TW: Sensitive Content Open WOULD YOU BREAK MY HEART TO SAVE ME? [ DOG! ]

[melodykit]

[ tw: major injury to a child. tldr: melodykit was playing in the water by the nursery where a loose campground dog grabbed her and threw her. the dog is likely scared by numbers and just as likely easy to be chased away! melodykit is alive, but unconscious, and her jaw is at a noticeably crooked angle </3 ]

The golden girl stands idly in the slow moving tide of the stream. Initially, Melodykit had followed Pricklekit out into the open, trusting the older kitten's judgement in almost every category. They've even helped her take her first bite of prey recently! ... not that she liked it. She spat it out right after. But that's besides the point.

Somehow, she lost track of the bouncy chocolate-and-white kitten, and instead finds herself lingering by the shore. She's heard from the warriors and apprentices that sometimes, the water will gift a cat something pretty. Scales, shells, particular stones... Melodykit with ease finds herself entranced with the idea of finding something all of her own. Her nose is nearly to the water itself, eyes wide and almost bug-like as she searches for anything...

... and misses the beast that comes rushing towards her.

Melodykit is snapped up in slobbery jaws. She lets out a shriek, something guttural and terrified, as the dog thrashes her once, no different than its play things back at its camp. And just like a toy, it flings the girl away, watching only for a moment as she sores and connects with a nearby boulder before attempting to rush her again.

 

[lilacbird]

Lilacbird was not a brave cat. She never really had been- time and time again, her brother would tug her forward and she would push back that fear. When Littlebrook nearly drowned, she thought maybe she'd get time to actually rest. Her leg wasnt deep, and Jinglemoon had decided she could leave the den to stretch it so the muscles could heal correctly around the long stretched gouge from the jagged rocks.

Her heart still thudded, but there was a sense of Pride when Lilacbird looked at her mother. They had survived. Throughout all of it, she managed to pull her mother out. And Jinglemoon told her both of them would recover. Everyone would be fine.

For once, Lilacbird felt brave.

The clouds hung above camp ceremoniously, white and puffy against a blue sky. Rabbit... Bear... Lilacbird looked thoughtfully at the sky, a faint smile against her maw.

The thudding of pawsteps against water and dirt broke her trance. Cerulean eyes shot over, and the thudding became her own heart beating in between her feet, stomach dropping somewhere behind her as she moved faster than she'd ever moved before. "Dog!" The wail escaped the small Molly's through, fear striking her voice, as her body barreled into the dog that attempted to charge for the kitten again.

Their bodies striked against each other, lilac feeling the weight of the dog smashing her against the dirt. Pain tore through her already sore leg, feeling the skin stretch from reopening. With no real aim, no real purpose, and no real knowledge- she couldn't defend the dog when it got up. Black beady eyes locked onto her, quickly moving to charge at the lilac tortie.

Her paws moved.

Her heart beat thudded.

The dogs breath was hot on her heels.

But at least. At least the kitten was safe. At least Melodykit was safe.
​

 

[Juniperpaw]

This is a lovely little place to practice fishing, and to pick up a few shiny trinkets should the water see fit to offer it. Juniperpaw is trying to catch up on her apprentice training in her spare time, but also enjoy the day. Poor as she is at actually hooking anything within her claws, it's a fun and tranquil way to spend one's time, mind focused upon the cool waters as paws dived in and out. She's a way aways from @melodykit and @lilacbird, and unaware of them until she hears Lilacbird's single word wail.

The word strikes terror through Juniperpaw, hitting within her like a lightning strike. She immediately leaps up, rushing in the direction of Lilacbird's cry. As she draws nearer to the terrible scene unfolding before her eyes, Juniperpaw stops dead in her tracks, golden gaze darting in horror between the dog chasing Lilacbird and the flung @melodykit. For a few precious heartbeats, Juniperpaw feels sick and dizzy as she looks upon the poor, battered kit. Flashes of the past flicker before her eyes, and buried feelings surge from within her. Simultaneously, the world becomes overly loud and so, so far away, blaring and monochrome and staticky. Her first instinct is to run and hide, to give in to the tearing despair and emptiness within her and tremble alone in some abandoned hollow. No -- she can't abandon her clanmates. She can do something, now.

Her second instinct is to run immediately to Melodykit's aid and carry the child away to safety. But compared to Lilacbird being actively chased down and within a hair length of the dog's jaws, there's an obvious priority, here. Poor, sweet Lilacbird shouldn't be out here against a dog -- and yet she is, giving her all in order to protect Melodykit. Juniperpaw has to save her. If she can find the courage within her to do so, that is. She has to. Even if she meets a similar fate to Melodykit's, or worse, she has to do this. It's the first thing to repay her debt, and she won't let another kit be physically or emotionally scarred if she can help it. Choking down the burning bile rising within her throat, Juniperpaw's claws sink into the ground. So much can happen in a situation like this within a matter of seconds, but she's finally made her decision.

Muscles ripple, hidden beneath her long, thick black and white fur as Juniperpaw dashes to come between Lilacbird and the dog. Terror erupts within her chest and births a fiery hot rage, burning brightly within her and acting as the fuel that propels her forth. It feels as though another cat has taken over her body, sending her hurling through the air at the dog's face. With a yowl that resounds like a war cry, the young apprentice attempts to leap and latch onto the dog's face. Claws scrabble at its eyes and muzzle, and her fangs seek to sink into its nose. Pure instinct is taking over, carrying her where skill alone would fail her. The next few seconds will determine if her instincts were right, or if putting herself close to the dog's maw was a horrible idea.

But at least Melodykit was safe. And now, with this intervention, hopefully Lilacbird will be, too.

 

[Aurora♡ Aurora♡]

I had a dream I was seven
Climbing my way in a tree
I saw a piece of heaven
Waiting, impatient, for me

.

Aurora had been exploring the camping grounds she had grown so accustomed to. Her two legs were busy with something else, the other cats were scattered, each absorbed in their own pursuits, and she? She simply wished to wander, to watch how the seasons twisted familiar areas into something new. She wondered whether there would be much snowfall this year… Whether the world would once again be hushed beneath a blanket of white, recalling the quiet she had felt as a kit, when even the snow seemed to make the air hold its breath. But now was not the time for snow.

Her paws led her to a corner of the grounds that felt different, thick with unfamiliar scents. Cats she had never noticed before had passed through. Curiosity pricked at her, but still, she remained unafraid, until a yappy dog caught her attention. Her ears flattened as recognition sparked. Had it followed her, or was this mere coincidence? She knew she was safe for the moment, eventually, the two legs would call it back. But... Then she saw the scene unfold. A kit... Small, helpless... And it was being tossed about as though it were nothing more than a toy. Another cat darted forward, swift as fire, chasing the dog. A second, hesitant at first, joined in and attacked. Brave little thing... Barely grown, yet bold enough to stand against the creature.

Aurora's instincts snapped to life. Swearing under her breath, she launched herself forward, jumping at the dog, claws bared, teeth flashing. " Go on! Get yourself home, you slobbering mutt! " she hissed, raking a precise claw across its muzzle, landing another sharp WHACK near its eye. The dog faltered, calculated, and then finally decided the pain wasn't worth his playtime, with a yelp it turned tail, yipping and whining as it bolted, leaving a few droplets of blood in its wake.

Aurora's ears swiveled, catching the quick movements of the two young cats. " Good fighting, kit... And good running. " she yowled, admiration mingling with relief. Then her gaze snapped to the kit who had been tossed. Her heart leapt in her chest. " But your little friend, is she alright? Is she alive?! " With her heart pounding, she bounded toward the kit, the fear of finding her too late spurring her faster. Every step was a prayer, every breath a hope that life still pulsed in that tiny, trembling body.

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

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