Cloud AU's

Jungle's Law

Adapt and overcome has always been Skull's motto. It had to be; you don't survive in their kind of society if you're not superb at adapting to quickly developing circumstances. Ideally that is.

And he has been said to have rotten luck. It's not even funny anymore, some deity or the universe has it out for him.

---

The Arcobaleno have a powerful secondary form instead of animal partners due to the ritual/ day of the curse bestowal; Skull hides the fact he's actually a kitten whilst he is living and lumped together with large apex predators.

And here they all thought Luce was the only prey around. He might be classified as a predator, but he's definitely below them in the food chain.

He's small, cute and cuddly and likes to nap. That's got nothing to do in the Mafia. No place.

He runs away afterwards, doing his level best to remain unnoticed while figuring out what the fuck he can do.
Fortunately for him, none besides the Arcobaleno and Checkerface would know what he is, so he can avoid Mafia easily enough while the Pacifier chocker works as a flame suppressant.

Sure, he's leashed, but it has benefits if it ensures his safety whilst seperated from the others. He ends up taking a ship to leave the country for the great unknown.

He ends up in Japan, skulking around and fetching scraps of fish. This place thankfully serves a wide variety of tuna dishes and the like, and he can eat those. If he'd only been able to stomach milk he would be hard-pressed for nutrients.
And frankly, he's got no clue how to get his human form back (he doesn't know he's or would be a baby).

He ends up being kidnapped by a nice woman around her twenties, at least that's his guess, with dark straight hair.
A woman that was apparently moving residences, seeing the small trailer towed behind her off-maroon colored car.

They move to a quiet landscape three hours out, Skull sleeping through the entire trip as he ascertained that she means him no harm (as of yet) and seems completely civilian. Gosh how he missed being 'among his kind'. That is, until he meets the woman's husband, a man called Tsuyoshi, who's clearly not.

His flames briefly brush against the man and he gets similar vibes as Lal, so he should be a Rain.

~

Skull gets sheltered by the family, the husband aware he's a flame active animal. Tsuyoshi can at least tell he's not a Mist; Skull doesn't know how that could've ended otherwise and he's not intent on finding out.

The weird tension Lal and Viper seemed to have going on was bad enough, as though a cold war was raging and the others never quite got that to stop.

Tsuyoshi sees the collar, senses the flames and feels himself age 30 years. The instant his wife is out of earshot however he has his flames rearing to go and a fish-skinning knife drawn.
The disguised mafioso squeaks a high pitch and cowers, paws hiding its head.

...That's surprising enough that Tsuyoshi pauses, especially since the other is clearly a Cloud. He'd definitely have hissed or growled, but this one is rather... meek.

--A distraction tactic?

"Why have you come here?" He asks sharply.

The kitten unfurls to give him a rather blank look, flames giving off emotions as the feline won't speak. It's decidedly unimpressed. Then he remembers Tsuyomi mentioning she'd picked the poor darling off the streets.
...They'd effectively kidnapped a Cloud mafioso in plain sight. Tsuyoshi slightly shakes his head in a tired exhale.

The Cloud's presence was more their fault than his, admittedly, but that didn't explain why his family was left unscathed till now, though he very much appreciates their well-being and does not regret it being so.