House of The Rising Sun [open]

The mice in the rafters were proving to be a sufficient food source. Falgongaze swiped his tongue along his jaws, cleaning them of the last remnants when he thought he glimpsed something outside. His ear flicked as he looked on, eyes narrowing in on a group of cats. His body flattened, letting him slowly creep along the top rafter until he was above a stall door. Then he leapt down to it. Closer to them, he could see Lichenmask was in front, but he stared at them in hostile confusion.

When their leader spoke, he was certain that he'd prefer roadkill over the vermin that Lichenmask dragged in. The foul odour of Twolegplace stinking up the entire front of the barn.
"Guests?" He meowed, breaking his silence. "Those are rats. Mangy, filthy ones at that, they should have stayed in Twolegplace." His jaw tightened as he leapt back up to the safety of the rafters. There was some reprieve to the stench up here, though it was soon to be minimal he was sure. Once those things made their home here as well. His gaze turned towards the forest.

Where was Jaysong? Was Fawnpaw alright? He stared into the night, those questions running through his skull constantly while he listened to the others argue. It was a pointless battle, Lichenmask had already made up his mind it seemed... even if it was flea-brained. Lichenmask had single-pawed taken out the moon and sun, and killed the ShadowClan leader Littlestar it wasn't as though they needed help.

Snowdrop couldn't help but agree with her fellow Exilees. Even if she didn't exactly like any cat here that wasn't Beetlemask or any of her other former Clanmates from ThunderClan -- she didn't even entirely like Lichenmask all that much, but she stuck with him because she appreciated his ideals -- she found that she immediately hated these cats much more. She stalked a few pawsteps forward towards the rogues, her hackles raised and her teeth bared. "Send them all back where they came from! We have the power of StarClan on our side! What do these mange-ridden beasts have that we don't?"

---

Despite all the harsh expressions of distaste and aggression thrown their way, Shade remained calm, cool, and collected. He knew very well that letting their meaningless hostility get under his skin would be pointless, and it could very well prove himself and his cats 'useless' in Lichenmask's eyes. Although he knew they could be of great importance to these exiled Clan cats' cause, the self-proclaimed leader of these Exiles could very well send them back where they came from, and his promise to his own cats of a life of fulfillment and freedom in the forest would forever be diminished. "I do believe your leader requested to treat us accordingly, which of course means as equals. We are all cats, aren't we, who all share the same ideals as Lichenmask? Unless, of course, you doubt his decision to recruit us, which I personally cannot see being true." His calm, yet smug, smirk suddenly grew a bit more sly. "You all shall know me as the infamous Shade, formerly of RiverClan. I was practically an Exile before the Exiles even became what you see amongst yourselves. We are all Clanmates now, and we will gladly assist you in your mission to purify the Clans and eradicate any that stand in your way."

The frigid emotion that curled Lichenmask's maw into a simper was chillingly indeterminate, the dark shadow that gleamed within his piercing gaze burning a hole into all those who dared to peer directly into his line of sight. The step taken forward towards Pumapaw and Aspenpaw was slow and measured, the intent of the movement wholly obscured by the sudden tension that had descended upon the uneasy group. "Perhaps I've made a mistake in placing such faith and high standards in some of you," His vehement voice was ominously quiet, the eerie tranquility within his gaze scalding as his gaze drifted to Falcongaze for a brief moment, "For I see no Warriors willing to do what it takes, only mere kits more preoccupied with emotional fallacies, not logic." Rising to his full height before the two Exiled Apprentices, the critical disappointment that was invoked within the depths of his scorching stare was enough to send even the most stoic of creatures crumbling beneath the sudden, quiet wrath exuded by the strange young tom. Cold grin still twisting the dark tabby's features, an invisible brow was quirked as he peered down at the two bemused young 'paws. "I offered our guests the same choice I offered the Clans- but unlike the Clans, they chose to do the right thing in light of the circumstances." Lichenmask hummed softly, the rank stench of fear bleeding from Pumapaw making his muzzle twitch in disgust. "But apparently I was uninformed that you have made the decision to shun those willing to fight for our ancestors, a decision which I greatly disparage. If StarClan has brought us more cats who are willing to fight for such a noble cause, who are we to pass judgement upon their decision? Do you really value your ancestors so little?"

Leaning forward so that his cool breath stirred the sensitive fur of Aspenpaw and Pumapaw's inner ears, Lichenmask's grin faltered for a moment. "I have shown you what I can do to those who belittle the words of StarClan, who shun my words and decisions. It would be a shame to see such a similar fate befall two cats who I thought I could truly rely upon." The predatory expression upon the former RiverClanner's features remained as he pulled away, the quiet exchange going entirely unheard due to the sudden clamor that had erupted within the Abandoned Barn. No longer grinning like a fox, the young tom merely turned to glare at his ruffled followers with uncharacteristic distaste. Perhaps recruiting many of them was a mistake- they were young, vain, and foolish. In his war against the Clans, he allowed them to go undisciplined and wild, like the overly arrogant Apprentices that many still were. Feathery tail giving an irritated flick, he remained silent as Shade spoke. "In case you haven't realized, we are not Clan cats. You were cast out, you were tossed aside by your Leaders- they revoked who you are and where you came from, they even stole your kin. To sit atop your invisible perch and pass judgement upon my guests is to scorn yourself, to mock them for being without a Clan is to mock yourself. I intend to return many of you to your Clans one day, but I will only return those who are willing to do what they must to ensure such a future."

Lifting a paw and gesturing towards the gaping entrance of the Abandoned Barn with a fluid movement, there was a challenging gleam in Lichenmask's unsettling eyes as he glared at those who opposed the situation before them. "However, if you can't even manage working with cats that StarClan themselves guided me to, then I have no use for you. But where will you go? Perhaps the Twoleg place, or maybe even the Clans if you're foolish enough? I suppose if you beg nicely, they might tear your throat out rather quickly and leave your corpse for the crows."

"I see how you could all be of use. Find an unoccupied den somewhere her. Anywhere's fine." Hillfire explained in strained civility, glaring at the Regime. What had gone through Lichenmask's head to think it was okay to bring these filthy excuses for cats right to them? Immediately, he felt bad for even just thinking it. This cat was their leader, their savior. To doubt him was to doubt StarClan. So he must have some sort of reason. Maybe to show the clans what they were becoming? Or possibly for numbers alone. They had just been told that they were willing to fight for their ancestors. While he doubted that, he realized that fighters, even ones faking their purpose, would still be useful. Though they are were the least weak cats from their clans, they were still outnumbered by the weak mousebrains. These cats would help them for no reason other than their brute strength, and once they had won, they would dispose of them properly. They were all probably too mouse-brained to even realize what was going on. Most likely they even thought they were control. Whatever the case, he would play along with whatever his leader said for now. Then he saw Shade. It took all of his self-control not to lunge forward and tear the tom's throat out right at that very moment. He couldn't do that yet. The time would come, but for the time being, he had to act like they were on the same side. If only not to be shamed by a cat he respected so much.

Lifting his head from where it laid on his paws, Rockjaw let out a yawn, showing a mouthful of pearly white fangs. Raising a non-existent brow at the new comers, he kept quiet, simply observing the group. So, Lichenmask's absence was because of him recruiting some rogues. It made sense having more cats, seeing as though the more the merrier, but the large tom wondered if the two groups would end up fighting amongst themselves, seeing as though they came from two entirely separate backgrounds. If everyone was smart, they'd just do what Lichenmask told them, which is what he hoped would happen.

Wolf continued to survey their new home, annoyed that the other cats seemed to ignore her insult. She smiled, however, when Lichenmask told off his cats. Looks like he at least acts reasonably. She sat down, continuing to eye him. Lichenmask might be interesting, but her loyalty was with Shade and Xeuxi. She felt no emotion for Lichenmask or his followers, and resolved to only do anything if a Regime member asked her to. Even if it came to a battle, she would wait for Shade's orders. After all, they were driving out the mouse-brained Clans, so it would be reasonable to expect a fight.

Canren looked to his mother quietly, her much larger form towering over him. "I don't want a piece of land. This is wrong! All of this is wrong! Killing and driving out other cats, just so we can have their territory. It's not right! Shade just wants revenge. He may love you, and Xuexi, but he doesn't love me. He wants revenge, and I bet as soon as he has what he wants he'll keep all the other rogues out just like the clans are doing now. That sounds like a thing my father would do." His tail lashed in hatred as he spoke these words. He could barely hiss out "Look- look what he's already done to me! For losing my temper at him!" His tail went around and pointed to the scars on his face. He wanted to scream, and yell, and claw his father for hurting him. Parents shouldn't be hurting their children. He felt as if he was the only one who understood that here. Even if the clans didn't like rogues, they had a good reason not to. Some were horrible, manipulative, and narrow-minded. Was he the only one that thought fighting wasn't always the answer, or perhaps others preferred fighting. Action was always more fun than talking.

He had moved away from his mother. Moving as far away from the pack as he could without invoking rage. They approached the building, the barn. The one called Lichenmask introduced their merry little group, and his followers didn't all take it well. He actually quite enjoyed the looks of shock and rage on their faces, he wasn't quite sure why though. Perhaps a side effect of being the son of a monster. Lichenmask... he could see the quiet rage on his face at his followers. Shade and Lichenmask, working together, they both seemed to be a good fit. Why else would the former clan-cat bring them here but to use them as warriors for his small group. One of the only reasons his father could ever agree to something like this would be if there was revenge involved for him. Personal gain drove his father. Clearly.

The young cat glared at a white and gray cat, who was glaring back at them. At this rate Canren's glaring skills would be second-to-none if cats kept giving him reason to. A strong smell of the clans filled the Barn, these cats had been recently kicked out by the scent of them. Or maybe the strong smell was because there were so many. Canren was ready to turn tail and get out of there, he felt like he was small enough to be killed in his sleep. No... the exiled cats wouldn't dare disobey their leader. Their leader had the look of a cat who could kill them while they were asleep and feel no shame in a dishonorable tactic. Canren decided the best move was to wait and see what happened, there was nothing he could do.

Beetlemask couldn't help but make a disgusted face at the new cats. What was Lichenmask doing? This was stupid. They didn't need this cats' help... they were rogues! Just like Leopardstar! Starclan had sent them to purify the clans from cats like them. This was pure hypocrisy. The tom stood up by his mate's side, his blue eyes glancing at the Exiles' leader with impassible, judging expression. No matter what he said, he wasn't going to treat them as clanmates. "Come on, Snowdrop, let's go to our nest." He whispered to her ear.

However, when the spotted tom passed by Shade's side, he gave him a dreadful glare and a few fangs appeared, as he wanted to hiss. He did nothing, of course. There was no point on challenging Lichenmask. Without the group, he couldn't defeat Leopardstar... But after this event... Beetlemask wasn't able to trust in the Riverclan leader like before...

It was comforting, for Pumapaw, to hear various other member of the exiles agreeing with her. It proved she wasn't as alone as thought, and her confidence boosted rapidly. Lichenmask needed them. No cat, could take on the entire forest on his own. She was safe, Lchenmask wouldn't kill her. Yet, when Lichenmask's fierce gaze turned to her and Aspenpaw, she felt more uncertain of herself than ever before. Pumapaw glanced at Aspenpaw, checking if he felt anything of the same.

Her pelt prickled, with every step Lichenmask took towards the pair. Pumapaw could sense how he moved with purpose, how he knew exactly what he was doing, how he was so sure of himself. Her heart beat quickened, and she squeezed her eyes closed, anticipating a death that was not going to happen. Seconds passed, and when she felt no pain, the apprentice's eyes flickered open, only for Lichenmask to whisper darkly within her and Aspenpaw's ears. His words, snaked their way through her and, and she couldn't help, but let out a low growl. The russet furred she-cat, whirled around. She didn't care anymore, she wanted everyone to know exactly how she felt, but Lichenmask had his back to them and appeared to almost of forgotten her existence. Pumapaw took a step forward, but stopped herself, eyes darting to some insolent kit, who looked rather smug, proud of the stupid comment that left her mouth.

Pumapaw glanced at Lichenmask, then made her way over to Wolf. Her amber eyes narrowed as she looked upon the she-cat, who was barely apprentice aged. She wasn't worth her time, but something within her mind, told her to show this cat up, that she was better than them. Pumapaw smirked softly. "You'd do well to keep stupid remarks like that to yourself. Everyone of us here, is more skilled than that band of rogues you've shared a den with, you are nothing. We'd win every time you tried to fight us." hissed Pumapaw for only Wolf to hear "Besides, there may not be many of us, but there's still more of us than your disgusting, feral, mismatched group of rogues." Pumapaw smiled at Wolf and bounced over to the rest of the group, feeling more certain of herself.

Canren's angered words reached Chase a little distance away. She shot the dark, fluffy tabby an indifferent glance. He was an idiot to voice his rebellion against Shade. Such hatred ought to have been hidden carefully until the time was right. She knew that his words held truth; they were exactly what she expected Shade to do. But unlike Canren, she didn't care that much. She was also a cat who lived by revenge. The fate of other rogues had nothing to do with her. At length, the journey drew to a close. As the dilapidated form of the Abandoned Barn emerged into sight, Chase's initial reaction was to draw her ears back against her head. The already ruined state of the shelter was only enhanced by the sickly red moonlight, uncomfortably reminiscent of blood. With every step they took, the foul scents of unfamiliar cats grew sharper. Following Lichenmask's lead, the Regime finally entered into the building. Greeting them were a dozen pairs of glowing eyes--green, yellow, amber, or blue. A variety of colors shone faintly from within the shadows. Slowly, their masters emerged into view, transforming from shadows into cats.

It seemed that Lichenmask's followers didn't welcome the Regime. Chase watched silently as one by one, they began to voice their opposition. Her thick fur bristled in anger as she heard their words. They didn't have to help these ungrateful fools. The purity of their blood? What nonsense. If they fought each other right now, would Lichenmask's followers be able to tell the difference in their spilled blood? Blood was red in color; losing too much of it would result in death. That was all one need to know. What these cats were saying was naught but foolishness. Her face a mask of stone, the ginger and white rogue glanced towards Shade. The dark tabby appeared calmer than she had expected him to be. He spoke cleverly, all while maintaining his irritating smirk. What was ticking through that head of his? They definitely had something to gain from this, as much as it strained her patience. Just when she was about to ridicule Lichenmask for being unable to control his own cats, the brown and white tabby stepped forward. In that moment, Chase suddenly felt a chill shoot up her spine. The clan cat's anger seemed to silently permeate the air, weighing down heavily on the surrounding cats. One by one, his followers cowed before him and the opposition died away. Chase's chartreuse-colored eyes were wide as they followed him. Lichenmask--what an intriguing individual he was. Just what kind of a cat was he?

Wolf's words drew Chase's attention back to the Regime. Despite the she-cat's young age, she was bold. Pointlessly so. Chase had to resist the urge to sigh. "That's enough." She hissed softly.

Wolf deferred at Chase's command, albiet still glaring after Pumapaw with contempt. She didn't like these exiled Clan cats any more than the ones still in the Clans, and Lichenmask seemed to be the only thing holding them together. Keeping them from fighting out of a mixture of fear and respect. She had yet to see the tom's claws come out. So he seemed to fight with words. Wolf knew firsthand, in comparing her old home to her new family, that words were much less dangerous than actions. That was what she liked about Shade and Xeuxi, they were clever speakers, but ready to back their words up with claws and teeth. She moved over to Xeuxi, no so much out of fear, but not wanting to have to socialize with those illogical cats.

As Lichenmask spoke so close to his ear he could feel the vibrations coming from his low, rumbling throat, an ice-cold shiver swept down Aspenpaw's prickling spine.  In a single heartbeat, he was reminded of just why he had fallen face down in front of this cat in the first place; his vindication and purpose had given him a meaning beyond anything the clans could've offered.  Though he should've been scared at this moment, threatened by a messiah who could kill the sun and a nine-lived leader in one fell swoop, the words only seemed to bolster him, sending a tingling sensation of passion running through his veins.  He could smell fear scent beside him, coming from Pumapaw in waves, but from him, there was only electricity.

"Forgive me Lichenmask, I don't know of what I speak."  Bowing his head, his ears flattened in a show of submission, but the tom's scarred face only seemed to grow more elated by the second.  "I am eternally loyal, anything you ask for I will give, and any order you place I will obey."  A deep-set nasty growl had invaded his voice as he finished, lifting his face to meet Lichenmask's amber gaze with his remaining vivid green eye.  I guess I can work with rogues if they'll help us bring down those despicable half-breeds once and for all...it'll be worth it to watch the terrified faces of those puny bugs fear for their souls before being irradicated once and for all.