Post by BlooRey DVD on Jan 23, 2016 17:51:50 GMT -5
[smear:ff3300]Strawberryfrost[/smear:3399ff]
~~~~~~~~~
Her shoulders protruded more significantly than they normally did, the way her skin clung to her bones a blatant sign of malnutrition. The whole of NightClan had been suffering; she wouldn't be surprised if all the forest was. Prey was scarce, so scare that she'd wandered to the edge of the territory in hope of finding something, anything. Dull, grey-green eyes scanned the area, vaguely aware that she'd stumble across StarClan's Claws soon enough. Her breath billowed from her mouth in a puff of dense steam, dissipating some distance above her when the cold won out.
She'd been just about ready to give up, to return to NightClan empty pawed when a flash of red fur snagged her attention. The small form of a squirrel scampered over the snow covered ground. Had hunger not dominated her mind, she might have wondered why the squirrel was awake and about in this cold. She didn't care, not now. She just knew she had to get it. Her stomach seized in excitement at the prospect of food, even though the sensible part of her knew that if she caught this squirrel, it would be Applewhisker eating it.
She sprang forward suddenly, hissing in annoyance when her paws slipped just so, causing her to land short of her prey. The squirrel panicked and shot forward, the broad-shouldered she-cat tearing off after it. She could already feel the exhaustion slipping through her veins, her body tired from lack of food and the trek out here. She wouldn't let herself stop. She wasn't the fastest of cats, her advantage coming from strength. She could feel herself falling behind the squirrel as it shot down into StarClan's Claws. She burst out into the open, doing everything she could to close some of the distance between them, her chest heaving with the effort of her run.
It all happened so fast after that. A flash of black shot from the bushes on the other side, moving so rapidly she hardly had a chance to process it before skidding to a stop. Strawberryfrost felt her lips peel back in a snarl just as the scent of LightningClan wafted across her nose. That stench. She straightened to confront the other cat, finding herself staring down a tuxedo tom. He was tall and thin, thinner than normal she was certain. It was then that her eyes landed upon the dead squirrel dangling from his jaws.
Her ears flattened against her skull and she took a threatening step forward as her voice hissed out. "That's mine! You stole it!" Looking back on the situation, she might have been disturbed by the quiet calculation with which he regarded her. There was a strange, distant look to his eyes as he stood at his full height. His head was tipped down slightly to examine her, but she didn't give a rat's ass about size. He was too thin to be a threat to her. Herein lay her second mistake; she underestimated her enemy.
The silence was maddening. She felt a growl rise in her throat, tearing into the silence as she took another firm step forward. The snow crunched under her weight, the cold creeping up on her now that she'd stopped running, but she pushed the chill to the back of her mind. "Give it back." She snarled. Anger flared in her belly as he bent to place the dead animal on the snow covered ground. His movements were slow, deliberate, and it served only to fuel her fury. And he just kept watching her with those eerie, yellow-orange eyes.
"Your accusations are unjustified. I stumbled upon a squirrel when entering neutral territory. I've taken nothing of yours." Without thinking, she lashed out, her paw landing heavily on his shoulder. He hadn't been prepared for the unwarranted attack, the snow exploding into clouds around him as he adjusted to keep his balance. She couldn't help but admire how quickly he reoriented himself, those sharp eyes snapping onto her. Her heart skipped a beat upon seeing a different look flash through his eyes. She couldn't put a paw on it, but it wracked her with unease. And then it was his turn to make a move.
A blur of black and white was suddenly upon her. She hissed in surprised, rolling as his weight crashed into her and sent her sprawling into the snow. Muscles twisted as she struggled under him, feeling the way his claws sunk into her skin. She screeched and kicked upward desperately, a lucky shot landing against his stomach and dislodging him from his position. He sprung away, letting her roll to her paws. Shaking out her pelt, she ignored the small flecks of blood that spattered onto the ground from his claw marks.
She should have left it. She should have turned and run back to NightClan. But that hunger drove her forward, the same desperation she could see written in his eyes. She pushed forward again, aiming to shove him backward with a hard impact of her shoulders, but he seemed to just disappear. She growled in annoyance, wheeling to the left to keep him in her sights. Claws struck out in his direction, but he simply sidestepped out of her way before clawing at her shoulder. She staggered to the side, having only enough time to inhale sharply while he lunged towards her once more.
She met him head on, paw strike for paw strike, but his speed rapidly became a clear advantage. His claws raked her cheek, and she could see only one way of getting out of this. She dropped low, hoping to get underneath him to gain advantage there. What she didn't expect was the accuracy with which he executed his next move. Quick enough to put an adder to shame, the black and white LightningClan tom righted himself by placing all four paws on the ground and leaping up into the air. His body twisted, as though the tom were doing nothing more than rolling on the ground below.
The snow gave way beneath her as she desperately attempted to scramble away. He would be right there upon landing. Fear gripped her suddenly as the thud she'd been expecting came. Just as it had with her, the snow buckled beneath him yet he didn't appear to be bothered by it at all. Her bulky frame made it more difficult to maneuver properly. He was obviously not plagued by the same misfortune. That, and his legs were long enough that he still managed to snag onto her.
A yowl tore through the air as his claws ripped into the top of her head, yanking her sideways and into a roll. It was his paws that stopped her again, her chin pinned by a surprisingly strong grip. Dread creeped through her upon realizing that her throat was completely exposed this way. Any further sound she tried to make died as sharp claws ripped through her skin. A strange warmth spread over her neck and chest, her paws clutching desperately at anything they could reach. But he was already out of reach. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, a plea for help trapped by her inability to draw air into her lungs.
The snow around her was quickly being stained a deep crimson, her panicked eyes meeting his expressionless gaze. She could just barely see the slight tilt of his head as he observed her. As she coughed and spattered the snow with more red droplets, a realization sunk into her mind. She'd seen that look in his eyes during their battle. Had he... Enjoyed it? A blackness was creeping into her vision, her thrashing growing weaker by the moment. He seemed to note this too, for he picked up the squirrel and left.
A strange thought flit through the dying she-cat's head. Just who had that tom been? What kind of cats was LightningClan training? The tuxedo tom had headed off in the wrong direction; he'd not gone straight back to LightningClan. It was as though he aimed to mislead anyone who might pick up a scent. Snow made tracking by scent so much more difficult.... Rational thought seem to trickle away from her then. Instead, glazed eyes stared at the territory looming in front of her. The world was... So strange... It looked as though the trees were leaning toward her. No, not toward her... It was like they were being pulled by the mystery of StarClan's Claws.
Had she still held the capacity to make a sound, she would have laughed. Instead, it came out as a sputtered wheeze, grey-green eyes giving in to the darkness that had begun to cloud her senses. Her final thought consisted of a rather ironic statement. It looks like I really am... In StarClan's claws now...
And she surrendered to the emptiness.
