Warriors: The New Era.
Chapter Forty Four: Cat and Mouse.
If you have been paying close attention, the Court of Miracles is under attack by the ARS, Rock's new army.
"You know...I originally killed Scourge. I tortured him to death, for revenge," Poppyfrost sighed, glass bottle in hand. "That's why I didn't kill him in this timeline. It didntchange anything. Revenge didnt feel good at all. So, I tried to be the bigger person. And failed tremendously."
Half Moon shrugged, as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. The two of them were sparring, with Poppyfrost teaching her how to fend for herself. She was teaching everyone, with one of the Resistance members helping out to. There was a wrestling mat on the Garage Floor, and a set of chairs to the side with a minifridge.
Half Moon nodded, drinking a water bottle, "Yeah...I understand. Sort of. I don't remember the old timeline like you and the rest. What's it like?"
"The old timeline?" Poppyfrost asked for clarification.
"No, I mean...knowing the old timeline. How does it work? How can you tell what's your memories and not your doppelgangers?"
Poppyfrost shrugged, "I dont know, it's like...a second set of memories. Like a mixture of both."
Half Moon nodded standing back up, slipping the gloves back on. "Alright...ready?"
Poppyfrost bunched to her feet "Yeah...go!"
Half Moon burst into action, thrusting her right fist forehead, hoping to hit Poppyfrost in the cheek with a well aimed punch. But Poppyfrost employed an swift elblow block, and struck her in the cheek.
Half Moon stumbled back, and regained herself, trying to sweep Poppyfrost's legs. Said Queen had jumped over the sweep, and thrusted her boot up, knocking Half Moon back.
"Get up!" Poppyfrost snapped.
Half Moon clutched the side of her head and growled. She lept to her feet, and jumped into the air, twirling and landing her foot on Poppyfrost's shoulder. Poppyfrost stumbled, but didn't fall. Half Moon planted her hands at the ground as she fell, and curled into a ball, before extending her legs again, kicking Poppyfrost away with two feet.
Poppyfrost hit the mat, and hissed, back on her feet in an instant. Half Moon had charged and attempted a wild haymaker, to which Poppyfrost ate. Poppyfrost flung backwards and into a handstand, before landing back on her feet, twirling around and sinking her fist into Half Moon's face.
Half Moon stumbled, and stayed on the ground, groaning, "Rgh...you win."
Poppyfrost held her hand out, and Half Moon took it, hoisting herself up.
"POPPYFROST!" Sparkpelt burst into the garage, panicking, "BRIGHTHEART IS IN TROUBLE!"
She held up a small circular device that fit in her palm, that was beeping fast and loudly.
Poppyfrost's face drained of all color.
"W...what?"
Sparkpelt nodded, already suited for war, "We have to help them!"
"THOSE PUNKS! THINK THEY CAN ATTACK MY FRIENDS AND GET AWAY WITH IT?!" Poppyfrost snarled, charging past her, "GET THE THREE! WE'RE GOING TO WAR!"
Fang peeked up from his cover, watching the swarming ARS sweep the tunnel in front of him. Jack Graves stood behind him.
"You sure your girl's up for this?" Fang gruffed.
"Of course. She's tougher then a bag nails," Jack grinned.
Fang nodded, moving between tunnels quickly.
"Where are we going?"
"Out of Riven. We have an outpost in Skyfair."
Jack halted in his tracks, "What?"
Fang growled, tired of playing, "We are leaving boy. Let's go."
"You may leave, but I won't just abandon my girlfriend behind!" Jack shouted.
Fang rolled his eyes, "Americans..."
"Scots," Jack responded with the same amount of venom.
"Sister fuckers!" Fang yelled.
"Drunkards!" Jack roared.
Fang stomped towards him, angry. "EJITS!"
Jack matched his pace. "MORONS!"
"CHANCERS!"
"ASSHOLES!
"TOSSERS!"
"VIKINGS!"
"MAGGOTS!" They both said in unison, foreheads pushing against each other in rage.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" A familiar voice cried out to them.
Fang and Jack looked at the new voice in a mix of anger and surprise.
Brightheart clutched her hip and limped towards them, "They are in warehouse 25."
"Who is?" Fang asked.
"ARS and the queen," Brightheart sighed, resting on the wall.
Fang cracked his knuckles, "Then let's get them out of there."
"I thought you were running away," Jack sneered as Fang brushed past him through the torch lit tunnels.
"That was before Poppyfrost was in danger!"
"Aww, so you do care," Brightheart grinned, madly, sinking to the floor, leaned against the stone wall.
Fang scoffed, "The alternative is letting her possibly die and have me in charge. I hate being a leader. Besides...she'd come back for me."
Jack nodded, "Understandable."
"So you good resting here?" Fang asked Brightheart, "ARS is everywhere."
"Eh, I'll be fine. Now both of you go recuse your princess."
Fang grunted, running down the tunnels. "Not my princess."
"Thank you," Jack nodded his head at Brightheart, before taking off after Fang.
"This...doesn't look ideal."
"Why cause some jackboot thugs have invaded the court?"
"Noooo, cause it's slightly humid- OF COURSE IT'S BECAUSE OF ARS THUGS!" Dusty yelled.
Sunfield shrunk at the yelling, and muttered apologies.
The two of them were on a tall building overlooking the warehouse district, or more commonly known as the Court Of Miracles.
"So...what's the plan?"
"You're the one who lives there!" Dusty snapped back, looking through the binoculars.
Sunfield shook his head with a smile, "No...I'm the one with the enthusiasm. YOU are the one with experience. Experience I wish to learn from."
Dusty sighed, "Well...knowing ARS, they probably have hostages. And will have buried themselves deep in the nest. What's the most central point of the Court?"
"The throne room underground. But that's HUNDREDS of feet, and the most fortified. Nothing past an a full army could get past the defenses."
"Not UNDERGROUND! They'd never be that stupid!"
"How?" Sunfield asked, "How is that stupid?"
Dusty grinned, "Cause they'd have to come up to escape. They'd be locked and pinned down."
"So...they'd want to be above ground!" Sunfield said in realization.
"Right. So again, what's the most central point of the court?"
Sunfield thought for a moment before snapping his fingers, "Warehouse 29! It's next to warehouse 25, the most secure area of the whole Area. In the event of an emergency, everyone holds up there. So, they'd have to station themselves next to it, hoping they can buy themselves in with hostages."
"So...how do we take out ARS in warehouse 29?"
"We don't. Fang and Brightheart got Warehouse 29 locked down, at least they should be! Warehouse 25, however...that may be a problem."
"So what do we do?"
"Why you asking me? You're the soldier!" Sunfield protested.
Dusty smirked, "You have homefield advantage, and know the place. I trust that you can make a plan."
"Trust... wow," Sunfield nodded. Fang never said that word regarding him. He put his two brain cells together, and soon enough he gained a spark.
"You ever seen the movie Tag?"
Icecloud put the gun to her head, and snarled, "Guns down...NOW!"
The soldier pointed his shotgun at the knocked out Ivypool, "I'll kill her!"
"DO IT! Fucking asshole she was!" Icecloud snapped.
Poppyfrost clutched her arm, and grimaced, as Jayfeather gasped, "Wait...Icecloud?"
Icecloud let a slip on anger show, "NOW you worry about me? NOW YOU REALIZE I'VE BEEN GONE FOR WEEKS?! YOU SELFISH PRICK!"
"But...you were at home! WE SAW YOU!"
Crow chuckled, hands raised, sword still in hand. "Okay...listen...Icecloud, right?"
Icecloud raised a brow, while her friends still tried to process what was happening.
"WAIT! Then who is at the house?!" Poppyfrost screamed.
Crow eyes twitched, "One...one of ours, who else?"
Icecloud hissed, "Drop. Your. Sword. Or I'll blow my brains out. Good luck telling THAT to your bosses."
Crow sighed, "If you're gonna do it, do it. I'm not going to be responsible."
"You NEED me to maintain your sleeper spy!" Icecloud reminded.
"Yeah, before her position was compromised! Your death will solve nothing!" Crow hissed. "So go ahead. Save me the bother."
The ARS soldier grinned madly,
Icecloud nodded, "Okay then...I guess if it's pointless then there is no reason for me to keep going."
He cocked the hammer back, and Crow notably flinched, eyes widened in worry. The soldier also flinched, gasping sharply.
"Ah...so you do need me..." Icecloud grinned, staring deep at Crow's eyes, inches apart.
Crow closed his eyes and nodded.
"Good...so drop the sword."
Crow lifted his hand and dropped it on the ground, where Poppyfrost snatched it and snarled..."Punk..."
"Gavin, drop the shotgun," Crow ordered.
"You know what Sky will do to us if we fail?!" The ARS soldier yelped.
Crow glared at him, "Do you know what these guys are going to do you don't?"
Gavin pumped the shotgun.
"I'll take my chances."
Icecloud aimed the gun at The soldier, while Jayfeather powered up.
Gavin looked around at the crowd standing against him, sweating.
"I'll kill her! STAY BACK!"
"DROP THE SHOTGUN!" Icecloud roared.
Gavin's finger rested on the trigger.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Gavin's arm, chest, and forehead caved in with bullets fired from...
From Crow.
ARS soldiers scanned the market stalls, walking through the maze of booths and selling stores.
Dusty looked down from the rafters above, hands on an electrical panel, "This is dumb."
"It's brilliance. Now watch and learn."
Beside him, Sunfield set the record carefully on the record player, and set a microphone next to it. He brought the whole thing from his small hideout above the warehouse.
"SPREAD OUT! SEARCH FOR THE ENTRANCE TO THE THRONE ROOM!" One soldier yelled.
Sunfield let a 'I told you so' smirk at Dusty, who nearly burst a blood vessel.
"Now," Sunfield pulled his hood up as the record started playing.
"Let's have some fun," Dusty smirked.
Sunfield slipped on some thermal goggles.
"Bravo Six, going dark."
Dusty let an evil grin escape his lips and he turned off the power.
Instantly, heavy metal music started to play over the PA system, spooking the soldiers.
"Turn on your flashlights!" one ordered.
Sunfield grabbed a nearby microphone and started to laugh psychotically, allowing every soldier to hear it.
"Hee hee hee ha ha ha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He cackled madly, resembling a certain psychopath.
"WHERE IS COMING FROM?!"
"Welcome to the jungle we've got fun and games! We got everything you want honey, we know the names!"
Dusty grabbed a nearby rope and slowly descended below, as the soldiers scanned everywhere with their light mounted guns.
"We are the people that can find whatever you may need! If you got the money, honey we got your disease!"
Sunfield stomped over the rafters and let his footsteps echo above them.
One soldier looked up to see a dark figure running above them in the rafters, "HE'S ABOVE US!"
Instantly, guns fired madly above them, as Sunfield ran and laughed harder.
"In the jungle, welcome to the jungle! Watch it bring you to your n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n knees, knees!"
"I WANT TO WATCH YOU BLEED!" Sunfield hollered with the song's lyrics, as he dodged and flipped acrobatically out of harms way.
Meanwhile, Dusty snuck up behind a soldier firing blindly at the celling. He grabbed a nearby frying pan, and smashed the man's head in, knocking him out cold. He quickly moved back into the shadows.
"CONCENTRATE FIRE ON THE RAFTERS!"
"Welcome to the jungle, we take it day by day! If you want it you're gonna bleed but it's the price to pay!"
Sunfield felt a bullet graze his shoulder, and he instantly felt less confident. But he continued laughing and singing with the song, hoping he was winning the psychological warfare.
Dusty knocked out another two soldier back to back by slamming their heads into each other,
He dove into a stall, and peeked as a soldier saw the bodies.
"And you're a very sexy girl, very hard to please! You can taste the bright lights but you won't get there for free!"
"SOMEONE IS DOWN HERE WITH US! THE BRAT IS A DISTRACTION!"
Dusty kicked it up a notch. He crawled out from under the stall and ran through the dark maze of booths.
"WHAT DO WE DO?!"
"SHUT UP SOLDIER! LET ME THIN-"
THUD!
Sunfield dropped a brick on the soldier's head, and was cackling madly, clearly enjoying this.
"YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE?!" Sunfied screamed, not needing a microphone to drown out the music. "YOU'RE IN THE JUNGLE BABY! YOU'RE GONNNAAAA DIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE! OOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"
Dusty ran up and threw his feet into the other soldier's back, at the same time, throwing a frying pan at his head.
Sunfield started dropping bricks galore, singing madly.
"In the jungle, welcome to the jungle! Watch it bring you to you! It's gonna bring you down!"
As the song ended, all the soldiers that were in the warehouse were either knocked out, or gaining brain damage from bricks.
"THAT'S ALL OF THEM!" Dusty yelled, as Sunfield flipped the lights back on.
As Sunfield slid down the rope to the ground, Dusty laughed madly, tying up the unconscious soldiers, "Dude, that was WILD! Where did you get the bricks?!"
"They're always up here. When Poppyfrost watched Home Alone 2, she thought it be a brilliant back up plan if our guns were gone."
"Wait...YOU HAD GUNS UP THERE?!" Dusty roared.
"Yeah," Sunfield nodded.
Dusty ran a hand through his hair, "WHY DIDN'T YOU GIVE ME ONE?!"
Sunfield smirked, "Like you said...this is more wild!"
Dusty let a laugh out, "Good point. Help me tie these guys up. Then we'll find Fang and Brightheart."
"Yes Sir, Dusty, SIR!"
Crow grunted as Poppyfrost tied the zip ties against his wrists tight behind his back.
Jayfeather helped his brother up, as Ivypool came to, slowly standing up.
"Search him," Jayfeather ordered.
Crow lowered his head with a smirk, as Poppyfrost and Icecloud rifled through his pockets. They found another gun, two knives, and a small box in his back pokcet.
"What's this?" Icecloud asked.
Jayfeather recognized it and scoffed, "It's a wedding ring box...he was going to propose to someone. Should of thought of her before you messed with us."
"Oh, I did," Crow said in the most threatening tone possible.
As if on cue, someone kicked down the door, screaming and roaring in war-mode.
Everyone raised their weapons and powered up, looking at their new enemy.
Only to see Jack and some big brute look at the ARS soldiers bodies and get confused.
"Okay...what did I miss?" The brute asked.
Jack, made no double take and instantly hugged his girlfriend, thanking God that she was alive.
Poppyfrost hugged Fang, who nodded slightly, "Seems I missed all the fun."
"Who's this?" Ivypool repeated.
"Fang. Champion of the Underground," Fang bowed his head.
Poppyfrost nodded, "He's with me. He's trustworthy, I promise."
"What do we do with him?" Icecloud asked.
Poppyfrost scowled, "We kill him, and your doppelganger back at the house."
"NO! WAIT! DON'T-Don't kill her!" Crow was instantly alert, and wide eyed with panic, "Please...you can kill me...or torture me, I-I don't care! Just...just don't hurt her! Please..."
Icecloud instantly fumbled the box open and looked at the wedding ring, instantly understanding. "Oh...oh..."
"This changes nothing!" Ivypool scoffed, "We should kill them both!"
"Please...please don't hurt her..." Crow begged.
Poppyfrost touched her earpeiece and sighed, "I'll contact Foxleap, and tell him to keep her under control. We'll deal with BOTH of you later. Foxleap? Foxleap you there?"
No response.
Jayfeather sighed, "Hey bro?! Respond! Foxleap?"
No response.
Poppyfrost gasped, as she remembered what Crow said.
"The fake Icecloud..."
RES! TAKE IT AWAY!
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Adios.