you become what you hate

The cat’s response was not what he expected. Instead of meeting his aggression with force, she shook her paw gently, as if brushing away a pesky fly.

While his outburst would seem extremely disrespectful to others, to Redrum, this wasn't just any cat he was choosing to foolishly pick a fight with; it was the embodiment of his greatest fear, a… reminder — a flashback —  of pain and suffering. The memory of a cougar's snarl still echoed in his mind at times, its fangs sunken deep within his flesh, scraping at his bones.

God. He could still hear the sound of his own skull cracking against stone, thrown away like he was worth nothing at all. A lump of meat. A toy. A morsel. Less than that. All in a tiny package crumpled on the ground, bleeding his life back into the ground it came from. The large scar at the back of his skull ached something terrible, causing the boy to wince and grit his teeth as his skull twitched erratically.

Again he did not hear her voice. The beginnings of tears squeezing out from his golden eyes, stricken with fear and bravery. Redrum could not heed her words, his senses clouded by memories of teeth and claws and agony. The feline moved to grab at his brother, both paws this time that could utterly annihilate Ripper. Red too.

“R-ripp—er! n-no. hu-rt! li-ke— c-can-t! p-pa-in! B-b—one-s!” He fought desperately to get the words out of his jaws, the tics, along with panic destroying the coherence of his speech. With another disjointed growl, Redrum lunged once more. And then before he could strike again came the roar — a primal thing that shook the very ground, reverberating through Redrum's bones like thunder. He froze, finally. Spirit crushed under her proverbial foot. His limbs refused to move any further, a tremble so strong he could not tell if it was his usual shock-like spasming or terror alone that wracked his every muscle and nerve now.

Redrum vs Taiga for Dominance
Round 2/2
Age: under 1 year
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Companion 1: Merlin Falcon, Female - Perception
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Expert Hunter
Specialty: