Who: Allegra/Elpis and OPEN What Rescuing kitties; falling out of trees; Elpis panicking; Allegra...being Allegra. Where: Central Park When: Wednesday morning WARNING: Wicked cats, falling blonds, and a rough landing.
There are certain rules in the Universe. Where there is smoke, for example, there's fire. Money? Lawyers.
And if there's a tree too tall to shake, Allegra thought, fingers digging into bark, there'll be a cat.
A kitten, to be exact. A small, gray, fuzzy-eared daredevil wrapped around the far end of a particularly unstable branch, who was watching her with an openly evil suspicious look in its slitted eyes. The feline glare reminded Allegra that she really, really wasn't a cat person.
So...why was she doing this again?
*It's terrified, the poor little thing*, piped a sweet, worried voice in Allegra's mind. Right on cue, that. *Oh, please, hurry, Legra. Please*.
"I'm hurrying as--ow-- fast as I bloody--ow--can, kid." Allegra paused to huff blond bangs out of her eyes. "But the tree's not cooperating. Listen, are you sure the blasted cat doesn't want to stay up here? Maybe this the stray kitty penthouse or something."
*Allegra.* It was practically a wail.
"Here, kitty kitty damn kitty." Allegra had a dancer's build and power; she could stretch. The hissing ball of fur was almost within her grasp. Just a little farther..a little farther...farth--there!
"Got'cha!" Triumphantly, she closed her fingers around the desperately yowling furball. "Piece of cake, extra icing."
*You did it! Oh, thank you, thank you, tha--did you hear that?*
"Hear what?"
*It sounded like a--*
CRACK.
Allegra had just enough time to do three things: hug the cat to her chest, tuck in her head, and: "Fuckfuckfuck."
Tree branches snagged her hair, caught at her clothes, Elpis squealed in her (mental) ear, leafs slapped her face, the cat clawed at her collar, and then there was a great jolly jolt ringing through the whole of her.
Then, nothing.
*Legra?*
Allegra opened her eyes. "Yeah?"
*Um...are you all right?*
She couldn't think of any civil way to answer that except: "Yeah."
*Is the kitty okay?*
"Yeah." The little beast had its claws embedded in her shirt and, from the feel of it, into the first inch of skin beneath.