Running from the past, but it always comes back...

Escape and a new family

One day though, they finally escaped. For around a year they had been there, with Dream and Nightmare now 11, Dust, Killer, Cross, and CC 10, Blue, Pixel, and Error now 9, Horror now 8, and the triplets now a year and a half, or so. They had memorized the layout and when a minor earthquake hit, they escaped in the ensuing chaos. They made a run for it. They managed to avoid the scientists and grabbed a file containing the research on their species.

    When they made it out they ran as far as they could into the woods. Nightmare in his corrupted form holding River and Star, and Dream holding Aster as they ran. When they finally found a place to stay for the night, they set up a small camp. Error and Pixel used their strings to make a makeshift platform suspended between four trees. Thanks to their cat agility, it didn't take much effort to climb up to the tree. They planned to attempt to hunt in the morning.

    For several weeks they settled into a pattern. Move at night, hunt in the morning, sleep in the day, pack up at evening, and repeat. They finally found a abandoned town that had been in the center of the earthquake. They stayed here for several months, hunting in the nearby forest and scavenging the town. They took several useful books from the library. Books on knitting, sewing, and other related subjects for Error, books on healing for Dream, cook books for Horror, Killer and Cross got books on carving, Dust got a book on tracking, Nightmare got books on seasons, navigation, and the like, Pixel got a couple on various interesting subjects, Blue got books on different species, and they all got some educational books. They also got children's books for the triplets. They had quickly grown strong and able to carry bags.

    They had come to call one another kin, as that was something the notes referred to them as. They also had settled parts in their clan. Nightmare leading, Dream healing, the others had less settled parts. Blue, Nightmare, Error, or Pixel was typically with with the triplets. Blue, despite his innocent act, was absolute chaos.

    When they were in the abandoned town they found a young skeleton by the name of Outer. Outer's parents had died in the earthquake. He was soon accepted into the clan. He was only 5 years old.

    Outer one day asked, "Can I be like you guys? A skeleneko?" "I don't know how we would do that." Said Nightmare, considering it. "Remember what the file said? If we want, we can use our magic to turn others into skeleNekos." Said Pixel. They looked in the file and it showed by channeling magic to someone, they could turn them into a skeleNeko. Currently they would only be able to change young or weak, and they had to be willing. Luckily, Outer was young and willing. It took a while and was a rather uncomfortable, but not necessarily painful, process. When fully turned had gold and dark blue ears and tail.

    Soon they decided to move. They found a town that was populated. They made their own clothes, and used ones thrown out by clothing stores and kept their clothes clean to avoid suspicion. They started staying in a abandoned barn. They would say they were homeschooled and lived outside of town.

    Soon they met Red and adopted him into the clan. Red gained red and gold ears and tail. Red had been a runaway from the orphanage in a small town nearby.

    To avoid the orphanage taking Red, they moved to a different town. There they lived in a hidden alley. Soon they changed town ever few months. They lived like this four years. Nightmare and Dream where now 15, Cross, CC, Dust, and Killer where now 14, Blue, Pixel, and Error now 13, Horror now 12, Red 10, Outer 9, and the triplets 5. They where now in what had been Error's home town. They knew it would bring memories for Error and offered to go elsewhere, but Error said it was better for them to go here, as the other available towns wouldn't suit there needs as well or would be farther.

    Soon they set up in an abandoned house. They would sell crafts for money and Nightmare, Dream, Cross, CC, Dust, and Killer could take part time jobs. They would lie about their age and get jobs in small places like fast food restaurants. The others would sell crafts and sweets for money. They all made sure that they had decent educations. All of them could read, write, do math, and other stuff. Most focused more on specialized stuff. Stuff like music, crafts, cooking, or other stuff. Blue would sell stuff relating to jokes and pranks mostly. Cross, Killer, Dust, and now Red would carve. Error, and sometimes Pixel and Outer would do knitting, sewing, or crochet. Horror would cook. They all did lots of stuff for their clan.

    They also enjoyed music. Error's favorite where string instruments, so he had a small ukulele and a violin. They could all sing, but some preferred instruments.

    They had also discovered more of their powers. Nightmare and Dream had emotion based powers, with Nightmare growing stronger from negative emotions and Dream growing stronger from positive emotion. Killer, Dust, Horror, and Cross could summon weapons and use bone attacks and gaster blasters. Blue could do basic stuff like the previously mentioned four, but he could also summon a huge gaster blaster hammer. No wanted to mess with that hammer. Red and Outer had relatively basic stuff, but Outer had gravity powers. Pixel could shape shift. She had multiple forms, but all had Neko features. She was almost always in one of her two skeleton forms. Her Pixel form, and her Rain form. She went by different names in each form. In rain form she had pale blue and white ears and a tail. Error had his strings and everyone had someway of defending themselves. The triplets only had weak magic for now, but could summon strings like Pixel in her Pixel form and Error. CC also had a ghost form. They also could develop new magic throughout their life, according to the notes, they would get most of their magic at around 16, and after that had lower chances of developing new magic.