Mable: This wasn't originally going to be a chaptered fic, but because of the length I didn't want to post it as a oneshot. So, instead, it's a threeshot. XD This is a long overdue request for Moviegal007; I hope that you Enjoy it, my dearly patient friend!

The story takes place before the events of the film, as you will soon read, so that should answer any immediate questions. Anyway, without any further time, I don't own . Enjoy!

Caged Birds

Act 1

Eventually the gunshots had quieted down outside. There was a relief in it and Seven definitely felt safer without the risk of bullets hitting the Cathedral. She wouldn't miss having to sleep on the floor out of precaution on the bad nights. However, she knew that it was a bad sign for the humans. It was hard to tell, as the only look into the outside world was the few times they scouted and the view from the Watchtower.

Though the Beasts weren't making noise either. Regardless, Six had recently become obsessed with the vision of a beast from his dreams. This vision wasn't taken lightly. One had started to use the picture as a warning of what they 'could' encounter out in the Emptiness. He used it to accentuate his rules on scouting, his reluctance to let the others scout, and basically as a fearmongering tactic. As Eight himself wasn't scary enough alone.

Unfortunately for One, it wasn't as though they could fully cut off the outside world. They needed matches, more thread, extra fabric to make blankets and clothing for the coming winter, and plenty more that would need to be scouted for.

Seven had become the scout to get these items. Mostly because nobody else, except maybe Two, desired to go out. One was fine with the scouting, but strictly limited it. A Stitchpunk would only go out once they were desperate for these supplies, the leader made sure of it. Unlike Seven, Five and Six were both scared of the Emptiness. It was understandable; Five's accident left him reluctant to venture outside while Six feared this 'beast' he had drawn.

Eight wasn't afraid, but seemed uninterested in the grunt work involved in scouting. The twins were out of the question. They were as curious as could be, but could not go out without an escort. They were too small and defenseless to properly scout quickly and they got distracted by the smallest things. Two was almost like the twins, being that he was small and couldn't fight very well or flee very easily.

This left the job to Seven. Which was fine, as Seven loved the job. Scouting was the one place where she felt like she was a part of the society they created in the cathedral. Most of the time Seven hadn't had much to do. While the others had various hobbies, Seven stood out as the one without a direct path. Most of her time was devoted to assisting the others, but she had yet to find something that she wanted to devote her life to.

It was these days of scouting that really gave her a feeling of success. In these moments, she felt like she found what she was made to do. Every overturned rock was a secret; every road not taken was an adventure. While the Stitchpunks seemed fine with it, One made his feelings clear.

"One of these days," he forewarned in one rather heated argument, "you are going to get in over your head. Then you will wish you would have listened to my warnings."

Seven didn't take One's words to heart, because she knew what she was doing. "If I didn't go out, then we wouldn't get supplies," she reminded. "Or you would have Two and Five going out to get them. It's easier that I go on my own."

"Very well…" In this one instance, One had caved and agreed. "Then keep an eye out and keep your guard up. We don't know where the beast is lurking." He had averted his sharp optics.

"Hey…" Seven began. Her voice grew gentler towards the older Stitchpunk. As much of a tyrant as One could be, he did occasionally have these moments of something deeper. It was obvious that beneath this tough exterior, there was genuine fear beneath it. "I'll be fine. I know how to get home."

It was hard not to remember this conversation in peculiar. This exchange, which seemed like just one of many, would stay in Seven's mind for years to come.

It was supposed to be a normal scouting trip. Seven was sent out on her own with a mental list of things to look for. Thread, buttons, seed packets, and red fabric were just some of the objects that she was asked to look for and bring back. Even One had asked for her to bring back something for him, being the red fabric, so she took this as his agreement to letting her go. Which only made her more confident in what she was doing.

The Emptiness was quieter than usual. The usual sound of wind was more muted than normally and left the world uncomfortably silent. Seven still felt comfortable enough to continue further through the world. She was approaching the city's main plaza, hoping to find a cluster of abandoned shops to scour through, when the silence was suddenly interrupted.

A soft clattering came from the roof of one of the closer buildings. Seven flinched back and dropped behind an abandoned tire to keep an eye out. When the noise stayed silent, Seven assumed that it was just a crumbling building faltering at random. It wasn't too unheard of, naturally, so she stepped out and continued her trek. This time, however, she stayed closer to cover instead of out in broad daylight. After all, the Beast could be lurking anywhere.

Seven had seen the Beast herself once in the past, but what she recognized the most was the terrifying sketch that Six had drew. Which One had since mounted on a board and proclaimed as the reason that they had to stay hidden in the sanctuary. If it wasn't for the Beast, Seven would've been more outspoken about the importance of leaving the Cathedral, but there was no denying the creature's dangerousness.

This was why Seven had decided that evasion and speed was more resourceful than fighting. As of now, all she had on her that resembled a weapon was a small knife, and it was only useful for cutting small, unimportant things that got in her way. Keeping close to the shops' outer walls meant that there was one side she didn't need to be watching out for. Honestly, it seemed to work out better than she had expected.

After scouring two of the possible buildings, she had found only a spool of thread and some maroon fabric. Determined to continue, she decided to continue her search further on, as these buildings seemed to be ransacked. The smartest way to do this seemed to be crossing through the alley. It would be quicker and, in theory, safer than circling around the outside of the plaza.

Only a few feet down the alley and Seven was starting to regret this decision. The alleyway was cold and a dampness seemed to hang on the air, one that almost saturated her own fabric. Shaking off the uneasy feeling, Seven continued down towards the end, but came to an abrupt stop at a nearby crumbling noise. This time she doubted it was a fluke; something was definitely out here with her.

Then, suddenly, something heavy dropped down from a roof and landed into a nearby garbage can. It was heavy enough that the can tipped over, and spilled trash and rubble along the alleyway floor. Seven gasped and spun around to face the tipping can, backing away as she did so. There was nowhere to hide in the alleyway, other than the can itself, and she was out in plain sight. She took a few testing steps back as she watched the can wobble around. Then, slowly slinking its way out of the can, her stalker revealed itself.

From the red eye that stared directly into her soul, to the long claws that scraped the ground, she recognized the form of the beast. More specifically, the Cat Beast that stalked the Emptiness. Without a moments haste, she spun and began to sprint down the remainder of the alley. It was quick and its shadow soon fell upon her as it swiped out. But Seven was quick; she slid on the wet ground, pressing her body to the concrete, and barely dodged the lethal sweep from the claws. Then she rolled, regained footing, and dashed out onto the next street.

The Cat Beast skidded in from behind. She could hear its metal and bone grind against the concrete as it kept up. Then it swiped downwards, its claw dropping to try and pin her. She saw its shadow at the last moment and dove out of the way to another sideways roll, followed up with a backwards handspring, and stood to her feet to tear off down the street. Any of the buildings would be acceptable if she could just avoid the Cat Beast.

Unfortunately for Seven, her luck ran out in one sudden, horrible moment.

The Cat Beast swiped faster than Seven could dodge. The strength behind the hit was remarkable. It was so strong, so sharp, that her backpack was torn off of her back and thrown aside. Immediately pain pulsed through her back and she knew that he fabric had been torn. Down, but not out, she forced herself to stand, but wasn't quick enough.

A heaviness hit her in the back and shoved her to the ground. It was only one a vice tightened around her waist that she realized the Cat Beast was biting her. Her back throbbed and she could already imagine the teeth tearing through her fabric. However, while the mouth bit down further, tightening just enough that one of her arms was trapped against her side. But it didn't continue to bite down as she expected. She thought it was going to destroy her body if it caught her.

Instead, it raised its head upwards and Seven was left dangling in its grasp. Seven choked at the pressure on her back as she tried to pry herself out with her free arm. The Cat Beast wouldn't budge on its tighten grip on her and began to sprint off into the Emptiness. Her findings were abandoned, but they were ignored. More so, she found herself concerned about where exactly she was being taken to, but with the pain it wasn't long before her body gave out.

Seven came to a short while later. She looked upwards just in time to see the looming building that they were approaching. Black smokestacks reached to the sky, now dormant after years of spilling smoke, and everything was much too silent. Even more silent than before, even with the beast carrying her in its mouth. It was the machine factory, abandoned by time, forbidden by One's many 'rules'.

The inside of the factory was pitch dark and for a few moments Seven was left in a sort of limbo. It wasn't until they reached the main room, which was much larger than she could've ever imagined in her head. Light poured through a large hole that was broken into the roof. The Cat Beast carried her only a little further. It climbed a mound of metal scrap and bits before ending at a single bird cage. Out of everything destroyed in the world, a single bird cage sat waiting for her. Almost immediately she knew what it was going to do.

It wasn't possible that a beast could plan something like this in advance. Or, at least, that's what she had always thought. Yet as it tipped back the bird cage and dropped her inside, she wondered if it had arranged this specifically for her. After all, she was the only Stitchpunk who wandered out in the Emptiness. She landed heavily in the bird cage and the Cat Beast secured the door with a piece of bent wire. Then it watched her. Its red eye studied as she lifted herself into a sitting position, pushed back to the opposite side, and glared defiantly.

It hovered by the bird cage for hours. It would go between watching her and simply laying alongside the cage, relaxing in a semi-sleeping state. During this time, Seven's options were limited. She could try to escape while it was watching and, even if she did try, she didn't know if she could. The bird cage was in good condition and the wire looked strong. Meanwhile, the only thing that she had with her was the what was already in the bird cage. Bones and feathers littered the bottom of the cage; the remains of some sort of bird long ago.

She worried about the others. There was no doubt that the other Stitchpunks would have trouble getting past the Cat Beast. Seven's only idea was that she could make a distraction and hope that the Beast would pay attention. Yet the longer she waited, the more concerned she grew.

"Even if Two finds my things behind the plaza, how will he know that it brought me here?" Seven didn't know what worried her more; them not finding her or them finding her and being attacked. Two and Five were smart enough to put together that a machine would bring them to the factory, but she didn't know if they would be able to fight the beast off. Maybe Eight could; One would probably send Eight with them to be safe.

In the meantime, she distracted herself with the bones. The skull was fully intact and, while morbid, was a remarkable remainder of the beautiful creature. "I can't remember the last time I saw a bird in flight… I wonder if they still exist out there. Maybe they all perished in cages like this one." She shuddered and then hissed when it irritated her back. She didn't dare to reach back and feel over her wound, not when she wouldn't be getting it stitched for a questionable amount of time. It would just make her even more aware of her position.

As the hours passed, hope grew and waned. Sometimes she would think that she heard them, only to realize that it was the shuffling coming from the Cat Beast moving around. The sun waned and darkness slowly started to fill the factory. By time the sun fully set, she had become certain that they wouldn't find her. Exhausted and cold, she clutched the remaining feathers to her body and laid in the darkness. Eventually she fell asleep, but it was a light, unfulfilling sleep.

Dawn came slowly and Seven opened her optics to see the few rays of light pouring in. She pushed her stiff body upwards and looked around at the factory, searching for the Cat Beast. There was no sign of it.

"This is it," Seven forewarned herself. "This is my only chance."

She felt through the bones and settled on the one that seemed the firmest. Bird bones weren't exactly strong, but she hoped that one of them would hold well enough to help her. Once she settled on one, she slipped it under the first part of the wire and began to pry at it. Slowly, the wire began to lift, agonizingly slowly. It raised further from the door, looking around the bar, and-.

The bone broke and Seven lost her best chance at a tool.

In a panic, Seven started to look around for another possible solution. It was now that she spotted something laying on the metal mound just outside her cage. It was long, flat, and metal, and would obviously be a stronger leveraging tool. "This will be perfect," she thought as she knelt down and reached out for it. "If I can reach it." She would lean in closer and her back would hurt enough to cause her to briefly seize, causing her to stop in her movements.

By time Seven had managed to control her pain enough to brush her fingers over the metal item, she was alerted to the sound of movement from somewhere else in the factory. Obviously, it was the Cat Beast returning and Seven reluctantly moved away from the tool and sat in the center of the bird cage. The escape would have to wait until the Cat Beast left again.

As the day before, the Cat Beast spent a majority of its time circling the cage. Unlike the day before, it spent less time doing this. It already seemed to grasp that Seven would be spending most of her time sitting there and doing nothing, so it moved around its den doing whatever it was that it did. It seemed to be searching for something. Seven didn't really care what it was searching for.

There was something excruciating about the second night. Seven was again left in darkness, but she was restless, and had become more determined that her escape would only be through her own means. She didn't know why the others hadn't figured out where she was, but she had a suspicion that she needed to take matters into her own hands. She spent the night working the metal piece closer.

By morning, the metal object was right beside her and she waited for the Cat Beast to leave the factory. It watched her, it wandered around, and a few hours after sunrise it left for the Emptiness, leaving Seven finally alone. She could finally make the move to escape. Tugging the metal piece through the bars of the cage, she now realized that it was an old clock hand. There weren't any clocks in the nearby vicinity, but she didn't care enough to question it. Instead, Seven headed over to the door and wedged the clock hand under the wire.

Slowly but surely, Seven began to force the wire off and slowly unwound it from its hold on the door. With a final shove, the wire popped off and the door swung open. She was finally free; after two long nights in this cold, damp factory, Seven was finally free. She knew the Cat Beast would return and knew that she needed to escape, and only faltered long enough to grab the bird skull and some of the feathers. She would find something to do with them later. Naturally, she also brought the clock hand, unwilling to let her only tool go.

Unlike what Seven was expecting, she didn't see any trace of the Cat Beast on the long trek back to the Cathedral, except a few footprints here or there. Her back throbbed with every step, but she was determined to get back to the others. Between periods of pain she would attempt to run, only to slow down when it became too much for her rattled body. It almost seemed too good to be true; she expected the Cat Beast to appear around any corner, ready to capture her and return her to the factory, but it didn't.

Then the Cathedral came into sight. In one brilliant moment, she was staring upwards at her salvation, which crept closer with every step. She quickened her pace as she closed in on the front doors. When she slipped through the small gap left between the doors, there was a form of relief. Finally, she was out of the grasp of the Cat Beast, and it couldn't follow after her where she was going.

…But she didn't feel free. She didn't understand why, but she didn't feel free.

Mable: The next chapter should be posted tomorrow unless the weather gets to me. I've been losing internet on and off for the last few days, and it looked like tornado weather just a few hours ago. I doubt that I won't get a window of some kind to post. XD I hope you enjoyed!