Niki enjoys being outside. Her house isn't much of anything yet, anyway, and she can stay on her paws without anyone wondering about the cat in the house. The smaller, more agile body also makes it easier to avoid the many strangers on the island.
Moving through the underbrush and thick grass, tail swaying lethargically behind it, Niki feels the most at-home that it has since waking up in that prison. It didn't shift at all while in those cold walls. That's a danger, who knows what they could have done to it then?
Finally being able to shift again feels like standing and stretching, her body finally free to move. Niki alternates between dashing through the dirt and meandering through the trees. This is an exploration. She wants to try to kind of figure out the layout of the island, and she has her base's coordinates marked on her comm if she needs them.
After a while of thoughtlessly wandering, Niki hears shuffling. Her ears perk up, swivel to pick up more of the sound, and she crouches low enough for her belly to brush the ground (it will be horrible later, when she has to try cleaning clumps of dirt out of her fur). The grass is thick, yes, but it can only do so much to conceal her. Quickly, quietly, efficiently, Niki creeps closer to the sound to determine the source. She takes a moment to steel her nerves, then pokes her head up to see above the grass.
In front of it is a child, hunched over the dirt. Niki calms. It takes another step closer and, after checking to make sure no one else is around, lets out a quiet meow.
(@daughterofyuri)
