I'm Leaving And Never Coming Back [Closed]

Dante had just meet Icepaw and where now making his way back to the Regime, he looked around little trying to find some herbs to bring back so they wouldn't get suspicious but today he didn't have that kind of luck, he had walked the same way back to the Regime after each meeting and had collected all the herbs along his way. He felt a rush of panic and looked around, this wasn't good. He took a deep breath, think Dante, think! He then heard a rustle in the bushes and saw a mouse tail sticking out under the leaves of a bush. He got into a crouch and slowly creept towards the mouse, once he where just a leap behind it he threw himself forward and dug his claws into the small rodent, he managed to kill it without any struggle and smiled slightly, maybe this would make Chase a little happier? They hadn't talked much since their fight and he had been meeting Icepaw alot so he hadn't been around Chase that much either.

As he got closer to the Regime he started to feel worried, he had been gone for awhile and he only had one mouse, maybe he should have caught another one?... He shook his head a little, he could just say that there wasn't alot of prey around. He entered the barn and looked around, maybe he should give the mouse to Chase? He slowly walked towards Chase, the closer he got to her the more unsure he felt, she would probably ask why he had only caught one mouse... He took a deep breath and held his head high as he quickened his pace a little. He stopped infront of Chase and dropped the mouse infront of her "I caught this while I was out and I thought that maybe you wanted it?" he asked, trying his best to keep his voice steady even if he felt his heart racing in his chest. He glanced at the mouse and then back at Chase, this may had been a bad idea after all...

These days, Dante had been disappearing from the barn more and more frequently. Chase said nothing about it, but she was keenly aware of his absence or presence. Ever since Shade had left and Dante had lost it in a fit of emotions, the two hadn't talked much. The ginger-and-white rogue wasn't sure if she was satisfied with the current situation. She could claim that she didn't care about him in the least, but she kept too sharp an eye on him for her words to be true. Her emotions frustrated herself. How long had it been since she had found someone she even remotely cared about? Not since her family's death moons and moons and moons ago. She had gotten used to only looking after herself, living day to day for entertainment. Dante's arrival in her life had been unexpected, and the effects of his company even more so. Unfortunately, the relationship between the two had never been meant to last. Somehow, she might have known that.

When Dante arrived that evening, Chase had been waiting. The fluffy she-cat sat at the entrance of the Abandoned Barn, her chartreuse-colored gaze narrowed. Surprisingly, Dante headed straight for her instead of avoiding her as she had thought he would. Well, this would certainly make it easier for the two of them to talk. For a second or two, an uncomfortable silence passed between them. Chase merely gave the mouse a disdainful glance before saying shortly, "I don't want it." Turning, she called for another Regime member. "Hey! Take this mouse to one of Xuexi's kits." Whether they actually did so or not didn't actually matter or not. For all she cared, they could eat it themselves.

The scarred rogue leaned forward, taking a whiff of Dante's scent. It was just as she had expected. He smelled off the clans again. "Come with me." She commanded sharply, padding away from the main entrance of the barn. The tone she used on Dante revealed that there was no room for a "no." As usual, she was the teacher and he was the student. They needed to talk, but not in a place where they could be easily overheard. She led the small tom into a nearby patch of woods before rounding to face him. "Where have you been of late?" She asked, coldly. "Surely you have noticed that the scent clings to your pelt." Here she had thought that she had taught him well enough to know something that simple.

Dante flattend his ears when Chase told him that she didn't want the mouse. He lowerd his head and were just about to turn around when Chase told him to follow her. He looked at her a few seconds, this had been a bad idea, he should have offered the mouse to someone else. He took a deep breath and nodded slowly "O-okey..." he stammerd as he slowly followed Chase out of the barn and into the woods. He looked down at his paws as he followed her. When she turned around and spoke to him he quickly stopped and looked up at her with his ears flattend, he were pretty sure he knew what was coming. As she asked where he had been lately his heart started racing in his small chest, he knew he couldn't tell Chase about Icepaw, if she found him he didn't know what she'd do to him, what if she would hurt him? Or worse?..

After a few seconds he opened his mouth to speak "Em.. Well I have been gathering herbs... After the battle I was pretty much out of herbs and well maybe I've gotten to close the clan border's a few times.. But thats all.. And since I found no herbs today so I did some hunting..." he told her, he had to convince Chase that he didn't meet anyone. He took a deep breath and keept eye contact with her, if he looked away it might be to obvious that he's lying to her. He felt uneasy, he hated lying especially to Chase and he wasn't even good at it either... "I will try to stay away from the clan borders but it's just that there are so many herbs there... Or well em.. Where.. There where alot of herbs there..." he meowed with a hint nervosity in his his voice. His tail were lashing back and forth, he couldn't get it to stop...

Chase narrowed her chartreuse eyes. As she faced down the smaller tom, her long tail lashed slowly from side to side. Was Dante nervous because he was lying, or was he simply nervous because he was speaking to her? The reason was probably a mixture of both options. "Herb gathering, really?" Her tone was intimidatingly cold. "This isn't the first time you've returned with clan scent clinging to your pelt. I've never seen you return with herbs any one of those times." As expected, he would not be honest. His lies might have actually convinced her, if she had not already seen the truth with her own eyes.

"Should I ask your friend what you've been up to, then?" The words slipped out like claws slicing through flesh. "That clan cat you've been meeting. I'm sure he can tell me the truth."

It had started with the unusual scent clinging to Dante's pelt. Her wounds from the war still barely healed, there was no way Chase would not recognize clan scent when she smelled it. The first time, she had kept silent. For all she knew, he could simply have been gathering his herbs again. Then the same thing happened a second time, a third time, and a fourth time. Why, for goodness' sake, was he visiting clan territory? He couldn't be looking for a fight, she knew him well enough for that. In recent days, he had left the barn more frequently. It wasn't too surprising that she would grow suspicious. At last, she had followed him. She snorted at the memory now. Not even aware that he was being watched, he had been so defenseless. "Stealthy, aren't I?" She asked, sarcastically.

The rogue's pale gaze grew stony, boring into Dante. "Care to explain yourself? Perhaps you weren't aware of the clans' position as our enemy."

Dante's eyes filled with fear, Chase had followed him?! How couldn't he have noticed? He then let out a growl "Don't you dare touch him!", if Icepaw got hurt he didn't know what he'd do. He looked around nervously, there was no use in lying to Chase anymore... He took a deep breath and looked up at Chase "He's not like those other blood tirst clan cats, he's kind, understanding, sweet and he doesn't attack others directly just because their from another clan or a rouge!" he told her.

He stood quiet for a few moments, nervously looking around, his tail still lashing back and forth "I'm still loyal to the Regime Chase! I havn't told him anything about the Regime I swear, you have to belive me!" he cried out as he felt the panic taking over, he wanted to keep seeing Icepaw but he wanted to stay in the Regime, it where safer that way but he were almost completly sure that Chase would make him choose and if she did he didn't know what to choose... Truth be told he were starting to fall in love with Icepaw...



OOC: Sorry for short...

Dante reacted precisely the way that Chase had thought he would. As he began to spew out an excuse for his actions, she furrowed her brow. A low, displeased breath escaped from her jaws. What had she spent all that time on him for? It seemed that he would never change. He was soft--that softness might have been a good quality in another cat in another place, but not in him. He was Dante of the Regime and her student. "'Don't touch him'?" She asked quietly, pale gaze flashing, "Since when did you tell me what to do? You don't have the strength to order me around."

Truth be told, Chase wasn't all that loyal to the Regime. In front of Shade and Xuexi, she would nod along and do whatever they wanted her to do. However, there was nothing she prioritized more than her own life. What led her to follow them wasn't a twisted sense of justice or camaraderie; it was her own self interest. Then and now, nothing had changed. The members of the Regime had gone through thick and thin together, but she had barely drawn any closer to them than she had at the beginning. For such reasons, she didn't exactly demand absolute loyalty from Dante to the Regime. Still, befriending an enemy and then defending them was beyond her tolerance range.

Taking a deep breath, Chase fixed the dilute calico(?) with a withering stare. "I don't care what kind of cat he is. Did you assume that all the clan cats are violent savages out for blood? Did you think that we were driving them out of the forest for such a reason? If you really believed what Shade told you, you're nothing but a fool. Xuexi is only repeating what she was raised to think. Frankly, it doesn't matter what kind of cats make up the clans. Drive them out and make a home for ourselves--that's the purpose of the Regime. Preserve yourself before thinking about anyone else. Didn't I teach you that? If you keep looking out for others like this, you'll be the only one to suffer." She wrinkled her nose, her expression morphing into one of disgust, "Then again, you've always been too kind for your own good."

Dante stared at Chase, doing everything he could to not start crying, she was right, everything she said was right, it had always been. He was weak... He looked down, he hated her right now but why?.. Because she told him the truth?.. He glanced up at her "Maybe I am too kind but I rather be that than being as heartless as you... I get that I'm a disappointment to you but I will never be like you, I can't be like you! But you know what? Even if I could I wouldn't want to..." his voice was low as he spook to the ginger she-cat.

He took a deep breath and looked up at Chase "And maybe I don't have the strength to tell you what to do but I have something that you don't have and probably never will have... Love... I love Icepaw okay?! And don't you ever touch him because if so I don't care if you're way stonger than me!" he yelled out as his eyes started to fill with tears, he looked down and shut them, he was sick of Chase now! Maybe he should just leave... If he left Chase wouldn't have any contol over him anymore... He sighed, but would he dare?...

His head felt heavy but he stilled lifted his head and looked up at Chase even if his eyes were filled with tears. What would Chase say now?.. No, he didn't care about what she said! He was done with caring about what she said. Yes, he was weak and soft, so what? He wanted to be himself for once. He let out a sigh, but would he make it on his own?...

Chartreuse-colored eyes flashed. At that moment, Chase found herself fighting the urge to rake her claws over Dante's ears. The large rogue grit her teeth, trying to fight the anger that rose within her. He didn't understand anything. He hadn't lived nearly half as long as she had. How dare you... The words were right on the tip of her tongue. Ever since the two of them had met, Dante had been sheltered. Sure, she was a strict mentor; she never went easy on him. Teaching him was her way of entertaining herself. Everything she had done, however, had also been to his benefit. If she had ignored the weak little tom-kit back then and simply went on her way, he might not even be alive today. All that he had now was thanks to her, yet he saw himself fit to criticize her. What right did he have to do so? She wasn't ordering him to cut ties with this so-called "Icepaw" without reason. Couldn't he see? Continuing to meet with a clan cat would only hurt him. Perhaps he really was that blind.

"I have something that you don't have and probably never will have..."

Just what did Dante know about her again? Chase's maw drew into a grim line. A cold, frightful emptiness seemed to fill her gaze. So this was the way things were going to be were, huh? Through the cotton that suddenly seemed to plug her ears, she distantly made out the tom's words. He had fallen in love. Of all cats, he had fallen with a clan cat. As the fact registered within her mind, she barely showed a change of expression. Ah, this day would have come eventually. He was young and still full of emotion. It wasn't surprising that he would meet a cat who made his heart skip a beat. She gazed blankly upon Dante who had his eyes closed. She could see the tear drops that were beginning to seep out of the corners of his eyes. Did he expect her to show some kind of reaction to this revelation? On another day at another time, she might have. Now, however, she couldn't be bothered to argue any further. Dull anger throbbed within her chest. He could do whatever he wanted. He could do whatever he wanted, and she would interfere no longer. "Is that so?" She asked simply, her tone frigid, "Then you had better leave the Regime. It won't do for you to stay here any longer. Leave, before Xuexi finds out." The conversation was over. It had ended just as abruptly as it had begun. With barely a glance back at him, she turned and headed back in the direction of the barn.

Dante looked up at the ginger she-cat that now where walking away from him. He let out a sigh, he had lived with the Regime for a long time and now it was time to leave... He knew that this day would come but so soon?.. He took a deep breath before he rushed over to Chase, he stopped infront of her and looke her straight into the eyes "Chase I.. I just wanted to tell you that... I'm... I'm sorry... For everything, for wasting your time, for being such a disappointment to you, for being so rude to you lately... I'm sorry..." he kept his gaze steady, didn't look away from her for even a split second as he spook "But thank you... I know that you could have left me for dead but you didn't, you brought me to the Regime, teached me how to fend for myself and for that I'm so thankful, thanks to you I'm alive... And you're right... You always have been... It's best if I leave, so I will.". He looked at Chase a few moments before nuzzled her shoulder.

He looked at her once again "Goodbye Chase and once again, thank you". Once he had said that he started walking away, towards the Thunderclan border. Even if he wanted to he didn't look back once, he had made his choice, there was no turning back now. He quickend his pace before he could change his mind and chicken out.