Back Alleys - Torrent of Sorrow

[Mistytail]

StormClan, PineClan, PetalClan, and BlazeClan have, up until this season of greenleaf, been living relatively peacefully. But this particular greenleaf is hot and dry, with little rain to nourish the plants and animals. Will the Clans have to resort to stealing to feed themselves - or worse? Only time will tell.

Meanwhile, it's that time of year again in Twolegplace - time for kits six moons and older to see The Cutter. Some will go contentedly, but others might go to drastic measures to avoid such a fate. Will the loners and rogues of the alleys take kindly to strangers? Perhaps, perhaps not.

Let the action begin!

[Mistytail]

Razor woke up with a grunt, shaking the Twoleg garbage off his fur. He gave it the briefest of licks, if only to get the last of it out, and crawled up on top of the dumpster, his claws leaving noticeable marks in the thin stuff that got attached to it. What did the stupid Twolegs call it? Oh, right. Paper. That's what it was called. Razor sniffed in disgust. What use was that garbage anyway? It was weak.

He took his place at the top of the dumpster and sniffed the air. Loner! his mind roared, and he whipped around to look behind him, claws extended. Standing right behind him, perched on a windowsill, was a dark gray cat with lighter gray fur, and a white marking on his chest. He blinked his odd eyes one at a time, first the green, then the yellow, and grinned. It could only be...

"Cross!" Razor hissed.

"Morning, Razor," Cross purred, licking his forepaw languidly.

"What are you doing here?! This is Alley Cat territory! Your kind are not welcome here!"

Cross feigned hurt. "Oh, Razor, and you won't even say hello? If I had feelings, they'd be hurt." He sniffed. "But I don't, so it's all right. As for what I'm doing here..." He stretched luxuriously. "I just felt like taking a stroll, that's all. And now I've had my fill." Cross hopped to the next window with ease. "I'll be seeing you~" he purred, then disappeared inside the Twoleg nest.

Razor huffed. "Bastard," he muttered, then roared out into the alley, "What is the matter with you all?! I've told you time and time again, loners are not welcome in our alleys, especially THAT loner!"

--smells like hatesex--

[Spike]

"Bloody hell," Spike hissed. She was woken by Razor's rage. Not an unusual alarm, but unwelcome nonetheless.

Spike pushed herself to her feet, taking a moment to catch her balance. The heat of the day, she noticed, had not yet taken root in the ground. She decided it would be best to take advantage of this fact and hunt early. Perhaps, she thought, she would be able to scavenge enough to last her a few days. It would be nice to be able to hide away for a while.

She ventured into the alley, sniffing the air as she walked. The scents that mixed in her nose- Twoleg trash, puddles of rainwater, the combined scents of cats and dogs and swarms of flies- were far from appealing for a proper meal. She trudged on, hoping for something appetizing. All she caught was the familiar scent of a particularly annoying alley cat.

Spike glanced up at the top of the dumpster, squinting her eyes against the young sun, to see Razor in all his glory. She huffed. It figured the one thing she would find would be last thing she wanted to deal with.

[Mistytail]

Razor sniffed. "Another one?!" he growled. "Damn you, you worthless patrols!" he cursed, leaping off the dumpster and charging in front of Spike. "You! What are you doing here?! You're not one of my cats!"

[Spike]

"I should rejoice for that," Spike replied calmly. She sat down, keeping her eyes level with Razor's. "Name's Spike."

[Mistytail]

Razor hissed. "I don't care about what your name is, rogue! If you're not one of my cats, then either give me a very good reason as to why you're on my territory, or get. Out."

[Spike]

"Your territory?" Spike laughed. "Step aside, luv. The only thing that belongs to you around here is that dreadful screeching. Do us all a favor and shut it now and again, would you?"

Spike stood up again, shook out her fur and lashed her tail before continuing on her way.

[Mistytail]

Razor snarled. "You...!" He charged forward and leapt at her, slashing her right flank with his claws. "Now you listen to me. This is Alley Cat territory. We have borders, and I will have no quarrels using your blood to mark them. Now get out!" he roared, slapping her with both of his forepaws to knock her to the ground.

-what a dick >-

[Spike]

The first cuts made Spike's heart swell with pain. The push caused a flood of memories to break the emotional dam she'd built up in her brain. All at once she saw everything. Hands grabbing her, pushing her, throwing her. The blade raised above her, the blood, the blood, the blood...

Before she knew what she was doing, Spike was on top of Razor. Her claws snagged on his fur, a few of them poking holes into his flesh. She hissed fiercely, sinking her teeth into his shoulder. The taste of his blood hit her tongue, snapping her back to reality. She tore her teeth from him, ripped her claws away and stood there, panting, glaring at her newly-wounded annoyance.

"Screw your boarders," she growled, her eyes narrowed threateningly. "I'm not one your cats. You can't push me around."

She lashed out at him once more, dragging her claws across his face. The quick attack didn't do much, she didn't even draw blood this time, but it was enough to satisfy her rage. "Now, if you'll excuse me," she said, turning away from him.

[Mistytail]

Razor blinked, astounded at the amount of damage the she-cat had done in such a short amount of time. His rage quickly melted into respect. As he brought himself to his paws, he called after her, "You know, we could use a Fighter like you!"

[Spike]

Spike would have kept walking. She should have kept walking. But Razor's proposal rooted her to her spot. She slowly turned back around, her eyes narrowed at him.

"Excuse me?"

[Mistytail]

Razor gave his chest a quick lick - the little she-cat had mussed his fur, and that was no good for a business proposal - before he raised his head and meowed calmly, "I said, we could use a Fighter like you. The Alley Cats are a very organized group I have the pleasure of leading and looking after. First there is myself, next is my secondary, who will take over after I die. Then we have Fighters, who patrol the borders and fight off intruders, and occasionally get a taste of Twoleg flesh. Next we have Hunters, who scavenge for food to bring back to the Central Alley. Then we have Kit-mothers, females temporarily off duty as they are taking care of kits or expecting. Those kits grow into Trainees, where older Fighters and Hunters examine them and test them in several different ways to see which way they can serve the Alley Cats when they grow up. Finally we have those cats that still wish to swear allegiance to us, but are too old to work as a Hunter or a Fighter. I understand my temper might...say otherwise, but I have respect for these older cats.

"So," he meowed, sitting up tall, "can I interest you in joining us? You've proven yourself to be a quick, cunning fighter. You'd be very useful to us."

[Spike]

Spike stared at Razor, incredulous. Wasn't he just whining for her to leave? Attacking her to get what he wanted? The blood matting the fur on her flank reminded her of his rage, his temper, his power. She blinked at him.

What would she want these other cats of his? What could she gain from them? Food? She could find that on her own. Shelter, perhaps? She could find that as well. Companionship? What good would that do?

Spike blinked again and shook her head.

"Not interested."

[Mistytail]

Razor blinked, tilting his head slightly. "Are you certain?" he meowed coolly. "You could easily gain power and status among us with your skill."

[Spike]

"Don't need power," Spike meowed shortly. "Don't need status."