Welcome to the House of Fun! [Plot]

Atilla entered the room right on his heels, and stood by his side as he sized up the body. "You knew this cat." He said it as a statement, with a tinge of sympathy, but recognized the loss. He had known that loss, had caused it himself upon more than one. "You're the next little plaything for this monster." He eyed the body. "And I'm guessing that this one you wouldn't kill yourself…" He glanced at Ravi, part curious, part solemn, and even a little concerned.

_{Now he was flying off the handle. Atilla was right next to Ravi, and said something abot Ravi knowing that cat...He felt the anger rising, and reality slipping... "Of course I knew this cat!" He spat, the sight becoming too much for him. "I said his name, didn't I? DIDN'T I!?" He yowled, his eyes becoming as wide as they possibly could as he stared at his twin brother's limp, lifeless body. Only hours ago had the two been walking with Blizzard. If Blizzard had never taken him to Brody's place, then the dog never would have knocked Ravi unconcious...This was Blizzard's fault! "It's all his fault!" Ravi began to back away, still oblivious to the message scratched into the wall above Aku's body. Ravi jerked his head towards Atilla, his eyes mere slits. "Why would I EVER kill this cat!? Why would I EVER kill ANY cat!?" He didn't mean to yell at his ally, but he just couldn't take it. Ravi began to back away, shaking his head. "No, no, no, no, no..." He began to murmur repeatedly over and over. "It's all Blizzard's fault your dead, Aku....All his fault..." Aku looked almost exactly like Ravi, except for the kink in Ravi's tail.}

Ghoststare didn't understand. Atilla seemed almost... impressed with their captor's message to him, she had been appalled by the reference to Ravencry... Ravi was obviously upset about Aku...

What was their link? What did they all have in common?

Was the evil thing behind this trying to tell her that she HAD killed Ravencry? No. It wasn't possible! She had blacked out and she didn't even remember it! And Ravi... Was Ravi a killer? He didn't seem the type...

Her mind went to Fernfur - no. A feeble, flip-flopper of a cat...

Atilla. Was it Atilla? Was their captor trying to tell them that Atilla had killed all three of these cats? Her spine crawled at the thought.

"I...I'm sorry, Ravi..." She said to him. "This is all just... sick..."

Fernfur laughed. He didn't mean to, but in the brazen emotion of fear, a terrified chuckle escaped his throat. Atilla, Ravi, Ghoststare... they had all been singled out. Only he and Nymph were left. He scanned his memory... what would there be to torment him over? Nothing! He had been a good cat, kept his nose clean, and worked hard in his clan... He HAD to be the special case, here. A mistake! Certainly it was a mistake he was trapped here with the murders and evil cats!

He thought about the watches... five o'clock... What time was it now? Was this how much time they had until... Until what?

Attila didn't flinch, but did dip his head. "He just means to hurt." he told him. "Our captor is trying to break you. All of us. He doesn't care how." His gaze went to the mangled Aku. "He doesn't care who he kills to get to us." Funny, he could have been describing himself at the time when he had killed that clanner. "I'm sorry for your loss, but your only chance of avenging him is if you're free."

Another mistake. You've given me something to observe. This might draw blood from the others, but a corpse means an answer. At least, for the ones of others.

What happens when he decides you're not hurt enough? Who will he kill next-your companions? Mars? Maybe even Dust?

Not Dust. He couldn't know about her. He can't hold that over me.

He found that corpse. Who says he can't find her?

What if the next corpse we find is my closest friend?

Nymph had been watching everything unfold in the background, her claws digging into the wood and her horrid blue eyes wide, the only thing she could think about throughtout all of this was Pente, oh sweet Pente, it was all my fault he was dead, and their was no way she could change it, her eyes kept dancing back over to the stuffed raven, something about it scared her deep down inside, broke something in her chest that shouldn't have shattered, her long cream tail pluming and curling along the floorboards like a snake in water, brown paws soft against the grainy wood. Would these tortures happen to all of us, or just those so unfortunate to be chosen.

Nymph was shoved rather rapidly by a closing door into the room. She growled, blue eyes scanning the room widly, her blue eyes danced around the frames of the door, trying to figure out what had made it close, now that the voices were gone, she had no fear, felt rather calm actually. Her cream tipped tail flickering back and forth cautiosly

Ghoststare spun around when she heard Nymph growl. "What is it?" Her ears perked straight up. Any little movement they could pinpoint might lead them to their captor. She didn't think herself a violent cat, but she wanted to rip their throat out right now...

Her mind kept wandering back to Ravencry. Was it me? she thought. Did I really kill him? Little flashes would come back to her... but she couldn't focus on it now. Something on the hallway wall caught her attention.

A cat. There was another cat... Nailed to the wall. "Oh... great... StarClan..." she muttered.

Fernfur spotted what Ghoststare was looking at. His right eye twitched before he leaned over and was sick.

"Sorry," he apologized, embarrassed. "Why does this guy have to be such a sick-o?"

Fernfur felt a chill go through his body. This hall was tiny and cramped... Was this where he was going to kill us? Was this cat a final warning? Wait... what was that next to the cat on the wall? A key...

There was a way out!

Nymph's eyes locked onto the hallway and her calm voice echoed loudly through the creaking house.

"I don't know why" Nymph padded up next to FernFur, her long creme and brown pelt curling around her, peering into the hallway with irdiecent blue eyes

_{Did they really just see the cat? The cat was no cat, it was Aku! Ravi was still sobbing over his brother's mangled body as he padded over to it and put his head on the ground. "Aku...Aku...I'm so sorry..." He didn't care if he died anymore-He'd be with Aku. "Just-Just kill me now...Somebody...Anybody..." He begged nobody in particular. He had never been a killer, he had never layed a claw on another cat-He had never stolen anything, or been mean peri-He couldn't finish that thought. Ravi suddenly knew why he was there: He had killed others with Aku...Mentally. The two had always been tricksters and found joy in the uncomfortableness and insanity of others...They had always messed with other cat's heads. He had stolen things from others...He'd stolen their mental stability. Ravi let more sobs wracked his body as he fell to the ground in a flurry of pain, regret, hate, and sorrow.}

Nymph padded toward Ravi and laid down at his side, not knowing the cat very well she did as best as she could to comfort him, her cold blue eyes flashing with a softness they didn't usually have.

"Ravi, no one here will kill you, and if they try to I'll kill them, you don't deserve to die," She murmured soothingly "This house is a trick, it's all a lie to play with our heads, we'll be out of here in no time, we just have to keep it calm, because I get the feeling this cat knows more about us then we think"

_{Ravi felt Nymph lie down beside him, and his body stiffened up. Aku was the only one to ever comfort him like that. He still had wet tears running down his cheeks, dampening the fur there, but he looked at her with wide, watery eyes. "Do-Do you mean that?" He sniffled at her words. "Nobody's ever said that before...Except for Aku..." His ears flattened against his head, and he suddenly regretted saying those words, about someone killing him. Ravi didn't want to die, as much as he missed Aku. "Alright..." He still wasn't alright. He still felt unstable, and as if everything was crumbling beneath him. But he needed to get out of there, for Ravi.}

"I do mean that" She murmured softly, her cold blue eyes sparkling as they met his, her creme fur long and silky soft, her dark brown paws sitting infront of her kindly. She nuzzled him to comfort him before rising on her long graceful legs, long pluming tail sweeping the ground, black and white whiskers flat to her beautiful cheeks as she stared at the cat, still no emotion reflecting in her horrid blue eyes

Atilla looked at Ravi for long moments. "No matter what," he said almost gently, "You have to keep moving forward. So long as you keep moving, you'll never stumble, and if you never stumble, you'll never fall. This cat isn't a killer, he's a trickster. Smoke and mirrors can't stop us, can they? Liars lie to get you to believe them. The only way to beat them is not to listen."

Nymph nodded to Atilla "He's right"

Ghoststare nodded, agreeing with the group. "He's doing this to us on purpose. If we let him get to us, if we let him get under our pelts... We lose." She looked back to the cat - Aku - nailed to the wall.

"This is a message," she stated. "He's giving us a clue. Cat plus key." She looked around to her cohorts. "Cats are the key? The key is a cat?"

What was it... She stopped and shook hear head. "No." She whispered. "No, no, no..."

She dropped her head, not wanting to look at Ravi when she spoke next. "The key is in the cat."

Nymph's eyes glinted as she looked at Aku, seeing the horrified look on Ravi's face.

"I'll get the key out if you want Ravi" She murmured slowly

_{Ravi smiled at them all, hope starting to flicker in his eyes once more. "T-Thank you guys..." They really were his friends and allies after all, if they were willing to comfort him like they did. He would keep moving forward, and nothing would stop him. His eyes finally became aware of the message, and he looked at it, a curious look on his face-Until Ghoststare told him the cold, hard truth. He began to shake his head again, but stopped himself from freaking out-He had to be brave and strong, for the other cats, and for Aku. "No, Nymph, I'll get it out." He wanted to be strong, and if he was strong, he would be able to do this. Taking a deep breath, he began to pad forward.}