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Post by gingerluna on Jun 17, 2019 9:04:14 GMT -6
Oh Lazarus, how d i d your debts get paid? Res for those involved. You know who you are =D
The coyotes came like wildfire, their barks loud as a roaring forest, their scent sharp and repulsive as ash, their claws tearing at the pines like tongues of flame. The fear was thick and swollen, and all Honey could do was cling to the branch and pretend she was anywhere else. She thought of Baxter, of her lost siblings, her mother, and as quickly as the pack came, they left. All Honey could do was pray the others had made it to safety, that they’d bought enough time. It was over. The yipping cries became fainter and fainter until Honey was unsure whether or not it was safe to come down. She met Elektra’s gaze, and understood the message. Stay put. So she did, trying to calm her shaking, until she heard the stillest pawstep. She looked around, head flicking back and forth for the source, until she looked down and saw the two cats she hated more than anything in the world. Some other idiot was with them, but all Honey knew was a roaring anger that overtook all reason. Angel’s pelt looked just like Belle’s, a jagged reminder of the life that’d been taken from the kit who’d been murdered by Honey’s own blood. She stared forward at Elektra, and saw the quick shake of her head, the mouthed no, but all Honey knew was that she needed those cats to suffer, and she needed it now. She stepped forward on the branch, careful not to make a sound, and then a moment later, she was diving down. Claws outstretched, she landed squarely on Angel’s back, tearing and biting everything she could see. “Murderer!” she screeched as she was bucked off, sliding across the ground and standing tall. “You piece of shit! I’m going to kill you both!” Her tail lashed behind her wildly, like a branch in the wind. “I’m going to watch you bleed out into the dirt, like the mice you are. |
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Post by gingerluna on Jun 17, 2019 9:28:58 GMT -6
The coyotes surged through the woods like a storm, their cries like wind whistling in the trees, their scent like death, and it was all Ashbite could do to stop himself from following their destruction like a moth chasing a flame. He felt an uncanny peace settle across him, one he’d known amidst fire and ash long ago. And then, they left, cries dying like weary rain.
He hopped down with the others, following their stink into the camp he’d longed to see. But there was no blood on the ground, no bodies torn to pieces. Anger prickled in his chest. No. They had to be dead. Where were they? He glanced around, ears flat, hissing in disappointment, when Angel was attacked.
A brute of a she-cat fell from the trees, spitting and hissing with claws out. Ashbite looked to the branches and spotted the gleam of eyes, the white of a pelt. He growled, a rugged thing, claws digging into the dirt. “Cowards!” he spat. “Come and face me! Tell me which of you killed my mother!” How dare they deny him this?
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Post by gingerluna on Jun 19, 2019 17:18:39 GMT -6
Myra was terrified. The dogs came like a nightmare, cries straight from her memories, faces just as she’d imagined, jaws snapping faster than the frantic beat of her heart. It was only the sight of Elektra below, alive, that stopped her from shutting down. As long as the coyotes were here, they weren’t chasing her mate and kit. Every second she was afraid, they were safe. She held on to that, and she endured.
And then they were gone. She was left dazed and aching, like a misty morning at Minnow’s side after a dream. Her claws had torn gashes in the bark, her fur stuck straight up, and her breath came in short, wheezy gasps, but she was here and alive.
She didn’t hear the cats approach, but she saw them, a flick of movement in her vision. After a moment of staring, something cold rose in her chest. That white pelt like snow. The memory returned to her in a rush of terror. Myra knew her. And Honey most certainly recognized her as well.
Honey fell upon them like a flame, screeching loud enough to wake the forest, blood on her claws and angry like Myra had never seen her. Myra dropped down a few branches, eyeing the cats, and shrinking at the grey tom’s screeching insults. Was he mad? But the others, the others, these were the cats who’d killed the kit that was almost hers. She didn’t know what was worse, the fear or the anger. She looked over at Elektra and Lady, waiting for the leaders to tell her what to do.
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Post by darkwolf45 on Jun 21, 2019 11:56:28 GMT -6
Pitch had scrambled up the same tree as Honey, refusing to leave her side as the howls got closer and the stench of the foxes got stronger. The sight of them inspired many emotions in the dark tom, his pelt prickling with morbid images of his mate and kits. Ears pinned back he watched the dumb creatures snuffle around the camp before leaving again, finding nothing of interest to satisfy their blood thirst. He hadn't had time to relax at their departure before an all too familiar pelt came into view, Sea. Anger curled in his veins like hot venom as his gaze fell over the white she-cat with his sister. It disgusted him that the she-cat could kill her own kits, to think she could destroy everything he had now, to hurt his daughter. He barely even had a moment to realize that Honey was leaving her branch, pelt bushed out, claws extended, and a war cry tearing itself from her throat.
He would have been proud, maybe he still was, because he wanted to do the same thing, to rip apart those who endangered him and his family. It was a move that reflected how much of himself was in her, even if they'd been apart all these years.
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Post by darkwolf45 on Jun 21, 2019 12:02:05 GMT -6
Angel had been smugly satisfied that the coyotes had made it to the camp, but that satisfaction was quickly erased and turned into bitter anger and disappointment when she realized there was a distinct lack of blood and carnage upon arriving in the camp. Opening her jaws to comment on this she stumbled, a heavy weight falling on her and ginger fur filling her gaze. The familiar voice of Honey in her ears. Growling she launched the she-cat back off her, unsheathing her own claws. "It is a shame you didn't die in the jaws of those coyotes. They'd have killed you . quickly, I won't."
She ignored Ashbite and his words, her own drive shutting out anything she deemed unimportant. What mattered was the she-cat in front of her and the gleaming eyes in the trees above. "Are all of you just mice? Hiding from me. I expected more of a challenge, more fight. But I guess without your leader Akai you are all nothing but cowards and kits. I could change that. We could be powerful, but I'm not sure if any of you might be worth my time." Angel's words were smooth, even if her fur was ruffled and her claws were out, she still kept her voice steady, calm, a glint in her eyes that held victory.
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Post by darkwolf45 on Jun 21, 2019 12:11:09 GMT -6
The tension in Myra's body was painful enough, to feel that same tension in Elektra, was even worse. She'd never dealt with this type of fear, but watching Elektra, Myra, even Honey and Pitch, she hoped she would never suffer through it again. Her mind flashed back to the day she had helped drive off coyotes from killing the clan cats. The horrifying image of Dark dead and torn apart, the nightmares of seeing Elektra there instead. It twisted her gut and she hunkered down on her branch, watching the beasts tear into the camp, ripping into dens after cat scent only to whine when there was no tasty morsel to eat. She wanted to scream, she wanted to be angry, but they had a plan, things would be ok. She hoped.
The silence of the camp after the beasts had left was deafening, and she could almost hear her own heart pounding. She didn't miss the soft rustle of the camp entrance though, of the familiar face of Angel and Sea, another cat with them she didn't recognize. Her heart plummeted though when an orange blur streaked out of one of the trees. Honey slamming into Angel, challenging the she-cat that had hurt her, killed Bax's sister and almost done the same to Baxter. Whatever plans they had fell apart then. She looked toward Elektra, then toward Pitch. She could tell Elektra wasn't happy, Pitch looked livid. The gray tom's words hit her ears and she frowned, wondering what he meant. And then she heard Angel.
Who seemed too confident, too proud of herself. Too much like Akai. Her blood boiled as she spoke up, standing on her branch with her tail out to balance her, claws dug into the branch, sap stinking to her fur. "I think you are mistaken. We have more strength now than we ever did under Akai. We don't need your so called power."
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Post by silentpaws on Jun 21, 2019 15:23:50 GMT -6
It was worse than she remembered it. The sight of the coyotes tearing through the home she had worked so hard to create was almost more than Elektra could bear, and her limbs were rigid as she stood on her branch beside Lady. Yet she couldn't bear to tear her gaze away. Her eye socket ached and her breathing was ragged as she watched them go, and only when the last dogs left was she able to look around her cats and make sure they were all with her. Lady, Pitch, Honey, Myra. Everyone was accounted for. But she wasn't foolish enough to think that it was over.
A white pelt in the corner of the camp caught her eye, and she watched as Angel entered the camp with an air of outrage that they'd outsmarted her. Elektra felt a flash of smugness at that, but it quickly vanished when Honey looked at her with an expression that El knew all too well. She fixed the young she-cat with a stare and mouthed a silent 'no', desperate not to blow their cover, but she wasn't surprised when Honey ignored her and launched herself down towards Angel. The white she-cat looking their way was the end of their hiding place, and Elektra held herself tall besides Lady as her mate spoke.
"No," El said, meeting Myra's gaze before looking back at Angel. "Do you not think we could have had all the power in the world if we wanted?" she asked, voice like ice. "Akai raised me from kithood, crafted us into killers that brought one of the Clans to its knees. We could have carried on down his path if we'd wished, because we won our battles through fair bloodshed rather than harnessing something else to do your dirty work for you." She smirked a little at that, giving Lady a nod before she dropped down several branches to stand only a few fox-lengths above her. The feeling of looking down on her came with its own rush of power, eye blazing with fury, before she let her fur lie flat. "That's not what we want. We don't need power to feel fulfilled. We've seen enough bloodshed. But you are making a mistake if you forget our roots; any cat who threatens the peace in our forest will feel our claws. And we're more than happy to start with you."
El looked at Honey then, with a barely noticeable nod. She had made a promise to the young she-cat that she intended to keep; Angel was hers to dispatch, and El wasn't going to stand in her way.
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Post by niftyshark on Jun 21, 2019 16:24:30 GMT -6
It came only partially as a shock that the coyotes failed. They couldn’t be controlled, so their reliability couldn’t be certain. What was even worse off was the fact that they walked into an empty, bloodless camp. Sea stayed back as Angel and Ashbite stood in the clearing. She was glad she did, because the inhabitants of the camp started descending the trees. She inched back farther, aiming to hide in the shadows as Angel was attacked, but she saw Pitch Black look at her, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to get away as easily now that she was spotted.
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Post by gingerluna on Jun 22, 2019 8:44:11 GMT -6
Something deep in Honey's heart broke. She looked at Angel, listened to the spit of her tone and the fire of her words, and laughed. "Oh, how can you be so naive?" she called. "Your words change nothing. You are nothing," she spat, muscles tensed. There was a moment, a breath. And then she was upon Angel, claws ripping every bit of her she could reach. Pain was nothing but a distant memory, and as she tasted blood, she felt a visceral surge of joy, like a withered plant finally watered.
Ashbite's tail flicked furiously behind him as he glared up at the cats, pacing on the ground and ignoring the situation with Honey and Angel. "Tell me!" he spat, fury woven into every muscle in his body. "Tell me who did it! I know you remember. When you were driven out of AspenClan, one of you injured an orange she-cat, my mother. She died of her wounds while kitting. It's your fault. Face me!" He'd come so far, given up so much, and he refused to be ignored.
Myra watched the encounter without commenting, jumping down a few branches to rest just above Elektra. "Should we help her?" she asked. If Sea or the screeching tom decided to attack, Honey would be outnumbered. Myra wasn't a fighter by any means, but the others were (as Elektra had icily pointed out).
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Post by silentpaws on Jul 2, 2019 17:51:55 GMT -6
Elektra watched with no words and the tiniest smile as Honey tore into Angel. This was everything that the evil she-cat deserved, revenge for the helpless murder of countless kittens and the torture of her friend's daughter. It was hard to believe that sweet little Baxter could have been born from such evil, and she was glad that the young tom would never be influenced by his blood as long as he lived. She only looked away from the fight when Myra spoke from just above her, and El glanced upwards at her old friend before shaking her head. "No," she said, "I promised she would have this fight. If anyone else interferes then I will but Angel is hers alone to kill." She didn't elaborate why; she was sure that Myra of all cats would understand Honey's reasons.
Shouting from below drew Elektra's attention again, and she watched as a grey tom stared upwards at her cats with fury in every line of his body. She was content to keep ignoring him in favour of keeping an eye on Honey, until his words registered in her mind and her eye widened a fraction. "I know who you are," she said, fixing him with a fierce look that would force him to shut up. "Are you ever going to give up murdering cats in a pointless attempt for vengence?" She didn't reveal just how she knew him straight away, faintly curious to see what his reaction would be.
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Post by darkwolf45 on Jul 2, 2019 19:07:29 GMT -6
A snarl erupted from the white she-cat as Honey slammed into her, claws digging into her pelt and ripping out lumps of fur. Swinging around she slashed her own claws into any fur and flesh she could, teeth snapping at the other she-cat's ears when she felt a sharp bite to her shoulder. Angel was always in control, but now, she wasn't now she was all fury and anger and madness as she twisted and fought in a ball of claws and teeth.
--
Lady peered down at the gray tom who was yelling up at them, the words seeming unimportant until she heard 'AspenClan'. Her gaze shot to Elektra, raising and eyebrow in question. They couldn't remember every cat they dealt with when dealing with the clans, but apparently this tom thought they did.
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Post by gingerluna on Jul 2, 2019 19:23:22 GMT -6
Honey drew back as Angel snapped at her ears, not surprised by Angel's ferocity, but finding it somewhat unnerving to see a cat usually so composed and in control turn into a raging beast. She darted beneath one of Angel's lunges to swipe at her belly. Her whole being was united, her body, heart, and mind all beating with insatiable bloodlust, and she knew she would kill Angel or die trying.
Ashbite stared up at the monstrous cat, finally seeing her scarred face as she spoke back to him. His muscles tensed and rage bristled within him like a swelling wound as she looked down at him like he would be afraid of her. "Monster!" he spat up at her, letting out a loud, feral hiss. "How can you live with yourself? All of you, you....you filthy murderers!" He glanced about at all the cats, noting how the tabby seemed to shrink back at his rage. Her fear made him let out a ragged purr. "Come down to face me, or I will follow the rest of your camp and take my vengence out upon them." He'd seen the group racing through the trees, and he knew there were young, apprentice aged cats with them. Someone's kits, surely. "I am Ashbite of RavenClan, and you will fight me."
Myra was taken aback by how deeply the stranger's words cut. She'd just been somewhat relieved by the idea of not fighting Angel and Sea, and now this tom was screeching loud enough to rouse bears from hibernation, accusing them all of horrible things. She did not know what the others had done, but she knew they didn't deserve this. And then...all her limbs were ice. She jumped down so she stood adjacent to Elektra on a separate branch. "You will not touch them," she called, with a bravery she didn't quite feel.
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Post by darkwolf45 on Jul 5, 2019 18:24:30 GMT -6
Blood, she wanted blood and she wanted it from all of these miserable excuses for cats, but she mostly wanted it from Honey right now. She wanted to see the orange she-cat bleeding out in the dirt, she wanted her to be food for the birds and worms. She slashed her claws across Honey's pelt, growling and hissing, eyes narrowed into slits, blue eyes filled with ice and madness.
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Pitch had been watching his sister, sparing glances towards his daughter and her fight, but he could almost see the way Sea was tensing to leave. From experience a failed mission was something she didn't like, one as terribly failed as this meant that she likely wouldn't want to face this many cats. He pinned his ears back to his head and dropped out of his tree, slinking towards her. "Do I need to teach you why not to mess with what is mine? Do I need to put you in the dirt with Wail?"
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Post by niftyshark on Jul 10, 2019 22:49:30 GMT -6
Of course, there was no way for Sea to escape unnoticed. It was something she probably never should have entertained. Pitch Black approached her, and her expression twisted into a sneer. “Don’t delude yourself. You were never one for teaching.” If it was just her and her brother, she wouldn’t have even worried about the odds. But with as many cats as there were around, nothing was in her favor. And so, she edged backwards, ready to take the moment of escape whenever it presented itself. “And if I recall, Wail died from crowfood. You had nothing to do with it. Though I think she must have preferred your company to mine, so maybe that’s something you should consider!” And without warning, Sea leaped. There was no way Pitch was going to let her walk away, so she would have to fight him off. She prepared to bowl him over with her size and give him no chance to recover.
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Post by silentpaws on Jul 12, 2019 16:51:46 GMT -6
Pitch was keeping Sea at bay, Honey was fighting Angel, so Elektra had to keep an eye on both of those while she dealt with Ashbite. She'd known who he was before he even spoke his name, easily putting together the pieces from her conversation with Blazefern many moons ago, and was vaguely saddened that this was what had become of one of those once-proud Clan cats. A screaming, bloodthirsty monster. El couldn't even say the same of herself anymore. But she was grateful of Myra's spitting presence by her side and Lady keeping watch above them, reassurance that El didn't have to deal with everything happening at once by herself.
"You call us murderers when you're the one who's willing to hunt down and murder defenceless kits like some sort of dog?" she asked, her voice low but ringing across the clearing. Every ounce of her fury had returned at his suggestion, and regardless of her promise to Blazefern she would kill her brother without hesitation if she threatened El's own family. Somehow she didn't think her friend would blame her for that after she had met them herself. "You can't call yourself one of RavenClan if you'd throw away your code like that. The code your mother fought and died for? I have never even touched a kit in my life, so what does that make you?" The last sentence was practically snarled, and silence fell as she moved to the lowest branch to stare him in the eye as she continued with unflinching harshness. "If you would willingly murder a kit then you're not avenging your mother. You're shaming her."
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Post by gingerluna on Jul 12, 2019 17:10:59 GMT -6
A thousand retorts rose in Ashbite’s throat, and died there. He simply hissed in response, stepping back as she moved closer to him. He glanced about the clearing. Angel was fighting with a viciousness that scared him, and not once had anyone mentioned their lost friend, Honey. It seemed all Sea and Angel desired was bloodshed. And these cats in the trees, the ones he hated, seemed desperate to avoid it. The scarred cat’s words echoed Blazefern’s, close enough that it startled him. What would Emberstreak have wanted?
Everything crashed within him. There was no monster waiting to be slaughtered, no great victory to be won. Just him, and the murderers he’d helped. He looked up at the trees with wide eyes, ears pinned against his head and belly low to the ground. Every muscle tensed. “I...” he stuttered, glancing about like he was pinned by their gaze. “They told me you’d stolen a cat. Honey. I thought...I thought I was helping.” That had to be false. Sea and Angel had lied.
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Post by silentpaws on Jul 12, 2019 17:34:27 GMT -6
It was no surprise to Elektra that Ashbite had been lied to, and as much as she still had her strong dislike towards him she could feel a little sorry for him for how he'd been lied to. "Honey is my friend's daughter. We never stole her, we brought her home from where they imprisoned her," she said, her voice still carrying a wary tone but losing most of it's raw anger. Even though she continued to speak to him intently she didn't risk standing on the ground on his eye level yet, knowing that it would put her in danger both from him if he flipped his position again or from Sea and Angel. "You don't have to keep helping then anymore. You know the truth now, it's up to you what you do with it. Don't let your past anger define this. You're better than this, Ashbite."
She paused for a moment, then added "I know your sister and she still believes you're better than this. Forget your mother for a moment; prove yourself to Blazefern. She's what really matters now."
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Post by darkwolf45 on Jul 28, 2019 23:38:02 GMT -6
Lady was silent, listening intently to Elektra's words as she watched the tom below them, the sudden change in demeanor was clear, sudden doubt clouding his face. Once more the white and black she-cat was reminded of why she loved Elektra, this thought was interrupted though, her head snapping up and towards the direction the coyote's had taken. It was faint below the sounds of the cats fighting below, but it was there. Howls, starting to grow louder. "Honey! Pitch!" She shouted, hoping to draw their attention towards the sound.
--
Pitch kept his focus on Sea, grunting when she slammed into him, his claws leaving small trenches in the dirt as he slid, tipping over and thrashing to kick out at his sister. It had been a while since he had fought but the feeling of blood-thirst boiled over in his veins much like it had done during and before his time with Akai. Snarling and growling he latched onto whatever part of Sea he could and dug his claws in. Pitch didn't take long though to notice the sudden change in the atmosphere, the sound of Lady's voice yelling out in warning, a chill running through his body as old memories tried to flash before his eyes again. Kicking away from Sea desperately, he ignored the sting of his wounds, turning to flee up a tree.
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Post by gingerluna on Jul 29, 2019 17:45:52 GMT -6
How did she know about Blazefern? Ashbite was too stunned to reply. He simply took another step back, gaze darting about the clearing. Sea and Angel were both fighting. If the she-cat was right then it meant...it meant he'd been helping...he didn't want to think about it. He couldn't. He snapped back to himself at the sound of loud cries, confused at their purpose until he heard faint howls. Ashbite sprinted in the direction they'd come from without thinking. He'd been lied to. He owed nothing to Sea and Angel, and he needed to get away from this mess. The she-cat Angel had murdered, Ashenstar, his sister, his father, oh StarClan, what had he done? He heard every one of Blazefern's words again, wounded by the truth of them. He'd been stupid, so stupid. He'd go back. He had to apologize, he had to try and make some of this right. His paws pounded against the ground in long, frantic strides, breath quick. The trees, he had to...he scrambled up a large pine several treelengths from their camp, shaking as he pressed against the bark. Once the dogs were gone, he'd get away, find somewhere to think. Or should he go back? Try to mend the freshest (and last) wound his ignorance had wrought?
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At the sound of her name, Honey's rhythm was interrupted. A heartbeat later, she heard the sound of howls. Panic overtook anger, and a moment later her paws were scrabbling against the bark of the nearest pine, pushing herself up in desperate bursts. A claw tore clean off, but Honey didn't feel the pain. She huddled, bleeding all over on a branch, gasping for breath. There was too much worry for thought.
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Post by niftyshark on Jul 29, 2019 19:02:14 GMT -6
Sea snarled in rage when she felt claws score her skin. She fought back blindly, doing whatever damage she could. They rolled around, and she was expecting to have to finish her brother off. But then he darted away from her when he found a free moment, and she stared after him for half a second, bewildered. She didn’t have time to gloat though when she saw cats running for trees. She heard yipping in the distance and immediately knew what it meant. With quick steps, she leaped for the nearest tree trunk, muscles screaming in protest.
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