Quaintpaw, Giliapaw, Fern && Shine, Palepaw, Pinekit ect[/i][/size]
Moon:
Wholesome darkness filled his mind as Quaintpaw started to doze off as he sat mindlessly and pointlessly in the apprentice’s den. There was rarely even a slight flutter in the airflow at the moment, so he was rather bored. The usual wind that continuously occupied him seemed to have died or gone on another journey to a far away land, leaving the young cat feeling half empty without his usual companion of nature. In addition to that, Quaintpaw felt even more empty as his hummingbird Companion Yow continued to ignore him. As his thoughts began to close, his mind began to open to the world above. Mysterious voices filled the air, in languages he knew and languages he didn’t. Hauntingly familiar cries of pain filled his mind, as did unfamiliar meows of gratitude. He could hear those words that he had heard before his blindness, faint yet as sharp as an eagle’s talon. “You will pay for what you have done…” Came the hiss of anger, “A punishment worse than death, as you shut my comrades from the light of day…” It began to fade, “You will never again see the glow of the sun…”
Suddenly his eyes flew open though nothing changed, it was pure darkness still but the buzz of life began to reach him. The wind had returned at full blast, and he could feel Yow rustling on his head giving him a peck every once and a while. Slowly but gradually Quaintpaw took in a deep breath, then let out an even larger sigh. His large ears swerved to the left, then to the right. Closing his eyes as the slightest hint of a cat approaching. Having one kit knowing his secret was good enough. He wasn’t sure if he was happy to have the young she-cat as a friend, or if he regretted it. Just then she entered. Quaintpaw was sitting, lurking, observing from the farthest darkest corner of the den and she turned up. He could feel her hesitate, then he heard her call for Palepaw. Just before she disappeared she shot a glance right where he was. Sending chills up his spine, and that same feeling charged toward the wall of mist blocking emotion from his eyes.
That was one thing that could keep him occupied. This feeling that emerged every once and a while. Or rather every time he saw Pinekit, or rather felt her presence. Or rather… wait. That was it. Whenever he felt her around, it sent chills up his pine and a feeling charging toward his eyes. What was it? Dread? Fear? Maybe hostility? He blinked. It wasn’t fear, he knew that. He knew what fear felt like. Hostility… no. Never before had hostility sent chills up his spine. Dread? It was possible. This feeling sent butterflies in his stomach, like before when there was the spy cat. Whenever he had confronted her, chills ran up his spine and butterflies of fear and nervousness (xD) filled hi stomach. That was, he concluded, the true sign of a traitor.
But him… feeling dread towards Pinekit? How, why? Was it possible? A tiny flame of fear, guilt, and regret slowly developed in Quaintpaw’s head. If that was true… if Pinekit really was a spy. What had he done? He had taught an enemy a technique that could almost guarantee victory. But slowly that tiny fire began to die out, he just couldn’t imagine the kit as a traitor. He could remember only a few days ago. Her determination, curiosity, and most of all, innocence. She couldn’t possibly be a threat, and according the Quaintpaw, that was that.
Yawning slightly Quaintpaw’s mind slowly once again began to be enveloped by darkness. The thoughts that usually filled his head fled in fear, and unfamiliar thoughts entered in their place. This time nothing he knew was around him. There were faint whispers in a language he dared not try to comprehend, in voices that didn’t even seem mortal. They were far of but strong, majestic but held authority, welcoming and kind but all the while sent chills of fear up and down his spine. Some of the sounds didn’t sound like words at all, as if they were just odd noises created by the wind against some non-existent spirit of some sort. At first the voices were slow, relaxed, and welcoming. Then gradually they sped up and he could catch a hint of fear in them. They slowly began to sound as if they were moving away, but their voices got louder and louder as if they were more and more stressed by the moment. Then there came a sound, he didn’t know what it was, but he knew something had been attacked. For the sound was filled with the sharp element of pain that he could detect from anywhere. He twisted and turned looking about, but to no avail. He couldn’t see the slightest thing, through his eyes or ears. Nothing was there, nothing at all. Quaintpaw padded forward on and on in the direction the sounds originally came from for what seemed like forever. Then finally something changed, not exactly what you might say he would have wanted, but something changed. Instead of the soft moist air that had been under his paws for so long there was nothing. He scrambled backwards in fear but it was too late. He was falling. Then his mind went blank.
When Quaintpaw awoke he was slightly dazed. Scrambling to his paws he sat upright once again. Apparently he had fallen asleep, and fallen to the ground. Blinking slightly he yawned, swerving his ears to get the general area of where he was and who was there. The apprentice den seemed empty, and yes. He was still in the apprentice den. He yawned before getting onto all four paws getting ready to exit the den. But just as he was about to take his first step, something odd changed. The pressure in the air all around him began to take shape into different feelings. Disbelief, fear, curiosity, hate, and disgust were only a few of them. Though what caught him off guard the most was the fact that Pinekit had just re-entered the camp and that two unfamiliar cats were following her along with Palepaw. Shaking his head in confusion he studied the two unfamiliar cats with detail.
One remained completely unknown, while the other… was slightly familiar. Where had he seen that cat? Digging deep within his mind Quaintpaw searched for an answer, coming up with one only moments later. This cat had been the one that Goldenpaw had tried to fight with her injured leg. It was the one that he himself let free. Narrowing his eyes with regret he sighed. Well, whether the cat remembered him or not. He would make him remember somehow. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath Quaintpaw studied their course. They were headed straight toward the medicine cat den. Nodding his head in approval he slipped out of a hidden entrance to the apprentice den that he himself had developed and trekked his way toward the medicine cat’s den. When he arrived he received what he assumed to be a surprised and slightly annoyed look from Giliapaw, and as soon as he sat down she opened her mouth to say something. But he cut her off meowing coolly. “I will not leave until I speak with our guests.”
He heard a slightly angry sigh from Giliapaw before she turned away replying, “As soon as you speak with them. Get out.” Smiling slightly all he did was dip his head in respect to wait for the four cats to arrive.
Swift:
Without sparing a glance to Fern or Red, Pinekit gave Palepaw and Flamekit a meaningful glance and surged towards the Medicine Den, feeling her body start trembling with nervousness. The looming cave suddenly seemed that much larger and more forbidding, and even from near the other side of the camp she could smell the sickness radiating from it. As they neared close and closer, doubts wormed their way into her mind and she almost skittered away. What if she had the wrong herb, and Giliapaw got mad at her? Pumpkinkit died? Oakface blamed her for the death? She was only a kit, and had been sent out into the forest for a warrior’s mission. Usually she would be excited about the prospect, and at the start she had been, but now she was just frightened that she had failed, which was a large possibility. The dark tabby was lucky to have run into Palepaw, for he knew the forest from his outings with her siblings, but both didn’t exactly know the herb. The white tom was fairly certain they had the right one, but it was so easy to be wrong. Too easy.
Glancing up, Pinekit sought out the small, tired form of Gabriel fluttering overhead with the catmint in his claws. It wasn’t catmint. She had failed the clan, her brother, her mother, her sister. Herself. Panic seized her body and the kit quickly shut her eyes, wishing she could block the thoughts out. Block them out, lock them away. Tell them to leave. Pawstep after pawstep she walked to the Medicine Den, ears laid back and moss in mouth. Go away. Never bother her again. Just like Quaintpaw. When the two had trained together, he had been able to focus on one thing, ignoring all others. She was however, a ball of jumbled thoughts and miscommunication like a bad radio and by the time she finally reached her destination, she was dizzy from all the crossed signals. Flamekit, noticed her ungainly step with a fleeting frown, surged forwards and pressed against her side comfortingly, even if his mind was directed to the den in front of them. “C’mon,” he whispered in her ear. “You can make it.” Just go away, and leave. Pinekit swallowed and nodded to her ginger-colored brother, quickly stopping before the gloom of the Medicine Den.
Behind her trailed in Palepaw, who had not let any of her sudden, insecure body signals fly by him. He was concerned, and was fairly certain it was because of her sister. What else would it be about, when the entire day had been about the poor Pumpkinkit? All the discomfort he and the small kit had gone through - sore paws, at least an hour away from the camp, confusion, worry, dirty pelts, rogues - was for the beautifully intelligent Pumpkinkit. A weak cry emitted from the Medicine Den, unmistakably the one he was thinking about, and all three perked up their ears. Sorrow flashed through Palepaw’s eyes, mingled with fear and shock. How quiet it was, so wracked with pain. Helplessly, he lashed his tail and padded up quickly to joined Pinekit’s side and she nodded to him. The three, once littermates, but now separated by age and destiny, entered the cave.
The dark, so drastically different than the bright sun outside, momentarily blinded the young cats and they blinked in confusion while their Companions quickly followed in behind them, relieved to be out of the hot. Pinekit glanced around, blinking furiously until her eyes grew accustomed to the dark, noting that both Goldenpaw and Hailpaw lay where they had last time she was here. She let her gaze travel a bit farther to see Pumpkinkit laying on her side, breathing shallowly and twitching occasionally.
Unlike when she left however, her mother was staring at Giliapaw with contempt and such an extreme dislike that it alarmed the kit. What on earth happened? Trying to suppress the shivers in her body, Pinekit stepped forwards hesitantly towards the Medicine Cat Apprentice, then she noticed another figure lurking in the shadows. Eyes opened impossibly wide as she dropped the moss, crying out, “Quaintpaw!” while quickly scampering over to him, moss forgotten.
Flamekit blinked in her direction, entirely bewildered at the outburst. She knew Quaintpaw? The kit didn’t know the other tom very well, but was somewhat creeped out by him. The Apprentice rarely spoke, and had a strange, brooding aura that put the orange-colored cat’s pelt on end. Then there were the eyes, the freaky, black, bottomless eyes that seemed to stare right into the soul; Quaintpaw had told him only yesterday that it was from some salves that Giliapaw gave him, but it didn’t make them any less forbidding. Looking around him, the kit noticed he wasn’t the only one slightly confused by her apparent joy at seeing him. Palepaw had padded over to Pumpkinkit and was sitting protectively close to her with his tail curled neatly around once white paws, but was staring at the dark tabby with confused eyes that missed nothing. He could sense the affection, and almost smiled. So. She had found a friend.
Flamekit, still bewildered, and almost mad at her, ripped his gaze away and tip-toed towards his sick sister, feeling bile rise up in his throat as he neared. Quickly, he spat out the moss as a precaution, then stepped past it, staring down at her limp form. She was so… still. So frail looking. Almost in fear, the tom’s paws tingled and he skittered to the side slightly, but his eyes were frozen on her.
She was lying on her side, rather than upright when he saw her last, and didn’t make much moving save for the weak rise and fall of her chest. He could smell the rank scent of illness, and it fired away at his glands, but he didn’t run away like last time. Even the heat from her body could be felt from where he stood. Suddenly, feeling his heart break, Flamekit rushed forwards and lay beside her, nosing her face and neck. Oakface looked like she wanted to protest, as she was pushed out of the way, but seeing the siblings side-by-side, she said nothing. Instead, the queen locked eyes with Giliapaw with a locked jaw and nodded curtly before rising to her feet and padding daintily out. Palepaw, with one last longing look to the kit, also left.
“Say something,” Flamekit was murmuring to the kitten with utmost gentleness, still nosing his way through her fur. Under the sickness lingered her own spicy scent and her embraced it like a lifeline, clinging onto the false hope that she had just come down with whitecough. “Please Pumpkinkit, just breath in my ear. Let me know you’re okay. Please…” Desperate, he licked her muzzle, still pressed against her side, despite the uncomfortable heat. She muttered something intelligible, causing Flamekit to look up at the Medicine Cat Apprentice with fearful eyes. “Will she live? Gabriel brought the catmint, and we got moss…” He indicated with his tail a small pile of the plants. Gabriel had dropped the herbs on top of the moss, leaving with Palepaw and not lingering to confirm they had the right things. “Tell me she’ll be okay.” His eyes flickered to Pinekit who sat at Quaintpaw’s side, sadness in her own gaze.
Kei:
Shine let his small paw touch the campgrounds. He wanted to believe that they'd let him join the Clan, which he'd wanted to do since he saw how brave that kit was, but he knew they wouldn't. He was just a kittypet according to the Clans, and no one would want a kittypet slowing them down, right?
The light was constantly leaving Shine's eyes, and he just wanted to curl up and die, he felt so horrible. In fact, he lay down, curled up, and prepared for the Clan Cats to come and kill him, as he /was/ indeed a trespasser.
Moon:
Slowly the tension built up as more resentful glares of hate reached her. She could feel the younger cats trembling with something that was similar to doubt, perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to follow this kit. It might be a trap. Narrowing her eyes she sent a hiss of defiance at any cats that dared approach her. Pawstep by pawstep she proceeded through the camp, following the questionable kitten. This kitten could be leading her toward her goal, or she could be leading her toward her death. The chances looked grim that she was being led toward her goal, as it seemed this kit was leading her toward a dark hole at the far end of the camp. Perhaps there was an ambush waiting for her inside… what she was doing was against all that she had been taught as a youngster. She acknowledged that, still. There was a chance that she could be padding right on toward her goal.
Her head and tail held high she continued forward, her mind flying with thoughts that concerned her well being. Then suddenly, the kit came to an abrupt stop and the others followed as a result. Fern, naturally being at the back of the line, wondered what was taking so long. Why had they stopped? Was there a problem? Glancing past the other cats she could see nothing that would cause this delay. So… what was it? Before she could come up with some Twotail (hehe… I like that term) of a story the group of cats continued, soon entering the darkness of the cave.
Though their procession was indeed slow, Fern was slightly grateful. For as soon as she entered the cave the atmosphere suddenly changed from hostility, to a very, very strong feeling of loathing. When they proceeded farther into the cave the feeling grew stronger and stronger, until a cat padded past her almost causing her to fall to her knees. (What else am I supposed to say!? XD) Then that feeling disappeared. Still unable to see anything she could hear a faint squeal of, “Quaintpaw!” Then slowly, the cats began to spread and her eyes opened wide at the sight. All around her were herbs and a few cats too. Blinking slightly she wondered if this was what made a clan so strong was it’s medical advantages. But it was easily swept away by the fact that one of the middle-aged cats hurried toward one of the kits on the far end of the den.
Then there were two sleeping cats, a cat busily working with herbs, and a cat next to the kit she had followed along with the cats she had accompanied on the journey. She guessed that the cat next to the kit, was Quaintpaw. Just looking at him sent chills up her spine. But then as she heard the cat named Quaintpaw speak her whole body froze, as if a cool blast of wind and snow mixed together had suddenly attacked her. She swiveled her ears toward him only catching a few words. “Sorry… Pinekit… I need to speak… her.” She turned her head to face the tom once again, to see him staring straight at her.
She tried to take a step back, but she was still frozen to the spot. The tom nudged the kit, Pinekit she had heard him say, toward the injured kit, Pumpkinkit she presumed, then started padding toward herself. She only managed to step back a kitstep before he reached her and meowed lowly. “Who are you?” Startled by the question, she shook her head. She had expected some hostility in her voice, or curiosity… or maybe wonder. But there was nothing. Not a single bit of emotion. But before she was able to answer a fearful and truly emotion filled question rang through the air. The poor kit. Something was wrong with her, and she guessed that this other tom kit was worried sick about her too. For he asked a surely pain bringing question.
“Will she live?”
Fern couldn’t even guess what he was going through for he seemed greatly distressed. She dipped her head to the side in wonder, the bonds inside a clan truly were strong. Her stomach gave a lurch though, as the she-cat who was silent until then replied sadly. “Flamekit… I really don’t know. I’ve never seen this before. Ever. I really don’t think.. anyone has.” Then without any further adieu she got to her paws and meowed loudly. “Everyone uninjured, out.” Fern slowly padded outside leaving the records of the story in Quaintpaw’s mind.
As everyone slowly left Quaintpaw was left by the she-cat. She seemed familiar.. He didn’t know why. Perhaps he had come across her in the woods before, without knowing it. Scrambling to his paws he turned to look after her, but she was gone. He turned around to face Pinekit, but only for a moment before Giliapaw interrupted testily. “Quaintpaw, that means you too.” Without another word he dipped his head and left just as the sun went down.
Fern- My Death[/i][/size]
Moon:
Her tail flying about wildly behind her Fern leapt over a log with much more enthusiasm she’d had in ages. Rested on her muzzle was a smug smile, a well-deserved one at that. As she padded aimlessly about the Horizonclan territory she felt very accomplished. Soon she would be a warrior, and maybe possible even get a companion. The smug smile faded into a dreamy look as she stopped moving forward and stared at the sky, her eyes gleaming like stars. Thoughts raced through her head. Even thinking about having a companion sent chills of pleasure up her spine.
Me? Have a companion? Never. She repeated over and over again. She didn’t want to be let down when the time came when she knew if she would get one or not.
Humming, or something close to it, a song that just popped in her head, she padded even deeper into the forest territory. She didn’t look exactly like she had expected that she would look on the day she became an official clancat. She looks rather dirty, and the gleam to her fur was gone. Though it looked far better and less shabby than it had looked when she was with the ‘RRG’ it wasn’t what the clancats had looked before. Perhaps it was due to the weather, but still. A whole clan like this should be able to manage at least a few scraps in the fresh kill pile. She hadn’t eaten for the past two days, trying to look slim for her ceremony, but as her stomach gave a low growl it reminded her of how hungry she was.
She felt as if she had a hole in her stomach, like claws were raking through her insides. It hurt to walk, to jump, let alone move fast enough to catch any prey. But she was determined. She needed to have energy today. She narrowed her deep blue eyes trying to focus on hearing or scenting prey. Nothing, nothing at all. This was just ridiculous. Taking in a deep breath she let out a sigh that she’d been waiting to let out for a long, long time. She could say almost anything freely now; she didn’t have to fear instant death if she took one pawstep out of line. She was free from the ‘RRG’ yet, she was disappointed. Was it because she didn’t know what it meant to TRULY be part of a clan? Her goal had been to become a part of the clan, to join and be like the loyalist of the loyal. She was on her way there; she could feel she was near the end of the path that she kept following. But something was blocking her way, something was keeping her. A wall? Perhaps. Or maybe…
A silence suddenly stilled the forest, all that she could detect was the faint rustle of leaves in the chilly wind. Not that it was much different from before, the small changes seemed as big as could be. The faint and rare but present bird calling had disappeared, leaving cold static in the air. The earlier aura of a bright and shining winter day vanished, and though the thought of it being winter already was scary, the aura that replaced it was even more gruesome and fear bringing. All the sunshine seemed to disappear, and all lights of hope ran away from the darkness. Evil was coming. She could feel it. There was a rustle in the bush in front of her.
Don’t worry, it’s just a rabbit or something. She told herself, but the odds were against that excuse, she hadn’t seen any prey the whole time she’d been out.
Then it’s the wind! She thought frantically, making up any excuse that came to mind.
Once again her common sense rebuked her fearfully, the trees were too thick for the wind to possibly make such an unnatural rustle as that. She took a step back, her eyes wide with fear. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen this coming. She should’ve expected them to come. Then there was a rustle behind her, she whipped around and froze as she came face to face with the ugliest thing she’d ever seen. She cowered with fear as it towered over her, all the while she was whimpering. “Please Carcus, please oh please… leave me alone, have mercy…” Her blue eyes were dotted with tears at it proceeded toward her letting out a cold and shrill laugh before meowing.
“This is it Fern.” It’s eyes gleamed with hatred, “To tell you the truth. I never even liked you. It’ll be good to see you gone.” It paused, “And even better because I get to do the honors.” Then, prowling toward her, a smug smile took form. She tried to yowl for help, but there seemed to be something caught in her throat. She could hear it unsheating it’s claws and she closed her eyes in fear. Not daring to look at the cat, no she was right before, it wasn’t a cat it was a thing, that was going to kill her. She waited and waited and waited until she heard it say. “Pity you see? That you’ll die before Red dies. And I was sooooo hoping to kill him before your eyes.”
At that moment Fern stopped breathing, opened her eyes and stared at Carcus. Red… she had completely forgotten about him… and with that thought she felt excruciating pain and the yowl that had been building up inside her was released echoing throughout the forest, that yowl was the last thing she heard until everything went black. She’d fainted.
Swift:
Reaching out
Can you hear me?
I said I’m reaching out
But no one's near me.[/i]
It isn’t what it seems. It’s not what it seems. Over and over again Flamepaw thought those words as he soundlessly padded through a particularly bare part of the forest, a usual grey expression clouding his face. The ginger-pelted apprentice was supposed to be out with his mentor, but more often than not, he escaped to hunt on his own. The hunts however, rarely turned out that way as he usually just fell into deep, depressive thoughts of mulling over the sickness of his twin. For a moon now the gentle, but sassy she-cat had been confined to the Medicine Den, weak and at the best, hardly responsive. It was horrible seeing her that way, but even worse, not seeing her. Nightstorm and Giliapaw didn’t like allowing visitors in fear of the sickness spreading, but he had sat with her at least a few times. An angry Medicine Cat couldn’t keep him away.
The sickness was strange though, temperamental even. There would be days when Pumpkinkit would be sitting up and fairly alert. She sometimes even spoke, especially on the ones when he was there. However, on others, she would be at the worst like the initial day she fell ill, coughing and yowling in a paralysed pain. The small white moth that usually provided her comfort had been missing since then too, though warriors had searched. As if she wasn’t in enough anguish, Flamepaw thought angrily, flicking his tail at a fern he passed by. His own Companion had been acting a bit different too, flying further than ever and quite commonly in silence. The latter was weird in itself without the far distances, as the butterfly usually didn’t shut up, but it was more than just a silence. It was almost as if he was listening to something far off that even the tom’s keen hearing could catch.
Dejectedly, Flamepaw raised his head to glance around and his already cloudy face deepened even more when he didn’t see his red butterfly nearby. He couldn’t sense him either, a feeling that had only recently been cut off. Even since birth it had felt like there was a thread connecting the two that provided limited insight into what the other was thinking, but it was suddenly like there was a wall in the way. He knew the connection was still there, but yet it wasn’t… something, natural or supernatural, was blocking it and Flamepaw felt as thought a part of him had died. Along with the other part where Pumpkinkit usually lay.
With a pang, Flamepaw recalled his apprentice ceremony from just a few days ago, a day he had dreamed and imagined countless time, but each vision with Pumpkinkit standing beside him. Only in his nightmares was she not there, yet somehow when the actual day arrived, it had not been his dreams that prevailed, but rather the opposite. Standing before the clan, waiting to find out who his mentor would be had felt as though StarClan turned their backs on him. Pumpkinkit, the one he shared all his adventures with, had not been with him at the start of his biggest adventure yet, and all the ceremony had felt like a failure.
As a newly-made apprentice, Flamepaw technically wasn’t allowed to be out of the camp by himself, especially with how far he was, but given his state of mind he didn’t really care. The tom enjoyed his bouts of freedom that let him mope in peace. The silence of the forest was calming and lonely, though the loneliness was welcome for him. So far he had not been told off and he hoped it stayed that way, despite that he had most likely not been noticed quite yet. After all, he was still pretty much a kit, and his mother was now an elder. She didn’t send warriors after him anymore.
Even with his like of the silence, today seemed a little different. As the ginger tom padded through the trees rather slowly, he actually couldn’t hear the usual background noise. Instead it was a deafening stillness as if the forest had died, leaving him as the only live creature left to wander. His Companion was gone, the song of the birds, the rustling of leaves, the scurry of prey; everything had disappeared, leaving Flamepaw utterly alone. Fear constricted his fragile heart and the apprentice, suddenly quite present in reality and not thoughts, looked around wildly for a sign of life. Then, a small scuffling and a whisper of words dripping with fear. Relieved to hear something, he hurried towards the sound, but slowed to a halt as he spotted Fern and another cat. He didn’t recognize the ugly tom, but by the looks of things, Fern did and she wasn’t happy to see him. He stared at the scene with bewildered eyes, glued to the spot.
“Fern!” He cried, snapping out of his reverie and dashing towards her. His movements were too slow however as the other cat got hold of the new HorizonClan member first, hitting her head cruelly with his claws and she screamed with pain. The yowl, a screeching sound that cut through his entire soul, made the apprentice visibly flinch and he skittered to the side with sudden terror. He watched as she fell, even as he kept running towards her, and her body fell with an dull thunk. Complete dead weight. She was either gone with her spirit soaring towards StarClan or the rogue had knocked her unconscious; either way, both options weren’t appealing to the tiny apprentice.
Skidding to a stop beside her body, Flamepaw faced the rogue with more bravery in his stance than he truly felt. The tom was huge in comparison, and the feral snarl on his face was a clear reminder to Flamepaw that he was just a new apprentice. The other was a long-lived adult of brutality and malice, not necessarily trained for battle, but certainly knowing how to fight. All the small tom had was his instincts and those were no match for the other. Trembling, but fighting had not to show it, Flamepaw snarled to Carcus, anger and disgust transfiguring his face into a terrible expression. “Get out of here before I flay you.”
Moon:
Carcus stood frozen, his smug smile not gone, and the silence reborn. The few tufts of fur he had were sleak and smooth, not even a hint showed that they would puff up in fear or hostility. He knew that this kit could do nothing to him. Absolutely nothing. His bald ears were perked with amusement as he whipped around to stare Flamepaw straight in the eyes. "Flay me? You think you can flay me?" Carcus snarled. "Me? The deputy of the Rouges!(Pwease? *puppy dog eyes*) The deputy of the group of cats lead by the almighty sky? One of the mightiest subordinants?"
He didn't seem to bother to care what Flamepaw said because then he turned to Fern, a much less than satisfied look on his face. He had drawn barely any blood. He narrowed his eyes in hate, he was sure he'd gone easy on her. She couldn't have died from a blow like that. Not one of his past fellow 'RRG' members. She was too tough to die from that, and he knew that she hoped he wouldn't notice the truth. She wasn't dead yet, nor would she die from that blow.
He stared at her silently for what seemed like ages then drew in a deep breath. Crackling evily he raised his paw and slashed her across the stomach, creating a large wound and drawing much blood. The limp body of the past mostly white she-cat gave a jolt, now stained with the red of blood. By the time Carcus stopped slashing her, she was nearly torn to pieces. His eyes were wide and were twitching with this insane tint to them. He didn’t know what it was from, but he wanted to kill more… he needed to kill more. He turned to the smaller cat, a twisted smile carved into his face. He took a step toward Flamepaw but instantly retreated as he heard a weak, very weak moan from Fern. She was still alive, but she would die. He needn’t be here any longer. Smiling mischevously at Flamepaw he cast one last glance at Fern then disappeared into the bushes.
Once again there was complete silence, but the evil aura finally faded and Fern, at least what was left of her, made an unintelligible sound, something like a grunt. Then, she fell silent again. What seemed like ages went by before she mustered up all her strength and muttered. “He-“ She gasped for air, “gone… ?” As she moved her jaw and tounge to say these words, seering pain went through her body, and the quickly receeding strength that she had left only quickened it’s pace. Not waiting for an answer, she went on. She needed to say this. She knew she was going to die anyway. Opening her mouth to speak once again, blood same out instead of words, she knew she didn’t have much time left. Not even able to breath she opened her eyes into barely open slits and coughed out. “The- others- are- coming….” Her body gave one last shudder and she couldn’t move anymore, it was as if she didn’t have a body. It was over… so this is what it felt like. To die.
Though, with all the ease in the world she closed her eyes and smiled. She felt strangely good, as if a long lost dream had been fulfilled. She lay there for a few moments, struggling to hang onto reality, trying to figure out what this dream was. Then it hit her, and her smiled widened into deep pleasure. She had done it, she had become a true member of the clan. She had been willing to die for it, she /had/ died for it. She felt no resentment or regrets. Then her now fairly broad smile faded into a restful peaceful dreamy smile as she finished her life with closing thoughts that made her mind laugh in it’s tingly laugh.
My goal accomplished, the moment I’m dead. Finally she let go of reality, and her mind closed. Only reopening again to find herself slowly ascending to the stars. Unfamiliar, yet strangely familiar in their own magestic way, cats waiting to welcome her with open hearts. This… was starclan.
[/center]
