Surge reached to try and take the jar from Alert.

"What are ya then?" he asked, not so much into the conversation as he wanted his PRECIOUS jar back.

___

Pascal's face was on of disgust, the mud really got to the guy this much? Watching longer though, he suddenly burst out laughing.

Alert allowed mange-fox to hold onto it, but he still wasn't releasing his own epic grip on the thing either. "I'm an axolotl." He insisted, as if this were such a common name for a creature.

---

Desert had been quite preoccupied looking horrified, arms held up as if the mud was going to suddenly leap from its place and attack him. His tail had fluffed itself up as he slid his other foot into it, teeth clenched as he gazed down at the disturbing and cold substance that was now pressed against his pant legs and seeping through.

This was NOT funny, and he saw no reason for Pascal's laughter.

Surge, upon not being able to hold the jar on his own, looked to Alert's face for an answer, while retaining the conversation.

"Axuh...Axeuh...Axuh lot...uhl?" he mostly asked. "You're not jokin' me?" he asked.

____

Pascal continued laughing, grasping at his stomach as he kept glancing up at Desert.

"You're so stupid!!" he cried.

"Of course I'm not." Alert insisted, still refusing to let go of what he had found for mange-fox. "I'm an axolotl, what do I look like?" Obviously he was ignoring the fact that Surge had just called him a lizard. "My name is Alert." And with that said, he released the jar.

---
Desert was offended by that comment. "I'm not stupid, fleabag." Cuz clearly skunks had many fleas. =| His ears had flattened themselves against his head. He picked one foot up and shook the mud from it. It didn't help much and soon he had to settle for the fact it wasn't going to leave. He grumbled about it regardless as he set his foot back down in the marsh.

Surge stumbled back a step. "You look like an axolotl for sure.....Alert." Surge replied before looking at his jar. No cracks and it looks like the lid kept out the muck, perfect!

"Thanks." he said with a genuine smile. "Wanna help me poison some guys?" he asked, some excitement in his voice.

____

"You can't prove I have fleas...." Pascal argued, barely able to talk he was laughing so much. "MUD!" he exclaimed between gasps. "They hate mud!"

Alert let his tail flop against the water a few times. Poison people? Well that sounded interesting. Alert himself wasn't sure if he wanted to help with it, but it sounded mighty interesting to go along with.

"Sure." He stated.

--

Desert merely rolled his eyes at that. "Fleas are smarter than some individuals then." He muttered.

Surge got excited, starting to hurry over to his boat when he stopped, looking at the jar for a moment, he was in thought. He fully planned to poison faction people, but what if Alert was part of a faction? He tucked the jar under his arm so it didn't occupy any of his hands as he turned to speak.

"Are ya...part of a faction?" he asked.

____

Pascal glared, dang, he walked right into that one. "They'd need me for food...." he explained. "So they'd tolerate it risking their life, since at worst, the same thing happens as would happen if they died of starvation. The end result is death, get it??"

"Factions factions." Alert chuckled. "Is everyone obsessed with those now days? I would know." He decided to fling himself back beneath the surface and then reappear once more, closer to mange-fox. "No. I'm not."

---

Desert stared, blinking and ears twitching for quite some time. "Okay that's waaaay too long to be a good comeback." He stated, although his mood had seemed to have lightened up some. That was until his tail brushed across it. Granted he was brown so it really wasn't visible. But he KNEW it was there and that was irritating. He flicked his tail to the side grumpy at the mud for dirtying his luxurious pelt =U

Surge wasn't sure he trusted him just yet.

"Oh." he said. "Well...even if you were....I dun-..well we wouldn't be killin' faction peoples anyway..."

He paused to watch Alert's expression. Not many factions took kindly to him killing off their members.

____

"It was more...logic....stomping your stupid comment into the mud." Pascal replied. Hmm, he was proud of both comebacks now...but he didn't feel proud. He glared at Desert as he watched him make his way along.

"What is your intended target then, hm?" Considering Alert had no real respect for anyone else's life, who it was really didn't matter to him, but he;d ask anyway.

--
Desert was momentarily focused on trying to get through the mud without losing his DELICATE balance that was wavering quite a bit. He was unaccustomed to such conditions. "Whatever." He commented at last. "Is it ALL mud like this?" He asked, referring to wherever they were heading.

Surge was content with that answer. Alert also didn't seem to be the faction type based off his actions earlier.

"Alright so I're totally plannin' to get faction people." he replied, looking happily at his jar.

____

Pascal didn't want to be a super downer, but he wasn't going to lie to him about more stuff already.

"Well, most of it yeah. We can try and take higher ground or build a raft thing but that's usually slower."

(XDD )

"I see." Alert commented. "Any ones in particular? Or any faction in particular? I know many of their routines." That much was true. Because he wandered around a lot--he had no one to go along with so he just observed them with no real interest in what they were doing.

--

"I see." Desert commented, trying not too sound too horribly disappointed. Although he probably still did. "I mean, I'm sure I'll get used to it--" And just about then his foot caught on a root that had buried itself in the marsh and was apparently still thriving. He fell forward, catching himself with his hands and barely keeping his face from going into the gunk.

He still screwed up his face in disgust of it as he shoved himself back up and began shaking his hands. "Slowly." He muttered. "Very slowly."

Surge looked at Alert, his neutral face going to one of a sly smile.

"Do ya?" he asked. "Well in that case, yes. Them Red Jackets, the ones that are always carryin' them stupid electro rod...things like they plan on marryin' 'em or somethin'."

He looked at the jar again, swirling the liquid to mix it together as almost every type of poison he had collected had a different density. "Just a lil sorta...justice." he remarked.
____

Pascal, while highly amused, attempted to offer some support.

"You'll be fine." he stated. "Could you pick it up a little though? I have a limp leg and I'm still moving faster than you."

(MARRYING FTW .0. XDDD )

"Hmm...yes. I see." Alert stated as if he were actually thinking about this. He wasn't. It wasn't a problem. It didn't require planning for him.

Ten however did not know who the red jackets were, and thus asked so that she could gmod =| and know stuff. Or at least know something about the beings he wished to attack. Meanwhile Alert was biding his time.
--

Well that was embarrassing. Even a guy who's leg was messed up was better at walking in some MUD than he was? yeah...that was pretty sad. His ears twitched before sort of flopping down to the sides. "Sure. Er. Yeah." He hoped he could do as he had just said he would. Cats were supposed to be nimble creatures, so shouldn't he be able to do this with a tad more coordination? Yeah. He should. So he tried.

Red Jackets are Surge's official name for an unnamed faction Brad thought up on the spot, basically they have claimed territory as their own and when Surge was caught trespassing they took all his food. =U Their common color is red and the scouts tend to favor zappy sticks. =U Nothing special about them. xD They are semi near where our characters are now, but tend not to claim areas with water that deep.

"Ya know em?" Surge asked, looking up from his jar.

___

Pascal was pleased with Desert's new motivation.

"I like that better..." he said. He tried to pick up his own pace, but his leg was preventing it pretty well. "Or you know you could just match my pace..." he suggested, fearing Desert 'overtake' him.

HAR HAR. This amuses ten. The fact they took his food that is.

"I told you I know them all." All was a bit of an exaggeration. But anyone who tended to come near the water and mud he tended to know. And there was a lot of water and mud. "So how exactly do ya plan on poisoning them?" He asked, not offering any sort of advice on how it would be best to approach such things. He was more interested in hearing what the......species I forgot had in mind. (I'm so used toc alling him mange-fox D| XDD)

--

"What'd you do to your leg anyway?" Desert asked as he continued his tromping along. He was getting a bit more coordinated at it, and that was lending him additional focus to increase momentum. He wouldn't ditch Pascal of course though. He didn't know where he was going. Pretty soon after he had asked the question he paused in his tracks, tail fluffing up as his ears pinned themselves down again and he took a hesitant step back.

SOMETHING had come charging from a big pile of rock looking things near a cliff and was headed in their general direction. It sounded like it was shouting, although he couldn't tell if it was anger, fear or happiness. All he could tell was something...spotted possibly was heading their way and flinging mud everywhere in the process.

(He be a coyote. =) xD)

"I'll put it on some food." he exclaimed. "Then when they tryna catch me, I'll let em...then they'll take it."

He glanced at the jar again, swirling it once more. (MAN is this guy obsessed. =U) He smiled at the thought of this.

___

Pascal was about to answer but then he heard and saw this thing too.

"(Bad version of shoot)" he stated aloud, starting to stumble back. With his leg though and the thickness of the mud, he didn't make it far. He fumbled around his belt, revealing the pistol he had. (Does Ten remember it had no ammunition?)

(okay C: and HAHAHA obsessed indeed)
"Got any food to do that with?" Alert asked. It was a good question. After all, the axolotl had been wandering around and there was a good chance he had seen what these red.......I forgot what we called them. Red whatever's did with people and their supplies when found trespassing.

--
(WIN XDDDD )

(trollolol =U )

Desert wasn't being a whole lot of help. Although apparently he could retreat a lot faster...and had yet to stop so far. So much for working as any sort of team. Maybe he should go back for the guy with the hurt leg. Or maybe he should save himself. Choices choices.


As the *violent* creature approached, it may have been more visible that it wasn't all that large, although it made enough noise to be something by far greater than it was. A kitten, yes. Smaller by at least a foot or so than Desert had been. He had his fur all fluffed up though and did actually appear to be angry in some manner. "You're trespassing!" He growled, while although certainly unfriendly was not all that intimidating.

"Not yet." Surge admitted. "Usually I eat anythin' that I haves."

He thought for less than a second before speaking up again. "I'll just catch me a fish or a frog or somethin' and cook it."

____

Pascal was surprised that the creature was not as intimidating as he was expecting, but he still raised the pistol at it.

"I don't see your stupid name on this land!" he countered.

Alert shuddered but then shrugged simply enough. Perhaps it was the fact they were amphibian like things that didn't settle well with him.

"Do as you please then, mange-fox."

---
The kitten's eyes went wide for a moment and it shrank back a step, before its confidence returned. His brownish golden fur remained fluffed out aside from where mud had slicked it back. His spotted pelt, when fluffed looked more like dirty speckles though.

"It's MY faction's land! We don't NEED our name on it!" He hissed. (FYI he is not a part of a faction nor is he a faction leader =| but he thinks he is)

"I will." Surge replied, obviously growing accustomed to the name for he didn't think twice about it. He glanced around for a moment, looking for the frogtoad he had just squeezed for poison. "Cussmuffins..." he muttered, not seeing it.

____



Pascal was genuinely intimidated, this young kitten was fierce even looking down the barrel of a gun...sorta. Faction must have trained him well.

"My faction is just passing through..." he said with some uncertainty. He didn't want kitten to recruit people, not when he couldn't run.

Alert watched him for a few moments before slipping back beneath the muddy surface a ways out. He figured the coyote--which I almost called a frog--would be busy for awhile, so there was no need for him to get his skin dried out sitting above surface like a dumby.

------

Kitten did not move. "Yeah?" He asked, sort of glancing around Pascal to try and see where Desert had run off to. "And what about your friend? Going to get the rest of them? What's the plan huh?" His voice still had a bit of a growl to it as his tail lashed to the side angrily. (He probably would be quite intimidating if he were bigger/ older =U XDDD ) "Turn back the way you came!" He added with a bit of a snarl. (mean kitten =u XDD )

Desert was...quite a good ways off...yes.

Surge didn't much notice Alert's disappearance at first.

"'Less o coruse you gots some food on ya?" he asked, turning to look at Alert....huh. He looked around some more, doing a full circle.

"Rascal..." he stated, before making his way back to his logboat.

_____

"He's only a scout." Pascal reassured. "I have command over what actions are taken." He wasn't sure why he was trying to make kitten 'feel better' by saying this, but it made him feel better. "There is no turning back I....we'll go around if we must." Pascal announced.

Alert could sense movement in the water quite well. The slight disruption made him resurface.

"Find something already?" He asked, not taking a moment to look around before asking such.

--

Kitten's tail continued to lash about as his ears pinned themselves even flatter against his fluffy head, making them almost invisible amongst the puffed up fluff. (Dat kitten fluff c: XDD ) "I don't trust him. I don't trust you either!" Another pathetic kitten growl rumbled in his throat. "Prisoners. You're our prisoners now."

Surge turned to look at Alert. "Well, I found you." he stated, turning away again to get to his logboat. He gave the jar a gentle toss to one side before trying to hoist himself in without tipping it over, despite his practice, he nearly flipped before righting it again. He chuckled. "Stupid boat." he mocked.

____

"Come catch me then." Pascal dared, losing his tolerance for this kitten. If he really was a faction leader, he'd need to step up to the plate eventually...why not practice now? "You're probably not even part of a faction." he said, turning his nose up slightly as he said this.

Alert flapped his tail against the muddy water surface, splashing mud up around himself as he dove back beneath it and popped up again."Learn to swim under water." He stated. "Then you don't need it. Your fur looks like this murk anyway."

Full of compliments he was.
---
Kitten looked utterly insulted. But he was quite ready to back up his claims. Making his sharp little CLAWS appear once he decided to take his gloves off that was, he lunged forward. "Stupid mud eating trespasser!" He proclaimed.

Desert was still far away, doing nothing at all to aid Pascal from the violent little kitten.

Once again, Surge was aware of what Alert said so he had no issues with it.

"I can't hold my breath for very long." Surge complained. " 'ts really my only problem."

____

Pascal of course, could not shoot, so he instead gripped the pistol and attempted to sideswipe the kitten with it.

"GET AWAY!" he yelled.