The storm finally passed.

After long hours of rain ringing on the windows, wind howling and distant thunders rumbling, this serene quiet felt almost unreal. The neighborhood was shrouded in silence, with people and animals still hiding in their homes... Yet in the distance, a faint echo of first chirps was heard. Birds were always first to roam the woods, a sign that everything calmed down. Early in the morning, when the air was still cool and fresh Ayu opened the windows wide. The cold breeze made her shiver, but the sun lurking on the horizon was a promise of warmer weather during the middle of the day. The world outside was soaked. So, so soaked. Soil absorbed the rain giving off a nice, calming scent, and wet grass and trees looked almost like they were adorned with countless sparkling pearls. Resting her elbows on the window frame, the girl gave her garden and surrounding forest a long, pensive, and tranquil look. It was peaceful... They say everything is calm before the storm, but it was always peace that came after the storm too. For a moment she closed her eyes, taking slowly a deep breath. Luckily the last night's weather didn't bring any harm. Forest at the first glance was quiet, but life thrived within using any way possible to survive.

And when it comes to life... What about the late guest that made himself comfortable under her kitchen table?

The cat proceeded to drag the given blanket into the corner between the wall and the door. The heating piece hidden there in the walls was probably the case - the house was old and small, and didn't look one bit like modern accommodations popular around the world. Tucking his paws under his skinny body, the cat glared at Ayu with a low, ragged growl. A peace offering, milk, was drunk the previous night and valerian sneaked in worked like a charm. Feline was distinctly calmer than during the night, putting himself in a loaf position and starting to slowly doze off. Perhaps the cat was too stressed to sleep during the last few hours... They both were sitting in a kitchen brightened by the soft candlelight, listening to the raging storm. Perhaps the sleepless night had something to do with it, but the calm aura outside only enhanced the drowsiness now. The cat yawned widely, showing off sharp teeth and she felt it too... But there was too much to do! Previously Ayu was occupying a piece of floor nearby, softly talking to the stray animal to make sure it was not scared of her voice or presence anymore. It seemed to work slowly, but the cat was still on edge. Every time she walked too close to his hideout, he'd eye her with a suspicious glare. Still, she was glad the cat was content enough to stay with her.

"You'll be alright," the girl said softly, turning away from the window and looking at the tabby cat, half-hidden under the wrinkly, checkered blanket. "I promise." When the morning came, it was time to act! The rough, uneven breathing left little to the imagination, especially when in the daylight Ayu could see the dark pus in the eyes and nose of her little guest. He was badly skinny, just skin and bones. With matted fur and scratches on his body, surely he was fighting for survival out there. It was a tough life being a stray, without a place to call his own... Ayu walked towards him, stopping five feet away and crouching down in her pajama. The reaction was full of distrust and a snarl despite the distance - the cat hissed with his distorted and wheezing voice. Sympathy grasped her heart until it hurt. Poor thing... She felt for him so strongly. With the heavy breathing, sides rising and falling, he obviously was in pain. Despite open windows, there was no strength left in his body to run away. Looking at her with such intense aversion, how badly was he treated by people? The sadness mixed with compassion in her eyes. Ayu was about to raise her hand and stroke it, but then she remembered that it would do more bad than good. She didn't want to scare him more...

"Let's g-get you treated, alright..?" the girl stood up, blinking and discreetly wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater. It was not time to feel sorry, she had something to do! Rushing to her room, Ayu changed quickly and pulled notes from her desk. But, what she could do? A respiratory infection could prove deadly if untreated... Carefully studying her notes, she rushed downstairs towards the kitchen. After looking through the pantry and cabinets, she gathered lots of things. Lots of. Now, the kitchen counter was occupied with wooden boxes, jars, and sachets, sweet-smelling herbal scent filled the room. Looking at her herbarium and writing down recipes, Ayu grabbed cooking utensils. "Some sage and thyme...", she murmured to herself, measuring dried herbs with a spoon and putting them in a cup. Covering them with some hot water, she put a lid on top. They need to steep to make good medicine. Now, fresh chamomile and marsh-mallows root - those she could find easily in the corner of her garden. It's not like there was any veterinarian place nearby her house, so Ayu had to take this matter into her own hands. Though it would be tricky to make the cat drink a bitter infusion, she wanted to at least try. The poor thing was so sick - how could she leave it, let alone chase it back into the wilderness?

After giving him some more milk and leftovers of ham from the fridge, with another dose of valerian, of course, Ayu started creating the medicine. As the mixture of sage and thyme was steeping, she put a small, stone mortar on the table. The thing was heavy, but beating fresh herbs into a pulp was a must. It was a bit of a workout to mush together roots, leaves, and calendula flowers with some water to make a paste, but Ayu worked diligently. She was followed by a pair of tired, yellow eyes from the corner of the kitchen, but the feline was getting sleepy. The watchful gaze started losing its sharpness. A glance to the side showed her how he hid under the blanket, slowly dozing off... Ayu smiled a little. Sleep was medicine on its own. Now, let's not get distracted here. Dividing what she made in two, one portion she put aside, while the other was being slowly mixed with the brew. A brown, pungent mixture wasn't an appealing treat... Same with greenish ointment for nose and eyes infection. The concoction was placed in a small pot, slowly heated up, and stirred, so it could reduce to the needed quantity. With hands placed on her hips, Ayu looked down at her creation critically, judging if that would be enough. She wasn't a veterinarian, not even a doctor, but would her herbs even help? Well, she won't know until she tries.

The girl made sure that the brew was heavily concentrated, so instead of half of the cup, she ended up with a teaspoon of a brown liquid. It smelled awful and probably tasted twice as bad, but it was common knowledge that tasty medicine didn't work. She'd just have to use a plastic pipette. Tricky... The kitchen only offered her an empty syringe, but she took it anyway. With ointment on a small plate and prepared medicine, Ayu walked toward her patient-to-be.

Now came the hardest part.

"I'm here, did you have a nice nap?" the girl said fondly, making her voice softer when she saw that half-asleep cat raised his head. Of course, he growled and glared at her, but his eyes weren't as focused as before. "You look better, you know...?" Ayu placed the plate on the floor and sat next to it, nearby the cat. His irises widened in a sudden suspicion, but because she didn't move afterward, he only yelped again with his shaky voice. The nook that the cat chose for his hideout was also a dead-end... It would be easy to corner him, not with the bad intentions of course! Just... Ayu slowly moved closer. Then again, slipped in by an inch. Still gently talking to the cat, she tried to shorten the distance, but he must have felt her intentions. He arched his back, fur on the spine and tail puffed, trying to blend into the wall. At this point she had no choice - Ayu reached out, grabbing loose skin on his back. With a terrifying, miserable screech cat started tossing around, fearing for his life. That was enough to break her heart... Despite resistance and claws digging into her forearms, Ayu clenched her teeth and pressed him against herself with one hand, searching for a syringe with the other. "I'm sorry, it's okay, I'm not going to harm you," she repeated in an apologetic tone. Finally grabbing the tool, she forced open the cat's mouth and put the end of the round, plastic tip inside, despite teeth sinking in her fingers. Without hesitation but with a growing number of scratches, she emptied the syringe and held the feline's mouth closed for a moment, to make sure he'd swallow the medicine. The look he gave her and the muffled growl from his throat were like a promise of a homicide... "I know you don't like it, ple-please bear with me..." She breathed out anxiously, with her last move smearing the ointment around the cat's nose and in the corner of his eyes. Should do just fine. Then she opened her arms and the cat bolted into the corner. Ayu moved away.

Right in time, because the cat was, well, pissed. With an arched back, paws outstretched and body close to the ground, like he was ready to jump at her at any moment, he hissed. But that was a hiss full of contempt and disappointment. Like she failed the bit of trust a stray animal gave her. Ayu was fully aware that she didn't have to feel bad about it, the feline could not know her full intentions and was acting on pure instincts and experience. She shouldn't let it get to her... Though as the scratches on her fingers and cheeks healed themselves, she couldn't help but feel this prickling sensation inside. At least she did what she knew was right, that helped a little.

"I'm leaving, it's okay..." Ayu grabbed her things and quickly stood up, retreating from the corner. The yelp quietened when she walked toward the kitchen counter. Cat's ruffled fur and his fiery gaze were still there for a long moment, but slowly he settled down. Well, he would surely hate her now. The tired, fluffy muzzle was following her every move, suspecting that out of nowhere she was going to torment him again. The girl sighed. Now it was time to clean the kitchen... And perhaps eat breakfast, but that much stress on an empty stomach efficiently dealt with her appetite today.

It took her the rest of the midday to clean everything and organize her herbs. Meanwhile, the cat dozed off. He fell into a shallow sleep, waking up now and then to look around cautiously before closing his eyes again. She decided to leave him alone for the time being. He needed his catnap, she should think about what to do next. Call Zhang? Look for a veterinarian? For now, she could only wait and pray that his condition will improve. It has to... After Ayu cleaned up the kitchen, she sat down on the floor with her notebook, occupying the opposite corner of the room. Turning the pages she was thinking about the needed medication, given if the previous one worked of course.

Cat's ear twitched but he was still sleeping, not paying her much attention from that distance. And then... She heard it.

A quiet but pleased purring.

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Power Level - 4,498
Word Count - 2010