The Battle of the Rats

[Aubry The Odd O.o]

Wolf eyed Kat, but did not speak. Scales nodded as if Wolf had said something.
"Yes, odd, no animal has ever found the enterence before." He said with a slight shrug. Vix was resting in her corner while Pepper and Raven were nearly asleep, their food as well as water gone. Wolf sat and pet Kat a bit before he himself let sleep claim him, sure, it wasn't night yet, but actually, most of the members of The Dragon's Bane prefered night to day. Scales stayed awake, petting Kat lightly, absentmindedly before he let a light sleep claim him.

[Dracontiar]

There was a sharp screech outside, like a falcon's cry for its lost mate. Kat jumped, getting to her feet. She scampered out of the gang's hideout, finding her way quickly to the street. She ran until she was some safe ways away from the hideout, before changing, a brown-skinned girl replacing the amber-colored cat. She scanned the sky, seeing a golden tan hawk circling in the afternoon sun. Kat's eyes had adjusted for the most part to the sudden surge of light as a cat, so Kat wasn't having to squint too badly as the sun beamed down at her. THe hawk circled the alleyway a few times, before sweeping in low. It changed, too, and Kyte, immediately went up to her friend, gripping her shoulder firmly. "Who were they?" She asked quickly, glancing arond to make sure no one had seen their transformation. It was a habit that every Cricket got in the habit of, very quickly.
Kat shook her head. "Not here." she said, running down the maze of inner alleyways to the main street, Kyte close at her heels. The girls were quick, and manuevered through the thick crowd with practiced ease, heading for their own home. Kat felt that nagging on her concience, of those youngsters leading eachother, living in that hole with so little.

[Aubry The Odd O.o]

Vix was alarmed when she heard the falcon's cry then the cat leave suddenly, she stood and after a moment darted after the cat, her fox tail flowing behind her. She looked about and saw two girls, it was easy enough to fill in the blanks, for her at least. She sat, expecting them to speak of what one of them had seen, one of them uttered a few words and both of them ran off. Vix looked back at the hideout and with a flick of her tail ran off after the girls.

[Dracontiar]

Kyte kept checking over her shoulder, not seeing anything coming after them. Then again, the main street was very busy, this time of day. She looked forward, just missing a deep rut in the street that she would have stumbled over. In a few minutes or racing and dodging, they turned down a wide, comparitively empty side street with more deep wheel ruts and a lot of mud and overgrown weeds growing through cracks in teh road. At the end of the street, an old clay brick building slumped over the street, long, shallow cracks showing on the outside, as well as some fallen-in windows. The two girls slowed to a walk, then, glancing all around, looking for anyone nearby. Kyte could have sworn she saw a flash of orange-brown, or somethign similar, but that was it. Kat took a long, narrow pin, bent in to a strange, contorted shape, and picked the lock. Yes, the key to the Crickets' hideout was a lockpick for a custom-made lock. It had been Bren's (the wildmage) idea.

[Aubry The Odd O.o]

Vix hid behind a tree, Kyte must have seen her, her red-orange coat stood out boldly against the greenery. She darted behind a tree and watched Kat take out the key, if she had been human at the time she would have cocked a brow, but since she was not, she just tilted her head in a very foxlike way. Her tail twitched as she thought over what she could do: She could follow these girls, find another gangs hideouts, or she could memorize the location of the hideout and lose the chance of getting inside while telling the others. She knew Scales would be angry that she went off on her own, but, if she were to bring back something of importence....No. She told herself firmly she darted off, unknowingly in plain sight of both of the girls. She ran faster than she had ever before, her small feet leaving naught but a small smudge in the muddy street. She darted into the hideout, leaving muddy footprints at the entrence and leading inside. She curled up in her corner and closed her eyes, still breathing heavily.

[Dracontiar]

As they darted in to the building, Kyte checked over her shoulder, gritting her teeth nervoulsy as she saw a fox scampering down the road. She coudldn't really think of a fox doing anything but scampering, when it ran, really. But foxes didn't really live in the city.
She scoffed at herself. Yeah, and neither did kids with wings or lizard feet. That thought made her even more nervous, but she shrugged it aside, as she darted in, Kat closing the door behind her. She had to let her eyes adjust to the dark around them, until the front room came in to view. It was a plain thing; not much was on the first floor of the former apartment building,but empty rooms. This was to disencourage anyone who made a break-in in the place. Even the stairs to the next story had been collapsed; the only way up was a fold-out ladder, well-hidden in the low rafters of the back room. They made their way through a few other small, empty rooms, before finding it. There was noise from above. "SOme of the others are home." Kat mumbled unnessecarily.

[Aubry The Odd O.o]

Vix's breathing evened after a few minutes and Scales heard her fall asleep. He stood quietly and and replaced the rags to his feet. He climbed out the hole and followed Vix's slight footsteps. Soft and yet firm at the same time. He smiled and followed them until he came to the door, the door was locked tight, but at least he knew. He shrugged after shaking the door a couple times before walking, in his loping manner, back to the hideout.

[Dracontiar]

Kyte and Kat found the others upstairs; two girls and a pair of boys, all nearer their age than most of those kids. One of the girls was two years younger than Kat, with round cheeks and loose, unruly curls the color of copper. The next oldest was one of the boys, the same age as Kat and Kyte. He had sandy-colored hair, thick and short, that hung in his eyes sometimes. The other boy stood when they entered the room. He was over a year older than them, and stood taller than the blonde boy. His hair was dark red, and cut short, framing a pointed, freckle-ridden face complete with dark eyes.
It was the oldest one, the other girl, who was the Crickets' leader, Lei. She was 17, and the second oldest of the group. Her long black hair was put back in a long, plaited braid, save a pair of strands framing her angular, golden face. Her eyes were nearly black, and almond-shaped, and she had a cool, confident nature, immediately noticable to anyone in the same room as her. "Jorn, shut the door," she told the red-haired boy, who did so quickly. Lei kicked her feet up on teh desk in front of her, showing tall, worn boots. "What's up with you two?" Kat pursed her lips, and took a seat cross-legged on the floor, against the wall.

[Aubry The Odd O.o]

Scales bought some bread along the way he also borrowed a few cups and a bowl for mixing remedies. He used another item which he had borrowed for carrying the items, a small leather bag. When he arrived back at the hideout the others were awake, Vix was whispering to the others about the Crickets' hideout. When Scales climbed through the crack they stopped talking. Scales chuckled and sat setting the bag down,
"Ah the hideout, yes, it was locked." He said the smile fading he looked at Vix.
"Don't leave without telling someone Vix, the other gangs are suspicious, we can't be going around with no one to watch our backs or even know we were gone. We cant afford to lose eachother." He scolded. Vix was currently in her humanoid form, she hung her head and shifted to a fox.
"I'm sorry Scales." She said softly and with a low bow retreated to her corner.

[Dracontiar]

Kyte found a large floor pillow, near where the sandy-haired boy was sitting, and waited for Kat's explanation with the rest of them. Jorn went back to his formal place, while the youngest girl leaned forward eagerly. Kat began slowly.
"I found another gang. One we didn't know about." Lei nodded, as if this didn't surprise her too much. "But... there were only five of them, from what I saw, and I don't think that they had any more members." Again Lei nodded, though narrowing her slanted eyes in interest. "Their were two very peculiar things about them, though. For one, not one of them could have been older than Lorim." She nodded her chin in the smaller girl's direction. "And for another, three of them seemed... different. Each with obvious and distinct. One had wings, for instance." Lei leaned forward now, clearly interested. Her black yes were narrowed in to slits.
"Do you know where they are?"

[Aubry The Odd O.o]

Scales nodded, " No harm in curiosity. This time." He said and slumped against the wall again.
Vix stood and sat on the floor infront of the leader.
"They know about us Scales. They saw your feet, not your legs, but its enough. They also saw your wings Raven." She said, "As well as me shift." She added. Wolf stood and glanced around as if in question. Scales nodded.
"So what. Who would believe a bunch of kids anyway?" He asked with a chuckle. Wolf narrowed his yellow eyes and sat again. Raven looked around and folded her wings to her back again,
"That cat. That was one of them wasn't it?" She asked. Vix nodded, "Yes."

[Dracontiar]

Kat nodded. "I've been inside their hideout. Kyte and I both saw it, while we were shifted." Kyte threw up her hands.
"Hey, now. Don't pull me in to this. I was just there."
Lei snapped her head around, eyes still narrowed. Kyte pursed her lips, and put her hands down, as Lei turned back to Kat. "Did any of them see you shift?"
Kat shook her head. "No, I don't think so. And no followers on teh way back, from what I could tell." Kyte held her tongue about that fox running down the street, until Kat and Lei were done.
"From what you gathered, what do you think they would do, if they had seen?" Lei was always speculating possibilities. Kat shrugged in response.
"Keep quiet, and withdraw even more. They were a more secretive bunch than we ever were, I'll tell you that much. But if someone forced them to say, I don't see why they wouldn't. It's not as if they hold no loyalities to us." Lei nodded, satisfied with the answer.
"Any more news?" The brown-skinned girl shook her head, and got up from her spot against the wall, coming to kneel next to Kyte.

[Aubry The Odd O.o]

Raven looked horrified.
"Well, what do we do? We cant stay here." She asked, looking at Scales. Scales took the rags off his feet and wriggled his clawed toes.
"Just hope they are friend and not foe I suppose." He said now clenching and unclenching his feet. Wolf stood and gestured to the exit nodding.
"Perhaps Wolf. Yes, perhaps we can go see them, see if they are friend or foe. Yes actually. Everyone, get ready to go. Vix, shift to a fox, Pepper if you can shift to some type of bird I don't care what type. Raven put on your tunic." He said hurridly tieing the rags to his feet again while Raven put on her tunic. Soon everyone was ready. Pepper had shifted to a red tailed hawk while Vix had of course shifted to a fox. The five of them crept through the dusk, the sun was setting. Pepper sighed and shifted to a human again,
"It's too dark." He said gasping. "I'll have to be an owl. Give me a moment I'll catch up." He said. Scales nodded reluctently and the remaining four traveled to the locked door. Vix darted behind trees and hid in the shadows, keeping ahead of the group. Finally they reached the door. Wolf looked at it dissaproovingly.
"I know Wolf, but what choice do we have?" He asked. Wolf nodded and stepped forward, rapping on the door. Raven cowered in the back, her wings folded to her back beneith the tunic while Vix sat near Scales, tail curled around her body proudly.

[Dracontiar]

All six members in the room tensed up, the smaller girl Lorim nearly jumping where she sat. Kat and Kyte leaned in to eachother, looking nervously at eachother. Lei quickly surveyed the room, keeping her face cool and calm, though she looked a tad worried.
"Well," she said after a silent moment. "Who's going to answer it?" The other five looked from one to another for a moment, before each bolted from the room, running for the ladder as fast as they could. Jorn got there first, simply because he had been closest to the door, and the last was little Lorim, eyes wide with excitement and apprehension. Kat and Kyte kept exchanging glances, clutching tightly at eachothers hands and shoulders, darting down the rungs as soon as Jorn had descended.

[Aubry The Odd O.o]

Vix tilted her head as a barn owl descended from the heavens to land rather messily upon a nearby roof, using its vivid amber eyes to watch the scene. Vix nodded, this was Pepper. Scales, Wolf, and Raven also nodded at the arrival of their fifth member. Vix cocked her head at the door, she heard scrambling in there, they had more members than the Dragon's Bane she thought, her gaze fixed on the door.