Let's go, FO! [Closed]

Morningstar approached the barn at a swift pace. He noticed that his stamina never wavered like it might as a living cat. He had always been very lean and in great shape, but until now he wasn't immortal. The feeling was just as empowering as it was sobering. Morningstar would continue to live on forever... in a sense. One day everyone he cared about would pass on and... then what? Would they be free to wander the earth as he was? Would they simply disappear? Questions that needed answering, but later. He approached the open barn and slowed his pace to a normal cat walking pace.

"Tarot? I need everyone outside right now." Morningstar called. There was an urgency in his voice, but no panic.

"I have found my true name Tarot, finally." He knew Tarot would likely recall their conversation that they had moons ago about his name and how neither Dawnhawk nor Nightwind fit him anymore. Hence why Tarot named him Klaus. "It's Morningstar... it always has been. I realized this when I... When I died." Now came the part he worried about. His coat had tendrils of smoky shadows weaved within it, clearly unnatural. His neck wound continuously bled, drenching his ivory coat crimson for eternity and leaving a trail of blood everywhere he went.

"Consider this the start of a meeting, a very important one." There was no tree here to climb on, nor did he really want to at this point anyway. He would wait patiently for his friends and family to gather around him. Tonight they were going to make a difference. Tonight... the Dark Forest was going to win.

He didn't know what he was looking at.

Of course, it looked like his father, but it was also scary. It looked like he had been hurt, but how was he still standing? There was so much blood, it actually made Aether gag a bit. And blood had never bothered him before. This was all foreign ground to him, the eerie calm his father had, the unnatural wound he carried, even though it looked like him, it didn't feel like him.

Still, Aether sat down, willing to listen to whatever his father had to say. There would be an explanation. There always was. His father always knew what he was doing. Of course he did. Everything would work out just fine, just like always. Everything would be fine.....

Anastasia padded into the barn, a large rabbit hanging from her jaws. She had finally, finally managed to catch one. She couldn't wait to see the look on her father's face when she presented him with it, so many failed attempts, and she had finally achieved the goal she had since she was a kit. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight that met her when she lifted her gaze. For a heartbeat, she couldn't tell what she was seeing. It looked like her father, but that wound at his neck... It was impossible that it could still be bleeding, not that much. What had happened? The rabbit fell from her jaws as she stared at him in shock for a heartbeat, feeling like she was going to be sick. "D... Dad? What... What happened to you?..." She whispered, mildly horrified at what she was seeing. She found herself unable to move, to step forward, to sit, so she remained where she had been when she saw him, eyes searching his expression, his wound, the figure she had known since she was born as her father, suddenly so strange and unknown.

Something had shifted, that night and Klaus hadn't returned since going off on his errand. It was making Tarot uneasy, his pupils slit like a hunter searching an unseen foe, and he stalked through the barn and up to the roof through one of the skylights. Tail twitching and muscles tense, he looked up at the sky with narrowed eyes, usually, he wasn't concerned about Klaus being gone for so long, but something felt off tonight... and he wasn't sure how to feel about it.

As if on cue though, he heard his fellow leader's voice, but something was off about it as well. Eyes snapping wide as their violet depths reflected stars that would never accept him, he padded to the edge of the barn's roof and crept down its slopes, jumping off it onto a rotted-out crate. He soon arrived safely to the ground, stalking swiftly to the source of the sound, a few faction members had already been out and were gathering, but their body language screamed shock rather than joy.

In the dim light, he didn't see it at first, but as he drew closer he knew what was wrong. There stood Klaus, a massive gash in his neck yet acting as if he was perfectly fine. Two clear blue eyes decorated his visage, instead of one alongside a scarred milky orb, and his pelt seemed to shift, seemed almost translucent. His kits were disturbed, and even Tarot had to take a moment to process what he was seeing, to sort out the new information placed so abruptly before him.

His fur bristled with unease born from witnessing something both known and unknown as he stepped forward closer to examine his old friend. Eventually, not unexpectedly, he was able to put the puzzle pieces together, and his gaze lidded once more, still wary. It was to be expected, he was a born and raised loner, never had he been prepared for something such as this. This... new mess he knew he had gotten himself into, and knowingly as well.

The words from the faded tomcat before him just made him all the more conflicted as he cocked his head with a slight frown. "Died." he stated in a fashion more like speaking a fact than a question. There was a long pause as he tried to process that as well, and he looked briefly to the stars, the abnormal chill still oh-so-present around them "Killed, you were killed." He let out a breath, closing his eyes, picking through his well of knowledge, ghostly figure, shadows moving through his fur, a wound that continued to bleed as if freshly-made...

"And unsurprisingly, those fools up in the stars did not welcome you into their ostentatious fold. Yet here you still stand." His gaze returned to Klaus', to Morningstar's, frosty blue hues. "Now member of the Dark Forest." His ear twitched, expression unreadable, he wasn't sure how to think of that particular subject. Tarot had made it very well known that he disliked the meddlers and scum up in Starclan, but the Dark Forest was... an unknown to him, he knew of them, but knew not what to think about them.

Either way 'Klaus' was not exactly who was standing before him anymore, a new name, a different appearance... he wondered if the tomcat still held the same appreciation for the simple name Tarot had first gifted him as he did when he gave him the story behind it.

He shook his head, the thought dismissed as unimportant to the moment. Now though... a meeting? So abruptly with so many unanswered questions? His friend had moved on past the mortal coil, left him behind, and returned to him like this immediately asking for a meeting. Oddly... unmannered, of him. Still, he heard the urgency.

"Before we do anything... Morningstar." Such a mouthful. He was inclined to shorten it for simplicity's sake, 'Morn' was much easier than that... clan-like title.

The tomcat continued, gaze narrowing slightly, "Tell me what happened... at the very least, an abridged version of it. You have to understand that this is hardly a comforting reunion, and I dislike the thought of going into this 'meeting' blind." His eyes continued holding wariness as he spoke, starting a meeting without being on the same page wasn't ideal, seeing as how they were supposed to be leading the Order they had founded as a pair. No, it was a recipe for chaos, in his opinion.

His tail lashed in uncertainty as his gaze roamed about the unkempt fields around them as if expecting more ghostly cats to be staring at them from the darkness. He wasn't afraid, per se, but being left in the dark like this kept him on edge. He didn't like not knowing, and he very much couldn't handle this change in one stride, he'd try to adapt, depending on what he learned but...

He glanced back at Anastasia, she was a fresh Overseer, and honestly hadn't been prepared for something like this. He wasn't sure what to tell her, but he could at least give her some order, something... familiar, to gain her footing on."Anastasia, please try and gather the rest of the members, I'm... sure some light will be shed on the situation during the meeting." He intoned. He could begin gathering everyone up for the news, there were many, many issues that had arrived on Morn's heels. There was fact that, unless his ghostly form could continue to live in the mortal coil undisturbed, they'd need to vote in a new leader far, far sooner then he would've liked. With that whole mess, he'd possibly no longer be Serpent. In fact, there was a massive risk that this whole issue would simply end up breaking the Order they'd tried to build over the moons entirely.

So many problems have just been dumped onto his shoulders, and it was beginning to wear on his patience. He would remain unbudged until he got a proper explanation for this. He knew, though, that many more questions would be raised with the answers...

The mottled tom's tail whipped in agitation, not at Morningstar, but more so at what was happening so suddenly around him, and that unnatural chill crawling up his spine constantly was not helping matters. His mind had been thrown into chaos, yet he kept it carefully below the surface of his mask. Masks were something he was good at, something to keep him from being overwhelmed by unexpected events like this.

Tarot felt, though, like he was standing in an abyss, his only ground being a patch of floating rocks, as darkness surrounded him on all sides. Uncertainty, he did not deal with it well, never had, and likely never would, until it got cleared up, he'd be very uninclined to do anything more than he already had.

Talon strolled into the meeting covered in mud and feathers. He had very important storm rituals to perform and this was really cutting into buzzard lunch communal time. Alas, he found his new allies were interesting folk, strong and fierce. But what about all this Dark Forest stuff?

The sandy brown tomcat approached Tarot and company, not fully understanding what was going on.

Talon stared at Morningstar, not making heads or tails of the situation. The neck wound that was pushing blood was particularly concerning, not that Talon had the wherewithal to do much about it other than shove cobwebs in there and pray.

“Beaks n’ feathers, what’s wrong with you?”

Ares had been tidying up the barn, sniffing around for any mice to chase out while he was at it. It was his fault they were here... he may as well try to make it as comfortable as possible before setting back out on the warpath. Suddenly, his father's voice called to Tarot, and Ares rushed over to see his father. Perhaps finally find the true words to apologize, as awful at that as he was. They had never talked about his excursion with Bloodstar. Maybe they wouldn't. The thought left his mind though as golden eyes set themselves upon the dark, shadowy form of his father, a gash spilling blood from his throat.

Wasting no time, Ares approached, looking over his seemingly uncaring father. "Father... I assume you're fine, despite how you're looking?" It wasn't his place to question what had happened. His father had no signs of pain, and though different looking... seemed just fine. "An explanation would be appreciated when you're ready, father."

Calypso had heard the commotion, watching as her younger siblings had their attention pulled form their tasks as they moved towards the entrance of the Barn. Curious, the gold and white she-cat stepped away from the comfort of her spot, and follow suit. Azure eyes grew horrified at the sight that she saw. Her father.. Oh thorns.. Questions filled her mind. He was fine..? But he clearly wasn't.. Her teeth clenched as she bit back her question. Everyone else was already demanding answers, she didn't need him doing the same.

The reactions he got were expected ones. Aether looked absolutely horrified. Morningstar swept his eyes over the Order, drinking in their reactions. He analyzed every muscle movement, every tail twitch, the tone of their voices and what was being said. His eyes landed on Tarot... with a brief puzzled glance at Talon, the new guy. He'd approved of him being here but had very little time to chat with him, seeing him mostly only in passing. The Dark Forest had been very demanding of his time lately.

"Killed, yes. I was killed." He confirmed it loud enough for everyone to hear him. "The Dark Forest rewarded me for assisting them in finding information about an event that would leave Starclan powerless. That event is tonight, as you can see." He looked up and waved his tail, gesturing at the blackened sky. "I didn't know what reward they were going to give me, but apparently it was to become one of them. I had to leave my body behind, but I am still just as real as I ever have been. I can run forever without tiring, I can't die again, I feel stronger and more alive than ever! I can see out of both of my eyes again! I'd say it was well worth the nasty gaping wound on my neck."

Even as he spoke, the wound poured dark red blood.

"Although I suppose that means that you will now have to choose a new Eagle to lead you, but for now I will hold that title for one more night before I willingly relinquish it." Yes, the overseers could overthrow him by force according to the creed, but did they really want to test his new power? He doubted it. He figured they would be willing to accept him as leader for one more night. After that, he would gladly let someone else take the title.

"I want us all to go to the Gathering tonight. Come with me and bring all of the clans to heel. Kill anyone dumb enough to oppose you. I promise you this, we will not lose tonight. We have every advantage in the world and we would be foolish to not use it." He paused for a moment, looking at each and every one of them in the eye. His gaze lingered on Aether for several heartbeats. The boy had never been bright, but he'd never seen a reaction to something like this on his face.

"Are you going to be alright?" He asked, his voice softening a bit to try to reassure his son. A sudden, ugly thought slithered into his head as he saw the fear plain as day on Aether's face. Kill the coward. Eviscerate the traitors. He blinked, surprised at his own thoughts as if someone else had put them there. He violently shoved those thoughts away back into the darkest corners of his psyche where they belonged. What had that been about??

Morningstar's eyes went back to Tarot in particular. At the end of the day, it was his decision to make now, until a new Eagle was chosen.

Everytime his father's eyes landed on him, a shiver had run down Aether's spine, one he tried hard to suppress. His explanations to what had happened seemed so, unreal, even to him. But, this was a good thing? He would never lose his father this way, right? It just all seemed so....wrong. But other than the wound in his neck, he hadn't really changed, right?

His father's gaze landed on him once more, and he actually had to stop himself from flinching. How could he be so scared of a man he had worshipped all his life? His voice was just as soft, just as kind as it always had been. No, he had no reason to fear. He was still the same cat that had raised him. And so he spoke up with an uncertain voice.

"Of course I'll be ok. I-I am ready to stand with you. Just like always."

Just the same as always.

It seemed his order was pointless as the rest of the Order quickly gathered outside the barn to witness the return of their Eagle, and promptly be shocked or curious, in the case of Ares, by what they were seeing.

As he watched his friend's mannerisms, listened to his words, watched his reactions, he knew something has shifted in the pale tom, something had changed in this cat who once wept to him about his past in the dead oak tree. Really, ever since then, Tarot had observed the tomcat grow, change, become more confident in his slowly-solidifying identity. He watched him walk his path, always just a step behind him.

Witnessing another cat grow... it was an interesting experience. Change being actively in motion before his eyes, warping someone until they seem neigh-unrecognizable to what they once were. He figured, if there was a side-by-side comparison between the Klaus he knew back then and Morningstar, it would be like seeing two different felines wearing the same skin. He had heard how often this tom was betrayed, cast aside. He had listened to him rant about how his efforts to make up for past misdeeds had all gone ignored, and he, in turn, had provided the tom with the clarity and knowledge he had gained as he suffered in the streets of the twolegplace in hopes of assisting him.

Once, he had told the pale rogue about his namesake, and how there were similarities he could see between him and the cat he buried in the snow so long ago... but now, there no longer were similarities. It was a dead name, it had served its purpose, a title for a point of change in a single feline's life... and that wasn't the case anymore, was it?

His gaze shifted to the reaction of the tomcat's kin, and he could see in almost all of them... a vague future, perhaps history would repeat itself once more, an endless cycle brought on by the ever-shifting sands of time. For a moment, he took into consideration how he'd react to his friend if he truely shifted, once and for all, into the monster the clans all feared. Would he leave him and set off on his own once more if such a thing had happened...?

The feline smirked, his answer swiftly coming to him; No... no he wouldn't. After all, that would be hilariously hypocritical of him, wouldn't it? A cat who indulged in devouring those of his own species, turning away from an ally simply because they became as ruthless as him? It would be foolish of him, shameful, even.

No, the truth was, if such a thing happened, it'd only make him all the more curious. Finally walking alongside a cat that was truly one of his kind, a monster. How intriguing! What would he witness in a path of such darkness and depravity? What historical moments would he be present for? He had observed this cat blossom into something so harshly contrasting to his past identity, so why would he leave when he was so close to witnessing what would become of this curious rogue he had met so long ago?

Tarot's gaze brightened with a light that had been snuffed out for so long, reinvigorated by his churning thoughts. His questions, his curiosity, his thirst for knowledge had all been rekindled. He wanted to experience everything he could in his short life, and this was practically the centrepiece of his current collection. Truly, the only thing that would make him cast such a treasure away was if the ghostly feline chose to leave him behind... or turned against him. Such an event would be disappointing, of course, even more so if it resulted in his death. Unlike his friend, he highly doubted he'd wake up from death as a spirit locked in the clutches of the clanners' reality, cast into the Dark Forest for eternity.

If he ended up walking away from such a betrayal alive though, he'd likely just mourn the loss for a while before continuing on his own path. It was in his nature to adapt and move on, and that still hadn't been rooted out of him, even if he had been stuck in one place for so long.

His smirk faded though as he brought himself back to the present, and he stepped closer to Morning, voice lowering as he slipped into his natural way of speaking, one that the tom seemed to understand just as clearly as the 'normal' speech most cats use.  "Mine own cousin, doth thee rememb'r what I toldeth thee in the branches of the knarl'd tree? Of mine own intent to followeth thee down thy path?" He began, casting back to the day he decided to call the odd rouge he had come across a friend when he revealed the origins of the name he had gifted the tom. The day they decided to found the Forgotten Order.  "I seeth anon, yond thee nay longeth'r needeth any guidance, thee've finally hath found yourself, thee've chosen thy identity much liketh I didst so longeth ago. Despite yond, if 't be true thee'll has't me, I intendeth to seeth this journey through at thy side." He reaffirmed, he had no intentions of leaving the ghostly cat's side unless Morningstar wished him to.

Despite this, before he put his life on the line for this attack, he had to know something.

Lowly he continued. "But I must hesitate, from what I garn'r thou art w'rking with the Dark F'rest, so I haveth to asketh then... art these cats m'rely dark'r reflections of yond curs'd Starclan? Or art these gents simply victims of those cretins' actions- striking out 'gainst their curs'd fate?" His quieted voice was solemn, words only really for the ears of his companion. He knew Starclan, knew of their sins against nature, but if the Dark Forest held the same crimes that he viewed Starclan to have, he would loath even the idea of assisting them. Sure, he might compromise for Morning, because he was still striking out against the target of his hate, but he'd hardly put as much effort into the fight if the Dark Forest ended up being no better than those ostentatious fools on their thrones of stars.

Though he put a lot of merit into his friend's words, he knew he'd have to form his own views on the phantom cats himself to truly see if he'd be willing to assist them. Since he was unable to do that though, he'd have to simply decide if he'd help them tonight by word of mouth. Time was still marching on, and obviously little remained for him to debate over such minor details. Once he got this answer though, he'd have nothing else to ask... at least not until after the strike.

Anastasia turned instinctively towards Tarot's voice, but her eyes never quote left her father. She was shocked, and admittedly frightened, but as Tarot spoke she lowered her head obediently and turned. Quickly racing around, she gather who she could find and returned to catch her father's announcement, a chill running down her spine. So he was dead. A sob caught in her throat. Did that mean he would leave? No, he was here, he couldn't leave, wouldn't leave. He was that powerful... She wanted to be that powerful too. Just hopefully not so... Disturbing to look at. She winced as he spoke of a new Eagle, refusing to consider it at the moment. For now... Everything was as it was... Just a bit more... Bloody. For now, she could follow in her father's footsteps, as if nothing had changed. Her jaw clenched as she nodded to Klaus' order to accompany him to the Gathering, tail tip flicking. Her first real look at the clans up close... Perhaps it would end in battle, perhaps not. Either way, maybe she would see Atalante. She turned, her gaze catching the hare she caught for a moment, but a swift glance over her shoulder showed her that her father and Tarot were talking. She wouldn't interrupt... He could always enjoy it later. Setting it nearly to the side, she prepared to go the this "Gathering".

Morningstar hadn't been expecting this reaction form Tarot. He fully expected resentment or mistrust, but his companion had surprised him yet again. He wondered if the other cats in the Order would understand what he was saying. He gave the smoky tabby a smile before he spoke to him.

"I don't want to lie to you, Tarot, so I will tell you this: I don't know. I've sent my concerns and frustrations to the Dark Forest a handful of times but only recently did they finally start talking to me. Now I am this. I'd have to get to know them as I would any other cat to know whether they are just the dark side of the moon in comparison to Starclan, or if they are just as much victims as I am to circumstance. Maybe there are cats who deserve to rot away and become lost to time, but maybe not all of them belong there."

It was the most honest answer he could give his dark companion. He didn't have enough experience in ethereal matters to know for sure.

"I am willing to do some investigating and find out, but I will reserve my judgement of them until then."

The ex-loner listened carefully to his friend's reply, gaze unreadable. It seemed his companion was just as in the dark as he was about them, yet still he lead with confidence. It was a bit baffling to the tom, after all, what would his friend do if they decided to turn against him for the fun of it? There was no honour amongst thieves, after all, not that Tarot much cared about 'honour either'.

His tail curled downwards slightly across his hind leg, and he let out a sigh, closing his eyes briefly. More unknowns, it seemed. "Be sure to keep your wits about you, old friend, you know just how inclined cats can be to betrayal, and unlike us mortals, they won't die if you strike back at them. You won't either but I highly doubt constantly being rended would be fun." Warning was held in his violet gaze.

With that, he lifted his head, tail relaxing. "Regardless, we'll follow behind you, Morningstar." He cast his gaze to the members of the forgotten order, before looking once more at the starless sky. What the future held for them was unknown, but the ex-loner would continue as he always did. After all, he had a feeling that they were about to witness history in the making.