Stray Surprise [RideNunc x Deg]

[Degusaurusrex]

It hurt. Coming so close to this many humans had been a mistake, but she had been so desperate to get away from the other territorial shifters that she had ignored her instinct and ventured near the city. Well, it turned out that the inhabitants of this area were surprisingly well armed and did not take kindly to sightings of large panthers in their area, inside the woods or not. It had been two days since the bullet had struck and passed through her hind leg, leaving her limping and struggling to hunt while stuck in her feline form. A quick shift back to her human form could have allowed her to seek the refuge of a human hospital for her injury, but they always had so many questions, and the chances of being found out for what she truly was, were too much of a risk.

At least her coat of fur helped to keep her warm when the snow began to fall, but it didn't change the fact that her species was much fonder of warmer weather, and the snow was becoming a nuisance for multiple reasons now. Not only was she cold from the spending the last several days, two of them in snow, outside, but it made hunting food even more difficult than her injured leg already had. It had brought her closer to a different city than the one that had caused her pain, most of her traveling done at night when she could blend with the shadows and slink about trying to rummage for food outside of restaurants that had thrown away their extra food for the night.

The irony of it all was painful; that she had uprooted her life and spent time running away from a bunch of idiotic shifters only to be injured at the hands of a human wielding a gun. She had thought she was being careful enough not to get caught in plain sight, but how was she to know that the humans frequented the woods late at night? This new city was even stranger still, people coming and going through the streets and alleys at all hours of day and night. Many of them were coated in the smell of tobacco and some other smoke that made her gag before running away, and a large percentage of them spent far too long at bars and came out stumbling and smelling of alcohol and vomit.

Then there was the couple she found engaging in sexual activities behind a building she had scoped out for food, and the sight of the man stumbling into the street with his pants still around his knees would have been amusing if not for her injury. While it wasn't actively bleeding unless she hit it on something in her haste to hide, the hole was going to take some time to close without the proper medical care for it, and being unable to run was what had put her into her current predicament.

Pathetic.

Shit.

What time was it? People were bustling about like usual when the large feline stirred from her sleep, blinking slowly and looking around the alley as she heard boots crunching through the snow heading in her direction. It seemed like no matter where she found a place to take a small nap, someone was always passing through, always using the shortcut to get to somewhere else in the crowded city. It was insane, and the lack of sleep due to constant movement and pain had left her overly fatigued and disoriented enough that the person had been able to sneak up on her without knowing. That was what she got for napping in an alley next to a bunch of homes, apparently, and when she prepared to spring up and flee the alley her leg buckled and a growl made her presence known to the poor human.

"What the fuck?"

The pain was put on the backburner as she pushed to her feet unsteadily, glancing over at the snow covered dumpster she had been anticipating finding some sort of meal in once someone finally opened it. She would have to come back later, when the confused man wasn't swearing up and down and leaping back from the sight of her before she fled from the alley and made her way through any shadows she could find in the wintery weather. Did these humans ever fucking sleep at night?

 

[RideNunc]

The small Bistro bustled with its usual fervor. A variety of sights and smells wafting throughout the crowd. With the coming of the early winter snows, the restaurant had become more busy, the selection of fresh deli sandwiches and hot soups always a favorite on the colder days. Phillip pushed his team, keeping ahead of the growing buzz of the small cafe. As head chef, it was his responsibility to keep everything in order, and as co-owner he had more than a passing interest in keeping the business aloft. "This one has gone cold, get me another" he told one of his team critiquing the dish before it could leave the kitchen, "Get another pot of minestrone simmering." He trusted his team, they did well under the high pressure scenarios, and with his direction the little bistro had become favorite among the local crowds. Phillip toiled away through the dinner rush, ensuring his team kept up with the diners demands. Doing a delicate dance of calling orders, checking the quality of each dish before it leaves, and directing the team when they needed support. By closing time he was exhausted but eager to get home. Most nights he helped with the cleanup, but tonight he was leaving that job to his team and sous chef Anders.

He donned his jacket and gathered a few small things before he left. "Yeah It'll be fine Anders, just a little snow tonight," Phillip noted to Ander's after a quick peak out the back door. , Ander's muffled voice responded through the doorway reassuring Phillip, before Phillip said his goodbye "Alright you've got things handled here, I'll see you tomorrow." Out into the brisk night air he walked. With only a light wool coat and a matching driving cap he seemed a little unprepared for the snowy weather. In his hands he carried a small paper wrapped bundle, a piping hot Reuben sandwich, the sweet and savory aromas trailing along behind him as he walked home. Phillip's apartment wasn't far and he knew the back alley routes well enough. He had walked this route hundreds of times, and had no expectation to encounter anything odd along his way. He hummed to himself lightly, enjoying the cool brisk air and the way the snow danced in the light from the few streetlights along his path.

He was more than halfway home before he finally he saw it. Pawprints? Phillip slowed and stopped, crouching to inspect them. They were either from a big cat or a dog, he couldn't tell which, but the animal was bigger than he was used to seeing. He looked behind him noting that the tracks followed along the route he was already taking. Phillip didn't have much wilderness experience, or even hunting experience, but he did notice that every fourth print was placed oddly, maybe the animal is limping? he thought to himself. He followed the last of the tracks around, surprisingly leading him to the back of his own apartment building. He paused when he saw the prints turn the corner. That section of the alley was a dead end, and the path of the tracks hadn't come back out. Phillip cautiously turned the corner, he'd rather find the animal's owner and get it home. If it wandered the city too long it could be hit by a car or worse. "Hey there..." he called softly, unable to see into the shadows. "Little fella, you alright?" he gently opened the bundle he carried, pulling a few pieces of corned beef from the sandwich and holding it out, hoping to entice the animal, whatever it was......

 

[Degusaurusrex]

Whatever that scent was, it was absolutely mouth watering. When she had returned and settled in to wait for any source of food to get her through the night, she hadn't expected the smell of anything fresh. This was fresh, but it was in the hands of a human and therefore nowhere near as accessible as a dumpster accidentally left open.

Damn it.

Little fella? What exactly did this human approaching think she was? Her pawprints had yet to be covered back up by the snow and had clearly led this human straight to her, but judging by his lack of fear and the soft tone of his voice, he likely thought her to be a stray dog or something of the sort. He didn't smell like intoxicants to blame his insanity on any of their favored human habits, and the meat that he extended in her direction was enough to make her shift in the snow and scent the air. A trick, perhaps?

To hell with it. She was cold, she was starving, and even with her injury she still had an advantage if he tried to attack her once he saw what she was. All she could do was hope that he didn't have a gun like many of the other humans did, and that her fate wasn't to die in some filthy alley on a chilly winter night. With that decided, the big cat stepped forward again and edged towards the end of the shadows where the human was holding out the food like a peace offering, sniffing at it again before darting forward to snatch it from his hand and then retreat to the shadows with a quiet growl.

Damn, it was as good as it smelled, and she eagerly devoured the offering while keeping an eye on the man from her spot inside the shadows. Maybe she could scare him enough to drop all the food, then she could get a meal without having to hurt anyone, much less herself. What he'd offered so far wasn't very much at all, but the taste of the food was enough to entice her to immediately limp her way back into the dim lighting the street offered into the alley, eyes gleaming under the light as she cocked her head and snuffled quietly at the human.

 

[RideNunc]

The speed at which the cat moved almost made him jump. Phillip froze right after it retreated... Was that a mountain lion? A panther maybe? The thoughts tore through his mind, What is it doing this far in the city? He only caught a small glimpse of the animal, but it looked like a big cat. From what he could tell it hadn't meant him harm, it was only interested in the food.
"Hungry aren't you friend?" If it meant me harm it already would've attacked me, he kept thinking to himself. The gleam of the cat's eyes could be seen in the dark, it had stayed close and was clearly watching him.

Dropping down to one knee he tore off a small piece of the sandwich, deciding that at this point he would end up feeding it all to this cat. He held the piece of food out once again, attempting to coax the animal out. "Come on," he said softly, "I know you want more..." he noted the tracks again, remembering that the cat might be hurt. "You get yourself hurt out here?"

His best bet would be to get the cat inside and out of the cold, it might follow him if he tried to lead it inside. Then he could contact animal control or someone to come relocate the cat. It was better than letting it continue to roam the city, if the cat was hurt, it wouldn't take much to aggravate it into hurting someone. "Come on out, come talk to me..."

 

[Degusaurusrex]

Interesting.

Not only was the human not scared of her, but he appeared to have noticed her injury to some extent. The only important detail at the moment, however, was the fact that he was offering her more food and had no weapon in clear sight. She inched forward slowly, prowling through the snow and sniffing at him every few steps before deciding she'd scented him enough. If he was intending to lunge at her or anything of the sort, he likely would have done it by now rather than waste his time sweet talking her closer and closer.

Hell, she didn't care what was in the sandwich as long as it was food. The fact that there was some meat was just a bonus to the situation, and after finding herself within a two foot vicinity of him, she dropped down slightly and shuffled forward to snatch up the piece of food he'd held down. A very bold human to risk having his fingers bitten off. As it stood, her teeth had already brushed against his fingers when she'd greedily taken the food, wolfing it down and eyeballing the rest of the sandwich with a huff.

 

[RideNunc]

It would take a good amount of coaxing to get this cat to follow him, but he's was up for the challenge. He backed away slowly heading toward the rear entrance to the building. After taking a moment to prop it open he set a small piece of sandwich outside the door and another piece just inside the door. "I don't think you can understand what I'm saying," Phillip slowly climbed the stairs to the second level and sat down on the top step. "But you I think you can understand my intentions." From the way the cat moved it seemed to watch with intelligent eyes, but that may just be how bigger cats were, he didn't know.

He tore off a larger piece of the sandwich leaving it at the top step near him. "It's nicer in here and if you follow me upstairs you can have a safe and warm place to sleep." he held up remaining half of the sandwich wondering how much more coaxing he'd have to do to get the cat to the third floor. "And when we get there the rest is yours. You seem safe enough, just a bit hurt and hungry from what I can tell...."

 

[Degusaurusrex]

There was still enough left of the sandwich that it promised a decent meal for her, at least in comparison to the lack of food lately. It wouldn't be nearly enough to satisfy her large hunger as she worked on healing from her injury, but food was food and she could always run once she'd finished it, although her lack of proper hands did make opening doors a bit difficult.

Oh, if only he knew that I understand every word he's saying.

That would make the situation a lot more complicated if he was aware of that, though, and she hovered just outside the door eating the piece there before poking her head inside and sniffing around. Despite how busy the streets and back alleys of the city were, it didn't appear there was anyone other than him directly inside the building, although she could hear people moving around in their units periodically.

Still he promised her more food, and she crept carefully inside before staring at the stairs apprehensively. Did she dare take the stairs on her injured leg, or call it quits and give up the only food she'd had in some time? An unhappy snort sounded as she shook her head, licking her muzzle and going for the first two stairs before taking them unsteadily. If walking had hurt to begin with, putting that amount of pressure on her legs to go up was even worse, and it showed in the way she halted between steps before hobbling up another.

It was only when she was close to the top of the first set of stairs that she stopped, eyeing him cautiously before snatching up the big piece there and backtracking one stair to demolish it in two large bites. Wait, had he just offered her a place to sleep?

 

[RideNunc]

At the cat's hobbling up the stairs, he finally saw it, the matted fur around her hind leg. "There it is, you are hurt." The cat was large yes, but Phillip could easily lift her as long as she didn't struggle. The problem was convincing a wild animal to let it get picked up. And that wasn't even taking into account that the cat was wounded. He set out another piece of sandwich at the bottom of the second staircase.

"I could carry you the rest of the way, but I'm not sure how you'd react." he held out an empty hand near the sandwich trying to guage the cat's reaction to being touched. Either the cat would allow it or wouldn't he couldn't be sure. "It would make life easier for you," he continued keeping his voice low and soft, "but you might be too prideful to accept the help for all I know." He didn't move, waiting would avoid him, or let him brush against her.

 

[Degusaurusrex]

Now she had to climb another set of stairs. How many sets was she expected to climb up if she chose to continue trusting this human? Maybe he was one of the odd few that seemed to have a penchant for interacting with wild animals, that had to be it. Otherwise, why would he be coaxing in a massive cat that was clearly not any type of domesticated breed? She was larger than even some domesticated dogs, and her teeth and claws could do more damage than theirs!

She snorted at his latter comment, did the human truly think he had the strength to pick her up in this form and carry her? She was much too large for him to easily carry her like some sort of lapcat or dog, and her focus was mainly on the food that he was continuing to coax her with one piece at a time. It was this piece that saw to it that she took the second set of steps slowly and dropped her head down to devour this piece too, eating noisily and glancing at the extended hand warily before she bumped her head briefly into it and then went back to eating.

There wasn't a chance in hell she was going to allow him to try and pick her up, but she finished eating and lifted her head to look around cautiously, hopping onto the landing at the top of the stairs and circling him once before letting out a lot noise and nudging at his legs as if to push him along toward their destination.

 

[RideNunc]

He tilted his head curiously, it was odd. This cat seemed to understand him more than he believed possible. It's just your imagination he told himself. He was actually rather surprised when the cat bumped into his hand. "Well it looks like you think I'm safe at least, that's good."
He was even more surprised when the cat nudged him forward. "Going too slow am I?" He chuckled a bit as he moved quickly to the third landing leaving a piece of sandwich in the hall and hurrying down the hall to his door. He unlocked the door quickly and left the door wide open. When Phillip gets inside he sets the remaining piece of sandwich on the couch and stands back. Home stretch he thought to himself, "there you go, the rest is yours"

 

[Degusaurusrex]

Whether or not he was safe was still to be determined, but it was clear that he was at least safer than the other humans she had encountered thus far. If things worked out for the better and she was able to heal without too many problems, perhaps she would make the effort to return long enough to leave a gift on the human's doorstep. Or in the hall outside his door, rather, since he lived in one of the absurdly crowded buildings full of other humans. The question now was, how long would her leg take to heal enough that she could shift back without creating further damage to the healing limb? It needed only to heal enough that she could shift back and continue to care for it on her own, so that she could properly clean and bandage it while figuring out what her next move was going to be. If she could just sneak back into the other territory to retrieve some of her things so she at least had clothes....

Well, that was a matter for a later day, as the remainder of the sandwich was calling for her. The human had barely set down a piece before he was scurrying down the hall and fumbling to unlock a door, a feat which he accomplished impressively quick before he left the door fully open for her to peek inside. Ah, there it was, the remainder of her prize for allowing the human to lead her into the building.

A quick look into the apartment showed no immediate weapons or threats, and after a look down the empty hall she slunk inside and over to the couch, batting the food down onto the floor and setting to work on it quickly. He could have fed her nothing but bread or vegetables and she probably would have devoured it just the same, but the human had given her meat, and meat was good.

 

[RideNunc]

Phillip shut and locked the door behind them, letting out an audible sigh. The hard part was over, getting through the hall without any of the neighbors finding out. He leaned back against the door, taking a moment to regard the large cat in his apartment. The couch would be big enough, he thought, but she's probably still hungry. "Make yourself comfortable," he said talking out loud more than directly to the cat. He hung up his coat and hat and walked toward the kitchen. He knew he had something the big cat would like, but he just wasn't sure what they ate.

A quick rummage in his fridge, and he pulled out a tray full of sausages, a half he set aside and left raw, the others he added to a pan and began cooking, "I've got some stuff here, but we'll see what it is you like to eat." He threw some vegetable into another pan, making a quick stir fry of vegetables. "So where you from?" He asked aloud more to amuse himself than anything else.... after a brief pause he continued, playfully pretending the cat had answered him back. "Really? Is the weather much different there?" He bustled about the kitchen making short work of the food on hand. "So this your first time to the city then?" He carried on moving swiftly through the kitchen preparing a few plates.

He returned fron the kitchen carrying a large tray. "I am Phillip, I will be your server today." He joked to himself, as he set the first dish out. "Here we have a classical asian vegetable stir fry atop brown rice, for the health enthusiast", he set down a second plate "A selection of fresh sausages still raw for the more carnivorous cravings." The third and final dish he set down was a large flat plate. "A fresh local greens salad, with blueberries, cooked sliced sausages, and a blueberry wine gastrique. Bon Appétit." He finished with a light flourish..... after a moment he continued. "Yeah I know, I'm talking to a... let's say panther for now. I'm talking to a panther, that I let into my home and cooked dinner for." He dragged his hands down his face clearly exhausted. "People would definitely call me crazy. No you go right on ahead, eat up."

 

[Degusaurusrex]

An ear twitched at the sound of the door shutting and locking, the cat lifting her head to look in its direction for only a moment before she watched the human wander into his kitchen in apparent search of food. This was definitely one of those people that approached wildlife that was not friendly and tried to interact with it, or else there was something off balance in his head, because he was talking to her. Or at her, rather, it seemed he had no expectation she would actually give an answer back. Best of all, she could smell meat cooking in the other room, but she was too busy finishing off the sandwich to dare venture into the kitchen.

Even when she had finished off the food that had been used to lure her in, the large animal crouched on the floor peering toward the kitchen, listening to the sounds of him cooking and the smell of the food filling his home. She didn't move from the room at all, watching him steadily as he reentered sometime later with the tray full of food. That was all for her? Her head cocked to the side as she watched him in a mixture of amusement and confusion, sniffing at the air before scooting closer to the offered food.

Well, he wasn't entirely wrong. If people could see what he was doing right now, they would definitely think he was crazy. Maybe he was crazy to be doing this, but she wasn't going to complain about being out of the cold and presented with several food options. The vegetables were sniffed over but ignored at first, then the raw meat was licked but left alone, and then she reached the cooked sausages and rumbled with approval before beginning to wolf them down with a periodic look back up at the human.

Phillip. She would have to remember that name.

Only when she had finished all of the cooked sausages did she turn back to the vegetables, licking up a couple of mouthfuls before abandoning the food in favor of licking at her injured leg. Each stroke of her tongue was accompanied by a small noise of displeasure as she worked to clean it, bright eyes flickering between the leg and Phillip until she was satisfied enough with her job to sprawl out on the floor.

 

[RideNunc]

"So you like cooked meat, but you eat your vegetables too." He removed the empty plates plates soon after the cat had finished with them. "Well I'll make sure to keep that in mind then." Still talking to the cat but still expecting no response. He retrieved a large mixing bowl and began filling it with water. "I apologize for my lack of wine selection, but I do have a lovely pairing of crisp, clear tap water to go with your meal tonight." He set the bowl down near her, keeping his movements slow and calm.

At the cat's inspection of it's injured leg he realized this was going to be another challenge, "I guess it can't be helped then," he said with a sigh as he walked off to the bathroom. The longer it took to heal the worse off the cat might be. The best course of action would be to get a good look at the wound then clean and bandage it, but Phillip seriously doubted the likelihood of that working out. He took a quick look through his bathroom cabinet, looking for the antiseptic spray he had. He shook the can noticing there wasn't much left, but it should be enough for his purposes. He also made a stop at the closet on the way back from the bedroom, stopping to retrieve a warm blanket. "So this is for you to get comfortable on." he opened the blanket slowly, laying it out on the floor near where the cat had sprawled out. He sat down near the cat then, "So panther," he chuckled to himself "I'm sure it's not your name, but I doubt you'll tell me what your name is." he held up the small can allowing the cat to inspect it if she wished. "This is an antiseptic spray, it smells horrible," he sniffed at the nozzle, making a face. "But it'll help with your wound there." He held out his own hand pointing the can at it and gave it a quick spritz of the terrible smelling liquid. Then holding his hand out again for the cat to inspect.

"Sorry for this friend" he said as he moved the can and sprayed the leg without waiting for permission. He wouldn't be able to bandage it, but this would help for now.... He quickly pulled the can back and set it down. "There, all done..." holding his hands up trying to seem nonthreatening.

 

[Degusaurusrex]

When was the last time she'd even had wine? The big cat watched him curiously as he returned with the water, yawning and then leaning forward to sniff at the clear liquid before lapping at the surface. It was cold, it was clean, and that was all that mattered. Besides, he was already wandering off into the other room, rustling about in the cabinets and such before returning with a blanket she looked at with interest.

She huffed in response to the commentary about her name. He wasn't entirely wrong, she had no way of telling him her true name, and even if she could currently speak the human tongue, she wasn't sure that she would. The human had brought her out of the cold, had given her food and water, and now a blanket, but things could change at a moment's notice and she could find herself back in the cold again.

He was right, it did smell horrible, and she made a face before snuffling and leaning forward to sniff at his hand briefly. It smelled even worse now that she was directly putting her face near a source of it, and then the human did something she hadn't seen coming, and he sprayed her leg. The sudden burst of liquid combined with the pain of the antiseptic soaking into the matted fur and aching wound caused her to snarl, jolting back and hissing at him as her ears went back in a defensive stance.

Once the stinging began to subside she stared at him with a displeased expression but made no move to attack, her ears gradually relaxing before she looked down at her leg and began to lick it again. Oh, it tasted even worse than it smelled, and her expression said as much as she made a face and then made herself comfortable on the blanket he'd laid out.