Dirty Paws [INCOMPLETE]

Chapter 2

"Good morning Erin! How long have you been up for?" Everest prodded the side of his friend who was laying next to him staring at his paws.

"Oh-Oh-" Erin stuttered, looking shocked as he attempted to gather up a response, "I don't know, a few hours... Maybe."

"Hours? Well did you get any of us something to eat?" Everest smiled and rose to his paws, stretching and yawning.

"Oh-No I'm sorry... Was I supposed to?"

"No, no! I was just joking," Everest gave Erin a worried smile. "You seem a bit off, are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Are you su-"

"Yes!"

Everest cleared his throat and nodded his head, turning to Alex, who was just waking up.

"Good morning," Alex mumbled.

"Hi Alex, Erin and I are going to go out and get food, okay?"

"Good, I'm starving."

Everest nodded to Erin, making his way out the entrance, beckoning for Erin to follow.

Since it was daytime, Everest was finally able to grasp the sheer beauty of the forest they temporarily settled in. Trees towered above them, stretching their mahogany branches covered in flaming red-orange leaves towards the pink-orange of the sky. To the East was the sun, slowly rising above the mountains far off in the distance, casting its orange glow between the tree trunks. The grass beneath their paws was covered in tiny dew droplets that shimmered in the morning sun. The crisp Fall air stung the young cat's cheeks as he cheerfully weaved through the trees at a steady pace.

"Isn't this place beautiful, Erin?" Everest took in a deep breath, inhaling the Autumn freshness.

"It is," Erin finally smiled for the first time that morning, as a butterfly fluttered above their heads. Erin chased it joyfully, his childish spirit finally returned.

"Erin," Everest shook his head while he watched his coyote friend bounce around.

"Right, sorry, food," Erin smiled awkwardly as he pulled his attention away from the butterfly.

The pair stumbled through the forest, hoping to find even the slightest scent of a juicy berry. Out of nowhere, Erin leaped up into the air, yowling in surprise, catching Everest's attention immediately.

"Erin! What's wrong?" Everest turned to face his startled friend.

"S-S-Snail," Erin was shaking, pure terror coursed through his veins.

"That snail again!" Everest gave the peculiar snail an amused stare. "Where do you keep coming from little buddy?"

"Kill it," Erin cried, his legs buckling beneath him.

"Excuse me?" Everest questioned his friend. "It's an innocent creature."

Tears welled up in Erin's eyes as he burrowed his paws into his face, "It's not innocent, it's a vile creature. Kill it! KIll it! Kill it!"

"I think you're losing your mind."

Everest noticed that Erin was gripping his chest area while his breathing began to falter.

"Erin?" Everest walked over to Erin, wrapping his long, thin tail around him. "It's going to be okay, alright? The snail won't hurt you."

Everest watched as Erin blinked away his tears, noticing that the snail had once again disappeared.

"It's gone," Erin mumbled emotionlessly.

"Why don't you head back to the cave with Alex? I'll find the berries myself," Everest gave his large friend a pat on the back to reassure him everything was alright.

His friend turned away from him, making his way back to the cave. Everest sighed and relaxed his shoulders, sticking his nose into the air to see if he could catch the scent of a sweet berry.

"I wish there was a cafe in the middle of the woods," He muttered to himself, sniffing around bushes and trees.

After minutes of searching and not finding, he shook his head in defeat. He turned with the intent of complaining to Erin before realizing that he sent him back to the cave over his mental breakdown.

"Right," He shook his head, preparing to make the walk back to the cave.

- - -

"Hey guys. Bad news," Everest gave Alex and Erin, who were cheerfully chatting, a sad smile.

"No food?" Alex threw his head back, groaning angrily.

"Sorry," Everest kicked the stone, frowning.

"Actually!" Erin leaped to his paws excitedly, "I think I heard something about a mouse village being around this area! They're bound to have food."

Everest pulled back, startled at Erin's sudden joyfulness. "Alright."

The trio gathered their things and packed them away into Erin's bag and made their way out of the cave. The breeze had gotten colder since Everest had last been outside five minutes ago, and the dew drops seemed to be turning into ice.

"Do you think it's gonna snow today?" Erin bounced around, leaning over to examine the frosty droplets.

"Maybe," Alex said dryly, strutting past him.

Everest rolled his eyes at the pair, swatting Erin with his tail to make sure he kept his focus on the trip to the mice village.

The sun was nearly straight above them when they arrived at what they believed to be the closed entrance to the village. The tiny door was made of birchwood, it was surrounded by neatly trimmed bushes that had to be at least 8ft tall, an impressive wall it was for such tiny creatures.

Alex squinted his eyes and sniffed around; it was extremely tiny, too tiny for a cat and especially a coyote.

"Alex, you think you can squeeze your way in there?" Everest gave him a hopeful smile.

"Of course," Alex whipped his hairless tail triumphantly as he pried open the wooden door and squirmed into the miniscule tunnel.

Everest stared at the open door while he waited for Alex to come back; Erin, on the other hand, was chasing his own tail and kicking rocks to entertain himself.

"Erin, what are you doing?" Everest shook his head and sighed.

"I dunno," Erin exclaimed, dizzily collapsing into the grass.

Everest opened his mouth to reply but was instantly cut-off by Alex poking his head through the village door.

"They said you can take the back exit because they think you'll fit," He smiled.

"Great!" Everest grabbed Erin by the scruff and dragged him around the bush wall.