cross your heart [closed]

The soft scent of petrichor filled the forest. A quiet patter of rain hitting leaves could be heard from every corner of the lush territory. Yet, besides this, the world was silent. Until a squelching began making its way towards the stony hollow.

Mud clung to his ordinarily white paws as the tom headed towards a rather violent site. Bramblefrost's destination was known for its many deaths, thus leaving it barren from any life besides plants and the occasional critter. It was the perfect place for peace and quiet. Although the tabby only wanted quiet. Peace was nowhere near his thoughts.

His clan was frustrating. His mate was frustrating. His mother was frustrating. Life was frustrating.

As a young kit, Bramblefrost believed he would own the forest. His mother was a respected leader. She taught him the tools and tricks to becoming a strong, independent tom. She showed him what it meant to be a leader, whether she knew what she was doing or not. Becoming leader was his right. He was the only one truly qualified. And yet, Darkstar had chosen Blizzardshine as her deputy. And barely a moon ago, Darkstar was no longer Darkstar. She had given up her power, her responsibilities, for what? Rest? Relaxation? Now Blizzardstar carried out the duties of leader.

And he was still not deputy. Leopardclaw was younger than himself. Less qualified than himself. He didn't deserve the position. He was weak. Bramblefrost deserved the role. He dedicated his life to fulfilling a role he believed he was destined for. Everything that took place within the month had flipped his life upside down and thrown it away like a half-eaten carcass.

His mood had grown sour since. The disappointment of his only living daughter, the irritation of a clingy mate, and the feeling of utter betrayal from Darkflight all drew him to the conclusion that he was alone. He was the only one with sense in this world anymore.

With every moment he could find, the brown tabby ventured off to sulk in his own irritable thoughts. Today was no exception.

The Stony Hollow had become his go-to spot. While he was never a fan of anything remotely wet, the rain against his pelt and the dark clouds that clung to the sky were mood setters. It was almost as if StarClan themselves wanted him to wallow away in angst. For a moment, his life seemed to fade away into a perfect silence without the source of his stress bearing down on him. Until the splashing sound of paws hitting puddled stone filled his ears.

Lionspark was drenched as she stumbled over rocks in order to catch up to her mate, a faint glimmer of hope in her eyes as she did her best not to lose her footing over the sleek, slippery stones that made up the stony hollow. Things had been hard the last few moons - with Specklefang's small disappear along with some of her Clanmates, then the death of Poppypaw and...With everything slowly calming down since the Gathering, taking a step back to just think about all that had happened truly just made it worst.

Which was why she had stumbled after her mate when she saw him leaving camp by his lonesome, desperate for any sense of normality in her life. "Bramblefrost!" she called after him, her voice light and bubbly despite the rain that soaked her pelt down to her bone as she fought off a shiver despite her long fur. Finally she caught sight of the slightly larger tom and she felt her heart to a small leap. Seeing the muscles of Bramblefrost only highlighted by his fur which clung to his body causing her whole face to heat up with a blush as she bent her head down and hurried to his side. "Bramblefrost...Hi," she panted slightly as she shifted on her paws, a sheepish look flashing on her face. "Um...Do you mind if I join you?"

Just as he began to settle down on the soaked stone an all too familiar voice cut the rhythmic patter of the rain. A large, annoyed sigh escaped his mouth. Of all the things to disturb his peace...

"I do mind," he stated bluntly. His lips curled slightly, showing his fangs for a moment before his mouth settled back into a tight line. His forest green eyes drifted away, staring at a nearby puddle. As much as it was once fun toying with Lionspark, his drive to tease and influence her was gone.

He could almost care less about his 'mate'. With a dry tone, he turned back to the golden tabby. "What do you want...?"

Lionspark halted at the cold tone that flavored Bramblefrost's words, her ears slicking back as she stared at him with an open mouth. "I-I..." She tried to start, only to drift off as he turned to face her and coolly questioned what she wanted. "I...I just wanted to spend some time with you," she managed after a few moments, shifting on her paws as she took a small step forward as she tried to give him a soft purr. "With how things have been in the last moons we've grown distance and...And I love you Bramblefrost," she added with a glimmer in her eyes, her tail swishing as her ears perked slightly, hoping he would repeat those lovely three words back to her.

A harsh bile rose in the tom's throat. His eyes grew cold. "And I love you Bramblefrost." The words resonated in his head. How could she be so gullible?

Rising to his full height, he glowered down at Lionspark. "Have you thought we were friends this entire time? Do you think you truly know me?" his voice grew louder with each word. He brought a paw forward, splashing it in a muddy puddle beside him. "You're an ignorant fool if you thought I was ever interested in you. I'm sure you came here because you wanted to hear those three little words. Unfortunately for you, I'm tired of this charade."

"I never loved you, Lionspark. I never will. Now get out of here or I will force you out."

Lionspark found herself taking a startled step backwards as the tom towered over her, her ears slicking backwards as the tom hissed his chilling words to her. Within moments, she felt her heart drop as her breath caught in her throat. "I-I..." As he finished, she struggled to find something to say. No, no this wasn't right! It couldn't be...Had...Had Specklefang been right the entire time. Fear flickered in her eyes as she took a step forward, shaking her head every bit of her body screamed at her to not believe his words - that he was lying to...Well, what reason would he have to lie but yet... "That can't be..." her voice quivered as she raised her gaze up to him, feeling tiny compared to the tom. "...Why?" she finally said, blinking as water raced down her face. "Why did you fool me then? I don't..." Her voice broke as her ears were slicked backwards as her whole body quivered, unwilling to leave despite his threat. "Why?"

The tom stepped forward once more, now looming over her, his chest fur lightly brushing the she-cat's muzzle. His claws scraped against the mud and stone beneath his paws, a harsh growl erupting from his mouth. "You were an asset. I thought I could use you. I thought it would help me become leader. But my plans were ruined. The only thing you were good for was giving me kits, but look how that turned out." His voice boomed above the rain. "You're useless, good for nothing, and boring beyond compare. Everything about you is trivial. You even gave Specklefang the idea that she could disrespect anyone as long as she remained mother's little girl, and now look at her!" the brown tabby hissed, muzzle contorted and eyes blazing with anger. His daughter... She was the biggest disappointment in his life, even beyond the distress he felt for his lost dreams. Her entire existence was an annoyance in his life.

She was his legacy? No, he couldn't live with that. He couldn't live with any of them anymore. "You were blind to it all."

Bramblefrost raised his paw, and with a fowl swipe, struck the she-cat across the face, claws raking fur and flesh. Her left eye was left scarred, broken, blinded. "I said move."

Bramblefrost used Front Paw Strike, dealing 11 damage and costing 10 stamina.

Bramblefrost:
HP: 60/60
SP: 190/200

Lionspark:
HP: 29/60
SP: 165/200

Lionspark remained speechless as the tom loomed over her, her ears slicking back on her head as he spat venomous words at her. She opened her mouth to say something when he paused in his words only for a yowl to escape her as pain ranked across her face as she stumbled backwards. Her good eye was wide open as she caught her balance, wavering as his words struck home. 'You were blind to it all.' "I-I..." He was right. Everything he said was right. Everything Specklefang had said was right. 'Unless...Good for nothing...' 'Bramblefrost would leave you to rot...Would trade your life for a mouse.' 'I don't believe he would do...Those things to me...I'm sorry.' I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Those two words rang deeply in her head over and over as she lowered her gaze to her paws as her whole body shook, feeling the pin-point of tears forming in the corner of her eyes - mixing with the blood that streaked down her face and blinded her left eye. She remained where she stood for a few moments before she slowly raised her gaze up Bramblefrost as the dark colored tabby loomed over her.

For a second, Lionspark felt her whole body relax as she stared at her mate. So much of her wanted to simply do...Nothing. Remain where she was and let him finish her off if that was his plan. The idea of how easy it would be to simply let that happen was sadly tantalizing as guilt prickled her pelt. After all, wouldn't it be for the best? She was useless as a warrior - her mate didn't love her, her daughter had disowned her; the cats who mattered most in her life hated her guts and who was to say that not all of ThunderClan shared that feeling? That they blamed her for the death of Sandblaze and Poppypaw? She had always feared it was true that her Clanmates never truly cared for her and in this moment, it seemed like the only thing that could be truer. What even worst was that as another part of Lionspark struggled to find a reason to fight, to try to live...But she was finding herself short on those reasons. What was good in her life? She had been burden with so much and the only cat who had even noticed how much everything had been weighing her down had ordered her never to speak to her again after a stupid mistake and poor choice of words...But perhaps...Perhaps giving up was just going to be another stupid choice of hers.

"No." She wouldn't allow for her to suffer from another stupid mistake as she drowned out the dark thoughts that had haunted her heartbeats prior. She had to...She had to make it out of here. Perhaps she could find something worth fighting for once this was over... It was a slim chance that Lionspark barely believed but it was enough. But for now, she would fight for herself. "I'm not moving," she growled softly as tears continued to run down her face. "I can't...I can't let you go back to ThunderClan. I'm sorry but she was right. You are a monster." With that, she pushed herself off of the slicked rocks as she charged full-pelt into Bramblefrost, throwing the both of them off of the rocky perch they were on and into the proper stone hollow beneath them. With what energy she had, her claws dug into the tom's pelt for a solid grip as they hit the ground, her breath escaping her lungs in the harsh landing. Her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to take in a pained breath, shaking her head as she raked her claws down Bramblefrost's side.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Lionspark uses Jumping Strike on Bramblefrost, dealing 12 damage and costing 20 stamina.

Lionspark:
29/60 HP
145/200 SP

Bramblefrost:
48/60 HP
190/200 SP

For a moment, he truly believed he had won. The look of pure defeat on her face was priceless. He would have nothing more to do with her. Yet, before he could walk past with a scoff, the she-cat spoke out with a rugged voice. Her face was wet with blood and rain, and yet he heard a conviction in his voice he was sure he had just shattered. Bramblefrost's brow furrowed as he glared down at her. "W-What did you sa--?!"

The tom let out an involuntary yelp as the she-cat barreled into him, knocking them from the high ground and down into the bone-littered hollow. His breath was knocked out of his chest, leaving him gasping as the two tussled on the ground. His shock was doubled as sharp claws raked against his side, stinging hard as rain dribbled into the now open wounds. With a deep hiss, the tabby tom rolled away, ignoring the harsh pain the filled his body. His breath grew ragged and uneven as he tried to hide the suffering in his deep green eyes. The fur on his back rose as he let a growl erupt from his lips and bunched his back legs up in preparation for an attack. There was no mercy in his movements as he reared up on his hind legs and bashed his forepaws down on the she-cat's head. He knew she was weak. She hadn't sought much treatment after her previous battle. What was it against? An owl? A badger?

Not that it mattered much. He was sure that after this harsh blow, Lionspark would be nearly finished. Perhaps it was just easier to finish her off completely. He could fabricate any story he wanted after this, when he returned to ThunderClan. But maybe, just maybe he would give her a chance. "Give up now, and I'll let you live. But be warned, if you speak of this night, I will have no mercy on you," the brown tom spoke, voice cracking slightly. It took all the strength he had trying not to show his weakness.

Bramblefrost used Upright Lock, dealing 14 damage and costing 25 stamina.

Bramblefrost:
HP: 48/60
SP: 165/200

Lionspark:
HP: 15/60
SP: 145/200

Lionspark rolled away from Bramblefrost as the two fell apart, shakily getting to her paws as blood and rain streaked down her face. The left side of her face was burning with pain as she bit her tongue to avoid crying out. There was no doubt in her mind that she would never see out of that eye again if she survived this night...Which that simple task seemed like a mountain to hurdle. Her whole body quivered with the effort to stand on her paws, feeling a few of her old wounds from that fight with an owl those sunrises ago having reopened in this scuffle. She knew she should have visited Honeypaw to get them properly looked at but there was so much for the she-cat to tend to being the only medicine cat of ThunderClan and...

Her good eye widen as she saw a flicker of shape, reeling backwards as Bramblefrost's large shape fell over her but she was far too slow to get out of the way. Heavy paws came crashing down onto her head, her paws giving out from under her on the slick rocks as she hit the ground hard. Her breath escaped her as she moaned, struggling to gather herself back up. Her ears prickled at Bramblefrost's voice, making out some of his words as she focused loosely on him. "Mercy?" She echoed hollowly as she gathered her paws beneath her.

"I-I think you failed to hear what I said," she whispered, before a broken laugh escaped her muzzle as she forced herself onto her paws, wavering in the rain. "You're a monster, Bramblefrost. A monster I loved but a monster none-the-less." Her voice took on a growl as she continued, slipping into a crouch with a soft moan as her head ached from his blow. "I-I can't let you go on. You..You're a selfish barb who sees everybody as beneath you. Its...Its my job to protect ThunderClan and even if I don't make it out of this hollow..." she paused as she scanned the rocky terrain around them before she lazily turned her attention back onto her mate. "Then I'll be comforted with the fact that you aren't leaving either."

Part of Lionspark wasn't sure where these slur of words were coming from - perhaps it was her delirious state. She had lost a lot of blood and this...This just didn't seem to be real. She didn't want to believe that it was but the darker part of her whispered in her mind and confirmed her worst feelings and really...Why hadn't she seen this coming? What was she worth? Perhaps nobody in ThunderClan truly cared for her because it certainly didn't seemed that her family and mate did and they were the ones who were suppose to love her the most...Right? Despite darkness clouding half of her vision, the warrior could see the truth so clearly now and she knew one thing - of what she had to do.

She raised her gaze to stare up at him as her tail flickered, her muscles bunched up in her crouch as a soft sigh escaped her. "I'm so sorry Bramblefrost...I truly love you." She felt tears swell up in her good eye as she suddenly released her muscles as she pushed off of the slippy ground once more - claws outstretched as she rammed into him once more. Her teeth sank into his throat as she wrapped her paws around him, attempting to pin him down as she felt the bitter, coppery taste fill her throat and nose. It felt overwhelming but yet she held down - determined to see this through. Bramblefrost wasn't going to leave this hollow.

Lionspark used Killing Bite on Bramblefrost, dealing 48 damage and costing 10 stamina.

Lionspark:
HP: 15/60
SP: 135/200

Bramblefrost:
HP: 0/60
SP: 165/200