Horizon-Bound

--Runaway--

(ALRIGHT. So I had this sitting around in my mind for a bit, so help me out on deciding if I should continue it or not. >:0)

She had been sleeping peacefully, curled among the cotton and wool covers her grandmother had hand knitted way back when she was just a kitten. It was Cooking Cat's day off, a rare time when the feline gets to sleep in, make appointments with friends, call her family for once...

Ring...ring...

Oh? This early? The cat's eyes opened slowly, a lazy yawn escaping her as she got to her feet. Who on earth could be wanting her attention at a time like this?

Paws shuffling across the floor, CC grabbed the phone and adjusted it against her shoulder to talk as she decided 'why not?' and left to make a pot of coffee. It wasn't like she'd really be able to get back to sleep now that the sun was out all nice and beautiful.

"Hello? What can I do fer ya?" Her voice attempted to shake away the fake she had just gotten up, putting on her typical cheery tone to mask her exhaustion.

"CC? I'm so sorry--- I just---," (Y/N)'s voice was cut up over the phone's microphone, sounding as if they were frantic, searching about outside.

"Woah! Woah slow down dearie," She sighed, "It's very early. I can tell something's up, so what's wrong?"

"I---I know this is going-- sound weird--- Have you seen Moonjumper?"

Cooking Cat paused, a puzzled expression forming on her face. Her whiskers twitched idly as she began to start a pot of coffee, pouring the grounds into the top of the machine. Moonjumper? ...She couldn't even really recall the last time she saw him without (Y/N).

"N..No, I'm afraid not honey," She stated, "I only ever see the dear clinging to you like a lost puppy."

"That's what--- I was afraid--- of."

"When did he go missing?"

"Yesterday--- we---well! He offered--- get something--- and I let him go out--- Now he's-- gone..."

"You're breaking up, hang on. I'll be there in a jiffy. He probably just got distracted and a lil' scared being without you dear. Mafia Town isn't huge, we'll find him in no time, ok?"

"Ok---thanks--CC---"

"No problem...No problem at all..."

...They never did find the ghost.

---0---

Cooking Cat's fur bristled, paws returning to the same area she had been coming back to the past 2 days. Her bright yellow eyes were sullen, tired looking. The poor feline hadn't slept right since the incident happened. The first one. The second one made it all the worse.

She stopped sharply infront of the wooden door, orange paw pressed firmly against it as she gazed over the now slightly ripped note taped up.

'Dear CC,I'm sorry to not have sent you a voicemail, but I really rather you not come looking for me.I don't know how long I'll be gone for, but I've packed enough for a few weeks at least.I'll be home, safe. Let everyone know that.- [y/n]'

The note pinned to the house's door was the last anyone had heard from [Y/N] in days. Everyone knew the disappearance of Moonjumper had hit them hard, but for them to completely disappear in search of him without a word? It was at least more than mildly concerning.

Cooking Cat wasn't going to stand for it, that was for sure. With a deep sigh, the feline retraced the memories of what had happened, looking for any idea of where her runaway friend had gone off to. Several days passed through her mind.

Could they have gone to the desert? No, that would require using the train, and Conductor had already confirmed (With a little threatening when he tried to brush her off of course!) that he had never seen (Y/N) in the past few days, yet alone taken her to the desert. Grooves hadn't seen her in Dead Bird either, though his loud ramble could've been summed up with a quick 'no'. 

The Alpines? No, there was zero safe ways for (Y/N) to travel up there without any help. They were stubborn, but not stupid enough to risk falling to their death up there.

That left two logical places for the feline. The Metro and...Subcon Forest. 

"...Gosh darn it (Y/N)!" CC cursed under her breath, "Gosh darn it I shoulda known!"

Clenching her paws, the cat turned to find a certain hatted child. If she was going to scan either areas, she'd need help. She didn't know tail nor paw around Subcon, and The Metro...Ah geez anyone could get lost there, no matter how long you've been there.

"I swear! (Y/N), when I find y'all, I'm gonna drag ya by the ear all the way home."

////

It was cold. Damp. Dirty. You scratched a loose leaf out of your hair, shivering slightly as you tucked further into your (c) jacket. How long had you been here? 2...3 days? Time wasn't easy in the forest, especially with how far you had traveled in, it might as well have been nearly pitch black. You felt lucky to have brought a lantern and at least 3 flashlights with you in your bag. Just in case.

You weren't leaving here without Moon. You were determined. If you ran out of supplies, you'd leave, restock without anyone seeing you, and then come back. This was the only place he could've gone. Could've ended up. If no one else was going to take it as seriously, you supposed you were on your own.

Fine.

Cracking your knuckles lightly, you tried to shake the soreness out of your legs, giving up when they continued to ache. ...A rest was in order. It was quiet enough around these parts, you hadn't seen much except for spiders or the occasional feral bushcat. It wasn't threatening enough to find better shelter, so you sat right where you were, placing the glowing lantern beside yourself. The (C) backpack on your back soon met it on the forest floor, giving your shoulders a large relief from the weight. Ugh.

Shifting yourself around, you took the small pocket knife you had left with and marked a few large tally-marks on the tree beside you. You had been doing that as you traveled through the thicker sections of the woods, incase you got lost or stopped traveling in a straight line. The last thing you needed was to die out here...What would he think? You, foolishly dying while trying to find him? It wouldn't be pretty.

...It wasn't worth it to worry about stuff like that right now. You'd be alright. You'd be fine. Shuffling through your bag, you pulled out a granola bar you had brought along, munching on it absentmindedly as you glanced around your surroundings. Dark, dark purple, as far as the eye could see. Where did it even end? ...Or start, for that matter. 

The only thing breaking up the monotonous scenery were the speckles of ice along the right-side of the forestry. You must be nearby the manor, from the looks of it. You'd make sure to avoid that area, at least for now. From the way things were, that'd be the last place Moonjumper would've gone.

With the morsel of food gone, and your legs not feeling too jelly like anymore, you decided it'd be the perfect time to get moving again. Being in one place too long might attract spiders, or the cats...They were cute, but their claws looked vicious.

A sudden gasp, however, stopped you dead in your tracks as you began to stand.

Oh no.