--You're Not Alone.

[the day the world went away]

Iridium eyes wide, the Riverclan leader growled again. "Attention!" she yelled to the assembled cats below, in no mood for patience. "I have an announcement to make!" Unexpectedly, she leapt to the cats below, anger narrowing her silver eyes. "Something has happened," she yowled, looking cold and determined. "Something unexpected. Unexplainable. This cat, Axel, will be joining our clan. You will respect and will not question my decision. Is that clear?" She snarled out the last sentence. "If you don't, you will have me to answer to." She stood there, straightened regally, cold silver eyes sweeping over the crowd, coming to rest on Grayfur. I'm sorry for this, she wanted to say, but she didn't at the same time. She didn't want to fuel the fire.

Fear is how I fall...
Confusing what is real.

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[grayfur]

Grayfur hung his head. he knew that this was going to happen. Clo had ditched him long ago for Axel, and he couldn't forget it. His eyes grew to slits and he stared at Clo, hate pulsing through his whole body.

I hate you, he thought to himself. I hate you so much. He sneered at Clo. She wasn't the same cat he had once knew.

ooc: clo, can you give Axy a warrior name, but Clo calles him Axel?

[mystickit]

Coralpaw sat quetly, watching the sence a few ffeet away. Her ginger fur blew in the breeze. Her eyes narrowed at the new commer. She had a bad feeling about this cat, she wasn't sure what it was, but it was strong. The apprentice stood from her spot. "Cloudystar," she meowed, loud enough to get the leader's attetion, and respectfully nodded her head before continuing. "I don't think this is a good idea. What do you know about this cat, Axe, was it? He could be a killer. Do you know anything about his past? ANd if you do, do you know if he's telling the trusth." The medicine cat apprentice narrowed her eyes at her leader. "Do you know anything about his future?" she asked, wondering if her leader knew something no one else knew, something she hadn't shared with her. Though most apprentices would have the knowledge not to talk back to their leader, Coralpaw didn't care.

[grayfur]

ooc: Jinxy, you know that Axe is called AXEL, his name is Axel, just wanted to let you know unless you didn't know ^^

[,hateh?]

Fear rippled through her skin.
She turned, staring up at Cloudystar. She wasn't
afraid for the Clan - she could obviously care less
what happened to them - it was for her Leader. She found
herself wondering if it was for Axel, as she turned and stared at
Grayfur, his eyes slits, and Coralpaw, who had spoken her opinion.
Duskpaw straightened, sitting at attention, and blurted out,

I-I think he'd be alright. Sooner or later, you'd just forget he was
ever a rouge. I don't...

Her voice caught, and Duskpaw looked at the ground. the
apprentice raised her head again and finished nervously,

I don't mind. I think we could u-use some help.

She backed away, partly hiding behind Newtpaw.

[grayfur]

Axel smirked. "Hello," he said in a harsh voice. he wanted to enter with a spiffu enterance, but too late. he shrugged, and tried to rested his head on her shoulders.

"I'm Axel. A-X-E-L, got it memorized?" he asked cheekly. He chuckled, and waved his tail threatingly. "Well, I guess I;ll be the newest edition to your little "family;" can't say I ever had one," he sighed and looked up. "Um, I... did some pretty bad stuff... back in the day," he muttered.

Axel thought about Roxas. Where was he now? Did he know of Axel seret relationship? Axel looked at the ground and shifted his weight. he had killed his mother when he was young; ony a slave to her. She deserved it; most o the battle scars he had were from her.

"Do... any of you know me?" he asked cautiously.

Grayfur waved his tail. "I do," he hissed.he hissed and leaped to his feet. "You're a murderer, a thief, and y-you took away the only one I cared about!"

he hissed and slashed at the orange cat. "YOU TOOK HER! I loved her! YOU... YOU... YOU WORK FOR HIM!"

[fictional]

Coalpaw hissed at the commotion. "Hey, Cloudystar! Are you going to give him a warrior name?" he questioned, looking at his leader. To him, the she-cat looked a little derranged, yelling at her clan to shut up to let this rouge join their clan. Coalpaw didn't feel a good vibe coming from that cat, and a whole lot of warriors - apprentices, too - didn't, either.

[l.ast of the [wild]s]

"What's going on?" A male voice spoke from the back of the commotion. A silver bengal tom was slightly raised on his hind legs, trying to peer over the heads of the cats before him. His sapphire orbs were wide as he tried to search out the cat Cloudystar had spoke of.

Spikeshard flicked his scarred ear when his eyes landed on Axel. The RiverClan warrior placed himself back on his paws and weaved his way through the masses of felines, his broken claw clicking lightly against the ground. Spikeshard blinked his dark blue eyes at Axel when he was a foxtail-lenth away from the other tom. The slim, muscled bengal glanced at Cloudystar. Spikeshard's sapphire eyes peered at her sterling form for a long moment, then he turned back to his clanmates. "If Cloudystar is inviting him into the Clan, then he must be a trustworthy cat." Spikeshard's mewed, voice light and cheerful.

[grayfur]

Grayfur's muscles tightened. "Don't believe this liar," he spat. Gray didn't know Axel very well, but his mother had told him about the young killer kit when he was an apprentice. Axel was much younger than he, but he would never forget the day that a large orange cat stole a kittypet kit and raised him as a loner. Gray swore that when he found this killer animal, he would kill him.

Now Axel was here, and Gray was ready to fight. "I...," he bent his head cautiously. "Why... would you favor him over me?"

[the day the world went away]

The clan's doubtful questions and comments infuriated her. "He's staying whether you all like it or not!" she yowled, tensing into a defensive crouch, slinking among the cats and chilling them with her cold, penetrating glare. When she heard Spikeshard's comment from somewhere on her left, she turned her head, searching for the bengal in the crowd, and dipped her head gratefully when her sharp eyes landed on his pelt. Cloudystar ignored the questions about Axel's warrior name; she still needed to think that over.

Her silvery eyes unconsciously snapped to Grayfur -- the gray tom was glaring daggers at both her and Axel. Well, it was his fault. He assumed and walked away back in the clearing. She shuddered. The Riverclan leader didn't like one bit how he seemed to hold so much hatred now; it hurt her to see her former best friend staring so balefully at her. And, yet again, she covered all the sad thoughts up with a mask, an angry face filled with fury. "Axel will remain in our clan, whether you care or not. It was my decision to make. Don't doubt my decision. Don't threaten him. If you do....you'll have me to answer to." She pointedly glared at Grayfur as she spoke the words, stepping forward to add something directed to him. "That includes you, Grayfur." She turned away, walking toward the Highstone and leaping up in one swift, liquid motion. "Dismissed. Go to your dens and get some sleep."

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[grayfur]

Axel smirked and trew his head up trumphantly. He sneered at Gray. "You didn't get your way this time, runt," he cooed. Sighing, he followed the others, but not before turning around.

"What's my name?" he asked matter-of-factly.

`

[untilthis.echo]

Dark earthen eyes, so dark almost pitch black in shade, stared at the mass of cats gathered around the Highstone. The dark orbs roamed over the many heads of the cats, soft black-rimmed ears listening to the faint mumbles and whispers carried along by the mass. Alabaster paws shuffled softly in the soil, quietly, unnoticed. The tiny creature flicked its orbs from the mass to the front of the cats, staring at the pale achromatic figure of its leader. Earthen eyes gazed at Cloudystar, blinking at the anxiety lining the muscles, the anger filling the slender boy with taut emotion. They transcended from the woefully worried leader to the cat standing beside her. The pools of dark earth scrutinized Axel, taking in his rough pelt, his gleaming eyes, and his confident, almost arrogant tone. He seemed to walk as if he was already a great cat among the other felines. The mass didn't seem to think that. However not one feline in the mass except Grayfur seemed to openly argue with Cloudystar. Yet.

Nettlekit blinked once again, long-furred form hidden by the screen of brambles, vines, and thorns of the nursery wall. The tension was unbearably thick. She inhaled a deep breath. They were all waiting.

[T.h.e.y.'r.e. a.l.l. w.a.i.t.i.n.g. f.o.r. t.h.e. c.r.a.s.h.]

[l.ast of the [wild]s]

Spikeshad flicked back his lightly scarred ear. The resplendent tom gazed at Axel with thoughtful beryl orbs. The RiverClan warrior than glanced at his achromatic leader. The young warrior took a few pawsteps closer, broken claw clicking on the ground again. "Cloudystar, are you going to give him a warrior name or make him an apprentice?" Spikeshard asked, directing his question at his tense leader.

In all honesty, the silver bengal didn't know how well Axel could fight. He wasn't even sure if the other tom had learned the territory of the Clan. It would be somewhat foolish to name him a warrior, if he didn't know what a warrior should have known.

Thoughts drifting in and out of his head, Spiekshard peered at his sterling leader, waiting patietnly for Cloudystar to answer his inquisitive question.

[,hateh?]

Duskpaw flicked her tail
and attempted to stick her tongue out at
Grayfur. Instead, she tripped over her paws and
was sent tumbling into the apprentice's den. She righted herself
and looked around for Honeypaw. Not seeing the light-pelted
she-cat, she turned and went to her bed of moss.

[the day the world went away]

She sighed and reluctantly turned around, looking down at Spikeshard from her perch on top of the Highstone. After a long pause, she opened her mouth hesitantly and mewed, "...His name will be Axelflame. He will be a warrior. I will personally teach him the ways of the clans and I will show him the territory, starting at sunrise." She turned to the orange tom below and blinked at him, her tone more gentle when she spoke again. "Be sure to rest, Axel. You'll need your energy for the patrol."

She turned away again, flicking her tail. The Riverclan leader knew that the others were insecure about this, but she didn't care. She didn't care if they hated her for this. For the first in a long time, a smile started to grow across her face. It grew from a tiny smirk to a full-fledged grin, pulling back at the corners of her mouth as she lifted her chin to stare at the clear sky. The smile was serene, but slightly insane in a subtle way. She started to giggle. She didn't care!

Her smooth long legs seemed to slowly buckle, flinging her forward onto the rock. Still grinning crazily, she flopped on top of the Highstone, dark striped legs splayed across the stone, ear and cheek pressed against the cold rock. Oh, and for you, I'd do anything.

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