Drake's POV.

"Drake!" A voice called from behind me.
I sighed in frustration and turned towards Clawess and Arc. "What?" I growled coldly.
"I think I owe you an apology.." Clawess sighed, shuffling her paws a bit awkwardly.
"Whatever." I said, turning around to leave.
"Wait Drake. I know I overreacted and was quite rude back there and I'm sorry." She said, her voice sounded like she actually meant it. "Doesn't bother me anyways." I said. I padded a few steps away but I could hear pawsteps behind me.
Then I heard Clawess talking, from right behind me.
"You know, we're a lot alike." she said.
I raised a brow, then turned to face her. "And how's that?" I asked and she smiled a little. "We both try to help cats. I am known in this street as a hero because I always help others." She said and I raised both eyebrows this time. I had no idea.
"And you save cats from humans." She continued and I nodded.
"But in reality, we're both doing the wrong thing." she said and I opened my mouth to protest but she continued, leaving no gap for me to speak. "Because you are intruding into humans houses and forcing animals to leave! How do you know the cats didn't need the humans? Maybe they were injured and were being treated by the humans. Maybe they are lost and injured now because they don't know how to live in the wild!" she said and I had to admit that I hadn't thought of that. I always say they'll learn, but it is quite possible they could die before they even learn to catch a bug. Because they're too dependent on humans.
"And same with me.." Clawess sighed sadly.
I was interested to hear what she thought was wrong with being a streets hero.
"Well, as much as I tell myself it's the right thing to do, I know deep down that it isn't. Because the streets depend on me now! They'll go being daredevils because they think I'll always be there to save them. They don't make an effort to protect themselves because they think I'll always be there. But I fear the day when, I can't save them." Clawess said and I nodded, understanding what that must feel like.

"Now, I don't even have a friend, and I'm always being chased and trampled on by fans. I can't take it any more... So I'm just staying with those humans until they can't have me around any more, then I don't know what I'll do... Maybe find another human.." Clawess sighed.
I drew breath to reply when I heard something. I pricked my ears up and listened. It sounded like cats were coming towards us... A lot of cats.
I swung around to where I heard the cats, the other two following my gaze.  Arc jumped back in surprise and Clawess gasped. A stampede of cats ran our way, the one at the front yelled back to the others, "See guys, I told you I found Clawess!"

I turned to see Clawess with fear in her eyes. These were her fans...

Clawess's POV.

I watched wide-eyed and frozen as a stampede of fans ran towards me, cheering my name. There's too many, I can't run forever, I'll be trampled!, I thought then I recalled a time when a stampede of cats trampled me and injured my back legs. That was months back, but the thought still made me shiver.

"Clawess let's go!" Drake yelled and pushed me forward. I ran away from the stampede of fans, Drake and Arc on my tail. I turned into an alleyway, it was dark and dirty, but I knew alleys like these made the best escapes. At the end of an alley around these parts, there was normally a fence that I could climb over, and the cats were left tripping over themselves until I was a safe distance away. I ran past a few large dumpsters, and finally the end of the alleyway was in view. The only problem was, it was a dead end.
Me, Drake and Arc skidded to a hault.
"It's a dead end!" I exclaimed. Panic began to rise in my throat as I turned and saw at least twenty cats were running down the alley, and more ran behind them. I looked around for something I could use to escape, anything. But all there was was a row of dumpsters and two smaller bins beside me.

A feeling of despair began to arise in my heart, as I imagined being cornered while at least fifty cats surrounded me. I shut my eyes and braised myself, but to my surprise I heard Drake's voice call to me in a loud whisper. "Clawess, see those bins over there?" he asked, his voice urgent and fast. I opened my eyes and followed his gaze to the two smaller bins beside me.
"You and Arc get inside one." he said and I didn't question. He sounded like he had an idea, so I obeyed. I ran to a bin,  quickly grabbing Arc from beside me by the scruff, and throwing him on top. He opened the lid with his paw, just enough to squeeze in. I quickly jumped on top too, my back paws slipping on the wet bin lid, before I quickly regained balance. It was probably wet from earlier when it had been sprinkling. It wasn't sprinkling anymore but the sky was grey and full of clouds --a sign that it'd rain soon, maybe tonight. It was almost sunset now.

I gripped the edge of the lid with my paw and lifted it, then I slid inside the barely opened lid and into the bin. The familiar but nasty smell of garbage filled my nostrils and I felt my paws sink into something soft beneath them. I fought the urge to look at what I was standing on, knowing that wouldn't do me any good.

I waited for something to happen for a few seconds--which by the way felt like an eternity. Something hit the bin, more than one thing actually. Then I realised what it was, the cats were trying to climb up the bin. The lid creaked as someone tried to open it. I felt Arc edge closer to me, his soft pelt rubbing against mine. But then I felt a different force to all the cats clumsily climbing the bin. The bin was being rolled!

April Bluebird/BlueWhiskers1.
The Collered Victims.
Chapter 5; Stampede.
30/1/2020.
1104 words.