What happened 10 years ago -> http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11374113/

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Now these two have stuck together for the longest while now. It started back in school when Ash was protecting Cliff from bullies in school. Cliff was always the 'quiet one' due to the fact that he couldn't talk, and that would make it difficult for him to make any kind of connection with anyone his age.

Though one day Cliff had been cornered by a couple of the school's bullies, his back against the lockers as they picked on him for being mute, as they assumed he wouldn't say anything to the teachers in any way, and demanding his lunch money. From how the bullies had him backed up against the lockers, he knew he wouldn't be able to run. He was shaking as he looked to the bullies, trying to look around them for that slight chance someone would be roaming the halls during lunch.

Right when Cliff was about to given in, his eye caught the sight of another student poking his head around the corner of the hallway. Instantly Cliff locked eyes with the croc, giving him a pleading look, obviously afraid of what was about to happen to him, again.

The crocodile was suprised that the cougar had managed to spot him that quickly, a bit perplexed. He blinked and kept looking to the young feline, not sure what to do... but the look in Cliff's eyes begged to him, needing anyone to help. Ash didn't know what made him do it, but he came to a quick resolve as he stepped around the corner and walked towards the bullies.

"Where you looking kid? Eyes up here or else!" Cliff's stare finally broke when the bully shouted at him before he moved closer. Cliff could only gulp in response ~..please just go away~ The bully only took a couple of steps, but before anything could happen the bully 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.

Cliff's stare once again moved from the bullies, to the crocodile. His mouth opening somewhat as he thought to himself ~He... he's actually protecting me?~ Cliff himself was a little shocked, as this had never happened before, though his gaze quickly moved to one of the bullies.

"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.

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This is a pic I got  Spelunker_Sal to draw of Ash and Cliff, but what they'd look like fully grown up now (Ash being 24, and Cliff being 23 respectively). And damn I gotta say that he did BEYOND an amazing job on it. Thank you again so damn much man!



Art is by  Spelunker_Sal
Ash belongs to  GreenEyedT (He also did most the little mini-story here, I just tweaked it a bit to have something from Cliff's PoV this time)
Cliff belongs to  Bacent