(Ash) Let's Play, Shall We?

[{Lunarstar}]

Ash glared at Shrill as the ghostly she cat got off of her. "Thanks. Nice to know I'm gonna end up like you." she mewed, lashing her tail and stalking off toward the cave. It's not my fault I've never thought about training until now! I never expected to have death in front of me! Seriously! She's literally had a lifetime! Ash fumed, not waiting for Shrill. SHe barely even wanted to hear what the ignorant she-cat had to say, but if it would help her fight Khal... The black tortoiseshell she-cat sighed, her blue-eyed gaze dropping to her paws and her fur relaxing.

[.:*Hawkstar*:.]

Shrill could sense Ash's anger, even though she wasn't looking at the cat. Her paws glided evenly over the smooth grass as she walked beside the she-cat. "Ash, you won't get killed," Shrill meowed, almost sadly. "We are going to be at the fight, me and my brothers. We won't let any of you get hurt." She held her head lowered and at an angle that read she was worried. She didn't want to tell Ash... She couldn't! Ash was such a nice cat, and if she tried to get in the way of what was to happen...... Shrill didn't want to think about it. It's my secret. It's my brothers' secret. It's only for us to know...

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Ash lashed her tail to acknowlege Shrill's comment. She still thought she'd die. She glanced over at Shrill, the dead she-cat looked worried. "What's wrong?" Ash asked gently, using the soothing tone a mother might use for a kit. Ash may hate Shrill sometimes, but she'd always care about her.

[.:*Hawkstar*:.]

Shrill perked up, her ears flicking frantically. Why did she show emotion like she was saying it? She couldn't help it. She shook her head with a forced laugh. "Oh, nothing, nothing," she meowed dismissively. "Just trying to think out a few things... Like how the fight's going to turn out... I need to drift tonight and see if he is any closer. I need to know if he's bringing others to his side..." Shrill looked up as the mist began to disperse. The moon loomed above. Only a couple more...

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"Yeah...Umm, Shrill?" Ash glanced at the dead she-cat, trying to mask her emotions. "If the boys, Bleak and Scratch, aren't back tonight can you try to stay close to the cave?" Ash asked, looking at her paws. She would not show fear to any cat, no matter how scared she was. Fear's for the weak. Isolation, anger, defiance, bravery, sadness, and hatred make you stronger. Fear makes you blind, and it masks those powerful emotions, making you weak and spineless. No cat who wanted to be strong should show fear. Ash had only showed fear once in her life, the day she killed her father.

"Hello, Daryl." Fiona mewed, stepping into the dark cave. She shook her sodden black and tortoiseshell coat, having just walked through a rain storm. Her navy eyes narrowed dangerously as a large Cheshire cat grin. (I know! Not good for warriors, but it's a good metaphor)

"Fiona, what do you need?" Her father, Daryl, asked irritably, glaring at his daughter. She knew not to visit, Daryl hated her, she hated him. It worked out very well.

"Oh, we have some...unfinished business to take care of." Fiona purred, stepping closer to her laying father.

"Like?"

"Payback." Fiona whispered, springing onto her father's back. With incredible agility and strength, she leapt off, clawing her father's throat. Then, she bit into his throat, easily causing a gaping wound. She stared down at the dying man. Wow...he almost wasn't worth my time. He'll be dead by sunrise. she thought, glaring down at him.

"Wh-why, Fiona?" Daryl choked on his words, spraying blood as he talked.

Fiona laughed harshly, giving him another insane smile. "Payback. Oh," she bent close to his ear, "my name is Ash now." With a simple flick of one hooked claw, she tore one of Daryl's eyes out of it's socket, flicking it away like a measly ball of moss. With an insane laugh, she flickered her tail in goodbye, and walked out of her father's life forever.

[.:*Hawkstar*:.]

Shrill twitched. Ash was nervous. "You can come and stay with me and Twig and Owl if you like," she offered gently. She knew that, with how much talk was happening, Kahl was sounding like hell on Earth. Any cat would fear him. Shrill did. Owl did, though he wouldn't admit it. Bleak did. Twig definitely did. When Owl reported about them having to stay because of Kahl, Twig had nearly broken like his name. He had quivered and trembled. Owl took twenty minutes to calm him.

"Us ghosts need sleep, too," she added, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "We are all camping out at a nearby cave and we have plenty of room. Owl just never seems to sleep, so he's on constant watch. You'll be safe there." Shrill looked down at her paws as the pair walked for a few moments in silence.

Shrill broke that silence with only eight words. "It's okay to be afraid, Ash. I'm terrified."

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Ash decided to ignore Shrill's comment about being afraid. "Thanks, I'd feel better sleeping with someone who knows what they're doing." she said, wacthing her paws. Fear was overwhelming her, soon she'd have to fight Bleak's father, Khal. He was so much stronger than her, and she was so out of practice.

[.:*Hawkstar*:.]

Shrill's ears flicked. She ignored her? Rude? "Okay," she meowed, nonetheless. She lifted her nose to the air and drew in a lifeless breath. "Aah," she sighed, "smell that air. I haven't scented that in such a long time!" She gave a little bounce in her step and began to trot ahead. She promptly rolled over onto her back and took in the cool grass under her. "Ash!" she called. "Have you felt this grass! It's so soft!"

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Ash cocked her head, giving Shrill a quizzical look. "Doesn't all grass feel the same?" She had never thought much about how grass felt, she knew she'd rather have water under her paws, but she didn't mind grass. She sat where she was watching the dead she-cat roll around with an amused expression on her face.

[.:*Hawkstar*:.]

Shrill froze suddenly, on her back with her legs in the air. She sniffed once, twice, and then sat up. Her gaze had gone completely serious and a frown was on her lips. "Ash..." She had barely said it, but it was flushed and angry. Her pelt bristled and her fangs were bared.

Without a sound, the dead-cat sprang onto the other cat and pinned her head to the ground. "See?" she meowed, once again cheerful. "Feel it! It's so soft!"

OOC:: lol sorry, had to put a random mood swing in...

[{Lunarstar}]

Ash gave herself a push, pushing Shrill off of her. She stared at Shrill with wide, worried, and almost fearful navy eyes. "Please tell me that doesn't happen often!" she pleaded backing up a few steps. If Shrill got that angry over grass, she wasn't sure what else the dead cat was caplable of.

[.:*Hawkstar*:.]

Shrill made no move to try to pin Ash once more. Instead, she swung back her head and howled with laughter. "No, dear," she sputtered, "it only happens every here and there. Nothing to worry about. I wasn't going to harm you." She rolled to the side and let her laughing carry out into the still night's air.

[{Lunarstar}]

Ash stared at Shrill with a look of half worry a quarter concern and another quarter confusion. This cat must be insane... Wow... How did Bleak turn out so normal compared to her? With an insane dad and sister... Ash thought in bleak concern, still staring at Shrill. She just sat where she was, her navy gaze straying to the stars.

"Ruby...if you can hear me...I need help... I can't fight Kahl alone, I have Bleak and Scratch, and the ghosts, of course, but I don't know if any of us can fight him... I need strength..." Ash murmured quietly to the stars and moon, gazing in desperation for a sign. She never believed in ghosts, or ancestors watching over her, but after meeting Bleak, Scratch, and Shrill, she wouldn't be surprised if she saw a shooting star at that moment...Nothing. Ash sighed and turned her attention back to Shrill, putting Kahl and Ruby out of her mind. She wouldn't think of anything. Thinking made her feel, feeling made her weak. There was only one emotion she'd enjoy feeling, one emotion that always gave her strength, and it came with a memory. Anger... and her father raping her when she was six moons old.

OOC: It isn't going anywhere above G rating! No worries

"Father?" Fiona called, walking into her father's cave and shaking rain from her black tortoiseshell pelt. She glanced around the dark cave, her father normally yelled at her the moment she entered, asking why she was there or making her do his chores. She sniffed, catching his very fresh scent. He was here.

"Father?" she called again, glancing around the cave, shrinking back a little. She couldn't see him, could only smell his scent waft around her, feel his presence near...

"Hello, Fiona." Fiona's father's purr came from just beyond the shadows, all she could see was his yellow eyes, but even they were just a shadow.

"Hello..." Fiona replied uncertainly, her father was being much too nice. She straightened herself, stood tall and erect, and narrowed her eyes at his shadowy eyes, not letting her guard down.

Daryl strolled out of the shadows, his similarities to Fiona once again catching her off-guard. He had the same pelt with the exact same markings in the exact same places. The only difference were their eyes. As Ruby had once told her, Navy was the sky at night, the beautiful of black, the good side of evil. Yellow was a snake's waiting eye, ready to strike, the center of a flame, the color of puss from a wound, the evil side of evil.

"What's up? Did you get hit on your head or something? Shouldn't you be yelling at me? Or ordering me around?" Fiona asked irritably, lashing her tail through the air with such force she began to create a small draft.

Daryl chuckled softly before meowing in response, "oh dear child, I just want to spend the night with you. With your mother gone and all, I've been quite lonely." He took a few steps closer to her.

"What?" Was all Fiona could ask before his side was against her. With a hard shove of one shoulder he knocked her over, bending over her and purring pleasantly.

"I'll enjoy this!" He murmured to her.

Creep,That was Fiona's last thought before she began screaming.

Ash's anger swelled around her at the memory, she bristled out her neck fur and stood, then began pacing, black tail slashing through the air.

[.:*Hawkstar*:.]

Shrill had quieted down, her sanity returning to her as Ash became silent. Shrill's ears had not caught the words she had muttered. Heck, she could hardly ever hear much due to the water clogging her ears. She didn't ask about it, though, she knew better.

"Ash?" Shrill asked softly as the black cat rose to her feet, her power flaring incredibly. The white cat flicked her ears worriedly. Where did that come from? She could tell that the other was deep into her thoughts, but she hadn't expected this. "What's wrong, Ash? Did you scent something?"

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Ash barely heard Shrill as she paced, but soon relaized what she'd said. "I'm fine, sorry... I was just reliving the past." she mewed quietly, sitting back down, her fur still bristling, her navy eyes flaring blue flames. She soon smoldered her gaze, locking it onto the ground in front of her. She hated calling on emotions, but also hated feeling emotions by mistake. Losing control over yourself and your thoughts was the ultimate weakness, being able to call on your feelings is strength and control.