Chapter Text
I’m different from my other kin.
From the moment I was born there was a fire in my body. It swirls and travels across my being. It is warm and it tugs at me from time and again. Almost as if it is reaching out for something.
I’ve asked my parents what it was when they were still around, they called it ‘adventurer’s spirit’. Yet, I knew that wasn’t it. It is so much more and it builds and builds up. Sometimes I fear that I’ll burst.
It’s strange, but I’m use to it.
Although, now isn’t the time for reminiscing.
“Dumbass cat! You’ve got nowhere to go.” A boy with curly hazel hair towers over me as my eyes dart around the alley, unable to find a way past him. His smile curls and it sends shivers down my spine.
His hand shifts and twirls, forming something similar to a mallet. It happens fast in one motion, I try running out of the way only for hot pain to shoot from my leg. The noise that follows must be my voice. It’s difficult to move but I manage to get behind a dumpster, far enough away so he can’t reach me.
Doesn’t seem to discourage him though. I can hear his footsteps approaching when a new gruff voice rings out the alley. “What the hell are you doing.”
Their voice stops my would-be-killer in his tracks as a stuttering mess leaves his lips. “Nothing! I was just. Well I was, um. Leaving!” I would have laughed as he scammed off, but the pain in my leg gives me pause.
A sigh that seems use to such a reaction escapes the new person. I hear their footsteps until I can now see their face as they peek behind my hiding spot.
He looks tired. His black hair is shaggy and a mess, falling on his face and rests on his shoulders. Grey eyes with bags of exhaustion stare at me with thoughtful caution. A grey scarf hangs lazily off his shoulders. He doesn’t look dangerous,at least to me.
A hand hovers over me and I can’t help the low hiss that escapes. It quickly flies back and he steps back slightly. He digs into one of his pockets and I carefully step closer. In his hand appears to be food, small round shapes that smell delicious. He places a few near the dumpster and steps back.
A peace offering? I step closer, trying to keep pressure off my most definitely broken leg. It smells safe and the man now has a weird device in his hand distracting him. I graze my teeth on one testing it.
It’s amazing, I’ve heard from my kin of offering from people that make scrap and mice seem like dirt. But experiencing that taste? It’s fantastic! I can’t help but shove down the rest. The man seems to notice and drops down more and this cycle continues until I’m suddenly right next to him.
He bends down slowly and holds out his palm. I sniff it curiously and it smells like the food. I don’t hesitate to lick up the leftover dust. His hand reaches towards my fur and I let him scratch away the grime and dirt away.
I hear him let out a chuckle as I lean closer. “You’re a strange stray, I’ll give ya that.” I feel a breeze as he shifts on the balls of his feet. “Try not to scratch me too bad, okay?”
Suddenly, I’m being lifted off the ground and I instinctually try and escape. Having a broken leg doesn’t actually help in jailbreaks, even my claws don’t cut through his clothes. What material are they?! It’s flexible and looks easy to rip, yet my efforts are in vain. He holds me close to his chest until I surrender, no use wasting energy when I can escape later. Although I carefully judge the distance from the ground just in case he drops me.
“Tsk, kid got a good hit in, damn brat.” I turn to him to see a look of disgust forms in the direction I assume the child ran off to. “Don’t worry, I know a good vet that’ll fix you up.”
Traveling in the arms of a human is far more relaxing than I thought. The journey isn’t long and the passing scenery is new and holds my curiosity. It should be concerning how far from my home I was getting, yet the burning need for change overwhelms any anxiety. We come to a building that stands out with a clean white base. My savior carries me inside with purpose and I quickly glance around.
There are many other creatures here paired with a human counterpart. Canine, birds, rodents, and some of my own kind have gathered and all smell of injuries or illness. Yet none seem too worried about their liabilities. They aren’t happy, that’s for sure, but there’s this blanket of calm that has settled inside this building.
“Ah! Aizawa-san, it’s a pleasure to see you again!” A male human greets my savior -his title is Aizawa?- as he begins typing on a flat board of buttons. “Another stray with an injury?”
My sav-Aizawa nods while shifting my position so the injury is more visible. “It looks only to be a broken bone and ruffed up fur. How soon can we fix it?”
“You’re a local hero around here with how often you save animals. We’ll get the poor cat help right away.” The man takes a quick look at a bright window and nods before pointing down one of the halls. “The doc is free right now. Same room as always!”
Aizawa nods which is making me start to think this human doesn’t like to talk much. A strange trait for a human to have, the ones I see are normally very noisy. The trip is short and I’m face with a new human who has bright yellow hair that is cut short. She smells of death and I feel my fur stand on end as Aizawa sets me down on a table near her.
She gives a worried glance between me and Aizawa which must convey some communication for the humans as Aizawa carefully places a secure grip on me. “It’s gonna be okay. Just hold still and trust the vet for me.”
I don’t see how I can trust a human who smells so clearly of death and I turn to Aizawa ready to show how I will do no such thing. That is until I meet his eyes, their a plain gray with only the spark of life to make them shine. This doesn’t mean that they didn’t cause the fire in my soul to burst into an unbelievable intensity that almost had my paws shaking. It wasn’t fear, nor any dominant trait. It just was a burst of power, almost as if nothing could dare touch me with how it coursed through my veins. I felt my body relax as the woman came closer to poke and prod at my injured leg.
By the end my leg was put into a strange wrapping that made it difficult to walk, but at least it wasn’t as in constant pain. That food the woman gave me was making it difficult to stay awake and I found myself drifting to sleep in Aizawa’s arms. They hold me with such care and warmth that I couldn’t see a reason to struggle against them.