The Liberation of Thunderclan [Clan Plot Topic]

Batbite stumbled into camp, fur matted and somewhat bloody. The adrenaline that had powered her through the fight was fading - a sensation she was, by now, far too familiar with - but the battle was won, at least. Distantly, past the blur of pain and exhaustion and the thrill of simply being alive (the thrill she always felt after a major battle), she was aware that she hadn't seen her family in some time. She kept close to Minkstream, but she wondered how their kits had fared while their parents were trapped.

(On the way out of Fourtrees she had noticed, with some degree of grim satisfaction, that both the Asylum's leader - Eris - and the cat who had captured her and Minkstream - Theron - were lying still on the ground.)

"We made it," she sighed. "We made it out alive. We made it home."

(Not all of them had. They had lost one of their own. The rebel leader - Beecloud, Ferretnose's son. The memory of her friend chilled her, if only for a moment. Who was going to tell her that her son was dead?)

Quaildock followed behind his mother, often going up to help her back to camp. In all honesty he hadn't felt he'd done enough. The mass battle confused him, and he barely what was going on until after the battle. Until after Beecloud was killed. They had won, but at what cost? He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He shouldn't worry about that right now. His main priority as one of the few uninjured cats, was to help those who were injured, and drive out the remaining Asylum cats. He turned his gaze back towards his mother and tilted his head. "Hey mom, do you want me to help you and dad to the medicine cat's den? You look pretty roughed up." Quaildock offered.

After the battle, the young tom hadn’t known where to go. He couldn’t return to the Asylum, (what was left of it, anyways) after fighting against them. Griffon wanted to find his family. Hopefully they would accept him, let him live with the rest of their clan. He couldn’t find it in him to leave his pelt, something he had worked so hard for. He slid it across his back. Maybe he could find a place to keep it. As the clans started to leave, he waited. After a few moments, he followed Thunderclan back, substantially behind them. He didn’t want to intrude on their victory.

He doubted he was from Thunderclan, someone would have recognized him, like they had with Thalia. But he wasn’t sure where the other clans were, and he wasn’t ready to search yet. He arrived in a cheering camp, full of smiles and loud celebrations. He paused, unsure. He had caused so much pain to these cats, unknowingly. They had been told they were in the right, but now he could see how wrong the Asylum had been.

Nervously, he stepped through the entrance, clearing his throat. "Er- I don’t mean to intrude on your celebrating, and I’m sure you’re quite sick of the Asylum," he chuckled, "But I was stolen from a clan. Moons ago, when I was a kit. And, well, I want to find them. If anybody knows where I may have came from, I would really appreciate the help." he explained loudly, shuffling his paws.

Thunderclan had been nice enough, to each other at least. Hopefully someone would help him?

Kestrelpaw rushed from where he had been nervously laying awake as soon as he heard multiple pawsteps enter the camp. His family's familiar figures came into view and he wasted no time to scamper over and greet them. Relief was evident on his face as he rapidly checked them over for any life-threatening injuries. "Mom! Dad! Quaildock! Are you all alright? What happened? Are any of you seriously injured? Is the Asylum really gone?" he asked without missing a beat. His forest green eyes closed as he let out the breath he didn't even know he was holding. They were home. They were safe. They didn't leave him alone. Thank StarClan they came back.

The tom offered each of them a pained yet grateful smile. Thank StarClan indeed. He wouldn't know what to do if they hadn't come back to him. He had already felt so alone being the only apprentice left in the family. He felt like he'd never catch up. Now, that didn't matter to him. The only things, or should he say cats, that mattered were standing right in front of him, still breathing.

Snatches of peaceful sleep were as fleeting as the sun's rays on a dreary leaf-bare day. Kitefire was as nestled into her nest as she possibly could be, stirring slightly every now and then as if fighting the measures of relief rest brought about. There was constantly something prickling at the warrior's spine and keeping her on guard. Even as she had further grown used to Asylum's presence on account of general familiarity, the she-cat was ever cautious of the dangers that could be but a mere breath away. Her good ear was tipped up as usual with the deafened side pressed into dried moss bedding. For this reason, she was able to catch the sounds of the camp stirring at once. Excitement began to buzz like Thunderclan at sunhigh. Within a few moments, Kitefire was to her paws.

Trotting swiftly from the den and tipping her head all the way, the russet warrior quickly picked up on what had went on. The words hit her ear but there was a moment before they were truly digested. Asylum was... gone? The occupation had lasted for nearly half her life. Kitefire stopped short with her paws rooted firmly to the earth. Was it real? Were they truly free? Her gaze flickered about the camp as she begun to take in the uncertain looks of the Asylum cats. Slowly, they began to turn tail and run as Thunderclan stirred. Whatever somber looks might have been writ across the face of her kin went above her head. Slowly, a broad smile begun to etch its way across her maw. They were free. No longer would she have to look over her shoulder in her or camp or tread lightly near the borders.

The borders.

Something swelled up in her chest, a primal need stirring her step away from this place, away from the clan she had been born ever so devoted to. This thing, it called her to the taste of water on the wind and the babbling of the frigid river; it called her to the warmth found at the chest of the most agitating tom she had ever met. Sand coated her throat at the realization. Her clan was being freed from their oppressors and all she wanted to do was see Jayshriek, to make sure he was okay. Kitefire's gaze darkened slightly as she turned to a neatly hidden break in the camp wall. It was the perfect size for a cat whose frame matched that of an apprentice. All her life she had stuck close to the pelts of clanmates and stuck in the shadows of larger cats without a thought, striving to cover her insecurities.

But as Kitefire burst from the camp and raced through the forest underneath the vibrant rays of sunrise peeking through the barren tree tops... she thought of none of those things. Her mind was far too preoccupied with the thought of his rasping voice and the sight of his midnight coat.

"Batbite!" a tiny voice squealed as Ferretnose trotted forward to tap her nose to her dear old friend's. "You're alive! Stars, I thought for sure they'd... oh, what does it matter? Is it true? Tell me it's true! Goodness gracious, is that her fur?"

Her failing eyesight surely must have betrayed her, she thought, as she bent down to sniff the tuft. After all, it really did carry the odd scent of the Asylum (and by extension, Eris). There was another smell attached to the bundle of fur, something strangely familiar. Returning to Batbite, she made quick work of trying to lick the muck from her cheek, to no avail. Her heart lifted high into the sky, and she felt every muscle in her body relax until the ache in her tense shoulders and hind legs disappeared entirely. It was the first time she felt she could sit still in moons, without the paranoia or hypervigilance following her.

She began to piece together the events of the night. "Quaildock! Shrikesong! How on earth did those two sneak out of here without being caught? And... oh, where's Beecloud?"

Ferretnose's head swung wildly around, seeking him more by nose than by eyes. She cocked her head, confused, and turned back towards Batbite. "I knew he had something to do with this, you know," she grumbled. "And he kept it all a secret. From his own mother! I mean, what did he think I was going to do? Run my mouth? I'm not dense, ya know!"

And yet, no lumbering, bearlike figure appeared behind the procession. Ferretnose's wide smile twitched. "Where'd he go? Really."

"What, us?" Batbite laughed at Quaildock and Kestrelpaw's respective approaches, channeling what remained of her energy. Seeing her beloved kits again certainly helped, at least. "We've lived through worse, I promise you. Most of this isn't even mine," she gestured faintly to the blood on her fur. Whether it was true remained to be seen, but that made for the better story, and - well, she'd always had a flair for the dramatic. Settling on the ground where she was standing, she shifted until she'd settled into a more comfortable position. "I think I'll be just fine if I stay right here."

(If she had it her way, she wouldn't move at all until the sunrise after next.)

It was then that her old friend - the one she'd just been thinking of, whether the stars were smiling or mocking her she'd never know for sure - approached, with the expected barrage of questions. The reunion was appreciated, if tinged with sadness from their current situation. "Well, yes. Still alive. It would be rather concerning if I weren't, I think, given that I'm right here with the rest of you. How our rescuers managed it - well, you'd have to ask them, I suppose. What I do know is that Eris is dead, as is the cursed cat who caught us, and that I am exhausted."

The remembrance of Beecloud's death sombered her, if only for a moment. "...There's something else you need to know. Eris fell, yes... But she didn't fall alone. She took one of our own with her. Beecloud... He led the charge, but..." She sighed deeply. It didn't do well for her, when she was trying so hard to remain optimistic, to be the bearer of such bad news. But she certainly wasn't about to lie. "I'm sorry, Ferretnose. He's not coming home."

It was slowly coming back.

As they traveled through the forest, the scents of leaf mould and bark - with a hint of green growth - wound past his tongue, slowly bleeding away the clinging nightmare of rot and death, misery and blood that still stuck to his pelt. Slowly, slowly he came back to life, even as his pawsteps plodded beside those of his mate. He stayed close, brushing his pelt to hers - though whether it was him supporting her or her supporting him was a little hard to tell. Honestly - by the bands of agony that still tightened around his skull and ached in the red, bleeding scratches on his neck - it was probably the latter.

He didn't reply to her murmur; he couldn't, really - not around the lump of mixed emotions that mostly consisted of relief and joy. A simple nudge of his nose into her pelt was enough. The whole thing was fading like a bad dream, anyway. Scattered, blurry images ran through his mind - fragments of being confined somewhere, and despair that choked at his throat. Had there been... fighting?

Daris's question broke through his thoughts, and he blinked up at the welcoming walls of the ravine, the camp suddenly around them. When had they gotten there? Must've missed coming down the path into the ravine. Somehow. It didn't matter. It was like coming home.

It was coming home.

Another welcome voice called urgently, and he came to a slightly swaying standstill as Kerath nosed over them, relief in his words even as his questions almost completely flew over his father's head. Lightness whirled in Minkstream's mind, and a smile lit up his muzzle, a chuckle that felt undeniably good welling up in his chest at Bat's reply to the both of them, and he practically collapsed next to her. "You should've seen the other guy," He purred, the smile turning to a dopey grin as he glanced up from the ground, the whole world a fluffy mess of airy colours and scents - joyous yowls and relieved reunions. Actually, I can't remember what happened to him. It was probably bad, knowing us. "The amount of times this has happened I'm a little surprised we're not dead."

---

The dark of night was always cold now. Shadows always paced, prickles always running over her pelt. No one knew where Beecloud had gone - just like no one knew where her parents were - and she shivered in her nest in the apprentices' den, eyes staring at nothing in particular, her mind tired but unable to sleep.

And then yowls.

The whole camp erupted in yowls and cheering and chatter, and her head whipped up, ears almost bumping into a stray strand of the bush arching over her head. What-? Is Asylum-? What?! In a moment she leapt up, scrambling over nests and other deep-sleeping apprentices in her haste to get out, the scent of her brother trailing ahead. Bursting free, her wide blue eyes caught the shadows of pelts, crystal clear as they shambled down into the ravine. And among them...

"MUM! DAD!"

Her yowl broke through the noise all around, shockingly loud from as it ripped from her throat - a desperately joyful cry that cracked as she blurred forwards and practically cannoned into her parents, purring fiercely as she shoved her face into their pelts. Wetness muddied her sight, throat so tight and purring so loud she couldn't speak.

"You're back - you're back...."

Another voice made her look up, blinking away the water in her eyes to see Ferretnose. And then it hit her. Where... where's Beecloud? Her ears came erect, gaze looking past her parents at the others that had filed into the camp and expecting to see his comforting, massive form padding in, Robinloft at his side. Robinloft was there.

Beecloud wasn't.

Something crept slowly into her throat from her chest - a tendril of fear - winding up and around her neck with a coldness that sucked away the joy of the moment. Her eyes twitched to Batbite, pulling back and searching her face as her mother spoke. And she knew.

Something like a hole slowly and silently opened up within her, paws plunging into a void that didn't so much hurt as feel... numb. "He's... gone...?" Like Dock had gone? Her mentor wasn't coming back. Something about that felt wrong, like a limb had been chopped off when she wasn't looking. Her thoughts floundered and stilled, the ground that she'd stood on falling away.

"Why...?" It was barely a whisper that passed her lips, a struggle caught between joy and relief at her parents return colliding with the sudden gut-punch of her mentor's death leaving her floating, somewhere between in the space emotions didn't touch. "H-how...?"

---

An earsplitting yowl cracked through the air, and Minkstream winced, ear twitching as his gaze came around just in time to see a blur of red-and-white hurl itself at him and Batbite. A surprised grunt burst free of his lungs, a laugh following it with another wince as their daughter pushed herself fiercely onto them, purring so loud he was almost reminded of Dacedream's monster purr. "Hey Liri," He murmured, before his attention was taken away from the reunion to see Ferretnose pad up.

Ferretnose.

Blood. Two large forms lying still flitted through his mind's eye.

Yes - yes, there had been fighting. And they'd lost someone. They'd lost a hero.

His smile faltered, a twinge tugging at his chest. Batbite sighed, breaking the news as softly as anyone could, and Lirista's purr abruptly faded. Hoisting himself partially back to a sitting position, he nuzzled her as she whispered, her blue eyes - darkened by the night - almost unseeing. His own, suddenly more tired than he'd felt even just before, turned to Batbite, unspoken words and the exhaustion of their experience in his gaze. There was no way to soften the death of a kit.

With a quiet breath of his own, he turned to Ferretnose, his muddled head not really offering anything comforting for him to say, despite how he willed it to. "He did it for the Clans. He died a hero," He quietly said in the end.

Small comfort that was for those left behind.

Shrikesong gazed around ThunderClan camp. It was surreal thinking about what she and the rest of the clans had accomplished by working together. Perhaps her silly old plan wasn’t even needed in the grand scheme of things. But still, there had been one thing that bothered her, one thing that stuck out to her for moons. A thing that she had pushed away before which came back. She sighed, sitting down in ThunderClan camp. There was something… wrong with her, and she knew it. She shouldn’t have cared as much as she did about it. They weren’t responsible for Harefoot’s death at all, as he died from natural causes. Laurelkit being taken away by them was a pure coincidence, since you blamed every single bad thing that happened on Asylum.

Shrikesong cowered, not to anyone that she could see, but to her mind. You need help. You need to find someone, someone who’s willing to listen, willing to help. Eventually, her mind took a softer tone. I know that you can do this. It doesn’t have to be now, but you should ask someone for help when this is all over. She covered her face, making sure that no cat was able to see the tears she was crying. She would show everyone what she was feeling, but now wasn’t the time.

Noticing Kitefire run away from ThunderClan was another painful blow, more painful than the wounds given to her from the battle.  Perhaps the tom from RiverClan that her sister had talked about was indeed someone she cared about. You could have admitted that you liked him. I wouldn't have judged you for it. But instead you ran away from us, where you grew up, to be with him. If that was going to be your plan the whole time, at least tell us that. Or are we not as important as that RiverClan tom?

Really, Shrikesong needed help. She needed another cat who she could talk with, one who could understand. Her sister left for RiverClan, her uncle Beecloud was dead due to Asylum, and the hatred of Asylum that used to fill up her mind... disappeared. It left her with nothing.

Asylum had fallen.

It felt like it had all happened in the space of a heartbeat. Clan cats snuck out, Eris was killed. He had no home. No place in the world. All of Yew's great plans for his life had crumbled to pieces beneath his feet. First it was Dawnhawk letting him down. Of course, the moment he had built everything up for was nowhere near what he had expected and left him lost. And alone. He could go search for Ivory in Shadowclan, or Eos in Riverclan, but where would he go after that? The clans didn't want him, he was sure of that, but he didn't care - he didn't want them either.

So he had to run. Before anyone chased him out first. He was no Nightstriker, and although his fighting skills were okay, he was still young and would be no match for an experienced warrior.

Thunderclan was too busy mourning to notice him melt away into the shadows, and once he was out of sight, he ran as fast as his long limbs could carry him. He didn't know where exactly he was going, just that it was far from everything else. Surely his training would be enough for him to look after himself.

----

Dappleleaf couldn't believe her ears at the news. They were free? However, her excitement faltered when she heard Beecloud wasn't returning. No doubt Ferretnose would grieve the loss of her son. The whole clan would. A young Asylum tom standing in the camp entrance caught her attention, and at first she backed away, confused as to why he was still there. Surely they would all want to flee, with their leader dead and the clans freed.

A missing kit. So that was why. Young cats were as curious as ever, and not without reason. He had been lied to for a while about his true origins, so he was obviously interested in them. "I may be able to help." She said, warily approaching him. "What's your name? I'm sure the clan you were taken from would be glad to have you back." She hoped that Laurelkit (or whatever she went by now) would at least visit in the future, even if it wasn't to stay.

By now, Thrushnose had come to associate commotion with some new atrocity courtesy of Asylum. ThunderClan had nothing else to yowl about, these days. And so she’d braced herself, gathered all of her strength to meet whatever horror would greet her outside with as straight a face as she could manage, before stepping into the light. A swarm of warriors (and a few lost-looking rogues nearby) all talking at once. Pelted cats fleeing through the tunnel in droves. Her mind grabbed at voices and threads of conversation, reducing the scene before her to bits and pieces as if that would make it any easier to understand.

It’s…over? But how—

There’s so much blood, what did they do—

When did Quail get out, wasn’t he here when I fell asleep, I should have been listening—

Sight broke through the static again. Thrushnose, blinking once in case she wasn’t as awake as she’d tried to be, looked up—and ground to a halt in the mouth of the warriors’ den, stone to the tip of her tail.

Focused as she’d been on refusing to imagine her parents dead, she’d forgotten they could come home alive.

A list of to-dos whirled through the back of her mind. Help the injured settle into Daisybloom’s den. Comb every inch of forest (alone, alone for the first time in moons) for the few healing herbs she recognized and the sparse beginnings of lavender, mint if she could find it. Hunt to feed her weakened, grieving Clanmates, as a responsible warrior would. Keep moving at any cost. Keep moving.

When Thrushnose tore her paws free of the earth, they carried her forward. She paused just long enough to search the cats before her for anything visibly broken or raw. Then, gingerly, she pushed her face into the gap between her parents’ pelts, into the blood and dust and whatever else had gotten tangled in their fur. Scents she refused to name flooded her nose. It didn’t change a thing. “You’re here.” Her voice wobbled, the only slip she could allow. Though Asylum had fallen, there was still work to be done in putting ThunderClan back together.

"Mom!" Songpaw cried, rushing forward upon the sight of her mother. Tears filled her eyes and she buried her head into her mother's chest. Bright amber eyes looked at Robinloft, hopeful and happy for the first time since kithood. "Where's dad?" Songpaw peered around her mom, blinking four times. Why wasn't he here?
Then she heard Batbite's words to her grandma, to Ferretnose.

"B-but he can't be dead he was.. he was just alive! He was alive last night, he.. he can't be dead. He wouldn't leave with...without saying goodbye.." Songpaw wailed, soft at first then increasing in volume. It was an empty hollow sound, punctuated by shuddering breathes in between. This was all a misunderstanding. Beecloud couldn't be dead. He just couldn't be.

Putting one shaky paw in front of the other, Robinloft staggered into camp, only able to walk with the aide of one her clanmates by her side.

At some point while being dragged back to camp she had woken up, confused to find herself somewhere different from Fourtrees. Refusing to make another cat carry her now that she was awake, she got up and began to walk [although it was closer to a limp]. Listening to the murmur of cats around her, she began to recall the events that lead up to her collapse. It was as if her thoughts began to blur together, her mind becoming nothing but an empty void. Her walking became more unsteady and shaky, causing her to lean onto another cat for support.

Now she was back at camp, the place she longed to see for moons now, but it didn't feel welcoming in the slightest. She imagined coming home being something happy and exciting, but now it didn't even feel like home anymore. Even though her other clanmates began to appear from the dens, it felt cold and empty. Then, a flash of warmth. Songpaw. 'No... no' Tears welled in her eyes as she watched her daughter run over to her, putting her head on top of her daughters when she buried her face into her chest. Then she spoke. "Where's dad?"

She broke, falling to the ground in front of Songpaw, partly because of how weak her limbs still were. Voice still broken and hoarse, she cried out. "He's n-not coming back, Songpaw. He's... He's..." The words were as if she was trying to tell herself the truth, as if she'd just now realized. Beecloud really was dead. He really wasn't coming back. He truly was gone, and she wished there was something more she could have done.

As Songpaw began to wail, she joined her with a silent sob, scooting closer to her in an attempt to provide comfort. "I'm so sorry" She murmured, digging her muzzle into Songpaw's fur. She knew it would be just as hard for Songpaw, if not harder to deal with losing Beecloud.

Somewhere in the background she heard Ferretnose. She could only imagine what she was going through.

---

Amber eyes set on his paws, Stag followed Thunderclan back to their camp, sticking around near the back of the group. He was still replaying the battle through his mind, he had been trained his entire life to be in a battle like that but it was so disturbing to him. The amount of death was gut wrenching. No matter how uncomfortable he was at the amount of blood on his paws, that wasn't the biggest thing on his mind.

The Asylum was gone.

They were finally free from a prison that he didn't realize existed until a few hours ago. But the question was where did he go from here?

Following the clans through the camp entrance, he looked around to find the rest of the clan emerging from their dens, expressions ranging from happiness to grief and despair. He couldn't help but feel guilty. Beecloud, the cat he had helped pin down for Eris to rip to shreds, was dead. It was painful to see the reactions around the clearing, and he had to admit, he himself was feeling grief. He felt like he didn't have the right, that he wasn't allowed because of what he had done all those moons ago, but he did.

A sorrowful expression on his face, he turned his attention to Girffon, who's voice he had picked up amongst the rest. He'd heard a she-cat reply, but didn't exactly make out what she had said. Padding over to the two, he joined them, more nervous than ever. Before he chimed in, there was something her needed to get off his chest. "I would... just like to start out by saying i'm sorry... for everything that i've done." He paused, squeezing his eyes shut. He could only hope he didn't make a fool out of himself, almost every time he spoke he did. "Back when i... Back when i helped Eris with Beecloud, i didn't know how bad the Asylum actually was. I thought of them as my family, when i saw Beecloud attack Akhlut, i saw him attacking my family. But i hope my assist during the battle made up for any bit of it, and if you'll be kind enough, help me, too, find my real family." He slowly opened his eyes, hoping he didn't mess up any of it. "It's not as if i deserve your help, but it would mean the world to me if you did."

Griffon was relieved to hear that the elder was willing to help. He wasn’t sure if he would stay, but he wanted to find out who his family was. It was a part of him that had always been missing. He wondered what it would feel like, finding out. "My name’s Griffon. I think I had a different name, back in the clans, though. I’ve never been anywhere besides Thunderclan and the Asylum camp. All I know is that I was taken from the clans, when I was really small." he explained to the she-cat.

Stag, another one of the stolen kits, seemed to share the feelings the Standard had. He smiled, nodding. "We didn’t know, we didn’t mean to hurt anyone. They told us we were in the right, and we believed them. But whatever ties I had to the Asylum, I don’t want them to remain. They hurt too many innocent cats."