'Don't be scared
We'll see the lights go out.'
'Second Thoughts' - Crown the Empire
¢нαρтєя тнιяту-ѕιχ: σƒ ѕтαяѕ αηd муѕтєяу
In that room with the sandy floor and haphazard scratches, a plan began to come to life. With the moons of leadership skills from Titan, war strategies from Shatteredlight, information on Crimson from the Chosen, and reports from city scouts, the resistance – as Titan had started calling the city cats – were slowly crawling towards the goal of killing Crimson. What they couldn't quite overcome was the sheer number of soldiers Crimson had, and the fact that the mindless ones would not stop until there wasn't a single drop of blood left in their veins.
Four days of little sleep and little food had tensions running high. Reports were coming in a steady flow, forming a grim picture. It appeared that Crimson was bringing together her masses of soldiers into an army. Strangers were flooding into the forest. Fights on the border were occurring more often, rogue soldiers recklessly throwing their lives away in an attempt to get even a moment of glory. To be the one that snuck into the city and heard vital information would no doubt bring about some sort of glorious reward.
Tornheart stopped coming to the room, her time spent on the roof of Titan's warehouse in silent thought. There had been whispers reaching Eaglestrike's ears that she was desperately trying to get her magic back; she hadn't been able to use it since arriving in the city. Arrow had mentioned once or twice that the oath-taker had been a mess the day she'd been dragged into the city by Crimson, screeching and spitting all sorts of mad things like creatures in the stars and monsters in the shadows.
But she was there today pouring over the almost finished plan with sharp eyes. "Are you sure this is the best thing we can do? Splitting our forces seems dangerous," she questioned.
"If we split them then we can attack from multiple directions. Fighting Crimson's soldiers on open ground will just create a bloodbath, we need to draw them into territory that they are unaccustomed to," Shatteredlight explained, gesturing to the lines of motion sweeping towards Crimson's mark in three different places. "However if that doesn't work out then the cats waiting in the city can attack from both sides, boxing her soldiers in and making them panic hopefully."
"We're weighing a lot of this on the hope that she uses quite a few living soldiers as well," Icepetal muttered, "what if she decides that it'll be too dangerous and we end up facing an entire army of the mindless?"
Arrow shook his head, face pulled into a look of concentration. "She can't just use her mindless all the time and expect to flawlessly take over the world. You have to give it to her; bringing living into her army was a smart move. The living will still be able to think for themselves, be able to work out ways to beat us at our own game. We can't head into this war without planning for them as well."
"So? We just need to keep an eye on the living whilst we're fighting then," Icepetal wrinkled her nose.
"I can't concentrate on who I'm fighting, who's around me, and what they're doing all at the same time," Rainpatch protested. "I'll be killed because I'm too concerned about what they shady looking she-cat over there is doing."
Titan groaned and looked at Miraz – the other city boss had turned up with his own forces two days ago -, "what do you think we can do about the living?"
"Treat them the same as the mindless," Miraz shrugged, nearly dislodging Kesla from his shoulder, "kill them before they can kill us. It's simple really."
Shatteredlight looked about ready to strangle the disinterested city boss. "We can safely assume that majority of her army will be made up of the mindless, the living can be dealt with during the battle, otherwise, like Rainpatch said, we'll be far too distracted to actually fight properly."
"Has anyone thought about luring Crimson into the city and killing her?" Eaglestrike thought out loud.
"Getting her into the city would be too much of a hassle, besides, what would she come into the city for? She already knows you're here," Apollo reminded.
"Apollo has a point, but so does Eaglestrike," Tornheart spoke. "If we were to draw her into the city somehow and then attack we could use the confusion to kill her quickly. But how would we get her into the city...surely there has to be something she must want."
The city cats looked at a loss, the Clanners weren't much better. Everything Crimson could want was already in the city but she didn't seem to be showing any interest in coming to get it. It was possible that she could see the danger in entering the city but there hadn't been many times when Crimson had decided not to do something because it was dangerous. So why hadn't she made an attempt to enter the city herself?
"Does it really matter?" Miraz broke the silence, "if she won't come into the city then she won't come into the city. Let's just concentrate on what we know, and what we know is that there is a very large group of cats coming to kill us sometime soon. The plan we have now can work."
"I don't know, I still think there's some other reason as to why she won't enter the city," Arrow murmured.
"There is something I heard whispers off in the mountain," Tornheart said slowly.
Icepetal leaned closer, "what?"
"A couple of the times Jinx visited she seemed really distracted, apparently Crimson and Frozengaze had stopped anyone from going into a certain part of the mountain. They kept mentioning to the soldiers allowed in the mountain about something dangerous they'd found," the oath-taker answered. "I fear Crimson might have something she plans to use against us. Maybe that's why she won't enter the city, she wants us out in the open so that she can use this weapon of hers?"
"It's a big assumption but I won't say it's impossible," Shatteredlight jabbed a claw at Crimson's mark, "but we can't plan for something we don't know even exists. If she does have something she plans to use against us then we'll have to figure out what to do about it in the moment. We can think on our paws, it isn't that difficult."
Rainpatch cleared his throat, "what if it's another one of those ancestors? One of those managed to keep an entire tribe under paw for moons."
"Impossible. You killed two and the city helped me kill two, Crimson only ever had four," Tornheart dismissed the idea.
"How do you know she doesn't have more?" Rainpatch argued.
"Because I was there when Crimson summoned them."
Rainpatch opened his mouth, and then shut it. "Right," he huffed, "so she doesn't have another ancestor hidden with her. What else could it be?"
"There really is no point in arguing about something that might not exist," Titan interrupted.
"Can we agree on this plan? We're splitting our forces into three; the biggest of the three will attack head on and grab Crimson's attention whilst also trying to draw them back into the city. The other two will wait in separate parts of the city in the hopes that Crimson's army will spill into the city, if that doesn't happen and the main force is being overwhelmed runners will get the message to attack to the other forces, who will then attack from both sides. Make sense?" Shatteredlight looked around the room, pleased to see no confused faces.
Miraz nodded, "who will be in which group?"
"I think you and Titan should be in the one attacking first," Apollo proposed. "Crimson won't think anything's wrong if the two city bosses are in one place."
"Exactly what I was thinking," Shatteredlight's smile was victorious.
A newcomer to the meeting room cleared their throat, calling the attention of the planners to where they stood, just in the doorway. It was the she-cat that had been on the balcony with Tornheart the day Littleflame had died, the cat that was all hash angles and sharp edges, pelt coloured golden brown. She blinked her surreal blue eyes that could be compared to a bottomless stream, endless blue seemingly stretching on forever.
"You're just going to throw your life away?" she spoke and her voice was smoother than honey, lilting and soft, yet demanding and powerful. "Throw it away like it's worth nothing?"
Titan took a deep breath. "My love, Sitara, I don't think you've met our Clan cat allies. Come, I'm sure they have been waiting to meet the one that rules alongside me."
She looked past Titan to where Tornheart sat, taking comfort in the slight nod the oath-taker gave, and then stepped into the room, ears flicked back to show her uncertainty. For a city cat she looked particularly fragile like a soft gust of wind could shatter her into countless pieces. There wasn't a single scar breaking the perfect way her pelt sat. Something Apollo had said about Titan's mate wiggled at the back of Eaglestrike's mind.
"Are they going to be like the last Clan cat we attempted to use?" Sitara lifted a brow.
"No, they actually want to help, unlike her."
Icepetal's pelt was bristling, "what other Clan cat?"
It was Shatteredlight that provided an answer. "A RogueClan warrior that stumbled into the city a few moons back. We convinced her to play spy in Crimson's army, got her into the elites. She vanished a moon ago and we haven't seen her since."
Realisation dropped like a stone in Eaglestrike's stomach. "Was her name Plummet?" he inquired slowly.
"Yes, did you know her?" Sitara responded.
"Not really. But you won't be hearing from her again," he admitted.
Sitara tilted her head in a confused manner, "and why is that?"
"Because I killed her," Icepetal said bluntly.
Tornheart spluttered, pressing her muzzle into Arrow's fur to mute her breathy laughter. "What's so funny?" Sitara demanded looking utterly bemused.
"Oh, nothing, it's just something I've missed. Your bluntness," she supplied to a purring Icepetal, "and your 'violence is the solution to everything' mindset. It's what makes you, you."
Amidst the quiet laughter and sharing of Icepetal's finest moments, Eaglestrike noticed Sitara drawing close to Tornheart. It was like something was pulling the city-cat towards the oath-taker, when one moved so did the other. Confused he glanced at Titan only to see him muttering to Miraz, the both of them casting wary glances at Tornheart and Sitara.
"You never answered my question," Sitara met Titan's wary gaze defiantly. "Why are you just going to throw your life away? You have countless followers that would be more than willing to do that for you."
"A leader must be willing to give his life away for the sake of his followers, and for his home. If I was not prepared to do that then I would not be a good leader. Using those loyal to you to protect yourself is selfish," there was an underlying tone of accusation to Titan's voice.
Sitara's hackles rose, "so you just expect me to sit here and wait for you to die? Wait for someone lesser than you to bring back your rotting corpse?"
"No cat is lesser than me. I am equal to the tiniest kit, and they are equal to me," he growled.
Wanting to avoid a confrontation Rainpatch raised his voice, "so if the city bosses are going to be in the main attacking force, then where are we going to be?"
"Good question," Shatteredlight looked relieved, "since there are three of you, and three attacking forces, it would be efficient to have one of you in each. Rainpatch you will go to the left force, the one waiting just inside Miraz's territory. You'll be in the right force, Icepetal, along with Arrow. I want Eaglestrike, Apollo, and Tornheart in the main force."
"No. I don't want us split up," Eaglestrike protested.
"It might put Crimson off," Icepetal mused, "instead of focusing on the battle she'll be worrying where we are. She might think two of us have died. The element of surprise will help all of us."
"I don't like the sound of it, but if splitting up will give us the upper-paw then let's do it," Rainpatch grinned.
Eaglestrike sighed, defeated. "Okay, we'll split up. Why do you want Apollo, Tornheart and I in the main force?"
"The enemy acknowledges you as the Chosen's leader. Apollo is renowned for her fighting skill. Tornheart has enough power to blow away at least half of Crimson's army. You three alongside the city bosses and I will make a formidable front."
"Okay, so we have our plan," Arrow rumbled. "Now what?"
Miraz sighed, looking oddly serious. "We wait until Crimson makes her move and hope our plan works."
The meeting broke apart, cats going their separate ways in pairs or by themselves. Quiet murmurs echoed through the hallways stretching from both doorways. Eaglestrike found himself wandering absently, not really knowing where to go or what to do. He feared the waiting game would be worse than the actual battle; not knowing when the enemy was going to strike was already fraying his nerves. Their well-thought plan gave him a little peace, but not enough to settle his pulsing heart.
A shadow flitted across the far wall of the hall, where it split and went two ways, one back to the warehouse, the other snaking up towards the balcony, and, as Eaglestrike had accidentally discovered the previous day, the roof. He made the decision to ascend to the roof hoping that the cool air would aid his nerves. Though he had been fighting Crimson most of his life he had never faced her with an entire army behind her. He had realised that going into a battle not knowing what to expect was one of the worse feelings he had ever felt.
The cool breeze that ruffled his fur was charged with energy, the smell of danger ripe in the air. In the distance thunder rumbled. Behind Crimson's mountain brewed dark clouds, heavy with rain and wind. A storm was forming, both on the ground and in the air.
It still looked like dawn though Eaglestrike's sagging body told him it was much later, quite possibly nearly nightfall. The sun looked eerily low, hardly peeking over the horizon anymore. Crimson's moon gave off more light, casting everything in a red glow. He feared he would wake up one morning and the sun would not have woken with him. The illogical fear was shoved away, of course the sun would rise, the sun had always risen and it would continue to do so for the rest of eternity. Still the fear resided in the back of his mind.
"You look deep in thought, Eaglestrike."
"Better now than on the battlefield, Tornheart."
She sat down beside him, lifting her muzzle to enjoy the breeze. "You've never fought in a battle like this, have you?" Tornheart asked gently.
"No. There have been many times that I've had run-ins with Crimson, but never have I had to face her with an army on both sides. How do you all act so calm about it? So many are going to die, cats that will be forgotten and left to rot amongst the enemy," he breathed, trying not to picture his own body suffocating under countless dead soldiers.
"War is ugly, not like the stories your elders told. It's not right to teach kits about the glories of war and not about the terrible things. They should know about the chaos, the blood, the stench," she shuddered. "Maybe it will create a generation of cats that fear war."
"Can you promise me that I'll live, that the others will live?" he asked meekly.
Tornheart placed a paw on top of his, looking at him sympathetically. "I cannot. I can't even promise myself that I'll live. You aren't the only one going into this fearing for their lives. Every cat will be wondering whether it will be worth it. But a world without Crimson is a world worth dying for."
"So you're not scared about dying?"
"A little. There's so much I have to apologise for, so many cats I've wronged," she replied. "I'm not really going to die, after I move on from this world I will become the next Guardian. A small reward I suppose, getting to watch the world thrive."
"Where will I go?" Eaglestrike's voice was choked.
She refused to look at him instead peering out over the city. "I don't know where you will go, if you die. There isn't a place after death anymore. I wonder if you'll just fade away into nothing."
"Thanks that makes me feel much better about dying."
"You're not going to die," Tornheart snarled. Moving with the speed of a snake she bowled him over, leering down at him from above, "stop saying you're going to die. It's not going to happen. You'll survive this battle just like you've survived all the others, you'll kill Crimson, and you'll go home. Apollo will go with you and you will be happy. That's what's going to happen."
He swallowed thickly. "What if they die? How can I go home and tell Rainpatch's mate that he died? How can I go home and explain to Icepetal's siblings that she died? How am I supposed to go home and tell Littleflame's family that she's dead?"
"None of you are going to die!" she pushed away from him, glaring at him over her shoulder.
"Why? You just said you can't promise me that!"
"Because Sitara said so."
He couldn't stop the snort of disbelief, "why would her saying so make it true?"
"Sitara has visions. All the ones she's had since I've known her have come true," Tornheart said. "She saw you, all of you, standing in a forest, happy. That's how I know you will live."
"Then her vision is wrong already. Willowclaw is far away, and Littleflame is dead."
"Have some faith!" she exclaimed, "Her visions come true, just not exactly like she saw them. She saw you five standing on the balcony with me two days before you arrived. You stood on that balcony with me, three instead of five, but you were still there."
"Why should I believe the visions some city-cat has had?" he growled.
Tornheart scratched at the ground, digging light furrows in the wood of the roof. "Sitara is different, she's special. I..I think she's made of stars," the oath-taker's voice is awed. "The creek I found her in had the reflection of every star in it, but they weren't cold and dim like the ones in the sky, they were bright and warm. She sees the good in the world and not the bad, and she talks about creatures made out of stars frolicking in her dreams."
"Hang on, if you found her in a creek then how did she end up as Titan's mate?" Eaglestrike wrinkled his brow.
"Do you believe in soulmates?" her smile was soft.
His mind flashed to Apollo and he almost said yes until the thought of Apollo's past life, of the tom she had loved, truly loved, that had died. What if that tom had been her soulmate? "Not really."
"Sitara believes Titan is her soulmate. I don't know what Titan thinks. Sometimes I wonder if he's just using Sitara to fill the hole the death of his last mate left behind. Grief makes cats do strange things."
"Do you believe in soulmates?" he asked her.
She shrugged, "I believe in destiny, isn't that the same thing?"
"So you believe you were destined to go through all the pain you've been through?"
"Yes, just like I believe that Littleflame was destined to die, and you were destined to fall for Apollo, that Icepetal and Willowclaw were destined to belong together, and Rainpatch was destined to do everything he's done for a family."
Eaglestrike opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by claws scrabbling against wood. Quick breathing and the scent of fear mingled with the peaceful atmosphere, souring it. It was Sitara, looking very dishevelled, stumbling towards the. Her eyes were stretched wide. "It's happening! You have to go to the others! It's starting!" she cried.
"What are you talking about?" Tornheart demanded.
"Crimson's army is marching on the city."
an: don't get used to this whole no death thing. it's about to change big time.