This is both a kind of character study and a FallenClan challenge.
I recommend having read Crystallised Ivy otherwise a lot of this will make little sense, since this one is about Flame! One of my favourite characters! Set before Ivy joins.
Mintflight0245 - THANK YOU it was so fun to writeeeee
succulentsofa - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
Challenge 3: Mix It Up A Bit (writing in the present tense)
Flame wakes up in her den, weak moonlight filtering through the branches of the Trainees' den. She grooms her black muzzle, twists around to clean her dark orange back, and licks her dark paws until the fur is free of scraps of moss and her scent almost indistinguishable, and walks carefully out of the den, making sure not to wake any cat up.
She slinks through the shadows of the Blood camp, her pawfalls light but sure. As if invisible, she stalks out of a secret entrance in the bramble wall, brushing past the night guard, Blue, as she goes.
Finally, Flame is out in the forest. She needs fresh air to clear her head, and she certainly won't get it in the stuffy den.
She strolls through the sparse undergrowth of Blood territory, deeper into the forest until she reaches her favourite spot by a stream. Trees grow closely on either side, bunched on both shores. It's too deep to make out the bottom, but she can hear the pebbles on the ground rolling with the current through the rushing sound. Weeping willow branches hang above the racing water, blocking out moonlight, making her dark ginger-and-black form almost invisible except for her dark amber eyes. She notices with idle interest a blood-red shell on the ground, about a tail-length away from her. There was an identical blue one in the shallow water at the edge of the stream, and a green one further along, half-hidden in the fluffy moss at the base of a tree.
The dark-coloured she-cat settles down comfortably with her back to a tree, ears turned towards the murmuring of the water, and gets to musing on… Everything, really. This place, the Blood, is a nightmare. Not that she doesn't fit in; she's the best Trainee fighter - at least that's what the full members say to not admit she's better than them too. She's fairly confident she could beat anyone in the Blood.
She's always found it interesting to ask herself if she could beat the Governor. It could be a nice challenge. She licked her claws pensively. Any cat watching would probably be frightened out of their fur from that single threatening gesture.
The nightmare here is to be surrounded by so many cats who only watch your back to figure out where to place their claws. Constantly looking for anything in others that they could exploit. She hates that feeling of being searched for weakness.
Fortunately, she is rather good at it herself. Keeping her face guarded and expressionless while studying a cat for a scar to force her claws into is her speciality. She is aware that most of the other Trainees find it creepy, unsettling, and have deemed her dangerous a long time ago. They like to stay away apart from one or two. She doesn't mind it. She knows having the hold of fear on a cat gives you power over them. Some cats ignore her. They underestimate me. Cute.
She's destined for leadership. Power. Greatness. She's certain of that. Her fighting skill, analytical thinking, and cold, silent self-confidence are sure to help her rise through the ranks to lieutenant, and from there it would be easy enough...
Soon distracted, her mind drifts to another, even more pleasant, subject: Frost. The tom has a rather strange appearance. His body is splotched black-and-white, but his face, like his identical littermate Raven, is cleanly divided in two parts down the middle, one black and the other white. His eyes are two different colours: pale blue on the white side and darker blue on the black. She likes it. It's endearingly different - from other cats, and from her.
They've grown closer, from friends to something she's rather sure is more than that. They sometimes met up in the forest, to talk, and they've been showing to each other a side that they never show to anyone else. She begins to think of their last encounter.
Flame and Frost are watching the sunset on the edge of the territory. The stars will come out soon, and the darkness fall. They are huddled close for warmth. Despite newleaf, the weather is chilly, especially now that the sun is dipping down beyond the horizon.
"It's just that you don't seem to care that much," Frost murmurs.
"About what?"
"I don't know," Frost paused. "Everything."
Flame hesitates, wondering how much to give away, weighing each word. "I used to," she whispers finally. "It feels like so long ago. That time is gone now."
The black-and-white tom turns to fix his two-toned gaze on her. "I'm not going to pry," he says. "But if you ever want to tell me about it, I'm here."
If it was another cat, Flame would spit in their face and tell them she doesn't need them. She shuffled closer into Frost's fur, her usually fierce amber eyes softening. "Thanks."
They'd settled into a comfortable silence.
That got Flame thinking about… Before.
She had a family. Friends. A tranquil life, carefree, unworried about the future.
Until that war between two rival gangs of her city. They came in the night without warning, a cowardly attack, but that was expected - normal. Suddenly, nowhere was safe. Family dead. Happiness clawed in half. Peace shattered into a million pieces that could never all be put together again.
She ran away with her best friend at barely five moons, hearts dragged down by grief and spirits bright with hope for a new life.
Somewhere near here, they lost sight of each other. She likes to think that he was alive, safe somewhere far away from the bloodshed and the danger. She wants to believe that he's better off than her.
Flame licks her paw and draws it casually across her face. She can fight. Kill even. She's certain she would feel nothing, and especially not remorse, if she murdered another cat. A life among millions. If someone stands in her way, they have to go. It's simple, really.
Like she told Frost, she doesn't care about much.
She cared before. About her friends, her home, her family.
She lost all that.
It means she can't lose anything but herself and her life; she considers those things important above all else. Loyalty to herself will get her far. Loyalty to others will only slow her down. In a way she's glad she doesn't have anything to be loyal to anymore.
She felt a brief stab of disappointment in herself. If the young, innocent Flame that she had been before could see her now, what would she think?
What would her best friend think?
I miss you so much, Jay.
And that's a wrap. This has given answers but raised more questions, which is pretty much exactly what I was going for. Slightly short.
B
Y
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~Crystal