Hawk's Destiny Page 44

'Scourge?' Hawkpaw, thought, her blue gaze still fixed on the slender black tom.
She'd never heard any of her clan mates mention 'Scourge', except maybe the elders, who seemed to have heard the same story when they were kits. Hawkpaw didn't often stop by and listen to the story, for it had not interested her. Now Hawkpaw wished she had listened to those stories, for she was seeing Scourge right before her eyes.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Marshflight. And you too, Infernoshade." Scourge meowed, his blue gaze still fixed on Hawkpaw.
His ears perked, the black tom turned his head towards Marshflight.
"I didn't know you had an apprentice, Marshflight," Scourge chuckled, his blue eyes filled with mockery as something shined on his neck.
A long leather like piece of string was wrapped around the black tom's neck, followed with a bunch of dog and cat teeth, which had been pushed through the skin to the outer leather.

Hawkpaw's eyes widened in horror as her gaze fixed on to the teeth on the leather. 'What cat killed its own?!'
Scourge chuckled as he met his gaze on to Hawkpaw's, his blue eyes blazed with hatred.
"It seems I don't have to explain about this collar," Scourge chuckled as he lashed his tail.
A sudden sheer of pain coursed through Hawkpaw as she noticed that Infernoshade had sunk her claws into her shoulder. Teeth gritted, Hawkpaw quickly tried to sink her teeth into the light red flamed colored she-cat's paw.
Blood gushed out from Hawkpaw's shoulder as she felt her teeth hit skin. Yowling, Infernoshade slammed her claws along Hawkpaw's face. Pain as fierce as fire hit Hawkpaw as she felt blood gushing from her face.
"You little piece of-"
A black streak of fur rushed past Hawkpaw as she heard an ere splitting shriek, causing Infernoshade to become unbalanced. Relieved, Hawkpaw got to her paws, only to feel a sheer stabbing pain on the back of her neck, causing her to collapse to the ground. She tried one more effort to get up, but her paws seemed to have gone numb, causing her to stumble back onto the cold grass.
"Scourge, did you-"
"No, I didn't. I only stunned her. Probably knocked her unconscious due to the blow I gave her, but not killed her." The black tom responded, before turning his head towards the dark brown tom.
"Do you think this is the one Slickstar was talking about?" Scourge meowed, his blue eyes glancing from Hawkpaw to the dark brown tom.
"I believe so, though I am quite surprised on how she's experienced this place. I also heard that she astonished Slickstar himself when she fought him. He was quite surprised that she was able to dodge such a move." Marshflight whispered in response, his icy blue eyes now wide with concern and shock.
"Ah, it's been quite a while since the last time Slickstar's been surprised in combat," Scourge chuckled as his tail brushed the grass.
"Indeed, it is. And that was like, when Bramblestar himself was leader," Marshflight continued, his gaze now leveled onto the black tom's gaze.
"Did you really have to be so violent?" Infernoshade hissed, as she sat there, licking a scratch along her side.
"I'm sorry, Infernoshade, did you say something?" Scourge meowed, his blue eyes lowered into a serious stern, as he turned his gaze towards the light red flamed colored she-cat.
"No," Infernoshade mumbled, her amber eyes lowered.
As if ignoring her response, Scourge immediately flicked his ear impatiently before turning his gaze towards Hawkpaw.
"And what about the apprentice? I think you know what I'm thinking." Scourge meowed, his blue gaze now leveled with Hawkpaw's, now advancing towards her.
"You don't remember me, do you? Pity, I remember you;That wailing scrap of fur that kept screaming for her father," the black tom grinned at this remark, before extending his claws and moving them slowly along Hawkpaw's spine.
"Stop it.....! Leave me alone...!" Hawkpaw snarled, her blue eyes blazed with anger, though slowly growing dull as blood trickled down from the wound on her face.
"Do you remember now, Hawkpaw? I took a visit to your family moons ago." Scourge meowed, his teeth barred in a grin.
"You're.....lying..! You're LYING! I-it wasn't you..! It couldn't...!" Hawkpaw protested, her dull blue eyes wide in shock, as tears began to stream down her face.
A dark sheer cold laughter escaped the black tom's mouth as his blue gaze locked onto the silver she-cat's blue eyes before he mustered a reply. "You deny it? Very well, then. Let me show you," Scourge replied with a sheer grin on his face as he pulled a tuft of ginger fur with silver stripes from his claws.
The scent instantly reached Hawkpaw's nose, which caused her to flinch and bring anguish and misery into her eyes. 'It's just a nightmare,' Hawkpaw thought, shaking her head to get rid of the familiar scent. But this only seemed to make it worse; memories that were long sealed in her mind like a mass of thorn sharp brambles were suddenly flooding through her like a mass forest fire. Hawkpaw saw herself with her mother and brothers and sisters, with her mother and father looking down at them with overwhelming love. She saw herself playing with her kin and tussling in the morning grass. Then, more tragic and gruesome memories flooded into her head. She heard and saw her father hissing with hostility at a black tom. She saw the scarlet red blood paint the night sky as she saw her father being struck down with a killing blow to the neck, leaving blood trickling down onto the lustrous green grass. She heard her mother and siblings' terrified and anguish wails as they fled away from the black tom, mourning. The dreadful memories poured into Hawkpaw, one by one, as she lay there, tears streaming down her face as she shook her head vigorously.
"Stop it! I don't want to see it! Please...!" Hawkpaw wailed, her blue eyes now dull with grief, despite the fact that they were also fading from consciousness.
Scourge turned his gaze once more towards the silver she-cat, his blue eyes narrowed into tiny slits, before padding towards her. "I'm disappointed in you, Hawkpaw. I thought you'd show more teeth and claw." The black tom meowed, his voice tense, before turning his head away.
Hawkpaw's ear twitched as she noticed a sudden movement in the black tom's paws. She knew with a dread of horror that she was again fighting for her life. Gritting her teeth, Hawkpaw quickly swerved out of the way as a whiz of black fur struck down where she'd been a heartbeat before.
"Now, that's more like it!" Scourge growled, his black fur fluffed up twice his size as he crouched down, ready to spring.
'Not yet,' Hawkpaw thought. 'Just wait until he's pounced.' The moment the black tom sprang out his hind legs with his claws extended, Hawkpaw sprang out of the way, but she noticed that the black tom was ready for her. Pain as sharp as black thorns pierced Hawkpaw as teeth and claws sank into her right foreleg. Yowling, Hawkpaw swerved around and retaliated by sinking her teeth into the black tom's shoulder. Although Hawkpaw was exhausted and weak from her injuries due to a scratch on her side, face, and a gash in her right foreleg, she hung on and sank her teeth deeper. She heard Scourge shriek in pain as he lashed and landed some hits on Hawkpaw.
A sudden claw came out of nowhere and hit Hawkpaw's shoulder, causing her to loosen her grip. With this distraction, the silver she-cat was flung backward and landed on the ground, dazed.
"You filthy fox-dung! Is this how you fight?! That wasn't even a fair fight!" Hawkpaw spat, her teeth barred and tail lashing as every muscle in her body was tensed, ready to spring.
As she gasped for breath, she noticed that her vision was starting to dim. A sheer cold laughter rose from the black tom's throat at her remark, which seemed to echo in her head.
"There is no code here," Scourge answered cooly. "Our way is to fight. Now, it's time to end this."
The black tom raised his left white paw over the silver she-cat's face, his claws unsheathed. Hawkpaw's dim blue eyes widened with horror as she shut her eyes and prepared for the death blow.
A sudden screech of fury rose above the silence, followed by a yowl of shock. Hawkpaw opened her eyes and noticed a pure starry white she-cat with a blue and green eye, which were blazed with fury.
'Hareheart!' Hawkpaw thought, her heart wrenching with joy.
Followed behind the starry white she-cat was a grey tabby tom with blue eyes, which looked like they were clouded by a hazy mist. Hawkpaw realized with a sudden jolt that the tom was blind. And yet, he moved like he knew every tree and rock. Screeching, the white she-cat lunged forward towards the black tom, and sank her teeth and claws into his fur. Hawkpaw noticed that the grey tom was struggling with the light red flamed colored she-cat. Though the tom was swifter than her, his blindness was a horrible fault. And yet, though it seemed like he could actually see, that still didn't help change the situation that the grey tabby tom was in. Hawkpaw tried to scramble to her paws, but her legs wouldn't support her weight. Neither the less, the condition she was in didn't help the issue. Out of the corner of her eye, Hawkpaw thought that she saw a tuft of light silver fur. And yet, she caught a whiff of her mother's scent.
"Emera?" Hawkpaw murmured, her blue eyes wide, yet half closed.
Before her vision and consciousness faded, she thought she heard a warning yowl of worry, but it seemed far away and echoed inside her head, as she sank into nothingness.