[ PRP ] Savior [ Scrap x Eagle ]

[Blinded By Silence]

The tall grasses of the sun-soaked clearing shifted, rippling like gentle waves of gold and green. A mouse, small and calm, sat perched on a warm stone, nibbling a grass seed, unaware of the sage-green eyes of the cat that watched it hungrily. With his sandy coat and small size, Scrap was easily hidden.

Finally, something good. He needed a victory. It had been a trying week for the small male; with his not-father gone, he felt like he had more and more to prove. A successful hunt, even one this small, could put his anxious mind at ease long enough to let him see he wasn't a waste of food compared to his not-siblings.

Then, the wind shifted. The mouse tensed and, with the flick of a whisker, bolted.

"Fox-dung!" The young tom cursed, his claws tearing up the grass as he tore after the prey, following it to the large rocks at the center of the clearing. But Scrap was not a good hunter by any stretch of the truth. He watched the mouse retreat into a crack with dismay. "No, no, no! Come back!" He cried, leaping on top of the rocks and peering into the crack in hopes of spotting the runaway mouse.

He hadn't seen the snake, so well did the creature blend into the sun-warmed stones. It didn't even rattle until the tom had trod on it. All at once, the raspy-scaled thing hissed and flared. Scrap knew that he should move. He could practically hear his not-father's warnings rumbling in his mind. Run, run. But fear held him there upon the stones, unable to look away from it's long fangs, bright and glistening.

 

[kovak]

In the clearing, Eagle was enjoying another day in the sun just warming his thick coat up. A distance away, the tom was watching as a young cat was trying to hunt something. A mouse? Vole? Something small for sure. He chuckled at the idea of the cat catching a rabbit or something that would be out of his size. However, the next time he looked at the cat, Eagle could not help but lock into his expression. Something was wrong, and he look petrified. Eagle shot himself up and charge towards the cat. "Move!" he hissed, wanting to give the cat a notice that he was coming. But why was he just standing there? That was, until he saw it. Snake. Eagle, like his name, had long claws, and batted his front paws towards the snake, wanting to create a distance between the snake and cat.

@Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By Silence]

'Move... Move, you useless flea-pelt! MOVE!' But his thoughts did not stir him, no matter how much he urged them. He almost didn't hear the other cat over the pounding of his heart.

Then, suddenly, a shadow blocked out the sun's reflection off the fangs and all at once, sound and breath came rushing in. Scrap scrambled backward, slipping off the stones and into the soft grass a tail-length below. He watched, eyes wide, as the huge silhouette of a cat came down between him and the snake.

The snake hissed back at the second cat, stubbornly defending its sunning spot. Tail whipping, it turned to lunge at Eagle!

@kovak

 

[kovak]

Eagle's heart was pounding with excitement and with fear the same time. One bite of the snake could be deadly, especially depending on where his fangs bit. On the other hand, he was also trying to stay focused on keeping the smaller cat alive too. Sure, he was a stranger, but he was still a cat like himself. Small, just like Finch too.. No time for that now, Eagle! He barely broke out of his daze in time, to notice the snake lunge in his direction. Hissing, Eagle took a jump back, fur bristled. The tom was furious and started to attempt a few more swipes before extending his paw once more to try swiping it into the air.

He was too slow and the snake's teeth sunk into his paw before letting go. Eagle felt pain, but still carried on with grabbing the snake with his mouth and shook the snake before dropping it. Eagle felt a little tired, was it poison, he did not know. Soon, the snake retreated back to the cracks of the rocks, going back to it's home. Eagle stood his ground, trying to forget the burning pain on his paw, and turned to the cat. "Are you okay?"

@Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By Silence]

Scrap looked up at the large shadow with a mix of awe and horror. For a brief moment, he thought it might have been Rumble, his not-father, saving his pelt yet again. But as the snake is defeated and the tom turns to look at him, Scrap inhaled involuntarily. Nope. Not Rumble at all. He stood, his sandy fur fluffed up and covered in dried grass. "M-Me?" His nose flared, his eyes filled with worry. He smelled blood.

With a quick jump, he was back on the rock, sniffing the large tom, looking for injuries, "Forget about me, what about you? It bit you, didn't it? I thought I saw..."

@kovak

 

[kovak]

Eagle took a slight step back when the stranger jumped back onto the rock, getting closer to him. He gave a slight frown before lightening his stature, hearing the other show concern.

"Umm.. it got me in the paw, but--" Eagle started, feeling kind of bad. He was there to protect the smaller tom, not be a spectacle! "What kind of cat just freezes up in front of a snake? Don't you know what could have happened if it was a mother with eggs?" The tom awkwardly licked his wound before stopping. It tasted gross and Eagle's wound was still stinging.

"Umm I'm okay though.. just probably need to rest the paw before it hurts even more." Eagle knew about cats who fell ill to bites, but did not want to make the other cat more concerned than it currently was. It was like if this cat was barely experiencing the world. Probably a sheltered cat. Eagle gave out a short snort. Hmm.. he didn't smell like a twoleg cat, but seemed like one.

"What was it you were doing here before, you know. The snake incident?" He asked, wanting to not have the spotlight on himself. It would also probably be a way to get the tom less like a scared kit too. Eagle really didn't like seeing the cat look so scared. It reminded him of his younger days with Finch.

@Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By Silence]

Scrap shrank back a bit, making himself smaller at the larger cat's chiding tone. His ears drooped down and he avoided the pretty violet of Eagle's eyes, "I-I don't know, me, I guess.." He waffled a moment, not wanting to make the other cat more uncomfortable. He'd answer his question for now, hoping the strange tom would let him check his wound properly, "I was hunting. Or, well.. Trying to. I seem to have wandered farther than I meant to. What about you? Do you hang out here to save cowards from snakes?"

But he shook his head and looked up at him with a huff, tossing back the tom's words, "What kind of cat brushes off a snake bite?" His eyes softened, and he continued more gently, "I'm sorry you got hurt because of me. Can I take a look? This kind of stuff is the only thing I'm good at."

@kovak

 

[kovak]

Eagle relaxed a bit, trying to match the gentle demeanor of the smaller cat. "It doesn't really hurt, it's just--" he then looked down at the paw and sighed. "Okay, it hurts, but not because of you. Snakes can be mean to us cats, and sometimes they'll bite us to protect themselves. It's like us using our teeth and claws." He shrugged off the pain, rather more interested in the tom instead. Think of something else to keep his mind off the pain.

"I didn't mean to sound mad earlier," he said, looking away. Eagle did feel bad about calling the stranger out on freezing earlier, it was a while since he socialized with another cat that he forgot he could have sounded too harsh.

"I don't think you're a coward. I think you're brave to be somewhere you didn't mean to." He didn't want to ask if he was from the twoleg camp. "Trying to hunt, huh. Well, I'm pretty sure you scared off that mouse, if it led you this far from home!"

He blinked, looking at the tom again. He was smaller than Eagle for sure, and more well-groomed. Eagle looked like a mess. When was the last time he had someone to talk to, and even more, inspect him and his wounds? He couldn't refuse. "Good at looking at snake bites, or good at helping cats feel better?" He joked, trying his best to lighten the mood. "You know, I hear there's some cats who know a lot about treating wounds and stuff like that.. it's never been my thing, but I think it's cool if it's yours." He awkwardly brushed his tail onto the stranger's back, wondering if the tom would back off.

"Don't ever think I got hurt because of you. If anything, that snake got a better beating than me!" He grinned flashing his teeth. "I'm Eagle, and you are?"

@Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By Silence]

As Scrap settled in to tend to the wound, he looked up at the big tom as he tried to downplay his injury. "Of course it hurts, it's bleeding!" After a few sniffs and a lick to confirm, he frowned, murmuring, "Definitely poison. Honey and... those little yellow flowers, what were they called..." He sits back up, eyes scanning the grass.

"Don't worry about it, you have every right to be upset if you were. I did something stupid and you took the fall for me. You must be a kind cat, to do that for someone you don't know." His green eyes flicked up at the tom's words. Was he.. trying to make him feel better? Scrap found himself chuckling. Yes, he decided, a kind cat indeed. "Me? Brave? Not at all. I wasn't paying attention, that's all. Chased that mouse right into the snake's den, lucky beast. Though," He grinned sheepishly, "Maybe not so lucky after all, what with the thrashing you gave it. That was.. impressive."

He felt heat rise beneath his pelt, well aware of the stranger's eyes moving over him. Those eyes of his... Scrap had never seen eyes like those before. When Eagle's heavy tail brushed over him, he felt his heart stumble. Embarrassed, he dropped his eyes again, "B-Both, hopefully! But yes, there are a few like that around here. I'm uh, getting lessons I guess from one of them."

He peeked back up at the large tom and found that smile of his to be quite contagious, "My name is Scrap. I try and help out my family, keep them healthy. Let me get some Tormentil for that bite. As thanks for saving me."

@kovak

 

[kovak]

Eagle's smile disappeared to frown when Scrap started to diagnose him. Poison? Honey? Little yellow flowers? So it was bad. He sighed. At least it seemed like he was in good hands. Scrap seemed very attentive to his wound, which he wasn't used to. It felt... nice.

"It was nothing, really, just gave it a small beating. I wouldn't have wanted to see what could have happened if we weren't here the same time, and I'm pretty sure that mouse probably met it's fate to the snake as well," he said, wondering more about Scrap.

He purred a bit at Scrap getting a bit embarrassed and flustered, stuttering his words. It was cute, and Eagle didn't consider much things to be. "Hmm? Getting lessons? So that means you're part of a umm.. pack or something, right?" He was never a member of any group, but it felt weird to know Scrap belonged somewhere, when Eagle didn't. When was the last time he called somewhere home? Not since Finch, for sure.

"Family, huh. They probably wouldn't like the idea of you being around me then. Is your home nearby?" Eagle started fidgeting and looking around the clearing. How foolish of him. He didn't even scan his surroundings. If there were other cats nearby, especially if Scrap's family, he would rather just leave. There was no reason for him to stay and chat and have the smaller cat tend to his wounds. He could take care of himself, and surely the wound would heal on its own. But then Scrap wanted to thank him. No, Eagle had to go. He did not want to get caught up in defending his name in front of others.

"You really don't have to, Scrap," he said, ears laid flat. "You should go back home. I umm.. shouldn't even be here. I'll be okay though, but get home safe." He could find this torment-ill on his own. That was, if he knew what that even was.

@Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By Silence]

Scrap flicked an ear dismissively, running a paw over them. He could feel them turning red, how embarrassing... "Oh no, it's nothing as serious as that. My not-father joined one, Stoneclan, it's called. Their medicine cat thinks I'm good with herbs and things, teaches me things when I visit him. It's weird not seeing him every day, but I'd just get in the way if I stayed with him. Though, I get in the way at home, too, so I tend to stick by myself since he left." He gives a self-depreciating chuckle, "We live over by the two-leg place."

"Mhm. Not by blood though. Rumble saved me from a group of two-legs when I was a tiny kit, raised me along side my not-siblings. I think he'd like you, actually. He's really brave, like you. Always trying to help out. Ah.." His smile faltered and fell as he noticed Eagle's discomfort, "I'm sorry, I'm talking too much, aren't I? Let me get some herbs for you --" But then he felt Eagle's tail fall, saw his ears press back. Had.. Had he done something? Probably. He swore, if he had a tail, he'd always be trodding on it. The little tom drooped, his paws kneading the stone anxiously. He didn't want to leave, he wanted to help, but... "O-oh.. Sorry... I'll um.. Get out of your fur, I guess." Scrap sighed, "Thank you, again. For saving me. I'll be more careful."

@kovak