stop. stop. stop. stop. stop. please. kill me. kill me. kill me. KILL ME. K I L L M E.

so many thoughts, so many things racing and thumping altogether and she still couldn't quite make sense of what was going on, couldn't figure out the situation she had found herself in. what was she to do? she couldn't move, she was paralyzed in both fear and in pain and she was not sure what more she could do in her desperate state. she could beg, she could plead but would it matter? would it help her? was she making sense? she couldn't breathe, couldn't breathe, couldn't breathe it hurt so badly, everything, twitching, twisted, burning, oh... oh god, she could feel her blood leaking onto her fur. was this it? was this how she went? was everything she had ever worked for meant to end in this very moment? was this her fate? she didn't know, didn't know, how was she supposed to know? how was she supposed to see what was hidden from her? she should have tired harder, shouldn't have been blinded like this... maybe she would live, maybe soltima would be alive, maybe nothing would be like this. it wasn't fair, it was never fair; what had she done? she was stupid, had always been stupid and blind and, oh, she could see it now, she could, she could, all the movements all the little looks everything was true, no, no, no, was it a lie? who was the lie? the shadow over her? her life? her family? her own death? didn't know, didn't know, didn't know.

black, the world was going black... she was dizzy, she couldn't see, the world was black, wait, no, no, no, no shadows; the shadows were crawling, crawling, crawling. she was shaking and she couldn't stop the beast was looming over her and she could feel her heart pumping, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, she couldn't breath; she was afraid, oh god she was afraid, she was hyperventilating, she was scared. she was going to die her, die, die, die, die, die she was going to die... she wasn't ready, what was she supposed to do? close her eyes? dream? pretend? she was in so much pain she was so scared, the world was cold and red and there were claws at her throat and she couldn't stop shaking. then... there was more blood and a pain that she couldn't even scream out as her throat was slashed, oh god, so much blood, so much, so much, so much. she stopped breathing and it continued, more blood, more pain; slash, slash, slash SLASH SLASH SL ASH.

stop, stop, stop, stop, please. please. P L E A S E. there was so much pain, she was sure her body was going into shock, she could say anything, couldn't get a noise out as she laid down with the skin on her face peeling off of her skull and claws digging into her throat and... she was scared. the mass above her moved, twisting in the darkness and shadows and hidden by the fogginess of rain but, oh, oh god adra could see her eyes, could see those familiar eyes and she opened her mouth. she couldn't move, she was paralyzed, the face of the beast moved closer, face against hers and she felt her breath rush out as the cold words whispered into her ears. afraid, she was afraid.

"come now, adrastair, scream for me."

and she screamed.

she will admit that this had not initially been part of her plans, she'd never thought that the clans would never be something that she would need to incorporate into her business but, well, things change, she supposed. she had never really understood clans but, then again, she was not one who had ever felt the desire for companionship on the level that she assumed many of those individuals desired and needed it; she'd been a loner for a long time, she was suited to it, she could handle the silence and the temptation of her own mind. it was why she had kept her distance, had left them as they had left her alone as her business and duties had never overlapped theirs and she had never felt a need to dirty herself with getting dragged into the chaotic and idiotic ideals and drama that the clans created for both themselves and other groups. in all honesty, adra had found them to be rather unimpressive over her time, she had met clan cats before wanting to escape (rogues or exiles, she supposes) that had wished for something to hide their scent so they would be able to effectively lose the other clan animals that were preying on them and she had been unimpressed with them and their rather egotistical views of themselves. unlike many of the other loners she had never expressed a want to join, she found the very idea of moving in a group to be useless and, in the end, something very dangerous to both her personal self and her... hobby, you could say. this... well, this, again, was not part of the plan but with the sighting of petrichor in one of these pesky clans she had no other choice but to infiltrate the sphere and situate herself in a way that would give her the means to begin hunting for the monster that had ruined her life. this was just another sacrifice she was willing to give in order to take down petri, her quite and peaceful life for one that would surely be filled with chaos and idiocy on a level she was not sure she'd be able to handle.

it was a loud screech that pulled her away from her thoughts and had her lifting her head to the sky where a large shadow began to descend quickly; now, many smaller creatures, such as herself, would be wary at the speeds in which the large bird was dropping in their direction but adra had long since grown used to this feeling, she no longer feared it. no, instead she was rather calmed by the presence of the large bird and allowed a small smile to slip from her mouth under the large bird skull that masked her face from the pesky eyes of the strangers she knew would soon come running. the bird began to slow before extending it's claws and clamping onto adrastar's back with a solid thump and a hidden wince from the witch; adra was simply glad that she had finally gotten to coating the underside of the albino feline's pelt with a thick leather that at least gave her more of a barrier between her flesh and the razors that bellica had for claws. of course, she had long gotten used to the pain created by the condor's claws but... it was never truly a pleasant experience and the less weakness adra could show the better it would be for her and her darling familiar.

"there is no need to scream bellica, i can hear you just fine, sweetheart." she purred lightly, huffing out a laugh as the large condor sunk her claws in deeper to the flesh of her back and gave a quick nip of her singular ear. she could tell the act would seem rather aggressive to anyone who did not know the condor but adra was not just anyone, she had known the bird for a long time and they had a bond that most mortals would not and could not ever understand; bellica was part of her soul and what many would see as an aggressive act of irritation adra knew was nothing more than snarky attitude at being teased. "ah, come now don't make me hit you, you little brat." again, the large bird nipped towards her ear before letting out a squawk that sounded vaguely offended.

she knew that bellica was surely tired, she'd been flying for most of the day and hand't been able to take a break for fear of getting caught in the muddy waters of the marsh-like forest but now that they seemed to be on a flatter and dryer patch of the territory she was quick to put all her weight onto her master. adra was not complaining, she would never, her darling deserved a rest and while she was not the biggest nor the strongest of felines she had grown used to carrying around the heavy bird at the cost of her back and joints-nothing that couldn't be eased with a few herbs or hex-bags. she knew there was still a ways to go and that they would need to move quickly before the sun set because while adra had no problem lurking around in the night, often preferred it, she knew that many of these clan cats would immediately find it suspicious and if her appearance was not already reason for them to dismiss her she knew showing up in the dead of night and having access to where they lived was just reason for them to raise torch and pitchfork; she was tired and did not really wish to deal with bratty mundanes. "hold on tightly now, we still have a long way to go and we will not get far at this pace." she said softly, casting a look over her left shoulder with her only eye as the condor gave something like a nod and leaned down to sink her beak into the skin behind her neck and sink her claws deep into the witch's back. with that, adra closed her eye and whispered a soft "cursu et viribus" under her breath before launching herself forward with her newfound strength and speed, bellica hanging onto the feline for dear life.

it was a strange sight but adra didn't much care for any individuals who might see them, not here at least; they were still a few minutes from the border of the clan that she had found would fit her the best (the last clan the bitch had been spotted near) and the one that would allow her the most access to many of the poisonous herbs that she was talented with and would need. they made great time, in her opinion, as they were quick to reach the very edge of this "bloodclan" and as she huffed and puffed while the affects of the spell wore off, she was thankful. her back was beginning to ache with the weight of bellica and her joints were throbbing with the length and speed at which she had run. bellica, sensing her master's pain, was quick to hop off of adrastar's back and onto the soft ground of the marsh as the black witch cracked her joints and began a leisurely pace into the clan's territory, waving the anise tied to her tail around quickly to hide her scent as she moved in. bellica stayed put for a few seconds, looking over the area before taking off into the sky to watch out for any threat that could potentially hurt her master or put a delay in their plans; adra, in the meantime, had begun a soft trot over the land, her singular glowing eye glancing over as much as she could, purposefully allowing her herb jars and bone necklace to make loud clanking noises in hopes that it would attract any clan animal that would be nearby. the forest was beautiful, she would admit, it almost appeared like the forest she had been calling home for many months.

she knew she would need to play her cards right, put on an appearance of an old shaman or medicine woman that they would be able to trust and not... not the demonic black witch that she truly was; it was a tricky card because she knew what she looked like, knew what her appearance could make others feel and had to have complete and total confidence in her wits, charm and higher intelligence in order to force her way into the clan life that would help her get ever closer to the beast that had killed both of her sisters... in a way. she cleared her throat loudly, casting a glance upward as bellica began to circle her location and screech to help draw attention, how she loved that darling bird, her child in a sense. "hello? oh, hello is anyone around here? i think i'm lost, hello?" oh... she would certainly need to play down the innocent card here, she was wearing the pelt of a deceased cat on her back and her voice was far too sweet for even her to believe. "hello? look, it's going to get dark soon is anyone around here?" ah, the perfect sense of light but pissy, something that would actually pass for the personality of someone like her.

she knew this whole plan was a lot, obsessive, one might say-all in the name of finding someone who had only been spotted barely by an untrustworthy witness but, well, it was the only lead she had and she was not going to miss it because she couldn't just have a little faith. she'd done many things in the name of finding the person who had done this to her, to her family and she knows that none of them were good and, to some, she had become something worse than the monster she was hunting. she'd hurt people, killed children, eaten people and done things that, if she were in her right mind, she would hate herself for but... in this state all she had to say was that the road of revenge that she walked was paved in the blood of those whom had dared to stand in the way of her and her target. she was doing what she had to do, she didn't regret it and after this was all finished she would repeat, it was the deal she had made.