Chapter Text
Sometimes, being the Axe-Lord could be exhausting. Timbercats, being cats, loved to fight; they tended to squabble, to get mad at each other over petty things, and when they did that tended to cause problems. And, when faced with problems he didn’t know how to solve, Yumyan Hammerpaw had a bad habit of running away.
Which is why, that evening, he was right on the edge of Timbercat territory, enjoying a satisfying scratch against an old tree. Molly and Ruffles had gotten into a catterbrawl over something; he didn’t care to know the details. But of course, then the whole main hall had devolved into chaos, so he’d come all the way out here to wait until everyone cooled off.
The forest was thinner here, the giant redwoods giving way to smaller, more normal trees. Just ahead was a sharp rise in the ground, a rocky embankment just taller than he was, covered in creeping plants and twisting tree roots. That was what marked the edge of Timbercat turf.
A distant sound gave Yumyan pause. He felt the hairs on his back stand on-end, ears swivelling in the direction of the noise. It was the distant thunder of footsteps on the hard ground, quick and closing fast. More distantly he could hear howling, the sound echoing down from atop the ridge. He pulled his claws free; that was a wolf hunt, no doubt about it.
As he watched, the bushes on the ridge rustled. Something burst through, tumbling down the slope and landing in a heap at the bottom. He froze in surprise as it scrambled to its feet, the moonlight silhouetting dishevelled curly hair and a tear-stained face. It was a human, he realised with a start, no older than a child.
The girl took a few more frantic steps and then froze, her gaze turning back to the ridge line. As she ran back Yumyan finally saw the wolves; they were descending around the ridge, darting through the bushes to encircle the child as she scrambled to pick something up from the floor. Their howls echoed, turning to low snarls as they emerged from the undergrowth. They looked small, only pups, and none of them had noticed the Timbercat watching from between the trees.
Down from the ridge came three more, right in front of the surrounded girl. One was another pup, but behind her loomed two adults, the mother and father of the litter, dressed in neat pink clothes. The father crouched down, ready to pounce just like his children, while his wife hung back.
Yumyan couldn’t help feeling something cold settle in his gut. He loved a good hunt; what Timbercat wouldn’t; and normally he didn’t care much for humans. But this just seemed wrong somehow. He crouched down, stalking closer through the bushes.
The human girl was shaking, tears running down her face, surrounded on all sides. She sniffed loudly, wiping at her eyes with one tattered sleeve. And then she spoke slowly, the words coming out so quietly that Yumyan had to strain to hear.
“But,” she protested, almost like she didn’t quite believe what was happening, “you said we were a pack…”
Yumyan felt something snap, somewhere deep inside. He was suddenly aware of the wolf pups’ outfits; they were all dressed in the same formal uniforms as the human girl, only cleaner, neater, not torn up by frantic running through the forest. Had the wolves taken this girl in, only to turn her out?
“We’re wolves!” It was one of the cubs, the one standing by her mother. “You’re… a human!” She crouched down too, letting out a growl. And suddenly Yumyan could stand by no longer.
He wasn’t sure what it was, but something in him couldn’t bare to see that girl looking so hurt, so broken, so terrified. He had to do something. So he bared his claws, hackles raised, and with the best roar he could muster he leapt out before the ridge.
The wolf pups scattered in terror. They ran for their parents, whimpering in fear. The human girl looked back, eyes going wide. Yumyan hissed, hair raised, a clear order for the pack to back off.
“A Timbercat?” the wolf mother challenged, apparently unfazed by the interruption. “What are you doing out here?”
“I should be asking you the same question!” he snarled, standing up to his full height. The girl and the wolf pups flinched; his claws glinted in the moonlight.
“We’re on a family hunt,” the wolf mother continued coldly, her eyes narrowing as her gaze fell back onto the girl. It was clear she saw the child as nothing more than prey; Yumyan felt the fire inside grow at the thought.
“You call this a hunt?!” He stepped forwards, between the human and the wolves. “Chasing down one of your own?”
“She’s not one of us!” the wolf father cut in. He was still ready to pounce, hackles raised and teeth bared. Yumyan heard the human sniffle loudly, but he didn’t dare turn around.
“My husband is right,” the mother agreed, taking a step forwards. “What we choose to hunt is none of your concern, cat.” Something clicked in Yumyan’s mind. He looked up at the ridge line again, feeling an idea settle in the front of his mind.
“Oh, but it is.” His mouth quirked up into a smile, confidence building. He took one step forwards, then another, seven feet of fur and muscle looming over the wolves. “This has been Timbercat turf since the days of the great Axe-Lords of yore. As long as you’re on this side of that ridge, Yumyan owns you all!” he bellowed.
That did it. The wolves’ resolve broke; the pups scampered back against the embankment, their parents flinching. The father looked down at his brood, then up at his wife, worry twisting his features.
“This isn’t worth it,” he hissed. She frowned, teeth gritted.
“Let’s go.” Yumyan grinned in triumph as they retreated, the parents shepherding their pups briskly up the ridge. The wolf mother glared back at him the whole way, but she didn’t say anything else.
He waited until they disappeared into the bushes atop the ridge, wanting to be sure they weren’t going to loop back and ambush him, before turning back around. The human child was still a few steps behind him; she tensed up the moment his gaze passed over her, freezing in the middle of a half-step back.
For the first time, he fully took in her ragged appearance. Her dark skin was scratched from rocks and brambles, her knees and elbows scuffed. Black, frizzy hair fell from her head in two uneven bunches, dirt and twigs caught in her curls. She was still crying, tear-tracks running down her face even as she sniffled again. Suddenly he felt very far out of his depth.
“Human?” he began gingerly. His word seemed to jolt her into action. Before he could say anything else she took off, darting between the trees. “Hey, wait!”
But she paid him no mind, running off into the forest. With a roll of his eyes he set off after her, dropping to all fours and bounding through the undergrowth; he hadn’t gone to all that trouble just to see her disappear again. She was small, and much faster than she looked, but she couldn’t outrun a full-grown Timbercat.
He saw her stumble, a root catching her ankle. She fell forwards, a flash of black and brown amid the trees. He dug his claws into the dirt, skidding to a halt just in front of her. She scrambled in the dirt, hands closing around a small, sharp rock. Wild fear and deep mistrust brimmed in her eyes.
“Get away from me!” Desperately she jabbed the rock in his direction. “I won’t let you eat me!”
“Woah, woah, human,” he said quickly. He half-stood up, claws retracting, trying not to look threatening. He felt a pang in his chest at how terrified she looked, her hand shaking as she waved her makeshift weapon. “Who said anything about eating you?”
She swallowed, her gaze never leaving his face. “Then what…” she trailed off, struggling to find the words. “Why did you…?”
“Why’d I save you from those wolves?” he questioned. She nodded guardedly, lowering the rock in her hand. He sighed; he wasn’t entirely sure he could explain the protective feelings that had overcome him at the sight of her surrounded.
He sat down on the dirt in front of her, front paws coming to rest on his knees. She looked at him questioningly, waiting for whatever he had to say.
“Because, kid, it sounded to me like those wolves betrayed you.” His voice came out as a low rumble, soft and reassuring. She nodded, fresh tears welling up in her eyes at that. “And that’s just wrong. Turning on your own kind like that, hunting them down, it makes me sick.”
She slowly sat up, scuffed legs crossing and shaking hands resting in her lap. She looked down, wiping her eyes with her sleeve again.
“I’m not normally fond of humans,” he continued quietly, seeing her tense again, “but I wasn’t gonna stand by and let them do that to you.”
Looking her up and down, Yumyan felt a new impulse settle in his mind. It wasn’t something he’d ever considered, and part of him was sure it would backfire, but he decided to follow it anyway. “And I don’t wanna see anyone else hurt you, either.”
She breathed in sharply at that, the tears almost stopping in surprise. Slowly she looked up, uncertain eyes meeting his own. And the old cat felt his heart breaking at just how vulnerable she looked, how broken the wolves had left her.
“Are you saying you care about me?” The words came out tinged with disbelief.
“Uh, yeah,” he acknowledged awkwardly. “Those wolves were your family, right? Or at least they pretended to be?”
She nodded sadly, sniffling again. Her hands slowly clenched into fists; looking down, he could see the crumpled remains of a daisy chain being crushed in one.
“All that time, they were just faking,” she explained. He could hear the lump in her throat. “They just wanted me as prey.”
“Well, that means you don’t have anywhere to go then, right?” he asked softly. She just nodded again; there was nothing more she could say. “So, I just thought that, maybe, you could come stay with me?”
For a moment she looked up and he saw hope bloom in her eyes; it looked like she wanted to accept. But then her gaze turned down again, well-founded mistrust taking over. Her arms reached up to wrap around her torso, the ruined remains of the daisy chain falling into her lap.
“You don’t mean that,” she said quietly, voice cracking. “How do I know you’re not going to turn out like them?” She didn’t need to say who she was talking about. He let out another sigh, wishing he knew just what to say.
“Axe-Lord’s honour,” he offered, one paw curling into a fist to thump against his chest. “We Timbercats always keep our promises.” She looked back up, and he felt more words spilling up unbidden as the hope returned to her eyes. “You’re not prey, and you’re not some plaything for those wolves. Human or not, you’re a hurt kitten who deserves some actual care.”
Fresh tears started running down her face, emotions still running high. She opened her mouth and then closed it again, whatever she wanted to say lodging in her throat. Instead she got unsteadily to her feet, taking a series of nervous steps towards him. And suddenly, somehow, Yumyan understood exactly what she wanted.
He opened his arms wide, smiling a little under his beard. She fell into the offered embrace, reaching out to try and hug him. Her arms didn’t even reach his sides, but she grabbed on tightly anyway, and he brought one large paw in gently against her back. She couldn’t stop herself from crying more, hurt and relief welling up all at once, and he gently held her as she let it all out.
“I’ve got you, kitten,” he said softly, her sobs quieting at the low rumble of his voice. “It’s all going to be okay.” And, for the first time that night, he was sure she believed him.