THE AVENGER

Instructions

You pad lightly over the foliage, the dappled light of the forest flickering ahead of you. You know that, sometimes- here in the stretch of forest that separates the delta from the abandoned Twolegplace- sharp, clear stones hide beneath the leaves and rot, waiting like snares to cut into unsuspecting paws. Your patrol leader cranes their head back to the rest of the patrol, checking to make sure they still follow. You shiver. The shaded forest always gives you the creeps, and you find yourself wishing dreamily for the open, wet marshlands of the delta. You take a deep breath. As horrid as this place is, it must be patrolled nonetheless. But even while you try to calm your nerves, stamping them down, you feel a prickle on your pelt that makes the fur on your back rise. You can’t shake it: you feel like someone’s watching you. You’re suddenly hyper-aware to the sounds in the forest- each snap of a twig, each rustle of a leaf puts you further on edge. Then something catches the corner of your eye, and you swing your head towards it. Was that a pair of eyes? You open your mouth to say something to your patrol leader before thinking better of it, deciding it was just your nerves. Twitching, you keep your eyes fixed on your patrol leader, who strides ahead bravely. Suddenly they stop, hobbling, cursing. Their paw bleeds, a tiny shard of glass caught in it. As they fight it out with their teeth, you hear a branch snap behind you. You keep your eyes fixed firmly ahead of you, sure that you are imagining it. Then you notice that one of your clan mates also has their ears pricked, staring behind you. Eyes frozen. You turn around, but it’s too late. They flow out of the underbrush like a river, a poisonous tide of claws and teeth. To you, it seems like there are hundred of them, although in reality there are only about eight. But there are only five cats on patrol, yourself included. With a yowling battle cry, your patrol leader throws themself into battle, simultaneously ordering the rest of you to follow. You through yourself into the fray, tumbling with a pretty silver she-cat. “Trespassers!” You hiss angrily, struggling to pin her to the ground. By a thick oak, your patrol leader claws at a huge black tom. The she-cat’s face twists into an angry knot. “Trespassers? You mangy, dung-eating liars! We know the truth about you. He told us EVERYTHING.” She gains the upper hand, pressing a firm paw to your throat. You struggling, hoping she won’t unsheathe her claws before you can throw her off. “Who?” You croak, trying to keep her distracted. She presses her paw harder on your throat, choking you. “Our leader,” she hisses, “The Avenger. You may bathe in your glory, thinking your horrible crimes have been forgotten- but we remember. And you WILL pay.” Your mind clouds in confusion. What is she talking about? Then a rounding cry echoes through the clearing- word you at first revel in and then dread when you realize it was your patrol leader, not the rogues, that called it: “RETREAT!” The silver she-cat releases you from her grasp, and you scramble back to your patrol, all of you bearing wounds and hobbling away. As you hurry away, one of the rogues calls after you: “We claim this territory, clan-scum! Payment is coming, for all the lives you destroyed!” All eight rogues raise their heads triumphantly in the air. “Long live Dogstar, the great Avenger!” As you tumble into camp, your leader stands, frozen in shock. “What happened?” Their jaw is agape. Your patrol leader explains in gasping, heavy words, but you can’t hear them. All you hear are the she-cats words, circling your head like a deadly mantra of sharks: We remember… we remember… we remember… And perhaps the most unsettling part, the part that you already know will haunt your sleep tonight: You WILL pay. ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ Introducing the newest NOWHERE LAND event- The Avenger. At the edge of clan territory, based in an abandoned Twolegplace, a mysterious Dogstar leads a group of vengeful rogues. No one is sure of their intent, but it is clearly malicious. And all the while they claim of a past wrong, an evil deed committed by the clans long ago that must be put right. FernClan’s ancient roots oftentimes seem a blessing, but know their buried secrets might be a weakness- and perhaps a death sentence. ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ ▓ Cats may now encounter rogues on border patrols. Dogstar and other established rogue NPCs may not be encountered unless with the permission of the admin. Cats may also not join or have romantic or friendly interactions with rogues unless they are an NPC and you have permission from the admin. Rogue NPCs: ↻ ᴅᴏɢꜱᴛᴀʀ - lanky brown tom with ice blue eyes..leader of the rogues ↻ ꜱɪʀᴇɴ - beautiful silver she-cat ↻ ꜰʀᴇꜱᴛ - large black tom ↻ ᴀɴᴛʟᴇʀ - brown tom with green eyes..second in command ↻ ᴊᴜʟɪᴀɴɴᴇ - tortoiseshell she-cat..former kittypet