THE EYES OF TOMORROW // injured Snowbounder/joining

[ATBASH CIPHER.]

ATBASH CIPHER

somebody make me alive,
and shatter me !

Her home was in shambles. Everything was a blur to Atbash and the she-cat limped towards The Ascendants's territory. It was no secret, at least Atbash thought so, that Snowbound didn't have many members, though she never would have believed that leaving her tribe in such a vulnerable state would be their demise. After everything they've been through... it was practically lost. The cabins were burnt down and Atbash was forced to escape. She had no idea where Nui had gone and instead went off on her own, deciding it was best to head for safety than die in a fire.

Ironic, considering how she wanted to burn in place of her parents back home. Whenever she first smelled smoke, the she-cat went into panic and was only sent into a worse panic as she realized somebody had set the entire camp on fire. Atbash had been forced to call Snowbound to run, not wanting any of her tribemates trapped and suffer the same fate as her parents. Her panic drove her forward and she didn't really look back towards Snowbound, going towards the only familiar place she knew: one of their allies.

By now, the adrenaline was starting to settle down and Atbash collapsed on to the ground, unable to walk anymore. Her entire body was numb from pain (which was the only way dream demons felt pain) and she found herself unable to walk anymore. Her legs were too sore and weary and she was out of breath herself. Atbash didn't call out however, though this was because she didn't really have any energy to. Somebody should be coming around, though... right?

bio | female | hailcaller [leader] of snowbound

© madi

[BABY —]

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YOU'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME

YEAH, YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T GO BACK, IT'S TOO LATE TO SAY IT'S TOO LATE. YOU CAN'T TAKE BACK THAT YOU SAID NOTHING. HOW COULD YOU DO NOTHING?

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Titan's home had been reduced to ash many months ago ( although it seemed like an e t e r n i t y at this point ). Nothing but a flurry of smoke, charred wood, and the lifeless vessels of his pride-members had been left over in the aftermath. Whether there were survivors or not was ( and always would be ) a mystery to him. Now that he was now the head of the Ascendants, he was determined not to leave it to the same fate as his homelands.

Thankfully, as if on cue, Titan had arrived swiftly upon catching a drift of an unfamiliar scent nearby. The lion broke into a jog, arriving by Atbash's side and looking her over with concern-flooded optics. "Are you alright? What happened?" Questioned the Astral Seraph clearly and directly. After a few moments, he asked, "You're the leader of Snowbound, correct?" Why was she at their border?

[agathe.]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; color;"]It seemed as if Agathe would be the next to arrive, a rare and entirely visible frown decorating her dark lips. "You're one of our allies," She'd comment softly, cursing herself for not suggesting to Titan that they take a visit to Snowbound to inform them of their sudden ascent to leadership. By the faint smell of ash and smoke that mingled with Atbash's own, something told her that such a trip would no longer be necessary. What had happened? And why was she here completely and utterly alone?

"My name is Agathe and this is Titan," The snow leopard continued, the low murmur of her voice not once wavering, "You look... not well. Can we provide anything to you?" It was that inquiry that caused her to internally shake her head, a small part of her loathing the fact that she was not required to offer assistance to those in need of help. If this had been her old clan, they most certainly would have left Atbash there to suffer, or die... Or worse. But things were different now and as much as it pained Agathe, she would help this individual. Even if she really didn't know how.

[ATBASH CIPHER.]

ATBASH CIPHER

somebody make me alive,
and shatter me !

There was somebody approaching. Atbash tried to raise her head as much as she possibly could as she heard footsteps coming near her and once the stranger started speaking to her, she blinked at him. Her vision faltered for a moment and she shook her head, blinking as she tried to focus on Titan with her one eye. Another Ascendants member soon approached and Atbash looked over at her as she spoke. "You're one of our allies," The other female stated, causing Atbash to frown at the comment.

"I... was Snowbound's leader." Atbash finally spoke as she found the strength to be able to. Despite wanting to stand up and speak to the two Ascendants members normally, the savannah knew that if she tried getting up, she would only fall back down again. "O-our camp was destroyed. We all had to flee." She explained, her throat tightening up as she spoke. It hurt. The tribe she had joined and lead was close to her and she was forced to abandon them. Should she have even done that in the first place? Should she have waited and tried to combat the flames? No. If her Home Dimension was any indication, once a fire got a hold of something, it was hard to get rid of. "I-I don't know what happened. One minute things were fine and-and the next... everything was in flames." These words were choked out now and Atbash was faintly aware of the tears that were forming and slowly traveling down her face. "It's all gone."

bio | female | rank of clan

© madi

[agathe.]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; color;"]Agathe listened to Atbash speak, unsure of what to say. While she loathed the idea of extending the other female comfort, in this situation - after she had lost everything - it felt like the right thing to do. "I'm..." She paused, considering her words carefully, "So sorry." It wasn't a lot but it was something. She couldn't begin to imagine what she was feeling though, what it was like to watch your home burn to the ground. If the Observatory was ever engulfed in flames... if the Ironbeak camp was ever engulfed in flames... Her stomach twisted. "You are free to stay here for as long as you want. As is anyone from Snowbound seeking refuge."

She glanced at Titan, hoping that he felt the same. While Snowbound, presumably, was no more, they were allies until the bitter end. "We are the leaders here. I.. Uh..." She paused, shifting almost uncomfortably, "Let me help you back to the Observatory." Another idea she absolutely hated the sound of. This sort of generosity was one she was not familiar with. But with Atbash looking as if she couldn't move another inch, this was their only option if she wanted anything that resembled treatment. Crouching down, she shifted the fabric of her cloak so that there was room for the former leader upon her back, face remaining stony.

[ATBASH CIPHER.]

ATBASH CIPHER

somebody make me alive,
and shatter me !

Sorry won't bring my tribe back. Atbash thought bitterly to herself, though her thoughts weren't exactly meant to be a rude snap at Agathe and her sympathy, but rather more scolding herself. Should she have fought harder and tried to protect her tribemates, or move themselves around again? But the fire destroyed everything. Just like her home...

Leaders? Atbash blinked at the two Ascendant members in front of her in shock. There were two leaders here? That was strange, but definitely something that never happened before. It was interesting, even, but Atbash didn't really focus on that for too long. "Th-thank you," The savannah she-cat breathed out her words, slowly getting to her paws. She could barely feel her legs, but she knew they were shaking beneath her and tried to move towards Agathe as much as she could before collapsing again.

bio | female | rank of clan

© madi