---
Katten remembered how he first came here.
How the new clothes fit him.
The young cat wondered why the pig beast was so nice to him. He gave him food, water, clothes, and shelter.
"Don't worry about it." He always said that but, truthfully, Katten always did even if it was a tiny part of him. He dressed himself in a grey tunic and had a head scarf that could easily turn into a hazard mask by wrapping it around his mouth.
Katten after dressing noticed a broken picture frame of him and... someone else.
Oh.
...
The tiny workshop seemed to fit them all barely. It smelled like fish and tard, sweet home the thief thought.
The shack did get renovated though. "Nice colors." He thought.
The pig bowed before the dragon and said his name. "Ruden." Agnar wasn't very aware of the pig's custom but they seemed nice and it was a little overwhelming for the young dragonness.
It's been ages since he was here in this place.
"Agnar Feuer." Ruden's eyes darkened slightly at the mention of Feuer. "That name of yours has a history. A lot of it. I would change it if I were you." Katten noticed the dark mood coming from the pig.
He knew something.
Agnar felt angry, she felt like she was accused of something she did not do. Katten had a neutral look as the old pig and his companion bantered.
"I will never change my name. My heritage is only mine to keep." Agnar said to Ruden with a confidence that even surprised the thief.
Katten had a hopeful smile. Despite what happened to her she seemed to not yet lose that quirky spark.
She was quite likable he embarrassingly admitted to himself.
The burly pig then giggled at the red dragon. "Katten, you really should take a slice from her." He waved the old man off. "I am my own person now, yuck."
"Though..." Katten observed the renovations and hence his companion.
Katten smiled as he saw Agnar getting adjusted in the shack. "Yo old man, you got new gear for scuba diving huh?"
"Stop saying it's scuba diving, idiot." The old man grinned from ear to ear. That word made him reminiscent.
"I clean the lake from time to time. That's how I make money."
"We need a special job that doesn't require us to clean anything."
"Katten-" I am not the pig you knew.
"Quick and easy." Katten smirked.
"I am not a criminal anymore, I am way too old." Ruden was ashamed of himself for Katten choosing this road because of him.
Katten was quiet realizing that this wasn't the same old man. "But-... Do you have any non-criminal stuff we could do?"
"Yeah, but you won't like it."
---
They had this conversation when the cat and the pig first really talked.
The first time the burly stranger told stuff about himself.
A picture in his claws made Katten remember about himself, how often he had to do photographs. How often he was stifled by the others, the dress code was horrible in a way.
Welp. Here, Katten asked the usual stupid questions.
"Old man...? So who is that in the picture?" He probably already guessed who that was. They looked identical. Probably Son and father?
"That... is my son." Huh. Katten was right, usually, he was wrong.
"...So." Katten wanted to ask about why the frame is broken. Maybe that was stepping on the stranger's toes.
The pig smiled.
"I know what you are gonna ask." It was a fight. The sad eyes of his burned into Katten. They screamed at him like he was his son. Oh. He reminded him of his son.
Katten looked at the frame again.
"Did he leave you?" It probably didn't matter about what they were fighting about. It must have been awful.
"He left me, yes." Like him.
"Differences?" Katten left because he was scared. It seemed like his son left because he wasn't happy there. He wanted to follow his dream.
"He wanted to no longer continue my business and we argued and then... he left." The son didn't see a future in his father's business. Or that's what Katten thought during this time.
"...Was it your fault?" The pig nodded, the memory made him almost tear up.
"Yeah." the small cat realized that he was and hugged him as a way to soothe his pain. A stranger and him.
It was weird for Katten to soothe someone. But it felt like- he had to.
"I should've been a better dad." That made him mad, this stranger was nicer to him than this entire city since he left his old life behind.
"That's stupid, old man. You're stupid." With a heavy heart, Katten said. "Forgive yourself."
"..." The silence ate the pig away, it was for him like booze but it killed him much faster.
"Despite what you think you are. You are not... You helped me, gave me food and clothes. Whatever was with your son, doesn't define you now."
They hugged awkwardly for a minute and hence after let go.
"...You got no place to stay, right?" The pig offered the young cat with an extended hand. Katten analyzed his face and took the hand as if his life depended on him.
This pig meant to him the world in a way.
---