WHAT ONCE WAS MINE // joining

[ATBASH CIPHER.]

ATBASH CIPHER

you laugh and smile at me, but you don't see a thing !

With the chaos that was the war that was between the Coalition, Tanglewood, and The Typhoon, Atbash was able to slip away and escape the place that held her captive. Of course, the she-cat still had a few infected wounds that weren't healed and they burned as she ran, but most of her energy was focused on getting away from everything. Tears streaked her face as she escaped, hearing the voice of her brother and eventually the gurgling sound that meant his end. Although she wanted to save him like he saved her a while back from Caesar's destruction, she couldn't face Stryker again. Not after everything, not after knowing Caesar was likely lurking around. So Atbash ran as much as she could, seeking refuge in the Loner Lands until she was close to Tanglewood.

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And now, the short-tailed savannah had made it. Atbash took in the somewhat-familiar scent, biting her lip slightly before she forced herself to call out, "Hello? My name is Atbash Cipher, I'm here to join." She paused, letting her voice ring out across the swamp, hoping that someone was close enough to hear her. "Um. Is Aurum here, by any chance?" They never met in-person, but Atbash recalled Vigenere telepathically telling her about him once or twice, so she was hoping he was here.

bio | female | loner, no group

© madi

[wormwood.]

[trojan g.]

[align=left]there's a chip on my shoulder *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

It wasn't often that people spoke her brother's name when they were at the border joining. There were times when he wasn't a well known individual outside of Tanglewood, when he had first joined and was nothing but a member working alongside the others. Nothing really had changed to be honest, he just held the title and power now, but he didn't use it for bad, which was good. Hearing the call from Atbash at the border, Moth began walking over, legs moving quicker when she heard Aurum call out her name, speaking of wounds.

When she arrived at the scene, the scent caused her to pause. She could tell without looking at Atbash that her wounds were infected, the smell alone gave it away. "Hello," She would speak, coming forward as she pulled something out of her bag, "My name's Moth, we miss your brother dearly here." She would let out a small sigh, looking down at what she held in her paws for a moment to make sure she had what she needed before holding it out in front of her, pads up towards the air with some poppy seeds on it. "I don't have what I need for infection on me at the moment, since I usually deal with fresh wounds, but I have some back at my house if you're able to walk that far? The poppy should help with any pain if you have it." She'd be sure to start carrying things for infection on her from now on, it seemed as though she was needing it more and more as of late.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*  and it's big as a boulder

[ATBASH CIPHER.]

ATBASH CIPHER

you laugh and smile at me, but you don't see a thing !

It wouldn't take long for Aurum to arrive and Atbash let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. He was still around, at the very least, so that would mean that she had some sort of connection here (even if she didn't really know Aurum personally). Vigenere had spoken fondly of the winged lion, as brief as it was, before things went downhill. "Y-yeah. Yeah, Vigenere told me about you." She responded, nodding stiffly at Aurum's question, her ears twitching at the noise of someone else coming.

It was Moth, of course, whom was presumably the medic, given how Aurum had called out for her and Moth's own words. "That would be great, thank you..." She sighed. Her wounds hurt for sure, especially whenever she moved - and hopefully that would be gone soon. "I can walk there." She should be able to, anyway, considering she made it this far without things getting too bad.

"I'm so sorry about Vigenere, I-I wish I could have done something but Stryker, he..." The words fumbled from Atbash's mouth, her good eye tearing up at the way her new clanmates seemed to have enjoyed her brother. Maybe there was something she could have done, maybe she could have convinced Stryker to take her instead... Vigenere had a clan to lead, whereas hers had crumbled before her. Vigenere clearly still had clanmates to take care of, while Atbash didn't; Snowbound was practically barren by the time Stryker and Caesar had destroyed it. "I don't know what I could have done, but I wish I could have taken his place. He saved me once, I should have saved him." Her voice cracked as she tried fighting back tears.

bio | female | loner, no group

© madi

[wormwood.]

[ATBASH CIPHER.]

ATBASH CIPHER

you laugh and smile at me, but you don't see a thing !

As much as Atbash hated to admit it, Aurum was right in the fact that Vigenere wouldn't want her blaming herself nor would he want her wishing herself away in his place. He told her this a while back, after they escaped their burning home; it wouldn't change after all those months. "... You don't know about Snowbound, do you?" It pained her to say that, but it made sense... Snowbound was no longer around, their town was burned down and abandoned. She limped after Aurum, continuing on, "Stryker came from Snowbound and I led the tribe for a while. He... took over, and I should have killed him when I had the chance." She was foolish to think that letting Stryker go would stop his antics; of course he would get a whole ass band of misfits together to destroy the other groups.

bio | female | loner, no group

© madi

[Atticus Roux]

Neon fucking yellow and black spots. What a FUCKING surprise. The begrudging drawl of Atticus came quick from the background. "Another Cipher?" he mocked. An unimpressed snort left the canine. His golden eyes zoned in on Atbash, looking her up and down, only to momentarily look over towards Moth and Aurum. He wondered what they thought. The Cipher family wasn't so family friendly, especially regarding their recent leader's death and Atbash's brother's betrayal. Along with that, it was no secret that Atticus wasn't a fan of bringing Stryker up.

Swaying on his feet, the wolf contemplated his next words carefully. His undeniable pent up rage towards the dead lion shouldn't be inflicted on the stranger. Especially in front of Moth. Gritting his teeth, Atticus merely sat down in his spot, but as she continued, he couldn't help but have his thoughts dwindle down a dark hole. 'I should have killed him when I had the chance' Oh hell, how he wished he could have done the same. Fucking weak little kitty. Manipulated and vulnerable. Disgraceful.

His paw slammed against the floor, a thunderous boom echoing from underneath. Haunches darted up from the floor. Atticus' eyes narrowed toward Atbash, a fiery spark within his weary gaze. "DONT-" he snapped with a growl. His voice softened fast, noticing his temper. "-blame yourself for his actions." She should have killed him. Atticus wouldn't be lashing out if she had and neither would the others involved in his mischief. Time had passed though. What was done was irreversible.

If only he followed his own advice.

His brow furrowed. "Why do you blame yourself anyways?" the canine snarled. "Lion got your tongue?" Atticus, like the rest, had no clue that Atbash had succumbed under Stryker's pressure and gave up Vigenere's position, ultimately killing him and causing Tanglewood to fall. He only assumed Atbash was putting the blame on herself for her actions years ago. To him that was cowardly.

[ATBASH CIPHER.]

ATBASH CIPHER

you laugh and smile at me, but you don't see a thing !

"Another Cipher?" Atticus's mocking voice made Atbash recoil a bit, with her glaring at the Roux for a few moments. The mocking tone is what upset her more than the comment itself, but it did rub Atbash the wrong way; Atticus made it sound like she had a choice on whether or not she was born as Caesar's sister. Sure, she could just throw away the Cipher name, but with it being so important to her and giving her a sense of identity, Atbash didn't want to just... throw away her last name. Besides, as far as she knew, Caesar was the only asshole in their family, and while it was likely that the bad actions he made overshadowed his siblings' good actions, Atbash didn't understand why others seemed to hate or distrust her solely on the fact that she was related to Caesar.

Atbash jumped at the wolf's sudden outburst, her fur fluffing out in surprise. On one hand, Atticus was right; she shouldn't be blaming herself for Stryker's actions, but on the other... "Because I was the reason Vigenere got captured in the first place." She snapped back at Atticus before she realized what she said. Looking between Aurum, Moth, and Atticus, the demoness quickly went on to try and defend herself, "I was afraid of what would happen if I didn't. Stryker forced me to tell him, and I thought that maybe with Vigenere there, we could both escape." Obviously, it didn't happen the way she wanted it to.

bio | female | loner, no group

© madi