( ) Lavender was panting now, vision blurry as she limped away from any more scent markers she had encountered. She had been grateful for that one cats advice, to try this place called Skyclan, but they had mentioned running south and that meant going back the way she had come.
A wave of nausea swept through her as she stumbled to a stop, her gashes now swollen and angry looking from her nonstop movement. She needed to rest, she needed something to eat, but there was no chance of hunting in her condition. Lavender hissed quietly as she dragged herself the last few pawsteps into a small bush, a weak but better then nothing shelter, and carefully plopped down.
Looking at her wounds again, she clenched her jaw as the memory of being turned away reignited her anger. She didn't blame them really, but she hadn't appreciated the lack of help either. A snort pushed through her nostrils as she laid her head on her paws and stared out into the world. What was she to do now? Injured, wounds infected, and her entire family dead.
Tears threatened her eyes and she left them flow, because as of now there wasn't anyone nearby to mock her for it. No, her father's scathing voice was only an echos in her mind now. Her mother's soothing purrs whispers against her ears as fever slowly began to lull her to sleep.
Perhaps she wasn't meant to live.
( I'M FEELING LONELY; WISH I'D FIND A LOVER WHO COULD HOLD ME )
Finally, some rabbit for their next meal. Yew would be pleased, right? No eating from bins or chasing rats tonight, just some proper good old fashioned freshkill to fill their bellies. The exile was in the process of carrying his catch back towards twolegplace when an unfamiliar scent caught in his nostrils and prompted him to pause. Now, it wasn't unusual to come across strange cats in such an area; you had kittypets, loners, and rogues traversing the region on the near constant, but not all of them carried that bitter and sour stench that came with potential infection.
Gale could have just walked away but in all honesty that wasn't the sort of guy he was. Following his nose he gradually homed in on a bush, and sure enough something, or rather someone was underneath. Setting the rabbit down he then called out to the she-cat. "Hey, are you still alive? Do you need any help? Oh! Yeah, um, my name's Gale in case you were wondering." He longed to get closer so he could fully assess the stranger's condition but he knew that he'd risk being bitten or clawed if he even dared. No, this required patience and a kind tone. It was just a pity that there wasn't a wandering medicine cat he could fetch for those horrid looking wounds.
( ) The incoming pawsteps were barely enough to rouse Lavender as she slowly allowed the soreness in her muscles to lull her to sleep. But as a stranger's voice called out to her, she jumped and hissed as the sudden movement sent sparks of renewed pain flaring from her gashes. This voice at least sounded friendly enough, even introducing himself which was more than she had gotten from that other group. She weighed her options and then huffed, she may well die anyway, so what more harm could this do?
Biting back sounds of pain, Lavender rose to her paws and moved carefully until she could just poke her head out of the bush, expression tight from the effort it took to do that, "Alive for now." She meowed cooly to answer his first question, "Names Lavender, but call me Lavie for short, it's easier." Hearing her full name after her mother's death she realized was a blow to her chest, so she hoped that the nickname would be a good enough alternative.
Crystal blue eyes moved over the tom slowly, as if she was trying to see any bad intentions there before she continued, "I'm sorry if this is your place. I just need somewhere to rest for the night, but if it's too much trouble I can move on." She hated the idea of having to get moving again, but after the 'welcome' she had gotten from the cats in the forest, she didn't want to make any more enemies in this area.
She was already moving as if to pull herself out of the bush, readying herself to be kicked out yet again.
( I'M FEELING LONELY; WISH I'D FIND A LOVER WHO COULD HOLD ME )
"Excellent! Nice to meet you, Lavie." He wouldn't lie it had a pleasing ring to it and rolled off the tongue with ease. The tom took the opportunity to look the she-cat up and down, though more than anything he was trying to catch a glimpse of her injuries. Already he felt sympathetic towards her, so of course he wasn't going to run her off. "Oh goodness no, this isn't where I live. Currently I'm residing in twolegplace with some other cats. I was out hunting in order to help keep everyone fed. So don't go fretting about moving elsewhere. Although... if you're needing somewhere safe to stay you're more than welcome to join us, even if it's just for a little while."
Remembering about his rabbit he decided to return to it so he could show it to the she-cat as proof of what he had been doing. "See, I have plenty of food to share. Plus I think those wounds of yours need a clean." He decided to omit the fact that he could literally smell them from where he was standing. Softening his expression he then offered a gentle wave of his tail in the direction he intended to head. "It isn't far, I promise. Yew can be a little strange but he's really nice and funny. The other cats come and go since they're not with us, but we're not enemies either."
( ) A smile finally tugged at the edge of her maw, one tense from exhaustion but genuine nonetheless. Lavender would hesitate though, at the offer of a safer place to rest than this bush. If Gale really had a group to tend to, then surely adding her injured form into the mix wouldn't make things any easier. But as she opened her mouth to object, to tell him that the bush would be more than enough, he continued by pointing out the obvious. Her wounds, already reeking of infection, would only get worse if she left them like this.
She was sure that they had even begun to reek of the beginnings of it. But this tom was kind enough not to mention whether they actually did or not as he continued. Not far. That was a mercy in and of itself, and she would take a deep breath before finally nodding softly and moving to carefully slip from the bush. "Alright then, but don't worry about feeding me tonight. I'm not hungry." A lie. A bold one too as she felt the claws of hunger clenching her belly, her father had punished her just the night before with no food because she had been careless enough to miss a catch. If she had known her family would be dead the very next day, that her father would be struck down so quickly, then she would have ignored his punishment and eaten.
The realization that she was all alone once again slammed into her psyche, causing her jaw to clench and unclench in the effort it took to keep her expression calm and easy-going. Limping forward, she would nod for Gale to lead the way as she meowed softly, "Thank you, for your kindness. I'll do my best to not be too much trouble for you and your group." He had mentioned that they were going back to the Twolegplace, and while the idea of heading back there made a cold slide slowly down her spine, she hoped it was far enough away that the rogues who had killed her family would not venture this far.
( I'M FEELING LONELY; WISH I'D FIND A LOVER WHO COULD HOLD ME )
Not hungry? Gale wasn't about to have the wool pulled over his eyes with that obvious lie, though he decided not to challenge her on it at that moment. No, he'd just ensure to back her into a corner where it would become rude to decline the food later. No cat under his watch would go hungry, especially that of an injured she-cat. He knew what it was like to have no food in his belly and he certainly wouldn't wish that suffering on any other cat if it could be helped.
"You're welcome, Lavie." Gale purred as he adjusted his hold on the rabbit before leading the way through the small stretch of forest to the edge of twolegplace. The fences rose up before him but no longer did their presence perturb him like his first days being there. With honed memory he approached the planks of wood of one particular fence section and pushed past a loose segment in order to access the garden. "This here is a shortcut. Don't worry, there's no dogs in this bit and the twoleg is really old and slow." Not that the old bat really caused them any trouble. The twoleg mainly just watched them from the window and nothing more.
After that it was a simple crossing of two thunderpaths, which fortunately were quiet at that time. The smell of twoleg food wafted thick through the air from a couple of the stone dens, though Gale seemed unfazed by it. Living by it daily meant that the allure no longer affected him quite as strongly. Slipping into the alleyway he then approached the stack of wooden crates that become home. Setting the rabbit down he then beamed a bright smile as he peered up at them. "HEY YEW! COME MEET LAVENDER!"
Upon hearing his name be called he wondered if something was wrong. It didn't seem that way, but who knows. Who was Lavender? Time to go find out. Personally, Yewberry was good to keep to himself, but he wouldn't ignore Galeforce. He came quietly padding over to him, wondering what kind of friend he made.
Upon seeing Lavender, his eyes widened. He wasn't expecting to see so many wounds... What happened to her?
"Uh....Hi. I'm Yewberry." He introduced himself. "What happened to you, are you alright?"
Well, of course she wasn't okay, she was wounded. He wasn't sure what else to say. He came out hunting for food, and they found an injured molly instead. He looked over to Galeforce. "We're able to help her, right?"
( ) Lavender would limp carefully after Gale as he led the way to his home. Blue eyes would shift from spot to spot up ahead, and while she was nervous, she hurried behind Gale as he slipped through a fence and heard him talk about the two-leg that lived here and the absence of dogs.
She only hoped that this place was lacking in other rogues as well.
Gale would call for his friend, Yew they called them, and the tom that peeked out would look at her wide-eyed at her and she looked away. Not in shyness, but because she could only imagine how she looked right now. Cut up, reeking of the beginnings of infection, exhausted. Yes, she probably was a startling sight. When Yewberry introduced himself, Lavender did her best to give him a soft smile of greet with a "Nice to meet you." lightly mumbled. "Please, don't trouble yourself more than you need to. Giving me a safe place to rest is more than enough."
( I'M FEELING LONELY; WISH I'D FIND A LOVER WHO COULD HOLD ME )
"Of course we can help! Yew, do you think you can find some moss and water so we can get her wounds cleaned up? Maybe some cobwebs for after... or are they not needed now? Damn, wish we had a medicine cat here. Still, we'll do what we did with our wounds back when we were hurt." Gale explained eagerly with a nod of his head. He clearly had the basics of a plan in mind, though it was obvious that he was being driven by youthful excitement, something he hadn't really shown in a long time. Not since his younger apprentice days anyway.
Picking up the rabbit once more he then brought it further into the stack of crates so it wasn't fully on display for those passing by to see. Once it was stowed safely away he then returned to Lavender's side and gestured towards one of the open crates with his head. "If you like you can lay down and rest in that one for now. Once we have the moss and water I'll begin to wash your injuries. I'll look after you, I promise." A faint purr rumbled in his throat as he spoke, not that he had noticed.
( ) Lavender would throw both cats a grateful smile as she limped towards the crate Gale had motioned to and carefully settled within it. An exhale of pure exhaustion would whoosh from her maw as she rested her head on her paws, eyes beginning to slowly close. She didn't want to simply fall asleep here, but she could tell it wouldn't be long before sleep consumed her, so she did what hoped would keep her awake.
"What's a 'medicine cat'?" Her voice was small, barely mumbled but loud enough that Gale could hopefully hear it. Her tail would come to curl around her body as she mumbled again, "I'll repay this kindness...I swear.."
( I'M FEELING LONELY; WISH I'D FIND A LOVER WHO COULD HOLD ME )
"A medicine cat is someone who knows stuff about herbs and healing, you find them in the clans. They're smart and stuff." Gale explained with a nod of his head as he trailed after Lavender when she headed for the crate. Politely he sat himself down outside of it as to avoid crowding the femme. Reflecting back on that of medicine cats he couldn't help but wonder how Dandelionwish was faring these days. And what of Vulturemask back in WindClan? Tch! If he ever got the chance he'd gut the bastard and leave him as a warning to Sootstar. But such acts of violence would have to wait, this was hardly the time for such grim thoughts.
"Lavie, you owe us nothing. How about... you pass the kindness along by helping out the next cat you see who's in need instead? Sound good?" Surely the world would get a little brighter if the kindness was handed along like a torch, right? A low rumble in his belly soon caught his attention it prompted him to head back to where he had stashed the rabbit. Taking the time to pull it apart into more manageable pieces he then brought enough for himself and Lavender to eat back over. "Here, you must be hungry by now. Please, eat."
Yewberry nodded to Galeforce. "Right, I'll be right back." He said as he hopped off to get the moss. He did his best to be quick, he didn't want to keep Lavender waiting in such bad condition. He would look for cobwebs if he could, but he figured the moss was more important.... Gotta clean those wounds..
And he was more likely to find it before the cobwebs.
It was just a matter of finding water to dip it in. It took him a bit, but he managed! A nearby pond gave him both the moss and the water he needed, and with as much as he could carry, he came trotting back to Gale and Lavender. He set the moss down and wiped his mouth with a paw.
"Took a bit, but I got some moss." He said.
"You don't have to worry about repaying us.... It was just the right thing to do, helping someone in need." He said with a smile. "But like Gale said, you could help spread the kindness..... Stars know the clans won't." He added.
He spoke of the clans with a hint of bitterness. They were so cruel to each other and outsiders, all while thinking the other was better than the other. They would leave you to die without a second thought. Yewberry always thought it was cruel to turn those in need away when they could easily help out.
Perhaps he would feel different if he had chosen a different clan to follow.... But what's done is done, and his opinion remains unchanged.
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) Lavender was panting now, vision blurry as she limped away from any more scent markers she had encountered. She had been grateful for that one cats advice, to try this place called Skyclan, but they had mentioned running south and that meant going back the way she had come. 
