Advent of Collision [closed]

Only days had passed since the plan was set into motion, and Beecloud had not slept for any of them. He pitied Robinloft for the way he tossed and turned in the night, but he couldn't tell her why. Not yet. Oh, he had certainly debated it. He knew she would never tell a soul, and that her lips would be sealed before StarClan itself, but... no. His heart ached to do it, and though he intensely feared facing her wrath when she found out he had excluded her, it put her far too close to the line of fire. Beecloud could withstand one thousand Asylum-borne blows, but he would not place his clanmates in harm's way for the sake of his deathwish. And, the more he mulled it all over, he really had stamped his pawprint into the path to certain death. Though he continually reminded himself that he was willing to perish for the cause, looking at it as his future rather than a flippant figure of speech was profoundly terrifying. He had only seen the Gorge once, in passing, on his way to the Moonstone for the first time. And yet, he had regarded the steepness and the depth with the same morbid curiosity he experienced now. Walking towards the Fallen Oak, Beecloud wondered how many more times he would lean over the precipice of death before he lost his footing and spiraled endlessly downward.

It was hopelessly in his nature to wonder these things. He knew he was close to SkyClan's land by the remains of some shriveled, blackened stumps. There was a little more efficiency in the way he moved this time, not so hesitant as he had been on ShadowClan's border. There was a different Asylum cat trailing behind him this time. Beecloud slowed to a stop, looking around with a great big heavy sigh, shaking his head as if he were a senior warrior rambling on about a young whipper-snapper. "There'll be no prey on this side of the forest today," he grumbled with a twinge of possibly-exaggerated frustration in his tone. "SkyClan can spare a mouse for my sake, I'm sure."

Alibi decided. In a quarter of an hour, his target was also decided. The pitch black she-cat stood out against the smattering of snow on SkyClan's many rocks. Beecloud sprang out, ricocheting off the nearest tree, tumbling atop of the SkyClanner with a snarl on his lips. The pair rolled down a ravine, landing a few meager foxlengths from Beecloud's Asylum guard. The guards of both cats screeched in playful alarm as they met in the middle to observe the fireworks, the chatter of the two old friends loud on their tongues. "I'm Beecloud... Sorry to startle you," Beecloud murmured, "But I need you to keep fighting. Do not stop attacking me. I'm sure that won't be a problem for you. I'll explain in a moment."

The tom lifted his head from its place near her ear. "Coward!" he shouted. "That prey is mine!"

Beecloud used Tree Spring on Ravenclaw.

Beecloud
80/80 HP
225/240 SP (-15)

Ravenclaw
26/40 HP (-14)
120/120 SP

Ravenclaw was wandering the edge of SkyClan's territory alone, which had become a more common occurrence for her. Ever since the Asylum cats had taken over, she would go out into the forest alone to hunt prey and get her frustrations out. There was only so much grumbling Beechface and Wrenspring could take. That's what she was doing at the moment, hunting until the forest was completely wiped of prey. At least, that was what she envisioned in her mind. Maybe if there was no more prey, the intruders would grow hungry and leave. 'Or maybe they'd start eating us instead.'

The other cat had done a good job of masking their appearance. It wasn't until they were already leaping towards her that Ravenclaw realized they were there. By the time she turned to face them, they were already on top of her, the two of them rolling down a ravine. She snarled, recognizing the ugly scent of the Thunderpath. So she had been right: the other clans were using the specter of invasion to commit invasions of their own. 'Foxhearts!' She was about to let out a string of insults and general battle swagger when the cat began whispering to her. What was this? Beecloud? Why would he stop just as the battle begun in order to apologize? This was complete nonsense.

"Like I'd stop and let you invade us too," she hissed lowly. Mouse? If there had been a mouse, she certainly would have seen it. It must've been some kind of ruse to throw her further off guard, but she wouldn't be fooled. "Any mouse on SkyClan land is our prey, ratbreath. You'd do well to keep your paws off of it, as well as our land." Then she struck, leaping forward and onto her hind legs to slash at Beecloud. Her claws were unsheathed, unfooled by what Beecloud was saying, though it was probably lucky that she didn't actually hit him anywhere that a medicine cat couldn't fix.

Ravenclaw used Rear-up to Slash on Beecloud.

Beecloud
71/80 HP (-9)
225/240 SP

Ravenclaw
26/40 HP
105/120 SP (-15)

Beecloud grumbled to himself as he leaped backward, attempting unsuccessfully to avoid the warrior's swipe. She was not understanding, not yet, though she really had no reason to. In these times, there was no trust. And Beecloud knew SkyClan would not be so easy to gain an ally in; it was inevitable that they'd be less trusting of an outsider even in a time of absolute peace. The way the clans ganged up on them, Beecloud could hardly blame this she-cat for her skepticism. So, a true fight it would have to be for the present moment, until he could somehow convince her of his legitimacy.

"Of course there's no mouse, I know that!" he whispered earnestly. "There's no prey anywhere, and it's all because of... them." The last word was smaller, even softer under his breath, as if they could infer his gossip from just one out of context syllable. Truth be told, Ravenclaw's unwillingness to accept his words were making him a little more panicked and a little more off-rhythm than he would have liked to be.

A simple slash at her muzzle was all the warrior mustered as he continued: "If you want the Asylum gone, you're going to have to make the choice to trust me. I need you to look at my face, what they did to my body, my family, and my clan, and trust that I would not lie to you. I can see it in your face that they've taken things from you, too. I know you want your clan's land back.." Beecloud silently gestured to his face, the long jagged scar on his chest, and the long rip down his ear.

"As long as we fight each other, they don't care what they do. It all started to make sense when I looked at it that way... clans divided can't stand up to them, and they know it. If we kill each other, it makes no difference... it practically hands the forest over to them. We can use their plans against them, and disguise ourselves in battle. It's like a code." The warrior braced for the next blow, whether it was real or faked. Either way, he had a feeling it would probably sting. This was not a she-cat he wanted to quarrel with, despite her inexperienced posture, which gave away her youth instantly. Those qualities were exactly what he needed to continue the Mousehunt.

"Give me your faith, and I'll tell you how we're going to tear the Asylum down. If you can't give it to me, just say the word and I will lose this fight. I will go home, and you will never hear a word from me again."

Beecloud used Front Paw Strike on Ravenclaw.

Beecloud
71/80 HP
215/240 SP (-10)

Ravenclaw
14/40 HP (-12)
105/120 SP

Ravenclaw panted softly, mentally berating herself as she took another swipe from the ThunderClan warrior. She had been so sure that the first time she took on a rival clan cat, she would wipe the woods with them, but she was the one looking worse for wear. It was embarrassing, but she wouldn't show it. And what was this warrior saying anyway? He was talking about the Asylum cats... Well, now that was going to get her attention. She had been thinking about how to get rid of those unwanted intruders since the moment they barged into camp in the middle of the night. Working together... Would that even work?

A mixture of anger and a tiny seed of hope fueled her paws as she ran full force at the warrior, hitting him hard and tackling him to the ground. She pinned him down and held her snarling face right above his. It looked like she was going to rip his throat out, and yet... "Trust is not as easily won as this battle. How are we going to defeat them? Tell me now, before they interfere." She was struggling to keep her voice down: whether it was because of her impatience or because she finally felt like something was going to happen, she wasn't sure. If this warrior was telling the truth... Could she work with another clan? To get her land back, maybe she could. How much time did they have to pass this information, though? They could only do so much there before their guards caught on.

Ravenclaw used Run-and-Tackle.

Beecloud
63/80 HP (-8)
215/240 SP

Ravenclaw
14/40 HP
95/120 SP (-10)

So, Beecloud had indeed formed another ally. He was sure to be succinct this time. There was no more dragging his paws behind him, at least not in this fight. They had to speak quickly. "We will form a chain of whispers," he whispered, thrashing out with his paws as gently as he could. "We will use a code to decide who is with us... and who is against us. We are the Mousehunt. 'Mouse' will be our codeword. When I have a plan, and when we have numbers, we'll use it to get rid of the Asylum. For now, I just need your help getting cats aware. Spreading the message. Forming the spiderweb. Use these battles as a disguise."

He stepped back. "We need the full might of every clan. But you also need to keep your clanmates safe. Only give this message to outsiders, and then the outsiders can come back to you. And I promise you, before the first flower of Newleaf blooms, we'll be home. For good." The battle would end here. "Before I go, if there's any news from SkyClan, I'd love to know it. Have there been rebellions, too?"

Beecloud used Front Paw Blow on Ravenclaw.

Beecloud
63/80 HP
215/240 SP (-5)

Ravenclaw
3/40 HP (-11)
95/120 SP

A chain of whispers... So this would be their rebellion: the Mousehunt. As loathe as Ravenclaw was to take instruction from a cat from another clan, she had to admit that her paws were tingling with the idea of demolishing those Asylum cats. If the clans had to come together to do it, then they would. It would just be for this moment, and then things could go back to normal, as they should. She couldn't help but desire that over anything else. "I can do that," she murmured, backing away just enough as if she was escaping the last attack. "I can't wait to kick those intruders out."

The two of them backed off, staring each other down as if they were catching their breath for one final attack. In actuality, the battle was at its end. However, the plan, the Mousehunt, was only just beginning. "No SkyClan cats are accepting of the Asylum cats. There have been incidents," she admitted, though she kept one piece of information to herself. If the other clans knew that their leader had put a traitor into the position of deputy, the whispers would never stop. They needed to remove him permanently and put in a real, honest deputy before any of the other clans realized what had happened. "None of us will surrender, though, I assure you. Until we next meet." She slipped away from the ThunderClan warrior, making sure to mutter "Foxbreath..." where her guards could hear her before they all disappeared back into the forest.