Raven

Chapter Nine - Catfight

"Never thought I'd be back here again," I mutter to myself, shaking my head. I wear the costume I'd put together, my hands still bandaged under my gloves, along with a mask that I had as well. I have been sent, along with Toxic and Acrobolt, to my father's factory. I know what we are after, too; a short, thin sword of sorts, razor sharp and deadly. Obsidian, like my Quills, it is a beautiful weapon to me.

I hide in the shadows along with my comrades, watching the guard patrol back and forth. I know that the door will be unlocked, and begin to time the guard's movements. "Twenty-five seconds to and from each way, guys," I whisper to the other two after about five minutes' watching. Toxic nods silently; she's been watching, too.

"Okay, Toxic, he's all yours." Acrobolt nods to his sister, and the girl in green steps forward and walks towards the guard. He turns, and talks to the pretty girl. I can't see what they say, but Toxic blows a kiss to the guy and then kicks him in the face.

"Tough love," I mutter, but I can't help but smile.

Acrobolt grins, and replies in an equally low voice, "She's known for it."

After the guard is out for the count, getting inside the factory is easy. Toxic pushes the door open, and Acrobolt and I follow after her stealthily. I take a deep, silent breath as look around the familiar walls. "Let's get this over with. I don't like this place," I whisper, taking a second to remember where I'm going.

"Neither do I, but we all have to deal, yes?" The voice is one of a stranger, and we all turn to look at the source. There, blocking our path, stands a girl about my age. Lithe and dark-haired, she gives Acrobolt a flirty smile, completely ignoring the fact that his sister and I are there. This chick's stupid, I decide, watching in a sort of stunned silence as she prowls over. "It's been a while, cutie," she purrs, an edge to her voice that makes Toxic's eyebrows shoot up. Before the younger girl can attack this stranger, though, I look at her, schooling my features into a blank expression.

"Hey, lady? Who the hell are you, exactly?" I ask, crossing my arms.

The girl flicks her hair over one shoulder, which doesn't work so well seeing as her hair is only just shoulder length. She turns to look at me with little interest. "Oh look, a little blackbird and a plant. Run along now, and let the big kids play, okay?" she sneers, turning a dark-eyed gaze back to Acrobolt and batting her eyelashes.

Goodness gracious, is she asking for a quill to the head? I think. I tilt my head in mock confusion, pretending to clean out my ears as if I've just misheard something really obvious. "Wait a second here. Did you just call me a little blackbird, lady? The name is Raven, you pathetically braindead fool. And, unless you want me to keep insulting you, you'll tell me who the hell you are and what you're doing here. We'd all like to know." The familiar British accent laces my words like a whip, and I glare at the offensive twelvie.

She smiles mysteriously, seemingly undisturbed by my insults. "Oh, blackbird, wouldn't you like to know! But I can't tell you much, apart from the fact that you can't win. And I am, obviously, Cat Girl."

I roll my eyes, now really pissed off. "Yes, I'd never have guessed that. The clothes are certainly not a dead giveaway, not at all." But, seriously; she wears a dark bodysuit, clawed gloves and boots, and cat ears. Obvious, much?

"Scat, cat," I say in a low, dangerous voice. "Or, I swear by whatever holy, that I will kill you." I feel cold saying this; I'm honestly not always a bitch like this. But the cat just tilts her head mockingly, and prowls forward again.

"Okay, blackbird, let's dance."

I smile, and say, "Cats are so easy to beat ... especially if they are as arrogant as yourself." I take out a pair of Quills, and hold them up. "Scared yet?"

"Why should I be?" she asks, a dark grin on her face. "They're only feathers."

Okay, that's it. I give a sudden cry, putting all my frustration into the cawing yell, and wait for the cat to charge. I don't have to wait long. She smiles once more at Acrobolt (oblivious to Toxic's scowl), and charges on light feet. I concentrate, and leap up at the last second with a roundhouse kick. It glances off Cat Girl's shoulder, but I see the pain in her expression. Before she can recover, I aim to throw one of my quills. She moves at the last second, but I still chop some of her hair off before the quill clatters to the floor.

"HOLY CRAP!" I hear from behind me, but once again choose to ignore Acrobolt for the moment. Cat Girl slashes at me with her claws, scraping my skin but not breaking it, and I sigh. I have to finish this, apparently. I drop, and swing my legs around to knock my opponent's legs from under her. It works, and the annoying feline drops. I stand, pick up my quill, and step back as she struggles to her feet.

"Don't mess with the birds you can't handle," I snarl, shooting a glare at Cat Girl's retreating figure. I look at Acrobolt and Toxic, my heartbeat still racing from the fight, and lovely adrenaline pumping through my veins. "Can we go now?"