I'm the adventurer, you're the crypt [oneshot]

Fishing was productive. Fishing was relaxing. Tornpelt enjoyed fishing. It was one of the few pleasures she allowed herself. Fishing put Tornpelt at ease. Fishing helped a scarred, battleworn she-cat unwind and decompress after a long day's work.

Turtlefrost was none of these things, and did none of these things.

And yet here Turtlefrost was, jabbering Tornpelt's ear off as the she-cat attempted to get some Star-damned fishing done.

"Really, I don't know how you do it. I honestly have no clue." A tortoiseshell sighed exasperatedly, sweeping her tail along the scarred shoulders of a former calico. The second cat pulled away from her touch. "How in the name of Starclan do you have that tom so whipped?"

The calico- Tornpelt- breathed a heavy sigh through her teeth. She closed her eyes, and it took every ounce of her strength not to either rip a new hole in the tortoiseshell's ear or laugh her head off. Maybe if she'd been younger she would have laughed. The idea was ridiculous- despite the kernel of truth. Kei did everything she said. He even did the things she didn't. Called her things like Honorable and Mistress. It was a load of shit, but despite her discouragements Kei just kept on doing it. No wonder it had caught the attention of others. No wonder it had caught the attention of her, of all cats.

"You must teach me your secrets, oh wise and powerful dominatrix." The tortoiseshell half imitated him, tilting her head to the side and rubbing it against Tornpelt's cheek. That tone couldn't be his, though. It was too mocking. Fur against flesh, coarse and determined. A growl bubbled in the scarred warrior's throat, but she kept it down. Instead shoving the tortoiseshell away with a rough headbutt. Turtlefrost huffed.

Sunset would be here soon. The sky was darkening, turning steel in hue. Now that Green-Leaf had come and gone, there would be no more red sunsets. It rained day in and day out, staining the sky and turning the sand beneath her paws to mush. She'd come to this place- her rare pine-shrouded alcove on the Eastern Lake- just after she'd finished her evening patrol. A small pile of fish had already grown at her side by the time Turtlefrost had arrived, all pride and mischievous blue eyes. Tornpelt finally opened her own, looking down at her reflection in the water at her paws. One orange, one blue. Her mother had said that they made her special, once. But scars rimmed them, marring her body to the point of unrecognizablity. She was not special. She was not wise. She was not powerful. She was just a tired warrior who wanted to work for her clan and live out the rest of her days in a relatively quiet way.

And she sure as hell wasn't fit to be giving romantic advice.

"There is no secret." she meowed flatly, crouching down to watch the water. She kept her eyes off of the tortoiseshell, who was now rolling her eyes. "I found him drowning. I saved him. Now he thinks I'm important or something. Why don't you just ask Kei?" she suggested. Although her voice sounded more like 'Leave me alone.' 

"He's a nice kid. Not clanborn, but he's got morals. And potential! And you're totally wasting it." Was she whining? "You didn't even tell him the warrior code before dragging the thing back to camp, and you already have him wrapped around your paw. Even though you act like this, and look like that." Turtlefrost scoffed, frustration in her voice as she slapped roughly at the water. Ripples filled the pool, dashing away both of their reflections. Tornpelt flinched. "Damn rogues..." She muttered, padding away from the water and into a pace.

'She's half-right.' An inner voice jeered. Tornpelt stared at the ruffled water, irritation mounting. Her malformed reflection sneered. 'You don't deserve any of this. You deserve more! Or is it less? Oh, its so hard to tell with you. Monster or warrior? Beast? How dare she call you a rogue? You're twice the warrior she'll ever be! Or maaaaaaybe... Maybe you don't deserve to be called a warrior at all! After all-'

'Stop.'

Tornpelt shoved her paws into the water, chasing away her demons. Fury burned in her bicolored eyes. And for a moment, she looked like someone else. But composure was quickly regained, and Tornpelt pulled herself away from the water. Anger turned to frustration, and then to... nothing. Empty. A blank slate. Behind her, Turtlefrost's eyes narrowed. And when Tornpelt turned to face the taller she-cat, she found something working in that blue gaze. Dark eyes pierced her. Analyzed her. Like she was a piece of prey.

"... Why is it that you knew the warrior code without being told?"

Tornpelt froze.

"All the other rogues were savages. But you acted like a cat."

"I- was a member of Breezeclan before the war." Not a lie. Not the full truth, either.

"I never saw you at a gathering."

"We must have missed eachother."

"I was always chosen."

Hard eyes sized eachother up. Had she enough fur left, Tornpelt's would have risen by now. Panic fluttered in her heart like a trapped bird, but she let none of it show. "I joined just before the war began." She meowed simply. Almost casually. But her eyes and stance showed none of the relaxed flippancy.

Turtlefrost was cocky. Turtlefrost was rash. But Turtlefrost was not stupid. "I wouldn't care if you were a member of a clan before the war. Hell, I'd welcome another decent cat in this sea of savages. Even if they weren't from Thornclan."  She didn't have to finish her sentence. Her eyes did all the talking for her. 'But something about that doesn't add up.' She hadn't been careful enough. Tornpelt cursed herself mentally, fight or flight instinct clawing to break free. But she wouldn't let it. It would be all over if she did. Tornpelt couldn't lose another clan. This was her last chance.

"Then why don't we spend more time together?" She forced a smile. It didn't reach her eyes, and under the darkening blue light her fangs looked more like a snarl. "I don't know much, other than the code and clan basics. It might be.." a moment's hesitation "..Nice to have a teacher." Ego stroking. A cheap trick. But it seemed to keep Turtlefrost from asking any more questions. The tortoiseshell didn't seem fully convinced, but some of the edge left her face, and she nodded slowly. 

"I seeee.." Turtlefrost meowed, looking Tornpelt up and down. "Well, if you really want my help I'd be happy to oblige." Her grin said as much, but there was a devious twitch to it. "And even if you aren't clanborn, like I said. It'd be nice to talk to someone who doesn't know a bird from a border for a change." She snorted, stance relaxing. Inwardly, Turtlefrost breathed a sigh of relief.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my hunting now." Tornpelt couldn't lay it on too thick. Too much flattery- too many kind words- and she would get suspicious again. Tornpelt had built a persona for herself. Sharp, antisocial, quiet and to the point. She must have broken that face one too many times. She had to be more careful. Her eternal soul might just depend on it.

"I have to get ready for the Dusk patrol anyways." Turtlefrost shrugged. Trying to make it seem like she was the one doing the brushing off, no doubt. Tornpelt turned around, settling back in to stare at the water. She would not be getting any more fishing done tonight.

"But," a voice was suddenly in her ear. Playful- teasing- mocking? A hard edge. Tornpelt had stopped in place, mind flatlined. She couldn't handle being approached from behind. Not anymore. It took her out of her body- made her feel like an animal. Like prey.

"You're hiding something. And I'm going to find out what."

Turtlefrost retreated, then. Tornpelt heard her pawsteps fading. But she didn't move. Didn't even turn until the blue had faded from the sky. She had made a mistake. Tornpelt couldn't afford mistakes. Mistakes got cats hurt. Mistakes got her hurt. She couldn't afford cats trying to get close- cats trying to get into her head.



_{'Neither of us can.'}



After a time, Tornpelt finally rose to her paws. She sighed. She picked up her fish. She did not look at the water, and she did not look at the sky. She began to walk home. Going through the motions.



Life was only going to get harder from here.