Crash was used to life in the city. The feel of asphalt under his paws and the smell of car exhaust in the air was what he was most accustomed to, so suddenly finding himself in the middle of a flowery field, complete with clean-smelling air, was quite a shock to him. He wasn’t sure how he had ended up here, as the last thing he remembered doing was getting a drink of clean water from a river just outside the city. His whiskers twitched as he looked around, taking a moment to observe his surroundings. Upon further examination, he realized that hundreds of brown rabbits were hopping around, totally unbothered by his presence. “Why rabbits? That’s so… oddly specific.” He asked out loud, despite knowing that no one was around to answer his question. Crash sighed softly and closed his eyes, Trying his hardest to remember how he had gotten here. He couldn’t remember a damn thing, no matter how much he wracked his brain. But, when he opened his eyes, he was met with an even stranger sight. Right in front of him, staring him dead in the eyes without a shred of fear, was a pure white hare. It wasn’t a normal white hare, though. It seemed almost… celestial. After staring at him for a moment, the hare suddenly turned and ran away. Crash knew that it wasn’t running at full speed, though. It wanted him to follow. So… he did. He gave chase for what seemed like ages, but somehow, Crash did not tire. Then, suddenly, the hare disappeared into a rather large rabbit hole, just big enough for the tomcat to enter. Without a second thought, he followed, running deeper and deeper into the burrow, as the tunnel got darker and darker…
A low groan escaped the blue-grey tabby as he finally regained consciousness. “Shit…” he cursed groggily, audibly wincing with a sharp inhale of breath as pain overtook his senses. Now he remembered. The pleasant field he’d been in previously was only a dream, and in reality, he’d nearly been torn to pieces by someone who had once been his friend. That was just the way life was in the city. If relationships turned sour, cats often got hurt, and this time, Crash was an unlucky victim. ‘Not too unlucky I suppose, since I’m still alive…’ he reminded himself, inhaling slowly through his nose. That’s when he noticed the strange scent in the air, unlike anything he’d ever smelled before. The closest thing he could compare it to was the perfume shop near the alley he once lived in. He knew that he had passed out in the middle of the forest, not somewhere full of weird, flowery scents. He quickly opened his eyes as panic started to rise in his chest. He was in a cave of some kind. “Where the hell am I?!” he hissed, trying his best to sound unafraid. Due to the amount of pain he felt all over his body, he knew he was in no shape to defend himself from whoever had taken him captive…
H A R E F L I G H T
Hareflight allowed herself to relax a bit further as he seemed to calm down. She was almost certain that if he really wanted to, he could seriously injure her before his own injuries got the best of him, but despite this Hareflight had a nagging feeling he just wouldn't. She wasn't sure why; she didn't know this cat. And a cat who had been attacked this brutally yet lived this long had to know how to look after himself. It was just a hunch.
She listened to him speak, an amused smile dancing across her lips as he spoke about the 'fairy tales' he had learned as a kit. "W-Well, I'm not sure I would say big or scary," Hareflight gestured to herself, laughing gently. "Although I suppose some of our warriors could definitely be considered t-that." She paused a moment, trying to figure out how much detail to go into. At least it would keep his mind off his injuries. "W-Where do I start... uh.. W-Well, you're in ShadowClan right now. Our numbers fluctuate a-and we have a lot of queens e-expecting kits soon, but I would say our n-numbers are around fifty right now. There are f-four other Clans as well and each of us have our o-own territory. It must work similar o-out there, right?" she asked, nodding her head vaguely to indicate the world beyond the Clans. "I..." she hesitated for a moment, "I knew s-some cats from the outskirts, b-but they mainly kept to themselves. Wh-What's it like? Where you're from I m-mean."
Hareflight cocked her head, going silent as she prepared to listen to him. A small smile came over her maw once more as she admired him. Even with his injuries and scars, he could be considered handsome. His silver fur was a beautiful colour and his eyes were just... mesmerizing. Shaking her head to clear these thoughts, she tried to focus herself on his words instead.
#melrps #hareflight
Crash’s lip was drawn back into a snarl and his hackles raised when he suddenly heard a voice. Violet eyes wildly searched the den, until they finally landed on a small calico she-cat. There was no way she dragged him here herself, at maximum, her head came up to his chest. There had to be other cats around. He eyed the stranger warily as she explained exactly how he ended up here, still not totally sure if she could be trusted. Though, she did confirm his previous suspicions, and he was still alive… someone with ill intentions wouldn’t have kept him alive. Slowly, his expression softened and his fur began to lay flat. She wasn’t being hostile, so it would be rude of him to act as if she was. “Name’s Crash,” he said finally, dipping his head. “Hareflight, huh? Guess it’s safe to assume that you’re to thank for saving my life?” He asked, wincing in pain as he slowly shifted his laying position until he was more comfortable. ‘A hare, like in the dream…’ he thought to himself, chuckling softly at the coincidence. “Well, thank you Hareflight, and thanks to your friends. I appreciate it…” He trailed off as he took a clearer look around the den. It was much nicer than the tipped over wooden crate he slept in back home, but the smell would definitely take some getting used to.
The last remaining rays of sunlight were peeking in from outside. He could hear a bird chirping, some crickets, the wind… but no cars, no barking dogs, no shouting twolegs… in fact, the only shouting he heard was the squealing of kittens playing, exerting the last bits of their energy before their mothers put them to bed for the night. It was… strange. Where he was from, kittens didn’t play outside of their dens, there were just too many risks. The tom couldn’t help but chuckle again. “I always thought those stories about the big, scary stray cats that live in the woods were fairy tales mothers told their kittens to keep them from wandering off, but I suppose I stand… er, lay corrected. How many of you are there?” He asked, finally returning his attention to his savior…who was rather pretty now that he’d taken a moment to calm down and get a better look at her. He always thought heterochromia was an interesting trait for a cat to have
H A R E F L I G H T
It had grown quiet in the medicine den. Hareflight had gotten so used to having so many patients that the den often felt empty which, she supposed, was a good thing.
But she hadn’t been able to save Smokestar.
No, in the end there wasn’t anything they could have done. Wasppaw had explained to Hareflight what had happened and while they had done their best, the two healers still felt the burden of their leaders death heavily. Doubt had began to creep into Hareflight’s mind more than ever. But her job was never done: there were always more cats to care for and apparently it wasn’t just clanmates this time.
Imagine her surprise when Skunkbreeze, Snappingfox, and Juniperskies barged into her den, carrying with them the near lifeless body of a cat. A rogue, at that. He had been in rough condition. After assuring the patrol that yes, she would be fine with the unconscious rogue and yes, she would let them know when he was healthy enough to talk to, she ushered them out of her den and got to work. It was brutal and it was clear enough that he had been injured by someone who intended for him to die.
Hareflight had been tidying up when the stranger awoke, suddenly hissing and snarling and, apparently, full of life. She turned to face him, the picture of calm. “R-R-Relax, you’re safe here. I’m Hareflight, I-I’m the healer here. Some of o-our warriors found you gravely i-injured in our territory and brought you to me. P-Please try to stay calm, I don’t w-want you to hurt yourself anymore than you already are. I can- I can answer any questions you have at all.” Hareflight walked cautiously towards him, settling back on her haunches, trying to look as unthreatening as possible (which was not hard for a cat of her size and mannerisms). “You’re safe here. W-What’s your name?“