She stretched her paws until she felt the joints crack. Her tail was still pinned to her side. She let it fall in line with her back again. The morning sun gave the overcast a blue tint instead of its usual gray. It was early enough for the twoleg lights to still be up in some places. Her ears swiveled around to hear a rooster crowing in the distance. For a short while, the structures of the twolegplace around her were forgotten. She took in the slight breeze, its chill waking her further. And, further than anything else, was an orange glow from where the overcast ended. The horizon was blocked from full view, but she enjoyed what she could while she stretched. She walked up the ramp of snow and out the den. It was not long before one of the dogs followed.
"I am certain I cannot run away from you," Rye said.
Juta nodded. "True. But Heidi said you have to be under guard."
"I am just watching the sunrise."
"I know. But they're Heidi's orders. Besides, you missed the sunrise."
"I am still not accustomed to your 'militeary schedule'."
"It's 'military'. And you seem to have adjusted well enough."
Rye did not look back at Juta, who pushed some snow aside and sat beside her. She caught a glimpse of Rye's scowl.
"I hope you aren't mad at Heidi," Juta said.
"Why would I not be?" Rye growled. "Kritz has no word on whether I am alive or dead, and the only possibility I had to tell him of my progress is held on the sudden shift in personality from your leader."
"Clement would've never let you contact your branch."
"I could have found a way. I am not stupid."
"Neither is he. Paris made him accustomed to many unconventional tactics. He'd probably know your move before you made it."
Rye shook her head. "I do not care where he is from. To me, he is an overwhelmed kittypet with no faith in StarClan and an unhealthy obsession with secrecy. He offered me a way to do what I came here to do in the first place."
"Heidi didn't agree," Juta said. "She didn't like you being threatened."
"The pack has shown a great deal of tolerance the half-moon I have been here, but frankly my matters are none of her concern. She has no business saying what was good for me yesterday when she is off right now chasing a ghost."
Juta growled. "Watch your mouth. She's no less capable than the rest of us."
More claws sloshed through the den's ramp. Wolfgang emerged and immediately hopped on the lip of the hole, laying and watching the sky. Dona jumped right over him; Rye watched the determination on her face for a heartbeat before fading to the usual flappy tongue and twitching ears. The twoleg lights in the distance clicked off, leaving a black tint to everything in the distance. Including the blobs out of earshot and evenly spaced around the den.
"Aww, the cats are still around," Dona whimpered, sitting and resting her front paws on Wolfgang's back. "They're going to see my den carvings before they're finished."
"Forget the den carvings," Rye said. "They are just scratches. I need to leave."
"If you look closely, they tell a story," Dona whimpered.
"You asked all day and night yesterday. You aren't going anywhere," Juta said. "If you do, I'll have Wolfgang chase you down and eat you."
"You can have cat so many ways. I'm sure he'll pick whichever way I want you!"
"Dona, shut up and enjoy the sunrise."
"But it's already past—"
"Is this humorous to you?" Rye growled. The fur on the back of her neck rose. "My branch has no idea if I am alive or dead. And I am being held hostage by a pack of dogs. Do you have any idea how worried Kritz must be?"
"I don't even know who Kritz is," Juta snapped. "Don't you know any other names besides his?"
Rye's fur relaxed. She pawed through the snow.
"Guess that's a no."
"Just let me go out and look for Heidi. Karin has been gone since yesterday evening."
Juta and Dona glanced at each other.
"Her mood changed so suddenly. She has been perfectly reasonable, if reserved. But ever since that evening two days ago she is never around and snapping at everything. You know this order is just as absurd as Clementstar thinks it is."
"If you knew what she's been through, that order wouldn't seem so absurd."
The breeze had picked up a bit, and the temperature fell a little with it. The first flakes of new snowfall fell around them. Rye looked up at Juta's face. Her attention was behind her. The trees were shifting around as dozens of blackbirds took flight from their empty branches. Her ears twitched when she heard their rakish cries. Her ears swiveled around, and she leaned slightly closer. Her eyes narrowed when one of them approached. It landed on Dona's head; she stayed perfectly still. Wolfgang was uninterested.
Kraw. Raw.
"Sorry, Karin isn't here," Dona said. "I can take a message."
The blackbird shook its head.
"That's not what he said," Juta growled.
"I could speak it if you taught me," Dona whimpered, kneading Wolfgang's back.
Kraw-kraw. Clok clok clok clok. Awk.
Juta snatched Rye in her jaws and threw the she-kit on her back. Before she could jump off, the blackbird flew away and Juta began following it.
"What do you think you are doing!?" Rye said.
"It's faster for me if you just hang on," Juta yelled, picking up speed. "It's Karin."
"I'd rather stay here and watch the den!" Dona barked.
"You do that," Juta yelled back. "I'll try to find Heidi afterward, so take care of food."
"What is happening? Where are we going?" Rye dug her claws into Juta's fur as she sped up again.
"Dona doesn't speak bird-song and neither do you, apparently. Karin's in trouble with the ravens again. And maybe you can get a lesson from all this."
x
xxx
x
The speed kept her eyes nearly shut. Through the snowfall she could barely make out a group of trees in the distance. The breeze had stopped, but Juta was still running fast enough to keep Rye's head down. She constantly glanced to her left and right, keeping track of the cats that moved with her in the far distance. Shaking her head of snow, she finally started walking. Rye hopped off and shook out her fur. Juta was fixed on a large tree atop a hill. Karin was in front of it, and groups of blackbirds were on alert atop surrounding trees. The scent did not hit Rye until they closed in on the bottom of the hill. Her eyes widened when she spotted the feathers floating about. The blood covered the base of the tree. Some of it was dried, but much of it was wet. Near her paws lay a dead blackbird, carved open to the bone. Its eyes were wide; Rye hopped back when she saw its jaw move and caw softly. Juta ignored it and began padding up the hill. She was careful to keep her paws silent as they sank into the deep snow. Rye stayed put at the bottom. Blackbirds began landing around the hill. The dying one was dragged away by a pair who only kept close to Rye for a heartbeat, puffing up their chests to keep her attention elsewhere.
Juta cleared her throat.
Karin's shoulders flexed; there was blood even on the back of her neck.
"Karin?"
She was motionless.
"It's me, Karin. Did the blackbirds say something stupid again?"
The war dog growled.
"Okay, no, not stupid. Rude. They said that word, didn't they?"
Karin whimpered. Her legs were shaking as Juta got closer.
"Remember what we talked about?"
She was still shaking.
"How many this time?"
Juta was halfway up the hill.
"Karin? How many this time?"
"Seven," Karin whimpered.
Juta reached the top of the hill, keeping a tail-length from Karin. She was still shaking, and did not acknowledge her friend. Rye took a few steps up the hill, tempted further with each additional step. The blackbirds that surrounded her began clicking and extending their wings, ready to take off. The younger birds focused their attention on the war dogs and croaked.
"They're staring at us," Karin whimpered.
"Don't worry about them," Juta whispered. "I warned them—"
"No! They're staring at us!"
Karin spun around and growled, slowly walking down the hill and towards the growing flock of grounded blackbirds. Rye was halfway up.
"Rye get out of the way," Juta said.
The she-kit saw Karin's face. A streak of blood ran from her right eye across her back and shoulders. Her nose was bleeding itself, coating the front of her muzzle while the bird's covered the rest. It ran from the corners of her mouth. Bits of flesh were stuck to her neck, clinging on by its damp fur. Snowflakes covered her back and sides, never once bothering to shake them loose. Her legs were still trembling. Behind her lay the corpses of six blackbirds. Their bodies had been dragged against the tree and left at the base, bark splintered into their chests and their heads snapped at the necks. Some of them were missing wings, leaving puffed red flesh where they should have been and scores of feathers scattered about. One of them was still oozing from its blown-out eye socket. Rye lingered on it, feeling her belly wretch at the contorted twitches its remains made.
"I said get out of the way!" Juta barked.
Rye jumped to the side. Karin paid no attention. She approached the blackbirds, now dozens in number. Juta was close behind, tapping her flank.
"It's done, Karin. Just—"
A kick to her jaw downed Juta with a whimper. She held her muzzle in the snow, keeping her head down for only a moment. Karin drew closer to the flock, puffing her own chest and growling. The blackbirds in the trees shouted and cawed, some circling overhead.
Kraw! Fa, fa!
The flock of young birds shouted in unison; some took off and flew away.
Karin tilted her jaw. Klawk. Klawk awk.
"Don't!" Juta shouted, running towards her. "They're just going to say it again."
The war dog bared her teeth. Klawk rua.
One of the birds dropped a rough silver ring from his mouth.
"Rye, run away!" Juta said.
Kraw. Fas, fas. Fas, fas!
Karin lunged into the flock; a mass of feathers engulfed her. Some tried flying away. She jumped and snatched three in her jaw, crushing them. She landed as Juta leapt towards her but kicked her in the chest to stop it. Throwing the birds aside, Karin lunged at some who fled over Rye's head. Rye barely saw her approach before a paw smacked her face. She fell and clutched her cheek. Karin was mauling two more. The wing from one was torn as it was flung from her mouth and into the snow. As the young blackbirds routed, they overcrowded the ambience with their caws and clicks. Rye lifted herself when snow was kicked onto her. Juta grappled Karin and pressed her weight onto her back. She only held for a moment before collapsing. She thrashed and snapped her jaw in every direction; Juta pressed her own jaw against Karin's forehead and shoved it into the snow. The muscles of both stopped bulging. Karin began whimpering, hitting her ears and letting Juta stroke her shoulder.
"They did it again!" Karin whined.
"She's fine," Juta said. "You know she's fine."
"Why do they always do this!? I'm just trying to look for my friend."
"I know."
"Her vest is loose. They pecked part of it off. She's a devil when her vest is off!"
"Heidi's vest will be fine—"
"No, it won't. It'll fall off this time. It'll fall off!"
Rye approached. Juta shook her head, but she approached anyway. She could see the blood that had brushed off Karin's muzzle to Juta's shoulders, her face buried in the red snow around her. She still had feathers in her fur, which Juta was picking out and piling up. She picked up the silver ring that Karin dropped nearby and threw it at Rye.
"I want to help," Rye said.
"No, you don't." Juta's voice was shaking.
"You said you were teaching me something. I have never seen anything like… this."
"Well now you know. There's a reason we keep to ourselves. Why we don't go back to the masters or get involved in clan politics. Besides, there's not a thing you can help us with. You're worshipped as a god. You haven't seen anything. You haven't done anything. The clan's war will end with or without you. Most of those ravens are several times your age, smarter than any of us, and still lack the wisdom to leave us the fuck alone! The ones who interfere usually end up dead. So don't give me that 'I want to help' nonsense. You want to go to UnderClan, on a threat, and think about helping some mystery cat among the Shadows. Now you want to help us because you're curious of what you just saw? You're not even capable of thinking for yourself. Maybe you're worse than what Heidi said of you."
Rye backed away. Juta was growling at her, baring her teeth. Karin was still curled up in the snow, making no effort to clean herself. The overcast finally let morning light shine through some parts, but the snowfall covered much of it. Rye glanced up at the light shining through, then back to Juta's snarled muzzle. Many of the blackbirds were fleeing away, their bird-song ignored by the others. Some stayed to drag their dead away from the dogs. The she-kit almost fell with each step back she took. When she was nearly a tree-length from Juta, her expression softened. She tended to Karin. Watching it made Rye's belly churn. Her heartbeat began to race. Her breaths were deeper; Juta glanced. She felt her claws dig at the frost below the snow. Before they chilled, she bolted from it and onto a nearby gray-stone. Moments later, she took off along it. The remaining blackbirds stared down at her from the trees and cawed, waving their wings and beaks. She could hear Juta bark twice and howl long to the sky. Rye did not look back.