The Other Side of Paradise

At first, Goldengale hoped that the shock of losing their partner would have gripped the other cat, just as it had her. As the eyes latched back onto her own, however, it became all too clear that would not be the case. Begging her paws to wake once more, for just a little longer, Goldengale tried and failed to stand up before the searing pain of the other cat's attack came. Letting out a yowl, her paws finally came back to life, and she found them quickly, glaring as menacingly as she could. A voice sounded behind her, and her shoulders relaxed slightly. Finchstar.... "About time. No more heroic scenes, please? For real this time?" She called, blue eyes not leaving her opponent. One down... One to go. And StarClan knew this cat was never going to have the honor of wearing her pelt. Wait, wearing a pelt? Well, that explained Puddlepaw.... Feeling sick to her stomach, she pieced everything together as she lashed out, fury behind her swipes. "You don't have the honor, courage, or bravery to even attempt to wear my pelt you flea-bitten rogue. You'll regret ever coming to WindClan's moors."

Goldengale used Upright Front Paws, dealing 13 damage and costing 20 SP.

Theron:
33/75 HP (-13)
180/200 SP

Goldengale:
41/60 HP
140/200 SP (-20)

The sound of shuffling caught Theron's ears, causing her to glance over her shoulder at where the moor leader had fallen to see... A snarl escaped her, anger bubbling at the sight of him rising again. Curse him. Curse him and his immortality - what made him so great to get it while Pakhet had gotten nothing! She was a cunning leader with a beautiful mind, knowing when best to strike and how to bring even the strongest foe down. And yet somehow this tom had killed her - of course it had take him dying as well. Claws raked her side as the golden she-cat attacked her, gaze flickering back as she snarled in anger. The leader ordered her to stand down...And a laugh escaped her as she glared over at where he was holding Pakhet's raccoon pelt aloft.

"Who do you take us for, Finchstar?" she spat as she took a couple steps backwards as she glanced between the two moor cats. "We are not cowards, we do not stand down. We fight, we kill. We..." she paused, blinking as another laugh escaped her. Suddenly she saw it, Pakhet's beautiful master plan, why she had made that promise. He had lied to them - it was fit that they had lied right back. "We play dirty," she purred, turning to look at him with a sickening, twisted grin. "You really think we were going to leave your Clan alone? Alive? Why, I imagine the others are finishing off your beloved warriors at this very moment. They ought to be asleep by now, aren't they? I bet they never saw it coming." Her laugh became a maddening crackle as she turned to stare at the golden she-cat that chosen to taunt her.

"You're all fools. You are all weak. Your honor binds you, weakens you all - thinking we would fulfill our end of the bargain... Violence is the way of the beasts - and all we not all animals on some level? What makes us any better than the animals that I slay and wear? Everybody fights when cornered, anybody can take a life. You are all fools to think otherwise, to not expect that anybody will betray you to save their own pelts if they don't fear you." With those final words, she spun and threw herself back at Goldengale, determined to make the she-cat suffer. She knew that in some way, Finchstar was the pressing threat but if he was truly immortal - which she had seen him draw breath once more twice now... Well, she would love to see him try to come back after what she had planned for him, and if he did... then she would leave him the last of the moor cats. After all, that runt...Puddlepaw, was it? She hadn't bothered to come back once they had their fun - it was time to see how many of these Clan cats had this immortality that the leader was so keen to brag about.

Theron used Jumping Strike on Goldengale, costing 20 stamina and dealing 14 damage...Again.

Theron:
33/75 HP
160/200 SP (-20)

Goldengale:
27/60 HP (-14)
140/200 SP

Finchstar closed the distance between himself and Theron too fast, weight buckling onto his shoulder as he rolled to the ground under Goldengale's flashing claws and Theron's terrible pelt. Blood spattered onto the leader's face as he surged upward, ears ringing with pain and adrenaline. But he was not quick enough. Theron crashed into Goldengale once more, leaping from the ground onto her thin frame. She spoke of lies, betrayal, admitting that WindClan was not, and had never been safe. Finchstar swallowed the anger on his tongue and instead let the blood drip over his maw, heaving himself onto his good shoulder, staring coldly at their nightstriker.

"You do not fear me now, coward, but you will." A shaky breath seethed from Finchstar's maw as he took a pained step forward, determined now. "Those who stand between WindClan and our peace will be worn down slowly to the bone." Another step, blood dripping down onto the cavern floor as Finchstar favored his wounded shoulder. "It will not be a quick death, but painful. We will cut through you like the breeze, for moons and moons, until you look down and realize your body has simply eroded from our persistence." Step, step, step. A slow process, but sure-footed. WindClan may boast the fastest cats of all the moor, but their wars were vast, quiet things as they played the game of life. As light as the breeze.

Quickly, and gut-wrenchingly, Finchstar leapt from his spot and threw himself onto Theron, hauling the she-cat off of Goldengale, yowling with pain as it coursed through his shoulder. His teeth sunk through Theron's tattered pelt, grasping real scruff fur as the leader shook. The life force between his jaws was feathery like the wind, and he threw her into the cavern wall, gasping with the effort. Broken, bleeding, and utterly scarred, Finchstar limped to Goldengale's side, gesturing toward the exit in the gloom. "Come now." He panted, hauling Pakhet's torn raccoon pelt onto his back, placing the other piece on Goldengale's. "Run to WindClan, protect your clanmates, your family. And flay those mange-ridden crowfood eaters with every last bit of strength you possess." Finchstar cast a glance at his shoulder and winced, gazing at the upward slope of the tunnel with determination. "I won't be far behind. Run, Goldengale, run with the very force of the wind. Star's speed to you."

Finchstar used Scruff Shake on Theron, dealing 10 damage and costing 25 stamina. Theron is stunned for 1 turn.

Finchstar
HP: 60/120
SP: 225/300 (-25)

Theron
HP: 23/75 (-10)
SP: 160/200

The member 'lemongrass' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Effect Dice' : 3

In a flash, Finchstar was there. But what in StarClan was this beast saying? As they slept? A low growl rumbled in her throat at the thought, and the weight of the cat was pulled off of her and thrown to the cavern wall. Eyes meeting her leader's, she nodded once, turning her paws towards the distant entrance. The curved of the tunnel hindered her speed, and she wasn't sure how well Finchstar was truly going to keep up, with his wound... But... No, she had to go. She had to be sure... Had to help. So she ran, she ran as fast as she could, faster than she ever had before. Her paws skid across stone, loose ones threatening to throw off her carefully poised balance, but she forced herself to remain upright, pushing herself as hard as she could. The landscape around her was becoming a blur, the wind she was named for seeming to lift her and carry her towards her home, her moors.

Goldengale has fled the battle!

Theron was no longer listening to the leader's droning words - curse him, he was a long-winded one as she focused on slashing toward the she-cat...And so was startled when she felt teeth sink into her pelt - deep enough to spear her scruff and draw blood before she was yanked backwards. A yowl of surprise and anger ripped from her as she was thrown, before coming to a sudden silence as she hit the wall and slide to the ground. Everything was dark...But then she awoken. She blinked, shaking her head as she struggled to gather herself. She wasn't out for long - she could see the golden she-cat fleeing but the leader remained. She snarled, struggling to get her paws beneath her. She thought about spitting words his way but said nothing as she bared her teeth, her yellow eyes glimmering in the shifting moonlight that cascaded down into the cavern, waiting to see if the leader would 'grace' her with more heroic words about how noble they were or...Tsk, it would do not help in wondering as she tried to gather herself enough to move once more and finish this battle, once and for all.

Theron is stunned.

Goldengale sprinted from her spot, rocketing up the dark tunnel into the great expanse beyond. Finchstar panted and cast one look at a dazed Theron before following, fur prickling as her body stirred. No, he didn't have the strength to kill her now, but he could run. He could run and save his clan. Finchstar heaved himself upward through the tunnel, smearing crimson over the walls as he half ran, half limped behind Goldengale. They emerged into the open and the golden she-cat tore across the moor in a speed that reminded him of Brookclover. Even in their terror, his love was ever present.

Following hastily, Finchstar hobbled awkwardly at a hap-hazard pace, tail swinging wildly to keep himself upright. As the leader fought for air, he thought of Aspenheart. Perhaps this is what their medicine cat experienced each day. Empathy ran from his heart along with a surge of dread. Was Aspenheart still alive? Was WindClan? Finchstar limped faster and broke into a painful run, meeting up with Goldengale at the Thunderpath. "Golden....gale..." He panted, head low from exhaustion. The raccoon pelt still hung from their frames, smelling of awful rot and death. They were the wind, and death they would bring, as metaphorical as it was. Finchstar had accepted it was what WindClan needed. No longer could he be so passive.

Dawn broke the sky and the tom's yellow eyes rose to meet it. His bloodied muzzle and Goldengale's dirty one stood tall. Their peace was coming, it would rise into the sky. A thunderous sound echoed behind the two wayward cats, causing their heads to turn. Theron, alive and unfazed, running over the wet grass as she charged. They could not face her. They would return to WindClan whole. "Quickly now!" Finchstar panted, watching Goldengale in a panic. "We must cross the Thunderpath."

The sound of the Thunderpath grew louder, and before she knew it she was at it's edge. The tunnel entrance should be somewhere nearby.... There. Locating the markings the identified the entrance, she looked back for Finchstar. She found his figure a short ways off, his gait so much slower than usual, pain obvious in his steps and the expressions on his face. She stepped forward to meet him, touching her nose gently to his. "We're almost there, Finchstar, just a little bit farther. Come on now, you can't give up now, there's so many sunrises to see yet."

As if on cue, his eyes lifted as the sun broke over the horizon, casting it's pale light over them both. Another sound from behind made her ears swivel, then her head. A low hiss escaped her as she saw the cat she'd been fighting sprinting after her, tracing through the land so quickly she could almost believe that they could have been a WindClan cat. Nudging her leader's flank towards the entrance, her mew was rushed. "Go, Finchstar. You first. Hurry now, we'll be home soon and you can get healed up." She knew this tunnel like the back of her paw, as well as the hairs on her son's pelt. She had built it, after all, her own paws pushing through the dirt to create it after what happened during her Moonstone journey. And she knew that there was one weak spot, one that she had been meaning to fix, but before she had been able to secure it the moor had become unsafe to travel alone.

If Finchstar was too slow, if she had no other option... Her mind flashed back to the battle where Finchstar was lost... Where Grousefrost had been lost. Shaking her head as she followed behind Finchstar, she gathered the strength she had remaining. They were so close... The light of dawn on the far side was just a few tail lengths away.... And then her legs went numb once more. A startled yelp was pushed from her lungs as she went down, tumbling in a crumpled heap. Her legs sprawled wildly, she looked back towards the Highstones side of the tunnel before looking at Finchstar, eyes wide with fear before hardening in a firm acceptance. "Go, Finchstar. I'll be right behind you."

She was just a warrior. A warrior who had lost her mate, and may have lost her son. She didn't know if he was alive, or if her brother and sister were well, or her father and mother. For all she knew, there was no cat waiting in WindClan for her return. She could ensure her leader's safe return, however, and that's just what she would do.

"GET BACK HERE YOU COWARD!" Theron shouted at an empty cavern as she watched the tail of the WindClan leader disappear up the tunnel entrance. Finally, her body started to listen to her as she started to stumble forward...Only to freeze, turning her gaze to the rock. It had lost all of its color, its glow...It sat there, dull and soaking with the blood of Pakhet as she laid speared by the rock that the leader had claimed would give them immortality. "Your death will not be in vain," she murmured as she stared at her pack leader...Before spinning and sprinting up the tunnel that the two moor cats had fled.

The moment she broke into the surface, she turned and sprinted in the direction that she knew the WindClan camp was laid - no doubt they would be hurrying home to try to save their precious Clanmates. They were fast, but anger fueled her muscles as she sprinted across the moor until she saw them - both limping along and having halted at the strange black path that carved its way through the land. Then they noticed her. Curse them, the element of surprise was out... They turned, disappearing from view as they found...A tunnel? 

A grin flared across her face. Perfect. Their speed would not help them in such a cramp area as she turned her path to follow after them. She dove into the tunnel, stalking forward like a fox on the prowl as she saw them struggling to reach the other end. "Pathetic," she laughed as she saw the golden one trip and fall, ushering her leader on wards...Before falling silently as she approached, ready to strike and kill.

In her keen state, Goldengale pointed out her tunnel and ushered Finchstar forward. His clarity was beginning to fade as the two clambered into the slick mud passage under the Thunderpath. Finchstar limped toward the rising light on the other side, ears flattening with every monster that passed overhead. His clanmate's words echoed behind him as they continued on hastily. Another monster, another deafening roar. Goldengale fell to her feet behind him and the leader turned quickly, reaching to assist her, but the she-cat would not have it. "Go, Finchstar. I'll be right behind you." His yellow eyes narrowed for what felt like moons, contemplating a response in the split second they could spare. Theron exploded from behind and Finchstar's head whirled, in a flash of gold and white, the leader and his clanmate stormed through the opening, fur and mud clashing every which way. "Goldengale!" He shouted, only to turn in horror to realize her passage to the surface had been sealed, leaving the yellow she-cat to reside underground.

For a heartbeat, two, then three, Finchstar held her gaze with narrowed eyes. Struggling to get to her paws, she was washed with relief as he spotted something behind her, something she could only be sure was that Theron, and turned to travel the remaining tail lengths to the surface. Finally her paws returned to her, and she turned to face the other cat with a grim smirk on her face. For Finchstar, for WindClan. For her family. Her paws found the soft spot in the wall as she locked eyes with her opponent, tail tip twitching.

"Pathetic? At least we can act on our own. So knowledgeable of our tunnels you were.... Too bad you didn't take this one into account you Dark Forest scum. Say hello to it's members for me, will you?" With a firm flick of her wrist, the soft portion of the wall was pulled, crumbling apart and forcing the remaining areas to fall as well. As the dirt piled around her, darkness filling in on every side, she curled in on herself, shielding her nose and mouth with her paws and trying to take up as little space as possible. In moments she was buried, the air harder to breath and the crushing weight of earth around her suffocating. There had been no escape routes, no time to turn back this time. For WindClan.

Theron paused as the she-cat spoke, hesitating to let her get her final words in. Her eyes narrowed at the words, opening her mouth to spit something when a flicker of movement caught her eye. The golden she-cat had shifted her paw into the wall and had...What had she... Suddenly, the wall to their side collapsed, causing her to stumble backwards to avoid the dirt as more and more started to cave in. She was forced to scurry back awkwardly, barely avoiding the wave of dirt that soon came to an end. "You...You..." she snarled, blinking before she started to back up more. Blah, no matter - the she-cat had been caught in it. She had been lucky enough that the golden she-cat hadn't bothered to actually wait until she was close enough to bring the wall down. 

She could dart across the path, perhaps take down that blasted Finchstar before he made it back to camp - find out how many lives he really did have. Only...She paused as she reached the opening of the tunnel, finally having enough room to spin as she stared up at the open sky. ...No. There was no point. Destroying the moor cats hadn't been their mission. With Pakhet dead, she knew the orders now - retreat. One had to survive and...Truth be told, the moor cats were harder to fight than she expected. Perhaps the others had failed. Her ears slicked back at the thought of Dae being killed but...No, it was how she would have wanted to go out. She had a mission. She scrambled up into the surface, quickly diving into the grasses - hoping that if Finchstar was on the other side, he failed to see her. She had to return home. She had to fulfill her duties.

After all...They were just the scouts.

"No...no...no!" Finchstar panted, sprinting towards the tunnel, now a collapsed mound of mud. His body shook as flashbacks of Brookclover tormented his mind. Finchstar's limbs froze up and he gasped at the dirt before him, bile rising in his mouth. Not this... not again... He could not lose another cat to the very moor. He could not bear to see the dirt smeared on Goldengale's dying face. Finchstar simply stood, frozen as he fought with his mind. I can't... Even the brave tom had his impasse. Breath caught in his throat, he stared for what seemed like moons, missing the sight of Theron's escape. Carefully and slowly, Finchstar began to shovel dirt from the tunnel entrance, eyes streaming and movements frail. Not again. The tunnels of the moor were cursed things, Finchstar wished to remove all thought of them from his mind.

A golden patch of fur emerged from the rubble, and Finchstar grabbed at it desperately to pull his clanmate from the fray. His shoulder seared with a fiery pain, but the pain of his mind was greater. "Goldengale! Goldengale!" Finchstar pleaded, pawing at her fur, feeling an overwhelming sense of emotion for the cat now crushed below him. Is this what bravery was? The nobility of the sacrifice, and the pain of the bystander. It was a commonality of the forest, something Finchstar found he witnessed often. Goldengale had fought for his safety, for the clan. She was a shining metaphor for the trials WindClan would face. And no longer could they be so passive. Finchstar swallowed his apprehension and knew that he must assume the role of the witness. So long he had played the part of the martyr. Throwing himself atop rocks, dying to beasts. But his clanmates had to watch, to feel pain as he did. No longer could he play one life. The forest was noble as well, and the cats within it. Who was he to shy away from their grand displays of sacrifice, simply because it hurt? Finchstar had pulled at heartstrings as well, and now his loving karma had found him. Goldengale was honorable, and Finchstar accepted the pain of her reckless action slowly. Tears dripped over his cheeks as he licked her fur clean, yellow eyes glowing. "Come now, Goldengale. We can rest at our return."

As the darkness, still and silent, caressed the golden furred she-cat, she smiled. Her kithood had been full of love and tenderness, nestling at the side of her mother. If she thought hard enough, she could almost scent Graybriar. Her hidden smile widened as she recalled her days romping with Cloverkit, Mistykit, and Quailkit, terrorizing the warriors before she cuddled in close to Barleytuft's warm side, listening to his stories with wide eyes and tentative ears. Quailpaw had never seen the warriors den, and Clovertwist had faced his challenges after his injury... But he had done so well. Mistystripe, too, would be magnificent. She knew it. She had been loved, and loved in return. Grousefrost... The cold, stoic warrior had captured her heart, grounding her firmly at his side despite her paws chasing the wind. She would see him soon. Crowpaw... Dear, sweet Crowpaw, her only son... Her biggest regret would be to leave him. To miss his warrior ceremony, and to watch him grow into an full-fledged tom. One of her other regrets would be having to leave young Spotpaw, the she-cat had deserved a better mentor, a stronger and wiser one.

It was so hard to breath, her lungs fighting against the lack of air, ribs fighting against the weight of dirt. A soft light appeared on the other side of her eyelids, and Goldengale let out a long sigh. Was this the end? A sensation of being pulled away from the weight made her go limp, releasing her fight and accepting her fate.

And then her side was prodded.

Wasn't StarClan supposed to take the pain away?...

Or... Had she gone to the Dark Forest?

Her breath caught as she tried to gather the courage to open her eyes and face her fate, when the soothing feeling of her fur being groomed grasped her. Was that Grousefrost? Her blue eyes blinked open slowly, narrowed from the mud caked around, and her eyes found a pelt - although not the one she had been expecting. Finchstar? Looking past him, the golden rays of dawn shone over the moors, the cold breeze calling to the pair. She was alive? She was alive! She wanted to laugh, to jump, to cry, to shout her triumph to the fading stars, yet her paws refused to move. Instead she remained still, the only movement in the turning of her head and the smile shining through the dirt and mud-smeared muzzle.

"Finchstar.... You should know better. Only the dead rest in peace."