Loose Ends: Cal & Howie

Chapter 1: Cal

Seeing another of his kind after 129 days stirred a mix of emotions for Cal. Surprise, curiosity, and a flicker of something resembling annoyance, more so at having to share his private time with an intruder; this clearing was his home base. He used it as home despite not having yet accumulated significant physical items. That was by choice too. He traveled light, just in case he had to abandon the place. The other Omeocoon seemed utterly unaware that Cal was looking directly at his back as he fiddled with whatever he was messing with. A moment of silence hung in the air before Cal broke it.

"Who are you?!" Cal shouted as he shuffled out of his bush, not in a fighting stance, but in an angry, pointing stance; the smaller Omeocoon jumped in surprise and yelled in terror. Cal could now confirm that this was an extrusion(child.) But what was he doing out alone in the middle of the woods?

The smaller Omeocoon stumbled over his words, clearly caught off guard by Cal's sudden appearance. "I-I didn't expect anyone else to be here! I thought I was alone," he stammered, his ears twitching nervously. Cal's eyes narrowed as he observed the newcomer. This one seemed less weathered by the harsh realities of the post-fracture world. The stranger had a device in his hands, and Cal's keen eyes quickly assessed it as a communication tool; it seemed too sophisticated to be scavenged or improvised. "What's your name, and what are you doing here?" Cal demanded again; his voice was aggressive, almost as if he hadn't talked to another person in months because he hadn't. The younger Omeocoon hesitated for a moment before responding.

"I'm Kipp. I've been trying to get a signal. A group of survivors is trying to organize in the east, and I wanted to contact them." Kipp explained, his eyes reflecting a mix of desperation and hope. Cal studied 'Kipp' for a moment, considering his words. The idea of joining a group didn't particularly appeal to him; he preferred if Kipp evacuated and went to find his survivors elsewhere. "Is... there anyone with you..?" Cal asked with a head tilt, and he already knew the answer. Kipp was undoubtedly not here alone— he looked much too healthy and 'happy' to go uncared for— someone put a great deal of love into him. And his equipment was equally well maintained. Cal's eyes narrowed as Kipp seemed to be sweating and chuckling nervously. 'Yeah... this was weird.' Cal monologued to himself.

He could see Kipp's eyes drifting toward something, someone else. Something that was way past him. Before Cal could turn around, he was viciously tackled from behind— there was no surprise there... as a previous military member— he was trained to ignore surprises. Still, even he had to admit that he was negligent for not watching his own back. The duo tumbled down a hill and crashed into a pit of bushes covered in vibrant flowers... and thorns.

The two grunted as they flew down the hill, making impact with the ground every so often in the form of vicious bumps as they did, the vibrant flowers and thorns creating a chaotic mix of colors and pain. As they finally came to a stop, Cal found himself on the bottom with the smaller Omeocoon on top of him. The impact had knocked the wind out of both of them, and they lay in a tangled heap for a moment.

Cal, ever the strategist, quickly assessed the situation as he untangled himself to freedom; peace was not an option with this one. The smaller one made his way down the hill. But Cal paid no attention to him; as soon as he was free, he searched for this mysterious attacker in the bush, but surprise. He was completely gone. Not for long; sure enough, Cal heard someone screaming what was no doubt designed to be a war cry, even with the advanced warning. Again, he'd been tackled from behind... maybe Cal was slowing down in his 'old' age. He opened his eyes to another one of his people, and this one was a squirrel or something like that... and Cal wasn't sure, but something about him made him unmistakably familiar; he was orange and black and had a nasty glare as he pinned Cal to the ground. Cal was almost impressed by Tommy's sneak attack— almost. The voice of the smaller one echoed from behind, "Tommy! No stop!" Finally, he'd made a critical error when 'Kipp' shouted for him to stop. Tommy turned around for a split second, which afforded Cal a window to push Tommy off. Just push— no further violence was required. "Why?!" Cal shouted at Tommy; he was already nursing the scratches on his arms— which stung. The Gel-Squirrel had equivalent gashes, but Cal was less annoyed at the pain and more annoyed at Tommy's surprise attack. "Get away from him!" Tommy bellowed, and he made sure Kipp was behind him— protected.