A Sparkle of Inspiration

“And… there, that should do it!”

Leif had just finished treating the wound of a cirrocanius. They had stepped on a sharp stone earlier, deep enough to leave a sizable divet in their paw, and of course, draw blood. Leif had helped them pick out any remaining pieces of stone from the wound, as well as provide antibiotic ointment he happened to have to prevent infection. He had to use nearly the whole tube of it and a large portion of the roll of bandages, given the massive size difference between him and the cirrocanius, as both of these items were intended for spacecat use.

“That feels so much better, thank you so much.” said the cirrocanius, inspecting their wrapped paw. “You did better than I could have ever done.”

“It’s no big deal, I am happy to help!” She chirped. The cirrocanius had stood up, as they had to lay on the ground to be even close to the same level, and walked away. They appeared to have no issues walking on their injury now, which was good. Leif waved as they walked away, and once they started talking to someone else, he turned to look for Iris.

Iris was being watched by two other cirrocanius as they prepared some food. Given the mess of scattered ingredients around them, it looks like they had already made numerous batches. It was lucky they had brought cooking utensils with them, but using the spacecat-sized pots and pans to try to cook a meal meant to satisfy others at least four times your size wasn’t very sustainable. It was clear they were working hard. He should go help them now.

As Leif approached, Iris wiped the sweat off their face and began to pour out the contents of the pot onto the bowls of the two cirrocanius in front of them. It was clear they had thrown as much food as possible into the pot to make the largest portion possible in one go, and even then the servings looked like they would only be as filling as a tiny snack. Nevertheless, the dogs went wide-eyed at the meal in front of them.

“Alright… it’s ready. I hope this is fine.” Iris spoke to the two.

“Oooooo!” One of them, known as Freezie, exclaimed in delight. “This looks yummy!” After speaking, he did not hesitate to shove his muzzle straight into the bowl.

The other cirrocanius, named Eventide, drooped his ears at this action, embarrassed. “What we mean to say is thank you.” They spoke directly to Iris.

“Of course. I just hope it’s enough…”

“We’ll be fine. You worked hard, we appreciate it.” Eventide begins to eat, at a much slower pace compared to their companion. As the two ate, Iris took a deep breath, somewhat exhausted. Leif made it over to them and put a paw on their shoulder.

“Are you alright?” He asked with concern.

“Yes… I’m alright. Though I fear we are starting to run low on supplies…” They said with a frown. Leif matched it.

“I know it’s disheartening, but we’re doing what we can. We were asked to help, and that’s what we’re doing.”

“Yes. I still wish we were just asked to help normally…” Iris quickly shot a glare at Tempest, who was sitting in the distance watching over everyone, but especially the two spacecats, a fact Iris was clearly aware of. Tempest continued to watch, and it shot a glare back as well, a sense of distrust very apparent in its glare.

“Iris, come on. I know that probably wasn’t the best circumstance for us to meet, but there are more important things to do than hold grudges. I just want to see everyone here get better first.”

Iris let out a sigh. “I wish I could do more. These poor cirrocanius have been suffering for so long already…”

“I want to do more too, but all we can do is our best. Why don’t we look around to see if anyone else needs help?” she proposes. After a pause, Iris nods, and the two wander while looking around. 

“Hmm…” Both of their eyes scan the area, looking for anyone who needs any help, or more immediate help in this case. “I think everyone right now seems- Oh! look over there, Iris!” Leif interrupted himself and pointed to a cirrocanius the two of them hadn’t seen before that was near the wall. They were surrounded by many containers and were currently painting a scene on the cave walls. It looked a lot like the murals they found in Sector 1.

“Look at that! That must be the same dog who made all those other paintings! I want to take a closer look. Maybe they need some help.”

“Alright. let’s check it out, then.” Iris began walking forward, taking the lead. Eventually, they stood near the cirrocanius. They were blue, with a white muzzle and chest. The markings on their back looked as if they were covered in a blanket of snow, complemented by the fact that patches of ice were embedded in their fur. They seemed thin, and they had bags under their eyes. Just by looking at them, it was easy to tell that they were not feeling the best, but it didn’t seem to stop them from working. They also haven’t noticed the pair yet, fully immersed in their work.

“Excuse me, are you alright?” Leif asked the painter but got no response whatsoever. A couple of seconds of awkward silence passed until he spoke again. “I… um… like your painting.” This also yielded no response, only resulting in more silence. 

“Do you need anything, like medicine or food?” Iris tried asking directly, but once again, the cirrocanius did not break focus. After even more silence, Iris turned to Leif.

“It seems he’s too busy right now, let’s go somewhere else.”

“Yeah… we should probably go.”

The pair turned to walk away. At that moment, the cirrocanius turned, reaching for one of their various supplies, and it was at that moment he finally spotted them. 

“Oh! Hello there.” He started to speak, but quickly focused his full attention on the cats, eyes sparkling as he bent down to look at them. “My, aren’t you fascinating?”

With confused faces, the two cats look at each other, and then at the cirrocanius. Leif starts to speak. “Hello there. I’m Leif and this is Iris. We were just wondering if you needed any help. Oh, and we saw your paintings. They look incredible, by the way.”

“Ah yes, where are my manners? My name is Yukio.” They introduced themselves. “I appreciate your praise. About your offer, there is something you can help me with.”

“What’s that? Are you hungry? Hurt?”

“I need you…” Yukio began and gestured dramatically with his paws. “... to be the models for my next painting!”

“Huh?” The two cats were confused again. “Us?”

“Yes! You two are some of the most interesting beings I have ever seen! You have struck me with a level of inspiration I have not felt in years! This is how you can help me! You must let me use you as my inspiration! I would be eternally grateful.”

The two cats looked at each other again, thinking it over. Leif shrugs at Iris with a “why not?” mentality. Iris nods in agreement. 

“Alright, we’ll do it. What do you need us to do?”

“How perfect!” Yukio stands up proudly, once again towering over the cats. “I need you in the perfect pose. Allow me.” Yukio reaches for Leif with his front paws, grabbing her. Leif let out a yelp as she was helplessly picked up like she was a doll. It didn’t help that his paws were freezing; it felt like all the parts he touched would make ice start growing on her as well. Yukio put her back down on the ground in a different spot. He then began grabbing one of Leif’s legs, pulling it into a pose. It was like he was posing a figure, being as delicate as possible. Once Yukio finished, Leif held the pose while she was shivering from the cold. He then turned to Iris, who was staring with a mouth agape after watching the whole thing, stretching out his front paws again towards them.

“I can pose myself, thank you.” They quickly retorted and shrunk away.

“Hmm…” He looked down at the purple cat. “I’m not sure I have a clear idea in mind for you. I am sorry. I cannot quite figure you out.”

Iris looked around for a second. How many others can see them right now? It didn’t seem like anyone could see. It struck them with an idea.

“I may have an idea.” They spoke. 

Yukio looked at them, tilting their head to the side curiously. Iris took this as an invitation. They closed their eyes and focused. Before Yukio’s own eyes, Iris’ form began to shift, claws growing substantially, muzzle stretching, horns and wings sprouting from their head and body respectively, and tail changing shape. It wasn’t long until their whole body switched from cat to dragon. Both Yukio and Leif looked at them with wide eyes and smiles on their faces.

“Magnificent! Your beauty is unmatched!” Yukio looked like he was about to give a round of applause. He looked back to Leif, who was still holding the pose, though was struggling greatly to do so. “Though, this gives me a different idea of how to pose you together…” With that, he began reaching for Leif again, who looked frightened to the core. Before Yukio could reach him, Iris stepped in between them. While Iris was still smaller than Yukio, the sheer size of a cirrocanius was still a baffling concept to them, they were big enough to cover Leif, as well as big enough to prevent themself from getting picked up. Yukio looked at the duo, not sure how to react.

“Um… Can we pick the pose?” Leif piped up from behind Iris. He had dropped his original pose by now. “I promise we can choose a good one.”

Yukio pondered it for a moment, then spoke. “Alright. I believe you will pick something inspiring.”

With that, Iris adjusted. They stepped slightly away from Leif to lay on the floor next to him. They pulled him in closer with their claws and wrapped their head and neck around him snuggly. Leif was very content with the new pose, and he smiled gleefully while pressing more into their body. Leif completely melted into their grasp. They were pretty much cuddling. He liked their pose idea. He could feel himself instantly warming up, all coldness left from Yukio’s touch was now gone.

“Wonderful! Your passion is unmatched! Please keep that pose!” Yukio remarked and quickly moved to a blank portion of the wall, and he began to paint. 

Not a single one of them could tell you how long they ended up staying there, with Yukio getting so into it, nothing could distract them from it, and Leif and Iris were so comfortable in each other’s presence, that they could stay like that for days upon end, let alone hours. Yukio was right about their passion, one that was currently being immortalized on the cave walls. They were really glad they could help the cirrocanius, and inspire them to keep going. They were going to find a way to help everyone here, but for now, this was perfect.