People seemed to like the last little drabble that I wrote, so this one is a little bit longer. OAO Hopefully people still like it.

There was once a cat in my yard being attacked by crows, so my father threw a rock and scared the crows away. Since then, the cat has been hanging around the house and I feed it whenever I see it- although it's still a stray, we're good friends.

So this little story is loosely inspired by that… Because we all know that Luke wouldn't be able to resist an animal in need.

This first chapter is sorta dry, I admit, and short, but I felt it important to get in because it sets the basis for later chapters. It'll get better/funnier as the story progresses if all goes well.

XOXOXO

It didn't matter whether it was day or night—in the city of London, everything was always lit up. From the metallic surfaces of parked cars that glowed in the sunlight they reflected, to the neon signs filling the windows of shops and restaurants, it was almost as if the city was perpetually shining like the sun. Every color of the spectrum danced and bounced off the eye perpetually; they glowed from streetlamps that dotted the roads, and shimmered on the Thames that made the light sparkle.

Amidst the ballet of the city's glow, the people of London followed their respective routines flawlessly. Jabbering and bustling, they never missed a cue to head to work or crowd the market—always at a specific place at a specific time. They drove and weaved and slid past each other, with the same curses, the same grumbles, the same greetings and laughter- a perfect choreography coupled with the light.

It really had an eerie beauty, the way the city danced endlessly in that same performance everyday… But sometimes the clockwork functioning of industry just made one hunger for nature—to see the wind whip through the trees and the animals scurry about. No control, just natural chaos.

It was really a silly notion, Luke knew. He'd lived in London when he was very young after all, so he should have been used to its busyness… but his earliest memories were of the much more rural town of Misthallery. That place had its own share of bustle and buildings to be sure, but it hadn't been as strict as London; the people were more laid back and, more importantly, there was always a variety of plants nearby to make it feel more homely.

…Of course, London had the Professor, and Luke wouldn't have given up being his apprentice for all the trees in the world. On days when he felt particularly homesick, his solution was usually to take a detour on the way home from school. Hyde Park was quite large and filled with greenery, and whenever he passed through, he always managed to spy a rabbit or a chipmunk going about its way; even though he had to double back a bit to get to the Professor's flat afterwards, walking through the park always brightened Luke's day.

On that particular walk home from school however, the young apprentice ended up with a little bit more than he'd bargained for.

He'd decided to take a shortcut over the grass once a fine mist had started to turn to rain, but a strange set of noises stopped him in his tracks. It wasn't uncommon to hear a crow or two in the park, but so many at once piqued his interest—they were really excited, he could tell, but about what he couldn't quite make out. Luke strained his ears, hoping to find some answers, but to no avail—he'd have to investigate further if he wanted to get to the bottom of things.

So he'd followed the sound, straining his ears in an attempt to triangulate its location. As he got closer, he was able to make out the caws of about five crows—give or take—that seemed to be talking about food… And there was one other sound that he made out when he finally reached the foot of the tree where all the commotion was at: the soft, desperate, cry of a tiny kitten. Luke squinted upwards through the mist.

The feline appeared to have snagged someone's sandwich and scampered up the tree with it, where the crows, taking advantage of its immobility, had ganged up on the cat in the hopes of stealing the meal; they pecked and battered relentlessly, ignoring the poor thing's cries to be left alone. Luke's gaze narrowed.

"Back off you bloody scavengers!" He shouted, grabbing a rock near his feet and throwing it in their direction, "Leave him alone!" The crows cawed more wildly, but the intrusion of a projectile into their midst forced them to scatter, and in a cluster of feathers and startled flapping, they made their escape. Unfortunately, the chaos also served to knock their victim off its roost as well, and Luke watched in horror as the kitten plummeted towards the ground, mewling pitifully.

He flung his bag off his shoulder and instinct took over as he leapt, holding the soft satchel out before him in the hopes of breaking the creature's fall. The wind was knocked out of him as he his stomach hit the ground hard, and everything became disoriented until he heard the soft 'thump' of his target landing. Then all was still, save for the soft song of the rain.

A long moment passed before Luke finally regained his wits. He peeled his hat away from his eyes, then breathed a notable sigh of relief—the cat had landed safely. "But…" The smile slid off his face as he pulled himself into a sitting position and examined the scene more closely. It was a relief that the tiny little thing had survived such a fall, but it was holding its front right paw before it as if it was hurt—it didn't even seem to have the ability to scamper off of his bag and over to where the sandwich had fallen nearby…

Luke looked around, but he knew that this creature was undoubtedly a stray. It wouldn't have had to steal food if it had an owner, and its fur wouldn't be so matted either… He picked up the sandwich and deposited it near the kitten, only half watching as it attacked the food eagerly.

"The Professor would never let me take in a cat." He thought, putting a hand to his chin thoughtfully, "But this little guy can barely handle himself on a good day—he'll never make it if he can't walk!" Maybe his mentor's answer would be different this time then. After all, a true gentleman never abandoned someone in need… right?

The cat meowed hopefully, casting its doe-like eyes up at Luke in a plea for more food, and right then the apprentice knew that the decision had been made for him. How could anyone say no to a face like that?

"All right all right!" He exclaimed, gently picking up the kitten and flinging his bag back over his shoulder as he did so, "But I'll never be able to keep you unless you behave, so you gotta be quiet okay?"

The cat meowed loudly in reply.