Red X: Catseye and Lil

[x-diamondlil.livejournal.com]

Lil and Catseye search the train for two missing students.



The scent of blood was sharp against the other smells Catseye encountered as she led Lil through the chaos at the wreck site. They'd run into the chaperone of a group of schoolchildren who couldn't find two of her students and the catgirl and the giant had promised to locate them, so Catseye was using her nose to try and scent them. "Think they're here or maybe they ran into the woods?" Catseye asked her companion.

"Don't know," Lil replied. Her sense of smell was no where near as evolved as the student's - nor any of her other senses, she was sure - but still the giantess kept keen eyes and ears alert for any sign of the missing children. "Depends if they're stuck or not. Other ones got out, didn't mention anyone left behind but if they were running for their lives, they wouldn't really look back to count heads, would they? If they're in the woods, someone else will find them; our job is to check here."

"Catseye likes the woods better," the purple-haired girl grumbled, "the air isn't yicky-smelling in the woods. And it is much quieter." She didn't know how much longer she could take the madness that was going on around her- the noises, the stenches of fear and blood, the sights... "Catseye is going to be a cat for a little while to check underneath the cars," she told Lil. It was highly doubtful that the children were under the overturned train cars, but it was worth checking to be away from the loudest of the noises and the worst of the smells as she dashed underneath the train.

Lil took a deep breath to settle herself as she watch the student shift and then disappear. "I like the woods better too," she mumbled. The possibility of trapped children was not a pleasant idea to dwell on. Instead, the giantess searched what she could; peeking through the wrecked cars at different angles but was careful not to touch anything for fear of causing a collapse that would trap Catseye as well. "Find anything or anyone?" Lil called out, not really expecting much of an answer beyond a meow - if she received one at all.

Popping up at the other end of the two fallen train cars and shaking some dirt and grit off of herself, Catseye shifted back. "Not anything or anyone," she muttered. "It is quiet under there though. Catseye likes it. There is too much blood here it hurts Catseye's nose, and Catseye still cannot smell the students yet."

"Is it because of the blood that you can't smell the students?" Lil asked as her brow furrowed. That could be a problem; too much blood masking the children's scents meant the possibility of serious injury. Or death. "I need you to focus really hard, Cats. I know the smells hurt your nose and there are a lot of people around doing lots of things that are loud and distracting but those kids and their teacher really need us to find them. So, I need you to tell me if it's the blood that is making you not be able to smell them."

"Yes," Catseye answered. "But Catseye does not think it is the children's blood. It is so many different kinds of blood that makes Catseye confused. From many people being hurt." She moved through a crowd of people helping someone off the damaged train, sniffing liberally. "Catseye thinks she can smell the children a little now. Back this way." She moved as delicately as possible back through the train. "DiamondLil should learn how to walk like a cat instead of a giant," she commented, "or more of the train might fall down." She was making a joke, but since it was such a rare thing, she wasn't sure if Lil would understand.

The blonde woman followed, her brow drawn slightly in confusion over the cat-girl's last statement. Humor? From Catseye? "Diamond Lil is walking as catlike as she can," Lil responded with a soft smirk. It was true, however; she was careful to walk as softly and lightly as possible for just that reason. "You find the kids, I'll let you teach me how to walk more like a cat," came the offer before the Canadian stooped to peek beneath a fallen luggage rack but found nothing.

"Too bad DiamondLil cannot become a cat," the purple-haired girl lamented thoughtfully. She stopped suddenly and began sniffing loudly. "Catseye smells the small person!" She bounded down the train car to a luggage compartment that had fallen onto a row of seats, knocking them over with its weight. Catseye knelt down in front of a small space created by the fallen seats. "DiamondLil! Catseye found one!" She flattened herself on the floor so she could inspect the situation more closely. "He is stuck under the seat and the shelf fell on top of the seat so he can't get out. DiamondLil needs to lift everything off!"

"Careful, Catseye," Lil replied, moving to where the student had parked herself. "Take a couple steps back for me, okay? I'll get him out." A little nod and encouraging smile and the blonde waited for Catseye to do as she asked before grabbing a hold of the twisted metal. "Could you tell if he was awake or not?" She couldn't tell if Catseye's nose would pick up the scent of death or not, so it was safer to ask the less dramatic question.

The catgirl inclined her head. "Of course he is awake! Can't DiamondLil hear him crying?" The sobbing was very quiet, however. It was possible Lil couldn't hear him. "Catseye will go make him feel better and make him not afraid when DiamondLil moves the things away." She shifted to catform and wriggled into the small space, purring encouragingly and snuggling down beside the child, licking his face with her rough tongue.

Lil sighed as Catseye disappeared under the wreckage before taking a long, deep breath. "I'm gonna get you outta there, okay? Just... hold onto the cat, okay? She won't hurt you." She may turn into a girl, but that was besides the point at that moment. The Canadian gave the crumpled metal one more look before grabbing a hold of the fallen luggage rack and muscling it out of the way enough so that she could get a grip on the two chairs under which he was pinned.

"It might be a little loud," she warned, not wanting to upset the boy anymore than he already was with the surprising screech and bang Lil suspected the wreck would make in protest to her attentions. "On the count of three, I'm gonna start, okay? One. Two. Three." The next sound she made was a loud grunt as the giantess used her bio-aura enhanced strength to push the collapsed seats away from each other until there was enough room for him and Catseye to crawl out.

Catseye nudged the boy as Lil moved the seats away- he seemed too scared to move even though the way had cleared. She wrapped her tail around his wrist and gave him a gentle tug to get him moving, adding a 'prrrrrt!' for emphasis. The boy scrambled up. There was some blood on his calf and forehead. "DiamondLil should carry him to his teacher," Catseye said, raising an eyebrow. "In case his leg or head are hurt. Catseye will check the rest of the train and if the other one is not there then she will check the woods."

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After carrying the boy off the train and to his teacher and nearby medics, Lil was about to turn back to the wreck when she spied a flash of purple disappearing into the cluster of trees nearby. "Musta caught a scent," she said to herself and with a nod to the injured kid, the giantess trotted off after her search party partner.

"Cats? Cats, you got something?" Lil called as she ducked branches and climbed over fallen logs and roots. "Catseye? Fuzzball, where are you?"

"DiamondLil!" The catgirl called out. "Catseye is up in a tree! Catseye found a little girl she climbed up in a tree because she was afraid but now she is too scared to come down so Catseye climbed the tree in catform but the little girl was afraid so Catseye shifted back to girlform and now Catseye is stuck because she does not want to shift back and scare the little girl but girlform cannot climb down!"

Blowing a tuff of blonde hair from her eyes, Lil looked up. Sure enough, there was the purple-haired girl with a young child. "Wonderful," she quipped to herself then extended her arms to the younger girl. "Come on down, Sweetie. I'll catch you," she told her, moving to stand below the low hanging branch. It wasn't much of a jump and Lil knew she wouldn't miss if she could convince the girl to do as she said. "You can do it. Just come on down."

Together, Lil and Catseye managed to coax the child into letting them help her and when her feet hit the ground, the giantess pointed in the direction of where her teacher was standing, visible through the treeline. The student gave a cry of relief and darted off before Lil could stop her, leaving the blonde woman to shake her head again then look up at her partner still perched on the branch.

"Why do I have the urge to call the fire department on you?" Lil asked as she reached her arms out again. "Come on, Fuzzball. Your turn."