#Before scuttling off with her three surviving humbugs into the mist

[bonefall]

maybe with the ending.. make it be like the link between Breezepelt's leaving to join Kin and his POV in AVOS? of course from Nightcloud's perspective but

like. she would be injured and recovering away from the clan. but they would be unaware that she is alive and like in canon assume she died and hold her a vigil. Breezepelt, who is already at low point, taking it very badly - yes he was pushing her away bc he was hurt and angry and started taking it out on her, but.. it's still his mom. his Mi. and she is dead? or is this stupid clan just going to believe this to make it easier? are they really giving up on looking for her, or her body??

i can see Nightcloud being the one of very few, if not THE Only one, things that kept Breezepelt in WindClan at this point. and without her, what's the point? it's not like anyone else likes him. the link is gone and they buried it in a bodyless vigil. so it's what pushes him to actuall take the step and leave.

not sure how well it would align with the timeline and events. and how soon Darktail was assembling cats from other clans like Breeze. but i think it would be interesting and heartbreaking if at the end of her SE, Nightcloud just arrived back to WindClan and asks where Breezepelt is and someone tells her.. he either was missing since this morning or just left the clan earlier the same day. like, just have them miss each other by a hair.

I'm thinking that the second-to-last chapter is her with Pickle, having a bit of a sabbatical to unpack everything that happens through the story. Mostly because I want to throw her into some kind of pretty garden as a nice setting for this lmaoo

A LOT of BB stuff is being added to Nightcloud's Pannage that wasn't in the main series; Hillrunner's abuse, her mentor Addersong, several expanded little background characters now complete with their own side conflicts. I think what I can bind all these things with is Nightcloud considering what a Clan means.

Because of her new reputation, I'm noticing I'm writing scenes where she's intentionally doing and saying things to try and sway them. While also grappling with her resentment towards them, and things she can't change.

There's a bit of a melancholy air so far, so I'm starting to feel like the best ending is just having a bit of space to herself to think. Ultimately, she decides that it's more than Breezepelt or Crowfeather that binds her to WindClan. It's the life and connections she COULD have.

WindClan cats are also quite religious next to other Clans, so I really do mean "sabbatical." I'm going to have Addersong die of old age shortly after they reconnect, so she's in Pickle's Garden talking to her new friend, choosing cats she's lost to pray to as patron spirits to give her the traits she feels she needs, and just recovering both physically from injury and spiritually from turmoil.

So all that to say; it works well that by the time she gets back, Breezepelt has joined The Kin. He was one of the first to join when he started calling for members anyway, so having Night be gone for about two or three weeks sounds appropriate.

#I'm still working out WHAT the injury was though #I just know for sure that Night was in some DEEP trouble. Possibly being attacked by a fox or dog #And she can't tell for sure if it was gratitude or hunger or the brief influence of StarClan shining through the sow's eyes #But Marge does an RKO OUTTA NOWHERE and kills what was attacking her #Before scuttling off with her three surviving humbugs into the mist #And when Nightcloud wakes up she's at The Pickle Jar #Too injured to travel and kinda understand she needs the time to unpack some stuff anyway #Wanting to get home desperately ofc to stand by Breeze #But also... StarClan has probably placed her here. Away from the Clan. For a reason. #Especially with Pickle in particular since she's grappling with how her reactionary xenophobia has affected people through her life #I have a LOT of little ideas for NcP #Which I'll need to trim and focus I think #As-is I think it's meandering BUT it's good to get EVERYTHING down in a first draft #Better bones au #I actually have a crowf ref finished and planned to post that with a summary lmaooooooo #Sorry Crow. I like ur wife too much #Nightcloud's Pannage

[nxjusticehere]

Escape the Motherloving Nightmare - Part 10

Tag List: @undocumented-terriaki @risiskifi @virge-of-death @legit-humantm @shay-untitled @uraeus56 @supersepticsteph @margarita-is-the-answer @derisiveharridan @brookeisanerd @reeeeeaaper @aquilacalvitium @bokunobandicoot @authordrive @squishy-anon @imnotcameraready

“You look upset.” Shane sits on the couch, legs apart, leant forward smirking up at Joey who stands a few feet away, arms crossed, and scowling.

“He’s supposed to be dead.”

Shane chuckles, shaking his head. “If you merely wanted him dead you could have killed him yourself. You came to me, so you wanted more. Frankly, I think I’ve given you a masterpiece.”

“You’ve given me a trainwreck.” The air around Joey chills as he steps forward, jabbing an accusing finger at the stupid ass sat before him. “I nearly died in that Dragon’s Keep!!”

“Demon,” Shane corrects, “But not only did you not die, you lived to see your target suffer a devastating loss.” He shrugs sitting back again. “Big win!”

Hands on the collar of Shane’s jacket catch him off guard as Joey drags him to his feet and rages in the idiot’s face, “I am done with your fucked up game! I want him dead!”

Out of sight, the Detective stands, his brother’s droid, Léo, immediately behind him, one arm looped around Dirk’s chest to hold him still, while the other covers Dirk’s mouth to keep him quiet. They’ve heard every word and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who they’re referring to. Dirk offers no resistance as the droid quietly starts to pull him away.

The air out in the street is stale and still, and the whole town feels empty and hollow, like an empty stage in the moments before the actors get into position. Given the chaos and mayhem that they’ve witnessed tonight, it’s a harrowing and haunting contrast that sends shivers through them as the Detective and the droid stomp across the dirt..

“Where are we going?”

Léo has Dirk by the wrist, leading him straight down the main street. Though his steps are purposeful and strangely confident, Léo doesn’t have a clue where he’s going. Away, he supposed. To be honest, that’s the only real direction that matters at this point. Towards Mare would be a bonus so the three of them could pull together a plan to get out, but for Dirk’s ensured survival, ‘away’ will have to do for now.

“Somewhere safe.”

“And where’s that?” Dirk digs in his heels a little, scraping through the dirt as he resists, but the droid’s grip only tightens and his step doesn’t falter. “Where exactly are you taking me? Where in this messed up night-?”

Léo comes to a sudden stop, turning on Dirk and tugging on his wrist as he speaks calm, yet firmly.

“The game is rigged! They want you dead! Away from them,” he vaguely gestures towards the safe zone they’d left behind with his free hand, “is safe enough for now.”

A visceral growl rips through the air, and the very ground beneath them shakes. They freeze. That did not sound friendly. From the end of the street, in the direction they’d been heading a sickly green smoke oozes between the buildings, pouring in from nowhere and crawling along the street. Every nook, every crevice, every space is overwhelmed by the fog as it swallows everything in it’s path.

The next game must have begun. That’s definitely not good.

Before Dirk can react, Léo grabs him by the lapel of his jacket, not even waiting before he starts to drag them both to the nearest building. The Detective struggles a little by instinct, but as he catches a second glance of the fog, he instead just follows. It could be mustard gas, maybe some kind of acidic properties, so it’ll eat his skin as soon as it touches him. It could just as easily be green fog but given what he’s seen tonight, Dirk isn’t sure it’s something he’d wager his life on.

Léo all but throws Dirk through the door before slamming it shut behind him, leaning against it, hoping against the odds that a closed door will be enough to keep them safe. Free of the droid’s hold, Dirk brushes himself down and looks at where they’ve ended up.

Apparently they’re in some olde style sweet store. A counter lines the shop while the shelves behind them have various sweets in jars. Humbugs, rosy apples, sherbert lemons. They’ve clearly not been touched in a very long time, cobwebs strung between most of them, while inches of dust have setled around them. If this place was ever a functioning business, it’s long been abandoned.

Ignoring the suspicious insects that swarm in one of the jars, and some vague disembodied scuttling behind the counter, Dirk moves to the side of the window, clearly able to see through the grimy glass, but also able to disappear out of it’s view should the need arise.

The mist passes by without issue, not even a wisp coming through the gaps around the door or the in-no-way-airtight window, and continues down the street towards the other end of town. Once it reaches the border, the entire town is swathed in a sickly green glow.

After a few moments, a nearby streetlight flickers into life, eventually able to throw out a strong red beacon of light that cuts straight through the fog. Where the light hits the floor, a large red circle is visible. Then the next one along powers up, then the next, and the next. Before long, the street is lined with red circles, each approximately ten to twelve feet apart.

“I have a bad feeling about this.” Dirk mutters. He may not know what’s going on right now, but he can figure it out. Any minute now, some creature will burst onto the scene with the singular intent of claiming the victim of the next game, and probably the best way to get around it will be by using those red lights for a safe pathway.

He glances to the door, the droid still holding it shut, possibly not able to see exactly what is going on from where he is. Dirk should probably tell him. Though before he does, there is one thing he really needs to know.

“Why did you kill him?”

Léo blanks, turning at the strange question. It’s a little out of a nowhere but given the inherent curiosity of humans not entirely. “You really think this is the time for that question?”

“That’s not an answer.” Dirk turns to look back out the window again, purposefully avoiding the droid’s gaze. It’s still really creepy how much like him Léo looks.

“One of you had to die.”

“No we didn’t.” Strong but firm, leaving little room for argument, yet the droid rolls his eyes, seemingly unbothered by the confidence.

“This entire world is built around the purpose of murder. One of you had to die.” He speaks with just as much confidence and conviction, but with a touch of familiar pig-headedness and a dash of arrogance. So much like Lucas. “Besides, Mad wanted me to shoot him.”

“Mad?”

A loud shout from the streets draws their attention outside once more.

At the end of the street, towards the part of town they’ve not really reached yet, stands a figure. Too human to be a monster, and half-carrying another person with them as they slog through the fog. Whoever’s being carried is unfamiliar, but the other one...

“Abe?”

Dirk stares in disbelief before he rushes for he door, easily pulling the droid away despite his protests, tearing it open and rushing out into the fog.

Running out into the toxic-looking mist is pretty high on the list of Dirk’s Dumbest Ideas, but the thought of a friendly face is too much to ignore. A break, that’s all he wants, one little break in this face of monstrosities and nightmares, one chance, that’s all he’s hoping for as he screeches to a stop in the beacon of the nearest streetlight.

His heart is hammering in his chest, his stomach in his throat and eyes sore and tired as he blinks furiously. They...they’re gone….but he could’ve sworn-

Dirk’s thoughts are interrupted by Léo’s shout, the Detective quickly turning to see Safiya, not ten feet away, stood in the soupy green mist with one hand firmly gripping the droid’s arm while the other is tightly grasped over it’s mouth.

“Safiya? What are you-?”

“You’re a smart kid Dirk.” Léo is tense in her grip, eyes wide as one hand tries desperately to pry her hand away from his mouth, but she doesn’t seem even remotely bothered by his efforts, “Think about it.”

Dirk stares, torn between the urge to tear the droid from her grip, and the instinct to stay safe in the red light. He didn’t get this far to fall...at the last….wait...

This night has been filled with so many games, so much death, destruction and loss. How many times has he watched two people leave, for only one to return? Everyone, every single person has done it once. Except Joey...Shane...and Safiya. None of them have faced a death challenge. Not one of them had to fight for their life and come out the victor. They’ve always been safe, spared the danger of the challenges. How did he never notice that? Which means-

“You’re a part of this.”

His voice is surprisingly calm as he runs a hand down his face, his heart racing. Four survivors in this Game, and the only person he can reasonably trust at this point is the droid who shot his brother who isn’t even a player! It’s a lot to process and he can feel the pressure building at the base of his chest as he fights to hold it together, just a little longer. He’ll be of no use if he breaks right now.

The side of Safiya’s mouth quirks at the corner, gently pulling into a soft yet somehow still sinister smirk. “I’m a part of something, but I don’t want you dead.”

“Then what do you want?”

“What I came here for. But I need bait.”

Dirk shivers, like someone just walked over his grave, and Léo tries harder to twist himself free from her grip as he realises what she means. The Detective just stares .

“...oh.”

#escape the night #Dirk the Detective #The Savant #The Renegade #The Investigative Journalist #The Detective #fanfic #Escape the Motherloving Nightmare #Léo: robo!MatPat