Warning: slight angst and cursing

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The sun blazed in the spring morning. A cool breeze blew and birds sang their beautiful morning tune. A group of friends walked in the deep woods in search for something. It had been three weeks, and the group still haven't found it. The group was all males, an 18 year old demon, a 14 year old wolf, a 19 year old cup, a 15 year old mug, and a 20 year old cat.

"Should we take a break Bends? You look tired." the wolf asked his older brother.

"Nah, i'm fine. We can go a few minutes more." the demon replied. 

"Bendy don't lie to me. You obviously don't look good enough to keep moving." the cat answered.

"M-Mr. Felix, i'm fine! I-I just...n-need some w-water, yeah th-that's all!" Bendy shot back.

"Well then let's all take a water break." the Cup budded in.

After all coming to an agreement that they needed a little break, the group stopped by a small pond. Bendy did a head count, Cuphead, Mugman, Boris, Felix, and himself. Perfect, everyone was here.

"I'm gonna go find somewhere to chill." Cuphead stated.

"Really Cup? Why don't you help us get more supplies so we can get moving again?" Bendy asked.

Cuphead shrugged, "I dunno, I don't wanna".

Cup walked away from the group and sat under a tree, opening his bag and pulling out a book, he began to read, not having a care in the world. As he got deeper into his reading, Cup had lost track of time and his surroundings. A loud rustle was heard from the bushes nearby and he looked up.

"The fuck was that..?" he talked to himself in confusion.

He stood up and slowly walked to the bush, aiming his finger at it just in case. Quickly, he moved the leaves out the way. Inside the bush was a little black kitten with a pink bow around it's neck. The bow was caught in a branch and the kitten seemed to be trying to break free and run away from Cuphead.

"Hey, hey, it's okay little guy. I'll get ya free." Cup said softly.

The cat whimpered and pulled at the branch, trying to escape. Slowly and carefully, Cuphead used a pocket knife to cut the bow free from the bush's grasp. Once he did, he picked up the kitten and made sure it was okay. A little name tag was on the side of the bow that read, "Figaro".

"Figaro huh..? Why don't I call ya Jackpot?" Cup asked the little feline.

Jackpot mewed happily and climbed onto Cup's shoulder. Cup smiled and sat back down near the tree, opening his book once more. Within seconds, Jackpot had climbed into Cup's lap and fell asleep. Cuphead smiled and pet the feline's head, causing a small purr to be heard from Jackpot. 

Back with the group, Mugs and Boris were making soup for everyone. Felix was supervising and writing in his journal. Not far away, Bendy was getting water from the pond. As Bendy sat there alone he wondered if they would ever find IT. The thing that could save his life. Once the bottles he had were full, he started to head back to the group. Half way there, he started to feel dizzy.

"Bendy? You okay?" Felix asked.

"M-Mr. Felix? When did you get here?" Bendy replied.

"Not long ago but you don't look too good kid." Felix said.

"I'm fine-" Bendy fell forward as soon as he replied. Felix quickly caught him and put him on his back. 

"Let's get you back to the others." Felix replied.

The older male carried Bendy to the group, catching everyone's attention.

"Are we doing a piggy-back race?" Mug gasped in excitement. "Come on Boris let's go!"

Mug then picked Boris up on his back and stood next to Felix smiling. 

"Okay kid, on three..." Felix smirked.

"Come on Cuppy, why don't you join us?" Mug asked his brother.

"Nah, i'm good bro." Cup calmly replied.

"Are you just afraid you'll loose?" Mug asked cheekily.

Mugs and Felix began to run holding their friends. 

"Should we wait for you're brother?" Felix asked between breaths.

"Nah, he's no fun. Plus, he'll catch up soon." Mugs replied.

All of a sudden a figure came speeding past the two teams. Standing in front of them was no other than Cuphead, fixing his hair and smirking.

"I win." he simply said.

Mugman gasped, "It was a piggy-back race, and you don't even have anyone on your back"!

"Think again." Cuphead replied as he turned around and revealed Jackpot who was clinging to his back.

Boris and Mugs both gasped and squealed. They immediately grabbed the small kitten and flooded it with love and affection.

"Does it have a name?" Bendy asked after Felix grabbed the kitten from the two.

"Figaro." Felix read the name tag on the bow.

"Actually his name is Jackpot." Cups replied.

"You can't name it dumb-ass, it doesn't belong to you." Bendy shot back.

"Well we're pretty far from civilization so he's mine for now." Cuphead replied. Bendy scoffed and walked away annoyed. Cups just laughed and took Jackpot into his hands. 

As the day began to fade into afternoon, the group began to continue to adventure. After about three hours Bendy began to seem unstable. He held onto objects as he walked and wobbled around a little. 

"H-Hey Bendy, you need rest. You don't look too good to keep going." Boris told his brother in concern.

"No..w-we can keep going a little...more." Bendy spoke between breaths.

"Bendy stop saying you're okay. The Ink Illness isn't okay, it hurts you. Please..Bendy we're far enough, please rest." Boris said once more.

"Boris I-I said i'm fine" Bendy replied as he clung onto a boulder.

"You can't walk anymore! P-Please Bendy, get some rest." the wolf whimpered.

"Fine...i'll rest.." the demon gave in.

"Good, we saved you some soup from earlier. That should help a bit." Boris smiled slightly, helping his brother sit on a nearby log. 

Mugs and Boris gave Bendy a bowl of steaming hot soup and left him to relax a bit. The two went to go play with Jackpot or bug Cups and Felix. Bendy slowly drank the bowls contents and smiled, Boris really cared about his safety. I mean, who wouldn't try to protect their closest and only sibling from a deadly virus?

Once Bendy finished the soup, he put the bowl away and walked to a shaded spot near some trees. After getting comfy, he took out a strange looking pieces that he had found in the forest. Huge green metal pieces, two tires, a dash board of some sort, a motor, and many other metal parts. He started to tinker with them and came to the conclusion that they all belonged to a vehicle of some sort. Not quite sure what it was, where it came from, who it belonged to, or how it works, he put the pieces back away inside his bag.

Feeling refreshed, the group began to move once more. The sun was getting closer to the ground so the team decided to go one or two more hours and then stop for the night. As they walked, Bendy began to drip ink. Unaware of it, he kept walking that is until Jackpot hissed and attacked him.

"AH! GET YOU FUCKING CAT CUPS!" Bends yelled trying to get Jackpot off his face.

Finally noticing the ink, Bendy began to panic. He tried to wipe it away and pretend it wasn't there. His breathing became unsteady as he desperately tried to not make it obvious. His efforts weren't enough because as soon as he thought he was gonna be fine, Cup gasped as he turned to face Bendy.

"Bends, your ink." he told Bendy with a bit of worry in his voice.

"I-I know..c-can we stop early..?" Bendy replied sounding tired and weak.

Everyone nodded in agreement and began to set up camp for the night. As the group set up tents, a fire pit, and sleeping arrangements, the sun began to slowly head down near the horizon. Once everything was up, the group all did their own activities for a bit, but they all sat near the camp talking to each other. As the sun set halfway, the group all came together and talked about anything that came to their minds. Funny stories, memories, dreams, random shit like why leaves turn orange or what happens if a fish drowns. They all laughed and seemed to be enjoying them selves.

Suddenly a cold breeze blew, putting out the fire they had set in the pit. Jackpot shivered and hid in Cuphead's coat to keep warm.

"I'll go get us some firewood." Bendy offered.

"Okay, don't go too far though. Make sure you know where we are." Felix told him.

"Alright!" Bendy yelled back as he walked away into the forest. 

The sun had just full set yet it wasn't that dark in the forest, making it easier to see. Bendy wandered around, collecting sticks and small logs as he went to build the fire up again. He stopped by a river and looked into it, making faces and laughing at himself. 

Continuing on, he got spooked by a loud wind howl. Or was that a bird? No, too big to be a bird and too loud to be the wind. The loud howl sped across the sky above him, causing the leaves to rustle. Following the howl was a loud boom that created a huge blue glow. 

Curiosity hit Bendy and he started to walk in that direction, continuing to get wood on the way. Once he thought he was close (which he wasn't) he decided it was nothing and just shrugged it off. As he headed back to the group he heard rocks hitting the river water and paused in his tracks. Turning right back around, he went to the river and looked around. He stood quiet and saw nothing, the sound had also stopped.

"It's probably just me, maybe my brain is messing with me. Heh, y-yeah that's all.." Bendy told himself and tried to relax as if he wasn't spooked out.

All of a sudden, yelling was heard. Concerned, Bendy held his wood in his arms and went to go investigate. 

"H-Hello..?" Bendy whispered.

A second yell was heard, this time a bit louder. He continued to walk and try to find the source of the sound. Finally, a blood curdling scream was heard, and it wasn't far at all.

"H-Hey! Is anyone there?!" Bendy said on high alert. He continued to move as kept track of his surroundings. Suddenly, he heard a weak sounding whimper, it sounded as if it were hurt and pretty close. He walked around and then saw the figure. A small figure, lying on the dirt, whimpering in pain, and barely able to keep their eyes open. Bendy gasped and dropped the wood, quickly running to the figure's side.

"H-Hey, it's gonna be okay you're okay now. You're safe." Bendy reassured the figure.

He hesitantly picked up the figure, who was pretty small and light, and started to walk back to the others. Bendy walked through an area that had not as much trees and the moonlight revealed the figure's body. A female, small, lion, curly hair, piercings, wearing a black coat, gloves, boots, and green pants. The thing that caught his eye though was the pink and black ink on her. Bendy stared at the lion in concern. She clung to his chest and whimpered out in pain before saying something.

"..th-thank....you...*cough*...A-Adora...." she spoke in a weak voice.

Bendy tilted his head in confusion. "Who?" he asked. But before Bendy could say anything else, the lion's eyes rolled back and she passed out. Bendy gasped and held her close as he began to run back to the group. Once he was close enough, he yelled out.

"GUYS, GET THE MED KIT AND A BED READY!" He screamed from afar.

Assuming he had hurt himself, the group got up quickly and got what he needed ready in a tent. Bendy ran to the camp with the female in his arms. He sped into the tent and caught his breath.

"G-Get her some food and water." Bendy ordered. The group just looked at him in shock and confusion.

"NOW!" he demanded. Boris and Mugs quickly went to retrieve said items as Bendy laid her down on his bed and sat next to her with worry. He looked down at her and moved her hair out of her face with his hand.

"Who is that? Where did she come from? And what the hell is she doing here!?" Cups asked.

"I don't know....but I found her unconscious in the middle of the woods..." Bendy replied.

"Okay so? Why'd you bring her here?" Cup asked like a jerk.

"...because I think she may be like me.."