It was a pretty normal day for Ash, as he pretended to listen to the teacher currently complaining about his attendance to her class. The young crocodile just sat there listening to the rambling, not really caring one bit. He hated school, and the only reason he ever came to it was to get away from things.

He didn't have any friends either, not that he minded. He had a reputation at the school, for never saying much or even answering questions from the teachers. Other rumors began to circulate, such as he had been in real fights before, or that it was impossible for him to smile. Just as he was mulling this over in his own mind, the teacher finally stopped.

"...I'd continue but then you'd miss lunch completely. Now I expect you to stop skipping my classes young man."

"Hmm? Yeah ok miss." Was the only reply he gave before darting out from the room, leaving his teacher to just sigh and tap her foot.

The croc quickly made his way towards the back of the school, preferring the quiet solitude that it offered during lunch time, where as the loud cafeteria would just get on his nerves.

It was just supposed to be a normal day in that regard... but something different occurred on that day.

"You got nowhere to go now kid!"

"...Huh?" Ash stopped when he heard the voice, looking around, to determine it came from around a corner. Normally he would have just gone another way to avoid people... but what was said made him investigate.

As he rounded the corner, staying hidden against the wall just in case, he noticed two furs keeping a cougar pinned up against some of the lockers, making sure he couldn't get away from them.

"Come on mute boy, cough up your lunch money. We know you brought it today."

"Not like you can scream for help, so you better do as you're told" One of the bullies cracked his knuckles, making the feline twitch visibly.

~Really...Bullying at this age? Pitiful fucks...~ Ash thought to himself, thinking of turning the other way. Though before he could, the cougars eyes shot over to where the crocodile was, looking straight at his face, their eyes locking.

~Wha...How'd he know I was here...~ He blinked and kept looking to the young feline, not sure what to do... but the look in his eyes seemed like they were calling out to Ash for help. He didn't know what made him do it, but Ash steeled himself as he slipped out from hiding and began to sneak up on the bullies.

"Where you looking kid? Eyes up here or else!" The one closest to where Ash was coming in from began to approach the other teen, but before anything could happen he was violently shoved in the side, knocking into his friend.

"OW! Whats the big idea you idio...Who the hell are you!?" In the time it took them to recover their balance, the crocodile had gotten in between them and the feline, glaring at both of them.

"Beat it you dumbasses! Leave him alone!" He shouted quite loudly, using his body to cover the scared looking cougar.

"Tch it's two against one we could take him"

"D-Dude, you know who that IS right? That's the kid they say..."

"You're kidding me...that's him?!" The two stared at each other as Ash balled one of his hands into a fist. The look in his eyes showed he was deadly serious about making sure neither of them got anywhere close to the cougar. "Fuck this man... You got lucky mute boy!"

With that, the pair took off down the hallway, but Ash didn't drop his guard till he noticed they were fully gone. With a deep sigh he finally relaxed, and turned around to the person he'd just saved.... to be suddenly gripped in a very tight hug.

"W-Whoa easy there..." He mumbled, never having had someone he didn't know do such a thing out of the blue, "I was just passing by... Don't like people like that."

The cougar didn't let go of him though, his look of fear now replaced by a big smile as he hugged Ash ~Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!"

"What...? Did you just...? But they said..." Now Ash was just confused by the matter, he and the other boy were the only ones in that hall...Who just spoke?

~Ooops, sorry... Should have said something sooner. I'm actually a psychic but shhh keep it secret!~

"Uhh...Ok? If it's secret...why tell me?"

~Cause you saved me duh. Oh! I'm Cliff Rhiki by the way! Who are you?~

"You've never heard the rumors about me?"

~No? I don't pay attention to things like that, they're usually wrong~

That just made Ash blink, never had me met someone who actually didn't believe the rumors about him "...Ash Loban"

~Ash? Right then Ash, we're friends now!~

"Eh? Wait I d- Wha?!" He didn't finish talking before Cliff let go of him from the hug, only to start dragging him by the arm towards the cafeteria.

~Come on, come on! I'll treat you to some lunch as a thank you! They have steak today!!!~

"Y-You really don't have to do that you know!"

~But I want to? Come on pleeeeease?~

Ash could tell he wasn't going to get anywhere like this, so he sighed and quietly agreed. Cliff was quite excited by that though, happily dragging him along. Though for the first time in a long while, Ash actually felt kind of happy too. In fact by the time Cliff had dragged him to the cafeteria, he was smiling a little.

---

This is a pic that my bro got done in one of his streams recently by  Spelunker_Sal with Ash and Cliff, and he told me to go ahead and post it here, so I am



Art is by  spelunker_sal
Ash belongs to  greeneyedt (He also did the little mini-story here)
Cliff belongs to  bacent