[TGB] Shadow-Tribe Meeting Part 2

{ Blue/Green-Shadow | Drake }

The tom listened quietly as few of the cats spoke while most other watched and chimed in every once in a while., Grantaire, or Starbuck, was one of the few cats that were pitching ideas out. Tucking his white paws quietly underneath his chest, the apprentice listened to the conversation from a little further away. His blue, electric eyes glanced up to Cenek every once in a while to watch his reaction. ‘Join them as followers? What was the Green-Shadow thinking?” He thought to himself, staring at his hairless Tribe-Mate. Eventually, Tsulasada got up and spoke, which hurt Drake’s heart a little bit, he knew how much she was hurting, and how badly she wanted her father to come home alive. ”I have an idea.” He mewed confidently as soon as Requiem stopped speaking. ”But you really have to try to have an open mind on this one.” Pausing, he took in a sharp breath of air before mewing,”Fire-Tribe has cats that can use smoke to their advantage, and we have cats that can easily use Shadows to sneak anywhere, or have some that are just really, really good at sneaking around.” His blue eyes sparked towards Grantaire, whom stated how easily Drake could’ve been a Primary Shadow-Triber. ”We could use Fire-Tribe’s help to create a distraction, so that we can get in and save the hostages. However…” Lifting his head up towards the Silver-Shadow, he added,”It would be too obvious to become their followers, we have to play with their heads, make them frustrated by our incredibly genius plans. Fighting them or joining them right away would only make matters worse and it wouldn’t get us anywhere, but if we take back our fellow comrades and Tribe-Mates...then maybe, it would send a clear message that we’ll play by our own rules, and not theirs. We have to show them we can be twice as tricky as they can be, give them a taste of what’s to come to them.”

{ Juliet | Orange-Shadow }

For a long time, she simply listened.  When Kyer’s attention flicked to hers in a brief moment, she relaxed ever so slightly, brushing the tip of her tail against his flank in silent gratitude.  At least one cat wasn’t staring at her as if she were some sort of...mistake.  Although it was hard to count Kyer in the masses, considering he couldn’t see her injuries at all- and at least no one was yet.  She couldn’t tell if that was because they had yet to notice her, or because they simply didn’t mind.  Juliet’s heart pounded slightly as the conversation progressed, her claws digging into the earth.  We can’t hurt Sojir.  That’s the point of all this- making sure we can get her and the others out with as little pain as possible.  She suppressed a shudder to even imagine clawing the Yellow-Shadow.  Not after Sojir had saved her life so many months ago.

Taking a deep breath and stealing her courage, Juliet lifted her head and straightened.  She was tall, very tall, even when sitting down- her head was easy to make out just above Kyer’s.  It also meant her scars were easy to see, but she could not let that bother her now.  The Orange-Shadow’s voice was steady when she finally spoke.

“I believe the Blue-Green-Shadow is right,” Juliet admitted.  Much as she disliked Fire Tribe, if getting Sojir out and chasing the Followers back to whatever low lands they had come from meant teaming up with them, she would.  “Infiltrating their ranks will put us all in danger that we can’t afford to risk, if we truly do plan on somehow getting past them.”  Juliet shifted her weight and let her gray-green eyes shift from Cenek’s stoic expression to Malikai’s, and then back towards the black tom who had spoken- she was certain his name was something like Drake.  She could not help but feel a pang of bitter disappointment that she did not see her brother.  “If the whole point of this conversation is to figure out a way to rescue the Yellow-Shadow, why in Nandryx would we join the Followers and let them order us around?  They would be bound to suspicions if three Shadow Tribers joined in quick succession.  The three would have to be adults as well, to ensure that they have a higher chance of getting out if things go badly; and they probably would.  I don’t believe the Followers aren’t already wary of spies.  Though it’s not the most ideal plan...teaming up with other Tribes may just be the best answer.  Going about this alone will make it five times harder than asking the opinions of other Tribe cats.  I’m sure they’re just as thrilled about their authorities being taken as we are.”

The dark tabby twitched her tail nervously, unused to saying so much- and certainly not in front of so large a crowd- but she needed to get this out.  She had a responsibility to give her say, if not just for Sojir but for herself and her Tribe.  “Primary Shadow Tribers have the ability to travel by shadows,” she pointed out.  “We would be able to slip into their camp and survey daily ongoings if we did decide that infiltration was most necessary.  And if any of us are to go...I would like to volunteer myself.”

[ Green-Shadow | Kyer ]

So much - so many ideas. The mineral collector’s odd way of si- was he singing? Kyer almost wanted to laugh. We’re not birds! Requiem’s idea though - It was interesting. Good. Those without families… But why not those with? Did they have too much to loose or something? They did. He knew that - hadn’t he already lost so much? Loss had driven him to loyalty, to the tribe if not the spirit that presided over them.  Flicking his tail against Blaire as reassurance that his sister was still seated beside him, the tom began to nod along to the sphynx’s words. The other’s weren’t bad idea’s either though, but the stuttering of the younger voice filled Kyer with the desire to protect. Poisoned items. Not bad, even if it means relying on Light-Tribers. A new speaker - one he didn’t know, either, but Juliet’s voice confirmed that he was young. “Attacking them without truly knowing much about them could be more harm than help”  He pitched in, once the she-cat had finished speaking. “Sneaking in could work - but like Juliet said, it could seem suspicious… Especailly if there was more than one of us.” Where had this confidence been before, when he was the first to speak up? “I agree with the Blue-Green Shadow and the Green-Shadow in that working with the other tribes would probably be best, but I don’t know if they’d think the same. Would Fire-Tribe be willing to work with us on something?” He had no qualms with them - Arcis had been a Fire-Triber before she’d departed, and since kithood she’d been the littermate he was closest to. “Using the shadows to hide us and observe them - learn what we can about them, would be good I think.”  He mewed, dipping his head at the adult beside him. “I’d volunteer myself as well, for that task - if you’d be willing to have a blind cat on the force, I mean.” His last words were low, quiet, as he was uncertain that they’d be accepted. Probably won’t be. What cat in their right mind wants someone blind spying for them. “But in my opinion working with the other tribes is probably best. If they prove to be holding Sojir there, maybe we can even somehow sneak her - and whatever others they’re holding - out? I’m sure the tribes all want their yellows back.” Settling his haunches back down, the tom faced forward with closed eyes, ears ready to hear the next cat speak.

[Green-Shadow||Malikai]

The Green-Shadow dipped his head to his leader’s wise words, appreciating his sense. But it was all in vain, as the wrinkled fiend beside him opened his jaws to continue his spiel on infantry. He had to admit, as begrudgingly as he did so, that the feline had a genius idea. Still….Malikai thought it rather cliché to send cats to spy.

It was the broken tabby tom who decided to speak next, much to Malikai’s amusement. He seemed to hold some level of spite for the wrinkled fellow, which only interested the songbird more. The more drama, the more interesting. But in any case, it seemed that the members of Shadow were still set on spying. It was exhausting, really, and the Green-Shadow was half tempted to stroll down from the stage and take a nap.

Oh? What’s this? The mobilization of a mere apprentice caught his attention. Surely they wouldn’t allow such a young thing the right to speak? Malikai was surprised to hear her agree to trying this sneak-around plan of Wrinkle boy’s. He expected her to plead nonviolence.

As more felines rose to speak, the tom could only watch as more and more of his tribemates agreed to this foolish ploy. Letting out an exasperated sigh, the tom rose to his paws, speaking in a voice that, for once, wasn’t singsong.

                “If you all must rush blindly into danger, It would be best to do it strategically. While you shadow tamers can surely disguise yourselves decently, how do you propose to relay the information you gather?” He paused for a moment, somewhat confused at the plan in general.  “Granted that you do, in fact, wish to gather information on them before you blitz your way into their camp,” He added for clarification—mostly for his own sake. “Secondary users, like myself, are able to control animals through the name. Perhaps we could use mere prey, birds for example, to deliver messages back and forth? Messenger birds? This way there will be no risk of you all being caught associating with a former tribemate, which would obviously give rise to suspicion.”

[Green-Shadow | Nyirr]

He had listened with apt attention taking in everything. They all seemed to be leaning towards the same thing though and he didn't get why. Why did they need to use force and pain in order to get the desired result, violence always ended in more violence by the name of revenge and then revenge is made upon the lash back. A never ending cycle. A brutal, terrible cycle. One he hoped to end, especially as the voice and face of someone he'd once thought long lost rose above the muttering crowd. Cleome... for a few moments he stared in shock, though outwardly he was calm and cool. Like nothing bothered him at all. Finally, after a Green-Shadow who liked to speak in riddles finished his second suggestion, he hefted himself up, blue-gray eyes lingering on the familiar pelt of his twin before making his way silently to the front. He didn't mind the continuation of the muttering, nor the eyes that slowly picked up on his slow and purposeful movement and followed him. He was stone. A moving piece of granite.

Finally he cleared the last of the cats in front, dipping his head slowly at the Silver-Shadow before turning to face his newfound tribemates. Most didn't know him, but that was probably about to change, at least for the next few moments. Then he would melt into the background, hoping at least his words would stick with them, if nothing else. "I do hope my presence up here will not cause a rile, I understand I'm still fresh within your ranks, but I think we are looking at this the wrong way. We are frightened-if not, at the very least, wary- of these new cats who have come into our home, disrupting our lives before our very eyes. But," his voice ceased and he cast his gaze about a gentle smile in place, looking straight at the ivy eyes of his beloved sister who had volunteered herself for a dangerous mission that he felt would only be detrimental to the Tribe as a whole, "Violence is not our only answer, nor should it be the one we focus solely upon. These cats must be as wary as we now are, we outnumber them vastly and I have reason to believe they don't want to harm us as we fear they do."

He took a breath and rolled the dirt beneath his paw, the only indication he was nervous at all. So many eyes, would he get through to any of them? "I met with one of the Golden Butterflies, and she could not have been more upset at the way things were turning out. She felt remorse at the way things had went at the Gathering, and wished they had done things differently but she doesn't feel as though releasing our Silvers and Yellows would prove beneficial to her family. That they would only be met with renewed anger and the bite of claws and teeth upon their bodies even though all they search for is equality and peace." another pause "I implore you, do not use this opportunity to harm them without first trying to find out more, maybe, just maybe, if we show that we show interest in knowing them as peaceful neighbors, then they will listen. Words are what are needed here, not the harming of more cats." with that he dipped his head again and made his way back to his spot.

{ Juliet | Orange-Shadow }

Her eyes snapped to the songbird’s face as he began to chirp again, narrowing ever so slightly as she listened to what he said.  It’s not like we’d stay shadows.  Yet before she could point out that if they used shadows to get in, they could certainly use them to get out, a new Green-Shadow was coming forward- one who was strikingly familiar.  The very sight of him sent a pang of shock that struck her chest as hard as any blow might; for a moment, the Orange-Shadow’s claws dug into the earth to keep her from swaying.  Sol.  His gaze briefly flicked to hers; she knew he had seen her there.  Had heard her.  Solidago.  Her brother- her twin- wasn’t dead.

She didn’t want to speak against her brother.  It hurt to even imagine- yet she could not agree with what he was saying.  Slowly, Juliet shook her head, her eyes taut.  I cannot believe these cats feel any remorse for what they have done.  If they truly did, they would speak with us- and give us our cats back.  The dark tabby sat in stunned silence for a moment before standing once more, facing her brother.

“That is precisely what I think the Blue-Green-Shadow- and certainly what I- was suggesting,” she mewed simply, though there was tension in her shoulders.  “I don’t think it’s a good idea- nor a smart one- to blindly rush in and attack.  However, I can’t believe that these cats are as pure at heart as they might have claimed to you.  Maybe one or two feel bad about what they did, but someone had to orchestrate that plan.  And they didn’t feel bad enough to speak out and stop it.”  Juliet glanced around swiftly, fighting back the nervousness in her chest.  She wondered how many agreed with her.  “If we do use the shadows to get into their camp, or at least to watch what they do, we can easily use the same shadows to come back home.  It is not a one-way travel method...and it doesn’t involve violence, if we aren’t caught.  If fighting is a bad idea and doing nothing is even worse, at the very least this is our best option.  And it may be smart to reach out to the other Tribes.  If Fire does not want to cooperate with us, so be it; there are four others who will certainly be willing to lend a paw.”

Juliet’s eyes burned into Solidago’s as she sat down, slight fear in their depths as she held her gaze.  Please don’t fall for what they’re saying.  You can’t believe them.  Of course they would seem perfectly contrite to any singular and peaceful cat- they wanted followers, didn’t they?  They must have known that barging into the Tribes the way they did, with immediate violence, would definitely start hostility.  If they really wanted to live alongside us peacefully, then they would have introduced themselves in the same manner, instead of threatening the lives of kits.

[ Green-Shadow | Grantaire ]

The former Free cat continued to groom himself, using his teeth to carefully prise the old shed from his claws and paying special attention to his "thumbs". He blatantly ignored the voice of the marred face tom — a sound he decided was grating enough to dismiss out of hand. The wheedling creature was clearly unhinged, anyway. That kitten, though. This is no place for kittens. Not that there was any such thing as a place for kittens. Still, the tiny.. thing wasn't entirely wrong in its statements. To retrieve the hostages without confrontation would be the ideal scenario. It also happened to be the most impossible one, in his mind.

So when another apprentice — his apprentice — stepped up with an idea, the tabby puffed up with visible pride and, for the first time since the meeting began, a speaker had his full attention. There was no fault to be found in Drake's words. Of course there wasn't — how could an apprentice of his be anything less than a superior specimen? Grantaire made sure to meet the handsome young tom's eyes with a slow blink of acknowledgement, his whiskers puffed forward with approval.

He didn't quite understand the trepidations cats seemed to have about working with the other tribes, but otherwise the discussion seemed to pick up from there. More agreement from a molly and the nervous tom — less nervous now, it seemed — who'd spoken earlier. He ignored Nyirr out of hand, of course, except to remember that he knew the idiot's Name. His words were wind. That fellow who'd spoken so strangely earlier, though... now he had offered a gem of an idea.

"The molly's right," he gave the marred female a respectful glance. "One or two among them may not like the situation. It's unfortunate for them but clearly they're a minority. We still have cats to retrieve. As even the kitten agrees," pale hazel eyes sought out the little chocolate tabby who’d spoken so fretfully earlier, to lock on her tiny form as he spoke, "and, yes, it would be best to do that with as little conflict as possible if we want to be successful." An ear turned back and he let his eyes wander to nowhere in particular. What a farce it would be if they just got them all killed instead. "Drake has offered a clever idea of how we could utilise these abilities that the Tribe cats have been granted. As has the feather-head. Using prey creatures would be limited, but it offers significantly less danger than other options, and would likely be just as — if not more — successful."

His mood is predictably erratic, though, and seconds after awarding praise to his Tribemates, his tail began lashing violently with sudden irritation. "And as far as working with the other Tribes: it is a necessity. Doing otherwise is not an option. You may have your rifts, but this idea that the Tribes are separate is ridiculous. You are the Tribes. Together whether you like it or not. We can't afford to do this with only one paw. They must see as clearly that this needs to be a group effort. We need to treat it as such, or we're already lost." The words are nearly spat from his mouth, bitter as a dandelion stalk. The nonsense had fully reminded him of his distaste for the Tribes in the first place.

{ Blue-Green/Shadow | Drake }

The tom quietly listened as the scarred cat spoke once again, agreeing with his idea. He was particularly interested in what his fellow Mineral Collector had to say. Using animals to communicate? It didn’t get better than that. Letting out a smile, he mewed,”I find that excellent, using animals to give messages? It’s genius, they’ll not expect that.” He purred. Showing a bit of his toothy grin, he then retracted it a little bit as a new Green-Shadow approached the group. He spoke how he had met a Golden Butterfly and how upset she was that they had taken hostages, and how the Green-Shadow said that they should use words instead of violence. The scarred cat spoke quickly, and Drake quietly agreed with her before adding, ”First off, Green-Shadow. I hope you know that she could’ve deceived you into feeling pitiful towards her, have you forgotten that not all cats are as honest as you think they are?” Baring his fangs a little bit, he continued, ”Second of all, my idea was to get the leaders and deputies back, not to attack them and injure them. We have to show them that we’re not stupid nor reckless, we can’t fall for any tricks they might throw at us. We have to be vigilant and careful with what we do, we will not fall to the same level as them. And they could’ve had a chance to speak at the gathering peacefully, but they abused it.” Returning to his silent state, his mentor, Grantaire, spoke up next. He couldn’t help the fact that his ears warmed up by his mentor’s support in his idea. The apprentice’s once electric eyes faded back into a calm state as he looked at Grantaire, pride flickering in his eyes. He let out a soft purr towards the tabby before mewing,”Plus, I know at least a few Fire-Tribers who would gladly help us if we asked them. I’m sure Tsulasada can help us convince the Silver-Fire, if necessary, after all, her father is the Yellow-Fire and one of the Silver-Fire’s most trusted Tribe-Mates, no? We could definitely use that to help us convince them to work with us.” The dark and white mixed tom looked at the tabby Pink-Shadow, he remembered how upset she was in the caves, certainly she could use her passion towards her father to convince the Fire-Tribers to work with them?

[ Green-Shadow | Kyer ]

Messenger birds? How strange. The idea could work though - the tom nodded his agreement. Communicating with the other animals would be interesting, but if they could somehow figure out what they knew, or were able to somehow place a message on them.. Perhaps through feathers? The image of a hawk carrying a bright red cardinal feather made the guards whiskers’s twitch,  almost too preoccupied with the thought to pay attention to the events - until he noticed his friend. What was wrong with Juliet? She was tense - A new cat was speaking and he could feel her shifting beside him, his tail flicking against her in concern. Perhaps what this newcomer was saying was upsetting her? It certainly seemed the case as she rose to her paws. Flicking his ear in agreement with her words as well, the tom’s head tilted, puzzled momentarily. I wonder what could have convinced this tom that these cats were good? Maybe he’s like how I was… before. He’s knew here. Shadow-Tribe won’t mean as much to him as it does to some of us.

Another cat spoke- one who’s voice had reached his ears before, and then, again, the young tom. Drake! There, finally, a name for the cat. Shaking his head slightly at the Blue-Green-Shadow’s words, Kyer felt the need to speak up again, rising to his paws with a sort of grim stubbornness.”Get them back?” He mewed, head swimming in the direction of the younger cat though his eyes remained firmly closed. “That may not be our best idea. Didn’t they - please forgive me if I get this wrong - but didn’t they take the new apprentices and ask for a trade?” He’d not been at the gathering, only heard the whispers. “If we get Sojir, and the Yellow-Fire, and whoever else went, back, who’s to say that these cats don’t attempt to take the kits again, or begin taking it out on them? Sojir is stronger than them, she might not be having the time of her life, but she can handle herself more than any of the other cats they threatened can. We need to chase these cats out if we want to get our deputy back and ensure that no other cat is hurt.” Why hadn’t he thought of that before? The realization had only dawned on him while the adolescent was speaking, he supposed. Twitching his whiskers, the tom tried to rectify what he’d said before. “If we snuck her - and the others- out and simultaneously managed to, I dunno, crack their base or chase them away, ensure that they won’t come back, then we’d be onto something. But until they’re gone, or we can come to an agreement with them about something, we should remember that Sojir volunteered herself. Maybe not under the best of circumstance but…” Where had the pink who’d spoken up earlier been sitting - oh, there was her scent! Nodding his head in her direction slightly, Kyer continued. “Unless we want the younger cats to have to go through whatever’s happening to Sojir, I don’t really know that sneaking her out - or stealing her back - would be a good idea.”

[Green-Shadow || Malikai]

This newcomer, clearly of american curl decent just like himself, rose to the stage. He was new to the tribe, and he looked very much like the female who had spoken previously. At first, the female seemed to want to challenge Malik’s last input, but clearly the sight of her kin distracted her. The Green-Shadow was thankful for this, as the least opposition to him, the better. Malikai rather enjoyed getting his way.

Their newest addition’s input was not a popular one, most of the council ignored him. Malikai, however, was half irritated at the tom’s naive remark. Simply scoffing at what he had to say, the tom turned his attention to the female. Once she finished, Malik found that, for once, he didn’t have anything to say. He acknowledged her words with a shrug, then proceeded to listen to what the next speakers had to say.  

The songbird stood proudly, soaking in his tribemates’ praise with a smile—one that just screamed superiority—spread across his maw. Seeing that they all seemed pleased with his idea, the tom fell back to his haunches, returning to his 'at ease’ position until he felt the need to make a comment once more.

[ Requiem | Green-Shadow ]

Listening intently to all the ideas put forth, Requiem still frowned as he noticed a few unrealistic qualities in some of these suggestions. ‘Theres no way we are going to be able to do anything without someone getting hurt. It’s unrealistic...’ He scowled, standing up again, but not moving towards the ‘stage’ as what little fur he had prickled high, his face contorting into a scowling mess of wrinkles as he flicked his tail. “It is an unrealistic expectation that no one will be hurt during this whole ordeal.” He rumbled, taking a step forward with confident paws as he turned his one green eye to look at the crowd of cats. “These ‘Butteflies’ clearly mean harm to us. They WANT to fight.” He hissed, prowling forward as his tail stood up in the air. “As much as we want to fight on our own terms. It is impossible. They have hostages. If we do nothing, our people get hurt. If we do something we also get hurt.” Requiem scowled, taking in a harsh breath. “There is no victory without sacrifice; something which I’m sure the Silver-Shadow knows from his time within the second war.” The Green-Shadow noted, flicking an ear in his leaders direction in acknowledgement before continuing. “If we are caught as spies? We get hurt. If we battle them directly? We get hurt.”  He hissed, walking around in a circle upon the rock that acted as a ‘stage’ for the meeting. “There is no easy solution, and if we cannot accept that our own will inevitably get hurt in a situation like this, then we are not fit to try and save the Yellow-Shadow. Let alone be at this meeting.” He growled, turning around to move off the stage and back to sit with the Silver-Shadow. “War is no place for dreamers.”

[ Green-Shadow | Grantaire ]

His tail continued to thump, ears turned back. How quickly this was turning tiresome, these idiots so intent on pursuing fruitless paths, derailing the entire meeting with their selfish dedications. “Of course cats are going to get hurt,” he hissed. Did they really need to go over this? “No matter what we do, cats are going to get more than hurt. Even in the strange, sheltered lives these Tribers live, I am sure that they have experienced enough to know that,” air pushed loudly through his nostrils and he turned his focus to centring himself as he continued. His fur smoothed, but it did little to quell the snake of his tail. “The point is that there is a smart way of going about things, and a stupid one. High risk is necessary at times. But an idiotic choice if the same results can be had with less blatant risk of casualty,” calmer now, the irritable tom accedes to one point — the half-faced maniac wasn’t entirely wrong this time: “...and yes, we do need to retrieve the hostages. The only thing these would-be usurpers have over the Tribes is having this cats in their claws. It causes fear within the Tribes, and makes them look stronger for having such powerful cats at their whim. It cannot be allowed — or else we all must give them up for lost, whether they are or not. Doing otherwise communicates quite clearly that we acknowledge their superiority.” He didn’t believe that it should be necessary to expand that point further, though he knew better to doubt the idiocy of some of the cats present. How have some of them survived so long, it’s a wonder. “Kittens, other vulnerable cats, are not in their possession. They can be kept relatively safe, and we will be on our guard. The hostages did what they must because they knew they would survive better. And now we should be doing what we must to make sure they do. Other hostages may be taken, of course, but that goes without saying. There’s no foolproof way against it. Any cat who doesn’t want to face that truth and continue in spite of it may as well join the Piss Ants now, or lie on their backs and plead for mercy. Either would be more helpful than derailing attempts to do something.”

{ Juliet | Orange-Shadow }

The dark tabby felt Kyer’s tail tap once, twice- gently so- against her flank, as if asking what was wrong.  She couldn’t find it in her to explain...not yet.  Of course Kyer wouldn’t see how painfully alike the two looked.  Besides, that was not what was most important right now.  The most crucial task at paw was what was being discussed, and Juliet still had opinions to give.  For several minutes she sat quietly, listening, taking in everyone’s thoughts. She nodded in silent agreement here and there, and at other times the fur around her eye crinkled as if displeased, before finally the conversation lapsed and she felt it a perfect time to once more add her opinions.

“I agree,” she mewed simply, nodding her head once to the furless Green-Shadow and then to the grouchy tabby.  Her tail tip flicked against Kyer’s flank as if asking for his understanding, before the Orange-Shadow took a deep breath and continued, gaze carefully serene as she looked around at her Tribemates.  “No matter what happens, eventually, conflicts will break out.  There is no way to exist peacefully alongside the Followers as long as they have our authorities.  We have no idea if they are hurting them-” here, she paused, eyes flicking swiftly towards her Silver and then towards the others- “-but I’m quite certain it isn’t all fun and games, wherever they are.  Are we just supposed to leave our Yellows and Silvers to rot away and let the Followers continue to rule our lives in fear of revolting?  There will be pain...and probably death.  But I don’t believe that sitting back on our tails and letting them control our lives is the right option either.  The apprentices and kits are with us- they are safe.  If we did manage to get the authorities free, what- or who- do the Followers even have to bribe us with?  What are they even bribing us for?  It seems a bit twisted to claim to be peaceful neighbors and yet hang blackmail over our heads.”

Juliet’s tail swished neatly over her paws and she paused for a moment, thinking- though it was scarcely more than a second or two before she began to speak once more.  “There are many more of us in the Tribes than there are of them- and I have trouble believing every cat who went with them is there because they believe in what the Followers are saying.  There does not even need to be war; if we can manage to get our Silvers and Yellows back, and in addition the cats staying with the Followers to try and make sure they are safe, what do they have against us?  It is most likely they would leave.”  The Orange-Shadow blinked slowly.  She had never spoken so much in front of so many cats in her life.  “The Spirits have gifted us with wonderful powers.  If we go about this the right way, it may not even be much of a struggle.  Already we have come up with ideas on our own- shadow travel, animal relays, smokescreens...what about the other Tribes?  There are hundreds of us to give input.  Surely we can come up with some sort of plan.  All it takes is a little faith and a lot of courage.”

She closed her jaws, considering whether or not she wanted to say more- and then deciding better of it.  She had given what thoughts she deemed most important.  The Orange-Shadow glanced around one last time and then ducked her muzzle slightly in an indication that she was done.

[ Requiem | Green-Shadow ]

Listening to the responses he got back in return, the sphynx mix let a small smile curl across his maw, before giving a nod to Grantaire. As he flicked his tail in happy amusement. “You speak brave and sharp words Green-Shadow, and for that I admire you… and you two Orange-Shadow even if your words are not as sharp as the Green-Shadow.” Requiem smiled giving them both a nod of acknowledgement before his ears flicked forward with a pause as he realized something. “But before I remove myself, What of the condition of the hostages? We have no idea if they are able to walk or not, let alone be in condition for an escape. Should we not be prepared to figure out how to get them out if they need heavy assistance? What if the Yellow-Shadow can’t walk, or is too injured or sick to move? I doubt these ‘butterflies’ are treating our deputy well.” Requiem questioned looking a bit saddened at the thought. It might have been very pessimistic but it was still realistic, it’d be much harder to get the Yellow-Shadow out if Sojir was injured. A thought which certainly plagued the Green-Shadow’s mind as he began to slink back off to the side towards the Silver-Shadow. He might have been a pessimist, but pessimism could still be realism, and it was an important factor if they did decide to attempt an attack to rescue the Yellow-Shadow.

[Pink-Shadow|Tsulasada]

    She had been sitting off alone again, listening distantly. For the most part...she hadn’t contributed at all. Well, of course not, she was just a pathetic, weak kitten still. They even called her a kitten - well, one of them did. But she was sure they were all thinking it. She jolted, though, when her name was actually mention - by Drake no less - but her momentary perking of ears was quick to disappear as one twitched back. Could she really convince a Silver of anything? She’d never even met Mister Cas, though she knew his name and everything...well. She’d try, if that’s what the Silver-Shadow wanted.

    There was something that came up after that, though, something the Green-Shadow Starbuck had said. It was a fleeting mention, really, and not actually part of what he’d said. But enough to spark an ember in the little apprentice’s mind. As she tried to focus on the idea, she half-listened to the others, until she felt she had at least something to share. Carefully, she padded back forward where they could all see her well.

    “Y-you keep mentioning kits,” she mewed, staring at her paws, “D-Drake once told me that he and...and his siblings hid here, in S-Shadow-Tribe...during the Cai... Caiman War... What..what if we, er, the T-Tribes, were to do that a-again...? This territ-tory is very far from the Outskirts, so the k-kittens and anyone..anyone else who might be..vulnerable would be safe..here...” She wasn’t sure how they would react to such a suggestion, especially the Silver-Shadow. But she had needed to share, because she thought it could work - and if she could help out at all, then she had to, right? Before removing herself again, she thought about what the hairless Green-Shadow had said.

    “A-also...um... if we can t-teleport in... w-would it be possible to...to carry another cat..while teleporting out...? I-it wouldn’t have to be far..um... just far enough...” She figured she ought to quit while she was ahead, if she was even ahead at all, and retreated quickly to her spot around the edges of the group. Why couldn’t she ever just say something and be done, instead of hesitating and stuttering all the time...?

[ Green-Shadow | Kyer ]

Frustration. Never ending frustration that he’d somehow, yet again, managed to find himself unable to get the words he wanted out of his mouth in a way that made clear sense what his intention was to others. ‘Not that it matters,’ he thought ‘They’re against it either way.’ Had it been worth the effort? He wasn’t sure, he could only feel shame burning his cheeks and his ears as constant disagreement reached him. “I by no sense of the words expect for us all to come our of this scratch free.” The dark tabby mewed when he finally found the chance to pop up to his paws again, his voice lapsing into a monotone manner, remnant of his moons of hardly speaking at all. “And I’m sorry that you seem to think I didn’t believe getting our Yellow-Shadow back was a priority; it is. I just thought that the best way to go about it - to minimize the casualties - was to get these cats out first. Especially, if as you said,” He dipped his head towards Requiem, “She’s injured to a point it is difficult to get her out. As I see no one seems to agree, however, so I won’t fight for it.”

Swiveling his head around, the blind cat’s ears twitched, listening to the sounds of breathing and trying to locate where each cat was sitting by sense of smell alone. The Pink-Shadow had some good ideas, and he nodded along at the memory of taking Blaire and her litter mates, as well as Maika’s kits, down into the tunnels and watching out for them as the others - Kami - went off to fight the monsters. “We could hide them in the caves again.” He agreed, dipping his head. “But for how long? We can’t keep them down there forever - they’ll have to come out to get their tattoos at least, and we have no idea how long it will take to rid ourselves of these threats.” Twitching his whiskers, the tom’s head cocked to the side again as he mulled over her last idea. “Trying to teleport another cat? I dunno.. It seems like it might be a thing that a Soulbond could do, but…” It was an interesting thought, to be certain. Maybe he ought to try it sometime! Turning his attention to the Silver, Kyer cocked his head in silent question. Is something like that possible?