sukilimo sėklos [open after Maple posts]

The Leafbare was more dreadful day by day, it seemed. The wet snow that squelched underneath Beecloud's paws was nothing compared to the sickening sound of raggedy pelts being carelessly chucked across his camp. He dragged with him a sizeable pair of squirrels, with their matted winter tails hanging from either side of his huge jowl. For a chilly morning like this one, it was an impressive catch. They needed it now, more than ever. Twice the cats inhabited ThunderClan's borders, now. Unfortunately, they didn't seem keen on sharing.

"Bumblebee!" chirped a grizzled voice behind him. His mother lumbered along with less spring in her gait than she might have when he was a kit. He leaned down to graze her chin, his thick mane of fur colliding with her wiry pelt. Sometimes, he could not feel less alike from her. "An excellent job. Where's Sablepaw today? Why don't you send her to my nest once in a while? You're too soft on your apprentices, you know. You ought to give them more work to do. There's nothing worse than an apprentice that tosses and turns all night long because they weren't tired from the day's work when they crawled into their nest. Think of that poor cat's future, Beecloud! She won't be ready for seasons of service if you coddle her! And don't-"

"Ma!" he laughed, pressing his paw to her mouth in a 'shhh' motion. "There's no reason to do that right now. We're all tired enough as it is. Since you're so full of energy, maybe you should clean out your own moss!"

Ferretnose gasped, bopping his head with a satisfying thunk. "Mousebrain! How about we take one of those squirrels for Sunhigh, bumblebee? I'll go fetch one now."

And so they set off in different directions. Beecloud found a spot where the sun came through the trees just so, shedding faint light on the clearing, so that Ferretnose wouldn't freeze in the bitter chill. She, on the other hand, wandered over to the fresh-kill pile to collect their meal. The elder inhaled, smelling the strong umami of a wild-fed squirrel. A queen had just taken the first one, probably for her brood, which she was weaning. She reached a paw out to roll the prey off of the pile, only to be met with the quick swipe of a much larger she-cat.

Aghast, Ferretnose balked at the cat, who was cloaked in a dog's pelt and smelled like putrid Carrionplace. She wrinkled her nose fiercely as she felt every hair on her scruff begin to prickle. She had sat idly by for at least two moons, fulfilling her duties as an elder in the face of oppression. Still, there was a spark of a warrior left inside her. Something about the smugness of this Asylum guard's muzzle stirred in Ferretnose's belly. The way she looked down upon ThunderClan cats, and the way she would undoubtedly tear into that squirrel, smacking her lips as she went, brought a feeling of nausea up into her throat. "What gives you the right to take that? I was practically holding it!"

Beecloud heard the trouble begin with a lump in his throat. He cast his eyes downward, scratching at the ground with his claws. This had happened before, and it would happen again, and he would do what he always did: keep his head down.

It was with gleaming eyes that Akhlut had watched the large ThunderClanner with the too-many toes bring his prey into the camp after a successful hunt, and it was with mild interest that she watched his mother start chattering at him, about nonsense Clan things that she couldn't be bothered to care about. With a flick of her ear, she caught the elder's words about sharing one of the squirrels that Beecloud had brought in, and with a wicked grin, she moved up to the prey pile right as Ferretnose did. Just as the elder's claws had grabbed the squirrel from the pile, the large she-cat swiped the squirrel from her grasp, not caring whether or not her claws grazed the elder's skin in the process. The squirrel tumbled to a stop at Akhlut's paws, and she looked up at Ferretnose with a sly grin on her face.

The smile faltered just a little as the elder actually spoke, spitting hatred at her, and the Nightstriker drew herself up to her pull height, stomped her paw down on the squirrel, crushing its small head under her strength, and rumbled, "I have the right to take food in the camp that, if I recall correctly, belongs to us, despite Asylum letting you pathetic Clan cats to keep your names and lifestyle."

She then curled her claws into the squirrel being crushed under her hefty paw, drawing fresh blood from the prey item. Flicking her tail once, she took a step towards the elder, lifting her now-bloody claws up to show off.
"I suggest that you step off, or run the risk of meeting the same treatment that your dear Nettlestar got on our first night here. If I remember correctly, you don't have the luck of having nine lives, like she does."

With her still-bloody paw, the Nightstriker lunged forward, pressing her foot into the elder's shoulder, letting her claws dig in, before shoving Ferretnose several tail-lengths from the pile. Snapping her head up, she fixed the rest of the camp in a pointed glare before turning to collect the squirrel that she'd taken.

Like he would often do, Stag watched over the camp with wide, curious eyes. For some odd reason he found comfort in watching these cats go about their day, going on patrols, having conversations, doing activities. At that moment his main focus was on a large cat he knew as Beecloud, and who he presumed to be his mother. He had been watching them for a few moments, getting a warm feeling from their interactions. It was heart-warming to see such a bond between cats, a bond he wish he could have. As far as he knew, he didn't even have a mother, so watching families go about their business was the closest thing he had to family experiences.

When the two separated, the tom almost felt sad, even if he knew they would talk again later. His gaze following the tom, he watched as he found a peaceful spot on the other side of the camp. Turning his head back toward the older she-cat, he observed as she looked over the fresh-kill pile, selecting a piece of prey. It was then when he noticed a third party, one he recognized. 'Akhlut.' Stag didn't know the she-cat personally, but he knew that she lived up to the Nightstriker reputation. He shrunk into himself, knowing that by the look of the elder's expression that she would get some kind of negative reaction from Akhlut. Too bad he was too far away to hear what was going on, or he might have tried to calm her, to prevent some kind of bad situation.

His gaze quickly grew worried as Akhlut's demeanor grew more aggressive, stomping on the squirrel. A sick feeling grew in his stomach. He knew that any Asylum Nightstriker could take out an elder with ease, and perhaps some of the warriors that lived in the camp- he only hoped it didn't come to that. Despite being a Nightstriker himself, he didn't enjoy killing like the stereotype went. If anything, he would prefer peace, but would use his fighting skills if it came to it. When Akhlut violently pushed the elder away, he lowered his head, trying not to look. Even though he tried to fight the urge, he looked up anyways, curious to see if the elder was okay. A hit like that would hurt any cat, an elder even more, especially considering how frail their bones were. Even so, that was a light punishment. Other cats wouldn't be so forgiving.

Beecloud's ears flitted down at the low, sinister purring of the enemy cat. He dipped his nose so low as he cringed that his muzzle nearly hit the ground, and he turned away from the conflict. He could feel the energy of the camp shift and instantly knew that all eyes had been turned towards the fresh-kill pile... towards Ferretnose and Akhlut. The warrior couldn't bear to watch it happen. Besides, Ferretnose was a mild-mannered elder. She didn't engage in any real fighting. She was very particular about her place in the clan, and though Beecloud could whine and hiss and stamp his paws all he wanted, he could not convince her to summon anger about the Asylum.

"It's not my war!" she'd chastise. "It's yours. Stop waiting around for other cats to get mad along with you. Old cats, leaders and senior warriors, would like to believe they're moving this clan. Really, it's the young cats, with the passion of TigerClan in their claws."

And then there was a collection of startled noises, to which Beecloud lifted his head, watching a tiny smattering of blood lift from Akhlut's claws as she pitched the elder to the dirt. Ferretnose made very little sound, no more than an "EEP-!"

Beecloud was not sure when he stood up, because he could hardly feel himself standing in his own skin. He felt like a disconnected witness watching the fray from a tree or large stone. Ears ringing, blood rushing through his head, paws, legs, neck, chest, tail. Fur prickling all over his pelt, shaping him into what could only be described as a Twolegplace raccoon, hefty with the weight of twoleg scraps. Ferretnose's words were echoing five times over in his head, and then she looked up. From her place on the ground, a disheveled heap of coarse fur and faded eyesight, she seemed to implore him. She even seemed frightened of him, her own son. Perhaps, in a way, it was her blessing?

But Beecloud did not move. His head slowly turned towards Akhlut, and her mangy dog pelt. He had never been a cruel tom, but when he looked at her, he suddenly saw a barren, ugly, nasty, old, unlovable maid of a she-cat. She was everything that the Asylum represented, and she pranced with her stupid little dog skin around his camp, where he sat with his brothers, sisters, and clanmates, as they all had for generations, and defiled it with her filth.

The same sensations he had felt just a little while ago while on patrol with Sablepaw had returned, but now they were fully realized. ThunderClan had fallen due to their inaction, and it would only rise again through action. TigerClan. He thanked his mother and readied his claws. If I'm doing this, I'm doing it right. I'll die trying. I love you, Robinloft.

Not a moment to spare. It had all happened in a mere second, from argument to Beecloud rushing forward, in that nobody could ever guess that he had thought it all through already. It seemed to be impulse, or perhaps reflex, or maybe instinct. In any case, Akhlut had not seen what hit her when Beecloud swung under her, lifted her off her paws, and slammed her to the ground underneath him. They were evenly matched. You will take nothing else from me.

"YOU WILL LEAVE THIS CAMP BY YOUR CLAWS... OR MINE!" he yowled, lifting his claws high above his head, all six of them poised to slash open Akhlut's throat.

It seemed to escalate so quickly. As hostility grew between Akhlut and the elder, so did the curiosity of the surrounding cats- and it seemed as though the anger of the large tom was growing as well. Stag could tell. His posture grew more tense and a certain look glinted in his eyes, he had seen it many times before. Even so, it was almost scary, seeing the tom go from a happy, chuckling cat to the hateful thing it was now in a matter of moments. Shameful that he couldn't keep his temper. It looked as if he, too, would end up punished today. He considered walking away. The fact that he knew what would come should have driven him back to his nest or out of camp- but he stayed exactly where he sat, wide eyes following the events. He hated how his curiosity kept him there, but he knew if he wasn't there to watch, he would hate himself later for not staying. With a gulp, he repositioned his posture, moving to a more upright position. His attention now focused back on the elder, tom, and Akhlut, he spectated the elder hiss some words toward Akhlut, but nothing more.

It was in a matter of moments, pure seconds, that the tom from the other side of camp was on top of Akhlut, ready to kill him. Panic washing over him, Stag immediately scrambled from where he was standing and rushed forward, the action caused by pure instinct. He wasn't expecting the Thunderclanner to tackle Akhlut like that! Akhlut was an Asylum Nightstriker, meaning that his training should have been far superior compared to any Thunderclanner's! Pushing into the tom, he knocked him off of Akhlut. The task was far from difficult, especially given his size, but he was sure that if the other tom knew he was coming he would have been a far more formidable opponent.

Wasting no time, he climbed on top of the other tom, looking down at him with blank eyes. He cared for the life of this cat, yes, but he cared about the life of the Asylum cats more. These were the cats who had raised him, after all, so he was willing to risk another cat for them. He owed them his life, the least he could do is save theirs. What was the tom thinking though!? Because of him, two cats were going to be hurt instead of just the one! He would surely get some kind of punishment, there wasn't a doubt in Stag's mind. Looking up, a shadow caught his eyes. A shadow he could decipher before he saw the cat itself- a shadow that confirmed his thoughts. 'Oh no...' Looking down at the tom once more, he lowered his muzzle to his ear, and whispered two singular words, his voice monotone. "Prepare yourself."

An opportunity, foolishly squandered.

Beecloud's paw was on a downswing. The taste of blood was nearly tangible on his tongue. A set of razor claws grazed the Asylum cat's neck fur; that should have been it. It wasn't. He was shoved off-kilter by a sudden blow to his side and came crashing down into the dust, a smattering of it coating the white parts of his pelt. The small tom was a simple enough foe: size for size, skill for skill. Beecloud began to tumble and thrash against Stag's grip, freeing himself just enough to lay a barrage of claws upon the tom's legs and chest.

Akhlut was quick to recover and help Stag hold the warrior down. Then, it was over. Beecloud thrashed once more, but he found that his fight was gone. A paw was on his head, pushing it into the ground. Still, his lungs heaved, and his heart trampled any resolution he might have had. "Let go of me!" he hissed. "You're making a mistake! You're going to regret this!"

He wasn't quite sure if he was talking to the Asylum cats or himself. Behind him, he could hear Ferretnose begin to wail a long caterwaul that he couldn't quite make out the words of. If he had to guess, Beecloud would say she was begging them to stop. In front of him, in his watery vision (on account of the dust, adrenaline, and terror that he tried so desperately to mask) he saw a new figure approaching. She was huge, with points of dark fur like smoke, and her sapphire eyes were cunningly narrowed. Upon realizing that it was Eris, the Asylum cat they all seemed to fear most, he began to struggle again. He felt like a bird pinned by the wings, unable to take flight.

When he could muster up the ability to speak, he practically spat at the she-cat, "Kill me then, you ugly foxhearted goat-faced coward! I'll see you in h-!"

Before he could finish, Akhlut put pressure on his throat, ceasing any dramatic speech he might have made.

A little clatter here and there was no true reason for concern. After all, there were more than enough Asylum cats willing to pick fights with the ThunderClanners- at this point, some insignificant commotion was to be expected. Now and then, one of the guards would have to smack around an unruly apprentice searching and seething for drama and rebellion. This was no cause for concern at all, and was truthfully expected and had been planned for by Asylum. There was no way they could expect such a tight-knit group to just accept their new groups, was there?

In any case, Eris was alright with watching a bit of racket from across camp, especially if it looked trivial enough that it would pass rather quickly. Her deep sapphire eyes peeked out from behind a thin layer of bush, forever watching but always out of touch. Ferretnose, a rather strong-willed and clever she-cat, seemed to have gotten into a tiff between Akhlut. Tsk, tsk, what a horrible undertaking for a cat of such fragility. Eris wouldn't have paid such a petty squabble any mind if it weren't for Ferretnose's son- Beecloud, a wily and brash tom who was seemingly going to fight to get his way. Slowly, the ragdoll pushed her way into the scene, slinking around the edges of camp while Akhlut and Stag pinned the two ThunderClanners who were out of line. A smug grin worked its way onto her muzzle as Beecloud finally realized what was going on.

"Aww, I'm offended. I'm just so incredibly hurt. Killing you would be a true act of cowardice, hm?" Eris mewed, an impromptu pouty face painting her expression. Her voice was absolutely dripping with satire and malice, her toothy grin pointed towards the tom under Stag and Akhlut's claws. She padded to the side of one of her guards, whispering in their ear something about Beecloud's mother, Ferretnose. When the guard padded over to the she-cat and pinned her shoulder into the dirt, forcing her to face the poor sight that was her son, with several cats pinning him down, it was quite evident what Eris had ordered the guard to do. Ferretnose was to watch the events unfolding before her.

"Gather around, everybody. Beecloud here has something he'd like all of you to see, and it's very important." Whipping around to face the pile of cats that had amassed in the middle of camp, Eris unsheathed her claws. "You see, everyone, Beecloud thinks it's alright to attack those that are here to protect you. I won't rattle on about this, and it'll be fairly quick. Let it be known to all that this is what awaits those who try and turn on Asylum." Eris motioned for Akhlut and Stag to move away from the tom and with a growl, she pushed herself off her feet, padding towards him quickly and cuffing him rather harshly on the top of his head, her unsheathed claws tearing through the flesh of his ear. In one swift movement, she shoved him onto his back and pinned him, gripping him tightly and raking her razor-sharp claws across the flesh on his shoulder. She leaned down to his ear and whispered just loud enough for him to hear, "I thought you knew better than this. There's no outsmarting or overpowering Asylum. Don't you understand that?" Before the tom could muster up the strength to respond, she stood up to her full height and raked her claws across his face, effectively scoring deep marks from one corner of his face to the other.

As crimson drops of blood began to well up across the tom's face, Eris kicked herself off of his belly (leaving even more scars in the sensitive skin that area had to offer- her large paws could be rather unforgiving, after all), shoving him to the side as he laid there, beaten in the dirt. With little remorse in her deep blue eyes, she once again dragged her claws through flesh and muscle- this time, across the densely packed muscles of his back.

Finally, she turned to address the Clan. "Asylum does not take well to traitors, and if it takes something as cruel and harsh as this to prove it to each of you, then so be it. I didn't want it to come to this, ThunderClan. I don't enjoy this. But you've pushed the limits as far as they go. Don't make me regret the leniency I've given Beecloud this go around- it won't be offered to the next cat that steps out of line." With that, she began padding toward the medicine den. "Daisybloom, Beecloud needs your attention if you don't wish for him to bleed out in the middle of camp. Tend to his wounds, and be sure that he survives- but no poppy seeds or willow bark. I mean it." With that, Eris stalked away, outside of ThunderClan's camp- not straying too far, of course, but far enough.

Shrikesong immediately turned around when she heard Eris speak. She didn't like being complacent to the Asylum, and she knew that Beecloud felt the same way about it. Nobody in ThunderClan wanted the Asylum here, even if they were here to 'protect' them. The brown she-cat barely held back a growl, keeping her face emotionless, before smirking. She believed that her smirk would be able to make the Asylum think that she was on their side, even if the brown she-cat was most certainly not.

Really, she was waiting for the right time to overthrow the Asylum. However, it seemed like the longer she waited for the perfect moment, the stronger Asylum's grip on the clans got. It was almost like fighting, in a way. The longer you waited for the perfect moment, the more vulnerable you'd be. With Eris striking Beecloud down with her claws, the brown she-cat knew not to engage them at this point in time. She would just be made an example just like Beecloud, after all. However, the time for rebellion was coming fast, and she was preparing to face it head-on.

You expect us to listen with tyranny? her mind screamed, even though her face carried nothing. There's one thing that I know for sure. The clans won't listen to the Asylum, and we will never, ever let go of it. This clan is my lifeblood, and I would sacrifice my life for it if I had to. The brown she-cat stepped back into the gathering crowd, watching as Beecloud was rushed to the medicine den. He lit a spark in her, a realization that she needed to act quickly before Asylum's grasp on ThunderClan was too strong to break out.

Soon, they will see my true colors. And it won't be pretty.

Cedarheart hadn’t been paying much attention to what had been happening in camp. Ever since they had killed Pinefrost, she had decided to ignore their presence as much as she could. But her brother!s voice made her heart race, and she whipped around to find him pinned down. "Beecloud!" she gasped. And beside him was Ferretnose. "Mom!" She hissed. She was ready to leap at those Asylum cats, tear them limb from limb, when Eris called out.  Her green eyes were bubbling with rage, and she listened to the loner’s words with disdain.  "You call this leniency? Ferretnose is an elder, for Starclan’s sake. You’ve nearly killed them!" she yowled.

"You’ve made a mistake. Attacking them is just making an enemy of us. You’ll be sorry." She growled, turning to find her family. Beecloud was injured, and although she wanted to rip Eris apart, her family needed her. As Daisybloom rushed towards Beecloud, she went towards her mother. Looking the Asylum cat dead in the eye, she hissed angrily. "Get. Off." Her fur bristling, she glanced over at the medicine cat tending to the warrior. He looked hurt, but she was a capable healer.

-

Dalsybloom sat in her medicine den, lost in thought. She hadn’t been interacting with her clan, hiding away. She needed to rest, but even the rest didn’t feel right. Soon she heard hissing and after a moment she padded out, looking around the camp. Her heart pounded in her chest as she saw the conflict taking place. Eris was addressing them, and she growled under her breath. He was hurt! She grabbed a bundle of herbs, rushing towards him. And despite the loner’s instructions, she had brought pain killing herbs. There was no way that she could let him suffer. She soaked moss into his pelt, her mind flashing back to the day she did the same thing with Dustcloud, when they had first invaded.

Gingerpaw had been minding her own business picking thorns out of a nest in the nursery when she heard the commotion. She ran out to see her father and her grand mother pinned to the ground. Her eyes widened and the large calico she cat was about to run over when an even larger she cat came out from the tunnel and she stood frozen in fear from the way she carried herself. She was terrifying and Gingerpaw was getting bad vibes from here. She watched helpless as the she cat stalked over to her grandmother and shove her into the dirt and ordered some other Asylum cat to keep her pinned. Anger rose in the she cat and she narrowed her eyes but it soon vanished fear taking place in her heart for the two cats. When Eris called out to everybody who was watching she watched pain and fear evident on her face and in her eyes. She gasped as Eris ripped into her father and once she was done and ordered the medicine cat to heal him without something for the pain. “Dad!” Gingerpaw yelled and ran over burying her face into his fur with a sob. “You’re going to be okay dad!” She meowed.

Minkstream paced slowly at the edge of the clearing, an odd feeling beneath his paws. Today, stillness wouldn't come, an uneasiness that felt like a storm brewing tingling at his whiskers. This had gone on too long, this quietness. The dread, the fear; all of it lay simmering under his pelt, whispers like dark tendrils crawling on the edge of his thoughts - of hopelessness and frustration, like being....

Something caught at his ear, and he glanced up, pelt prickling along his spine. Ferretnose was in the middle of the clearing by the prey pile, Beecloud nearby.

And an Asylum cat.

He felt himself stiffen, legs coming to halt braced on the ground, hackles rising for reasons unknown, the prickle spreading to clench in his stomach. That one... he recognized her, sort of - one of the nastier ones, the dog-pelt that Eaglepaw and Beecloud's other kits had run into a few days ago. Come to think of it, probably half the Clan knew her by now - knew to keep their heads down around her and keep their snarls directed firmly at her back, if they dared to bare a tooth at all towards her. Almost of their own accord, his paws started out of the shadows along the ravine's wall as the pelt took a squirrel from right in front of Ferretnose, a soft grow rumbling in his throat. Would they never stop? These Asylum cats and their stupid-

His muscles went rigid as the dog-pelt shoved the elder over, her indignant cry cut off. Ears flattening, his pace increased, stalking towards the confrontation, that growl stuck in the base of his throat. His mouth opened, preparing to call sharply - uncaring if the Asylum foxheart decided to try drawing claws on him.

He never got to.

A bellow rang through camp, echoing against the walls, raging through the air and setting it on fire. Minkstream found himself twisting, eyes seeking the source, blood pumping in his ears, breath quicker. His gaze landed on a massive thundercloud of tabby and white fur blurring across the ground. It happened in a heartbeat - Beecloud leaping on the Asylum cat, claws raised to rake across its throat and draw blood. And another blur slamming into him, throwing him off.

It was the fox-pelt. Minkstream struggled for a moment, pelt prickling, a feeling like worms squirming into his fur lurching at his stomach, and he blinked away the memories running like a kaleidoscope through his head, trying to push away the sudden falling sensation away. For just a moment, he stood there uselessly. Too long. Another massive form appeared, its shadow looming over the two, a chill seeming to spread with it. One that had nothing to do with the cold of leaf-bare.

Her words, her very tone. He found the hairs along the back of his neck bristling, claws sliding out unconsciously. With an effort, he swallowed it, the bitter taste left behind curdling his tongue. He couldn't do anything, not here, not now. And at least she'd said she wouldn't kill him. That was something. His mind held onto that as they held down Ferretnose and Beecloud, used it as a lifeline, something to keep the burning under his skin, away from the outside. Don't lose it. Don't. For Bat. For your family. It isn't worth it.

His fur prickled harder as she leapt and pinned him, raking her claws down his shoulder. Blood in his ears, blood pounding through his veins. Beecloud's cry rang in his ears, and he gritted his teeth.

Badump.

Blood filled his nostrils. Movement to his side.

Badump.

"I thought you knew better than this. There's no outsmarting or overpowering Asylum. Don't you understand that?"

Something in him broke as she slashed her claws across Beecloud's face.

Something snapped.

Batbite had kept a careful eye on the situation a short distance a way from the moment she realized it was Ferretnose by the fresh-kill pile - one of her oldest friends - and while every impulse she'd ever felt was burning under her paws, she remained silent and still. It wouldn't do now to make herself a target of the Asylum; especially when the memories of being bedridden by the Righteous Few still haunted her in her sleep, distant as they were.

And then the Asylum cat swiped her claws across Beecloud's shoulder, across his face and back, claiming that it didn't have to come to this; that she didn't like it either before forbidding Daisybloom to so much as ease his pain. It was pointlessly cruel and infuriatingly false, her actions speaking louder than any of her honey-sweet words ever could.

She's right, for the moment. There's nothing we can do when we're outnumbered like this. All we can do is sit here and watch, and take whatever they choose to do to us...

Batbite glanced over to Minkstream. These days, she was acutely aware of his presence, and she'd found her way to his side without paying too much attention. All the better, she supposed, to try and hold him back from doing something incredibly stupid. She knew her mate better than most, and it wasn't hard to see that he was struggling now. It wasn't easy to hold back, to hold their tongues and claws in the face of injustice, but they had no choice. "Don't," she whispered, voice as sharp as it was quiet. The tone, at least, softened with her next words. "Keep still and think this through. They'll do worse to you."

Better her doing her best to restrain him than one of the fox-hearted Asylum cats. At the very least, she knew that she wasn't going to cause him any actual harm in doing so.

Dovefrost watched from the edge of the crowd. His green eyes wide and unsure of what to make of what was happening.. He was afraid. He could feel his heart thudding against his chest as he watched. But something else was burning inside of his chest at this action. Traitors..? Protection..?"

Green eyes glanced at his clanmates around him. Fear.. anger they all reflected the same thing. Why? Why was it like this? What did they do to deserve this? The large white fluffy tom stood from his spot taking a step forward. He didn't have anything to lose. He didn't have a family. If someone didn't speak up now.. then.. When would they ever?

"And what are you protecting us from exactly?" The tom asked, his voice flat, eyes narrowed as he challenged the Asylum cats. "As far as I'm aware we didn't need protecting, until you showed up claiming we did. Now the only thing I see we need protecting from is you." The tom growled out. "You attacked an elder. An elder for stars sake! If that doesn't make you cats we need protection from I don't know what does." The tom stood tall eyes scanning the crowd, looking for Casper. Surely out of all of the Asylum cats, he would sympathize with the Thunderclan warrior? Or was their interaction in that patrol one day just a front? Was he really like all the rest of them?

Nettlestar's long claws sunk down into the dirt beneath her feet as she watched the scene before her. She pushed down against the ground, her grip tightening in a mix of frustration, anger, and as a physical reminder than she needed to restrain herself. One cat was already bleeding out before her eyes. If she of all cats lost her cool, another might follow.

Again.

She watched Eris stalk out of camp through narrowed green eyes, her gaze coldly following the she-cat.

Give me one good chance and I'll kill you she thought as she watched her leave, wanting badly to say the words out loud. But that would get her nothing. The only thing it might do is give her a brief moment of catharsis, followed by more innocents made into examples and more wounds for her sister to tend to. No one needed that.

Tensions were clearly still on the rise. And as much as she hated having to quell any stirring sentiments of resistance, she knew that was what she needed to do at the moment. She wanted her clan to fight back, but not like this, not in the heat of the moment. No, that would not be likely to free them; just end with more dead.

"Nobody else make a move," she said, her voice stony. "More struggling will get us nowhere right now." the she-cat dropped her voice slightly into something softer "Save your anger. Save your pain. I am sure the day will come when you can use it. I wish that day was today, but it is not,"

Strangely, she wondered if this was perhaps a good thing. Not that she was happy to see one of her warriors injured; but if she had been worried about her clanmates getting used to the Asylum's presence and losing their desire to rebel...well, she was less worried about that now. Perhaps now a spark had been lit in them. As long as they used it smartly, it might be exactly what they needed.

Calmly, she stood and approached Daisybloom. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Just as his muscles tensed, murder flashing in his eyes, a sharp but quiet word came from beside him. Bat's voice. It snapped him back to the present world, out of the roaring in his ears and the thump of his heart, and made him pause.

"Keep still and think this through. They'll do worse to you."

How could he? Every muscle in his body screamed at him to leap forwards, to dig claws into the beast that represented all the evils of Asylum and tear her off Beecloud. To help.

Think this through.

What would fighting her do? Who could say that he would even win? All the Asylum cats in the clearing would tear into him the moment he made a move, just as they'd done to Bee.

I...
I'm powerless.

The stink of blood still filled the air, the Asylum leader's claws still tore through Beecloud's flesh, but... forcing his own claws to grip the earth and keep him there, he flattened his ears, turning his face away and forcing his stance out of battle-readiness. Stars, his gut churned at the action, lurched at just staying here, doing nothing. Letting this monster tear his Clan apart and spit acid in their faces. A shuddering breath passed through his gritted teeth. Bile rose in his throat, bitter and fiery, and he forced his gaze back to it. Not a cat, a thing. It didn't deserve to be thought of as anything but a predator.

He didn't trust himself to say anything as it turned its eyes to them, instead letting his own burn unflinchingly into its face, feeling his claws itch and his teeth clench. But for Bat's sake, for the Clan's sake, he didn't move. It was only when she'd gone, stalking out of the camp with a last verbal slap to the face, that he let himself slump, the tension bleeding away, his head sagging. That sick feeling still swirled in his gut, powerlessness and rage churning with a deep shame in his gut.

He could smell the blood, hear Daisybloom, Dovefrost, Nettlestar. Good, they were doing something, at least. Helping Beecloud. From the sounds of it the medicine cat had enough cats there for what the injured warrior would need. All of it was noted at the fuzzy edges of his mind, the rest still screaming at him, at the situation, at all of it and none of it.

I can't fight this. It was despair. That was it. A prickle inexplicably dug at his eyes, the weight of exhaustion weighing down on his shoulders and washing over everything else, making him want to collapse. The weight of too much sustained, too many hopes and too much determination suddenly crashing to the ground and falling silent. He suddenly saw through the holes, the stark cold reality of their captivity burning into view through the barrier he'd used to keep it out, the peace of words spoken and light clung to retreating beneath the leering darkness.

"Bat," His voice was rasping, soft, empty. His head didn't lift. "what... what are we doing?"

---

Sablepaw had been cleaning out her own nest, this time, rather than the elders'. To be honest, it wasn't much of a step up, she had to admit as she wrinkled her nose at a clump of fur-melded moss dirt mix of a monstrosity, the muffled and distant flow of conversation in the camp outside soothing. Nevertheless, it somehow didn't seem as drudging as it usually did, and she found herself humming under her breath as she sorted it out and cleaned it like she'd been taught, retaining as much good moss as possible. It was always hard to find more when snow came, after all. Or so she'd been told back in Leaf-fall, and was now finding out for herself.

She snorted at a piece that landed on her nose, smiling as it fell and flicking her tongue out to tap the white of the her muzzle's tip. You better watch out, moss. I'm a fighter and I don't give in to little clinging bits of green stuff! And not to dogs, either. Her tail arched dramatically behind her, the end flicking with a flourish as she continued separating the two piles of good and bad bedding. Distantly, the pattern of conversation outside changed, a little sharper, a little less flowy. Really hope I don't have to try finding some more. It's starting to look a little thin-

Her thoughts cut off as a yowl split the air, reaching inside the den and yanking her ears to full attentioin. She found herself stiffening, breath coming quick, paws briefly frozen to the ground. Was that- that was- Beecloud? Her heart thudded into her throat, prickles running along her skin and making her hackles rise as she twisted to look at the entrance, blue eyes wide, paralyzed. More sounds came, wails - Ferretnose. Indistinct and yet sending waves of fear washing through her pelt.

Wh-what's going on?

As if suddenly released from the clutches of a nightmare, she scrambled around, heedlessly bounding over others' nests and scattering bits of moss. Her heart pounded in her ears, in her head, in her throat. She could feel it pulsing in her tail-tip, her whole body thudding to its mad beat as she skidded out into the clearing. Another voice, a sinister voice, had risen, rising to creep from the ravine's walls and echo into her ears. Oh no, oh no no no no. Her thoughts were a monotone, her paws a tottering blur. She could barely see through the haze - didn't even catch her own family in the crowd - but suddenly her focus was on a bloody form in the middle of the clearing, one she should have recognised, except its massive form was spattered with red, its face covered with it. The world whirled, nothing in her head but nothing, but a sudden overpowering and bitter fear. It wound its way into some vague form of a question, of a cry, tearing from her chest in a bare whisper.

"Wh-why? Why?"