[Open] As Far As I Know...

[.:*Hawkstar*:.]

Smokescore became still. "If one can slam themselves hard enough into the trunk, they can crack their skull and the blood would flow into their brain until death swept over them." His voice was flat. She was standing too close to him. Why she was insisting on that, he had no idea.

The gray cat sat up, rubbing his forehead with his paw to clean away the debris from the tree. "Why are you out here, moon-cat? And I wasn't having an episode because of you. I would never do that. All you did was scratch me a little. I flipped because I remembered something that I should have cleaned from my mind long ago." Rose, give me the strength to hold my tongue, he prayed silently. This beast could freely kill him out here, and she wouldn't have to tell her warriors to be silent about the sight.

Smokescore lifted his eyes to the tree for a second, but soon rested them back on his so-called leader. They held no emotion, like usual, and they ran up and down her body quickly.

"Well, moon-cat? What is your reason for following me and listening to me babble? Do I concern you? Do you fear that I will betray you?" He paused for a heartbeat, considering what he would say next.

"Like that horrid traitor, Hawkstripe, did?"

[{Lunarstar}]

Lunarstar blinked once at the cat's casual mention of her former warrior. Her best warrior. The idiot could have became her deputy, he could have been somebody. But he left. He left her and all of it behind. He was a fool and a a traitor. She narrowed her eyes and turned her head from Smokescore, her new best warrior. He may not now it, but he was a lot like Hawkstripe. Not begging and pleading at her paws, staying indifferent to her, and pretending to hate her. Both had a strong build. He was only better than the rest because he could go just as far as Hawkstripe if he wanted. Lunarstar sighed and meowed, "Hawkstripe is a fool. He left the one cat that could make him a leader, let him walk in the paw steps of his famous ancestors. I could've made him a legend. But he fell for a stupid tramp! He impregnated her, so he just had to follow the skank. He left me, Lunarstar, for Hawkstar! He traded fish for fur! He's a mouse who thinks he has gotten away, but is only running deeper into my trap. He's just playing my game and he doesn't even know."

Lunarstar whipped her head back around to face Smokescore. "Hawkstripe is a fool. Simply a fool. He denied his destiny, even when it was handed to him on a silver platter! The fool left--"

Lunarstar stopped talking and looked at her paws, her eyes were stinging. It hurt too. She shut them tightly, trying to relieve the pain, but it wasn't working. What's happening to me? she thought in despair, opening her eyes again. Then she saw the water. Two small streams of water were flowing down her cheeks...She was crying.

"The fool left...me." she whispered, eyes wide as she watched the water make small pools by her paws. She hadn't known until that moment how deeply she cared about him. She had wanted to maybe have kits with him. She just didn't know it. She had never understood why she was so angered at his betrayal, she would have normally shrugged it off, but she now knew. She was the fool. She let herself get drawn in by the power, the power she could sense so easily around his body. And the lust for power turned into...love.

"I am an idiot!" she yelled, shaking her head as the tears came out faster. She had always looked down upon those that 'loved'. Yet she had been swept up in it.

OOC: Woah! I used "fool" A LOT!

[.:*Hawkstar*:.]

Smokescore watched blankly as Lunarstar's eye filled with tears, and she ranted about the warrior that she could have been with. Guess I owe you a thanks, birded-streak. You left her with fresh wounds that I could play with until they bled once more.

"Yes, he betrayed you," the gray cat meowed softly, his voice sly and eerie as he fed the flames of Lunarstar's rage. "He left you for something that was far beneath his level. You deserved better than that. He should have been worshiping the ground you prowled your powerful aura over, not fooling around with something that hides itself from the sun. He was yours for the taking, and he scampered away like a ignorant young rabbit."

The gray tomcat leaned forward, his eyes containing a look somewhat close to lust. His breath stirred the black she-cat's ear. "He was blind to what you could do for him. You could lift him higher than those foolish ancestors ever could. And now, he thinks he's as happy as ever with that she-cat, with you completely out of the picture. He is content with living the life of a shadow-dweller."

Smokescore slowly stood, circling Lunarstar, his fur occasionally brushing her's as he did so. He would crouch low to the ground as he reached the ground in front of her, rising up as he passed about her sides and back. "He left you. But I would never do that. I get angry, but never enough to betray the one I serve. That's just absurd." The gray cat's tail gently swept beneath Lunarstar's chin, and he turned to have his head next to her own, and his tail wiped away a trail of water rushing from her eyes.

"I'll be here for you, Lunarstar. I will not become what he did." Smokescore again ran his tail over the black she-cat. "I am loyal to the end of my life. I was loyal to 7673 until she died two weeks after we met. I am loyal to the very end. Anything you say, goes. And whoever doesn't cooperate with you, I will gladly handle them.. I will always be here. Promise."

Feed the fire, earn her trust. Maybe you can get her to see you as something better than Hawkstripe. You can do far more for her than him. She deserves you, and you deserve her. Don't let this one slip away, 76653.

[{Lunarstar}]

Lunarstar's tears dried quickly as her new warrior began speaking. She turned her head away from him, eyes narrowing as she listened to him, her eyes falling on the trees in the background. As she watched the tree, the gray tom began to circle her and she fixed her gaze on her paws instead.

"I'll be here for you, Lunarstar. I will not become what he did." The words circled around in her mind, and she shut her eyes. She knew this game. Knew it well. She used it to become deputy. She also knew she wouldn't be able to ignore such true statements about her former warrior.

"I am loyal to the very end. Anything you say, goes. And whoever doesn't cooperate with you, I will gladly handle them.. I will always be here. Promise."

Lunarstar glanced up at the circling tom, her eyes wide and needy. She wanted to trust him. But she couldn't.

"I'm sorry...but you'll probably betray me like him..." Lunarstar meowed quietly, then she whipped her head to the opposite direction, closing her eyes tightly.

"Everyone betrays me. No one can be trusted in this filthy world[/b]." she hissed, her voice shaking in fury. She had been betrayed too much, she was like an abused puppy. Beat one too many times and they lose all faith in humans. [/color]

OOC: Sorry it's sorta short!

[.:*Hawkstar*:.]

Smokescore narrowed his eyes. "No, you're wrong, Lunarstar," he meowed, running his tail comfortingly down her back. "You can trust me. I promise. And if you think that my loyalty is faltering, attack me. Put me back in my place when I'm disobedient. Please, I want you to trust me. I don't want you to hide away because I'm not trustworthy. Please." The tom slid around her to look in her eyes. His violet eyes clashed with her yellow. There was a strange emotion in his.

"Trust me, Lunarstar. I know how to keep a promise. I was taught by one of the best. Just give me a chance to show you that I'm the one you can have at your side like Hawkstripe was before he fell so far." Smokescore leaned forward, almost bringing their noses together.

"I'll be better than Hawkstripe ever was. And I'll tell you that every day. I swear on 7673's grave. She was my best friend and my hero. Anything on her grave is a promise to keep forever."

[{Lunarstar}]

Lunarstar sighed. She knew whatever she decided could make or break her. She could choose to trust this insane cat with great potential, or she could walk away and wait for someone better. But who? Prairiestep and Ringtail were too soft, weak-spined, they couldn't kill a cat if they needed. But could Smokescore? She knew Hawkstripe could have, she had suspicions that he already had. She needed a cat that could kill when asked, on impulse, kill without question. Could Smokescore do that? Or agree to?

Lunarstar looked up at him, the cold look in her eyes back. "I can't trust you until I know you're willing to do what only Hawkstripe has ever agreed to do for me. Kill a cat. I need you to be willing to kill without a moment's hesitation when I tell you to. Can you do that?" she asked, her voice low.

She was so close yet so far. Close to having a cat in her life again, but she knew she could drive him off with one wrong move or word. She had never had to worry about that with Hawkstripe, he showed her from day one that he could do whatever she asked, and nothing from her past scared him or affected him. Just because Smokescore was strong, didn't mean he was emotionally strong enough.

"Think wisely before answering that, Smokescore." Lunarstar advised. "If you answer yes, you will have to prove it. And if he escapes because you were too weak to finish him off, it'll be on your head. And the death threat shall become a promise."

[.:*Hawkstar*:.]

Smokescore was frozen in place for a heartbeat, considering what he has asked.

Finally, he smirked, insanity creeping into his dull eyes. "Point me in the right direction, and I'll do anything. Give me a pelt to claw and the order, and you have a dead cat in a heartbeat."

He had never really killed anything but prey, but what different could it be? He had fought other cats, and they were easy. Combine hunting skills and battle skills, and you have a murder. The thought of pleasing his leader excited the gray tomcat. Now, all he needed to do was wait for the cat she wanted dead, and wait for her order to kill.

It may disgust him somewhat in the future, but he would be her bloodhound. When she let him off the leash with that command to kill, he would charge forward without considering his life safety. He would please the beast. The cat sitting before him would be his master. He was her servant, and he really didn't mind the thought of it.

He nodded for emphasis. "I'll do anything, Lunarstar. Kill anything, Lunarstar."

[{Lunarstar}]

Lunarstar narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Good. Stay here, I'll be right back." she meowed, then jumped into the bushes and began looking for Daisy. Daisy was always getting raped, she had too many kits to take care of. She would gladly hand one over, especially to Lunarstar. Daisy did her best to care for them, but there were always too many and most died anyway.

"Daisy!" Lunarstar called as she saw the familiar creme pelt of Daisy. And as always she had over five kits scampering around her and three at her belly.

"Lunar! How are you?" Daisy purred.

"Good. But I need a kit." Lunarstar answered, getting right down to business.

"Oh, for?" Daisy asked, already choosing one of the newborns suckling at her belly. A fluffy gray bundle of "cuteness".

"Testing a tom. He says he can kill. I'll see about that." Lunarstar answered picking up the kit by the scruff. "Thanks." she mumbled through the fur.

"Sure! It's one less burden to deal with." Daisy purred, turning back to the older kits.

Lunarstar hurried back, trying not to cause the kit to mewl. She set the kit down in front of Smokescore when she returned and smiled at him. "Okay, I order you to killl." she purred with a smirk. She was pretty sure he couldn't do it. She learned how to do it from an early age, but he'd never killed before.

The kit mewed softly and crept cautiously to his paws. She stuck her head as far as it could go and sniffed his paw. Then looked up at him, mouth open in a sharply toothed smile. She began to purr.

[.:*Hawkstar*:.]

Smokescore sat still and waited silently until his leader returned, dangling a small kitten from her jaws. That was what he had to kill? A kitten?

Bending down his head, the gray cat sniffed the smiling kit. With a sneer, he lifted his paw and swatted at the bundle, claws extended. As the fluffy kit was tossed away, the gray cat's eyes filled with insanity. With a vile grin, he charged at the kit, pouncing on it and rolling with it, throwing it up into the air. It was screaming and squealing; just like the toys the gray tomcat had played with back when he lived in a shelter.

Suddenly, battle took over, and Smokescore sank his fangs into the little thing's neck, squinting his eyes and clenching his jaws. The scrap of fur screamed in pain as the tom's grip slowly tightened.

Crack!

Just the sound the tom was waiting to hear. He dropped the broken kit, and bent his head down to her little ear as the life fled from her. "Say hello to 7673 from 76653. And her name is Rose," he murmured only for the baby animal's hearing. Stepping back as the final breath of the kit was drawn, he turned his hardened gaze over to Lunarstar.

"That was just child's play, Lunarstar. I was honestly expecting something that would fight back." Smokescore wiped the blood from his mouth, slight disappointment in his dull eyes.

[{Lunarstar}]

"I just needed to make sure you aren't soft. That is the test most others would fail. It's rare when a cat is willing to harm a kit, especially those of a Clan. They treasure kits above all else." Lunarstar said. "I would have prefferred to see if you could kill your own kit, like I made Hawkstripe do. Well, we had three, so we both had to kill them. But sadly, you dion't have any for me to test you on." she added, shrugging her shoulders.

She began to circle him, as he had done to her earlier, looking for signs of weakness. She was trying to decide which loner was best suited for him, which could kill him. Adder might...but the tom was so dang arrogant he wouldn't think of Smokescore as a big enough threat. Ash maybe... No, the stupid she-cat was too much like Blossomkit. Always showing her up.

Lunarstar sighed inwardly, all her loners and warriors were weak. If she had Hawkstripe on her side, he'd be the best choice. They weere matched in size and build, but Hawkstripe had the training to kill Smokescore. Oh well, she'd have to settle for second-best. Bone. His problem was his age and lithe body, he didn't do as well against toms with stronger builds than his. That's why he fought she-cats.

Perfect, let my warrior kill my enemy for me.

Lunarstar let out a sound that was more like a human's scream than a cat's, and smiled at Smokescore.

"Bone will be here soon."

[.:*Hawkstar*:.]

Smokescore sat with his spine straight as Lunarstar mimicked him, dragging herself around him in circles. His eyes looked onward, not bothering to follow her when she passed before him.

He nearly jumped at the sound she made before announcing that someone was going to be there shortly. "Bone?" he repeated. Perhaps an old rival of her's? Well, whoever he was, he sounded like some fun to play at. With a soft smirk, the gray tomcat worked his claws through the soil in anticipation.

"Someone you know, I take it. How are you so sure that he'll be here?" Smokescore added, sparing the black cat a side-glance. He had always found it fascinating how someone could be connected to another so strongly that they could sense each other when they were near. But those gray ears had always been told that it was just fairytale. Two could not be connected by their intellect. Simply impossible.

But Rose once told him of the gifted ones.

The ones that were, in fact, connected more strongly that others. That there were cats out there with great knowledge burning in their eyes, burdening them at times. They were the deranged, the psychotic, the crazy...

The only ones who were actually perfect.

[{Lunarstar}]

"Because, she knows I'll never let a good fight slip through my paws." came a deep, silky purr from the bushes. The rustled for a few moments before a sleek gray tom slipped out. His muzzle was beginning to lighten with age, but he was as fit as any warrior. Claws the size of two put together, fangs that looked as though they were sharpened each night. His yellow eyes flashed in anticipation as he sat down, head held regally in the air, his lips parting in a sneer.

"Smokescore, this is Bone. Bone, Smokescore." Lunarstar introduced.

"What happened to the other tom...Hawk-something?" Bone asked, looking for the strange pelt of the Hawk cat.

"He's...no longer in my service." Lunarstar muttered, looking at her paws.

"Now Moonflight, that is not acceptable. You know killing isn't allowed just to wipe out threats." Bone scolded, still not comfortable using Latin, and still refusing to use her Leader name.

"Oh, so you don't want to help me?" Lunarstar asked.

"With what, my dear?" Bone asked, though he already knew.

"Kill him." Lunarstar meowed, pointing her tail at Smokescore and turning and walking off into the bushes.

She only went a little ways away, knowing there would be a body to collect, whose, she wasn't sure. Smokescore had the advantage of muscle and power, while Bone had the experience and agility. Lunarstar just shrugged, she could handle seeing either tom dead.


OOC: Hawky, RP with Bone and yourself. It'll be easier to kill him. Actually make him run off close to death, he doesn't allow himself to die.

[.:*Hawkstar*:.]

OOC:: Okay, but battle scenes aren't my best... I think they come out wrong...

Smokescore was taken aback at Lunarstar's words. She was ordering this new cat to kill him! But before he had the chance to question her, she walked away.

Turning his violet gaze over to the aged tomcat, the gray tom stood slowly, swiping his tail around the ground. Bone seemed rather comfortable with the situation at paw.

Snarling, Smokescore lunged, closing the space between the two toms quickly. Bone stepped to the side, almost bored. Smokescore wheeled on him before he could move and connected his head to the older cat's chest. Bone doubled backward, the wind knocked from his body. Smokescore took advantage of the tom's open belly and dove forward, but Bone lashed him away with all four sets of claws.

The gray cat hissed in pain as one of Bone's claws sliced over his face, creating a gash above his eye. Closing that eye to avoid the blood leaking down towards it, Smokescore rushed forward once more, managing to get around Bone's claws and slash his deep into the belly of the old cat.

Bone yowled in pain, throwing the other tomcat off. He scrambled to his paws just in time to avoid the young cat charging him again. But Smokescore knew that it would happen. And just as he barreled past, he lifted one leg and brought Bone down with him. The two tumbled and rolled in a flurry of tails and claws, their hisses and spits the only sound audible at the time.

Finally, Smokescore managed to get Bone in his grasp, clinging to his back and scruff. His powerful hind claws beat at the poor older cat's backside, tearing deep gouges into his withering pelt. Bone yowled and managed to tear himself free, escaping deep into the brush.

Smokescore stood up, panting with effort, and quickly gave chase. His powerful body pulsed with adrenaline, the thrill of a fight pumping his veins. He quickly found the old cat and brought him down like a lion to a zebra, pouncing on his hindquarters and dragging him down in his jaws.

The two writhed once more, Bone's advanced claws shredding the younger tom. Smokescore yowled, but refused to let go. He kicked away to other cat's legs and sank his teeth into the gray fur of the withering animal. Bone snarled, rolling away to force Smokescore to release. Smokescore was back on him like a parasite, refusing to give up until his host was down. His teeth found Bone's ear, and his hind paws once more beat at him, this time his belly. Bone cried out, and pulled himself free with a sickening rip as his ear split open. With his newly found -and very short- freedom, he turned and raced away, and Smokescore lost sight of him.

Smokescore looked down at himself. He was smeared with blood, his body bleeding in numerous spots. "... Wow," he breathed. He slowly began to trek back towards where he had last seen Lunarstar, when he remembered something.

He hadn't killed Bone. Only drove him off.

Smokescore wracked his brain for any evidence of the black she-cat telling him to kill the withering tomcat. He couldn't recall it. Maybe that was just for the kitten? Guh, how useful you're brain can be, 76653! Dimwit. As he mentally scolded himself, Smokescore kept his senses alert for any signs of Bone returning. His eyes were focused before him, his ears swiveling back and forth, trying to catch and sound of motion.

None. The only sound he heard was the blood roaring in his ears as his excitement slowly simmered.

Finally, Smokescore reached that little clearing with the tree he had ran into. Sitting down, he slowly began to groom the blood from his fur, his ears still pricked for danger.

Lunarstar's scent was fresh. She was here not too long ago, but he couldn't see her. She was hiding. But, he paid no mind; he had wounds to clean, blood to taste. He couldn't bother looking for that black-furred beast at the current moment.

He would simply have to wait for her return.

[{Lunarstar}]

Lunarstar narrowed her eyes at the tom, claws sliding into the dirt. He made a foolish mistake, ignoring things around him to focus on a small thing that could get him killed. Bone was alive. She knew that. She would know the day her old mentor died, she was closer to him than her own father. And hated him more than Hawkstripe. The foolish cat was too arrogant, he believed himself to be better than Lunarstar. And he was.

Lunarstar, stealthily crept through the bushes, not making a sound, until she was behind the gray tom. Keeping the weight off her paws, her eyes on the ground right behind the tom, she crept toward him. Without as stupid yowl like most fools do, she jumped, landing on his upper back, sending him forward onto the forest floor. She smirked down at his back.

"Idiot. I know Bone's alive. And if he would have seen you sitting there and cleaning yourself, you would have been dead by now." Lunarstar meowed, narrowing her eyes at him, keeping all four paws firmly on his back, claw tips gently touching his back.

[.:*Hawkstar*:.]

The gray cat knew that his leader was there. He was no fool. But, he had told her that she could do as she wished if he had failed, and he wasn't sure if he had or not, so why fight it? Plus, she seemed to be in need of some fun.

Smokescore grunted as he was thrust down. "Guh, I knew you were there, Lunarstar. I could smell you. I know he's still alive, so I would have heard him or scented him like I scented you. I'm no idiot for caring about my personal hygiene." Smokescore gave a massive grunt, and slowly lifted himself to his paws with Lunarstar still perched on him. He shook himself slightly, sending the black she-cat tumbling off of his back as her center of balance broke.

"I may be insane, but I would never be so foolish as to make a mistake like that. Plus, Bone is gone. He was too much of a coward to stay and finish what we had started. It disappoints me, really." The gray tomcat shrugged his shoulders, dumping the situation he had just been in out of his 'concern bin.'

His expression suddenly dropped from having emotion, to that ordinary blank stare through dull, black-framed eyes. He cast a glance over to Lunarstar. "So?" he prompted, knowing that she would know what he meant. He wanted her to know that he was trustworthy, that he was a fool for her. That he was her lapdog until the day he could break free with her permission.