This Is Goodbye(closed for Transient)

Lengxue had just lwft from talking to her sister,Rift, whom ultimately attacked her leaving a cut on her cheek. This made her even more nervous to approach Mao fearful for a moment. She made her way to where she saw Mao."sis...I need to talk to you if you have a moment"she mewed.

Mao had just returned from the field outside, happily oblivious to the shouting match that had just gone down between two of her siblings. The cream-colored tabby sat by the pile of hay that was her usual sleeping spot, going over her disheveled pelt with a small pink tongue. When a familiar voice called out from behind her, her first thought was that Lengxue sounded more anxious than usual. "What's wrong, Leng--" She began, turning around, only for her amber eyes to fly wide open. "You're hurt!" She exclaimed. The crimson mark on Lengxue's cheek stood out against her pale fur. Concern written all over her features, Mao leaned forward to examine the cut. "It doesn't look too deep.. Did someone do this to you, Lengxue?"

Lengxue watched as her sister turned and seen her the first thing she knew she saw was the cut on her cheek which was more recent thhen the three deep claw marks on her should from her mother only earlier that morning. She flattened her ears as she asked her who did it"n..Rift...."She mewed quietly."she's...mad at me because I decided to leave to join the clans"She mewed ever so quietly her body tense fur prickling nervously almost ready to run if Mao started a fight with her like Rift did.

"Rift?" The name left Mao's mouth with some incredulity. As... rash as their red-furred sibling could be, would Rift really hurt Lengxue like this? Then again, she didn't believe Lengxue was lying. Such an incident had definitely happened. While she was still wrapping her mind around the idea, the other molly's next words came flying out. The sudden revelation was like a bolt from the blue. There was no way Mao could see this coming. She froze for a second. "W--what do you mean, leaving for the clans?" So this was what had angered Rift so much to the point that she had felt the need to drive a claw across her sister's face. "You c--can't be serious!" She sputtered, feathery tail lashing the air. "This is a joke, isn't it, Lengxue? You aren't serious?" It must have been a joke. Her honest nature often made her a good target for jokes and pranks. As she took in Lengxue's stiff stance and bristling pelt, however, she realized with horror that it probably wasn't anything like that.

"You can't do that, Lengxue! You can't go to the clans. Haven't you heard what Mama often tells us? The clans are--they're--they're a bad place to be!" Desperation seeped into Mao's tone. "Why are you even thinking about this?" It was at that precise moment that she also took notice of the claw marks across Lengxue's shoulder. Unlike the slash across the cheek, these wounds looked much more serious. "D--did Rift also do that?" She asked, voice faltering.

Lengxue ears lowered a bit more as she looked to her sister for a moment wanting to regret her decision but her mother wasn't stable around her the clawmarks on her shoulder proved it."I'm...sorry sis but I am serious..."She mewed lowering her gaze. She felt now it was life or death to her it wouldn't be long before Eift told their mother and then she wouldn't know what she would do. She looked up at Mao"I know mom is lying about how evil the clans are...sure grandpa had enemies in the clans but I don't think grandpa was good either and mom isn't either. She intented to hurt me even possibly kill me this morning. Its not safe for me anymore"She mewed finding her voice. At Mao's question about her shoulder wound her ears flatten against her head"It wasn't Rift....it was mom she did it to me"She mewed.

"How do you know all that?!" This could not be happening. Lengxue could not leave for the clans. If she did, everything would fall apart. Lengxue was her sister, for goodness' sake! It was only natural that Mao would panic now. She had to talk her out of it, had to convince her to stay. Lengxue had never been foolish like she was being at that moment; nothing she was saying made sense. Unconsciously, Mao's voice rose in volume. The sudden fear that she might lose a family member drove her tone to be sharper than she really meant it to be. "Who told you that Mama was lying?" She asked, pressing her sister desperately for the answer. "Mama would never lie to us! What do you mean, Mama isn't good?" There... there was no way such a thing could ever be true!

Mao flattened her ears against her head. Her short life so far had revolved around her family, and Lenguxe was an indispensable part of her world. "S--she wouldn't kill you! Sure, Mama's strict with us sometimes, b--but it's just to make us stronger! She loves us. She would never do something like that!" As she spoke, however, a horrifying seed of doubt sprung to life within her heart. Were her words really true? She had seen the way Xuexi treated Lengxue. No. No, she couldn't doubt her mother. Her eyes flew again to the wound on Lengxue's shoulder, widening slightly in horror.

"Well then she doesn't love me if i wasn't on my side she would have sunk her claws in my neck instead she got my shoulder...I don't feel safe anymore...I'm sorry sis I know I'll miss you the most you were always nice to me"Lengxue mewed quietly her ears lowered ever so slighty.

Please, don't give me that expression. Don't say those words.

Everything was slipping away through her paws. Mao swallowed with difficulty, her small frame beginning to tremble slightly. Lengxue had never been this serious before. Her sister had made up her mind, and nothing Mao was saying seemed to be getting through. Why, oh why, did she have to be the one to stop her? The fact that Lengxue had already talked to Rift meant that the latter had failed to persuade her. Had Rift given up? How she wished that she could somehow know what was going through the mind of the red-furred she-cat. If only Wuqi were here, she would not be alone. Would he be able to come up with something clever to say to Lengxue? The situation was almost too much for her to take in. "You don't know that!" She argued stubbornly. "You could be mistaken. Will you--" Here there was a pause, as her voice choked, "Will you really run off to the clans like this? You might end up in even greater danger!"

Mao's vision grew threateningly blurry. Through the tears that had welled up in her eyes, Lengxue's form almost appeared warped. "I--I'll protect you! I'm sure Rift would too, and Wuqi. We won't let anything bad happen to you! So please don't leave..." The last words came out as a pathetic squeak. Mao wasn't exactly a strong cat. She tried to avoid fighting and feared pain. Still, she was grasping at straws now, trying to persuade her sister to stay. She pleaded, "Even if Mama doesn't love you, I do. Please don't leave. D--don't abandon us."

Lengxue started to tear up herself. She knew her sister would protect her but Rift wouldn't she snapped and hurt her. She knew her mother would find a way around them. She stepped toward her and nuzzled her sister trying to comfort her because she wasn't going to stay"i'm sorry sis i have to go but I peomise to try and still see you"She mewed quietly.

Mao felt the warmth spill out unto her cheeks, and she knew that the tears had overflown at last. Ah... Backing away from Lengxue's touch, she regarded her sister with a wide, almost fearful gaze. "I'll tell her." The words slipped out in a rush, like water from a vessel that had cracked. "I'll tell Mama." Desperation guiding her actions, she turned to her last resort now. She didn't--couldn't--believe that Xuexi would really be cruel enough to kill her own kit. Sure, she would undoubtedly be upset to learn what Lengxue had planned, but a moment of anger from their mother would be better than possibly losing Lengxue forever. Who knew what would happen to the other molly when she left the barn? She was aware that her words were startlingly cruel to Lengxue, but she was at a loss for anything else she could say. "She'll surely stop you. She won't let you leave." Through the tears, defiance danced within the depths of her amber eyes. She was almost daring Lengxue to stop her.

I can't let you go... I can't...

Hurt flashed in her eyes when her sister pulled away from her touch and her ears lowered. When she threatened to tell their mother she was quiet"Rift is already on her way to do that"She mewed her voice full of sadness"I'm sorry Mao"She said and with that she turned going to give one final goodbye before she went to hide.