Defined [stormeh]

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Fang's expression grimmed at the mention of sleep. Memories of his horrifying nightmare came rushing back into his mind, the dog's snapping jaws closing in on Muse's throat, another one pinning him down and forcing him to watch. A sharp pain stabbed at his heart, and he winced. For some reason, the thought of Muse dying hurt more than a dog tearing him to pieces. He had never felt this way before, about anyone. How strange...

It took him a moment to realize that he still hadn't replied to Muse's question. "Uh, fine," he lied, looking away to hide the fear that faintly showed in his yellow eyes. Why was he so nervous? No dog was going to maul him or Muse, so why was he still so shaky? It was just a dream, he reflected, taking a couple of deep breaths before turning his head to look at his companion once again. "Did... did you dream about anything?" he asked carefully, a glint of curiosity in his gaze.

Oh, he was being a mousebrain. Of course, Muse didn't dream about him! That was, pretty much, impossible. They couldn't dream the same thing at once. But even if she didn't dream about any dogs slaughtering her, Fang was still interested in the part about where he comes in. No, that wouldn't be right... why would she dream about a pathetic loner who has nothing else to do in his life than wander the strange paths of the Twolegplace in search of food and shelter? But just knowing that she might've been dreaming of him, or even thinking of him made his paws tingle, and his mind reel. Why? It was all so confusing.

['a v i <3]

--muse

'Did...Did you dream of anything?' Fang had asked. Slightly startled Muse blinked several times and thought. I dreamed that you and I were walking side by side in the field. Our pelts touching? How am I supposed to tell him that? It's not like I can just bust out that I dream about him every minute. What is going on with me? I've never felt this way before...

A few heartbeats had gone by before she realized that she hadn't answered him and hastily she replied, "Oh, no I didn't dream." All of this tumbled out of her mouth a little to fast to be considered by anyone with half a brain as truth.

As the pair walked along, Muse tried to think of something to talk about other than sleep. Oh, I'm such a mouse-brain! she thought. As the pair neared a thunderpath, and crossed it cautiously soon they were in some thick woodland, when a strange musky smell came across the air. One Muse barely recognized. Dog.

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Fang's smile slightly faltered. Frankly, he was a bit disappointed. Well, it's not like she had dreams about him every night... Maybe he just couldn't stand the fact that he was having dreams about her. Actually, he liked them, but he just wanted to know what was going on in her mind. But... why? Why was he, all of a sudden, caring about what she thought of him? What happened to being the serious, silent tom he used to be? Somehow, Muse brought out something from inside of him that he never thought was there.

"Oh... uh, neither did I," he stammered back, looking away to hide the embarrassment on his face. He probably looked like a mouse-brain. But then again, why should he care? But that was just the thing; he did care. He continued to think about the pretty tabby she-cat as they crossed another thunderpath, becoming farther and farther away from the pond. Who knows - maybe they'd find a better place to stay (although, he doubted it). But even if they were anywhere else, Fang would still enjoy her company.

Suddenly, the rank stench of dog filled his nostrils and he froze. "Muse - " he was cut off by the loud barking of dogs before he could finish his sentence. Out of nowhere, a dog barreled into his chest, head-on. He was knocked to the ground with impressive force, and the wind was forced out of his lungs. "Run!" he managed to choke out before the dog began to slash at his face with long claws, scratches beginning to appear and blood dripping into his eyes. The pain stung like fury, but he fought back with all the strength he had. As his mind began to fill with terror, fear of losing Muse, he realized that his nightmares had come true.

['a v i <3]

--muse

Fang didn't dream either, how interesting. What was possibly more interesting is how embarrassed he look which made Muse want to know what he really dreamed about more. But, she wasn't going to share so it wasn't fair to ask him when she was to embarrassed to share.

As the pair padded along further into the woods on a narrow path the musky smell got stronger, and Muse turned to Fang just about to say something when he spoke, 'Muse.. Run!'

Possibly heartbeats before Fang told her to run Muse finally realized what the smell was as a huge dog came crashing into Fang. Run? How could she run and leave Fang? As the dog tore into him, and let out a victorious howl at finding prey, more dogs exploded into the path and another lunged for Muse.

Swiping at it with her claws, she shrieked in agony as it clamped it's jaws around her paw. With a snarl she slashed her other set of claws across the dogs muzzle, feeling a twinge of satisfaction at the blood that splattered.

"Fang!" She cried desperately as another dog advanced on her. She didn't want his help, she only wanted to know that he had escaped, as she back towards a tree. "Fang, get to a tree! They can't climb!" It wasn't that she thought he was stupid enough to think that the dogs would climb up after them, but she knew in the heat of battle that he may not consider it.

With her back pressed up against the tree, she swiped furiously at the two dogs yowling curses at them with every strike. I can't climb up until I know Fang is okay... I just wish the dogs would part for me to see him. Muse didn't get a chance to see how many dogs were in the clearing, but these massive beasts where bigger than any dog that she had ever seen.

The grey tabby knew that her fur was fluffed out in fear, and she was sure that the dogs could see it in her eyes. The second dog, a large black beast lunged in towards her stomach, and Muse attempted to get out of it's path in vain. Pain pierced her as it's teeth met her soft flesh, and she met it's neck with her claws and teeth yowling furiously until it bleed enough to let go.

The dog, yowling in pain with a large gash running down his neck turned away from the path and took of yowling. Feeling triumphant for less than a moment, the she-cat was knocked of her paws by the other brute.

As the beast carried her off her paws, Muse fought back with everything she had. As she slashed at the dog she felt a claw tear, the muscles ripping against the tendons as the claw ripped out of her paw. Feeling a black wave of nausea rush over her, she let instinct take over and fought back harder.

501

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Even while the dog slashed at his scarred chest, Fang still felt a wave of exasporation. What was it with she-cats? Why could they never listen? If he told Muse to run away, she should've ran away. But she stayed, anyway. What part of 'run' could she not understand? His claws tore into the dog's thin pelt, blood flowing out of its wounds. It turned tail and fled, howling in pain. Well, that's one. he thought bluntly as he ran toward the dog that was pinning Muse to the ground with large paws.

Fang barreled into the dog's side, pushing it off of Muse and wrestling with it on the ground. "Listen to me!" he growled, in a voice he'd never used before. He barely had time to duck as the dog swiped a paw at his head. "If I tell you to run, you run! End of discussion!" He tried to keep a fair distance from the dog, but it ended up that he wasn't far enough, and the dog's claws sliced through his shoulder. He let out a shrill cry of agony, and figured that that one would most likely leave a scar. Oh, well, he dismissed quickly.

Suddenly, a flash of brown caught Fang's eye, and he caught a brief glimpse of the tom he never wanted to meet again. "Well, well. Look what we have here," Jake smirked from a couple of fox-lengths away, standing near a trash-can with a satisfied look on his face. "I'd best be going, seeing that I don't want my fur to be ripped out," he mewed, his words laced with resent. He turned and vanished behind the corner of a twoleg fence, and as Fang tore himself from the dog's grip, he pelted after him.

But when he reached the fence, Jake was nowhere to be seen. A heavy weight landed on him once more, and Fang was forced to the ground by the same snarling dog. It's saliva dripped down from its snapping jaws, and he could do nothing but to suffer through the searing pain that followed. Claws tore at his chest, neck and face - pretty much, anything the dog could claw at. The stench of his own blood filled his nostrils, and he gagged, choking on the ghastly scent of himself, and the dog. After a few moments of torture, Fang had a nick in his left ear, a gash (vertically) running down his eye to the bottom of his chin, scratches all over his neck and shoulders, and finally, a few deep cuts on his right side.

The dog seemed to have exhausted himself, or wasn't hungry enough to eat Fang, or both, because his efforts slowed and he simply climbed off of Fang and padded away, scarlet-red blood on his paws and lips. Fang let out a feeble groan, his vision blurred with red and his entire body aching and burning from the wounds. His muscles were on fire, and he could never get enough air into his lungs, no matter how many breaths he took. He didn't even have the strength to see if Muse had escaped - if she had even listened to him. Everything was slowly fading to black, and the pain was ceasing as well. Fang tried to keep himself conscious, but he soon failed, and passed out.

['a v i <3]

--Muse

The gray tabby was pinned under the grey dog, she was so exhausted that she didn't event take in a startled breath as Fang careened into it. When the black and white tom turned to Muse, his voice in a growl that she had never heard him use he had said, 'Listen to me!' then 'If I tell you to run, you run- end of discussion!'

Shocked the she-cat didn't respond and was completely off guard when the gray dog tore into Fang's shoulder. Cringing at his yowl of agony the she-cat stumbled to her paws, then froze as she looked over his head at the cat that she had saw only a day before.

As the tom taunted Fang, Muse stood shakily, and felt her eyes widen as Fang suddenly wiggled free and dashed over after Jake. By the time Muse had convinced her exhausted body to move and pelted after Fang she saw the dog turning to walk away and Fang's still form.

"Fang!" she yowled desperately as she limped towards him. He was still breathing, but unconscious.... Her body throbbed as she stared at him and decided, I have to get him somewhere safe.

Taking his scruff in her teeth, she pulled him slowly back along the path that they had traveled, keeping her ears pricked for the sound of dogs. It felt like seasons had passed before Muse found a old oak tree with a hollow in the trunk. There wasn't enough room for two cats to rest, so Muse drug Fang in and situated him, so that she could tend to his wounds.

Pushing her way out of the hollow tree, she followed her nose wearily until she found some marigold, another herb that the strange she-cat had shown her how to use. Finding some moss, she soaked it in water and carried both back to the hollow.

After chewing the herb up slowly, she smeared it along the cuts and then pawed some cobwebs out of the corners the hollow and gathered some leaves to help stanch the bleeding. By the time that Muse had finished working on his wounds the moon was well into the sky, and the exhausted she-cat crept out of the hollow and laid in front of the mouth of it.

Blinking her eyes shut she allowed herself to doze, and found herself praying that he would wake up. With a deep sigh, she mummered, "Oh Fang, I love you... Please.. Please wake up."

417

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Fang barely felt his body being dragged along to some dark, quiet place. His body had shut down, but he was starting to hear things. He could hear the crickets and frogs, and figured that the moon was already up. But he was too exhausted to do anything; any movement he made caused a wave of pain course through his limbs, and the gashes on his face stung even when he was only breathing. Everything was extremely painful, and for a fleeting moment, he wondered if he would even live after such a mauling.

But there was Muse. He couldn't leave her... he didn't know why, he just couldn't. He didn't want her to get hurt. What if Jake came back and tortured her? He had to protect her. When he had told her to run when the dogs came, he had genuine fear in his heart, fear that he would lose her. After a long time, Muse's scent suddenly filled the air around him, and that alone seemed to have make the pain ease. He felt something mushy being applied to his open wounds, and the smelled of herbs. Was that Muse? Was she alright?

Fang wondered for a heartbeat, why Muse never ran away. Even when he told her to, twice, she didn't. Why? She could've died by staying with him; but here she was, tending to his wounds and making sure he was alright. Was she repaying him of letting her travel with him? No, this was something more... Even so, she could've ran away and never have delt with him or Jake ever again. This was all his fault. If he never let Muse travel with him, she never would've gotton hurt.

No... this is Jake's fault, he realized, anger forming at the bottom of his stomache. He wanted revenge. He wanted to hunt him down and hurt him, just like he had hurt Muse. Once he was through with him, Jake would think twice before even taking one step into the twolegplace. Fang let out a soft moan as Muse pressed on the gash on his side. Everything was so painful. He could've just died right there and then, to make the pain vanish in thin air, but he would never leave Muse.

He thought he could feel her curled up beside him, or maybe that was just his own fever, giving him hallucinations, and was actually just the heat of his body. After being so brutally attacked, Fang grew sick, naturally. Who wouldn't? All of his wounds wouldn't heal in an instant, no matter how much herbs Muse put onto them. All she could do was let time work its magic. And if he ever recovered from this, there would be countless scars on his body, especially his face.

Oh, Fang, I love you... please... please wake up. Fang might've been more exhaused than he'd ever been in his life, but he still had enough strength to register what those words meant. Muse... loved him? How could that be? After everything he'd done to her, she still had the kindness to care for him. Fang was in complete shock - even more than he had been when the dogs first came at him. Something warm prickled through his bloody, matted fur. His paws tingled and his throat swelled with happiness. All at once, conflicting emotions filled his heart, making him want to wake up right at that heartbeat and tell Muse that he loved her too. Yes... he did love her. Everything made sense, now.

"Muse..." he choked out. Speaking alone was a big effort for him, but he didn't care. He dragged himself closer to Muse until he could reach forward and gently touch his nose to hers. He pulled back and looked into her eyes for a long time, trying to tell her that he loved her, too, since he hadn't the strength to say it out loud. Either way, Fang knew that she would understand. He gingerly propped his head up against her shoulder, his eyes automatically closing. Her familiar, sweet scent calmed him, and made him relax. Even if he was scratched up and sore, he'd never felt this good in his life.

['a v i <3]

-- m u s e

Laying in front of the tree, the tabby she-cat blinked her eyes back open as Fang stirred, and turn just in time to see him dragging himself towards her. As he touched her nose gently, his love written in his yellow eyes- Muse felt her heart warm.

As the pair settled for the night just in front of the tree, Muse heard an owl screech, and twitched her ears. The owl wouldn't bother them, but a fox or badger could be problematic. Muse didn't care though- she had Fang, and somewhere deep down inside she just knew that they would be alright.

Turning her head, to lay it on her paws as Fang pressed against her, she drew in his scent and mummered, "Oh, Fang..." Letting her voice trail off she tried to put all the she felt for the tom into her words as she closed her eyes to go to sleep.

154- Sorry it wasn't longer, I wasn't really sure what to say.

[[ooc;; Start a new day?]]

[♦ stormeh ♦]

ooc;; That's alright. ^^ You wanna start a new thread for these two?

['a v i <3]

ooc:: -nod- Start it on the next morning?

[♦ stormeh ♦]

ooc;; sounds good. ^^