i'm afraid i might die for you now
Jinx wasn't quite sure when she decided to turn on her master, her Queen, her supposed friend. Was it when she was ordered to drag families apart? Was it when she was commanded to slaughter those that refused to follow? Or was it seeing the innocent families, like the one she'd been part of, screaming? It didn't matter now, she had her back firmly turned on Crimson.
"Your friend in the tombs," Raz said as they wandered the halls, "it's Tornheart isn't it?"
She gave him a sly grin, "how'd you guess?"
"Crimson never claimed to have killed her, yet Tornheart hasn't been seen since the forest; she didn't escape either. So, she's here, in the mountain somewhere. That only leaves the tombs, making her a prisoner," Raz explained. "Is she just going to die down there?"
"Not if we pull off our grand plan."
They strolled passed the chamber Shade and Dark were usually in; it was empty, not even their guards, the bone soldiers, were around. No walk they took was for pleasure, they always had an ulterior motive.
"What will you do with her if we succeed?" Raz murmured, ears pricked in interest at the empty chamber.
Jinx shrugged lazily and nudged him further down the hallway. "Set her free. With the hell she's been through recently I doubt Tornheart has any ambition to continue serving Crimson. I think she just wants to disappear, start a new life in a new place. I can grant her that."
"So merciful of you," he purred, close to her ear.
She took the shiver that curled down her spine and turned it back on him, "careful, or you might find yourself on the wrong side of that mercy." His quiet laughter echoed through the hall.
They did this twice a day - a patrol of sorts. Catching either of Crimson's kits alone would take a stroke of luck, and the stupidity of a young, rebellious kitten. Jinx didn't bother to pretend that she didn't enjoy the time alone with Raz; he was more than just a partner in crime now, though they'd never discussed what it was that floated between them. With each passing day their hope in ever finding one of the kits alone faded.
However today whatever God or sentient being looked down upon them smiled graciously. The delicate kit, all soft angles and even softer fur, sat at the entrance to the tombs: Dark. He had his mother's build, sleek but strong. No doubt he would inherit her cunning as well. But he didn't look like a monster yet, not with the way he turned his blue eyes on them with a slight tilt of his head.
"What's down there?" Even his voice was soft. Jinx wondered if Frozengaze despised his gentle son.
Raz stepped up to the Heir, expression drawn into one of subservience. "The tombs, your Highness. It's where the worst of the prisoners are kept."
"Like who?"
So curious, little Dark was. Jinx grinned at him, "rebel leaders, conspirators, monsters. Some say Tornheart has a tomb down there." She'd almost said murderers, but they were all murderers in this mountain. Perhaps the mountain was a tomb itself, a tomb for them. Something like guilt touched her heart. Did this kit really deserve to die because of his bloodline?
"Tornheart?" his voice was hushed with awe, "no one ever talks about her anymore."
An idea was forming. Here it was, the start of their grisly plan, sitting pretty with no guards in sight. "Say, how would you like to come down with us? We have to patrol them every few days. If you're lucky we might catch a glimpse of Tornheart, if she's down there," Jinx softened her purr to one a mother might use, one her mother had used.
It made her feel cold to see his face light up with joy. "Oh, yes please!" He didn't even fear them. Why should he? To him she was a Blood-Oath taker, the highest position one could gain, and Raz was an elite soldier. To him, they were safe. A fatal mistake.
Down the winding path they went into the bowels of the mountain. Stepping into the tombs felt like stepping into the maw of a cruel beast. The things that happened down here...she didn't like to think about it much. Patches of the stone floor were stained reddish brown and whispered of the darkness that haunted these depths. Not many that were brought down here ever came out alive. They passed an open tomb and Jinx's blood ran cold. Two of Crimson's Generals had been imprisoned within, sentenced with treason for sending the Champion away moons. It seemed their punishment had been served.
She tried not to focus on the sickly pools of blood inside.
"It's so quiet down here," Dark whispered. The fur on his spine was bristling.
Raz leaned down to whisper back, "the prisoners know not to beg for help. They are well aware that no help will come."
The kit shifted closer to Jinx, and she brushed her tail down his back. "Don't worry, they can't get out, the tombs can only be opened from the outside." She stopped them in front of the tomb she knew was Tornheart's. "Guess who's in there."
He scrunched his face up, "it's not Tornheart, is it?"
"Such a smart kit!" she cooed.
"But I thought it was just a rumour that she was down here? She's not actually in there," Dark protested.
A sharp grating sound startled him as the tomb began to slide open, rock slipping against rock. From within pulsed a dull green light, dangling in the middle of the tomb. The rest of it was cast in thick darkness, impenetrable by normal eyes. It looked empty.
"It's empty…" the kit murmured, then scowled and glared at Jinx. "You were messing with me!"
From inside the blackness rolled a blood-curdling growl, it rattled even Jinx's bones and she saw Raz take a wary step back. Dark made to step away but she stopped him with a paw. The green light flickered, then guttered. It was replaced by the dim glow of two eyes watching them, the same green but tinged with a little madness.
"I have a gift for you," Jinx said.
What the world did not know was what Tornheart had become while trapped in shadow. She prowled out into the light, a scarred monster, face twisted into a vicious snarl, bloodlust practically dripping from her tongue. They'd broken her, turned gentle Tornheart into a beast. Every one of her ribs jutted out and each step seemed to be a mission. Patches of her fur were missing. She was dying, shut away from the light, starving to death.
"Jinx. Jinx, please. Take me back, I want to go back!" Dark pleaded, pressing against her chest as she shifted them closer.
"You must be one of Crimson's kits." Tornheart's voice was just as horrifying as her appearance, rough and rasping, unused for days. "Such a pleasure. Come a little closer, I won't bite. I only want to see the future of our glorious kingdom."
Dark shook his head. "You're down here for a reason. You're bad."
A sad little grin appeared on Tornheart's muzzle, "we're all bad in this stone kingdom, little heir. Some of us are just worse than others. Please, all I want to do is share some stories. Wouldn't it be great to be able to go back to your brother and tell him all about meeting me?"
Just like that she had him. Curiosity sparked in Dark's eyes and he left the supposed safety of Jinx's side, straying over the line between life and death. Tornheart struck in a heartbeat, teeth latching onto Dark's neck and splitting skin. A terrified shriek shattered the silence of the tombs. Blood splashed onto the stone, adding to the countless stains. The shrieks abruptly stopped at the same time a muffled crack echoed.
Dark's body hit the ground, limp, bloodstained. Dead.
Tornheart turned back to her tomb with what looked like an even heavier sadness weighing down on her emaciated body. "Don't forget what we agreed on, what the world will know about what happened here," she said hoarsely.
Because Jinx could not bring herself to murder a kit in cold blood, but for the sake of the world the ex-Oath taker slipping back into the shadows would. The world would hear that each Oath taker had killed one kit, but in the harshest of truths only Tornheart would kill them. She was right, they were all bad in this stone kingdom.
"Thank you," Raz said as if it would help destroy the guilt.
She merely flicked a savaged ear. "I will become a pariah if it means the world will be saved. Bring the other, then let me die in the darkness where I belong."
An oppressive silence fell as they watched the tomb slide closed once more. Briefly, a thought flitted over her mind: this mountain should shut on all of us. "She wants to die," Raz whispered. "She doesn't want to be freed."
"This is all her fault, you know." Her body itched to be away from the tombs, away from the tiny body on the floor. If they were discovered...the pain and torment Crimson would bring down upon them would be horrifying. She pressed her nose into Raz's neck, a gentle pressure to guide him away from the growing puddle of blood. "If she'd never taken that Blood-Oath perhaps our future might have been different."
"Why did you take it?"
"For the power she offered. I was obsessed with finding the Clan cat that had destroyed my family, and she was giving me the opportunity for revenge. I never imagined the Oath would take me here, to a kingdom rotting from the inside."
His muzzle brushed hers. "It brought us together."
Her answering grin was soft, "I like to think we would have found each other regardless."
"I'd wander the whole world looking for you," he replied gently.
She felt her skin under her fur heat. "Luckily you don't have to. I'm right here."
The spark in his eyes faded and he turned his head away, but not quick enough for Jinx to miss the look of guilt shadowing his face. "Did we do the right thing? It doesn't feel like we did."
In the winding tunnel back up to the main hallways of the mountain the sharp scent of blood began to dissipate. Or at least, it left the air. It was still stuck in Jinx's nose, a tainted reminder of the crime they'd just helped commit. A sickly sort of feeling was spreading through her gut. Could the kits have been saved from Crimson's darkness? Could they have been brought up far away from this stone kingdom and become good, kind cats? But that guilt would be hers, and Tornheart's, to carry forever, not Raz's. So she lied, "we did the right thing. He would have grown up cruel and evil. We saved him. Her kits...they won't ever be good. They were born with too much darkness in them."
Raz nodded solemnly. "What do we do now?"
"We go find Crimson and tell her what we...found. Put that pretty face of yours to good use and act devastated for your Queen."
Neither looked to their left when they came of the tunnel, attention focused on the hallway leading to the throne room, so neither of them saw the flash of dark blue eyes in the gloom; didn't feel the hot rage scorching the stone
It would be their downfall.
/ - \
Whatever Jinx had expected Crimson's reaction to be, she had not gotten. Silent rage, complete dismissal, perhaps a few harsh words, maybe a slice in the throat of the nearest soldier - none of that had happened. Perhaps it was in lieu of their poor planning, leaving the body right outside Tornheart's tomb. A rage hotter than a forest fire had gripped Crimson as she'd torn her Oath-taker from her tomb and flung her onto the bloody stone floor. Her claws had cleaved through scars old and new, rent open the gruesome wounds on her face, all the while demanding why, why, why? Then she'd thrown a bleeding Tornheart back into the tomb to suffer her pain in darkness.
"She'll be brought before our finest soldiers and most valuable allies, they can decide a punishment for her. In a moon, so she can suffer a little longer in that cold, dark tomb. It's what she deserves," Crimson had spat bitterly.
Frozengaze had stood beside her, a cold detachment in his eyes. He said nothing, just stared at his son's body.
"It seems that we can only trust each other now," their Queen had murmured, "just the four of us."
Those words had haunted Jinx for the rest of that day. They still haunted her now while she sat on the ledge outside the throne room, ears filled with the sound of the waterfall. It seemed a different world out there among the sharp greenery. Plus it gave her a fine view of the path into the mountain forest, the one where Crimson had buried her Tornheart, and the one she and Frozengaze took their walks in.
She'd been curious once to see what they spoke about. The forest was thick enough for her to follow unseen, though she'd kept her steps extra light and been on edge the entire time. What Jinx had seen would shock the world; their tyrant Queen blinking with kitlike awe at the stories her King told. They sounded fake, stories with creatures that wielded the elements. Perhaps it was the idea of their power that drew so much awe from Crimson; that was what Jinx had told herself before she'd realised the truth.
That Crimson was in love with Frozengaze.
It opened up a whole new world of horrors. Love caused cats to do all sorts of horrifying things. She knew that firsthand, it was love that was driving her to get rid of Crimson's heirs - not love for the free world, but love for Raz. Even if it took her life she would get Raz away from this cursed stone kingdom. If she would do that for him, just what was Crimson willing to do for Frozengaze?
"You look rather peaceful out here. Aren't there any murderers you need to commit?" Only one cat in this entire world could speak so plainly of death.
Frozengaze did not sit down beside her, rather he remained near the leaves and moss hanging down obscuring the throne room from view. She had to strain to hear him over the waterfall; it was a power play, which of them would be the first to give in and move closer? Their every interaction was a power play, each vying to be more important to their Queen than the other.
"I have a free day," she replied. Did his otherworldly sense tell him that she'd been just as responsible for his son's death as Tornheart? Had he come to throw her to her death? She doubted Crimson would care as long as her King was happy. Her lip curled at the thought.
"Not spending it with Raz?" Oh how she hoped he had no idea what was between her and Raz. That information could put the both of them in grave danger. She'd kill Frozengaze if he gave her even the inkling that he knew.
She shrugged uncaringly, "he's off doing Elite things. Are you looking for him?"
"I was looking for you, actually," he said. "There's something I want to ask you."
The hair along her spine was threatening to bristle. It felt like she was staring into the eyes of some terrible beast whose gaping jaw was whiskers from snapping shut on her. "Out with it then, don't waste my time."
"Do you know why Dark was by himself and down in the tombs the day he was killed?"
Her heart had leapt into her throat. "No, I'm not his keeper. Ask your bone soldiers, they're the ones
tasked with looking after your kits. "
Frozengaze cocked his head to one side, a strange action to see him do, and hummed, "no I suppose you aren't."
"I have a question for you." It was out of her mouth before she could stop it, dangerous words leading to an even more dangerous question. But she had to know, for this world's sake, what Frozengaze truly wanted. He stared at her curiously so she summoned up her courage and asked, "why are you here, in this place, at this time, helping to lead this army? What do you have to gain?"
Something hardened in his gaze. "I've seen plenty of war in my life, perhaps it has become a hobby; I'd also like to see my...son claim the throne one day." She thought she saw a sliver of hurt cross his face, but that was impossible. Frozengaze didn't feel anything. He was like ice.
"We all hope to see that day," she lied.
His smile curdled her blood. "Some," he said, malice in his voice, "apparently don't want to see that happen. Mark my words, Jinx, when I find out who did it they'll wish they never walked this world."
If they were caught death would be a mercy. We won't get caught. We won't. "Good. Whoever they are, they deserve a punishment worthy of the crime they committed."
He turned to slip through the leaves but paused to say over his shoulder, "I am glad that at least one of Crimson's Oath-takers is not a traitor." There was something in the way he said it that sent fear hurtling through her blood. It sounded like a joke, like he was laughing at her. But there was no way he could know. They'd been so careful. No one had been around. They'd covered up all the evidence pointing to them.
Frozengaze didn't know.
Did he?
/ - \
Three days later Raz returned from his Elite duties. Moonhigh found them in their own cavern far from anyone else, one that rested as high into the mountain as they could go. A hole in the roof, far above them, let pale light slip in. It lit up the red dusted over Raz's fur, the missing patches and bruised skin. Slowly, gently, Jinx washed the dried blood away. She pressed a nose into one of his many bruises, and he hissed.
"What was that for?"
She scowled at the bruise. "For making me worry."
The roguish smile that sidled across his muzzle deepened her scowl even more. "You know each time I leave on Elite duties I'm going to be fighting. You also know," he purred, "that nothing can stop me from returning to you. Don't worry so much."
Jinx snorted and turned her eyes away from his battered body. "Our enemies aren't stupid. They're learning with each day that passes. One day you might find yourself outnumbered, outwitted, outplayed," she remarked.
He pawed at her head till she leaned away with a laugh. "Against a Clan cat I might be a little more worried, but these city cats have little skill and even less training. They don't stand a chance against the Elites, against me. If you're so worried why don't you come with us on our next mission? You know the others miss having you around." There was mischief dancing in his pretty eyes. She'd always thought those green eyes had played out nicely against the slate of his pelt.
"You mean they miss seeing you get your ass handed to you?" she teased.
"Not just that." Raz's expression turned serious, "you're a legend too, you know? Crimson's remaining Oath-taker, the rogue that took on the Clans and won. The Commander."
Ambition stroked at her blood. The Commander. "Are you trying to win me over with flattery, Raz?"
"Is it working?" he grinned.
Her answering smile was sharp, "you've always had a way with words."
A softness settled over his face and he nuzzled her. "Only for you," he murmured.
Falling in love with Raz had been inevitable, Jinx had known that since she'd been old enough to know what love truly was. He'd always been there, they'd found each other young, faces and bodies made gentle with kit fluff. It had been after the Clans had slaughtered her family, when she'd been an outsider in a stranger's home. A cool afternoon, a shaded forest outside the valley and safe from the monsters that had orphaned her, they'd stumbled upon each other. Instant friendship, a bond forged through the hardships they'd both faced.
So they grew up together, side-by-side. He fueled her rage at the Clans, made sure she never forget who destroyed her life. Together they schemed vengeance, but what could two cats do against a valley of monsters?
Then she arrived, a storm that promised revenge and more. Jinx had been enamored by Crimson. How could she resist? All her dreams, her plans, nights spent envisioning the Clans burning to the ground, they were about to come true. She didn't listen to Raz's concerns, her bloodlust driving all sense of caution far from her mind.
Jinx hadn't known then that Raz already loved her, she just thought the draw of Crimson's power had won him over too. But he'd never followed Crimson for power. No, he'd crawled his way to the top for her, out of love. Now they were here, trapped in a kingdom on the precipice of destruction, surrounded on all sides by danger and it was all because of her - her revenge, her dreams, her decisions.
In that moment she felt awfully, terribly guilty. Raz could have had any life, gone anywhere, done anything, but instead he was stuck here with his life on the line. Guilt roiling in her stomach Jinx pressed her head to his. "Raz," she said, "Raz, I love you."
A deep, rumbling purr filled his chest, "and I love you. We'll get out of this, I promise. This plan of yours will work, then we'll go far away from here."
The next day they started their routine again, patrolling the halls in search of Crimson's remaining heir. It was harder this time knowing what would have to happen if they did come across Shade. Of a night time, when they curled up together, both saw blood spilling from a tiny body. It was a penalty Jinx wasn't sure she wanted Raz to pay.
Despite their patrolling they did not come across Shade, and they stalked every crevice and corner of the mountain. He was locked up tighter than the tombs, hidden behind those monstrous bone soldiers. They leered at everyone they passed with their awful, bare grin. Sometimes when she saw them she wondered how it felt to have the bone of one's face exposed at all times. Raz usually laughed at her. "They're dead any way, I don't think they feel much at all," he'd said.
In that time Crimson's hatred for Tornheart turned ferocious. Far gone was the Crimson that had adored her first Oath-taker, that had practically placed the world at Tornheart's paws. No, there was no trace of her anymore. Now whenever the Betrayer - as Tornheart was now known as by Clan and Army - was mentioned a scowl appeared on Crimson's face and darkness swelled in her eyes.
Jinx spent a lot of time wondering if Tornheart regretted giving herself over to Crimson, if she ever lay awake at night wishing she hadn't sacrificed the Clans for her own needs. The Clans would never know that they had lost so much all because Tornheart had wanted to be beautiful. Then again, she supposed she was no better. All Crimson had done was whisper "you can avenge your family" and she was ready to give up her own life.
A harsh gust of cold air billowed into the throne room. Jinx fluffed up her fur and frowned. Everyone in the mountain had been gathered for Tornheart's trial and subsequent punishment; lowly soldiers here for training, allies that had come to offer what they could in return for their life, the Elites back from their pillaging. Crimson and Frozengaze stood on the raised rock, right in front of two thrones that would always sit empty. Shade was messing around with Dexter while Raz watched, his shoulders ducked with what she could only guess was guilt.
Some moons ago she'd told him she'd find some stupid tom to give her heirs. She hoped he knew it would be him, never anyone else. If they survived.
"Bring her in!" Crimson commanded.
Nothing could quite prepare Jinx for the next few moments.
Tornheart was shoved into the throne room to the hisses and boos of those that once followed and admired her. The pathway that had formed in the middle shrunk, soldiers coming to the defence of their Queen, scratching and biting at the monster that had murdered one of their Princes. She took it all without even a flinch, icy glare fixed on who waited by the thrones - a traitor with no regret. A martyr.
Amongst the chaos no one had noticed Shade slip away from the Elites, disappearing into the crowd and reappearing right by the Betrayer's paws. He had a sneer on his face and was no doubt shouting all sorts of nasty things if the look in his eyes was anything to go by. Everything then seemed to pass so slowly. The bone soldiers jumped from their far corner, red eyes flashing. Frozengaze shouted something that was lost in the ruckus. Tornheart grinned.
Then she wrapped her mouth around Shade's neck, hauled him into the air, and let him struggle while she crushed his windpipe beneath her teeth. His blood splattered onto the ground, beaded up around her teeth and soaked her dark muzzle scarlet. It stood out starkly against the canvas of scarred skin her face had become. A cry ripped through the screeching, one that Jinx knew was Crimson's. But she could only watch as Tornheart let Shade's twitching body drop, just like she'd done with Dark's; and just like that their stone kingdom was left with no heirs, no future.
A crack rippled through the foundation.
The noise died down to a ghostly murmur just as Tornheart opened her mouth, blood still dripping from it, and said, "kill me. You know you want to." A challenge from Betrayer to Queen.
Cold, startling blankness settled over Crimson. "You want death, and I refuse to give you what you want." Nothing but the anguish in her eyes gave away her grief, her voice stayed steady. The trial was finished, a punishment decided upon, but it would not be death. No more blood would soak the throne room floor. "Send her away, to the City; Titan's son can have her, as per our bargain." She turned, and Jinx saw her shoulders slump, saw defeat in every line of the Queen's body.
"I have broken you!" Tornheart caterwauled as she was hauled away. "How does it feel to finally be alone? Do you feel powerful? Is this what you wanted?!"
It was only because Jinx was close enough that she heard what Crimson whispered as she abandoned her throne room. "Perhaps once, but not anymore."
The foundation shivered. Jinx saw her opening.
She gave it four days before she even dared to approach Crimson. There had been enough cold rage radiating off of Frozengaze to keep her away; a fair amount of knowing looks too. She hadn't mentioned to Raz the possibility that their King might be onto them, that was a burden he certainly did not need to carry. If things turned...murderous she would take the fall for him. It was a realisation she had come to recently.
That she would quite easily and quite happily die for Raz.
"Crimson, may I speak with you?" On a hurried lope through the tunnels to meet Raz, Jinx had come across her Queen standing right on the edge between hallway and sloping darkness leading to the tombs. A faraway look captured her face. At the sound of another voice Crimson snapped back to attention, righteous fury slipping back into place.
"Provided it's interesting and not pointless, you may," she snapped.
Oh it would be interesting, Jinx had been planning these very words for moons. "It's about what happened with Tornheart." You see while Tornheart's own plan was similar in its beginnings, their endings were very different. All the old Clanner had wanted was Crimson's kingdom to crumble. Jinx wanted more than that, aspired for far more than that. Crimson's kingdom would indeed crumble but it would take the Clans with it in a spectacular climax of fire and blood.
The righteous fury was dying down to something more guarded, "you think I did the wrong thing, not killing her?"
"Not at all," Jinx shook her head, "death would have been too easy for her. No, it's about what started her desire to murder your heirs."
"You know why?" Crimson was beginning to look very curious now.
Left and right all of Jinx's traps were slamming shut, their prey caught within them. "I have an inkling yes, she was conspiring with the Clans again, right?" At Crimson's nod she continued, "it was their idea, to murder kittens. They manipulated Tornheart into doing this, they're the ones to blame."
There were moments when Crimson truly looked like the demon she was - this was one of those moments. Since her heirs had died a glint had been missing in her eyes, it was back in full force now, that intent to bring chaos crashing down, a bloodlust so violent it frightened even Jinx. It was unnatural how much desire to kill ran through Crimson's veins.
Thought she supposed she was not much better, conspiring to wipe out an entire valley full of cats. She'd never really pondered her own monstrosity.
"What would you suggest?" Crimson asked coolly, failing to hide the undercurrent of desire in her tone; she already knew what she wanted to do, but hearing it from another was always immensely satisfying.
Jinx allowed her grin to grow slowly. "I suggest we wipe them all out."
Crimson was a creature made for war. It was drilled into her very bones, a permanent desire she would never be able to stamp out. Whatever had been the intention behind her creation it had gone very wrong very quickly. "What a marvellous idea," she purred, "you always did have such brilliant ideas."
And just like that everything Jinx had done, every patrol around the mountain, every moment spent terrified that they would be found out for the murderous traitors they were, was worth it. Finally the Clans would pay for murdering the innocents that strayed into their territory - they would pay for making her an orphan.
"Should we tell Tornheart?" Crimson mused.
A strange sensation swelled in her gut. "No," her voice was firm, "let her find out moons after it has happened, when she can only mourn and tear herself apart for not being able to help them." It was crueler than she'd intended, but her Queen thrived off cruelty.
"I suppose that is what she deserves." Crimson turned her back on the slope to the tombs. "Once these Chosen of hers are dealt with we'll take every soldier we have and drive the Clans into extinction." She looked like she was staring through the stone at something. "They've been nothing but trouble since I laid eyes on them."
They parted ways after that, Queen filled with a new purpose, Oath-taker brimming with a sense of justice. But the Queen didn't know that if a certain plan went well, she would not be making it out of the valley alive.
/ - \
The stars always felt so close atop the mountain, like she could reach out and sweep up a pawful of them. She bet Raz would be thrilled at that. Currently, he was dozing off beside her, the setting sun playing beautifully across his fur. Jinx was more aware now than ever of how much she loved him. Time to laze around in peace would be hard to come across in a few days; an assault on the City was planned now that the Chosen had arrived. Two birds one stone: finally take the City, and destroy those meddling Chosen.
Soon the Clans would be gone, Crimson would be gone, the City leaders would be gone, and the world would be free. They would be free, her and Raz, to live whatever life they desired. Warmth bloomed in her chest. She would make sure their future was peaceful and full of happiness, Raz deserved nothing less. Perhaps...perhaps they might even have a family.
"What are you thinking about?" Raz mumbled sleepily, rolling onto his back and peering up at her.
"The future," she answered.
He smiled softly, "do you think about that often?"
"I do, but it seems different to think about it now. It feels achievable," Jinx admitted.
Raz pressed a paw to the side of her face, expression oddly serious. "I want you to know, Jinx, that I don't regret anything I've done. I don't regret following you, or winding up here, or what we had to do to destroy this place." He has nightmares sometimes, wakes her up with his shifting and talking, begging little Dark to not follow them down into the shadows.
"I want you to know, Raz, that I'm sorry my revenge got us so deep into this war. I was selfish with my desires and didn't think about you. But you being here for me, at my side, all this time...it's kept me remembering who I am outside this facade."
His purr was strong enough that she could feel it where he was pressed up against her side. "I'm never going to leave your side."
"I'd never want you to."
"Come on, let's get back before someone comes looking for us and finds our secret spot. I don't want anyone else admiring the view from up here," Raz said as he heaved himself to his paws and dropped into a long stretch. There were a few new scars dotted over his body, peeking through his fur. "We'll come back tomorrow when the sun's midway through its arc. Spending so much time locked away in the mountain away from the light won't do us any good."
It all seemed so normal, so mundane. They made their way back to their cavern and curled up together like every night, warmed by each other's bodies, soothed by each other's presence. Like all days Raz rose early to train with the other Elites and Jinx slept on for a while longer, till his spot in the nest grew cold and chased her out. She had few set duties other than prowl the halls and instil fear into the not-brainwashed soldiers, so that's what she did till noon.
Raz must have already been on the mountaintop, she didn't see him on the way out to the path, nor on the way up. It was a blindingly bright day, sky clear and sun shining freely, which was perhaps why Jinx didn't see him until there was barely five foxleaps between them.
"Lovely day for a walk isn't it, Jinx?" Frozengaze said with false cheer.
Instantly she was on guard. "Yes, it is. You aren't out enjoying it with Crimson?"
"No," he replied, dark eyes narrowed, "we both have more important things to do today. Can't waste our precious time with walks."
"Well then, I won't keep you from your duties. Have a nice day, Frozengaze." She took one step forward and then the ground shuddered ever so slightly, like a hitch in the mountain's breathing.
Frozengaze was smiling, cold, cruel and awfully cunning. "Oh, dearest Jinx, you aren't keeping me from anything.
Tiny stones rattled down the cliff face on her left, tapping her shoulders and sprinkling over her head. She looked up but by that point it was far too late. In the heartbeat before the rocks crashed down onto her she stared Frozengaze in the eyes, watched him laugh at her and say, "this is for my sons." Then it went dark and light all at the same time; her body screamed as it was crushed, as did she until all the air in her lungs was forced out and blood bubbled up from between her lips.
Raz arrived both just on time and too late: just on time to see Jinx crushed under the rockslide and hear his King's maniacal laughter, but too late to do anything other than watch. His cry echoed out across the mountain, strangled and broken and hideous. His King climbed over the pile of rocks, sneering at the creamy paw that jutted out, fur matted with blood. "A fitting death for a cowardly traitor."
"Don't you dare talk about her like that!" Raz roared, ignoring the cracking and creaking of his voice. He pounced at Frozengaze without a second thought, claws and teeth seeking blood. But in his grief he was sloppy, eyes blurred with tears; a reckless avenger rather than a cool-headed Elite.
It did not surprise him at all when Frozengaze swept his paws out from under him and slit his throat all in the same movement. The pain of his throat being gashed open did not compare even slightly to the pain of his heart shattering. As he lay crumpled on the cold rock he let his eyes fall on Jinx's bloody paw, and he kept his eyes on it long after too much of his blood was spilt, until his gaze when sightless and his heart stopped.
They both had rarely spoken about death, or what came after it.
But both were certain what came after was not the same as what was before.
"Wake. Your time is not up."
The crushing pressure of stone weighing down on her lifted and Jinx, head ringing, sucked in a lungful of cool mountain air. Inside her chest, her heart was racing. From the rocks she pushed herself, relieved to find the massive ones that had killed her were gone. She was half expecting another world, an afterlife, but all she saw was the same pathway, the same sparse forest, and the same sky, even if the sun was a little lower. Her eyes found Raz next, stumbling into a sitting position, scarlet dripping from his throat.
She knew then that she had not been the only one to die, that he had as well. In an instant she was pressing her face against his, breathing in his scent, feeling his steady heart race away. How had she ever been stupid enough to put this at risk? His love for her ran deeper than anything, as did hers for him. It was worth more than revenge - the revenge that had killed them.
"I do believe that she may have been right." It was a voice that neither recognised, a voice that was both soft and powerful. They were a small cat, coat golden brown, body made of sharp angles and harsh edges, eyes such a surreal blue Jinx almost felt like she was drowning in them.
"Who...who are you?" Raz croaked.
They tilted their head, "Sitara."
"What did you do? We were dead," Jinx whispered.
Sitara twitched an ear. "There is no limit to the power I hold, this was merely a favour for a friend. She knew what would happen to you, she knew when it was happening, could feel your pain."
"Someone asked you to save us? Who would do that?" Jinx had no one that would want to keep her alive, aside from Raz.
"Tornheart." Her eyes sparkled and glinted, like a puddle that was reflecting the night sky. "You have been given a second chance to live a life you threw away. I agree that what happened to your family was a tragedy, but hate only brings about more hate. Your hatred destroyed you. By the graces of someone that cared for you, you have a chance that no one ever gets. Do not waste this second life."
A feeling that Jinx had come to associate with simple affection burst through her. She opened her mouth to thank Sitara, and to thank Tornheart, but the strange she-cat was gone with no proof that she had ever actually been there.
"Jinx," Raz rasped, "Jinx, we're alive. We died, but we're alive. We have a chance."
She turned back to him, awe shining in her eyes, heart swelling with so much emotion. "Everyone will think we're dead. Raz, let's run away, far from here."
"But the Clans," he protested, "your family!"
"I don't care about any of that anymore. I care about you and our future; I love you, Raz, and I want a life with you far away from this prison," she told him, muzzle pressed against muzzle.
"You don't need to convince me to leave this place." He pulled back just enough to look her in the eye, "for you I'd walk to the ends of the world."
/ - \
There did, eventually, come a point where they stopped looking over their shoulder, waiting for their past to catch up. It was moons later, so far from that mountain that it wasn't even a speck on the horizon. They found their future there, in an airy forest that thinned to grassy fields and a little lake. It was just as peaceful and as happy as Jinx had always wanted it to be, and just as she'd expected, Raz loved every moment of it.
He prided himself on catching only the best prey for her, on patrolling borders they didn't truly worry about being crossed, on becoming the cat that had been hidden away for so long. Their past would never completely go away, it lurked in the backs of their minds and haunted their dreams at night, but in their home they felt safe.
One warm day, under a blue sky dotted with fat, white clouds, a feline picked their way across the field towards them - shape shimmery under the sun, flickering in and out of being. The sight of them invoked a sadness in Jinx because she knew Tornheart could not be here unless she was dead.
"Did you leave the world a better place?" she asked before Tornheart could say a word.
A soft smile played across her scar-flecked muzzle. "Crimson no longer exists, neither does her kingdom. The Clans have returned to the way they were seasons ago, before corruption and darkness. I did leave the world a better place." She paused to take in the sunny field, the lake that shone, and the forest that waited with open arms. "Will you?"
Jinx looked over at Raz, playing with their kittens, such joy painted on his face.
"I will."
an early birthday present for swyfte, cause she deserves it. happy birthday!