Crowpaw approached the twolegplace, the all too familiar scent of twolegs surrounding him. It didn't smell as bad as the first twolegplace he encountered, but it wasn't a place he would like to live. Crowpaw skirted the edges of the twolegplace, hoping he wouldn't have to venture too far into it. He found an entrance, similar to the area where had Crowpaw stayed his first night away from MoonClan.
That place had been relatively safe, so he figured it would be safe here as well. He made sure to keep an eye on any exits or signs of danger. Crowpaw found himself in a large, empty area. There was random twoleg items scattered about and more of the crowfood holders he encountered before. The only thing different about the scents here, was that they were heavy with cat.
Crowpaw wasn't sure why a kittypet would be roaming out here, it was dirty and away from most twoleg nests. Crowpaw's only other assumption was rogues or loners. A loner he was fine with, but Crowpaw didn't really want to interact with a rogue. He had always heard stories that rogues were aggressive whereas loners were more laidback and peaceful.
Crowpaw heard a sharp rustling and spotted the shadow of a cat behind a nearby wall. In a bit of a panic, Crowpaw ducked behind one of the large boxes that reeked of crowfood. He made sure his shadow was hid and hoped that the scent would cover his own.
The cat that stepped out was almost pure white, and would've been it it wasn't for the dirt and muddy water that was speckled across his fur. Crowpaw withheld a gasp when he saw the scars on the tom's body. He had a long scar going down his muzzle to his chin, a deep nick in his left ear and an even large scar going from his shoulder to his foreleg. That's no kittypet. Crowpaw thought. I'd hate to meet whatever animal did that to him. Or him for that matter. Whoever this cat was, it was clear that he was a fighter.
The tom stopped mid walk, causing Crowpaw's breath to catch in his chest. The tom narrowed his green eyes, sniffing the air. After a moment, he shook his head and went towards the direction that Crowpaw had come from.
Crowpaw waited several heartbeats before stepping out from his hiding spot. He looked around, waiting for the tom to return but saw no sign of it. With a sigh of relief, Crowpaw stepped forward.
Pain shot up Crowpaw's leg as he took a step. He could feel something sharp cutting deep into his paw. Crowpaw let out a hiss of pain and stumbled back, looking at what he had stepped on.
There was pieces of a shiny, dark green stone on the ground. The stones were incredibly sharp and almost transparent. Crowpaw looked at his forepaw, blood was pouring from a deep wound in his paw. The blood dripped onto the ground, Crowpaw clenched his teeth at the pain. I can't stay here. Crowpaw told himself, not wanting to attract any predators with the scent of blood.
Crowpaw licked his paw, trying to get the bleeding to stop but to no avail. He would be leaving a trail of blood behind until he found something to fix it. Crowpaw stood up, holding up his injured paw as blood fell to the ground. He forced himself to limp forward, staying wary of the sharp crystals on the ground and trying to care for his paw.
The limping was awkward and his paw burned painfully, he winced and whimpered with each step. The pain was almost unbearable but he had to find something to treat it with. He tried to remember what Skyclaw had said about treating wounds. The only thing Crowpaw could remember was cobwebs and some kind of golden herb.
The pain grew worse with each passing moment, Crowpaw had to stop himself from falling over. He was leaving a very obvious trail of blood and could only hope that no cat was following him. Crowpaw found a crack in the stone path that led to an area under the wall. Maybe there will be cobwebs in there. Crowpaw hoped.
He squeezed his way into the hole, nearly yelling in pain when he touched his injured paw the ground. Crowpaw was overjoyed when he saw a large collection of cobwebs. Using his uninjured paw, he collected a bunch of them and began clumsily applying them to his wounded paw. The blood quickly soaked through the cobwebs, but he kept applying as much as he could.
He kept this up until there was a thick layer of cobweb on his paw and he couldn't see anymore blood. However, his paw still burned and felt hot. Crowpaw was exhausted from the pain, and groaned at the idea of walking anymore.
The hole he was in was cramped and cold, but anything was better than walking another step with his injured paw. Crowpaw curled up in the tight space, his back brushing up against the stone wall uncomfortably. However, the most discomfort came from his paw. It felt hot and throbbed with pain, he could barely focus on anything else.
Sleep did not come easy, and when it did the pain followed him into his sleep. He woke up several times during the night due to the burning cut in his paw. How can I travel like this? He questioned, staring out the hole into the night sky. I can barely walk and I don't know how to treat it, I'm not a medicine cat!
Crowpaw feared infection, without any herbs he would just have to let his paw remain the way it was. Crowpaw closed his eyes, wincing at the intense pain. I can do this. Crowpaw told himself. I didn't come this far to be stopped by an infection. Crowpaw's mind was starting to ease. I can do this...
Crowpaw continued his journey the next day, his paw wrapped tightly in cobwebs and still incredibly painful. Despite his pain, Crowpaw needed to continue. He wanted out of the twolegplace, it was a hazard for more than just other animals. He kept a close eye on the ground, looking for anymore of the sharp crystals that cut his paw.
Crowpaw found the outskirts of the twolegplace, looking for the exit. Luckily, there were a lot of holes in the wooden wall and Crowpaw found an easy way out. Crowpaw looked around him, the twolegplace now behind him.
For quite a while, all Crowpaw could see was hills and plains with a few scattered twoleg nests about. Crowpaw felt his throat burn, he hadn't had much of anything drink he said farewell to the river that he called home for a moon. The only thing he had drank from was puddles.
Crowpaw walked along the outside of the wooden wall, looking for more water sources but not finding any rivers or ponds. He felt slightly nervous, if he was going to be living with an infection he would need to find water and food. Prey. Crowpaw thought with a wince. How can I hunt with an injured paw?
Crowpaw knew he could hunt fish with one paw, but he would also need a river. Crowpaw decided to go towards the direction he last saw the river. He limped through the field, avoiding the twolegplace and any strange scents.
Crowpaw quickly found that limping was a much more exhausting way to travel and his uninjured paw quickly grew sore and tired now that it was doing the work of two. Despite this, Crowpaw grit his teeth and continued.
Crowpaw travelled all day, moving much slower than he would've with two perfectly fine paws. He hated the progress, but it had to be made. Crowpaw also had no sign of food or water, and he was starting to crave both. His stomach ached and his throat was dry, he wouldn't stop until he got what he needed.
Things only got worse for Crowpaw when the heat rose, making the desire for water even stronger. I have to keep going. Crowpaw told himself, refusing to stop. Water can't be far, I can feel it. Crowpaw began to stumbling and he started to pant. His pelt burned and his paw ached more with each step he took.
StarClan please help me. Crowpaw prayed, hoping that StarClan could hear him from this far away. I need you. He begged.
As if StarClan heard him, Crowpaw heard the trickling of water. His ears instantly went up and he started tracking the sound, finding a brand new energy that forced him to move quickly.
The trickling was coming from inside the walls of the twolegplace, he placed his eye up to a crack in the wood and noticed a small, strange looking pond with water flowing down a slope of smooth stones. It's good enough. Crowpaw thought and found an entrance into the twolegplace.
He looked at the strange pond, it was small and dangerously close to a twolegplace but Crowpaw really couldn't find the energy to care. He bent his head down and began lapping up the water. It was icy cold and instantly soothed his dry mouth and throat. He lapped up water for a long time, until there was water dripping from his chin. The water didn't solve his hunger or the pain in his paw, but now that he had one less thing to worry about they weren't as bad.
Crowpaw slipped out of the twolegplace once more and continued the way he was walking. He knew he wouldn't be able to catch any prey, but he kept his nose up high just in case. If I come across any prey...I'm certainly going to try and catch it. Crowpaw kept searching, but struggled to find any scents over the smell of the twolegplace beside him.
The sun was starting to set overhead, and Crowpaw really didn't want to be caught out in the night with an injured paw. He wouldn't be able to outrun anything, he had to find shelter.
As much as he hated to admit, Crowpaw knew that his best chances of his shelter were in the twolegplace. He groaned once before slipping into the twolegplace once more. His guess was correct as Crowpaw quickly found a set of shelters similar to the one he stayed in back near MoonClan territory.
He curled up inside one, his paw throbbing and hunger gnawing at him. I'll find something to eat tomorrow. For now, I just need sleep. Sleep resisted, but Crowpaw forced his mind to rest and did his best to ignore the pain that now spread through his entire body.