They took a day heading towards the thin columns of smoke they’d spotted earlier. They’d tried their best to follow the stream, though it kept meandering a bit too much for them to be able to stick to it all the time. The terrain was becoming trickier, mountain and forest leaving small cliffs and odd rocky formations that made them take detours from time to time.

Rick drank as much as he could to compensate for the rising hunger. The part of him that was glad at seeing the stream grow was in turn saddened when it became clearer it was turning Westward and away from the direction they were headed in.

Most notably, however, Monica had stopped vanishing into the forest as often. The few times she did vanish, they’d hear a roar off in the distance before she’d show up again.

“Is it just me or is she nervous?” Rick’s question hung in the air as the feline leaned into him. He winced as she reached out and placed a clawed hand on his shoulder, pulling him closer to her.

“She looks like she wants a little more loving.” Kat giggled, observing how the feline would trace the pad of her paw against the base of his neck.

Rick glanced up at Monica. She turned to look at him in turn, smiling. Her grip tightened a little as her ears twitched this way and that. She was paying closer attention to the forest around them as her hip bumped against Rick’s lower ribs. He awkwardly returned the smile, trying his best not to stumble from having the weight of her paw on his shoulder.

Her smile brightened further at that, leaning to lick his cheek.

Kat began giggling harder.

“What sort of place do you figure the smoke was coming from?” Tomas coughed loudly. “There being smoke at all might be indicative of a rather rural lifestyle.”

“Oh! I hope there’s, like, dungeons and dragons shit. Shoot lasers and cast fireballs.”

“I did not take you for someone interested in that kind of thing.” Rick quirked a brow.

Kat rolled her eyes. “Tried it once, too much math. I prefer the memes.”

“I’m just hoping for someplace safe.” The young teacher shook his head, glancing up at Monica as she was looking all around. His own gaze turned towards the trees that surrounded them, the monsters of wood and bark. “A part of me wants this to at least be within continental US, but…”

“We don’t have trees this big,” Tomas acknowledged with a nod. “We’re not in Kansas anymore… as they say.”

“Trees? Forget the trees, you’re walking hand in hand with a six foot two catgirl beefcake.” The young woman gestured at the feline. “A catgirl, Rick, do you know how crazy people would go over her back home? She’d be a fucking internet celebrity.”

“And the Arachnae.”

“And the rat gramps stayed behind with.”

“Mouse.”

“What?”

“Mouse, not rat,” Tomas said. “Her ears were round and her tail was pink, and-”

“Who cares?” Kat growled. “Gramps stayed back with her and she might eat him in his sleep or something.”

“I’d be more concerned Monica might do just that.” The young student muttered.

“Meow?” The feline’s head snapped to look at Tomas as soon as he’d spoken her name. Her ears were perked, eyes focused intently. He recoiled and lowered his gaze, and Monica tilted her head in curiosity in turn.

“Wait.” Kat bubbled up a little. “Did she… recognize the name? This I got to see.” Slowing down, the young student lagged a little behind the group. Rick could hear a little chuckle. “Marmot. Nothing? Morocco. Hm… Mono. Moniker?” The last one got a reaction. The feline glanced over her shoulder at her with a tilted head. “Oh shit, she DID recognize it. Monica.”

“Meow-ic-a.”

Kat giggled with a little shrill. “Monica.” She hurried on over back to join the rest of the group, smiling from ear to ear. “Repeat after me, Moooo… niiiiii… caaaaaa.”

“Meownic-aaah.” She grimaced a little, sticking her tongue out. “Meownic-aaaaahhhh.”

“Monica.”

“Mow.” The cat frowned. Turning forward, she opened and closed her mouth, scrunching up her face for a second. “Mownic-aah.”

Rick arched a brow, not really able to escape her embrace. The progress was indeed surprising. He reached into the backpack and pulled out the water bottle, taking a good swing. A part of him hoped it could keep his stomach from growling.

“God, she’s so close!” Kat giggled. “Monica! You can do it.”

“Mown-”

Monica’s whole body went rigid. The grip of her hand on Rick’s shoulder became iron. He almost fell when she had stopped moving. The feline’s face darkened, snapping to look somewhere to the left. Her ears perked up and her tail became still.

“What the…”

Monica let go of him, causing him to stumble as she leapt towards the nearest tree in a burst of movement. She was gone before any of them could even guess what was going on.

“Eesh, what do you figure drew her attention this time?”

“She definitely looked serious.”

“I think… something worried her.” Rick rubbed his chin, glancing ahead. “Let’s keep going.”

“Worried? I’m betting she went out there to kick butt and hunt something tasty.”

The sour note that lingered in her voice gave Rick pause. He glanced at her. “How much food do you have left?” He wondered under his breath, ignoring the tightness inside his gut.

“Tonight’s the last meal.” She shrugged.

“I can share some of mine with you.” Tomas immediately perked up. “I’d been rationing it since we left. I’ve got enough for three more small meals.”

“We’ll have to ration water too once we get away from the stream.” Rick could only glance at the running crystalline water that rolled its way through the forest. It was the only stretch of land that was devoid of trees on either side.

“Do you figure it’s autumn over here?”

The question caught the teacher’s attention. “Why do you ask?”

“The stream looks like it’s in a riverbed that’s larger than the stream itself. That kind of means the flow is low right now.”

“Really hope winter isn’t coming, or that it’s not as sucky as the one back home. Do you know how awful it’d be having to do this whole survival shit with snow and frost and…?” Kat shuddered. “Next time I’m voting we get stranded near a beach.”

Rick couldn’t help himself. He laughed. “Amen to that.”

“I think the forest is better,” Tomas commented with a slight frown. “There’s bound to be easier food around here.”

“Nope, nope, and nope.” The young woman playfully punched his shoulder. “You can’t beat surviving at the coast. Water, fish, and palm trees and all the sunbathing one could hope for.”

“I hadn’t thought about fishing.”

“You know what else you haven’t thought of?” She bumped her hip against his own. “On the beach we’d get to use our swimsuits, and I’ve got the cutest string bikini ever.”

The young teacher held back from chuckling as Tomas flushed.

The amusement came to an abrupt end when he felt he was being watched. It was a sensation he was becoming quite accustomed to. He looked over his shoulder, behind him, and then ahead. Where was she?

“Meow.” Monica’s voice rang out directly from above. Rick’s head snapped upwards, spotting the feline hanging from one of the thick branches, her tail dangling as she dropped down without a sound. There was amusement in her eyes as she sauntered to him, reached forward with her large paw to show him something. “Rick.”

The feline shoved something bloody and full of feathers against his chest. And with the utterance of his name, Kat cheered, laughing loudly.

But to him, it was almost a white noise. His eyes locked on the offered dead bird that was staining his shirt. She’d hunted this for him? He glanced at her, meeting her intense gaze in hesitation. “Rick,” she said once more, pushing the dead bird against his chest until he grabbed it.

She nodded, patting his stomach and turning around. She jumped straight back into the woods.

“If we’re speaking in Monica, I think that’s a marriage proposal.” Kat howled in laughter.