#Kayla 100000% would have taken him home and tried to help

[just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi]

Lost - Rudy

[Masterlist]

TW: Lost Whumpee, sprained ankle, falling from window, helplessness, learned helplessness,

Rudy hit the ground and rolled. The very moment after, a sharp pain shot up his right ankle. He had hit the ground hard, sure that the sound made its way up to Casey. He couldn’t make anymore, couldn’t cry out. He bit into his hand with a strangled whine. Oh, it hurt, it hurt so bad. Pain was pulsing through his ankle and up his leg, radiating out sharply. With tears in his eyes, he pressed his head and shoulder into the grass and whimpered again.

It didn’t help.

Finally, it seemed to relax a little bit, at least enough for Rudy to come back to his senses. He really had to get going, he had to get away. Carefully, putting as little weight on his ankle as he could, he got to his feet and looked around. Tentative steps proved successful, so the pet picked a direction and started walking.

Rudy went as fast as he could, streetlights reflecting on the wet asphalt. It was dark and cold, but he didn’t hear Casey behind him. He kept going, panting and sides burning painfully. Car lights appeared far ahead of him and scrambled behind a large trash bin. Logically, it couldn’t be Casey because it was coming from the wrong way. But, but still. He pressed one hand over his mouth, as if the stranger passing the car could hear his heavy breathing from inside.

It passed without issue.

When it was gone, Rudy whimpered to himself. That, that was stupid. He was lost, he was hurt, he couldn’t keep going like this. How was he going to get home if he didn’t find help? He didn’t know where he was, didn’t know where Master lived. Well no, he knew the words and numbers that people could use to find Master’s house, but he didn’t know how to use them. He was just a pet - he wasn’t supposed to be left alone like this in the big scary world.

Shakily, he rose and stood on the sidewalk. Part of his brain wanted him to keep running, to get as far from Casey’s house as he could before the man woke up, but he was already tired and sore and his ankle felt worse and worse with each step. He wouldn’t be able to go for long. With chattering teeth and his arms wrapped around himself for warmth, Rudy started to limp along.

Things didn’t seem to get better. He was always looking over his shoulder, tripping on rocks and cracks, passing by buildings more than once. He was lost, in more way than one. Wrapping his arms tighter around himself, he pleaded with his own body not to fall apart, not to start crying again. He was so thirsty, and hungry, and tired that he could barely keep himself up.

He had to find somewhere to hide, to sleep, just for a little bit. The people weren’t awake yet, he understood that as he wandered past closed doors and darkened stores. There was no one to find him in the middle of the night. He just had to wait.

Stumbling, he made his way down one of the alleys and crawled behind a disgusting dumpster. It smelled, but at least he knew Casey wouldn’t want to come back to here to look for him. There was a box back there that he flattened to at least keep off the concrete. It was no dog bed, but it was something to sleep on.

--

Rudy heard footsteps at the entry of the alley and he froze. He couldn’t decide - curl farther behind the dumpster and stay safe, or crawl out and allow himself to be found, to be taken home.

“Hello? I thought I saw someone back here. Is anyone there?” a female voice asked. The footsteps came closer and he heard a sigh.

He wanted to go home, he needed to get home. He needed someone to find him and save him from this absolute nightmare. With one more breath to steady himself, Rudy peered out.

“Oh he- hey,” the girl said, voicing pitching with concern after she saw the state of his face and hair. She tucked a strand of long brown hair behind one ear and crouched down closer to his level.

“What are the odds,” she muttered to herself before the focus moved back to Rudy. “You’re lost? Did your Master leave you back here?”

Rudy crawled out a little farther, heart spiking at even the implication Master would do something so horrible to him. “No! N-no, no he would never! Master would never! S-someone, someone else took me and I ran from him but then I got lost and… and-” his voice broke into a whimper, desperately trying to hold back more tears. His jaw was trembling.

“I just want to go home. Please, please take me home - I wanna go home. I have, it’s a - oh,” Rudy lifted his t-shirt to show her the code Master had put into his skin but it was messed up somehow. It looked like someone had taken a black marker to it, scribbling over it and making the lines useless. He didn’t remember Casey doing that.

That destroyed the last of his resolve and he sobbed. Curling over on his knees with his hands wrapped around his waist, Rudy cried into the concrete with huge, painful gasps. He was so tired. Tired of being hurt, and lost, and hungry, and cold, and alone. Everything hurt, from his bruises and scrapes down to his very heart. He knew deep down that it wouldn’t get better until he was back with Master and Clyde - where he belonged.

“Aw, sweetheart,” the woman started, reaching out to comfort him. Before she could, another voice echoed down the alley.

“Kayla? What are you doing back there?”

Kayla tensed, head swiveling back quickly. “I-”

“Pl-please,” Rudy managed, lifting his head to see another woman walking towards them. “Please, I want to go home. Please can you take me home?”

“Oh, you poor thing,” she started, joining Kayla on her knees.

“Maria! I, I was going to, to take him to the shelter on 5th street.”

Maria’s brow furrowed. “What? Don’t you still have like three clients this afternoon? You said your chair was booked. I just finished my last one, let me take him.”

“No!” Kayla cried out, a little louder than she meant to. “No, it’s fine, I was going to run an errand anyway. And I found him, so, uh, you know I want to make sure he’s safe.”

The other hairdresser looked at her quizzically for a moment before her face broke out in a conspiratorial smile. “Kayla,” she started, voice amused and accusing. “Were you going to try and take him home? I feel like you’d be the kind to pick up a stray.”

Rudy, who had been quietly watching until now nearly fell over in his dive towards Maria. No, nonononono please he wanted to go to the shelter - please take him to the shelter. That other woman, the brown haired one, would take him home and give him another collar and another name and he would never go back, never go home.

“N-no! Please! Please, please I want to go home. Please I have an o-owner, his name is Master Mason Driver and I know he’s looking for me. Please don’t steal me again I need, I need to go home.”

Maria put an arm around him and laid a hand on his head. “Shh, shh shh you’re okay. I promise Kayla’s not scary she’s just a too little soft-hearted for her own good. Come on, lets get you up and home.”

Enthusiastically, Rudy got to his feet and tried to hide behind her. Yes, yes yes yes. Home, he was going home.

Kayla watched them leave the alley and sighed heavily.

“Good job,” she said to herself. “Failed another one.”

~~

Tagging: @whumpingredroses @suspicious-whumping-egg @as-a-matter-of-whump @albino-whumpee @whumpeesblog