Firen with Flintpelt

[Spiderbreath||Soul]

As the animal's name crept into his mind, Flintpelt's eyes widened with unhidden horror. They would be killed in the state they were in. Firen with a sprained paw, the striped tom with who knew what, and no patrols around to help them. Add a jaw full of fangs, four paws with thorn-sharp claws and lots of heavy muscle to that and you've got a deadly predator with a good meal.

He was frozen in pure fear, tail sticking straight up into the air like a bushy banner, whiskers fanned out, pupils dilated to mere slits in his red and green orbs. His muzzle was fixed in a creased position, baring his own fangs to the fox before them. Claws were unsheathed, digging into the soft loam below his pads.

However, the moment his female companion spoke, he broke out of his trance-like state. Seeing the den in the ground, he understood immediately what he had to do, and limped hurriedly towards the hole in the dirt. One paw dropped into it, quickly followed by another, until he nearly had his head inside. Then, thinking about the consequences of going head first into a rabbit's den, he padded hesitatingly back out and entered backwards, tail curling around his hindquarters. His ears flattened to let him enter, and then all anyone could see were two glowing eyes, one the deep crimson of a live ember, the other the cool green and blue of a woodland spring glade.

"What about you?" he mewed, worried. "What will you do? There's enough space in here, I think. I just need to scooch backwards a bit..."
His voice was strained and difficult. The den was too thin for proper breathing, and his chest was crushed in a band of metal, compressing his lungs and making the pain in his ribs even more acute.

[Fernpaw]

Firen did not hear. She had turned and was watching icily as the fox approached. It was a young fox, she knew that much, barely out of the nest. If she had been in top shape, she would've had no problem chasing this beast off---but with a sprained paw---well, that was another story. The firey she-cat hissed, murmuring softly, "Try. I dare you to try. You won't get far."

The fox approached, amber eyes gleaming triumphantly as it scented agony and fear. It opened it's jaws in a soundless snarl as it eyed the she-cat. It circled warily, sensing her rage. Firen circled with it, watching the fox through slits. The creature stepped back for a moment, probably thinking of the chances of winning against the feline with the pelt of wildfire and with the eyes that looked like chips of yellow flint. It must've decided that it would surely turn out to be the winner, because it leaped.

Firen dodged, forgetting her paw in the moment of battle. She yowled her battle cry and hurled herself underneath its belly, slicing with her claws. The she-cat darted away, shaking with anger. Firen no longer saw clearly, it was if a red film had glazed her eyes. She saw everything through a haze as red as blood, she no longer felt anything, she no longer thought anything except for the single thought that lingered in her mind, Protect Flintpelt!

The fox yelped in pain and surprise, then whirled. It pounced, a serrated canine slashing through Firen's shoulder. The feline screeched in pain and slashed her thorn-sharp claws across the beast's muzzle.

[Spiderbreath||Soul]

Seeing what Firen was planning to do, Flintpelt began shaking his head heartily and his paws scrambled in the dirt to release him from the den's tight grip. But his forelegs soon began aching again, and he had to stop. One of his pads was bleeding from a cut he had gotten while trying to escape. He licked it clean, poking his nose out slightly to see what was happening out there.

Firen had already started to attack. The fox was wounded on the belly and muzzle, blood dripping off its pelt in thin rivulets of crimson liquid. The she-cat was hurt, too. Her shoulder was cut open, though not too deeply, and blood cascaded down her leg thick, coating her fiery fur in a gleaming vermilion fluid. The fox was aware of it, and had begun to advance again, though his movements were choppy and he had a limp in one of his legs from the pain in his belly and muzzle combined. A hungry light shone in its amber orbs. It was ravenous, that was obvious, and would do anything to close its jaws around Firen's neck.

Flintpelt was starting to feel uncomfortable in the den. He wanted to be out there, helping Firen, even though he knew he would be more of a burden. His chest still ached, though the pain had been apeased from his lack of movement, and his leg muscles were twitching even when he lay still. His eyes, red and green, darted back and forth, searching for a way he could get out and help without making Firen angry.

[Fernpaw]

Firen dodged a slash to her neck, slashing at the animal with a pawful of hooked claws. Her eyes gleamed as she swirled around the fox, becoming a whirlwind of terror and rage and pain. The brute lurched forward, snapping bone-breaking jaws. The she-cat dodged under his attack, aiming for his front paw. There was a sickening crunch, and the fox was down.

Firen opened her mouth to yowl in triumph, but that yowl never came. The fox was on three paw, anger glittering in its cold eyes. It swung it's massive head, knocking Firen flying into a tree stump. The she-cat scrambled to her feet, though she couldn't rest any weight on the paw that had been previously sprained. In her battle rage she felt no pain, only rage. Later, she would feel the pain of a broken ankle (I don't know if it would be called a wrist, since it's the front paw, or an ankle, since it's a paw. Oh well). Fox and feline faced each other, panting and bleeding hard, eyeing each other warily. They were now both well aware of the other's rage and hunger.

The fox lifted it's muzzle and howled, then scrambled forward on three paws. Firen ducked, but she wasn't quick enough. Sharp teeth clamped around her waist. She spat a curse and kicked backwards, catching the foxs' tender jowls with her claws. It dropped her with a yelp. The firey she-cat landed with a thud and lay still for a moment, blood seeping from her sides.

[Spiderbreath||Soul]

Panic began taking a hold over his mind. Seeing Firen laying there, motionless, blood dripping from the multiple punctures she had received from the fox's jaws, was just too much for him. An uncontrollable rage, similar to that of the she-cat when she had first attacked the larger canid creature, crashed over his body, screaming to his muscles to move, pull, shove and do everything they could to help him escape that tight hole that felt more like a prison keeping him away from Firen. His silver paws shot out, gripping the den's border, and he pulled suddenly, his barred brown, black and gray body shooting forwards out of the rabbit's previous home.

The force with which he propelled himself forwards was strong enough to send him a few mouse-lengths away from his hiding place. The dull thud that resounded in the space the fox and his companion had chosen to spar immediately caught the red animal's attention. Skull pivoted, turning away from its first, harder prey to stare hungrily at its new soon-to-be prize. Flintpelt breathed heavily, his breath rasping in his throat as he tried to regain his scattered senses, and did not notice the fox trotting slowly and casually towards his aching form.
However, as soon as a black paw rested on his shoulder, the tom sprang up, hissing fiercely in spite of his numerous wounds. He snarled at the vermilion beast and slashed a thorny-clawed paw at its nose, cleaving it in two. His leg fell back to the ground, twitching horribly as spasms of agony traversed his nerves. The fox yelped loudly, jumping backwards in surprise. It had thought that this would be easier prey than the last, and it had been wrong. Tongue lapping up the dripping blood, flicking in and out between lacerating fangs, it eyed the furious feline with a wary look in its amber orbs. It had already experienced the rage of one cat, and it was not especially eager of experiencing it again.

[Fernpaw]

Firen scrambled to her paws, flames dancing in her eyes. "Get out of here!" she spat, a red film glazing her eyes in her battle rage. She darted forward, lips curled in a soundless snarl. Her paws pounded the ground like pistons as she hurtled herself forward onto the brute's back. Long fangs flashed a instant before burying themselves in fur and flesh. The fox gave a screech that sseemed to tear the sky in two. It threw it's body to the ground and commenced to roll and writhe, intent on tearing itself free of the painful burden it carried.

Firen hung grimly on, despite the fact that the world was going black in her blood-red eyes. Her vision swam, turned gray, and jerked in and out of focus. When she was right side up and gasping for air, she clawed with renewed vigor at it's pelt.

[Spiderbreath||Soul]

Even with his seemingly broken ribs, aching, trembling legs and the arrows of pain shooting up his spine at every movement of his body, Flintpelt launched himself forwards just as he had done to escape the den. Sterling forepaws crashed hard on the ground, sending tremors up his limbs, and then his hind feet were sent down after them, landing on the earth in a puff of choking dust. Front legs outstretched, claws unsheathed and glinting in the streaks of light that filtered through the trees' thick branches, he leaped at the fox, his burning rage powering his strong, jet-lined muscles. Fangs were bared in a savage snarl, and he buried their gleaming tips into the red beast's pelt, reaching the soft skin underneath the carmine fur.
The fox, however, was still bucking to rid itself of Firen's painful grasp. As the barred tom landed on its backside, its movements became more panicked, and it started realizing what it felt like to be prey instead of predator. Hind legs reached up one by one to rip the felines off of its back, but were not able to go high enough, and only grasped pawfuls of red fur. Whining, howling and yipping for all it was worth, it continued its rodeo-like manner, running around and around, rolling over on the ground or jumping in the air whenever n especially sharp stab of pain shot through its body.

[Fernpaw]

((Okay, I think they have been tortured long enough. I will send it away now. *grins* That was fun!))

Firen gasped for air as she gripped the fox with her thorn-sharp claws. Her vision turned grey, than black as her lungs fought for air, but getting none for their efforts. When the fox rolled to his feet, the she-cat could no longer work up enough strength to continue her attack. Her muscles seemed as weak as over-cooked noodles. The brute, as if sensing his captor's moment of weakness, twisted its head around and seized Firen with savage teeth. It's jaws closed around her and shook her before tossing her into the ferns. It had seemed to have decided that the she-cat and her companion would not make much of a meal anyway. It snarled at Flintpelt before slowly backing away. It bared it's teeth at the tom and she-cat one last time before turning about in a storm and flurry of red and was gone.

Firen landed with a painful jolt on her side. She gasped for air, white-hot bolts of agony shooting through her. The she-cat laid her head on the ground, it felt so good to rest. Slowly, the red haze that clouded her vision lifted, leaving the she-cat exhausted. She closed her eyes, wanting to sink into deep, painless sleep.

[Spiderbreath||Soul]

((yeh, it was xD We're so ebil.))

As soon as Firen dropped off the fox's back and was grasped in the beast's fanged jaws before being shaken about like an old, ragged doll, the barred tom leaped off the red predator's hindquarters and ran over to his friend's side. He snarled in answer to the roughed-up animal's growl, baring his own teeth in a fearsome show of fury and pain. Red eye flashed in anger as green one seemed to darken in agony. He extended a paw, claws unsheathed and menacing. The fox finally trotted away, probably judging that the two felines would be too difficult to kill off and a waste of its time. After all, you couldn't call the pair plump.

"Firen?"

His voice, scared now that danger had passed, was still strained from the crushing weight on his chest. He licked the she-cat's ear to see if she was awake, eyes filled with worry.

"Firen? Firen?"

His voice began getting panicked. What if she would die. He wouldn't be able to take that. No, he would never be able to survive that. anything but that. Anything.
He nudged her cheek with his ebony muzzle, still whispering her name and whimpering quietly. Now he had to admit it. He loved her. He loved her more than he had ever loved anything. Even storms aroused a lesser pation in his heart. And they had been his fascination, the most beautiful things there had ever been before. But now, Firen was the one who shone like the moon in a dark night. Her pelt, the color of a wildfire, wavered in the slight breath of a breeze. He nudged her again, whispering her name once more.

"Firen?"

[Fernpaw]

(((Aaaww. How sweet!))

Firen felt a tongue rasp around her ear. She twitched, then blinked open one eye. As she saw Flintpelt's face hovering worriedly above her, she tried to scramble to her paws, but only succeeded in stumbling and falling back to the ground. The she-cat looked up at the tom and tried to grin reassuringly. The results were fairly ghastly, considering how much pain she was in. Firen asked, "Are you okay?"

For some reason, Firen didn't care about her wounds, all she needed to know was that Flintpelt was alright. Now, when she looked back, when she thought about the fight, she knew she had done it all for her companion. As if to prove to him that she deserved his friendship and a life in the Clan. Firen knew that, deep inside, she wanted to impress Flintpelt above all else. The firey she-cat loved him, she couldn't help it.

[Spiderbreath||Soul]

((xD Yeh. I suppose he is. And very poetic xP))

More worry crept into the tom's face at the grimace of pain Firen made instead of the reassuring grin she had planned to give. However, a faint part of it slipped away as he heard her speak. talking was a sign of health most of the time, and if the she-cat could talk, it meant she would surely survive. Well, she would probably had survived if she hadn't been able to talk. He knew she would've been able to. It was just a feeling deep in his heart, just like that soft, warm word nestled inside his mind like a bird in its nest.
Love.
He truly did love her. From the beginning. Ever since he had set eyes on her red fur, ever since his miscolored gaze had crossed her golden one, ever since the first words had left her maw, he had loved her. It was as simple as that.

"Yes, I'm fine. My legs still hurt a bit, but I'm much better."

It wasn't entirely true. Arrows of white-hot agony shot up his muscles every once in a while, making him wince slightly. His chest was still crushed with that strange heavy feeling, and his breathing just as difficult as it had been in the den. But he didn't want to make Firen worried. She was already hurt. That was enough clumsiness from his part.

She got hurt because of me. If I'd been able to stop myself, I wouldn't have run into her, and we both would've been fine. Then she wouldn't have had to hurt herself even more by helping me. And instead of running into that fox while coming back, we would've kept hunting peacefully. I'm a dunce. An idiot.
A reall stinking dim-wit.

Remorse showed clearly on his face, and he heaved a long sigh. He was always being clumsy. But he'd never been before. maybe love made you clumsy. maybe that was it. But he didn't want to get his hopes up.

"Are you alright? I can help you if you want. I...I'll take you to the Medicine cat, okay?"

He made an almost pouting face, that the worry in his eyes transformed into a woeful look of regret. He didn't want Firen to get hurt anymore. He'd do anything to make her better, happier.

For a single moment, he thought back to the fight. Firen had immediately begun to defy the fox, as if she wanted to impress someone, prove something. But he had been the only one there. Maybe he was the one that she wanted to show her strength to, to impress so much. But she didn't need to. She was already above everything else in his standards. A soft smile crept onto his lips, and he licked her ear affectionately. she was alive, and that was the important thing. many a cat would've died after a fox fight.

[Fernpaw]

Firen put one trembling paw on the ground and pushed herself upright. She wobbled, teetering back and forth precariously, gasping with the effort. Since the fox had tried to suffocate her with it's thick fur, it had felt like an iron band was crushing her lungs. Her rib cage felt too small to take the deep breaths she wanted. The gorgeous she-cat shook her head, admiration and love glowing in her eyes as she looked at the tom. Realizing she was gazing at him in adoration, Firen grew warm, averted her gaze and stammered, "I-I'm okay."

[Spiderbreath||Soul]

He'd noticed the warm feelings in the she-cat's eyes, but she'd turned their golden depths away before he could fully identify them.
Firen's response specified that she was fine, she was alright, but he didn't believe it much. Her legs were wobbly, she had difficulty breathing, just like he had, and still did, in the den. He nudged her cheek in what he hoped was a recomforting manner, not really knowing what to do, and tried to give her a smile. It twisted a bit from the pain he still felt shooting up his legs and spine, but was already much better than the rictus he had created the last time he had attempted to grin. Then he parked himself beside the firey she-cat, pressing his side against hers, in a way so that they were both supporting each other. Turning his barred head to face her own wavering features of reds, crimsons and oranges, he mewed in an encouraging way.

"Come on. We'd better get back. Instead of one of us helping the other, let's just do our best to stay up."

Squaring his shoulders, driving the flinch caused from the pain away from his face, he readied himself for the long walk back to the camp.

[Fernpaw]

Firen flinched as the tom pressed against her, but it was not becuase she didn't want him next her. Indeed, the feeling of their fur touch sent pleasurable tingles up the she-cat's spine, she flinched because the foxs' jaws had wrapped around both her sides and had bitten deep. As Flintpelt touched a wound, a jolt of pain seared up Firen's back. She swallowed an agonized cry and nodded.

She attempted a laugh, "A nice pair we make! Two young, strong warriors, being injured hunting and by a fox fight." Firen snorted, trying to make the situation look lighter than it was. If another predator came by, even an eagle, she didn't have the strength to run or defend themselves, and Flintpelt could barely stand. They were easy prey.

Firen shook away her uneasy thoughts, but they still kept crowding into her mind. She looked at the tom to see if he was experiencing these plaguing but real worries.

[Spiderbreath||Soul]

Flintpelt felt the she-cat flinch at his touch, and cast another worried glance at his companion. Cursing himself inside his mind for not thinking about the deep bites she had received in the fight, he quickly edged away a fraction, releasing most of the pressure on the still-fresh wounds. He was always being clumsy.

He tried to laugh with her, but all he managed was a concerned smile, and he sighed at his inability to act happy when he didn't feel like it. Firen was trying her hardest to make the situation sound more comical, but he knew the same thoughts that were passing through his mind were also whirling in hers. They were both severely hurt, the barred tom hardly able to stand or breath from the crushing weight on his hcest and the searing pain in his legs and spine, and the firey she-cat beside him wounded from a fox's bite and with a sprained paw. They could barely walk, let alone run if another predator came up. Even defending themselves would prove practically impossible. It would be so easy to kill them, it was a wonder that they hadn't already been brought down by an owl or an eagle.

He felt Firen's golden gaze on his striped fur, and turned his own gray face towards her, the faint hint of an encouraging smile desperately trying to appear and cover the partially scared expression that made up his miscolored orbs.