He would never say it. Not aloud. Not to Sonnet. Not to the dead. Not even to himself. Instead, he lifted his head. "You're pathetic." His voice was almost a whisper now. But there was still venom in it. "Taking this long..." Another breath. "...just to kill me." He wasn't sure if the cruel words were for himself. His eyes closed for half a second. Opened again. He was losing the battle. He knew it. That knowledge made something inside him twist. Not surrender. Never that. Defiance. Even now. Especially now. He looked toward the sky. The ocean. Sonnet. There were a thousand things he could have said. [̶I̶'̶m̶ ̶s̶o̶r̶r̶y̶.̶]̶ ̶[̶S̶t̶a̶y̶.̶]̶ ̶[̶I̶'̶m̶ ̶s̶c̶a̶r̶e̶d̶.̶]̶ ̶[̶D̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶m̶e̶.̶]̶ ̶[̶I̶ ̶l̶o̶v̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶.̶]̶ He said none of them. Instead, he simply said: "...Don't you dare remember me like this." His voice cracked. The rain struck his back. His breathing slowed. He could feel the darkness creeping closer. He hated it. He hated that he couldn't fight it. He hated that his body had finally betrayed him. He hated that there was no strategy left. No escape. No second chance. And beneath all that hatred. one tiny, unbearable truth: [I̶m̶ ̶t̶i̶r̶e̶d̶.̶] Vulture closed his eyes. Not because he surrendered. Because he was tired of keeping them open. His last breath left him slowly. His claws remained dug into the earth. Even in death, he looked like he was still trying to fight his way out. And beneath the rain, beneath the blood, beneath the name.. Vultureslaughter remained exactly what he had always been. Unyielding. Cruel. Afraid. Alive until the very last second. And he never once admitted the last one. Vulture's breath shuddered. His claws dug weakly into the earth. His eyes remained fixed ahead. The darkness was coming. He smiled. “For... UrchinClan.” His voice was almost gone. With the last strength left in him, he growled, “Let them remember my name.”
CREDITS Sorastar. @celovesart Carmine. @_weaselkabob Scorchedshatter. @spyat Hornet. @slimyscratcher63 Cedarear. @Dash-40001 Dragonflyswarm. Galevalor. @.user Grandeurphantom. Hyacinthhoney. Daffodilkit. ClayTyphoon. SonnetScourge.
