trying for redemption [open]

[The Kitty.]

// @gs29513

Sparrowsnap
__________

Blood, dark and engulfing. Claws, hooked and polished among the iridescent sunlight. Before she knew it, those lethal talons had bore down on her, curling reflexively as they stripped away her eyesight. Her vital sense. Her only remaining source of... of what seemed to be everything: Brindlekit, Flickerkit, they were all gone.

A scream, hollow but amazingly ear-piercing, as the liquid crimson streamed down her newly useless visionaries. Another scream as she stumbled clumsily down, writhing like a rabid animal on the blood-spattered floor of the clearing. "Ah, god! Why, why, why?!"

The screams rang in her head as her slashed eyes flickered open. She expected to see a messy puddle of the hot red blood sloshing beneath her, but it turned out there was nothing. And even so, she wouldn't have been able to see anything if there had been. The familiar question still whizzed about in her mind: Why? Oh, but she knew the answer - everything... Everything had been thanks to her. Thanks to Sparrowsnap. I ripped away his... his everything, and look at me now: a useless, exiled loner, good for nothing but sitting around and being plagued by the nightmares I deserted him with. But she held no triumph for her actions: every morsel of that had already been long distinguished.

Here she lay, hunched down like a cat whose throat had just been ripped out. Here she lay, useless and remorseful as those achingly familiar tears welled from around the corners of those... those purposeless eyes of hers. A shrill scream of... of what seemed to be mental torture rang out from her maw, resounding throughout the clearing she had made her home in. "What... What have I done? My kits, my friends, my sight... It's gone. All of it. G-gone... Gone. Gone."

[gs29513]

What was that? His head snapping away from the mouse he was stalking, Grey froze, gazing around, as if daring something to come after him. It had almost sounded like.......a cat. In pain. But........not quite. And there, there it was again! Crying for what seemed to be.....everything. The mouse long forgotten, he was already bounding towards the voice, for it sounded quite a bit like a she-cat. Not that he wouldn't help a tom, but........she-cat's were easier. Less territorial and such. Well, where was he going anyway. Shoot, he was lost. After wandering aimlessly for a moment, he had the idea to track a scent he had caught on the breeze. Perhaps IT was the cat.

So, all in all, it was an hour later when he pushed through the bushes that surrounded the clearing, and knew this was the right place. It reaked, positively REAKED of sadness, and a she-cat, indeed a she-cat. But.......what a sight she was. Her eyes seemed damaged, and she was hunched over, old looking, and hopeless. Still, padding forward slowly and cautiously, for those claws looked mighty sharp, he mewed slowly My name is Grey.
I heard you yowling, and I was wondering if.........I might be of assistance. Decent, decent. Not pushy, but not to vague either. He was doing alright here, or so he thought at first whack. @Corrutpx

[The Kitty.]

// @gs29513

Sparrowsnap
__________

A voice, she realized a moment later, was calling out in her direction. The blinded she-cat's ripped ears flicked forward, tears seemingly freezing in place prior to their preparation for dripping down her cheeks. Her hindquarters tensed as a rustle could then be heard from somewhere nearby, perhaps from one of the bushes. She sniffed at the air, a meager attempt at detecting where this cat-like aroma was drifting in from.

Upon hearing the soft - perhaps wary - voice of a tom, Sparrowsnap allowed out a teeny gasp. "U-uh... Wh-whose there?" Then, quietly, she added: "Uh... Uh, there's no need to be scared, I... I'm not looking to hurt anyone."

[gs29513]

Oh, that was nice. She didn't want to hurt him. Always a good thing he supposed. At least he was pretty sure it was. Unless it was a trick.....his brain sniffed at him, telling him to NOT BE SO STUPID, and to GET AWAY NOW. But......she was blind, that much he could tell now. She was of no threat to him it seemed. So, against his perhaps better judgement, he stepped forward, tail curling over her shoulders gently.

My name is Grey. And I'm glad you're not looking to hurt me. he purred gently, pressing his furry body against her slowly. He didn't want to startle her, scare her or anything, but.......she needed a hug. Definitely needed a hug. Still, he didn't want to be too intrusive, so removing a bit of pressure, he asked kindly Are you alright? I heard you yowling, and I thought you were in trouble, so I came to help. @Corruptx

[The Kitty.]

// @gs29513

Sparrowsnap
__________

Sparrowsnap let her upper teeth nibble absentmindedly at her lips as the tom inched gradually toward her. She couldn't help but wince ever-so-slightly back upon feeling the tip of his tail rest around her scarred shoulders, perhaps as a sign of... comfort? Sparrow, truth be told, didn't have the slightest clue.

"Uhm... Yeah, no, I don't." Oh, gosh, how was she supposed to begin? Chances were she had just embarrassed herself before this dude, bawling her eyes out like some sort of abandoned kit! Abandoned kit... Even now, the words still managed to sting. Just as absentmindedly as she had bit her lip, the words evaded her maw, high-pitched and rasping. "Brindlekit... Flickerkit... Damn it, why?"

[gs29513]

Oh dear. She had winced when he had touched her. Hastily taking a step back, Grey began I'm sorry if that was intrusive. I just........felt that you needed a hug. Then, the she-cat said she was fine. Oh. He........probably wasn't wanted then. So, his words running on, pounding out of his mouth in a stampede almost, he added Oh then, um, if you'd like me to leave, I'll be on my way then. He knew she couldn't see them, but turning he almost felt that she knew what he was doing. He had only taken a few steps away when........she began screaming, or rasping, or hacking, he really wasn't sure which, again.

Turning back quickly, he caught the names "Brindlekit" and "Flickerkit" and then a bit of a swear. She didn't sound healthy, alright, at all. He couldn't leave now, not with her in this state. He definitely couldn't abandon her. She would probably die at this point. But.......what should he do? Perhaps......some water? He could work on the obvious emotional problems later. But water wouldn't be intrusive, would it? He was sure it wouldn't.

Normally, Grey wasn't the most open and loving of cats, but something about this she-cat had stirred something in him. It had started with pity, that much he was sure of. Who wouldn't pity this broken looking she-cat, hunched over, blinded, crying? But he felt, SENSED almost, something inside her, something that had once been. She......had been a bad cat. There was a scent of blood that still clung to her, her claws so long, and darkened faintly, for her to be anything else really. But now.....she wasn't dangerous. If she was as fierce as he thought she had been, she would have killed them now. Perhaps she had......realized her mistakes.

And Grey wanted to help her with that, help her become a good cat, a great cat, and try to make amends for what had happened in the past, the cats she had almost certainly killed with those long claws. So, turning back to her, he asked as gently as he could manage Would you......like some water? I could get you some. @Corruptx

[The Kitty.]

// @gs29513

Sparrowsnap
__________

Sparrowsnap couldn't help it: for just about the entirety of her life, she had been shrouded in a mist of regret. Of remorse. Of... It was... Indescribable. Her viciously slashed eyes squeezed shut as she let the tears roll down her cheeks, patter the long blades of grass which her bloodstained claws curled into. Gather yourself, damn it! A low growl rose up from her throat as she fluttered open an eye, as she could manage to hear the footsteps of the tom treading slowly away. Wait. No! No, he had... He had been... Comforting, in a way. Again, it seemed nearly inexpressible.

Then, he turned hesitantly back around, and Sparrowsnap's torn ears pricked forward. "I uh... Wait! What was his name, ehhh? Uh... Gray! I-I'm sorry if I freaked you ou-" Was he offering her something? Uhm, well that certainly didn't happen every day. The former ShadowClan warrior kinked a brow, perplexed. Why would he... Why would he want to help her? Was he opt to kill her? To rip out her already-useless eyes, to rip out her throat...

No. Turns out he wasn't, because next thing she knew the tom had asked her if she'd wanted any water. At a loss for words, Sparrow forced her head up and looked blearily into the rogue's eyes. "Y-yes... I-I suppose so, please. And uh... Th-thank you."

[gs29513]

She did want him to stay! A strange, unbelievable thrill rushed though Grey, tingling along his spine, to his paws and tailtip. It felt good to be wanted. The way she seemed surprised at being offered help......disturbed him a bit. What kind of life had this cat had, where she couldn't trust anyone? She was certainly a new cat around here. She wasn't a kittypet, that was for sure. Maybe she was from that new bunch of cats the trap-house had brought in a few days ago. A shudder running through him, remembering the cries from the van, the white van which all feared around here.

Her words in response to his offer for water returned him to the now, not the then. And, now he supposed he had to go get water. With a flick of his tail, which he supposed she couldn't see, he mewed I'll be back in a moment. he almost wanted to say something like "Wait here" or "Don't die" or something kind of weird like that. Probably a good thing he didn't. STOP THINKING! his brain roared at him at this point. he needed to stop dithering. And so, off he went, snagging a clump of moss, and making his way towards a stream that ran in the woods nearby.

Returning after his quick run to the stream, huffing a little bit which was a bit embarrassing he supposed, he dropped his moss, now soaked and heavy, in front of her. Then, he realized he had missed something critical. He didn't know her name. A bit nervously, he mewed You......know my name, but........I don't know yours. Could you tell me? and quite hastily, just in case he had offended or angered her, he burted out But, if you don't want to, that's fine too. I don't mind if you don't want to tell me. @Corruptx

[The Kitty.]

// @gs29513

Sparrowsnap
___________

Sparrowsnap watched sightlessly as the tom returned a moment after, the drips of what she assumed to be water pattering the earth. She grinned, a rather enforced little gesture. "U-uh... Thank you, Gray," she trilled, and found herself a moment later pressing her cheek against the tom's -- nothing too special, just a little sign of... gratitude.

Oh. Her name? Sparrowsnap hesitated upon this, shoulders tightening. What... What was her name anymore? She... was looking to grant herself redemption. That wouldn't ever occur, she supposed, if she were to keep her ShadowClan name. Slashed eyes sidling off to the side, the speckled loner inhaled a sharp breath. Names, names, names... Eh?

"My name is... Blair." Uh... What? Wh-where had she gotten Blair from, out of all names? Eh, whatever - Blair thought it fitting, truth be told.

[gs29513]

It was nothing! Grey assured her, as the molly thanked him. And it wasn't really. All he had to do was go on a quick little run. He needed to use his legs anyway. But the cheek.......stalled him for a minute. He HAD made the first move of that sort, with the tail curling, but.........this was RETURNED. It made it all much, much different, or so he felt. He could see her deliberating about the name, tensing, the quick breath. Would she tell him? Well, it seemed so, for a second later the name reached his ears. Blair.

It was a pretty name, one that somehow hinted of Twolegs, but she was obviously not a kittypet. He had taken her for a clan cat, but it seemed he was wrong. Quite off in fact. No clan cat went around with a name like Blair. That was for sure. Still, he was glad she had at least told him. This way, he would actually have something to call her. Blair. he half murmured, letting the name drip, roll, slide off his tongue. Yes, it was definitely a nice name. One he hoped he could use a few more times.

He should use it now actually. Seeing how......impaired Blair was, hunting was probably difficult. And from his latest hunt, the one he had been on when he heard her in fact. So, a deep breath later as he saw this as slightly more personal, familiar, he asked Would you like to share some prey? I was hunting when I heard you after all. Hopefully she wouldn't object. Because really, he had gone a bit overboard that day, and wasn't sure that he could eat both mice on his own. He had a bit appetite, but not THAT big! @Corrupts