Live For the Hunt [Brighteye]

Mistypaw suppressed a slight shiver as he dropped another mouse onto the growing cache of fresh-kill, glancing over at Brighteye to see how she was faring. Leaf-fall's chill was setting in quicker than he would've expected, leaving the days pleasantly crisp while the nights quickly turned just a bit too cold a bit too fast.

With a nod toward his clanmate, Mistypaw turned back to the trees. One or two more pieces of prey caught, and they'd be good to return back to camp. Mistypaw was almost looking forward to finding a patch of early-morning sunlight to curl up in; the faint hint of light on the horizon visible through the trees made the chill even more noticeable.

Scenting mouse, the lanky apprentice crept forward, blue eyes fixed on the furry creature. A bit closer...

Mistypaw's paws left the ground in silence just as an excited-sounding bark split the quiet night air. The mouse skittered away, rightfully fearful. Mistypaw called a warning to Brighteye,voice cutting off in a muffled grunt as something slammed into him from the side, throwing him to the ground.

---

The young woman had decided to start the day a bit earlier than usual, taking her new dog a different route through the forest. Taking her to the local park was difficult, she was a rescue from the local shelter, and it had taken weeks for the poor thing to get used to her new owner. The woman didn't trust her around strange dogs, but still intended on bringing the brindled female on her morning runs. She wasn't sure what breed the dog was, but she was a bit shorter than the Golden Retrievers she'd owned before, but had a very different build and look. Her tail had been docked at some point, leaving only a stub. Her fur was mostly dark brown and brindled, with white paws and chest. She'd been thin at the shelter, but a couple months had seen her weight increase and her fur gain a healthy sheen.

Patches pulled at the leash, curiously sniffing at every tree, seemingly heedless of the direction her owner wanted to go. There were so many different smells! Things she'd never seen while at the shelter, and things that weren't often found in the upwalker settlements. Her owner didn't seem interested in wanting to stop and explore as Patches did, though. How could she make the upwalker see that there was so much to explore? Why was she ignoring all of the untouched nature around them?

A new scent suddenly joined the rest of the forest scents, and Patches strained at her leash in excitement. Cat! With a hard tug, Patches was free, and a joyful bark escaped her as she bounded forward, the upwalker woman muttering curses as she called after her dog as she quickly lost sight of her in the dark trees.

---

Mistypaw twisted as he fell, unsheathed claws raking across the dog's chest in a futile effort. Almost as quickly as he'd been thrown to the side, the dog was upon him, foul breath making it hard to breath as its' jaws clamped down on his ear, the dog giving the downed apprentice a cheerful shake.

---

"PATCHES!" The woman shouted furiously, boots striding through the trees in the direction of the sounds of her dog. She'd found... something, judging by the joyous yips and growls she was making.

Her breath caught as she caught sight of the dog, eyes wide with fear. One of those feral cats had taken a few slices to her, that much was clear. Feral cats were often aggressive and their claws and teeth were often filthy, with a high chance of their bites and scratches becoming infected. The cat didn't seem to be moving much anymore, but her concern was more for her sweet rescue dog. This had been the reason she avoided the park. Patches was good with most people, but she was reactive and didn't like other animals.

"PATCHES NO" The woman called, "HERE!" Her voice finally got through to the dog, or perhaps Patches had quickly grown bored as the cat's struggling had ceased. The thin form crumpled on the ground was coated with blood, deep punctures along the cat's head and shoulder the source. Unsheathed claws had tufts of dog fur between them, but the cat lay unmoving to her eyes. The skin had been ripped away from one cheek, one ear was in tatters, but it was hard to tell the true extent of the injuries in the darkness, and in truth she was hesitant to approach a stray cat anyways. It was probably better that the thing's suffering was ended early, anyways. She couldn't just pick up a bloody feral and take it home with her, Her flatmate was allergic, and she didn't have the money to afford nursing another animal back to health. Disinfecting Patches' cuts would be less expensive than a cat.

With a sigh, she managed to grab Patches' leash, cursing herself for letting her grip on it be so relaxed before as she hauled the dog away. She didn't notice the agonized twitch as the cat struggled to move, back already turned and attention focused on getting her dog home.

Brighteye had begun to enjoy Mistypaw's company more and more recently. It felt very different to the time she spent with Crowpaw - she liked being around the dark tom, but his flattery often resulted in her being awkwardly embarrassed. On the other hand, her and Mistypaw created little awkwardness, as they were both content to spend time with each other in pretty much silence, just the presence of the other being enough social interaction.

The warrior strayed a little further from the apprentice after each catch, trusting him more and more, even if the last time they went hunting together they ended up fighting a snake. This meant she was prepared for the dog attack.

She had run as fast as she could to him when she heard his cries of pain, but by the time she arrived, the brindled dog had Mistypaw in his jaws, only to drop him and be dragged away moments later. "Mistypaw! Can you hear me? Mistypaw!" He's gone... she thought. No! Look, there's still movement in his chest! But he looks so much like Frozenpaw... Following the fox attack that had killed her parents, her brother Frozenpaw had grown weak. His injuries had left him vulnerable and he started training again too soon. A bout of sickness came, then another, which finally took him away from her. The protective side of her had been searching for someone to care for since, and she guessed that this was who it would be. Her best friend, on the edge of death.

"I am going to take you back to camp, but you need to rest for now." She wasn't even sure if he could hear her, but it helped her clear her head a bit. He wasn't strong enough to make it back now. Sitting down slowly, she began to lap his head like a mother to their injured kit, trying her best to clean the wounds. Even if she was no medicine cat, she was well aware that the gashes could easily become infected. As she lay there, she felt strange. A feeling that she was betraying someone clouded her emotions, but who was she betraying by trying to help a clanmate? The other feelings she felt underneath the confusion was just as alien to her. It was never something she had noticeably felt about the lanky tome before - only one that she remembered having during her times hunting with Crowpaw. 

But what was it?

Mistypaw was going to lift his head and tell his friend that he was okay, but even the tiniest of movements sent his head spinning. The skin across his jaw and cheek was simply gone, blood spattering the rest of his face as he lay there in agonizing silence. A tattered, bloody ear twitched in acknowledgement of what he thought were Brighteye's words, and even that small movement sent pain radiating through his head.

The lumbering steps of the twoleg and their dog had faded, and Mistypaw released a shaky, pained breath. He blinked blood from one eye, another movement that was far more painful than it had any right to be.

Getting back to camp would be fun.

Brighteye's gentleness was somewhat unexpected. Neither cat had ever really been overly physically affectionate with each other in the past, often preferring the shared, companionable silence of patrolling and hunting together. That had always been enough for their friendship to survive. Yet Brighteye's actions now were strangely comforting. It was almost enough to stir the beginnings of a quiet purr from the apprentice, that in itself a startling realization. One he wasn't quite sure what to make of.

Nothing like getting mauled to make one realize they had feelings, after all. Feelings or no, they couldn't be dwelt on and over-analyzed here. The slowly-brightening sky and his physical wounds weren't the only things making him feel suddenly exposed.

Dark blue eyes flicked up briefly to meet Brighteye's mismatched gaze. Mistypaw might just be able to make it to his feet with the last vestiges of adrenaline coursing through him from the fight, but he was unlikely to stay on his feet without support. Being back in camp suddenly seemed like a very good idea, as much Mistypaw was loath to move and cause any more flaring of the already constant pain that had been his existence for the past few moments.

As their eyes met, Brighteye saw something under the pain in the apprentices blue gaze. Something similar to how she felt, the strange feeling that had overcome her. She stopped lapping his head, and instead started to clean his wounds. It was the least she could try to do, cleaning the blood off his pelt. "Just stay still, try and go to sleep." 

---

They might've lain there for hours, waiting for the apprentice to regain his strength. It was unlike Brighteye to tolerate being in another's company for so long without a break to be alone, but she couldn't leave in the circumstances - she wasn't even sure if she wanted to move. Lost in her thoughts, time seemed to drift, until suddenly it was past sun-high. We left at dawn! She thought, panicking. Would her clanmates worry at their disappearance? Would they even realise? Someone would've noticed. At this point, she didn't even care if her disapproving grandparents were the only ones to take not of her and Mistypaw's absence.

Resentment was growing in her mind, making her soon forget that they had been away from camp for so long. She was suddenly brought back to what was happening when she felt the grey tom beside her stir. "Mistypaw? Your awake! Do you feel strong enough to get back to camp?" Her muscles felt stiff as she shifted her position and sat up. After stretching them out, she gently helped Mistypaw to his feet.

Very, very slowly, they returned to camp. The apprentice leant so heavily on the white warrior's shoulder that it was beginning to tint red, but she didn't protest. She refused to leave her friend at the mercy of the forest. As they made their slow progress, Brighteye realised how large Mistypaw had gotten. They now pretty much matched each other in height, yet the tom seemed lanky and disproportionate, as if he still had a lot of filling out to do. He's grown a lot since I first met him! They squeezed through the camp entrance, struggling a little as the tunnel was only really built for one cat to fit through at a time. Luckily, both Shadowclanners were fairly slim, and so they made it through without Brighteye having to leave his side.

They were a few tail-lengths into the clearing, nearly at the medicine den, when the warrior spotted Icegaze. Her grandfather was usually now the one that talked to her, as Frostflower was struggling with her health and they were the only family she had left. A small smirk crossed his face as their eyes met. He'll make some snide comment about this later, she thought, at least he hasn't said anything to Mistypaw to make him ant to abandon me. She wanted to walk faster and pretend not to see him, but she knew her companion wouldn't be able to keep up. Instead she just pointedly turned her head away and focussed the energy she was using to think onto the last few steps with Mistypaw.

Mistypaw had lost track of time, the pain keeping him from falling into any sort of slumber but also preventing him from doing much else other than lay there. He wasn't sure how much time had passed before Brighteye finally spoke.

Was he okay? Honestly, it was a good question. Outwardly, the answer was probably obvious. Talking required moving, moving hurt. Getting back to camp also required moving, but it had to be done sooner rather than later. Mistypaw was almost certain that the rising sun wasn't doing anything to help his appearance at the moment. Brighteye had tried, stars bless her, but the crimson mask he wore was very much evident when the sunlight hit his face.

"Yeah, let's... go." He rasped.

Mistypaw somehow made it to his feet. He was reluctant to lean on Brighteye's shoulder any more than necessary, but it was obvious that his own exhaustion and injuries weren't doing him any favors. Nor did the loss of blood do anything to help, he suspected.

Eventually the pair made it back to camp, Mistypaw leaning heavily on the pale warrior's shoulder. She was going to need to clean herself off later, something that he felt a mild sense of guilt over for some reason. He was dimly aware of another cat's gaze on the pair as they made their way towards Mothglow's... Cinderpaw's den, but paid the cat little attention. Mistypaw didn't have the strength to, at this point.

((I'll make a follow-up to this in the medicine den for Lemon (Cinderpaw) and you're welcome to join. Otherwise I think this thread is just about wrapped up.))