HOME | DD

Description
This roleplay contains violence, and there is a summary below for anyone who wishes not to read the roleplay
{ Lusa | Air Triber | Unclaimed Land }

She was panicking. She didn't know what the word meant, but the way it'd been used before in front of her made it sound pretty good, so Lusa accepted it. She was panicking; there was so much red and cats were screaming and somewhere, somebody was crying and she didn't know why. Actually, she didn't know why any of this was happening. She'd just followed everybody out like she thought she was supposed to and sang little nursery songs to herself when she lagged behind and waited with her foot thumping impatiently for something to happen.

But she'd never wanted this!

Lusa's breath came in short, jerking gasps as she tried to think, hyperventilating even as her huge blue eyes took in the horrible sights of this...this...war. She didn't want to see it, but she couldn't stop looking. She kept making tiny whimpers, flinching every time blood spattered the ground, trembling a little more each time a cat wailed. When the tiny apprentice couldn't take it anymore, she bolted. She ran and ran and ran and cried and when she stumbled and fell on her chest fur only tail-lengths away from the border of the clearing, Lusa got to her paws and swallowed hard.

"H-h-help!" the patched cat wailed. "Pl-please help! Th-they're...they're all f-fighting but with their cl-claws out and...and I..." She screwed up her eyes and clapped her paws over her ears, crying. "I want my mama!"

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

Times had been interesting. The young tom had watched as his tattoo disappeared, his icy eyes burning daggers in the now bare shoulder where only thick scars lay. He had waited too long apparently. He had been trying to refine his new skills. The 13 skills had been a lot to take in all at once, and he hadn't wanted to try anything without knowing how to use them, but now they were just /gone/. The sandy tom had to once again rely on his claws and his honed skills, and he trained even harder, building up different muscles.

Those muscles rippled under his skin as he crept around the edge of where a battle was taking place. The tom sneered as he watched the cats fight each other, all torn apart over some silly Spirits. He had come only to see if he could find some poor soul to practice his techniques on, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself.

His ears tilted as he heard wailing, and his cold eyes swung around to search for the sound. It had been a young voice, and Ryoji stalked towards it, his pupils dilating as they caught site of a tiny apprentice, one who barely looked older than a kit. She was white with sandy patches, patches that looked identical to his own pelt. Tilting his head, he straightened up and walked over to the small cat.

As he approached, her scent came to him through the smell of blood, and a light entered his eyes. He recognized that scent. It was the same scent that he had grown up with, and that ran through his own veins. I'm apparently very lucky it seems. He realized quickly that this apprentice was in fact his sister, and he curled his claws as he approached. He wanted her to come with him, to see that he was safe, and so he tried to put on the kindest look he could. "Hey, is something wrong? Do you need help. I know a safe place you could go to, if you came with me." The words sounded like complete lies to him, but to a kitten who didn't know any better... maybe they'd do the job.

{ Lusa | Air Triber | Unclaimed Land }

The patched tabby jumped when suddenly there was a voice, and she sniffled hard, shaking- only to realize this cat looked nice. He- it was a he, Lusa was pretty sure- was looking down at her with a gentle sort of look and speaking really soft, like Mama used to when Lusa got scared at night. He...he looked like Mama, if Lusa really squinted. Especially with that nice smile. Lusa felt better already, though she still trembled as she immediately rushed to the tom's side, pressing against his fur without a second thought.

"Pl-please, mister," Lusa begged him, looking up and tugging on his leg with a gaze swimming in tears. "I-I...I want to get h-help, can y-you help me...? Can we pl-please help them...?" She clung to the strange tom like she would to Daddy, or Drake, or even Reuss. He just seemed familiar, somehow. He looked a lot like Mama did and it made her feel safe, almost, even though she didn't know him. Somehow Lusa felt like she did. She looked back towards the clearing, where cats struggled and snarled in the distance still. The little Air Triber could almost still see blood spurting, and she shuddered hard, pressing further into the strange tom's fur as if she could disappear in it. Pl-please...please take me away from here...

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

When she rushed up to him, the tom nearly flinched away. Her contact made his jaw twitch as he resisted a snarl. He couldn't scare her away, not yet. He unsheathed his claws, his tail twitching. Pulling his leg away from her as gently as he could, he offered a smile. "I don't think we can do anything to stop the battle, sorry to say, but it's not good for such a little cat like yourself to be running around here where any cat could come and attack you." Taking a step away, he eyed the surrounding horizon. He didn't want to get too far away, as that would look suspicious, but he didn't really want anyone stepping in either. Ryoji wanted to take his time.

"Here, we can go over there and be safe." He gestured with his head to a small cluster of trees. Trees would offer cover. The tom swiped his tongue across his lips. He hadn't had any real excitement since the Golden Butterflies had run or been defeated like the weaklings they obviously were.

{ Lusa | Air Triber | Unclaimed Land }

With a tiny whimper, Lusa's paws twitched as the tom pulled away his limb from her grasp, extracting it as carefully as Mister Rocks had taught her to chew designs into tiny bones. It was as if she were breakable, too. Maybe she was and she just didn't know how to stay whole. Lusa trembled then, wondering if she would break apart at the force of it as round, terrified eyes fixated on the stranger's face, begging him in teary silence to change his answer- but he didn't. Instead, he stepped back, away from her, and Lusa almost cried out in terror. She skittered closer even as the tom backed away. Pl-please...

"We have to do s-s-something," she squeaked, unable to believe what he told her. Her legs quaked badly enough for her knees to knock together. "W...wait! M-mister-" Lusa bolted after him when he began to walk away from her, unable to be alone and left to deal with the battle behind her by herself. She didn't know how to fight. Mister Rocks hadn't taught her much of that yet, and she was so small still. This cat- this cat was big. Big like Drake. Couldn't he help, if he just tried?

Clutching to this fact, Lusa scampered at his heels, blinking hard against her stinging eyes. "S-sir," she whispered, "y-you could...you could get s-some of them to st-stop if you tried...you're so b-big and you could do it..."

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

Turning his head to look down at Lusa, he narrowed his eyes slightly. "It's better just to let them figure it out by themselves. You're too young to understand." Flicking his tail, he again gestured for her to follow. "What's your name, anyways?"

He listened to the fighting as he waited for Lusa to reply. He wanted to rip her face apart, and the thought came so suddenly and cut through him like a blade. She was so happy, and she looked so loved. Her parents had been proper parents, unlike his. They were the same cats, but things had been so different, and Ryoji hated her for it. He hated that she had gotten the chance to have a complete family and he hadn't. Feeling the anger bubble up inside of him, he stopped, cold eyes turning to the she-cat. "It'd do you some good to stop crying, maybe then cats would stop fighting." Her whimpering and crying had bothered him, but in fact he hated her innocence. He quickly realized that he despised everything about her. The fact that she had gotten such a similar pelt colour as him, that she smelled similar, that her eyes radiated Palette's. Even the feathers behind her ear and the bracelet around her tail. There was a constant stream of things to hate.

{ Lusa | Air Triber | Unclaimed Land }

She couldn't believe that, either. Hadn't Mama always told her to be good to others, and if they couldn't be good back, then to try and help them anyway? Even if there were mean cats, they had friends who were nice, right? Nobody deserved to suffer because they didn't see eye to eye. Lusa's eyes welled up again and she choked out, "B-but...but...w-what if cats get h-hurt?" She sniffed and shook again. "M-m-my mama's out th-there, what if...I...I have to help...."

The little she-cat fell to mumbling to herself, her lips white with fear; his question seemed to catch her off guard, for Lusa flinched before looking him in the eye. She could scarcely speak at all now due to her panic. "L...Lusa," she whimpered, swallowing hard and trying to be polite, like Mama and Daddy said to be. "W...what's yours?" He didn't smell like any Tribes. Lusa wondered how that was possible, but she didn't ask. She was too scared right now, and what if it was considered rude? He was the only nice cat around who was willing to listen to her, and she was sure if she kept trying, he'd eventually agree to help. They had to stop.

Lusa stiffened at the tom's next words, swallowing again in surprise and a strange feeling. It was kind of like the feeling she'd gotten when she stubbed her toe against a rock, really hard, all startled and fluttering but not nice. The patched tabby's chin wobbled dangerously, but quickly she composed herself and nodded quickly, latching onto his idea. "Okay," she whispered fervently, actually drawing herself up enough to speak clearly. "Okay, I'll...I'll s-stop and then we can go help ever-one, right? See? I'm not crying no more, I promise." She stretched forward desperately on her toes, as if to show him and prove to the stranger that her eyes were dry now. Or, at least, dry enough to keep from producing any more tears.

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

Palette was here? A wicked smile nearly crossed his maw. "I'm sure they can work it out for themselves. They're big cats, and cats get hurt." Turning his shoulder so that his gruesome scars were visible, he shrugged. "Stuff happens, Lusa." He spoke her name slowly, letting it soak on his tongue. It was an interesting name, but he didn't particularly like it.

Peering down at Lusa, he narrowed his eyes. "My name? It's Ryoji. I know your parents. Quite well, in fact." Watching as she stood taller, and her tears slightly stopped, the tom leaned down to look at her eyes to actually see if she was done crying or not. Her scent disgusted him as he drew closer, and as he stood with his face in front of hers, a darker light entered his gaze, and a growl slipped past his lips. In a split second his paw had lifted from the ground and slammed itself into the she-cat's head, sending her sprawling away.

Ryoji was sick of this nice charade he had put up. Lusa's attitude was getting on his nerves, and so the true fun was about to begin. He stalked over to her, his tail sweeping across the ground. "You shouldn't worry so much about other cats getting hurt, sister." He was able to easily push the other cat down. She was half his size, if that, and with his extra training and muscles, he often looked larger than what he was.

Leaping at Lusa again, he locked his teeth around her leg and tossed her again, treating her like she was his prey- like a mouse. "You trust too easily, kit."

{ Lusa | Air Triber | Unclaimed Land }

He...this was....

This was her brother?

Lusa's mind slowly grew blank as Ryoji- her brother, Ryoji, the brother Mama had told her had gone away a long time ago- leaned down so that his muzzle was in her face, hot breath ruffling her whiskers even as shock rushed through her. She didn't know what to think. Shouldn't she be happy? Yet Mama always looked so strange when she'd brought him up, and she never wanted to talk about him, ever. And-

There was a sudden blur of fur, and before Lusa realized what was happening she heard a cracking sound and the world shifted. It took her a second to realize that the sound was the result of Ryoji's paw striking her head at full force, and that was why she was flying- no, now she was falling, hitting the ground, rolling and scraping and hurting and trying to breathe. What had happened? Why had he...why...her head hurt, her shoulder hurt and she was trying not to cry again, because Ryoji didn't like that. Had she upset him somehow? Why? What had she done wrong? She'd stopped crying and asked nicely and..and...and it hurt. She'd never been hurt before, really, and now Lusa was glad.

Actually, Lusa was scared. But she was glad she'd never felt this before.

Before she had even remembered to breathe, trembling madly as if she were a leaf caught in a tempest, Ryoji was suddenly there. Lusa screamed as his teeth sank into her flesh, digging in momentarily and then flinging her as if she were nothing. She hit the ground hard and fell silent again, save for the rasping hiss of her breath as it whipped past her throat and filled her chest in rapid gasps. She couldn't breathe. She was panicking. This was panic. Her leg hurt so badly and she couldn't help it now, she started to cry again and she shook her head in terror, scrambling backward on her flank.

"W-why?" she whimpered, her eyes huge and petrified. She didn't...she didn't understand. "P..please..."

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

Lashing his tail, Ryoji stalked up to Lusa. It pleased him to watch her scramble, to see terror light in her eyes and bring up primal instincts. Her crying was harsh, and he bared his teeth, slapping at her muzzle, his claws sharp. "What did I say about crying? Are you deaf? Or should I help by ripping off your ears?"

The tom then pressed his paw into her chest, pinning her to the ground. "What's your worst fear, Lusa? I can deliver any of your fears. You know, I killed our sister. Her blood was warm. Do you know what cat blood tastes like? It's bitter, but it has a certain... taste to it that is very rewarding. When I tore Bernadette's throat from her body, there was a lot of blood. But it was good." Smiling, he tilted his head, moving his paw up from her chest to her throat to push her chin up. He eyed her exposed throat with dark eyes. "I wonder what your blood tastes like. Like Bernadette's? Or maybe Damek's." Slowing bringing his eyes to Lusa's, he smiled again.

{ Lusa | Air Triber | Unclaimed Land }

Her leg burned, blood dribbling down pure white fur as her paws scraped against the ground in her frantic- and fruitless- efforts to get away from him. Her heart beat pounded horrifically loud in her ears, as if screaming at her, begging her in a shrill, constant thunder to keep it going. Don't let it stop. Lusa shuddered and parted her jaws as if to plead with him as he came within a tail-length of her, but he didn't stop; she saw his paw flash and then there was sharp, agonizing pain in her face. Her nose was bleeding. She tasted it as her mouth opened in a wail, her tongue curling against her own blood and pain, her eyes seeming to tremble in her terrified face. Why was he doing this? Why? Why was he hurting her? "I didn' do...I-I didn' do anythin...."

She was starting to babble now, frantic and terrified, choking as his weight suddenly forced her back against the ground. Her paws scrabbled helplessly at his leg- like an iron rod, unmovable, relentless- as his voice, that silken, snake-like voice kept hissing to her. It was almost a purr. He was having fun. Lusa shook harder and shoved at his leg, but it was so weak that even she knew it was pointless. His words scared her more than anything. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be possible.

"Sh-sh-she wen...went n' found Eden," she choked out, swallowing multiple times in horror. That's not true, something cried inside of her, rebelling against his words- why would anyone hurt their sibling? Their littermate? It didn't make sense, she didn't know what she'd done wrong.... "N-n-no," Lusa whispered through chattering teeth as his claws moved towards her face. She was trembling badly enough so that, should Ryoji have pressed the tips of his claws into her fur, she might've torn her own skin on them for him. Instead he pushed her head backward by the tip of her chin, leaving her throat open to the air, and with a sudden desperation she began to kick and flail, sobbing.

"St-stop it!" Lusa screamed. "S-stop! It's n-not true...y-you can't hurt Daddy or Mama, p-please, d-don't hurt me a-any-more..!" Her claws scratched at his leg, but in the position she'd been forced into she might as well have been attacking him with thorns. Nothing more than sharp annoyances to someone who'd clearly been through much worse before, and Lusa knew it. For the first time in her life, Lusa had absolutely no control, no shelter, and she had no idea how she was going to get out of it.

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

"Hmmm let me see. You were born. There's one of your crimes right there." He grinned as she tried to claw his leg and tried to move him. She was so weak. It was too easy to kill her like this, and almost no fun. It was amusing to watch her though, and to see the blood staining her leg where he had grabbed her.

Bending down, he pressed his nose to her throat, inhaling the sweet scent and feeling the rapid pulse of the blood below his nose. "I came this close to killing Damek. I was right here, just like this. Do you want to die the way Damek should have?" Pressing his paw harder into her throat to keep her in place, he growled at her struggles. "Palette isn't as kind as you think she is. All the scars I have are from her. Do you want matching shoulder scars?" Lifting his paw, he pushed it against her shoulder to force her onto her side.

Peering at her left shoulder, he raised a foreleg. Three times his paw came down, just as Palette's paw had come down on his own shoulder. His sharp claws dug into Lusa's young skin, and he drank up the feeling that coursed through him when his white paw became stained with red. She could thank Palette for those wounds. The tan tom felt his blood boiling, and he so desperately wished he had his powers, but his claws would do. Watching the blood pool around the cuts, Ryoji curled his claws, relishing in the sensation.

{ Lusa | Air Triber | Unclaimed Land }

The small apprentice strained away from him, shivering and gasping for breath as she felt his own tickle the fur at her throat. He was breathing in the scent of her, almost as if he could drain her life away just by inhaling. Lusa didn't want to think about what the larger cat was saying. She didn't want to imagine him hunched over her father like this, relishing in his pain, planning out how to make him hurt more. Confusion grabbed her at the tom's use of words, yet even as Lusa tried again to wriggle free his paw pressed into her throat and cut off her air. She barely heard what he was saying; all she knew was that she couldn't breathe. Her forepaws wrapped around his, trying to push it away from her neck and failing, just like she continued to. Tears leaked from the corner of her eyes as her jaws opened and closed, almost as if she were trying to swallow the air and force it to her lungs. It didn't work.

Suddenly Ryoji flipped her over, and in the momentary lapse where she was free of his grip Lusa struggled to get free, gasping raggedly- and then his paw was back at the crook of her throat and shoving her into the ground. Her eyes locked onto his face in terror, pleading...and then she saw the smile on his face, and that glint in his gaze, the way Reuss always looked when he saw a great big beetle. Lusa's lips trembled. She tasted blood again.

"No," she whispered rapidly, shaking her head even as his paw lifted to embrace the sky. "No- no no no-"

Lusa screamed. She lost track of how many times she did, thrashing against his paws; she was only making it worse, she knew, she felt it, but staying still was pure agony and she couldn't do it. Her shoulder was completely on fire. It was burning and hot, like Mama's flames, so hot it was cold and worse than anything she'd ever felt in the short span of her life. She heard small sounds in-between the three blows, and it took her a bit to realize it was her, trying to plead with him and yet finding herself too panicked to actually form cohesive words. She was spewing nonsense. Lusa was crying and struggling to pull away, but nothing was helping. Nothing would make the pain go away. Nothing was going right at all, and Lusa only knew to do one thing when life was confusing and hurtful and hard to see through.

"Mama!" The small tabby flailed, her claws dragging at the grass in a last effort to escape Ryoji's grasp. She was beyond reason, beyond sense. "Mama, help me! Please help me!"

{ Palette | Fire Triber | Unclaimed Land }

Her body stung faintly, but overall, the smith was unscathed. The same could not be said for her son, but he would undoubtedly live, and she had entrusted him to Damek- she trusted her mate not only with her life, but with the infinitely more precious lives of her children and family. Drake would be alright, the former Light Triber had told her so; yet the news still failed to alleviate the pulsating anger in her claws, the disbelief that still lingered at seeing those two young faces. She had never expected those two to help attack one cat on their own. Three against one, and the Silver-Shadow's kit involved, she thought darkly, lashing her tail in renewed fury. How could Petrel have expected to win? How dare they continue to fight? Does Water Tribe fail to teach morals anymore?

With a frustrated sigh, Palette sank down on her haunches, away from the battle. Of course, she still heard it- angry screeches rent the air alongside the more subtle ripping of fur, but it was more muted with distance and therefore less close to where she was, and not just in the physical sense. Palette had always had a fiery sense of protectiveness and responsibility. She found herself unable to stand idle when others' lives hung precariously in the balance, and it was perhaps in that way that Palette might have succeeded at being a healer; but also, the smith knew, she had a fire too bright for Light Tribe's neutrality. She had to protect the cats she loved, and if she had to fight for them, she would fight. No ruling from her Silver would stop her.

Palette's eyes slid shut and she shuddered, catching her breath. Her scratches stung, but they were nothing. She'd passed off her own blood as her opponents' to get Damek to focus entirely on their son. Besides, the former Orange-Fire had had much worse before, and they all knew it too well.

Abruptly, there was a soft, faraway sound that inexplicably caught her attention.

The pale-furred she-cat's head rose at once, eyes snapping open as if searching out the cause. She hadn't the slightest idea why such an insignificant noise had startled her in such a way; not when there was a fight raging right behind her, a fight that endangered her Tribemates and friends. Why? The she-cat slowly stood, on guard, her ears swiveling forward and sideways in an attempt to catch a repeat. With her luck, it was nothing at all. Just stress. Yes, that had to be it...stress. She was overworking herself.

"Mama!"

Oh Spirits.

That was Lusa.

Palette broke into a bolt before her mind had registered her own daughter's name, claws grasping at the ground and flinging it behind her in an absolute need to reach her kit. She knew it was Starlet, her only girl now, her baby. It was just something that seemed to be hardwired in a mother's blood, tying her indefinitely to her child in a way that words could not explain. She knew that it was Lusa crying out to her, and she was responding. That was how things went. That was life. That was Palette.

But she could not have expected the scene that was waiting for her; not in a thousand seasons. Her eyes registered it in a single blink, processing it all in horror. Her daughter lay futilely struggling, bleeding badly from deep gashes in her bared shoulder, her face smeared with scarlet that seemed too bright against her snowy white fur. She was wailing and sobbing; Palette had never heard Lusa sob like this. Never. That just wasn't Lusa. But she was now, and the reason why became starkly clear in the next heartbeat- for the cat pinning her down was Ryoji.

A thousand insults sprang to mind. None were good enough. None were fast enough; her voice was already exploding in a raging, mindless roar, and she sprang like a lioness coiled for prey, claws ripping towards Ryoji's face. Anything to get him away from Lusa. Anything.

Because if she failed, her greatest nightmare would come true.

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

Ryoji smiled down at the apprentice, his paws stained with Lusa's blood. He placed his paw over her bare wounds and pressed his claws into the cuts, feeling the tender flesh below her skin. He had faintly heard Lusa's calling, but his mind was in another place now. All he could see was the red of Lusa's blood and his claws digging deeper into her wounds.

He didn't even notice as Palette came charging at him, so when she sprang at him, his claws tore at Lusa's skin as the tom was ripped away from the apprentice. His face morphed into a snarl, and he felt claws tear into his cheek and neck. When his head whipped around, he found himself to be staring at Palette, a fire burning in her eyes. He didn't feel the pain from the wounds Palette had inflicted, but currently she had the upper hand as he went sprawling onto the ground, his shoulder stinging fiercely as he hit the ground. Her paws were heavy on him and he lunged upwards, his teeth snapping at her face as he tried to get her off of him. Trying to turn over, the pressure he attempted to put on his right leg caused his leg to give out, and he grimaced, realizing he must have twisted it when Palette pushed him off of Lusa. Spinning back, he didn't want Palette to see that he had been hurt, and so he swiped out at her again with his left leg, trying to do anything to gain some space.

{ Palette | Fire Triber | Unclaimed Land }

She distinctly heard Lusa's screaming reach a pitch that was shrill enough to nearly burst her eardrums as Ryoji's claws were ripped free of her skin, tearing it sideways as Palette flung him to the ground. His muscles coiled beneath her paws as they hit the earth hard, the tom's body taking the brunt of the blow as they landed and rolled. She snarled and clawed viciously at him, anywhere she could reach- his face, his belly, his chest, anywhere. Lusa's sobs had subdued to choked crying, and she heard the slither of dry grass as the apprentice tried to crawl away, smearing a trail of blood beneath her. Fresh rage threatened to choke Palette as her claws flashed outward, and she aimed for Ryoji's eyes, snarling when she missed.

"How dare you!" she roared, her attacks swinging harder and faster. She bared her teeth in a ferocious grimace, her eyes a blazing ice-colored fire that burned into his face with a murderous fury. He had touched her daughter. Her baby girl. He'd nearly killed her- Lusa, Lusa, sweet, innocent little Lusa. Her star. Palette's eyes fixated on a hitch in Ryoji's movements and her lips hooked upward over her teeth as she realized why he was so crowded and clumsy- his leg was hurt.

With renewed vigor Palette struck out, seeking to knock him to the ground and tear at his face.

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

He felt her blows slam into his face again and again, making him disoriented as he continued to try and find his footing. His leg was already a huge hindrance, and the tom felt his first jolt of a quick, silent fear. He had never had something to hindering him before, he had always been capable of fighting back- but now. He lunged at her with his teeth, gingerly keeping as little weight on his injured leg as he could. The tom had only twisted it, but too many pressure caused sharp pains to climb up his leg.

Feeling Palette strike out, he collapsed to the ground again, his leg protesting with even more pain. Gritting his teeth, he clambered to his paws, lunging at her shoulder and feeling his teeth catch in fur. He was nearly blinded by the shiny red haze that covered his vision, and blood ran down his face from where Palette had struck him. The survival instinct in him fueled him with adrenaline and blocked the brunt of his pain and it was enough to keep him going. Anger flared up in him, and he hated Palette. He hated the she-cat so much. She had done so many wrong things, and now she had the nerve to stop him and to attack him herself.

{ Palette | Fire Triber | Unclaimed Land }

The former Orange-Fire hissed with pain as his claws caught in her fur, but even when they snagged and tore into her skin she refused to relent. She would not let him go now. Not until he'd learned that every time he dared to even try to hurt someone she loved, he would face worse, and worse, and worse. Now she was younger and spry, free of the hindrance of her crippled leg thanks to the very Spirit whose death now protected her from Ryoji's powers, to the Spirit whom she inadvertently owed her life. Maybe she even owed him Lusa's life. Palette's eyes flashed with triumph when Ryoji stumbled and fell, and she was nearly on him when he was suddenly up and lunging, ears slicked against his head and teeth baring down over her shoulder. Blood sprayed delicately as his fangs sank into her skin, and with a snarl she sent a stunning, cracking blow into the side of his head, knocking him away. Tail lashing, the Fire Triber stalked back to him, claws flexing.

"You dare," she whispered, her voice trembling with unsuppressed hatred. "You dare touch my daughter?"

Her claws glinted as they slashed at his side, unbalancing him. They stained themselves red.

"You think I'm not strong enough to stop you?"

Palette bared her teeth and snarled then, lunging once more. She wanted blood. She wanted for him to realize that he was never, ever going to hurt her like he had with Bernadette and Damek again, that he would never get to kill another cat and survive to gloat over it. She'd send him straight to the pits of hell first. Where he belonged.

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

Her blood was warm and bitter in his mouth. His pupils dilated until the moment that her paw slammed into his head with a heavy force. He stood dazed, unable to avoid her paw as it lashed out at his side, attempting to unbalance him. Trying to clear his mind, he took a quick step forward as Palette lunged at him, causing him to fall back as she slammed into him. His shoulder that had previously been twisting hit the ground, and the tom felt the air go out of him as a quiet crunch could be heard. Pain twisted through his body. It curled his bones and twisted his muscles.

With a push, he kicked out with his back legs, trying to draw himself away so that he could regain his paws without Palette coming after him. The pain was excruciating, and for the first time he thought, I'm going to die.

{ Palette | Fire Triber | Unclaimed Land }

She heard the crunching of bone as he fell, and for a moment, she faltered. Even as Ryoji stated at her, shock visible in every trembling line of his slouched pose, Palette shuddered. She was...she was killing him. And inexplicably something stopped her from that easy, open blow to avenge Bernadette and protect her family from the son who had gone awry.

Because even if he was a monster, Ryoji was still her son. She could never escape that.

Lusa was watching in mute terror, blood still pumping from her ravaged shoulder as she lay limp and half-aloft a few tail-lengths away, unable to stop looking at them. Palette swallowed hard and then her open indecision flickered and died beneath a fresh growl, and she swatted his back legs away as they kicked at her, lunging forward and pinning him by the throat in a single heartbeat. She could feel his heart, struggling rapidly against her pressing paw pad.

"You know I'm stronger now, don't you?" she whispered, too quiet for Lusa to hear. "..Run away, Ryoji. Accept defeat and just get out of here. Because we both know the alternative." Silently, her claws slid free of their sheaths to prick at his skin, and her eyes grew flat as she stared down at him.

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

Ryoji couldn't get up. He realized that quickly as his shoulder throbbed beneath him. He watched without resistance as his mother pinned him, holding her paw against his throat. The sandy tom stared up at her with a stony face. He forced his body to relax, making his body go soft as he lay on the ground. She had his life in her paws, and he knew what was going to happen. It was all too obvious with her claws pricking his skin, drawing small drops of blood as they broke the bare surface. His life ran beneath her claws, and a simple movement could end him.

A smile grew on Ryoji's face. "I'm never going to give in to you." He would not submit and run with his tail tucked between his legs. It wasn't in his nature to give up, even when faced with death. Instead, Ryoji used the last of his strength to push himself upward. He felt Palette's claws tear into his throat as he closed his own teeth around hers. His blood pooled around her paw, but if he was going down, she was going down with him.

{ Palette | Fire Triber | Unclaimed Land }

The smith's eyes darkened at the look that came over his face, seemingly shutting him down, making him appear almost smug beneath her grasp. She tightened it just in case he was plotting something, narrowing her glare to icy slits as he stared back at her blankly. Almost as if he were already dead. Yet his face held too much quiet curiosity and cruelty for him to be dead, and she shivered silently at the constant reminder of all he had done. He, her son. How had it come to this?

The she-cat snarled as he suddenly shoved up, his weight bowling her backwards and his teeth sinking into her neck. Palette's shriek was abruptly cut off to a gurgling sound, and she staggered, sinking under Ryoji's larger figure as blood immediately spat from her throat. He was so much bigger than she was. He weighed so much more. The Fire Triber registered absolute panic as she struggled, paws kicking at the ground and only making it worse, worse; the sky was splashed black and blue and the earth spun dizzily around her. She slipped in a pool of blood, floundering and choking, kicking at him viciously. Behind her, Lusa was screaming hysterically. She was begging Palette to get up, to please stand up, to stop it.

Lusa.

Palette's eyes flickered with terror as she realized she was going to die; she would have failed her daughter, her Tribe, her entire family. She couldn't breathe. His grip was like an iron vice, mercilessly choking out what she knew to be air and life. And with a sudden flare of pure desperation, or instinct- whatever one wanted to call that final surge of adrenaline that went beyond any mortal strength- Palette's claws lashed out, deep and deadly, cutting Ryoji's chest and shoulders before she heard a peculiar wet sucking sound and her paws darkened with red.

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

He had knocked her over, but he could feel the blood spilling from his throat. He also could feel the spill of blood wash over his tongue. It was an odd feeling- dying, that is. He had never wondered what death was like. He knew he would die one day, but he had not known it would be today. He had nearly met death a couple times, but this time he could feel his body going. Ryoji could feel the life draining out of him as each drop of blood ran from his body as if he were poison. All he could hope now, was that Palette was feeling the same thing.

He kept hold of her throat though. He focused every muscle of his body to keep his jaw locked, even as the strength slowly sapped from his legs and his broken shoulder caused his leg to drag on the ground. As he slipped further from the world, the pain disappeared. His body felt numb and airy, and wounds no longer ached. It was like finally being free.

The tom couldn't have stopped Palette's final efforts. He was too far gone, and so when her claws raked through his neck and tore his windpipe, Ryoji didn't feel a thing. The light suddenly disappeared from his eyes, and with a final, shuddering tremble, the tom collapsed on Palette. His death lock on her throat loosened as his ice blue eyes stared blankly into the distance.

{ Palette | Fire Triber | Unclaimed Land }

The she-cat choked on her own blood as suddenly Ryoji's legs gave way and they both went down, the tom's huge body sprawling limply over hers and staining her fur with blood quicker than she'd ever thought possible; it was like the day she'd been with Bernadette. It was too much. There was no way anyone could even bleed that much, and yet Ryoji was, he was, and he was so heavy that he seemed to be crushing her lungs, or maybe they were just screaming from lack of air. She drew gasp after ragged, desperate gasp, shaking madly and struggling in vain to get him off of her. Get him off. Get him off.

Why wasn't he moving?

Palette heard a low, rasping moan arise and then realized a second later in her throbbing mind that it was her own, catching in her burning throat as she sank uselessly to her belly, trembling. No. She couldn't accept it. And yet the blue eyes that stared back at her, her eyes, were entirely blank. No more hatred, no more anger, not even cruelty- instead they were like glass, smooth and unscathed, fogged with something that she refused to acknowledge. The ghastly wound in his throat seemed to her a gaping frown that judged her claws with the indifferent disapproval of the gods themselves, and Palette felt her eyes begin to burn.

Ryoji was dead. He was dead because she had killed him.

{ Lusa | Air Triber | Unclaimed Land }

The tiny tabby could hardly breathe, shuddering and trying not to cry anymore- and, of course, failing miserably at this- even as Ryoji, her brother, stumbled with her Mama clasped in his jaws as if they were enclosed in some sort of dance together, except there was so much blood and her Mama was making strange, horrible noises. She didn't know what murder was. If she had, she might have leapt to her paws and stopped the terrifying engagement, but as it was she felt shockingly weak and scared and her shoulder was still on fire. It smoldered as if angry to have been forgotten in the wake of terror for her mother.

Then Lusa flinched as with the top-heavy staggering of a dislodged tree, Ryoji began to tilt and then crumpled easily to the ground, folding Palette beneath him. His jaw went slack and his teeth released the she-cat's throat with a fresh gush of blood, but Lusa was unsure whether it was truly fresh or just that which had collected in his horrible mouth. Regardless, he wasn't moving. It seemed to be over now.

Now Mama was getting up, swaying as blood leaked down her front, and Lusa suddenly found herself able to move as Palette pushed her son's body off of her. The Orange-Fire- no, the smith- looked so dazed and more lost than Lusa could have imagined Palette being. Palette just knew. She always knew where she was going and why. But now she looked almost like a kit as she trembled and looked at Ryoji's still figure, and then she inexplicably began to cry in complete silence, swaying still as her eyes locked on the tom's body. Lusa swallowed hard and crept up to Palette's side, watching Ryoji carefully to make sure he wasn't going to get up and hurt her. He wasn't moving at all. He wasn't even blinking.

"Mama?" Lusa whispered, trembling. Palette did not respond. The little apprentice came up to her mother's side at last and pressed into Palette's fur, shocked at how dirty it was. It smeared blood on her pure white pelt, and she shook harder, scared. Why wasn't Palette saying anything? "Mama, what's wrong?"

Palette leaned a little, teetering under the insistently gentle prodding of her daughter's nose. Lusa felt something like dread crawling through her veins. "Why isn't he moving, Mama?" she asked faintly, wondering if this was the reason, and suddenly Palette let out a low groan and sank sideways as if the string holding her up had been ruthlessly and coldly slashed.

"Mama! Mama!!"

Description
This roleplay contains violence, and there is a summary below for anyone who wishes not to read the roleplay
{ Lusa | Air Triber | Unclaimed Land }

She was panicking. She didn't know what the word meant, but the way it'd been used before in front of her made it sound pretty good, so Lusa accepted it. She was panicking; there was so much red and cats were screaming and somewhere, somebody was crying and she didn't know why. Actually, she didn't know why any of this was happening. She'd just followed everybody out like she thought she was supposed to and sang little nursery songs to herself when she lagged behind and waited with her foot thumping impatiently for something to happen.

But she'd never wanted this!

Lusa's breath came in short, jerking gasps as she tried to think, hyperventilating even as her huge blue eyes took in the horrible sights of this...this...war. She didn't want to see it, but she couldn't stop looking. She kept making tiny whimpers, flinching every time blood spattered the ground, trembling a little more each time a cat wailed. When the tiny apprentice couldn't take it anymore, she bolted. She ran and ran and ran and cried and when she stumbled and fell on her chest fur only tail-lengths away from the border of the clearing, Lusa got to her paws and swallowed hard.

"H-h-help!" the patched cat wailed. "Pl-please help! Th-they're...they're all f-fighting but with their cl-claws out and...and I..." She screwed up her eyes and clapped her paws over her ears, crying. "I want my mama!"

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

Times had been interesting. The young tom had watched as his tattoo disappeared, his icy eyes burning daggers in the now bare shoulder where only thick scars lay. He had waited too long apparently. He had been trying to refine his new skills. The 13 skills had been a lot to take in all at once, and he hadn't wanted to try anything without knowing how to use them, but now they were just /gone/. The sandy tom had to once again rely on his claws and his honed skills, and he trained even harder, building up different muscles.

Those muscles rippled under his skin as he crept around the edge of where a battle was taking place. The tom sneered as he watched the cats fight each other, all torn apart over some silly Spirits. He had come only to see if he could find some poor soul to practice his techniques on, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself.

His ears tilted as he heard wailing, and his cold eyes swung around to search for the sound. It had been a young voice, and Ryoji stalked towards it, his pupils dilating as they caught site of a tiny apprentice, one who barely looked older than a kit. She was white with sandy patches, patches that looked identical to his own pelt. Tilting his head, he straightened up and walked over to the small cat.

As he approached, her scent came to him through the smell of blood, and a light entered his eyes. He recognized that scent. It was the same scent that he had grown up with, and that ran through his own veins. I'm apparently very lucky it seems. He realized quickly that this apprentice was in fact his sister, and he curled his claws as he approached. He wanted her to come with him, to see that he was safe, and so he tried to put on the kindest look he could. "Hey, is something wrong? Do you need help. I know a safe place you could go to, if you came with me." The words sounded like complete lies to him, but to a kitten who didn't know any better... maybe they'd do the job.

{ Lusa | Air Triber | Unclaimed Land }

The patched tabby jumped when suddenly there was a voice, and she sniffled hard, shaking- only to realize this cat looked nice. He- it was a he, Lusa was pretty sure- was looking down at her with a gentle sort of look and speaking really soft, like Mama used to when Lusa got scared at night. He...he looked like Mama, if Lusa really squinted. Especially with that nice smile. Lusa felt better already, though she still trembled as she immediately rushed to the tom's side, pressing against his fur without a second thought.

"Pl-please, mister," Lusa begged him, looking up and tugging on his leg with a gaze swimming in tears. "I-I...I want to get h-help, can y-you help me...? Can we pl-please help them...?" She clung to the strange tom like she would to Daddy, or Drake, or even Reuss. He just seemed familiar, somehow. He looked a lot like Mama did and it made her feel safe, almost, even though she didn't know him. Somehow Lusa felt like she did. She looked back towards the clearing, where cats struggled and snarled in the distance still. The little Air Triber could almost still see blood spurting, and she shuddered hard, pressing further into the strange tom's fur as if she could disappear in it. Pl-please...please take me away from here...

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

When she rushed up to him, the tom nearly flinched away. Her contact made his jaw twitch as he resisted a snarl. He couldn't scare her away, not yet. He unsheathed his claws, his tail twitching. Pulling his leg away from her as gently as he could, he offered a smile. "I don't think we can do anything to stop the battle, sorry to say, but it's not good for such a little cat like yourself to be running around here where any cat could come and attack you." Taking a step away, he eyed the surrounding horizon. He didn't want to get too far away, as that would look suspicious, but he didn't really want anyone stepping in either. Ryoji wanted to take his time.

"Here, we can go over there and be safe." He gestured with his head to a small cluster of trees. Trees would offer cover. The tom swiped his tongue across his lips. He hadn't had any real excitement since the Golden Butterflies had run or been defeated like the weaklings they obviously were.

{ Lusa | Air Triber | Unclaimed Land }

With a tiny whimper, Lusa's paws twitched as the tom pulled away his limb from her grasp, extracting it as carefully as Mister Rocks had taught her to chew designs into tiny bones. It was as if she were breakable, too. Maybe she was and she just didn't know how to stay whole. Lusa trembled then, wondering if she would break apart at the force of it as round, terrified eyes fixated on the stranger's face, begging him in teary silence to change his answer- but he didn't. Instead, he stepped back, away from her, and Lusa almost cried out in terror. She skittered closer even as the tom backed away. Pl-please...

"We have to do s-s-something," she squeaked, unable to believe what he told her. Her legs quaked badly enough for her knees to knock together. "W...wait! M-mister-" Lusa bolted after him when he began to walk away from her, unable to be alone and left to deal with the battle behind her by herself. She didn't know how to fight. Mister Rocks hadn't taught her much of that yet, and she was so small still. This cat- this cat was big. Big like Drake. Couldn't he help, if he just tried?

Clutching to this fact, Lusa scampered at his heels, blinking hard against her stinging eyes. "S-sir," she whispered, "y-you could...you could get s-some of them to st-stop if you tried...you're so b-big and you could do it..."

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

Turning his head to look down at Lusa, he narrowed his eyes slightly. "It's better just to let them figure it out by themselves. You're too young to understand." Flicking his tail, he again gestured for her to follow. "What's your name, anyways?"

He listened to the fighting as he waited for Lusa to reply. He wanted to rip her face apart, and the thought came so suddenly and cut through him like a blade. She was so happy, and she looked so loved. Her parents had been proper parents, unlike his. They were the same cats, but things had been so different, and Ryoji hated her for it. He hated that she had gotten the chance to have a complete family and he hadn't. Feeling the anger bubble up inside of him, he stopped, cold eyes turning to the she-cat. "It'd do you some good to stop crying, maybe then cats would stop fighting." Her whimpering and crying had bothered him, but in fact he hated her innocence. He quickly realized that he despised everything about her. The fact that she had gotten such a similar pelt colour as him, that she smelled similar, that her eyes radiated Palette's. Even the feathers behind her ear and the bracelet around her tail. There was a constant stream of things to hate.

{ Lusa | Air Triber | Unclaimed Land }

She couldn't believe that, either. Hadn't Mama always told her to be good to others, and if they couldn't be good back, then to try and help them anyway? Even if there were mean cats, they had friends who were nice, right? Nobody deserved to suffer because they didn't see eye to eye. Lusa's eyes welled up again and she choked out, "B-but...but...w-what if cats get h-hurt?" She sniffed and shook again. "M-m-my mama's out th-there, what if...I...I have to help...."

The little she-cat fell to mumbling to herself, her lips white with fear; his question seemed to catch her off guard, for Lusa flinched before looking him in the eye. She could scarcely speak at all now due to her panic. "L...Lusa," she whimpered, swallowing hard and trying to be polite, like Mama and Daddy said to be. "W...what's yours?" He didn't smell like any Tribes. Lusa wondered how that was possible, but she didn't ask. She was too scared right now, and what if it was considered rude? He was the only nice cat around who was willing to listen to her, and she was sure if she kept trying, he'd eventually agree to help. They had to stop.

Lusa stiffened at the tom's next words, swallowing again in surprise and a strange feeling. It was kind of like the feeling she'd gotten when she stubbed her toe against a rock, really hard, all startled and fluttering but not nice. The patched tabby's chin wobbled dangerously, but quickly she composed herself and nodded quickly, latching onto his idea. "Okay," she whispered fervently, actually drawing herself up enough to speak clearly. "Okay, I'll...I'll s-stop and then we can go help ever-one, right? See? I'm not crying no more, I promise." She stretched forward desperately on her toes, as if to show him and prove to the stranger that her eyes were dry now. Or, at least, dry enough to keep from producing any more tears.

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

Palette was here? A wicked smile nearly crossed his maw. "I'm sure they can work it out for themselves. They're big cats, and cats get hurt." Turning his shoulder so that his gruesome scars were visible, he shrugged. "Stuff happens, Lusa." He spoke her name slowly, letting it soak on his tongue. It was an interesting name, but he didn't particularly like it.

Peering down at Lusa, he narrowed his eyes. "My name? It's Ryoji. I know your parents. Quite well, in fact." Watching as she stood taller, and her tears slightly stopped, the tom leaned down to look at her eyes to actually see if she was done crying or not. Her scent disgusted him as he drew closer, and as he stood with his face in front of hers, a darker light entered his gaze, and a growl slipped past his lips. In a split second his paw had lifted from the ground and slammed itself into the she-cat's head, sending her sprawling away.

Ryoji was sick of this nice charade he had put up. Lusa's attitude was getting on his nerves, and so the true fun was about to begin. He stalked over to her, his tail sweeping across the ground. "You shouldn't worry so much about other cats getting hurt, sister." He was able to easily push the other cat down. She was half his size, if that, and with his extra training and muscles, he often looked larger than what he was.

Leaping at Lusa again, he locked his teeth around her leg and tossed her again, treating her like she was his prey- like a mouse. "You trust too easily, kit."

{ Lusa | Air Triber | Unclaimed Land }

He...this was....

This was her brother?

Lusa's mind slowly grew blank as Ryoji- her brother, Ryoji, the brother Mama had told her had gone away a long time ago- leaned down so that his muzzle was in her face, hot breath ruffling her whiskers even as shock rushed through her. She didn't know what to think. Shouldn't she be happy? Yet Mama always looked so strange when she'd brought him up, and she never wanted to talk about him, ever. And-

There was a sudden blur of fur, and before Lusa realized what was happening she heard a cracking sound and the world shifted. It took her a second to realize that the sound was the result of Ryoji's paw striking her head at full force, and that was why she was flying- no, now she was falling, hitting the ground, rolling and scraping and hurting and trying to breathe. What had happened? Why had he...why...her head hurt, her shoulder hurt and she was trying not to cry again, because Ryoji didn't like that. Had she upset him somehow? Why? What had she done wrong? She'd stopped crying and asked nicely and..and...and it hurt. She'd never been hurt before, really, and now Lusa was glad.

Actually, Lusa was scared. But she was glad she'd never felt this before.

Before she had even remembered to breathe, trembling madly as if she were a leaf caught in a tempest, Ryoji was suddenly there. Lusa screamed as his teeth sank into her flesh, digging in momentarily and then flinging her as if she were nothing. She hit the ground hard and fell silent again, save for the rasping hiss of her breath as it whipped past her throat and filled her chest in rapid gasps. She couldn't breathe. She was panicking. This was panic. Her leg hurt so badly and she couldn't help it now, she started to cry again and she shook her head in terror, scrambling backward on her flank.

"W-why?" she whimpered, her eyes huge and petrified. She didn't...she didn't understand. "P..please..."

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

Lashing his tail, Ryoji stalked up to Lusa. It pleased him to watch her scramble, to see terror light in her eyes and bring up primal instincts. Her crying was harsh, and he bared his teeth, slapping at her muzzle, his claws sharp. "What did I say about crying? Are you deaf? Or should I help by ripping off your ears?"

The tom then pressed his paw into her chest, pinning her to the ground. "What's your worst fear, Lusa? I can deliver any of your fears. You know, I killed our sister. Her blood was warm. Do you know what cat blood tastes like? It's bitter, but it has a certain... taste to it that is very rewarding. When I tore Bernadette's throat from her body, there was a lot of blood. But it was good." Smiling, he tilted his head, moving his paw up from her chest to her throat to push her chin up. He eyed her exposed throat with dark eyes. "I wonder what your blood tastes like. Like Bernadette's? Or maybe Damek's." Slowing bringing his eyes to Lusa's, he smiled again.

{ Lusa | Air Triber | Unclaimed Land }

Her leg burned, blood dribbling down pure white fur as her paws scraped against the ground in her frantic- and fruitless- efforts to get away from him. Her heart beat pounded horrifically loud in her ears, as if screaming at her, begging her in a shrill, constant thunder to keep it going. Don't let it stop. Lusa shuddered and parted her jaws as if to plead with him as he came within a tail-length of her, but he didn't stop; she saw his paw flash and then there was sharp, agonizing pain in her face. Her nose was bleeding. She tasted it as her mouth opened in a wail, her tongue curling against her own blood and pain, her eyes seeming to tremble in her terrified face. Why was he doing this? Why? Why was he hurting her? "I didn' do...I-I didn' do anythin...."

She was starting to babble now, frantic and terrified, choking as his weight suddenly forced her back against the ground. Her paws scrabbled helplessly at his leg- like an iron rod, unmovable, relentless- as his voice, that silken, snake-like voice kept hissing to her. It was almost a purr. He was having fun. Lusa shook harder and shoved at his leg, but it was so weak that even she knew it was pointless. His words scared her more than anything. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be possible.

"Sh-sh-she wen...went n' found Eden," she choked out, swallowing multiple times in horror. That's not true, something cried inside of her, rebelling against his words- why would anyone hurt their sibling? Their littermate? It didn't make sense, she didn't know what she'd done wrong.... "N-n-no," Lusa whispered through chattering teeth as his claws moved towards her face. She was trembling badly enough so that, should Ryoji have pressed the tips of his claws into her fur, she might've torn her own skin on them for him. Instead he pushed her head backward by the tip of her chin, leaving her throat open to the air, and with a sudden desperation she began to kick and flail, sobbing.

"St-stop it!" Lusa screamed. "S-stop! It's n-not true...y-you can't hurt Daddy or Mama, p-please, d-don't hurt me a-any-more..!" Her claws scratched at his leg, but in the position she'd been forced into she might as well have been attacking him with thorns. Nothing more than sharp annoyances to someone who'd clearly been through much worse before, and Lusa knew it. For the first time in her life, Lusa had absolutely no control, no shelter, and she had no idea how she was going to get out of it.

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

"Hmmm let me see. You were born. There's one of your crimes right there." He grinned as she tried to claw his leg and tried to move him. She was so weak. It was too easy to kill her like this, and almost no fun. It was amusing to watch her though, and to see the blood staining her leg where he had grabbed her.

Bending down, he pressed his nose to her throat, inhaling the sweet scent and feeling the rapid pulse of the blood below his nose. "I came this close to killing Damek. I was right here, just like this. Do you want to die the way Damek should have?" Pressing his paw harder into her throat to keep her in place, he growled at her struggles. "Palette isn't as kind as you think she is. All the scars I have are from her. Do you want matching shoulder scars?" Lifting his paw, he pushed it against her shoulder to force her onto her side.

Peering at her left shoulder, he raised a foreleg. Three times his paw came down, just as Palette's paw had come down on his own shoulder. His sharp claws dug into Lusa's young skin, and he drank up the feeling that coursed through him when his white paw became stained with red. She could thank Palette for those wounds. The tan tom felt his blood boiling, and he so desperately wished he had his powers, but his claws would do. Watching the blood pool around the cuts, Ryoji curled his claws, relishing in the sensation.

{ Lusa | Air Triber | Unclaimed Land }

The small apprentice strained away from him, shivering and gasping for breath as she felt his own tickle the fur at her throat. He was breathing in the scent of her, almost as if he could drain her life away just by inhaling. Lusa didn't want to think about what the larger cat was saying. She didn't want to imagine him hunched over her father like this, relishing in his pain, planning out how to make him hurt more. Confusion grabbed her at the tom's use of words, yet even as Lusa tried again to wriggle free his paw pressed into her throat and cut off her air. She barely heard what he was saying; all she knew was that she couldn't breathe. Her forepaws wrapped around his, trying to push it away from her neck and failing, just like she continued to. Tears leaked from the corner of her eyes as her jaws opened and closed, almost as if she were trying to swallow the air and force it to her lungs. It didn't work.

Suddenly Ryoji flipped her over, and in the momentary lapse where she was free of his grip Lusa struggled to get free, gasping raggedly- and then his paw was back at the crook of her throat and shoving her into the ground. Her eyes locked onto his face in terror, pleading...and then she saw the smile on his face, and that glint in his gaze, the way Reuss always looked when he saw a great big beetle. Lusa's lips trembled. She tasted blood again.

"No," she whispered rapidly, shaking her head even as his paw lifted to embrace the sky. "No- no no no-"

Lusa screamed. She lost track of how many times she did, thrashing against his paws; she was only making it worse, she knew, she felt it, but staying still was pure agony and she couldn't do it. Her shoulder was completely on fire. It was burning and hot, like Mama's flames, so hot it was cold and worse than anything she'd ever felt in the short span of her life. She heard small sounds in-between the three blows, and it took her a bit to realize it was her, trying to plead with him and yet finding herself too panicked to actually form cohesive words. She was spewing nonsense. Lusa was crying and struggling to pull away, but nothing was helping. Nothing would make the pain go away. Nothing was going right at all, and Lusa only knew to do one thing when life was confusing and hurtful and hard to see through.

"Mama!" The small tabby flailed, her claws dragging at the grass in a last effort to escape Ryoji's grasp. She was beyond reason, beyond sense. "Mama, help me! Please help me!"

{ Palette | Fire Triber | Unclaimed Land }

Her body stung faintly, but overall, the smith was unscathed. The same could not be said for her son, but he would undoubtedly live, and she had entrusted him to Damek- she trusted her mate not only with her life, but with the infinitely more precious lives of her children and family. Drake would be alright, the former Light Triber had told her so; yet the news still failed to alleviate the pulsating anger in her claws, the disbelief that still lingered at seeing those two young faces. She had never expected those two to help attack one cat on their own. Three against one, and the Silver-Shadow's kit involved, she thought darkly, lashing her tail in renewed fury. How could Petrel have expected to win? How dare they continue to fight? Does Water Tribe fail to teach morals anymore?

With a frustrated sigh, Palette sank down on her haunches, away from the battle. Of course, she still heard it- angry screeches rent the air alongside the more subtle ripping of fur, but it was more muted with distance and therefore less close to where she was, and not just in the physical sense. Palette had always had a fiery sense of protectiveness and responsibility. She found herself unable to stand idle when others' lives hung precariously in the balance, and it was perhaps in that way that Palette might have succeeded at being a healer; but also, the smith knew, she had a fire too bright for Light Tribe's neutrality. She had to protect the cats she loved, and if she had to fight for them, she would fight. No ruling from her Silver would stop her.

Palette's eyes slid shut and she shuddered, catching her breath. Her scratches stung, but they were nothing. She'd passed off her own blood as her opponents' to get Damek to focus entirely on their son. Besides, the former Orange-Fire had had much worse before, and they all knew it too well.

Abruptly, there was a soft, faraway sound that inexplicably caught her attention.

The pale-furred she-cat's head rose at once, eyes snapping open as if searching out the cause. She hadn't the slightest idea why such an insignificant noise had startled her in such a way; not when there was a fight raging right behind her, a fight that endangered her Tribemates and friends. Why? The she-cat slowly stood, on guard, her ears swiveling forward and sideways in an attempt to catch a repeat. With her luck, it was nothing at all. Just stress. Yes, that had to be it...stress. She was overworking herself.

"Mama!"

Oh Spirits.

That was Lusa.

Palette broke into a bolt before her mind had registered her own daughter's name, claws grasping at the ground and flinging it behind her in an absolute need to reach her kit. She knew it was Starlet, her only girl now, her baby. It was just something that seemed to be hardwired in a mother's blood, tying her indefinitely to her child in a way that words could not explain. She knew that it was Lusa crying out to her, and she was responding. That was how things went. That was life. That was Palette.

But she could not have expected the scene that was waiting for her; not in a thousand seasons. Her eyes registered it in a single blink, processing it all in horror. Her daughter lay futilely struggling, bleeding badly from deep gashes in her bared shoulder, her face smeared with scarlet that seemed too bright against her snowy white fur. She was wailing and sobbing; Palette had never heard Lusa sob like this. Never. That just wasn't Lusa. But she was now, and the reason why became starkly clear in the next heartbeat- for the cat pinning her down was Ryoji.

A thousand insults sprang to mind. None were good enough. None were fast enough; her voice was already exploding in a raging, mindless roar, and she sprang like a lioness coiled for prey, claws ripping towards Ryoji's face. Anything to get him away from Lusa. Anything.

Because if she failed, her greatest nightmare would come true.

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

Ryoji smiled down at the apprentice, his paws stained with Lusa's blood. He placed his paw over her bare wounds and pressed his claws into the cuts, feeling the tender flesh below her skin. He had faintly heard Lusa's calling, but his mind was in another place now. All he could see was the red of Lusa's blood and his claws digging deeper into her wounds.

He didn't even notice as Palette came charging at him, so when she sprang at him, his claws tore at Lusa's skin as the tom was ripped away from the apprentice. His face morphed into a snarl, and he felt claws tear into his cheek and neck. When his head whipped around, he found himself to be staring at Palette, a fire burning in her eyes. He didn't feel the pain from the wounds Palette had inflicted, but currently she had the upper hand as he went sprawling onto the ground, his shoulder stinging fiercely as he hit the ground. Her paws were heavy on him and he lunged upwards, his teeth snapping at her face as he tried to get her off of him. Trying to turn over, the pressure he attempted to put on his right leg caused his leg to give out, and he grimaced, realizing he must have twisted it when Palette pushed him off of Lusa. Spinning back, he didn't want Palette to see that he had been hurt, and so he swiped out at her again with his left leg, trying to do anything to gain some space.

{ Palette | Fire Triber | Unclaimed Land }

She distinctly heard Lusa's screaming reach a pitch that was shrill enough to nearly burst her eardrums as Ryoji's claws were ripped free of her skin, tearing it sideways as Palette flung him to the ground. His muscles coiled beneath her paws as they hit the earth hard, the tom's body taking the brunt of the blow as they landed and rolled. She snarled and clawed viciously at him, anywhere she could reach- his face, his belly, his chest, anywhere. Lusa's sobs had subdued to choked crying, and she heard the slither of dry grass as the apprentice tried to crawl away, smearing a trail of blood beneath her. Fresh rage threatened to choke Palette as her claws flashed outward, and she aimed for Ryoji's eyes, snarling when she missed.

"How dare you!" she roared, her attacks swinging harder and faster. She bared her teeth in a ferocious grimace, her eyes a blazing ice-colored fire that burned into his face with a murderous fury. He had touched her daughter. Her baby girl. He'd nearly killed her- Lusa, Lusa, sweet, innocent little Lusa. Her star. Palette's eyes fixated on a hitch in Ryoji's movements and her lips hooked upward over her teeth as she realized why he was so crowded and clumsy- his leg was hurt.

With renewed vigor Palette struck out, seeking to knock him to the ground and tear at his face.

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

He felt her blows slam into his face again and again, making him disoriented as he continued to try and find his footing. His leg was already a huge hindrance, and the tom felt his first jolt of a quick, silent fear. He had never had something to hindering him before, he had always been capable of fighting back- but now. He lunged at her with his teeth, gingerly keeping as little weight on his injured leg as he could. The tom had only twisted it, but too many pressure caused sharp pains to climb up his leg.

Feeling Palette strike out, he collapsed to the ground again, his leg protesting with even more pain. Gritting his teeth, he clambered to his paws, lunging at her shoulder and feeling his teeth catch in fur. He was nearly blinded by the shiny red haze that covered his vision, and blood ran down his face from where Palette had struck him. The survival instinct in him fueled him with adrenaline and blocked the brunt of his pain and it was enough to keep him going. Anger flared up in him, and he hated Palette. He hated the she-cat so much. She had done so many wrong things, and now she had the nerve to stop him and to attack him herself.

{ Palette | Fire Triber | Unclaimed Land }

The former Orange-Fire hissed with pain as his claws caught in her fur, but even when they snagged and tore into her skin she refused to relent. She would not let him go now. Not until he'd learned that every time he dared to even try to hurt someone she loved, he would face worse, and worse, and worse. Now she was younger and spry, free of the hindrance of her crippled leg thanks to the very Spirit whose death now protected her from Ryoji's powers, to the Spirit whom she inadvertently owed her life. Maybe she even owed him Lusa's life. Palette's eyes flashed with triumph when Ryoji stumbled and fell, and she was nearly on him when he was suddenly up and lunging, ears slicked against his head and teeth baring down over her shoulder. Blood sprayed delicately as his fangs sank into her skin, and with a snarl she sent a stunning, cracking blow into the side of his head, knocking him away. Tail lashing, the Fire Triber stalked back to him, claws flexing.

"You dare," she whispered, her voice trembling with unsuppressed hatred. "You dare touch my daughter?"

Her claws glinted as they slashed at his side, unbalancing him. They stained themselves red.

"You think I'm not strong enough to stop you?"

Palette bared her teeth and snarled then, lunging once more. She wanted blood. She wanted for him to realize that he was never, ever going to hurt her like he had with Bernadette and Damek again, that he would never get to kill another cat and survive to gloat over it. She'd send him straight to the pits of hell first. Where he belonged.

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

Her blood was warm and bitter in his mouth. His pupils dilated until the moment that her paw slammed into his head with a heavy force. He stood dazed, unable to avoid her paw as it lashed out at his side, attempting to unbalance him. Trying to clear his mind, he took a quick step forward as Palette lunged at him, causing him to fall back as she slammed into him. His shoulder that had previously been twisting hit the ground, and the tom felt the air go out of him as a quiet crunch could be heard. Pain twisted through his body. It curled his bones and twisted his muscles.

With a push, he kicked out with his back legs, trying to draw himself away so that he could regain his paws without Palette coming after him. The pain was excruciating, and for the first time he thought, I'm going to die.

{ Palette | Fire Triber | Unclaimed Land }

She heard the crunching of bone as he fell, and for a moment, she faltered. Even as Ryoji stated at her, shock visible in every trembling line of his slouched pose, Palette shuddered. She was...she was killing him. And inexplicably something stopped her from that easy, open blow to avenge Bernadette and protect her family from the son who had gone awry.

Because even if he was a monster, Ryoji was still her son. She could never escape that.

Lusa was watching in mute terror, blood still pumping from her ravaged shoulder as she lay limp and half-aloft a few tail-lengths away, unable to stop looking at them. Palette swallowed hard and then her open indecision flickered and died beneath a fresh growl, and she swatted his back legs away as they kicked at her, lunging forward and pinning him by the throat in a single heartbeat. She could feel his heart, struggling rapidly against her pressing paw pad.

"You know I'm stronger now, don't you?" she whispered, too quiet for Lusa to hear. "..Run away, Ryoji. Accept defeat and just get out of here. Because we both know the alternative." Silently, her claws slid free of their sheaths to prick at his skin, and her eyes grew flat as she stared down at him.

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

Ryoji couldn't get up. He realized that quickly as his shoulder throbbed beneath him. He watched without resistance as his mother pinned him, holding her paw against his throat. The sandy tom stared up at her with a stony face. He forced his body to relax, making his body go soft as he lay on the ground. She had his life in her paws, and he knew what was going to happen. It was all too obvious with her claws pricking his skin, drawing small drops of blood as they broke the bare surface. His life ran beneath her claws, and a simple movement could end him.

A smile grew on Ryoji's face. "I'm never going to give in to you." He would not submit and run with his tail tucked between his legs. It wasn't in his nature to give up, even when faced with death. Instead, Ryoji used the last of his strength to push himself upward. He felt Palette's claws tear into his throat as he closed his own teeth around hers. His blood pooled around her paw, but if he was going down, she was going down with him.

{ Palette | Fire Triber | Unclaimed Land }

The smith's eyes darkened at the look that came over his face, seemingly shutting him down, making him appear almost smug beneath her grasp. She tightened it just in case he was plotting something, narrowing her glare to icy slits as he stared back at her blankly. Almost as if he were already dead. Yet his face held too much quiet curiosity and cruelty for him to be dead, and she shivered silently at the constant reminder of all he had done. He, her son. How had it come to this?

The she-cat snarled as he suddenly shoved up, his weight bowling her backwards and his teeth sinking into her neck. Palette's shriek was abruptly cut off to a gurgling sound, and she staggered, sinking under Ryoji's larger figure as blood immediately spat from her throat. He was so much bigger than she was. He weighed so much more. The Fire Triber registered absolute panic as she struggled, paws kicking at the ground and only making it worse, worse; the sky was splashed black and blue and the earth spun dizzily around her. She slipped in a pool of blood, floundering and choking, kicking at him viciously. Behind her, Lusa was screaming hysterically. She was begging Palette to get up, to please stand up, to stop it.

Lusa.

Palette's eyes flickered with terror as she realized she was going to die; she would have failed her daughter, her Tribe, her entire family. She couldn't breathe. His grip was like an iron vice, mercilessly choking out what she knew to be air and life. And with a sudden flare of pure desperation, or instinct- whatever one wanted to call that final surge of adrenaline that went beyond any mortal strength- Palette's claws lashed out, deep and deadly, cutting Ryoji's chest and shoulders before she heard a peculiar wet sucking sound and her paws darkened with red.

|| Ryoji | Unclaimed Land ||

He had knocked her over, but he could feel the blood spilling from his throat. He also could feel the spill of blood wash over his tongue. It was an odd feeling- dying, that is. He had never wondered what death was like. He knew he would die one day, but he had not known it would be today. He had nearly met death a couple times, but this time he could feel his body going. Ryoji could feel the life draining out of him as each drop of blood ran from his body as if he were poison. All he could hope now, was that Palette was feeling the same thing.

He kept hold of her throat though. He focused every muscle of his body to keep his jaw locked, even as the strength slowly sapped from his legs and his broken shoulder caused his leg to drag on the ground. As he slipped further from the world, the pain disappeared. His body felt numb and airy, and wounds no longer ached. It was like finally being free.

The tom couldn't have stopped Palette's final efforts. He was too far gone, and so when her claws raked through his neck and tore his windpipe, Ryoji didn't feel a thing. The light suddenly disappeared from his eyes, and with a final, shuddering tremble, the tom collapsed on Palette. His death lock on her throat loosened as his ice blue eyes stared blankly into the distance.

{ Palette | Fire Triber | Unclaimed Land }

The she-cat choked on her own blood as suddenly Ryoji's legs gave way and they both went down, the tom's huge body sprawling limply over hers and staining her fur with blood quicker than she'd ever thought possible; it was like the day she'd been with Bernadette. It was too much. There was no way anyone could even bleed that much, and yet Ryoji was, he was, and he was so heavy that he seemed to be crushing her lungs, or maybe they were just screaming from lack of air. She drew gasp after ragged, desperate gasp, shaking madly and struggling in vain to get him off of her. Get him off. Get him off.

Why wasn't he moving?

Palette heard a low, rasping moan arise and then realized a second later in her throbbing mind that it was her own, catching in her burning throat as she sank uselessly to her belly, trembling. No. She couldn't accept it. And yet the blue eyes that stared back at her, her eyes, were entirely blank. No more hatred, no more anger, not even cruelty- instead they were like glass, smooth and unscathed, fogged with something that she refused to acknowledge. The ghastly wound in his throat seemed to her a gaping frown that judged her claws with the indifferent disapproval of the gods themselves, and Palette felt her eyes begin to burn.

Ryoji was dead. He was dead because she had killed him.

{ Lusa | Air Triber | Unclaimed Land }

The tiny tabby could hardly breathe, shuddering and trying not to cry anymore- and, of course, failing miserably at this- even as Ryoji, her brother, stumbled with her Mama clasped in his jaws as if they were enclosed in some sort of dance together, except there was so much blood and her Mama was making strange, horrible noises. She didn't know what murder was. If she had, she might have leapt to her paws and stopped the terrifying engagement, but as it was she felt shockingly weak and scared and her shoulder was still on fire. It smoldered as if angry to have been forgotten in the wake of terror for her mother.

Then Lusa flinched as with the top-heavy staggering of a dislodged tree, Ryoji began to tilt and then crumpled easily to the ground, folding Palette beneath him. His jaw went slack and his teeth released the she-cat's throat with a fresh gush of blood, but Lusa was unsure whether it was truly fresh or just that which had collected in his horrible mouth. Regardless, he wasn't moving. It seemed to be over now.

Now Mama was getting up, swaying as blood leaked down her front, and Lusa suddenly found herself able to move as Palette pushed her son's body off of her. The Orange-Fire- no, the smith- looked so dazed and more lost than Lusa could have imagined Palette being. Palette just knew. She always knew where she was going and why. But now she looked almost like a kit as she trembled and looked at Ryoji's still figure, and then she inexplicably began to cry in complete silence, swaying still as her eyes locked on the tom's body. Lusa swallowed hard and crept up to Palette's side, watching Ryoji carefully to make sure he wasn't going to get up and hurt her. He wasn't moving at all. He wasn't even blinking.

"Mama?" Lusa whispered, trembling. Palette did not respond. The little apprentice came up to her mother's side at last and pressed into Palette's fur, shocked at how dirty it was. It smeared blood on her pure white pelt, and she shook harder, scared. Why wasn't Palette saying anything? "Mama, what's wrong?"

Palette leaned a little, teetering under the insistently gentle prodding of her daughter's nose. Lusa felt something like dread crawling through her veins. "Why isn't he moving, Mama?" she asked faintly, wondering if this was the reason, and suddenly Palette let out a low groan and sank sideways as if the string holding her up had been ruthlessly and coldly slashed.

"Mama! Mama!!"