Devil's Dance Floor [Peregrine and Tiercel]

[Bane]

ooc I hope you guys don't mind me doing a little powerplaying. =/ I thought it would be a little pointless to create a short thread in BoneClan territory which led to this one.

Bane had woken the two kits way before dawn, and had begun the tedious treck from BoneClan's new territory, to the old. The leader had thought it would be a good location for his next talk with them both; the scents were stale, but blood and death could still be smelt within the air. It was a dank and miserable smell, that signalled the defeat of BoneClan at Kestrel's claws. However, it wasn't the BoneClan cats that Bane wanted Tiercel and Peregrine to smell - it was the cats of the other clans. MistClan, TreeClan and StoneClan had all been lured to fight for Kestrel's cause, and many of them had died for her. It was this that Bane wanted to make the two kits, Kestrel's offspring, aware of.

Bane stepped cautiously through his old territory, taking his time to make sure no other cats were around. He had chosen to have this session whilst it was still dark, so that it was less likely for anybody to see him. He was well aware how close he was to RisingClan territory, and wished not to be found out. Fortunately, his cautious steps equalled the tiny treads of the kittens, so they were both at the same pace.

The tom stopped as he arrived to the spot he had been seeking for - the area of the battle. Still, the grass was slightly flattened, and clumps of fur and bloodstains were scattered about the floor. It was a grim sight, one that he was sure would shock Tiercel and Peregrine. Ideally he would not bring them here, but it was necessary. For a few heartbeats, Bane was deadly still, signalling to the kits to stay low too. His ears angled into the wind, attempting to pick up any faint noises, his mouth slightly opened so as to catch any fresh scents from the land.

All was clear. Bane crawled through the grass to the spot where Kestrel had defeated him - he recognised the area by the angle at which the rocks were scattered - and sat, his tail neatly tucked around his paws, facing the two kittens.

"Recognise any scents? Take your time, and tell me what you think..."

He said in a quiet and low voice. His question was meant to help him see how well developed the two were at their abilities to recognise scents from the atmosphere. It would also lead nicely onto the point that he wished to make...[/size]

[Peregrine]

So freakin’ early.

Never one to complain, and often times leaving that to Tiercel to commit, Peregrine had held her tongue when the two were awoken from their slumber in the dead of night, but she made no effort to hide the way her paws dragged a bit, the way her tail and head hung low. Sleepily, the young kit yawned, blinking owlishly in the direction of her brother as they followed the devilish Boneclan leader. Where were they going? Why? Clearly, the kits hadn’t made their point the last time they had spoken to the dark leader – this grim, desolate land was certainly not home.

But…Peregrine thought she could smell home. Thought. Her nose quivered as her head rose to look around – everything was made frighteningly dim in the darkness of the night. They could be right by Risingclan territory and she would have no idea…which was frightening in and of itself as well. Futilely, and a bit disappointedly, the kit glanced up at the black sky…nothing. She could see nothing; almost as if a weight was pressing down, cloying and suffocating in the pressure.

This area reeked of Boneclan, however, even though they had been pressed to travel hard this early morning – so much so, that Peregrine believed that she might have an idea where they were now.

Boneclan’s old territory.

Bane, finally, crawled to a certain spot and sat there – alarmed by his cautious behavior, Peregrine followed low to the ground; looking at the tom’s lead. It was there, where he sat, when he spoke for the first time since they had left; and such curious words at that. The quiet she-kit rose with only a momentary glance at her brother before exploring the forsaken battleground, ranging close to Bane and Tiercel.

Even now, moons after that final deciding point of the war, scents still ranged through the vast area. Some, like her mother’s….or even that of several of her clanmates, were easy to catch. Boneclan scents too were strong, but those weren’t it. They weren’t it at all. “Boneclan, Risingclan..” Her naturally quiet meow echoed in the otherwise silent area, so loud to ears that had grown accustomed to the silence on this night. Peregrine flinched, yet still padded a few steps forward – mismatched eyes going wide as saucers at the scent of blood that suddenly engulfed her. Boneclan stench was strong here, but there was another, the owner of the blood, that wasn’t of either Boneclan or Risingclan.

Unwittingly, Peregrine had stumbled on Hawkeye’s last stand, the place where the brave Mistclan warrior had fought, bled, and breathed his last breath. “I don’t…know this scent? It’s not either clan’s, but another’s I think…I’ve never smelled it before.” Time and the elements had worn away the scent, as well as the bloodstains, but they still echoed there.

Looking up, the she-kit gave Bane a questioning look; not understand what was on the cunning tom’s mind. Shivering suddenly, she looked down at her paws, the rust stained earth, and shook her head and mused quietly to herself, "...so much death happened here..."

[Tiercel]

this river is wild.

A little black tom trailed behind, his face turned away from the others, his mismatched eyes wide. There was fear in them, a restless, transparent fear that was not difficult to see. The fur along his back was raised as he took in the scene:

The dark, opressing sky. The distant, scattered stars. Bane's huge and fluid dark form. The deep rust stains. The fur littering the earth. The scents of old, sour blood and the sting of fear-scent.

The Battleground. Tiercel had heard stories, of course. Stories of victory and triumph as well as darker tales of death and destruction. Of the evils of the enemy and the sad necessity of war. Oh, Kestrel had made them both well-informed of the history of their Clan.
Of course, Bane would doubtless have a different spin on it.

Tiercel looked back to Bane, his mismatched eyes going hard and narrow. The fear that had dwelled in them moments before had been banished, and rudely; only he could know about it. His fear was private. As far as Bane would know, Tiercel didn't know what fear was!
Emboldened by his own thoughts, Tiercel sniffed delicately at the air, drawing in lungfuls of strange scents. "Blood," he mewed decisively. "Our Clan, and BoneClan. Maybe the other Clans, too? And a smell like fresh-kill, like..."
He broke off, seeking the word. But Peregrine beat him to it:

"...so much death happened here..."

For an instant, Tiercel's brave facade broke, and he shivered. "Yeah," he mumbled. "Death."

Death. The word shook the kit down to his very bones. Slowly, trying not to look too scared, he stepped toward Peregrine, drawing himself up protectively. Not that his quiet sister needed much protecting; she was really much tougher than she seemed.

Summoning up all of his courage, Tiercel managed to take an agressive step forward. I'll show'im I'm not afraid! he growled silently.
"So?" he spat, waving his tail impatiently.

[/blockquote]

[Bane]

Death.

Bane had learnt from yesterday's encounter with the two kits that they weren't to be underestimated. They were young enough to be defenseless, but old enough to have formed opinions of their own. Unfortunately those opinions were heavily influenced by their mother. This meant that they were difficult to influence, and therefore Bane had decided not to treat them as if they were little kits. He would give them the respect they deserved.

"Many cats died that night, from all of the clans... I cannot say I don't feel guilty for what happened, but neither can I say that the blame was all on me..."

His voice was more than a whisper, but only marginally. Constantly, his ears swivelled around to check for any sounds, and his whiskers were constantly checking the wind speed and direction.

"Here, on this spot, all of the cats from all of the clans gathered. I had not expected this - I had thought that the feud was between me and your mother, and that it should have been fought fairly as such. However from... resources I learnt that Kestrel had been gaining allies. She had turned up to their gatherings, and persuaded them one by one to fight for her - MistClan, StoneClan, and TreeClan all accepted. With this threat looming, I had no choice but to seek an alliance with DuskClan, but even then we were greatly outnumbered. The battle was always going to be against us."

"I say this as the whole truth, but I did not kill a single cat on that night. Similarly, I told my clan to only focus upon RisingClan, no other. It troubles me that some of them may not have listened, for those cats did not all die at the claws of DuskClan. As their leader, however, it is me who must take responsibility for that. And I say truthfully that I shall never forgive myself for that. I do not tell you that I held no blame; however, I ask of you to think that all of these cats were killed because Kestrel bargained with them to fight for her."

He paused, taking his time to carefully observe the reactions of the kits. For this part, Bane breathed in deeply. He truly hoped that this tactic would work.

"I did many things in that time, all of which I regret. I was ill, and my thoughts were clouded. But I ask you to forget the past, and see the future - BoneClan will be strong. We shall grow, and no longer shall we be a threat to the clans. Instead, my vision is that we can live, not wholly side by side, but so that we can feed off of eachother's strengths, and protect one another. I can teach you how to fight like no other clan cat has ever fought; I can teach you to hunt so that not even the grass beneath you knows you're there. I can teach you how to defeat an opponent without him ever knowing you're there. You won't understand why I would do this until you're older, but I promise you that it is for the greater good of everyone involved. Particularly your mother...

Alternately, I wish to be fair, and so I offer you the chance to leave. If you so wish, then you may travel across this field, back to your mother's territory. Understand how vulnerable this would leave me - previously I might kill you before you could spill any information to your mother. Today, however, I would let you walk free and safe from harm.

The choice is yours."

The tom held his breath, hoping beyond hope it had worked. It had always been a tenuous string to follow, but he had done it, for he thought it the best of all the options. Whilst his desperation was not present on his calm face, inside it lashed like a lion.[/size]

[Peregrine]

Little Peregrine settled into an uneasy crouch when Bane began speaking, sensing that this would be presented in a way that mother, or any of the other clan cats, never had. She did like this, in a way however uneasy Bane made her, gaining such an insight on how different Boneclan’s views were from Risingclan’s. The dark tom’s voice was quiet, just a hush above a whisper, and she had to creep closer with pricked ears so to catch every word properly. He deserved to be listened to, her own begrudging respect allowed that much, at least.

The choice was hers.

Hers, and Tiercel, and the little she-cat swiveled her head to see her brother’s expression, to try to get some insight on what he may be thinking about the words stated, the paths presented to them. In truth, the kit hadn’t expected to be treated in this way, or for such words to even be uttered from Bane’s mouth. Where was the harsh felon they had been told about? Where was the monster from the abyss that she-cats told their kits to get them to sleep at night? He had said he had been ill. Was he saying that as an excuse for the things he had committed before the war?

With her head swimming suddenly from the rush of thoughts, Peregrine looked down at her paws again – there was a patch of black fur there. Who had it belonged to? Had its owner survived, or was yet another casualty? “The choice is ours.” She began, looking up and at Bane, “But the choice is also my own, even…if my choice differs from Tiercel’s.”

In truth, it wasn’t for Bane – but for her brother to hear those words, and understand them. She loved her brother, she really did – loved all of their once happy family. Loved Soulless. Loved Deepcreek. Loved Bluerage, loved her kits, loved Crisp. Loved even the insane, silly Deadnight. But it was her life to live, not theirs, and she wanted what was best for everyone. “I don’t want there to be another war. I don’t want for there to be so many losses, for there..” She stopped then, her eyes listed and searching the dark sky as if seeking a word just out of her grasp. “There already is so much pain in the world…isn’t there? Why add to it?” Her gaze fell, mismatched falcon’s eyes unblinking as they bore into Bane. “You say lotsa words. I’m not sure if I can believe. Maybe it’s not all true, or even only half true, but you and Boneclan stand to gain if we do agree. I dunno. I dunno if I should believe you, who gains, or believe that one she-cat’s words. Or her father’s words. You all say Soulless, our big sister, was stolen from you, your clan, and even rightfully they still anger with it. What are we then? Your little revenge against Mom for doing that; even though Soulless is happy now? You could use us against our mother! You want to train us to be strong, but why? To protect? Tiercel and I, we know about you Boneclanners – you destroy what you cannot conquer!”

Passion blazing in her eyes, unable to stop the spin she had started, and the quiet kit was shaking in a mix of passionate fury as well as her own dare for speaking at the killer in such a way – normally those sort of passionate displays were left to Tiercel to start, with her quietly backing him up. Sighing, Peregrine released that emotion, stilling her own blazing heart and simply breathing until she felt calm enough, paced to a simple mellow soaring in her active thoughts. “But this is my decision.”

“Even if it might be my decision alone.” Peregrine wasn’t as brave as Tiercel, and she would be the first to admit that fact. She wasn’t anything amazing, even in her own mind, aside from her lineage. But... “I wanna be something. I want my wings to spred and be able to fly like no other before me. Can you give me that? Can you promise me that, and keep that promise too?” Freakin’ hell, had she ever spoken so much in her short life? Peregrine fell silent then, as still as death, only the occasional movement as she breathed the only sign of life as she watched Bane, waiting for his words – and for Tiercel’s words, too.

[Tiercel]

this river is wild.

Tiercel stared at his sister through wide mismatched eyes. Was she really saying what he thought she was saying?
Could it be possible?
No!

"You can't be serious," Tiercel burst out, his body quivering with the force of his words. "You're not honestly thinking of takin him up on this, are you? Please tell me you're not, Peregrine! You know about them, as much as I do!"

The young tom rounded on Bane. "What about our aunt Kanji, huh? Everyone said that durin the war, one of your BoneClanners came into camp n tore her up! She doesn't even look like a cat anymore!" His eyes were glowing fiercely with the heat of his passionate rage. Even his mother had rarely let herself go so far. And the Tiercel was his mother over again. "She came less than a whisker's length from dying, she lost so much blood! I can still see the bloodstains where she was lyin when mom found her! She was just protectin the nursery, and she's been blind since she was a kit, so why'd your cat have to rip her apart like that? She said he used his teeth! What kinda cat does that?
One of yours! One of your BoneClan scum cats!"

Tiercel had a true fighting spirit, and now he was going all-out, burning like a little flare in the early darkness. His eyes flashed and his shoulders bristled with fury. His silver-tipped tail lashed.
As he spoke, he took a few short, agressive steps forward. He was already halfway to Bane. "Don't tell your lies to my sister! I dunno what she's thinkin, but I ain't gonna let you hurt her!"
Now he got right in Bane's face (or as well as he could, being so much smaller), his sharp little teeth bared in a snarl, "You lie to her and hurt her n I'll kill ya!"

[/blockquote]

[ note: if Peregrine were to decide to stay, Tiercel will also stay, to try to protect/convince her to leave with him; thus giving Bane an opening of a few moons to try and sway him away from RisingClan ]

[Bane]

The reaction was to be expected. It made Bane smile.

As Tiercel grew angry, he stepped closer; his face would have been a whisker's length had it not been for the difference in height. Bane didn't move, didn't even twitch an ear. His single eye kept a cool gaze on the young tom, observing whatever emotion might be portrayed in his eyes.

The BoneClan leader registered each angry-spoken word seperately, and allowed the kit several moments of silence to calm himself before a response was given.

"You speak harsh words for a cat so young in age. I admire your bravery, even if it is fueled by ignorance."

That smile crawled it's way back again. The words were meant to infuriate Tiercel, and Bane was certain that the kits pride would not allow himself to be insulted so. To further add insult to injury, the tom turned his attention to Peregrine, who had seemed more intent on listening than her brother had. Her questions were a good thing, and they bore signs of her untouched intellect that had yet to be touched. In a similar calm and collected tone, Bane put a good effort into wording his reply appropriately.

"Peregrine, you shall be whatever you want to be. If that means leaving, so be it. However if you do decide to join me, you have my word that I shall do whatever I can to make you so. Anything you need, I shall get it for you. And I shall train you in whatever way you wish. I give you my word - as for keeping it, you could ask any one of my clan about promises I have given them. You will see that I always keep to it."

Bane let this sink in for a moment, before he spoke again.

"I can see why you might think you are but my revenge on your mother. Granted, this is what it shall feel like to her, and how my clanmates see it - and I am not sorry that your mother might be grieving right now. But as I told you, the final result is not for petty vengeance. I wish I could tell you, but even I cannot fully comprehend the future. Trust me, however, that I have only the best interests of everyone involved in mind."

[Peregrine]

Tiercel spoke up, as Peregrine knew he would, but he had to bring aunt Kanji into the conversation. The she-cat winched at his words however, perhaps it was just being kind on her part but she still thought Kanji was beautiful – inner beauty was as important, if not more, then outer. In fact, she had even liked to think that she was close to the blind, gentle she-cat…but not now. Maybe never again, she didn’t know, her head was pounding so hard that it was difficult to even think.

“I’m sorry Tiercel.” She finally started, after remaining silent through her brother explosion and Bane’s reply. Mismatched eyes turned and look to the young tom, her dear brother that she did care for very much, “I’m sorry.”

“But I want to fly.”

She didn’t know if he would understand those words, not like she did. She could only hope he could try.

Peregrine looked back to the scarred, massive black tom. Here was a being that shouldn’t exist any longer. Here was a creature from nightmares, a tom that had destroyed countless lives, and forever touched the history of this valley. “I dunno if I can trust you or what you say. I don’t have much reason to yet. But I’ll stay.” As she spoke, her gaze had turned to look down at her paws, cast into dark light, but when she next looked up her eyes were aglow with passionate fire.

“Play me false, an' you’ll one day regret it.”

[Tiercel]

this river is wild.

"But--what---Peregrine!" Tiercel spluttered, rendered almost incoherent by shock and rage.

He whirled on his sister, Bane's words momentarily wiped from his mind. His wide mismatched eyes were blazing with an intensity so violent it was almost otherworldly; his dark fur was puffed and his tail lashed in a constant blur of motion; the young tom could scarcely believe his own ears.

"St--stay, Peregrine?" He was breathing very fast, and the rapid inhales and exhales so badly distorted his words they were nearly impossibly to discern: "Ha-have you l-lost your mind! T-this is c--cra--insanity, Peregrine! This is--"
Treason, Betrayal. Cruel. Stupid. Suicide. "wrong!"

Tiercel stood gasping for air and gritting his teeth in fury before his sister, looking for the first and possibly only time in his life like he might suddenly claw her across the face.

How can you do this to mother! To father! To our Clan! You do remember that, don't you, sister?

For once, Tiercel held his tongue. He would speak to Peregrine later, in private. There would be time. There would be time. There would be time to stop this, to convince her that this was nothing but wrong.

There would be time.
Later.

...How could you do this to me, Peregrine?

Suddenly all the anger seemed to run out of Tiercel, leaving the young tom only cold and numb. Distantly, he heard himself say, "Fine. You know what? Fine. I'm not leaving my sister here with you. Not alone."

How could you.

"I'm staying."

[/blockquote]