A [Chance] Encounter (Dyzzie!)

[[Acro.]]

ooc:// Dyzzie! Surpriiiiise thread! I've been hanging around, a bit museless with my cat Silo [here] and all of her business, and I think your Mudpaw would be great to throw into the mess and get her act moving along again =D No expectations, just roll with it however it plays out! And just to let you know: she always says her name is Chance, so do not be confused or panic if you see both names in a post. ^-^


I can't escape this Hell

    So many times I've tried

Run.

Run.

Run.

Breathe.

Wide eyes shone in the dark, streaking through the shadows like falling stars in the sky. There was panic in that light: wild panic and the purest fear. She had been running... for so long. She had long avoided passing through Clan territories since that one run-in with the large tom... but tonight she would run anywhere. Anywhere to get away. Her flanks heaved, and her breath came out in rasping puffs of mist against the crisp air the of the night. Along the dark horizon, billowing clouds hung low in the sky, slowly swallowing the stars as they rolled across the land. Soon they would have the moon, and the running she-cat knew... that she would be swallowed, too, by the dark.

Her paws, calloused but raw, had carried her far that night. When her escape had happened, it had happened quickly, and with little preparation. Those cats she had been staying with...

They were murderers.

Venom.

She knew now. She knew, and she had to get away, else they would kill her, too, for knowing.

The young, thin she-cat ran straight through the scent boundary of TalonClan, no longer aware of the scents surrounding her. She knew only running. Running, and fear. These two things carried her toward the mountains...

And they would carry her across the horizon, if death didn't find her, first.

Somebody get me through this nightmare

I can't control myself

-X-

[Dyzzie]

Night had overtaken day in that daily battle of twilight, leaving the young apprentice outside the camp boundaries long after the sun had begun to set. He'd been distracted by 'mock' attacking trees, rocks, roots, small mammals. Anything that might get him more training. Anything that might make him a better use to his clan. Anything to keep him occupied. but night had fallen, and while most cats were back in the dens, or the clearing, Mudpaw had no desire to return just yet. There was still just too much action, to much fun that he wanted to have. So he'd continued his trek around, his walk that led him into the general guide of walking the territory lines.

Perhaps it was fate that sent him in this direction, or perhaps it was just a lucky change of pace, but either way, he'd hit the scent of the stranger from upwind, and immediately knew a trespasser had stepped into the territory of the Talonclan. The tom moved forward instantly, moving as silently as his larger size would allow, his blue eyes narrowed as he sought out the form who was coming into the territory. He was looking for a strange cat trying to sneak in. Some cat being as clever as he was. Some cat who not currently barreling into the territory like death was on their tail. Startled, Mudpaw was quick to jump into her path, to stop her from streaking further in the land, confused by both her behavior, and her lack of care. but he was also quick to remember the situation. The she-cat was clearly in distress, but she was also a trespasser on his clan's territory.

"Woah there! You're trespassing on Talonclan Territory. I don't know what your problem is, but it'd be wise that you not take a step further until stating who you are and why you've come to our lands." The apprentice demanded, his body language meaning business, even as his eyes flickered faintly with both confusion - and concern.

"Speech"

OOC:// Lol for surprise threads xP I kinda just went with it xP but here you go xP

[[Acro.]]

ooc:// It's great!


I can't escape this Hell

    So many times I've tried

A cat.

A cat in her way.

A cat that would stop her.

A cat that would kill her.

The she-cat slowed down, but she didn't stop as her hackles raised and her ears pinned back against her skull. Her legs cried out with the change of pace, the break in rhythm--her muscles could feel it, now. Slowing gave the pain a chance to catch up. The wiry she-cat circled around the larger tom, her gaze wide and her dull fawn pelt sticking up in odd directions. Dirt and debris colored her, and even her eyes appeared dusty--shadowed--and they remained fixed on the apprentice before her. He had spoken words at her, but the drumming of blood in her ears mixed with panic drowned out all else. For a brief moment, a deep part of her registered his eyes, so blue, so open... so clear. A voice wanted to whisper that it was okay--that he wouldn't hurt her--that he might even be able to help; it was in his eyes. but this faraway whisper was silenced by something much more feral, more basic than even the simplest thought: primal fear.

The fear that kept her alive.

In her peripheral, where darkness from exhaustion had not yet edged everything else out, she could see so many openings, so many directions, so many chances to escape...

She tried to run.

but she made it only two strides before her front leg gave out and sent her tumbling forwards onto the chilled forest floor. Now... now there was nowhere.

Acting on pure instinct, the she-cat whirled around, crouched low to the ground and hissed, facing the tom with her fangs bared and claws unsheathed. Fight or flight, as they say--it was either one or the other, and her weak body had just clearly told her that she couldn't run anymore.

He was bigger.

He was stronger.

...but he wasn't afraid for his life.

Somebody get me through this nightmare

I can't control myself

-X-

[Dyzzie]

Mudpaw watched the female slow down, though he frowned when she didn't quiet slow to the point where she'd stop - the male watching her hackles raise up, her ears pinned back in what might have been hostility. but he had a feeling that the emotions went far deeper than that. He tilted his head his own ears flattening as he let his muscles tense, ready for a fight if there would be one, the male staring at her as she moved to circle him. He took the time to take her in, the sight of her too-skinny form. The way her fur was dull, unkept, dirt and foilage stuck to it like she'd been running through dense woods with out a care. Even her eyes seemed dimmed and shadowed, focused fully on him.

She had yet to respond to him though. His eyes watched her, waiting for some sort of hint, the concern deepening as he took in the condition of the she-cat. Something was wrong here. He didn't know what, not yet anyway. but Mudpaw was nothing less than a hero in search of a way to help the dame in distress that he'd stumbled upon. but he had to figure out what she was doing here first. His dedication to his clan was foremost in his thoughts, his mind. Once he knew if she was safe, he'd decide what to do from there. but as he looked at her he began to see a few more things. That almost wild look in her eyes, so wild, so primal . . . Was . . . was it fear that had degraded her to a mere whisper of the cat she might have once been? but what could scare a cat so bad that this was the outcome. Even now, before him, she as ready to take on the world, the fear in charge.

She started to move again, to run, but only made it a few strides before a limb gave out and she tumbled. Immediately the male moved forward to steady her, though she spun around, low and hissing before he could reach her. Instantly he stepped back again, looking over the fangs, the claws now unsheathed. Ready for a fight, "Hey, now. I'm not goin' to hurt you! Just calm down!" The apprentice said calmly, keeping his voice low, and a soothingly calm tone that was meant to hopefully help her relax, "Why don't you tell me what's goin' on, huh? What's your name, darlin'?" He added on, keeping the same low and calm voice as he waited for her to say something . . . do something.

"Speech"

[[Acro.]]

I can't escape this Hell

    So many times I've tried

She waited.

She was ready.

She knew the pain was coming, and already fresh adrenaline was coursing through her veins, working to numb the impact of whatever came next. Her sides heaved, her throat burning with each wheezing breath, her claws digging into the cold ground, bracing her body. This tom--he could maim her--he could kill her. but she'd hang in there. She would do what she had always done.

She only had to survive.

but in those moments when the expected pain did not come, a faraway whisper finally broke through her cloud of madness and fear. "Listen," it told her. "Listen now."

"...not goin' to hurt you!"

A hesitation.

Uncertainty.

The she-cat quieted her breathing, her pupils dilating out of their feral state into one with more awareness. More humanity, if there was such a thing among these earthly creatures--"felinity," maybe.

"...tell me what's goin' on..."

She panted, her limbs beginning to quiver with unused adrenaline and exertion. No one was moving. There was no pain.

"What's your name, darlin'?"

A memory flew through her fogged mind: the day she had first met Venom. The older she-cat had been so kind, so dear... her words had been comforting, beautiful--everything the young stray had ever wanted to hear. but her voice was only a tool of deception: Venom was an expert at sounding sincere, sounding calm and concerned. Sounding like this tom sounded, now. Once that thought clicked into place, the haggard she-cat arched her back and leaned away, fangs still bared, claws still at the ready. Eyes wild again. A weak growl of warning bubbled up in her throat, spilling harmlessly out of her and into the night. This tom would fool her, just as Venom had done. Make her think that she was safe... that she was cared for... and then he would turn her into something else--something worse than the basic animal she was, now.

Something dark.

Evil.

She'd rather he just hurt her, and be done with her; no more of these games. She could take the pain... but she couldn't stand the games. "Just do it," came the weak whisper, her voice broken and frail. She held her ground, ready to fight back but knowing he would win. She wouldn't play his game--wouldn't fall for his enticing words, wouldn't tumble into those cool blue eyes--so he could hurt her now and move on.

Just do it, and be done.

Somebody get me through this nightmare

I can't control myself

-X-

[Dyzzie]

There was so much craziness going on, and it was definitely a situation that the young apprentice had never been in before. The poor she-cat seemed so . . . so stressed by something. He watched the way she seemed to be standing, her breath wheezing, her body braced as if expecting violence. What had she gone through that this was her first reaction when meeting anyone. He didn't move closer, concerned that doing so would set her off into a further panic. So instead he went with speaking, talking quietly with her. Trying to pull her out of this state of pure panic.

Slowly, she seemed to quiet, her eyes returning to some sort of awareness, panting as she quivered. She was slowly turning back into something less wild, and he prepared for some sort of answer, the tension in his own form lifting, until suddenly she changed again. Like the flick of the switch, she was feral again, arching her back and leaning away, fangs bared, claws out, growling weakly at him. His eyes widened in surprise from this change - again. What the hell had happened to the poor cat?

He watched closely, struggling to find an answer to her problems, a solution that would lead to neither of them being . . . . perhaps that was the solution. To sacrifice his wellbeing to prove he wasn't going to hurt her. He stashed that idea in the back of his mind at the moment though, instead focusing back on her once she'd spoken. Just do what? Did she really expect him to hurt her? He took a step forward, cautious, his steps slow so she could track his movement, "Darlin', I swear I'm not goin' to hurt ya. I don't know why you're convinced I am . . . but I swear I'm not." He repeated gently.

He started slowly moving a little closer, a soft, comforting purr building up in his throat, "Why don't you tell me what's wrong, alright? Just relax now. I don't know what's goin' on, but nothin' is gonna hurt you here. Just tell me what's wrong and we'll see if we can get ya some help." Where was Raindapple when he needed her. His best friend might have been able to get through to this female . . . but so far, he was getting . . . nowhere.

"Speech"

[[Acro.]]

ooc:// D'aw, what a sweetheart D: -cheers for Mudpaw-


I can't escape this Hell

    So many times I've tried

Closer.

He was closer now, and her tail lashed sharply to one side. His words reached her, but she heard them in only echoing, faraway fragments, her brain not tuned properly to receive anything elaborate.

"...not -- hurt ya... convinced... swear I'm not."

Her pale, wide eyes were fixed on his, those two shards of blue burning into her mind. Darkness was everything else. All she could do was watch the blue... and try not to fall in.

He was closer again.

The she-cat drew one forepaw nearer to her body, ready to strike out when the tom made his play. He was moving so slowly, taking his time... toying with her. His movements were careful, smooth--like a snake. Like Venom. His purr... was a foreign sound, one that tried to break through her fog, but she refused to let it lessen her guard.

"... tell -- what's wrong? ... relax... don't know... nothin' -- hurt you... tell me... can get -- some help."

Her heart pounded in her chest like thunder, every muscle tense with apprehension, her fear-scent pervading the night. He was close. He was coming. Panic welled inside of her. It would happen soon. He was waiting for his moment. He'd get a little closer, weave some more friendly words, let her feel safe... and then it would happen. And it would hurt. The frail she-cat grit her teeth, lowering into a frightened warning crouch, letting out another quiet growl. He was close. He was close Hewasclose Hewasclosehewasclosehewas--

She lashed out.

The strike was a weak one, a simple swipe with her readied forepaw aimed somewhere near the tom's chest or shoulder. She wasn't sure. It wasn't a decision she had made--it had just happened. She immediately drew her paw back to herself, alarmed, falling even lower into her crouch. She panted, her breaths quick and shallow. She had tried to hit him... that was it.

He would come for her, now.

Against all better judgment (if any judgment were to be had, in her state), the she-cat let her eyes slide shut, closing them tightly.

She didn't need to see what came next.

Somebody get me through this nightmare

I can't control myself

-X-

[Dyzzie]

Mudpaw had never had to be so careful. To think over his every action, his every word to avoid scaring the she-cat more. And the tom was nearly exhausted by the actions already. Who knew being careful could be so tiring! He continued to speak, allowing the calm drone of his voice to try and relax her - though she was still fighting it every second. Her eyes pale and wide, remained focused on his though, as he played this game that seemed to only be leading into a more puzzling moment in time with this puzzling she cat.

He moved a little closer, pausing when she drew in a forepaw. He wasn't sure if the sign of prepping to strike was good or not. but at least it was a reaction. One that wasn't a hiss or growl and hunch. but still. He had to be careful, even he could see this. Approach slowly, let her get used to him, to warm up to him, until she's willing to calm down and tell him what was wrong, what was going on. This she-cat was going to turn his fur gray long before that happened at this rate though.

He moved a little closer, still trying to speak to her, soothing, calm. He was met this time with a quiet growl, but he pushed it just a bit closer, only to look down in surprise when her claws caught his shoulder. She . . . she had actually swiped at him? He stared down at the slight hint of red welling up from where one claw had sliced a thin, barely visible stripe through his fur, a small section of ripped skin less than an inch in length, and barely deep enough for the blood to well up. It'd heal up soon enough though, and he was more concerned for the she-cat then himself right now anyway.

but still. She had scratched him. His blue eyes were wide as he looked back at her, shock on his features, "You scratched me . . ." There was a tone of confusion in his voice, and slowly he sat down, letting his tail coil around his form, the fluffy plume of it resting over his paws as he looked at her, ignoring the small wound on his shoulder for the time being. Once again, she was the focus of his concern. He watched her draw back the paw, alarmed as she lowered herself closer to the ground, panting in quick breaths, before here yes slid shut, tightly closed. He was silently for a moment, before moving a bit closer again, before gently dipping his nose to her side, gently touching her pelt, "Someone musta did a number on ya, if you're so concerned I'm gonna hurt ya . . ." He purred softly before sighing and looking around in an almost helpless gesture.

What was he suppose to do with her? Take her back to camp. He couldn't imagine that would be met with approval by anyone else right now. Not with all the chaos currently surrounding the clan. but something was clearly wrong with the female, and she needed help now. Sighing, he gently nudged her again, before sitting down next to her, and silently doing the one thing he remembered his mother doing when she'd been alive, and he'd been scared from a nightmare. The male gently licked between the she-cat's ears, a soft purr in his throat as he gently nudged her to show her it was alright, before frowning and quietly looking over her form now that she was closer, trying to check for any possible injuries or anything else that might give him a hint of where she was from, what had happened to her. Why she was in the state she was in.

"Just relax now, honey. It was clearly an accident, and ya didn't scratch me too bad." The tom stated softly, looking at her quietly, "Now, darlin'. Just relax, alright. You're not going to get hurt. I'm not goin' to attack ya. Just take deep breaths and try and relax. When you're ready why not try telling me what is wrong. I can't help ya if I don't know what is goin' on."


"Speech"

OOC:// Ca I just say I am LOVING this. This is the Mudpaw I've been desperate to rp xP

[[Acro.]]

ooc:// Yay!! I'm glad. This is great ^-^ Also, I love: "What was he supposed to do with her?" Hah xD


I can't escape this Hell

    So many times I've tried

Waiting in the dark behind her eyes, the young she-cat ran through endless scenarios, weighing her odds of survival against her odds of bleeding out in this forest once the tom had finished with her. Was she strong enough to survive this, after everything? Was she--

A touch.

Her entire body went absolutely rigid, perfectly still, and her breathing stopped. This was it. This was it. This was--

"...a number on ya... so concerned... hurt ya."

...warmth. He was close enough to her that his body heat swirled with her own, his fur against hers. Beneath his broken words, there was another whisper trying to reach her--a whisper from the cat she might have been, if Life had not turned her into the cat she was. "Listen," it told her again, but it was so far away...

Another touch.

A nudge.

A careful swipe between the ears.

With each unexpected gesture, the she-cat's body began to tremble. It lost its rigidity, and, slowly, her breathing came back to her in a quiet, unsteady rhythm. Her feral mind could not make sense of what was happening--it had no response for her. It could not help her. And so, without it, she had no choice but to fight her way back into awareness with a mind that was only slightly more rational.

"Just relax now, honey... It was clearly an accident... and ya didn't scratch me too bad."

His voice, still faraway, was no longer broken. She could hear his words in their entirety... as well as the tones of sincerity that came along with them. "Listen to him." Slowly, the she-cat's eyes slid open, their wild sheens now subdued into something more... present. They opened only halfway, weakness stopping them from opening further.

"Just take deep breaths and try and relax."

Deep breaths?

What did that feel like?

Without her primal mind controlling her, she was a shell seeking instruction... and so she did as the tom said. Her first actual breath was shaky, and rasped through her unsurely. The second was deeper, as was the third, and so on until she was breathing in a new rhythm. A slow one. A natural one, though each inhale still caused her to shake, and each exhale was unsteady.

"I can't help ya if I don't know what is goin' on."

Beneath his words, the she-cat melted out of her guard. She was too tired to keep it up. Her legs relaxed (slowly collapsed) and she lowered herself entirely until her belly was pressed against the cool ground, her tail falling limp behind her. He was either going to kill her, or he wasn't... but she couldn't fight anymore. She had been fighting her whole life, and her twelve moons had passed like... like ages. It was all just... too much. Staring down at the earth in front her, the she-cat began to shiver sporadically, her body struggling to maintain livable conditions within itself against all of the physical and mental stress it had been put through. And, after a quiet moment... a broken, weak voice leaked out into the night.

"...I can't let them find me."

Somebody get me through this nightmare

I can't control myself

-X-

[Dyzzie]

The male was distinctly concerned for the youthful female in front of him. The way she reacted to him. His words. His approach. His proximity. Even his could-be reaction to the scratch. Someone spent to much time teaching her fear. That deep fear that could consume a cat and eat them whole. That left a shell of a cat filled with just that primal instinct of fight or flight. The fear that had clearly been controlling this she-cat for a long time. The fear he was desperate to break through. He touched her gently, cautious when she went rigid, still - though the caution turned to concern when she stopped breathing. Cue: Freak out moment.

He was quick to keep up his presence, to share the warmth of his hide as his fur nestled against hers, thick and warm. Even as he continued to speak to her, nudging her, licking between her ears, watching her body trembled as it seemed to smooth out - the rigid, tenseness dissolving, and her breath coming back in that unsteady rhythm. And slowly he noticed the fight into awareness that she was making, a fight to come back to the living. A fight to banish at least some of that fear that had become what he could only assume was her only instinct of late.

And finally, he spoke again, watching as her eyes slowly slid open, the look in them more present, less wild, weak and only half open. but present. Focus on the positive, Mudpaw. Focus on the positive. She was present, growing aware. He instructed her gently, telling her to take the deep breaths, watching at the shakiness of the first, the deeper second, until finally she had a more natural rhythm to her breath, her body shaking with the effort of each inhale, but it was more natural, more controlled - and should help her keep to the present moment, less likely to withdraw into that fear again.

He watched her slip off the guard she'd carried, collapsing slowly until she was pressed into the ground, her tail flat. The she-cat began to shiver then, and Mudpaw shifted closer to her, gently licking her fur, cleaning it off the dirt and foliage, working to make it look like what it might have before her sporadic run that had taken her here. She was silent for a long time, and thus the weak and broken vocals dropping from her muzzle was a surprise. He was silent for a moment, taking in her words as he groomed the she-cat, before looking up at her slowly, "They ain't gonna hurt ya here. They won't find ya, I promise. Why don't you tell me who this "Them" is, huh?" He asked, returning to his position of grooming her fur, anything to try and keep her calm, and keep her talking. Find out what was going on.

The more information he had . . . the better he might be able to help her.

"Speech"

OOC:// lol my poor boy xP His mentor didn't stick around long enough to tell him how to handle THIS situation xP

[[Acro.]]

I can't escape this Hell

    So many times I've tried

"They ain't gonna hurt ya here. They won't find ya, I promise. Why don't you tell me who this "Them" is, huh?"

...who is "Them?"

Monsters.

The she-cat flinched meekly as the tom continued to groom her, a tiny, kit-like mew escaping her, as she was unaccustomed to this sort of contact. She still didn't know if she was going to run away at her first chance or stay put--for now, it really all depended on how quickly her strength came back to her... if it ever did, at all. Again, the she-cat was quiet, sifting through the haze of her mind, trying to pull together something coherent. Something that would give away enough, but not too much about her. Information was dangerous, after all.

"If they want me," she heard herself murmur. "They'll find me."

If Venom wanted her dead... she would be dead. It didn't matter how far she ran--if she was worth killing, then Venom, or one of Venom's underlings, would kill her. "Monsters," she whispered, glancing cautiously up at the tom for the first time with eyes that were sane. With eyes that were hers. She knew what she must look like--what she must sound like. Crazy. Crazy on all accounts. but it didn't matter if the tom believed her or wrote her off as insane: it didn't change what was real. The she-cat's stare fell weakly to the small slice she had bestowed upon the tom, and her ears lowered out to the sides apologetically. "I'm sorry... for that," she said, nodding toward the minor injury mostly concealed beneath the tom's fur, her voice dropping low and sounding as hardly more than a whisper.

Silo was not a cat who enjoyed hurting others. There was enough pain in the world without her adding to it.

Somebody get me through this nightmare

I can't control myself

-X-

[Dyzzie]

I can't let them find me . . . I can't let them find me . . . I can't let them find me . . . Those words where practically looping in the male's head, the distinct way she had said it, the obvious fact that this them was who she was so terrified of. Who on earth was them, what had they done to her? He paused, glancing down at her when she flinched, when the small sound (even he had to admit it was kinda cute) escaped her. He paused in his grooming looking down to make she was okay, that he wasn't hurting, or even upsetting her. He wasn't sure if it was that she wasn't used to someone else grooming her, or if it was that she was bothered by the fact, but the flinch had alarmed him faintly. but finally she spoke again. Of this "them" again. How they'd find her if they wanted her.

He glanced at her with distinct concern. She really hadn't told him anything informing he could use. Monsters. She spoke again, and he was surprised when she finally glanced up at him. He met her gaze, blue eyes sincere and brimmed with concern. Monsters . . . she'd said. Monsters . . . . was it truly such a bad situation that in her mind, the only explanation to who they were, were monsters? Something that had lost all identity of 'self' and become monstrous? Her gaze dropped, and he assumed it was to avoid his, before watching her ears lower with apology, speaking an apology as she nodded o the injury, signaling that had been what her attention had fallen on.

Mudpaw glanced at his shoulder in surprise, having forgotten about the minor wound when this 'them' had been brought up. He shrugged gently, glancing back at her, "It's alright. Doesn't even hurt. I'll just go to the med cat later and make sure it's all good." He murmured in response. He glanced back at him in a soft moment of silence, "Why don't you tell me why you're running, huh?" He asked softly with concern.

"Speech"

[[Acro.]]

I can't escape this Hell

    So many times I've tried

"Why don't you tell me why you're running, huh?"

Why...?

Why was she running?

No, the better question: why wasn't she running now?

A tremor ran through her, another twinge of fresh panic burning deep in her muscles and making her heart pound anew. Without a word of warning, she tried to stand, her legs shaking with the strain. As soon as she was up, she took an unsteady step forward, pulling away from the tom and his warmth, but this was as much as she could manage before she had fallen down again with a soft thud. She drew her ears back, letting her chin rest against the cool ground. She felt so... defeated.

Vulnerable.

"I got away," she panted quietly, at last answering the tom's question. If she couldn't keep running, if she was stuck there... then what harm was there in answering his questions? It certainly wouldn't make her situation any worse, in her mind. "I just... ran." Suddenly, a wave of emotion that she had been fending off with adrenaline and wild panic surged within her, and her throat tightened against it. "I ran so far..." she whispered, voice tense as she shut her eyes, her breaths now coming in weak gasps as she lost control of everything she'd been containing. If such earthly creatures as her could cry, the tears would have come like a rain storm. As if sympathizing with the young soul far below them, the dark, rolling clouds that had once been on the nighttime horizon were now looming nearly overhead. A deep, low rumble of thunder called down to the two felines, waiting and ready to cry for her if she could not cry for herself.

Somebody get me through this nightmare

I can't control myself

-X-

[Dyzzie]

The tom sighed as he saw the twinge of panic that had the tremor run through her. The method in which her heart began to pound again, and suddenly he was pushed back as she moved to stand, and instantly the male stood to, concerned by the manner in which her limbs shook, as she took a step away before collapsing again, hitting he ground with a soft thud. He sighed as he moved towards her, but kept a bit of a distance this time, not wanting to upset her while she was lost in that panic. Waiting for it to run it's course a bit.

She spoke again. She'd gotten away? He nodded though, hoping she might elaborate. Had she had to escape from someplace? Someone? He didn't get that kind of information though, instead the she-cat merely elaborating the fact that'd she'd ran. Far. He softly sighed, gently nuzzling the young female with concern, glancing up at the sky when the sound of rumble could be heard. He'd have suggested they move to a better place, but he didn't know where he could possibly move her to. Hell, if he was honest, he should have ran her out as soon as he saw her. Yet here they are still where he'd found her. Besides, he wasn't sure if she'd be able to get up and move anywhere anyway.

He glanced at her slowly, "Why don't you tell me why you ran away then? What happened?" He finally asked, looking down at her.

"Speech"

[[Acro.]]

I can't escape this Hell

    So many times I've tried

"Why don't you tell me why you ran away then? What happened?"

Why?

Did she need a reason?

Wasn't the fact that they were monsters enough for him, as a reason?

The frail she-cat quietly collected herself, lifting her head to lock her pale eyes onto the apprentice. Despite being clouded by exhaustion, emotion, confusion, and fear... something about them, in that moment, was so very crisp--clean, and clear. She stared up at the tom, her ears lowered with worry. On any other day, she would have been more afraid of him than of anything else, in that moment... but not then. While she was wary of him, there were much more pressing things to be afraid of. Swallowing against the tight dryness in her throat, the young feline murmured quietly into the night. "They kill cats," she explained, tone detached. She looked away, closing her eyes to block out the reality she had escaped from. "They'll kill anyone. Just ask, and they'll do it... and then you'll owe them. Old cats, young cats, sick, weak..."

She hadn't known.

When the leader had first taken her in, she hadn't known how corrupt their little "family" had really been. She was given food, warm shelter, safety, soothing words... and she had believed everything.

And now she knew too much.

And if they came looking for her... they would find her, here.

Realization trickled into her mind, then, and her eyes slid open, wide with a different kind of fear. She glanced worriedly at the tom. If they came looking... they would come here. She would have led them right here. "I... I shouldn't be here," she stammered, again trying to stand but finding herself unable. "I'm sorry--I need--I need to go." Her brain was scrambling again, trying to re-inspire that wild spirit that had carried her so far; that animal that had always carried her.

Somebody get me through this nightmare

I can't control myself

-X-