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Rubble and ash coated the streets of the once Last City, familiar pathways now missing land markers and feeling like strange land. Places of memories and fond joy now gone, left to start decaying before rebuilding could happen. Traveling through the city was harder with Calus’s loyalists still roaming the streets, constant awareness of the surroundings mandatory, being skilled with a gun would work for the most part but being swarmed by cabal would eventually lead to being overpowered. Carefully, a lone Hunter made his way through the streets, sticking to shadows and using the rubble as walls. He kept a submachine gun tight in his hands as he snuck past a patrol group, a slight shake in his frame as he pushed onward.
While his own words of telling his friends to ‘Not do anything dumb’ had constantly been used in the past, he found himself foregoing his own words of caution, taking the risk to find his missing friend. When night had settled on the camp and dawn had eventually risen he’d taken it upon himself to go out despite all the warnings the rest of the clan had given him. He couldn’t- he wouldn’t just sit without knowing where Murdoc was. His head carried a constant throb, unable to heal, he wasn’t going to let that hold him back.
Hawk knew that night had the best cover, that that would have been the smart move, but maybe his guilt was starting to eat at him with the fact he didn’t know whether or not Murdoc was alive.
The ground that was covered gave him no signs of his friend, neither dead or alive, nor any signs that her ghost was taken out with the fight that went down. The last glimpse he remembered seeing was after the call to retreat had been ordered, he figured she’d made her way ahead or had taken a different path, not simply disappearing altogether. He steadily pushed on, not knowing exactly where to look, any spot they frequented was going to be gone. As the time slowly stretched closer to noon Hawk made the decision to head towards the guardian apartments, he was going to have to scavenge for supplies if he kept wanting to push on. The need to rehydrate and to put something in his body for nutrition was sinking in harder without the benefactors of the light.
Hawk was grateful now for Murdoc talking him into settling down in one of the apartment spaces, at least he knew the surroundings a lot better, and, hopefully, he could find his own supplies in the rubble he knew the building was going to be. He managed to get lucky as he navigated, missing patrols while keeping his eyes open in case any Psions were set up as snipers. When he did get to the building Hawk found himself having to parkour just to get up the stairs, the crumbling building worse than he’d prepared for. Halls and doors he’d made himself acquainted with were either completely gone or destroyed to the point of being scraps. His own apartment was dust and pieces of what it once was, he considered himself lucky to find a single canteen amongst the ruins.
The Hunter had turned, deciding to turn elsewhere in his search when a noise had been picked up by his ears. Soft mewling of a cat in distress, an almost familiar noise, almost due to the fact this mewl was in true desperation instead of begging.
“Ziggy?” Hawk whispered to himself before giving a glance around and calling the cat’s name, “Ziggy!”
He followed the noise, slinging the SMG on his back as he started prying chunks of rubble in search of the cat. Hawk’s own hope sparks back up, if he was able to find his best friend’s cat then maybe he could find her, or at the least, a piece of her still alive. He’d always criticized her attachment to the animal due to being a Guardian and the weight of having an attachment. His emotions really were doing the talking as he felt the guilt of saying such things wash over him.
“Ziggy! Puss, puss! Kitty, kitty!” He called desperately, following the noise further.
Hawk grabbed a hold of a good sized piece of rubble, planting his feet firmly as he used a chunk of strength to dislodge it, his bicep and shoulder muscles straining. Light shimmered from the gap already forming, making him put all his strength into removing the obstacle out of his way. From the hole created a pair of green cat eyes stared at him with the light of a Ghost eye behind him. Hawk reached forward, going to scoop up the cat when a hand grabbed him. He let out an undignified yelp as he scrambled backwards before realizing hitting him.
“Murdoc?!” He questioned, launching himself forward as he realized.
The minimal area of a hiding hole created in the middle of the rubble was being held up with her own body, both of her companions safe in the hollow area she made.
Hawk made a motion, trying to figure out what exactly to do as Murdoc spoke up in a winded hoarse voice, “Grab Gojo and Ziggy… can’t… can’t keep this up.”
He did as told, watching as her resolve waivered and her body buckling, the shift causing more rubble to fold onto her, dust causing him to turn away. A moment later her ghost revived her.
“You’re alive… or I should say you lived…” Hawk spoke in disbelief.
“You thought I would die so easily?” Murdoc spoke, tone playful.
He looked down at the cat in his arms before looking again to his best friend, “You came back… for your cat?”
“No one else was going to… I thought I had enough time when they called for a retreat… There wasn’t really a true evac’ plan either…”
“How’d you get stuck under the rubble- how long were you under there?”
“I was spotted and should have been a little more careful. Building was going down as it was when artillery caused it to crumble quicker. I followed the basics, stopped in one stop, tried to find a stable area… I don’t know how long to be honest… I know I was in a lot of pain from the weight, even with my light and healing it still hurt.”
Hawk went silent, trying not to speak with emotions but couldn’t help what was bubbling up inside.
“Are you mad at me?” Murdoc asked him.
“Yes and no… I wish you didn’t go alone…” He answered simply, “It was a bit reckless of you.”
“I understand… I’m sorry I made you worry.”
“It’s better now that you’re actually alive, partner.”
Murdoc opened her arms and Hawk fell into them with a hug, a wriggling cat between them.
“Don’t do anything like that again, ya half wit.” He spoke with his head against her shoulder.
“Of course…”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”