Masques [Brookthistle]

Swiftspirit slowed to a trot, then a walk as she reached the flower fields, breathing in the flowery scents with a soft smile crossing her expression. The flower fields were beautiful even now, though with leaf-fall around the corner and greenleaf's heat burning hot, they wouldn't stay so vibrant much longer. It was unfortunate, but such was the cycle of life, she supposed. She intended to enjoy the view while it lasted, however.

Swiftspirit lazily stretched, enjoying the wind ruffling her short fur, and continued to walk, ears pricked as her eyes scanned the fields. The last time she'd met a cat here, they'd been a friendly rogue just passing through. Today the area seemed quiet, though she caught the scent of a clanmate on the light breeze. Brookthistle she thought, though didn't really know the other she-cat that well. Perhaps she'd run into her out here, or she'd stay elusive. Swiftspirit wouldn't have minded either way.

Brookthistle scented Swiftspirit before she saw her. Brookthistle had been bored, and decided to go for a run when she caught the faint scent of her clanmate, and decided to see what the other molly was doing. Brookthistle figured it was mostly the same as she was, but it didn't hurt to ask, right?

The dark cream she-cat wasnt much for pretty sights, but even she held a soft spot for the beauty that was the flower field. Padding over to the pointed she-cat, Brookthistle waved her tail in greeting. "Hey, Swiftspirit!" She called out, offering a small smile, "what are you doing out here?"

"Hey, Brookthistle," Swiftspirit mewed, matching her clanmate's friendly greeting with a warm smile of her own. "Enjoying being out of the medicine den, mostly... Don't think I'll be taking that for granted anytime soon." She lifted a shoulder in a shrug, though her words were genuine. She'd missed being able to roam the territory, she'd missed being able to just go for a run when she felt like it. Being cooped up in the medicine den after being injured had taught Swiftspirit that nothing was a guarantee.

"The flower fields are pretty, there's something... relaxing about being around here." She added, tail tip twitching, "I can see why a lot of cats enjoy coming out here."

Brookthistle hummed in response to Swiftspirit's musing, ears flicking. "Yeah, it's peaceful out here. I'm thankful those SkyClan foxhearts didn't trample the flowers on their way to our camp," Her periwinkle eyes narrowed, tail flicking sharply. "Flowers are something any cat can appreciate, I think. I've never met a cat who hasn't, have you?" Brookthistle turned to look at her clanmate, curious about her response.

"Well, except maybe Theron or SkyClan's leadership. Cats who enjoy needless bloodshed probably don't care for simple joys like flowers." The dark cream she-cat mused, rolling her eyes. It had been a couple moons since Asylum, but the she-cat could still see the lingering scars in the older cats, like Spotlake, Softbreeze, and Dayspring.

"Tawnyflare, but that's the only cat I can think of who is purposefully miserable." Shee commented wryly. Tawnyflare had walked out while Skyclan had still been in their camp, and she'd even fought with Ryesnap. It was absolutely ridiculous.

"Theron? She was even more enamored with the flowers than I was, when I first saw her. Poor thing didn't even realize she'd trespassed until I pointed it out, and then she was on her way." The words were automatic, hardly thought about as she responded to Brookthistle before she even realized it. There had been venom in Brookthistle's tone, and she'd basically equated her to Skyclan... It very much didn't sound like the friendly drifter she'd met out here. She didn't think Skyclan enjoyed mindless violence, or... She hoped they didn't, at least. They'd had a reason for their attack on Windclan's camp, even if it had been brutal. But Theron? The loner she'd met was about as far from Skyclan as she could get, as far as Swiftspirit could tell.

"What did Theron do to you, if you don't mind me asking?" Swiftspirit tipped her head, glancing up at Brookthistle. It didn't sound like she was talking about the same Theron she'd met, but then, looks could also be deceiving.

It took Brookthistle a few moments to comprehend Swiftspirit's words. "What?" She replied instantly, confusion evident. "There's... No way we're talking about the same cat. You couldn't have possibly met Theron. Zinnia killed her." Brookthistle said simply, head titled. There was.. another Theron? Brookthistle didn't think that was a very common name, and something didn't quite sit right with her about this. "Theron was a part of Asylum. She was the Nightstriker captain, and ruthless to the core, frankly. She killed Goldengale, right here, actually, and when Asylum took over WindClan, Theron brought Goldengale's body like a trophy," the last word was practically spat, dropping with venom. "Dappleshine, Raventail, Theron killed them both. Olivestar and Morningdove's disappearance was her fault, too, probably. The Asylum forced Smallbean to become a medicine cat, and while he enjoys it now, he didn't always. Gingertalon was also killed by an Asylum cat. They stole our kits, Finchkit, Henkit, and Tawnykit, and forced them to become their soldiers, never telling them their origins. We.. We never found Finchkit, but Brick of RiverClan is Henkit, and, well, you know Tawnyflare." The she-cat explained, claws flexing into the ground at the memories of all the evil Asylum had done.

"They banned gatherings and medicine cat meetings, and we couldn't even leave camp alone," the warrior explained, "We were basically prisoners. They even took cats prisoners, cats who didn't follow their rules. Deerhawk accidentally killed one during a gorge accident, and Fawnstep killed one in self defense after they attacked us. I was there during that patrol, so was Downtuft, we were just minding our business trying to hunt when the foxhearts attacked Zinnia and Fawnstep. Despite that, Theron declared it his fault and prisoned him." Brookthistle's voice was a pure snarl as she recalled this. She'd been horrified as an apprentice when Fawnstep had taken the life of another cat, but it had been in self defense.

"The Head of the Asylum was named.. Eris, I think? They kept the prisoners in fourtrees, which is why Gatherings were prevented. A ThunderClan cat figured out they could pass short messages while fighting, and eventually a group of cats from all the Clans attacked Fourtrees one night. Beecloud, the ThunderClan cat, killed Eris, and Eris killed him, too. During the battle Zinnia killed Theron, and the stolen kits, who'd found out their origins, revolted against Asylum."

Pausing to let all of this sink in, Brookthistle finished with a short recap. "So, in short, she killed about four of our Clanmates, terrorized our Clan, and made us her prisoners for a couple of moons. And since she's dead, I'm very curious about this Theron you met."

ooc: woah this is my longest post I think lol

Brookthistle's obvious confusion had Swiftspirit reassessing what she knew about the rogue, eyes narrowing slightly in thought. "Yeah I think... we might be talking about different cats." She agreed, tail flicking back and forth as Brookthistle continued.

"Dappleshine and Raventail... Weren't they elders? I think... Softbreeze mentioned them to me, but I know it was well before my time here." Olivestar had been the leader before Lilacstar, if she remembered correctly. Not really cats relevant to Swiftspirit, but Brookthistle clearly knew the cats she spoke of, and it was clear to Swiftspirit that she still carried anger for how they had died.

Eris.

Swiftspirit had been used to Tawnyflare spitting on the name, but that was Tawnyflare who spat on everything and anything because she could. To hear others speak of the Asylum head felt... strange. She could almost see a flash of tortoiseshell and white fur, lynx pelt securely fitted to the molly's massive frame. Swiftspirit closed her eyes, listening quietly as Brookthistle spoke, wincing internally at the other she-cat's snarls. Her gaze returned to Brookthistle's after a moment, steady, and she forced her tail to remain still, though her claws sank into the earth, flexing.

"The Theron you know sounds like a nightmare. Between that and what we now know about Dawnhawk..." Swiftspirit shook her head. They did not paint a flattering picture of Asylum, and part of her felt angry at the idea. Angry at those who would commit such violent and despicable acts, but... it wasn't just that, either.

Before she could think too hard on it, Brookthistle was asking about the Theron she knew, and Swiftspirit's shoulders relaxed slightly. "She seemed friendly. Naïve, mentioned that she wasn't from around here and... it was obvious. Didn't know a thing about the clans, but seemed interested in learning and didn't seem to be violent. When I found her it looked like she'd been walking for days, she was exhausted and grateful that I didn't attack her on-sight, I think." She said.

"We talked for a little bit, she intended to stick around the territories. I pointed her towards the barn, and she agreed that that would be better than stealing prey or trespassing."

"Yeah, they were elders." Brookthistle murmured, turning her eyes and flicking her tail towards a small dip in front of the flowers. "Softbreeze and Downtuft buried Goldengale here." The cream molly mumbled, lips curling in a snarl. Attacking a cat while they were alone was despicable. Killing harmless elders was despicable.

When Swiftspirit talked about the Theron she met, Brookthistle couldn't help but feel uneasy. Travelling for days? Curious about the Clans? She distantly recalled being told about how the first Theron had attacked WindClan prior, and had come here to learn about the Clans. "I don't like this," she hissed, "I don't like this at all."

"We need to tell Lilacstar or Dayspring about this, Swiftspirit. They deserve to know, WindClan didn't just endure one attack from the first Theron, she attacked us before to learn about the Clans. The last thing we need right now is a surprise attack, no matter how naive she may have seemed. I think we both know what happens when you blindly believe someone," Brookthistle insisted, gritting her teeth. If Swiftspirit didn't tell the leader or deputy about this, she would. This was important.

Swiftspirit listened calmly as Brookthistle hissed and spoke of warning Lilacstar. Swiftspirit, for all that she had liked Theron on their first interaction, was not a naïve kit. She would never blindly trust an unknown cat, no matter how friendly they appeared to be.

"You're right. Even if she turns out to be completely benign, it's better to keep tabs on this, just in case." Swiftspirit agreed, tail tip flicking. She of all cats knew that appearances could be deceiving, the question is would Lilacstar listen? She'd shown how trusting she could be, even after Dawnhawk had been revealed. Would she listen to more cautious cats this time?