[ti]Open[/ti]If You Never Know Who You Can Trust

[Fireflake]

[This is an announcement for the Anti-Clan Alliance rogue group]

Scorpio curled his toes in toward the flat rock he stood on, feeling the tips of his claws scrape against the stone. Around two moons ago, he'd stood right there and announced that they needed more cats, but now they had less. There were hardly even enough left to make a litter, and no actual litters in sight. With Leaf-Bare coming, and MothClan's pilfering of their group's most traitorous left unpunished, they needed to do something to keep the Alliance alive. After much thought, Scorpio had decided exactly what that move should be.

Usually he would launch straight into his speech with vague points to guide him, and had never before lingered silently on the rock unless it was for emphasis, but today was different. As he straightened, ready to call for the Alliance, rare doubt flashed in his mind. Could he still do this? Should he still be doing this? And what if they didn't come? If nobody came, he would know that he had lost them all, and his position on the council would be reduced to nothing but a few facial scars. His eyes glazed as he mulled it over, and eventually he had convinced himself that he was just in the same position his mother had been in, in the Alliance’s early days. With only a few others, and leading them alone, she had managed.

Scorpio let out a forceful breath, drew another in, and yowled loudly for the Alliance to gather.

"Good morning… everyone. I'm sure that you've noticed the abandonment of many of our own. Should you see them without an excellent reason why, consider them banished and attack. But... I don't expect them to return. We must push forward with only those of us gathered here to represent the Alliance, at least for the time being."

The tom sat down. "And clearly, with so few, none of us well-versed in poisons, our attack on MothClan will have to be reconsidered."

Scorpio felt his muscles tense at the words. It reminded him of the way he'd given up on hunting his mother's killer, ditching his quest for vengeance in favor of looking after the Alliance.

He shook off the feeling. This wasn’t the same thing.
"I suggest that instead, we catch two birds with one paw, as it were. We infiltrate their camp, likely while they're sleeping, and take their kits to raise ourselves. If... if there are enough of us, with enough time, we can target the other clans as well."

It was more difficult to say than Scorpio had expected. Even with his warped worldview, kitten snatching didn't sit quite right with him. He could offer all the justification in the world, but fundamentally, emotionally, it still rubbed him the wrong way. The rogue raised his chin, sure of his decision, despite the way it felt.

"Does anyone have any questions? Concerns?"

[fortsumter]

The moment Scorpio stepped onto the stone, Spire felt her excitement rise. She listened quietly and attentively, making sure that she was showing respect for the leader.
When Scorpio finished his speech, Spire considered his words carefully, trying to figure out in her mind if this was a good idea. Well, why wouldn't it be? Sure, it was risky, but it was for revenge, and... well, fun.
Fun? She pushed that thought aside, only considering the well deserved revenge to the Clans. Her mind was buzzing with thought. She was starting to think that it might not be a good idea to launch an attack without a plan. When Scorpio ended with "Does anyone have questions? Concerns?", there were definitely some questions she had.
Spire propped herself up from her relaxed sitting posture. and asked, "When will we do this? And shouldn't we have a plan before we attack?" She paused and wondered if she really supported his idea. "
And maybe consider the risks before we try this out?" 

[Fireflake]

Scorpio glanced to Spire, not for the first time. She'd made a show at his last announcement as well. With the much smaller crowd this time, he couldn't help but notice her listening attentively, and made sure to return the courtesy when she spoke up. One of his ears flicked in irritation at her last comment, but quickly straightened again. "Those are excellent points, Spire. As I said, this is only a suggestion, and it's not one that I make lightly. You're right about us needing to take the time to make a proper plan. You're also right about there being significant risks."

He turned his gaze to the rest of the cats now as well. "There's no guarantee we'd be able to make it to their camp safely, let alone back out with their young. We'd likely have to relocate for a while, since our RootClan escapee knows where we live, and the clans, like anyone, will go to extremes to keep their kits by their sides. Our only hope of converting the little ones is to convince them we're right before the warriors find them."
Scorpio paused for a breath and his own words caught up to him. The only cat he'd ever taken had escaped, and that had been before Hornet died and most of the Alliance left.

The tom's ears flicked back now. He didn't attempt to stop them. "The truth is, the Alliance is in trouble. I know it. You know it. The damage isn't so deep that we can't recover, but it's there, and our efforts to gather new recruits have been unsuccessful. Ah, pardon me, Spire, mostly unsuccessful."
Scorpio tried to catch as many cats' eyes as possible. "Those kits are the victims of the same system that we are, just from another angle. If we can help them and help ourselves at the same time, it seems wrong not to try. That said, if anyone has suggestions, my ears are open."