Susie tromps through the grass with the same heavy-footed grace as always—if you can call it grace when every step is more like a stomp. The weeds snap under her paws, and she makes no effort to soften the sound. If anything, she leans into it, because if they're lost out here, some fox or hawk might as well know where they are and get it over with. She swings her head toward the little figure beside her, eyes narrowing. "Y'know, when you said, 'Let's go on an adventure!', I didn't think that meant, 'Let's wander into the middle of nowhere and die of boredom.'" Her voice comes out rough, almost a growl, and she bares her teeth in something that's not quite a smile. "Seriously, this is the dumbest thing I've done all week."
She pushes through a patch of brambles, not bothering to duck. The thorns snag her fur, pulling tufts loose, but she just grunts and yanks herself free. There's a satisfaction in the sting, a distraction from the gnawing sense that maybe, just maybe, she should've stayed home in her nest instead of letting herself be dragged out here. The air smells different now—less safe, more wild. Trees arch overhead, branches crowding out the sky. Susie pauses, tail lashing once, twice, her ears flicking as if she could shake off the strangeness. She doesn't admit it, but her chest feels tight.
"Okay, fluffy," she mutters, half under her breath but loud enough that he'll hear. "Where the hell are we, huh? You said you could get us there. You're supposed to be, like, smart or whatever. Right now all I see is trees and more trees. Pretty sure we've gone in a circle at least three times." Her claws scrape against a root as she digs them in, irritation bleeding out through the motion. She wants to turn back, to tell him this is a lost cause, but something stops her—pride, maybe. Or maybe she doesn't want to look like a coward in front of him, no matter how much she snarls about being 'forced' to come along.
Susie pauses, nose twitching. The air's different here—sharp with scents she doesn't recognize. Cats. A lot of cats. Stronger, thicker than the usual city-strays she's used to brushing past. Her shoulders roll, claws sliding out into the dirt. "…Tch." She squints out into the clearing, then flicks an ear back at him. "Hey, fuzzball. You smell that?" Her voice drops low, wary despite the bite in it. "Think we found 'em. Or they found us." She straightens up, every muscle taut, her spiked collar glinting between the shadows. A storm braced for a strike. If some other cats show up, she'll be ready—whether to snarl, leave, or shove Ralsei behind her and deal with it.
@RALSEI