Aftermath [Sierra]

[Deleted]

A S A L I
Female | Two

My tail twitched with anticipation. I was laying, close to the ground, in some tall grass near the oak tree. A guinea hen was pecking at the ground about fifteen feet away. I inched closer, trying to close the distance before I went into a sprint, so I wouldn't have to run so far. The hen would surely attempt to fly up and away as soon as it saw me jump up, so I wanted to get as close as possible. I moved forward slowly, my eyes narrowed in concentration. I stopped a few feet away, and my claws dug into the ground. I got into position to jump forward at the bird and sucked in a deep breath.

Silence.

Exhale.

I sprang forward with all my force and took off. The bird tried to escape on foot first as it built up the energy needed to take off. I lashed out with my paws and caught it in my grasp as it jumped off the ground. I took it down, stirring up dust as we rolled, feathers flying, a growl ripping from my throat. I pinned it down and broke it's neck with my teeth. Then everything settled down again. I took a deep breath and then carried the bird to the shade of the oak and glanced around. If a tiger or lion showed up, there was no way I could defend my meal. I had saved some energy by catching the bird so fast, so I wasn't worried about escaping though. I could easily run out anything looking for a fight.

The sun was warm on my back until I reached the shade. The air was a few degrees cooler under the branches of the oak tree. I knew I would have been dying of thirst if it were a gazelle that I'd crossed paths with. The run could do it alone, but with the heat, I be panting and thirsty before I could even relax for a bite to eat. And who knew what could happen to my lunch by the time I got back from the creek?

I laid on the ground with my lunch and started to dig into it. Guinea hen wasn't my favorite meal- I'd gladly trade it for gazelle or zebra- but it would do. And besides, I was too hungry at the moment to do any complaining. The meat was tasty enough, but in my eagerness, I'd made a mess of blood and feathers. "Ugh," I said, looking at my paws. I looked as if I could fly. Feathers were the most annoying point of birds. They were gross and got in the way during a meal. I shoved the carcass away and began cleaning my paws of the mess.

|467 words|

[SORA :D]

I watched from above. The high tree mad good cover for a smaller cat like myself. The cheetah took of in a flash. Her swift moves, and the quick work she made of her target, made me envy her speed. I wasn't much of a runner, which was a shame. But my agility always seemed to be helpful. I wasn't paying attention to what was ahead of me.

Crack!

The fall was terrifying, but the part that scared me the most was the thought of death. My claws pawed the air pointlessly, in an attempt to snag a branch on my way down. My life flashed before my eyes, and I couldn't help but want to laugh. Now, I know that most would think of the mistakes they have made, but all I could see was the trouble I had gotten in and out of, and all the fun I had had because of it.

I hit the ground. Hard.

I wasn't going to die, and I wasn't bleeding, on the outside, at least. I tried to stand up, but my left hind leg gave out. I didn't know want to. What if the cheetah saw me? Would she kill me? Out if desperation, I called out for help.

[Sierra!Mist]

I lay on my side in the shade of the forest that enclosed the grassy field, spotlighted by the only thing that made it interesting--the Oak, easily seeing all that was going on. I relaxed on my bed of leaves, still full from my last meal of guinea hen. I had ambushed a large flock and had only thought to grab one. Thing about guinea hens; they always travel in flocks. I yawned and licked my lips--my paws and face as spotless as mother had taught me to be.

Nothing was left of the bird but a pile of clean bones and feathers.

I panted a little bit in the heat as my eyes, squinted against the bugs, drearily scanned the surrounding panorama of information. A spotted tail flashed in the air, and I picked up my head in time to see a cheetah take a guinea hen back to the safety of the Oak. I watched her for a moment to see if she was any danger to me. Satisfied that she wasn't, I settled back into my bed.

Something else caught my attention, and I rolled onto my stomach, placing my paws steadily beneath me. Another cat, a small clouded leopard, was high in the tree above her, peering down at her meal.

Things could get interesting.

The white cat stepped further out on the branch to get a better look, when a loud crack echoed through the field. Branch and leopard tumbled out of the tree and hit the ground hard. I winced sympathetically, but otherwise did nothing. Help it called, in a female voice. Don't do it. Don't you do it, my brain told me. It could get hairy out there. I sighed, and pushed myself up, still hidden in the shadows. With one last shout from the voice in the back of my brain that I normally listened to, I strolled out. My coat, catching the sunlight and going translucent, revealed my jaguar spots beneath. The heat came with the light, and I resorted to panting again. My pink tongue and mouth clashed with the black of my fur, and my bottom teeth glinted ivory in the light.

I walked over carefully, stepping slowly, but loudly to led myself be known to all. My muscles tensed as I got closer, but I knew better. The cheetah wasn't strong, but she was fast. She would run if things came to it. The leopard was hurt, so she wouldn't start a fight if she knew she would lose. Still, I was weary.

[Deleted]

A loud cracking noise ripped through the air just above me. I startled, jumping up into a standing position. I glanced at the remains of my meal; there was nothing left to protect. A falling animal caught my attention through my peripheral vision. My gaze turned to it and I watched the gray animal crash to the ground. For a moment, I didn't know what to do. I froze. What if it's a trap? I asked myself. I simply stared at the clouded leopard, shock still written all over my face. My legs twitched to run. I had that restless feeling and I wanted out.

Suddenly, a dark shape out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. It didn't matter what it was at first. You see a large dark figure moving toward you, it's going to freak you out. I crouched, spinning my head to look at the new visitor. A growl started in my throat, but I kept it under control. It was a black jaguar, walking slowly towards us. She wasn't walking threateningly though, simply strolling over through the grass. But I could see her teeth, and that set my on edge. I took a step back, wanting to run more than before. For some reason I stayed.

The leopard needed help. That much was obvious. If she were going to attack, she would have done it when I was staring down the jaguar. Now that I was looking back at her, I could see that she actually was in pain. She looked scared too, and I knew why. Me and the jaguar could both be threats to her. She was in a very dangerous position, laying injured with two other big cats right here. I felt myself soften towards her, feeling a little sorry.

However, I still didn't know what I was supposed to do. If I went to her, the jaquar could easily take me and the leopard out. If I didn't, and she needed help, I would feel guilty forever. I sucked in a shaky breath and looked at the leopard. "Are you hurt?" I asked. I walked over slowly, glancing at the approaching jaguar every so often.

|373 words|

[SORA :D]

I took sharp, shallow breaths. I could barly see more than a fuzzy haze, and dark figures. I fidgeted around, and found that maybe more than my leg was broken. Breathing was painful, so I concluded maybe a rib was broken, or fractured in the fall. My situation wasn't looking too well. I called out again, which caused excruciating pain in my chest. My breathing became shallower, and I pressed my eyes shut with pain. I decided to stop talking, and just be still. I seemed to hurt less when I wasn't doing Anything.

Through my hazy vision, I made out a black cat. And my heart rate began to rise.

Ways I could die took over my thought. This cat could make a Snack out of a small cat like myself. And to make maders worse, a cheetah was with her. But, the cheetah didn't seem like she wanted to cause harm, at last by the way she responded to my call. I was still unsure about the jaguar. I tryed to resopond, with yes, but it felt like little needles were pricing my lungs, and nothing came out. I was breathing harder, just trying not to black out, and be mistaken for dead.

[Sierra!Mist]

Minerva `

I could tell both cats saw me as soon as I stepped out into the light. The cheetah's head whipped in my direction, and then back and forth between the leopard and I as she reacted to the sudden change in events. I felt kind of sorry for her. She didn't have much time to sit and relax with her meal before she was basically ambushed. He flight response was kicking in as her leg muscles tensed and relaxed, tensed and relaxed. Her ears flicked back against her head, and her mouth opened in a worried pant. I could hear a growled forming in her throat, and my own body reacted. I paused mid-stride, feeling my own ears go back against my head. Whimpers reached me from the leopard on the ground, and I struggled to relax again as I continued to walk towards the two cats.

I kept my eyes trained on the cheetah as I approached the leopard, watching for any sign of an attack. The leopard was breathing in short, quick breaths. "Slow down your breathing. You'll faint if you keep hyperventilating," I said in my heavy, regal tones. I looked to the cheetah. "My name is Minerva." My anti-social habits kicked in, and I turned to treat the leopard as best I could. I looked over her chest. It rose and fell very slightly, but instead if being smooth, it seemed more jagged. Broken ribs, most likely. I breathed in heavily through my nose. I knew of no treatment for this, other than to just make her as comfortable as possible so they could heal. My mother would have just told her to deal with it, and stop being so weak. My brain shied away from thoughts of her.

I glanced again at the cheetah. She had moved to the leopard before I did, and had asked if she was hurt. Obviously, she was. I wanted to roll my eyes at the useless question, but I just took another deep breath, and wracked my brain for some way to help her. Some way to help the pain, or to heal the bones quicker... nothing came to mind.

[Deleted]

The leopard attempted to answer, but simply breathed harder. I nodded, more to myself. Yes, she was hurt badly. I stopped in my tracks as the jaguar moved toward the leopard. She told her to slow down her breathing and then looked at me and introduced herself. Minerva. I nodded to her respectfully. "Asali," I said. Immediately, the dark female looked back to the leopard and looked her over. She hesitated, and I knew why. What could we do to help the leopard? If something was broken, it had to be held in place. I moved beside the jaguar, leaving plenty of room, and then went around to the other side of her. "Her ribs..." I said. Minerva was looking there also.

I felt extremely out of my comfort zone, but I knew we had to get her in a semi-permanent position quickly, or her bones would set wrong, if they really were broken. "Could we get her on her back?" I asked the black cat. I had deduced that we were both here to help, and there was an alliance at least for the time being. I didn't see Minerva attacking for no reason, especially since she was trying to help the leopard.

My eyes scanned the injured female looking for any other possible wounds. Her leg was twisted a bit and I worried that it, too, might be broken. But it could possibly just be sprained badly. In that case, we just needed to set it straight and leave it to heal, and keep it from swelling. "We should move her to the creek," I said, thinking that we'd need the cool water. "Carefully," I added. But how?

[SORA :D]

I watched in a daze as the two cats moved over to my side. From what I could here, my ribs were broken, and my leg may be as well. The black cat who called herself Minerva, told me to slow my breathing, or i wouldn't hyperventilate. I obeyed, but felt slightly light headed. I kept telling myself to stay calm. From the body language of the two cats, they weren't going to attack me. and besides, I wouldn't make a very nice meal. The cheetah who called herself Asali suggested to turn me on my back. I wanted to say something, but pricks of pain arose when I tried to speak. Then she suggested to move to the river. I liked the idea, but was wasn't sure about what good that would do.

[Sierra!Mist]

Minerva`

As I introduced myself, the cheetah, (I later learned her name was Asali) nodded respectfully, and introduced herself. I nodded back before I turned my attention back to the other cat, who lay on the ground, trying to comply with my instructions of not breathing too quickly. Her eyes tried to focus on us, but she looked weary, and I wondered how much she was really seeing, or hearing. Asali also turned her focus to the leopard, and softly mentioned her ribs. She saw it, too. Just as I was about to give up thinking of ideas for the poor animal, Asali started throwing out tactics.

Turning her on her back... "No, that might upset her vital organs. Without the structure of her ribs to create room in her chest, her lungs won't have room to inflate." I shot a glance at the cheetah to make sure I hadn't upset her with my blunt tone. She seemed unfazed. "Well," I corrected myself, "that depends on how many ribs are broken." The leopard opened her mouth as if to say something, but took a sharp breath and I realized that it wasn't that she didn't want to say something; she couldn't. I felt another twinge of sympathy, and took a deep breath, as I looked her over again. I felt helpless.

I looked at Asali again and noticed that she wasn't looking at the ribs anymore. Her eyes focused on the leopard's back leg, which seemed to be swelling slightly. That wasn't good. Another deep breath. Then Asali gave her best suggestion yet. The creek. "Yes, that's a good idea. The cool water would stop the swelling, and would support her and her ribs so she wouldn't have so much pressure on them. We could hold her in place so she won't flow downstream." Despite better judgement, I could help but smirk a little bit at the idea of her floating away... It was a funny mental image, aside from the fact that she would be helpless to stop herself.

[Deleted]

Minerva dismissed my first idea but made a good point. I nodded, realizing the dangers. Aside from the fact that her lungs could collapse, they could also be punctured on one of the broken bones if we flipped her around. Minerva was right to dismiss it. I looked at the leopard and wondered what she had been doing in that tree in the first place. Why had she fallen? Did she have any family who might be missing her? I hoped we could save her...

My second idea seemed to give Minerva hope. She immediately accepted my suggestion and explained why it would help. I nodded; yes it would relieve any pressure as long as we kept her buoyant. "It will also keep her leg from swelling; it doesn't look too good," I said, since I hadn't mentioned it before. I knew Minerva had seen it, however. I looked back at the injured leopard, and then at Minerva. "How should we move her?" I asked. It would no doubt be painful, no matter how we did it. The only thing I could think of was for one of us to drag her by her scruff, while the other nudged her along from behind. I hated to think of how that would feel to the leopard's leg and her rib cage.

Maybe Minerva would have a better idea? 

[SORA :D]

inhale, exhale. I tryed to keep my breathing level, like Menerva had instructed. I stare blankly at the sky, listening to the muffled conversation. I was only gathering bits and pieces of the conversation, but I figured I was going to be moved to the river. But how? I was in no condition to walk, or even stand. I closed my eyes, because it was painful to see the blurbs of nothing. I kept telling myself Inhale, exhale.