Warriors: The New Era
Chapter Fifty Four: Catcher In The Rye
In this chapter, we see the combined efforts of Jayfeather, Half Moon, Lionblaze, Jaywhisker, and Brightheart to restore the old Poppyfrost.
But before that...we have some Resistance Members who need some spotlight.
Bone growled, rubbing his chin in curiosity.
"Sir?" a body guard asked aloud, making sure his boss was still in the right mindset. "Are you alright?"
Bone nodded, "Very..."
He was looking at the papers below him, the blueprints that showed how the machine drained energy from the Moonstones to power up the machine, a gargantuant bomb that would destroy all countries worldwide, from one fixed point.
"When I was a kid," Bone sighed, "All I wanted to be was Superman...to fly in and save the day, kiss the beautiful reporter, shoot lasers from my eyes...heh, look where I am now...I'd rather be this then Superman."
Bone looked to his soldiers, "Rock needs our protection to keep the weapon safe until it is fully operational. Our estimates think it will be fully powered up in four days. In return for our service, we all be spared from his wrath. Clean your guns, top up the fuel in the vehicles, and make it do there are NO mistakes. Am I understood?!"
"SIR YES SIR!"
"Now get out! Do your jobs, and NO ONE disturb me!"
Bone dismissed the soldiers, and slammed his hands on the blueprints, staring at the diagram. He still fully didn't understand HOW the moonstone's power was drained, as the lettering was in ancient Greek, but all he needed to know, was once activated, the Machine would destroy the entire crust of the planet they stood upon. The radius of the bomb itself spaned across the entire arctic circle, and the shockwave would be able to send tital waves after tital wave of Tsuamis to countries on the other side of the Pacific ocean. The Nuclear Fallout was the real killer here, as it would block the sunlight from ever touching the earth for another hundred years, and after that...Rock estimated that 99% of all living creatures would be dead.
He lied to his teeth. The only one who would be spared was him and a select few others...But Bone didn't complain. He had what he wanted.
Bone sighed, sitting in a nearby chair. He looked to his side and stared at the portrait of Bloodclan's founder.
Scourge, sitting in a velvet chair, coated in blood, with his collar of dog teeth wrapped around his neck.
"You were my wake-up call," Bone stared at the picture, standing up to stare at the photo.
"We had a dream, you and I. We would purge the world into it's divine maniac state...let chaos roam free. We were Agents of Chaos, you and I. The two of us, could do anything. We had it all, women, drugs, weapons, cars, everything a man wanted...and it was never enough for you. Food turned to ash in your mouth, the drinks would not satisfy, and all the company in the world couldn't satisfy your lust...but I tolerated it. You opened my eyes...and then wrenched yours shut. You allowed yourself to feel for the enemy...you allowed yourself to grow attached to that which was meant to be a prize...a VALUABLE prize, but an object of satisfaction nonetheless. You set your eyes on the wrong ball..."
"Your obsession with the girl, however great it was, did not kill you. It was your foolishness. You trusted Rock. You allowed yourself to be the distraction as he kidnapped Jay's Wing. I warned you against it, but you didn't listen. You thought it would be fun. You thought you were immortal, and that you could escape anything...so that is why, despite all you did for me, I took your place. If you had your way, Bloodclan would just have been a stupid cult for high schoolers and throwaways...you would have said that the young minds are easily corrupted, but the fact is, this army, this unstoppable force of nature, was MY victory. I SUCCEEDED you."
Bone stared at the picture more intensely, "Because despite all your victories, you were beaten by a merry band of college students..."
"SIR!"
Bone jumped in surprise, hand already resting on the pistol on his hip, "WHAT?! I thought I said NO ONE is to disturb me?!"
The Bloodclan enforcer rose his hands, and sighed. "We have intruders!"
Bone paused for a moment, holstering his weapon, "What?"
"Yes sir, about four of them! Two adult male, two adult female, and they claim to be from the Resistance..."
"ARS' enemy," Bone muttered, "Take them to the throne room. I will be there shortly."
The Bloodclan enforcer bowed, and half sprinted out of Bone's way.
Bone took one last glare at the portrait.
"I surpassed you..."
With that word, he left the chambers, scowling. He walked down the dimly lit hallways of the old hospital, the same one where Lionblaze was held captive. After so many months underground, Bone was adamant on getting a base that was above ground. He opened the door to the circular room that was once used for surgeries and such, with a chair by the back wall.
He rested himself upon it, ready to make himself look cool for when the prisoners would arrive.
Like Scourge said. Caution is nothing without Charisma...
The doors opened revealing four people in handcuffs, being guarded by three guards wearing Bloodclan face masks.
One was about 6'3, with dark black hair parted down the middle, with the makings of a small stubble on his chin. Green eyes, and a lean build, He was dressed in a brown leather jacket and jeans, with combat boots. His pistol holster laid snug on his right thigh.
The other male was 5'11, and clearly military. Everything shouted out that he had served in war efforts. Standardized Bulletproof vest, Camo clothes, and a goatee to go with his cropped hair. His dark brown hair was cut in military precision, and the pouches on his waist jingled with bullets.
The next woman was a sight to see. A pale woman with lines crossing her skin. Her raven hair flowed behind her back almost unnaturally, and her eyes glowed in a natural state. She clearly wasn't human, but an android.
The last was an older woman, with tortoise shell hair. She looked to be in her thirties or late forties, but she was clearly the leader. Everything shouted that she commanded them all...
"Ashtooth, Coalstrike, Mallowleaf, and the Android known as K.A.R.A.I..." Bone muttered.
"Midnight, now actually," the android smirked.
One of the guards surrounding them coughed and spoke, "Sir...they wished to speak with you... regarding treaties and alliances."
Bone's laugh boomed throughout the room, as he cackled with madness, "IS THAT SO?!"
Mallowleaf stepped forward, "Bone. I come to you to ask of your help. We intend no evil against your rightful claim to Scourge's throne."
Bone rubbed his chin, "Those were a lot of words, miss. I am nothing but a scoundrel and pirate!"
"An alliance between the two of us in almost certainly beneficial to ALL of us..." Mallowleaf started. "I know you serve Rock for one reason only."
"And what is that reason?" Bone leaned forward in his chair.
"That you believe he is the winning side."
"He IS the winning side," Bone smirked, "Need I remind you of the nuclear bombs that went off? Rock has won in ALL but name!"
"Not for long..." Mallowleaf smirked back, "What I suspect, is that with all this power at your fingertips, you are of no stranger to caution. And in that caution, you know that Rock's plan has no need for people like you."
"Of course it doesn't," Bone nodded, "I'm no fool. Rock might kill me just like all of you."
"Then you are aware of his plan?" Mallowleaf raised a brow, "It's obvious he won't NEED you after all this!"
Bone stood up, "Of course he wouldn't! When launching a bomb that would eradicate 99% of all human life on this planet, so you can restart humanity on a fresh chalkboard, your chances of survival are 1%! An-"
"So THAT'S his plan," Mallowleaf scowled, "Thank you for your time sir. We'll see ourselves out."
Bone widened his eyes and cursed.
He looked around at his soldiers, and saw one smaller then the rest. His face mask was backwards, and everything about him screamed he didn't belong here.
He took another look at the three guards holding the prisoners hostage...and quickly came to the realization.
"IT'S A TRAP!"
The three guards grabbed their guns and killed all the surrounding enforcers, leaving only the two bodyguards Bone had beside him and the other outsider alive.
The masks were thrown off, revealing Ravenheart, Crowflight, and a younger woman with sandy blonde hair.
Bone growled, and sat down slowly as Ravenheart's fists glowed with power in a threatening manner. He eyed the outside to his left, carefully, drawing his pistol slowly.
'"I love you," Coalstrike nodded at the woman as she undid his cuffs.
"I know," she nodded sweetly.
When the cuffs were freed, Mallowleaf rubbed her wrists and smirked, "Now Bone...shall we discuss the winning side once more?"
Bone hissed.
"We shall..."
"Midnight, take his blueprints..." Mallowleaf ordered.
He leaped off the chair, tackling the outsider to the ground. The resistance widened their eyes as he dragged the man up, putting the gun to this forehead, "SURRENDER NOW, OR I'LL KILL THE MAN!"
Mallowleaf raised a brow in confusion, looking at her soldiers and then at the outsider, "Okay, do it. He's not one of us..."
"WHAT?!" Bone scowled, "Well he's no Bloodclan!"
The two looked at each other in a confused silence.
"Wait..." Bone muttered as the pieces came together...
Ashtooth realized it to, gasping.
"If he's not with you...and not with us...then, who is he with?"
On cue, the doors blasted open, and gunfire and smoke enveloped the room.
Bone shot the man, and darted out the nearest door, forgetting the fight all together.
"SHOOT HI-"
Bone trucked through the soldiers, not being stopped, and plowing through the crowds with his brute strength.
He soon came out of the smoke, looking for the nearest exit. He took off in a thunderous sprint down the hallways, leaving the sounds of battle and powers behind him.
He turned the corner to see seven soldiers in black masks, holding AK-47's.
"The Fuck?" Bone asked aloud.
"SHOOT HIM!" The one in front commanded.
Bone dodged the hailfire bullets by diving through a nearby glass window, flying out of harms way. As he fell to his apparent demise, he twisted his body so he would land on his shoulder, placing his arm between his head and the pavement. His head bounced off his muscled arm.
CRACK!
"GRRAAAAHHHHHAAAAHHH!" Bone roared, slowly sliding his knees up and to his feet, clutching the shoulder he landed on. The world was spinning, and he looked at his crushed shoulder...
"God...auuuggggghhhhh!" Bone cried
"THERE HE IS! LIGHT HIM UP!" he heard from the floors above him.
Bone took off in a sprint, ignoring the pain of his crushed shoulder, as it flailed behind him like a ragdoll. He felt the ground crack with the number of bullets that was shot at him.
He felt pain in his calf, as the bullet passed through a like a lightsaber through butter. He rolled across the street, and came to a stop. But not for long. He started to crawl away, still going fast and strong.
Until he felt the sturdy presence of a boot on the back of his neck, pushing his face into the asphalt road.
"Going somewhere?" He heard the sneering voice from above smirk, and the ping of a walkie talkie being activated. "Boss, I have him."
"Good. Steal the blueprints and kill the others." a distorted voice responded.
The Soldier shoved Bone back into the ground, rifling through his pockets, finding only knives and loose change. "Where are they?!"
Bone squirmed, "I ain't telling ya shit!"
The soldier smirked, pulling his mask back onto his face so Bone couldn't recognize him, as he felt Bone squirm under him, "Boss, we have a problem."
"What do you mean?"
"The blueprints aren't on him. And I ain't going in that firefight..." He grinned under the mask, "Knowing the resistance, they prolly got the blueprints already, and are on their way to tell Firestar and Tigerstar how the bomb works..."
Bone inwardly gasped, "T-Tigerstar?"
"Should I kill Bone?"
"Negative," The distorted voice responded, "I am not risking Rock coming after us because we took his commander."
"He'll come after us anyway," the soldier pointed out.
"He won't have the time too. He'll be busy dealing with The Three, Triumvirate, Foxleap Company, and the Resistance."
"Does this make the mission a failure?" The soldier asked.
"I'm afraid so. Get out of there before Bloodclan sends reinforcements, or worse."
The soldier scowled, and let go of Bone as he ordered his nearby men to evacuate the premises.
Soon Bone was alone, bleeding out in the street. He slowly crawled to his feet, and grabbed his phone from his pocket. The screen was cracked, but he was able to call someone he needed.
Bring. Bring.
"Bone?"
"Inferno..." Bone cried weakly. "I need a medical transport to the mountain..."
"Who's the patient?"
Bone looked at his shoulder, on the brink of crying.
"Me."
"The life I've lived has crossed the finish line..." Poppyfrost muttered, "Oh, I give permission for all to judge these sins of mine..."
"And if today is the day I shall die...then let me be known as the Catcher In The Rye."
Brightheart, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze watched from the doorframe, as Poppyfrost spouted nonsense that came from the drink she had.
"Sorry, I was busy," came the voice of Jaywhisker, fastening his jacket on as he caught up, "How is she?"
Brightheart pointed at Poppyfrost, who was banging her head on the bar table.
"The Woman Tries...but she's surrounded by these...mouths... mouths that eat everything she decrees, everything she makes, and everything she bakes...if all the world would look to themselves for appreciation, instead of the vile scum who know only self depreviation...then the world would be merrier, and the water would be better...you might say that all I say is naught but a lie...but I'd prefer to be a catcher in the rye..."
"She's been ranting and rhyming nonstop..." Jayfeather sighed.
Half Moon nodded, "We...we tried to talk to her...but all she says is catcher in the rye or other shit."
Jaywhisker sighed, "Catcher In The Rye. It's a story about a runaway who tries to stay young and remain as a child forever, but is forced to accept that he cant have his way in life. It's a story about loss of innocence, immaturity, and teenage angst."
"I remember that we all had to write a report on that book in Gray Wing's class," Lionblaze chuckled, "Those were simpler times."
"Times when we didn't have a war," Jayfeather nodded, then smirked at Half Moon, "Everything went wrong with you. I blame you for this!"
Half Moon smiled sweetly, "Oh I've cursed you Jayfeather, from getting you sober to getting you involved with A Cult War."
"Really," Lionblaze sighed, "Y'all are gonna flirt now? We have a friend to help..."
Jaywhisker nodded, "So...what's the plan?"
They all looked at him in unison, and he instantly understood.
"Me?"
"It's no secret you two are VERY much alike," Brightheart responded.
Jaywhisker sighed, "Yeah...I guess."
"So... try and help her!" Lionblaze said.
Jaywhisker shrugged and sighed, walking towards Poppyfrost, fully inside the giant bar. He widened his eyes as he looked at the Tiger laying down, sleeping in the corner. He pursed his lips in worry.
"The woman takes a drink...the drink takes a drink...then the drink takes the woman...isn't that so Scourge?" Poppyfrost glared at the celling, not even sure where she was or who she was, "You fucker...you pig fucker...I HATE YOU! YOU TOOK AWAY EVERYTHING FROM MEEEE! MY LIFE, MY HOME, MY KIDS, MY PRIDE, MY SECURITY, YOU MONSTER!"
Poppyfrost slammed her hands on the table, forcing herself up, still glaring at the sky, "I used to think there was good in you! I was there at your home! I was THERE TO SEE YOU RISE! I thought here HAD to have been some good in you! But the therapist was right! YOU WERE TRULY AND SIMPLY EVIL! I WILL NEVER-"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!"
Poppyfrost looked down from the celling and grinned evilly, "Oh...you...the drunkie adrenaline junkie..."
That stung Jaywhisker and before he could retort, Poppyfrost had turned around, her face shown for the first time for Jaywhisker. He had to stop himself from gasping.
"You remember what I said?" Poppyfrost tilted her head, half drooling, "In the Foxcave? How what two thing I have pride in? My people...and my guns...now I don't have EITHER!"
Jaywhisker sighed, "I am sor-"
"And all of this, is because I LET IT HAPPEN! I agreed to help Fernsong, because maybe this was my chance for redemption! LOOK WHERE THIS TURNED OUT!"
"Poppyfrost, I am SO sorr-"
"And I'll bet," Poppyfrost stood up now, slowly stomping at Jaywhisker... "That you are REALLY regretting what you said in the Foxcave...how I choose their happiness over mine! WELL you know what?! FUCK THEM!"
Brightheart gasped in shock as Poppyfrost continued, "ALL I'VE GOTTEN FOR MY HELP WAS MISERY AND DEATH! THEY ARE BETTER OFF WITHOUT ME, THEY ALL ARE! AND I. AM. BETTER. OFF. WITHOUT. YOU!"
She spat each word with venom oozing from her throat, as she snarled at Jaywhisker...
"So go ahead," Poppyfrost muttered, "Say your sorry...like I told you before...it don't mean shit!"
Jaywhisker stood in silence, seemingly too stunned to speak.
As Poppyfrost turned to leave to drink again, she heard him speak.
"I won't apologize to a coward like you..."
Jayfeather widened his eyes.
Half Moon bit her lips in fear.
Lionblaze sighed in sadness.
Brightheart shook her head in fear.
Jaywhisker stood in resolve, eyes burning with fueled anger.
Poppyfrost slowly turned her neck to face Jaywhisker, with a mad smile on her face..."I'm sorry...can you repeat that for me...please...because I don't think you said, what I thought you said...because if you did say what I thought you said..."
Her hand gripped her pistol on the table, "Then you're a fucking dead man."
"Is that so?" Jaywhisker asked.
"THEN I'LL SAY IT AGAIN! YOU'RE A FUCKING COWARD WHO THINKS OF NOTHING BUT HERSELF AND HER TITLE!"
The silence was so tense, you could cut it with a toothpick.
"Well..." Poppyfrost nodded, lifting her gun, "That's a damn shame...because you've just hopped onto a bigass non-negotiable fucking landmine."
The Gun slowly pointed at Jaywhisker's head, and Jaywhisker didn't flinch, as Poppyfrost drawled, "Like I said...damn shame. I kinda liked you..."
Jaywhisker stared down the barrel, furious as Poppyfrost slurred, "Damn Shame."
BANG!
The barrel of the gun was smoking...
And the gun was pointed up by a strong set of hands.
Jaywhisker wrenched the gun from her hands, the side of his head bleeding from the bullet graze.
"Oh, would you look at that,' Jaywhisker hissed, "There's a problem you can't solve with a gun..."
Poppyfrost hissed, "You fucking-"
"MY NAME IS JAYWHISKER YOU IGNORANT SLUT!" Jaywhisker shoved her away. "I HAD ENOUGH OF THIS SHIT! I thought I was done kissing ass for a living, but here I am at the ends of the earth and you expect me to treat you nicely? WHAT KIND OF SICK JOKE IS THIS?!"
Poppyfrost tried to shove back, "You ARROGANT FU-"
"IT'S JAYWHISKER!" Jaywhisker roared. "AND ARROGANT, WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! WHY DON'T YOU TAKE A GOOD FUCKING LOOK AT YOURSELF! YOU ARE THE MOST ARROGANT, RUTHLESS, AND DESPICABLE HUMAN BEING ON THE PLANET! YOU KILL WHO YOU WANT, FEED PEOPLE TO TIGERS, AND PROCLAIM YOURSELF A MESSIAH TO LOST SOULS AND FORMS! AND THE SECOND YOU OPEN YOU'RE MOUTH 'Oh woe is me, I have suffered more then all of you!' IS IT POSSIBLE YOU CAN BE MORE LOW?! IS THERE ANY LIMIT TO HOW FUCKING DESPICABLE YOU ARE?! CAUSE I DON'T SEE ANY REDEEMING QUALITIES ABOUT YOU, YOU SELF CENTERED, LOWLIFE, ARROGANT SLUT! DON'T YOU HATE BEING THIS PATHETIC? DON'T YOU HAVE ANY PRIDE LEFT IN YOU?!
"SHUT UP!" Poppyfrost screeched, backhanding Jaywhisker away, "YOU THINK YOU CAN TALK DOWN TO ME LIKE THAT! YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT! WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME, HUH? WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MY LIFE?!"
Poppyfrost was in tears now, "GO ON! WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME! TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT ME, WHAT A LACKEY LIKE YOU, WHO HAS HAD FRIENDS AND FAMILY FROM THE START OF THIS SHIT, THINKS OF SOMEONE LIKE ME?"
"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I THINK OF YOU!" Jaywhisker shouted, "I think that you suffered worst then all of us! You lost your pride, you lost your sense of respect, you lost your kids! I can't IMAGINE how bad you feel! BUT THAT IS NOT THE PROBLEM! the problem is, you have done NOTHING TO REGAIN IT! YOU SHOULD BE FUCKING ANGRY AS HELL, YOU SHOULD BE FIGHTING WITH US! WHERE IS YOUR THIRST FOR BETTERMENT! WHERE IS YOUR SELF RESPECT?! YOUR FUCKING PRIDE?!"
"Pride? PRIDE?! HAHAHAHAHA!" Poppyfrost got in his face and laughed centimeters from it, "THIS ISN'T ONE OF YOUR FUCKING HAPPY ENDING MOVIES YOU AND DUSTY LOVE TO TALK ABOUT! Look around, see how much your pride is worth! It's nothing but shit! But you wouldn't know that, BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T A CLUE ON WHAT I'VE GONE THROUGH."
"You're right..."
Poppyfrost froze.
Jaywhisker sighed, "You're right. I DON'T know what you have been through. Because I am NOT you. No one is! No one can understand what you've gone through! But you are not the only one whos going through shit!"
Poppyfrost snarled as Jaywhisker continued, "Lemme ask you this. Other then the fact that I am 'just another lackey', what do YOU know about ME?"
Poppyfrost faltered and stuttered, "I...I..."
"It doesn't matter who you are, or how you lived..."
Jaywhisker remembered what Foxleap said.
"We all have suffer. You have NO intention of understanding that!"
Poppyfrost faltered, "I...I-"
"Instead of owning up to things," Jaywhisker started, "You'd rather play the part of the tragic heroine! That's why you are what you are...that's the most cowardly thing about you..."
"Sh- SHUT UP!" Poppyfrost shouted, tears bursting like Niagara falls, "It's EASY for you to see it THAT WAY! Damn it, this isn't one of those cheap hollywood flicks you love! THERE ARE NO HEROES IN THIS LIFE! There is no Batman and there is NO Iron Man! I hate to break it to you pal, but there IS NO FUCKIG ROBIN HOOD!"
Jaywhisker sighed, "If there is NO Robin Hood, WHY DON'T YOU BECOME ROBIN HOOD?"
Poppyfrost had no response, as Jaywhisker continued.
"You gave the people of the Underground hope...hope that they COULD make it. Because after all the shit you went through, you soldiered through and protected them from the fire. You ARE Robin Hood, Poppyfrost! You stole from the bad guys and selflessly gave to your people...so why don't you commit? Why don't you go all the way?"
Jaywhisker nodded, "It has to be better then feeling sorry for yourself all the time, crying about how hard your life is and was."
"Sh-shu- shut up! I-I'm serious! Poppyfrost staggered back, no longer sure what she was defending now, reflexively grabbing her pistol, "I'll - I'll...I'll kill you! I...I will...kill..."
"Then do it," Jaywhisker shrugged, "Save me the trouble...keep chasing your tail like the dog you want to be...by killing me, you'll just be proving me right..."
Poppyfrost aimed her gun again, tears everywhere, "That's all I know how to do!"
She aimed down the sight of the gun...
And slowly lowered it, looking at the gun, and throwing it across the floor.
She hung her head low...
Jaywhisker looked at her, and slowly walked towards her.
"You've tried so hard to just...push through the walls...let us help you climb them...let me help you grow..."
"Let me help you be a better person..."
Poppyfrost threw herself around Jaywhisker and cried on his shoulder.
"I...I...can't...I...how? How...do you become a good person?"
Jaywhisker smiled warmly.
"Come with me...'
Poppyfrost looked at the people in the market place from the walkways above them, as Jaywhikser stood beside her.
"Now...what do you see?"
Poppyfrost looked at the crowd below her.
"I...I see Brightheart...she's tending to the wounds of a little girl. I see My sisters, who are helping sharpen the blades we need for the battle. I see...Tigerstar? He's...chatting with Firestar and Jayfeather...what's the point here?"
Jaywhisker smirked, "How long ago did the bombs go off?"
"Two weeks ago," Poppyfrost said automatically.
Jaywhisker nodded, starting to walk higher up to the ladder of the roof, "Huh, could have sworn it was three."
"How could you forget this?" Poppyfrost asked, with a hint of anger in her voice. She followed Jaywhisker up the ladder, to the roof of the warehouse.
Jaywhisker shook his head, opening the hatch. "I didn't forget...no one does. I've moved on. I've focused on tomorrow. I focus on what I can do now, rather then what I COULD have done then."
Poppyfrost slowly climbed onto the roof, only to be blinded by the sunrise. She hadn't seen the sun in days, and she could tell her skin getting fresher by the second. She peered her eyes open and looked at the waterfront, the waves slowly lapping the shore. She refused to look at the destruction behind her, for fear of all that Jaywhisker said would vanish her thinking gears...
"Beautiful isn't it?' Jaywhisker asked.
Poppyfrost nodded.
"Yeah...it is. It's quiet...and calm..."
Jaywhisker nodded.
"Everything I built," Poppyfrost began, "...is because I refused to move on..."
"So how better do you think you could build if you had?"
Poppyfrost slowly closed her eyes.
"How do you...move on?"
"Let go of the past," Jaywhisker shrugged, "I'm not saying to forget it. I'm saying to let it be. Let the past be the past. Look to the future."
Poppyfrost took a deep breath.
"How?"
Jaywhisker smirked.
"Let Go."
Poppyfrost took a deep breathe, and in a split second, she had relinquished her hold on the anger and hatred for Rock.
Her despising of Scourge.
Her self conciousness.
Her drive to keep fighting...
Her drive to stay strong.
She let her walls come down, and allowed herself to be vulnerable.
She felt better...
She felt...
Cleaner.
Pure.
Poppyfrost slowly opened her eyes to see the Sunrise, now fully risen over the ocean waves.
"How do you feel?"
Poppyfrost didn't reply immediately.
"I..."
Poppyfrost looked behind her, slowly and surely.
The chaos was horrific, but...the damage didn't look as bad as it once did to her.
She noticed the people in the ruins, salvaging what they could.
She noticed HER people, lining up in front of the relief stores.
A corner of Poppyfrost's mouth rose.
"I feel like Poppyfrost."
And...Fin.
Here endeth her story. The story of the little girl who became a queen, and refused to be weak.
I know a lot of you didn't like her.
But I did.
This meant something to me.
So I had to finish her story right.
Adios.