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| − | <p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-family:Lucida Handwriting;color:red;font-size:15px;">This is a story by [[User: |
+ | <p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-family:Lucida Handwriting;color:red;font-size:15px;">This is a story by [[User:Stormy.Skies|<span style="color:lightcoral;">Stormy</span>]].<br /></span></p> |
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</center> |
</center> |
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| − | <p style="text-align:center;"> |
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| − | </p> |
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| + | <tabview> |
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| − | <p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-family:Herculanum;text-align:center;color:firebrick;font-size:25px;text-shadow:3px 3px 3px lightcoral">Prologue</span></p> |
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| + | Seeking Revenge/Prologue|Prologue |
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| − | |||
| + | Seeking Revenge/Chapter 1|Chapter 1 |
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| − | The cold rain spattered on the pavement, splashing into a dirty stream running along the curb. The night sky flickered with lightning. |
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| + | Seeking Revenge/Chapter 2|Chapter 2 |
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| − | |||
| + | Seeking Revenge/Chapter 3|Chapter 3 |
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| − | Shade had known that the storm was going to break. Yet she had lost track of the time.... |
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| + | Seeking Revenge/Chapter 4|Chapter 4 |
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| − | |||
| + | Seeking Revenge/Chapter 5|Chapter 5 |
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| − | Her footsteps pattered through the puddles, spraying her with muck. A rat dangled from her jaws. ''I'm almost there.... ''she began to run faster, the raindrops like needles on her face. Yet she wasn't being careful enough; she slipped on the hard, wet ground and went sprawling. The rat landed with a ''thunk ''in a puddle. |
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| + | Seeking Revenge/Chapter 6|Chapter 6 |
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| − | |||
| + | Seeking Revenge/Chapter 7|Chapter 7 |
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| − | Quickly, she scrambled up, ignoring the searing pain in her left side. She scurried forward to pick up her rat, but she halted, as she found herself staring into a pair of lime green eyes. |
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| + | Seeking Revenge/Chapter 8|Chapter 8 |
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| − | |||
| + | Seeking Revenge/Chapter 9|Chapter 9 |
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| − | She gulped. It was Brick. The flashing sky illuminated his ginger pelt. |
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| + | Seeking Revenge/Chapter 10|Chapter 10 |
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| − | |||
| + | Seeking Revenge/Chapter 11|Chapter 11 |
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| − | He hissed. "What do you think you're doing, wandering around late at night, in a storm, hm? One might even think that you're ''hiding ''something from Scourge." She noticed his paws flex, his awful claws elongating and contracting. It might've been a trick of the light, but she swore that she saw a few dark red marks spattered across them. |
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| + | Seeking Revenge/Chapter 12|Chapter 12 |
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| − | |||
| + | </tabview> |
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| − | She stood there, silent, terrified, and unable to breathe for a few moments. Finally, she plucked up the courage to speak. |
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| − | |||
| − | "H-hiding something from Scourge?" she stuttered, "I-I wouldn't do such a thing. Please--I'm doing nothing--" |
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| − | |||
| − | Brick's eyes glimmered. Shade couldn't tell if it was with thought, or excitement at the prospect of punishing a cat. Her heart pounded. She sure hoped it wasn't the latter. |
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| − | |||
| − | Brick's mouth finally twisted into a grin. "Creeping around on a night like this. Against the rules. For an action like this, you must pay tribute to Scourge." Quick and slippery as a snake, Brick lunged forward, and deftly hooked the rat out from between her paws. |
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| − | |||
| − | Shade uttered something between a cry of horror and a choke of despair. It had taken her since sunhigh to find that rat! And the little lives waiting for her would need nourishment or they would die... |
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| − | |||
| − | "Please," she cried, "I have two kits waiting for me. They need food, or they'll starve!" |
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| − | |||
| − | He shrugged. "You must pay Scourge for what you've been doing." |
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| − | |||
| − | "But don't you want those kits to grow up to be strong members of BloodClan?" she pleaded. |
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| − | |||
| − | He cackled madly. Shade let out a little whimper of horror. |
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| − | |||
| − | "Only the strongest can become warriors of BloodClan," he said. Then he leaned forward, his face a mouse-length away from hers. His breath smelled of rancid Twoleg rubbish. "Let's see if your little kits can pull through to be ones." |
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| − | |||
| − | Shade opened her mouth to beg, but Brick smacked her hard across the face with an outstretched paw. She toppled over into a puddle, her face throbbing from the blow. He twitched his ear in satisfaction, and picked up the rat in his jaws. Without another word, he spun away. |
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| − | |||
| − | Thunder rumbled overhead, as if echoing Shade's despair as she lay in the murky water, sobbing. ''My kits will surely die of hunger now. If the cold doesn't get them first. ''She would've considered lying there all night, completely given up on life. But she knew that her kits still depended on her. |
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| − | |||
| − | Slowly, she dragged herself from the puddle, her fur completely sodden. Her teeth chattered. She knew that she had to find sustenance for her kits somewhere, and soon. ''But how?'' |
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| − | |||
| − | She rounded a corner into a dark alley, hoping to find a dumpster with some Twoleg food inside. She would take any sort of quick food at the moment. |
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| − | |||
| − | She scanned the walls, and cast her gaze down they alley. She spotted a large green Twoleg bin, reeking of rubbish. Shade sniffed the air. Amongst the scent of rotting Twoleg food, she picked out a whiff of chicken, fairly fresh. |
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| − | |||
| − | Shade could barely suppress her excitement, as she leaped to the edge of the bin, almost slipping inside because of the slick edge. But as she peered into the dumpster, she realized, to her dismay, that the chicken was gone. ''What have I done to deserve such a miserable existence?'' |
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| − | |||
| − | Just then, hushed voices reached her ears, along with the occasional rowdy shout. |
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| − | |||
| − | Shade leaped back down onto the muddy alley pavement, and pricked her ears. There were other cats in that alleyway; no denying it. ''Maybe, just maybe....'' |
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| − | |||
| − | Shade crept forward, low to the ground. As she neared the group, she realized that there were far more cats than she had expected. One particularly mean-looking striped tom stood at the head of the group, blustering and laughing. Shade noticed two fat chicken bones, the meat half-picked off of them, lying in the center. She flattened her ears. |
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| − | |||
| − | "Um... excuse me?" she mewed timidly, as she slowly padded forward. All heads turned to look her way. Shade's breath caught in her throat as she spotted a familiar pair of blue eyes. ''No. ''He ''can't be here!'' |
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| − | |||
| − | Finally, the striped tom spoke. "Who's this scrawny creature?" Hoots of laughter rose up from the crowd. Shade stared defiantly ahead, hoping that they wouldn't notice how much she was quivering. |
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| − | |||
| − | "She's a pretty one," a gray tom said, brushing against her flank. |
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| − | |||
| − | "Get away from me," she spat, and jerked away. |
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| − | |||
| − | "Fiesty too," the striped tom noted. ''I won't let these cats strip me of my dignity. It's the only thing I have left, other than my kits.'' |
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| − | |||
| − | "My name is Shade," she said, her voice shaking. |
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| − | |||
| − | "Look, sweetie. We don't care about your name," Stripes said, "We just want to know why you're here, and what we'll get out of it." |
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| − | |||
| − | Shade stood there, at a loss for words, now that she had the chance to state her problem. |
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| − | |||
| − | She glanced at the Scorch, the blue-eyed tom. ''Does he still care about me, even a little bit? ''But his eyes showed no emotion, even as his muscles rippled under his ginger fur. |
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| − | |||
| − | She took a deep breath. "Please help me," she pleaded, "My kits are starving-and-and I have no food to give them." She took a deep breath, and blinked away her tears. Her gaze flickered to the half-eaten chicken bones. |
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| − | |||
| − | Stripes hissed. "So you come crawling her like a maggot, to beg for food? Pathetic." |
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| − | |||
| − | "Please! I'll give you something in return. Something--anything!" |
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| − | |||
| − | Stripes blinked slowly, and twitched his ears. But he still didn't respond. ''Come on, please....'' |
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| − | |||
| − | Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed through the sky, setting Shade's smoky gray fur alight, and making her collar sparkle. |
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| − | |||
| − | Her collar wasn't the traditional BloodClan collar, studded with sharp, smelly dong and cat teeth, even though she was criticized for not turning it into one. Instead, her collar was adorned with shimmering rhinestones. Her collar was the only reminder of her wonderful kittypet days.... |
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| − | |||
| − | ''"Oh Ji-illy!" 'her housefolk, Kendra, called.''''' '''''She didn't stir from her downy cushion; she was much too comfortable. "Ji-illy!"'' |
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| − | |||
| − | ''Kendra plodded into the room. She appeared to be holding one of those crinkly plastic bags. Jilly stood up, excited. Those were always fun to chase around, after they had been emptied. But to her disappointment, Kendra didn't put it down for her.'' |
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| − | |||
| − | ''Instead, she began to rummage around in it. "I have a special present for you," Kendra said. With her pink, meaty paw, she pulled out a beautiful rhinestone collar.'' |
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| − | |||
| − | ''Most cats Jilly had met always complained about their collars and how they pinched, but her collar slipped smoothly over Jilly's head, and fit around her neck comfortably and snugly.'' |
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| − | |||
| − | ''The cobalt blue perfectly accented her smoky gray fur, and the rhinestones glittered in the light. She loved it. Kendra reached down to pet her, as she rubbed against her legs. That collar would always be special to her.'' |
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| − | |||
| − | Stripes focused on the collar. "Say, what a pretty little trinket you've got there...." The gems continued to sparkle. |
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| − | |||
| − | "Oh--um, no, not that," Shade choked, "That's special!" There were some snickers. "Aww... will the little kitty miss her pretty collar?" someone taunted. Shade attempted to block her ears off from them, and focus on the debate going on. |
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| − | |||
| − | "Yeah, well what else could you give me?" he snickered. Shade hung her head. |
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| − | |||
| − | Stripes sighed as if to say, ''All right, let's just take the collar from little Shade, because this is taking much too long.'' |
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| − | |||
| − | "Okay. Your collar, for one chicken bone." |
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| − | |||
| − | Shade stuttered. "But--but it's worth more than both of the chicken bones!" |
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| − | |||
| − | He laughed. "For sentimental little she-cats, it might be. But not to us. Now, that's your deal. Take it or leave it." |
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| − | |||
| − | Shade was once again on the verge of tears. "But--but--okay. Take my collar." |
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| − | |||
| − | The striped tom nodded, his green eyes glinting in the limited amount of light. He leaned forward, and fastened his teeth around the soft blue material. Shade let out a scared squeak; she didn't trust a cat like him with teeth so near her neck. |
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| − | |||
| − | He tugged and pulled, until a sharp snap was heard. Her beloved rhinestone collar lay ripped on the wet, dirty ground. It felt as if her heart was ripped, too. Stripes picked it up, and began to pad back to the group of cats. Without a second thought, she darted forward, snatched a chicken bone, and began to scurry out of the alley before the gang could hurt her. |
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| − | |||
| − | It was not until she had passed the dumpster, that she realized that she was being followed. She could hear pawsteps splashking through the rain water behind her. She just squinted her pale green eyes, and began to run faster. ''They can't catch me, they can't catch me...'' |
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| − | |||
| − | But as she neared the end of that stinking alley, a clear voice rang out. "Shade. Stop." |
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| − | |||
| − | She spun around, ready to defend herself, but she ended up facing a familiar pair of blue eyes. It was Scorch. |
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| − | |||
| − | She set down the chicken bone warily, just in case the striped tom had sent him to steal it back. But Scorch made no move to take it. |
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| − | |||
| − | "I don't want to talk to you," Shade spat. |
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| − | |||
| − | Scorch just ignored her, and continued to speak. "You always just let cats walk all over you, Shade." The words went directly to her heart. |
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| − | |||
| − | "Well, it's not like I have a choice," she hissed. |
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| − | |||
| − | Scorch cocked his head to one side, his eyes gleaming. "Yes you do. If you give your kits to Scourge, they will never starve. They will be raised to be strong, and fight for BloodClan. And it will be one less thing for you to worry about." She circled around her, flicking her ear with his tail. |
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| − | |||
| − | "Give my kits to Scourge? Never!" she spat, "Now if you excuse me, I have kits to tend to. The kits that ''you left me with.''" Without another word, she whipped around, and dashed away, the measly chicken bone in her jaws. |
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| − | |||
| − | The storm seemed to be subsiding, although the rain continued to pelt down from the sky, and the roar of thunder was always in the distance. ''My poor, poor kits. They must be cold and sodden, not to mention hungry and scared.'' |
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| − | |||
| − | Shade quickly ducked underneath a plastic Twoleg thing, and scampered across the sproingy grass. She slipped into a leafy, dark green bush. |
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| − | |||
| − | Two wet little bundles lay pressed together, shivering. One of them squeaked. |
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| − | |||
| − | Susan, the little ginger she-kit shook out her fur. "I'm hungry, Mama!" Susan wailed, revealing a pink tongue and little white teeth. Shade rushed to their side, and gave them the chicken bone. |
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| − | |||
| − | "Ssh. I'm here. Just eat." Jacques, a little black and white tom, sniffed the air and tumbled forward for food. Shade's belly growled, but she knew that her kits needed to eat before her. |
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| − | |||
| − | She curled up around them, sheltering them from the world. |
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| − | |||
| − | ''You ''will ''survive, kits. I promise.'' |
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| − | <p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-family:Herculanum;color:firebrick;text-align:center;text-shadow:3px 3px 3px lightcoral;font-size:25px;">Chapter 1</span></p> |
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| − | |||
| − | "Susan, how many times do I have to tell you, claws ''unsheathed,''" Susan's mother said, exasperated. |
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| − | |||
| − | Jacques tumbled over, easily shaking Susan off. She stood up, shaking the dust out of her ginger fur. She licked her paw, and ran it over her ear. |
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| − | |||
| − | Finally, she spoke. "What if I hurt Jacques?" Susan had never understood why Shade always seemed so sensitive and caring, but then would urge them to use violence. |
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| − | |||
| − | Jacques was currently slinking behind a big green bin, eyes round with curiousity. But Shade wasn't paying attention to him. ''Nope, her perfect little Jacques can do no wrong. '' |
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| − | |||
| − | Susan met her mother's blue gaze defiantly. Shade sighed. "You know why you must unsheathe your claws." |
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| − | |||
| − | "No, actually, I don't," Susan hissed. ''What is wrong with this place? '' |
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| − | |||
| − | Her mother's stare grew hard. "Susan. This is for your own good. You ''must ''be unafraid to let out your claws, and draw blood. You must be able to sink your teeth into your enemies." ''But Jacques isn't my enemy! He's my brother!'' |
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| − | |||
| − | She could her him shuffling around in the stinky Twoleg rubbish; but he was still being ignored by Shade. Susan looked down at her paws, shivering. ''How could our mother suddenly seem so bloodthirsty?'' |
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| − | |||
| − | "Do you understand me?" she hissed, "Jacques! Come back here!" Her brother was attempting to clamber inside of the dumpster. |
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| − | |||
| − | "All right," he mumbled frustratedly. He leaped onto the dirty alley ground, and scurried to Shade's side. |
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| − | |||
| − | Susan had always thought that Jacques would grow up to be a rugged, handsome tom. It was true; but he always boasted that he looked like Bone, because he had a black and white coat. |
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| − | |||
| − | ''As if that's a good thing.'' |
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| − | |||
| − | She secretly feared that he would grow up to be one of those deadbeat toms that would ensnare a she-cat's heart with no effort. And when she had kits, he would leave her along in the cold, merciless world. |
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| − | |||
| − | Well, of course that was a fear of Susan's. Considering that it had happened to her mother. |
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| − | |||
| − | Or worse, he could grow up to be one of Scourge's guard. |
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| − | |||
| − | She jolted out of her reverie, to see her mother looking at her expectantly. "Please, Susan. You must learn how to use your claws and teeth now. For your own safety." Shade's eyes now glimmered with frightening intensity. Frustration? Fury? ''Bloodlust?'' |
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| − | |||
| − | Susan's heart began to thump loudly in her chest. For the first time in her life, she began to feel terrified of her own mother. ''She's asking me to injure my own brother.'' |
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| − | |||
| − | Before she could stop herself, words bubbled out of her mouth like a stream. "I won't hurt Jacques! You can't make me!" Before Shade could reply, she spun around, and bolted away. |
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| − | |||
| − | Her paws thudded on the ground, Twoleg rubbish crinkling underfoot. She could hear her mother in hot pursuit. |
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| − | |||
| − | Susan's paws were still pink and kit-soft. So when she skidded on a slippery, wet piece of trash, there was no way to save herself. She hit the pavement with a bone-rattling thud. |
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| − | |||
| − | "Susan?" Shade was calling out. She could hear that her mother's voice was tinged with worry. But she didn't want to risk it. Muscles aching, she dragged herself around a corner and behind a rubbish bin. The smell of Twoleg food rotting drifted through the breeze, along with the metallic tang of the garbage can. Susan's stomach squirmed, as she resisted the urge to vomit. ''Hey. The stench will hide my scent.'' |
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| − | |||
| − | Shade's voice echoed clear and worried off of the filthy walls. "Susan? Susan, where are you? Please, Susan, come out! I would never hurt you, I promise! I will explain everything once you come out! Please!" |
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| − | |||
| − | Susan could sense that her mother was getting frantic. ''Maybe this is all a misunderstanding. Maybe I should just come out...'' |
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| − | |||
| − | She heard a lone teardrop spatter onto the ground. "Please. I can't afford to lose you," she murmured. |
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| − | |||
| − | Susan was indecisive. |
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| − | |||
| − | ''My mother wanted me to use my claws against my own brother....'' |
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| − | |||
| − | ''But she is so dejected and depressed... and she said that she could explain it all, didn't she?'' |
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| − | |||
| − | ''But why would I trust her?'' |
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| − | |||
| − | She heard Shade mutter, sounding horrified and miserable. Jacques must've been there too. That, or she was talking to herself. |
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| − | |||
| − | She took a deep breath, and padded out from the bin. |
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| − | |||
| − | But instead of coming face-to-face with a crying and worried Shade, she found herself staring into a pair of lime green eyes. |
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| − | |||
| − | The tom was not one that she knew. His ginger pelt was filthy and tattered, and his ribs were visible through his fur. But she could see the strength in his muscles all the same. Before she could protest, the tom snatched her up by her muzzle. |
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| − | |||
| − | Susan let out a squeal of terror as she dangled ominously over the ground. The last thing she spied before the tom whisked her away was Jacques yellow eyes stretched wide in horror, and Shade's jaw open in a silent yowl. |
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| − | |||
| − | As the tom rounded bends in the alleyways, an intricate maze with no true end, she became more confused and more terrified. Yet she dared not speak. Who knew what would happen to her? |
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| − | |||
| − | The stench of other cats tainted the air. But this wasn't the warm, soft scent of Shade and Jacques as they curled around each other, attempting to stay warm for the night. It was the smell of cats scavenging for the last decaying morsels in Twoleg bins, cats that killed for food, or just for the blood running through their claws... |
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| − | |||
| − | Susan couldn't take it anymore. "Help! Anyone?" she cried. |
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| − | |||
| − | She instantly felt her captor's teeth spike into her scruff. She felt a drop of blood slip down her shoulder, as she let out a meep of horror. |
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| − | |||
| − | But it looked as if her journey was over. The tom had carried her into a ring of BloodClan cats. Their gazes seemed to burn into her flesh, as they sized her up. |
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| − | |||
| − | Her kidnapper released her from his tight grip. She tumbled onto the ground, colliding with a head-rattling smash. The cats around her snickered openly. She looked at the furiously. Yet, she couldn't stop her legs from quivering. |
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| − | |||
| − | Finally, a huge black and white tom muscled through the crowd, his green eyes glimmering with curiousity, and some other emotion that Susan couldn't place. She gulped. It was Bone. |
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| − | |||
| − | He gave her a little prod on her soft flank, as if to inspect her. She jerked away. |
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| − | |||
| − | "Undersized little specimen, isn't she?" Bone finally remarked. The BloodClan cats hooted. Or at least Suan assumed that they were BloodClan cats; Shade had told her and Jacques that they all belonged to a big community called BloodClan, and that it was ruled by the powerful Scourge. And it seemed like Bone was his subordinate. |
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| − | |||
| − | The ginger tom who had snatched her away replied in a deep, scratchy voice. |
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| − | |||
| − | "I found her wandering the alleyways. It seemed like her mother and her brother were following her." Bone nodded. |
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| − | |||
| − | "Scourge will want to hear about this," he rumbled. |
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| − | |||
| − | Susan had been unaware of the dark lump resting on top of the trash can until that moment, as it stirred. She watched slowly as a shiny black shape unfurled, along with a row of hooked dog teeth attached to a collar. |
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| − | |||
| − | Ice blue eyes flickered open. |
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| − | |||
| − | This cat was barely larger than herself; but yet he had an aura of importance that struck fear into her heart. Who was this cat? |
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| − | |||
| − | Bone dipped his head to the black cat. "Scourge," he mewed politely. |
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| − | |||
| − | Susan felt shock pulse through her. That ''cat is Scourge? ''When Shade talked of his power and dominance, she had always pictured him as a huge, burly tom with plenty of battle scars. Not a little black cat; Bone easily dwarfed him. |
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| − | |||
| − | Scourge's voice rang out high-pitched and cold. "Well, what do you have to report?" he said, training his vision on Susan. It was all she could do not to squeal in terror. |
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| − | |||
| − | Bone gestured to the ginger tom. "Go on, Brick," he urged. |
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| − | |||
| − | "We found this little thing skulking about in the alley. Her mother and brother were pursuing her, but I convinced them to yield. Apparently she was running from a ''training session."'' |
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| − | |||
| − | Scourge's eyes narrowed in interest, although he twitched his nose like there was a bad smell under it. |
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| − | |||
| − | "How do you know this?" he inquired menacingly. |
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| − | |||
| − | "I stopped her mother and brother. Her little littermate slipped it to me, by accident of course, even as the mother tried to stop him." |
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| − | |||
| − | With an arching leap, Scourge landed in the center of all the cats, directly in front of Susan. |
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| − | |||
| − | Up close, she could see every horrid detail of Scourge. Not only could she see his icy eyes and dog teeth, she could see the ''other ''dog teeth, crusted with red, standing out perfectly against one white paw. |
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| − | |||
| − | His size didn't matter. He was completely terrifying. |
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| − | |||
| − | "Who was the mother?" |
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| − | |||
| − | Brick hesitated for a moment, then answered tentatively. "Shade is the mother. A weak, worthless she-cat she is." |
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| − | |||
| − | Scourge considered these words, as Susan shivered. ''When am I going to get out of here, if at all?'' |
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| − | |||
| − | He spoke again, his words as clear as the sky that evening. "She is weak, yes. But not worthless. She can contribute kits." |
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| − | |||
| − | Brick sighed. "I suppose this is true. This kit's little brother shows much promise; I have been watching them from afar. But on the other paw--" Brick's head snapped around to look at Susan. |
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| − | |||
| − | She must've leaped about three tail-lengths into the air, purely out of fright. |
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| − | |||
| − | Bone sniffed. "Just like her mother." |
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| − | |||
| − | ''My mother. Why would I ever run away from my mother? She's not evil, compared to these cats!'' |
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| − | |||
| − | Suddenly, another ginger tom stepped forward. |
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| − | |||
| − | "Kits are only good if they are useful themselves," he added, "Useless kits like this one here will just clutter up the streets, and create another mouth to feed. Most likely, this one will never be able to serve in Scourge's guard." |
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| − | |||
| − | Scourge hissed. "Silence! You do not speak without permission!" He shrank back. |
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| − | |||
| − | Another black and white tom hastily jumped forward. "Do you want me to take care of him?" |
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| − | |||
| − | "That goes for you too," Scourge snapped. He turned to Susan. Her heart threatened to thump right out of her chest. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Was it true that you ran from a training session?" he questioned, almost in a mocking kit-voice. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Susan looked at him in the eye, even as she wobbled precariously. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Y-yes," she mewed, "But it was for a reason!" Bone openly laughed, as Scourge cracked a toothy smile. Brick just stared with a burning intensity. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Well, at least the scrap has some fight in her," someone muttered. ''Fight in me? When I learn to fly.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | Scourge crouched down (he didn't have to go far) so they were nose to nose. "Would you care to tell me your wonderful ''reason?''" |
||
| − | |||
| − | "My-my reason? Oh--um--" |
||
| − | |||
| − | She felt Scourge's slender paw placed on the back of her throat. The horrible dog teeth dug deep into her skin. She clenched her jaws, to hold back a yelp of pain. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She could feel his hot breath in her ear. "You ''will ''oblige," he murmured, "You will oblige to everything I say, or dreadful things may happen to you, and possibly your mother and brother." She felt the claws dig in deeper. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Susan gulped for air, and began to babble nervously. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "My reason--yes--reason.... My mother--her name is Shade--told me to unsheathe claws--against brother... I couldn't hurt him." |
||
| − | |||
| − | Scourge let out a high-pitched laugh, and flung her limp body into the alley muck. "That's the whole point of training! You have to be trained to spill blood, to rip through flesh with your jaws! That is what makes you a member of BloodClan!" |
||
| − | |||
| − | Susan didn't dare pull herself up, just in case those claws were hovering above her. She heard Scourge muttering to another cat. In return, she heard the first she-cat of the whole meeting. |
||
| − | |||
| − | As she perked her head up in curiousity, she saw Scourge discussing something with Bone and a beautiful tabby she-cat. Her green eyes seemed to sparkle in the red light. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Finally, the tabby she-cat padded to Susan. Her pawsteps seemed like thunder against the cats, now fallen silent. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "As Scourge, our great leader said--it is blood and slash of claws that makes us united as BloodClan. You have shown no promise, so far. But now is the chance to prove yourself. And we may decide to let you live." She cut her speech off abruptly, and gazed up at Scourge, admiration in her eyes. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Thank you, Slash. As for your chance, here it is," he mewed in his horrible high-pitched voice, "You there. Come over here." The ginger tom who had spoken earlier padded up to him. "Yes, Scourge?" he mewed respectively. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Scourge's mouth stretched into a grin, as he uttered his command. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Attack her." |
||
| − | |||
| − | *~*~ |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | ''Jilly jumped up onto the newly-installed fence, enjoying the feel of the wind in her fur. The leaves rustled. It was a very nice view. '' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Beneath her, she saw a shape slip by.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''She narrowed her eyes curiously, wondering what it was. She saw a cat, with shimmering ginger fur, hurrying past.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Hey! You!" she called after him. But he still didn't halt. She leaped down from the fence, and began to chase after the tom. There was something about him, that was just so compelling, so interesting. Jilly had to catch him.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Wait up!" she called. The tom finally stopped and spun around. "What?" he spat. His eyes were a beautiful lake-blue.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''She timidly looked at her paws. Now that she had his attention, she was at a loss for words. '' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"If you're just going to waste my time, then I highly suggest that you go do something of use," he said, exasperated, "If you excuse me, I have younger siblings to feed."'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Jilly instantly felt guilty. This tom was a stray; he had no home, no one to care for him and love him and feed him. '' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"I'm sorry," she crooned instantly, "I didn't realize."'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''He sighed. "Kittypets like you never 'realize'." ''Kittypet? ''She supposed that he meant house cat.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''She thought for a moment. Then a brilliant idea crossed her mind. "You could come live with me, and bring your siblings! I'm sure my housefolk will welcome you!"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''He arched his back, and hissed. "Live with you? In a nest with your stinking Twolegs? I'd rather die!"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Jilly was offended. "My Twolegs are nice!"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Whatever you say, kittypet," he mewed, "Now I'd better be going." Jilly stopped him for the last time, as he attempted to turn around.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Wait?"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Ugh. What now?"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"What's your name?"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Scorch."'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | Scorch. How interesting. ''"My name is Jilly. Nice to meet you Scorch."'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Yeah. Nice to meet you." His voice sounded distant. '' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''A strange silence followed. Scorch shuffled his paws. Hastily, he added, "Um... I live just down the street and around the corner, behind a dumpster, if you need me." And with that, he sped off.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Jilly watched him go. He seemed like a rough-n-tumble tom, but also a free spirit, and a sensitive character.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | Down the street, around the corner, behind a dumpster, ''Jilly repeated in her head, as she leaped back up over the fence, landing in the soft garden grass.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | *~*~ |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | <p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-family:Herculanum;color:firebrick;text-align:center;text-shadow:3px 3px 3px lightcoral;font-size:25px;">Chapter 2</span></p> |
||
| − | |||
| − | Susan's legs buckled underneath her, as the tom turned to face her. ''Fight him? But I'm only a kit!'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | But to her surprise, she saw worry and apprehension gleaming in the tom's blue eyes. ''He doesn't want to fight me! ''For a brief moment, she wondered if he would refuse. But her hopes were crushed, as he took a flying leap toward her, paws outstretched, wind ruffling his fur. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Susan darted to her paws, trying to anticipate the attack. As the tom came close, she sidestepped, and his paw only hooked the outside of her leg. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She braced herself for the sting of the scratch, but it never came. Her attacker's claws must've been sheathed for some reason. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Is ''that ''the best you can do, Scorch?" A striped tom taunted. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Scorch" turned around, panting. He narrowed his eyes, and bared his teeth. ''Oh no. He's attacking for real this time! '' |
||
| − | |||
| − | Time seemed to stand still, as he lunged right towards her. She may have cried in terror; so many thoughts and emotions were racing through her head as she came closer to her unavoidable end. |
||
| − | |||
| − | But Scorch's claws retracted as she barreled her over. She lay pinned on the ground, helpless. She could feel him pummel her stomach, although his claws were sheathed. His lip curled over his teeth as he bit down on her shoulder. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''If shedding blood is so important to BloodClan, then why am I not wounded or dead?'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | Come on, Scorch, you pathetic piece of crow-food!" Bone hissed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | As Scorch was distracted, Susan was able to wriggle her arm around, and hook a pearly claw in Scorch's ear. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She could feel the blood gush down her claws, and soak into her fur. A salty tang was in the air. Susan didn't know what to think; using her claws wasn't awful, but it wasn't exactly cheery. ''But this is an enemy.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | Susan dared to look into Scorch's eyes, to see his reaction. They slightly squinted as he winced, but her attack didn't seem to bother him much. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Enough of this!" she heard Scourge growl. He leaped down from his post, his long claws clattering on the ground. |
||
| − | |||
| − | With a cleverly executed twist, he slammed into Scorch's side, pinned him against the Twoleg sludge, and gave him a long scratch on his flank, for good measure. Susan's stomach squirmed as she watched crimson slither out of the gash. |
||
| − | |||
| − | But to her surprise, Scorch was able to get back up, even as his legs wobbled. He dragged himself out of the center, and to the wall where he tentatively licked his wounds. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Scourge nodded to Bone. Bone turned to face her, his claws gleaming in the sunset. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "I'll fight you if I have to," she mewed, her voice sounding steadier than she imagined. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Bone just shrugged, and without hesitation, slammed into her. |
||
| − | |||
| − | His weight easily crushed Susan. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think--she was just being mashed into the hard rock earth. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Suddenly, a enraged yowl rose up, and the weight was lifted off of her. She darted upwards, sputtering, and gasping for air. |
||
| − | |||
| − | It was Shade. She was furiously swiping at Bone, her lips peeled in a enraged snarl. Her white teeth glinted. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Shade's head snapped around to Susan. "Run!" she hissed, "You'll find Jacques waiting around the corner!" |
||
| − | |||
| − | Susan felt like the most disgusting, low-down, horrible coward as she loped away. Her mother was all alone, fighting all of the BloodClan cats. But she chose to run instead of gallantly help. |
||
| − | |||
| − | As she nimbly looped around the edge of a corner, she found herself facing Jacques. His eyes were wide with nervousness. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "We gotta get out of here, Susan," he mewed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Tell me something new. Now come on!" she dashed alongside him, panting. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Did Shade tell you where to go?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | He shrugged, glancing at her as he ran. "No. She just told me not to take us back to our home." Susan's heart shattered as she thought of never returning to the little bush in the Twoleg park. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Do you have any idea of where to go?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | "What about that abandoned shed, next to the park?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | Susan scoffed. "That's way too close to our home!" |
||
| − | |||
| − | "That way they'll never expect it," Jacques replied. She could see the logic in this, yet the fear of being discovered nearly outweighed it. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Like shadows, they slipped through the park, unnoticed. The rotting brown wood of the shack was visible on the horizon. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Side by side, they squeezed through a gap in the wood paneling, and found themselves in a cozy cube, although it was laced with cobwebs and dust. |
||
| − | |||
| − | They curled up in the corner, on a musty cushion with springs poking out. Slowly, the nagging fear that had been bothering Susan faded away. They were safe. Scourge's guard couldn't find them. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Susan?" Jacques mewed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Yeah?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Why did you run from Shade?" She winced. It was because of that, that they were in the mess in the first place. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Because.... because I was afraid that she was going to make me hurt you." |
||
| − | |||
| − | Jacques considered this. "It's either hurt me, or have all of us be hurt." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "But I don't want it to be that way!" Susan wailed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Yeah, well it is that way!" Jacques snapped, "Now let's get some sleep. Sky knows we need it." |
||
| − | |||
| − | Curling up against Jacques for warmth, she was able to slip into a somewhat troubled sleep. Her dreams were tainted with the sneering faces of the BloodClan cats, being led to them by Scourge. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Muffled whispering woke her. She gazed out of the gap, to see when it was. Night was still covering the sky like a sheet. The crickets chirped. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Jacques! Wake up!" she whispered, as she prodded him. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Wha--?" he said. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Ssh! Not so loud!" she hissed, "Someone's outside." |
||
| − | |||
| − | He instantly pricked his ears, his eyes wide with fear. Susan did the same. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "What's the point?" one of them was saying. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "I'm ''sure ''I just heard some voices inside!" |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Can't be true," a third voice said, "Those little scraps are probably shivering somwhere, far off in the outskirts." |
||
| − | |||
| − | She heard a frustrated hiss. "No, I'm sure!" |
||
| − | |||
| − | The first voice sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll check it out, if you ''really ''think that they're in here. You and Flicker can go and search the outskirts." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "But--" |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Do you want to please Scourge, or not?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | The argument disbanded. Fear flooded her as she heard someone's paws shuffling through the overgrown grass outside. The pawsteps creaked on the wood floor as they began to walk in. Jacques tensed against her; Susan did the same. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Although the shack was fairly big, there was hardly anywhere to hide. It was completely barren, except for the cushion that they slept on. Their only hope was to stay on the cushion, and try to be as small as possible, and hope the cat wouldn't notice them in the dark. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The form finally slipped all the way into their hideaway. His eyes glimmered in the dark, ginger pelt barely visible. It was Brick. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Brick's tail swished from side to side. "So you thought that we wouldn't find you here, of all places?" he mewed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Neither Susan nor Jacques dared to speak. They just huddled closer together. |
||
| − | |||
| − | He padded closer, his features becoming more visible. "I'm not going to hurt you," he sighed, "And I won't tell the others where you're hiding." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "But--why not?" Susan said, so surprised that she forgot to be scared stiff. |
||
| − | |||
| − | He laughed. "I thought you would've guessed by now." |
||
| − | |||
| − | Jacques stood up, beside her. Susan joined him, not wanting to be the only one still sitting. "What do you mean?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | Brick's gaze darted from side to side. "I knew your mother very well once." |
||
| − | |||
| − | Susan gasped with shock and disbelief. ''This can't be possible. ''Jacques still seemed to be unsure. Brick finished what he was going to say. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Kits. I am your father." At first, once she finally heard the words, she was shocked. Jacques gaped in disbelief. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Without another word, Brick slinked out of the gap. ''Did that really just happen?'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | She looked down at her bedraggled ginger fur. Now she finally knew where it came from. She had always assumed that it was inherited from Shade's mother, or something. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Shade. A huge opening took the place of their much-loved mother. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Where could she be? Where can we find her? Is she still alive?'' |
||
| − | *~*~ |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | ''Jilly never failed to surprise herself. She knew deep inside that it was a foolish idea to go see Scorch, and he would just drive her out, if his family didn't first. Scared, Jilly shivered, afraid to bleed, for she never had.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Dumpsters reeked of sludge and trash that Twolegs had left behind. Her stomach squirmed. How could Scorch possibly live like that? He seemed like a cat deserving of something better, even though he was a bit rough.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | You don't even know the tom, idiot, ''she told herself.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Wrinkling her nose, she checked behind the first dumpster. No sign of Scorch or anyone else.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Luckily, she was able to find a weedy nest under the second dumpster. But Scorch wasn't there. '' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''However, she did find a bedraggled queen with four kits hungrily suckling at her stomach.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Suddenly, as she realized that Jilly was there, her ears flattened and she hissed furiously. "Leave unless you want to be disembowled," she snarled.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''She leaped back, uttering a frightened meep. ''I don't belong here. I belong in my nest, away from all of this! |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"That's right, run. You can't hurt my kits you filthy BloodClan warrior." ''What? |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"What's that? I'm not a BloodClan warrior! Please don't hurt me!"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''The queen paused, unsure of if she was a threat or not, and what she was going to do next.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Mom, stop. She's no threat." Jilly spun around, to see Scorch standing there looking more dejected than ever.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''He turned to her. "I'm sorry about Strike. She gets very cranky sometimes." Strike? Why so fierce?'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"That goodness you're back," Strike sighed, "I'm starving, and so are my kits."'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Scorch looked down, ashamed. "I have nothing to give you."'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"What?"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"I said that I have nothing to give you."'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Why not? You know how much we need prey!"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"I tried, mother. I really did. But Bone snatched away the sparrow corpse that I was bringing."'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Strike let out a low hiss. "Bone! If I ever get my claws on him..."'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"You know how BloodClan cats are!"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Jilly was completely overwhelmed. BloodClan? Bone? She shivered. It sounded awful.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Scorch... um... is there anything I can do to help?" she questioned.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"I'm sorry, Jilly, but this is a bit too much for a kittypet." Although she would never let it show, she was hurt deep inside.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"So how are you?"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"What does it look like?"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''A shocked cry rang out. "Dark!"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Forgetting his visitor, Scorch dashed to Strike's side. "Dark? What happened?"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"He's dead!" Strike wailed, "He just couldn't make it!"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Gasping with grief, Scorch sunk down onto the alley pavement.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Jilly walked up, and put a comforting tail tip on his shoulder. He slowly turned around.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Go, Jilly. Just-- leave." His gaze was hard and cold.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Without another word, she gulped, and scampered away to her own home away from the real world.'' |
||
| − | *~*~ |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | <p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-family:Herculanum;color:firebrick;text-align:center;text-shadow:3px 3px 3px lightcoral;font-size:25px;">Chapter 3</span></p> |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | Sometimes she just wished that she was something other than what she really was. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Jacques had always been the responsible one, the one that Shade would most likely turn to for help. And he was a much better fighter than her (or so was said), and often pleased their mother with his talent more than Susan ever did. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She was glad, because that morning, she was actually up before Jacques. She smirked. And she would be hunting. |
||
| − | |||
| − | A flock of pigeons was cooing and pecking on the pavement next to the grass of the park, as little Twolegs screeched and chased after them. But what puzzled Susan was that none of them attempted to catch the pigeons. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Whatever. More for me.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | But as she crept closer, she realized that the pigeons were bigger than she thought. Their orange eyes stared right through her. Swallowing her apprehension, she stalked closer, and pounced. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Her claws directly hit the pigeon, but is just squawked and fluttered away. It was too strong for her, she noticed, embarrassed. She snapped her head around to see if anyone had noticed her blunder. She sighed in relief, as no other cats were in sight. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The realization that she would have to ask Jacques for help hit her. ''It's always that little Susan can't do anything without her big brother, because he's just so amazing.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | Sighing, she tiptoed through the grass, back into the shack. Jacques was still asleep, curled up on the pillow. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Jacques!" Susan hissed. His head instantly snapped upwards. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Jeez! You could've given us away!" he whispered angrily, as he rose from the cushion. His eyes widened. "We haven't been given away, have we?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | Susan shook her head. "No, no. I just-- I just needed your help with something." She managed to choke the familiar words out. |
||
| − | |||
| − | He relaxed. "Oh, sure. With what?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | They soon were standing in front of the pigeon crowd. The sky was blue, and the green leaves of the trees shone in the sun. Twolegs were staying on the other side of the park. A seemingly perfect day. |
||
| − | |||
| − | If their mother wasn't held captive or dead and missing. And they weren't being searched for by BloodClan cats. And if she didn't have to ask the great Jacques for help on stupid everything! |
||
| − | |||
| − | "We're still kits," he stated, "So the pigeons are pretty big to us." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Tell me something new," Susan muttered. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "We need to pounce on the same pigeon at the same time." |
||
| − | |||
| − | She nodded her agreement, and curved around the side of the flock. Her green eyes gleamed. Jacques did the same. She gestured to one pigeon with her tail. Jacques shook his head, and pointed out an even bigger one. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Slowly, she padded forward, barely aware of her brother doing the same. The crowd of birds parted as they came closer. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Just as they tensed and waggled their haunches, ready to pounce, the pigeons all fluttered away. Plodding towards them was one of the Twoleg kits. Her arms were outstretched, as she cried happily. "Run!" Susan yowled. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The pair streaked away towards the shack, panting. Susan's heart thumped in her chest. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Follow me!" Jacques hissed. And he darted behind a scraggly bush with pokey stems. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She peeked out of the bush, to see if the Twoleg was gone. It was padding back to its mother and father, looking frustrated. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "You think it's safe?" Jacques panted. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Should be." |
||
| − | |||
| − | As they slinked out of the bush, ginger flashed in the corner of her eye. She turned her head, but saw nothing. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Did you see that?" she asked. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "See what?" he responded. The ginger shape slipped across the green grass once again. She heard a frightened squawk of a pigeon. |
||
| − | |||
| − | This time, her brother did notice. He quickly turned away, to see what was going on. Susan followed suit. |
||
| − | |||
| − | There Brick stood, holding a limp pigeon in his jaws. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Her fur bristled. He was a BloodClan cat; there could be others nearby. "What are you doing here?" Jacques hissed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "I just thought that you may need some help," he mewed, after he dropped the dead bird at her feet. Susan was unsure whether to thank him and take the pigeon, or just streak to their shack, without risking their lives. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Are there others?" her brother growled. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "It's just me," Brick sighed, "Can't a father help his own kits?" What she had known all along hit her again. ''A BloodClan cat is our father.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | She wondered what Shade had ever seen in him. He seemed much like the rest, until... until his secret was revealed. She couldn't deny that he had proved himself to be kind and such. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "Is Shade going to be okay?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | Brick sighed. "Kits..." he began. She dug her claws into the ground. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Your mother is dead." |
||
| − | |||
| − | Susan cried out in grief, as Jacques sunk onto the ground. ''How can she be dead? That means we'll be all alone, for the rest of our lives! And we're only kits, how can we fend for ourselves?'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | Then to her further curiosity, Brick lowered his voice even more to come speak with them. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Now listen to this, kits," he murmured. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Jacques dug his sharp claws into the ground. "Listen to this? Listen to this? Our mother is ''gone''! How can you not even ''think'' of comforting us, when the only person we've ever loved is dead." He spat out the last words like a bitter mouse bone. |
||
| − | |||
| − | He gave no reply. Susan was shocked. Jacques rarely lost his temper, even at the worst of moments. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "That's not the point," Brick finally hissed, "The rest of BloodClan is onto you. We have to leave the area soon. There's another Twolegplace across the forest, but that means we would have to pass through the Clans. Instead, it would be better if we headed up north to the mountains." ''We? Does Brick really care that much about us?'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Come on," Brick urged, "Hurry!" The Twolegplace was just behind Susan, as she trailed behind Jacques after Brick. Everything seemed unusually desolate, like it was going to collapse at any minute. The only noise heard was the smack of their paws hitting the ground and Jacques' panting. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Something didn't seem right. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She couldn't see the peaks of the mountains even though Brick claimed that they were getting much closer. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Jacques," she muttered under her breath. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "What?" He panted. |
||
| − | |||
| − | A slow creak and a snapping of a twig was heard as Susan began to choose her worried words. But before she could put her thoughts out, a shape flew from the bushes. |
||
| − | |||
| − | It was a wiry tom, with beady yellow eyes and white fur that stuck out on end as he arched his back. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Desperate, the kits tried to scamper around him. But he slid in front of them. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "One more step and you die," he snarled. Another cat slinked out of the bushes, this time a slender reddish brown she-cat, who seemed to have jagged bits of flint for claws. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Unable to think of anything else, Susan cried out, "Brick! Help!" |
||
| − | |||
| − | Her heart pounded in her chest as there was no reply. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She may have been clumsy and useless compared to Jacques, but she sure wasn't stupid. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Brick had obviously led them into a trap.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Let us go!" Jacques hissed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The she-cat bared her teeth. "You'll die in the gutter, next to your mother." Fear shot through her. How could they possibly get out of the situation? |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Don't talk about our mother," Jacques growled. They cackled sadistically. Susan hissed under her breath, as she saw a ginger shape slipping through the tall grass. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Brick. How could he betray them like this, when he was their own father? He ''was ''caring for them, just to give them away to be slaughtered, or who knew what! |
||
| − | |||
| − | Thinking of this, Susan asked frightened, "What are you going to do to us?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | "That's for Scourge to determine." |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Yep. Dying in the gutter.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''In the gutter.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | The hole in the side of the street reeked of rain water, and she could see the slime that coated its walls. Disgusted, she gulped, and swiftly pointed it out to Jacques. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "I'm scared." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "It's this or... them." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "But we have to save our mother!" |
||
| − | |||
| − | "We're just kits, Jacques. We don't have a chance. And Brick said that she was dead, remember?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | "We have to believe that she's alive," he whispered. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Shut up!" the white tom snarled as he whipped around. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "It's now or never." |
||
| − | |||
| − | And Susan found herself skidding across the cracked and dirty street, and tumbling through the dank air. She could just feel the light brush of Jacques' fur against hers in their fall of terror. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Frightened, she felt her paws slam into the hard ground. Her teeth rattled, and water splashed into the thick air. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "What did I get myself into?" she groaned. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "A gutter," Jacques said matter-of-factly. Susan couldn't even tell if he was being sarcastic or trying to be funny. Or just being stupid. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Without waiting for Jacques' approval, Susan began to pad to the tunnel in the side of the filthy stone wall. |
||
| − | |||
| − | As she straggled alongside her brother, she felt a jolt race through her heart. Hot, salty tears slipped down her cheeks. All she wanted was to go home to her mother, and curl up at her side, with Jacques. They would be the perfect family, except for the absence of a father. Ever since that moment, it was all that she longed for. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The angry shouts of the BloodClan cats echoed down all the way down to them. Such words made Susan's fur crawl. |
||
| − | |||
| − | It felt as if her heart would never be light again. |
||
| − | |||
| − | *~*~ |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Soft cushions lined her nest. Jilly stretched and yawned, unwilling to get up yet. But she could hear her Twoleg clunking around in the kitchen, and knew that she would want to say goodbye before Susan left. Glinting in the rising sun that streamed though the windows, was her collar. Jilly had nearly forgotten that it was there, it was so comfortable.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | <p style="margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;">''Goodbye, Jilly!" Susan called out. She purred her goodbye, and leaped onto the kitchen counter, to peer out of the window. The car picked up speed and sped away. Gracefully, she gave her paw a lick, and leaped off of the counter to eat some food.'' ''It was dry and tasteless on her mouth, but unsurprisingly, Jilly had gotten used to it.''</p> |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''She heard a rustle outside of the house. Slowly, her ears pricked. Curious, she went around to the front of the house to see the suspicious shaking. At first, all she could see were the bright green leaves and violet flowers of Susan's bush. But then a flash of ginger caught her eye, and she was plunged into a world of nervous terror.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''It had been days since she had went to visit Scorch, and she never planned to again. She just couldn't take it. Her visit was a huge embarrassment for Scorch, and a horrible one for Jilly. How could kits just die off like that? Was the cold and lack of sustenance really that extreme? Jilly shivered to think of that life. The fact was, she didn't belong there.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''It was too late. Blue eyes blinked at her from behind a purple blossom, and a ginger shape slid out from behind the bush. '' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Hello Scorch," Jilly mewed coolly.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Hi Jilly," he replied, keeping his voice formal, but she could see the pleading in his eyes. A pang stabbed at her heart, but she had to ignore it.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Listen... I'm sorry about what happened the other day, when you came to my home. I realize what a horrible experience for you it was."'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Yes, quite. But it's not your fault."'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"I know. But I still need to apologize."'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''She nodded to him, keeping wary. Scorch took a few steps closer to stand next to her.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Um... nice garden."'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Thank you."'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Okay, so Jilly--"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Yes, what?"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"I'm sorry about our first experience, but would you want to try meeting me again? We made our den much warmer. And stocked prey. Please?"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Jilly was put on the spot. She shuffled her paws, but then decided that she couldn't say no.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"All right. Tomorrow, after my housefolk has left. Right when the sun has just risen."'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | *~*~ |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | <p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-family:Herculanum;color:firebrick;text-align:center;text-shadow:3px 3px 3px lightcoral;font-size:25px;">Chapter 4</span></p> |
||
| − | |||
| − | Susan's reflection rippled in the puddle of water, from the newly fallen rain. Her fur was now fluffier and downier, with more of a shimmer to it. Unlike the rest of her, her green eyes hadn't changed, but she still thought that they complimented her appearance. Slowly, the water trickled into the gutter on the side of the curb. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Susan remembered those fateful times. When they had lost Shade, and were taken hostage by BloodClan. They had tried to escape in one of the gutters much alike the one next to her, but failed. So now they were stuck in the Twolegplace wasteland that she had the displeasure to call home. |
||
| − | |||
| − | They might've been able to escape Scourge's clutches if they were able to find another way to exit the gutter that day. It was all because of Scorch that they were training with a BloodClan cat. He had been sent to take them out, and had succeeded. |
||
| − | |||
| − | It had been nine moons since then. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "You're starting to get vain. I suppose it only comes with she-cats' age," Jacques scoffed, as he walked up to her. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Shut up," she snapped, "There's nothing wrong with glancing at yourself every now and then!" Her brother just snorted. For a moment, she secretly wondered if she was getting slightly conceited, but instantly forgot about it. She was training for BloodClan, and she hadn't died yet. Susan was a true fighter. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "We haven't got all day!" Susan cringed at the familiar snarl. It was Slash, their new trainer. It was customary for queens to train their own kits, but Shade had never returned to them. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''No. Don't think about that now, Susan.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | Slash, the deadly beauty of a she-cat, was waiting for them in the Twoleg lot next to the chain-link fence. Jacques was already strolling there, his ears pricked to listen intently. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Stifling her moan of loathing, she followed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "It's about time!" Slash circled them, her tail flicking, whiskers twitching. That pretty tortoiseshell pelt surely didn't fool Susan anymore. |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | <p style="margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;">But Susan did like to fight. Except that morning, her heart wasn’t in it, and her mind wandering.</p> |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Pay attention!” Slash hissed. Suddenly, she felt a sharp blow strike her side. To her surprise, it was Jacques, not Slash. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “What the heck?” Susan shouted, standing up. Her and Jacques vowed to never harm each other, if possible. It certainly wasn’t the time now. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Jacques took a little gasp, as if he wasn’t sure what he just did. To her annoyance, he smiled sheepishly, and said, “Susan! I’m really sorry! I thought that you would have your guard up!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yeah, well whatever,” she grumbled, and began to lick her side. The blow was only slightly raw, with a thin amount of blood. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Shockingly, Slash didn’t explode at them as was anticipated. She just hung her head in a low growl. It was even scarier than her yelling side, for the littermates weren’t familiar with the strange behavior. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Then the words rang out, that Susan had always wanted to hear. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Except that for some reason they brought dread instead of joy. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “You’re on your own now. I can’t train you anymore. Look at you.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | She had to agree with her. Embarrassed, she thought of how she had gazed into the puddle earlier, and had been flabbergasted at her mature appearance. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “But wait!” Jacques shouted. She gave him a look. ''Why would he want her to stay? She’s the bane of our existence!'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | “What?” Slash snapped. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “You can’t leave us now. We’re still very young cats, and I feel that we won’t be able to survive without your training.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Sighing, Susan hid her face with her tail. Jacques was no longer making sense. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “You had better learn to fight and survive,” Slash spat, “But I supposed there are a few things that I should tell you.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “First of all, I’m not your pathetic mother. I’m a high ranked BloodClan cat. Don’t come crying to me when you’re starving or wounded or sick, because I don’t care. It’s not my responsibility.” Susan had no idea whether or not to make a witty remark, or feel frightened at her dark future. Disappointed, she guessed that it was probably the latter. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Take a new name. ‘Jacques’ and ‘Susan’ aren’t names acceptable for BloodClan, and you will be taken into questioning by Scourge if you don’t change them into something good.” Of course, she already knew what this meant. She didn’t believe that Slash started out with her name, or Bone, or Brick and Snake and Ice. ''Maybe even Scourge?'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | Giving one last hard stare, Slash turned tail. Jacques scuffled his paws, and once again shouted, “Wait!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “What in Scourge’s name could you possibly want?” Slash snarled. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Please stay. If not, I can find you!” His yellow eyes were round and pleading. |
||
| − | |||
| − | What’s going on here? |
||
| − | |||
| − | For a moment, she thought that she saw a bit of softness in Slash’s expression. But it just flickered and was gone, like the last ray of the sun. |
||
| − | |||
| − | And she spun around and walked away. Jacques looked heartbroken. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Um. I guess she was like a second mother to us… particularly you?” Susan stuttered awkwardly. |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | The night was cold and icy, for the rain had frozen over and put a thick layer of frost over everything. Chilled to the bone, she buried herself even deeper into the discarded Twoleg rag that she had scavenged. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She heard Jacques rustle the bedding of his makeshift nest. Susan rolled over, shuffling her own. It was almost like a silent communication saying, “Yeah, I’m awake too.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Finally, Jacques decided to be the one to break the quiet of the night. “What do you want to change your name to?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “I don’t want to change my name. I’m perfectly happy with the one that our mother gave us.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “You know that we have to, Susan.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “I don’t care.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yes you do. You’re terrified. You know that Shade wouldn’t want us to risk our lives by not obeying Scourge again.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Shade wouldn’t want us to give into the cats that killed her!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Fine then. See what you think when we finally meet the rest of BloodClan.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Meet the rest of BloodClan? When?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Oh, you know. You’re not as stupid as you pretend to be. Scourge gives advice, and we both have a lot to say to him.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | She buried her face deep into her nest. What was wrong with her sensible level headed brother? |
||
| − | |||
| − | “ So you’re saying that we should pour out our innermost problems to the cat that tried to kill us.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “No, not exactly. You’ll understand, I promise. Just go to sleep.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Okay. Good night, Jacques.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Good night.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | His breathing slowed, as his stomach rose and fell. How he went to sleep that easily, she didn’t know. Often she lay awake, sadness overtaking her so she couldn’t ever rest. |
||
| − | |||
| − | It seemed like Jacques didn’t even care anymore. |
||
| − | |||
| − | But as she curled closer to him, she realized that he was her loyal brother, same as ever. They had been through thick and thin together. |
||
| − | |||
| − | His heart would never stray. |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | The sun was surprisingly warm for the previous several days of freezing rain and chilly air. This helped Susan rise, and groom herself. ''Better wake Jacques up and get out of here, before Slash gets hissy. '' |
||
| − | |||
| − | But of course, she had to remind herself. They were no longer being trained. This is our chance to put our skills to the test. We must do a better job of hunting and fight for our own food. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Wake up, Jacques,” she called to him. |
||
| − | |||
| − | His black and white head rose. “I’m already up. I was just waiting for you.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | She rolled her eyes. From what she could tell, he had completely groomed over most of his fur in a handsome fashion. Except that one tuft stuck out behind his ear, as always. Closing her eyes briefly, she reminisced of the times when their mother had licked over that same little spike. She purred as she remembered Jacques’ protests. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Feeling like she would never be happy again, she pulled herself out of the den. Time to find food. |
||
| − | |||
| − | There was no nourishment in sight, except a little package of scraps that was being fought over blow for blow by a pair of hefty toms. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Hey! Wait up!” Jacques yowled after her. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Shut up!” she hissed under her breath, gesturing to the squalling toms. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Do you think we can take them?” He sounded dubious. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Do you think that we can sneak the food from them?” she replied. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Well, they are preoccupied…” The bigger one of the toms was ripping the other one’s ear off at the moment. The latter’s jaws were wide open in agony, along with his eyes. She could see tears streaming down his cheeks. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Once again, she was disgusted by all of the cats that inhabited the streets. They had no honor, and would kill their own littermates for an extra meal. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Slowly, they crept up behind the fight. “We can easily sneak up in a moment, as soon as that victim tom is looking away,” her brother whispered. The ‘victim tom’ was writhing on the ground. Her stomach squirmed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Jacques tensed, as the tom still squirmed in discomfort. She couldn’t help hearing his desperate cries of pain. Without giving a second thought, she darted out between the fight. “Stop!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | The bigger tom was striped, and extremely ferocious-looking. His head snapped around to look at her. “Who’s this specimen?” The familiar fear welled up inside of her, rooted right in her kithood. No matter how much she fought and survived on minimal prey, she would never be able to get rid of it. But she swallowed it and moved on. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “You’re hurting him. What did he ever do to deserve this?” she preached. |
||
| − | |||
| − | He didn’t even have to think to reply. “He wanted my food. It was what I found.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “What you found? We found it at the same time! It’s mine, but then this savage thought it was fun to rip my ears off!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Shut up!” The striped one hissed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “No! Both of you shut up! You toms aren’t worth more than the scum growing on the edges of the garbage cans,” she said. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Stay out of it, Susan,” Jacques hissed, “We’re here to get food, not to resolve petty scuffles!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Both of the toms instantly turned on them. “So you are trying to steal my food too?” the littler one growled. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Um… we were… not anymore!” Jacques stuttered. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Without any thought, they attacked. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Susan ended up taking on the bigger striped tom. He was an excellent fighter, but Susan was quicker and more agile. Expertly, she landed a blow on his side. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She was so proud of herself that she lost her focus for just a moment. The tom rolled over, and easily squashed her. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Sputtering, she tried to wriggle from his weight. But she couldn’t. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Uck—help!” she choked. Her brother instantly abandoned his fight, and came to hers. As they fought, she snuck away and snatched the box of Twoleg scraps away. |
||
| − | |||
| − | But she saw the little sneaky tom running up behind Jacques, in the perfect position to rake his claws across his side. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Forgetting about the food, she slammed into his side, and scratched his face. This just made the little tom angrier. He paddled her stomach with his paws. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Where’s your precious mother know, kit?” he hissed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Blinded by anger, she slammed his head into the side of the trashcan near him. A sickening clang was heard, and a spot of blood was on its rusty silver side. |
||
| − | |||
| − | To her surprise, they both turned tail and scampered away. Smugly, Susan noticed their tails between their legs. That’ll teach them! |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Did you see that? Did you see how I slammed his head on the bin?” she mewed, pushing the chicken towards the middle of them. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Hey. What’s this?” Jacques murmured. He pointed to a little bright white object standing out against the faint layer of mud. It was a singular white tooth, laying below the spot where Susan had slammed the tom’s head, speckled with blood. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Keep that too.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Keep a tooth? I’m not one of those BloodClan creeps that collects trophies!” she muttered with disgust. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Susan!” Jacques hissed, “Those are collected to pay tribute to Scourge. You should probably start being respectful, or you’ll get us into a world of trouble.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''What ever happened to my kit brother.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | Unable to agree with him, she just looked down. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Fine. I’ll take the tooth for Scourge.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Wait, but what if I need something for him?” she mewed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | He smirked, and flicked one of the chicken bones into her paws. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Speaking of which,” he mewed, “Let’s eat.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | It was all so overwhelming. Susan felt constricted, and like she couldn’t breathe, squeezed between all of the cats. Their spiked collars occasionally scraped against her. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She had to stop, and gasped for air. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Move on!” Someone hissed, and shoved her. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Finally, the line was located. ''Okay. All we have to do is wait in this line, tell Scourge our names, and give him the trophies.'' Just the thought of that scared her. She didn’t know how he would react to her sacrifice of a puny chicken bone. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “You did figure out your name, right?” Jacques mewed worriedly. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yeah.” She replied abruptly. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Well? What did you choose?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Right in the middle of their tense conversation, came a pair of young-looking cats, another she-cat and a tom. They were both a silver with thick tabby stripes and curious blue-gray eyes. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Are you changing your names now, too?” the she-cat mewed excitedly. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yeah.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “To what?” The dreaded question was brought up again. Susan wasn’t sure that they would approve her choice. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The strange she-cat spoke again. “I think I’m changing mine to Flash. Um… I guess as in the flash of claws in the moonlight!” Susan couldn’t help but roll her eyes. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She continued. “My mother named me ''Petunia'', can you believe that? So ridiculous right?" ''But that's a pretty name!'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | Susan just flashed her a smile, then turned away. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "I'm not changing my name," the tom mewed, "Our mother named me Claw." |
||
| − | |||
| − | She wondered how many more cats thought that this was all some great excitement. To her, it was just horrible nightmare that brought up hellish kithood memories. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "What's your new one?" Petunia mewed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Jacques and Susan glanced at each other, wondering if they should just ignore and go on. "Well?" Jacques whispered. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "What's the big deal?" she whispered back, "They seem friendly." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Oh all right," Jacques mewed. "I'm going to become 'Scratch'." Scratch? That sounded horrible! Once again, she was worried about her own name. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "What about you, Susan?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | Nervous, she took a deep breath. "Lily." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Lily?" Jacques screeched, "Lily?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | Petunia and Claw burst out laughing. "Ha, you're hilarious!" Claw exclaimed, and patted her on the back with his skinny tail. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "So what is it really?" Petunia inquired curiously. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Butterflies flitted around in her stomach, but she had no choice. "Um... Lily. I wasn't kidding." |
||
| − | |||
| − | At first, they looked at her, blue eyes wide with shock. Then they burst into roaring laughter. "Lily! Lily!" Claw laughed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Susan, really? Lily?" Jacques hissed under his breath. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "It's a beautiful name," she wobbily mewed, "And um... lilies are deadly when eaten!" |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Scourge isn't going to like it," he murmured. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Stop worrying about me, Jacques! Slash left us on our own, and now we're each in charge of our own lives." |
||
| − | |||
| − | Petunia and Claw were now gone, but Susan could see that they had cut several terrified kits in line. Her heart pounded in sympathy, as an older tom pushed one of them with a simple flick of his paw. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The crowds grew even thicker, the more they waited. Strangely, even Jacques seemed as if he was bored, because he was now poking a kit in the tail. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Stop it," she hissed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Fine. Whatever." |
||
| − | |||
| − | Soon, she lost her sense of direction, as the reek of old and new bones reached her nostrils, combining with the usual stench of Twoleg garbage. Gagging, the littermates moved through the crowd. To her relief, she thought she could see scourge sitting upon a dumpster like some kind of throne. |
||
| − | |||
| − | They were almost there, but she feared her encounter, like she had feared all of BloodClan for years. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Finally, she could see every horrific detail of Scourge up close again. Bone sat at the foot of the dumpster, surveying them with yellow eyes. He bore a strong resemblance to Jacques that made her fur crawl. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Next to see Scourge," Bone growled. Susan's heart thumped, and she once thought of her chosen name. ''Can I just think of a new one really fast? ''Jacques sucked in a deep breath, and padded forward to him. She saw him drop the tooth before his feet. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Um... okay. A name. A new good scary name. ''Kneading her claws anxiously, she tried to think, yet nothing occured. ''Uh-- Sun? Moon? No, I just can't! ''Before she knew it, Jacques was padding up to her, looking proud. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "I did it! My name is Scratch now! Scourge approved me! And what's more, I told him our problems and he gave advice." Her mouth dropped open. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "How could you?" she hissed, "You can't trust him!" |
||
| − | |||
| − | Bone padded up to them. "Now, are we having a nice conversation?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Um-- yes!" "Scratch" stuttered. ''Ugh. His name is Jacques, no matter what they say.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | "This pretty little she-cat had better go before Scourge gets irritated," Bone mewed coldly. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Without a second thought, she zipped in front of the dumpster. She could feel those dog claws raking down her back. |
||
| − | |||
| − | For the second time in her life, her gaze met ice blue eyes. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Speak now," Scourge mewed, his voice cold and high. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Um... okay. I'm Susan..." she muttered nervously, "I want my new name to be..." She tried to think of a new name at that moment, yet had no more luck. "I want my name to be Lily." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Lily? This is the first time that they've sent a prankster over here. Send her out with a punishment," Bone growled. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Bone, sometimes I believe that you forget that ''I'm ''the leader of BloodClan," Scourge responded coolly, "You're dismissed right now." Without arguing, Bone dipped his head to Scourge, and backed away. |
||
| − | |||
| − | And she was all alone with him. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Well Susan. Don't think that I've forgotten you," Scourge mewed icily, "Quite a ''troublemaking ''kit you were." |
||
| − | |||
| − | She swallowed her fear as she spoke. "Yes." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Those skills may be useful to us, however," he said, "If you just change your name and dedicate yourself to us, you will be rewarded heavily." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Lily will be my new name," she said strongly, even as her voice quivered. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Not a traditional name..." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Lilies are deadly when eaten!" she defended. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Scourge laughed. "Ah. Of course. You will regret your choice, however I will allow it." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Thank you," she muttered to him. Ginger fur down her back spiked in anxiety. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "You will be free to go, unless you have something to share? And maybe a gift?" he mewed, his voice higher-pitched than usual. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Yes. Of course, Scourge. I--I have nothing to say to you. However... I do have a gift." She braced herself for his large, blunt claws to slice into her, as she flipped the chicken bone from in between her paws to a pile in front of Scourge's dumpster. |
||
| − | |||
| − | He looked at her, unamused. "An unusual present. Now get out of my sight." She felt Bone drag her by the scruff away. ''Scourge may be feeling generous today, but Bone sure isn't.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | Newly named "Lily" met up with "Scratch" just next to the waning line outside. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "You're okay!" he exclaimed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Yeah," she mewed distantly. Her life was constricted to the point to where she thought she had no personality at all, for Scourge had stripped it away. |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | Lily and Scratch slept pressed against a chain link fence, overshadowed with an ugly dark green bush. Weeds cushioned their nests. Lily longed for the days when they slept with their mother in the bush in the park, or even that one night in the shack. At least they were comfortable. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Good night, Lily," Scratch mewed. She winced at the use of the name. Susan and Jacques were the names that their mother had given them, and she really didn't want them to change. |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | She knew that something was going on, as soon as she heard mutterings on the streets of a strange cat, and one of their own come back. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Lily approached Scratch with her fears one night. "There's something going on, I can't put my paw on it, but it can't mean good news." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Nothing here ''ever ''means good news," Scratch pointed out, then continued licking his stained, dirty pads. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Will you listen to me just this once?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | "I always listen to you!" he protested. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She sighed. "But you don't understand." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "I guess I don't." |
||
| − | |||
| − | But as she went scavenging with Scratch the next day, she saw a pair of cats sitting next to each other, whispering. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "--Been rumors of a pair of cats traveling though the city. Did you hear about them?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | The other tom scoffed. "Flicker, you can't be serious. The news is all over by now. I think it's one of those Clan cats, and Boulder." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Boulder! He's the one that abandoned us!" Flicker hissed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Lily leaned to Jacques. "See? Did you hear that?" she whispered to him. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Scratch nodded. Suddenly, both toms were staring at them. Flicker stepped up to them. "This is our territory," he hissed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Lily rolled her eyes. "Even we know that this is ''everyone's'' territory." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "She's right," Scratch mewed, backing her up. A low growl rumbled from them, but they didn't protest any further. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "My name's Ice," the second tom growled, "And this is Flicker." Lily felt jealous of the beautiful name "Flicker". And from what she could tell, Scourge gave ''him ''no grief, because Flicker was part of his guard. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Do you want to go check it out?" Ice inquired, to both of their surprise. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Um... all right," Scratch mewed, "I'm Scratch, and this is Lily." Their own names still sounded strange, even on their own tongues. Especially on their own tongues. Despite the environment and everything else, she still preferred Susan. |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | <p style="margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;">At first they snickered. Then Ice burst into a full- fledged laugh. "Lily? Ha, what kind of a name is that?"</p> |
||
| − | |||
| − | "My name," Lily responded, her ears flat down her head. |
||
| − | |||
| − | They continued laughing. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Lilies are poisonous," she insisted. Scratch blushed furiously. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Yes, whatever," Flicker mewed, "Come on." |
||
| − | |||
| − | Lily thought that Flicker seemed slightly familiar. ''Flicker... Flicker... where was that from? ''For another time, she was plunged back into her kithood memories. Strange cats were talking in hushes voices, just outside of the shack that she and her brother were taking refuge in. Lily gulped. Flicker was one of the cats that hunted her as a kit. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Following Ice and Flicker, they were soon among the throngs of cats again. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Stay close," Scratch whispered to her. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "I'm not a kit anymore," she scoffed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Scratch ignored her and took a step closer. Now they stood between a delicate silver she-cat with a raggedy pelt, and a mousy brown tom. For a moment, she was cast into her own thoughts of how much she hated all of BloodClan, and how she just missed her mother. Shade was caring and protected them all of their lives. ''It's all my fault that we're here today.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | Suddenly, the crowd of cats began to part, forming a striaght path through them, cats on either side. Scratch and Lily were forced to fall back. |
||
| − | |||
| − | A pang of shock hit her, as she spied an extremely powerful looking brown tabby tom, flanked by another silver tom that was all too familiar. It was Boulder. As far as she could tell, Boulder was a kind cat, much nicer than most of the BloodClan ruffians. But all of a sudden, he was gone, moved off into the forest with the Clans some had said. ''So why would he come back to this dark place?'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | The large tabby tom's voice reached Lily's ears. "''That's ''Scourge? He's no bigger than an apprentice!" Lily flinched. Who knew what would befall him soon. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Quiet! These cats would kill if their leader ordered them to!" ''Would I?'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | She saw the lean black shape of Scourge slink a few paces forward as the pair drew nearer. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Greetings, Boulder. So after spending life in the forest, you've decided to come crawling back?" he growled. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "No, Scourge. Life in the forest is good. There is plenty of prey and shelter," Boulder responded. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Then why are you here?" he hissed. Boulder remained silent, and dipped his head to the large tom. |
||
| − | |||
| − | He spoke. Lily could feel the tension crackling in the air. "Greetings. I am Tigerstar, leader of ShadowClan, and I have a proposition for you." She felt Scratch dig his claw into her paw. She winced, but didn't respond. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The sight of Scourge leading Tigerstar away to speak privately gave her a bad, wrenching feeling in her gut. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Something was going to go terribly wrong. |
||
| − | *~*~ |
||
| − | ''Quickly, her eyes snapped open right before dawn. She couldn't even hear the birds chirp.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Jilly groaned. ''Why did I have to get up so early? ''But she knew the real reason why. The excitement of meeting Scorch was too much to bear. He was coming at sunrise and she couldn't wait.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''She could no longer ignore the excitement she was feeling all night, and how she had felt disappointed every time Scorch walked away. Now they could finally have an informal, fun relationship if their meeting went right.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Giving up on sleep, she got to her paws, and stretched.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Her distasteful reflection caught her eye, as she stood in front of a mirror. Tufts of her fur stuck out on end, and her blue collar was crooked on one side.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Quickly, she got to work grooming her wild appearance, until her smoky gray fur was smooth and fluffy, and her rhinestones were shining on her straightened collar.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Halfheartedly, she said goodbye to Susan as she left the house.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''It seemed like an eternity before she saw the familiar ginger pelt of Scorch moving down the sidewalk. Without any hesitation, she scurried out of her cat flap and leaped over the fence.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Scorch!" she exclaimed.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''He smiled. "Hi!"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"So how are you?"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Well... better than usual." Her heart twinged in sympathy.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Are you sure that you don't want me to give you some food?"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''He hissed. "Like I said, I'm not a kittypet. Now why don't we go do something fun or what?"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Yeah, sounds good," Jilly mewed distantly.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''He narrowed his eyes playfully. "Let me show you."'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''He took her down an alley, past his home, to the one next to it. On every wall, was a huge dumpster.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"Now, what you do, is try to run along the bins without falling," Scorch explained.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''The first time she tried, she was a bit wobbly, and the reek of trash was really getting into her nose. She envied how quickly and gracefully Scorch ran along the edges.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Finally, she had to stop for breath. Scorch bounded up in front of her.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"If you place your paws slightly to the side, it will make it easier."'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Jilly nodded, and attempted it again.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''It was so much fun. She felt as if she was flying. But her third time around, she didn't see the spot of slime on the edge of the bin. Right in the middle of it, her paw landed, causing her to slip inside the dumpster.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Disgusting stenches surrounded her, as she tried to scramble to the top of the ledge. To her surprise, she was laughing harder than she ever had before. Scorch was laughing too, as he pulled her out.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"See me tomorrow?"'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''"You bet."'' |
||
| − | *~*~ |
||
| − | <p style="text-align:center;"><span style="color:rgb(178,34,34);font-family:Herculanum;font-size:25px;text-shadow:5px 5px 5px lightcoral">Chapter 5</span></p> |
||
| − | <p style="margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;">Instantly, excited and frightened mutters rose from the crowd, and turned into a deafening roar.</p> |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Who is that cat?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Tigerstar. He just said, you idiot!" |
||
| − | |||
| − | "ShadowClan? Are those forest cats?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | Lily fought her way to the edge of the crowd, panting. "Scratch!" she called out. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Right here," he said, as he took his place by her side. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Maybe Tigerstar is plotting to overthrow Scourge!" Nervous cries rang out, although Lily could hear some ecstatic whispers. ''The only reason why we've stuck with Scourge so long is that he gives us food and protects us, in his own twisted way.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Over my dead body," a black and white tom growled. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Snake!" Ice mewed. He bounded to Snake's side. ''They must be brothers. ''Only then did Lily notice their collars with smelly dog teeth. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Almost every cat milled around until nighttime, the moonshine on their pelts and dog teeth. Except for the queens, who obviously had starving kits to feed. Lily's heart twinged in sympathy. She wondered how many young lives wouldn't last the night. After all, she and Scratch barely survived themselves. As soon as the claw-moon started sinking in the sky, Lily finally convinced Scratch to go home. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Come on. It's getting late, and I doubt Scourge will make an appearance until at least tomorrow." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "But we could be missing something important!" Scratch argued. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "If something important was going to happen, it would've occurred already." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Ugh. Fine. But we have to find another cat to tell us what happened tomorrow." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Yeah, yeah. Now let's go," Lily concluded. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She thought she wouldn't be able to sleep. But as soon as she lay down on the rags of her nest, she went out like the sun. |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | Unfortunately, Lily woke up the next morning feeling sleep--deprived and hating the world. Scratch was already awake, pacing the den. Glimmering, his yellow eyes blinked. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She yawned. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Finally you're up!" he exclaimed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | All she could do was glare, and run her paw over her ear. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Scratch returned the look, and began speaking again. "Let's go hunt. I'm starving. And maybe we can come across some news of Tigerstar and Boulder." |
||
| − | |||
| − | Lily saw no way to stall any longer, so she followed Scratch outside. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The sun was still soft and warm, shining on her ginger pelt, and seeping into her bones. She let out a sigh of pleasure, and waved her tail. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Where should we hunt?" Scratch inquired. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "I don't know." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Maybe by the shack?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Ugh no," Lily replied, "The only thing that can be found there is worms and the occasional gopher." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "It's that or garbage," Scratch mewed grimly. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Seeing no other choice, Lily padded behind him to the park. |
||
| − | |||
| − | To Lily's annoyance, it was packed with Twolegs, running about the grass, and lying down on colored pelts. ''They must be trying to soak up the last of the sun before autumn.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | The familiar outline of the rotting shack rose up, visible behind the last cropping of maple trees. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Just as Lily predicted, they had no luck. She snuffled around in the grass. No scent, not even a trace of shrew or a hollow burrow. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Nothing?" Scratch questioned. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Not a mouse tail," Lily said back. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Ugh. Rotting Twoleg food it is then." |
||
| − | |||
| − | She found herself padding back under the shade of the maples. It reflected an intricate leaf pattern on her ginger fur. ''I am pretty, I guess. '' |
||
| − | |||
| − | Scratch marched to the shortcut around the Twolegs. Lily snapped out of her reverie, and followed close behind. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Tentatively, she shot a glance at the clumpings of Twolegs. Two of their kits tossed a ball. The full grown one held a dog on a leash, barking. |
||
| − | |||
| − | This gave her an idea. |
||
| − | |||
| − | A wonderful idea, but also a horrible one, because they could get in big trouble. |
||
| − | |||
| − | But it could work. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Hey, Scratch," Lily whispered. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "What is it?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | "I have an idea." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Wait, what?" |
||
| − | |||
| − | "We won't be eating trash today! Cause I have a plan." |
||
| − | |||
| − | Scratch gave her a look, as if to say, ''"A plan? But I'm the one with the plans that holds us together."'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | Not this time, Scratch. |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | "Are you insane?" Scratch hissed, as they strolled along the rows of Twoleg nests, with perfect gardens and white fences. The trees in each were abnormally short and bright. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Lily gave the classic response. "Maybe." |
||
| − | |||
| − | Despite his complaints, Scratch gave her plan a silent approval. Soon, they reached their destination. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Here we are." |
||
| − | |||
| − | "''This ''house?" Scratch mewed dubiously. |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | <p style="margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;">She had to admit, it was the most outstanding house on the street. The paint had began to chip, and the garden wasn't very well cared for. The buttercups were already wilted.</p> |
||
| − | |||
| − | "You go first?" he mewed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Sure. Whatever," Lily mewed, trying to sound fearless, when her legs were shaking and her heart was literally on the verge of pounding out of her own chest. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Cautiously, she approached the little cat flap in the door. It was still an unthreatening, yet unviting, like she wasn't welcome. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Which she wasn't, so it didn't make much of a difference. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Scratch, will you come with me? It would actually be better if we went together, I think," she mewed, hating herself for it. ''I ''always ''have to ask him for help. Always.'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Okay," he muttered nervously. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She waited for him to get close behind her, then without looking back, she pushed through the cat flap. The cold, slippery plastic brushed and pressed uncomfortably at her fur, as she fought her way in. Soon enough, she was through, and Scratch was sliding in after her. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Wow," he breathed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Then Lily decided to look up. There were big couches, their cushions feathery and new, unlike the dirty and torn one that she and Scratch once had to sleep on. Small little suns glowed from inside weird Twoleg contraptions, shining on the fuzzy earth. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Curiously, she put her nose into the air, trying to find an aroma of food. There was something that smelled slightly of meat, wafting from another room, but it didn't seem very fresh. But food was food, still better than Twoleg trash anyways. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "Follow me," she whispered. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Creeping into the kitchen like sly snakes, the pair soon arrived at two small bowls next to each other on the hard stone floor. The scent was definitely coming from one of them, that was filled with little brown pellets. |
||
| − | |||
| − | "It looks like rabbit droppings," Scratch complained. |
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| − | |||
| − | Swallowing down her disgust, she replied. "Well, we haven't tasted it yet!" |
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| − | And in her attempt to remain optimistic, and get something good to eat, she took a bite. The kittypet food wasn't nearly as bad as she expected, but it still tasted a bit stale and bland. The pellets crunched hard between her teeth, and she swallowed. |
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| − | "Not too bad," she mewed, "Go on." |
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| − | Looking less apprehensive, Scratch bent over to take a bite. She watched him chew the tough mixture, and push it down his throat. Her stomach rumbled again. Before she knew it, they were hungrily eating the food, as it filled up their bellies. They hadn't eaten so well in a moon. |
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| − | Lily didn't smell the unfamiliar scent at first, because her nose was full of kittypet food. But even she was able to sense another presence in the room. |
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| − | Slowly, she turned around, to see a kittypet growling at them. |
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| − | She didn't know whether or not to be scared or laughing. Kittypets were most often fat and lazy, unable to lift a claw to save their lives. Yet the anger in that one's eyes scared her. |
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| − | "Um... Scratch?" she mewed nervously. |
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| − | He looked up. "What?" He jumped at the sight of the kittypet. |
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| − | "Oh. It's just a kittypet," he realized. |
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| − | The kittypet growled, muscles rippling under his cream fur. "This is my territory, and my food." |
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| − | And he attempted to leap at them. The kittypet was obviously an especially ferocious one, but his weight slowed him down before he pounced. Lily was able to sidestep, and deliver a sharp blow on his side. |
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| − | "Let's get out of here!" Scratch hissed. |
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| − | "No!" Lily responded, "This is the most food we've seen in a long time! We can't just give it up now!" |
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| − | "It's not ours, Lily!" |
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| − | "Well obviously this overfed kittypet doesn't need any more of it though!" she retorted, instantly regretting it. The kittypet raked her side. It stung horribly, but she ducked underneath him and gave him a little scratch on his dangling stomach. |
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| − | "But we've eaten our share! Now let's go, before there's more trouble!" |
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| − | |||
| − | She saw no other way to get out of doing what he said, so she just stepped away from the raging kittypet. |
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| − | "That's right! Out of my house!" |
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| − | "We'll be glad to get out of your stinking house!" Scratch shouted back. They were nearly at the cat flap, when Lily felt a sharp blow on her tail. She whipped around, hissing, to see a Twoleg holding a broom. |
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| − | They didn't wait to see what happened next. |
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| − | She panted, as they ran along the street, the sun now beating down since it was sunhigh. |
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| − | "Let's go rest," Scratch suggested. |
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| − | "Good idea," she agreed. |
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| − | Their little bush against the chain link fence was in sight, when a small group of cats appeared over the rise. Lily groaned inwardly. ''I've had enough of BloodClan cats to last a lifetime.'' |
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| − | Ice seemed to be at the head, his black and white fur in sharp contrast. |
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| − | |||
| − | "Scourge has called a mandatory meeting. It will take place beneath his dumpster. It starts now." |
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[[Category:Action]] |
[[Category:Action]] |
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[[Category:Adventure]] |
[[Category:Adventure]] |
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Revision as of 04:36, 1 September 2015
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This is a story by Stormy. |
 Raised in the gutter With seemingly nothing Yet one day Everything is ripped away Creating a quest to Seek Revenge |