Ivory glanced around, searching for any sign of another cat. His nose twitched, and maybe, maybe, there was a wisp of that weird Clan's scent. But he was on the border, so of course it would smell like that.
He glanced down at the mouse he had caught and squinted in the sun. The light made his eyes hurt, so he didn't often stay out too long. He could see tangled fur, and a sour smell rose from the dead creature.
Well... I'm pretty hungry.He settled down to eat, and his face twisted into a grimace as he bit down. Ooh, that was dry! Dry and sour. He pushed the mouse away, swiping it towards the clump of bushes around his little clearing.
That'll make me sick, Ivory thought. The crows'll eat it.
A sudden yowl made him jump. He spun around, on his feet in an instant. A dark ginger tom was rushing at him, claws out and hackles raised. He yelped and half-hearted dodged the first attack. WHAT ON EARTH?!
The tom snarled, and in that moment, Ivory saw his face change. His pupils went into tiny little silts, his eyes widening hugely as it happened. His teeth bared, granting him a crazy look. His ears were flat on his head.
Ivory started backing away. He had no quarrel with this cat, and he really didn't want to--no, not that thought--NO, HE WAS NOT PICTURING THAT AGAIN. Ivory shook his head nervously, then startled as the ginger tom lunged at him again.
He felt claws dig deep into his shoulders, jaws rip and shred his ears. Ivory yowled and bucked, but the dark ginger tom hung on. He felt warm blood pour out over his white fur, and his pinkish eyes widened into moons. What is happening? he thought frantically, twisted and trying to reach the cat on his back. I didn't do anything wrong!
He let out a panting, gasping breath. The dark ginger tom's back claws raked down his side, digging deeper than Ivory thought was possible. He let out a strangled cry--his breath was leaving him as he desperately tried to get away. Firestorms of pain burst across Ivory's shoulders and flanks, and he managed to find the air to choke out words.
"What-what did I do?" he gasped, chest heaving wit the effort. Blood poured into his eyes.
The dark ginger tom didn't seem to hear him. Ivory gasped again as he clamped his jaws down his throat. No! he thought wildly. No no no, I can't die! Please! I didn't do anything wrong!
Tears sprang to his eyes as his vision seam red. He didn't have a very good life. An albino rogue, a scavenger. But he couldn't die! No, no, please! PLEASE! Anyone who's up there...
He managed to look up as his legs gave out. Ivory felt the claws unlatch felt his back, but the tom clung stubbornly to his throat. As everything went black, Ivory had one last thought.
Please don't let me die.Redpool padded through the marsh, enjoying the day. He had just come out from camp after feeling restless all night. He yawned, and headed toward the border. Might as well do a bit of patrolling.
As he walked, Redpool's thoughts drifted towards his family. He could just remember Duskkit's peachy scent. And Berryleap had always looked like a big walking tree, with that dark mottled fur. Fernspark...
Redpool missed her, maybe the most of his entire family. She had always smelled like her namesake--ferns. He missed that scent. And her voice! It was always been humorous and happy, and sort of tough and tomcat-like, but also like music. Music to Redpool's ears.
And Skypaw. Oh, poor Skypaw. He didn't think he would ever get over his son. And it didn't help that it had been Redpool to kill him... but that had been a couple moons ago. "No use living in the past," as Redpool's father had always said.
The ginger tom pushed through some reeds and grasses. A scent hit his nose, and he realized how far he had traveled while letting his mind wander. He was a little ways over the border, and he quickly crossed back to mark it with his MarshClan scent. He started to continue along, when he caught a wisp of another scent. A very distinct one.
Rogues!Redpool turned around and dashed the other away, shoving through some bushes into a small, relatively dry clearing that was technically on MarshClan territory. And in the middle of the clearing was a scarred white (albino?) tom, a dead and half-eaten mouse thrown away from him.
Fury boiled in Redpool's chest. He was okay with rogues on his land, as long as they got off, but prey-stealers? That he couldn't deal with.
He won't get away with that!He bounded into the clearing, paws thundering, and Redpool's normally gentle character sliding off as he lunged at the tom. He didn't stop to ask questions, like he usually would have. No; if you stole prey from MarshClan, then you stole prey from someone you might need it. And Redpool would never allow that.
The tom dodged the attack, but as Redpool turned for another go, his vision suddenly went blurry. He felt his claws go out farther, his teeth bare. He knew his pupils were narrowing into the smallest possible slits. And Redpool lost all control.
No, wait! he thought, trying to shove his way back into his proper place. But another voice answered him.
Haha, little weak warrior. I am in the driver's seat now!Wait, what? No, okay, just get back! I don't wanna-- He was pushed into the realm of blackness.
Afterwards, he didn't really remember what happened. He just remembered the feeling of blood and flesh under his muzzle and claws, and when he came to his senses, he was lying in a pool of blood. But not his own.
W-what did I do this time? he thought as he rose unsteadily to his paws. He turned slowly, and the scene that met him was horrifying.
The white tom was surrounded in the same pool of blood from earlier. Tufts of fur and chunks of flesh floated around the body, which was covered in long, deep, bloody gashes. The ears were shredded. The shoulders and flanks were in strips. The tom's pinkish eyes were open wide, wild fear in them. His mouth was open, just slightly, and his throat was completely torn out. Redpool could see strings of flesh hanging out of the hole in the body's neck, with blood completely covering the fur.
Redpool turned away. He couldn't bear to see what he had done.
He closed the tom's eyes and looked up at the sky, searching for any sign that someone was watching him.
Oh, StarClan. What have I done?