Peppermint the Medic

Compass has told her countless times that it’s never good to follow an unfamiliar voice. It could be a trap or her mind playing tricks with her. With her routine check coming up to be a disaster, following the call for help could lead to the worst. Even with everything telling her to not to do it, she searches anyway.

It’s a genuine cry for help, Peppermint believes so, and helping them could lead to clues on her travelling partners’ whereabouts, or even Moonbeam. The wailing went on, of pain and hopelessness, and she quickens her pace despite the pain in her body.

The call gets weaker when she squeezed through a few rocks. Peppermint turns the other corner and their call started to echo. She flicks her tail on the wall, and the stranger whines in response. Whoever they may be doesn’t sound like a noise from a cat.

Could be those odd peppers she stumbled across earlier, or that…washing machine? No, those were loud as hell. Their stranger’s calls sounded like a canine, why would a shapeshifter be stranded all the way over here?

She climbs down a makeshift slide and finds herself in an underground city. Instantly the desire to explore surged through her body with paws aching to run throughout the abandoned city. As much as she wishes to explore top to bottom, Peppermint needs to find the stranger. She raises her ears and continues following the howling.

Crossing the bridge and staring down at a river of oil, surrounded by eerie creeks and single pages of newspapers flying about (they flew too fast for her to read what it said), then finally she found the source of the call.

The stranger had pretty brown and beige fur with long floppy ears. They lift their muzzle and stared at Peppermint with very dim purple eyes, the light must have died away long ago. “You…” They wince and curl into a tight ball. There was a heavy gash on their back leg.

This stranger had a very long and low muzzle, all dog anatomy. She inches closer and inspects the stranger. There wasn’t any feline scent on them, only canine. Parts of their body wasn’t covered in special patterned spacedust either…it looked like parts of a sky?

….

Peppermint was joking when she said there would be a species made of dirt or the sky.

“My, My…You’re so small. Are you a cat…?” The stranger blinks. “Ah…You must be the cats made from the galaxy. The stories I’ve read to my kids long ago…”

“P-Pardon me?!”

“That must mean I am at my wits end…” The canine wheezes. “I’ve lived a long life, it’s time for me to depart…”

“No! Hold on!” Peppermint drops her bag and digs for any medical supplies. There’s food and water, thank goodness, spare blankets that can be used to wrap the wound, and then…

“Oh, I hope this is enough,” Peppermint finds ointment used for heavy wounds. It’s suitable for a spacecat like herself, but for someone as large as them? “Don’t give up now, please…”

“Honey…” The canine starts coughing. “Please do not waste your energy on me…”

“But you were calling for help! I have to!”

“Darling, you are so young and scared. Having you try and help me…and then fail…a child shouldn’t be handling this.”

“I-I don’t care,” she huffs stubbornly. If there’s a slim chance of the canine surviving, Peppermint will hold on to that thread.

By the time Peppermint finished washing and treating their wound, there’s a drop of ointment left, and water all gone. There’s a bag of trail mix remaining after giving them majority of their food, what Peppermint had left was maybe another day or two of rations.

Was this a bad idea? Probably, but she is worrying more about this stranger than herself.

“You’re so selfless, dear.”

“I…think I get it from my mother,” she chuckles sheepishly. “But even then, I cannot allow someone to…to…”

This is the worse time to shut down and lose her voice. Everything that went on, from losing the others to Moonbeam to witnessing someone almost dying, it became too overwhelming for her. Peppermint presses a paw on her nose, hoping they understood the small signing, and the canine merely chuckles.

“You’re fine dear.”

Peppermint nods and lays next to the canine. Goodness, laying with them made her realise how large the size difference was. Were they the same size as the dragon cats here age talked about?

“My name is Blume, by the way,” the canine mutters. “I am a Cirrocanius, canines known for having a deep connection with the sky and weather. Unfortunately, due to a terrible disaster, we had to seek shelter here. But the radiation…it’s bad for me, which means it’s worse for you.”

Peppermint flicks her tail anxiously.

“You’ll be fine for now, but you must return to higher ground as soon as you can…” Blume rests their head on top of Peppermint. “Regain all of your stretch.”

---

Peppermint stayed with Blume for another few days. They were recovering from their injury rather quickly, but still fatigue. The talk of possible death was no more however, that was an excellent sign.

Peppermint went nonverbal for most of her stay and Blume was very patient with her. They knew simple sign language and always checked up on Peppermint when her nerves grew worse. She managed to find a few scraps of food as well, allowing her stay to extend ever so slightly.

But as much as she wished to stay with Blume, she needs to leave as soon as possible. Her orchids are growing worse, the one that wraps around her paw like a bracelet was at its wits end. Then the one on her tail was nothing but a stem. The air in the underground was terrible, it could damage her flowers permanently.

“Oh no…” Peppermint attempts to grow an orchid on the cold ground and only sprouted a singular withered petal. “I need to create a trail from here so when I find the others, I can come back for you.”

Blume blinks slowly. “There’s no need for you to do that.”

“I must! I refuse to leave you here!” Peppermint is going to take Blume back to Port Borealis, she cannot leave them like this!

Blume responds with a small chuckle. “You’re going to be straining yourself like this…here.” They hold out their paw. “I have enough energy to do this, please give me your paw.”

Peppermint hesitates.

“Your flowers are dying, let me help you.”

Goodness, their paw was huge. Laying it flat on their paw pads made her feel like a tiny kitten nestled with her parents. They remained still for a few moments until blue flowers being sprouting out of Blume’s paw.

“E-Eh?!”

It wasn’t the same plant growth power as her own or parent’s. It felt…stronger, whimsical even, and there’s a surge of newfound energy that spikes through her body. Suddenly, all her Orchids sprouted back to their original state, looking bright as healthy as well. “How…you…” Peppermint stares at her flower-filled paw. “Your plant growth…healed me?!”

“I have the power to heal other creatures if I have enough energy. Don’t worry, it doesn’t drain my own stamina. I can simply not use it on myself.” Blume presses their nose on Peppermint’s forehead. “You can do more than just grow orchids, Peppermint dear. Give it time for it to sprout however, you are still young.”

“Blume…”

“Go find your friends, quickly.”

“Y-Yeah…” Peppermint stands up tall. “Thank you, Blume. I…will come back for you. I promise.”