Chapter Nineteen.
Ghost - Middle of the City, Guild Territory.
It hadn't been an easy night.
He could hear too much and see nothing except his friends in here, their bare surroundings. If any of them had managed to get more than a few spare minutes of sleep at a time, he'd be surprised. Even when he had laid down, managed to calm his heart rate down that he felt weary enough to close his eyes, a few moments later something from outside would have him snapping awake yet again.
It didn't help that everyone else looked close to breaking the wall down to get out. If that was even possible.
Penny seems to be number one on the breaking down the wall train. Darkwhisker spent most of his time during the night climbing as far as he could into the building, trying to find a way out to no avail. His sensibility, even here, it seems is useless.
All they got of Rowan was the most basic of stories. Since then, he's been quiet.
They got to close to unknown territory. Those two from before, Bryce and Zane, tried to chase them off. Didn't even hurt them, which surprised Ghost the most. All it took was a fence, really, and a sharp jagged end, and then Damon was bleeding all over the pavement. Far too much, Rowan said. Nothing they would've been able to fix. They didn't even have supplies to begin with, and they wouldn't find them easily in this city.
So Rowan gave up. Stopped running, because he knew there was someone here who could fix Damon better than they ever would be able to.
What he did not expect was to get separated from him, to spend nearly an entire day alone trapped in this building, nothing else surrounding him. No one's come to see him, to tell him if Damon's alright. If Damon's even still alive. It works to explain why Rowan was so terrified.
"Think they're gonna let us starve to death?" Flora asks after a while. She's still sitting side by side with Rowan, having given up on getting Penny to do the same.
"Hope not," Emberstrike mutters. "Have no interest in going like that. Doesn't sound like much fun."
Yeah, he's seen it happen. It really isn't fun. Not to watch or to have it happen to you.
It's odd, how in this situation he seems to be the most calm, save for Darkwhisker. Every time someone looked close to snapping it was him they looked to for reassurance. Not even words.
"We'll get out of here eventually," he says quietly. "We have to."
Eventually is sooner rather than later, however. The sun is starting to flood through the high up windows, and he's almost about to lay down again and try to close his eyes when there's a noise from outside. Different than the rest. Louder, more purposeful. After a minute the large slab of wood covering their exit disappears, hitting the concrete outside with a thud.
"You all managed to survive the night! Good job."
It's Xavier again. He's flanked by the tom from the night before, Griffin, and another tom he can't ever remembering passing from the night before.
None of them respond. Frankly, he doesn't even know what to say. Xavier looks unconcerned and rolls his eyes, stepping aside.
"You can come out now."
Again, none of them do anything. He's almost touched by the unity. He knows how desperately everyone wanted to get out in the middle of the night, how much they still want to. But they're all wary enough of the situation that they stick together, eyeing the exit cautiously.
"Come on," Xavier chuckles. "Stop looking at me like I'm public enemy number one. Come outside, have something to eat. Relax for five minutes, maybe."
"You just locked us up for the night and now you're telling us to relax?" Penny deadpans. "Nice."
"All part of the process," Xavier explains. "Last time a deserter came back after disappearing they killed six others in their sleep before any of us caught him. Consider it a trial run. You guys don't start anything, you're free to go. Back to your home, your Clan, wherever you came from."
The word Clan coming from a complete stranger startles him.
"How do you know about that?" Darkwhisker asks, and he's no doubt filled with the same curiosity he is.
"Your friend told me. Nice guy."
"I'm going to kill him," Penny hisses, and for a moment he can't quite tell if she's referring to Damon or Xavier. Both is probably the safest bet.
He makes the decision to go outside before anyone else can stop him. The sun is indeed nearly at it's peak in the sky and he blinks harshly. He braces himself for something bad to happen but nothing does. All Xavier does is step aside to make room for the others.
They don't even need to hunt for their own food. They're led, eventually, to a pile of prey near another building, shielded by stacks of boxes pushed up against the wall. There's no one guarding it.
"You trying to poison us?" Emberstrike questions, and makes a face back at him when Xavier gives her an incredulous look. "Geez. Just checking."
He feels bad about taking the prey of these cats, though. For whatever reason. There's dozens of them all around, much bigger than a Clan would ever be in size. There's no way even Xavier can know them all, or even the leader of this place. Too much to keep track of.
"Don't feel bad," Rowan murmurs quietly, scooping up a mouse. Like he's reading his thoughts "They probably caught this just for us. You're pretty much on your own for hunting around here, so."
He takes his mouse back and settles down next to Flora, who shrugs at him. They're all feeling it, then. This is the opposite of their old lifestyle, where they always fed the elders and queens first. Where in leaf-bare he almost always ate last because he felt bad watching someone else be hungry. Then again, has he even seen any cats that would be elders? Nope. No sign of kits, either. No one to take care of.
His stomach is churning, and he barely manages to get down a sparrow, despite how hungry he is. Xavier and Griffin have wandered a ways away and the third tom is gone. It appears as if he was only there for back-up in case they did try something.
Xavier glances over at him. "You good?"
"Yeah. Just want to get back to Damon and we'll get out of here."
"Actually, I need one of you to come and speak to our leader first. Doesn't matter to me who."
It's him, then. Instantly. He's not letting anyone else go. He doesn't know where this leader is, or why he needs to be spoken to. That's his job. To keep everyone here as safe as possible no matter what situation they're in. What he couldn't do before he's going to do now.
"We'll, you're not going alone," Emberstrike informs him. "Everyone else can go make sure Damon's alright. I'm coming with you."
The uneasiness returns, when him and Emberstrike are separated from the rest of the group.
There was no point in them all moving together. He'd see Damon soon. He just wishes there was another way to keep track of them, to watch over them while they moved further and further away.
For all he knew, it wasn't even that far away.
Xavier leads them to what looks like nothing more than a pile of rubbish, stacked high enough that they can hardly see the top. He navigates it, though, like he has a hundred times, and Ghost has no choice but to follow in equal confidence. It's better to get this over with now. There's a well-trodden path through it all, and at the end it opens up into a fairly large area, well-shielded from the elements for where it's situated. Sitting within it is a golden-brown tom, slowly grooming one of his shoulders. He hardly spares them a glance when they approach.
"I'll be outside when you guys are done," Xavier says quietly, and he backs out. Leaving them alone with the other tom, their leader, who has yet to speak a word.
It's awkward. There's no other way to describe it. Beside him, Emberstrike shifts on her paws, staring at the tom in silence. He flattens the fur along his shoulder once more and looks up at them, like he's noticing them for the first time.
"So you are the ones who have intruded on my territory?"
"That would be us," he replies. The tom shrugs, and swipes a paw over his ears.
"And who would you be, exactly?"
"Ghost. And this is Emberstrike."
Whoever this leader is, he seems interested all of a sudden, tilting his head to the side. On some cats it would look intimidating - on him it almost looks comical.
"Emberstrike, right," he says calmly. "A Clan name, I presume? From my brother's group, then?"
"Sorry?" He asks, for once not feigning the confusion.
"Xavier told me your injured friend mentioned being from the Clans. I assumed you were a bunch of little runaways from my brother's group, but—"
"Oh, no," Emberstrike interrupts. "You're not serious, are you? Please tell me you're not Fable's brother."
Ghost almost gets nervous, at her tone of words. Afraid that this nameless leader would be angered at being interrupted. But now, he doesn't care. It seems like, in such a wide world, there shouldn't be any way this could happen. That Fable has a brother, and they're sitting in front of him without a care in the world.
"That I am. And I assume I was wrong about your origins?"
"Just a little," Emberstrike says, where he finds he doesn't have words. "Mind keeping that information to yourself? Would sure help us a lot."
"I have little love for my brother," he says. "As I'm sure he still has none for me. If you're under the assumption I want to hand you both over to him, you're wrong. There's no reason for us to interact. We have a code, a certainly loyalty to each other despite the opposite direction of our paths, but if we stayed at opposite ends of the world until our deaths I wouldn't mind."
He just keeps staring, wondering if this cat is similar to Fable in any way at all. If this is what he could be looking in the eyes one day. Fighting, maybe. It's unsettling to look into the eyes of someone who is almost your enemy. Is, in another scenario.
"Any other questions?"
"Yeah, I've got several," he manages. "If you're brothers, why is he up there and you down here? Why are you treating him like he's hardly even family?"
It's partially because of Jaytalon, he thinks. Can't imagine being enemies with his own family. It's a miracle he survived being separated at all.
"Fable is many things," he says. "Naive, jealous, hungry for a life where he is the only one looked to. He was not that here. The firstborn son inherits, as they always have. As I am. As my firstborn will do as well. He would never get a chance to lead, if he stayed here. The only way to do that would be to kill me, which he never had the guts for. So he left. Made his own way. Created a life where he was that leader. I don't consider him an enemy. Foolish, yes. I know he considers me one. No doubt he longs to get revenge on me for something. But he knows he won't win."
"I actually think that just made me more confused than I already was," Emberstrike mutters, and he can't help but agree. "Also, what is your name? Do we get to know that?"
"Brink," he answers simply. Brink. So much weight behind such a simple name.
The knowledge is confusing. But it also explains how things work here. Why Fable did what he did. It's given reasoning to something he never understood, until now.
Everyone has their story. Even Fable.
"Xavier's your second-in-command," Ghost says. "But he won't become leader? Does that not create turmoil, when a leader dies?"
"Every leader has an heir. It's always been this way. It's how this group works. My father, my grandfather. It goes back years."
"And no she-cats to be seen," Emberstrike says quietly, but Brink's eyes flicker to her nonetheless. It's that look that unsettles him more than anything else in the past day has; the way the slightest bit of anger bleeds into his eyes, something wolfish alongside it. Something defensive rises up in his chest at the sight of it, and the challenge in her gaze doesn't help matters all.
To be fair, he'd like to knock Brink off his pile of trash too. That doesn't mean he can.
"I think we'd like to go see our friend now," he interrupts, before anything can escalate. It would've, if someone like Penny would have been here instead. Somehow, Emberstrike reigns herself in. Doesn't react at all other than the look in her eyes, which isn't enough to call her out on.
"Xavier will take you to them," Brink says. "It was nice meeting you both."
He's still staring at her. It's making Ghost want to rip a piece off of him more and more by the second.
He makes sure Emberstrike leaves before he does, glancing back at Brink until he's completely out of sight. He's still wary.
"Are there ants on me?" She asks suddenly. "It feels like there's ants on me. My skin is crawling."
"I really wish it were ants," he mutters as they approach Xavier. The other tom turns to them, almost looking amused. It's still better than what he was looking at before.
"You couldn't have warned us," Emberstrike hisses at him.
"Warning you still does nothing in hindsight."
"How do you even stand him?" He asks.
"I personally don't. Why do you think everyone prefers listening to me and not him? Cats are getting sick of the old ways. Most of them, anyway. Don't use Bryce and Zane as examples. They're some of the ones who wonder what it would've been like, had Fable stayed here and killed his brother."
A Clan would never work this way. Sorrelstar or Applestar would have pushed Brink down his trash pile straight into the ground for saying the things he did. There's a part of him that still wants to go back there and actually do it. He can't endanger everyone else, though. Not because of something that he'll just have to learn to ignore. If this is how this group works for the time being then he doesn't have a choice but to live with it. He doesn't get a say.
At least Xavier doesn't seem as if he's stooped to that level.
"If you guys are good to go—"
"Ready to leave a few minutes ago," Emberstrike says simply. "Lead the way."
Xavier really does seem to weave his way through this environment with an ease that no one else does. Nothing looks quite like an obstacle to him and it's easier to follow along than ever. He shouldn't feel so safe following the other tom after what happened last night when he led them somewhere, but when faced with a leader like Brink it only seems that much easier to trust Xavier.
"Do you have someone here who knows something about medicine? Like a healer?" He asks, thinking of Rowan's words from the middle of the night. Obviously Damon is alive. The idea of a healer is intriguing enough on it's own, in a place like this.
"Most cats here have at least some concept of how to patch themselves up. You'd be dead pretty quick if you didn't, living here. Rowan was right, bringing him here. It wasn't that serious - blood made it look worse than it was, but. Can't blame him."
"Well, thank you," he says. "For keeping him alive."
"You don't gotta thank me," Xavier says, waving his tail forwards. Ghost looks ahead; his friends are all clustered around the side of a building, with two she-cats. It's the only she-cats he's really seen around here who haven't been sticking to the shadows or skulking around, a pale tortoiseshell and dark brown tabby. Griffin is still hanging around too, but all he can really focus on is Damon. He is indeed alive, leaning his weight awkwardly onto one side more than the other, but alive nonetheless. Emberstrike rushes forward to her brother's side, looking relieved to be anywhere other than around Brink, and he pushes his way through the group to face Damon.
"You're an idiot," he says flatly, and Damon smiles. There's cobwebs patched up all along his side, dried blood around the edges, but his eyes are bright.
"I've already told him that," Penny insists. "Several times."
"I can't believe you lost a fight to a fence."
"Says the guy who's gotten landed on twice," Emberstrike points out, grinning at him cheekily, and he rolls his eyes. Penny snorts in amusement, and it's easy to see the lack of tension in her shoulders, now that they're all back together. This is progress, he knows. And it's better than nothing.
"I'm glad you're okay," he says finally, and Damon nods. Rowan is glancing at them warily, and he thinks back to Brink. About Rowan growing up here, surrounded by all that hate. No wonder he ran when he did.
"Like Xavier said, you have others to thank for that," Damon says, and he gestures to the two she-cats. They've been quiet up until now, just watching the proceedings, but Ghost notices that they're not backing down or shying away from the group of them. There's something to suggest they're different than the rest of this group. Damon looks to them too.
"Oh, don't start with that again," Penny hisses under her breath.
"What?"
"He's been making heart eyes at her," she continues, glancing towards the pale tortoiseshell. "Since we got here. It's ridiculous. Tell him to stop."
"Like you're any better!" Damon whispers incredulously, turning back to them. That's fair enough. "And shut up. If I can hear you she can probably hear you too. This isn't funny!"
"I think it's funny," Darkwhisker mumbles, and Emberstrike laughs. Damon looks decidedly unamused.
The still un-named tortoiseshell is looking at them in amusement. She probably can hear them, clear as day, and so can the other she-cat, but she hasn't said anything. She steps forward then, nodding towards Ghost. If Damon really has been staring at her he can't say he blames him. She is quite pretty. Certainly nicer than most of the things he's seen in this city thus far.
"Aurora," she introduces. "And this is Dani. Nice to meet you."
"Ghost. Thank you, for not letting him permanently lose to the fence." He's never going to let Damon live that one down. He needs some minor satisfaction in his life, and if this is how he's going to get it, then so be it.
"Wasn't too hard," Aurora said. "Besides, Dani's better at it than I am. I'm usually just here for moral support."
There's another long moment where Damon just stares at her, and Ghost is on the fast track to thinking he needs to teach him something about subtlety. He of all cats should not have to teach him that lesson. Certainly not now, and not here, of all places.
"So you're a healer?" He asks Dani, directing his attention to her. All he can think about in the back of his mind is a medicine cat, of having that role filled by someone who actually knows what they're doing. It's awful to think, when Goldenleaf is still alive, and Penny's thinking it too, judging by the look she gives him.
"Not so fast," Penny says, voice quiet. "We're still going after my sister."
We're. He's not the only one who heard it. Flora's eyes light up, and Rowan manages to crack a smile at the determination in her voice, the first time he's looked anything other than nervous since they found him.
"Yeah, we are," he agrees.
Another puzzle piece settles into place.
"Love to stay and chat," Dani says. "But I should probably go check on a friend. Griff, you're coming with me."
Griffin waves his tail in farewell, still mostly silent, and the two of them disappear around the corner of the building. Even though they're together again, it's obvious that they can't leave. Not yet. Damon's side probably needs a day or two to heal up better, at least enough that he can make the journey back. He's standing and he's excited they're together but there's an underlying pain he probably wouldn't admit to.
"You guys can stay here for the night," Aurora tells them. "Unless you have any interest in asking my father for similar hospitalities. Judging by the look on your faces when you got here though, I doubt it."
He stops. Looks at her.
Emberstrike blinks.
"You're not," she deadpans. "Don't tell me you are. I don't believe you."
The thing is, he doesn't want to believe it either. They look nothing alike. His yellow eyes to her blue. But where Brink's gaze unsettled him Aurora's is just cool, content. Waiting for a reaction.
"You're Brink's daughter," he deduces. He can feel Xavier's eyes on the back of his head, knows he has to think carefully about what he says next. Xavier will bring everyone in here down on him if he doesn't think before he speaks. Aurora hasn't said anything, but the lack of refusal is enough to confirm it anyway. Emberstrike shakes her head in disbelief, clamping her own jaw shut.
"Brink's daughter," Aurora says finally. "More specifically though? The heir. It really is nice to meet you."
Damon makes a choked noise, something either shocked or pained. He can't really tell.
"Firstborn son," Ghost manages. "He said it was always the firstborn son."
"Kinda hard for your firstborn son to be the heir when you don't have one," Aurora informs him. "Funny how that works, isn't it?"
He has no idea what else he's supposed to say. The contempt in Brink's eyes when he looked at Emberstrike, none of that matches up with the fact that his heir is no doubt someone he looks down on as well. His own daughter. Aurora doesn't look angered, though. More resigned, like she's used to the reaction.
And Xavier's still staring at him.
"If you have something to say, you might as well say it," Xavier challenges, and when he turns to look around at him, he actually manages a split second of nervousness. Xavier doesn't look like he's about to rain hell down on them, but his eyes have settled protectively over Aurora, and yeah. He's nervous. Damon recognizes the look at nearly the same time, notes the way Xavier is looking at her, and averts his eyes. He looks up into the sky aimlessly, letting out a breath through his teeth. Nearly panicked himself.
"Never look anywhere again," Penny hisses at him.
"I'm good," Ghost manages, struggling to maintain the same level of intensity in his eyes. Birchwind was never this nerve-wracking to look at, or to talk to. Why is Xavier so much worse?
Xavier nods. "That's what I thought."
He wants to look back at Damon and Rowan, wants to scream why did you drag us into this. He knows why, though, and he still can't justify it as contributing to their journey in any way shape or form.
He just wants to leave, and that's the last thing he can do.
Only excited to post this chapter so everyone can quit complaining about the next one being so far away.