don't believe everything that you hear

Thalia hadn't stopped when she ran from the ThunderClan warrior, instead taking a swift and secret route to the Asylum's camp. It wasn't uncommon for her to run through the entrance in distress, but today she walked with single-minded purpose. It wasn't like his words had meant anything, really, but now she wanted to know why - she was lost, confused, this wasn't something she understood; why she would wear the face of someone else's ghosts.

There was one individual she went to when she wanted answers more often than any other, the cat who'd served as a mentor and role model for much of her life. Whether or not he could make any sense of what she said, she needed to talk about it; and while it would have been nice to talk to Pyrik about it - who was like the brother she didn't have, when her sisters were so much older and they spoke so rarely - he was still stationed in WindClan, and she still wasn't welcome there. There was no need to risk raising even more tensions for something so simple as a conversation.

She entered the Asylum camp without any running or shouting, a first in recent days, and made her way directly to the cat she wanted to speak to. "Roe," she began. "Something happened just now, and... I'm not even sure what it was, really, I'm so lost."

Roe sat at the fresh-kill pile, eyes narrowed as he shifted through the prey and counted. It was the upmost importance that the camp remain hidden, undetected if only to serve as a place for them to let their guards down. And, to be honest, he didn't have much to do as he had been stuck in the camp a lot recently. So, he was counting the prey - making sure they had enough to last for a while or if he had to send out some hunters. His ears perked at the sound of pawsteps and his name being called, a purr rising in his throat as he happily lost track of the number in his head to turn and greet the she-cat. "Thalia! Its great to-" he cut himself off as he spotted the look on her face and she admitted to being confused and lost. He straightened up, blinking as he pushed himself to his paws. "Of course, we can talk over here. Ah, feel free to grab something to eat if you want," he added as he glanced over at the slightly scattered pile. He would have to fix that later - talking with Thalia was far more important. He turned, leading her off to the corner of the camp where they could talk in somewhat peace, settling down as he looked at her with perked ears - patiently waiting for her to speak.

Thalia glanced down with amusement at the strewn-about prey. It made sense to keep count, but it was admittedly pretty funny to imagine that Roe had been sitting around counting mice. "...That's okay. I ate earlier."

She followed him to the secluded corner, and only then did she begin her explanation. "So I was patrolling the borders, you know, making sure no one crossed. Nothing unusual, really... Until I got to the river. This ThunderClan cat showed up and started talking... Honestly, I think he was maybe having some issues? I don't know, he was strange. Anyway, he almost ripped my pelt off - something about thinking I was afraid to see my own face? Like I said, I think he had some issues of his own he was dealing with."

(As one of the Asylum cats who rarely wore her pelt, it was honestly kind of funny. She was glad to have something to laugh at mixed in with all the confusion.)

As she spoke, she realized her anger and fear were long gone now - she was so thoroughly lost and confused that she couldn't even summon anger at the ThunderClan cat for trying to steal the pelt she mostly used as a shield.

"Anyway, I didn't really want to take it off, which was kind of why I was wearing it in the first place, but he was reaching out to take it... So I just let it fall off a bit, to show that I wasn't the one afraid of my own face." Honestly, what kind of cat just tried to take something off a cat they knew or at least assumed to be trained in the arts of combat? That had really thrown her. And he'd still pulled it the rest of the way off after, would it have killed him to ask first? "Then he just about lost it, completely out of nowhere - started spouting absolute nonsense, called me the name of some Clan cat - Laurelkit? - and kept shouting at me as I was leaving. Something about being stolen or lost? I really don't know. I told him he must have confused me with someone else, but he just wasn't having it, and here we are."

Roe tucked his paws beneath him as Thalia spoke - relived that she seemed rather...Calm after everything. She talked about running into a ThunderClan cat, about their encounter and how he had called her... Laurelkit. Oh. Roe couldn't hide his ears slicking back at that, eyes widening as he realized their mistake. It had been ordered that they kits weren't suppose to...They shouldn't have been recognized but... She seemed unconcerned by it, just...Confused. He opened his mouth, ready to brush it off but the words didn't come from his throat. He...He couldn't. He couldn't lie to her. Thalia meant so much to him - all of the younger cats did. He had helped trained them, be there for him... He had told Thalia that she had a place her. But he wasn't sure if it was worth keeping this lie about. "...No, no he wasn't confused at all," he meowed, eyes flickering up to make sure nobody was listening in. He had never been content with the idea to steal the kits but Theron had calmed his fears with talk about how much better they would be treated by Asylum. Truly given a place to grow instead of all being given the same 'bland' training that the Clans cat got. But he had seen the Clans for himself and he wasn't sure... Thalia had killed a cat because of where she was now. How was that...?

No. He had to tell her the truth.

"I...I can't lie to you, not anymore. Not when you are so close to...You deserve to know the truth of our actions. Moons ago, right after we first arrived on the territory..." he sighed, eyes falling to the ground - unable to meet Thalia's gaze. "Eris stole kits from each of the Clans. You all were so young...You wouldn't remember the Clans, where you came from. You and Pyrik, most of the other young Asylum members... You were among that group of stolen kits. W-We never really learned your previous names. I don't know if you were a, ah, 'Laurelkit' but I do...I do think you were from ThunderClan. You were the only ThunderClan kit we stole I think so I guess you have to be Laurelkit." There was a long silence as he took in a shaky breath. But yet, there was some relief to finally admit this. He remembered the Clan cats questioning if Theron had to do with the stolen kits. She had brushed it off, reminding him in private that they were to never know. But what was the point in keeping the secret if even a single ThunderClan cat knew it? "I...I'm not sure what I am expecting you to do with this information. You just...I couldn't lie to you anymore... B-But know that past that, I never lied to you!" he pressed, leaning forward to give her a pleading look. "I've always wanted the best for you. You deserve so much better - you deserved the truth. I truly felt you would find your place in Asylum but now..." he drifted off, biting off his words with a gritted teeth. No, he couldn't say that. He couldn't admit that. Maybe one day but not...Not today. Not here. "...I'm sorry."

With one answer - one she hadn't been looking for, a question she hadn't even really asked; the one she hadn't known how to ask - everything about Thalia's world had flipped entirely upside down. Up was down, left was right, and if Roe was speaking truthfully, she hadn't always been Asylum. "W-what? But - that doesn't make any sense! I mean, it would explain whatever was going on with that ThunderClan cat, yeah... But not the rest of it. I mean, I know who my parents are. I have sisters, and they look like I do. So why...?"

Why would I have been in ThunderClan at all?

The rest of it took a moment longer to hit her. "Wait - Pyrik, too? And most of the others? If this is true, then... I can't keep that from them. You understand that, don't you? I can't lie to them, they're... They're my family."

(More so than most of the Asylum, having been raised and trained together; and if this was really the truth, then that connection was even stronger than she'd thought.)

"Somehow, I'm more confused now than I was when this all started... But thank you, Roe. I believe you, I just... I cant believe this."

There was a long silence when Thalia brought up her family. ...Right. He...He didn't have an answer about that. He felt as confused as he was the day she had started talking about them - but he hadn't bothered to question Apollo and Selene about it. It hadn't been his business. He would have assumed that the two had chosen to simply adopt her but...What he knew about Selene was that it wasn't like her, and Thalia looked to much like them for it to be by chance he felt. A soft meow of confusion escaped him as he furrowed his brow. "I...Right. I don't know what is going on with your parents. I-I never asked them about it, bu-but I assure you that you were one of the...Kidnapped kits," he admitted, shaking his head. "Maybe its best you bring it up to them. Its not my place to..." He drifted off as she brought up Pyrik, the others. He straightened up as she pressed to telling them the truth, a small smile crossing his face. "...Yeah, yeah we should tell them. I'll be willing to share everything again. T-To give it more truthful weight. Not that I think they would doubt you! But...Its the least I can do for them, after carrying this lie with me for so long..." He sighed, although he truly felt better now that it was in the air. But there was also a sense of worry - what he had just unleashed upon them. He had heard about how tensions were rising in the Clans, there was already hints of some 'loyality' issues with certain Asylum cats seeming close with Clan cats and... "We...We will have to be careful. I don't know if the rest of Asylum will be happy that you...They might question your loyalty and I..." His ears slicked back as Thalia meowed that she believed him. "...I'm sorry. I just thought a confusing truth was better than a comfortable lie. I might have just caused more trouble but I couldn't bring myself to...Like you said, they - we - are family. I'm here for you, Thalia, no matter what."

"You're right," Thalia nodded, turning over his words in her mind. "Sometimes the truth is difficult to hear, or it's confusing and misplaces everything you thought you knew and understood... But that doesn't mean you can avoid it. So, thank you for letting me see it for myself. And we'll definitely be careful - I'll probably run into most of them while I'm patrolling the borders, so I'll just tell them to meet us here in a few days, and the actual explanation can wait. ...Still, if anyone here thinks I'd pick the clans over this, they're more confused than I've ever been," she mused. Really, the clans had offered her nothing but heartbreak and now super confusing mysteries to solve; there just wasn't much positivity to be found among them, in her experience.

"I'll see about setting up a meeting here in a few days, but right now... Right now, I think I need to have a long talk with my parents."

And, hopefully, get some more answers.

Roe nodded as she spoke, a small smile on his face although it wavered for all but a moment when she stressed that she wouldn't pick the Clans over Asylum. "Of course not," he meowed quickly - perhaps to quickly, "You are a loyal Asylum cat. And...I'll be here," he meowed, giving a small shrug of his shoulders. "The rest of my pack has been out doing things so not like I have really anywhere to go myself... And I wish you luck with that talk," he said, pushing himself to his paws. He turned, heading back to the fresh-kill pile as his smile faded. He could feel his heart sinking - but not for her, but for him. Doubts swam in his head, before he shook his head. No, he couldn't be doubtful. Things were going to be fine, it had to be. Things were getting tense but Eris and the others were certain they knew how to put an end to it. He just...Had to have faith. But as he had just admitted the truth to Thalia, a single question bubbled in the back of his head.

What lies had he been told?