[ti]Open[/ti]A Great Journey?

[ladyspectral]

Honeyheart knew this was coming, though she hated it with a passion. The sun was high in the sky, not a dreaded star in sight. She gave a sharp meow to Hornet, gesturing her to follow to the somewhat elevated spot in the back of the alleyway. Not nearly as dramatic or imposing as the green dumpster that she had used previously. She cleared her throat, yowling out,"May all cats present gather for a sharing of news, and plans for the future!"

"We have been growing well over the last few lunar cycles, though we lost a few members as well. Lynx was murdered by Eaglewing. Eaglewing will no longer be tolerated, and his mate Mocha seems to have gone with them. If any cat encounters either one of them, they should do what they feel they must do. The clan cats can no longer be trusted, and any cat from any of the clans should be killed on sight. You can only help the willing, and so far none of the ones we have encountered have been willing. Hornet has been raised to the Council, and while she will still be performing her normal duties as a fighter she will also be aiding in guiding our group. I've heard news from our healers, using poisons against the clans. It is unknown how many clan cats died, but even one death is reason to be proud. I hope that all follow their example." Her green eyes traveled over the gathered cats before her, making eye contact with as many she could.

"Onto the more serious matters. These last few lunar cycles have been well for all of us, but I fear this will not last." She meowed out, sitting down with her tail curled around her paws. "With the last clan cat to escape, I fear that attacks will grow more frequent. The two legs that neighbor us have grown less kind, and I worry they will only grow more aggressive with time. As we grow our space grows more and more cramped. I believe it is time for us to move." The ginger and white she cat remained silent for a while after that.

"One place we could move to is near the large monster's camp. While it is noisy and the monsters can do great damage, they seem to ignore cats unless one manages to get underpaw. The smell of the monsters should disguise our whereabouts, as well as give us room to grow. There is a spot nearby where the old monsters are abandoned by the two legs to die. This could become our new home." She fell silent as she took a breath. "Of course, any suggestions are welcome. Every cat has a say, and every idea will be listened to."

-----

Viper sat near the middle of the crowd, his tail wrapped around Artemis. The tortoiseshell she kit peered between the furry bodies of her alley-mates, a look of confusion on her tiny face. She was young, too young to understand death probably. Viper had even caught her prodding at the dead body of a moth she had crushed, as if she expected it to spring to life and their 'game' to resume. If it could even be called a game, since only one of them had been having fun.

"Viper, what's it like outside the alley?" Artemis's voice was as sweet as honey and as soft as her fur. Since he first saw his younger siblings he had felt fiercely protective, watching their helpless bodies struggle against each other at his mother's belly. "Dangerous, the two legs sometimes don't notice you and end up kicking you. Sometimes they seem sorry, sometimes they don't even seem to notice. The monsters are pretty bad, too. But there's some good prey, in the park. I'll take you when you get older, alright?" The mottled she kit nodded, an eager smile on her face as she looked back toward her mother.

[LupTacco]

Orion watched his mother keenly from the back, still too young to understand most of what she discussed. Why not just find and murder Eaglewing back? He didn't really grasp what it meant, but he knew Lynx was gone. That he would never grow up knowing anything about his half-sibling. Not that he was incredibly interested, but he didn't like that someone made that choice for him. It got under his fur to that scary part of himself, the part he could already tell was stronger than any other. If it made Honeyheart proud, though, maybe he could be the one. I will find him... thought the rash kitten, I will murder Eaglewing. 

[mewmehh]

Olive eyes were firmly glued to Honeyheart as her voice rang out clearly with purpose. Buzzard sat posed, his back straight and appearing unfazed by the news. He had found out of his father's betrayal to the group by Hornet, but felt little more than irritation at him. It had not been in the group's best interests to attack one of their own, Buzzard knew that much, thus he had nothing more to say to the exiled warrior. Once a shitty clan cat, always a shitty clan cat. He hadn't felt remorseful to see his scrawny father and fat mother leave their ranks; he seemed to feel indifference towards them. He wasn't spurred on by any feelings of familial longing or by rage. He wouldn't chase after them. No, he would do what any self-respecring cat would- he would simply kill then if they crossed into their territory again. It was as simple as that.

Still, the clever tom wondered a bit. Those were his thoughts, but what of the others? Would they be wary of him and his littermates still in the group? Would their loyalty come under suspect? He snorted at the concept, but his eyes still held a sharpness that told others he was in no mood for flighty retorts and comments at his own expense. Casting a quick glance to Vulture, the chocolate tom only mustered enough emotion to warrant a touch of worry over his softer brother's thoughts.

[Miss Tactical]

Alaric was impressed that the she-cat was already out and about speaking about moving. It was true, the two-legs were getting a bit aggressive and then of course their alley way well was well known from his understanding. The clan cat that was kidnapped was taken away while they were asleep, the clan cats knew where they were and that in of itself was a worry for the brown tabby. He thought about moving to the train station but surely the tracks were rather close to the clans, and that didn't seem nice either. Then of course there was the carrion place....sure it was inside clan territory but the stench of itself would disguise them...they would just have to be careful about how they moved and when they moved.

"I have a suggestion." The tom spoke up after moments of silence. He wasn't sure if it benefitted him really, but his kits were here now his strong kin, so he couldn't just up and leave. "How about the carrion place." He mewed. "We sleep during the day, be active at night we switch our schedules. Everything always happens at night. The carrion would disguise our scent and there are plenty of places to hide and build nests." He mewed. Plus it gave them the advantage. He didn't think the clan cats patrolled that often, so really it was a win win, plus there were a lot of two-leg meals he could snack on. It was never ending.

---

Aster narrowed her eyes at the suggestion of the carrion place, she would only be able to use herbs from MothClans territory. She much preferred her little alleyway which she had access to the two-leg dens and of course the park for plants, and if she REALLY needed to the clans weren't far away they really were in the perfect spot....a spot that had become dangerous. She didn't really want to have to move, Honeyheart looked much better and her kits were fine, so they could move if they really needed to. "There's always the park. It's huge and no boundries so we won't get trapped. There are plenty of trees and bridges and rocks and such I'm sure we can find something comfortable enough for a camp." She mewed. "Plus herbs would be plentiful I'd still be close to the two-leg dens, and clans to keep up the stock." She mewed firmly.

[Fireflake]

Vulture the Rogue

---

Vulture sat up tall. Taller than he had not long ago when he'd been made a hunter, at least. A recent growth spurt and the forced independence from his father being kicked out had done him well. As far as he was concerned, Eaglewing was no longer his family. If his father had some good reason for what he did to Lynx, which Vulture was beginning to doubt at this point, he should have explained himself by now. His mother was a different matter. The last he'd heard, she had young kits. Young family members that he'd never met. He shifted uncomfortably.

This new order about the clan cats seemed to rub him to wrong way too. No matter what he thought of them, which he still wasn't entirely sure of, a living clan cat seemed at least a bit more useful than a dead one. His tail-tip twitched. If Honeyheart said they had to die, then they had to die. Still, he avoided meeting her eyes.

Vulture glanced around and caught his brother Buzzard's gaze instead. He banished all uncertainty from his eyes and stared back. No matter what his body now seemed to scream, the young tom could at least control what his eyes said. Though he didn't know it, his brother and he shared some thoughts. Would Eaglewing's betrayal reflect badly on them?

The tom gave his attention back to Honeyheart as she spoke about the Twolegs. He'd seen them growing tired of the cats already, and far less were willing to feed him now. Her solution left him unconvinced. They had no need to run away! He wondered if she was just thinking about the safety of her kits. Despite these doubts, her idea sounded nicer to him than the ones Alaric had.

---

Scorpio the Rogue

---

Scorpio watched his mother closely as she talked about Lynx, and the clans, and Hornet. The only thing he really managed to grasp was that the clan cats were bad, and he'd known that since he'd known how to blink. It was all death, death, death... he looked around for someone to ask about it before remembering to listen to his mother. He would ask later. He wanted to know about that if it would make Honeyheart proud.

He stood up when she said it was time for them to move, but slowly sat down again as he saw everybody else staying where they were. The frizzly kit's head tipped to the side. Oh, she meant later? He was distracted by his sister's voice from just in front of him, which is when it hit him. Their mother meant moving out of the alley!

Scorpio leaned forward and looked at his older brother with wide green eyes. "Can I come too, Viper?" he asked. "To the park, when you take Artemis?"
He turned his head as his father spoke. Just more talk about where to go. He turned back to Viper and waited for an answer.

---

mewmehh ladyspectral

[ladyspectral]

Honeyheart shook her head,"The park is a good option, but clan territory is never a good idea. One mistake from any cat and we would be cornered and slaughtered. Plus, the carrion place is infested with rats. Though, the park is littered with dogs and twolegs." She meowed, looking to Alaric. He was the father of her kits, but she failed to feel a real attachment to the tom beyond that. He was just another cat in her group.

"I would like to request a few scouts head to the park, investigate possible homes there and along the way. A place preferably that looks as if the clans will pass it by without a second thought, should they come looking again. With our poisonings of their water supplies, I suspect they may come looking for revenge. As they had before." The thought of it sent a wave of anger through her. As if they didn't all have this long coming.

-----

Viper looked down to Scorpio, nodding. "Of course, Scorpio. Maybe Orion and Hecate can come, too. It could be a good family outing. If we don't move there, at least. If we do, I'll take you to explore some other place around the town. There's always plenty to check out, after all." It seemed like just a few days ago his younger siblings were tiny balls of fur at his mother's side.

Artemis looked over to her litter mate. "How many two legs do you think live at the park? I heard there are dogs the size of monsters there, and twice as loud."

[LupTacco]

Orion perked up at the mention of his name, shuffling closer. "Yeah! I wanna go! I wanna- wanna hunt for dens!" he rumbled, clawing at the ground with excitement, flinching almost imperceptibly as his inner spare toes brushed his forelegs. His gaze flicked between Artemis and Viper, following their conversation for the most part, though evidently not quite grasping that this would be a permanent departure from the safe, shady corridors of the alleyway. He puffed up at the mention of dogs and monsters- his mother had told them about those things early, to make sure they stayed safe- looking a little ridiculous as he growled with genuine bravado, "I could handle a dog. Dogs're dumb." I want my own tree! I bet they're big and full of tasty birds.

[Miss Tactical]

Hecate jumped to her paws at the chance to go to the park and scout for a new home. The thought of maybe an abandoned birds nest in a tree, or a nice spot under a bridge seemed pleasant. That's when an idea popped into her head. Why not make the entire park their home? It was rather big, and communicating would be hard but it would look less obvious then a group of cats all crowded in one group right? She gave her neck a quick scratch, pesky fleas. Perhaps there would be less fleas where they would be going.

"Well you heard the lady let's go! I have needs so I want to find my new nest. Plus this place is getting crowded with all us flea bags in one spot." her eyes sparkled with amusement. When the clan cats come looking for them they would be gone, just small prey bones as a remnant of where they once lived. The joke would be on them that was for sure. She couldn't wait. She also couldn't wait to start her battle training, the thought of sinking her claws into a clan cat was oddly....satisfying.

[Fireflake]

Scorpio the Rogue

---

Scorpio looked forward with pricked ears, his face turned slightly to the side to pay attention to Viper as well as Honeyheart. The young kit wasn't good at multitasking. He soon gave his full attention to Viper and pushed his mother's words to the back of his mind. That was a yes. A purr rippled through Scorpio.

"I bet there are loads!" the kit chattered quietly to Artemis. He was excited, unaware of the danger that could pose for them. "Like seven or eight, at least! It sounds like a nice place."
He wrinkled his nose. "But I hope the dogs aren't really that loud. That would hurt our ears."

Anticipation sparkled even brighter inside of Scorpio as Orion spoke. His eyes widened with possibilities and stared into the distance as if he could see all the way to the park from here. He suddenly jerked back to reality and wrinkled his nose again as Orion mentioned the dogs.

He shuffled over to look at Hecate then jumped to his paws as Honeyheart's words suddenly boomeranged to the front of his mind. "Can I help?" he asked, waving his tail in the air. The perpetually puffed-up fur there should be enough to identify him in the crowd if his voice wasn't enough, he figured. "I'm going to be a scout! And I wouldn't get lost if there were older cats there too."
He blinked hopeful green eyes at his mother.

---

ladyspectral