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clangenrising · 2 months

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Month 13 - Newleaf

The week had been busy for Ghost. Sardine had tasked him with selecting a group of Chaff to begin battle training and he had been busy trying to figure out who among his cats was cut out for that kind of thing. All the while, he was torn between the care he had for his cats and the care he had for Smokyrose. His head was all tangled up, unable to figure out how to look out for both sides at once, wondering when he was going to have to cut his losses.

He’d decided to help Gingersnap. Hopefully, he thought, she was being honest and she would be able to at least take care of Smokyrose and the kits. Two girls, he’d been told. He wasn’t sure how to feel about them, but he felt he ought to feel something. So he was trying. And that meant helping Gingersnap.

He’d spent the last two days planning out a route from her house to the northern front, arranging schedules so that there would be a gap in patrols, finding secluded paths to avoid more populated areas, and finding a place to sufficiently disguise their scents. Getting her out of the city was going to be an extremely risky endeavor. If Razor found out about his involvement or somehow caught them in the act, he would be furious and Ghost would definitely receive the worst of his wrath. Despite his responsibilities and the privileges those responsibilities afforded him, he was still Chaff, something most cats seemed to forget.

Still, he was confident he’d managed to plan a sufficient route and he’d sent Jagg with the news the night before. He was also confident that no one else knew, but you could never be sure on the streets. As he made his way to Gingersnap’s garden, he checked over his shoulder again. There was no one, just like every other time, but he couldn’t stop himself.

He shook his fur out and kept going. The night was cold and only getting colder. His breath clouded visibly around his face with every huff and puff he made. She’d better appreciate the effort I’m putting in, he thought bitterly, wishing he were back in his nest where it was warm. He stopped on the sidewalk, gave one last look over his shoulder, then turned and slank down the side of her house towards her back garden.

Razor was waiting for him. “Evening, Ghost. What are you doing here?”

Ghost froze. In addition to Razor, Tiger and Milo were lounging in the shadow of the trash bins, watching him intently. He swallowed and considered backing up. That was probably a bad idea.

“Just coming to check on the night guard,” he lied.

“Huh,” Razor frowned a little and looked over to his companions. “We were in the area and decided to do the same but - it’s weird - there’s no guard tonight. Who’s supposed to be here?”

Ghost blanked on a name. Whoever he said would probably be in trouble. Who was he willing to throw under the bus?

“He’s being real quiet,” Milo jeered, rolling onto his paws to start circling around behind Ghost. That wasn’t good.

“I agree,” Razor said, feigning genuine disappointment. “Ghost, don’t tell me there wasn’t one.” His eyes fixed intently on Ghost, pupils shrunken to cold, dangerous slits.

Ghost swallowed. “Of course there was. It was supposed to be-”

“Cut the crap,” Tiger rolled his eyes and stood. “We know why you’re here.”

“What do you mean?” Ghost shifted to try and have all three of them in view at once but Milo was making that difficult.

“Really,” Razor glared, his polite facade dropping, “after all these years, after everything I’ve done for you, I can’t believe you would betray me like this.” He started circling as well. Ghost’s heart was hammering in his chest. “I mean, trying to sleep with my girl, that’s- that’s low, Ghost, even for you.”

“What?!” Ghost’s ears flipped back against his skull. “I’m not-”

“Don’t lie to me!” Razor hissed, arching up on his toes. “I know you tried to get Gingersnap alone tonight! I saw you flirting!”

“It’s not what it looks like,” Ghost protested. How had Razor known? Had someone told him? Milo was edging closer, tightening the circle. Razor scoffed.

“Please,” he rolled his eyes dramatically. “Then what is it, Ghost? I’d love to know.”

Ghost hesitated again. What other explanation was there? He definitely couldn’t tell the truth! His thoughts were choked by fear, going blank with white hot adrenaline.

“That’s what I thought,” Razor snarled. He raised a paw and, next thing Ghost knew, he was on the ground, bleeding from his left temple. His ears rang with the force of the blow and his vision spun nauseatingly. He was too old for this shit. As he pulled his focus back to earth, pulling his legs and tail beneath his body, he registered the shapes of the three Exalted cats closing in around him.

“I promise,” he tried again, “I would never.”

“But you can’t seem to come up with another excuse,” Razor said. He crouched down to get on Ghost’s eye level and swiped a paw in front of his face to draw his attention.

“Hey,” he said as if trying to be helpful, “Focus. Ghost, look at me.” Ghost tried, squinting hard until the sliding planes of his vision managed to click into place with each other. Razor smiled. “There he is. Listen. I get it. A guy has urges. And Gingersnap is a fine fuckin’ woman. I know I’d be jealous if she weren’t mine.”

I know, thought Ghost, remembering how Razor had practically stolen her in the first place. From the moment Razor had set eyes on her, Ghost knew she was gone. There wasn’t much you could do once Razor decided you had something he wanted except give it to him.

“Honestly, the thing that hurts me most is that you lied to me,” Razor frowned.

“I didn’t…” Ghost said woozily. “Razor, I promise, I wasn’t trying to steal your girl.”

“Then what were you doing?” Razor said gently.

“I was…” Ghost swallowed. “I was coming to turn her down. She was the one hitting on me, not the other way around.”

“Right. You came to turn her down in the middle of the night and you made sure that you would be all alone to do it.” Razor’s expression darkened. “I’m not stupid, Ghost. And you’re a bad liar.” His eyes darted sideways then he jerked his head in Ghost’s direction. Ghost cried out as teeth sank into his shoulder with force and he twisted to try and get away. Standing, Razor hit him with two more quick lashes to the face and he fell still. Milo pulled back, licking his bloodstained lips, and smiled.

“This doesn’t have to get ugly,” Razor sighed as if it were out of his hands. “It will be a lot easier for you if you just tell the truth.” Ghost looked up at the faces of his tormentors. There was no way he could fight them all off, especially not Razor. There was a chance he could make a break for it but that would probably mean the end of his time in the city. Cats who escaped a punishment always got twice what they were originally owed in the end. If there was any chance he would be able to remain the Head of the Chaff, he was going to have to play Razor’s game.

“Okay, okay,” he relented, sides heaving. “I’m sorry, Razor, I- I don’t know what I was thinking. Please, forgive me.”

Razor smiled. “It’s okay, I forgive you.” Ghost sighed in relief. Unfortunately, Razor continued, “But you know what I have to do.”

Ghost grimaced and shut his eyes. Word was going to spread. Razor had to make it clear that Ghost had been punished for his transgression. Taking a shaky breath, Ghost nodded.

“Alright, boys,” Razor said coldly. “Let him have it.”

#clan gen #clangen #warrior cats #warriors #warrior cats oc #warriors oc #clangen oc #clan gen oc #Ghost #Scorchplume #Razor #Tiger #Milo #Newleaf #swear warning #Clangenrising

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honeyfizzly · 9 months

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Me when i slay the princess or something idk

#slay the princess #princess #fanart #StP razor #the razor #razor #idk what else to tag this LMAO #blood warning #body horror maybe

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stabbyfoxandrew · 1 month

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Angel Neil please :))

WIP Wednesday (3/20) | Guardian Angel Neil AU (Part 136)

As he heads downstairs, Andrew realizes he's sort of proud of himself for not completely flipping his wig about Neil’s real boy status. How he kept himself composed for that entire conversation, he's not sure. Maybe because talking to the angel is so easy now. Because they're friends. If he'd found out months ago when Neil was new, he might've had a mental breakdown about it.

Hell, he still might.

Well, he's never been one hyperventilating and drinking himself to sleep. That is Kevin's style. Andrew's breakdowns generally involve copious amounts of chocolate or a razor blade. This particular moment calls for chocolate. Andrew has a stash of it in the closet.

Neil is real! He wants to shout at the top of his lungs. Neil is real and I'm not crazy!

He takes a breath and looks down the hallway, there's no one else around. So he swallows, then whispers, "Neil is real and I'm not crazy. Neil is real. And I'm not crazy."

Andrew feels the twist of a genuine smile on his face but lets it fade when Boyd's door starts to open. He doesn't need the upperclassmen to see him out here looking like an idiot so he rushes the last few feet to his dorm before any of them can make appearances.

#andreil #aftg #WIP Wednesday #Guardian Angel Neil AU #🕊️#answered #anon #guys i'm sorry if that mention of a razor blade needed some kind of warning. i wasn't sure what to put. but it's canon material? you know?

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fragmented-artist · 19 days

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Lucy

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originalwinnercheesecake · 8 months

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The Bane Was Never Going To Be Okay

I have been a fan of the underland chronicles for 16 years. I spend time on its tumblr page, but I don't usually post on it though because I consider TUC on of the more nuanced series I have read and i could day that has not already been said. I made 1 post a couple years ago though where I answered a frequent posters theory about Gorger and twirltoung being siblings with my own theory that the rats Razor and Goldshard were Ripred's siblings (this would make the Bane both Razor and Ripred's nephew). That theory was reblogged a couple times back then and I even saw it referenced recently.

I might be late for TUC month, but I finally thought of some more posts that I want to make another post of. Let's talk about Pearlpelt/The Bane and his relationships with his parents/gaurdians.

He had 7 that I can name.

The first two are his bio parents Goldshard and Snare. We know Snare was at the start the Bane's downward spiral. He was the first to introduce violence, fear, and gluttony to The Bane when he killed the other pups in the litter because the rats were starving and Snare wanted to make sure his future weapon, sorry (not sorry) his son, got all of Goldshards milk. (Unessisarly as Ripred points out that even in those hard times any numbe of families would have taken the extra pups). It is also stated that Snare used to beat The Bane when he was just a pup.

For Goldshard, before the Bane and her other pups, she was in love with Snare. Even among other rats king Gorger and close followers of his, like Snare as an example, were known to be ruthless and bloody monsters. People in Goldshard's life (her big brother Ripred) warned her that Snare was no good and to stay away from Snare. Unfortunately she did not listen. She married him and moved far away from everyone with Snare, to a remote hard to reach, and not often visited corner of the rats land. The other rats in the pack there were probably snares troops, no one to help Goldshard. And once her pups were born she was stuck. Where as Snare saw the Bane as a weapon Goldshard wanted something else for her baby, but wasn't able to get it. When his white coat grew in she tried to forgo his prophetic name and tried to call him pearlpelt, but Snare and all the other rats still called him the Bane, and in her final moments even Goldshard uses the name. She wanted to protect the Bane from Gregor, waking the serpents to sink the ships and eat the questions was her idea.. But when she saw both Gregor and Snare outside the den she looked at Snare: her husband, the Bane's father and abusor, her other pups murder, and she attacks the bigger threat first, losing her life in the process . Her last word "Don't" was the start of a plea for her baby's life. This leads Gregor to conclude she was a loving mother. 6 months later he meets an adolescent Bane, who is already an unstable mess. On page 29 of Marks of Secret when Gregor and Ripred are discussing the Bane and his issues Gregor remembers Goldshard and says this "Maybe if Goldshard had lived" "Maybe he would have been okay". On the next page Ripred replies "But she didn't so we will never know". Well when I was a kid and first reading the books I tried to make up an AU where Goldshard survived her battle to the death with Snare, Gregor and Ares are then somehow able to get both Goldshard and the Bane to Ripred, and the pair live together in happiness, and the Bane never grows into the monster he became... But that is all a fantasy, for more reasons than the obvious this book is fiction, and Goldshard actually died. No actually going over what happened to the Bane's gaurdians and why, well even in a world where Goldshard was able to escape with her baby she would have still likely died, this time at the Bane's paws. The Bane did grow up with love after Goldshard, but it did nothing to stop what he became.

Ripred was guardian number 6. He did not love the Bane. Actually by the time Ripred was forced to assume Gardianship he flat out hated the Bane. (Once again my theory is Ripreds hatred came from a mix of the Bane reminding him of Snare, compounded with Ripred unfairly/rightly blaming the Bane for the deaths of Goldshard/Razor.) But it was also mentioned that Ripred and the Bane had only been together a week. Taking the Bane to Regalia may have been a last ditch effort to get him away from Twirltoung, and the Bane's melt down where he insisted Ripred's "hated him" and kept him "prisoner" "all his life'.. I do believe Ripred when he said he wasn't unkind to the Bane as a pup... This is mostly because I genuinely believe that Ripred did not have much to do with the Bane when it was a pup. I believe that he left Razor (the Bane's other possible Uncle) to raise him, and only checked in from time to time to see how Razor and the Bane were doing and to try and shoot down any ideas the Bane had about becoming a King or carrying on Snare/Gorger's conquest. Ripred mentions he used to have give up food to the Bane during the starvation, but that could be explaned by Razors struggles to provide for the Bane and Ripred wanting to help Razor (whether you believe me about Ripred and Razor being brothers or not, it's clear from Razor's first mention that they had some kind of personal relationship).

But let's talk about Razor for a moment. He does not get enough love or recognition from the fandom, and that's a shame because from what I can tell, despite joining King Gorgers guard at one point (he was likely forced. Even Gregor could tell was ashamed to be there) he seemed like a really good guy. He took the Bane in six months into the starvation, and raised and loved him as his own. Both Ripred and the Bane have nothing but good things to say about Razor as a parent: How kind he was, how much he had loved the Bane, that he tried to teach him survival, and went hunry for him. Razor did his best to give the Bane all the love that Goldshard had, to be everything that Snare should have been as a father.... The Bane repaid all of this by killing Razor. He threw him off a cliff over a crawler carcass. This happened between CotWB and MoS, which means that the rats had control over that river and were eating well again. So the crawler carcass was not the only food they had seen in days or anything. They could have shared it and then gone fishing if the Bane was still hungry. But no, as soon Razor tried to take part of the carcass for himself the Bane attacked his loving father, pushing/hitting him so hard he fell off a cliff and died. Then he had the desparete/dirangged idea to try and conceal his crime by eating Razor. Shudders. To the Bane's credit he did feel bad about it afterwards. When Ripred tells Gregor he cries and tries to say it was an accident, he did not know how hard he had hit Razor. He can also give a (bad and unjustafiable explanation), which is more than he could do for the next two.

Gaurdians 4 and 5 where named Clawsin and Ratriff. They were both attacked by the Bane a week before Gregor met him in Regalia. This leads me to believe they were raising him together and are a mated pair. While we can assume they were both part of Ripred's pack, they do not show up on page with names, and we know nothing about their personalities. But still they took him in knowing what he did to Razor. Knowing how dangerous he was. Knowing that Ripred probably really did not want the Bane in the pack after what happened, they still took the Bane in and tried to finish raising him. Now Ripred reports the two as having been maimed (not killed) by the Bane. When getting into specifics Ripred says that the Bane blinded Clawsin in one eye and ripped off one of Ratriff's forelegs. First shudders again. Secondly while Clawsin might have been able to survive, as long as the Bane's clawmarks weren't to deep and did not become infected; unless Ratriff immediately got some serious web gauss and medical care, they died from what the Bane did to them. Also unlike with Razor the Bane cannot even say why he did it. He cannot remember if they had done anything to him or what the fight was about. He just did it in a fit (reminder he is not a rager) and then they were lying maimed, and he could not stay with them anymore.

I am going to skip over having his army attack Ripred and throw him in the pit, because as established that their relationship was long broken and the pair where at that point enemies in a war. Let's talk about Twirltoung now. She was never the Bane's official guardian, but she had a huge influence on shapping what he became. While we know she was puppeting him and never truly loved him, the Bane thought she did and seemed to regard her as a surrogate mother. When she dies the Bane links her to Goldshard one last time by accusing Gregor of killing her "just like you killed my mother". Snare killed Goldshard though, something the Bane remembered and had had explained to him growing up. And he actually killed Twirltoung moments before, violently and deliberately, ripping off her head because an enemy he hated told him with one sentence that Twirltoung was using him so she could take over, which this notably persuasive rat vitimly denied. Failing for maybe the first time in her life to trick someone. Then the Bane immediately forgot what had happened and made up a fake story.

Twirltoung is the only gaurdian we see the Bane kill on page. But her death mirrors every other one in the Bane's life. It was violent and terrifying, and terrible like all the others. The Bane quickly forgot it just like with Clawsin, Ratriff, Goldshard, and possibly Snare. Last he killed her because he greedily wanted a crown and in a moments decision saw her as a threat to him getting it. Mirroring Razor being killed because he tried to take some of a meal the Bane greedily wanted all to himself. As well as the Bane's littermates being killed because Snare thought Goldshard would struggle to feed her pups, and greedily decided it all should go to the pup with a snow white pelt.

Hunger, greed, violence, loss. All of these hardships and horrors were truly part of the Bane's life from birth to death. Mercy, love, and kindness were there too. First from Goldshard, then Gregor and Ares, then Razor, Clawsin and Ratriff,... Ripred for sometime in-between. But none of it had the effect on him that its givers tried to make. He was lost to the horrors in his life until eventually, he willingly became them. All the good laid to waste.

#The underland chronicles #Gregor and the prophecy of Bane #Gregor and the marks of secret #Gregor and the code of claw #Gregor Campbell #The Bane (TUC)#Ripred #Goldshard (TUC)#Snare (TuC)#Razor (TUC)#War themes #TUC month #Is it to late?#The underland rats #Warnings for mentions of familiarly abuse #Pearlpelt (tuc)#@yesthefandomfreakblr #Gregor the overlander

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mattodore · 6 months

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i love my sims and i fr think they’re gorgeous and untouchable ☝️ the worst you can say to me abt any of them is that matthias has a shovel chin which like. he does 😭 fair! jump him again for me next!!

#river dipping #big ass jaw and for WHAT???#but trust me i have tried fixing it but he looks sooo weird and wrong with a smaller jaw and chin #i mean you can go back to my first post in his tag and see what his jaw looked like before (jumpscare warning: he looked v different)#like. he looks better now 😭 it’s okay some ppl actually have huge jaws #just pretend it’s bc he’s just got huge razor sharp teeth in there or something #like an alligator.#I STILL REMEMBER SHOWING MY BEST FRIEND THEO AND MATTHIAS #AND HER LOOKING AT MATTHIAS AND GOING “what a jaw.’’ KNOCKED ME OUTTTTT 😭😭😭😭😭#DEAD INSTANTLY COULD NOT RECOVER

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tibby · 7 months

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saw x round 2 tonight

#going with my best friend who has never seen a saw bcus the razor box trap scared her as a child #but she knows how much these movies mean to me so she asked if i wanted to see it (again)#and in return i shall warn her when shit is about to get gross

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foureyedronin · 1 year

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woof woof spark spark

(the poem is from book: The Language of Flowers: An Alphabet of Floral Emblems (London; New York: T. Nelson and Sons, 1857. I couldn’t find the author. Maybe someone knows?)

#genshin impact #razornett #razor x bennett #bennett x razor #genshin bennett #tw blood #(never used warnings. i hope there is not something else i need to warn about)#( i just know some people are really afraid of blood so just in case)#(well not afraid. it is not just a fear. i just dont know the right word)#Whenever I post art I always feel complicated. As if I love something too much!#I wonder if someone ever felt the same. And how do you get rid of this feeling. I don't like it #Thanks for reading my rambling! bye bye

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hotelsongs · 1 year

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In a brilliant touch, the razor that he uses to mutilate his own body is later deftly deployed to sever Isabella's bra.

this is from complicite’s ‘04-06 measure production and i am putting it on my blog because no staging i’ve ever heard about has ever made me scream with my whole body like this

#i don't know whether this is the worst thing i've ever heard or the best? both??#measure for measure #trigger warning ??#assault cw #self mutilation cw #razors cw #this has been in my drafts since i think 2017? and the reaction is the same #sarah kane shit but: extremely effective sarah kane shit

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clangenrising · 3 months

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Month 11 - Leafbare

Mystique was good at her job. Scorch spent the week trying to sneak out of the house at odd times of day but the Folk made that difficult. At least, she was starting to realize, they didn’t actually care how she spoke to them. Whether she pleasantly asked if they would please consider her request or she loudly demanded they open the door right this second, they smiled at her and spoke her words back in their garbled accents. The only rule seemed to be not to shout while they were asleep, which was unfortunate given their strange sleeping habits. Scorch was starting to feel more like the queen of the house than a servant of her Folk.

Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to help her in her attempts to escape. Every time she slipped out the back she was able to slink across the yard at best before Mystique jingled over the fence with a friendly greeting. It was frustrating, to say the least.

That was until the Folk started tinkering with the garden door. She tried to examine what they were doing but the kit Folk quickly carried her away. It wasn’t until after dinner that they took her over to the door and showed her the new tunnel they had made just for her. Excitement thrummed through her and she spent a few minutes just going back and forth through it, testing its limits. She even indulged the kit Folk in a game when they started poking the feather wand through the flap to tease her.

She was free! Now it would only be a matter of time before she managed to slip out under Mystique’s nose and from there she would have no trouble in getting back to the wilderness, assuming fortune was in her favor. She spent the evening playing with her kit Folk and enjoying the warmth of the house knowing that soon she would have to bid them all goodbye. Around dusk, she spotted Mystique walking along the top of the fence and she waved from her window with a wide smile. So long, sucker.

That night, once the Folk had gone to bed and she’d spent a good hour or so trying to get out of her collar to no success, she stepped out into her garden and let the sharp cold of night wash over her. She smiled, took a deep breath, and let it out, watching the fog spill into the air. Turning, Scorch slunk around the side of the house headed for the front yard. She would take the road rather than the fences. That would minimize the chances of being seen by any house cats who might be hanging around.

A sudden rustle from her bushes caught her attention. Her gaze snapped in that direction. Her ears strained for another sound, eyes searched for some identifying feature. It was a cat, that was certain, a thin dark shape crouching in the leaves. Scorch lifted her head and glared at the creature, putting on all the airs her station as Exalted afforded her.

“Who dares skulk around my garden, spying on me?” she asked, tail twitching upright.

The shape shuffled awkwardly and a skinny dark blue and white molly poked her head out of the greenery to squeak, “A-apologies, your grace! I wasn’t spying, I promise!”

“Then what were you doing?” Scorch scoffed, stepping closer to look the cat over. She was thin as a twig and incredibly scruffy, with patches of missing fur and big copper eyes.

“Um,” the cat paled, seemingly unable to come up with another excuse. “I- well-”

“What’s your name, Chaff?” snapped Scorch, enjoying the power she held. If it weren’t for Razor, she might have liked to stick around. Being exalted wasn’t so bad.

“M-midge, your grace,” the cat whispered reedily.

Scorch huffed in amusement. “A tiny fly. Fitting.”

“Y-yes, your grace,” said Midge, ducking her head in reverence.

“Now, Midge, when I ask a question, I expect the truth, do you understand?” asked Scorch and Midge nodded frightfully. “Good. What are you doing in my garden?”

“Um,” Midge shuffled nervously. “I was told to watch the house. A-and follow you if you left.”

“So spying,” Scorch glared.

Midge gulped. “I-I suppose.”

“Who told you to watch me, Midge?” Scorch said quietly, her voice as cold and hard as steel.

“It was Ghost, your grace!” Midge said immediately. “Please, don’t be upset with me! It was him!”

“I will feel how I please!” Scorch snapped, causing Midge to flinch and a spike of exhilaration to leap into Scorch’s belly. Stars, power felt good! “Did he say why he wanted you to watch me?”

“No,” Midge shook her head quickly. “Just that you were never to be alone! Please, I was just doing as I was told, if you must be angry, spare this humble servant!” She cowered, her tail tucked beneath her and her chin on the ground, eyes turned downward.

Scorch hummed thoughtfully. This wasn’t good. What was Ghost up to? Why was he sending cats to spy on her? Maybe he thought she was planning to make good on her promise to murder him. The idea gave her a laugh. Still, this was troublesome. She needed to get away quickly and quietly and this was going to complicate things.

Mind turning quickly, she swished her tail and said, “I will consider it. Now be gone and do not let me catch you here again.”

“I-” Midge hesitated, body rigid. “I can’t, I-” She swallowed. “If Ghost finds out-”

“Forget about Ghost,” Scorch purred dangerously. “Worry about what I will do if you stay.” She wasn’t planning to hurt the cat much. The threat was probably enough to get what she wanted. Still, if a swipe over the ears was needed she wasn’t afraid to do so.

Midge swallowed again, the blood draining from her ears. “I- Please, your grace, I can’t-”

“Do not make me ask again,” Scorch hissed, stepping closer and Midge flinched away. She seemed about to open her mouth to protest again and Scorch had to admit her dedication was impressive but, before either of them could speak, another voice sounded from around the corner of the house.

“It’s alright, Midge,” said Ghost, stepping into view with a frown on his face. “You’re relieved of duty. You can go.”

Midge trembled. “Forgive me, Ghost, I-”

He raised his tail to stop her, “You’re fine. Go home.”

“Y-yes, sir,” she nodded and, with one last glance at Scorch, sprinted off down the side of the house and into the night.

Ghost turned to Scorch with a nonchalant expression and said, “I had a feeling you’d give her trouble.”

“Did you forget our last discussion, Ghost?” she growled, eyes sharp and furious.

He twitched one ear, unphased. “I kept my half of the deal. You’re the one who came back here.” She bristled, tail lashing, but she knew he was right. Besides, she wasn’t exactly interested in the dirty business of killing him, even if her life would be easier with him gone.

“Why are you sending little flies to spy on me?” she asked, changing subject.

“Razor’s orders, I’m afraid,” Ghost sighed. Scorch’s stomach twisted and her paw pads grew clammy. “Now that you have your own flap, Mystique is going to have a hard time keeping eyes on you and he doesn’t want you wandering off on your own.”

“Why not?” she asked, trying to feign innocence, but the tightness of her throat betrayed her. “Doesn’t he trust me?”

Ghost rolled his eyes. “No. He’s still pretty sure you tried to run off on him. It’s going to take some convincing if you want back into his good graces.” Scorch felt sick. She knew what kind of “convincing” he would want. She had to leave tonight.

“I’m going back,” Scorch declared, “and you’re going to let me.”

“Now, why would I do that?” he asked, frowning deeper. That was a good question.

“Because,” she said, the words coming to her tongue a second before she could really think them through, “I can convince your Smokyrose to leave. I can keep her and your kittens safe.” That was a stretch. She didn’t even know if that was something he actually wanted. He had seemed to care when she had spoken to him last but she had no idea what would have changed to make him worry for this litter over the dozens of others.

It seemed she had chosen well. His frown changed from an unimpressed sort of scowl to a tight-lipped, furrowed-browed look of concern. “You really think so?”

Scorch couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. “You really care about them, don’t you?! What’s so different? What makes this girl so special?”

The scowl returned. “I don’t know… I’m getting older. I’m getting tired of coming home to an empty den.” He sat down with a thump, looking askance.

Scorch shook her head. “I think you just liked that she made you feel like you weren’t a scumbag.” She realized, terrifyingly, she was speaking from experience. “There was something fun in pretending you were the cat she thought you were, wasn’t there?”

“Maybe,” his tail started to twitch irritably and he fixed her with a firm glare. “Answer the damn question, Scorch. Do you really think you can keep them safe?”

“I do,” she lied seamlessly. She hadn’t had much luck in convincing Goldenstar yet but maybe a few weeks dealing with Razor had softened her up. Maybe it wasn’t too late. She held Ghost’s gaze as he thought. The silence dragged on for a few painfully long seconds as the cold stung her ears. Eventually, Ghost shook his head and sighed.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Cats will know that I saw you tonight. If you go missing…”

“You coward,” she spat, spine arching upward. “You have the chance to do something right for once and you’re going to throw it away-”

“Listen here-”

“- to save your own skin!”

“You’re one to talk!” Ghost snarled, rising to his feet again. Scorch bristled and bared her teeth. Maybe she would kill him. Goldenstar had taught her enough, there was a chance she could hold her own in a fight against an old cat like Ghost. If she couldn’t… well that would be a whole other problem. If she did something so rash there would be no pretending when Razor came to call. Her excuses would disappear like the fog from her lips and leave her defenseless. The guard on her house would only increase. She would never escape. Her blood was pounding in her ears, it took everything she had to focus on what Ghost was saying.

“All you ever do is think about your own skin!” he continued. “You say what you need to and nothing more! How do I know you would even keep your promise? I mean, you’re just as likely to run off in the opposite direction!”

“Like you’re any better,” she laughed harshly. “You sit back and you do what you’re told like a good little boy because if you do you get your pick of the food and the females and your tiny little brain can’t think to want for anything more than that!”

“I take care of people!” he hissed. “I have cats who need me! You have no one!”

Scorch’s ears pressed back against her head. She knew he was right. As much as the little voice in the back of her head tried to argue, she was utterly alone and always had been. How could he ever understand what it was like walking in her pawsteps? She felt tears starting to prick at her eyes and that only made her angrier. She opened her mouth with a cutting retort but stopped at the sound of a jingling bell and the rattling of the back fence as Mystique leapt from her garden and into Scorch’s.

“What’s going on here?” she called. Scorch immediately turned to her and started to sob. At least she could make the tears useful.

“Mystique!” she wailed, retreating in on herself. Just as expected, her big blue bodyguard bounded swiftly to her side.

“I heard shouting,” she said as Scorch pressed her face into her thick chest fur, “what’s going on?” She looked at Ghost and her eyes narrowed. Ghost’s mouth hung open. This situation did not look good and he knew it. Scorch smirked at him with one eye as she continued to sniffle. Seeing that, his eyes flashed with anger.

“Scorch and I were just having a discussion, that’s all,” he said carefully.

Scorch shook her head and pouted. “He was threatening me,” she said.

“I was not!” he hissed, backing up a step.

“He was!” she said, sitting back and sniffling. “He said I have to owe him favors if I want to go out at night!” Ghost swallowed and took another step back. A low growl rumbled in Mystique’s chest.

“Ghost…” she said dangerously and Scorch could see the fear in his eyes. It tasted rich and just, like prey blood on her tongue.

“Mystique- Your grace,” he said, ducking a bit into a bow. “I can assure you I said no such thing. I was simply informing her of the arrangement we discussed earlier.” Scorch huffed bitterly and leaned her head on Mystique’s shoulder.

“I thought we agreed female guards only,” said Mystique. Razor’s idea, certainly, Scorch thought. He didn’t want the guards to be rivals for her affections.

“We did, your grace,” he said. “I was supervising the guard to make sure nothing went wrong. When Scorch dismissed her I stepped in.”

“Hmf,” Scorch rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you picked a flighty guard on purpose. To get me alone.” Mystique glanced down at her with a raised eyebrow and she turned her expression back to a shaken one, giving an extra sniffle for emphasis.

“I’ll overlook your transgression tonight, Ghost,” said Mystique, turning back to him. She sounded more annoyed to be out of bed than she did angry with Ghost. “Don’t let me catch you here again, though, or my brother will hear about it.”

“Yes, your grace,” Ghost bowed his head respectfully but Scorch could see his eyes burning holes into her pelt. “Thank you.” Mystique flicked an ear and with one last glare, Ghost slank off into the night. Mystique sighed and let her posture relax.

“I’m lucky you came to rescue me,” Scorch said, batting her eyelashes and settling her fur over her shoulders like a proper lady. “He can be such a brute.”

“He didn’t actually say any of that stuff to you, did he,” said Mystique with an impassive expression. Scorch let out a breath as her words briefly failed her. She smiled, trying to find the right lie to get Mystique to believe her.

“No,” she eventually sighed in defeat. “But he did say plenty of other rude things.” She swished her tail over her paws and turned to study the way the slivered moon illuminated the shrubs in the garden.

“Any I need to know about?” Mystique asked. Scorch twitched an ear in her direction. She sounded genuinely concerned at least.

“No…” Scorch sighed. “It's… personal.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. As much as she hated to admit it, he had struck her close to home with his last barb. She was entirely and inarguably alone.

Mystique settled down beside her and wrapped her tail around Scorch’s back. “You guys used to be close right?”

Scorch sighed. “You could say that,” she shrugged, rolling her eyes to the heavens.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

Scorch tilted her head to look at Mystique. The other cat had fixed her with a sort of tough love look, a look that said she was open but not vulnerable and ready to listen. How very tomboyish of her, Scorch thought. She considered saying no and she knew Mystique would leave it at that but she also knew it was only a matter of time until she satisfied her curiosity somewhere else. No, it was better for Scorch to take control of the narrative, give her some of the truth but not all of it.

“Well, you know how he is,” Scorch said. “Always moving from one conquest to the next.”

“I’ve heard,” Mystique grimaced a little. “Did you two ever…” She trailed off, looking unsure.

Scorch laughed. “No. No, he’s a simple boy, really. I knew he would get bored if he ever got what he wanted so I led him on. It wasn’t too hard.” She left out the fact that she had sought him out in the first place, that she had arranged a meeting that seemed like coincidence. She had known he was in charge and that had meant he had the power to keep her safe so long as she played it right. She’d walked a careful line between tantalizingly holding herself just out of reach and laying her affection on thick enough to keep him stuck on her. She’d played the jealous flirt, kept other girls at bay, made sure he had eyes only for her. She wondered if he hated her for that, if he was bitter over the months he’d gone without in the hopes of having her. Serves him right, she thought with a smirk, the old bastard.

“So what happened?” Mystique asked, drawing Scorch’s attention back to more unpleasant things.

“I met Razor,” she said simply.

“Ahh,” Mystique smiled sympathetically. “Let me guess, he wouldn’t take no for an answer.” She said it like it was a charming thing.

“You have no idea,” Scorch laughed but inside she felt a thousand miles away. She remembered the way he had pestered her, the way he’d shown up when she’d least expected him, the way he’d cornered her against a wall more than once and she’d had to find an excuse to leave. She remembered his gaze, his voice, his heat. “But he won me over, you know? I was the one who chose him.”

She remembered the night she’d decided to humor him. If Ghost had kept her safe, she’d reasoned, imagine the security that would come with being Razor’s girl! It had been a calculated gamble - if she could lead him on she would be untouchable - and she had bet on her talents with the opposite sex to keep her safe.

She remembered how foolish and arrogant she had been. She remembered how quickly she had realized her mistake. Ghost enjoyed the chase. He loved the word play and the fleeting touches and the game of it and so had she, to some extent. Razor didn’t play. He toyed. He insisted. And she had given him what he wanted with a smile and all the while she had been thinking, how do I get out of this?

And now she was trapped again. He had made sure of it. There was no way out of the neighborhood. No sure way, at least. Whatever escape attempt she made would be risky and the consequences of failure would be severe. Razor was the kind of tom who did things to show you he could, who took what he didn’t need just to make you feel small. If she tried to leave and failed…

“Are you alright?”

Scorch inhaled sharply and blinked away the tears starting to freeze on her cheeks. When had she started crying? Mystique leaned in worriedly. Scorch laughed in embarrassment, breath fogging heavily in front of her, and daintily wiped the droplets away.

“Oh, yes,” she lied with a smile. “Sorry, I just miss him.”

“Yeah,” Mystique’s worry softened into a frown. Scorch couldn’t tell if she was convinced or not. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to be convincing or not. “Why don’t you go get some sleep.”

“That’s a good idea,” nodded Scorch. They both stood, shaking out their fur against the cold.

“Hey, how about we go see Portia soon,” Mystique offered. “Get your Name Charm interpreted!”

“Oh,” Scorch blinked. “Yes, that's… that’s a lovely idea, Mystique.” She had entirely forgotten. There was a new name, her Folk’s name for her, hanging around her neck. There were cats who claimed they could tell what it was.

“Just pick the day,” Mystique said. “And I’m sorry about the night guards. Razor is worried about you, that’s all.”

“I understand,” said Scorch. “No apology necessary. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With that, she turned and slipped through her flap. The house was warm and pristine as ever. The air buzzed with the sounds of sleeping machinery. Scorch found her way to the mother Folk’s den and leapt onto the bed then settled down next to her warm face, curling her tail around herself tightly. The human stirred and sneezed. Groggily, she looked around and spotted Scorch through squinted eyes.

“Did I wake you?” Scorch mewed quietly. She felt soggy, like the tears she hadn’t cried were soaking into her being and weighing her down. All she wanted to do was sleep. The human grumbled something in her own tongue and rolled over, pulling Scorch down under the blankets and against her chest. Scorch purred sadly, butting up against the human’s chin.

“Thank you,” she whispered. She snuggled in and tried to drift away. It was nice to imagine, at least for tonight, tucked carefully into such a warm and quiet nest next to her Folk, that she wasn’t alone.

#clan gen #clangen #warrior cats #warriors #warrior cats oc #warriors oc #clangen oc #clan gen oc #Scorchplume #Mystique #Ghost #Midge #TW SA Mention #Leafbare #Razor #swear warning #clangenrising

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totallynotreadingatwork · 7 months

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More Mini Book Reviews

Truly, Darkly, Deeply by Victoria Selman - Not my usual thing, but I picked it up and read it anyway because why not and it was alright! I thought the ending was a bit naff, but the rest of it explored some pretty interesting ideas. It was about a girl whose mum was dating a serial killer (obviously they didn't know at the time) and how his arrest really impacted them.

Temeraire or His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik, book 1 of the Temeraire series - Not me out here almost crying at the connection between man and beast. Seriously I really loved this one, it's like Httyd but for adults, and I'm absolutely living for it. Also I really like books about ships - something about the idea of a crew really appeals to me I think - and this really hit that spot for me. Also, the dragons are cool.

Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman, book 1 of the Scarlet Revolution Series - Basically just some good fun! It's not a vampire romance as many will be pleased to know, and the vampires do actually pose a threat, which is nice. It's set in an alternate-universe French revolution, and explores such ideas as 'hmm, maybe the beheadings were a bit too far but would it really be so bad to take down all the rich people?'. Idk, I enjoyed it.

The Witch's Warning by Joseph Delaney, book 2 (the final book) of the Aberrations series - Very good indeed, Delaney is brilliant at making dark spooky worlds full of horrors and monsters. Just really is a shame he died before he could finish the series as the only thing that lets this book down is that it spends a fair bit of time building up to a sequel that never gets to happen.

The Family Remains by Lisa Jewel, the sequel to The Family Upstairs - Really, really good follow-up book to the first one, using everything you learned about the characters there to build tension in this one. Lots of different things happening, multiple POVs, interconnecting storylines, and wrapping up some loose plot points from the last book. I recommend this pair a lot to people in the library and most seem to like it!

Spook's: Alice by Joseph Delaney, book 12 of the Wardstone Chronicles - God I love this character. As with all of this series, you can definitely tell they're books written for children, but that doesn't mean they're bad, nor do they shy away from some pretty gruesome stuff. We're winding up now for the final book as this is the second to last and things are looking exciting. I can't say too much about this one without spoiling it unfortunately but just know that it's as solid as the rest of the series.

The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne by Jonathan Stroud, book 1 of the Scarlett and Browne series - I actually read this before a couple of years ago and decided to read it again before I read the sequel because I'd forgotten what happened. It's a really good book; Stroud really know what he's doing. If you liked Lockwood & Co. for the character interactions then you'll love this. The worldbuilding is on point, the characters feel full-dimensional, and the hijinks is everpresent. Just a really fun read.

Dracula by Bram Stoker - I went to Whitby on holiday for a few days so naturally took this with me. I don't read very many classics at all so it took a little while for me to tune into the language and get used to everyone taking two pages to say what could have been said in two sentences, but once I did I had a grand old time with it. I wouldn't say it's anywhere near scary by today's standards, but it was interesting to see where a lot of modern tropes got their origins. Also, I've read Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu before and it was cool to be able to mentally compare and contrast them and see where Bram Stoker was inspired by different things.

The Notorious Scarlett and Browne by Jonathan Stroud, book 2 of the Scarlett and Browne series - Just as good as the first if not better. Where the first book focused more on Albert and where he'd come from and his backstory, in this one we explore more of Scarlett's history and how she came to be the person she is today. Fast-paced, witty, and packed with actions, I really enjoyed it and strongly recommend it!

The Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah - Read this one for my book club and it was... alright. Nothing special, but not bad enough to not finish. I didn't manage to solve the mystery unfortunately but that's no surprise, though I will say that it did feel pretty convoluted. Not too sure why the character of Hercule Poirot was used other than to cash in on the name of course, and Sophie Hannah is definitely no Agatha Christie, but, like I said, it was okay.

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The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan, book 2 of the Heroes of Olympus series - Do I really need to say anything about this one? We all know Riordan is brilliant.

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield - Oh boy this one was A Lot TM. Kind of an eldritch horror story in Leah's bits, and then a story about mourning someone who's not really gone and learning to let go in Miri's chapters. Very much a 'came back wrong' sort of scenario, but less scary and more just deeply sad. I had to take a break and go look at trees for a while after I finished it. The ending was low-key heartbreaking.

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#books & reading #mini book review #truly darkly deeply #temeraire #scarlet #the witch's warning #the family remains #spooks alice #the outlaws scarlett and browne #dracula #the notorious scarlett and browne #the mystery of three quarters #girls with razor hearts #the son of neptune #our wives under the sea #revival

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