"The majority of our cats will make up the first unit, and will be storming the South District through the city itself. We'll need to clear the North District first, but our attack will be more efficiently executed than theirs, and we should have the advantage."

Hero stood completely still, trying to remain patient as the brown tabby she-cat helped him to fasten the intricate straps and buckles attached to the set of armor that had been retrieved from the East Faction's camp. Neither of them had spoken the entire time, and it was clear that neither of then intended to.

The bands tightened around his chest with a satisfying 'click', and silent as ever, the she-cat padded off to assist the next cat in line. Hero stepped towards the basin of water by the side of the tracks, hopping up onto the edge to peer down at himself on the surface of the water. His form blotted out the reflection of the moon, creating a silver contour on the edges of his fur.

His own armor was primarily leather, as opposed to the clanking metal plates that many of the other cats he'd seen were clad in. It would help him move stealthily - the leather was black or dark brown, and the only metal fixtures were the blades that slid out of gauntlets, a special set of weaponry courtesy of Tags - though he doubted his soundless movements would be much protection against an army of enemy cats.

"The second unit, compromised mostly of Clan cats, will be entering through the water treatment plant and along the riverbank beneath the bridges. This will be a much smaller group, but they will hold the element of surprise."

Hero slipped his watch back over his neck, he had removed it to be fitted. He breathed deeply, listening to the ticking of the watch against the thrumming of his heart. He turned, about to step off the edge of the basin when he heard a crunching on the gravel behind him. 

"You should really wear that," Lilypool suggested, nodding towards the odd, vaguely skull-shaped metal contraption lying a few feet away.

"I don't like it. It makes me feel like the enemy," he murmured.

Still, he remaining motionless as Lilypool picked it up, hopping up onto the side of the basin next to him. "Hush, you," she scolded gently, "If it prevents you from getting killed, it's worth it."

"Right," he mumbled, and an emotion that he couldn't quite decipher briefly flitted across Lilypool's features before she lifted the helmet and set it over his head. It certainly did resemble a skull; the metal plating covered most of his head, with holes for his ears and larger ones for his eyes that would not inhibit his vision, and two sharpened metallic fangs stretching from the muzzle and down over Hero's own. Lilypool fastened the two straps beneath his chin, securing it in place, and paying no mind to the daunting appearance it gave him.

"My nose itches," he complained.

Lilypool rolled her eyes. "Come on, Timekeeper. We've got a war to win."

Hero didn't bother to correct her, and the two trotted off towards the distant crowd of cats, who had begun to arrange themselves in battle formation. He took a deep breath, listening only to the ticking of his watch, and secretly wishing he could be so unfalteringly precise.

"We have three separate teams on covert missions. One, comprised of medicine cats and those with similar healing abilities will be our backup team of war medics, will be led by Fawnsoul and dedicated to removing injured cats from the battlefield and help to fix up the ones who aren't hurt too badly."

The movements of the cats around Hero became a blur. He couldn't focus, and yet he couldn't seem not to. The world faded in and out of his vision in a whirl of color and sound, whispers travelled among the cats as they glimpsed the ominous helmet adorning Hero's head.

Lilypool was soon called away, and he redirected his course to the sidelines in an effort to escape the commotion, he spotted Foxspring conversing with Roach, the she-cat who had returned with him to the Clan. He wasn't sure what compelled him to do so, but as he came within earshot, he simply stopped and stood, watching.

"...and I know we've only known each other a short while, it's hardly been more than a week, but I just..." Foxspring was reasoning, too wrapped up in discussion to notice Hero was there at all, "We'll never know how this battle could end. There's no way to know what could happen to you."

Standing in front of the calico she-cat made Foxspring look so big in comparison. Roach held his gaze, her warm brown eyes trained on the orange tom's bright blue ones. 

"What are you saying?" She asked simply.

He cleared his throat quietly, then paused, then cleared it again. 

He inhaled.

"I want you to be my mate."

He exhaled.

It was a long moment before Roach moved, and when she did, it was only to cast him a faint smile. Then she stepped towards him, pressing her face to his cheek and burying her face in his fur. Foxspring looked stunned for a moment, his eyes wide, though when the she-cat stepped away from him Hero inhaled sharply.

"You're right. We don't know how this battle will end," she murmured, still smiling softly, "But I know how it will begin. How it should begin. With the two of us as friends, fighting alongside each other in battle."

Foxspring nodded and returned her grin. "I would like that."

Hero ducked out of view as the two cats headed back towards the crowd, and he resolved to do the same.

"For our second team, we have chosen cats with the greatest speed and stamina from both Factions and Clans to act as battlefield messengers. They will be in charge of accounting for the cats lost in battle, and deliver news between whomever is in need of their service."

Hero easily picked out Tags among a row of armor-clad cats; her spotted coat was groomed to perfection, and she stood atop a crate, basked in silvery light as she finished putting on her own glimmering armor. Between her paws rested another skull-shaped helmet, and Hero realized how harmless his own looked in comparison. Hers was lined with teeth stretching along the jaw, clearly made to tear at the throats of enemy warriors.

"Hero," she greeted, if it could be considered a greeting; she said it rather dismissively, as per usual, and he stopped at the side of the crate.

"I think that's the first time you've said my real name all night," he chuckled, as she finished fastening the plated guard on her chest and turned to look down at him. In that moment, he recalled the conversation between Foxspring and Roach, and suddenly came to realize that this was the cat who would hold his life in her paws on the battlefield. She continued to watch him, curious. "I... I would like you to have this."

He shook off his helmet, and almost simultaneously, the watch around his neck slid off along with it. It landed agains the helmet with a clattering sound, and he carefully picked it back up again, leaping onto the crate and setting it before her. 

She considered it for a while, and Hero couldn't read her expression past intrigue. Then the corner of her mouth tilted upwards, and she looked directly into his eyes, their faces impossibly close to touching. "Your human trinkets will only slow me down."

With that, she bent over and lifted her own helmet onto her head, sauntering past him without another word.

The gesture itself would seem contemptuous to any cat other than Hero, and it took all he had not to laugh out loud. The cat who hated him with every living fiber of her being, who spent weeks trying to obtain the object he had just offered to her, who would rather kill than trust him, had just in her own subtle way told him that she considered him an ally. 

No other feeling could match his satisfaction.

"Our third team consists of cats from both Factions and Clans, those with unique talents and abilities. Those who were overlooked, who were overestimated, those who are only now learning who they truly are. They will be fighting at the forefront of our battle, and together, we will defeat our foes. Together, we will take back our city."

He padded towards the gathering of cats that had broken away from the larger group. The chatter had lessened, and now each soldier was focusing on finding their commander and learning their task. Each combatant fell into line behind their superiors, their hearts racing with anticipation, the thrill of the fight plaguing their minds.

Three dozen cats sat before Tags, eyes trained intently on her as they waited for direction. Then, as Hero approached, they all at once turned to stare. Some looked at him with respect, others in awe, and some still appeared envious. Perhaps word had spread of his abilities, though Hero preferred to believe that Tags had boasted about his finder powers to their team.

Hero sat down wordlessly, beside where his own previous team had already assembled. Smokewhisker gave him a single nod.

"What do I do?" Snowfeather whispered to Swiftstorm, who was hovering oddly close to the snow white warrior. 

"You persevere," Swiftstorm replied, not looking at him directly as she did so, "You can fight, and you can hope, and when it feels right, you can be afraid. But whatever you do, you can't ever give up."

Somehow, that sounded right.

< ——— >

The city was desolate.

It was unnervingly quiet as Hero and Tags marched their team into the streets, putting the train tracks behind them as the passed under the wall's arches and between the infinitely tall pillars of stone. 

Three dozen cats padded behind them, their footfall soundless against the asphalt. 

"We should be coming across a North Faction patrol in a few blocks, I've memorized the course they take exactly for such an occasion," Tags explained, though she'd already informed them of this, and was only mentioning it again to break the insufferable silence, "Remember that we were chosen specifically for this task; we must do our best to complete it. Does everyone recall our formation?"

She was answered with an assortment of grunts, nods, and mumbles of response. 

"Course," chirped a tawny she-cat, not seeming to realize that the question posed was a rhetorical one, "Team Alpha, led by Tags, attacks from the right. Team Bravo, led by Hero, attacks from the left. Each cat has been paired with one or two others for means of organization, but also based on their individual strengths and weaknesses. They will also be responsible for accounting for each other before and after each attack."

Hero automatically looked over at Smokewhisker and Lilypool, who had been named his own partners at his request, and quickly noticed that they had done the same.

Tags flicked her tail. "Good."

"I'll scout up ahead," Kilter volunteered, then without waiting for much of an answer, bounded off down the street.

After a few more moments of silence, Hero found that the she-cat who had spoken before had picked up pace to meet his stride. "He's my mate," she boasted pridefully, as Kilter disappeared from view entirely, and Hero offered her a polite smile. "I'm Annelyse, by the way. You don't have to introduce yourself, I know who you already are. Tags wouldn't shut up about you."

Hero grinned. "I knew it."

"Don't sound so pleased, they weren't exactly good things," she added, then continuing with their previous topic of conversation, "Kilter's one of the best scouts in the East Faction. I was a rogue before I knew him, and I ran into an East Faction patrol that he as leading. I swear they were going to kill me, though Kilter insists that he wouldn't have let that happen. Never knew what love felt like until then."

Hero sighed quietly. "I know the feeling," he admitted, receiving a sympathetic glance from the she-cat. He shook his head to clear the thought. "We're about to charge into battle and here I am, complaining about my romantic life. Look, Kilter's coming back."

The brown bengal tom arrived a second later, breathing heavily with exhilaration. "They're passing through the point just up ahead, right on schedule," he reported, coming to a halt in front of Tags, "Looks like they're about to stop too, lucky for us!"

Tags smiled faintly. "Teams Alpha and Bravo, fall into formation."

With practiced movements, the group stealthily moved to the sides of the street, flanking the walls as they neared the checkpoint at which the patrol had stopped progress.

"It worries me," Annelyse murmured to Kilter, who padded quietly beside her.

"Don't worry about it," Kilter replied teasingly, pressing his nose against hers fondly, "You'll do fine."

Hero wasn't sure whether the tom had misinterpreted the she-cat's words; it sounded as if she was more suspicious about the convenience of the ambush, though she had sounded vague about it, and he reasoned that Annelyse's mate probably knew her better than he did.

Tags gestured for them to stop, her ears pricked to the sound of muffled talking. Hero's eyes warily flicked over each cat, accounting for them as if he expected them to disappear at any given moment. 

The next few moments were a rush of movement.

There was no delay when Tags signaled the attack; the blades slid out of her gauntlets, catching the lantern light with a deadly flash, and their army surged past her and towards the huddle of cats. The night erupted into screeches and chaos as the cats leapt upon each other, Hero's legs carrying him forward almost without his knowing.

A swipe of enemy claws jolted him back to reality; he reflexively parried the blow with his own blades so forcefully that a sickeningly audible snap met his counterattack. Hero wasn't entirely sure whose bone had been broken until the armor-clad wailed and reared backwards, clutching his foreleg to his chest. Less than a second passed before the cat spun and fled - or rather, limped - away from the scene.

For a moment, Hero considered pursuit, until he saw the cat being tackled by Tags out of the corner of his eye. She raised her claws, slicing the blade downwards as the two were hidden among the swarm of yowling cats.

They were fighting a Faction now, claws and fangs didn't suffice. Hero couldn't help but compare the battle to one being fought in the rapids of a river - one wrong move, one mistake, and you were mercilessly pulled under the waves.

"Get your head in the game, Timekeeper!" Tags yelled at him as she stomped past, pelt flecked with blood.

The sound of rushing water filled his ears.

He dodged around cats locked in battle, their metal weaponry grinding against each other with an unnerving screech. The body of a cat struck his side, and only after he shoved them away did he realize that the cat was one of his own. Snowfeather stumbled before regaining his footing, barely even noticing Hero as he charged at the cat who had caused his fall. Swiftstorm appeared just before he stuck, winding between the larger cat's legs just as Snowfeather tackled him head-on. 

Barely a second had passed before Hero felt something else slam not his side - though this time, it was an enemy cat, and in the short time it had taken for him to realize that, he was already locked in combat with the cat who had barreled him over. Hero kicked at the cat's underbelly, but she sprang away just in time, and he pushed himself back to his paws.

"End of the line, kitty," the she-cat hissed, coal black eyes flashing dangerously. She lunged at him, lashing out with jagged metal claws, and Hero instinctively tried to duck away. Her artificial claws connected with the metal casing on his head as he backed out of range, and Hero squeaked as the tips pierced the skin on his cheek. 

He wheeled away from her, all too aware of her claws tearing into his flesh as he moved, and as the she-cat tried to release her hold, she found that the claws had been hooked into the metal. Noticing his advantage, Hero immediately dropped onto the cold stone and rolled beneath her, flipping the she-cat onto her back; wincing as her shoulder was yanked from its socket with brutal force. He scrambled to stand again, though there wasn't much of a need. The she-cat lay there, winded and unmoving. 

"Kill me then," she stuttered, eyes fluttering closed as she licked the blood from the corners of her mouth, "Kill me."

The cat's chest heaved beneath her armor, pelt streaked with her own blood and the blood of the cats who had fought against her. Hero swallowed, visibly trembling. "No one deserves this."

The she-cat's lips twisted into a smile. "Then I'll kill you, Timekeeper."

She spat the last word as if it were an insult, and suddenly sprang at him, teeth scraping against the metal around his neck. Hero deftly clawed at her stomach as he was pinned to the ground, but felt only bitingly cold metal pressing against the pads of his paws, subduing his motions. For a moment, Hero was hopeful - there was no way the cat's fangs could puncture his armor, he could force her off of himself.

This sensation was short-lived.

The two metal pieces on either side of his nape were joined by a single leather band, and as his heart thudded with horror, she grabbed a hold of the looped material and tugged at it fervently. He gasped as it pulled tighter against his neck, the she-cat's good leg digging into his shoulder and pinning him down. Black rimmed his vision; with each breath he could feel a wave of numbness flowing throughout his body. 

The weight was abruptly removed form his chest, the tingling in his limbs began to grow more painful as he began to regain consciousness.

Hero coughed, turning onto his stomach as the blood trickling from his cheek peppered the stone, the sound of frenzied yowls once again filling his ears. He tried and failed to stand up, paws now slick with his own blood, only vaguely aware of another cat helping him to his paws. His head now pounding, Hero turned, vision still hazy.

"You alright, Hero?" Smokewhisker asked, voice laced with sympathy as Hero felt the grey tom helping to support him. He could see more clearly now; the raging battle still continued a few feet away from where he had been cornered, and the she-cat he'd been fighting seemed to have disappeared. "I pulled her off of you, but she was gone by the time-"

"Timekeeper," Hero managed to choke out, as his own blood had now begun to drip into his mouth. 

Smokewhisker frowned. "Thought you didn't like being called that."

"No, I..." he began, shaking his head to clear his thoughts, "She knew who I was, she purposefully singled me out. She called me Timekeeper."

Smokewhisker had led him a bit further away from the battle, letting him slump against the wall as he tried to regain his composure. "She knew who you were? How's that possible?"

"I don't know," he groaned, pulling at the leather band to loosen the clasp around his neck, "She couldn't have gotten that information, unless-"

"Unless someone had given it to her," finished the tawny cat who was now approaching them, tail swishing purposefully though her eyes were wide and afraid. "Hero, I think we may have a problem."

He exhaled shakily. "What kind of problem?"

A shadow blotted out the light from the lantern mounted on the building behind him, and all three cats turned to meet the bright blue gaze of the looming figure. Hero's heart skipped a beat.

Bling smirked.

"Hello again, friend."

NO AUTHOR'S NOTE FOR YOU 

~Frost