The Drifter (Warriors: Divided Flashback) || Closed; Private

“A man can be himself alone so long as he is alone; if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom; for it is only when he is alone that he is really free.” - Arthur Schopenhauer

A few days prior…

“....Stop!”

Murtagh had never spoken out before- he was never brave enough to do so against his gruesome superiors, knowing the fate that might have as a result. His rounded blue eyes darted from the small loner family, consisting of a starving queen and her four hungry kits, to rogue clowder leader, Maximus. The massive tabby paused mid-stride, turning to glare in Murtagh’s direction as his fellow assassins and mercenaries stepped aside to reveal the lanky lynx point. There was no point in going quiet now. He couldn’t just hide in the crowd. “...Stop. We’ve taken enough freshkill this leafbare, just...just let the queen keep hers. We don’t need it.” He swallowed, and tried to find his voice to support his sudden outburst.

Maximus twitched his tattered ears, displeasure visible in his hungry amber eyes. He turned away from the queen, who had tried to hide to hide her young, terrified kittens behind her. “Murtagh.” Maximus’ deep voice resonated through the dry wintry air, a heavy plume of smoke escaping from his jaws as he spoke. “I never expected mercy from such a high-class killer like yourself. You’ve had to kill families before, at the request of locals thirsting for revenge...why hesitate now?”

The ragtag mercenary group’s leader seemed genuinely shocked by Murtagh’s sudden betrayal, despite keeping the same stone-cold expression on his features. His voice was revealing enough. 

“I…” Murtagh was indeed a skilled assassin. He had always thoroughly thought out his assignments, yet, the fear that had lit up in the queen’s eyes after she attempted to defend her kits and sad piece of freshkill that she’d caught...it had shaken Murtagh to the core. He hadn’t anytime to think about being the typical subordinate mercenary for hire. His instincts, the good morals that made up his bones, had spoken up and demanded that he step in. 

No more.

This was not the life for him.

“Speak up! Are you getting soft, kid?” Maximus had completely turned, his raspy voice evolving into a demanding bark as he stalked forward to face the thin-boned Murtagh. “Maybe I should force you to do it, to prove that you still belong after that moment of insubordination. You know better, Murtagh...you know that we won’t let you just walk away from this game of ours.”

As the clowder leader spoke, the lynx point tom could feel his peers pressing in on him, ready for their Maximus’ command to shove the tom forward or end his life. If he got away, so would their secret of their organization. Someone would step in to stop them, and they couldn’t have that.

“I’m not like you- I’m sick of this!” Murtagh finally spoke up, glaring Maximus in the eye as his own muscles tensed, preparing for death. When he was young, he had nowhere else to go. The merc clowder wasn’t ideal, but...it gave him protection, steady meals, a sense of security. But now, those demons would come back to haunt him. “...You’d have to skin me alive. I’m not going to steal from hungry families again, or kill just for a measly scrap of territory or fresh kill.”

The young tom’s eyes stretched wide out of fear when he saw Maximus give a flick of his tail, a signal of death. At once, his fellow mercenaries leaped upon him.

Currently (1 quarter moon later)…

He had run until his paws felt like they burned from fire. When he had fled using his sure-footedness and streamline physique, he wasn’t certain if the bleeding from the wounds that his former peers had inflicted upon him would ever stop. He didn’t know how far he’d make it- he didn’t expect to be still alive and running onward for an entire quarter moon. At least the queen and her kits were able to slip away during the scuffle. Murtagh had happened upon a fruitful forest, one that seemed relatively peaceful. He did not, however, like how the woods swam with the scent of feline. He couldn’t trust a strange face, not anymore. They’d stop at nothing to end his life to prevent him from spilling the beans. He was hobbling on three legs at this point, with his front left forepaw having swollen up. It was hard to come by good herbs during leafbare, but this forest seemed forgiving enough. He finally managed to scrounge up a couple of herbs that could help fight the infection that seemed to be brewing in all of his wounds. Murtagh was in an area that smelled especially strongly of cats, as if it was something like a border. No matter- he wasn’t sure if he’d make it to dawn, at this rate. The tom happened across a decent pile of snow, and leaned into it to briefly cool his wounds. He grimaced at the momentary pain, but relaxed his skinny frame as the numbness slowly began to settle in. One day at a time. Just one day at a time...

Clan Leader at the Time: Hailstar

Deputy at the Time: Stormgaze

Will an OOC be made for this thread?

Hopeflame || Warrior || Tag: Shadeheart

Hopeflame trotted through the snow-laden forest with her senses alert. This morning, she woke with a strange feeling of dread swimming in the hollow of her belly. Something outside the safety of the cavern disturbed the peace, she could sense it in a strange way. She emerged from the warrior den eagerly to see what assignment Stormgaze, the clan deputy, would give her. Perhaps he would allow her to patrol with Shadeheart?

Her own heart palpitated at the thought of the grey warrior tom. They had been friends ever since kithood, among the only kits in the nursery at the time. RainClan seemed to be a dying clan. She only hoped a few new litters of kits would be born in the coming moons. They certainly needed it.

As Hopeflame looked around the cavern, she caught the eye of Stormgaze: a large, dark grey tabby tom with black stripes. He's been the clan deputy since she could remember. Although she didn't doubt his loyalty, the way he handled certain situations didn't settle well with her. He seemed over-aggressive and a little scary at times. "Good morning, Stormgaze," Hopeflame murmured softly.

Stormgaze nodded to her, a stoic expression spread across his face. "Good morning, Hopeflame." She watched as his gaze scanned the cavern. "How'd you like to lead a patrol with Shadeheart?"

Hopeflame nodded eagerly. "I'd love to! Er-I mean, yes, thank you." She had gotten too excited. Although she's been a warrior for 12 moons, she sometimes still felt like an apprentice in the eyes of the older, more seasoned warriors.

Shadeheart || Warrior || Tag: Hopeflame 

The dark grey tom had gotten up early that morning and had slipped out of the den where he and the other warriors slept to eat a mouse from the fresh-kill pile. Of course their deputy, Stormgaze, was also up about then in his spot just watching the cavern. His fur bristled a little as he turned his gaze away from the stoic tom, an ear going back as he lounged near the fresh-kill pile while he waited to have something to do when more cats woke up.

His teal eyes drifted across the cavern he called home before they fell over a russet figure, his ears perking as he watched his close friend greet their not so friendly deputy. His tail flicked as he shifted a little, eyes locking onto Hopeflame. He lowered his head a little as he shifted his back paws, his butt wiggling a little as his pupils grew bigger.

He could never help but act like a kit around his friend, as they had both grown up together since their times as kits in the nursery. He inched forward a little for a few moments before he sprung forward, soon pouncing at his friend's back as he toppled over as he wasn't even trying to be graceful at that moment. "Well, fancy seeing you here, Hope! You stand on the cavern roof often?" He purred out, lying on his back as he reached his paws out towards her with a silly grin. Of course after a moment he rolled over onto his belly and flashed Stormgaze a grin with a lash of his tail. He was definitely didn't really act like a warrior at times but he was fine with that. He didn't really care what others thought of him.

Icestorm was resting in the cavern of the clan, tucked away in a shadowed spot as was his wont to do. He had been with this clan for ten moons now and he was beginning to feel like this one was one he would stay in for many more moons, unlike his previous clan. It still upset him, occasionally, when he thought about his old clan. They had been arrogant, stubborn, thought themselves invincible against the two-legs while he had known better. And they just hadn't listened. He hoped that Rainclan would be different. 

His thoughts were pulled away from his internal trip down memory lane when he heard familiar voices nearby. He looked up to see the deputy with two other warriors, Hopeflame and Shadeheart. Icestorm had found that the two were nearly inseperable on most days, so he wasn't surprised to see them about to go on a patrol together. Not wanting to disturb them he figured he would go hunting, be productive somehow. He still preferred to be alone sometimes, a remnants of his loner days. So rising to he paws he padded out of the cavern, stepping out and into the forest, shaking his thick fur from the wet spray the waterfall alwaya gave him. 

Stepping further into the forest he lifted his head up, maw partially opened as he scented the air for pray. Hmm, nothing around here. For a forest it was oddly silent today. Tucking that thought away he moved farther into the territory. He'd always caught rogue scent occasionally in their territory, the forest seemed to be a place for many other cats, so he wasn't surprised to scent it again after the third time trying to find prey. But this one, this one was accompanied with the scent of blood. 

Frowning Icestorm approached the area where the scent was. His size didn't make for very good sneaking so he didn't really try to hide. Finally he took a step into a clearinng and looked around and- ah, there was the source of the scent. Looking at the rogue the behemoth blinked slowly, catching sight of the wound stuck in the snow. Having such thick fur Icestorm actually forgot it had snowed earlier. "Oh, hmm." He rumbled curiously, staying right where he was for the moment.

That seemed to be a problem, the rogue's leg and Icestorm was no good with herbs. He knew, he's tried. He took a step closer then stopped again. "May I approach?" He asked, voice low but polite. 

Murtagh || Mention: Icestorm

He began to hear a dull buzzing in his ears, something similar to a pesky fly. Except, he knew that no flies were circling around in such frigid air- it seemed to just be his head, buzzing from exhaustion and the on-setting infection. Murtagh allowed his eyes to lull shut for several moments, hoping that a quick nap might help his situation. At first, this method seemed relatively effective. The ringing became dull before it seemed to completely disappear, until some other noise disturbed him.

At first, Murtagh merely thought that it was his mind playing tricks on him once more, just his head making a different noise rather than the buzzing from before. He decided to ignore it for the time being, although his alertness increased in the slightest. It was in that moment that he decided that this was no head noise- something was stalking him.

The tom promptly felt his hackles raise, and he forced a single blue eye open. Among the snow he could spot a large gray tabby, a beefcake, one of those cats that Maximus would drag into his gang for the purpose of beating on the new recruits and interrogating whatever poor whelps they caught sneaking around near camp. Instincts kicking in, Murtagh promptly rose to his paws, the idea of infection and exhaustion leaving his mind. Maybe this cat was no ideal assassin to track him down, but he knew that Maximus was smart. He'd want Murtagh to think that this cat wasn't one of his. "Come no further." The lynx point hissed with his fangs bared threateningly. "...Lest you want to be cut down to size."

Hopeflame || Warrior || Tag: Shadeheart || Mentions: Icestorm

Hopeflame didn't see it coming. Before she knew it, Shadeheart had crept out of nowhere and proceeded to pounce onto her back. She squeaked with surprise as she toppled over from the unexpected weight. Her green eyes were soon staring up into Shadeheart's goofy blue gaze. She felt her pelt grow hot with embarrassment at his comments, especially in front of Stormgaze.

As much as she enjoyed Shadeheart's antics, she feared Stormgaze wouldn't take her seriously if he saw her behaving this way like some green-leaf kit. She wished that she could be more like Shadeheart: carefree and unapologetic. It was what she envied most about him. But sadly, she cared what others thought, especially the clan deputy.

Hopeflame noticed Icestorm appear in the cavern before quickly disappearing through the cavern entrance. She still wasn't sure how she felt about the tom. He had joined the clan recently, a former loner. Icestorm seemed friendly enough, if not a bit distant. He performed his duties well, but quietly. Hopeflame wondered about his past: where he came from, what he's seen in his life, the places he's been.

Hopeflame shook her head. She needed to focus on the task at paw, so she refocused her attention on her goofy denmate. "Only when I'm around you Shade," Hopeflame retorted with a sly grin, trying to keep herself in check while in front of Stormgaze. When Shadeheart finally let her up, she gave him a playful shove. "Care to join me on patrol, cloud-brain?"

Shadeheart || Warrior || Tag: Hopeflame || Mentions: Icestorm

He grinned as he heard Hopeflame's words and the playful shove that he resisted the urge to return. "Join your for a patrol? I mean, if you insist." He spoke up, waving his tail in the air as he raised a paw slightly. He glanced towards the rather stiff Deputy for a few moments before he hopped away so he and his friend could leave, his whiskers twitching as he sniffed the air. Wait...why was Icestorm's scent leading out of the cavern?

He put an ear back as he waited for Hopeflame to join him before he glanced towards her as he flicked his tail. "Doesn't that big fluffball know he doesn't have to do everything by himself anymore?"

Well that was a 'no' if he ever did hear one. So he just nodder and stayed where he was, but he took the moment to sit down instead. His head tilted slightly, observing the rogue silently for a few moments. He wondered if whoever had harmed the tom would still be chasing him, and if so that meant they could threaten his clan. He took a moment to turn his head a bit to sniff the air. Hm, no other unfamiloar rogues, since Icestorm took it upon himself to keep track what rogues stayed around the territory. They were safe, for now. 

Turning back to the rogue he flicked his tail absently in thought. "So, who are you? I doubt you've realized this, but you're in Rainclan territory right now.." He paused for a moment, revlauating what he said. "I am Icestorm, if we're going to get pleasantries out of the way."