leopard au drowning thing
i couldn't find the post where i initially shared this excerpt? anyway i was riffing on this and i didn't. the ending was unfinished but i just wanted to share the main scene so take the whole thing.
cw: sexual assault, drowning
She is silent.
That is a virtue. If she is silent -- it is that much easier to believe the world beyond this den does not exist. It is that much easier to believe her Clan will not look at her tomorrow with the same shifting pity-disgust-haste they looked at her with the first time.
"Just us tonight," Tigerstar purrs. "I thought you might like that."
She doesn't answer him.
"Well," he says, "don't say I never tried to do something nice for you."
***
He has to be careful about how he hurts her. Tear too much fur, slice too deep, and the Clan will see. Leopardstar isn't foolish enough to believe they don't know, but they must all pretend.
"Running out of options," Tigerstar growls. "You'll be with kits sooner or later." He scrapes his claws on the inside of her foreleg. "Let's try for sooner, shall we?"
***
Her silence breaks for the second and last time. Maybe Tigerstar doesn't care what counts for plausible deniability, because he sinks his teeth too deep, leaves gouges on her shoulders, and she can't help it, can't stop herself from shouting, "Stop."
He doesn't.
After, he walks her back to the river. There is nothing strange about this, there should be nothing strange about it, as long as one didn't consider anything else.
Tigerstar flicks his tail, and she straightens. She knows what he wants. Not beside the water.
"I suppose I shouldn't have expected more from you," he hisses.
"Darkstripe, fetch Mudfur, won't you? Leopardstar seems to have reopened a scratch."
They wait an impossibly long time. She wonders if it is better if Mudfur is pretending to find things to treat her with, or if they are dragging it out on purpose. Tigerstar stands shoulder to shoulder with her. It would only take a moment to run away.
"Dawnpaw's nearly old enough to have a litter," he says, and her ears flatten. "That's what I thought."
Mudfur and Darkstripe arrive, but Tigerstar dismisses Darkstripe.
"How long can Leopardfur hold her breath?"
No response. Tigerstar places his paw on her shoulder, his claws extended, but not causing damage. "How long, Mudfur? Surely you'd pay attention to that."
"I'm -- not sure," Mudfur says. "Four or five breaths."
"Get counting."
Tigerstar slides his paw up her neck, and slams her head into the water, his claws latching in.
It's strangely peaceful. This is far from the first time. She needs to breathe, and it is an overwhelming fear. It distracts her from everything else, rushing in her ears loud as thunder.
Tigerstar lifts her head, and she gasps.
"--her out!" Mudfur shouts. Funny. She can usually hear better underwater.
"Deep breath, now," Tigerstar says, and pushes her back. Her paws slip on the bank, and she can feel the current try to drag her away. If he let go of her, she might fall in.
Her mouth was open when he pushed her down, and despite her best efforts, water rushes in to her mouth. Exhale, she reminds herself. Exhale, close your mouth.
It's hard to do when your lungs are burning.
When Tigerstar lifts her head this time, Mudfur is silent. Or maybe he's speaking.
"Two down," Tigerstar says. "How many lives do you have left?"
The question feels like a trick. She is still panting, still blinking black spots from her vision.
"Let's go with -- seven more, then."
Leopardstar is submerged again.
***
"Tell us about Brightsky," Tigerstar says.
"She was -- useless," Mudfur says. There is venom in his words.
