My Title Muse Has Failed Me -- Leo && Red

[Saphira]

@drought Lyricwhisper

The smallest breeze swept through the swamp, seeming eerie in the otherwise quiet night. The moon seemed to have assented to its cowardice; remaining hidden behind a thick layer of clouds. Saphira shivered at the thought of being concealed in darkness. The she-cat had found herself unable to sleep, so she had taken to wandering about the territory, and had managed to find herself in the swamp.

The scent of twolegs, mixed with the rotten stench of the swamp stung Saphira's nose, and she squinted, trying to make out what was around her. Sighing, she sat down, curling her tail around her paws, bored.

[Deleted]

Drought didn't visit the swamp too often. It wasn't because he couldn't stand his pelt getting full of muck. No, the leader was fine with that - in fact, it was quite useful as camouflage. However, he despised being anywhere near Twolegs. Though they didn't tend to venture into the bog, their scent still blew into the area when the wind was right.

The spotted cat hadn't expected to see anyone else out here, but a vaguely familiar scent caught his attention. Narrowing his eyes, Drought could faintly see one of his old enemies up ahead.

After a brief roll in a small pool of mud, the leader was practically invisible - both visually and scent-wise. He crept closer to Saphira, claws extended, and soon crouched in a clump of reeds. As soon as his prey made a false move, Drought would take full advantage of the opportunity.

[Lyricwhisper]

Lyric had taken a liking in the swamp area. She had been here quite a bit since she joined DeathClan. The gray and white she-cat did not think she would have company around here at this time of day, though. She could scent and see another similarly colored she-cat, but she could not see Drought. Lyric hesitated to walk further, her green gaze narrowed at Saphira. What to do, what to do.

The she-cat took a few steps back, half wondering if she should just abandon the swamp now and go back to her den or face this strange she-cat.

[Saphira]

Yawning, Saphira stretched her legs and turned around, thinking she had heard a noise. Her eyes were still slowly adjusting the lack of light. The mud from the swamp caked her paws, and her movements were slow in the murky water. "Is anyone there?" she called, paranoia tingling through the ends of her paws.

Sighing, Saphira shook her head. You're just imagining things, she told herself. But still, she felt unsafe knowing that there could be someone watching her, and she wouldn't be able to see them through the lack of moonlight. Slowly, she began to inch forward, approaching a clump of reeds.

[Deleted]

He tensed when Saphira turned and called out, thinking that she'd somehow heard him. However, a fresh breeze brought the scent of a different cat to his nose. He recognized it as Lyric, one of the cats who had attended the Elite auditions. That idiot probably heard Lyric.

Drought was surprised when the white-and-grey cat started creeping toward his hiding place instead. He waited until Saphira was close enough, then suddenly erupted from the reeds and lashed out with a powerful blow aimed at her cheek. Fighting in the swamp was dangerous, but it could also be beneficial. All he had to do was knock his enemy into a mud pit, and she'd get sucked down into it.

I'll deal with Lyric later, so long as she doesn't interfere...

[Lyricwhisper]

Lyric sat back as the fighting began. She could not exactly tell who the cats were, but she did not care. It was not her fight. The gray and white she-cat peered around the tree at the edge of the marsh, blinking once before flicking her tail.

I should probably leave before I get into trouble.

[Saphira]

Saphira gasped as she felt claws pierce her fur and slash her cheek. The metallic scent of blood tickled her nose, making her feel dizzy. Her cheek began to sting, and her vision grew blurry through the blood dripping from her face. "Oww," she groaned in pain, losing her balance and collapsing into the muddy water, her head and shoulders bobbing out from the top. What's wrong with you? a voice screamed inside her head. Get up and fight back!

Dazed, Saphira turned and saw her enemy, Drought. "Not you again!" she hissed. Her paws were heavy with mud, but nevertheless she raised her right forepaw and unsheathed her claws, lashing out in front of her, trying to cut through something.

[Deleted]

All of Drought's attention was now on the white-and-grey female as his claws raked her cheek, leaving a few neat slices. This was apparently enough to stun Saphira, because she soon toppled over into a pool of stagnant water. It took her several moments to come to her senses and actually notice him.

"You haven't gotten any less pathetic since I last saw you," the leader growled. He easily stepped back and avoided Saphira's poorly-aimed attack. Swift as a snake, he aimed a blow at the top of her head. Drought had never been one for fancy moves; he preferred to stick with the simple-yet-effective combat techniques.