Unlucky [C]

Ashfall needed time alone. She saw the pitiful stares she was given every sunrise, and at least she was slightly better rested now than she had been. Hentooth giving her poppyseeds to aid in her sleep was helpful... though it didn't mean she didn't dream. That's what she really wanted anyway. It was just all so much, and Ashfall preferred the times when she was able to stick to the edges of the camp, watching quietly, without everyone asking if she was doing alright. She knew in her heart that they were trying to help, but she just wasn't ready to talk about the fact that her mother and brother just... died, out of the blue. It didn't help that her father was a still-on-the-prowl murderer. Her family was a complete mess.

So she limped across the moor, the sun rising behind gray, heavy clouds. Ashfall could scent rain out on the horizon, though she hadn't decided if it would appear today or tomorrow. Better be tomorrow, or else she'd have to curse Starclan, and that would mean cursing her mom and Ryesnap... too soon? Too soon. It was hard to show her emotion, but she also contained so much about... practically everything that had happened to her since she became a warrior. Her nostrils flared momentarily as she began padding up alongside the border, checking the scent lines. She had been trying to stay away from work, but the allure was too great.

Klaus moved in near total silence through the moor, looking to speak again to Sunnyskip. The scent of Riverclan cats had faded, which he assumed meant that they had returned to their territory. That was fine with him. He didn't need another interaction with that stars-forsaken Bearspirit. The only thing that troubled him was that he hadn't smelled his former mate at all lately... He'd been cunning enough to slink undetected through the moors for quite some time, always waiting to see her familiar pelt on the horizon again. She never appeared though... and neither had his son.

A sudden anxiety filled the golden tom and he set out to look for Ashfall. In truth, after learning what Bloodstrike had done to her, he didn't know if he wanted to see her. Lilacstar had made a grave mistake sending him away, and unfortunately the only ones who paid for it aside from Skyclan was his daughter. Once he spotted her bright form limping across the moor, he hesitated to get any closer.

Dark Forest... what do I even say to her? Without much of a plan, he approached her anyway. He was like a ghost, slipping silently through the longer grasses until he was practically right on top of her. He put a claw through a long blade of grass and crushed it right before he tore it along it's length to make a subtle noise.

"Ashfall..." He spoke softly, still looking at her from behind. He could already tell that she didn't walk correctly and that her ear was torn. What awaited him on her face? He dreaded it, but this was important.

The scent lines were unbroken, Ashfall noted, as she continued her solo winding path around the territory. Thank the stars, at least one good thing was happening to her tod-. Of course, at that moment, the whisper of a blade of grass, the crushing of a paw against it. She had been followed. Instinctually, her claws flexed out of her paws. Every muscle in the molly's body tensed, ready to strike at whatever danger had followed her here. Then a voice that was eerily familiar whispered out to her.

"Ashfall..."

Rabbitdung! Many silent curses at the dark forest flew through Ashfall's mind, she hardly moved a muscle. Until she finally released the tension, whipping on her paws, using the momentum to send her good front paw cutting through the air, claws hoping to meet fur and blood. The scarred warrior knew that this was a terrible idea, but it might send the message that Dawnhawk needed to back away from her, lest she start a real fight... even if it was a fight she knew she couldn't win.

"Why in the Dark Forest are you here!" Ashfall hissed out, eye cold, scarred paw up against her body in preparation to fight... or chase. Stars that paw was useless! All she wanted to do was scream at him, claw his hide until all you could see was red on his body, make him pay for what he had done. Yet all she could do was stand still, eye narrowed cautiously. She knew if she tried to kill him, she would die. Her exhaustion was evident, and her permanent wounds were a hindrance. Sure, she was experienced at this point, but her father had many moons on her. She'd just have to make sure Daystar sent a patrol out later... they'd never catch him though.

She whipped around and he instinctively jumped back. He landed smoothly in one fluid motion back down onto his paws. At the site of her face it took everything in his willpower to not scowl at the damage Bloodstrike had done. How dare he... Her venom was a surprise however, and it snapped him out of his anger after a second. He blinked, unsure of why, but then regained his composure and gave her a serious look.

"I have family here, why else?" He thought that ought to be obvious. He stood up straighter and scented the air for Windclan patrols. Nothing except for her. "The battle didn't go well. Why am I not surprised..." His fur bristled and his claws unsheathed, but his anger was not with her. Lilac.... whatever the rest of her name was... would pay with her life if they ever crossed paths again. It would teach her to not be such an idiotic, reckless fool.

"I was looking for your mother. Where is she?"

Ashfall almost scoffed at her father. Yeah sure, he had family here, but he had also murdered, and lied, and everything else that was on his shoulders. It was as if he pretended otherwise. There were reasons he shouldn't be coming around clan territory, that she supposed he just ignored. Through one narrowed eye, she watched him as he spoke. He had seemed genuinely angered by her injuries at the claws of Skyclan, at least for once they could agree on something.

Then Dawnhawk uttered the words Ashfall had been trying to escape. Her mother. Her mother, he didn't know. Obviously, he wouldn't know. The scarred molly stared through her father, paralyzed in place. Did Starclan just hate her or something? Maybe. Tone slightly shaky, she finally responded. "She's- she's gone. Mom's gone. An accident near the gorge, she fell in from what we can tell. If she were still alive... she would have been back by now. Rye too, separate accident. He was buried in a tunnel, we never found his body either. They're just... gone." Ashfall's jaw clenched, willing her composure to stay steady. She couldn't break in front of her father. She refused.

"I can't help but think-" The warrior stated tersely, "that Starclan hates me." Her focus had been put onto her father once more, and she shifted her weight to her hind legs. Ashfall was still guarded, but suspected that Dawnhawk wouldn't try killing her currently. Not that he was there to murder her, as he had so many others. No, for once, it seemed like he just wanted to see Sunnyskip. That was too bad, Ashfall wanted to too.

He'd seen that look way too many times. His heart sank into his stomach. Ashfall hadn't even began talking before he whispered. ...No... Then she continued to talk and confirmed it. Ryesnap as well... Klaus plopped backward onto his haunches as if his legs lost their strength. The gorge... that was certain death. His eyes went to his paws as he processed the information. Slowly... anger hardened his eyes, flattened his ears and caused his lip to curl up. His fur bristled and his claws unsheathed.

"What do you mean they never found a body? Did no one try to find him? What if he's still stuck in a tunnel but alive somewhere??? How long ago was this?" His gut twisted and his heart thundered in his chest. The look on his face was the very same that so many cats had seen right before he cut their life short.

Ashfall whispered something about Starclan hating her and a new wave of rage ripped through the pale tom's body. "Starclan hates everyone Ashfall! They're just fine to your face and then they spit on you from above for enjoyment!" Klaus was back on his feet and his attention was turned toward the moor. It looked so vast... but if his son was trapped and needed help then so be it. He'd search everywhere. If nothing else he'd bring his body back to the camp.

"Turn your back on those starry, fox-hearted hare-brains. My life has improved since I started to follow the Dark Forest, even with as many cats in the forest that hate me and want my hide. It doesn't matter. I wander free and my enemies suffer. I suggest you do the same if you want some peace in your life." He was too angry to care how she'd react to the news. How dare Windclan just give up on trying to find Ryesnap? How dare they?

"Do you think we didn't try? Do you think that we wouldn't try to find one of our own? Ryesnap meant so much to me, of course they looked! If he was able to escape, he didn't come back. It happened sunrises ago! He's GONE!" Ashfall roared, composure finally breaking, fury evident in every remnant of her being. Her own fur bristled, claws flexing into the dirt beneath her paws.

Then of course Dawnhawk had to make it worse. He made everything worse. "Following the Dark Forest, a band of murderers, those who would seed chaos and hatred?! Who do you take me for?" Stepping dangerously closer, Ashfall looked up at her father with a fire in her eyes that she had not felt in moons. "You wander free because you cause hurt everywhere you go. It isn't because you want it, it's because it's all you have left! If I forgo peace in my own life to stop myself from supporting murder and hatred, then that is the price I pay!"

The gray-dusted molly, anger rolling off her in waves, was just barely able to keep her claws to the ground. "If you come on Windclan territory again spouting things like that, you'll have a lot more trouble than this." She had neglected to mention Bloodstrike's telling of the murders that Dawnhawk had committed, his trail of sin. If it came up, it came up. She would deal with it, just like everything else thrown her way.

He'd had his back to her, but his eyes went back to her when he heard her approach. Klaus was having none of her back-talk today. "No, I really don't think they tried. Maybe you did, but you're one cat. The moor is huge! Lilacstar was more than happy to forsake me the instant it was convenient for her and I have no doubt Windclan would forsake one of my kits as well. My children are always scorned because of who their father is. This is one reason why I hid who I was to begin with." He expected the response he got about the Dark Forest. Everyone felt that way it seemed.

Maybe that was why they helped him so much. Stars forbid anyone give the other side a chance... like him. "You're not actually dumb enough to believe that murder is always unjust, so stop pretending that you are. It's beneath you." Especially if you're of my blood. His eyes flicked momentarily back to the moor, anger burning deep within him. When Ashfall spoke again however, Klaus turned his attention back to her. This time, he turned his body toward her too and lined his shoulders up with her's.

"Oh?" He said slowly, his cold eyes unblinking like a viper's. "And who exactly is going to give me trouble?" He went quiet and waited, looking slightly down at Ashfall, but also taking careful note of any body movements she made.

"Murder is different than justice. Your killings have been selfish, if I kill, I will do it for the greater good. That is not murder." A whisper of a growl dwelled beneath Ashfall's words, and she maintained her ground. Even as her father turned back to her. Was this an attempt at intimidation? Really? She had already lost most everything she held dear, there was not much left for her to lose if Dawnhawk turned violent.

Her claws dug into the earth once more, tail lashing behind her. Ashfall was, quite frankly, tired of her father's assumption that he could come and go from clan territory as he pleased. "I will. You are a rogue, a murderer, and you follow the Dark Forest. You are not welcome on Windclan territory. The only reason I haven't tried to drive you off already is because I thought you deserved to know what happened to mom and Rye. Well now you know, you can leave now. Dawnhawk always thought he was so superior, he could shove it. He was a cruel murdering scumbag. Her eyes remained fixed on his, replicating his unblinking stare. If he wanted to threaten her, he had another thing coming.

He snorted when she tried to tell him murder and justice were separate. They weren't. He wasn't in the mood to argue morality with her, as morals themselves were subjective truths anyway and could change in an instant even for the most devout cats. She was so sure that she was right that he doubted she'd listen no matter how much sense he made. This was a conversation for another time. He had other things he needed to do. He stared at her very evenly when she boldly (and stupidly) announced that she would be the one to give him trouble.

He allowed a moment of silence to pass between the two of them before he opened his mouth again. His words very deliberate and slow and his tone was very serious. "The first cat I killed was a more experienced warrior than me. She'd been a warrior before I was even born. I have killed many since then, all of them with more experience than you. If you are the one that will supposedly give me trouble..." He glanced briefly to her paw that she couldn't quite put weight on. "I'll take my chances."

And just like that he turned his back again, dismissing her presence entirely. He began to walk deeper into the moor, dead set on locating his trapped son. His ears rotated slightly back to listen for her approach, should she prove to be as unwise as she sounded. He certainly hoped that wasn't the case.