Topika

Topika smiled lightly at her worried friend, canines just slightly showing over her lip.  She could no longer snatch emotions off another's face, so she was forced to rely on listening to the feeling in another's voice.  Anxiety oozed out of Sayonara's soft words, going paw in paw with the light pace she had started up.

"Are you sure you're fine?" she asked again.  There was a break in her tense movement as he barbed tongue swiped between Topika's ears.  The younger cat shrank away from her friend and bat at her with a giggle.

"Yeah," she meowed, reaching out again and tapping a dainty nose.  "Stardust only took my eyes, not my fine-ness."  Sayonara let a tiny giggle escape, relaxing vaguely at the goofy proof of Topika being okay.  

"But he could've taken your life!"  A black tom materialized from the shadows, bristling.  "If someone never showed up, you would be dead!"  Topika blew off his outburst and sudden appearance with a flick of her ear.  

"Scott, at least I am alive.  That's what matters, right?"  She heard a growl rumble in his throat and she knew his ears had to be pinned back in anger.

"I'm going to kill that piece of rotten meat!" he snarled.  "I will find him and rip out his eyes, then let him bleed dry!"  Topika could hear the barest of stress in his words, from the pain and blame he was no doubt feeling, and that weighed down her heart.  Yet she still had to try and make him smile.

"As I recall, you threatened to do something similar to Felt.  And she was the cat who came to my aid," Topika purred teasingly.  "You should come with me to thank her."

"Fine," he meowed shortly, anger easing out of his words.  "If you want me to, I will."  Topika flicked her ears, rotating her head to where she assumed Scott was and was overcome by a sudden sadness.  She caused him a lot of grief by going out alone like she did.  Coming up on her paws, she began an uneasy journey to her friend across the room.  It was only several paw steps, though the difficulty of the short distance only made her more determined to get to him.  He ended up meeting her halfway and she could feel the fear for her zinging off his fur.  She sighed and pressed her cheek against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she breathed, "I should've listened to you."  Scott's intensity slackened and leaned right back into Topika.  

"No, I'm sorry.  I should be grateful," he murmured.  "I am grateful."  He flicked his tongue over her ear and purred.  "I should be used to your recklessness after sticking it out with Munro for so long.  I promise I'll come right back once my shift is over."  He pulled away from the molly slowly, then turned and bounded out of the Herbal Cleft.  

Topika continued to stand even after he left, wondering why her ear tingled.  She also noticed that it seemed much colder without him standing by her.  She tilted her head in confusion.  Weird.