Conrad and the Comfy Couch

[constantine]

Food was something he Constantine could get behind. It would be a way to fill his belly and hopefully get a little more information on the smaller cat. They could bond and destroy this tension between them. The tom wholeheartedly agreed with going hunting

"Sure, that'd be fun. I'll tag along." 

There were quite a few places around Constantine could exploit. Unless the tomcat meant hunting hunting. Then he'd let Conrad take the lead. He wasn't familiar with hunting in the city. 

"Lead the way." He was happy with following along. Something he did often with his nomad group, just tagged along and let others take the lead. He wasn't much for taking charge. Constantine wasn't confident enough in himself to put himself out on the spot as so. "Where are we going to hunt?" 

[Shy]

        Conrad was relieved when Constantine decided to tag along.  He was still trying to understand the tom.  Hunting together would help, and help clear his troubled mind.  When Constantine asked where they were going, he realized that he hadn't thought that far ahead.  Truth be told, he had quite a few options.  He knew of some nearby food bowls and of a few trashcans that almost always had something to offer.  They were close too.  But the day was warm, and it was spring.  Prey might still be a little scarce, but he wanted to hunt.  To feel the sun on his fur.

        "I know of a nearby river." He began, though it was really more of a stream. "There are a few rocks nearby where animals like to sun. That and the water increase our chances of finding food."  Of course, it wasn't the best hunting spot he had.  Early on he had discovered a hole that that led to the house behind the couch.  It was big enough for Conrad to slip in and out of.  The house was filled with rodents, although it smelled horrid he could always find something. But he wasn't sure if Constantine would fit, or would want to.  It was filthy,  and the hole itself had a few dangers.  It sat directly under a nest of bees, and he was always worried they'd sting him.

        "Come on, it's not far!"  Swiftly Conrad started towards the river.

constantine

[constantine]

A river. That would be a good place to hunt. As Conrad had said, water increased their chances of finding food. Water often meant animals nearby as it was a vital part of survival. He was hoping for some fish. He hadn't had the taste of any fresh caught seafood in a while and had missed it's taste. Constantine followed behind Conrad as he led them to the stream.

He wasn't sure if he was walking slower than usual or if Conrad was just a cat who walked briskly, but he was having trouble keep up. 
"So Conrad, where'd you live before this?" He trotted until he was next to the flame colored cat. "I mean, before you found the couch of course." 

[Shy]

        Conrad tensed up a bit.  He wasn't proud that he had been a housecat.  Still, he doubted that Constantine would believe he was never a housecat.  He'd never met another cat like him that wasn't born a housecat.  Of course, he could keep it vague.  No one had to know how long he was a housecat.  If he was careful, Constantine would never know.

        "I was born a  housecat. Got out first chance I got.  Then I just wandered from place to place.  Never really had a home."  He'd never had a home as a stray at least.  "We're close."  Conrad was thrilled to be at the stream.  The past didn't bother Conrad, it motivated him.  But he didn't want others to have another thing they could use to look down on him.  His size did that all on it's own. 

constantine

[constantine]

"Really?!" He perked up at that. He had also been a housecat, a trait he didn't share with his nomads friends. None of them, as far as he knew, were born into the houses. He himself had a good life as a housecat. He didn't have any problems with living in on the inside. It would be nice right now. To go to sleep everynight in a warm house, on a comfty bed and eat good food daily. Though he would certainly miss the adventures he had and the cats he had met along the way.

"We're alike in a way then. I was born into a house too." 

[Shy]

        Surprised, Conrad almost stopped, almost.  He hadn't expected to find out Constantine was also born a housecat. The two toms were similar, Conrad had expected almost nothing to come up shared between them.  The last thing he was expecting was that they would have similar life stories.  He looked over at Constantine, trying to see if the tom was truly telling the truth.  Was he?  It was impossible for Conrad to tell.

        "Really?" He meowed, trying not to sound confused.  It was odd how the two toms were so different despite this newfound similarity.  Why had Constantine left?  He seemed like the kind of cat who wouldn't have been able to just leave his old life behind.  Perhaps he had been abandoned?  Conrad had picked, sick of being abused, unloved and weak.  He was nothing in the eyes of those who took care of him.  They'd hurt him, she'd hurt him.  The girl.  It stung now, just as it did then.  It hurt, but it made him strong.  No one would hunt him again. No one.

        "We're here." Conrad announced.  It was a very pretty sight.  He was too caught up in his memories to care much.  Did Constantine face the same treatment?  If so, how could they be so different.  He wanted to ask, but knew he shouldn't, couldn't. If they were treated the same, he doubted Constantine would tell. He wasn't eager to explain the year of abuse he faced. "Do you feel like fish or meat?"

constantine

[constantine]

"Both. I mean I'm not really picky on what I eat." He padded forward, standing in front of the stream. Watching the clear water flow.

"Whatever we find is what I'll eat." He hadn't been a picky eater. He quickly grew out of that spoiled attitude when he began life on the streets. He couldn't get to meow or beg for the things he wanted, he simply got what he got and complaining wouldn't get him anywhere. If he chose not to eat then he simply wouldn't eat that day. But being on your own you didn't know where your next meal was coming from or what it would be.

"Though a nice fish would be nice." There should be quite a few of them in there. Hopefully something big enough to fill his belly.

[Shy]

        Conrad didn't particularly adore fish, but he wasn't in the mood to trek through the woods searching for a mouse.  Besides, Constantine was already at the stream, searching for his next meal.  If they were lucky there would be a decent sized fish or two.  Forest prey would still be a bit scare, and he hadn't had fish in a while. 

        "Fish it is." He meowed, settling down to fish.  Fishing was a little boring though.  Now that he thought of it, he hadn't fished since before winter.  He didn't like getting wet anyway, but getting wet in winter wasn't something he'd do unless he was starving.  For a second he wished he'd had his couch during the bulk of winter.  He quickly focused back on the stream, wishing wouldn't catch fish.  It might take a while, but he was determined to catch something today.  Since he was going to be here for a while, he decided he might as well try to talk to Constantine.  So he said the first thing that came to mind.

        

    "Do you like fish?" 

constantine

[constantine]

(oh goodness i thought i replied to this but i guess i didnt) 

"Fish? Yeah I enjoy fish." Constantine watched the water carefully. His pale blue eyes only saw the movement of little tadpoles and leaves that were drifting downstream. No fish as of yet. "My favorite would have to be either salmon or tuna. Snapper is pretty good too. All fish is nice though. What about you? Do you like fish?" 

There was suddenly a little small fish darting past. Constantine instantly reached for it, managing to get nothing but soaking wet in the process. The fish was small and fast, it wouldn't have made much more than a snack anyways so the loss wasn't that great. 

[Shy]

    Conrad had never paid attention to the different types of fish. They were all just fish to him. So he was glad when Constantine started paying more attention to the fish than to him. In the past Conrad had fished maybe three or four times. They'll always tasted a little funny to him. Of course, it took him a while to adjust to eating prey too. As a housecat he'd always been fed hard food, never meat.

    "I don't think we'll have much luck here. The stream isn't big enough for any fish worth catching." Conrad meowed. "We might have better luck catching prey. I don't know about you, but I could go for a squirrel or a bird." The thought of squirrel meat perked him up, for a while he'd mainly been eating mice and the occasional rat. A change in food sounded pretty good to Conrad

constantine

[constantine]

Constantine perked up at that. Any food was good food but the thought of a nice bird or squirrel got him excited.
The stream was filled with delicious food, that much he knew, but as Conrad had stated they weren't going to catch anything soon. Nothing filling anyways. "A bird would certainly be nice." His stomach was already ready. He stepped away from the stream, padding in front of Conrad.

"Let's go."

Shy
(SORRY! omg ive been so absent )

[Shy]

(No problem!)

Conrad was glad to get away from the stream. Sitting around, waiting for a fish, it wasn't his style. With hunting in the forest, at least he could move. He padded away from the stream, carefully searching for any scents. A bird or a squirrel would be a nice change of pace.

However, he wasn't having much luck. Prey was scare in the forest, compared to the constant stream of rodents near his couch. But he wasn't going to turn back and hunt there. "I've got nothing." He growled, his tail lashing back and forth. Maybe Constantine was having better luck. "What about you?

constantine.

[constantine]

Constantine sniffed the air, his blue eyes searching the forest. He didn't get much, nothing but a faint scent of squirrel. It was long gone, pursuing it wouldn't have be smart. "Nothing substantial." He stepped into the underbrush, disappearing from view temporarily.
The forest was no longer frosted over, the earth no longer covered by snow and yet no prey. Food was still scarce, for what reason he didn't know. They would probably just have better luck climbing trees and hunting for bird eggs.

[Shy]

        Conrad growled.  Sure, he knew that as soon as Constantine left, he could hunt the rodents, but he was hungry now.  Who knew how long Constantine would stay?  His tail lashed back and forth, and he began to pace back and forth.  It was warm, it was spring.  Why was food still so scare everywhere?  So far, he'd been lucky.  It helped that there was only one of him, one mouth was easier to feed.  Now it looked like both of them were going to bed hungry.

        "Come on, there's a field somewhere nearby."  He meowed.  "It might have a few field mice.  Just be careful, there might be a hawk or two in the area."  Before he found his couch Conrad had wandered upon the field.  He distinctly remembered catching a mouse and resting nearby.  Maybe there would be a few more.  As for the hawks, he hoped they'd had better luck.  He was short cat, and if they were too hungry, they might go after him, or Constantine.

constantine

[constantine]

Constantine stopped his search as he heard Conrad. The mention of a field brought opportunities. Opportunities for food. He bounded back, making his way over to the short, fiery cat. "That seems like a good place to go." Despite the danger of hawks. He was hungry and he was sure Conrad was too.

"Don't you think it's weird that there hasn't been much food?" He sat, waiting for Conrad to lead the way to this field he mentioned, the tom couldn't help but think. "Do you think it's like this everywhere?"

Shy

[Shy]

        Conrad knew it was spring, and it should have been easier to find food.  "I guess.  Maybe there are too many predators in the area.  Or maybe something else happened."  There should have been an increase in prey, with more food for the tiny creatures of the forest.  They should have reproduced, there should be so much more prey. 

        "There's been enough for me to survive.  Never needed anymore than a piece of prey every day or so.  Maybe when summer comes there'll be more prey available."  He meowed.  "You say you travel a lot, right?  With the other nomads.  Any of you ever deal with shortages like this?" 

constantine

[constantine]

"No, never." Constantine kept his head low as he traveled along with Conrad. "I've never had to go a night hungry due to a shortage with the nomads." He huffed. "It makes me wonder if this has to do with the feud between those two colonies." He's heard about it plenty. He's seen the carnage and the bodies of cats who'd gotten themselves stuck in the midst of things. He couldn't understand it. So much bloodshed over territory and some ancient bitter rivalry.

What happened, happened. There was no use to continue fighting over it. He paused, lifting his head up to the trees. "Do you like eggs?"

[Shy]

        Conrad paused.  He'd never heard of colonies before.  What were they?  "Wait, back it up a bit.  What war between colonies?  What colonies?  What is a colony?"  What on earth was going on?  If they were causing a prey shortage, it would get back to Conrad eventually.  He leapt in front of Constantine. These colonies didn't sound good, especially if they were causing a shortage in prey.  They might want his couch, even if Constantine didn't want it.  Were they like the nomads?  Would they attack Conrad?  He hated the unknown, and right now, he had no clue what was going on.

        "Explain."  This sounded bad, very bad indeed.