Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. A small whisper echoed in her head.

...

A female troll finds herself on the floor. The early morning sunlight poured onto her head and face. She cringed from the heat and began to retreat further into the cave, only to be pushed back into the light. A groan seeps through her lips as she rolls around for a while. Purr, purr. The troll slowly opens her eyes to see her adorable lusus smiling its two-mouthed smile. "Oh, good morning, Pounce." she greeted. Gradually, her eyes began adjusting to the harsh light. She stood up, stretching a bit. Looking around, she saw all her belongings that she saw everyday, nothing different, except for maybe a new dead prey from the day's hunt.

Reluctantly, she brought herself to exit her cave. The chirps of birds and the hum of insects surrounded her. A lush, green forest met her eyes, filled with trees and shrubs of all sorts. Rubbing her eyes, she walked into the shrubbery.

This troll's name is Nepeta Leijon, and she is a hunter.

…

A majestic, four-headed mammal stopped by a pool of water for a drink. It dipped its head down and- wait, what the hell was that? A crack of a branch came from a nearby bush. The creature looked closely at the source of the sound. Part of its mind told it to run, part of it was curious to find out what it was.

Slowly, it approached the bush. A few feet away, the drawing of a blade could be heard. Oh sh-

Too late.

…

Nepeta dragged her new prey back to her cave. The three heads hit each other pathetically the whole way there, but the creature could not feel a thing: it had been killed. Three large gashes were present along the necks, the areas damp with blood. One of the heads was barely hanging on, and it would have fallen off, if it weren't for the spine. Wait, where is its fourth head? Eh, doesn't matter. The female troll tossed the body in front of her lusus, and plopped down next to it. "Eat up!" Nepeta said cheerily. Her guardian ripped a chunk of flesh off and proceeded to chew it.

Okay, today's the day you ask him. No more scaredy cat. For some extra confidence, she ripped some meat off of the day's catch. Stuffing the meat in her mouth, she leaned over and grabbed her computer lying on the floor a few feet away. Quietly chewing, she opened up Trollian. Her eyes scanned her friend list, and found who she was looking for. Her hand trembling, she finally brought herself to click on the icon.

arsenicCatnip (AC) started trolling carcinoGeneticist (CG)

AC: :33 *nervously meows*

CG: WHAT IS IT NEPETA?

AC: :33 um

AC: :33 uh

CG: COME ON, DAMMIT! SPIT IT OUT!

Her nerves got the best of her. Nepeta spat out the piece of meat she was chewing several feet away.

"..." The female troll mentally double face-palmed herself. (FACEPALM X2 COMBO!)

AC: :33 um

AC: :33 well

AC: :33 there is something in pawrticular that i wanted to ask you…

AC: :33 fur a long time now

AC: :33 uh

CG: AND?

CG: COME ON. I DON'T HAVE ALL DAMN DAY.

AC: :33 oh of course!

AC: :33 i

AC: :33 i

AC: :33 um

CG: HOLY. FRICKING. JEGUS.

CG: JUST. SPIT. IT. OUT.

CG: STOP BEING A SHRIMPY WRIGGLER IN A BUCKET!

AC: :33 I LOVE YOU!

AC: :33 …

CG: WHAT.

AC: :33 *shifts uncomfurtably*

AC: :33 um

AC: :33 nothing

AC: :33 i'll talk to you later, karkat

arsenicCatnip (AC) ceased trolling carcinoGeneticist (CG)

CG: WAIT, NEPETA!

CG: DAMMIT.

Nepeta stared blankly at her computer screen. What the hell did I just say? She collapsed onto her white lusus. "I'm so stupid…" The troll quietly began sobbing on Pounce's white fur, staining it olive green from her tears.

…

Elsewhere…

"Gog dammit." He knew this would happen. Why didn't he say anything first? Of course, the *brave, courageous* leader was too afraid about what consequences might occur, should he ask first. He slammed his forehead down on the table in frustration, proceeding to repeat. Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!

A hand placed itself on the troll's shoulder, causing him to stop. He looked up to the person it belonged to. "Oh, hey, Sollux." the troll using the computer greeted. His friend's red and blue shades glimmered in the light.

"Don't tell me you're goiing iinthane on thiith thtupiid rock too." Sollux's expression turned into yet deeper frown than the one he wore just earlier. "Come on Karkat, iif you keep hiittiing your head on the table, you miight ath well joiin that clown Gamzee iin hiith horn piile."

"No, I'm not going insane, not yet anyway," Karkat said in reply. Sollux's frown flipped to a small grin. "...and NO. WAY. IN. FRICKING. HELL. am I ever joining that sick psychopath on his stupid horn pile. I don't even see why the hell he even keeps them in a huge pile in the middle of the walkway. I mean REA-" Sollux raised his hand to silence Karkat.

"Juth go viithiit her. You probably owe her that much, at the very leatht." Sollux paused a little, exhaling a puff of air. "Ii could tell you were alwayth tiiptoeiing around the thubject of red romanth wiith Nepeta. Hell, everybody thaw iit but the giirl herthelf. Iit would be better iif you thraitened thingth out in perthon. Now go."

Looking back down, Karkat furrowed his brows. He's right, it isn't fair to Nepeta to always be avoiding the subject. It's time to be a true brave leader. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Sollux. I'm gonna head out right now. See you later." The troll stood up, grabbed a coat and hat from his hat rack and set out.

Now that's more like it, Sollux said to himself. Two arms wrapped around his waist gently. "Hey, Feferi."

"So, is he actually going to do it?" The highblood asked.

"Yeah, and iit'th about tiime."