'I will tell you what I can
But your mind will take a stand
I sing of a greater love
Let me know when you've had enough.'

'Clear' - Twenty-One Pilots

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Eaglestrike had taken all but four steps into the city and before he wanted to leave. There's something about the still silence that settled over the ancient ruins that unsettled him, left him feeling exposed and at risk. He felt a heavy sort of sadness pressing down on him, resonating from the lifeless world he'd stumbled into. Glancing sideways at Apollo he wondered how she'd ever called such a desolate place home. Did she find the gaping wounds in the towering stone trees appealing? Had she often yearned for the wicked skeletons of the huge hulking beasts that sagged in the wide pathways?

A road, he corrected, Apollo told us it was called a road.

He could see a tension in Apollo's body, coiling together like a snake preparing to strike. Her eyes never remained in the same place for longer than a heartbeat, flitting from stone tree to stone tree as if she expected something to jump out at them. Beside her Sebastian chattered on aimlessly unaware that no one was listening, but even he looked to be on edge, walking with a poised step.

"Is it normally this...empty?" Littleflame breathed.

"No." Craning her neck to peer up the sheer edge of a dull red stone tree Apollo narrowed her eyes, "it's usually much louder. Sebastian, how long have you been out of the city for?"

Sebastian bristled at her tone. "Not long enough for Miraz to lose 'is part of the city that's for sure," he spat, and then shrugged. "Maybe Miraz summoned all his loyal followers to 'is warehouse."

"There would still be cats hanging around. Not everyone supports a city boss," Apollo scoffed.

"Warehouse? What's a warehouse?" Rainpatch interrupted sounding far too curious for his own good.

Apollo jerked her head in the direction of one of the stone trees, "like that, but shorter and wider."

"Do you have a name for those?" Eaglestrike asked.

"Building. I forget none of you have even seen a city before," she frowned. "That's going to be an issue."

Icepetal stopped sharpening her claws on a jagged slab of stone to peer at Apollo over her shoulder, criticizing the city-cat with a sharp eye. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Strangers used to be welcome in the city; they'd bring stories of far off places. Crimson's presence changed that. Her first assault shook the already weak foundations of a once grand city, Miraz and Titan both lost family in the attack. They stopped welcoming strangers after that, convinced all of them were spies," Apollo looked pained. "I might have been able to sneak you in, but none of you know anything about the city."

"Then teach us?" Icepetal twitched her whiskers.

"We don't have time to just sit around and learn," Eaglestrike hissed.

Icepetal growled at him, "Crimson's not going anywhere. I'd rather get through the city with my pelt intact."

"She's not going to stay in the city for very long," he snapped back, "especially if she's planning a battle. We could be on our way home by tomorrow."

"Don't be stupid. Killing Crimson isn't going to be an easy feat, or have the last few run-ins with her shown you nothing?" Icepetal sneered.

"If you two start arguing we're leaving you behind," Littleflame warned, already padding away from the bickering Clanners.

"No one's going anywhere in this city without me," Apollo growled, sinking her teeth into Littleflame's tail, yanking the overeager she-cat back. "If you are found by Miraz's closest cats they will kill you and ask questions later. We're going to go straight to a close friend of mine; she'll be able to get us to Miraz safely."

Sebastian let out a bark of laughter so loud it echoed down the empty road, "Are ya' honestly going to put yer safety in the paws of Lathai?"

Apollo scowled at the elderly tom. "Do you have an issue with that? Lathai could get from one end of the city to the other with her eyes closed and still not get caught," she wrinkled her nose, "At least she can remember where she lives."

"Oi, low blow."

"A necessary blow," Apollo purred cheekily.

"Who's Lathai?" Eaglestrike inquired curiously. He didn't like that he didn't know very much about Apollo's life, maybe this Lathai could tell him a little about the strange she-cat that had captured his attention and run amuck through his dreams.

The slight smile that spread across Apollo's face knocked the breath from Eaglestrike's lungs, the way it lit up her eyes blowing him away. Whoever Lathai was she must mean a lot to Apollo. "A friend, one we can trust. We used to work for Miraz together," she answered.

"You used to work for Miraz?" Rainpatch shoved his way past Sebastian, ignoring the elder's gravelly hiss. "What'd you do!?"

"...we used to clean up the trash," Apollo answered slowly, "Or whatever else Miraz wanted us to do. Miraz and I are close enough to ensure your safety." She started towards a break in two buildings, where one ended and another began, ducking under a beam of stone that ran between two gaping holes in the sagging structures. Prey bones crunched under her paws, though she ignored them entirely, continuing down the shadowed alleyway.

Eaglestrike paused to scowl down at the yellowed bones. What kind of animal left the remains of their prey just scattered all over the place? It was disgusting. The least they could do was bury them, or shove them somewhere out of sight. He flicked a small skull away with a claw watching it clatter away.

A body brushed up close to him, warm pelt mingling with his. "Do you trust Apollo?" Littleflame breathed in his ear, muzzle almost pressing against his cheek. Her tail swished agitatedly but there wasn't a trace of fear scent on her. He swallowed a satisfied grunt that the she-cat had grown stronger, physically and mentally, in the time they'd been away from the Clans. Just how long has it been, he mused, must be nearly a moon, maybe more. The thought was worrying. If they didn't defeat Crimson whilst she was in the city how long would it be before they could get another chance to?

"Enough to let her take us through the city," he answered honestly, because it was the truth. He did trust Apollo in a way but he couldn't explain why. He just did. But she had attacked him once before, and killed him. In a dream! It was a dream! The reassurances did little to quell the strange feeling that told him Apollo was dangerous; he could see it in the sway of her hips when she walked, a lazy saunter that always seemed poised and ready to strike. He couldn't forget the look in her eyes during that dream, the crazed pleasure lighting up the beautiful blues as her claws cleaved through his throat, the pure delight as his blood gushed from his body in a red wave.

"What if she's with Crimson?" Littleflame pressed, stepping in front of him to stop him from joining the others. "What if she's leading us into a trap?" the little she-cat persisted.

"She would have killed all of us by now if she was with Crimson. You heard what Willowclaw said," the name induced a slight pang of hurt, "Apollo helped him save Rainpatch. She wouldn't have done that if she wanted us all dead. Having some faith wouldn't hurt," the words came out harder than he'd intended and he didn't miss Littleflame's flinch.

"I do have faith! But don't you wonder why she's still here? Why she's still helping us? What does she have to gain from it?"

Eaglestrike almost admitted that she had a point, it was something he'd puzzled over a lot over the course of the past few days. There was a part of him hidden deep that wanted Apollo to be staying for him, but he knew that was unlikely. Glancing at Littleflame he felt a pang of guilt. He cared for her, he wanted her. But he couldn't just ignore the strong pull he felt towards Apollo.

"Maybe she hates Crimson just as much as us," he shrugged. "Can you drop it? If she's not with Crimson, which she's not, then you've been worrying yourself for no reason."

"And if she is?" Littleflame whispered.

"Then you get to say 'I told you so'."

Littleflame didn't resist when Eaglestrike brushed past her, only stretch her neck to brush her muzzle along his side. "I feel like I'm losing you." Eaglestrike pretended he hadn't heard her. His feelings were like snakes, wrapping round his neck, tightening with each encounter. He felt like there were two parts of him at war, yearning for two separate she-cats. Shaking his head he tried to dispel the dark thoughts curling at the edges of his mind.

They snaked through alley after alley, rarely seeing any other signs of life. If they did, Apollo had them stuffed into some small alcove out of sight before they could be spotted. At one point they'd stumbled straight into a thin tom, ribs showing clear through his thin pelt. He'd been wheezing, each breath a harsh rattling sound. The tom had opened his mouth to say something, eyes pooling with fear, but Apollo's teeth had torn through his throat before a single word could slip past his lips. The city-cat said nothing, just dropped the carcass and moved on.

Littleflame gave Eaglestrike a meaningful look, stepped over the body, and trotted away. He swallowed uncomfortably, picturing the lifeless form at his paws as his own. Lifeless yellow eyes became a stormy blue, thin brown fur became a reddish colour. He gasped and abandoned the corpse, practically tripping over his own paws to catch up to the others. He hated the city. He hated that Littleflame didn't trust his judgement. He hated how torn up he was inside.

So when a weight dropped to the ground behind him, lashing out at Rainpatch with a loud cry, he whipped around in a heartbeat to launch his own attack, though it wasn't needed. Rainpatch wasn't going to be caught off guard twice in one day. He parried his attacker's blows, offering up his shoulder as a sort of shield, only to throw his entire weight against his attacker a few moments later. His shoulder slammed heavily into the stranger's chest, knocking them to the ground. Rainpatch opened his mouth to hiss but ended up with a hind-paw in his mouth instead; shout of surprise muffled by the furry appendage. A sharp flick from the stranger made him see stars, and the wall of a building.

He came back swinging, propelling himself towards the pale-furred stranger. Claws sliced through his muzzle whilst his teeth met a fluffy ear. Blood rushed down the stranger's face from a now-torn ear yet no sound of pain came from within. They just whacked Rainpatch's muzzle away, growling loud enough for it to echo down the thin alleyway. For a brief heartbeat the two just stared at each other, Rainpatch's muzzle marred by three long, puckered cuts.

"Lathai," Apollo was in front of Rainpatch in the blink of an eye, a heartbreakingly warm smile blossoming on her face.

The stranger – Lathai – did not relax her aggressive stance; she just gaped at Apollo, jaw nearly hitting the ground. A disbelieving cry rose from the back of her throat and she flung herself at Apollo with the loudest purr Eaglestrike had ever heard. Apollo fell onto her back; Lathai flopped on top of her, muzzle pressed into the soft fur of Apollo's neck. "You're here! You're here! You're actually here! You're home!" the she-cat was sobbing, "Miraz told me you'd done something stupid and, and I thought you were never going to come back!"

Apollo sighed contentedly and closed her eyes. "I promised I'd come home, I never break my promises. Besides," she prodded Lathai's cheek with a paw, "how could I not come back to you?"

"You were gone so long. I got so bored that I climbed to the top of Titan's warehouse!" Lathai exclaimed, pulling back to stare down at Apollo.

Eaglestrike scrutinised Lathai. She was pretty; he'd admit that, with fluffy golden fur splashed with dapples of the purest white. Her ears were rounded and had little black tufts on the end, complimenting her narrow face. Tiny black speckles dotted her cheeks and, Eaglestrike assumed, the rest of her head. A long, plumy tail curled delightfully, coloured a soft gold right down to the tip. One paw, a forepaw, was black, the others white. She turned her head when Apollo nudged it, opening her eyes, and Eaglestrike had to hold in the gasp. One was a deep blue, almost green, and the other a yellow rivalling the vibrancy of the bright sun he'd seen as a kit.

"Oh!" Lathai spotted the others, "did you bring me back some friends!? You're too kind! Hi, I'm Lathai!" she suddenly grew rather sheepish, flitting shy glances at Rainpatch. "Sorry for beating you up, you just surprised me a little. No hard feelings?"

"No hard feelings," Rainpatch agreed with a laugh. "You almost scared the fur off of me!"

Lathai laughed, "You'd look funny without fur!"

"Be nice," Apollo warned though her brilliant smile still remained.

"Go on then, tell me who they are before I die of suspense!" Lathai giggled, pawing at Apollo's ears.

There was a moment of heavy silence before Apollo answered, and when she did her smile had gone, replaced with complete seriousness. "Clan cats on their way to kill Crimson and save the world, in short."

"Clan cats?" Lathai's giggle sounded forced. "Don't be stupid. No Clan cats ever willingly come to the city, especially not to 'kill Crimson'."

"Eaglestrike," he snagged Lathai's attention, "my name's Eaglestrike, and that's Icepetal, Rainpatch, and Littleflame. We are Clan cats and we are here to kill Crimson."

"Oh you're serious," Lathai's face fell.

Apollo gently pushed Lathai away so that she could get up, putting herself between her city-cat friend and the Clan cats. "I need you to get us to Miraz, Lathai, and I promise I'll tell you everything afterwards."

"But-"

"I promise."

"I thought you-"

"Lathai, later!"

"Okay! Alright! I'll do it, but you better have a good explanation," Lathai pouted, then jerked her head down the alleyway in the direction the Chosen had been heading. "Stay behind me, weirdos, if we get busted I'm ditching you all."

Littleflame's ears flattened against her skull. "T-That's a little harsh."

"I'm only doing this for Apollo," Lathai smiled sweetly. "You're just dead weight to me."

Silence fell over the ragtag group, uncomfortably pressing down on them. Unspoken words sat heavy between them despite Apollo, Lathai, and Sebastian's quiet chatter. Apparently the three hadn't been together, all three of them, for a long time. Lots of sentimental catching up to do, Eaglestrike was sure. He tried not to scowl at the city-cats leading him through twisting alleys and deserted roads. The city was becoming livelier the further in they got, the group forced to cut through shambled buildings to make it through unnoticed.

Lathai moved at a surprisingly quick pace, darting from shadow to shadow quicker than Eaglestrike could even blink. He could see why she and Apollo got on so well, they were almost like siblings, the same things were funny to them, they moved with the same fluid motion. He wondered if they actually were related.

Sneaking round the corner of a building he ended up beside Lathai, the city-cat side eyeing him with obvious distrust. "Does every city cat hate Clan cats?" he asked quietly.

"I don't hate Clan cats," she told him.

Eaglestrike's brow furrowed. "It looks like you do."

"Okay, maybe I don't trust you, but that doesn't mean I hate you," Lathai rolled her eyes. "I just don't understand what Apollo's doing with you, with Clan cats."

"What's so bad about her hanging around us?"

"You'd understand if you knew anything about her, but you don't. I've seen the way you look at her, and the way you look at that scared-looking she-cat. Can't have two she-cat's at once, you can't have Apollo either, so stop trying. Clan cats have done nothing but ruin her over and over," she spat.

He felt a strange sort of ache in his heart. "Then tell me."

"Why?"

"Because I want to know everything about her."

Lathai caught and held his gaze, piercing his soul with her different coloured eyes. She searched his face for what felt like moons before taking a deep breath. "I can tell you, but that might not change a thing. You seem to care about her, but you have to promise me that you will never tell her that you know. She will tell you if she wants to, so act surprised if she does."

That night, when they stopped to rest hidden behind things Apollo had called trashcans that stunk hideously, Lathai pulled Eaglestrike aside for guard duty. They sat under the cold stars, under the ever watching blood moon, and Lathai began her tale.

"She's a Clan cat, Apollo, or she used to be."

"No."

Lathai smiled sadly, "yes, DawningClan's prodigy. The rogue that rose to be a leader. No one actually knows where she came from; apparently she just appeared one afternoon. Not even she knows where she came from. No family, no friends, no memories. It must have been so lonely. I don't expect you to know anything about the Clans she lived with, not even I know much about them, just that they were bastards, all of them."

"Apollo, Shiverpaw way back then, she made some mistakes, some pretty bad ones. Had a thing with the deputy of another Clan, it ended terribly. He stole their kits and left her to die. Rude prick, if I could get my paws on him I'd tear him apart. Apollo beat me to it though, tore his throat out during a battle a few moons later. Suppose you could say that was the beginning of her descent."

"Just after she was named deputy some nutcase kidnapped her, shoved her in a cave just outside the territory convinced she was the reincarnation of his dead mate. Absolute nutcase," Lathai sounded absolutely disgusted. "Ended up with four kits she couldn't claim, nearly died again; had to live alongside those kits without being able to be a mother. Can't imagine how hard that would've been."

Eaglestrike couldn't form words; they just died on his tongue.

"Shiverstar," a ghost of a smile drifted across her face, "she was a great leader, or at least that's what she tells me. Third time's the charm I guess, actually had a decent relationship with a wonderful tom, three beautiful kits. Life was good. Shame the world seemed to hate her, or at least her ancestors, some bastards in the stars. A Council. How pretentious does that sound? A Council," she snorted.

"What happened?" he breathed, suddenly very afraid for the Apollo – the Clan leader – he had never gotten to know.

Lathai swallowed, turning her face away to peer into the gloom of the city. "Rogues got them, they were out walking, just the five of them. Her mate died, two of the kits died, the other one...the other one Apollo never stuck around to find out what happened. She went a little bonkers, apparently those Council pricks had planned everything from the start, wanted to just mess around with an innocent life for the sheer hell of it. Apollo started a war at the next gathering, killed a heap of her Clan, and vanished. Ended up here, in the city, with a passionate hatred of the Clans so hot it could probably burn an entire forest to the ground."

He had no idea what to say; a Clan leader, a murderer, a beautiful she-cat with a horrific past. Apollo was everything he had never expected her to be. He began to see her for who she really was: a survivor.

"Does...does this change your opinion of her?" Lathai asked timidly.

"Apollo is beautiful, strong, remarkable, smart, and nothing you have said will change that. In fact, it just makes me more amazed that someone could come from that and be the cat they are today," Eaglestrike answered truthfully and forcefully.

"You know," Lathai's smile was nearly as heart-warming as Apollo's, nearly, "you're not nearly as bad as I thought you'd be. Maybe some Clan cats aren't evil, soul-sucking bastards. Oh, and Eaglestrike?"

"Mm?"

"I think she deserves someone like you."

No she doesn't.

an: down goes the Ragle ship.