Scourge's fur was patchy, his eyes dull. Bone had been missing for a week, no contact, no words, just silent absence. Brick hadn't noticed his condition, she was too jubilant in the fact that after so much time she had finally achieved her goal. She would wake every morning besides Scourge and smile at him. And every morning, he would smile back. Each time the pain was harder to keep out. 

"My love, did you hear what I said?" Brick looked at him with concern in her eyes for the first time in all the weeks he had been rank with sadness. He looked dizzily towards her. The will to be happy was gone in his eyes. 

"Yes, I think it is a good idea, I'll get to it right away actually, you have a brilliant mind, love, this will work well to solve the problem." He smiled, his lapses in attention were getting longer. But he knew that he would get over it soon. This sickness would end. 

"Okay...thank you. Are you feeling unwell?" Brick tilted her head to the side, raising a paw to feel his forehead for heat. It was not hard seeing as Scourge was stooped over in an almost painful looking position. 

"It is only a cold spell, don't worry, I am strong. These things pass me easily." Scourge smiled at Brick and she nodded, looking relieved, before trotting off to perform her daily tasks to keep the clan running. 

After she had left, Scourge collapsed, trying to keep the tears away from his eyes, his small frame looking like no more than a scrap of black cloth on the pavement. 

A group of raggedy felines ambled up slowly, a flash of excitement entered their eyes at the sight of a small cat that would be fun to beat up. They sneered in excitement as they walked faster, their rib-cages could be seen through their fur, but their eyes were cruel and their many scars told the story of good fighters.

Scourge raised his head unflinchingly. His sadness immediately converted to hate at the trespassers. A will to rip, to tear, entered his mind. His eyes shone blue in the dim twilight. As the realization of who they were facing hit them, the small gang stepped back in surprise. 

Fear ran through their veins, hearts beating faster than the average heart should be able to. But they calmed suddenly, their eyes narrowing in suspicion. 

"What would happen if we killed you?" One of the cats purred tentatively. The other's eyes lit up as they examined the ragged state that Scourge was in. They had heard much about the small cat, but they were suddenly doubtful as they looked down upon the scrap they saw before them. 

"You are trespassing, and committing treason in one day. Wow toms, determined to die are we?" Scourge smiled almost drunkenly, his pupils narrowed in anger, but his jaws spread wide in a mocking smile. The band of rule-breakers looked at each other smugly, and began to advance on the weakened warlord. 

Scourge sighed and rose to his feet, his eyes burned into the rogues, making them feel uneasy even though they were sure this would be an easy win. The one who seemed to be the leader made the first move, he rushed at Scourge with all his strength, flinging himself violently in his general direction. 

Scourge leaned to the side casually, his blurred eyes not sparing a blink as he whipped around and raked his claws down the back of the fallen cat, yowls of pain filled the alley, and then there was silence. Blood flowed from the neck of the much larger, but stupider cat.

The rest of the cats whimpered in fear at the sight of the mangled body. Scourge did not smile, he stood numbly staring at the dead body. He did not care. How could he? 

More because of obligation than choice, the remaining three cats flung themselves at Scourge, he could not kill them all at once...could he? Scourge effortlessly moved between their legs, weaving between the confused bodies. But he did not flee. He smashed one's skull into the wall with a back leg, he felt his skull crush beneath his toes, and left him to die, deftly moving onto the next two. 

There was a yowl of grief, and one looked at what he had done to the other. He had been sure that he was swiping his claws across Scourge's neck...so sure...he looked around quickly, realizing that he was alone, his tail curled between his legs and he crouched low to the ground, shaking. His eyes were huge, an easy target in fact. And so they were gone, one, two, swipes of Scourge's claws and he was reduced to a shaking, mewling mess on the ground. Scourge snarled in disgust. 

"Worthless creature, who are you to attack me? Go, run, tell the others of my wrath and NEVER COME BACK HERE AGAIN!" His scream was filled with fury, he almost felt as if he were speaking to himself. All he really wanted to do was run, run far away just like the blind stumbling cat in front of him was doing. Run, run, run. 

"Pretty good, sir. You look a lot worse than I last saw you. You seemed very happy then." A deep and familiar voice sounded above Scourge's head. And for the first time in moons, his eyes lit up with genuine happiness. 

"Bone! You're okay!" His voice sounded desperate, his eyes wide with relief. Bone scowled, doing his best to keep a smile from his features. At this Scourge's ears wilted, the excitement turning to shame. 

"Yes, I'm quite well in fact. I thought you were happy, you found her didn't you?" Bone looked at the ground quickly, realizing how much resent he had poured into the sentence. Scourge looked down, his eyes beginning to fog over again. It was just a henchmen, just a servant, jealous of being cast out. He was so sure there could be more to it. 

"Yes...but I need my right hand man, Bone, you've been with me so much longer, why did you leave? Where have you been?" Scourge looked at the black and white cat in concern, Bone hid his disappointment. 

"I've been in a...a Safe Place...that's all you need to know. I left because...because of her." Bone stopped caring, stopped caring that Scourge could find out that he was a Crosslover, stopped caring that he would know that Bone loved Scourge. He had hidden too long, this was the end, he was leaving anyways. Why not reveal everything before he did. 

"Is it because I'm closer to her than you? Is it because you feel like I repla-wait...a Safe Place? The Safe Place?" Scourge remembered something, a scrap of a dream that made him realize his feelings...

Bone looked taken aback, there was no way that Scourge could know about the Safe Place, he would shut it down. "U-Uhh, do...do you know what it is...?"

Scourge nodded feverishly "It's real? I saw it...I went there, in a drea...uh...in a dream." His tail twitched beside him nervously as he looked up at Bone. 

"Really...then you know who it's for? You know I've...been there?" Scourge didn't seem shocked at the concept of a meetup for Crosslovers...and that Bone was one. He found this very curious. 

"I...There's something that I need to tell you. I chose Brick as my mate because I knew I had to move away from you or I would lose control of them. My clan...I had to choose my clan over you, Bone, I don't love Brick, I don't think I ever could. Bone. I...I love you."

"What?" Bone and Scourge turned to see Brick standing in the alley with them, she seemed to have dropped a rat in shock. She was not angry as she looked at them. 

She was crying. 

OKILY DOKILY THENNNNNN!! I legit have no idea what to do after this, I have a few vague ideas but it might take me a bit to string them together. I'm sorry I go on hiatus so often, I'm still trying to find the perfect person to do a cover,,,,,,and I don't know what I'm going to do about the title either,,,,,,so I'm sorry guys, and thanks for staying with me!