he'll never hurt us again. {faded}

[Dawn]

Standing alone among the rocks of the landslide, Jetfang was in survival mode. He wasn't sure whether to trust himself to feel happy and exuberant about the future. But he also couldn't feel nervous and worried like he did, so instead he chose to feel nothing. It wasn't numbness as he had felt before. Not really. It was just an absence of feeling, an inability to comprehend. His paws had carried him out here in that same mindless way, thinking all along, though with a buzz of confused ideas. Kits, what would they name them? Would they look like Jetfang, or would they look like Lilythorn? What if they didn't look like either of their parents? What if he hurt them somehow? What if Lilythorn lost them- He sighed. No, he wasn't absent anymore, he was a nervous wreck. Would it be this way for the next few moons, until the kits were born? He feared it would be so. He wasn't giving birth, it was his mate, and he had to be strong and be there for her. But it was such a hard situation, given what he knew of her first litter, and all the times others had screwed up with her. "I just want to be a good dad..." He murmured to himself, flopping down on the bare ground. And a good mate. To make up for everything else.

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[lily ♫]

Her ears were flattened down onto her head, eyes narrowed, as she crouched low, hiding within the leaf litter and the needles strewn below on the forest floor. 'So this is VertigoClan. Huh. Not as nice as they always make it out to be.' The dilute tortoiseshell thought to herself, rolling her deeply shaded olive eyes. Traveling through the center of their territory was a fool's idea, of course, but Fadedbreeze wasn't one for much thought. She did want she wanted, no matter the consequences. If she needed to, she'd run, or rather, slither her way out of the situation, but only if she couldn't slip her way out using words.

Those cats in TempestClan were ridiculous, edging closer and closer to a fight with Fadedbreeze's every movement and word. 'I'm so glad I didn't get stuck there with those asses.' Fadedbreeze told herself, snorting, pouncing at a shadow at the far side of one of the large pine trees. She barely missed the squirrel, cursing it out repetitively, hissing as her chest fluffed up and her tail grew larger than its normal size. "I hate this place." She spat to herself, glaring at her surroundings. It was no fun when there weren't cats to harass or otherwise taunt, so Fadedbreeze rolled her eyes once more, continuing her search toward some of the downward slanting territory which grew rockier and rockier as she went.

Fadedbreeze caught scent of a tom and chuckled, but still didn't allow her pace to quicken. She moved slowly, almost lazily, but was anything but tentative. Her daughter was the sow one, yes, of course. That stupid little brat didn't know how to do anything, and Fadedbreeze was glad she didn't have to stick around. As she caught sight of the tom, she paused, ears twitching as if to listen for other patrols or Clan cats. 'Hmph.' SHe thought, refusing to grunt out loud so as not to alert or startle the tom before approaching him.

As she came into earshot of him, she caught his words, letting a laugh out as her mind processed them. "Oh please, which she-cat have you gone and knocked up? All of them?" Fadedbreeze snorted, rolling her eyes at the black and white tom before she circled around him where he had plopped down onto the earth. "Or are you not going to tell me anything, hmmmm?" Fadedbreeze asked him, raising her eyebrows as her eyes narrowed.

[Dawn]

When the rogue approached, he tensed, the cords throughout his body tightening. "Who...?" Jetfang murmured, standing his ground now but not attacking. His question had been more of her identity and less of his repeating her question. So when she didn't reply with her name, the night-furred tom glared at her sullenly for a few moments, blue and amber eyes tired from anxiety. "Or are you not going to tell me anything, hmmmm?" He sighed as she sat down, and so he did too, deciding not to protest. He was a good deal older than she, so if need be he could probably chase her away. Except for he had only been getting stronger after the past season had been so hard on his body, and she was likely young and swift.

Gritting his teeth, Jetfang looked at his paws, and then meowed, "Just one, stranger." His tone had fallen from his aggressive stance to a plain, weary noise. May as well tough it out and speak with her. He wasn't in any danger now. "Though I wouldn't call it knocked up, exactly. I wasn't even sure if things would work out, but sure enough, the medicine cat told her she was carrying. We were both happy." The tom rolled his eyes up from his head, eyeing the sky. "Doubt you'd know her. She's a beautiful ginger tabby, with eyes as expressive as a storm. Used to be the deputy, but she stepped down, and now we're together." His voice was the wistful, love-sick one of a much younger father, and he blinked, quickly brushing away the emotion. Looking at the young female again, Jetfang shrugged, to denote he didn't see any harm in telling her his story. In fact it was convenient to have a cat he didn't know to talk to. "Lilythorn is her name. It suits her. "

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[lily ♫]

The way he spoke, the glittering of excitement in his blue and amber eyes, it made Fadedbreeze nearly bite her tongue, but she didn't manage it completely. "Really. Sounds like you're living the life." The pale tortoiseshell muttered sarcastic, but her ears perked up as he continued speaking. "...ginger tabby...eyes as expressive as the storm...

[/u]" Her eyebrows furrowed, her olive eyes narrowing as she stared at him intensely, nearly wondering aloud. 'Could it...be?' Fafedbreeze thought, though unsure.

"Used to be the deputy.

[/u]"[/center]
Her eyes widened as she nearly choked on air, staring at the tom, utterly bewildered. 'Lilythorn?' Fadedbreeze asked, her features softening for a moment. She'd never met her mother before, barely even seen the she-cat except for a few gatherings when she was quite young, but even then she hadn't known for sure.

It wasn't until Nightwhisper tracked her down at the border, taunting her and revealing the truth about her family, drawing Fadedbreeze to the edge, finally chasing her over it when she murdered him. It had haunted her. She'd always wanted to be loyal when she was growing up, but when she learned her blood was impure and that she had been born from rape, the half-TempestClan half-VertigoClan she-cat raised in CelestialClan grew bitter, confused, and even heartless. But now, as her mother's mate of all cats sat here, admitting how excited they were to be expecting, Fadedbreeze couldn't help but break again.

"Lilythorn is her name. It suits her.

[/u]"[/center]
The she-cat shook her head, stretching her neck as she looked away from the tom before focusing on him once more. "Of course I know her; she's my mother." The rogue divulged, nearly spitting the words at him with the amount of indignant spirit held in them. Her muscles had stiffened and her eyes narrowed once more as she eyed him closely, growing more irritated by the minute.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify]

[Dawn]

Jetfang ignored her spiteful comment, eyes glossing over. It wasn't like he and Lilythorn didn't deserve their happiness. They'd worked hard to bring this together. He wasn't about to let some stupid rogue make him feel ashamed for loving his mate. Was it so wrong to finally be happy?

"Of course I know her; she's my mother." At first he was confused, then bewildered. Almost too much so, so much so that it cushioned his temper when it sparked, his eyes burning when he looked at her again. "That's impossible," Jetfang growled softly, all the while working frantically to be sure it was a lie, it couldn't be the truth... "All of Lilythorn's kits are dead." He swallowed the words bitterly, thinking it was cruel of her now, bringing this up, at least Lilythorn wasn't allowed to hear, to be traumatized... And yet the she-cat seemed to believe it. At least she thought she was telling the truth. "It can't be," he whispered for his own benefit, standing stiffly. "Don't play this game with me."

He turned sharply away, ears hot and skull buzzing. A line had been crossed. Pretending to be the kit of his mate, when he knew what had happened, when Flamingarrow had told him? How? Why would a stranger do that, unless they were sick and twisted? Unless it was the truth? "How dare you ruin this for us..."

Jetfang stalked off with that last heated remark, unable to look at the pretty young female any longer, searching for similarities. It wasn't, it WASN'T true. What would he tell Lilythorn? Should he mention it? Jokingly? Realistically? Maybe it was best not to say anything at all.

[/justify]

[lily ♫]

She nearly scoffed at him as he told her what she had said was wrong, but Fadedbreeze instead rolled her eyes and exhaled loudly. "Really? You're seriously going to argue the point with me?" The dilute calico mewed condescendingly. "It's not impossible. You just don't know what really happened, genius." Fadedbreeze snapped, her olive eyes watching his blue and amber eyes carefully, scrutinizing their reaction to her words.

She hissed as the tom accused her of playing games, her eyes narrowing. "Why would anyone joke about that? I may not be the most normal cat, but I wouldn't lie about something so serious. Dear stars above!" Fadedbreeze spat in an accusing tone, nearly asking him if he was stupid. Once more, he offended her by accusing her, this time, of ruining things for them.

"And how the hell am I ruining this for you? It's not as if I just murdered your mate - my mother - and killed your damn kits! Stop being a baby, how old are you? Forty moons?" Fadedbreeze ranted, snarling at the tom, her teeth flashing as anger and frustration blazed inside of her. This tom was infuriating! How could anyone put up with him, let alone her mother? 'She must be a lot more tolerant than I ever imagined her to be.' The she-cat thought to herself, rolling her eyes and shaking her head at the mismatched tom with his mismatched eyes and mismatched pelt.

He looked as if StarClan was attempting to create two different cats entirely. Perhaps that was why he was so odd. Snorting as a minisicule grin spread across her face, she chuckled before regaining her composure, her eyes remaining slightly narrowed, but now the dilute tortoiseshell took a seat, pulling her tail neatly around her own mismatched paws. 'Then again,' She began to add to her thoughts. 'StarClan is a load of fox dung.'