"You ready for the journey?" He inquired, the smirk ever present on his scarred face. Hiddenstrike was teasing, his old persona he seemed to have lost along the way. He was glad to have some of it back. "I'm good to go whenever you are."

"Once a MoonClanner, always a MoonClanner. You never really do leave the hivemind," she said softly, a sigh. Mapletail's own anxieties mirrored Hiddenstrike's. Her siblings- all fifty million of them. Would she be welcomed back?

"When should we leave?" she said, the words a challenge sent to the wind. In the background of the scene, a banjo began playing. Adventure music.

The large Tom-cat let his gaze float upward, focusing on the dark sky. He was afraid of what his siblings would think of him, after all this time. He knew in his heart that they needed to go back and find Jupiter- put an end to his murdering ways. He huffed out a sigh and looked at Mapletail.

“Guess you’ve decided for us then.” It was said with an amused edge to his tone, a small smirk appearing on his face.

"I'm sorry," Mapletail said reflexively, "An eye for half your face and neck doesn't sound like a fair trade. When we get back to MoonClan, we can look for him. Two against one is a fairer fight, don't you think?" Mapletail said, already set in resolve that she and Hiddenstrike were returning, even if Hiddenstrike wasn't there yet.

He couldn't tell whether her staring was making him uncomfortable or not. He was glad she was able to finally look at him, with all the ugliness and what not. Hiddenstrike shifted into a sitting position and curled his tails around his paws. Her question had him delving into memories he wished he could keep hidden.

"I was... found by his group after a dog attack. Jupiter was the one who actually saved me- watching that scrawny cat face off against a vicious canine set a fear in my heart that I didn't know possible." He paused for a moment, an image of the Havana brown rogue popping in his head. "I stayed with the group for a little while, not realizing what they were really about. Let's just say it's the darker part of my past I'd prefer not to say. The reason they were hunting me is because I refused order and attacked Jupiter. I ripped out his eye- guess this," He gestured to his face, "Was payback."

Mapletail's face went sour as she thought of the clan- she'd been unhappy there, but she missed her family, and the entire mess of emotions was jumbled and confusing, like a maze of pine trees. She looked up at Hiddenstrike, now unable to look away out of intrigue.

"They must not know what that cat's done, then. What cat sends assassins out? What did you even do to deserve it?" she said with a lash of her tail. In her anger, her coat rippled, and she winced as the simple motion sent pain from the cleft of her belly.

Hiddenstrike tried to ignore Shelly's blatant refusal to look at him and he succeeded somewhat. He knew how bad it looked- before the injury, he hadn't pegged himself to be an attractive looking feline but now. Starclan, it was a sight to behold. It hurt, but he'd learned to get over it. He chuckled at her choice of words.

"Yea- I heard part of their conversation before and it seems the cat who sent them has joined clan life." The fear that tugged at his heart was plain to see on the uninjured part of his face. He wasn't afraid of Jupiter, No. He was afraid for his family.

Shelly had to look away, for Hiddenstrike's hideousness was not to be underestimated. Mapletail, on the other hand, was forced to stare. The crust of scabs on the tom's healing face made a mosaic of oozing plasma- it would take a long time for it to be free of gunk. Mapletail was shocked- her first reaction was one of disgust. Of suddenly finding a fireant's feast at one's paws, she regarded Hiddenstrike with an avenging nausea. But then on second glance, she found something oddly interesting about his one-eyed stare. The scar that stretched down the side of his face was testament . . . to something. Mapletail would figure out what it was later.

She cleared her throat to cover up the silence she'd forged. "Split open," the siamese responded, "Those were the cats chasing you?"

At the mention of his name, whether he heard it or not, Hiddenstrike appeared through the under brush. Most of the minor wounds had healed, but his face had been dealt a great deal of damage. He'd gone to the creek not too far from their little den area and stared at his reflection for a while. He wondered what his siblings would say if they saw him. Would they recoil in disgust? It didn't occur to him about much his appearance bothered him until now. He looked like a monster straight out of a queens horror story. His single yellow eye focused on Mapletail, relief flooding his body at the sight of the she-cat awake. She looked worse for wear, but that's to be expected after almost dying and being unconscious for five days.

"Glad to see you're up." He rumbled, the sound vibrating his chest. "How do you feel?" He tried to ignore the way Shelly looked at him when he approach, willing away the odd pressure in his chest.

When she awoke, Mapletail was laid out in warm sun, on a lush bed of moss. Her head rested on a headdress of feathers. Confusion alighted in her delirium before the she-cat realized standing was painful. The twitches of her paws made her stomach ripple painfully and the she-cat looked down to realize the tabby of her cream stomach was just barely held together in scabs.

A distance away, a small form moved. A black kitten.

"Froggy-" Mapletail said successfully, despite the way her throat rattled with parched thirst. Quite severely she realized her dire situation as the black and white kitten ran off, sending a spray of leaves on top of Mapletail's heaving form. Pain was soon blossoming behind her carved brow, no longer hidden by dreams.

Exposition was desperately needed, and provided when Froggy returned with his mother, Shelly, who likewise looked haggard. A new scratch parted the fur on the queen's chest and her ear was now split in two. A new mark on Lonerclan's coat.

Mapletail realized the she-cat had moss soaked in water and her blue eyes widened- she would kill for it, given the chance. She didn't have to. Shelly placed it by her head on the assembled nest and Mapletail nursed on it like a kitten until there was nothing left. She gasped- Shelly looked on worriedly.

"I don't think I should give you more without Woodleaf- he's gone for more herbs. Vee's hunting."

"Your kittens?"

"Frogtail, Maple, and Hazelday are all back at the den now. Frogtail's been watching you while I've been taking care of Maple- and you, too. W-we were scared to move you, Mapletail. Woodleaf said to build a nest around you- pray it doesn't rain."

Mapletail blinked in comprehension, refusing to understand the grossness of what she'd lost. Her freedom, stripped from her in one fell swoop. She was too busy feeling sorry for herself to remember the friend she mysteriously hadn't seen since she'd lost consciousness.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Five days."

"That explains the hunger pangs."

"Couldn't wake you up to eat."

"Yeah, well, f-" Mapletail remembered seeing blood wash over a terrible wound that wasn't hers- skin laid bare at an expanse of bare rocks, fur attached and not much else. She gasped- "Hiddenstrike!" she said, "Where is he?"

Shelly looked around- "He was here this morning. Woodleaf's been treating you both. I'm sure he wandered off to make dirt-"

The large tom shook his head, a headache poking at his cranium as he stared at the new she-cat. He was confused and in pain, but he knew he would survive. Hiddenstrike was only afraid that Mapletail wouldn't make it. "I don't- give me directions and I can go."

Shelly stared at Hiddenstrike for a moment longer as his face etched into her memory. She realized it was simply wounds causing her distortion of his character and she nodded. "You'll need medical attention- so will she. I know somebody. Her den is nearby. Do you know where it is?" she asked, beginning to stuff leaves at the wound that leaked blood in Mapletail's belly.

Hiddenstrike refrained from stepping any closer, his singular yellow eye focusing on Mapletail. "I'm a friend of hers- please, I just want to help." At no point in his entire life had Hiddenstrike ever been so polite.

Shelly's gray tail whipped around her as she glowered down in front of Mapletail, challenging the bleeding and ugly Hiddenstrike while Mapletail grappled with consciousness. "Who are you!" she called out in anger, smelling strongly of milk. Mapletail groaned on the ground, sucking in precious air through her teeth.

The black furred tom-cat had no time to realize what had happened- one moment Hawk was above him and the next he was staring up at the sky. Disorientated and confused, Hiddenstrike staggered to his paws and turned his head in order to see what was going on. It seemed he missed the rest of the fight, Hawk and his buddy were now bleeding out onto the forest floor. The wound on his face would surely scare any cat in sight.

"Are you two already?" The large tom stepped forward, stumbling slightly over his own feet. A growl erupted from his chest- anger clouding his singular yellow eye. Starclan- couldn't they have taken one of my legs!?

Mapletail gasped out and looked on in shock as Hiddenstrike’s face was ripped from him, crying out but unable to move besides moving forward a half an inch with her forelegs in a vain attempt to help. Hawk had abandoned her to bleed into the ground. She thought she was seeing the end of them both, before a gray streak ripped through the leaves beside her, a scream of war-shout ringing in her ears. The shape rammed right into Hawk. Mapletail was too shocked to recognize it was Shelly- the queen was fierce! Who on Earth could’ve guessed?

She wrought death by a thousand cuts to Hawk as they battled, quick and small enough to avoid his claws while inflicting the tiny cuts. She was like a swarm of bees, contained in a cat. It was the same cat that Mapletail had bitten on the neck- his blood loss was catching up to him. Mapletail cried out as they tumbled closer towards her and realized their advance would not stop. She got to her paws to dodge before realizing she could take her chance- she reached forward instead of backward and buried her teeth into the tom’s throat as Shelly raked her claws down his belly.

The two she-cats’ breath synced as the tom’s faded slowly into nothing. Mapletail dropped him before collapsing herself. Shelly licked the she-cat before turning towards Hiddenstrike, bleeding heavily from her ear and part of her tail hanging limply.

As soon as Hiddenstrike landed on the loner's back, Hawk rolled, effectively squishing Hiddenstrike beneath him. The breath was knocked clean from his lungs, spots blurring his vision as he gasped for air. This gave Hawk the perfect chance to rip into Hiddenstrike's flesh- pain washing over the warrior like a wave crashing into shore. Blood splattered the ground, staining the loner's paws red. The sound of struggle was heard just outside Hiddenstrike's peripheral. A new bout of energy hit him then and he was pushing himself to his feet, claws swiping and teeth barred as he fought Hawk off. The black furred tom-cat turned and barreled into the cat holding Mapletail down.

"Hawk! Forget her- Jupiter wanted this one."

Hiddenstrike had managed to tear into the loner's side, blood spurting- a massive wound left behind by his fangs. But with addition to Hawk- Hiddenstrike was soon overwhelmed. Hawk- being the bigger of the two- pinned Hiddenstrike to the ground while his buddy tore into the tom's face. Half his sight was taken from him, his left side going dark.

(tis bad- my apologies)

Mapletail didn’t have a chance to congratulate or be shocked at Hiddenstrike’s killing of the gang cat; she was too busy saving her own tail. Mapletail was a small cat, with cream fur that darkened to chocolate red at the points. A black half of her face. Piercing blue eyes. Black claws. All beauty, few brains, and mediocre in everything she did except exist. She fought for her life, her training not preparing her in the slightest, as the loner scratched a gash on her shoulder, another on her brow. Mapletail dodged a bite to the neck- barely, a chunk of her fur went flying. She rode back on her haunches, trying to give the tomcat an open place to attack on her underbelly so she could surprise him. Only she wasn’t quick enough to spring her trap. The tomcat was quicker than she thought.

His claws ripped open the cavity in her belly, spilling pleghm and clots over the golden leaves. In the scene of red, nothing was more startling, and Mapletail fell to her side. Her tail went limp. Shock filled her gaze. Her opposer stood over her as the bodies of his two friends fell around him. Mapletail’s mind boiled- she’d never wanted to die. She was a free spirit. She ran from responsibility, from ties, anything concrete she could attach herself to. Her paws twitched as her guts threatened to spill onto the leaf-litter. Desparation clawed at her brain- everything told her to run. She couldn’t.

Mapletail couldn’t run from death.

Not having to worry about a second cat made it so much easier for Hiddenstrike to end the loners life. As soon as he found out only one cat was on his tail, the former Moonclan warrior and spun around and snapped the their cat's neck with a single paw strike. With one cat out of the way- he was off to help Mapletail.. Hawk was the only cat they needed to worry about. Back in the gang territory, Hiddenstrike and Hawk had been on equal playing field. Their skills evenly matched. He jumped, propelling himself upward until he landed on Hawk's back. He ripped the tom-cat away from his friend and bit into the loner's neck.

Mapletail dropped out of her tree like an owl, deadly precise but not deadly in intent. Her claws scraped the flank of a large black tom who brought up the rear of the trio, and the small tabby who was the pseudo-leader turned when he heard his friend scream, leaving the first cat to run towards Hiddenstrike. Mapletail hissed as fur ripped through her claws, but no flesh, and then saw herself facing two opponents. Her blue eyes flashed with defiance.

“I see what you mean now,” the tabby spoke, “She does smell ugly.” “Looks ugly too. What’s wrong with your face, blue-eyes? Dipped in ash as a kitten?” the black one said as he struck out with a paw towards the small she-cat. They were trying to intimidate her- a fact that Mapletail caught onto quickly. Her pride was wounded at their words, though, being quite vain in all she did.

She reached out towards the small one, sensing a lingering weakness, and was greeted with gnashing teeth and claws as the black one intercepted her, the tabby clinging to her back. The three cats began to rip into each-other, unsure of which would get the upper hand. Mapletail was determined to keep them from Shelly.

Hiddenstrike slipped out from their hide out, a plan already formulating in his head. He didn't want any more cats getting hurt and if that meant killing again- he'd do it. The three idiots who were currently on his tail would regret ever crossing paths with him.

"I wonder how stupid you have to be to walk right past your target." He shouted, a small grin capturing his face. He forgot how fun it was to mock them. They were all a bit dull- the only smart being Jupiter himself. "The reason I was the favorite was cause I could do the job quicker- seems to be taking you all years to catch me." He stated, watching Hawk scramble through the bushes with an angered expression on his face. And with that, Hiddenstrike was off and racing toward the tree Mapletail was hiding in.

“I’ve plenty of experience,” Mapletail said with a shaking memory. “I fought Diesel-*****, I can fight anybody,” she said, youthful and cocky. If she were a human, she’d have tribal tattoos with no clue what they meant. She snuck off before Hiddenstrike could say anything, her red coat blending in perfectly with the leaf-litter, though her half-colored face was cause for concern.

Wait! She thought as she climbed to get into position, Did he say he was taking on two at once?!

Their targets moved.

“Wait- there’s two scents. Another she-cat!”

“She smells ugly.”

“How does a cat smell ugly?”

At the mention of kits, his gaze darkened. Those murderers would jump at the thought of getting their paws on children. Hiddenstrike huffed out a frustrated breath, before moving to stand in front of her. "If you can climb up into that tree- lowest branch as possible- I'll lead them this way. You can knock one off my trail. I can battle two at once, but three...." He trailed, his determination lighting a fire within his chest. "Can you do this Mapletail? They aren't the best fighters, but they play dirty."

Mapletail looked at Hiddenstrike in panic, “There’s a ravine- two leagues due north. But that’s very close to Shelly- she has kittens there. That’s who they’re going towards. Hiddenstrike, we can’t let them get close,” she said, those blue eyes wide and glowing with panic. Mapletail was a good fighter, but a nervous one, with a spirit that yearned for adventure but shut down at the slightest bit fo excitement.

One of the cats sniffed the air- "Trail ends here- where's that rat-****** now?"

Hiddenstrike, as soon as he picked up their scents, grabbed Mapletail and ducked into a nearby thicket. He thanked Starclan for their easily camouflaged pelts. His piercing yellow orbs focused on the trio, barring his teeth. He'd done his best to disappear- the skill actually being his specialty- but it seemed he underestimated the loner group's tracking ability. He nudged Mapletail toward the opposite side of the their hide out just as the the three disappeared into some bushes. "We can win this if we ambush them- funny thing about them- they're afraid of heights." Hiddenstrike's eyes sparkled with barely contained excitement. Unlike his siblings back home, he was a fighter and loved the thrill of a good fight. They could use the trees to their advantage- what he failed to notice was the smell of a queen and her kits.

Mapletail’s blue eyes flicked behind Hiddenstrike, towards the entrance, as if on cue, three dark pelts flitted by the leaf-fall-colored forest floor. She quieted, lowered her head on instinct, and her eyes darted towards Hiddenstrike. “Them?” she mouthed.

She could catch bits and pieces of their conversation.

“Smell something?” “She-cat.”

“I smell kittens.” “Jupiter would be pleased- if we brought back a little extra, in addition to that **** body?”

“Focus, Hawk”

“Don’t you want another toy?”

“Focus, Hawk.”

Mapletail gulped. Shelly and her kits!

The thick-furred tom-cat nodded, "I haven't been in Moonclan for quite some time... I left a few days after you did," He admitted. Hiddenstrike didn't regret his decision for leaving, he just regretted joining a loner group after his departure from clan life. He'd learned so much and had plenty of scars to show what his life had been like so far. "Two brothers and one annoying sister." He mused, wishing he could have been their for her when she gave birth.

He stayed silent after she asked her question, a frown tugging at his lips. He didn't want to explain himself and he definitely didn't want to delve back into those memories. "A loner cat- a group actually," He stopped walking then, "I've lost them for now- I should leave before they find me. I could take them on one at a time but unfortunately, they've done me a solid and sent three cats."

Mapletail connected with the tom, “Mapletail,” she conceded, after a moment of thought, “I’ve always liked my name too,” she said, looking off into the distance as they traversed towards home. Once they were there, Mapletail motioned towards the reed-hidden entrance underneath the fallen tree before clambering in, her hips squeezed by the constriction. The den was cozy and warm, dusty with dry leaves and sand. Mapletail enjoyed it immensely. “How’s my family?” Mapletail asked, curious, “And your own- you had brothers, right?” She kept talking, “Stars- its been so long since I talked to a member of the clan. All that’s around here are barn cats and loners. How did you even end up out here, Hidden? Its so far-” she squinted, noting his dishevelled appearance. “Wait, is something chasing you?”

Hiddenstrike let a smirk slip through at her question, yellow orbs glancing up at her. "Hiddenstrike is fine. Clan life may not have been for me, but I enjoyed my name." It was different from his siblings and he had to wonder what his mother had been thinking when she chose it, but he liked it all the same. His fur was still littered with debris from the forest, but he'd given up on the places in his coat that he couldn't get to. "what about you? Should I call you something else." Having been alone for so long, it was nice to have someone to talk to who wouldn't lash out at any given moment.

Mapletail's face turned slightly grim, those deep blue eyes softening with understanding as her tail-tip stopped its dance. She, likewise, missed her siblings and family. Meadowclaw, Cedarpaw, Valleyshine- stars, she loved them. Even those rascals of Meadowclaw, who'd she'd caught a glimpse of before leaving. But Mapletail had hated MoonClan's rigid structuredness. Her heart possessed a wild element, a random plea to find adventure, and she'd longed for EarthClan- but thought trying life as a loner would be beneficial. Without borders, she was free to explore. And she had.

"Finally, another who understands," she said, a little quieter, "Don't eat the deathberries like everyone else, Hiddenstrike. Wait- do you even like being called Hiddenstrike anymore?" she asked curiously, beginning to turn away and lead the way towards her den. She wouldn't allow him the chance to refuse her invitation.

The thick-furred tom-cat was taken aback by her enthusiasm. Most cats were never this excited to see him, unless he counted Stormblaze. At her words, he grumbled a bit. "I wasn't hiding." He huffed, yellow eyes falling to the ground at his paws. Hiddenstrike did his best to avoid the clans, he didn't want his siblings chasing after him, but it seemed he couldn't avoid it for long.

"I needed to leave camp for a while. Clan life wasn't for me.. I'm not sure it ever will be." He liked to be on his own, it's part of the reason why he left. He had to admit though, he did miss his siblings.

Mapletail's eyes widened, a pleasant smile spreading across her pleasing face. She almost let out a pur, her blue eyes rising to meet Hiddenstrike's.

"I remember you!" she said, not knowing why she was so pleased to see a cat from a clan she'd run away from herself. She let out a giggle, "You hid in the bushes the entire time- then your brother-" Mapletail desolved into a fit of giggles, finding the entire situation hilarious. Her red-chocolate tail brushed the leaf-litter, she was not even attempting to be quiet, before she got a hold of herself and she looked back up at him, her eyes crescants from where her smiling cheeks pushed them up.

"What are you doing way out here?"

Hiddenstrike nodded in response to her statement although the confirmation wasn't necessary. Many loners knew of the clans, he learned this when he got involved with one of the gangs. When she introduced herself, his own recognition flashed across his face. The large tom had an exceptionally great memory, and he never forgot a face. That's why the she-cat before him had been so familiar to him. "Mapletail? From Moonclan? I remember you from one of our patrols back when I was an apprentice. The border skirmish with Eclipseclan." He was surprised to find her out here, not having kept track on which of his clan-mates left. If he was being honest with himself, he didn't particularly care. "And there's no need for that. I don't want to take your den." He may be a scary and sharp-tongued cat sometimes, but he had manners.

Mapletail's eyes widened in recognition, "You're a clan cat," she said, still not knowing he was from MoonClan. With such a large clan, faces were often forgotten- and Mapletail had been gone a while. "I'm Mapletail. You actually passed right by my den when you were running back there. I'm surprised you didn't smell it," she added quickly, "You can sleep there."

He managed to get most of the annoying twigs and leaves from his fur, but some still remained in harder to reach places. It was times like these that he missed sharing tongues with his siblings. A sigh fell from his lips before he looked back at the she-cat. "I appreciate your hospitality." It wouldn't hurt to stay the night, it's not like it would ruin his head start. "Mind giving me a name. Mine's-" He paused, wondering if he should even dole out that kind of information. The gang he'd been apart of knew him only by his made up name. He shrugged, it couldn't hurt. "Hiddenstrike."

"Things are friendly around here. You can relax, you know. So long as you don't eat all the mice, you can spend the night before you move along," she invited cordially. If she was nice, it'd give him less of a reason to kill any of the neighborhood's residents. She still held fast to her ideology that he could attack at any moment, but a feeling in her gut told her he wouldn't, and that her being nice might even prevent it.

Hiddenstrike kept a weary eye on the she-cat, he wasn't sure of her intentions and for all he knew she might night be alone.

"I don't really have time to sleep." It was a vague answer, but she didn't need to know the truth. He was sure he wouldn't stick around long to really get to know her. He flicked his tail in annoyance as he attempted to groom the debris from his pelt. The one thing he hated about his thick pelt was how often nature got stuck in it. "Mousedung." He cursed, teeth clamping down on a particularly irritating thorn.

Her scent bother him. It was so much like Moonclan yet not exactly. He caught a flash of her red-chocolate pelt in his memories. It was a long while ago, back when he'd been an apprentice who hated the world. Oh how he wished he could've cherished those days when he had the chance.

Mapletail calmed exponentially at the tom's proclamation. She arrogantly confirmed that she could put up a fight if he'd wanted to attack her, and something about him seemed chivalrous. She felt that if he wanted to kill her or take advantage of her, a tom and molly alone, he would, and StarClan themselves could not prevent it.

"You look like you haven't slept in moons," she said after a moment of pondrance, her warmly colored tail twitching softly at the leaf-litter.

Hiddenstrike, messy fur and all, gazed at the newcomer like she had three heads. Her scent was so familiar to him that he had to do a double take. He couldn’t pinpoint where he’d seen her face from or why he felt it in his gut that he knew her. She smelled like home, but it was faint. Her name was on the tip of his tongue yet it was far away, as if to torture him.

The large tom-cat made no move to speak, piercing eyes observing her thin and lean form. She seemed on edge and she had good reason to be. One wrong move and Hiddenstrike would show her no mercy. After what seemed like days, he finally spoke up.

“Just passing through, no need to get your fur in a twist.” Since his days with the rogue group, he still hadn’t lost his sharp-tongue. Fortunately for him, he wouldn’t get tortured for using it here.

Brambles and small twigs stuck out from his dark coat, a fresh wound glowed bright pink on his shoulder. His appearance was anything but friendly. He’d already been a scary cat, but now with all his battle scars and resting b**** face no one seemed to want to stick around and get to know him.

Mapletail was slowly journeying back to her hollow, a fallen log overshadowing a dip in the warmly welcoming earth. Her nest within the recess was newly woven from moss, a testament to Woodleaf's skill. Even better, a mouse with earth scraped over it was nearby, cold but still appetizing. A gift from Vee. But Mapletail could not concentrate to eat- a strange scent hung over her den, just odd enough to set her on edge. A strange cat wandering through wasn't unusual in LonerClan's territory, but this one was different- it smelled virile, and fearful, and Mapletail's duty proclaimed her to track it, to ensure the tom to which it belonged did not harm her neighborhood.

She slunk down, hearing a slight noise after a few moments of pacing, and spotted a pelt through the dense trees. Above, a warbler rang its warning call, and Mapletail's blue eyes peered from behind a fern as she aimed to get a better look. She saw an intimidating cat, much larger than she, with pitch for fur and suns for eyes. Mapletail shivered- she didn't know if she could take him, on her own. But something about his scent still set her on edge- familiar, somehow, but long lost. She did not recognize him, regardless, but she'd always had an issue remembering faces. A black tom was nothing too rare.

She snuck up further, small feet on moist grass making her silent, until she traced him from ten foxlengths, a recoverable distance. Power sprang in her hindlimbs, quiet as an assassin, before she leapt to confront him. Not a yowl of battle nor fury escaped her, but a question, as she skidded on the yellow leaves in front of him.

"State your business," she growled.

A sense of dread filled the forest, as if the land itself could sense the coming darkness. Snow blanketed the ground, small and large tracks littering the floor as the tree branches swayed in the wind. It was almost peaceful.

The faint sound of paws slapping against the ground disturbed the quiet beauty, large menacing paws carrying an even larger black furred tom-cat through the territory. He skidded to a stop, claws digging into the cold ground as his yellow eyes observed his surroundings. There was a fallen tree covering what looked to be a small dip in the ground. The opening was just big enough for the muscled cat to squeeze in to. It would have to do for now.

Hiddenstrike had been running for more than half a day. His stomach grumbled in protest, angry that he’d refused to eat that day. How could he? If he stopped to hunt, the group of rogue’s would surely catch up to him. The former Moonclanner had done plenty of stupid things while he’d lived with the clan, but after losing himself and leaving to find some solace in his empty life, he’d gotten involved with a nasty group of cats. Not only did he help them recruit, he helped them kill. Let’s just say he’d prefer to keep those memories locked away.

The reason he’d been running was due to the fact he refused to listened to the group’s leader. He’d never been one to follow the rules, but the gang leader had gone to far. An entire litter had been murder and Hiddenstrike refused to help. He’d fought against the ‘leader’ ripping out the tom-cats eyes before taking off. That whole incident had been two days ago. Lucky for Hiddenstrike, most of them had been too shocked to follow. He was currently being tracked by their best assassin. Just my luck. He growled to himself.

Mapletail had made quite the little niche for herself out at LonerClan's territory. She'd decided to call them LonerClan; for there were no actual loners here. A loose conglomeration of cats existed in the loner territory, each with overlapping and rarely protected splotches of land, with cats living on them that acquired certain items and desired others. Woodleaf liked building nests and healing, but couldn't hunt. Vee liked hunting, but couldn't fight. Shelly had kits, and could do neither. Mapletail's existence within the neighborhood was a welcome presence, and her neighbors thought her mightily convenient. She was their warrior; their protection. They slept separately, in seclusion, but during the day each one found time to find the other and supply their services, and Mapletail surveyed for threats and drove out the ones she could and helped find ways around the ones she couldn't.

She visited Shelly and her three kittens that morning and had dropped off a squirrel for breakfast, joining the family in a thanksgiving where Shelly had announced her intention to name the runt Maple. Mapletail had found this slightly offensive, but had hidden her disgust, as it would've been misconstrued. In all fact, Mapletail believed she'd been tied down by necessity, with the cats relying on her, and she hated being relied on. For Mapletail was as unreliable as they came, a free spirit, apparating from interaction to interaction and then gone in a flash. She never felt she belonged anywhere, but wanted to try every niche she could.

The she-cat had shaken the kittens off of her tail and left in a slightly hurried huff, and now traveled through the forest silently, frowning slightly to herself. She found the slightly stagnant pool of water that the neighborhood all shared and sighed, looking down into its depths. The pool reflected her bright blue eyes back at her and Mapletail missed her mother, but not enough to send a prayer to StarClan. She didn't even know if she believed in StarClan anymore.

She looked away, and began to walk away, before she realized she was thirsty. The she-cat dipped down and began to take a long drink.

Frecklemask diverged from the group once they reached the EclipseClan territory, remembering Fencestar’s threat to her well-being if she was ever to be found again. She spat at the ground as she tumbled through the suburbs, making a mental map of her own. EarthClan would not take her, for there she was a murderer. MoonClan would surely have her put to death for her crimes. EclipseClan held as Much animosity towards her as any. she couldn’t survive on her own, not when her kits were so close to arriving. Frecklemask looked northward, to her lone option. her brother, Dust, was there- she would beg, at his camp, They couldn’t turn her away. Not with kits. there was simply no way the Warrior code would allow it.

she turned northward, And began the trek.

The large tom-cat let himself be dragged away from the gang leader, muscles screaming at him in protest. He hadn't been prepared for the scrawny cat's strength. Tigermask ran beside rust, hoping that the safety of Eclipseclan's territory would scare off their attackers. (Skip to Eclipseclan camp?)

(I gotcha) Rust staggered to his paws when Tigermask had arrived, however he didn't just decide to leave. His looming, blue-grey gaze watched as the guards grew closer and he soon realized that they had to leave now. "I'm not leaving yous...behind," Rust meowed with a couple of deep, heaving breaths and with the strength which he had left, the bloodied, ginger and white tom pulled Tigermask out from underneath Juniper then pulled the warrior until he could run on his own. Tigermask was a large tom, but Rust was just as strong and stocky. He knew that Juniper wouldn't fall too far behind, so the rouge didn't stop to talk as he bounded through the entrance, the tom's paws burning as he did so. Everything in his body screamed for him to stop, however he dared not to.

The white queen paused slightly, looking back as Tigermask took back off towards the camp, secretly wishing he'd be okay and would follow after them soon. She turned towards Raven and Hydrantpaw, thinking for a second. "I think he meant back to their camp." She meowed softly, having put the kit gently on the ground for just a second.

Lavender was still shaking, nervously glancing back towards the camp every now and then, worrying about Rust. She hoped he was okay, but Jupiter was ruthless and she was terrified that her mate wouldn't be strong enough to fight him off alone.

The large tiger-like feline dashed through the main entrance of the building, fighting off the guards who dared step in his path. What he had noticed from the start was each cat's scrawny like build. Some were big and muscular, but most didn't know how to fight. A pained groan fell from his lips, his shoulder aching from a particularly nasty swing one of the bigger cats had hit him with. Most of the gang cats had run off, deciding it was best to hide than fight. Cowards. Tigermask spotted the gang leader's pelt, a flash of brown before the wind was knocked from his lungs. The warrior propelled himself forward, tackling the scrawny cat to the ground. "Get out of here! Lavender needs you and so does your kit. I'll handle this fox-heart from here." He growled, claws sinking it to the belly of the gang leader.

----

Jupiter felt the air leave his lungs, a grunt falling from his lips when his back impacted the ground. He stared up into the eyes of his attacker, rage boiling in his chest. Just one annoyance after the other. The havana brown feline pushed his legs upward into the eclipseclanners lower abdomen, managing to release his hold long enough for Jupiter to wiggle free. "You all need to die." The scrawny feline dashed forward, faking left and then aiming a bite at Tigermask's throat. They went back and forth at each other until it was evident that Jupiter was going to win the fight.

Tigermask had no idea if Rust had escaped or not. (I don't think I wanna kill of Jupiter just yet, it might be fun to keep him around)

Rust felt his body collapse when Juniper ran into him, he allowed the tom to clamp his teeth around the neck, not struggling. This Rust knew, was what want the gang cat would want. The rouge could feel the warmth of blood running down the side of his cheek and neck, but the tom was determined to continue to fight. He had too much life that was worth fighting for, the one thing that Juniper did not. Rust had his front paws wrapped around the neck of Juniper, making certain that his claws fell deep. The ginger and white tom's breath grew heavier, but he tried his best to ignore the excruciating pain. The tom was strong enough to reach his back legs onto the stomach of the brown cat and make them both roll onto their sides. When this happened, Rust could barely make out the outline of Tigermask behind them. The city cat needed help, though he wouldn't ask for it.

Raven watched Tigermask run back to the rogue camp, before turning to Hydrantpaw. "back?" she questioned, "back where?" She asked, eyeing the apprentice nervously. They may have made it out of the camp, but they weren't completely safe yet. She knew that the kits were going to come any day now, and needed to get someplace where they, and herself, would be safe.

Jupiter hissed, turning just enough to claw at rust's face. He managed to claw a chunk for fur and skin from his cheek. He ripped himself away from the loner, licking his lips before he dove into the fight again. This time, he rammed into his side and pinned him to the floor. His hind legs dug into the flank of the loner and his teeth sunk into his neck.

----

Tigermask had gotten them far enough away so that they were out of sight of the building. He turned his yellowish green gaze on Hydrantpaw, "You can lead them back, I'll be meet you at the border." And with that, Tigermask dashed back toward the gang building.

Rust fought back against the eerie tom, not holding himself back for even a moment of time. He was going to make certain that everyone who escaped was far away from this place. "If you're so powerful as yous think, why don' yous kill me now? That' be too easy for a gang cat like youself...Wouldn't it?" his cold blue-grey gaze stared into the eye of Juniper as he pulled the tom's paw away, his claws sinking into the gang cat's leg as he did so. The flame-pointed tom then grasped his teeth around Juniper's shoulder.

Snow followed behind Tigermask quickly, glancing back to the other queens every now and then to check that they were keeping up alright. She tried not to swing her head too much to not upset the kit in her mouth as she trotted down the stairs, glad to be away from Jupiter at last.

----

Lavender stuck close to Snow as they moved, partly to keep an eye on her kit, and partly because the queen helped to keep her calm, the mothering nature that radiated the snowy she-cat washing over her and giving her strength to keep moving.

Tigermask brushed past the snowy white queen, heading down the steps in order to show the group of cats where to go. He was still angry from the nights events and as soon as he got these queens and kits to safety, he fully intended to head back inside the building to fight. He leapt up onto the cabinet. "This way."

----

The scrawny tom-cat smiled at Rust's comment, wishing to be torturing the queens right now. They'd given him so many loyal fighters, he didn't want to risk losing that to some clan cats. "It's quite fun, you should try it sometime." Jupiter bolted forward, faking right and then swiping left. His claws dug into the loner's chest fur, green eye glowing.

Rust wasn't a tom who'd give up, not after all he'd been through growing up in the city. The larger tom felt claws scrape against his fur when he leaped, but still, he remained stoic when landing on all four paws. "Is that all? You sure have a lot of power when killing defenceless and weak-willed kits, don't you?" He asked with sarcasm as his cold face stared into the devious eyes of Jupiter

Jupiter ducked under the oncoming claws, grinning all the while. He managed to get underneath Rust before he landed on the ground, raking his claws along the bigger feline's belly fur. His shoulder stung from his own wounds, but the scrawny gang leader turned to face his opponent once again. He wasn't afraid of a few claw marks, they'd just add to the gallery he already harbored on his flank.

Rust barely heard Tigermask's growl in the back of his head, the city rouge, however, not daring to take his looming gaze of blue-grey off of Juniper. They were both rouges, to say the least, with scars and bruises of their own. Pain was of the inevitable, this Rust knew, but he had been through so much within his life and so far nothing had hurt more than the feel of his burning flesh. This would not change. The tom staggered forward with quick, unassuming movements, just as he caught the end of Juniper's words, then aimed to press his claws deep into the tom's shoulders and weigh him down into a pin.

This should be interesting. The Havana brown feline watched his opponent closely, a wicked grin spreading across his scarred features. It had been some time since he actually got to kill something that fought back. Kits were fun to kill, mainly because their mother's pain satiated the thin tom-cats need for pain. He couldn't wait to watch the life drain from this cat's eyes. "It was real fun to taking that kit's life away. I think I might go after lavender next." He sneered.

----

Tigermask was frozen, gaze still lingering on the tiny cat who had managed to knock him back a few paw steps away. The look in Jupiter's eyes had sent chills down his spine, something about the gang leader not sitting well with the warrior. The presence of the white she-cat barely pulled him from his daze. "Down the stares, above one of the cabinets is a boarded up window, a little corner is open. We can slip through there." He stayed where he was, confusion spreading across his face when none of the guards intervened. This doesn't feel right. "Rust, you better not get yourself killed." He growled.

Snow nodded slightly at Frecklemask's words, quickly leading the other queen to where she knew Lavender's other two kits were. She was glad there were only two, so the two of them would be able to carry them both with no trouble, and picked up one of the she-kits, hurrying back to where Tigermask and Rust were. "Tell me where to go, and I can lead the queens out, Tigermask." She managed to meow around mouthful of fur.

____

The small lavender point cat gasped softly when Rust appeared, and tears sprung to her eyes in happiness and relief as she rubbed back against him. "Al-Alright love, I'll go with him. But you better follow after, okay? I better see you again, or I'll be very upset." She purred softly, licking his cheek lovingly as she stumbled after Tigermask.

Rust nearly jumped out of his pelt just as he was going to tell Lavender that it was him, for the loud squeal of the apprentice easily gave away their spot now. "****." The city cat leaped out from behind the couch, his ragged pelt bristling with anger, but he found his way to his mate quickly. "We don' have time to talk much mys love...You must go with the large tom now and promise mes that yous won' look back." Rust meowed with a hoarse, heartbroken meow that rumbled through his voice. He caressed Lavender's cheek with his mangled tail then gave her an affectionate kiss on her forehead and turned to head straight into Juniper with a long leap. "You ****'n rat of a gang cat, I don' care who yous are, but yous took mys mate and killed mys son and so many other kits...I will claw your throat out until there is nothing left of yous." The city rouge clearly was not going to be merciful.

Tigermask shook his head at the apprentice's antics, letting her believe she was off the hook. She must have been scared. That was the only reason he wasn't scolding her, that and the fact that there was a whole army of cats waiting to attack them. He took up the rear beside Frecklemask, something about the she-cat was familiar, but he couldn't place his paw on it.

It had been too long since they were last seen by the gang. Most of the guards were filing back into the cabin, Jupiter marching and pacing in front of them seething with anger. Tigermask observed the whole thing, doing his best to keep his large frame hidden from view.

"Boss, they're escaping!" The sound of the guard's yowl caught his attention.

"Move, you guys need to move faster!" Tigermask's voice grew louder, pushing the she-cat forward toward the stairs. He felt something collide into his flank, sending him flying across the ground. He rolled twice before jumping to his paws, eyes wide with surprise. He made eye contact with one dark green eye. What in Starclan?

----

Jupiter wanted to tear out the eclipseclanner's eyes and feed it to the little one they'd caught earlier. His whole operation was crumbling and it was all because of one cat.

"You're not leaving are you? The party hasn't even started yet." He cackled, racing toward the warrior once again.

Raven's heartbeat quickened. There were strange cats here helping them escape. And of course she wanted to get out, but what would she do after? She had been alone her whole life, until she met her mate, but now that he was gone and she was expecting kits, she didn't know what she should do. Nonetheless, she stood up, ready followed the strangers.

Hydrantpaw didn't need to be told twice and scooped up a kit and followed her mentor exuberantly after greeting him with the appropriate high-pitched squeal- almost blowing their cover. She crept to follow.

"Thank you for coming," she said softly to him as she rubbed against his strong shoulders. Her puppy love for him knew no bounds.

Frecklemask looked with shame and fear at Tigermask, recognizing him as an EclipseClan tom. Her crimes to his clan were not few and they were not mundane- if he recognized her- which he inevitably would, if he was around during her sins - she feared for the lives of her kits. But, then again, she feared even more if Jupiter got his ugly paws on them. She stood, silently, and took up the rear next to Snow, nodding. "You and me can get the rest of Lavender's litter," she whispered anxiously.

Snow blushed softly when she realized he was staring and she nudged Hydrantpaw towards the huge warrior. "Here, take your apprentice, she'd been looking for you anyway. And take Lavender as well, I'm sure she wants to get back to her mate, considering what just happened. I'll go last, to make sure you get all the queens first, Tigermask." She whispered, icy gaze following Tigermask's to rest on Jupiter.

He convinced himself to stop ogling the queen and turned his attention on the gang leader. The small cat seemed to be unaware of their presence. Good, we can use that to out advantage.

"We can take a few of you at a time, who's coming first?" His voice was low, eyes still watching jupiter to make sure he didn't attack.

Lavender tried to calm down a little, the pain of her lost kit still very fresh in her mind. Her heart ached, but she pressed closer to Snow and Raven, seeking comfort in their closeness. "N-No, it's okay." She managed to whisper, looking up at the other queen. Her ears pricked up at the sound of a voice, swiveling around in the direction of the sofa behind them. The voice sounded very familiar, and it took her a second, but she recognized it. It couldn't be...Is that Rust..? She thought, turning her head discretely to look. She could just make out ginger fur, and smell his familiar scent. "Rust..? Is that you..?" She whispered, blue eyes narrowing slightly to try and see him better.

Rust followed beside Tigermask, carefully mimicking the tom's moments until he passed Tigermask and hid behind a sofa. Just on the other side, the city cat knew that Lavender and the another queen was talking and consoling his lovely molly. He held his mouth close to the back of the ragged, blue sofa, to the point where his breath could make such a thing damp. Rust wanted to jump right then and wrap his tail around Lavender, but he knew that only a few words could be exchanged. "Lavender...Listen mys love, wes goin' t' get yous outta here...The others too." He whispered so quietly that perhaps only the ear of his beautiful mate could hear. Rust could only hope that Lavender recognized his voice after such a long time. "There's a' floor board coverin' stairs in the back corner of this joint...If only wes can get t' them again..." The ginger and white tom didn't want to say any more, worried that if he did, then their cover would be completely blown all together.

Snow glanced up slightly at the feeling of someone's eyes on her, fur along her back prickling at the feeling. Her icy eyes scanned the camp silently, eventually landing on a large dark mass that was hiding behind one of the chairs in the room. Yellow=green eyes flashed in the darkness, and her heart skipped a beat; there was another cat here, one who wasn't a guard. She wondered if this was the mentor that Hydrantpaw had spoken of, and she reached out towards the apprentice with her tail to get her attention.

"Little one, come here. I need to ask you something." She whispered, not wanting to gain the attention of Jupiter. If this was the young cat's mentor, she didn't want to ruin any chances of him rescuing them.

The havana brown cat turned his back to the queens, knowing they wouldn't try anything funny. His guards were still outside searching for the intruders and he was starting to lose his patience.

----

Tigermask crept around the corner, hiding behind a fallen chair. He was surprised that no guards had stayed inside, leaving a scrawny looking tom-cat all by himself to watch over the queens. He realized that it was the cat who had killed rust's kit. His blood boiled again, barring his teeth. His attention was averted, however, when the queens spoke again.

Flash of white caught his attention, yellowish-green eyes landing on a snowy white she-cat. for a minute, he couldn't breath, distracted by her beauty. The moment ended when he noticed Hydrantpaw's coat beside her. That flea-brain is in for it when we get back camp.

Raven watched Lavender, frozen in fear. When she finally came to her senses, she shakily walked back into the queen's den, and sat down near Lavender. She didn't say anything for a few moments, just siting there, thinking about what has just happened. "I'm sorry" she said quietly. "I really am, it must have been so awful to see that." Her heart ached for her new friend. She couldn't imagine the pain of watching her own kit being killed in front of your eyes.

Snow lead Lavender over to the queen's den slowly, wrapping her tail around the she-cat's back to encourage her to follow. She helped Lavender settle into a nest, curling next to her to continue to comfort her. The snowy white she-cat could tell that something was about to happen, and didn't want the distraught queen caught in the middle of it.

Rust nodded, for once keeping his hoarse voice quiet as the two toms went from stair to stair at a quick pace. He could almost hear the pounding of his heart as he awaited to meet with the love of his life again. 'I'm coming, Lavender, don't yous worry any longer.' The city tom placed his front paws on the top step and gave Tigermask a determined look on his face. "Yous ready t' do this?" He finally asked rather sincerely, that was new for him.

Tigermask barely fit through the opening, his belly squishing against the ground as he squeezed underneath the wood. Sometimes he really hated how big he was. With that out of the way, the grey tabby followed after Rust, choosing silence over a stupid meaningless conversation. He jumped off the cabinet and landed not so gracefully on his paws. "I think we just gotta go up." He mewed, climbing the steps until he was at the top. He had a perfect vantage point of the queens, but unfortunately couldn't see the rest of the room.

Snow continued to comfort Lavender, feeling horrible for the poor queen, especially since she'd had to watch her kit get killed. "There now, it'll be alright dear. Shhh, I'm here, I promise." She murmured, pressing closer and wrapping her thick tail around the smaller lavender-coloured queen. Her ears pricked up at the noise of the guards going after whoever it was outside of the camp, but tried to keep her focus on Lavender and the other queens inside the camp to keep them calm.

Rust rolled his cold eyes with a scowl after Tigermask spoke. A quiet growl rumbled in his throat as he then answered the clan cat. "Mys life is not a concern of yours, mys Lavender is the one needing t' be saved and yous friend too, remember that." It was clear that the city cat didn't worry about what would happen to him, Rust just wanted his beautiful mate to be safe and at his side, even if that meant death to him. Finally, the door slid open just enough for the two toms to get through. The ginger and white tom studied the darkness of the opening for a brief moment, before he spoke quietly. "Nobody's been down there for a long time that's for sure."

"Maybe I should rethink helping you if that's your thank you to me after saving your life." He snapped, voice just above a whisper. Tigermask should be thankful the guards weren't searching anywhere near them. He squeezed in beside the loner, scowling while he helped dig out a way in.

Rust shot a glare at Tigermask once they reached the bushes. Perhaps the tom was right, splitting up would certainly be an easier way to be killed, but the city cat was used to working alone and refused to admit such a thing. "The next time yous push me, I migh' just shove yous into t' guards myself..." He growled with a lash of his mangled tail, only slight hint of sarcasm residing in his hoarse voice. The scraggly tom's claws scratched against a piece wood, however he found hat it was hollow on he inside, so Rust looked down with curious eyes to find what appeared to be an old door that looked as though it hadn't been used in many years. Moss tugged at the sides and it held a musty scent from being in the rain. "It's an entrance? Let's give that a try then.." Rust meowed with a quiet voice, not wasting any time as he began to claw at the moss.

The way the situation was playing out, splitting up didn't seem like their best option. He could feel Rust's rage, and knew that the loner wasn't thinking straight. Tigermask wanted to grab Hydrantpaw and give her an ear full for getting them into this situation. /She finds trouble anywhere./ A growl erupted from his throat, claws digging into the ground and ripping up dirt. What very annoying situation this was.

"We cannot split up and you can't go after that fox-heart by yourself!" Tigermask followed after the loner.

The large Tom-cat pushed Rust into some bushes, two guards running past their hiding spot. /What idiots./ he inspected their hiding spot, discovering a way inside the building.

Rust allowed himself to be dragged, but he promptly landed on his paws when they came to the ground. He had no time to grieve, nor would he show that weakness to those around him, but rage still found it's way into the normally stoic composure of Rust. His cold eyes barely managed to reach Tigermask at the sound of his voice, for Juniper's was much louder. He spoke of a plan, no it wasn't very good, however it was all that he could think of in the moment. "Don't worry about it, if wes die then wes die, yous stay on this side an' plays chase or kill with t' guards until yous reach the door, I'll goes on the other side of this dump and do the same. Wes can't turn our backs on them for a second."

It seemed battle would be the only choice today. Tigermask roughly dragged Rust away from the window, jumping down off of the roof and landing in the grass below. A fight had been what he wanted, but with so many guards around, there would be no chance for him to beat all of them and come out victorious. Especially because he wanted the leader of the group dead.

"Hurry up you idiot. You gave our position away." He realized his words might be insensitive, seeing as the ginger Tom had just witnessed the murder of his own child. He shook at from his mind, doing his best to remain stoic.

----

Jupiter's eyes shot up toward the window, ears perked and lips drawn back in a snarl. He knew that voice, it reminded him of the Tom-cat who refused to join him ages ago. His singular green eye glanced at lavender, claws digging into the table top.

"Find them and kill them! We can't afford them bringing back reinforcements." He shouted, voice carrying throughout the room.

Lavender collapsed onto the ground in tears, the sobs racking her body as she watched her youngest get killed, and Snow, seeing from across the camp, bounded over to her, crouching next to her to try and comfort her. The lavender queen buried her face in Snow's fur, losing herself to her emotions.

The fluffy white queen pressed closer to Lavender, continuing to lick her forehead to try and sooth her. Her ears pricked up at the sound of the hiss from outside, but tried to ignore it so as not to alert the guards.

Rust's blue-grey eyes widened at the sound of Lavender's cry. "That's Lavender! My mate had kits!? And-and mys kit... Is in the jaws of that piece of ****!" His hoarse voice crumbled into a loud hiss while his pelt bristled with pure anger. He couldn't believe his eyes that he had just let such a thing happen, it felt as though reality had came crashing down and ran into his face. Rust, not only wanted to get his mate back to him, but now a new mission came into his head. The city cat wanted the leader of the gang destroyed in his pointed claws. The sound of his dangerously, angered voice found the attraction of the guards.

The guard stood in front of her, making sure the she-cat couldn't get past him while Jupiter grabbed the smallest kit. He made sure to bring the screaming kitten into the light where everyone could see him. It was a quick kill, no torture included. The sound of Lavender's sobs satiated Jupiter's need to inflict pain.

----

The dark grey tabby watched with baited breath as the small cat approached the kits. His ears flattened against his skull at the sounds of the queens screams. The scent of blood slapped him in the face, suffocating him. Tigermask let out a rough hiss as he watched the leader of the group take the kittens life away. His own blood boiled, his muscles tensing as he held himself back from attacking.

"We'll cause a distraction, draw out most of the guards and then sneak the queens out. If and when it comes down to it, we'll fight."

Lavender shook her head slightly, looking up again. "No, it's alright. Hopefully my mate will find a way to rescue us and I'll see them again." She sat up again, smiling at Raven softly before going to get a mouse for herself. Her ears pricked up at the mention of her name, and she turned, seeing Jupiter muttering to one of the guards. She gasped when she saw him padding over to where her kits were, immediately realizing what was about to happen. "W-Wait, no! Please, not my kits!" She cried, helpless to do anything but watch.

Rust shook his head slowly as the scent of blood had grown near. "That rat..." A low murmur approached his voice. "There's at least three mothers, mys mate Lavender, I'm not sure how many kits...A lot have been killed now, and you's friend." The tom could just barely make out the voices through the cracked window. He didn't know that his lovely molly had kits when she was trapped. His cold gaze turned onto Tigermask again. "Wes don't have time to plan much, the guard'll catch our scents soon, if they haven't already."

Tigermask settled down beside Rust, the abandoned building reminding him somewhat of Eclipseclan's camp. The first thing he noticed, were the two guards posted out front of the obvious entrance inside the crumbling cabin. His ears perked in the direction of Rust's voice while his yellowish-green eyes were focused on the scene before him. "Do you know how many hostages?" The tiger like warrior questioned, trying to figure out if they could pull off a huge rescue mission.

----

For some reason unknown to Jupiter, the queens decided that this was a social gathering. He sat atop what could have been a table and stared down at them all with his singular green eye. The things he had seen in his younger days created the malicious and sadistic cat he is today. Jupiter's chocolate brown pelt was littered with scars, all thanks to his struggles at the bottom of the food chain. He worked hard to be where he was now, his fight against a doberman gained him many followers. His eye was missing because of that dog, too bad the dog lost it's life in return. Eye for a life, only seems fair.

He rose to his full, rather unimpressive height and leapt off the counter, gracefully landing on all fours. He focused his attention on Lavender and Snow, un-amused by there efforts in comforting the small apprentice. The havana brown cat despised the fact that Snow was so defiant, he'd wanted to kill her immediately, but she was the only queen who had given birth to mostly tom-cats so far. She was a necessity to the cause.

"I think it's time for another kill." He leaned over to one of his top tier guards, smile forming at his lips. "Grab one of Lavender's kittens."

Her eyes widened and a pained expression grew on her face, "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry" she said. She hadn't even met her kits yet, and she couldn't stand the thought of being away from them. She looked to the ground, "My mate, he died a few sunrises after we first joined this group. It was the day I found out i was expecting." Raven explained. She had only just met this other cat, but she felt like she could trust her. Maybe they could even become friends, she needed one of those right now.

She nodded slightly, completely understanding how the other she-cat was feeling. "It's alright, I understand that. I feel the same. My kits were taken from me, I haven't seen them since I got here." She murmured, eyes becoming unfocused as she stared at the ground.

Raven gave a sigh of defeat as she sat up, refusing to look Lavender in the eye. She did however, spot the mouse, and hesitantly took a bite. Taking that first bite made her realize just how starving she was, and almost immediately went in for another bite. "My name is Raven" she said after swallowing. She nervously looked up at Lavender, giving an apologetic look, "Thank you for the mouse, I'm sorry I was kind of rude. I'm just..." she paused, thinking her words through carefully. "I've had a bad time"

The Siamese she-cat giggled softly, shaking her head slightly as she padded out to the pile of fresh-kill, taking a plumpish mouse from it and returning to the den, placing it in front of the other queen. "Here, sweetheart. What's your name? Mine's Lavender."

Raven lifted her head and opened her eyes for a brief moment to look at the queen in front of her. She turned away and rested her head back on her paws. "I'm fine." she said, rather harshly, as her stomach growled once again. She winced at the pain of hunger and sighed, knowing all to well that this cat was not going to believe her lies.

The fluffy white she-cat licked Hydrantpaw's head soothingly again, nodding slightly. "I know how you feel, little one. My name is Snow, it is nice to meet you. Don't worry, I'll find a way to et us out of here and find your mentor." She curled around the smaller cat, trying to sooth her and keep her from freaking out.

Lavender blinked open her eyes, raising her head slightly and glancing around the den. She was confused for a second as to where she was, before remembering that she'd been captured and taken away from her mate, Rust. Her kits were here too, but they'd been taken from her upon arrival, and though she was distraught about having her babies taken, she had to be strong. Hearing the noise of Raven's stomach, she looked over, standing a stretching before padding over. "Hello there. Are you hungry? I could go out and get you something to eat, if you'd like." She offered, crouching down in front of the other queen.

Raven opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times. It took her a moment to recognize her surroundings, before she realized she was still trapped in this terrible place. She closed her eyes, trying to go back to sleep, but failing. Her stomach growled. She hadn't eaten in a few days. She couldn't even motivate herself to sit up in her nest. She closed her eyes again, as if it would magically make the pain in her stomach go away. It didn't.

Rust clenched his teeth as his pace slowed down to a walk through the forest and his ginger ears kept high in alert. He stopped to scent the air a couple of times for gang cats and to check to see if Tigermask hadn't changed his mind, but otherwise the city rouge was as silent as he could be as they continued onward. The white and ginger tom came to a final halt, a small distance away from the cabin, to the point where they could just make out the crumbled, brick chimney on the rugged roof. "There it is," Rust scowled at such a thing, his cold gaze turning onto Tigermask. "The back window is cracked and fogged-up pretty bad, I spied from there a couple of times actually..." His voice was quiet and stoic, but the tom's eyes had lost their glow for a moment, as though he were in pain at what he had seen.

Hydrantpaw looked up to Snow, her amber eyes full of questions. "I-I'm Hydrantpaw," she quivered, "I want to find Tigermask . . . or Fencestar. Please, I need to get out of here. I don't belong here." She was full of fear, the scent of it growig thick around her.

Samson walked off and disposed of the kits without question, they weren't even squirming much- they were malnourished, he guessed. Hawkeye had already dug the grave. He just tossed them in.

The chocolate brown feline watched the scene play out, amusement flashing across his face. He knew a lot of his guards were sensitive, most having fallen for one prisoner or another. Instead of despising this fact, Jupiter thought it made things interesting. They rarely ever killed a queen and he knew some of the guards even let kits go, but when they had to kill one of the mother's it was funny to see which of his guards stepped forward to stop it.

The feeling of fear and pain engulfed him. He couldn't help but shake from excitement. He spotted the white she-cat comforting the young one, letting them believe the worst of it was over. Jupiter needed an army of strong cats. Powerful felines who could help him take over the clans.

Snow led her to the area near the den the queens usually stayed in, turning around to start soothing Hydrantpaw by licking her head gently. "Shhhh, little one. It's alright. What is your name, dear?" She asked softly between licks, trying to calm down the she-cat. Snow could tell that the smaller cat was still close to being a kit, not much older than one, and knew that this place must terrify her. "Who's your mentor, little one..? Why were you both out so far in our territory?" If there were more cats in what Jupiter called his territory, she didn't want to risk anyone else getting caught and brought here.

Samson nodded to Jupiter, the tom-cat a follower. He had learned long ago that questions were best left unasked- him and Hawkeye tag-teamed the queen while the rest of the captives watched, as Samson immobilized her with a scruff-hold, while Hawkeye picked up the kits one-by-one and carried them off. Unlike Jupiter, they preferred not to do it in front of the queens- it upset them too much and had about a fifty-fifty chance of making them not eat for a moon. The queen sobbed, screamed, but didn't fight back. A good molly. Samson released her and spat her cream fur from between his teeth.

"Clean yourself up, Daisy," he said, comforting as he could be while remaining impassive. "You'll have more. Dusty, come help her."

One of those she-kits looked like it was his.

Frecklemask came and took over Daisy from Samson as he walked away, soothing her with long, slow licks. Her heart was pained, but wasn't it always? Tragedies happened every day. This would happen again. These cats wanted tom-kits. They'd take them, one way or another.

"She's really trying my patience." He growled, watching the queen lead the clan cat away. His attention was averted, however, as his guards began to speak and answer his questions. He was intrigued by the little one's presence. Why was she here and who was she looking for?

Jupiter sat down, curling his long tail around his paws. "It seems we may have to keep an eye out for friend." The havanna brown cat settled his green eye on Samson, a wicked smirk formed on his lips. "In the mean time, one of the queens gave birth to only she-cats. Unfortunate, but I believe you two know what to do. I'll deal with our new addition."

Hydrantpaw cowered, hearing the squeal of the kit and the cry of the queen, and even bitterly she observed the camp in shock. Why were all these she-cats here? Why did that tom kill that kit? Hydrantpaw was shocked into a heavy silence as she followed the first friendly face she saw. Hydrantpaw was still very much a kit and she found the queen's spotted pelt more comforting than the blood that the tom licked from his abberative paws. She hid her face.

"I want to go home- I-I just came to find my mentor," she whimpered, "H-he left and I wanted to show him I could help him, but then those two cats found me and . . . StarClan, I wanna go home. I want my mama."

Frecklemask observed Hydrantpaw's sniffles with a bemused sort of smirk, interested yet aloof as she knew any sort of agitation would result in the guards doing something sadistic. She already was less than a favorite of most of them. She used to fight back harshly, decided sometimes to anyway, and yet they always managed to find her again- drag her back, beat her harder.

Her mind was alight with theories- who was Hydrantpaw and why did she look so much like a certain pale yellow tabby who led a certain city clan? Her origin held no mystery- she was EclipseClan. But the way she cried for her mother, Frecklemask could've laughed. Fencerunner, I didn't think it was possible for your kits to have less of a backbone than you.

She saw the kits that Snow had abandoned and nodded to the queen, slipping next to them, soothing them with calculated licks. Frecklemask had never been a mothering type, but here it was essential. She'd already had a litter- she didn't know what became of them, they had been taken away so quickly after their birth. She hadn't even known she could get pregnant. She wanted to know she could trust these queens to help her when her next one came, as she would them.

She soothed the crying kits, sliding the carcass of the dead one over so they wouldn't see it anymore.

Samson, the guard cat who had been integral to bringing Hydrantpaw home, answered Jupiter. "We found her sniffing around in the urbanary streets- real obvious, too. Asked her if she needed help, she said she was just looking for a cat- some other city cat. She was alone, so we jumped her. Thought there was a 50/50 chance she might turn pretty once she's out of that awkward youth phase, ya know?"

Snow dug her claws into the ground more, her heart aching for the mother as she sobbed over her kit, but also turned at the scent of Clan cats, eyes widening slightly as she saw the small cat. She trotted over to the apprentice, looking her over to make sure she wasn't too badly hurt and stepping in front of her and the other guards. "Are you okay, little one..? Here, come with me." She led the smaller cat over to the den with the other queens, her mother instincts kicking in.