It’s been a long day, you’ve learned more about these cats that had walked around in the dreams of the clan. It was quite a while ago you had the dream with Goldenpatch and thinking about it brought sadness.
You closed your eyes, thinking over your encounter.
(“My name is Goldenpatch! I am from Starclan. I have come to talk with you Zed!”)
She could be a liar, it’s possible she really wasn’t from starclan...
(“Sometimes our duty is to let you know that we are here for you! I came here to tell you that I am your starclan cat! Like a guardian angel! I am your friend and I will always care for you!”)
She said all those things, but you only met her once, she never visited you after that.
(“Come on Zed! Lets play!“)
...
(“I am loyal to you and Sunclan and I know all of the cat’s names because I love them all with every bit of my heart!”)
...
(“Oh I’m just so happy to finally meet you!”)
...
(“She [Thistleruff] is very wonderful! Zed don’t ever forget that ok! She is one of the best warriors in the clan.”)
She had said that... And despite your own thoughts about Thistleruff, she killed Pidgeonpaw and Auburnsun and she betrayed the clan.
(“The sun may run into some troubles but please don’t fret for the thistle will stunt the wolf by wedging itself in her paw pad!”)
“What had she meant by that...?”
You feel a sort of heaviness over you, something felt different and your mind was a bit fuzzy. Did you fall asleep?
... This feels familiar. You smell the air, it’s crisp and fresh, but also bites in your nose. Warriors sleep beside you and you get up, not a single noise is made.
You see your body at your feet.
You look around cautiously and claw at the ground before you.
That’s why it was familiar, this is what happened when you met Goldenpatch.
Worry gnaws at your heart. What was going to happen...
Thistleruff: Thistleruff, injured, tired and without her kits, stumbles blindly into the darkness. She knew Minnie would send someone after her, if only to make sure she left the clans territory for good. But she was going to take her sweet ass time.
Having decided that she had traveled enough for the moment. Thistleruff parked herself in the middle of a clearing to gaze up at the fading moonlight. Maybe if she hadn't played along with Stonekits wishes she could have had more time to explain.
Even still she wasn't upset with her son. She could never be upset with those two. The third...well that was never her child to begin with.
Zed: Zed ran through the woods, desperately trying to catch up with the cat who had been banished, trees passed by quickly and she ran as fast as she possibly could.
Knowing Thistleruff, she was probably not going to be leaving quickly, but Zed wanted to task to her as soon as possible.
Her heart was lighter now that her clanmates seemed to understand that even if she loved her friend highly, she wouldn't try to bring her back, or betray the clan herself.
But meeting her precious friend once more was important.
After running and scenting after the cat in question, she finally found her, sitting down.
"Thistleruff!”
She called out before running up to her friend, covering her in nuzzles and worried purrs.
Thistleruff: Shocked by Zed sudden appearance and the lavish affections she was being showered with, Thistleruff could only stare down at the smaller she-cat as she purred against her. Her face scrunched in confusion and she backed off from the other cat. Distance is what she needed now, she didn't want to be smothered.
"What do you think you are doing out here? If you tell me you ran off I will personally drag your hide back to those idiots."
Her tone was short and clipped, leaving little room for argument. But she couldn't deny she was...thankful to see the little squirt once more.
Zed: Zed was a little bit hurt as Thistleruff backed off, but it was to be expected.
"I ran all the way here Thistleruff, but I didn't run away. I came here because I wanted to see you."
Zed looked her friend over, her eyes soft.
"Because you're my precious friend."
Thistleruff: Unsure of what to do Thistle nods once at Zed.
Thistleruff: "I...Thank you, Zed. But it would be better if you returned now. If the others found out they would-”
“Well, they are just as unlikely to listen to you as they are to me."
She waits for the other to make a move, but when Zed does nothing but continue to sit there Thistle snorts.
"Go on now. Shoo. They are your family not me." She shoos the cat away with her tail.
Zed: "I already told them I was going to see you."
Zed tilts her head and smiles faintly.
"I wasn't going to let you go without a goodbye at least. A real good bye."
"I'm going to be honest, I'm hurt because of what you did. But you didn't do it alone and I can't bring myself to hate you. You'll always be... Special to me."
Thistleruff: "...I suppose I must thank you again then, for being so considerate."
She paused to cough awkwardly into her fur. She wasn't expecting any of the cats that were following her to actually approach with genuine concern. This was...strange.
"If you have...their...permission I suppose it will do no harm. Is there something you wanted?"
Zed: Zed got closer to Thistleruff, her short fur brushing against the longer strands.
"I wanted to talk to you. Really talk to you."
Zed grew quiet for a moment.
"Before saying goodbye."
Thistleruff: She pets the other she-cat with her tail and offers a soft, comforting purr.
"Then speak. I will need to leave by morning."
Zed: "I need to know why you did it. And I need to hear it from you."
Zed looked at her friend, trust in her eyes, even after all this.
Thistleruff: "Why I? Why I did what? Why I apparently killed Auburnsun or why I ever joined in the first place?"
Zed: "Both. Or actually. Tell me everything."
Green eyes met golden.
"You can always tell me anything, Thistleruff."
Thistleruff: "A summary then...”
“I joined the clan to find stability. My own territory was running low on resources when Auburn showed up. I saw the opportunity and decided to take a chance. It paid off and I found myself in a place were food was abundant and I no longer had to watch my back for foxes. But Auburn and his idealist way of thinking was only causing problems. Even in the early days there were cracks. And he had no way of fixing them. How could he really, a lost little kittypet."
She sighed and shook her head. There were not the thought she should be dwelling on, nor were they the facts Zed desired to know.
"Then a new cat arrived. Not that that was all too unusual at the time. We had cats coming left and right. But he was...different. He saw the faults as I did. Splitgaze and myself...we knew that in order to keep our secure little lifestyle we would have to step up...to guide Auburn on the right path. Splitgaze...purposed an idea. Because I had been around for longer, I was to become deputy. It was a long journey...and other cats got entangled along the way. Eventually, however, it became a reality...We had planned so long that it seemed like a dream. But by now those cracks had turned into fissures."
She paused to look up at the she-cat.
"You saw it...didn't you? The animosity that clan held for each other. They all seemed friendly and kind but the second they caught the scent of blood it was like a frenzy. Accusations of treachery or scheming! No one really trusts the other. They like to make face and play coy, but really they don't trust one another. They see Auburn as a figure-head and little more. A scapegoat for their own wrong doings."
"Splitgaze saw it too. We knew we had to do something. So...when Auburn and I traveled to the place to communicate with starclan....Zed...I will not lie to you. At least one cat deserves to hear my story without the sugarcoating. Zed...I decided what needed to be done. The clan couldn't go on, you have to understand..."
Thistle raised to her paws as if in a trance and slowly stepped closer to the other she-cat. Her eyes flickering with fire, stayed locked with Zeds.
"There was no other way. I tried explaining but he wouldn't listen to me. So he had to be eliminated...He fell. I couldn't find his body, probably washed down stream. But he was gone and finally...finally the clan would have been safe."
"When I returned with Whisperwing and Russetwood...I had been informed that I was not to get my nine lives. That Sunclan has already had a leader...What was I to do, Zed? I had to fix things before they broke again. I had to change everything. It needed to be done, they couldn't remain as Sunclan and wait for a tom who is supposed to be dead.“
“And...and that little rat...I did it for him. I sacrificed so much so Splitgaze would be happy. So we would be safe to raise our young and you know what he did? He abandoned me. He attacked and abandoned me in the mess that he had created! For the good of the clan Thistle. For us...everything he said to me was a lie."
She stopped to drop her head.
"And now I am here, and you know the truth...and my children. Children I promised to raise better then my own parents did. They are lost to me now."
Zed: Zed listened to Thistleruff, staying quiet as she spoke. Not making a sound. Her thoughts was in turmoil. Auburnsun had really been killed by Thistleruff.
And Splitgaze had gone along with it, encouraged her to do it, even. For a second she felt intense rage again, but only for a second. So short that it didn’t surface and show.
"Thistleruff, I can never say that what you did was right. And I won't."
She looked to the side for a second before looking back, Winterfang especially surfaced in her thoughts when discussing this.
"Even so. The clan has had problems, I see that.”
“But we need to work that through together. It's not just to push out anyone that doesn't fit. You have to guide them."
As Thistleruff sounds broken about her kits, Zed gives her a nuzzle.
"I'll take care of your kits, if you'd like."
She paused again.
"Also... I need to know. And answer me truthfully."
"Was what we had... Have... Real? Was it something special to you?"
Thistleruff: "And it is not in my power to change your mind. But I am glad that you have the decency to listen without jumping to conclusions. Something that your clanmates lack."
She nods and gives the she-cat a lick behind the ear.
"Zed...You are a friend I did not think I would ever make. Nor one I deserve. To know that it is you looking out for my kits...well...I am sure they will grow up just fine without their parents."
Zed: "I'll look after them, make sure they won't lack anything."
Zed purred at Thistleruff's rare display of affection.
"Do...Do you regret that we became friends?"
Thistleruff: "Of course I do not young one. But you deserve a friend who is better then I. Now...if there is nothing else?"
Zed: "Do you have any last wishes? Anything you'd like me to tell anyone or...?"
Zed sat closer to the bigger she-cat.
She didn't want her to leave just yet.
Thistleruff: "Hmmm."
She mulled over the question for a moment. Anything she wanted to be said had been...and really there was no need to cause trouble for her kits so she shook her head.
"I believe I covered everything before my departure."
Zed: "Are you sure? Nothing you want me to tell your kits or anything?"
Zed moved her paw so it was close to Thistleruff's.
This was really the last time she'd see her.
Thistleruff: Her...kits. Right, she had been run out before she could say goodbye. She hesitates for only a moment. Lips drawn thin and ears pinned to her head before taking a tentative step forward.
"Perhaps, you can tell my kits that...their mother loves them. That it isn't their fault she's gone. But that she knows they'll all grow to be perfect. That she-She'll see them again someday."
Zed: "I'll make sure to tell them that, Thistleruff."
Her voice was shaky with emotion.
"Hey... Thistleruff? If things were different... Do you think we would have been together forever?"
Thistleruff: She lets out a quiet snort of laughter and shakes her head.
"If things were different I doubt we would have ever met." She rests her head atop her friend’s, a soft comforting purr rumbling in her chest.
"But perhaps we could. Maybe in another life we can."
Zed: Zed looked disappointed at first but then perked up.
"You do know that you're my precious friend, right? Even through all this?"
Thistleruff: "I know Zed. You are to stubborn to change your mind." She gives the she-cat a final lick on the head before pulling away fully.
"And you are mine. Now It's time for you to go, don't you think."
Zed: Zed gives her friend a nuzzle and looks regretful. But then lights up.
"Thistleruff. you know how you've not playfought with me?"
The Abyssinian grins, as if she had something in mind.
Thistleruff: Thistleruff raises a brow and gives her companion a skeptical look.
"Of course...but is now really the time? If you return injured who knows what they would do...."
Zed: Zed got into a crouch and wiggles her haunches.
"C'mooon Thistleruff. No claws, that's what playfighting is. For fun. And building muscle."
Zed bapped the bigger cat on her tail.
"See it as a... A last chance to really do something together."
Thistleruff: She sighed and hung her head. Of course Zed would insist on something this ridiculous. She couldn't repress the stupid grin that came to your face.
"Alright, alright."
She lowers onto her own belly and prepares to pounce at the other cat.
Zed: Zed's grin grows wider and she starts to creep around, in case Thistleruff was thinking about pouncing. Then she darted towards the bigger cat.
Thistleruff: She stumbles back a few steps and raises to her back paws. Slapping at the air in front of her to keep Zed at a bit of a distance.
Zed: As the bigger cat keeps up a defense, Zed tries to circle around so she can come at her from the side, while's she's on her hind legs and a bit vulnerable.
Thistleruff: Zed circles around her and Thistle drops back to all fours. Deciding now is as good a time as ever, she jumps at the other she-cat and moves to pin her down.
Zed: The Maine coon manages to pin the smaller cat down, but Zed is stubborn and kicks at Thistleruff's belly and pushes at her face with her forepaws.
In a real fight she wouldn't do this of course, her paws would be bitten off.
Thistleruff: Thistleruff laughs at Zeds tactics and playfully nips at the paws near her face. Before relenting and rolling onto her side, lightly batting at the other she-cats sides with her hindlegs
Zed: Zed laughs along with her friend and as she rolls over the smaller cat, she gets up and lightly pulls on Thistleruff's ear.
Thistleruff: She sinks down closer to the ground and flops. One paw covering her eyes.
"How could I, the great and powerful Thistleruff, be defeated by such a small she-cat!?"
Zed: Zed baps the big cat on her nose.
"Come on, oh powerful Thistleruff!"
She jumps around and baps Thistleruff from different angles.
Thistleruff: She peeks out behind her paw and baps Zed on the nose the next time she dashes forward. Before rolling over and flopping on her tummy.
"I cannot go on. This is it...my end."
Zed: Zed chuckles.
"Thistleruff, nooo. I believe in you!"
And with that she flopped onto the stomach of the fluffy cat.
Thistleruff: She goes completely limp. Eyes shut and holding her breath. She was dead. Zed had defeated her.
Zed: Zed pokes the cat.
First poking her ear, then cheek, then belly.
"Thistleruff?"
Thistleruff: "I'm dead..." She whispers.
Zed: Zed snorts and pushes at the big cat so she rolls over.
"No you're not. I don't think I could kill you."
She gives the bigger cat a smile and lays down beside her, purring contently.
Thistleruff: "I'm sure you could if you tried."
She signed and rolled over onto her back giving out one last content purr.
"I suppose...this is our final goodbye. I'll miss you, you little runt."
Zed: "I guess it is."
She nuzzled Thistleruff's cheek, sighing as well.
"I'll miss you too, furball. It'll be so weird without you here."
"I'm sorry things have to be this way. If I could, I'd go with you."
Zed gives Thistleruff a lick on the nose.
"But the clan is my home, my life; no matter how dark things look right now..."
Thistleruff: "Good. I wouldn't want you following me anyway. You'll be safe there...maybe fix everything that's happened. I know you'll do well."
She gives Zed a bap before getting to her paws and pointing back towards sunclan territory with her tail.
"Now go. I better not see you looking back."
Zed: Zed is about to leave, but she turns around and gives Thistleruff a last friendly headbutt in the shoulder.
"Bye Thistleruff, I love you and I'll never forget you!"
She then ran back, back towards camp, the forest passing her by and she left Thistleruff behind.
She felt incredibly sad, but also light.
She had gotten to say goodbye to her best friend and that's all she could ask for.
Thistleruff: Thistleruff watched as Zed sprints off back in the direction she belongs and is left standing in the clearing alone. A somber smile lay on quivering lips.
She turned away and pushed through the foliage and into the unknown.
Thistleruff: "Goodbye...everyone"
You had been searching for hours this day, after this cat that had been intruding on the territory of your clan. You had brought cats with you on your first search, but on this second one by the edge of the territory you had gone alone.
Let’s just say that shocking news made you want to occupy your mind with other things, quickly.
And that’s how you ended up going alone.
You caught whiffs of the rouge here and there, but never got a clear route.
She was sly after all...
You keep your senses on high alert as you walk around, sniffing, looking and listening for any clues.
Every time you noticed something you made sure to hide and sneak up; but this far you had only encountered critters and a couple of birds.
You’re sitting in camp, pawing at the ground.
EVERYTHING IS TOO STILL YOU’RE BORED AND YOU NEED SHIT TO DO.
YOU CAN’T EVEN GO HUNT WHAT IIIIIIIIIIIIIIS THIS.
Restlessness overtakes you and you decide there’s only one thing to do.
Find the only other cat who’s in a bad spot like you.
You half-bounce to the medicine cat’s den and peek in, looking for a cat in particular!
THERE SHE IS!
Your fearless leader, Thistleruff!
With quick steps you walk to her side.
“Hi Thistleruff!”
You greet her with a nuzzle to her shoulder and grin.
“It’s pretty dull in camp huh? What do you say if we...”
You lower your voice to a whisper, so that the other cats around won’t hear.
((Using this for an rp because I can, do not judge me))
It’s a nice morning and you’re standing in camp, doing stretching exercises for your leg. They’re supposed to be good for you, but it still hurts!
Oh well, there isn’t anything to do about it but stretch, at least you had managed to keep the wolves from camp, and that’s what’s important.
You made small grunting noises and huffed when you stretched your leg, thus pulling at the wound.
You limp into camp, one leg held in the air to minimize the pain. Blood has clotted where you were bitten so you weren’t bleeding anymore. After all, that could have left a trail for future new moons.
You’ve covered in dirt and you look like you haven’t slept in days.
Zed walks out of the warrior’s den, stretching and yawning. She then shakes her fur out, her gaze falling upon Lizardleap. Her former apprentice.
It feels like it was only yesterday they were training his slashes, and how using momentum would make them stronger.
With bouncy steps Zed makes her way over to the apprentice den to find Crescentpaw asleep. She was about to nudge the small cat but then she picked her up by the scruff and carried her out into the camp before putting her down.
“Good morning Crescentpaw! It’s time for your first training session!”
You were staring at the spot where the leader of the swampclan cats had disappeared into, your muscles tense and your guard up high.
Cat after captured cat passed you, some were thinner than others and some had wounds. Falconstep had congratulated you on the act you had put up, you had acted as the spokescat of your clan to intimidate the rival clan. When all the missing clanmates had passed by you and the sound their steps where growing faint, you turned around to follow them.
The clan was safe, for now.
As you caught up to your clan you could see the injured ones walking or leaning onto any from the rescue-group. You passed Thistleruff, gently rubbing against her before continuing up to your apprentice.
You were so proud of him for making it this far and you gave him a lick on his ear. Further ahead you saw Smokie nearly carrying Winterfang and you rushed ahead.
“Winterfang!”
He had many wounds and seemed very tired.
You stood in front of them, halting them.
“Smokie, let me handle him, you’re hurt.”
And with that, Smokie passed the white cat onto you, his weight made you stumble at first, but you managed to keep going forward.
