[let]theFLAMES-->begin [[Patchy, Riss/Open]]

[♫.Starredmyst]

The little rat hadn't fallen into the den! What would the Clan think of him now?

With a furious hiss, Patchstar lunged forward as the she-cat fell back, digging his claws deep into her right shoulder. He let out a yowl of surprise as a needle-filled paw slashed at him before he could renew the attack, drawing lines of blood across his outstretched paws -- injured or not, Snowsong was faster than he was -- and dropped back a moment, lips curled back in an enraged, insane snarl.

-

Risingdawn was tired to the bone. It had been a very long day; he'd been a signed to a predawn rogue patrol, followed by -- to his indignation -- a "spring cleaning" of the various dens with the apprentices, and ending with this near-pointless hunting patrol. They already had enough in the freshkill pile; add on his patrol's catches, and the prey at the bottom of the pile would get old and rot.

Exhausted and mildly annoyed, Risingdawn dropped his squirrel on top of the pile and, head down, turned toward the warrior den. He'd barely had time to eat this morning, but at the moment it seemed like too much effort to tear and swallow food; and anyway, if he headed in now, he might catch Snowsong before she fell asleep.

It was then that the ginger tom caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye; there was some sort of disturbance by the medicine cat den. He turned; predictably, the first thing to catch his eye was Patchstar. The bulky tom was crouched, teeth bared, tensed to leap --

And then Risingdawn saw Snowsong.

It was obvious that she had been wounded; her left hind leg was twisted awkwardly beneath her, and fresh claw marks raked her side. White-hot anger pulsed through Risingdawn, slow and deadly, and he raced for the confrontation as Patchstar lunged a second time.

-

This time there was more calculation and less blind anger in Patchstar's attack; he moved faster than before, jaws open, lunging for the same shoulder he'd clawed before. He was just about to bite hard when something small and heavy barreled into him. Risingdawn clung to Patchstar's back, a ferocious ginger burr.

"Leave her alone!" the young warrior growled into Patchstar's ear, digging his claws into the older tom's shoulders. The upstart! Patchstar snarled, trying to shake his new opponent off, but was too busy trying to dig his teeth into Snowsong to make a verbal reply.

[.&&. Snowsong.]

Just before Patchstar's jowls reached her already wounded shoulder, Snowsong spotted a pale ginger figure colliding with the leader. Risingdawn! She didn't want him to get hurt, but she knew that she'd need assistance if she was going to have a chance of surviving without being permanently disabled.

"Leave her alone!"

Despite wanting to speak out, before she could even open her jowls to use her vocal chords, she clamped her eyes shut; fangs sank deeply into her right shoulder, and she released a yowl of pain, writhing powerfully in an attempt to tear herself free of her leader's incisors.

Managing to do so, she launched herself backward, reopening her moonstones and stifling a wince as she felt the pain of her wounds and injuries slam into her at once.

She didn't want to risk harming her love, but she didn't want to kill her leader. However, she swiftly realized that she didn't have time to dwell upon decisions. Almost immediately, she lunged, acting as if she was aiming for her leader's back, before slipping downward and aiming a slash of her claws at the lower area of his side, near his stomach.

[♫.Starredmyst]

Risingdawn let out a stifled yowl of fury as Patchstar lunged despite the second attack; he braced himself, digging his claws into the fat tom's shoulders as though to drag him backwards, but Patchstar ignored him grimly, not letting go of Snowsong's shoulder. He was finally going to strike back at these little traitors, the ones at the root of the little whispers and lies about him --

Finally Snowsong wrenched free of his grip. He saw with satisfaction that she winced and lunged, straightforward, to catch the same spot a third time --

But this time Snowsong slid around him, darting for his back; he hissed and swiped at her, but realized too late that she'd been feinting and he'd left his side open. Sharp claws pierced the sensitive area near his stomach and he let out a startled yowl.


Risingdawn realized he wasn't doing much good up on top of Patchstar; the tom was ignoring him completely, so he yanked his claws free and leapt down, darting around to face his leader.

"Stinking coward," the ginger tom hissed, voice low, rising onto his back paws to swipe at the heavy tom's face. "Catch her in a corner so you can bully her -- I'll teach you better than that! Come on, fight someone your own size --"


Patchstar spun to strike back at Snowsong as the weight left his back; he shuddered, feeling for the first time how deep Risingdawn's claws had dug, and slashed at Snowsong in blind retaliation. Then Risingdawn blocked him, claws digging at his face --

A growl deep in his throat, Patchstar lunged directly towards the other cat, head down; Risingdawn was fast, but neither of them were skilled at combat, and Patchstar had an advantage in weight. Claws raked down between Patchstar's ears as the older tom barreled into the younger one, knocking the breath out of Risingdawn. The leader's teeth dug into flesh -- he didn't stop to see where he'd bitten -- and he shoved with one shoulder as he let go, physically throwing the winded tom out of the fight.

Patchstar spun back towards Snowsong and braced himself to attack once more, knowing he'd been distracted for a critical moment.

[.&&. Snowsong.]

A hiss of fury snatched control of Snowsong as she spotted Patchstar throwing Risingdawn from the fight. "How dare you!" Her screeched yowl would have sent chills down many's spines, as she lunged forward toward the leader, her pain and injuries forgotten as all her thoughts snapped over to if her mate was alright or severely hurt.

As soon as the leader, having been distracted with the tom she valued, spun around, she bowled into him, ignoring the force of their collision. It was a shocker to have a cat-snarl escape the pallid feline's throat, especially as she slashed at the older tom's face with her claws.

Almost immediately after that attempt, she launched herself backwards, dashing around her leader in the most confusing patterns that were simply difficult to keep up with. During her movements of gracefully amazing speed, she managed to calm herself down, attempting to keep herself as calm as possible. Growing infuriated now would most likely mean committing too many mistakes to make up for. And she would never forgive herself for that; not a chance.

Without dwelling upon any of those thoughts, she dropped back to her dodge-and-attack-only-when-required technique, bracing for much more damage.

[♫.Starredmyst]

Patchstar managed, just barely, to hold his ground as Snowsong slammed into him; he felt the snarl vibrating in her chest and tried to regain his balance as she backed away, slashing at his face. Of course she'd get angry now, when he needed her hurt and hopeless --

A swipe across his forehead, light but bloody, blinded him momentarily. The tom shook his head furiously, blinking to clear his eyes, and lunged for Snowsong --

-- where Snowsong had been moments before --

How in StarClan's name had she gotten so fast despite her injuries? Patchstar hissed and spun to face her, attacking again -- and again -- but despite his fury and her wounds, they seemed almost evenly matched, and Patchstar was fast running out of creativity.


Risingdawn lay where he'd fallen, several tail-lengths away.

Wasn't he supposed to be somewhere, doing something? He couldn't quite breathe, and the scene in front of him was very stubbornly black; that seemed a good reason to stay still where he was. Leftover adrenaline pounded through his veins, but he couldn't quite work up the energy to do more than shiver his skin a little. If only his lungs would start to work again...

As the ginger warrior's head slowly cleared, the hisses and screeches of a fight sounded, painfully close, in his ears. That was probably why he was lying here. But who...

Snowsong. And Patchstar.

Risingdawn's eyes snapped open, most of his confusion vanishing as another flash of fury cleared his system. Still a little dazed from his fall, he struggled to his paws. A streak of pain flared against his chest; Patchstar had bitten deep in the soft spot just between his ribs and right shoulder. Ignoring it and the various bruises he'd just won by flight -- Snowsong was probably worse off -- Risingdawn raced back towards the conflict.

Patchstar was facing directly away from him, trying to attack his love; pausing just out of the tom's sight, Risingdawn tried to catch Snowsong's eye. He could attack from behind -- but he wanted Snowsong to see him coming first, and plan for it. Rage fizzled through the tom's system, cleaning out any inhibitions he might have had about trying to kill his leader.

[.&&. Snowsong.]

Whipping all around Patchstar, Snowsong attempted to keep the dust upon the Earth, not desiring to give him hints of her location, even if it would be for only a second that she'd be there. It was difficult, she began to find it, to battle the leader alone. But, almost as if on cue, she spotted movement behind the overweight tom. It was her love, getting to his paws ans catching his eye. Within just a split second, she cast Risingdawn a look to his eyes, noting that she planned on distracting the leader and allowing her valued one to attack from behind.

Barely wasting any time, she leaped and landed, exactly in front of her leader, the gap between them only mere tail-lengths. A couple of seconds later, she was at his right side, before back in front of him. Immediately, she lashed out, attempting to grasp her leader's shoulders and pull his neck downward to make him face the ground.

Despite the pain that seared from all her wounds and injuries, she was tense and prepared to leap away if anything went incorrectly with her new plan. Her hopes weren't that high, like usual, and she was beginning to struggle against the pain that suddenly slammed full into her. Suppressing a wince, she concentrated mainly on the battle and the battle alone; no pain, no nothing.

[♫.Starredmyst]

Patchstar snarled as, lightning-fast, Snowsong resumed the offensive; tired and confused, he half turned as she darted to the side, only to be caught between her claws and dragged toward the ground. He resisted the pull on his shoulders despite the pain, but the she-cat had accomplished her objective: he was taken completely by surprise as a new force attacked him from behind.

Risingdawn lunged a split second after Snowsong held Patchstar immobile; once again he leapt onto the leader's back, but this time he used his teeth as well as his claws. Patchstar let out a yowl of pain as the warrior bit deep into the sensitive spot between shoulderblades.

Patchstar shook himself furiously, but this time Risingdawn refused to be dislodged. Obviously the ground was not a safe place for the smaller tom to be. With a hiss, Patchstar turned instead to his other target -- at this close range he couldn't miss. How would the little tom fight with his love down? He ducked his head, ripping free of Snowsong's claws, and aimed a sudden, ferocious bite to her throat.

[.&&. Snowsong.]

A yowl of surprise and pain escaped her throat, but was cut off as soon as incisors sank deeper into her sensitive area. Blood trickled from her throat and jowls as Snowsong meekly pulled back, attempting to rip free of Patchstar. But, it was just her luck as pain slammed into her again, and a slight gurgle sounded from her throat.

Slumping to the ground, eyes open from shock, she attempted to glance at Risingdawn, to see if he was going to be alright. ".. Risi--" she attempted to choke out, but she was cut off as she felt blackness begin to seep into her mind. ".. No..," she whispered, barely audible, as her head dropped to the ground. Despite her moonstones being opened halfway, she seemed to be dying.

However, she wasn't going to allow it. Stubbornly struggling to stay alive, she narrowed to orbs to slits, allowing her figure to go limp to conserve energy. Mother.. Father.. Don't let me die... I.. I can't die... Not now... As if her wish was granted, she felt a presence beside her, a warm one.

And a voice, a soft and gentle one, smooth as silk, whispered to her, "Don't worry, my dear Snowsong. I'm here; you'll survive." It caused her heart to pause, just for a second.

A moment of silence occurred within her mind, before her thoughts began to cooperate with her. Mother...?

"Yes, dear. It's me." A pause. ".. I must go, dear. I'll tell you when you'll be able to awaken. Just, don't worry my sweet. None of you will die." The voice faded away, and Snowsong didn't bother to protest. Instead, she allowed her mind to grow blank, hoping to regain just enough strength..

[♫.Starredmyst]

Risingdawn felt his heart stop as Patchstar lunged beneath him -- as Snowsong crumpled to the ground below them -- as he saw the blood on his leader's teeth --

He felt oddly disconnected from his body, even as a fresh surge of anger pumped adrenaline through him, even as he leapt down off the other tom to better understand what had happened. Snowsong wasn't dying. Couldn't be. That wasn't how her story ended anymore. Was it?

Then he saw her body lying there, the dark red against the white fur of her throat, and it hit him hard. She was. She was dying. And it was his fault --

-- and that oaf, that stupid, heartless idiot of a leader, had done it --

In an instant, Risingdawn spun to face his leader. With a snarl in his throat and his teeth bared, with the blood of all three cats marking his ginger pelt, he looked for an instant as frightening as a cat of his stature could be. "I'll kill you," he whispered, voice deadly soft, tail whipping as he advanced on Patchstar. "She didn't deserve that. StarClan hear me, I'll kill you."

Patchstar sneered, clumsily lunging for the younger tom. Risingdawn dodged the attack, green eyes narrowed, and began to close in with deliberate slowness once more.

"You don't want to share her fate," Patchstar responded; he was still smirking, but the other tom's deliberate movements were clearly beginning to unnerve him. There was still a gleam of madness in his eyes. "I don't take disrespect, kit, and after you influenced her, disrespect was all she gave me. Give up and I'll let you live."

But Risingdawn was past that, now. With a final angry cry that was half hiss, half screech, he lunged straight for Patchstar's throat -- and at the same time, in a last attempt to save himself, Patchstar aimed for his.

[.&&. Snowsong.]

The blank ebony was beginning to unnerve her. She had a burning desire to know what was occurring, to know what fate that her love and her leader had. Mother.. I need to wake up.. A surge of a foreboding atmosphere hit her. I need to, now!

There was a pause. Then, the soft voice returned. "In time, dear." The smoothness was disrupted by the concern of her young one attempting to shift around. A sigh sounded. "Alright, dear. I just hope you're ready to endure the pain." After another pause, a dim light began to flicker.

A short moment after the dim light began to glow, faint voices drifted onto her eardrums. Immediately, pain slammed into her, but she seemed unmoved as she felt energy return to her.

Just as she was calm and regaining her strength, she felt a physical jolt surge through her. Then, a hissed screech battered her eardrums. Her breath hitched in her throat. Something told her that it wasn't going to end well if she didn't revive soon.

Though still dizzy, her eyes snapped open, in time to see the toms attempt to land final blows to the others' throats. "No!" she shrieked, getting to her paws and immediately launching herself in between the two males.

Gritting her incisors, she felt fangs sink into either of her sides, from both of the masculines, and she released some of the breath from her lungs. With a gasp for air, she thrashed herself, attempting to separate the toms before slumping to the ground, panting for air. "Stop... I ask of you.. to stop...," she choked, before clamping her moonstones shut.

[♫.Starredmyst]

OOc;{Yeah, so, my internet is being deadish. So that's why I keep signing off at random. xD}

Was that -- ?

It couldn't be.

Risingdawn knew he was hallucinating. That couldn't have been Snowsong's voice that rang out as he lunged --

For the briefest moment, both toms felt the dark satisfaction of a kill as their teeth bit deep. But then they realized that there was no answering pain, and that the angle of attack felt wrong --

It was hard to say which tom was more horrified as Snowsong dropped to the ground between them.

In a flash Risingdawn had put himself between Snowsong and Patchstar. "Snow --" he breathed, even as the she-cat's eyes closed. "Snow, no -- you're alive -- don't die on me --"

He spun to face Patchstar. "Get the medicine cat," he ordered, eyes glittering dark. Patchstar sneered; he looked almost put out that the she-cat was still alive.

"I'd much rather you watched her die --"

"Get. The. Medicine. Cat. Now." Each word was accented by a snarl and a half-step towards the leader. "I'm not leaving her. The Clan can see you. Save her."

Patchstar bared his teeth; Risingdawn's words barely seemed to affect the status-conscious, mad leader. It was hard to tell which tom was angrier, or closer to resorting to blows once more.

[.&&. Snowsong.]

"Snow -- Snow, no -- you're alive -- don't die on me."

For a moment, her love's words didn't register. But then, she felt another hint of energy seep back into her, and then the scent of her mother drifted over her; it was faint, but still there.

"Snowsong, dear. Open your eyes. Don't worry, you won't die." The pallid she-cat wanted to listen to her mother's voice, but her body wouldn't obey her. It just wanted to stay still, and so far, it was getting what it wanted. For a couple of heartbeats, she was forced to remain still. But then, her determination began to prevail.

Slowly reopening her moonstones, she glanced up, even if it was just to see the back of Risingdawn. Almost immediately, Patchstar and her beloved one's argument registered, and she hoped that another fight wouldn't break out, again.

"I'd much rather you watched her die --"

"Get. The. Medicine. Cat. Now. I'm not leaving her. The Clan can see you. Save her."

The conversation normally would have provoked her, but she felt too weak to move and make a comment. Instead, she only replied to the ginger tom. "... I won't die on you...," she whispered quietly, softly.

[♫.Starredmyst]

Green eyes, dark and light, had met in a furious, silent battle; Snowsong's voice was the only thing that could have made Risingdawn look away.

"... I won't die on you...,"

The weak whisper broke through the warrior's rising anger. With a final, vicious glare Risingdawn broke the staring contest and turned back towards Snowsong; he ducked his head and rasped his tongue along her cheek, the gesture oddly gentle when his entire body was stiff with anger.

"You'd better not," he murmured, and pulled away to face Patchstar once more. His voice went cold. "If you won't get the medicine cat, I have no choice. But harm one more strand of fur on her, and I swear I'll rip your stomach out and watch you die slowly."

"I'm sure the Clan would love you for that," Patchstar jeered; he'd meant it sarcastically, but faltered when Risingdawn gave him a frosty smile. Not pausing for more than that, the ginger tom raced off toward the entrance; he knew the medicine cat was out grathering herbs.

OOc;{muse died mid-post. D=}

[.&&. Snowsong.]

A warm tongue gently rasped across her cheek, and Snowsong closed her orbs, knowing too well that it was Risingdawn whom had paid attention to her. She allowed herself to relax, but her breathing was heavy still. To top her struggles off, she grew concerned as the pale figure looming over her dashed off, with a remark.

"If you won't get the medicine cat, I have no choice. But harm one more strand of fur on her, and I swear I'll rip your stomach out and watch you die slowly."

She could only lay there, waiting for the return of the medicine cat. If only she could just get up and move slightly; that way, she'd be able to escape Patchstar's grasp, if only just a bit.

It was just her luck that she was stuck with the tom that had nearly killed her, the tom that even threatened to kill her beloved. Hoping that both her love and the medicine cat would arrive soon, she only attempted to even her breathing, remaining emotionless and calm as her orbs narrowed to barely more than slits.

Come back soon, Risingdawn..., she prayed, secretly, to whoever in StarClan that could hear her.

[[ Muse ran away. >> ]]

[♫.Starredmyst]

OOc;{I'm just gonna throw some random nonexistent medicine cat in here for the time being. xD}

Patchstar watched Risingdawn go, eyes narrowed, and after a long moment turned towards Snowsong. He studied her as he would study a piece of crowfood he was expected to eat, disgusted, and began to slowly pace around her; he was starting to hurt, but he wasn't going to lie down in front of an enemy.

The she-cat barely seemed alive, let alone conscious. Patchstar wished, furiously, that he dared kill her now. She was so helpless, and if they'd been disrespectful before, they were downright traitors now, hurting him -- he could do it, quickly, before the stupid tom came back, slash her throat so that the wound he'd already made would hide it -- and he'd have his revenge, watching the stupid kit bawl over a broken heart --

Pat. Don't do that. The voice was cold and hard; a blunt command. The Clan will hate you more than they do already, and the ginger tom will kill you.

But Daddy -- the tom protested, silently.

You heard me. Don't.

Fine. With an audible huff, Patchstar sat down in front of Snowsong. He glared at her. "I don't know why you can't just die," he snapped, thinking that as badly off as she was, it barely mattered if she could hear him. "This was going perfectly. I had you pinned, I knew what you would do, what your stupid tom would do. And then you had to go and do something different."

He heaved a sigh, eyeing her wounds with a touch of wistfulness, and glanced up. "Oh, look," he added acidly, backing away from the she-cat. "Medicine for you, sweetheart."

Risingdawn hurried back over towards the scene of the fight, completely ignoring the medicine cat's protests that he could stop right there and get himself taken care of first. "There, you see?" he shot back at the medicine cat. "She needs you more than I do." He glared at Patchstar, who glared right back. "I think he's worse off than I am, too," the warrior added, baiting his leader. Patchstar bared his teeth, but said nothing.

The medicine cat hurried about with cobwebs and herbs; seeing that Snowsong would be taken care of, Risingdawn lay down next to her. "Just hang on a little longer, Snow," he murmured. "The medicine cat's here."