The Liberation of Shadowclan [Clan Plot Topic]

Mistyfalcon and his group made it to camp as the sun rose, the tired warriors trudging along in silence until his yowl split the air, stirring his clanmates into wakefulness.

"Eris is dead! The Asylum has fallen!"

It was later than most of them would have preferred to be up, but it couldn't be helped. They'd all get to go to their nests soon enough, and be able to sleep without shadows watching over them. They were free.

Well, mostly free. Rogues still lingered around camp, but they would not linger long. He was all too happy to make sure of that.

Mistyfalcon bared his teeth, finding immense joy in being able to finally chase away the rogues that had overran Shadowclan's territory for moons. One of the Asylum guards bristled as the dark-furred warrior stalked toward him before he turned and ran. Mistyfalcon had seen the wide-eyed look he'd given the patrol as they padded into camp, had seen the shock in his expression as he'd seen cats the clan and Asylum both had thought goners return. Malnourished and worse-for-wear, but alive and back where they belonged.

Asylum's reign was over.

When a Clan awakens in the night and there was confusion about the cats to be sent on the Moonhigh patrol, it wasn't hard to realize that something was dangerous amidst. Flintstar's deputy was gone - and not that just, one of his most loyal warriors. Both were gone without a real trace and even the Asylum cats seemed unnerved by it. Flintstar had done his best to step up and take care of requirements, but was now lurking in his den as he tried to figure out what to do with two more of his warriors missing. A rare growl escaped him, claws digging into his nest as he was growing tired of bending to Asylum's will. As much as he hated them, he would even welcome back Gatherings if it meant his Clan would be free and safe again.

That was when voices - familiar and a welcome sound - caught his ear, steady growing louder as the message they held hit him. Asylum was no more. The leader pushed himself to his den, storming out the entrance and into the camp proper as he saw Mistyfalcon step into the camp. "Mistyfalcon, you are alright!" he called out, feeling something - he assumed relief - at the sight of his loyal warrior. He could spot a few wounds on him but it didn't seem anything major. "Tell me what transpired," he ordered as he stepped into the center of the camp, straightening up as he faced the arriving cats. "You say this...Eris is dead and Asylum is no more. How? What happened?"

Oakshade's eyes snapped open and he quickly sat up after the commotion that was happening outside the elder's den reached his ears. He quickly blinked away the grogginess from sleep and slowly got up to his paws, subconsciously mindful of his injured right leg. The elder tom, with very minimal unsteadiness, made his way over to the congregating group of cats.

"The Asylum has fallen? Is this true? How did that happen?" inquired the old cat, eyes narrowing in slight suspicion. It all seemed too good to be true. If it was true, he'd feel more relieved than he's ever been. If Eris was truly dead... please, Starclan, let it be so. They wanted their freedom from all the Asylum cats breathing down their necks at every little movement they made. The Asylum's 'reign' had weathered them all down quite a bit and it would definitely be a joyous occasion if there was no more of that.

"Tell me you all came back relatively unharmed. You youngsters deserve your rest... after your explanation of course." he quickly added as his good eye began to scan the arriving group for any major injuries. He felt his fatherly instincts kick in as he noticed how exhausted Mistyfalcon and his group were.

Batglow heaved out a heavy sigh, as he pushed himself towards the warriors den. It seemed he was running all over the place due to the sudden disappearance of other warriors. Mistyfalcon being one of them.. The lanky black tom was worried to say the least. He didn't want his friend taken.. or worse dead by the paws of Asylum. Yellow green eyes closed for a moment as the tom prayed the others were okay wherever they were only to be interrupted by a call.

Asylum had fallen? Wait.. he knew that voice. Batglow instantly stopped on his way to the warriors den, yellow green eyes going wide as be saw his clanmate standing just in the camp declaring Eris dead. But mostly the warrior was happy his friend was safe, and not dead. They were all free.

Despite being tired, and his original intent on getting some rest, Batglow raced forward with a new found energy. Once he was close enough he leapt and tackled his friend to the ground. "You're alive!" The tom shouted.

Mistyfalcon allowed a quiet sigh of relief to escape him at the sight of Flintstar. The leader looked almost... concerned. It was then that Mistyfalcon realized maybe not telling the leader what the plan had been might have had something to do with it. Both Flintstar and Oakshade were asking questions, ones that Mistyfalcon had the answers to. He wasn't generally the most talkative cat... But Flintstar needed to know. At least this way he'd have an audience... And maybe he wouldn't need to repeat himself.

"Long st-- oof!" Mistyfalcon went to speak, and suddenly he was on the ground. "Batglow! Let me up!" He laughed. Yes, he was alive. They all were... Excepting Beecloud.

Mistyfalcon untangled himself from Batglow and sat. He really didn't feel like standing, and being vertical for even that short amount of time had made him realize just how tired he was.

"Beecloud of Thunderclan attacked me while I was patrolling the thunderpath. He'd somehow figured out that the Asylum didn't care to intervene in border fights, so we were able to talk while sparring. We used this to pass messages between the clans, right under their noses." Tanglerose had been with him on that patrol when he'd first been 'attacked.' How different things could have turned out if she'd realized what they were doing and had told her superiors. Mistyfalcon risked a glance in the foul traitor's direction, a feral smirk curving his lips.

"Beecloud received a sign; to kill the snake, you must cut off it's head. The viper's den was where Silverpelt shines brightest." He continued, "He figured out it had to be Fourtrees. Why else would the Asylum keep us from there if they weren't using it for something? We all met on the thunderpath last night, prepared to ambush the Asylum, but ran into an Asylum tom, Roe. He told us that Asylum was gathering there, and that they had been keeping all of their prisoners at fourtrees this entire time." He didn't need to speak on the treatment of the captives. Murkystrike was proof of it. The kindhearted she-cat had been imprisoned for nothing. She hadn't deserved it, any of it.

"Roe also told us that the kits that had gone missing, moons ago... They'd been taken by the Asylum and trained, then sent back to the clans to help Asylum take over. Deliberately assigned to different clans from where they'd been taken from so nobody would know or recognize them. They were lied to, and this tom had apparently told them the truth." Mistyfalcon gave his head a slight shake, "We continued on to fourtrees, and Roe... wasn't wrong. We stormed the clearing, and as we freed the captives and attacked the guards, their numbers turned against them. Between the stolen kits and all the prisoners they had taken, we actually outnumbered them there. Eris and one of her captains were killed, as was Beecloud, while others were driven off. Roe ordered what remained of the Asylum to stand down. Said the clans would go free and that the Asylum was done. The rest of the mousehunt are probably telling their clanmates the same, if they've made it back to their camps."

Mistyfalcon finished his recount, feeling more haggard with each word he spoke. He just prayed that he wasn't about to get in trouble for the very real danger he'd willingly put himself in.

The journey from Fourtrees to ShadowClan's camp had never seemed to long. The mud of the marshes sucked at her paws more than usual, and she stumbled more than she would admit to any cat. Finally, though, after what felt like ages, the scent of many cats reached her nose. Home. Using a final spurt of energy, she trailed in at the tail end of the group as Mistyfalcon shared his story. A tale of hidden messages disguised as border skirmishes... How long had that been going on? Did it start before or after she was imprisoned? The tom went on to explain what she already knew, and her legs gave out from under her as he finished his story. Days of being stuck inside a thorny cage that was far too small with not nearly enough water and even less food had taken it's toll, and her usually fluffy, full pelt was plastered in a muddy mess to a skeleton frame. Adrenaline had kept her going for this long, but now she was home.... And it was gone. She didn't even have the energy to curl up in place, and instead remained sprawled where she had landed, focusing completely on trying to stay awake. She couldn't miss this.

Ivory had been attempting to snatch a bird from a branch when the news struck her ears. The tortoiseshell point she-cat stopped abruptly what she was doing and stared. She didn't quite believe the words. Warriors came into the camp... one of them Mistyfalcon. She liked him... but...

She dropped to the floor of the forest and approached, listening to what he had to say. As his story went on, icy fear gripped her bones and threatened to suffocate her where she stood. She could see shadows of other Asylum cats in her peripherals, but it looked like quite a few of them were retreating. But how could she?

"W-which captain died?" She asked, though she had struggled to speak for a moment. Her fear of what these clan cats might do to her now was almost too strong for her to overcome... but she needed to know if her father was dead. They hadn't been particularly close... as he more or less dismissed her during his Captain Ceremony, but she still needed to know. "Was there a tortoiseshell she-cat there too? Someone may have known her name... Eosphoros?"

An Asylum cat flicked their tail at her in the distance. It was a warning to run, to retreat. But Ivory shook her head. She would stay and get these answers. If she needed to fight her way out and fight for her life, then she would.

He was tired and very much wanted to drag himself off to his nest for the day. So of course there were questions.

Of course it was the inquisitive and talkative Ivory to ask. She should have been retreating with her fellow rogues but maybe she wanted the full story first. She'd always had a strange interest in clan life and had been far more helpful than some of the other rogues were, but she was still one of them. Mistyfalcon didn't have the energy to think on why she was still here, nor did he have the energy to growl at her.

"She was wearing a... badger pelt, I think. I wasn't close enough to see much else. Pyrik- Emberkit and some Riverclanners were fighting a tortoiseshell that crawled off." What seemed like half of the Asylum had been comprised of tortoiseshells and calicos. She'd only stood out because Pyrik had been fighting her. If Ivory wanted to know more, she'd need to be specific... And not ask him when he had been fighting off a yawn for most of his explanation. Something that was growing more evident in his voice than he'd like to admit as he'd spoken for the last few minutes.

Tired blue eyes turned to Murkystrike, who'd sprawled next to him. If she hadn't been so thin and ragged, if she hadn't looked even more exhausted than he'd felt, the sight might have won a smile from the tired tom. Now though, his dark gaze only searched for Rookfire's black and white pelt among the cats, his tail pointedly flicking as he met the medicine cat's eyes briefly.

Faizah rushed in to camp with wide eyes, coughing and struggling to breathe as she had run. But she couldn't worry about that. She needed to find Tavora. She needed to make sure she was okay. She looked around the camp, but she could not see the gray pelt anywhere.

"Where is Tavora? One of you must know! She was one of you, surely you must care for her! I must know if my mother is safe!"

Mistyfalcon's call rang in the air, and Rookfire nodded. Matting down his fur, the black-and-white tom listened to the conversation from afar. He wasn't close enough to see Murkystrike's body, though he knew her general location. Upon Mistyfalcon locking eyes with him, he began walking towards the cats. "Okay, so Murkystrike..." he trailed off, noticing the horrendous condition that she was in. "THAT'S how Asylum treated her?!"

Grabbing the unconscious she-cat by the scruff, the tom began dragging her body to the medicine den. Thankfully, it seemed like she was just asleep, though the tom would not recommend sleeping in the condition she was in. "Excuse me while I take Murkystrike to the medicine den. Crowcall, if you're around here, you should stay in the medicine den as well." He didn't see Crowcall around, so he hoped that the dark gray tom was here to speak about it. Probably travelling herbs would help give them some strength, and I will tell Flintstar that they should have the same eating priorities as kits and elders, since they are in such bad shape.

Ivory didn't mean to look or sound as relieved as she did, but she visibly relaxed and exhaled. She didn't realize she had held her breath. Dawnhawk was still alive then. Good. A kit came bolting out asking about Tavora. Ivory had only seen Iniko's mate once... and that was awhile ago. "I haven't seen her yet..." She spoke gently to the kit, not realizing that it might make the situation worse. Ivory did a quick scan of the camp and nearby, but she didn't spot the gray pelt of the last Standard Captain's mate.

"I hope my mother is okay too... was that tortoise shell wearing a white hare pelt?" She asked Mistyfalcon, knowing that he was tired but she needed to know more. More and more Asylum cats were scurrying off, but Ivory remained. It felt wrong to leave. She had grown accustomed to the gloominess of the Camp and the soft earth beneath her paws. She spent more time here than she had in the Asylum Camp.

If the Asylum is gone... where do I have to go? Her eyes traveled to Flintstar and she wondered... What if he lets me stay? She'd been helpful in Shadowclan. She regularly filled the freshkill pile and kept predators at bay. The Shadowclanners might not like her as much as she liked them... but she did still like them regardless.

She would hate to leave Shadowclan behind.

Teeth gripped her scruff, and Murkystrike's tail lashed once before she relaxed, allowing Rookfire to take her to the medicine cat den. Once there, she settled into an open nest and closed her eyes to the world, falling into a deep, restful sleep for the first time in moons. She was finally home.

Flintstar sighed as Mistyfalcon's report was interrupted by Batglow leaping at the tom in joy, the leader simply twitching his whiskers as his expression remained as neutral as ever. He waited patiently - although his claws couldn't help but dig at the ground beneath him as he refrained from kneading in such an important moment - for the battle-worn warrior to untangle himself and sit up, finally launching into his report. His ear twitched as the warrior explained the line of communication that was found, of a sign that led them to Fourtrees. Of an Asylum tom who told them everything of...

There was almost a noticeable reaction out of the leader at the mention of the kits, Flintstar straightening up a little at the mention. They...Were alive? He...He had tried not to think much of them when there had been no trace - having a loose feeling of what his brother and Ebonysong went through as the leader himself had lost a few kits of natural causes before then. He was not a tom of hope - no, he was a tom of bitter reality. He had assumed the worse. ...Hm. He said nothing, as Mistyfalcon was still going on with his report of events - of the battle that had followed, of Eris' and this Beecloud of ThunderClan's death...And now Asylum was to stand down and leave them be. They were...Free? It was an odd feeling, coming to terms with it. The leader said nothing as questions were throw at Mistyfalcon, the cats speaking among themselves. He even said nothing as Murkystrike was dragged away to the medicine cat den.

Finally, however, the leader found the words to speak. "I...See," he meowed, tilting his head a little. "...Thank for that detailed report, Mistyfalcon. You are dismissed - go to your nest and get some sleep. You...Earned it," he meowed, shifting on his paws. He turned on his paws, leaping onto the Jaggedrock and cleared his throat. "Cats of Asylum, you have heard the report of my warrior. Your group seems to be no more - or at least, your time here has come to an end. However..." his whiskers twitched, unsure if he truly wanted to say this. But... "...I have long believed that not all of Asylum are terrible - Iniko, a previous Captain, gave up his life to save my mate. So, while I suggest perhaps you learn the status of Asylum yourself, I may...Be willing to hear cats out, if they wish to make their case if your group is truly gone." There was another pause as he sighed. "And any of my Clanmates who have a problem with this...I will hear you out as well. I wish to be even in my judgement, and if I believe a cat might prove an asset to ShadowClan, I wish to give them a chance."

"Most of their captives are in similar shape." Or worse, Mistyfalcon responded to Rookfire, lips curling and tattered ears slicking back. The Asylum's treatment had been despicable. Fourtrees had been a horror unlike anything he'd ever seen before, and Mistyfalcon would be glad if he never saw anything like it again.

His worried gaze followed Rookfire and Murkystrike's forms as the medicine cat dragged her towards the medicine den. She was in good paws, he knew, but anxiety still churned his stomach.

And then Ivory spoke again. And asked another question. He ought to be sympathetic if she was worried about her parents, but they were Asylum. They had fought for Asylum until the end. Still, he searched his memories of the battle, trying to recall what pelt the tortoiseshell had been wearing. White hare pelt... That seemed accurate. It had been stained and soiled, but he was pretty sure that's what she had been wearing.

"Yes." He told her simply, not having the energy for anything more wordy. He ignored the kit that had raced into camp, and when Flintstar spoke, Mistyfalcon relaxed. His leader didn't seem angry... And what he'd just said amounted to high praise, he was pretty sure.

What he said next, Mistyfalcon found himself agreeing with, surprisingly. Cats like Ichtaca and Ivory truly hadn't been bad, he thought... And he couldn't find it in himself to voice any disagreement.

Though he also couldn't find it in himself to stand and make his way to his nest just yet, either. He'd move, in a moment. He just... needed another moment to sit.