The last of the leaves rustling overhead comforted the young warrior, and he found himself at peace for the first time in moons. The gentle bubbling of the creek masked the sound of his pawsteps, and the large tom found that his breathing had become deeper as he travelled further along the line of territory that separated his clan from RiverClan. It felt like a lifetime ago when he had been here with his family, learning of his siblings real father, and his whiskers twitched in amusement as he realised he had done a similar thing to his pseudo-mother, his kits now occupying SkyClan's apprentice den. Sadness rippled through his pelt as he thought of them; one kit despised him and one lay buried fox-lengths under the dirt, while his mate... Lionflame shook his head in an attempt to clear the fog that was quickly gathering in his head, afraid of the gut-wrenching sadness that often accompanied thinking of his family.
For the longest time all the tom had wanted was a family, one to love and be proud of, and a mate who he would be able to do everything with. But he flew too close to the sun; he got his mate banished from her clan and forced to depart from her family, losing two of his kits in the process. The warrior had lost the trust and respect of his leader and clan, while being merely known as a cat who broke the code to others. Guilt burned in his chest and he took a deep breath, deciding to sit next to the creek and bury his thoughts in the running water, casting a sad gaze skyward. Lionflame's son and mother resided high above the clouds and he had no doubt they were happy and safe, but he couldn't help the desperate need for his family to be here physically with him, not within the stars.
The cream tom let out a deep sigh, resting his head on his paws, watching silver scales flick by faster than he could dream of moving. Though sadness still ran rife deep within, he found physical peace and comfort in the surrounding area, and figured he wasn't too far for a patrol to find him if he was needed. His azure eyes closed, leaving him oblivious to the environment around him as he fell asleep, luxuriating in the tranquillity of his territory.
Beady eyed and hungry, the predator lumbered through the sparse trees of the wooded parts of SkyClan, desperation for a meal driving it onwards and towards a creek. As the weather grew colder and snow began to settle on the few leaves that clung stubbornly to their hosts, prey became more scarce. It was common knowledge for predators that they would be going hungry for longer periods as the temperature took a downturn; but the badger was stubborn. Leaves crinkled and twigs broke underfoot as it traversed onward, finding a stream that reeked of cat-scent.
Moons residing near the groups of cats that occupied the forest brought knowledge of their hunting patterns, and the threat of starvation made the badger courageous, tracking the smell of the cat in an attempt to find any prey it may have left along the way. Before long, the black-and-white snout lifted, eyes narrowing at a lump of cream fur that laid motionless on the riverbank. An overwhelming feeling of anger coursed through the short-furred predator’s body, a deep growl escaping its throat.
Lionflame shot up in an instant, looking around in confusion as a growl echoed in his ears. Oh bird-dung, please don’t be RiverClan… the tom prayed to himself, looking along the riverbank in front of him and feeling confusion grip him as he noticed that no clan cat was around. Then wha- The stench hit his nose, and immediately his thick fur bushed out, eyes widening in horror as he turned around.
Before the warrior’s eyes stood a fully-grown, hungry and angry badger. Terror wormed through his pelt, and he attempted to flatten his fur, taking a few steps back, rounded ears curling back on his head. If he ran, could he make it up the nearest tree? Was there a patrol nearby? Thoughts ran through his head, and he continued to step back, feeling his hindpaw slip into the water, immediately getting caught between something. He couldn’t look back to check, Lionflame couldn’t risk the badger attacking while he remained distracted. The badger didn’t look to be backing down, still growling at the tom with malicious intent.
His paw was firmly stuck, and if he tugged any harder he was sure to injure himself further, rendering him useless for running. The badger seemed to catch on that he was stuck and slowly advanced on him, and Lionflame let out a piercing yowl, a desperate attempt to catch attention from a patrol on either side of the border. This angered the black-and-white beast further, and it let out a warning noise of its own, lunging forward at the tom and knocking him back into the river.
A sharp hiss of pain left the tom's mouth as his paw was wrenched from its prison, more than a few claws remaining in the ground beneath and a stabbing pain travelling up the length of his leg. Terror quickly replaced it as his back hit the shallows beneath, and jaws snapped dangerously close to his neck, instead catching his ear and ripping it, blood entering the water around the fighting duo. Lionflame bunched his back legs up under the stomach of the badger, pushing out hard and scrabbling against it with all his might. The assailant let out a roar, stumbling back for a moment while the warrior tried desperately to roll to his feet amongst the pebbles that lined the bottom of the river.
He bushed out his cream fur and let out a hiss, desperation clear as he felt the pain in his leg grow a little stronger as he put weight on it, but he pushed through the pain, thinking of his family. I cannot die like this, but I cannot win, the SkyClan warrior realised, a fresh rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins. The tom had to make it home to his family. He wasn’t ready to join his mother and son among the stars, not yet.
The badger leaped for him once more, and he narrowly evaded it, realising he would have to use the weight of the predator against it if he wanted any chance at escaping. Lionflame growled and swiped out at it’s flank, long claws scoring through the fur and causing blood to seep through, and he felt a pang of relief. I can do this, he told himself, although he grew overconfident and didn’t move in time, finding himself knocked down by the badger once more. Optimism quickly faded as he found the badger’s teeth connecting with his left shoulder, picking him up and slamming him against the ground.
A yowl of pain left his maw and he felt his vision grow blurry as his head connected with the ground, and he could barely lift his left paw to defend against the beast. Blinking hard, he narrowed his eyes and hissed, but found it was for nothing as a large paw connected with his jaw, claws tearing through his lip. All he could do was let out another agonised yowl, blood pooling in his mouth and threatening to choke him.
The adrenaline began to fade as he realised he was trapped under the badger’s weight, and horror entered his gaze as the paw that had just torn his lip raised once more, claws glinting ominously in the light. Lionflame felt acceptance and shock at his wounds take over, seemingly watching from afar as the claws tore through his belly-fur and caused a deep wound. His cream fur was stained red, and everything went black for the warrior as the badger realised it had won, despite its over-exertion. One less cat to hunt prey was all it cared about as it lumbered off, leaving the severely wounded tom to hope help would come soon.
Fri Nov 20, 2020 12:24 pm