Chapter 34: Preparing to Kill
Claws and I hid out, expecting Eagle to spread the story of our ambush to the tribe. We hid for what must have been half a day when Dawn came padding into the tunnel we were hiding in. She spotted Claws almost immediately.
"Claws! You're alright! I was worried after seeing Eagle." She mewed with relief.
"What's going on out there? Are they going to try and hunt us down?" I queried to Dawn who was brushing against her brother.
She turned to fact me, clearly unhappy that I was ending her moment, but her expression turned serious. "Jaggedtooth showed up. It's still in the main cavern. Eagle was about to alert us to something, but he didn't see Jaggedtooth coming. Everyone escaped because Jaggedtooth was too busy… eating him. I thought for a moment that Jaggedtooth got Claws when Eagle was ambushing him given that clawing, but Jaggedtooth showed up after from the main entrance. What happened?" Dawn pressed.
Claws flinched at the question, but admittedly, he didn't flinch as hard as he usually would. "I decided to fight. Eagle had it coming. I shed Eagle's blood. Just as Stoneteller warned, I want more. I want to fight more. I want to make some cat bleed. I'm good at it too, unnaturally so. Though, it is thanks to the advice of Darkpaw that I realized that this doesn't have to be a curse. I can fight for a cause. I can protect. I've come to realize that the tribe isn't my home. Right now, there's only two I want to fight for, you and Darkpaw. You've been by my side through everything, protecting me whenever you could despite what they'd say behind your back. There's nothing I could ever do to repay you. Then there's Darkpaw. He showed me that I don't have to live like this. I don't have to just accept what the tribe does. My condition doesn't have to be a curse. Right now, Darkpaw needs me, needs us to help his friends. We can do it, kill Jaggedtooth. After that, I think I'll leave the tribe, maybe join Darkpaw's clan and see where that leads me. Will you help us sister?" Claws asked.
Dawn seemed to fight with herself for a moment before answering. "Oh! I can never refuse you. You're my precious brother. While the tribe is still my tribe, you are family. I never needed you to repay me since you were family, always willing to be with me even when my temper got the better of me or when I got hurt. We'll kill Jaggedtooth together." She responded firmly.
Now that we had another cat to help us with our cause, I realized something. Eagle never actually outed Claws. Jaggedtooth got him first, meaning Claws was still free to roam the tunnels. We weren't being hunted yet.
"Is Jaggedtooth still somewhere we can see it?" I asked.
"It's lounging in the main cavern. It does that sometimes, just mocking us. To it, we might as well be flies. It'll just watch us without a care. What a monster." Dawn growled.
"Then, do you mind if I get a look at it? I have to know what we're us against." I asked.
"Knock yourself out. It's not going to do anything unless you annoy it or it decides it is still hungry." Dawn answered.
Silently, I crept back up the passage towards the main entrance. I peeked around the corner, and there it was in all its wicked glory. That thing sort of looked like a cat, but it was ginormous. It's fangs were as long as my head. I had no doubt that Jaggedtooth could tear me apart on a whim. I was like a rat to that thing. All the same, I couldn't help noting the blood smeared across its muzzle, Eagle's blood. The thing didn't even have the decency to clean itself up, likely reveling in our fear scent. It was every part the monster I'd been told of. Then it noticed me. Those eyes that met mine were wild. That thing was just like a badger, mindlessly violent, Midnight not included. The way it just saw me in the dark, I could tell that this wouldn't be an easy opponent. It was a hunter, and I was prey. I looked down at the claws adorning my right paw. While they were certainly long enough to reach the vital points in Jaggedtooth's throat, I could tell I'd never get close enough to try. That thing had reach on us, and unlike a dog, it was willing to use its paws. There'd be no jaws snapping at me allowing me to hit such a vital point. We would not kill it straight up.
I retreated back into the tunnel, meeting back up with Dawn and Claws. They'd been sparring since I was gone. The smile on Claws' face looked unnatural yet comforting as he traded hits with Dawn who looked equally thrilled to see her brother happy. I watched on silently as Dawn slowly gained the advantage and pinned Claws. While Dawn did win, Claws had made a good showing, leveraging his superior flexibility and speed against his more burly and enduring sister. When they finished, they noticed me.
"So, what did you think?" Dawn asked, clearly already knowing the impossibility it was to beat Jaggedtooth.
"That thing is huge! We aren't' going to beat it in a straight fight. Our only advantage is that the thing is an animal, feral even. It's not as smart as us, meaning we might be able to lead it into a trap. Dawn, you've seen the mountain more than any of us. Do you think we could just knock it off an edge?" I queried.
"No. It's too heavy for us, and it can climb better than us. We've knocked it down the mountain before. It'll come back." Dawn answered with a shake of her head.
"Curses! I'd hoped we'd be able to use the same plan Firestar had to deal with the dog pack. If it won't die be falling, we'll need to somehow hurt it enough that we can get in close and finish it off. These claws I wear can do the job, but we'll never get close enough to do it if it sees us coming." I complained.
"You know, falling isn't a bad idea." Claws mewed mysteriously. "Though it doesn't have to be Jaggedtooth that falls."
"I highly doubt just dropping onto it from above will work." I rebutted.
"That's not what I'm talking about. You know I'm the one who has to clean and care for the cavern. There happens to be some hanging rocks near the edge of the cavern that are dangerously loose. I'd usually knock them down, but we don't really use that part of the cavern. They're sharp, so they might do the job of trapping it." Claws mewed.
"That's pretty clever brother, but how do we even get it there, and what do we do if it doesn't work?" Dawn asked pragmatically.
"There's not too many options. At worst, the rocks will spook it, allowing us to land a free hit. We just have to make that one count." Claws answered.
We puzzled on it more, hoping for a more solid plan, but no one would come. Thus, we set the plan into motion. I'd bait Jaggedtooth into position, leveraging my size to make myself a harder target while it chased me. Dawn would be positioned above, ready to drop the rocks. Finally, Claws would be hidden in waiting, acting as backup in case the plan failed. Though, to do this, he'd need something. He needed my claws.
Looking down at the claws that contained the memories of my previous life, I felt a sense of attachment. They were my claws. I'd felled a dog with them. I'd kept them ready to protect what I needed. They were my violence, my means to kill, and yet, they were needed elsewhere. I took off each claw one by one, feeling a sense of loss as they came free from my actual claws. I felt like a piece of me had been sliced off as I removed Cut. Lacerate felt like my spirit had been slashed by some beast's claws as it departed from my paw. Agony was agonizing to remove. It was Scourge's oldest claw. Finally, there was Wrath. This was the claw that defined Scourge's life. It may not have been his first claw, but it was the first one he'd taken in revenge. As I finally pulled it free, wincing at the removal of the last of my trusted tools of judgement, I felt a weight lift off me. Father had told me that the claws were just as much a burden as a gift when he gave them to me. Only now could I really appreciate how true that was. These tools of death were no longer my burden to bear. I pushed them reverently to Claws.
"These claws were worn by a violent tyrant. They were his proof of power, allowing him to defeat even the most difficult of enemies. They are also my claws, used to fell a dog in defense and a tool I've used to save lives. I want to give them to you. They are your chance to kill Jaggedtooth should it come to that. They've been soaked in blood and desire for more, always more. Regardless, I think you need them now. I can feel that they need to serve you. Please take them." I mewed.
Claws saw how broken I'd seemed at removing the claws and gingerly took them. He began donning them, putting them in the wrong order, which irked me, but somehow, they seemed just right on him. His dull claws slotted into the extensions perfectly, not rocking or pressing uncomfortably into the skin at the edge of his claws like they had to me. It was like they were telling me they'd found their new master. I had wielded them and bloodied them yes, but they belonged to him. It was like they always had been meant for him. Maybe they were. Maybe destiny was fickle enough to grant him this boon in our time of need. Only time would tell.