[ti]Open[/ti]Mark My Words

[Fireflake]

Early in the morning, Scorpio had gone into Aster's den without injuries and come out with them. There were two very deliberate slashes down each side of his pelt, and a deep V shape that ran between his eyes onto his muzzle. He'd been in and out of the building numerous times since, bringing back mouthfuls of small stones and, on one occasion, a dead bramble branch. The pebbles were lined up by a large, flat rock in the corner, and the pointy brambles were sandwiched between the two. Scorpio stepped back for a moment after he'd finished to groom his perpetually-bristled pelt. By this point it was impossible to miss that something was going on, and some cats had started to linger inside to find out what it was. At Sunhigh, Scorpio finally deemed it appropriate to address.

The tom leapt over the thorny branch he'd brought, onto the flat stone near the corner. "Cats of the Alliance! Everyone!"

Once enough cats had gathered, Scorpio dipped his head to them as a collective. His tail, curved in its characteristic position over his back, swished sharply at the sight of the gathered crowd. "Is this everyone? Hm. I suppose it's everyone that matters."

He stood up straight to get their attention, then gestured to the brambles and pebbles below. "If you're not blind, you've probably noticed the odd set-up today. Some of you know what this means. Some of you, I suspect, don't."

The rogue turned so that the slash down the right side of his pelt was clearly visible. "I'll start with myself. Not because I'm the most important part, but because these marks are a good starting point. This one here, for example, means that I have won a fight during my time in the Alliance."

He turned in a small circle to display the other side instead. "This one means that I have killed a cat. A MothClanner that refused to save herself."

He finished by facing straight ahead. "These ones on my face mean that I'm on the council, as you hopefully already know."

Hopefully being the operative word. The tom's presence had been notably missing in recent moons. He would go out almost every day and come back covered in scratches and MothClan scent. Even to those that didn't know of his reckless fighting style and vendetta against that clan, it was obvious what occupied his time. Now, as he stood speaking to the Alliance, there was no indication that he might want to be anywhere else. "So why am I telling you?" he continued after a short pause. "These customs, along with many of our cats, have fallen away in the wake of my mother's murder."

He nodded pointedly to the pile of fourteen stones near the flat rock. This was the mark used to remember Honeyheart. "But they don't have to. This was never about her, and her death should be a catalyst, not a conclusion. We're the ones that get to choose how this plays out now."

Scorpio glanced at a few of his half-nephews.

"So, speaking of choice, it's time for some overdue rituals. When I was four moons old, I pricked my paw on a thorn and swore my loyalty during a ritual called the Ritual of Growth. Two moons after that, I chose to be a scout in a ritual called the Ritual of Choosing."

He turned his paw to show the scar from his thorn prick. "I don't expect any of you adults to be quite as enthusiastic as I was, but now I'd like to invite our younger members to continue the traditions. Belial and Batibat, Zephyr, Stargazer, Vulpes, Vestia, and Blitz. Will you be a scout, a fighter, or a hunter?"

It felt vaguely foolish to ask them now, given that they had already been serving the group for moons, but he had to start somewhere.

[LupTacco]

-= [ Orion ] : 22 moons : Rogue(Alliance) : Asexual(Single)

    Upon hearing the call, Orion trotted down from the upper reaches of the run-down home they had moved to so long ago, following a set little path he took so often that it was notably clear of dust while the floor around it was still grey and caked in debris. There hadn't been a true announcement in some time- Honeyheart's memorial service, of course, but before that? He couldn't think of anything major aside from his own coming of age ritual. If he looked at the bottom of his paw pad, he could still see the slightly lighter dot where he'd pricked it, a little deeper than he was supposed to.

    "What's this then?" he grumbled at the new decorations around the speaking post. It was, at least, more intimidating to look at now, so the ginger tom supposed he approved. As Scorpio showed off his new marks, Orion's pelt bristled slightly with jealousy- he really hadn't been doing much, had he? For a fighter, he was remarkably low on actual fights. Time to change that, the still-young rogue's tail flicked as he contemplated which clan to target- MothClan was the obvious choice, being so close. It was definitely Scorpio's favorite target, in the same fashion as their late mother. Well, he'd have to be more ambitious- go for those water-dwellers or the far-away cats that lived in the thinner forest, IvyClan or something. Yes. That would show everyone how good he was. At least as good as Scorpio. Maybe better.

-= [ Belial ] : 14 moons : Rogue(Alliance) : Heterosexual(Single)

    As cats were called forward, his siblings and the somewhat younger cats he had grown up bossing around and looking down upon, he couldn't help but let slip a sly grin at being called first. Finally, perhaps, someone recognized his cunning. However, he didn't want to be known as too clever- just smart enough to be trusted, but not ambitious enough to be a threat. That was the lie Belial wanted to be known about himself. "Scorpio, I choose to be a scout. I'm nimble enough, and I have excellent hearing," he spoke after a moment of consideration; fighter was what he really wanted, but it would make it a lot harder to do his own thing without being watched by someone he might not be able to trust, and hunter was so boring. Scout, though, he could have every reason for spending an unusually high amount of time out of sight and out of mind from most. Perfect. Soon, he could begin his little scheme- he already had a few cats showing promise, and one or two who pledged their interest.

    Pressing his paw against a bramble thorn until it just pierced his skin, he sniffed at the little wound and walked back to where he'd been sitting, icy blue eyes narrowed with disinterest. He had his path chosen- what did he care about what anyone else picked? In any case, he had a mild headache, and he couldn't really be bothered with anything outside of himself.

-= [ Zephyr ] : 14 moons : Rogue(Alliance) : Unknown(Single)

    Falling into place behind the others, as the pale ginger tom slithered back into the crowd, Zephyr couldn't help but hop forward with nerves, eager to get it over with and voice his concerns. Almost tripping over his big, clumsy paws, the solid brown tom looked up at Scorpio with wide eyes, "We don't have to kill, though, do we?" Worried he was sounding insubordinate, he cleared his throat, hastily adding, "I know we have reasons for it. I just- don't think I could do that, not as easily or as well as most of the rest here." It took all his courage to keep his head high and maintain eye contact with his new leading council member. "Um.... that being said, I would pick scout, as well." He lifted his paw, but hesitated, waiting for a response from Scorpio.

[Miss Tactical]

Aster looked at Scorpio as she very carefully unsheathed her claws making very deep marks into the toms flesh. ”There all done.” She mewed she looked at work knowing that should be deep enough. With a firm nod she stepped back before nodding her head to the clearing. ”Go make your announcements and don’t be stubborn come back so I can put something in there so it doesn’t get infected.” She wiped her own paws on a leaf, taking the crimson away but still her fur remained slightly stained. She followed after him and listened as he made his announcements with narrowed eyes before she listened to some of them choosing their titles she gave a snort before stepping up herself. ”There is one thing Scorpio filled to mention. That there is a FOURTH path to take unfortunately only room for one.” She mewed.



Aster so far had started to train two rogues on her poisons and potions so to speak. To heal and to kill without lifting a claw. However both of them failed her. It was her duty to find her replacement after all she had been lucky to make it this far. ”You can choose my path, the path to heal your family, and the path to kill others without lifting a single claw. As well as you will be chosen to give the marks at every ritual.” She mewed. IT certainly took a lot of skill. To memorize all the damaging plants, some looked so like the good ones it took a very cautious eye. One simple mistake could kill you. They had been quiet for all too long perhaps it was time to tickle the clans fur once again.



”Choose your role wisely…as it cannot be changed” She mewed with narrowed eyes. Their population was certainly smaller so to speak. It had been over a year since the rogues had kits. She twitched her whiskers slightly looking at all of the other rogue members none clearly fit for raising family. It had been honeyheart all those moons ago to provide new members. Eventually, if they did not get new faces soon….they wouldn’t last long.