Kitty sat quietly and listened to the sounds around her. Doc tried his best to adjust his bandages and with a heavy sigh he resigned to just sitting and hoping for the best. "Doc?" Kitty's soft voice broke the silence.
"What is it Kitty?" his deeper voice was filled with sorrow over the current situation. His eyes blinked at her's.
"Listen..." she whispered.
Doc tried but all he was hearing was the cool evening wind rustling through the prairie grass. "What am I supposed to be listening to?"
"I...I think I hear water running..." Kitty stood and took several steps in the direction of the sound. "Doc! Over there! A stream!" she hurried back to help Doc to his feet. "We can drink water!"
Doc groaned as he stood. He was weak from both the head injury and the attack. "I hope we don't have to go far, Honey. I don't feel well and I'm getting dizzy..." He swayed and Kitty steadied him. "Come on Doc, just a few feet and then you can rest." she urged him along the short distance to the babbling brook.
Once they reached the stream, Kitty help her old friend settle down. "Now you rest." she ordered and she knew that Doc wasn't feeling well when he didn't argue back. "I'll get some water." she opened the doctor's medical bag and looked for something, anything that would hold liquid. The small enamelled basin would have to do so Kitty took it to the stream and rinsed it thoroughly before filling it with cool clear water.
Kitty slowly walked back to Doc who sat back and leaning on a rock. She knelt and handed him the container and helped him put it to his mouth. "Drink it all, Doc. You need it." He nodded and sipped at the water which cleared his dry throat. "Oh, that's good..." he said with satisfaction. "Here," he placed empty the dish in Kitty's hands, "you get some now..." Kitty smiled and headed back tot he stream with only the moonlight to guide her way.
Kitty came back and sat next to the doctor. She had taken several drinks down at the stream. "Here, you have more" she handed the dish to Doc. He didn't argue and took the vessel and drank the contents.
"It's gonna be another cool night. We don't have the trees for shelter this time..." Kitty looked up into the dark blue sky as the stars started to poke out. Doc watched her with interest. "You're amazing, you know that?" he said.
Kitty looked back at him and smirked. "And just where did that come from?" she almost chuckled at the comment.
Doc ran his hand over his moustache and blinked at Kitty. "From the heart mostly. Any other woman out here would have been a sobbing mess. But not you. I bet if you could you'd throw me over your shoulder and carry me out of here...and likely know where you're going too..." Doc mused at his own expense.
Kitty smiled and place her hand on Doc's arm. "You're no slouch yourself."
Doc laughed. "Oh, good. We're now members of the "mutual admiration society" of Kansas."
Their laughter was cut short by the growl of the large cat in the distance. Doc and Kitty pulled closer together and listened. "Doc what do we do now?" Kitty whispered while holding the doctor tightly.
Doc looked around at their surroundings and shook his tired head - he was utterly bereft of ideas.
The large cat stopped and listened. It layed down and licked the wound in its hind quarter. It could smell and hear them down near the stream as its ears rotating at the sounds and nostrils sniffed the air. The cougar decided to rest and wait.