Annoyed now, Ciaran hissed a "stay!" at the kit and bounded after the Coon. Hopefully this supposed alley cat had never seen him before. Either that, or maybe it had never crossed its mind that he wasn't a lazy lap cat...

Half worrying for Rin's own safety and half annoyed at the whole world, he looked up to see the Coon a bit farther away than she had been before.

...Damn. Faster than I expected.

Rin sat down with a pout. He yelled at her! Seeing a sparkle from her right she went to investigate. This was more interesting the stray cat.

There were still cats missing but there was nothing to be donen about that now. The building was collapsed and the wreckage was smouldering. Down the street were the loud clang of bells and sirens that Mirri knew accompanied such disasters.

As quick as the cats where to gather, they split up again. Ciaran had taken off after a strange black cat with a limp, and -to Mirri's mild exasperation- Rin had followed. Quintus had gone to speak with another cat. She turned up her nose at the thought of the male cat wandering around as beat up as he was, but it wasn't her job to play nursemaid anymore not that she had entertained the idea much beyond her own kits and the ones she found herself with now.

*One* at the current moment, and that one was currently bounding after the Abyssinian. Leaving Quintus to his own matters, Mirri took one last look at the flaming building before taking a more liesurely pace after the trail left by Ciaran and Rin. It would be a while before they could return. There might be something to find in the ash beneath the boards before they leave to find themselves a new home.

Kage risked a glance behing herself and saw the older cat chasing her. She frowned, he was determined to catch her. Well, looked like the water would take priority. Kage slowed down no need to wear herself out if the cat would just chase her anyways. Kage knew her limitations, she could not run for long, though for the short bursts she could she was fast. Though just because the cat would catch up with her did not mean he would learn anything.

The sparkle came from a silver bracelet that seemed to have fallen off of a human. It was big enough to fit around her neck and leave room for growth as well had a easy clasp to open and shut so she could hopefully add her bell to it. Pawing at it she tried to stand it up so she could fit it on.

Mirri padded her way through the forest, feet following the trail of the little kitten. Having spent the last few years in a human home it took a minute or two to adjust to the outdoors again but sit came back easily enough as though she has just wandered into town in hopes of an easy meal.

She could smell the remnants of the strange cat's passage, and that of Ciaran overtop but didn't pay mich attention to them. Ciaran could look after himself well enough and if he came back bumped up he hardly needed any coddling even if she were so inclined. Her own sons had scattered years aso, a few for the better and a few for the worse she expected. She certainly hadn't been entertaining thoughts of more.

When she caught up with Rin she found the kitten fiddling with something shiny and silver. Occupied for the present time, Mirri simply let Rin go about her business and settled herself into a less bushy place on the ground to wait out the sirens that still sounded in the distance.

Ciaran surged forward and in a few seconds, had caught up to and was flying over the head of the black cat. He landed in front of her and whipped around.

"What brings you here, exactly? Who are you?" He wrinkled his nose and thought.

"...and your scent seems familiar, from a long time ago."

"I was walking by and I stopped to help." Kage answered easily giving a half truth, she had followed the sent of fire. "What makes you think I should tell you my name?" Kage smiled at the last question, "I currently smell of smoke and burning wood, of couse it is recognizable." Her natural sent was still there of course but it would be hard to recognize behind the overpowering smell of smoke.

"If that is all, I would like to go, the ash is easiest to get out of my coat when it is fresh." Kage could not shake the feeling the cat was faintly recognizable but passed it off as a fleeting resemblance.

Rin finally figured out that a chain does not stand up. She pouted and sat down for a second before circling the shiny bracelet, glaring at it childishly. She pawed at the clasp managing for a while trying to open it. Hopefully she could get the item on her this way.

The sun was moving lower in the sky, and was starting to cast it's long shadows through the wooded area where some of the cars were. Mirri had all but nodded off, laying on the ground with her four paws tucked beneath her. If it was getting cold she hardly noticed.

The ruckus caused by the sirens had stopped, and only strange blinking lights on the edge of a few leaves here and there reminded them of the commotion still happening around there old home. Another hour or two, and it would be safe to head back and see what remained of the shop, and whether or not there was anything left worth salvaging.

Rin who long since tired out, curled up next to the braclet and dozed off. Dreams of her bell dangling on the adoring chain danced through her head.

Rin, waking up from her nap decided to take the bracelet and find Mirri. If anyone knew how to get the bell onto the trinket and then onto herself, it was Mirri. She wondered back to where she last saw the older cat she thought of as a mother.

Rin, who had wondered a bit away from Mirri, felt lost and cold. She wanted her substitute mother, and she wanted her now. The ground was cold, she was dirty, and she wanted her new trinket to work right.

Rin stopped and started to cry out.

"Mirri! Mirri! Where are you! Rin is so cold and hungry." shivering a bit she layed down and rolled her little bell back and forth in between her paws.

Ciaran plodded back slowly. The strange cat...she hadn't been willing to say much. Mysterious. But familiar. But from where...?

He had only blinked, and the ashen cat was gone, vanished into thin air like a brief sending.

Had he imagined it all?

He heard Rin's mewling, and without hesitation, stooped over, lifted the kit gently, and continued walking.

"Mean cats eat li'l kits li' you f'r dinner, you know," Ciaran muttered through a mouthful of fur, his amusement hidden behind the usual stoic mask.

Rin's eyes widdened and her paws clung to the bell. She could have been eaten by a bigger cat?

"Is that true? They would have ate me?"

Ciaran all but snorted in exasperation as he made his way around the alleys and then the front of the smoldering shop. Well...there went his own comfortable nest.

Caught up in the slight nostalgia, he nearly ran into a grey cat. I could swear these cats are appearing out of thin air...

Rin saw the thinning smoke and flattened her ears.

"What happened to our home? When can we go back in?"

Dropping Rin, Ciaran murmured, "...I don't think you want to go back in," then looked up.

Followed by a headtilt. And a raised eyebrow.

...Weird. Somehow...this cat's paw-licking came off as rather awkward and forced. Is she...injured? Ciaran padded around Rin cautiously and narrowed his eyes at the new cat questioningly.

"Ciaran why can't we go back in? What happened?" Rin asked as she once more started to fiddle with the bracelet. The stupid thing just didn't want to let her wear her bell! "Stupid thingy." she growled as the bell made small jingle noises.

Finding Rin had wandered off yet again while she had been napping, Mirri stretched and casually followed the kitten's trail. She could sense Ciaran's on top of it and had little doubt that the tall alley cat would let much happen to the kitten, even if it was just to avoid the annoying of having to pull her out of something truly troublesome, and potentially bloody.

Mirri appeared back at the antique store that had served as their home. The little juant outside had removed the dust from her coat, and she looked a more like an ative cat and less like a bookend. She wasn't surprised to fine Rin back at the store and arguing the the bracelet, still, but she was surprised to see Ciaran watching another kitten not far from the remains of the shop.

(yay! I posted something! aaand back to homework again. -.-)

Rin's nose twitched as she picked up Mirri's scent. Turning around she saw the motherly cat she adored and decided to run to her, bracelet tagging along with.

"Mirri! Can you helps me? This thing won't let me wear my bell!" Rin whined as she pushed the metal string and bell toward the older cat.

Mirri looked down at the whining kitten, the small bell bouncing off her paws. It certainly wouldn't do to have her chasing the ball all over the place, and if she was inclined to wear the thing than so much the better, so long as nothing mistook it for a dinner bell.

Mirri nudged the bell back over towards Rin. "Hold that." With the bell in the paws (or teeth) of teh kitten, Mirri picked up the chain bracelet by one and end attempted to dangle it so it slipped through the loop on top of the bell.

Mirri was aware of the presence of the new kitten, but since it wasn't hers she didn't fuss too much and only kept an eye out for whatever parent might be following it.

The kitten then proceeded to take a running pounch at the door. Mirri flattened her ears and tried not to roll her eyes too much.

Rin heard the thump of something crashing against the door of their home and turned around. Watching the other kitten wobbly walking in to the shop the japanese bob tail turned to Mirri with wide eyes.

"Mirri! Is it safe to go in there now?"

Ciaran winced as the new cat made a wild charge at the door, right before he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. What did this cat want? Is she trying to steal something? But judging by the cat's actions so far, he knew this probably wasn't a thief.

He caught the tail end of the kitten's question, raised an eyebrow yet again, and lightly cuffed Rin over her ear.

Keeping his voice low, he turned towards Mirri and asked, "Do we still...need...anything from in there?" He doubted anything could have survived the blaze, and just the pungent odor of the acrid smoke turned his stomach.

Rin turn and gave Ciaran a small glare before twitching her ears. "Rin needs her other bell! it fell of the door earlier and Rin wants it."

Vicious managed to get back on her paws and looked around. She was surrounded by CATS!
"Hi! my name is Vicious."
The excitment was hard to hide and although she was trying to wag her tail, she didn't know ridiculous her dog/cat ways were. She wobbled out the door again.

((Demon is helping me get on the program - I'm glad my cat is a ditz anyway.))

Once Mirri had Rin's bell in place enough that the kitten would be able to wriggle it on the rest of the way herself, she approached the new kitten and eyed it up and down. It was acting a little funny. Perhaps it had bumped it's head a little hard.

"Where did you come from?"

Her greeting was a bit curt, but Mirri wasn't one for sugar coated pleasantries.

Rin looked back to Mirri and saw her bell was on the chain. She jumped up and shouted 'Yay' then ran around her surrogate parent before wriggling the chain around her neck.

"Mirri thank you!" the bell would jingle as she bounced around.

Listening to the bouncing, Mirri hoped that the bell wouldn't be more trouble then it was worth. Yes, it would give her a better idea of where the wayward kitten was at any given time, but it would let everything else in the area know too.

Ciaran glanced at the door, then looked back at the kit. ...Is this bell really worth murdering my nose for...? he wondered to himeslf as he felt himself drawn inexplicably to the door.

...I...am going soft.

Rin took notice that Ciaran started walking towards their home.

"Can Rin go in? Is it safe? It looks all funny in there." She started to follow Ciaran.

(nudging things along here)

The shop was cool now, but caked in ashes, and some items that appeared to hold thier shape crumbled to dust at the passing of a tail or the sniff of a nose.

If was obvious to each cat and kitten there: this was no place to stay. They would have to find a new home.

(chat in the OOC thread to decide what we should do next. Find a new shop to inhabit? An abandoned house to turn into a kitty hideaway? Go out into the wilderness and live there? Feel free to make suggestions. :))

Rin looked up to her mother figure. She wanted to cry. Where will they live now? What about food? A cool breeze swept across the street causing the calico bobtail to shiver.

"Mirri, I'm cold.. and hungry." Rin whimpered as she curled into a small ball.

Mirri didn't say anything, just picked up the kitten and started walking. There was a new home to look for. They would have to find food on the way.