Enter the Void. Empty and Become ..... [C]

OOC: Three days after the thread with Blossomstep. Staying vague about it since I have no clue what's exactly going to happen with it.

IC:

Dawnhawk had managed to do things he wasn't aware he was capable of. For starters, he managed to walk evenly between the Thunderclan and Skyclan border without running into or alerting patrols. He ended up at the Twoleg place... not far from the dark alley where he had first met, and fought with, Iniko. Maybe some other answers would be found here as to how to solve his problem. He needed to get his kits out. Honeycomb too, if she was willing. But he was unaware of their schedules and had no way to know without any sort of insider inside Skyclan. He had thought Ashstorm cared about him... maybe she still did. Still, he had no way of communicating with her. He couldn't risk being on Skyclan territory and being found by anyone else.

Alright Dark Forest... if you want an ally on the ground to help destroy Starclan, I am here and willing to do it. But I will need a little help as well... And now he would wait to see if any answer came. If not, then so be it. All of the spirits and ancestors of the clans could go eat dirt, whether they were Starclan or Dark Forest. He wandered through Twoleg Place, mostly around the more abandoned parts of it than anything. There were scents of cats here and there, but none that he recognized. He felt that he needed to search for something... but what exactly he didn't know. The desperation was there in his heart even if it never showed on his face. After a few hours of searching and thinking of some plan that he could do by himself (and repeated failures that he mentally scrapped) he entered an abandoned shed with different warehouse and home improvement supplies scattered about.

He stopped and stood there... his heart fluttering in his chest as things began to seem even more desperate by the moment.

"Any sort of help would be appreciated..." He said softly as he hung his head and stared at his shadow below him. It flickered in and out of existence with the streetlight several fox-lengths behind him. He spoke to nothing but the wind and expected no answers back. Only fear, uncertainty and doubt drove him forward so far... and he was almost convinced that this was what his life would be from now on.

The presence of the tom named Briarthorn had taken up quite a bit of her time. Helping to heal him and care for him had become part of the she-cat's many duties around the barn. She found that she didn't mind - in fact, Hollyhock rather enjoyed the tom's company. It had lead to her unintentionally slacking on her normal routine and slipping into one that kept her often at his side more than anything. Cats often passed through before carrying about wherever life took them and the barn cat was accustomed to that. But already the thought of the tom leaving was an unwelcome one. His fighting spirit and the ruggedness of his pelt drew her in. She flicked an ear at the thought, trying not to dwell too long.

Any sort of help would be appreciated...

The she-cat's head shot up and immediately she was plucked from the depths of her own rumination. Paws sent her in the direction of the plea and it didn't take long before she found the pelt of another loner. Goodness, it seemed something was bringing her company. Hollyhock enjoyed having cats around but it wasn't often she stumbled upon more than one, unless they traveled in a pack. This tom looked as disheveled as her current companion who was laid up in the main barn. She trotted over with a quicken pace, "Well, now I reckon you're in need of some help, sugar... the name's Hollyhock. I'm more than happy to help get you sorted out."

Concern shone in her eyes. The lives some of these foreign cats lived appalled her. Despite having trials of her own and braving many battles, Hollyhock had come from a place of peace and created her own here. It was the least she could do to provide a moment of rest or aid to others.

Dawnhawk startled at a sudden voice behind him. He turned his head to look over his shoulder, spotting a she-cat with fur a similar length to his own. Medium-length fur wasn't common in the forest. Her accent was unique too... and harbored no hostility. Just... helpfulness.

"Hollyhawk? What a coincidence. My name's Dawnhawk." He smirked at her, hiding his unease. It wasnt his fault that he didn't understand the spelling difference in their names. "My family didn't want me living with them anymore, so here I am. What about you?" She didn't smell of any clan cat at all... but she didn't have any obvious Mark's of being in the asylum either. That said... his own scars were hidden well enough by his medium length fur.

"The only way you'd be able to help me is if I didn't look like me... or found a new place to live. Or both." he shrugged, veiling his sarcasm without meaning to. He mentally scolded himself. She had been nice, the least he could do was be nice back. He turned to face her and sat down, hoping she wouldn't realize he was being sarcastic and take offense. Hopefully he would just come off as pathetic...

"My home is a place for cats passing through, honey, and it seems like you got something to run from." She merely tilted her head at the comparison of their names. It wasn't often she found another cat with a longer name, something more convoluted than the simplistic nature of most twolegplace rogues. In fact, she was reminded of Briarthorn as he shared his name. Hollyhock mulled over the idea that his family no longer wanted them - it either spoke ill of this tom or the place that he came from. Regardless, the she-cat had always leaned into giving strangers the benefit of the doubt. If this tom was in trouble, she would help him, but if he stepped a paw in the wrong direction, Hollyhock would have no hesitation in exercising her well-trained muscles.

"I don't pry." She meowed simply, turning her head slightly towards the entrance to the shed for a brief moment. There was no point in dwelling in this shed when accommodations were far easier to come by in the main barn. Briarthorn would be there. Admittedly, it dashed her mood ever so slightly to consider that taking in another stranger would perhaps shorten her time with the other time but she was not in any position to turn someone away. A thought flickered through her mind and turned her gaze back to Dawnhawk, "If I new pelt is what you need, perhaps I could help arrainge somethin'."

She didn't want to give up her secrets, but that was fine with him. He shrugged it off. Something to run from? Just an entire clan or two. No biggie. But he certainly wasn't about to say that. She then offered him a new pelt and his mind flashed back to the asylum. Again, with her medium length fur he wouldn't be able to see any Asylum scars on her shoulders anyway. There were certainly none on her face. "Alright... I'm listening..." He was skeptical, but if this was the only answer that he could get then the least he could do was listen.

"Follow." She commanded, turning back towards the main barn. Whatever life was behind him was between the path he'd walked and his own heart. Hollyhock had taken to being a tad to trustworthy as she lead the way to the other barn. The upwalker beasts of the barn were smeared with black smatterings, like an inky blood. A time or two it had clung to her own pelt and taken some time to wash off. Beckoning the tom forward with her tail, Holly reached up a paw to gather the strange liquid. A pad glanced his shoulder, leaving behind the blackness. Her head tilted, as if to ask if he understood. Surely this tom was smart enough to pick up on what she was suggesting. But the rest was up to him, if this Dawnhock wanted a new life, it was in his own paws. Once again she turned away with churning thoughts, "A' heard the clans of the forest take in strays every now 'nd then. If it's a new life you want, might want to look at tryin' the moorlands." Briarthorn had spoken fondly of his home and it was fresh on her mind. Perhaps one day she'd see it herself and cross paths with this stranger if he did indeed follow her advice.

Dawnhawk followed after the she-cat, curious as to what in the world she could possibly come up with. The Asylum had shown him things that he previously thought were impossible... a lot of things. So he was now open-minded again and on his way to whatever odd place Hollyhock was going to lead him to. He watched as she dipped her paw in something... greasy... and he was instantly very visibly offended when she swiped her paw across his shoulder and left behind blackness. The noises that came out of Dawnhawk's mouth probably didn't belong to a cat... but perhaps a sputtering, drowning crow. He bristled, his vanity overtaking his logic and reason for only a moment. But only a moment. It clicked with Hollyhock's look that she gave him. His eyes traveled back tot he black streak... and then he completely understood.

Black??? Why did it have to be black??? He was quite proud of his pelt of ivory and gold... and black did nothing but completely mute it. Which... unfortunately for his situation... was exactly what he needed. He sighed... loudly and heavily as he began to accept that this was just necessary now. A punishment for his sins.

Just when he was about to collect himself and go back to being normal... THE MOORLANDS??? And right back to the drowning, sputtering crow noises he went. They didn't last quite as long as the first time, and he was able to stop himself short. He groaned, but then slowly set his face back to fairly normal, if slightly annoyed.

"I understand. I appreciate your help Hollyhock..." As horrible as I'll look and as disdainful as Windclan is... This is just going to have to do. He hadn't really spoken with many Windclan cats... if any that he could recall. Still, he intended to hide his true voice along with his true colors and his scent. "I'll have to come up with a sufficient backstory for those curious. Have any interesting information I could borrow from you?" He'd practice his new voice in front of her too to make sure it sounded natural.