To Rick, morning came with the warmth and pressure and his body trapped within a tight hug from behind. There was little about it that was uncomfortable, even if perhaps it was too tight. Still, it had felt somewhat out of place, and he certainly did not want to overstay his welcome. So it was time to attempt escape. His squirming made Monica’s arms apply just a bit more effort and pull him closer against her, nuzzling against the back of his head.

Unable to move from the spot, the young teacher resigned himself to being the little spoon for the time being. A part of him pointed out how this might have been more enjoyable under different circumstances, but he muted it. As he lay there, he took the chance to consider the day ahead.

From the looks of it, the sun would rise soon. The sky was turning a light orange, but the treetops had yet to be graced by the morning rays. There were no clouds up above, and the wind was almost… calm, gentle, maybe even soothing. The shadows still played and spread between the wooden behemoths, but something was different about it. Distant.

Perhaps it had to do with the feline murder machine that was hugging him with her powerful arms. It was almost reassuring, almost as if she were protecting him. But it didn’t quite feel that way to him. Still, her heat wasn’t unpleasant, especially not when he could easily tell the contours of her figure moulding themselves against his body. For a moment, he became lost in memory of a warm bed, a cool afternoon, and a little voice asking him to cook breakfast. It caused a twinge of bitterness in his gut. He quickly pushed the thought away with a sigh.

This was not the right place to think of such things. There were more important things to worry about.

Rick squirmed and tried to turn around, hopeful he’d be able to repeat the trick from the day prior and have her relax her grasp. He was without luck, however, as Monica let out a scoff and pulled him in closer still. It was hard to determine whether she was also awake, but it made him feel like he’d been made into a pillow instead of an active participant.

So he waited some more. The spot he was in gave him little to see other than the forest ahead. But he did catch the sound of light snoring within the cave behind them. If nothing else, at least there wasn’t a stench of blood. That was good news. As far as he was concerned, it seemed the others had made it through the night just fine.

By the time Monica slackened her grip, the first rays of sunlight were approaching the edge of the cave. Rick managed to squirm his way out of her embrace and stood up, dusting himself off and noting how the lazy feline stared up at him with a pout.

Ignoring the stare, he checked up on the others, peeking into the cave. Mr. Gabriel had not moved from the spot he’d sat down on the night prior. The older man’s head bobbed quietly as he snored. Behind him, the mouse woman had remained curled up into a ball, albeit pressed against the old man. She was breathing slowly as well, appearing just as dormant and calm.

It was the other two who’d drawn Rick’s attention instead. Kat lay on her side, her back pressed against Tomas’ chest and hips. The both of them were in a similar position to the one Monica and Rick had shared a moment ago. They could have almost managed to fool others into thinking they were asleep.

Almost.

It was easy to see the intense red colour on Tomas’ cheeks, and the way neither of them were really breathing as slowly as one would expect when asleep. Kat’s eyes were closed, but her fingers twirled against the palm of Tomas’ hands, her hips bumping against his own in a teasing grind.

“Time to wake up,” Rick pretended he’d not seen anything, making both sophomores twitch and scuttle away from one another. They were still wearing clothes, so it seemed Kat had been teasing the poor fellow student. The young teacher could only smirk. “Sleep well?”

She distinctly avoided eye-contact. “Oh, it’s morning, like, totally had not noticed. Really good sleep, yup, very good sleep, right Tommy?”

“Tommy?” The teacher raised an eyebrow.

“Erm, yes, I slept well too, slept all night long.” The young man adjusted his glasses, taking them off and cleaning them with his shirt.

With a long, bored expression, Rick shook his head. “You haven’t slept at all, huh?”

“Nooope, really slept, all the way.” Kat let out a little giggle, patting down her lap, and pretending to dust herself.

“Sure, whatever, we need to get going.”

“I-I agree, the sooner the better. Should we try to look for water?”

Tomas’ question gave Rick some pause. He tapped his chin in consideration. “We have enough for a day, that’s… not ideal.”

The student coughed, taking a glance at Kat and turning away quickly. “I meant… where there’s water, there’s civilization,” he pointed out. “If there’s a river somewhere, it might be a good lead to find help.”

“If nothing else, it would help us stop worrying about water… I think it’d be a good idea. Got clues on how to find one?”

“Ask the cat?” Kat paused, then giggled. “Not me, the less cute one,” she said, turning to the cave and approaching her sleeping grandfather.

“Might as well try, I guess.” The woman had sat up, taking in the first morning rays as she eyed him with an arched eyebrow. The young teacher had to stop himself as his eyes became caught upon her figure as she basked in the morning rays.

Naked as the day she’d been born, Monica sat with her legs crossed, leaning back as she exposed her chest to the warmth of sunshine. Rick’s eyes traversed up her fur covered calves and halted at her knees where the fur ended and her honey colored thighs began. Those powerful thighs moved all the way to the tuft of white hair that covered her mound. The teacher’s throat parched up as his gaze continued upwards. The valley of her stomach was taut and flat, her skin marred solely by some dirt and the plentiful presence of scars that made her body a road-map of countless battles. Further up, she had the mountains of tender flesh on display, generous and firm, both capped by pink nipples.

It took a second to tear his gaze away and continue upwards. He reached up her clavicles, her sturdy neck, and stopped in the almond-shaped eyes. He noticed that the look she was giving him was no longer frustrated. She was purring, lips turned upwards in a grin as she licked them in hunger.

He felt rooted in place. If not for Kat’s laughter, he might have become entirely unable to move.

“Someone’s interested.”

Rick could only cough loudly and pretend Mr. Gabriel hadn’t caught him staring. The old man only smirked as Kat covered her mouth to hide the giggling.

“Let’s… get this show on the road.” Pushing his mind to think on Tomas’ proposal, he took a deep breath and stepped towards the purring feline, pulling out the bottle that was nearest to being completely empty out of his backpack. Monica’s eyes were quite attentive as he presented the item.

“Water.”

With the spoken word, he took a big swig, gulping, and offered the bottle at her.

Monica’s amusement and coy smirk had changed to curiosity, eyes widening as she leaned forward to look at it more closely. “Mwawe,” she declared, snatching the bottle from his hands and looking at it from various angles. Her gaze became intent upon the way the water appeared to reflect and refract the incoming sunlight.

“Water.”

Rick used a finger to tilt it, causing it to spill over a little. It made her flinch and shake her head. Monica frowned at the bottle, this time tilting it more slowly, trying to control it carefully. Except this time, she missed her aim, and the water splashed her face in full.

There were some amused giggles from inside the cave. Monica didn’t mind, though, lapping up the water as it ran down her face.

“Water.” Letting her finish emptying the container as she drank it, Rick came closer, kneeling down in front of her. “Water.” He cupped his hands, mimicking the gesture of drinking from a pool. “Do you know where there’s water?”

“Mwawe.”

Monica tossed the empty bottle to the side, standing up.

Her hand grasped his own, and she began to walk out of the cavern. He followed, mostly unable to stop, even if he wanted. “Erm…?”

“She seems set on taking you somewhere,” Tomas muttered.

“Good luck.”

“We’ll wait for you here, you’ll go faster without me,” Mr. Gabriel commented, his expression serious. “We’ll see if we can find something edible.”

“Prep to head out as soon as we get back.” Rick commented, turning to follow the feline.