always keeping faith [closed]

In the days afterward, Raventail wandered. Not through the moor (he doubted it would have helped, even if Asylum had allowed it), but through camp, aimless yet persistent as if a moment’s pause might be the difference between treading water and slipping underneath. He was losing ground all the same. Fogpaw had seen three parents buried, now; it wouldn’t be fair of him to pile his grief on top of her own. But he had no one else to turn to. Smallbean and Zinnia had been dealing with their own problems before Asylum invaded, and Mossbloom might as well have been a world away.

As he lay in the elders’ den, alone, Dappleshine’s stone like ice against his pawpads, something came to him. A light. Maybe bravery, maybe desperation; grief had blurred the line between. Holding the stone as gingerly as a kit, he rose. Despite the late hour, beast-cats and warriors milled about the camp. His ducking into the apprentices’ den drew a stare or two (suspicion from Asylum, concern from his Clanmates), but no real opposition. His daughter’s silver-striped pelt caught his eye after a brief search; navigating the sea of nests, he stopped beside hers. The stone sat cold against his teeth. It had passed from Dacedream’s paws to Dappleshine’s, then to his own. Careful not to disturb Fogpaw, he tucked it against the outside of her nest, then pressed his nose between her ears, as he tended to before setting out on his usual patrols. He murmured, “I’ll be back soon,” half-believing it, and “I love you so, so much,” with absolute certainty.

A fox-pelted guard lingered by the gorse tunnel leading out of camp. He shot upright at Raventail’s approach, posture stiff as stone. Though Raventail couldn’t make out any expression past the fox’s long muzzle, the guard’s nerves showed in his voice. “What d’you think you’re doing?”

“Just going for a walk.” After some searching, Raventail mustered what to a stranger would’ve seemed a reasonably bright smile. “You can come along, y’know. Moving helps keep you warm. And awake,” he added. No doubt being an elder—one who’d just lost his mate, at that—made him less suspect than a warrior who might rebel, but sneaking out of camp outright would still be all but impossible.

If the guard had been Theron or one of her Nightstrikers, it likely wouldn’t have worked. But this guard was lanky in the way not-quite-mature cats usually were, and carried his inexperience in the set of his shoulders; and so, though he eyed Raventail briefly, tail swishing in thought, the answer when it came was ”That sounds…kind of nice, actually. Thanks, er—”

”Raventail,” Raventail said, and ducked through the tunnel. Hardly a blink after he’d stepped into the night air, the guard was right beside him, matching his pace with twice as many steps. Together, they padded over the hills in silence. Raventail, for his part, lacked the focus to make conversation with one of the cats who’d left his mate to die, while the guard radiated tension so thickly it was a wonder he didn’t seize up midstep.

In time, the camp’s gnarled walls fell out of view. With a single glance over his shoulder, Raventail broke into a sprint.

A bewildered gasp came from behind, followed by a series of earsplitting cries—“Wh—hey! Come back! You’re not supposed to be out alone!”—but he didn’t slow down, not until his legs felt ready to splinter.

He walked, then ran, then walked again toward Highstones, stubborn as before. The strings of a plan that had formed in his mind at camp wove themselves into something still flimsy, yet firmer. Theron and Asylum were keeping them from the other Clans. He had no reason to take her words at face value, and hundreds not to. He could find Flintstar, Ivystar, maybe Nettlestar as well; they’d all fought the Righteous Few back when that had seemed hopeless, and Raventail knew Nightstrikers bled like any living cat. Wolfstar would be a long shot, but given Asylum’s numbers, WindClan needed any help they could get. All it would take was this quick detour, a way to ensure he wouldn’t have to contend with Thunderpath monsters and patrolling Nightstrikers at the same time.

Even in grief, he recognized the sound of denial. As the grand peaks of Highstones split the sky above him, lit by pale streaks of orange as the sun began to rise, Raventail realized he didn’t have it in himself to care.

At long last, a familiar, yawning maw appeared in the mountains’ base. The dark warrior finally allowed himself to slow, paws tripping over flat ground as he took in breath after scalding breath. Now he could feel the cost of his run—a dry tongue, burning aches darting up and down his legs, stickiness where he’d torn a claw. He stumbled into one side of the Mothermouth, finding some relief from the heat against the smooth rocks. Maybe he wouldn’t make it to Flintstar today.

"-And remember, let nobody past you," came a voice, echoing in the tight confines of the tunnel that led deep into the Moonstone. There was a sigh - a breath of fresh air as Theron pushed her way out into the open, flanked by Alois but also two of her higher rank Nightstrikers. "I don't care what orders they might claim they have - only Eris and the other Captains are allowed in," she said, coming to a stop as she turned to stare at the two raccoon-wearing guards. "And you do not change your shifts unless I am there to witness it. If you dare to step down because somebody wearing a pelt says that its time to change - you will be as good as the pelts you wear. I want no chance of a Clan cat getting past, getting to their precious Moonstone. Am I understood?"

The two guards glanced at each other, swallowing as they nodded their heads and murmured in agreement. The Captain smiled sweetly at them, twitching a whisker. "I know this doesn't seem like much but this is very important work. I've seen the power of their...StarClan, firsts paw. I've received warnings to cut them off. I can only trust cats such as you two to take care of such an important matter - and besides. If any Clan cat is foolish enough to try to get past - you are free to take matters into your own paws. For example..." She glanced over at Alois, rippling her tail off to the side.

"WindClanner, you can come out. I smell you," she purred as she turned, allowing Alois to stalk past her - in the direction that she had pointed out. It was almost laughable - the tom was barely hiding, pressed against the rock like that. A cat who was...Familiar - remembering him from the camp. He had been with that poor sweetheart that she had blinded, wasn't he? Ah well.

Alois was the first to reach Raventail, grabbing his scruff as he pulled back and threw the elder straight at Theron's paws - the Captain lifting up a paw to stop him from rolling into her. "Silly boy, I thought I made myself clear. The rules were simple enough and yet, here you are...Breaking two. Being all by yourself and here, so close to your moonstone." She clicked her tongue, shaking her head as she dug her claws into his shoulder. "Did you misunderstand me? Or...Did you take us as fools? Your Clans are ours. I don't know what was running through your rabbit-filled head but whatever it was...Well, you were mistaken. We have eyes everywhere, love. You were bound to walk into our claws sooner or later - or did you think you could escape? Perhaps you could have...But I don't know what good that would have done your Clanmates." 

She sighed as she took a step back - releasing Raventail...Only for Alois to reach down to grab him by the scruff and hoisted him up so he was eye to eye with the Nightstriker captain. "It was so simple - you stick by our terms, our rules, and you would be alright. I wouldn't raise a claw...But if you are so determined to see your StarClan - then allow me to grant your wish," she purred, raising up a paw as she slide out her claws. "A gift - and a warning. Don't worry, I'll see to it that your body is returned to your Clan. I'm nothing but kind after all...And perhaps you all need another reminder of the price of stepping out of line." With that, she struck fast - claws raking across Raventail's throat. Blood spattered across the ground, the rocks - the entrance of Mothermouth. 

She hummed, almost a little disappointed as she retracted her claws and stepped back to study her handiwork. "Hmm, didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. No real fight in him," she noted as she watched the tom grow still as the life left his eyes. "But, death is still death, I suppose. You two saw that, didn't you?" she noted, her voice taking on a casual tone as she looked at the two guards who hadn't dared move a muscle since the 'encounter' had began. "That is what I am expecting you to do if anybody tries to get past you. Simple and quick...Well, only if you want. Drag it out if you want, I don't really care. Just do your jobs," she noted with a roll of her eyes. "Now, come along, Alois. I need to meet up with the others - and decide how best to return the body to WindClan. It won't go well but that was the price he was going to pay for disregarding us so...Stupidly."

She sighed heavily as she turned, padding away. She was almost disappointed in WindClan - she thought she had been clear enough in her warning, her threat. But here they were - so determined to be the hero that they were nearly asking to be slaughtered. But...It wasn't that she objected - why, she was rather thrilled at the notion. She had dreamed of slaying each and every WindClan cat since her failure of a mission. And while that wasn't what Asylum wanted - Eris was clear, they were to rule...Well, nobody could fault her if they stepped out of line and needed to be punished, now did they?

Perhaps she would get her wish after all.