salvation [O]

It had been a surprisingly gentle ride atop the giant’s back but Emery had still arrived on edge, the deep unease carried with her through the journey. Reaching the camp she scrambled down from Vinecrawler’s back, hardly waiting for the towering cat to lower himself. He had at least cleaned the blood from his pelt beforehand which she… appreciated- though the act itself had made her feel rather sick. She hurried to Faraday’s side, giving a swift inspection and rasping her tongue over his ear to make sure he was ok after the trip. Her littermate’s scent stuck out from those of the strange cats who merged into a merky, overwhelming collective against the roof of her mouth. Trying to untangle the many individuals was like pouncing at single snowflakes in a blizzard, but Faraday was a sheltering spot in the storm. She stuck close to him while taking in the new surroundings.

“This- this is Thunderclan?” She looked around nervously as more than a few pairs of curious eyes turned towards the new-comers. Of course two strange kits arriving wouldn’t go unnoticed, even amongst this many cats in their chaotic arrangement. She did her best to meet their stares head on but it was more her gaze flicking suspiciously back and forth between each new face, too antsy to make eye contact or rest on one for long. Acornstem’s words had her peering closer in an attempt to guess which was the leader 'Mottlestar'. Another truly bizarre name to remember. It seemed to be a theme among the group. Would she really be introduced to all these strange cats?

As Acornstem finished speaking an echo of remembered panic squeezed at Emery’s throat.  The molly had seemed insistent before the kits wouldn’t have to stay if that was their choice. But now they were limited to this one clearing, hemmed in by strangers- “We can’t leave?”