Logged from AIM, Ruhane Chiisai as ShahFii, Horticulturalist as Bandit.
RP Location: Shelves near the Small Animal Area/
2,810 Words Total.

Bandit moved along the shelf he'd made his small den in a corner of. The adolescent was off to forage for some more food, he felt he was running low, and another stash never hurt. Especially when any one of his stashes could be found and stolen by another rat older and stronger than him, or even a sneaky little mouse or hamster. If he ever found the mouse that had raided his stash earlier he was going to eat it he told himself. He paused at the shelf edge, and peeked over, looking up first for potential birds who saw him as food before looking down across the flood-damaged floor for food traces.

ShahFii wasn't far off, sniffing around for that scent she'd been trying to pin down for days, not that she'd had any luck, so far. She was unsure of her place, anymore, left alone by her clan a lot and spending most of her time wandering around the area as if on some patrol. She never found anything; maybe some seeds that were deemed edible by the lack of mould or something... Though she was sure that wasn't meant to be grouped with other edibles as a result of the flood, when she found it. She'd been too hungry to care at the time.

Bandit paused, his whiskers twitching. That was ratscent, female ratscent. He moved towards it curiously. Most rats in this area were like him, marked and not wild. He didn't need to be cautious. At least he thought. He spotted the female nearby, and sat on his haunches to look at her. She was sniffing around herself, he wondered what she was trying to find.

The doe on the ground seemed largely oblivious to the rat above her, scratching around on the slick floorboard, algae left behind from the flood fighting to take root, or moss creeping out of the wood for the water that washed away the polish hiding its escape, perhaps. She sighed and shook her head, turning into the bottom shelf to dig around in one of the bags, her slender tail hanging out into the aisle behind her.

He sniffed again; he didn't smell any other rats nearby. This couldn't be a trap, she didn't notice him? He didn't think she had. Cautiously he skittered to the next shelf down as quietly as he could, turning to check on her again. She was still nose-into that bag. He scrambled down two more shelves to reach the floor, and sat on his haunches looking across the aisle at her, whiskers twitching.

Shah hummed and sighed as she backed out of the bag, sniffing at a piece of dog food that had suffered the sogginess of the flood to decide if it was safe. At the very least, it wasn't poisoned... her ears perked, though, when she heard the light scratching of claws on the tile behind her, just a soft sound, not even enough for a whole rat. She turned slowly, peering around her shoulder at her water, either suspicious or timid; it was hard to tell, exactly. Something about her said she wasn't sure, herself.

Bandit went down to all fours, and moved forward a bit timidly, not wanting to scare her. "Hello..." The adolescent called out softly, "What are you doing here?" He tilted his head to the side.

Shah flinched as the young buck approached her, but seemed to relax when he gave himself a voice. "... Hi..." She muttered. "Just... Wandering..." I muttered. "I do it a lot more, now, than I used to..."

Bandit tried to make himself friendly and unthreatening. He kept his voice soft. "Wandering? But what did you used to do then?"

Shah hummed, sitting up and cradling her bit of uncertain food. "Well... I'm... Part of one of the clans, but... It's been getting... Real quiet lately... So I wander around a little." She shrugged softly, looking up at bandit curiously. "And... You?"

He smiled at her "I thought clans were always active. It's not really safe to wander though. My dam always said wild rats would eat us." He looked away at her question. "I was scouting." was all he said.

She hummed, nodding softly. "Yes, well... Things happened and... I'm.. Not sure, it seems many don't know... Exactly... How to respond to me, anymore." She shrugged softly, looking down at her food. "I'm sorry, would you care for some? I... -think- it's safe, but it does smell a little funny, with all the water around here."

"Oh, um..." he trailed off catching the slightly off scent of her tidbit. "Ah, why don't you leave that, I stashed some good food near here, that does smell a little off, and a female shouldn't risk her health." He turned to head off and looked back for her. "You know, you don't seem off, I don't know why they would. I thought clans were supposed to be wonderful things."
Shah nodded at the suggestion, tossing it back into the bag of decaying food behind her to follow the younger buck. "Oh, they are, it's wonderful to be part of the clan, but... Since... I came back and others didn't... It... Makes them uncertain around me."

Bandit turned to face her. “That’s silly, just because you managed to survive doesn’t mean you’re odd. You’re not cursed….. are you?” he asked suddenly uncertain. Spirits could curse…
He shook his head at himself, and turned back to the shelf in front of him. His stash was one shelf up and two over, shoved behind the corner of a plastic tub that had been wedged there by the flood.

Shah looked forward. "I... Never said the others died..." She muttered softly. "The... Wild beasts... They took us for breeding fodder..."
Bandit started. "You mean they didn't eat you?" He glanced at her before sticking his nose down the crack to dig out some of the good seeds he'd stashed here, trusting her to watch his back for a minute.
He turned back to her with a seed in his paw and offered it to her. "The others ran?"

Shah took the seed softly, looking up at him. "Well... Clearly.. No... I'm... One of only a couple they didn't... 'use'... And keep..."

Bandit shuddered slightly. "How will the treat you and any pinkies after they... breed you?" He wondered. "Why haven't you run?"

Shah shook her head slowly. "I... I don't know. I suppose... All I can really expect is the worst... No way to be disappointed, then..." I muttered softly, shrugging.

Bandit wasn't sure what to say. "But you're not happy there...” He paused thinking. "They let you wander like they don't care, why not try to find another colony?" He asked, and then regretted. He'd been trying to find a friendly colony to join himself, being alone was so... lonely, and stressful, and unsafe.

She shrugged softly. "The only other colony I know of... They took me, for a time..." She murmured, sighing. "And... Personally, wild rats scare me." She muttered softly. "They've not... Given me much else to think of them..."

He sighed. "So you haven't found any tamepelt colonies either?" He had been hoping she might have, being older than him, and having wandered if not farther at least different areas. He closed his eyes tightly. Trying to hold back his own emotions. The lady was timid enough, she didn't need him doing it too. He realized he hadn't asked her name. He paused, and tried to compose his voice. "I'm Bandit, what's your name?" There, his voice wavered anyways.

Shah looked down at her seed and shook her head, before setting in to nibble at it, murring at the material softly. "ShahFii... It's nice to meet you." She gave a soft smile, humming softly, before settling into her seed again, curling her tail around her thighs to settle in with the buck.

Bandit went to his own seed, holding it in his forepaws nibbling. He glanced as ShahFii from time to time, quickly looking away in case she noticed. He had no right to want to help her, he wasn't even full grown. There was no way he could protect her. Did she even need protecting?" He paused his nibbling and looked at her again, trying to see if she looked skinnier than normal. "The wilds send you out wandering for food?" He asked.

Shah looked up at him after a moment, processing his question for a moment. "Hmm? Oh, no... They... Took relative care of us, I suppose... Put us in tanks and... y'know, kept us fed and stuff... Just... Weren't very gentle getting us there..." She was, admittedly, thinner than most of the local does, by a little. The wilds had fed her, but probably not at well as their own numbers. "Was a... Night raid on our clan... Came while we were sleeping and all."

Bandit tilted his head to the side considering. "It's better than being alone?" He didn't like the idea of being used, but it might be better than alone. Alone was hard. He turned and dug in his stash, pulling out some more seeds and offering them to her. She needed a little more food he thought. And she was nice.

Shah smiled at the youth, taking the extra food without complaint, or any real comment about it. "It's... Been a lot like being alone since I returned..." She hummed. "Perhaps... I could stay with you, for a bit? We could... Look after one another, or something"

Bandit sat back and curled his tail around, worrying it in his paws. "I... I'm not... grown. Won't they be after you? With larger bucks than me?" He tried to think of what his mother had told him before the flood. "Don't wilds smell better, can they track you? I can't fight them if they come, and they'd catch us..." he trailed off looking at her. Someone would be nice.

She shrugged softly. "They've... not hunted for me, so far. Which means either they've not noticed, or don't care." She hummed softly. "But... If you'd rather not, I suppose... I could just visit now and again..."

He fidgeted, nervous. "It's not you.... you're sure you want to come me?" He asked. He was almost certain a clan or any sort would still be better than alone with him, but.... He dared hope.

She hummed softly. "Well... You're a... Sweet enough creature... And at least, if they come to take us away, you won't hide in a corner and demand to be alone, right? Sounds like you don't much like being alone..."

He chuffed. "I'm young, I may be good at finding my own food but I had no choice. I know I'm not the largest rat around. Being together is better than alone." He just knew he didn't have the strength of most clan fighters. They would have to be wily instead of using force.
He paused a moment longer. "Being alone is not for me, even though I've had no choice." He said softly, which was true, the floodwaters hadn't given him a choice.

Shah smiled and nodded. "That sounds appropriate. Together, then." She hummed. "I promise I will pull my weight." She hummed. "Besides, I've little enough problem eating some of the... Less certain things that can be found. It's just not always as pleasant."

Bandit shook his head. "I've always been careful of them, if I eat, and get sick, there is no one but an enemy to find me weak."

She hummed softly. "You just... Have to learn which scents to look out for, that's all." Shah tossed the young buck another smile, before folding to the task of eating her seeds again. "Really, it's the water we need to start looking out for. Some of what I've been finding is turning rancid."

Bandit shook his head. "I never considered water before..." he trailed off trying to remember where he had been finding fresh water. He was drawing blanks. He realized he'd been using puddles from the skylights.
Bandit shook his head and twitched his tail nervously. "I think I just got lucky. I did try to avoid the overly off water though..." He smiled at her. "You know, I think I overheard there's good fresh water elsewhere in the store."

Shah hummed, pondering. "Yeah?" She murmured. "Where'd you hear about that?" She was honestly curious. "I mean, you're alone, and... Clearly, no rat else knows you're here..."

His grin deepened. "I overheard some dyed rats talking. They didn't look friendly so I stayed hidden." He preened his whiskers, proud of himself for knowing when to stay hidden.

Shah hummed, curiosity piqued, now. "Well... have you been to check it out, yet?" She smiled at him, proud that one so young, and alone, had the intelligence to manage himself properly.

Bandit dipped his head, his ego deflated a bit. "No, I didn't want to go alone unless I had to. They were saying it's dangerous."

Shah hummed, smiling. "... I'd go with you, if you want..." She hummed softly, smiling. "If we're going to be sticking together, that is..."

Bandit smiled, relaxing again. "That would be nice, really nice." And it would. Not being alone would really help him, he had been so stressed out, he was certain he weighed less than he should because of it, even though he'd been eating enough.

The doe smiled and nodded, nibbling at what remained of her seeds. "Don't look so relieved... Someone might call you on it or something'." She teased, smiling.

He grinned back at her and shoved her shoulder playfully. "Now who would? You're the only one here." He laughed softly. "Want to see the den? Since I guess we'll share it now..."

Shah snickered and nodded, nudging him back while she finished her seeds so she could follow along at optimum speed.

He headed to the edge of the plastic bin they'd been resting on, looking back once to check on her before heading over the edge. He climbed across shelves, up, and down them as he traveled, some being blocked and impassable. He continued to glance back for her. Eventually he reached the top of one shelf, down on one end, where a cardboard box had been stored. He'd gotten through a hole in one corner and made his den inside. It wasn't well lit, but it was pretty good, at least he thought. He sat back on his haunches and eyed the entrance before turning back to her. "This is it..."

Shah smiled and made sure the stash was well covered, following after him cautiously, making sure there weren’t any other rats in the area before she did. She hummed, smiling as she followed him, and again, and wider, when the little cardboard hut was produced. "Wow..." She purred. "That's a lot of space for one rat." She smiled sideways at him. "I suppose it's a good thing you're sharing it, now, then."

Bandit shrugged, and stroked his whiskers shyly. "Yeah, but no rat had claimed it yet, and most put their dens in different spots, like in the shelves themselves. Most don't come up here." And with the birds about he saw why, but the box was closed on top.

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah... But I like your den. It's roomy and comfortable and has plenty of room for two. We could build two nests or just share one in the corner... keep each other warm and safe... Comfortable..."

He smiled happily. "I'm glad you approve..... then... Welcome home?" He had a feeling no one had said that to her in a while, even though he felt colonymates should.

Shah smiled at the young buck and turned her head to give his cheek a soft lick, following it with a ginger snuggle. "It is good to be home." She purred, snuggling against him. "Well, let's have a look at the inside and get things situated, hmm?" She purred, smiling up at him and starting for the hole in the box.

Bandit followed after, leaving her time to go in and look about. It probably wasn't the neatest or anything, but it was definitely better than nothing.

Shah hummed and sniffed around, looking through the box curiously before fluffing the nesting part of the box a little and inviting Bandit to curl up with her inside it.

Bandit sniffed the air one last time, glancing around to check for trouble, before he entered the box. It had been a long day; he welcomed having a new companion. He curled up with her on his nest with a sigh. "Goodsleep." he wished her.

Shah nodded softly, snuggling into his fur and laying her maw over his neck gently, preening his ears before she would lay down to rest. "And you, Bandit."