Private Backwritten PRETTY GIRLS CAN NEVER DIE ✪

[Dusty Dusty]

{$title} Takes place on Dec 12 2025

✪ Align my Heart, my Body, my Mind​

indentThere's a body on the edge of the river. Cold water laps against silver fur, the only movement from the motionless cat. The body is battered, covered in scars from long-healed burns and more recent clawmarks. The cause of death, though, surely lies with the river.

indentHow long must it have drifted downstream, to end up here? It's unusual to see those sorts of scars in the relative peace of the Twolegplace. Whoever this body belonged to must have lived quite a ways away. Were they one of the cats from the forest beyond the Twoleg homes, or did they come from even farther afield, from whatever lay beyond the dense canopy of oak and birch?

indentThere's a flurry of sound and movement. The cat, who had seemed so surely dead, begins to cough and heave. Water erupts from their gasping mouth, wetting the gravel they lay upon. The cat struggles to rise to their paws, managing only to prop themselves up on their elbows before collapsing uselessly onto the cold ground. A green eye opens just a crack, pupil flitting about before laying on the bystanding cat.

indent"You..." A raspy voice crawls it's way out of the cats throat, petering off before the sentence can finish. The cat watches intensely as it can from the doorstep of death itself.

Dustystar - 29 moons - Windclan Leader

 

[Alfalfa]

xx

A L F A L F A

The weather had continued to grow colder. Though it was warm in their home, Alfalfa enjoyed the cold, liked the way their breath plume in front of them as they explored. Every day he wandered a little further from home, despite the misgivings of their mother. None of their siblings liked to explore as much as him - or maybe just so often? He didn't bother to ask. Most days he just found himself padding along streets they'd never seen before, catching whiffs of scent after scent. They'd managed to befriend a good handful of the other cats in the neighborhood, which was fun. They hated dogs, but he supposed that was pretty standard. Hunting wasn't something that crossed their mind in any substantial way, though they did love following the sounds of rats skittering in the shadows. They mostly liked crowfood, though, which stunk, so he left them alone.

On this particular day, the sun was shining overhead, warming his back despite the chill of the air. They decided to pay a visit to the riverbank, a place they'd only explored once or twice before. It was just far enough away from home that they did worry their mother would be upset, and he didn't like to worry her.

They did their usual exploring routine: look around, sniff a bunch of stuff, let a Twoleg give him a quick scratch between the ears. One of the Twolegs offered him a morsel from their paw, but it smelled weird, so he politely declined and trotted off. They padded towards the water's pebbly edge, scanning the river for any signs of life. They'd never tried fishing before. Maybe it would be fun! There didn't seem to be many fish, at least not in the shallows at the edge. They reached a paw forward and touched the water. It was cold, but as long as they didn't go too deep... He padded in a few paces, just far enough for their paws to be submerged. A chill ran through his pelt. Still, they were committed, and continued following the river, looking for any sign of prey. Fixated as they were on fishing, they almost missed the wheezing, hacking cough of a cat a few tail lengths down from him. Lifting his head sharply, he took in the sight of a corpse attempting to rise from the dead, pelt scarred and soggy. They found themself pinned under the stranger's gaze, strong despite the frailty of their body. They managed to croak out a single word:

"You..."

Alfalfa cocked their head to the side. Was this... a live cat? Was it some kind of ghoul? Where was Oolong when they needed her! This seemed like the beginning of every scary story they'd ever heard. Though, it was daytime, so logic dictated it was probably actually just a very wet cat. Still, they opted to keep their distance.

"Um, yes! Me!"

They mewed.

"Are you okay? It's awfully cold to be swimming, dontcha think?"

I'M WALKING AND STUMBLING

I'M CRYING 'BOUT SOMETHING

BUT I AM NOT BREAKING !

• 
  nonbinary; they/he
  kittypet
  6 moons
  child of lady grey; sibling to chai, earl, oolong
• 
  

  "speech"

  
  

  thought

  
  attempted action
  

  "other character's speech"
• 

  
  long-haired silver cinnamon tabby
  with low white and pale green eyes
  and an impossible-to-tame cowlick

 

[Dusty Dusty]

✪ Align my Heart, my Body, my Mind​

indent'Are you here to scold me, too?' Dustystar can't finish the sentence before she runs out of breath, but the stranger's reply tells her all she needs to know.

indentWhether they come from Starclan or the shadows beyond, dead cats are always flaunting their endless knowledge. The cat standing before her, though, seems like they don't have a clue what's going on.

indent"Before I die again," She heaves, through the ice cold water in her throat. "Bring me to your Twolegs." She knows he must have some - the band around his neck marks it, clear as day. And though she's kept her distance, Dustystar has lived alongside Twolegs long enough to know that their herbalism goes far beyond the skills of cats. If Starclan won't bring her back from the brink, Twolegs might just be her saving grace.

Dustystar - 29 moons - Windclan Leader

 

[Alfalfa]

xx

A L F A L F A

Alfalfa's eyes widen at the stranger's strangled command. Die again? So she totally was some sort of ghoul! Like a... They frowned, desperately trying to remember the word. She didn't seem too scary, though. Mostly just like she was having a bad day.

"You promise you won't hurt me?"

He mewed, narrowing bright green eyes. They looked her over sharply. She really didn't seem like a threat...

"Okay fine, stranger from the river. I will take you, but no biting me. And you have to be nice to my mom!"

Their mew was sharp as they approached the molly.

Though she was somewhat larger than him, they offered a shoulder of support before carefully padding away from the river's edge. The chill of the day felt even colder now that his fur was wet.

"It's a bit of walk, sorry,"

they puffed, hoping the older cat could make it in her current state. They could visualize the walk home: up the slope from the river, past the big field with the Twolegs that were always yelling at Twoleg kits, two right turns, then down behind the Twoleg nests until they would reach the fence that separated their garden from the others.

"We can take as many breaks as you need though,"

they glanced at her from the corner of his eye as they made it to the top of the slope.

I'M WALKING AND STUMBLING

I'M CRYING 'BOUT SOMETHING

BUT I AM NOT BREAKING !

• 
  nonbinary; they/he
  kittypet
  6 moons
  child of lady grey; sibling to chai, earl, oolong
• 
  

  "speech"

  
  

  thought

  
  attempted action
  

  "other character's speech"
• 

  
  long-haired silver cinnamon tabby
  with low white and pale green eyes
  and an impossible-to-tame cowlick

 

[Dusty Dusty]

✪ Align my Heart, my Body, my Mind​

indent"Of course. I wouldn't dream of it." Dustystar concedes to the little tomcats requests. In her state, she's got no option to refuse. Though, even in the best conditions, she'd hardly set out to harass anybody's mother.

indentWith great effort, Dustystar rises to her paws and stumbles towards her savior. He's young, not a kitten anymore but not at his full size. Dustystar has to lean down a bit to rest her weight on his shoulders. "Thank you."

indentWith all said and done, Dustystar saves her breath. If she wants to make it back to the Twoleg den, she'll need all her strength. At the end of it, though, she's sure a warm nest will be waiting.

Dustystar - 29 moons - Windclan Leader

 

[Alfalfa]

xx

A L F A L F A

Up close, Alfalfa took a moment to examine their new traveling companion. Her pelt was littered with wounds, both old and new. She was soaked to the bone, and there was weakness to her pawsteps. Had she been serious about dying again? Pressed against her side, she felt as solid and real as any cat, but there was something strange about her. He took her at her word, however, that she didn't mean them or their family any harm. Perhaps it was naiveté, perhaps it was curiosity. It remained to be seen.

They managed to pass the field without any Twolegs intercepting them, and for that they were grateful; that just left navigating the Twolegplace until they reached home. It was slow going, though. They set a slow pace, not wanting to push the undead molly too hard, lest her limbs start falling off. Her chest seemed to heave with effort in a way that concerned him. Their mind spun with questions, but he held his tongue. There would be time later, if she was going to... Live with them? Was that her plan? He peered at her from the corner of their eye once again.

"Zombie!"

They exclaimed, the word suddenly popping into his head.

"Are you a zombie, then?"

He asked, steering her behind a Twoleg nest towards their garden fence.

I'M WALKING AND STUMBLING

I'M CRYING 'BOUT SOMETHING

BUT I AM NOT BREAKING !

• 
  nonbinary; they/he
  kittypet
  6 moons
  child of lady grey; sibling to chai, earl, oolong
• 
  

  "speech"

  
  

  thought

  
  attempted action
  

  "other character's speech"
• 

  
  long-haired silver cinnamon tabby
  with low white and pale green eyes
  and an impossible-to-tame cowlick

 

[Dusty Dusty]

✪ Align my Heart, my Body, my Mind​

indentDustystar is thankful for the quiet. After so many stilted conversations with the dead, the silence, broken only by the sound of the rushing river, is comforting. The kittypet, despite his age, provides a sturdy shoulder to lean on, guiding her towards the cluster of twoleg dens.

indentAs the structures come into view, Dustystar can feel something like hope rise in her chest. Soon, she'll have somewhere warm to lay. She won't die here, in the cold, so far from her family.
The little tomcat interrupts her thoughts.
"...Zombie?" She doesn't recognize the word. "No. I'm just a cat. I've got no clue what that is." The strange words of kittypets confuse her. Was it a name? She has one of her own, she doesn't need to get one from this cat.

indent"My name is..." She begins to introduce herself, but pauses. What is her name, now? 'Dustystar' had been given to her by Starclan itself. A symbol of her stewardship of Windclan. Does she deserve that title anymore? She's hardly done them any good.

indent"Call me Dusty."

Dustystar - 29 moons - Windclan Leader

 

[Alfalfa]

xx

A L F A L F A

Alfalfa made a face. She didn't seem to understand their question. But, he supposed, not knowing what a zombie was probably served as a good indicator that she wasn't one. So that left them with the question of what did 'die again' mean?! Whatever, they'd get to the bottom of it later.

She introduced herself, and Alfalfa felt shame wash over him. He'd never introduced himself! Mother would be so disappointed if she knew how impolite they'd been! They'd always prided himself on his manners.

"Oh! Dusty, it's good to meet you,"

they did their best to dip their head politely despite the fact that she was pressed against his side.

"My name's Alfalfa."

Finally, they reached their home. All that stood between Dusty and a soft place to rest was a large wooden fence. They glanced at her.

"This is it."

He began carefully.

"We can either climb this tree to get over the fence,"

they gestured with their tail,

"Or we can squeeze under here, but... you might be a little too big."

Even as he and his siblings had grown, the small gap dug out from under the boards had begun to feel like a tight squeeze.

"Do you think you'd be able to... climb?"

They asked, peering upward at the branches overhead.

I'M WALKING AND STUMBLING

I'M CRYING 'BOUT SOMETHING

BUT I AM NOT BREAKING !

• 
  nonbinary; they/he
  kittypet
  6 moons
  child of lady grey; sibling to chai, earl, oolong
• 
  

  "speech"

  
  

  thought

  
  attempted action
  

  "other character's speech"
• 

  
  long-haired silver cinnamon tabby
  with low white and pale green eyes
  and an impossible-to-tame cowlick

 

[Dusty Dusty]

✪ Align my Heart, my Body, my Mind​

indent Alfalfa. Dusty had heard the word before. It was something horses ate, wasn't it? Fitting enough, then, that the little tomcat had eyes green as the plant itself.

indent"I ought to be able to climb. If I can't, feel free to leave me to die." It's an ill-timed joke, but she doesn't leave much time for it to sink in. Starclan's mercy has given her a second wind, and she ought to make use of it before it fades. Mustering what little strength she has, Dusty leaps onto the lower branches of the tree. She's never been the most adept climber - her habitat rarely gave her the chance to practice - but any cat worth their salt is able to scale a small tree like this.

indentBy the time she's high enough to peer over the fence, Dusty is panting. Another cough, and a dribble of water slips past her lips.
I need to move quickly, before my strength fades.
Regaining herself, Dusty creeps to the edge of the thin branch and hops down onto the ground beyond the fence.

Dustystar - 29 moons - Windclan Leader

 

[Alfalfa]

xx

A L F A L F A

Alfalfa did not laugh at her joke about being left for dead, though he did crack a small, polite smile at her attempt at humor. Frankly, he was too confused about her relationship with death to even begin constructing a more appropriate response. Instead, they kept quiet and stood back while she began to ascend. It wasn't a terribly high climb, but he was worried about it regardless. She hadn't been entirely steady on her paws this far.

Luckily, she made it up fine. They could hear her labored breathing, but she didn't show any signs of falling. He began to climb up after her, paws practiced at following the easiest path upward. Once he heard the thud of her paws in the garden, they grinned in satisfaction. She'd made it!

Leaping down after her, they cast her a quick glance.

"This way!"

He chirped, waving his fluffy tail for her to follow. Their paws tingled with excitement and pride as they pushed at the flap in the wall of their home that allowed passage in and out. He hoped his mother wouldn't be upset at them bringing a stranger in, but it needed to be done! He felt rather heroic, legs carrying him to where their Twolegs sat, jaws parted in a yowl to get their attention.

I'M WALKING AND STUMBLING

I'M CRYING 'BOUT SOMETHING

BUT I AM NOT BREAKING !

• 
  nonbinary; they/he
  kittypet
  6 moons
  child of lady grey; sibling to chai, earl, oolong
• 
  

  "speech"

  
  

  thought

  
  attempted action
  

  "other character's speech"
• 

  
  long-haired silver cinnamon tabby
  with low white and pale green eyes
  and an impossible-to-tame cowlick