Free Me From This Pain

[Crane]

Leiko wandered through the marsh, her heavy heart weighing her down. She was sick of this - of ShadowClan, of the sun, her fur, the Marsh, the prey... She just wanted rest.
The pain was unrelenting. Her sweet Julian, her beloved brother... All dead and gone. Leaving her here, pained, lonely and full of hatred. Death, at the moment, would be a blessing.
She wanted to go to Julian. Leiko found a nice, comfortable patch of grass and lay down on it, her eyes heavy.

______

The silver cat was strange. Leiko know that she did not know this cat.
"Leiko..." the cat whispered, "Do you really want to die?" Leiko snarled at the silver cat.
"Duh. Why do you think I'm out here?" she demanded, arrogant as always. She turned her back on the cat.
"So be it..." the cat said sadly. "We had plans for you, but if you don't wish to fulfill them..."
"I don't even know you!" Leiko snapped, eyes blazing. The cat has already disappeared.

_____

Her eyes shot open. Oh, damn, she was still alive.

[Silver]

(Sorry if this is off- I can't remember what all Leiko did in ShadowClan o-O)

Skyfire bent low to the ground, sniffing the plant in front of him. He knew very well what borage looked like, but it never hurt to be sure. Carefully, the medicine cat ripped off the leaves, clamping them loosely between his jaws. I wish I had Mintpaw with me. This would be a great lesson, not to mention I could use the help... but I told myself I'd give her a break. She's been working harder than me! With a purr, Skyfire trotted further into the marsh, following his paws and sense of direction more than scent. Eventually, he stopped, plopping the leaves on the ground. After poking his nose around a bit, he found his prize-- fresh Coltsfoot. With practice ease, he snapped the stalks and added the precious plant to his pile. Lazily, he stretched, enjoy the warm Greenleaf sun on his pelt. Prey and herbs are plentiful, sickness is rare... truely, there is no better season for a medicine cat than Greenleaf! Now, should I try and grab some Tansy or Yarrow while I'm out, or wait until tomorrow...? Make a second trip? he thought, arching his back, then grabbing his bundle and trotting off.

Skyfire was wrapping cobwebs around his paw when he heard Leiko gasp. Naturally curious, the older tom snatched up his herbs and angled his ears, listening for the other cat. Eventually, he caught her scent drifting on the wind- not quiet that of a loner or rouge, but not fully ShadowClan. He found her settled on the marshy ground. "Ah, Leiko is it? Im surprised Echostar would let you out without a warrior gaurd. She must trust you," he purred. Truthfully, he didn't know the former prisoner well; she had refused to let him or Mintpaw treat her, and the other clanmates avoided her. "So what does bring you out here, friend?" he asked, his mismatched blue and green eyes blinking owlishly.

[Crane]

[[Eh... not much ]]

Footsteps. Leiko could hear footsteps. She growled silently. She wanted a fight, to release the tension out of her muscles. She jumped up and spun around, eyes narrowed, claws out. Ugh, it was merely Skyfire. She couldn't fight him, he was healer-cat-thingy. Personally, she ddn't trust them. You couldn't know what they would do with those herbs, even if they said they were going to heal you.
"Ah, Leiko is it? Im surprised Echostar would let you out without a warrior gaurd. She must trust you," he purred cheerfully. Leiko would have rolled her eyes, but he was of high rank in ShadowClan... "So wat does bring you out here, friend?" This cat was way too friendly for his own good.
"Trust me?" Leiko laughed bitterly. "She doesn't even know I'm out here. Or why... Neither do I, to be honest," she half-lied. Echostar didn't know she was out here, that was true. But she had a faint idea why she was out here. For a fight, not a conversation with some doddery old cat, no matter how respected he was.
Hurry up and finish talking to me! she thought angrily. She needed something to claw. The anger was building up, now. Her body was tensed. She dug her claws into the muddy earth. Leiko was sick of this mud, too.

[Silver]

Skyfire cocked his head slightly to the side. "Well, thats not good. As long as you're not causing any harm, I suppose," he sighed, picking up out some grass from between his claws. He eyed the she-cat between licks. "To pratice, maybe? I've heard you do that odd thing with your voice. Sounds quiet nice, actually," he suggested with a shrug, twisting around to wash his back. He straightened again, staring straight at Leiko. "Though, it truely is a shame you were out here alone. You have so much potential..." Skyfire trailed off, slinking toward the she-cat. He circled her once, his gaze not straying. "Such a future planned for you too. Such a shame you have to lie to an old semi-blind badger like me," he mewed, returning to where he had droppped his herbs. Without warning though, he whirled and charged at the cat, leaping at her with claws still sheathed. He tried to drag her to the ground, showing suprising strength for an older medicine cat.

(XD My muse was random today...)

[Crane]

Leiko didn't want to listen to Skyfire. He was just blabbering on, and on! She grumbled quietly and turned around so her back was facing him.
Bad mistake.
She heard the approach of his feet, but her reaction time was too slow. Leiko managed to turn her head in time - to feel Skyfire rake his claws down her face. She hissed in surprise, jumping back. He was so fast!
Her heart raced with excitement. This was what she wanted - a fight. Pain. The familiar bloodlust. The pale ginger tabby dropped into the hunter's crouch. Time to remember what Julian - the name sent a stab of pain through her heart - had taught her. She narrowed her green eyes, tail lashing. Go for the eyes and the underbelly. Teeth ready in case the tail came near.
Leiko charged at Skyfire, screeching loudly as she did. As much as she tried to fight it, an insane grin was stretched across her face. Finally, finally, finally! Her muscles loosened as she ran.
She was getting close - she leapt over Skyfire, using the strength in her legs to clear the distance. Now, she was behind him. She wheeled and raked her claws down his flank.

[Silver]

Hissing in surprise, Skyfire whirled and swung a paw at her head before jumping back. "Impressive. Where did you learn that move?" he asked breathlessly. This will be difficult to explain when I get home... he thought fleetingly. Who would have guessed? Skyfire, the gentlest cat in the forest, attacking an innocent loner. Giving himself a brisk shake, he took a few looping steps toward Leiko, hesitant. Her smile... was she really so glad to be in battle again? Skyfire shuddered, trying to reason with himself that he was only doing what he thought Leiko wanted. Sprinting to the left, he darted in to nip her hind leg before jumping back. He crouched, before jumping onto the she-cat's back, attempting again to flip her over.

(More epic fail post >D)

[Crane]

"Impressive. Where did you learn that move?" demanded Skyfire, swinging a paw at Leiko's head. Leiko tried to duck, but felt his claws rip through her ear. She snarled, trying to spin but getting nipped on her rear leg. Skyfire was just so fast.
She feinted to her left, then sprang back right and tried to bite Skyfire's ear. Leiko was strong, and she guessed she's have a better advantage in close combat rather than being nipped and struck before she could turn around.
Leiko reared up on her hind legs, struggling to keep balance. She flopped over Skyfire's back, trying to use her weight to drive him down. She thought that they were too evenly matched for the move to work, but Leiko wanted to try anyway.

[Silver]

As Leiko reared back, Skyfire neatly dropped off her back, rolling off to the side. He gave himself a brisk shake, before unexpectedly relaxing. "I do believe I asked you something. I won't attack again until I get an answer," he said smoothly, before twisting around to wash the small scratches on his flank. When he finished, he calmly collected his herbs again, idly arranging them into neat piles. He sighed softly. "The things I do for others. Me, fighting!" he scoffed, more to himself than Leiko.

[Crane]

Leiko growled in annoyance when Skyfire stopped, but didn't attack again. She hadn't fought in a while and her leaps had left her legs tired. She grimaced as Skyfire asked her for an answer, then sighed something about fighting.
Leiko snorted. "Why do you even care? It's not like it matters..." She sighed loudly. Yes, it did matter, because the reason she knew that move was dead. She hated it.
But Skyfire... She couldn't be arrogant towards him anymore. She could see into him, and all Leiko could see was good. Skyfire was a purely good cat. Fighting, risking injury, for Leiko's sake, when he barely even knew her. Just to cheer her up... No, more than that. Leiko felt more peaceful than she ever had at the ShadowClan camp. Well, not the camp, but close enough.
In fact, Leiko was re-thinking her death wish.
"Fine. I'll tell you. I learnt it from my friend... Julian." Her voice broke on the last word.

[Silver]

Skyfire almost purred with delight. Ah ha... the truth comes out, he thought. "Julian? Where is your friend now? He sounds like a very interesting fellow..." Skyfire trailed off, carefully watching Leiko's reaction. After a moment of silence, he picked up some of the cobwebs from his pile and padded forward. "Sit still and tell me about him," he instructed, carefully examining Leiko's ear, which he had torn into. Tuttering, he carefully tried to apply some of the sticky web to her ears, which was bleeding slightly. "I don't think it'll get infected. Yes, the cobweb is fine on its own," he muttered softly to himself.

[Crane]

So many prying questions. Prying for information Leiko didn't want to give. "Sit still and tell me about him," Skyfire had said. Well, she could sit still alright. But talk about... Julian? Could she, even if she wanted to? Well, she was in this deep now. MIght as well go for it.
"Julian was a very good friend of mine," Leiko started. This would be confusing. She would have to go from the beginning... "I'm going to have to tell you about my past for it all to make sense. It's a pretty long story.
"I was born a kittypet. I hated it, and so did one of my brothers. When we were old enough, we escaped to become loners. But while we were running through ThunderClan territory, we ran across a patrol. We were caught completely by surprised, and my brother was killed when we tried to run. I escaped... He didn't...
"So anyway. I hid under a bush away from all Clan territories for days. Eventually I was found... by Julian." She warmed up as she remembered... Hearing his voice for the first time, his warm body supporting her as he dragged her back... Although at the time she was scared, untrusting, now the memory was one of happiness.
"He taught me how to hunt, to fight, to live with just us two. But, one day... Two cats, ex-BloodClan ferals, tried to drive us out of our home. We killed them both, but Julian was bleeding heavily..."
Leiko dropped to the ground, her head hung in grief. She couldn't finish that sentence. Ever.

[Silver]

Skyfire stepped back as Leiko finished her story, carefully hiding his thoughts. "I am very sorry for your loss. We had some trouble with BloodClan cats as well. I was just an apprentice then, about 9 moons old or so. I had only been a medicine cat a few days when a border patrol returned, bloody and on the verge of death. They had run into some BloodClan rouges on the twoleg border. The medicine cat at the time was out collecting cobwebs while I tended to some of the elders. I was able to slow the bleeding and get the story out of the patrol while another apprentice went to find my mentor. By then time he returned, my brother, who had been out with some of the warriors, was beyond either of our skills. He died at my paws. That day was truly when I resolved to work as hard as I could for my Clan, for anyone who needed help, to avoid anything like that from happening again," Skyfire's tone was neutral, as if telling a story instead of part of his past. He sat very still except for his tortishell ears, which flicked and twitched, as if trying to shake something off.
Eventually, he stirred again, fluffing his fur up against the chill. "In any case, this Julian sounds like a caring fellow. I hardly doubt he would approve of you looking for a fight," Skyfire purred. "You can stay here if you want, but my Clan needs me. No doubt when I get back, they'll all be complaining of one thing or another," Skyfire rolled his eyes, but his steps were light as he picked up his bundle. He flicked his tail, as if inviting Leiko to follow him, before turning toward ShadowClan camp.

(Sorry D: He's needed in that one other thread, and I can't have him in three places at once.)

[Crane]

Leiko listened sadly to Skyfire's story. It would have been worse for Skyfire to have his brother die at his paws, rather than in a battle, like what had happened to Leiko. Her ears flattened against her head.
But she knew Skyfire's story had a moral. You had to do your best for your departed loved ones... And Skyfire was right - Julian would never want her to go looking for a fight. Despite him being a loner, he had been the most unselfish cat Leiko had ever met... That was why...
No, Leiko was strong enough to think it. That was why she had loved him. There, it felt much better to think it.
But then, Skyfire had to go. Leiko had wanted to thank him, for giving her this new self-knowledge. She didn't have to be so... arrogant... so... mean... Then he was gone. Sighing, Leiko picked herself up and trotted after him. There was nowhere for her to go outside of a Clan - ShadowClan was the closest thing she'd had to a home for a moon now.

[And so, this gets moved to the Archives~]