side, his gold fur bleached white in the bright sunlight. Sapphire eyes took in the fox cub as if for the first time. He was showing the most perplexing behavior. Why, the tom had never held a conversation with someone so incoherent before.

"ARE YOU LOST?" he cried, giving up on being calm. Being his spontaneous self, he flicked his ears back in concern and leaned forward suddenly. "I will take it upon myself to keep you safe and get you back to your family!~" he exclaimed. It would have been a heroic sentiment, but coming from him it was only terribly dramatic and overplayed.

Oblivious to how he was frightening the fox pup, he started racking his brain as to what would be best to do first. Surely finding its mother...? Yeah, if he wanted to be eaten. All he could really do was try to keep an eye on it, maybe get some assistance if he could find any.

Ashclaw's ears perked up when he heard Crevan say something. Food! the tom thought, only repeating what his new friend had said. He's probably hungry... Foxes eat mice, right? Commoner woodland food. Yeah. Mice. He had to fill the role of mother daddy and help with hunting! He expressed a determined look as he nodded vigorously. "I will find you food!" he declared almost passionately.

"Daddy will be right back~!" he stated almost hysterically, his tail bushing out slightly and his eyes wide with determination. His gaze lingered on the fox for another quick moment before he turned and began to make his way into the forest. Multiple scent trails met his noise immediately, and he hadn't even padded a fox-length away from the little pup.

Ears pricked and tail swishing, he followed one that seemed promising and kept his nose to the air. Hopefully he would stumble upon game rather soon; he had little patience. It also didn't help that he was a fail hunter... Would it kill to mention that his friends caught his food for him?

Rounding a scrubby little bush, Ashclaw almost stumbled right upon the mouse he was tracking. Thankfully, his blue eyes caught sight of it and stopped him from divulging himself too early. Hunching down to the forest floor, he crept forward, ignoring the discomfort of his fur catching on the twig-and-leaf-litter below him. Wiggling his haunches, he lunged, claws unsheathed. The poor mouse was trapped in his teeth before it could even blink.

Wow, that must have been one blind and deaf mouse.

Lifting his golden head triumphantly, he bounced back over to Crevan with little difficulty. After all, he was within a very small radius of the fox. He dropped the cadaver at Crevan's paws, expecting it to be devoured rather quickly. "Here you are!~" he meowed jovially.

Ashclaw blinked, dumb-founded. He was dense to what the fox was inclining, so he stared blankly at the prey and Crevan for some time. Shaking his head to snap him out of his reverie, he lowered his head and took a very small bite out of the mouse's back, finally getting the picture. Then he nudged it towards Crevan, hoping that he would just eat the darn thing. He wasn't used to fox customs, but he played along nonetheless to please the young creature. After all, he was a gentlecat. When with Commoners, do as the Commoners do, yes?

Ashclaw nodded approvingly as Crevan ate the rest of the mouse. At least he was full now... Suddenly, a thought clicked in his head. He froze, his eyes taking on an unreadable cast. What if..? he thought slowly, looking at the fox pup. Well, since he seemed to be lost and vulnerable, what if he took him back to the Oblivion Cats!? Silentstar would love the idea, and it would make a new friend for Petalpaw!

"Crevan! How do you like the idea of coming with me back to my home?" Ashclaw asked happily, his tail swishing. This idea was too perfect.

Almost impatiently Ashclaw awaited the response, his entire form beginning to bounce slightly with excitement and anticipation. When he got the answer he was hoping for, he exclaimed, "Yes! LETS GO (ROAR)." He turned and let his fluffy tail whisk over the fox's muzzle, signaling for him to follow. "You'll love the Obsidian Cats, Crevan. They may be a bunch of commoners, but they're still cool," he meowed, eyes bright as he padded onward, "This will be a grand experience!"

Ashclaw shot a glance back at the little fox, his eyes watery. "You're so cute!~" he allowed himself to say, quickly growing attached to Crevan. Bouncing over a small, exposed root, he then rounded a berry bush and made his way closer to camp. Sadly, he always travelled far away from the camp during the day; it was just his thing to wander sometimes.

"Not much further," the tom meowed in a bubbly tone after a while, the familiar sights and scents of his home greeting him gradually.