The Returning {Hawkie/Dream}

[» Sacrifice]

Havoccrypt

What kind of fate did he have? He couldn't escape, everywhere he turned there was something happening. And now, this. Havoccrypt, admittedly, had wanted to go into the canyon for a fight. When he was feeling rushed, nothing would stop him, and if hadn't been for the sudden leaving of the rogues, something that couldn't have been good, the group of three had left. There was an unknown she cat in the middle of the group, someone that because he didn't know, Havoc wasn't going to speak openly too. He was too tired anyway, battling and his whole rage thing, it had left bone-weariness in the tom. He didn't have the energy to get into a fight, although the fire that still blazed on his features told that if he had too, he would. At the moment, he lacked a reason too. He had done as he wanted to at the start, he had caused some chaos. Not in the way he had expected, true, but still, it had been something. Looking over to the other cats, Havoccrypt offered a faint shrug.
If you want, we can talk later.
He sent out the message to Ace through his slightly narrowed, pale green orbs. He was going to lounge about in the forest some more, his wounds already having been treated, as well as everyone else's, by the strange loner whom had walked with him. Tail flipping slightly, with a curt nod to Ace and the rogue/loner called Ballad, Havoc strode off. He wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone right now. He was soon gone into the forest. If he was to be found, it would be by someone he knew, for the tom was suprisingly not, the master of disguises. Something he had learned as an apprentice.

>><<

Ballad

Things had been, well, silent, on the way back to the clan where the two brothers lived. After making a quick stop to treat their wounds, Ballad walked alongside Ace and Havoc, mostly to try and avoid another fight. Her wounds still burned slightly, but everyone had stopped bleeding and given herbs to fight away any possible infection. It had been a good fight, and there was only one reason that the rogues would have run off. The silver one must have been nearby. Without hesitation, the three had dashed from the scene, and now, it seemed as though it was time to part. The multi-colored she cat stopped as soon as she hit the border, to watch the black tom pad away without a word.
"Moody?"
It was spoken softly, in case the black tom called Havoc was still out there. Scent and sight told her he wasn't, but you could never tell. Shaking her head slightly, Ballad turned to Ace, offering a faint smile.
"Well. I guess this is until next time there happens to be a storm, be it from the sky or from your family."
She didn't want to go; she enjoyed Ace's company, and even his somewhat sullen brother had made her day interesting. Her hesiation? The clan. She had never had anything good happen with them. Plus the fact she wasn't sure what Ace thought of her. She knew they were friends, but did he feel the same she did, as though they could be more then friends? Ballad had never been very outspoken, her light brown gaze met Ace's, and tail lightly flicking him on the shoulder, the multi-colored she cat turned to leave.

As long as she didn't return to the canyons she would be fine, or at least, she hoped. There was no way she would tell Ace of the true danger she had presented herself to by going into the canyon, revealing that she was still alive. A fierce fighter she was, but would it be possible for her to fight off a group of three and more? All types of questions ran over her mind as she turned away, heading back to her den. It was time for everyone to go back home, it seemed.

((Havoc should speak with Depth now, and Ace with Ballad. Multi-tasking! ))

[*Sinister*Dreams*]

If cats could cry in frustration, Depthvision would be a river of frustration. So much was hurling itself at her, smacking into her brain left and right. She loved Havoc so much, and didn't want to fight with him...She didn't think she even had the energy to do that anymore. The she-cat was just so shocked and a bit betrayed by his lack of conversation with her. She'd asked him to go hunting previously and heard no response. With a sigh, Depthvision followed her troubled mate into the forest. As well she had been hurting greatly recently, owing to the loss of her daughter. If only Adder knew just how much she'd shattered her poor mother.

Her blue eyes had been so out of focus in the wave of emotions that she didn't look where she was going and, with a muffled 'oomph' she stumbled. Getting back up quickly, tears in her eyes though not from her fall, she pushed them away stubbornly. Eventually she padded closer to her mate, eyes full of ache. Not bothering to say a word, she just wiped her tears on his fur, giving a faint shudder. She pressed her body closer to his, gaze closed from sight.

"Oh Havoccrypt...What has this world come to?"

Of course there was no logical answer to her question, but with such overwhelming emotion Depthvision had to say something. All she wanted was to hear his voice again, not angry.

Evermore, forever sore maybe, but never, never angry.

[» Sacrifice]

Havoccrypt

The black tom had been aware of Depthvision's presence, and he slowed, waiting for her. His mood was as dark as his pelt, but the tom was too kind to his mate to push her away so he could wallow in his own private misery. He knew nothing of what had happened, that Adder had run away after Goldstar, and that the tom had been warned. Havoccrypt didn't even know that Goldstar had been gone for a while now, and hadn't been the same since leaving the clan at dawn. He had missed so much when he had gone out to cause some chaos, and then with the plan backfiring, well, things just didn't get much worse then his day. He, foolishly, thought that he was beyond the point of further misery. If he only knew the news that his mate carried. But, bliss could be found in ignorance, and that was all that helped the tom right now. Turning, he gently flicked Depthvision with his tail, speaking softly, although his pale gaze was fierce.

"The same it always has been. Our lives are nothing but an endless circle, we do the same things, think ourselves to be unique, but are so easily torn down by a bitter betryal. We wait for eternal peace, for our times to join StarClan, but up there, its nothing different. They do the same as us. It is a wonder why anyone goes on, when the world is full of hurt. With every shadow, there may be a light, but sometimes, finding the light is harder then loosing yourself to the shadow."

He spoke softly, not looking at Depthvision. Maybe someday he would tell her what happened today, but at the moment, the wounds were too fresh, to painful, and just thinking about it, and then seeing Ace everyday, everything was going to be more difficult then anything else. He was never angry with anyone if he could help it, well, not anyone he liked, but it was not the cat that controlled the temper, but the temper that controlled the cat. Havoccrypt had always been hot headed, and trying to control himself was like trying to stop Global Warming, nearly impossible. For the moment though, with all the energy sapped from his limbs, there was no hostility in the tom. Gaze gently probing his mate, Havoccrypt looked long and hard at her, before asking softly;

"What is wrong?"
He would kill for his family, although warrior code forbid it. He held things higher above him then the code, those things were few and far, but family was one of them. Death didn't frighten the tom either; he had been there before. It was nothing special, but not a bad place to be.

[*Sinister*Dreams*]

Depthvision turned her head away, at long last flickering her weary eyes open. There was a gauntness about them, a darkness. Everything was too tired to focus, everything hurt like she'd been in battle along with Havoccrypt. But alas, she knew naught of his recent agony, nor that anything could get any worse than it had.

"That question remains so large it's time I asked what is right, rather than wrong. Near everything is wrong...While you were away, too much happened to keep in line. When Goldstar left this morning, Adderkit followed him. He returned the evening, tormented beyond repair. After being submitted to the Cave of Mirrors, he was insane. He'd never admit it, but it's made him almost as dark as Renegade himself. He's left right now, in revenge on Honeystar. I fear for his life...My poor father. But I fear more for my daughter. Our daughter. She is strong, but I cannot imagine why she would do this... And on top of this news, seeing the pain that is the only thing in your eyes, knowing or not, breaks me to pieces I'm scared to pick back up again. That is what is wrong."

Another tear formed and ran away, as the she-cat braced herself as if Havoc would lunge and attack her. He didn't even look himself, and the thought scared her more than any battle ever could, asides the one forming in her heart.

[» Sacrifice]

Havoccrypt

As he heard the news, the black warrior went stiff, and fire danced in his eyes. The weariness that had struck the tom was gone, and now he stood, wild as before. Maw drawing back slightly, although he didn't make a hostile move toward Depthvision. Rather, he turned to the canyon, but not before casting a protecting, yet gentle glance at his mate. The pain was gone from his eyes now, replaced with a bitter determination. He stood tall, tail tip flipping ever so slightly, and he spoke clearly, as though life had found another purpose for him. He was going to avenge his daughter, and possibly bring her back, should she still be alive. In truth, he did blame Goldstar, but it seemed the tom had found a worse fate then anything Havoccrypt could have done. His gaze catching Depthvisions, Havoccrypt spoke softly, but with pure determination in his tone.

"There is nothing that I can do for the last part, for reasons upon which it is there is private, ones you'll have to find someone else to speak about. However, I shall spare you one pain. You worry for your father, you should go to find him if possible. I, having been well familiar with the canyons, shall go to rescue our daughter. And if she has passed onto the realm of StarClan, then I shall avenge her death. Do not fear for me, and do not follow me, for I have seen their gates, and there is nothing to fear there. Please, please, do not follow me into the canyon Depthvision. I would not be able to bear with myself if I came back to see you dead, while I remained alive. Besides; you've always been the better parent."

Giving his mate a faint grin, Havoccrypt quickly nuzzled her, and then dashed off, back toward the canyon. There was another spark in his gaze, something far darker then his usual spark, but there was nothing that was going to change his mind. Stopping for a moment beside Ace and Ballad, he spoke without looking at either of them.
"Adderkit followed Goldstar when she left. I'm going to get her, don't follow me. I won't be your death, no matter where you stand with me."
He spoke tonelessly, before dashing forward. He was going to confront Renegade. He was going to get his daughter back, dead or alive.

The Silver one better be prepared...

[H-a-w-k-i-e]

Aceslash was uncharacteristically quiet and solemn, as the trio made their way back to Pewterclan. For the majority of the walk, the longhaired warrior's golden gaze was on the ground, staring fixedly at it. Though he and Havoccrypt were no longer fighting, there was a tension, a sense of unease between the two still. Instinctively, the tom had moved closer to Ballad. His brother seemed to be noticing the quadricoloured she-cat. The two hadn't been formally introduced to each other, given the tense circumstances that they'd met.
Ace winced a little as a sting jolted on his side; even though their wounds had been treated, they were far from being healed. Jaw tightening, he pushed on. As soon as they got to camp, they would have Fogberry look them over. The tortoiseshell medicine cat may have a short temper, but she was a talented healer.

Aceslash was startled out of his thoughts by Ballad's voice, and he stopped, looking up. The she-cat's tail brushed his shoulder, and she turned to leave.
The gray tom's jaws opened to say something, but he clamped them shut again before he said something stupid. If the argument with Havoccrypt had taught him anything, it was to think carefully before speaking. After a long moment's hesitation, Aceslash rushed after the she-cat, ignoring his wounds.
"W-wait!"
Pouring on speed, the tom ran ahead of Ballad, before turning and stopping in front of her. Now that he was face to face with her, he had difficulty getting the words out straight. He stumbled over his words, tail twitching with unease.
"I...umm...the weather is really nice though..."
Right after the words were out of his mouth, he gave himself a mental slap to the head. That wasn't what he meant to say. Aceslash normally had a much better grasp on his words.
"Um...It would seems that...the next storm won't be for a while..."
The warrior shifted his weight, eyes narrowing. This wasn't working at all. Might as well just get it over with. Taking a deep breath, Aceslash looked at Ballad, golden orbs meeting light brown ones.
"Would you come back to Pewterclan with me...? I don't want to wait until the next storm to see you again..."

[» Sacrifice]

Ballad

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The worst wound that the she cat had managed to get, a long and rather deep gash down her left side, stung slightly as she stopped, instantly waiting for Ace. His hesitation brought a faint grin to her features, never before had she seen the tom at a loss for words. At the most part he was generally thoughtful in what he said, but not afraid to tell what he thought. Maybe the fight had changed him more then she had thought though, although it wasn't in a bad way. Or maybe he was just tired, weariness seemed to have sunk it's claws into Ballad as the effects of the fight settled in. Ears pricked forward as he spoke though, Ballad's gaze turned from the slightly teasing that she had worn before, to a more serious gaze. Although she wanted to add her own comments in, for it was true, the day was rather sunny and without threat of a storm, some part of her seemed to sense that if she did interupt, he probably wouldn't be able to finish his sentence. After he was finished though, several different emotions coursed through the she cat.

The first was relief. Relief that he felt the same way she did, that she didn't have to worry about anything really. And something far deeper then fond-ness. She had always liked this tom, he had always understood her, and didn't care what she said for he knew exactly what she actually meant. But the third was uncertanity. The clans had played a part in her life, a dark part that she didn't wish to revisit. But that was MapleClan, not PewterClan. If she didn't have to worry about any of her half family or MapleClan cats for an extended bit of time, then maybe it wouldn't be too bad. Eyes on the golden orbs of Aceslash, Ballad spoke softly, her voice calm and sure.

"You know of my history with the clans, well, really, with MapleClan. How I was rejected, and then found out that I have a hoard of half siblings running about. How I was so easily cast aside from life, forced to live on the outside of everything."
Eyes still lokced on Ace's, a faint grin flickered across her maw for a moment.
"I thought that I would never be able to accept anything that had to do with the clans, the reason I joined with Renegade. That is, until I met you. I knew you were a clan cat, but as we spoke, I found that it didn't bother me. You had a different smell to you, so you couldn't have been from MapleClan. As fleeting as that conversation was, it made me see some things that I had been blind to before. And then today, when I managed to find you, and then to save your brother. I had no thought about what I was helping, rather, it was who I was helping. Even as I went into the canyon, I didn't think of myself."
There seemed to be no stopping her, but the little speech was coming to an end. It was time for the answer.
"So, yes. I'm tired of being on the outside, waiting for the next storm. The skies are too clear, and as much as I distrust the clans, as long as I don't have to deal with any MapleClanners, then I should be fine with everything. Besides, I want to be with you too."

This time, the smile on Ballad's maw was much more visible, and her eyes were soft. She had finally told him what she had always longed to tell him. Now, how would he react?
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[H-a-w-k-i-e]

Aceslash almost shook with nervousness during Ballad's speech. What would she say? He had no idea if the she-cat felt the same way as he did. When he was away from her, his thoughts often drifted back to her, and that fateful stormy day. They'd only really seen each other twice; the first meeting, and when he was on his way to look for Havoc. Yet, the she-cat knew him so well, perhaps even better than his brother, that it felt like they'd known each other even longer than any of the cats in Pewterclan.
She hadn't had a good experience with Clans in the past, having been rejected and driven out, but Aceslash had been hoping that that would only apply to Mapleclan. Just thinking about having to live out the rest of his life, separated by boarders, even though he ignored the markers most of the times anyways, was unbearable.
In his life, there had been more than once where a she-cat had tried to catch his eye, yet he hadn't been interested. They just hadn't been what he was looking for. But now, his golden gaze locked with Ballad's light brown gaze, he knew he'd finally found her. Ace had just been waiting for her to enter his life.
When she finished speaking, Aceslash was stunned with joy, and he was still, before a goofy grin spread across his face. Feeling a rumble of a purring building in his chest, Ace stepped forwards, rubbing his cheek against hers.
"You don't know how long I've waiting for those words."

[» Sacrifice]

Grinning at Aceslash, Ballad rubbed against him, a soft purr coming from her. She had finally found someone who not only understood her, but wanted to be with her as well. She wouldn't be on the outside anymore, wondering where she fit in, and trying to pass the days, all the while thinking about the grey tom. She would be a part of his life, without the borders that had seperated them before. Not that he had really stayed within them, but that didn't matter. What mattered, was the fact that they were going to be a family. She would finally have a family again, one that would care for her. Maybe she would someday be able to get along with the moody tom who had caused all this, who knew. There was no time like the present.

"You don't know how good it is to find someone who cares."
Ballad murmered softly, before stepping back, still grinning at Aceslash.
"Now, I suppose I should go meet Goldstar."
It was time to meet up with the cats of PewterClan, and hopefully befriend a few of them. A couple would probably not get along with her, for Aceslash had a lot of lookers, but they would all probably come around in the end. Or at least, appear to be. Turning around, so she faced the PewterClan forest, she winked at Aceslash.

"Race you."
Turning, she dashed off into the forest, wounds forgotten.

{Hehe. This is going to be fun; Ace and Ballad enter just as Talon tells everyone what happens, and then they see the MapleClanners.}