Medic

Crow was standing there, looking towards a towering figure. It was unlike anything else that the other two had ever seen - perhaps akin to a big cat from Port Borealis, but this somehow was worse.

And then he bent into a play bow, tail wagging.

“Crow? Is that really you? Oh, wonderful! I can show you all the things I’ve accomplished since you vanished!”

Soleil and Sunfish stared back at Crow, questions burning into their minds - where in the stars had Crow managed to meet something like this? Whatever the answer was, Crow did not give a response - instead, he strode forward as the canine straightened up.

“... It’s been a while, Aldebaran,” Crow acknowledged the other with a dip of his head. “We parted ways many years ago.”

“Wait, you know someone from this planet?” Sunfish asked, casting a sidewards glance at Crow. “Did you tell Moonbeam about it?”

“I thought of it as unimportant.”

“After all the time we spent together, you thought of me as unimportant?”

“Other companions found me first. You never came up.”

Aldebaran seemed to contemplate this for a moment before sighing. “... Well, since you are here, I might as well show you to the safer area.”

“Safer area?” Sunfish echoed.

“This place is rife with radiation. Couldn’t you feel it?”

Instantly, Sunfish hopped fully to his paws. Soleil stood up a little slower.

“Then we should go immediately. We do not want to risk getting injured,” Soleil nodded.

“What about Goldie?” Sunfish asked.

“Ah, Tempest should find her eventually. I had a feeling when felines were mentioned to have shown up, we would find you there, Crow.”

Crow hummed to himself for a moment, but did not respond.

He remembered Aldebaran well - though he could sense that something had changed in him. He had mentioned wanting to help people, wanting to help heal everyone around him, and making sure that even those with broken wings could fly one day. Self consciously, Crow felt his wings fold tighter at his sides.

He did, one day, wish to fly. But he was unsure if Aldebaran’s methods were to be trusted. He did not like the glint that he saw in his eyes.

Aldebaran gave a wave of his tail before padding off further into the cave system. Without much of a choice, the three cats followed close behind.

Eventually, they made it to another city - this one, where it wasn’t as cold, and where there were actual creatures walking around.

However, not all of them were walking.

All three of them realized very quickly that there were many of these creatures that were laying in heaps, sick and struggling, and there didn’t seem to be much that anyone could do about it. Sunfish padded up to one of them, sniffing at their flank before looking to the others.

“What happened to them?” He asked.

“Oh, the radiation sickness, you know.”

“Excuse me?”

Aldebaran hummed. “Ever since the nuclear power plant melted down, lots of us have gotten ill. I’ve been doing my best to help out, but nothing seems to work. I thought, maybe I just need more paws… and here you three showed up.”

“None of us are trained in medical practices,” Soleil said simply.

“You don’t have to be. You just have to follow my commands.”

Aldebaran gave a wink towards Crow, who frowned further. He didn’t like the looks of this, and he felt that Sunfish felt the same. However, it wasn’t like they had much of a choice in the matter.

Thus…

“Show us the path we must fly,” Crow said.

-

Medical practice was hard when you didn’t know what you were doing.

Aldebaran’s instructions were usually simple enough, usually being simple tasks like getting water, or getting bandages, or simply running errands.

At some point, Crow and Aldebaran sat alone while the others were off getting supplies.

“... You recognized me faster than I thought you would,” Aldebaran remarked as he wrapped a paw of a Cirrocanius in bandages. “I was certain I would have had to jog your memory somewhat.”

“You lack the scars of when I first met you,”

“Good observation. My research is just that good, I’ll have you know.”

Crow hummed to himself for a moment as he passed Aldebaran more bandages. “Is it really worth it? Letting go of it all?”

“You mean Camelia and the others? It’ll be fine. I’m sure they’ll find their ways back one day.”

Thus, the two sat there, passing objects between one another, an awkward silence falling between them.