The new day began as uneventful as any other day in the desolate wastes. The slugcat Yundo and his loyal lizard companion Lash emerged from their shelter and stepped into the wet, soggy mess of rubble and ruin. The intense light of the gleaming sun evaporated the moisture of the night's rain and created a hazy, almost opaque mist that blocked the sight and prevented them from seeing anything in the distance. "Well, let's move on and hope we find something to eat along the way," Yundo encouraged his partner, but he wasn't quite sure if they'd actually find something in this dilapidated place. Two times they had already struggled and fought against the gnawing, relentless hunger. Once it had ended in Yundo sacrificing himself and being reborn, at the cost of much of his energy, to allow his lizard to live.

However, moaning and complaining didn't help any of them, and they set off to traverse the misty, ruinous lands. Just forward and ahead, trying to maintain a straight line and not run in circles until the sky cleared and Yundo could finally see where they were headed. For about an hour, they wordlessly walked on and on, then the heat had finally evaporated most of the moisture clinging to the rocks, and the mists cleared. The young slugcat looked for a high stake and climbed the next one he found. Shielding his sensitive eyes from the relentless rays of sunlight, he stared into the distance and found something to be excited about. There was only a ridge on the horizon, but it was unmistakable. They were approaching a mountain ridge, a natural barrier that held back the rain and created a refuge free from the deadly floods that tormented this wretched place every night.

The slugcat jumped down and enthusiastically told Lash about his discovery. "Lash, we've finally done it! There is a mountain ridge. We just need to move along it, and we'll eventually find a floodgate. Once we pass it, we're in a safer area!" The reptile was just as excited about this news as his partner. He wagged his bright pink head and made his long, black body dance around in joy. They still had to find enough food for at least two days, as their new destination was still quite far away, but this was much better than living in constant uncertainty from day to day. Excited and emboldened, they traveled on much faster.

Within two days, they reached the base of the mountain ridge. Luckily, the wastelands had been kind to Yundo and Lash for once and supplied them with enough food to sustain themselves. Now, all they had to do was walk along the insurmountable wall of rock and find a floodgate. Those were ancient, highly advanced constructions that separated different climatic areas to prevent one from flooding the other. After just two more hours of wandering about, they found one such fascinating, absolutely gigantic construction. A behemoth of dark steel and ugly concrete, unsightly but exceptionally sturdy. There was a small door at the bottom, the only entrance to this colossal structure.

The slugcat walked into the damp, foul-smelling interior of the gate. After climbing several narrow vents in absolute darkness, he arrived at the only door that connected the two neighboring areas, the wastelands and the new, hopefully, better biome, a towering, sturdy steel gate behind a grate in the floor, forming a chamber. Yundo knew what he had to do, even though he was too young to have ever interacted with such a device. There was a lever, still blinking with lights that worked even after centuries of decay. He urged Lash to join him inside the chamber, then he pulled the lever, and the mechanism engaged. Another gate closed behind them and trapped the two explorers in the narrow, confined room. Suddenly, a vent opened, and they were showered with an insurmountable amount of water, which fell onto glowing, heated coils underneath them. The little slugcat didn't know what the purpose of any of it was, but he knew that it worked as intended. With a loud, mechanical clank, the gate in front of them opened, and they could pass.

Another mess of dark, smelly corridors followed. Then, Yundo finally emerged on the other side of the floodgate and was immediately taken aback by the mesmerizing landscape of the new biome. Unlike the wastelands, this area was full of lush, colorful vegetation. Lash wasn't quite as excited and alerted the slugcat with a brief growl to pull him out of his excitement. There were good reasons to be vigilant in this new unknown place. Where there was vegetation, living creatures and predators can't be too far! Yundo took his spear from his back and proceeded to explore the lush jungle with his lizard. At least their food issues were solved now.

After wandering about a bit, they quickly realized that there was another roadblock on their way. A second, much smaller and cruder gate prevented them from moving on. There were spears, masks, and all sorts of ornamental ribbons scattered about the obstacle, and there was a single masked figure standing atop. Yundo froze. It was a scavenger, a tall, muscular, and exceptionally strong bipedal creature. These curious beings had apparently found an ideal spot to set up a toll gate, right behind a floodgate and nested in an inescapable ravine. There was no way around it. Yundo tried to look around and find something valuable to pay for their passage. He rummaged through the little bag he was carrying, and he even retched and tried to throw up a pearl he hoped was hidden inside his food sack, but there was nothing. The only things he possessed, his spear and his dagger, would hardly suffice to pay whatever toll the scavenger would demand.

The slugcat told Lash to stay behind while he negotiated with the scavenger atop the toll gate. Scavengers weren't the friendliest bunch; they did not like slugcats and were even less fond of lizards. Understandably so, in this world, you either distrusted everyone but your peers or didn't live very long. The creature had already discovered the two curious figures inside the wet, overgrown rubble and eyed them with his spear ready. He tried to appear intimidating, and his body's appearance alone was quite menacing already. Black, glistening skin with bulging muscles underneath, his body barely concealed by tattered scraps of fabric, large feet with huge claws, an ornate yet intimidating white mask with blood-red markings, and large, blue glowing eyes. Fortunately, he was too far away to pose a real threat. Yundo demonstratively put down his spear, raised his paws, and slowly walked towards the gate.

"Greetings! A passage costs one pearl for you, slimy boy, and two for the big lizard," the scavenger bellowed with a heavy accent, his menacingly glowing eyes warily alternating between him and the lizard. 

Yundo was just happy that he could understand him and that he didn't have to negotiate with hands and feet. "Good day, sir. We're coming from the deserted wastes and are really tired and exhausted. I don't have a pearl yet. I lost the last one in the wastelands. Please, I will immediately search for pearls if you let us through," he replied nervously. 

The scavenger broke out in laughter and sneered, "Of course. Let you through and never see you again. What do you think I am? Stupid? Three pearls for the passage, no less." 

"Um, maybe you would be interested in an additional spear? This thing has served me well during my explorations. I even slayed a red lizard with it!" the slugcat pleaded. 

The scavenger gave him a curious look and stroked his chin. For a moment, the slugcat got excited. Was he really considering it? "Does this look like we need any more spears?" he snickered, pointing at all the scattered weaponry around him, a display of their exuberant armament. With a more casual tone, slightly raunchy even, he finally offered, "You know what? I like you. You look cute, boy. I'll let you pass if you give me that spear." 

The slugcat nodded quickly, but then he realized that the scavenger meant him and only him, not Lash. "What about my lizard?" 

"Two pearls is the absolute minimum, no negotiations, no anything. I won't allow you to take this security risk over to the other side without, at least, paying for it. If I were in charge, I wouldn't even allow you to take this beast along for all the pearls in the world. Every lizard is one too many. So pay its fee or leave it behind."

Yundo felt a thick lump in his throat. There was no way in the world that he would leave his beloved partner behind. He would rather die. He nodded gravely and returned to Lash. "Hey, that bastard would let me pass but not you," he whispered. "But I would never do this, you know." 

Lash looked as sad as Yundo felt, but he gave him a gentle nudge and tried to cheer him up. Defeated, they were forced to retreat and try to find another way to solve this issue. Over the next few hours until dusk, they explored the entire area between the flood gate and the toll gate, desperately searching for something valuable among the plants and rubble or a way to climb around the gate. Not only did they find nothing of value, but this spot also reminded Yundo more and more of the wasteland oasis they had visited before. Rich in berries and fruit, but without any larger animals. Enough for the slugcat to feed himself, but nothing for his lizard companion.

To make matters even worse, the evening dawned. The sky darkened as the clouds gathered, and they hadn't found a single shelter. Their desperation rose, Lash became very silent and anxious, and Yundo finally snapped. As the first drops of rain fell, it got too much for the slugcat. In a mixture of extreme frustration about their hopeless situation and seething rage at the insolent scavenger who denied them passage, he began to scream. Tears welled up in his eyes, mixed with the rain, and Yundo yelled at the top of his little slugcat lungs. There were no words, just pure, unbridled emotion in his voice. They had suffered for so long. They had traversed the wicked wastelands in pain and misery. He felt so utterly helpless, and there was nothing he could do but experience this unfortunate stroke of fate, that nasty tollgate, that unreasonable scavenger ruining his life. This wretched, uncaring world would inevitably take everything away from him, as it had done before, and wouldn't even show the mercy to release him from this torment.

The slugcat was so preoccupied with his furious outburst that he forgot about everything else. Lash tried to pull him out of his frenzy, but Yundo just kept on howling, yelling, and screaming, so he tackled him with the full force of his body. The slugcat violently tumbled over the slippery ground and came to an abrupt halt when he smashed into a rock. His gaze cleared, and his furious anger disappeared. He looked at Lash in surprise and sighed sorrowfully. The rain had gotten worse, but it luckily didn't turn into a deadly torrent, as it had in the wastelands. This was apparently as bad as it got: Uncomfortable, but bearable. Lash carefully approached his small companion and gave him an affectionate nuzzle. "You're still alive," Yundo whispered. "We're still alive. And there will be a way out of this mess. There must be!" 

Shielded by the vast mountain ridge, the downpour never reached critical levels, and the two explorers survived the night outside the safety of a shelter. It was uncomfortable, it was wet, and it was cold, but this all didn't matter to the young slugcat. They were safe from death, at least for now.

Fate cruelly teased Yundo a little more, because the next morning he found a pearl not far away from their resting spot. This meant he had enough to pay the regular toll for himself but still not nearly enough to pay for his companion. With no other options, the slugcat sighed and went to pay the scavenger toll gate another visit. Perhaps he would meet someone else who was more willing to negotiate. He was lucky because the lizard-resenting scavenger from the day before wasn't there. In his place stood a new face, who even gave him a much warmer greeting by not immediately lifting his spear when Yundo approached him.

"Greetings. You must be the guy with the lizard, right? Conditions haven't changed since yesterday. Your spear and two pearls, that's all it takes," the scavenger explained factually. He looked bored, his golden glowing eyes were half-lidded, and obviously, he didn't expect the two strangers to have suddenly won a fortune overnight. Accordingly, he was genuinely surprised when Yundo pulled out the pearl and presented it like a trophy. "Now, you only need one more, and I'll let you both pass." 

Desperation welled up in the slugcat, and he begged, "Please, is there any way to make you reconsider?" 

"I mean, you have enough to pay the fee and pass through. Sure, you don't want to lose your tamed lizard, which somehow hasn't eaten you yet, but I'm sure you'll manage without him. Trust me, there are plenty more of his kind beyond this gate. If you really need it, go and tame another one," the scavenger snarled. 

The mere suggestion of leaving Lash behind made Yundo angry, but he managed to contain himself and keep his cool. With a sorrowful expression, he pleaded, "You don't understand. I can't leave him behind. He's everything I have, don't take him away from me!"

"Well then, so be it. There's no way the lizard's going through this gate without you paying his toll. Have a nice day."

It became increasingly difficult for Yundo to hold back his emotions. He turned around with a huff and stomped away. Then he stopped and turned around again to hurl an even more emotional plea at the uncaring scavenger, frantically trying to get through to the creature's emotions. He had spoken and worked with other scavengers before. He knew that they could feel emotions. "There is no food for him on this side of the gate. He will die! I love this lizard like no one else ever before. I cannot even stand the thought of being alone and without him. Please, you have the power to decide our fate. Is there really nothing I can do to convince you and allow Lash to pass the gate with me? I will do whatever you ask!" 

Something changed about the scavenger. There was a spark of curiosity in his disinterested gaze. "I must admit, I've never had anyone be this attached to their own predator," he admitted, surprised by Yundo's endless devotion to his big friend. "Now about your offer. What does everything include? What would you be willing to do to save your beast?" 

"Everything!" Yundo wheezed.

A creepy smile crept onto the scavenger's face, and he cooed, "Would you even go as far as to offer your body?" 

The slugcat nodded with adamant determination. He had died to save Lash, so he was willing to do whatever the scavenger would suggest. 

"Wonderful. Give me a moment to talk to the others. Maybe we can find a solution to your silly problem, slugcat," the guard cackled and jumped from his elevated platform.

Many minutes of tense anticipation passed. Yundo saw his pink lizard sitting in the distance, struggling to stay where he was. Lash wanted to stand by his beloved partner, but the slugcat insistently kept him away. Finally, the same scavenger returned and announced joyfully, "Good news, boy. I've asked the others, and we came up with a solution that should satisfy everyone. You and your lizard may pass the gate for the prize of a pearl and a spear, and you need to lend us your body for a few hours. Deal?"

He still hadn't specified what they wanted to do with Yundo, but this was probably the only offer he'd ever get, this or nothing. The slugcat agreed with a very reluctant nod, he didn't like it at all, but he had to submit. He had to do it for Lash. 

"Wonderful. Now, come closer and let me help you up." 

The slugcat briefly turned around to give his scaly companion a reassuring look. Lash was visibly distressed by what was happening. He was too far away to really understand what they were talking about and worried about his beloved slugcat. The scavenger took a spear, held it out to Yundo, and pulled him up onto the platform on top of the gate.

"The pearl and the spear, if you don't mind," the guard grunted harshly and rudely ripped the items from his paws. "What's in that bag?" 

Yundo hesitated to show the dagger inside to the scavenger, but he didn't let up. Luckily, the scavenger wasn't too impressed by the little weapon and sneered, "What a cute toy. But I'm gonna be generous with you and allow you to keep it. Put it back into the bag and put it right here, then follow me." 

The slugcat gave his completely exasperated lizard a last look and made a brief gesture, signing him that everything was fine. Lash believed him, trusted him even though he hated everything that happened at that moment.

As Yundo walked down the rubble, he felt the big hand of the scavenger on his shoulder. His grip was harsh, demanding, and assertive, demonstrating that the larger, much stronger male was in charge now. He brought the slugcat into a surprisingly spacious interior, furnished with basic furniture and surprisingly clean. There was a large table made of scrap metal in the center, around which several other scavengers sat and stood. As soon as the guard and the slugcat entered, all eyes were to him. They leered at the little male with unconcealed lust and shameless desire. Not a single word had been spoken, not a single action performed, but Yundo knew exactly what to expect. "The sluggy slut has agreed to our conditions? How unexpected, but highly welcome," the largest of them growled. He was a hulking brute with ebony skin, fiery-red eyes, and the most impressive, ornate face mask Yundo had ever seen. He was probably the leader of this group of scavengers. He lazily got up and approached the slugcat. He grabbed the little male and effortlessly lifted him up, exploring his body with wanton squeezes and shameless gropes. "Me and the boys are gonna have some fun with you. We won't be gentle, slugcat. This is the last time to reconsider and back out." 

"No, I'm fine," Yundo stammered nervously. Nothing in the world could make him reconsider, not even the sight of more than a dozen burly, horny scavengers ready to abuse his little body. 

Their boss sneered, "And all this for a lizard? You're either stupid or delusional, but who am I to judge?"

The scavenger grabbed Yundo roughly by the neck and groped his genitals. His hand quickly moved between the slugcat's legs and examined the pliable, tiny pucker that rested where his tail began. He unflinchingly stuffed three fingers into Yundo's ass, turned, twisted, and curled them with depraved curiosity. Then he drove them in with a violent thrust and finger-fucked the poor slugcat with reckless abandon. Yundo squirmed and writhed in the scavenger's iron grip, struggling to catch his breath. After a perceived eternity, the brute finally released him, removed the fingers from his rectum, and loosened the grip around his neck. Yundo's empty lungs were aching, and he desperately gasped for air. However, he was rudely interrupted by the wicked scavenger as he rammed his three fingers into his mouth and ravaged his throat the same way he had ravaged his rear. The onlookers all howled with raunchy, obscene laughter as Yundo gagged and retched. Getting a taste of his own ass was secondary, but the violent force behind the humiliating action was too much for the slugcat to handle. When the leader finally stopped, he grinned and grunted, "Oh yes, you're a tight one. We're gonna have a lot of fun with you." Then he threw Yundo to the ground, and he landed face first with a loud thud.

Seconds later, the boss hunched behind him. He crudely pulled the slugcat's tail aside and exposed his slightly loosened, slimy sphincter. Yundo prepared for the inevitable and tried not to react when the hulking scavenger impaled him with his dick. It was just a blunt, inelegant rod of swollen meat that was so unimaginative compared to his own opalescent taper or Lash's flowery, spiky hemipenises. The slugcat didn't want to give the scavengers anything, no signs or sounds of discomfort or pleasure. Their leader didn't mind, though, and was more than satisfied with the feeling of his tight, warm ass alone. "Fuck, the sluggy feels amazing! Truly nature's perfect fuck toy with an ass like that," he groaned and gave the slugcat a firm smack on his butt. The scavenger's wang wasn't even as big as one of Lash's cocks, but the way he wielded his prick like a weapon made the experience much worse. He didn't fuck Yundo to derive pleasure from it but to forcefully rearrange his insides. It wasn't arousal that drove the leader of the scavengers; it was the urge to establish his dominance in the most violent way possible.

Again and again, the bloated, black phallus smashed into Yundo's guts and made his entire body shake and quiver. He tried to suppress every reaction, but it became increasingly difficult to do so. Too overwhelming was the discomfort, and the young slugcat finally howled out a tormented cry. Yundo's mind derailed, and from now on, it only got worse. Every single one of the scavenger's merciless thrusts was accompanied by a wet, nasty slurp, a gross thud as it hit and subsequently distended the slugcat's flexible body, and a distressed mewl from the struggling victim. The others celebrated their boss breaking him with loud cheers and howls. Emboldened by the enthusiasm of his peers, their leader brought the initial breaking to an end. He stepped up his pace and relentlessly wrecked the little slugcat with his tool, ultimately grabbing Yundo tighter than ever before and finishing with a loud, victorious roar. His victim's skin bulged between his fingers as he pumped his warm, nasty semen into the malleable, slimy body. The slugcat groaned with disgust when he felt the prick inside squirm and convulse while it deposited its gooey load. Yundo closed his eyes and saw the image of Lash in his mind, his beautiful pink head nodding and smiling at him, the shimmering, black body moving around in a careless, adorably clumsy dance. This was the reason why he put up with this humiliation, the thought of saving Lash alone fueled him with the energy he needed to endure what he would fall victim to next. He sluggishly opened his eyes, looked up, and noticed that a few scavengers had gathered around him. A single, deep sigh escaped his lips. This was just the beginning of the fun. 

Their boss pulled out of him and left him for the others to enjoy. "Party's open, guys." Seconds later, the scavengers swarmed him, grabbed him, and everyone tried to get a piece of him. Yundo felt small and insignificant in their big hands. He was just a toy to them. He felt the one behind him fill the place of his boss and plug his ass with a single, determined thrust. Then he went absolutely feral on him and harshly plowed his tailhole while the others were still fighting over who got to use his other hole. In the end, two of them remained, and they unanimously decided that instead of arguing about who got to use him first, they just both had a go at the little slugcat at the same time. They rudely wrenched their dicks into his muzzle, forcefully stretched his mouth open, and brutally thrust deep into his throat. Yundo's body was malleable enough to endure such an act, but it wasn't at all pleasant for the helplessly whimpering slugcat.

While three of the scavengers had fun with two holes of their victim, the others found other means to satisfy their rampant lust. They groped and squeezed Yundo's skin and flesh, rubbed their engorged phalli against his tail, and forced him to wrap his paws around them. The constant, violent jerking, tugging and pulling from all sides while each scavenger tried to claim a part of him was probably the worst of the whole ordeal. Sometimes Yundo felt like they were trying to rip him apart with their excessive, misguided strength, but fortunately, his body held together.

A particularly depraved individual had found another opening on the slugcat's body. Yundo's genital slit was shut, and not even his tip peeked out. For this one scavenger, it looked like an opportunity ripe for penetration, and he squeezed himself in between his mates to see if his lewd idea was actually possible. Without care or consideration, the male inserted his dick into the slit, shoved it in with an obscene grunt, and found it to be the tightest, wettest hole he had ever fucked. Just like all of his buddies, he immediately tore into it and used it with merciless violence. After all, they had only one go at Yundo before they'd eventually give him free again.  At least the slugcat hoped they would keep their word. However, the brutal violation of his genital slit overwhelmed the little male, he had never done anything like this ever before, and it felt like a never-ending cascade of gut punches delivered with full force. Yundo had learned to endure and even enjoy the most vicious ass fucks, Lash's strength could be quite uncontrollable at times, but this was a new peak in discomfort. He would've cried, but with two fat pricks inside his gullet, he had neither the air nor the possibility to voice his displeasure as loudly as he would have liked to. Instead, only a very feeble, depressed whimper gurgled out of his abused muzzle, drowned out by the sounds of violent sex.

The scavengers still hadn't had enough and somehow managed to bunch up even more so that even more of them could demolish the slugcat's pliable orifices. The male at his ass was supported by two of his companions, and they teamed up to totally destroy his ass with three cocks at once. Those at his muzzle attempted the same and unfortunately succeeded. At least nobody tried to join the one scavenger who raped his genital slit because that would've probably broken the tiny slugcat's mind.

The ferocious abuse continued, and the scavengers had noisy, gross fun with their poor, helpless toy. They grunted, growled, howled, and hurled swears around. There were so many around him that they trapped him in a musky, hot box of groaning muscle and sweating skin. Yundo felt as if he was trapped inside a machine whose only task was to rape him into submission and beyond. The ceaseless pounding, thrusting, and stomping eventually came to a liberating close as the scavengers climaxed. One by one, they finished with a final cry of pleasure, and their fat, bloated balls went to work, pumping their disgusting semen into the little male, stuffing ounces upon ounces of the sticky mess into his stomach and guts. The one who ravaged his slit came last, and his orgasm felt particularly distressing. Some of the sticky juices emerging from his repugnant cock squirted out of the tight slit, some of it found its way into the slugcat's urethra and filled his bladder and his prostate with the semen of another male.

Grunting and panting, the seven scavengers left him behind so that new ones could take their place. Their leader had regained his lust and grabbed Yundo's face, claiming his muzzle and tongue for his own purposes. He sat down and squeezed his head against his sweaty, dirty ass. "Lick it, or I'll choke you with it!" he commanded gruffly. The slugcat had allowed them to use his body to satisfy their depraved needs, but he would never lift a single finger to actively pleasure even one of them. He refused to service the boss and was immediately scolded for his insolence, "You little piece of shit. Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you." Strong paws closed around Yundo's throat, and the hulking scavenger forcibly shoved him against his asshole. With a wet, gross slurp, the slugcat's head moved into his rear, plugged his ass like a big, slimy butt plug. The pressure the scavenger exerted on his little head was enormous. His ears and all the squishy parts of his face were violently squeezed against his skull. Yundo was barely able to breathe, and all the air that entered his lungs was filled with the rank, musky stench of the scavenger's ass.

The powerful sphincter constricted underneath the slugcat's skull, effectively locking his head inside the other male's ass. The large scavenger stood up and pranced around with Yundo's body dangling from his butt. Finally, he sat down and found a particularly debauched pleasure in riding the slugcat's head while the other scavengers joined in to give his other hole some attention. Slowly the unfortunate situation deprived Yundo of oxygen. He squirmed and struggled, desperately trying to free himself, but he was stuck. His lungs burned like fire, and his thoughts became fuzzy. He was at the edge of passing out. The boss noticed his fuck toy's fading enthusiasm and pulled him out with a violent pull before he lost consciousness.

An enraptured, completely absent smile formed on the face of the woozy slugcat. Right now, he didn't care about a single thing in the world, and the scavengers seized the opportunity to finish him off in a culmination of their naughty cooperation. The boss and three others squeezed their swollen dicks against the slugcat's gaping pucker, more than he had ever taken before, and managed to push them in with the help of their insane strength. The slugcat barely even noticed the quadruple penetration, but that was probably for the better.

Everything after that moment was a blurry haze for the exhausted male. After they had successfully crammed four cocks into his sorry ass and bloated him with even more nasty scavenger sperm, they discarded him onto the table. A few more hours went by in which the scavengers used him at their leisure, raped his muzzle or anus a little more. Yundo just lay there and received their advances, too weak to move or even groan.

Fortunately, the scavengers stood by their word. The same one who had picked him up hauled him back to the gate. He gave him one last, violent ass fuck, pulled out, and marked the slugcat with his sperm before he dropped him and his bag down to the gate, one final degradation before he was allowed to carry on. "You paid the toll, slugcat. Go!" The gate opened, and the path was free, but Yundo was too exhausted to move. Lash sprinted towards him and carefully picked up his companion. The poor slugcat's orifices were horrendously distended, and the copious amounts of white liquid pouring out of them told the story of his abuse. The lizard angrily growled at the scavenger but quickly shut up when the scavenger told him, "Don't test me, or I'll close the gate again, and you'll regret it." Intimidated, the pink lizard rushed through the gate and quickly moved on with his companion still in his muzzle.

The day had progressed considerably, and the evening was approaching. Clouds darkened the sky, and the rain was only a few minutes away. Without time to find a proper shelter, Lash simply searched for the highest, most hidden place. He found a suitable spot on the roof of an old, dilapidated factory, where he curled up with Yundo in the middle of his embrace. "Thank you, Lash," the slugcat whispered feebly. "We've done it. I love you." The worst was over. From tomorrow morning on, they would explore a whole new area, rich in vegetation and very likely teeming with life. Sure, there would be many new challenges to overcome, but at least the constant threat of death by starvation was averted. The lizard gently pressed his muzzle against his little companion, and they came to rest.