Scourge's Second Chance

Chapter 15 - Reaching Vines

"Where's Flake?" Ivy asked as Scourge edged back into camp. "Did he escape you?"

"Of course not!" Scourge hissed. "I killed him with a blow to the underbelly." Scourge flashed his red claws.

Ivy laughed and purred. "Of course, Scourge." She came up to him and lowered herself onto her belly, with her paws tucked beneath her. "And look at me, I got my collar - and guess what?"

"What?" Scourge asked, looking at Ivy almost excitedly. "What is it, Ivy?"

"It's green!" she cheered. She raised her head, showing off the green collar. It was almost completely ringed in dog teeth and claws, and then she raised her paw. "Look at my claws," she whispered. They were covered with dog claws and stuck on with sap, just like Scourge had done to his own claws.

"Impressive," Scourge purred. "Ivy, can I talk to you for a moment?"

For a half second, Ivy looked happy, truly happy, but then something crossed her face, and she said, "Sorry, Scourge, but a cat's looking for you, some loner named Raspberry."

"Raspberry?" he asked, then remembered Eagle talking about his young daughter, who was just a five-moon-old kitten. She would be around seven or eight moons now. "I'll see her," he said, interested in testing his skills with a jailbreak or something...

Ivy nodded and led Scourge down the tunnels under Twolegplace.

"What prey do you like, from ThunderClan?" she asked abruptly.

"I wasn't there for long enough to taste much fresh-kill, but the first piece I ever had was a pigeon or a dove. It was pale gray, but I can't remember the name," he replied. "A pigeon or a dove, but I like to think it was a dove. Pigeons are city birds, and I liked to think I'd caught a true forest bird."

Ivy laughed at this, and Scourge joined her.

"I never realized that doves didn't really mean anything," he continued. "To this day, they still make me happy. Well..." he stumbled, struggling to get over the implied notion that he was still a foolish kit who loved his favorite prey.

"I know," Ivy laughed. "I still can't resist a frog, one of the bullfrogs especially."

Scourge nodded. "I've never tasted one," he commented. "I'd be very interested in seeing what that's about. I've heard that ShadowClan eats frogs."

"We're here," Ivy said abruptly as a tiny bit of something started to flicker in her gaze, turning to point her tail at an exit to the tunnels and sprinting off back through the darkness. 

Scourge turned his head to watch her run off, and then climbed out of the tunnel, right into the face of a ginger tabby cat.

"Oof!" she squeaked as he ran into her. 

Within an instant, Scourge was on top of her with his claws at her throat.

"Eep!" She squeaked. "What is wrong with you?" 

Scourge lifted his claws a tiny bit. "Are you Raspberry?"

"Y-Yes," she squeaked. "I need you to break my father, Eagle, out of that Twoleg nest, there." She pointed with her tail at a small, gray nest. "The Twolegs delivered him to the housefolk that live there."

Scourge nodded. "Wait here."

Then, he edged along the streets, trying to hide his collar from the Twolegs. He sprinted the way towards the gray Twoleg house, then paused, searching for ways in and out. He saw a hole in the wall of the nest, but it was covered with vine-y mesh.

Then, he noticed an open window, only about half a cat's height. He could fit in here, since he was rather small. Scourge inched inside the nest, watching as a Twoleg caught sight of him. Scourge rushed over to Eagle, and hit the tom with a blow to the head. Eagle passed out, and Scourge grabbed the tom in his jaws.

"StarClan's kits," he cursed softly as the Twolegs rushed him. He'd really have to do this, wouldn't he?

Scourge hissed and leapt at one of the Twolegs. Every time they tried to grab him, he scratched their face and necks, before leaping down to drag Eagle to the door.

If I act exhausted and like I want to flee, they might open the door, he thought.

So he did just that. Scourge whimpered and whined before nudging the door pathetically with his head.

And the Twolegs sighed and opened the door.

Grabbing his victory with both paws, he yanked Eagle out the door by his scruff and raced the big tom down the street to Raspberry.

"What have you done?" she gasped.

"He's just unconscious," Scourge grunted as Eagle groaned and blinked open his eyes. "Well, get him somewhere safe. I have to leave now."

Scourge sprinted back through the tunnels, before stopping at the entrance, clutching the reward Raspberry had given him, a bundle of precious feverfew to treat Bone. Yes, that Bone, who was now Ivy's personal guard, just like him. But Scourge didn't really want to kill Ivy and take over.

Then, he gasped as he stepped into the Becoming's "camp." Off to the side of the fresh-kill pile, there lay a dove and a small frog.

Ivy's ice blue eyes met his ice blue eyes, and she smiled softly. "Are you going to eat?" she asked.