Where is Home? [Stormwind]

“Blackavar...” Rose’s mewl was a mix of exasperation and fear, worrying about her mate and what was going on in his head. The She-cat trembled softly as she stared at him, completely unsure of what to do next.

"Well no... But its still a fox" He grunted at her.

“A fox would fight back, Blackavar.” Rose Mewed quickly in reply. “And did you feel fur in your claws when you attacked?”

"What do you mean its a rock? Can you not see the dumb fox just laying there?" He huffed at her.

Rose swallowed, genuinely afraid for the tom now. if this is a joke, he’s taken it way too far... “Blackavar, that’s a rock.” She mewed flatly, unsure of what else to say to the tom.

"Why? I was hunting and a fox came out of no where" He said blandly, oblivious to what was happening to him.

“I know, Blacky,” Rose mewled, a bit of a whine in her voice as her mate approached.  “But you’re worrying me...”

Blackavar continued trying to beat up the rock before he jolted and turned, "Why are you out here? Its dangerous" He hissed lightly, moving toward his mate.

Rose’s face screwed up as she fought herself, torn firmly in two halves. One wanted to protect him, and the other wanted to protect herself and her family.

Finally, closing her eyes right, she yowled out “Blackavar!”

Tyrus yawned, trudging toward the other's and just flopped back down, falling back asleep.

Khan gave a small whimper, staying close to his family.

Blackavar kept pouncing at and kicking at the rock, trying to bite and claw at it.

“I don’t know,” Tigerlily admitted after some time. The former medicine cat apprentice had never seen anything like this that she could remember. Blackavar wasn’t old enough to be that daft, was he?

Lilium joined her aunts and her siblings, snuggling up to Poppy.

Rose flinched even at the relatively minor fall Blackavar took. he’s going to hurt himself like this. I have to stop him! And yet still her paws were rooted in place.

"But what's wrong? He's never been like this" Khan questioned, hesitant as he left the cage, curling up with his aunts.

Blackavar gathered some rocks and he buried them by a tree before bounding back up the slope, stumbling and he tumbled back down, hissing and growling, "Damn fox" He hissed, jumping at a rock larger than him.

Tigerlily glanced up towards Khan’s cage, a look of concern instantly crossing her sleepy face.

Lilium nodded when Tigerlily glanced to her for confirmation. “Yeah. The rock daddy brought is right here.” She pushed it forward with her paw.

Tigerlily frowned and quickly set about lowering Tyrus and Khan and freeing them from their cages, feeling an instinct to comfort the trio of younger cats. “Here, come lay with Aunt Poppy and I.” She laid back down beside Poppy, who awoke with a groggy blink.

Rose followed, her footsteps more cautious to avoid kicking rocks down and alerting Blackavar to her presence. What has gotten into him!?

Khan watched from his cage, his ears flicking and he looked to Tigerlily, "Do you have any idea what's going on? Dads being weird" He asked, "He brought mamma a rock and said it was a mouse, now he's going back for more" The tom was worried.

Blackavar walked along a path, getting to a steep incline and he began climbing, kicking down quite a few rocks and he started pouncing on some, his short tail lashing.

Rose nodded softly, padding back towards her daughter until Blackavar had left the barn again.

“Momma?” Lilium gave her mother a questioning look. The cream-colored She-cat did not reply, only chucked the rock towards the kit and then wriggled out of the barn after the older tom.

Tigerlily was next to wake, untangling herself from Poppy. The youngest of the three girls who had been captured and not born here blinked awake groggily.

"I'll go find more, I think I found a large nest, must be big they're all out and didn't even care I grabbed that one" The tom mewed, beginning to make his way back to where he came from.

Rose smirked up at Blackavar, expecting the tom to be grinning right back at her.

This has to be a joke, right? His look made her realize otherwise. “Blackavar, it’s...”

a rock.

“Perfect,” finished the She-cat with a purr, taking the rock in her jaws. “I’ll share it with Lilium. She’s been hungry since she woke up.”

The tom was gone for a few minutes, walking back and he dropped a small rock at her paws, "I caught you a mouse" He said, looking toward his mate, his eyes hazed a bit as he stood there.

Rose followed him to the hole in the wall, hesitating there. As Blackavar made his way solemnly our into the world, his ever-faithful mate watched him go with concern etched into her blue gaze. “Something’s not right...” all the same, she did not follow him at first, afraid of the consequences of breaking his new rule about leaving the barn. She wanted to follow it in hopes that she could eventually make him see the light and get rid of it, and breaking it so soon would likely only steel her Blacky’s resolve.

The male squeezed out through a hole in the wall, he began making his way through the foliage, his torn ears back and limping heavier than usual.

Rose looked up from her grooming with some concern at the tone of Blackavar’s voice and the way he was carrying himself. Something just seemed off, and the she-cat left Lilium’s side to attend to him. The younger cat, an apprentice by clan standards, toddled behind, watching her mother and father with wide eyes.

"Morning" He muttered lightly, his joints stiff as he began moving about, "I'm going to get food.." He muttered.

“Good morning, Blacky,” Came Rose’s sweet purr, The she-cat looking up from grooming their daughter but not stopping the licking.

Blackavar woke later than he usually did, groaning as he started to stand, he looked groggy and almost like his age seemed to be getting to him more than usual that day, he glanced around with squinted eyes at his family, noting his sons both in cages like he wanted.

The next morning, Rose and Lilium were the first awake, the mother grooming her daughter softly and eliciting putts from the small girl. Tigerlily and Poppy were still sleeping together, their forepaws wrapped around one another. They were still locked in the embrace they’d shared after being punished for letting Tyrus climax inside them. The blind girl remained asleep, sprawled our on her back.