oil on water // p. taboa

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// late reply?? whos late to reply???,,, sweats

he was well aware of dog's weak points. their noses, tails, and ears were all rather sensitive. thus he couldn't help but mentally commend taboa's first attack. embellished claws easily sunk through the canine's flesh, like a knife through butter if one were to compare. yowls of pain erupted from the dog as she continued her ruthless assault.

it was then that riven notice the other canid approaching her. teeth of ivory were bared, weapons poised to strike a target too caught up to realize. its frame was menacing, dark eyes filled with feral hunger. if she were attacked there was no doubt she would be in trouble.

that was the thought that spurred him into action. riv wasn't one for conflict. any cat that'd met him could vouch for such a claim. he was cowardly and meek and hid at the mention of a higher up's name. what he did next was so uncharacteristic he might as well have been a different individual entirely.

lean legs vaulted him forward. his direction was given to the new dog, taboa and the one behind him all but out of mind. one leap was all he needed in order to knock steal the hound's focus from tab. claws slit open the skin in their wake, leaving red trails on the pooch's muzzle. his goal was successful, the animal turning to him and abandoning its previous prey.

the dog lunged at him, jaws snapping just out of reach as the feline jumped back in instinct. at this point it had dawned on him what he had just done. his heart was racing a marathon while his mind drew a blank. this was suicide.

riven was snapped from his reverie when the dog moved at him again. the tom ducked under the gnashing maw into the precarious safety of its underbelly. he maneuvered through the scrambling legs in an attempt to avoid being caught. whenever possible, he would swipe at the torso or nip at an ankle. in his ministrations, he caught sight of the third dog joining their party of assailants.

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// dont worry about reply time spacey :>

advantages of smaller size included being harder to catch and faster to move. riven had been busying himself with dancing around the mutt's legs. a few wounds were delivered, albeit shallower than his partner's from claws lacking any reinforcements. he'd received a few bumps from weaving through the canine's limbs. he'd take kicks over bites any day though.

taboa speaking distracted him momentarily. throughout his running, riven had tossed her worried glances. he knew she was capable of protecting herself but subconsciously he felt guilty for bringing her into this. she didn't have to come to his aid. she could have left him for dead. it might have been better had she done that.

in his head he agreed with her. they had to go, like, at that moment. he was getting tired, the now blind dog looked scared and on the verge of lashing out, and the third one joining the mix was just too many for his hammering heart to fathom. his eyes registered tab hitting the next dog approaching her before she dashed across the yard. in his watching her, riv had stilled himself.

this left him open to attack. jaws wrapped around him, teeth grazing his ribs before grabbing hold of the looser skin on the feline's back. then riven was being thrown. a choked noise of surprise and pain came from him upon impact with the ground. in spite of the sudden hit, the tom found his paws in record time.

thin legs had his soaring across the ground. he was hardly touching the ground with how fast his four limbs were cycling beneath him in the mad dash. using the momentum he'd gained, riven jumped upon the fence he failed to clear before. he was half over, using his front legs to push himself up and over. the barking and howls of aggressive canines right behind him prompted him to throw himself over the rest of the way. once again his bod hit the ground like a dead weight. "Oof!" his wide eyes searched for taboa, worried from how close the dogs had been on their run away.

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// laUGHS i was gone so long pls forgive

he almost didn't catch her words. the only thing riven could really hear was the thunderous beating of his own hear playing loud as an orchestra in his auditorium ears. that and the gnashing snarls of the dogs now beating against the fence in a pitiful attempt to reach the two felines who had safely escaped.

pain flared through him due to the ungracious landing as he pushed himself up. so close to death... doesn't quite cover it. dancing underneath a frenzied canine, close enough to be snatched up and torn apart - that was practically having some sort of russian roulette with death. he could have very well lost his life with one misstep. taboa too.

that though had him looking intently over to the calico, eyes searching his form in a silent question of if she was alright. his torso inflated and dipped into heavy breaths, legs shaking like a newborn's would underneath him. close. too close.

riven was hurt, scared, and most of all confused. why? why had she done that? running to his rescue had put her in a dangerous position herself? and for what? to save someone she just met? it would have been easier- better had she just left him to fend for himself. maybe it was the hidden desire of wanting to die, or the thankfulness of her actually saving him, or just the extreme overdrive his body was in at the moment, but something made his voice crack. there was an obvious break in his soft voice when he spoke. it made him wince to himself, made him want to hide the fact that he was an emotional wreck.

"thank you."

//little rushed im sorryy

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looking at her now, riven could see how tousled her calico fur had become. she looked roughed up as one could without actually sporting any sort of injury. it just reminded him of what sort of danger he had roped her into. had things been different, she could have been hurt. just thinking about red stains on that snowy coat had his stomach twisting.

he had been expecting a lot of things from taboa in reply to that. a snarky reply, a flippant remark, a sour comeback. what he received was the one thing he had not been expecting.

"you're welcome."

his expression fell at that. not to a frown, but to something lax. it was so unfamiliar to hear such an honest reply. there was nothing aggressive in her tone, nor any sarcasm. he looked away after a moment to keep from staring. the last thing he wanted to do was upset her.

at tab's comment, the tuxedo boy nodded silently. unsure if she had been paying attention to see the motion, riv added, "yeah, we should." he shook himself to rid his coat of the dirt that had gathered during the scuffle. there was still more but the jumpy lad wasn't prepared to sit there and clean himself with dogs just on the other side of a fence.

legs still shaking, riven took a few steps away to distance himself from the barrier holding back the canines. his head swiveled as he took in the surroundings, figuring out where they were then. light eyes found their way to taboa once more. "c-can you not tell anybody about this?"

it was a pitiful question to ask. but he needed to voice it nonetheless. riven didn't want to have this added to the reasons he needed to be made fun of. yet, taboa had control of his fate now. this was her decision.

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