Not Exactly to Code (Apprentice x Leader) [Bacon]

Birchwing finally ducked inside the closest cave, which thankfully turned and changed direction partway through so the wind wasn't blowing straight into them as Birchwing bundled himself and her all the way into the back, panting loudly, feeling as if his lungs were full of only sand.

She pinned her ears as she followed after him, softly holding his tail with her mouth so she wouldn't lose him.

"Working on it!" Birchwing growled back. Finally, he spotted something, a pair of holes in the cliff face just a little ways further. "Hurry!" He yowled, wrapping his tail around her neck to ensure they weren't separated as blowing sand and spray mixed to reduce the visibility considerably.

"We need to go faster!" She called to him, her ears pinning back and her fur standing on end.

Slowly, the pair made their way to the cliffs, lead by Birchwing as the blowing sand grew thicker and thicker, the tide also rising noticeably until the water started to lap at their paws, eliciting a startled hiss from Birchwing.

"Alright!" She yelled back and she started turning to walk back to him, trudging back to her mate.

"I know!" Scout yowled back, straining his eyes to look into the blowing sand. "Let's go to those cliffs and find a cave, worst case we have shelter and best case we find who we're looking for living inside!"

"I don't like the look of those clouds" She shouted back to him, stopping at the bottom of the hill and frowning.

"Not the best weather, is it?" Birchwing shouted over the wind, noticing the clouds were much darker off over the ocean than they were over their heads.

She huffed when she lowered her head, sand blowing toward her and she grumbled lightly.

Birchwing followed behind, still shuddering whenever an especially strong gust hit them.

"Then again, you have thinner fur than me" She teased and started padding down to the water, "Lets go" She mewed.

"That breeze is especially cold though." Birchwing shivered, not used to the sensation of the salty ocean air as he stepped over the hill. Pointing to the beach with his tail, he mewed "I think we're supposed to go down there somewhere..."

"Wow..." She mewed as she watched, smelling the air, her ears perked forward, "It looks amazing..." She murmured.

Before them was their first ever sight of an ocean, far below, a flat, gradual descent to the white sandy beach before them, clouds stretching all the way to the horizon along with the ocean, a bit choppy as the ocean breeze ruffled up the fur of both cats.

"What?" She asked, coming up beside him and perking her ears as she tried to see what he was talking about.

"Not sure." Birchwing crept to the top of the hill carefully, his eyes widening at the view before him. "You should come see this..." he mewed, too awestruck to say much beyond that.

"What is that?" She asked while walking beside him, her ears back.

After walking for quite some time, in much higher spirits than previously, Birchwing's ears flicked as they neared the top of a large hill, noticing a strange sound he'd never heard before that seemed to be getting closer to them.

She purred softly as she followed her mate, ignoring the direction which they came from.

Birchwing nodded, the first of them to step outside and look around, shuddering and turning his back to the fenced-off area they'd escaped from the previous night.

She stretched her claws and stretched out as she stood, "Yep, I'm ready" She mewed.

"Yep." Birchwing nodded affirmatively, stretching as his jaws parted in a long yet quiet yawn. "Whenever you're ready love."

"Alright alright" She chuckled and nuzzled him softly, "We should keep moving" She mewed.

"Gotcha back!" He teased with a loud purr, tail curling around hers.