Rogues

Chapter 2

Capricorn, Aquarius. And Scorpio dragged their tired, heavy paws over the smooth pavement as the first sun's rays lit a fire over the land. As Aquarius sighted these first rays, she collapsed where she stood and immediately started complaining.

"My paws are dead! Can't we rest here?" Aquarius yawned, her tail curling around her small striped body.

"Because we need to keep moving," Capricorn meowed gruffly at her younger sister, and immediately wanting to take the words back.

Aquarius stiffly stood up, her ears flattened and hot with embarrassment. Her sister usually didn't talk like that, she must be tired too.

Capricorn whipped around, not wanting to face her sister,"Let's keep moving."

Scorpio hung out at the back, musing about the relationship the two seemed to have. That tail-pouncing incident must have really ruffled her fur, Scorpio thought.

The trio traveled in a comfortable silence for some time. Scorpio marveled at the beautiful scenery alongside Aquarius, while Capricorn kept her head down. Capricorn's whiskers twitched in irritation every time the group wanted to stop.

Who put a burr in her fur? Scorpio thought with a saddened smile. Though Capricorn was always throwing a fit, her attitude was fun, somewhat.

"Birds!" Aquarius squeaked. Capricorn stopped with a huff as Scorpio raised his head. There was a dirt backyard, an abandoned twoleg house, and ironically just a lush bush in the middle. Scorpio gave a chuckle at the awkward placement of such a well-grown bush, while both Capricorn and Aquarius focused on the birds feeding around the bush.

Aquarius was the one to put her paws forward first. But, before she could rush to the prey, Capricorn smoothly stopped her little sister with her rat-like tail. Aquarius glanced up, confused, as Capricorn's claws unsheathed.

"Wait," Capricorn warned, her ears perking. There was nothing. "Let me go first."

With ease, Capricorn jumped over the ditches patched in the dirt. Her long legs easily made her able to do so. Though Scorpio contained the same capability to jump over the ditches, he just comfortably sat back and watched.

Capricorn shoved her nose into the bush, taking a few quick sniffs. This is when Scorpio noticed a particular scent he had tangled with before. Scorpio rose to his paws, his fur beginning to spike and his ears perking.

Beneath the thick scents of Capricorn and leaves he had scented the wretched, cursed creature that he had nicknamed the "fire of death." As if the red creature had heard Scorpio's thoughts, a fox crept from underneath the bush, causing Capricorn to freeze up in terror.

"Run!" Scorpio took no time to stop and stare. Giving Aquarius a good shove, the duo sped down the sidewalk. Capricorn quickly caught up to them, forgetting to be cautious of where she was putting her paws. Shattered glass of some sort of twoleg contraption caught both Aquarius and Capricorn's feet, while Scorpio had the eyes to see those shards in the night.

Capricorn hissed as her paw steps started to drip blood. She slowed her stop, dirt and grit catching in her wounds as the fox started to close in on them. But, Scorpio just realized it was him in the lead here. Aquarius had fled, Capricorn was hurt. It was his time to shine.

As the burning creature pounced forward, Scorpio tackled it in the air. He slammed the fox's back into the sidewalk, hearing a satisfying thump on the ground. The fox furiously tried to throw Scorpio off, but in the process Scorpio got a quick scratch on the fox's cheek.

Finally, the fox managed to toss Scorpio like prey into the dirt. Dust surrounded him like a cloud as he rose his head, squinting to see the fox and Capricorn starting their scuffle. Blinking through the irritation in his eyes, Scorpio could see Capricorn slicing the fox's nose. Blood sprayed against the sidewalk. Scorpio's eyes widened as the fox sneered, but Capricorn managed to dodge the fox again and again.

But, Capricorn wasn't all great. Soon, the fox realized her patterns of dodging, and changed his repetitive attacks. With a quick unexpected slash, Capricorn was on the floor with blood dripping from her flank. Scorpio got up with a quick hiss, his turquoise eyes burning with hate.

His pawsteps fell heavy and hard as his leg muscles bunched together, preparing for a powerful spring. He launched himself at the fox- and missed.

In a blur of dark grey and white fur, Scorpio twisted his body to aim just to the side of the fox and grab Capricorn's scruff in his teeth and run as fast as his long legs could carry him. Capricorn's paw pads were dripping blood and grit from the sidewalks, and it needed to be looked at. But later, when they weren't being chased by a fox.

Scorpio, basically dragging Capricorn along with him, followed Aquarius's scent through the alleyways. Twisting and turning, both he and the fox managed to push through their tired limbs and speed as fast as they could. But, Scorpio knew he couldn't go on like this forever; the fox would catch up to him, and both he and Capricorn would be killed and eaten. Then Capricorn's insults would be right!

With all of his remaining strength, Scorpio threw Capricorn on a few wooden crates left by a nearby restaurant. Capricorn didn't move, she looked rather... helpless. But, there was no time to think of Capricorn's death, nor his. As the fox skidded to a stop, ready to easily catch and kill both of them, Scorpio jumped onto the box. He winced as the fox gripped his tail, ripping through it. But, Scorpio fought through the pain as he grabbed Capricorn by the scruff and scrambled onto the roof of the restaurant.

As the fox began to follow them, Scorpio gave a strong kick to the boxes. Easily, they crumbled with the fox as the wooden crates shattered into splinters. The fox gave a single pain-filled yelp before going silent and turning tail.

Scorpio collapsed on his haunches and gasped for breath. The past few minutes had been so action-packed he hadn't even realized he was barely breathing. Capricorn looked- and felt- impossibly cold, which was not a good sign. And he still had to find Aquarius.

"Come on, Cap. We gotta go." Scorpio wheezed, taking her scruff in his mouth again and wearily hopping down from his iron post and padding away into the dark alleyways.