Friends On The Other Side [closed]

The concrete jungle was quite a strange place indeed.

It was a hub of vivacious activity, regardless of the wide variety of conditions that transpired. Even the infernal Eclipsed sun appeared to be nothing interesting to the inhabitants of the cities. In fact, they carried on as if it was something ordinary. The stark difference in reactions exuded by the Clans and the strange furless creatures who resided here was almost awe-inspiring to Lichenmask, nearly tempting enough to stray his paws from the journey placed before him. Nearly. The old fence boards that he currently trekked across strained grievously under his weight, but thankfully the alien flimsy surface appeared to be capable of holding him upright for the time being. It had taken a day's worth of travel to venture into the city itself, and the remaining portion of said day to coax any valuable information out of the unwilling mouth's of countless different Kittypets, Loners, and Rogues. Each tongue wagged a similar tale, with minuscule differences- cruelty, unnecessary blood soaking into the cold stone earth, a slew of seemingly unrelated disappearances. Perhaps random to the blind or inept, but the pawprints were very much noticeable when searched for. How strange, to search out the very monster you sought to eradicate entirely.

The Rogue's fretful directions had guided Lichenmask towards this dismal alleyway, where this illusive culprit would likely be residing in for the time being. Buildings of unimaginable size arose to flank the stuffy space, carefully concealing the sparse contents from any wandering eyes. Dreary red shadows, weakened greatly by the copious amounts of unnatural light that seemed to pour from every direction, crept across the stained alley floor. Strange black bags that more closely resembled a warped image of a densely-packed shrub obscured the narrow path before the young Exile, rotting contents often bleeding freely from savage wounds in the oddly soft flesh of the awkward lumps. This place was truly terrible, the internal remark was warped by a scowl as he stepped in something far too slimy to be actual water, no wonder the Clans strictly forbade venturing into such a land. Barely spotting a large, harshly angled structure arising from the sea of filth amongst the strange lighting of this place, Lichenmask was quick to abandon the debries-filled alley floor in favor of leaping atop the old dumpster. Feeling the odd lid bend precariously under his weight for a moment, he was hesitant to fully settle himself down into a seated position until he was certain that the surface wouldn't fully give way beneath his admittedly hefty weight.

"Your name might be Shade, but don't take that as an invitation to sulk about in the shadows." Lichenmask eventually called out to the suffocating silence that swathed the alley, the familiar note of airy self-assurance lending added strength to his voice.

Lichenmask's presence was made clear to the leader of this place long before the tom was seen turning around the corner into the alleyway. The scent of RiverClan was one he would never forget, especially since he had become nose-blind to the other heinous scents of Twoleg rubbish and crowfood. It was quite clear this cat was on a mission, but the chance that it would be in his favor was what kept him from summoning his followers to drive him out.

And sure enough, the RiverClan tom called out his name, as if he were an old friend he hadn't seen in moons. Standing up from where he sat watching next to his sleeping mate, he slowly approached Lichenmask out of the shadows to reveal his heavily battle-scarred, toned-muscled self. He had to admit, he rather liked making dramatic entrances. "Welcome to the Regime," he began, a sly smirk twisting his muzzle. "We don't usually allow guests into our midst, especially those who so boldly wander in as you did. But I can tell by the determined gleam in your eyes you're here for something more than just a tour of our humble abode. Talk." His last word came out as a rather rough demand. As intrigued and amused as he was, he wasn't going to stand here forever idly chitchatting away with his self-proclaimed worst enemy.

In the agonizingly slow heartbeats that progressed from the moment of Lichenmask's invitation to Shade's inevitable appearance, the young tom's tail couldn't help but twitch with a mild irritation. Perhaps most would find themselves apprehensive to be requesting the presence of such a cat, but he felt nothing but that residual impatience that constantly lingered with every passing moment. Time was always counting down, each second running faster and faster. He had much to do, he couldn't sit around to wait upon theatrics- no matter how amusing he found them to be. Blinking down at Shade with an unreadable expression overtaking his comely features, the younger tom gestured for the Rogue to join him atop the cold metal dumpster. "I'm glad to see that manners have not been lost upon you, even in a place such as this." He simply mewed, blatantly unbothered by the notes of malice within the heavily-scarred tom's voice. "There's been quite the happenings in the forest as of late, something I think you'd be quite interesting in hearing about."

Shade narrowed his eyes, yet his subtle flick of an ear gave away his peaking interest. His smirk remained. "You're going to ask for my help for something you've got planned, aren't you? Unless there is anything in it for me and my cats, I refuse to devote any of my time to whatever you need from us. But if has anything to do with getting revenge on RiverClan or even ShadowClan, I just may consider taking you up on your offer. Now tell me, what's the latest gossip on those overly privileged Clan cats?"

Lifting a delicate forepaw to examine whatever horrifically sticky contents still stubbornly clung to the thin hairs that framed the structure of his pads, Lichenmask allowed his bait to linger for a moment longer, certain that Shade's interest was unadulterated now. The Rogue's simper was a clear indicator that he believed to hold an advantage of sorts, but perhaps that was something he could easily work with. Arrogance was weakness, whether one realized it or not. At least brutality didn't require wit. "Your aid is not a necessity to my cause." The young tom refuted with an even tone, "But as the wise say, the enemy of my enemy is a friend. Why search for added strains, when benefits sit right before you?" Peering closely at an unsheathed claw in a futile attempt to catch a proper glimpse of the partially dried substance that he had stepped upon moments prior, he frowned slightly. Playfully ignoring the other tom's rapidly mounting impatience and interest, the former RiverClanner allowed the tension to brew to the point of pain as he merely rubbed his paw against the surface of the dumpster in a bid to remove the odd substance from his paw.

"StarClan grows weary with the Clans," A brief glance was stolen in Shade's direction as he spoke his next words, "Cats such as your dearly departed Mother have grated their nerves, have made them resentful of the living and how they're unable of following the simplest of commands. The dead cry for justice- they wish to punish those who pick what laws they wish to follow, they wish to ensure that kits are never condemned to live among secrecy and lies." Feathery tail carefully winding itself around his neatly gathered forepaws once more, Lichenmask let out a grandiose sigh in place of immediately continuing in his long-winded spiel. Peering up into the artificial light that poured from one of the strange human structures before them, the young tom found himself suddenly missing the moon- however warped it had become under his guidance. This was no place for a cat. "StarClan has given me many visions, they have shown me the way to salvage the future. They have also given me quite extraordinary abilities to ensure that the future is preserved, which is why the sun and moon are doing such peculiar things. It's a sign of the changing times, that retribution is coming whether the Clans accept it or not." He only offered a slight shrug as he mentioned his own supposed gifts, acting as if they were nothing out of the ordinary- as if they were merely as common as the gift of sight or hearing.

"I've come to offer you a chance to do something real, to make yourself more than a mere nuisance amongst RiverClan. Punishment will finally be known to Scorchfang and to all those who wronged you in this life, without the niceties of mercy slowing you down. You can help ensure no cat grows up ever knowing how it felt to find out to be deceived all of their life." Twisting over so that Lichenmask could properly gaze over at his fellow exile, the young tom's features were overtaken by an eerie, all-seeing expression. "And the possibilities of life after this war are endless. Perhaps you could even return to the forest once again."

The tail-end of Lichenmask's little monologue was what really peaked Shade's interest. The chance for revenge. The chance for retribution. The chance for returning home. He wouldn't have to live here anymore. He could fulfill his promise to the Regime in finding a better life and remain in power.

This was the chance he was searching for. Except that the chance found him instead. All good things came to those who wait, he supposed.

Shade's smirk curled up into a grin, full of excitement and malice, his amber eyes gleaming in devious elation. He could just see Jaystar's face now. He and his cats would strike him down, taking away all nine of his lives in one battle. He would take over RiverClan, forcing his new subjects to fight ShadowClan to the death until no frog-munching marsh-paws were standing. All except for Scorchfang, of course, his own father, whom he'd kill slowly and painfully just as he did his mother.

His ultimate fantasies would become a reality.

A low, growly chuckle rose from Shade's throat. "Your charismatic way with words are second to none. The Regime will aid you in battle against the Clans."

The roaring of the bustling city dwindled down to a mutinous hum that reverberated sharply among the fine hairs within Lichenmask's inner ear. Irritably flicking his sensitive ears in a futile attempt to ward off the overstimulating storm of alien noises, the young tom forcibly focused his attention upon the Rogue who was in the midst of contemplating the offer that had befallen him. However, no amounts of carefully orchestrated stifling would chase away the intrusive thoughts of Silverfang. It had started out as a mere absent reflection, but now it had crept into his blood like a virus- lingering stubbornly within his bones. That same expression of bewildered hurt and betrayal stung sharply behind his eyes, even as Shade agreed to the proposition that had been placed before him. "A deal it is, then." Lichenmask mewed after a moment's reprieve, smothering the unwanted thought's of his former mentor with little hesitation. "We've taken up residence within the Abandoned Barn outside of WindClan's territory. The invitation is extended to the Regime as well."

Shade remembered the abandoned barn. He had gone there many times during his exile before he found his way to the Regime. It was warm and comforting, with mice aplenty, but it didn't seem like the ideal place for him to live during his quest to find the perfect way to get back at the Clan that had abandoned him. Up until now, of course. He nodded again. "We will be there. My cats and I must rest for now, but once we awaken we will meet you. I am very much looking forward to it."