The night found itself with two couples sharing a rather passionate encounter. Monica did not appear to care about having initiated things right in front of Tomas and Kat whatsoever. Nor did she care to notice them moving away from her and Rick, her focus being entirely on the young teacher. The feline proved as insatiable and eager as the last time, if perhaps now she’d been more careful. Every time the young teacher winced, she would slow down and retract her claws to avoid further scratching his back. But that did not make her any less enthusiastic. The teacher, for his part, inwardly cursed at Kat for having started this mess and did his best to at least wait for the others to leave.

Only a handful of meters away and at the other side of the tree, the other couple was far less uncontrolled and far more cautious. Awkward little fumbles in the dark and half-spoken apologies from Tomas that were constantly quietened by Kat’s tongue. The young man was eager and impatient, half the time unsure where to focus on. Kat moved with a bit more practice, teasing him and reveling in the sensation of his hardened body as she took claim of his lap with her thighs. They made out to the sound of the fucking happening nearby. The sound was certainly pushing Kat’s buttons, though Tomas took a while longer to relax enough to warm up to the idea.

And once the revelries had come to an end, Tomas and Kat waited for Monica’s snores before they returned to the fire to lie down and sleep.

No one noticed Monica woke up in the middle of the night to finish off the cooked chicken until morning came. Or so they suspected, as they could not think of any other reason why the prepared meal would be missing along with the feline, but she had dropped two dead birds next to the warm coals.

“Seems she left pretty clear instructions of what she wants.”

“I am not going to pluck those on my own,” Rick growled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Hell, I’m not sure we should waste any more time here.”

“We’re continuing north, and the stream doesn’t,” Tomas pointed out. “Might as well take the chance to use it to clean the carcass while we can. I’ll help.”

Monica popped in when they had finished cooking the two new birds. Rick was sure she’d been spying on them throughout the whole thing.

“Aw, she brought more birds for you,” Kat giggled, watching the three that were dropped on his lap. And the eager look she gave him, licking her lips and grinning.

“And we can’t stick around to make them.” He took one of the cooked ones and handed it over to Monica, splitting the other one three-ways with the other two. “Let’s get moving.”

“Rick.”

He turned around to look at Monica as she ripped off one of the legs and gave it to him. Her eyes lingered on him for only long enough to confirm he’d grabbed the piece of bone and meat before she began to ravage her own meal. The feline purred loudly as she ate.

“Awww, she loves you!”

Looking at the drumstick, he blinked at her. “… thanks.” It was a strange sensation. He was still not sure what to make out of it.

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“Careful Rick, first she gives you food. Next thing you know, she’s dragging you back to her cave so you can give her kitties snu-snu style.” No sooner had she spoken the words that Tomas grew pale, head whipping towards Kat as she laughed. “Oh, come on, I’m a big girl, I know how to handle myself.” She slapped his shoulder. “Trust me, I don’t want kitties.”

“I see.” The words came from the teacher, and it made the young woman stiffen up.

Her shoulders straightened as she threw a glare at him. “What? Going to lecture me?” Her brow furrowed.

Rick arched a brow. “No, I was going to comment that it was low of you to do what you did last night. Especially if it’s just so you and Tomas can have fun.”

That knocked the wind out of her sails. She chuckled. “Oh, like you didn’t enjoy getting puss’ puss.”

Rick took a long moment of silence, looking at Kat with an even gaze. “I don’t think Monica quite understands what ‘No’ means, Kat. Do you think I could have stopped her if I wanted?”

The question was a bucket of cold water. She shivered and lowered her gaze. “No, you’re right, I… didn’t mean it that way.”

He nodded. “I know. Just keep it in mind next time.”

“She’s still an awesome lay, I bet.”

Groaning, Rick ignored the comment, starting to move ahead. The others followed, Monica happily devouring the cooked meal. She appeared to care little for the bones. They snapped and crunched with every bite. Apparently Monica was not going to leave anything behind. Out of the four of them, the feline was looking to be the happiest. Tomas a close second. He seemed unable to fight against the smile that kept creeping up his face every time he stopped paying attention.

Meanwhile, the young teacher was the one that kept glancing around and trying to keep his focus on everything that wasn’t the naked Monica. There was a knot of strange feelings inside his chest that would blossom each time he’d look at her curves. More so by the fact that she noticed these stares and would make sure to give him a smoldering smirk each time.

She did not run off anywhere, sticking around and walking with them. Rather than hunt, she’d just eat the uncooked fowl she’d brought. The feline offered some of it to Rick each time, but he turned her down while trying to keep his stomach from revolting. Cooked it was decent, but raw? He wasn’t starving hard enough to consider that just yet.

The forest was thinning out, the trees were ever so slowly shrinking in size, becoming more numerous and smaller. The shift was slow but noticeable once he’d started paying attention. More light was streaming through. The branches above were no longer behemoths of wood capable of supporting an entire house. It took hours of walking, but bit by bit the roots were vanishing. Their steps were easier to take. Bushes popped up here and there. A few even had berries on them.

Large, round, baseball sized purple berries. They took a few, though didn’t eat any of them. It made the most sense to test them out during the break rather than while hiking through the woods.

Then came a slight drizzle that rained down on them. It had caught them by surprise, drenching them as they hurried for cover. It lasted a whole five minutes before stopping. “Not a cloud in sight.” Rick muttered, glancing at the sky. “A summer shower, huh?”

“Maybe that means we’re in summer.” Kat chuckled.

“Hey, I see something.”

Tomas's words made them stop and turn to the direction to their side he was pointing to. They focused for a moment. There was something bright green that was shifting about at ground level. And something else. Rick frowned. “Is that…”

“I think it is!” Tomas’ voice dripped with excitement as the group adjusted their direction.

“It’s wheat!” Kat proclaimed, running ahead. “There! There! Do you see it!?” She enthusiastically pointed at the brown and gray building in the distance. “It’s a farm!”

Rick had abruptly halted.

It would be more precise to claim he’d been stopped. Monica had grabbed his hand and tugged him, keeping him from being able to move forward another step. She was rooted in place, staring at the farm through narrowed slits. Her hackles were raised, fangs out in the open, and ears flat against her head.

She growled at the building ahead.