the scent was mine alone [closed]

Scrambling over the fence became less a matter of scrambling and more a matter of a few leaps. One to the top of the shiny hollow rock full of wasted prey and scraps, one to the top of the fence, and one to the ground on the other side. The grass felt soft and supple as down under his paws after so long wandering between twoleg nests on little thunderpaths. He only made a trip out to the forest once every few sunrises, and only to hunt from morning to sunhigh — when ShadowClan was not awake. That was the best time to hunt, when no cat would bother him or accost him for his kill. After being so rudely disrupted by the thunderpath, Galloway knew he had to be more careful on the outskirts of ShadowClan land. They were fierce.

The days of sunshine and green leaves were upon them, and on the voles and mice of clan territory, Galloway grew sturdy and lean. No longer the skinny, wiry tom of his youth, he was honing his hunting skills everywhere he could reach within a day's travel. Some days, he shouldered the outskirts of SkyClan (hoping he might see a friendly face again) and wandered as deep into ShadowClan as he could manage. More typically, he stuck to this place. The pine trees towered over him in a graceful umbrella, not as tall as SkyClan's, but also not as gnarled and scarred by fire. The roots were exposed all over; Galloway suspected the soil beneath was rocky. Shallow roots made great homes for little critters.

He hunted for a little while, scoring a fattened vole which he got to eating right away. He sat beneath a cedar tree, his back rubbing against the bark. He hadn't seen Kirabo in a very long time. They had, as far as he knew, gone in the same direction. However, when Galloway chose to scout out lower Twolegplace, Kirabo split off another way. After wandering up and down the entire length of the twoleg colony, meeting strays and memorizing landmarks, he never encountered his brother. Perhaps he and Hyacinth were together. He might meet up with them soon. They had arranged it, of course, that when they were ready to meet again they'd go back to the beginning: the barn.

He didn't notice another cat approaching.

While it was true that the rest of ShadowClan was taking this time to rest, Rosethorn was not the rest of ShadowClan. She enjoyed the peace the day could bring her, when everything was awake and beautiful. But of course, there was a time for admiration, and when she scented a foreigner, she knew that now was not the time. And so she changed her route, heading toward the source of the scent. And, having reached it, she found the same face she had seen at the thunderpath. Of course.

"You seem to come here a lot, this is the second time I had seen you around here. And stealing prey, no less. Do you have some sort of fascination with this place? I'm sorry, I don't believe I got your name the last time we had met. Mine is Rosethorn. I wanted to apologize for the way I had reacted to you the last time we had met, I was a little caught off guard. Perhaps we can have a more peaceful conversation this time?"

Galloway flinched a little at the sound of a new voice, though he hardly moved to acknowledge the molly. He was no longer afraid of a beating. Even if he lost, he wouldn't let a clan cat forget him too easily. The Asylum's skills were still within him, though it was a faint and airy memory. The vole shredded like a leaf under his sharp fangs, and the tender flesh melted under his tongue: positively delicious. A Greenleaf vole was a perfect meal for a starved alley-cat. After swallowing, he allowed his sharp leer to flicker back towards the clan cat. It was the very same that had tried to cheat him out of his last meal on her territory. Her name, if it had even mattered, was Rose Thorn.

"Why?" he murmured. "To satisfy your... fixation with me? Does telling me your name make you feel better about your clan hoarding prey that you don't even need?"

He finished licking the ribs of his kill before standing and stretching out his limbs. His claws extended lazily into the ground in front of him. Galloway yawned, lackadaisically ruffling his dark, ginger-tipped tufts of fur. The tom hummed, "I know you want something from me. I just haven't figured out what it is yet. And I don't really care. Your kingdom of hypocrites has taken enough from this land, and from me."

Galloway paused before he started to walk, halfway interested in whatever she had to say. He hadn't gotten a good enough glimpse of her at their last meeting. He was shocked to see her ugly snub-nose... it was more common than he had first imagined, apparently.

Rosethorn narrowed her eyes. He said the Clan took something from him, further making her believe just who he might be, but if he wouldn't give her information....

"Faizah. Do you know that name? It used to be mine, before I joined ShadowClan. I joined as a way to escape, escape from a group who hid cruel deeds with kind intentions, escape from a mother who I would never be good enough for, who would always hate me, always hurt me. ShadowClan took me in, treated me as though I was family. Coming here, it was the first time I had actually known love. I even got to see my father. We believe in an afterlife called StarClan, and he was there, just to see me! He was going to leave too, just like I did. He looks a lot like you, you know? Look, if this story means nothing to you, then you can leave right now, and I will not follow. But I think it does hold significance, and now I think you know what I want, right Galloway?"

Rosethorn stared hard into the eyes of the tom in front of her. Her heart yearned for this to be her brother, for them to be a family again. She had done as Murkystrike had told her, told him her side of the story. She just had to wait for a response, now. Today was when she would find out if Galloway truly hated her, if this was Galloway at all.

The warrior practically exploded into a bubbling mess of words, weaving together a haphazard trail of accusations into a rope by which she attempted to entrap Galloway. He had trouble following the story as it spilled onto the ground below them, and on instinct he drew closer, his mouth parting in the silly face he often made when concentrated. It was his hunting face: tongue pressed to roof of mouth, one pale green eye squinted a bit more than the other, ears flipped back. Honed in on Rose Thorn's words, he watched her meows as he would prey.

After all this time, the name "Faizah" sounded foreign, like a gurgling song in another beast's language. It may as well have been the putrid barking of a dog, like one of the little white ones in twolegplace that reminded him of newborn bunnies. And she kept going. She kept speaking of things that she had no way of knowing, had she not really been who she told Galloway she was. This was Faizah, the pathetic defector. The cause of all his misery, the weakest link. The odd look faded from Galloway's face and he bowed his head. Slowly, his muzzle nearly touched the ground, and he was numbed by the white hotness of his fury. He feared the emotion that roiled in him, nipping his heels and propelling him forward to ruin. The tom trembled, begging his bones to feel something, anything. He could have been dead in that moment, wandering as a ghost, and he would not be able to tell the difference. Galloway knew that if he looked at her again, he might lunge. He might sink his jaws around her throat.

The blasphemy that she spoke of so earnestly disgusted him to the point of vomit. The wily tom swallowed his spit and bade off the nausea.

He said nothing. He hated the way his name sounded in her mouth.

"You... miserable sheep," he snarled at last. Galloway straightened up, padding quickly forward to close the distance between him and the she-cat. She was grown, too, but she was still naive. She was still foolish. "More like a Rosey Fawn. Prancing around like you've seen the light? Don't talk down to me, feather-head!"

Galloway cackled in Rose Thorn's face and rounded, turning his back to her. He was pacing now, and with each plant of his paw he returned to earth, bringing his clarity and presence back. Now, the rage was a kind of fuel. He had control of its powerful grasp. It was Galloway's to own. "You saw our father? You saw a fantasy! A vision! You dreamed it, right?" he paused to let her think, "Yeah, that's what I thought. They all dream it. It never happens when you're actually awake, in your right mind. You had a funny little dream, Faizah. Of course he looks like me, you never met him, so he had to look like one of us! Of course he was going to leave, like you, it was the only way to soothe yourself over your own awful decisions! You didn't want to feel like an idiot, so your mind made it up. Use your brain, for once, I'm begging you!"

He faced her again. The rage was running out, and a terrible sickness overwhelmed him. The lump in his throat felt like a boulder. "Who do you think she turned on when you were gone?" Galloway hissed. "Kirabo stays out of the way. Hyacinth is her prodigy. Who does that leave?"

Galloway desperately tried not to sniffle. "WHO DOES THAT LEAVE, ROSE?!"

So this was her answer. He really did hate her. She had always known this, really, but seeing it in front of her simply made it hurt all that much more.

And then more daggers only came. Seeing Iniko. Her father. She had made it up. The one family she thought she had that loved her, it wasn’t even real.

And Tavora had been hurting Galloway. That pathetic excuse of a mother just always had to hurt her children. All the pain and anger rising up inside of her, rage boiling under her fur. Tavora wasn’t here to unleash that on, not now. She would find her another time. But there was only one outlet here now. She would regret this later, as usual.

“I offered for you to come with me. You didn’t have to stay with Tavora. But you did. It’s not so fun when she is doing it to you, is it? It is so much easier to just turn a blind eye, pretending that nothing is happening while your sister got beaten every single day! It is so much better when it is someone else taking the force of the blow, isn’t it, Galloway? What do you want from me. I’m weak. Does that make you happy? Is that what you want to hear? I am weak. Because I do not want to be a scratching post for the rest of my life, Galloway! I want to actually be happy, for once in my life. Maybe that makes me selfish, but I don’t care. At least I am not a coward! At least I was able to break free! I bet you are still following that miserable piece of foxdung everywhere she goes, aren’t you? Who is the real sheep here?”

Galloway did not expect the poison that she returned. It was enough for a slight physical recoil, his neck arching back as he absorbed her mental blows. So she was happy. It stung to hear, putting a dozen thorn-sized nicks in his resolve. He wished for a hawk to scoop him up and deposit him in some far-away tree.

"Sure, blame a kit for doing nothing to save you, like I could've done anything at all. That's so brave of you, Faizah. Does that make you feel strong? Do you feel like a real warrior now?" He flicked an ear, dismissive of her ravings, before adding, "You are your mother's daughter. You turned your back on me. I will never forgive you for choosing those... lesser cats over us. We understood each other. We all suffered, but we did it together."

He huffed, a strong breath of air escaping its prison in his chest. Galloway wanted to erase her. He wanted her to cease to exist. He willed it to be so, that he would turn around and she would already be gone from the clearing. But it was not to be. When he looked at her, it was much worse than simply his sister. In her face, contorted with rage, their mother was alive and well. Galloway fought the urge to cower, and with all of his might he finally spat, "She's dead. She died coming back for you. She wanted her kits to be together. She went back into the marsh to get you, and she drowned."

It was a half-lie, but oh, was it so much less painful for him than the truth. She really had wanted Faizah, and his conviction was honest... but he would not give her the satisfaction of what Tavora had wanted her for.

It was all coming back to him now, the awful, wretched gurgling of a terrified cat drowning. It was too loud in his ears, too thick on his skin. He saw everything over again, all those memories which he tried to keep hidden. At the center of it all... his sister. Betrayer. She looked just like Tavora. His pain was a festering, infected, feverish wound that would not heal, despite his efforts to wrap it up against the elements, and Faizah's presence rubbed dirt and grime into an already ghastly lesion. There was no ointment for it. There was no reprieve. "Because of what you did, I lost everything. Now I have to find my own way in a land I don't belong in. All by myself."

Galloway almost walked away. Later, he would wish he hadn't. He didn't know why, but his claws extended in front of him and he suddenly darted forward, howling a battle cry as the tears finally flowed from his eyes. Galloway threw himself at Rose Thorn and together they rolled into a tree. With that crucial moment, the rogue scrambled to pin his sister down. "You want to be a clan cat? Fine! Then defend your territory, Rosey-Fawn! Show me how strong they made you without your littermates to get in your way!"

Galloway used Leap-and-Hold. [-9 HP] [-10 SP] [In effect for 1 turn]

Galloway
45/45 HP
130/140 SP (-10)

Rosethorn [Pinned]
26/35 HP (-9)
90/90 SP

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

---

'Effect Dice' : 3

"You talk about suffering, but you are still defending her! We were all kits, Galloway! Get your head out of your rear, and for once just listen! I was a kit, I was scared! You were scared too, so you pretended like nothing was happening! But like it or not, it did happen. And as for her drowning, I am glad she is dead! I hope Tavora rots for all she has done! And if you are still stupid enough to believe in her, then maybe you should too- EEP!"

She did not expect to be bowled over, and the air was knocked out of her as her back hit the tree. In an instant, she was on the ground, a weight crashing on top of her, forcing her down. She couldn't breathe. She was trying to inhale, gasping, trying to get air in, but none came. Her lungs were burning with the effort.

"G-g-galloway...I...I can't...." She tried to croak out the words, but her voice was barely even audible. Her lungs hurt so badly. Was Galloway going to kill her? Was she going to die at the claws of her own brother? How had he grown to be so cruel? He really had changed a lot. Suddenly, it wasn't even her brother standing above her. No, this was a complete stranger. No brother of hers would be so willing to kill.

Rosethorn is pinned and cannot attack!

Rosethorn (Pinned)
26/35 HP
90/90 SP

Galloway
45/45 HP
130/140 SP

Galloway was shocked by the force of his own paws and swiftly eased up on Rose Thorn's chest, stumbling over his back paws until she was free from him. For a moment, the tom took deep breaths, stunned that he could remember any battle training at all. It had been so long since he had been threatened with the possibility of violence. Tavora had not been a great mother, but she had been an excellent teacher of the martial way. She held the characteristics of both clan cats and Nightstrikers. In some rudimentary sense, Galloway knew how the clans operated in battle. They had an obsession with nobility, as if there was something to be proud of in scrapping against one another. That was not so with the Nightstrikers. Galloway had been a scout, yes, but his mother's lessons were not easily forgotten.

Show no fear. I'm not a kit anymore. The rogue scuffed his paws against the ground and imagined the comforting weight of a pelt around his shoulders. He would show her what he was capable of, that he was not the coward she clearly thought all Asylum cats were. "I remember the Warrior Code," he gasped between shallow breaths. "Parts of it. I remember that it said to challenge trespassers. Well, I'm trespassing. I took your prey. So fight back. Challenge me."

His forepaws moved in a high arc before coming down across Rose Thorn's cheek, scoring her with deep marks. Thick droplets of blood spotted his nose in response to the action, and on reflex, Galloway wiped it clean. His body moved like a serpent, quick and deadly, a blur of black and ginger in the grass. "Get up!" he cried out, almost imploring her to rise to her paws. His brows were furrowed in agony, and with every flash of his claws the catharsis overwhelmed his senses. Even if he wanted to stop, he couldn't now.

Galloway used Upright Front Paws. [-11 HP] [-20 SP]

Galloway
45/45 HP
110/140 SP (-20)

Rosethorn
15/35 HP (-11)
90/90 SP

Maybe Galloway wouldn't kill her then. At the very least, she was able to breathe now, coughing and sputtering as air finally filled her lungs. She was trembling on the ground, the world around her still spinning after all of that. She could distantly hear Galloway, although the sound was as though her head was being held underwater. And in all fairness, her chest felt like it too. Then there was a new pain, in her cheek, and she could distantly feel the trickle of blood in her fur, sticky and warm. He was toying with her. He was actually toying with her right now. It was with a surge of adrenaline, and a blind fury, that Rosethorn managed to get to her paws and, even more impressively, pummel her so-called brother with her paws, just momentarily before losing her balance and coming back to all fours.

"What is this pathetic game you are playing at Galloway?! You nearly killed me! Why release me, then? Why not just end me? Wasn't that one of Tavora's rules, never show mercy? She would be so disappointed if she were here. That is why you want to fight at all, right? Still have to make her proud. Well you can't! You know why? Because she is dead! She drowned, just like you said. And if you still want to be her shadow so badly, go join her for all I care!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she immediately wanted to take them back. When had she grown to be so cruel? She groped around for something, anything, to say, but there was nothing. Every time her mouth opened to speak, it was only silence. So since she couldn't talk, she just let herself shut down, a void of emotion.

"If you wish to be a rogue so badly, fine. This is ShadowClan territory. Leave before I call for a patrol. I will not tell you again."

Rosethorn used rear up to slash, dealing 9 damage and costing 15 stamina.

Rosethorn
15/35 HP
75/90 SP (-15)

Galloway
36/45 HP (-9)
110/140 SP

She struck back with all of her might, and Galloway quickly twisted to soften the impact of her blows. The blood she had drawn would be quickly replaced, even as it dripped into his eyes and blurred his vision.

Galloway noted how her words became muted, without emotion to tether her to the brutality of her actions, or his. She seemed weary. His heart went out to her. Deep inside, he knew she wouldn't call a patrol. She wouldn't do any of the things she was claiming to do. It was a bluff.

The tom sighed, "This isn't who you are. Clan life. Listen to yourself, Faizah. You're just like me. But as long as you choose this soft, uppity life for yourself, you will never live up to your real potential. You could've been a nightstriker."

He remembered one thing from Tavora's training. It was a battle-ender. It was a move which inflicted wounds both mental and physical. Most of all, the clan cats hated it. It was a dirty trick. It was the mark of the beast... Asylum. It made them afraid. Galloway roared like a mighty tiger, sprinting around Rose Thorn in a flurry of swipes, assaulting every part of her pelt and bringing her crashing to the ground, beaten like a leaf in a churning river.

When it was over, and Rose Thorn had crumpled, Galloway heaved with the exhaustion of his actions. His paws were covered in fur and blood, and his face stung from the she-cat's attack. Everything ached. He felt like a monster had tackled him to the ground.

"You left me all alone. You... destroyed me. And now, you think you're better than me. Because you had a funny dream, and they all told you that you were better than us, 'cause you walked away. I wished every night that I'd wake up in the morning and that Tavora would kill me, because I didn't want to go on knowing how much you really hated all of us."

He turned his back. "You were my sister. I trusted you. Now, I'm gonna leave you all alone. Next time I see you, I'll look forward to knowing how it feels to be abandoned by the only cat in the world you wanted in your life."

Galloway staggered back through the way he came, confident in the fact that she would not come looking for him, and that no cat would. They wouldn't even know where to begin. Perhaps when he reached the fence, he could find some herbs in a twoleg garden to pilfer for his wounds. When he was finally alone, Galloway let a heaving sob dribble from his bloodstained lips.

Galloway used Sanctum Strike. Rosethorn is defeated. [-15 HP] [-20 SP]

Galloway
36/45 HP
90/140 SP (-20)

Rosethorn
0/35 HP (-15)
75/90 SP

Rosethorn was on her side, watching as Galloway left. She told herself she didn't care. No longer was this her brother. She did what she thought was right, it wasn't her fault that he was too selfish to see it. She did what she needed to. And who did he think he was, anyway? Only cat he wanted in his life? She asked him to come with her, and he pushed her away. If anything, he abandoned her.

But it still hurt. It hurt so, so much. It never stopped hurting. But precious little Galloway only saw what he wanted to. He wanted to see her as the bad guy. She gets to be the villain because she decided she didn't want to suffer, she decided to save herself. How absolutely terrible of her.

And so, concealing any pain with her anger, she stood up, and made her way back to camp, turning her back on Galloway, and never even looking to see if he was watching, to see if maybe he still cared. It didn't matter what he thought anymore. She hoped this hurt him, just like it hurt her. He deserved every ounce of pain he felt.