Stormcloud purposely skirted Blood as she tried to explain what had happened to Rhy. The she-cat stared after the humans' trucks in an agitated manner.

"You know that Marshall and...him," She pointed her tail at Wraith, "They get a lot of publicity in this city. Some crazed humans even suspect something is going on in Central Park. See where this is going?"

Rhymane nodded slowly, "I believe so. They wanted something, didn't they?"

Storm then switched her gaze, watching Blood warily. "Perhaps. That'd be my guess..."

Marshall hesitated, not knowing where to begin. To Wheat, he said, "Right, well there's a lot we need to cover here, so just hold on a minute."

To the group in general, "I don't think I've ever heard of humans being that aggressive. You might want to stay near Central Park for a while."

Sighing, he turned to the anaconda. "Okay, you tried to eat me. But then you helped us. I want to know your name, and why a snake your size is here, in the city of all places."

The red tarantula darted from cover to cover. Boxes, trash, and other debris made him harder to see, as he followed the scent trail of Wraith. Eric the Red followed the trail to a hidden tunnel, and stopped at the water's edge. This obstacle wasn't difficult, more an inconvenience than anything. Crawling up the wall, he hung from the ceiling, and crept down deeper in, the sounds and scents of many animals reaching him...

"I help no one." Blood spat, fixing Marshall with a cold stare. "That dog attacked me. He got what he deserved."

Marshall nodded slowly, glancing at the mangled body of the dog in the gutter a few feet away. "Okay, my mistake. Help was the wrong word." he replied. "But that doesn't answer my other questions."

"I answer to no one either." growled Blood through gritted teeth, but then he caught his breath as he felt Rhymane's jaws tighten around his neck.

"Now may be a good time to start." muttered the Fox threateningly.

There was a moment's pause, then the Anaconda reluctantly relented. "My name is Blood." he hissed. "And I'm here because the Humans brought me here when I was young. About six months ago they got scared and put me out here."

"You were a pet like me?" asked Gem, wide-eyed. Why Humans would keep pets so dangerous boggled her mind!

Blood flicked his tail violently, and if it wasn't for Rhymane's firm hold on him he would probably have bitten the cat! "I AM NO ONE'S PET!" he roared. "THE HUMANS FEARED ME, AS WELL THEY SHOULD, AND AS ALL OF YOU WILL DO SHORTLY! I AM NOBODY'S PLAYTHING OR INTERESTING NOVELTY!"

(OOC: Sorry for not posting again last night. Couldn't access a computer because of so many people needing to get papers done for finals. If somebody thinks we moved too fast, and didn't get to put in a post they wanted to, feel free to let me know. Minor changes can be made without asking.)

IC:

Marshall raised a paw appeasingly. "Don't get uptight! I'm sorry, we're all just used to this life of 'pets' and 'strays'. We didn't mean to classify you. But, the point is, humans tossed you out, right?"

Blood nodded slightly, still glaring. Wheat turned to Marshall, and whispered, "if that was six months ago, then the humans that attacked us had no part in it."

Marshall nodded. "Blood, I'm not sure what to do with you. If I let you go, you might try to eat me or my..." he realized 'friends' wasn't the right word, "associates. To ensure their safety, I would kill you." Everyone stiffened at that last comment, except Wraith. "But I don't want to do that. What do you suggest, Blood? Can we reach a compromise?"

Fenix's eyes shot open, her heart beating fast. Jumping to her feet, she took in her surroundings. She was in a human-made cage, made of cold metal, large enough for her to walk around in. The floor was covered in a warm carpet, and there were food and water dishes on one side. The cage door gave her a good view of the room. It was a large room, with many other cages like hers, all with at least one animal in them. Some were making a commotion, and Fenix saw the collars on their necks. Pets. More than half of the animals had gone quiet, all attempts to escape and fight back drained from their systems. There were a few strays, and Fenix actually recognized a few. She looked to the door in time to see a human carrying the limp form of Slayer!

The human was very self-conscious right now, having so many animals staring at him, some growling. He gently set Slayer down in an empty cage, and locked the door before he left. Once the human was gone, Slayer got up, and spat a small metal object out of his mouth!

Fenix whispered, "Slayer!"

Slayer turned, and winked. "Hey there, luv. I'm here to get you out."

Fenix was stunned. Slayer, help Admins? "How...? What happened? Why, Slayer?"

Slayer grinned. "Just trust me. We'll get you to your kids as soon as we can."

Fenix could only watch in amazement, as Slayer picked up the metal object in his mouth, and brought it to the door of his cage. Setting it down near the door, he flicked a switch on top of it, and blades popped out of the sides! The blades began to spin, faster and faster, and once they were only a blur, Slayer set a paw on top of the object, and eased it forward. clang! clang! clangclangclang!

Many of the animals in the room had quieted down, watching in fascination as Slayer made his escape attempt!

OOC: Yeah, sorry about my time being tight. It hinders my ability think properly >>. Still, I'm gonna post once a day at least
Oh er... I'm arachniphobic.... that Eric is definately making me wary >>; XD

IC:

Wraith chuckled slightly. Espicially when Stormcloud jested that himself and Marshall appeared to get a lot of publicity in the city.
He switched his gaze towards the ongoing spat between blood and Marshall. It seemed like a deadlock position indeed. Rhymane had a conncience and didn't want to kill Blood to eagerly. On the other hand, they suspected he was dangerous and that perhaps some freedom would've endangered their lives.
If it was him with his jaws on the elongated reptiles neck, he would've snapped them shut tout-de-suite.
"Hey Wraith! Back already? Wow! That was quick!" Bandit shouted, as he bounded his way towards the group. Stormcloud turned around and rolled her eyes. She didn't know him well at all, but just his look and his manner of expression made him look so simply-minded... and definately stupid.
As he trotted towards everyone, he smiled at Gem and Stormcloud, before turning towards the rest of the group.
"I heard somethin' goin' on and so I thought I'd..."
Bandit's eyes suddenly widened when he saw a LONG scaily creature, a look of storm on his face as made eye contact with the German Shepherd.
"Yaaaaaarrgh how!" Bandit screamed, before leaping behind marshall and cowering away.
"It's that anaconda! It's that FREAKING ANACONDA! THE ONE FROM THE RADIO! WHO EATS HUMANS! AND HE'LL EAT DOGS TOO!!! HE'S gonna kill us people... HE's gonna KILL US!!!"

OOC: I hate how fast things can go *sigh*

IC:
Amber looked at the small excuse for a rat and shrugged, she couldn't be bothered to attack it right now, she'd already eaten anyway.
"By ratty and..skunk." She said as she left, heading for central park, she had to talk with a few people, her reputation as a fighter was fairly unknown, but she knew it, the stray went into a lope down the street, turning instinctivgely down her usual paths until she finally reached the park, she looked at the place that was once her home and stoopedr to listen, yes. She was sure she could hear voices over that way.
Walking now she moved to wards the sounds, hoping to locate Marshall or one of the other admins.
TBC

Blood regarded Bandit for a moment, then his face creased into it's familliar cold leer. Bandit whined quietly and jumped behind Wraith, peering round the Wolf's side aprehensivley.

Blood chuckled to himself quietly, then his gaze switched back to Marshall, still grinning. "Compromise." he repeated, a little sarcasticly.

"Can we get on with this please?" muttered Wraith pointedly. "I think we have more pressing issues than an overgrown worm."

"I agree." muttered Storm. "Whatever the Humans are planning they must be stopped, and we've got to help Fenix in any way we can."

"I won't kill anyone unless I have no choice." muttered Marshall quietly.

Blood's face was no longer grinning. He looked like he was thinking. "The Humans must be stopped?" he drawled. "Do I understand you correctly; you are planning some kind of a mission against those Humans, a dangerous one in which blood will be spilled?"

All the others looked at each other in turn, unsure of how to respond!

Blood grinned again. "I dearly want to kill you all, but there is one thing that I would wish more than that...a chance to kill Humans, as many of them as possible. They had the audacity to take me from my home when I was too young to stop them. They put me out here, alone, because of their cowardice." He narrowed his eyes, as though visualising a sinister scene. "Yes, I would love to have a chance to thank them for what they did to me."

Oh, man, this is not what I call a good situation! spoke a quiet voice from a tall beam up within the large warehouse adjacent to the room where the Don and his two guards were standing. He had heard it all, and was now finding his mission to be worthwhile, having to invade his way into the large cats headquarters, stealthily evade the patrolling cats and guards, just to get close enough for the information he had just heard. And the information was not to his liking

The rat sighed. He didnt know why on Earth he had actually decided to take this mission. True, he was the best he was at it, but he still didnt seem thrilled to do it. I mean, cmon, a rat in a whole hideout of cats? It was certainly understandable.

But what the boss doggie says you kinda got to do it. Specially when the infos as important as this and who it concerns. The rat thought to himself, as he sat backwards slightly and inspected his tail. Marshall owes me one for this, if I ever make it back out of here

He was a rat that excelled in stealthy covert operations. Given his size and abilities he was a prime choice for this mission even though he ended up grudging taking from Marshall. The rat did, most of the time, only seem to care for himself and his own furry hide, but even he worked alongside Marshall and the admins for better equality between animals. And in a sense it was obvious why a rat wasnt particularly high on the food chain, despite his talents, and gaining equality betweens animals sure upped his survival chances. But having to go through missions like this when he could just easily be killed now? Man o man, the things you end up doing.

The rat, whose name was Eikichi, turned back and pressed his ear against the thin wall that blocked both him who was in the large deserted warehouse room, and the smaller lair of the Dons, awaiting any more information that he could gain about what exactly the cats plan was. Marshall had already suspected and began to understand that the Don and his group were up to something, but what exactly it was wasnt exactly known and he had other pressing matters to take to first. Him and the admins needed information immediately, and Eikicki had to get it.

But, for the most part, it was silence. Damn it. Like to brood mentally to yourself, eh? I can understand it. Cant have your little guards knowing, can we? specially when theyre just inconsequential soldiers no doubt Eikichi sighed, before resuming his mission. He had decided to himself thatll hell leave when the rest of the Dons men started to get back. By then he believed he would get more info from the returning cats, but he would have to leave before all of them returned. He couldnt chance trying to get out of a headquarters filled with all of the Dons men. Afterall, there were enough in there already

Marshall put on a thoughtful, then commanding face. "That's right, Blood. Are you willing to work together with us for your opportunity?"

Blood flicked out his tongue.

Marshall raised a paw. "Rhymane, let him go."

The fox hesitated, but at a second glance at Marshall's face, he complied. Blood slithered a short distance from the group, regaining his composure.

Marshall took a deep breath, and considered all in front of him. "First, I owe you an apology, Rhymane. I shouldn't have involved you in a fight you didn't want to be in. As to what's going on, I don't know too much. Wheat?"

The Chihuahua looked up. "Slayer has been watching these humans. They aren't police. They seem to be a private organization that experiements with animals. Those mutts were some of their earlier efforts. They've been capturing animals all over the city for the past six months, keeping a low profile. Try as we might, we never found where they keep the animals. The only clue was the writing on the sides of those trucks. Slayer let himself get captured, and took with him a device that will help him escape. He told me to help the Admins in any way I could, and also to find an animal who can read human script, so we might be able to help him. So, Marshall, now that that's said, where's the nearest animal that knows how to read?"

Marshall was listening intently to the whole thing, and at the last part, his eyes widened as far as they would go. "There's only one animal I have ever met that knew how to read: White."

There were startled looks from everyone who knew about White. Wheat jumped. "The wolf?! The First Admin!?"

Marshall nodded. "White started the Administrators of Old London, 5 years ago. Before Fenix and me, she picked a cat who knew herbalism as an Admin. That cat was the one that taught Fenix, and Gem, that cat was your mother."

Gem gasped. "My...my mom was an Admin?"

"That's right. You must have been too young to remember, but your mom taught you herbalsim too, before the accident."

"Accident? Please, tell me what happened!"

"As she was running across the street to help an injured dog, a human's car ran over her. I couldn't take care of you or your siblings at the time, so I found an Animal Catcher, and he took you to the shelter. That must be where your human family found you."

Rhymane was still surprised by the mention of White. "Wait, so, Marshall, isn't White in the forest?"

Marshall's expression turned more grim, and his ears flattened. "Yeah. About a year ago, she left the city for no reason that I know of. She never told any of us why she would start something she was so dedicated to, and then leave. It was because of her that Slayer hates us, because she beat him in fair combat, and not only let him live, but had Gem's mother tend his wounds! Well, anyway, the bottom line here is that we need to send somebody into the forest to find her. And a caution to all of you, she could beat both Slayer and myself, and those nine mutts, by herself. She is the single most dangerous animal I've ever seen or heard of, and I've heard of late that she goes feral every now and then..."

The skunk hopped out of the trash can, and tried to calm the rat by saying, "hey, now, no one's gonna eat ya."

Meeka paused, watching him for a moment.

At that moment, the cat said bye and ran off. The skunk grunted. "Well, that's not uncommon. Anytime I show up, somebody's running."

Turning to the rat, he shook his fur and made a friendly expression. "My name's Roy. Seems like Central Park is an exciting place, I wanted to go look at it myself. What about you?"

Rhymane stepped forward. "Since I'm from the forest I'd be a logical choice." he spoke up. "But if what you say is true, it may be an idea to send more than one to see her."

"Oh, and Marshall..." he added, almost as an afterthought. "...don't apoligise for getting me involved in this. It's my choice. Anything that I can do for Fenix..." His voice tailed off, but Marshall could see the resolve in his eyes and in his brave stance.

Blood meanwhile had coiled himself up on the grass by the park entrance, and had rested his chin on the topmost coil. He grinned to himself inwardly as he watched the other animals make their plans. The fools. They didn't have the guts to kill him, like they should have done. He would fulfil his agreement...he would help them in their plans. He hadn't been lying when he said he wanted to kill Humans, and even despite his independance, he valued his honor...he would never go back on his word.

But then...there was always the time after the Humans had been delt with...

Marshall nodded. "You're right, sending you by yourself is a bad idea. I have to stay here, because if Zenobia and The Don learned that most of the Admins were missing from Central Park, they would jump all over that opportunity."

Gem jumped from Marshall's back. "I'll go."

Marshall shook his head. "I'd feel a lot better if you stayed here..."

Courage burned in her eyes as she looked up at him. "You recognized me. She will too. If she's as dangerous as you stay, strangers might make her hostile."

Marshall sighed. "...good point. Wraith, Stormcloud, and Bandit? What do you want to do? Your help would be much appreciated...but it's up to you."

Eric smiled. His many eyes gathered in the room, and he saw various animals, mostly dogs, hanging around. Much of the excitement of the earlier evening had faded for the time being, and Eric the Red most especially showed interest for the rats. They were perfect snack size!

But no, his mission came first. The Wolf was not here, but his scent went up and out. "It would be far better to get information out of one of these miscreants, rather than chase the target..."

Picking a nice, quiet corner, he slipped into a hiding spot, and waited for an opportunity to ambush a dog...

Amber's eyes widened as she heard the conersation;
"I wish I'd heard the start of this conversation, this sounds important, White, hmm...maybe I can help..."
Amber stepped into the open.
"Hi, I'd like to help too."
TBC
OOC: Arrgh. I wish I'd got here sooner, ah well...

Wraith looked over his shoulder, before he looked down to the ground below. He always did this when he was thinking.
"Logically I should be going with you," he said looking towards Rhymane "I am a wolf. And this 'White' is a wolf. I might be able to aid you in terms of 'manner of expression', or be it, brute and strength. Afterall. Though I think I'm going to be unfamiliar with the forest, admittedly."
Marshall looked towards Wraith, his ears raising inquisitively. Gem in the mean time also blinked a few times.
"Yeah. That's right. I wasn't born in the forest. Or any natural environment. Hell. I spent the first five years of my life behind bars. On a drip sometimes. Tested on. Subjected to those terran swines' experiments...!" he explained uttering a growl, but suddenly shook it off when he caught a concerned look off of Gem.
"But anyway, I won't burden you with all that now. Afterall, whatever they did to me, I'm better than your average canine.... aaaaand... that's high as I'm getting on my horse."
Wraith exchanged glances with everyone, wondering what their thoughts were. He turned his attention to Bandit.
"You, Bandit, stay here and help the others. And please..." Wraith said, rolling his eyes "use your head and don't be troublesome."
He then turned to Rhymane, and possibly Gem who might be going as of yet.
"Okay, guess I'm with you guys."

Stormcloud pondered her options. Rhymane and Wraith were going, and she was sure Gem would make it her mission as well. The Stray felt it her mission to find and help Fenix, for she felt tied to the vixen ever since she saved Mossbelly from a terrible sickness. Storm knew, though, how hopeless it would be to lead an attack without knowing where Fenix and Slayer were. She cursed herself for her caution, in that she might've been able to climb a tree and spot the strange symbol on the side of the truck.

The silver and white-flecked she-cat growled, knowing that fear of the forest was the only thing that kept her from saying she would join those three. Storm wondered is she should patrol the streets, ask other Strays and random housepets if they knew anything. But again, she knew that was next to pointless. With a sigh of resignation, the she-cat padded up to Gem.

"I shall also accompany Gem, Rhymane, and Wraith to the forest. Like as not, I hate being idle, and I see no other way for me to put my talents to good use," She meowed, with a firm nod.

----

Mossbelly pondered this question for a moment, before turning to Leon, "It is not quite as hard as you think. There is plenty of food in the park for myself and the pets I help. I get rest and such just as any Admin would, and I like to help because I feel I have a debt to re-pay."

Leon looked at her questioningly, but remained silent, choosing his words with care.

OOC: Super Ferret, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Since it worked out this way, we're going to roleplay it out.

IC:

Marshall took in the full situation. As another cat strolled up (Amber), and offered her help, he paused. He ignored her for a moment, long enough to say, "Alright, you four (meaning, of course, Gem, Rhymane, Wraith, and Stormcloud), you have your mission. If you head straight east, you'll get there shortly after midnight. I have a feeling it won't be too hard for you to find White."

As that group began to wander off, Marshall considered Bandit, Blood, Wheat, and the new cat. "Wheat, I'll get to you in a minute. Blood, Bandit, and you," he pointed a paw at the new cat, "come with me."

They stepped into the Park, and took up a spot beneath a tree. "Blood, what do you want to do? You could help me with patrols, you could go to the forest too, or you could do something else."

Marshall turned to Bandit as Blood thought. "Kid, you've got to make a choice. I won't let you go to the forest, because Wraith is concerned for your safety, so do you want to stay in the Park for now, or return to your home?"

Giving Bandit a chance to think, he asked the cat her name, and she answered. Marshall thought for a moment. "Amber. You want to help?" Amber nodded. "Well, I can give you the situation, and you can decide..."

Marshall began to tell of the stray situation, the kidnapping of Fenix, the human troubles, and the situation that required a group to be sent to the forest.

The dark clouds had finished rolling in, and covered the sky. All the animals suddenly realized that it was going to rain at any time, and it was going to be a heavy storm!

Attila's partner sat at his desk, working on another report, while Attila crawled around on his shoulders. She investigated the new nametag he had been given, and she looked on in wonder as she read the words, Dr. Mobius.

An assistant came, and began to talk to her partner. "Sir, we lost two of the mutts, but we did succeed in capturing the Dalmatian."

"I see. I assume the whole situation was recorded?"

"Yes."

"Good. The price was worth it. We now know much of what those animals are capable of. When will the Vixen's kits be ready for the experiments?"

Attila picked up a sound that the humans couldn't hear, and as she crawled along Dr. Mobius' arm, he lowered it to the floor. She left his arm, and began to crawl rapidly along the floor, exiting the room.

The assistant looked over a paper in his hands. "Umm, in about five hours, 2 AM."

"Good, good...call the remaining capture crews back, and put them on standby. The Great Dane and his allies will be on watch now, and we cannot risk discovery yet."

Attila the Hun was on a direct course for an animal storage room, the one where the most recently caught animals were in. The sound, of that horrible machine the humans called a blender, was coming from in there...

Leon took a moment to simply stare at Mossbelly with a sense of confusion and also wonder. He was interested in what she meant by a debt to repay, but knew it could also be unwise and rude to ask why or intrude on her past or personal reasons.

I know what its like to feel as though youve got to do something, as if youre repaying a debt. Leon said, smiling slightly, but then his smile turned into a frown as he looked towards the ground with a dead serious expression.

But do you ever get the feeling that this repayment of debt the method, is wrong? What you have to do, does it feel not right? Leon asked, dwelling on his personal situation.

Rhymane padded off down the street, shoulder to shoulder with his new allies. As they walked, he cast sidelong glances at them, not so they would notice, but simply to figure them out.

Wraith seemed rather impulsive, and a little hotheaded, but he knew how to fight. There seemed to be a bit of a sickening bravado about his attitude that Rhy wasn't keen on, something a little irritating. Still, he could prove a valuable ally if anything came up (goodness knew what would, considering the strainge events that had already presented themselves!) so it would probably be best to try to get along.

Gem was young, and seemed a little naive. So long as they kept an eye on her she should be ok, although she wouldn't be much help in a fight.

Storm was still an enigma to him...it almost seemed like the only reason she had joined them is to keep an eye on Gem! She was streetwise, and had a level head on her shoulders, but Rhy couldn't help but be a little puzzled. It felt somehow as though she was hiding something...

He shook the thoughts off and began thinking about the forest. Although he was from there and still lived there, he was much more of a city stray now. Thanks to his history he had pretty much blanked out the forest community, and his only time spent there now was to sleep, and his trips to and from town.

At the back of his mind he wondered just how he would be recieved when he arrived...

The group was depressingly quiet, and being quite sociable, Rhy hated long silences. "We'll have to cross the railway to get to the forest." he said, his voice sounding a little empty in the quiet stillness of the night. "Hopefully there won't be any trains."

============================================================

"I'll do as I'm told, Chief." drawled Blood, his mouth still fixed in a leer. His conversational manner, dripping with amiabillity and friendship, made Marshall feel uneasy...he was almost too friendly. Still he had promised to help, and as yet had shown no indication of going back on that.

"Just one thing," continued the Snake, "being cold blooded, if I stop moving, my blood will cool and I'll need to wait for the sun to warm me before I can move much. If I may be needed for action before the sun comes up, I'll have to keep moving to maintain my temperature."

Amber listened to the information with interest and hissed lightly under her breathe,
"Stealing kits, shameful, well, I'm deffinitely helping, if you don't mind I think I'll help those others going to the forest, I'll go catch them up."
The tabby sprinted after the group, ready to give her explanation as they came into view...
TBC

Meeka titled his head and looked at the skunk quizzically,
"Skunky no eat or stinkify?"
The rat stepped back uncertainly and fell into a plant pot, which started rolling away down hill.
"Eeep! Meeka no likie this!"
To keep himself from slipping around he had to run inside the pot plant, keeping to the edge to hold it down so it wouldn't fall back and trap him.
Picking up speed he hit the curb and rebounded ontop of a car which started to move, Meeka had been tipped out onto its top and was now being tossed around and slipping towards the edge as he had nothing to cling onto.
Then he slipped down onto the front and clung to a windscreen wiperfinally as the car turned a corner the rat was sent flying onto a roof where he slid down the tiles and spuna round until he fell down a pipe and skidded down into the gutter where he promtly had to run before he got washed away by water falling from another pipe, now slightly wet, cothered in scum, earth and rather tired, the rat stumbled into Central park and fell over, which unfortunately him, being so damp he started to slide down the hill 'til he rolled and stopped only when he hit something hard. Looking up the tired rat saw a very large dog.
"Eeek! Meeka doomded now now!" Then he turned round only to see Blood.
"No no no! Bad slinky bad bad! Keep back from poor Meeka, poor Meeka, surrounded by hungry big thingz."
The rat scuttled in fear up to a tree and started vainly to try and climb it, his small claws grappling on the bark, failing because of his dampness, making him slip back down.
Landing with a light bumbp back on the ground he stared up at the tail of another dog (Bandit) and with a stroke of inspiration jumped and climbed it, then ran along his back and leapt onto the other dog's back, he clung to the back of the Great dane's head.
"Ha, Meeka is safe safe now, big thingz! Woofies and evil gigantiful slinkies!"
TBC

Blood stared in interest at the newcomer. This one he hadn't made any promises to, and he looked rather plump and meaty...!

"I say, Marshall." he muttered, eyes fixed on the rat. "Is he getting on your nerves? I could quiet him down a little if you like..."

Stormcloud nodded at Rhy's statement, knowing full-well that he was just trying to fill the silence. Having been alone for most of her life, the she-cat didn't mind silence, and welcomed it as a shelter for her thoughts. She padded along with Gem on her left and Wraith on her right, quietly thinking about her companions.

Wraith, on one hand, had sooooome attitude. Storm had to keep from snorting to herself. He did have a few impressive tactics on his side, coupled with some muscle, and she liked the fact that he was willing to help.

Gem, of course, worried Stormcloud a little. The housecat did indeed have a brain and decent reflexes, but sometimes had no common sense. It was a good thing, the Stray reflected, that she had stopped Gem from immediately going to Marshall first. She might not even be here if one of those mutts had gotten a hold of her.

Then there was Rhy. A good, kind fellow, Storm decided. One who was dedicated to the cause yet level-headed. He was indeed handsome, she thought, no doubt captivating some of the younger vixens. A good ally.

"Trains," Stormcloud mewed, trying to help Rhy out, "If we get to the tracks soon enough, before daylight, we'll be able to make it across without hindrance."

"How do you know?" Gem asked, glad they were filling the silence as well.

"I've had to cross a few times."

~*Central Park*~

Mossbelly gazed at Leon, trying to find the right words to reply to his indirect question. She could tell it wasn't meant for herself, but decided to answer him to give the tabby reassurance with whatever was troubling him.

"Well..." She said, a grim smile etched into her features. "I help out the Admins because, when I was a tiny kitten, my mother brought me here. I was very, very sick, and Fenix the Vixen cured me. My mother was very grateful, and ever since, I've felt like I'm attached to the work that goes on here. I feel the need to be involved."

Mossbelly looked up to see Leon, staring at her with understanding in his eyes. "Every now and then, I consider to myself if what I'm doing is right, and if this is the life I want. And every time, without a doubt, I know what I'm doing is right for me."

Flicking her tail, the white and ginger-furred she-cat purred, tucking her paws underneath her chest. "If there's the slightest bit of hesitation in my decision, I'll know it's time for change."

Roy had been yawning, and almost missed the rat entirely. As he watched Meeka barrel down the hill, he said, "Oh, dear. I hope he'll be okay."

Looking up, Roy saw the storm, and decided finding shelter before it struck would be a good idea.

Marshall had an odd grin on his face, as the rat clung to his neck and head. "No, Blood, I don't think that's necessary. Now, as to your situation, I would recommend you go out on patrol, staying hidden, but...I don't know how you do in storms. If you don't mind getting a bit wet, go ahead, otherwise, you might wanna get beneath some trees."

Marshall had been distracted, but thankfully he had acknowledged Amber and sent her off before the rat made his entrance. "Yes, little one, you are safe here."

Gem's eyes got big. "Trains? Aren't those the monsters that eat humans?"

Stormcloud nodded. "I believe you're thinking of cars, but trains do the same thing and can hold more people."

A bolt of lightning landed a short distance down the street, and the rumble of thunder that followed burst like an explosion! Gem screamed, as was about to run, but she was grabbed by Storm! "It's okay, it's okay!"

Gem stopped trying to run, but whimpered, "I'm scared of storms!"

Then, the rain began to pour. This was a heavy rain, and somewhere in the city, there was a human who made the comment, "Whoo-wee! It's raining cats and dogs out there!"

Wraith shouted, "follow me, I know a place with shelter!"

The group dashed into a nearby alley, and through a large hole in the wall.

Amber had been gaining on the group, and saw where they went. She slipped into the building just behind them.

Rhymane sighed. "We didn't get soaked...Wraith, what is this place?"

It was a huge two-story building, abandoned for many years. Storm and Wraith whispered at the same time, "the London Mall..."

Wraith moved a bit away, and shook away the drops of water that had gotten on his fur. The others followed suit. Gem asked, "will this get us to the forest?"

Wraith nodded. "Yes, this mall connects to an old underground tunnel, which will take us just outside the city."

Storm tensed, as an echo of something moving came from the distance, somewhere in the darkness. "Strays don't come here, because this place is haunted..."

Amber piped in, "Not even humans come here anymore..."

Gem jumped, and the group turned to face the newcomer!

Blood's face dropped to a sullen sulk as Marshall spoke, but he kept his voice amiable. "Very well." he muttered. "I'll go patrol." His eyes still fixed on the rat, he turned and moved off into the forest as the first drops of rain began to fall.

(OOC: a little note in advance...sometime this week I'm being carted off on holiday, probably returning sometime over the weekend. Just carry on the story keeping Blood and Rhy in it if that's ok, and I'll catch up when I get back. If worst comes to worst, Way will RP them a little.

Not sure when I'm going yet, so I may be able to make a few more posts after this one, but if I go quiet for a bit, that's why.)

Leon winced. It wasn't because of what Mossbelly had said, but because of the storm which had just taken and swept up the city. It was pouring it down badly, and Leon hated water... he wanted to get somewhere warmer, somewhere with shelter.

Mossbelly appeared to have had the same idea, and she began running back towards the young kit Oreo, who might have been awoken by this storm. Leon followed as well, to an area protected with some shelter from the downpour outside, but it still helped to dampen his spirits, as he considered what Mossbelly had said.

Time for a change? What if it isnt that simple. What if you just cant leave? he thought to himself.

Moving away from the Dons towards Central Park: Within an alleyway

Aww, man, this is not what I had in mind! Eikichi loudly complained, as he desperately tried to make his way back to Central Park and to an admin, more specifically Marshall, to report his findings. He had uncovered some interesting information as almost all of the cats returned to the hideout from the approaching storm, and Eikichi was forced to finally leave it, not that he was upset in leaving that hellhole.

But to arrive in a downpour like this if he wasnt killed by mafia cats, he would be drowned by a series of water drops. Such as was his life.

Aw, cmon, give us a break or something, will ya? Eikichi shouted up to the air, but there would be comforting reply. Instead, the storm intensified and it almost seemed as though much of the rainfall was concentrated on the rat.

Ah, screw that. Ive got more important things ta do Ive got to find Marshall, now! Eikichi shouted, beginning his desperate trek towards Central Park in the arduous weather.

~*Abandoned Mall*~

Stormcloud relaxed visibly once she spotted Amber, realizing she was the same cat she had scented in one of the alleyways, along with that rat scent. Amusment glinted in her stony blue eyes as she wondered, Did she happen to catch that rat?

"Hello there," Storm meowed, breaking the startled silence that had suddenly descended. "And you are?"

"My name is Amber, and I came to help you." The tabby replied, walking a little closer to the group.

Stormcloud heard Wraith snort quietly as he turned away, obviously not ecstastic about more 'help'. Rhy just smiled amiably, and Gem nodded wordlessly.

"I'm sorry if I startled you..." Amber mewed.

Storm just shook her head, "It's alright now. No harm done. You're here to help, eh? Well then, we'd best get going without further interruption. We have to cross before the morning train passes through."

Wraith looked somewhat impatient. "Yes, well, let's go already!"

And the group continued onward, with one more addition to their little forest-going posse.

~*Admin Camp*

Mossbelly wrapped her tail protectively around the young kit, as Oreo shivered fearfully, trying to get to sleep. Another flash of lightning, and another accompanying crack of thunder almost sent the black and white housecat bolting, if it weren't for Mossbelly's soothing voice.

The she-cat noticed Leon, deep in thought, and wondered what exactly had provoked the young tabby to ask such questions. Mossbelly began to lick Oreo's damp coat dry, pleased that the kitten relaxed ever so slightly with each stroke of her tongue. Only when the next bolt of lightning lit up the sky did Oreo merely wince, flattening her ears as the sky boomed with thunder.

"You know, Leon..." Mossbelly said as the kit fell into a light sleep. "Change isn't always easy. I never wanted to leave my mother, but I couldn't be under foot all the time. And nowadays, I get to see her every night, what with the big upturn of housepets lost out on the roads."

A fond look crossed the ginger and white she-cat's features, causing Leon to wonder who her mother was. He also paused to consider what the Stray before him had said.

'Hmm... at least you can see you're mother,' Leon thought to himself as he continued to be deep in thought. After a while, he had looked back up towards the bleak sky above.

"Thanks for all your help." Leon said, smiling slightly. "But after this I'm going to go back... if that's okay with you."

"That's quite alright," Mossbelly purred, an understanding look in her eyes. "You can leave whenever you want, if you choose not to wait for Stormcloud."

The she-cat turned her head toward the canopy of dripping leaves that sheltered them from the worst of the storm, a hint of worry crossing her face. She hoped in her head that her mother would be alright, and that she had managed to find shelter if she happened to be in the open. Mossbelly knew that Stormcloud was a wise and sensible cat, but like all close kin, she couldn't help but worry.

(I'm just curious. How far along in the story is this RP? )

Meeka was relieved when Blood departed and looked at the head he was clinging to.
"You big woof no hurt Meeka rat rat?" He asked.
"You say no have Meeka for Slinkie so you say no for big woof and wooofs not you?"

OOC: Far enough. ;p

But, seriously, it is still open for joining (since I assume you are asking about that). I will expect you to read the entire thing before joining.

The story is a fair portion through what I had been planning, but it is going to last longer than I originally thought! No, we haven't reached the halfway point yet, so no worries there!

IC:

Marshall couldn't look into the eyes of the rat, so he stared into space. "That's right, Meeka," Marshall said, gathering that was his name, "no woofs will eat you here. You are safe in Central Park." Marshall turned to Bandit, who had been watching Blood slip off. "Bandit, escort Meeka here to the camp, and take him to Mossbelly. I need to plan with Wheat here."

Bandit nodded, and at Marshall's request, Meeka went with him. Wheat moved closer to Marshall now. "Sir, I've told you almost everything I know about the situation."

Marshall nodded. "I know. I need you to get a message to as many of Slayer's strays as possible."

Marshall whispered something in Wheat's ear, and after a moment, Wheat nodded, and ran off into the storm.

Now that Marshall was alone again, a dark form slipped from the tree above him, and said so that only he could hear, "Administrator Marshall, things are going well on my side."

Marshall sat down next to the tree. He never dared to look at his 'comrade'. "That's good. We've had a lot of unexpected events here tonight..."

"I know. In general, things aren't going well for you, but I have arranged things to change soon. Now listen, here's what you must do..."

Dang it! Eikichi shouted as the downpour continued and made the uncomfortable rat even more uncomfortable. He had to get to Central Park as soon as possible and deliver his information to Marshall, although hed much rather wait the storm out and move when it was a lost safer, and drier. But his report was urgent and theyd need all the time they could get to plan whatever they would do against it. The Don was planning a take over of Central Park in just one of his many schemes to increase his territory and eventually gain control of the entire city. Eikichi wasnt positive of what the large cats exact plans to do this were, after all he kept his own agenda hidden from everyone else and kept only to himself, but some of the other reports also worried him. The large number of household pets moving out into the streets, of one such rumour that it was being purposefully controlled and exploited by humans and here was the scary part, from a contamination! Of what exactly, and how it worked only led to further rumours, such as a contamination of the water supply, of the air itself and this led Eikichi to panic even more. What could whatever the humans were planning to get household animals onto the street was to do with the storm? And what effect would it have on animals like him?

The biggest worry of all about these rumours was why? Why would the humans want to dump all household pets of any nature out of their homes and into the streets, and what implications would this have on the strays or more un-welcomed animals such as him? It was worrying such a large and dangerous threat coming at them, and yet his focus was on one much closer to home. From animals themselves! He didnt know about the situation with Zenobia and what was going on there, but he knew something bad was developing there. But the Don what was always a rumour that the cat and his gang would actually initiate turf warfare for Central Park and the rest of the city was indeed a reality. When and how was still an issue, but he knew it was coming. And he knew that the Don also knew, and was interested in the situation of the humans as well.

Gotta tell Marshall, gotta tell Marshall he continued to mutter to himself, as he quickened his pace towards Central Park, seeing the almost heavenly like entrance up ahead of him. Cmon Marshall, be in there man we aint got time to waste!

Amber looked around the group she'd joined and then shook herself to rid her coat of some excess water, she looked around, recognising where they were going and hoping she could be of some use in this journey...

Meeka sat up on his haunches and perred around in the rain, his nose twitched as he caught the scent of many animals, even though the scents were muffled by the rain. Meeka looked at the head of the dog he was riding.
"Meeka know woofs say they no eat Meeka but waht about cat cats and others like big slinky. You got more slinky here? Slinkies eat rat rats, know you yes yes no?" he gabbled, his ears rotating back and forth searching for predators...

(OOC: Back earlier than expected all^^)

IC:

Oreo had just drifted back into a shallow sleep when something else intruded into her contiousness, a quiet, steady rasping sound, just audible over the noise of the rain.

She raised her head and looked around warily. It sounded like something was brushing against the foliage nearby, and it was getting closer!

Suddenly the kitten froze as she saw a pair of yellow eyes staring at her from behind a bush. She wanted to move, to run, but she couldn't get her legs to work! Those eyes were so alien, so scary, that she was completely paralysed with fear!

Slowly, deliberately, Blood sdvanced into the clearing, his eyes fixed on the terrified kitten.

"Well...what have we here...?"

============================================================

Rhymane glanced round at the small group, smiling. "Storm's right, we should get moving," he said, "but we can talk on the way. Nice to meet you Amber." He nedded respectfully at the Cat, who returned the nod.

"So where are you from?" he asked as he turned and set off walking down the long prommenade between the dusty shop windows. "In fact, where are all of you from? We don't really know much about each other!" he continued, grinning.

~*Admin Camp~*

Mossbelly spotted Blood approaching Oreo, and instantly she began hissing, her fur bristling. She could smell the kitten's fear-scent, and bounded over to stand over Oreo.

"I regret to inform you...slithery thing, but you'll have to find a meal elsewheres." The she-cat's eyes narrowed into slits as she began to usher Oreo backward. "This is the Admin Camp, and if you so much as lay one scale on this kit, you'll have to speak to Marshall."

Mossbelly spoke confidantly, unawares of the damage Blood could inflict upon living creatures, and unknowing of the fact that facing up to Marshall would not do any good at all...

~*Abandoned Mall*~

Stormcloud shrugged her powerful shoulders, muscles rippling beneath her well-kempt grey and white-flecked coat. When no one else spoke immediately, the she-cat went first, thinking that it might be a good idea to tell a little about herself. About all of them, to be sure.

"I'm Stormcloud, as the lot of you know. I live on the city streets, visiting Central Park occasionally when the pickings aren't so good. The reason I'm on this little quest is because I have a daughter whom Fenix cured of an illness I knew little of." She spoke calmly and slowly, and when mentioning her daughter, there was a hint of fondness in her shining blue eyes.

Blood inclined his head slightly, staring at Mossbelly with apparent interest. He hadn't noticed the cat, lay slightly away from the young kitten, but if he was supprised by her sudden appearence he didn't show it in the slightest.

"Some spirit for one so small..." he muttered, as though to himself. Mossbelly's mouth twitched into a slight smile at this...small...coming from you?

It was the slightest movement, but the Snake noticed it. His leer returned. "Yes..." he drawled, slowly sliding the rest of his fifteen-feet-plus body out of the undergrowth, "...I do say small."

Mossbelly's eyes registered shock and unease, but her stance didn't flinch. Blood dipped his head, making his leer appear all the more evil. "You're brave." he muttered. "Impressive." A quiet chuckle escaped his lips. "Either that, or incredibly foolish."

He glanced past Mossbelly, at the kitten cowering behind her, staring at him wide-eyed. "Yours?" he asked conversationally. "I assume so, considering your reaction..."

"Doesn't matter if it is or isn't," said another voice which surprised Blood. Blood aparently had considered or saw the fact that there were actually three cats in the sheltered area, the kitten Oreo, her protector Mossbelly, and the tabby cat Leon. Leon stepped out of the darkness and into towards Blood's vision, his expression one perfectly calm with no fear. If anything, there was a slight hint of irritation towards Blood.

"In fact, Central Park is neutral ground. That means all animals are equal, and it certainly means no snake like you is allowed to eat anyone else no matter what you think, understand?" Leon said.

Meeka's easr twitched, his eyes widened. He gave a squeak of fright and leapt off the dog, running up a small tree he scrambled quickly up onto a small branch and looked down, below him was the dreaded giant Slinky Blood.
"Akkkk! Evil slinky thing here! Trap for Meeka it be! Slinky get Meeka, oh poor Meeka no no no!!!!"
In his panic the branch started to sway and finally snapped and he plummeted down.
By some luck, Blood didn't snap his head round, too busy concentrating on the cats and Meeka fell on the ground, slightly stunned then flew into action deciding he was safer with cat cats than slinkys.
Cowering between the cats he muttered and shook.
"Meeka doomded now, cat cats and slinkys, poor Meeka, poor poor Meeka, should have stayed in pet shop, poor poor Meeka Meeka, poor Meeka." He mumbled sadly, his body tense, he was aware of the predators eyes on him, how could he get out of this...

Blood chuckled again as he regarded Leon. "And the father I wonder..." he muttered, barely audibly.

"You park dwellers and your rules." he replied, speaking at normal volume again. "You've lost your wild roots. You've become weak...pathetic." He slowly began to raise his body off the floor, pushing his head higher and higher so he was looking down on the Cats in front of him.

"If I really wanted to kill you," he drawled slowly, his eyes fixed on Leon, "do you really believe you'd be able to stop me?"

At this point Meeka dropped in, inadvertantly relieving some of the tension of the moment by his comical entry. Blood glanced at the rat, raising an eyebrow. The Rat was with Marshall last...it would appear the Admin was somewhere nearby...

A bold, commanding voice echoed from the tree above them, and as they looked up for the speaker, the voice seemed to move suddenly all around. "There will be no killing tonight, snake. Not here, and not on my watch. I hope you had no intention of eating here.

Leon thought in his mind, "Who? Who is that?"

"You only think you're powerful, Blood... or should I say, Silas?"

Blood hissed at that.

Slayer had just finished using the device on Fenix' cage, when the batteries finally ran out. Tossing the device to the side, he ripped the rest of the door off, and Fenix jumped out next to him. "Thank you, Slayer."

Slayer looked around the room, and spotted a ventilation grate high on the wall. "You're welcome. Follow me."

Slayer jumped on top of cages, going higher and higher, until he reached the grate. As Fenix made her way up, Slayer slammed his face into the grate! He got a hold with his teeth, and pulled! It only took a moment for him to rip the grate off, and he tossed it aside. Fenix gasped as she saw his face bleeding from the grating. "Slayer, I-"

He turned to her. "Go. There's not much time. You should be able to get around this place. I'll get to work on freeing the rest."

Fenix hesitated. She didn't have her herbs, or any materials for bandages, so there wasn't anything she could do for him now. Then, she nodded, said a quick, "Thank you," and jumped into the ventilation system.

Just as Fenix vanished from sight, the door opened! Slayer turned, expecting to see a human, but instead, he met the eyes of the biggest spider he had ever seen! She hissed at him, yet had a pleased smile between her fangs. The tarantula spoke, a scary sound to the Dalmatian. "So...you thought you could get away."

Slayer bared his fangs and growled. He noticed all of the animals in the room had gone totally quiet, most of them hiding beneath blankets or other things. "Yes, and I will! Who are you, and what do you care?"

The tarantula inched forward. "My name is Attila, and you haven't yet learned your place here. The humans rule this world! Stupid animals like you just haven't realized it yet! You should change your mind about who you ally yourselves with."

Slayer was surprised by her words. "You mean...you're a pet?"

Attila laughed. "No. Ironic though it may be to you, I am partner to the smartest human here!"

"Partner? You are crazy!"

"Let's get to the point: will you cooperate and return to a cage?"

"No."

Attila's smile grew menacing. "I was hoping you would say that. You look like a decent specimen, much more worthy than these other strays. You should prove to be a decent opponent, for a change."

"Brave words," hissed Blood through gritted teeth, "but completely meaningless when spoken by one too cowardly to show himself." His eyes came to rest on Mossbelly and Leon again, and he spat: "As I said, you're all weak...contemptable."

Suddenly his attitude changed and he began to grin. "Besides," he started conversationally, "why is it that whenever I come into an area everyone always assumes I'm here for a meal?" His gaze flicked to Oreo and he mimmicked blowing her a kiss. "I just saw a poor little youngster all alone in a cold dark world, and wanted to help." Oreo scrambled backwards in terror at the attention, and dived behind a tree. Blood's leer increased as he watched the reaction.

============================================================

Rhymane nodded slowly. "Yeah, Fenix was quite something..." he muttered quietly.

"What about you Rhy?" asked Storm. "What's it like living in the forest?"

"Oh I...I don't really live there anymore. I spend most of my time here in the city."

"Yeah, but you used to live there. What's it like?"

Rhymane seemed troubled all of a sudden. "I...I can't say."

The others turned to look at him, puzzled. "You okay?" asked Amber quietly.

Rhymane looked for a moment like he was about to start crying, but he took a deep breath and regained control of himself. "I'm sorry." he muttered. "Just...bringing back some bad memories. Truth is, I don't want to go back. I...I don't know what sort of reception I'll get." He paused for a moment, his mind elsewhere. "But I have too...for her." he murmured. "I have to help her in any way I can..."

~*Admin Camp*~

Mossbelly glared daggers at Blood, recovering from her shock, not only caused by his immense size, but the strange voice. Who is that? I've never heard that voice....

"First of all, Blood, I am merely an...Admin, so to speak. Oreo is not my Kit, nor is Leon her father. Oreo is a lost housecat, whom I will take home when the time comes. Second, ever heard the words 'two heads are better than one'?" She slunk over to the kit's side, giving her a comforting lick.

Before Blood had a chance to answer, she continued, "Well, here at the Admin Camp, we take care of those lost and injured. We work together. This is a place where predators and prey exist in neutrality; in peace. Whether you like that system or not, it's up to you. But that is how we do things. And if you think my reaction is foolish, go ahead. I am merely protecting a helpless young kitten."

"Maybe it is you, Blood, who is the foolish one...as our friend so politely implies." And with an impish look in her eyes, Mossbelly sat down beside Oreo, washing her paws.

Amber looked in asurprise at the fox, "What could have happened there I wonder...hmmm, recently there have been so many mysteries, a world of shadows and deception." Amber was silent for a moment thinking of her own past. She gambled in her mind wether or not to go next, but decided to wait a little longer.
TBC

"Pitiful." muttered Blood in response. "Protect the weak so they can contaminate society and weaken the future generation. Don't come running to me when your world collapses through frailty!"

"Working together makes us stronger!" retorted Leon. "We're able to do so much more!"

"If the powers that be intended us to co-operate they would have given us two heads!" hissed Blood. "Can two predetors hunt on the same turf? No, there wouldn't be enough food for either. Can two males court the same female? No, neither would be able to continue his line." He looked around at the figures in turn, leering. "You're all confused, and I pity you. The world is a dangerous place, where only the strongest survive. That's how it works, the weak die off, the strong are the survivors, and with no weak ones around, society becomes so much stronger. By protecting the weak you plan for your own destruction."

There was a pause, then the snake continued, quieter than before. "That is my purpose. I am a predator. My role in life is to eliminate the weak so the strong have no competition. It is why I am here, and it's not about to change because some warm-bloods get it into their fur-lined heads to try and upset the natural order of nature."

With a last evil grin at Oreo, making her duck back behind the tree, Blood turned back to the bushes, as if to leave...

Meeka started edgin away, looking for a safe hiding spot, muttering under hsi breathe several unintelligable things, finally he reached the roots of a tree and dived in,, quaking in the holes.

Gem sighed to herself. She was just a house pet! What sort of history could she share? Would the others even care?

But...there was the recent revelation that she was the daughter of one of the first Admins! Yet, what did she know of that? She had never known her mother...so what difference did it make?

With the momentary pause in conversation, she said simply, "I was a house pet, owned by humans, but I was abandoned today. I've never been outside until now."

Gem stopped there, as she wasn't very old, so she didn't have many experiences she could share.

The voice seemed to be the sort that had to have the last word. "There is more than one way to live, Blood. If you want to live that life again, it isn't far to the Forest. That is a place that, to you, is unspoiled by humans. But in these cities, where you haven't spent much time, almost all animals benefit by working together." Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "No one here has any reason to trust something they do not know. A snake is not a common thing in the city, so most animals will react with fear. I will owe you an apology if you can prove to me by your actions that you mean no animal harm in this Park."

Once Blood had left, the voice seemed to be aimed at the three cats, though now it was softer. "So you're Mossbelly. I want to apologize for Blood. Marshall believes he means well now, but I do not share his confidence."

Mossbelly thought for a moment on the Admins, and realized, "This must be William!"

Eric the Red stared into the eyes of his prey. In the quiet corner, he had suceeded in ambushing a dog of fair size, and it was now lying on the floor. Latching many of his legs around the mouth of the dog, so it couldn't speak, Eric aimed his fangs and two of his legs at the dogs' eyes. In a harsh whisper, Eric said, "You will not scream for help. If you do, I will suck the juices out of your eyeballs. I promise to let you go, if you tell me everything you know about the Wolf...I know he has been here recently. If you know nothing, direct me to someone who does."

Once he had gotten his point across, Eric relaxed his grip a little, just enough to allow the dog to communicate with him.

Rhy looked across in suprise (secretly glad to be off the subject of his past). "Never?" he echoed.

Gem shook her head, but before she could reply a loud clattering sound echoed down the deserted arcade.

Everyone stopped, suddenly tense. "What was that?" muttered Wraith quietly.

(OOC: This can be anything, or nothing, for that matter^^ Just a little thing to make it interesting. I have no ideas, so feel free to put in whatever anyone fancies for it )

(OOC: *sigh* Sorry, I posted earlier, but my internet was acting up and I lost my post.)

~*Admin Camp*~

Mossbelly smirked in amusement, mentally laughing at what she had pictured to be a big and powerful creature. It was just as well that she did not laugh out loud, for she was thankful for William's interference in the situation, and she didn't want to offend him. Gathering Oreo to her side, the Stray nudged the young kit over to the other side of the clearing.

"Blood's opinion does not matter much to me," She shouted up into the treetops. "I cannot change it." And, noticing how displeased the black-and-white kitten seemed to be in full range of the pounding rain, hurried up to the shelter of another tree.

~*Abandoned Mall*~

Stormcloud paused to part her mouth and take in the scents, before leaning in to Rhy. "It's one of your kind. I'd recognize that forest-y scent anywhere."

Enraged muttering came from behind a virtual jet-ski game, and as the gang came closer, Storm spotted a the white-tipped, bushy red tail of a fox poking out from behind the dismantled jet ski. A young vixen was hunched over one paw, licking it. Strangely enough, dark red bangs fell over one eye. She was quite a pretty thing, if not for the frown that creased her forehead.

So focused was this vixen on her sore paw, she did not notice Storm and company until Rhy spoke up...

"You okay?"

The Vixen looked up suddenly, then her eyes widened as she saw Rhy. Her reaction was strainge though. With a wimper she jumped up, despite her sore paw, and began to hobble away as quickly as she could!

Rhymane sighed and closed his eyes. "Just as I thought..." he muttered to himself.

Amber was watching the retreating vixen with her eyebrows raised, and she turned to face Rhy curiously. "You have that affect on everyone?"

Rhy wasn't smiling though. "Can I get a little slack here?" he muttered, a little irritated. Something was troubling him badly, that was certain.

Suddenly another noise echoed down the large hall, a thundering, clattering roar, slowly fading louder and louder, then quieter and quieter again. The train tracks!

Rhymane's eyes grew wide. "If Ruby is on the tracks when a train comes, she may not be able to get out of the way with her paw!" he exclaimed. "Come on, quick!" He set off running down the large hall, in persuit of the vixen.

The others looked at each other, confused...

(OOC: I'll assume Wraith has named my mystery vixen...^^)

Stormcloud bounded after Rhymane, voicing one of the questions that spun through the others' heads. "Care to enlighten me as to who that was? A friend, perhaps?"

Meanwhile, Ailia continued to hobble away as fast as her paw could allow. She cursed her luck, for if it hadn't been for that falling piece of machinery, she wouldn't have made such a racket! Then, maybe, she'd not have been heard. Curse her luck!