Username + ID: Echos 608989
Cats Going on Patrol: Poppy, Wasp
Writing: Feb; Greenleaf | 759 words
All Wasp had since she could remember was herself- She taught herself how to hunt, how to survive. And, in her opinion, she was quite good at surviving. She never sought the company of other cats, and while she had encountered clans briefly before, she had always kept her distance and had never accepted their help. She had learned to live on her own for this long, she didn't need the help of others.
Today started out like most others, she had rid her pelt of stray moss and took a moment to take in the sunrise from the entrance of her den. She headed out to patrol her territory, a small patch of the forest where prey was accessible and shelter was manageable. She had reached the edge of her territory and paused when she caught the scent of another cat. She barely had time to register the scent before a shrill cry rang out and a crash was heard in the trees nearby. She whipped around to see a cream she-cat race out of the trees, her green eyes wide with fear. She was being closely tailed by the biggest eagle Wasp had ever seen. Where Wasp would usually high tail it out of there, leaving whoever to defend themselves, it was clear this she-cat was not escaping this bird alive.
The unfamiliar she-cat had stumbled over a branch and the eagle dove at her, digging it's claws into her belly. She yowled and swiped wildly at the eagle, but her movements lacked precision in her panicked state and her claws barely grazed it's feathers. Taking on a tornado of talons wasn't necessarily on Wasp's to-do list, she wouldn't feel right just dooming another cat to her death. With a sigh, Wasp unsheathed her claws and leapt into action.
The eagle's wings were flapping wildly as it's talons tried to get a good grasp on the long haired she-cat. Fur littered the ground beneath them as thrashed from it's grasp. Their back was turned to Wasp, who raced in from the side and sprang at the eagle, knocking it off the other she-cat. She eagle quickly recovered from it's stumble and flew above the she- cats, winding up to dive again.
"Get back!" Wasp hissed at the other she cat, pushing herself in between her and the eagle. The she-cat was breathing heavily, regaining her composure. She shrunk back, her ears flattened against her skull as the eagle's talons swooped down, outstretched towards Wasp.
Wasp only grinned, leaping up to meet the eagle and twisting at the last moment to evade the sharp talons which getting her claws hooked into a wing. The bird crashed down and Wasp pounced on the large bird, using her whole weight to restrain its wingspan. A swift bite defeated the eagle.
Wasp sat down, plucking a feather from her front claw.
"... Are you okay?" She meowed at the cream she-cat, who was staring at her with a mix of lingering fear and awe at the tortie.
"I'll live..." The other she-cat breathed. "That was amazing! Thank you- I thought I was dead!"
Wasp shrugged. "I wasn't saving you or anything, I just don't need an eagle eating all the prey around here" She responded. "I won't be here next time you decide to get yourself killed," she meowed.
"Well, I'm in your debt nevertheless. I'm Poppy!" The cream she cat mewed, wincing as she stood up and padded over to where Wasp was standing next to the falled eagle. She ignored Wasp's obvious stand-offish attitude.
"Yeah... don't worry about it. If you want to repay your debt you can keep yourself far away from here, okay?" Wasp paused for a moment, debating how much longer she wanted to entertain Poppy.
Still, she answered, "I'm called Wasp. You should find some cobwebs for your wounds," She told Poppy. Wasp wasn't the most knowledgeable on medicine, but through her own experiences and run ins with others, she learned cobwebs were good for keeping wounds clean.
"Well... thanks again, Wasp. I suppose I should get to searching for those cobwebs..." Poppy turned away with a wave of her long tail and hobbled back towards her own den. Wasp rolled her eyes, and against her desire to curl up on a warm boulder after everything, decided to trail behind Poppy to make sure she got back to her den in one piece. Poppy wore a smug smile when she heard the footsteps behind her- perhaps she would slowly but surely win her new friend over!
