coral

~~~

Venom couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Panic had arisen in her, spreading as quickly as a wildfire. Did I do that? She took a shaky step towards Flame's body. Did I kill him? Judging by the looks the apprentices were giving her, her suspicions were confirmed.

Light and Bumble tore their eyes away from the black she-cat as they rushed to their brother's side. Their mother, Flower, let out a yowl of grief, shooting a hateful look towards Venom as she bounded towards her son.

"I..." Venom was shoved roughly out of the way by Flower, almost stumbling to the ground. She turned to her brother, mind in a daze. "I did that?"

Hemlock lashed his tail. "You did. Didn't you hear Flame begging for you to let him go?"

"I... No. I didn't. I-" I was too focused on my own struggles. The truth hit Venom hard. She'd been too focused on getting herself out, grabbing and digging into whatever cat she could find, she hadn't noticed Flame's condition. "I'm sorry."

"Too late for that," Hemlock muttered just as Crow and Rattlesnake rushed into the Hollow of Blood.

Everything felt as if it were closing in on her. Hemlock's judgmental stare. The hateful looks from Flame's family. The sound of them grieving and wailing. The silent shock and disbelief from the rest of the WarClan cats. Her mother and father's paw steps, echoing louder and louder as they approached, their disappointed and disapproving gaze burning through Venom.

Panic and guilt grabbed onto the black she-cat, controlling her body. Turning around, she ran.

Irrational, but she couldn't control it. Everything was closing in. She didn't want to hear the gossiping mutters of the Clan. She didn't want to feel the loathing looks of Flame's kin. And she certainly didn't want to see or hear what her parents would do.

But most of all, she felt ashamed.

She had killed a cat, for Spirit's sake! Taken a life of one who she'd known almost her entire life. What kind of horrible cat would she have to be to do that?

What would Scorpion say?

She could imagine the look her brother would give her, one full of bitter disappointment. That would be worse than anything her parents could say.

Perhaps it's a good thing Scorpion wasn't here to witness all this.

Venom wanted to get as far away from WarClan as possible.

No cat called for her.

No cat yowled for her to come back.

The black she-cat's paws hit the ground, pushing herself further and further away from the territory of her birth Clan. She was done. Her life in WarClan was ruined. Gone. And she'd never return to that horrible life.

The sun was setting, its golden rays casting across the sky, before Venom finally halted to a stop, panting. She had no idea how far she'd run. She had no idea where WarClan's camp was. All she could hope was that none of her former Clanmates would be able to find her.

Venom found a bush, pulling herself beneath it, sighing in exhaustion as she settled into her make-shift nest. Guilt swarmed her as she lifted her paw, unsheathing her claws, staring at it.

I'm a murderer now.

~~~

The next morning came all too quickly. Loud birdsong chittered through the air, waking Venom up. Shame flooded through the black she-cat as soon as she woke. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the guilt away firmly.

I'm starting a new life, she decided. I won't ever return to WarClan. I won't ever return to those tragedies. I'll find peace and happiness elsewhere. No cat I meet from now on shall ever know about what's happened in the past.

As for the first part of her new life, Venom decided that she'd look for something to satisfy her grumbling stomach. The annoying birds that had woken her sounded fitting.

Pushing herself to her paws, the black she-cat's jaws parted, sniffing out the prey, before lining herself up in the right position to catch it. Hidden behind a cluster of bushes, her gaze was pinned onto a fat pigeon, oblivious of the danger.

Wait... Wait... Venom's crept forward. Careful! You almost stepped on that twig! Go forward a little bit more... Okay, jump!

The black she-cat sailed through the air, pushing off her hind legs with ease. Paws outstretched and claws unsheathed, the pigeon stood no chance.

That it, is would, if something else hadn't disturbed Venom.

Just as Venom was about to land her catch, a heavy weight crashed into her, pushing her away from the pigeon. Growling in frustration, the black she-cat tried snagging the bird's wing, but it was too late; chirping in alarm, the pigeon fluttered its feathers and took off.

Venom lashed her tail, spinning around to snarl at the cat that had disturbed her hunt. Deep breaths, deep breaths. Be nice. You're starting a new life, remember? You want to make friends, unlike you did in WarClan.

However, she must've still looked angry, for the cat spoke before Venom could.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" The cat jumped to her paws with apologetic eyes. "I didn't know that you were hunting that bird as well! I'm so sorry!"

Venom studied the cat. She looked harmless enough, with a bright calico pelt, patched with dark ginger, white, and black, along with a pair of green eyes and a black nose, looking around the same age as her. The black she-cat decided she'd attempt in befriending this cat.

"No worries. I suppose I ought to be making the same apology to you," Venom mewed. She hesitated for a moment. How does one make friends with a cat they'd just met?

Thankfully, the calico took the lead. She flicked her tail cheerfully, accepting the apology, before meowing, "My name's Coral! What's yours?"

"I'm Venom," the black she-cat replied. Another brief moment of awkwardness before Coral cut in once more.

"Are you hungry? I sure am! How about we try and catch something else together?"

"That sounds nice."

"Great! Do you have a favorite type of prey that you'd like to aim for?"

Venom thought for a moment, desperately trying to come up with something so she could keep the conversation going, but nothing popped up. "No."

"Oh, that's fine! I'm kind of in the mood for a bird, though. You okay with that?"

"Sure."

"Alrighty! Let's go!" With that, Coral gave a happy little hop and trotted into the woods, leading the way, Venom trailing after her.

I suck at this friendship thing.

~~~

hello, hello, hello! new character! what do you guys think of coral? 

i'm trying for an introvert-extrovert thing with coral & venom's friendship, but i'm not exactly sure how that'll work out. i suppose venom is pretty introvert-y, as she keeps a lot of stuff to herself, but at the same time she also talks a lot in the future. so bear with me whilst i'm trying to figure this out! <3

~ lily