Warriors: Bound To Stars

Chapter 12 || The Confusing Calico

Batchaser's heart pumped heavily in his chest as he was held down by the other feline. The tears were fuzzy in his vision but he forced himself to calm down. He examined the cat above him, eyes narrowing a bit. It was a calico she-cat, one brown eye on her left side and one blue eye on her right. They were unmistakably pained, chips of ice embedded inside which made it appear as if a snowflake was falling into the depths of her iris. A huge scar ran from her chin, through her lip, and above her eye, ripping through her left ear as it crossed over her whole face. Her claws were long and stone-looking, and her teeth poked out of her jaws as she glared down at Batchaser.

⠀⠀"Y-You aren't going to do anything to me," he spat, forcing his fur to lie flat. He'd have to do the one thing he knew best: be hostile.

⠀⠀A shrill, hoarse laugh left the calico's throat, her eyes shining with something Batchaser couldn't quite place. "Brave one, are you? This is a nice catch... there's no telling what I can do." Okay, he finally placed it. She had to be a psychopath. "Rip your claws and whiskers off? Gouge out your eyes?" A smirk crept on her scarred face. "Rip you open and play in your insides?"

⠀⠀"You crazy bastard!" Batchaser snarled, trying to wriggle free from her grasp. He was too weak to, however, and she clearly had done this before. That's what scared the black tom.

⠀⠀"I can smell your fear-scent," she whispered, thrusting her muzzle in his face. "That's what I like the most, dear one." Her breath smelled awful. Batchaser felt like his heart was truly going to explode.

⠀⠀Then, suddenly, literally out of nowhere, exactly like the cliché, "Hey I'm here to save you just before you get murdered," plot, a small body threw itself at the calico and knocked her off of Batchaser. She snarled and whirled around, snapping at the cat that had bowled into her. The former ShadowClanner was almost too shocked to stand but managed to do it, pain ripping through his body. He staggered to his paws and gasped at the sight before him.

⠀⠀Rushingpaw was here to save him!

⠀⠀The small gray tom was baring his teeth at the crazy she-cat, who reeled backward and slammed the apprentice into the ground with her paw. For a moment Batchaser feared she was going to kill him, then she starting laughing hysterically, falling on her tail and rolling onto her back. "YOU TWO ACTUALLY BELIEVED ME!" She wheezed and sort of keeled over.

⠀⠀Batchaser and Rushingpaw looked at each other. Then the black tom's ears whipped up when he realized who had just saved him. "Rushingpaw!" He propelled himself toward the apprentice, but told himself not to get to close. Batchaser didn't want it to look like he cared. He relaxed his tensed shoulders and let his face fall into the expression of blankness. "Uh, what are you doing here?"

⠀⠀Rushingpaw gulped, ducking his head. Batchaser found it hard to hear the little gray tom from the calico's laughing. "Sh-Shellstar..."

⠀⠀The former ShadowClanner's claws sunk into the ground. "What did he do?"

⠀⠀"W-Well, after he killed you... there was sort of chaos?" The apprentice tipped his head to the side a bit. "Jackalstar attacked him and so did a few others. Some cats went over to see if you were alive... you weren't. Then I got mad and attacked Shellstar and, well, he killed me." Sadness made itself apparent in Rushingpaw's gaze.

⠀⠀Batchaser's heart dropped in his chest. "Rushingpaw, I'm so sorry. I know I caused--"

⠀⠀"HEY! Will you two stop blabbering and LISTEN to me? I've never seen such gullible cats!" The calico cut in, laughing again but eventually regaining her posture. She was actually quite regal-looking when Batchaser observed her, the calico looking less crazy as she watched the two closely.