But when the group faced the presence that had appeared and surprised them, their vigilance died down. It wasn't some vicious beast attempting to ambush them when they were relaxed. It was the purple cat they had med back in Tumbling Thunder Forest and who had been following them from a distance for some time now.
However, it had been some time since they last saw it up close. The purple cat had regained all the strength it lost from the ritual and it was obvious from a glance its body was filled with explosive power, ready to surge forth at a moment's notice. The scars were still there, but on the muscle-bound body, they looked like they fit perfectly. The hidden ferocity and power were what had gotten Toz and the others to react so intensely.
But looking at the calm, and slightly anxious expression of the purple cat all those impressions disappeared.
Toz was the only one who noticed the reversed positions the two parties had this time compared to the first meeting with each other. Although the wariness and preparation to fight a way out weren't there, all of them just looked at each other, waiting for someone else to talk first.
Eventually, the purple cat mumbled out,
"I-Is she okay?"
That was all the confirmation the group needed that the dark purple cat had helped them avoid the worst of the thunderstorm. It was also a sign that the purple cat was ready to get more comfortable with their group.
Unless the purple cat had passed out and missed the show that Mindle put on when she broke through, it would be impossible for it to be unaware that Mindle broke through with great success.
But simply asking that question showed the purple cat's willingness to interact with the group.
Although both Toz and the three cats already bonded with him and the purple cat knew that the question was only a way for the purple cat to begin getting closer to them, Mindle still replied politely to keep up appearances and not put the purple cat on the spot.
Since asking the purple cat to officially join them as soon as it talked to them wouldn't be nice, Toz invited it to join them for a celebratory dinner.
The dinner was to celebrate a lot of things the group had done so far on their journey. Defeating the Scorched Eart Rat King and taking revenge on the rats, they hadn't ever gotten around to really taking a moment and appreciating themselves for that, despite knowing how threatening the Rat King had been.
Then it was all the things they had done so far in Roaring Skies. Stalling the Demonic Spark Bear and possibly saving an entire plane yet again, saving up enough money to buy three grimoires.
And during both those events, meeting Mindle and the purple cat, who was still slightly awkward with their group and became embarrassed at the attention it got. As Toz lightly recounted what they had experienced and included the purple cat's existence and their encounter with the purple cat, he almost made it sound like the purple cat had already officially joined them.
But since Toz breezed through that part, focusing more on the other things they had done, the purple cat didn't get the opportunity to even try and deny it. Not that it wanted to begin with. Instead, it joined the other three cats as they watched Toz begin preparing the dinner itself.
The four cats watched eagerly, as Toz pulled a container big enough to fit a head inside out of a larger pocket from within his coat.
The container wasn't anything elaborate or beautiful, but it had several enchantments on it. Even the cats who had been following him from the beginning didn't know where Toz got it from or what was inside it.
Toz flipped open the lid of the dark brown wooden box. The container released a small cloud of fog, revealing a chilled inside.
The cats craned their necks, dying with curiosity to see what was inside. They were slightly disappointed when the box wasn't filled to the brim with delicious meat. It only had a few pieces and strips of reddish-brown meat.
Although a flavorful scent was set free alongside the fog that escaped, the cats were a little doubtful that what looked like a few scraps would be enough for the five of them.
The purple cat, still not completely feeling like it was a part of the group, was about to say it didn't need anything, but that would show its assumption it was being offered food, in addition to the invite to only physically be in their presence.
Though, its worries were for naught, as Toz told them all not to worry. Seeing that the other three accepted Toz's words and indeed stopped worrying, the purple cat also didn't do anything seemingly unnecessary. If the food really ran out, it could just quickly chase down a nearby beast.
Toz had already prepared a campfire. During their endeavors with material gathering around Sleepless Brights, Toz had been forced to reorganize his coat pockets, and a lot of the accumulated firewood in his coat had been forced to go. It didn't burn with enough heat to cook higher level ingredients.
Instead, they had begun sourcing the firewood they needed for campfires from their surroundings. With both Mindle around, they didn't need to worry about wet wood after all.
Ever since he acquired the meat he was currently skewering, Toz had been uncertain of what to do with it. But after much deliberation, he decided it would be best to do something simple that he could handle, instead of trying something complex and ruining such a precious ingredient Toz went for something simple but extravagant.
He had used pricy seasonings to match the meat's rarity, both spices and marinade had been uncomfortably expensive until they got their rewards for the Demonic Spark Bear event.
But after preparing the meat, and as the meat began heating up on the fire, almost the smell alone was worth the price it had cost.
