I slowly sat up in the soft fort, though not far since Gorse still held tightly onto me. He was fast asleep, tail twitching and an occasional mumble. I carefully slid out of his grasp and crawled out of the fort, into the rest of his room. It was dark since the drapes weren't pulled back. I could hear Gorse roll over inside the fort, he then crawled out as well.
"That was crazy *yawn* last night,"
He meowed tiredly standing up with me. 

He walked over to a clock and checked the time yawning again with a good stretch.

"It's early, but I should take you home anyways, Jade'll want you back after that crazy experience,"
Gorse said groggily.

He took my hand and we started on the way to Jade's. It was kinda cold in the cave today.

We walked for a bit until Gorse stopped, he seemed to be petrified. His nose twitched a little.

I know I'm not a cat and all, but I tried to see if I could smell what he could.

To my surprise a coppery scent filled the air not too far away.

"Gorse, what's that smell?"

"Uh-um, I-it's um-uh b-blood,"
He choked out nervously, I looked to see he'd summoned a spear with his magic, and was slightly sniffing around in a panicked way.

He started walking back towards the castle, I slowly followed after the ginger tabby. Instead of going inside he went around the side of it. While we were walking a fearful knot kept growing in my stomach.

We finally made it past the side and went around the back of the large building.

Suddenly Gorse stopped again.

"O-oh my s-stars......"
He mumbled frightened slowly backing up towards me. I couldn't see past him, so I had no idea what he saw, all I knew was that it didn't smell good and it was scaring Gorse.

I looked around him only to pause in horror.

Right in front of us was a bloody corpse, blood was splattered everywhere along with what seemed to be flesh. What ever did this, did it messily. The cat looked like it had been eaten after something gouged out its throat.

Through the matted bloody fur I could see a few bits of black and white.

"G-Gorse d-do you kn-know who I-it could b-be?"
I asked shakily.

Gorse just simply nodded in his terrified state.

"M-M-Mask,"
He whispered backing up, shaking and slouched fearfully.

He used his magic to do something and a screen like image appeared I front of him. It made a dialing noise like a phone would for a few minutes.

*click*

An image of Hazel appeared on it, he was in the lab.

"What is it?"

"Th-there's b-been a c-casualty,"
Gorse stuttered out.

Hazel looked shocked.

"Where are you?"

"B-behind the castle,"

"I'm on my way,"

*click*

Gorse made the calling image disappear and un summoned his spear.

He picked me up in a hug where I could no longer see the carnage, he wasn't looking at it either.

I heard the sound of what I guessed was Hazel using a portal to get here, I then heard what I guessed was it closing.

Hazels paw steps came closer until the sound halted.

"Vermadon tylic gerand, Gorse. Iou plivine yertech,"
Hazel ordered walking past us.

I have no idea what Hazel said, but Gorse did. The ginger tabby nodded and released me from the hug. He took my hand and started leading me away from the gruesome scene.

If I looked back I think I would've been sick. Then again the smell alone could.

As the smell left my nose I felt someone staring at me. I looked up at the Orange fluff of a cat and saw it was him.

"Y-you ok?"
He mewed, obviously very shaken by what he saw.

I nodded.
"And you?"
I asked quietly.
"A little shaken up b-but otherwise, I think I'll be o-ok,"
He meowed nervously walking up to Jade's door and knocking.

The door flung open to reveal a tired Tawny.

"Gorse-"
She cut herself off with a yawn.
"What're ya doing here early?"
"Oh, I'm-"
"IS THERE A TRAINING SESSION I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT?!"
Tawny mewled out a suddenly cutting him off.
"Oh, no! I'm just bringing Sa-Sarah home!"
He said calming the worried cat.

"Oh heh, sorry! I thought I was late for something,"
She chuckled moving out of the way so I could enter the house.

I went inside and looked around the relatively dark house.

I could see Jade cooking breakfast.

The calico glanced over her shoulder with a tired look in her usually bright eyes.

"Your back early. So. I'm guessing the alarm wasn't set off for no reason then..?"

Jade asked looking Gorse in the eyes, she seemed to have this concerned, heavy gaze.

"U-uh ye-yes! Something did ha-happen. May I speak with you... Alone..?"

Gorse stated awkwardly shifting his scarf in a nervous manner and stuttering with a scared look in his eyes. Jade nodded softening her gaze and motioned for me to sit down and talk with somebody.

"Come on we can go into my studies to talk. Sarah you stay out here, Ferra was pretty worried about you,"

Ferra!
I can't believe I forgot about her!
I went over to our rooms. There on one of the beds I saw Ferra sitting there looking terrified and slightly distant. She looked up hearing the door creak open.

"SARAH! OH MY GOSH YOUR ALRIGHT!"

Ferra yelled out running to me and hugging me tightly. I smiled, clutching her close I quietly whispered.

"I'm okay Ferra.. Big sis is ok I promise. I won't ever let you worry about me again you don't deserve to be sad. Not my little cinnamon roll of a sister,"

Suddenly a loud 'WHAT?!' was heard from somewhere to the far left end of the house. I could feel Ferra gently clutch me in fear of the yelling. For me I can say I certainly did flinch I wasn't much of a fan of yelling from last nights event.

We could hear Jade running to the living room and suddenly heard a loud yell. "FAMILY MEETING EVERYONE GATHER IN THE LIVING ROOM!!!!!"

I glanced down at Ferra to see her smiling up at me with a faint look of nervousness.

"Come on Sarah let's head out Jade is probably just worried about whatever happened,"

I shuddered remembering the sight of Mask on the ground, blood matted black and white fur, blood sprawled across the ground, his throat open, it was still a fresh thought in my mind, and one I certainly didn't like.

Nodding I said nothing more as Ferra took my hand and led me to the living room while I was still in my disgusted state of mind. We approached the room to find Jade by the couch with Gorse on her left side; his scarf a bit crumpled and loose now from his nervous fidgeting. Duck sat where he was in a chair staring at Jade and Gorse with a look of envy it was as if he pitied their existence. Stump was just coming through the house door and looked confused. Tawny stood by Hazel Jr. both sisters looking as nervous and worried as me and Ferra.

"Well I'm glad to see you're back Stump! Now if you don't mind I would like to know where in the name of the king have you been?!"

Jade snapped looking worried and glaring at Stump she still seemed have this motherly gaze in them though.

Stump froze and seemed to sweat a bit and gently ran his claws through the top of his fur.

"oh.. U-umm hi m-mother! I was ju-just out doing.. GUARD! Yes guard patrol that's all!"

'That was..... off? If him,'

I thought to myself it seemed Duck thought the same thing as he rolled his eyes shaking his head with an ear flick.

"Well now that thats out of the way, mind telling us why we were called here, I was kinda busy studying Newton's law of motion,"

"Again,"

Jade sighed at Duck as if trying not to snap at him. She nodded still looking annoyed, with a flick of her tail she started talking.

"Today Gorse and Sarah.. Stumbled upon something, or shall we say someone.."

Suddenly Gorse cut in,

"wefoundMaskonthegroundinapoolofblooddead!"

Ferra looked confused but gulped and asked.

"Ca-can you repeat that b-but slower..?"

Gorse nodded and crumpled the scarf in his paws again,

"we found Ma-Mask on the g-ground... In a po-pool of b-b-blood dead..."

He whispered everyone got a shocked look on their face, well that is everyone except me, Jade, and finally Gorse of course.

"I want you all staying inside the house! No going to work!-"

She pointed at Duck and Hazel Jr.,

"no going to the garden.-"

Then she pointed to Tawney and Stump,

'and finally no guard patrols!"

Everyone got a look of anger, disappointment  , or a mixture of both on their face.

"How dare you! You know I have to help Crane and Swirl out! I'm their assistant and you expect me to not attend my job!"

Duck snapped waving his hands and standing up to prove his point, suddenly it became a stare down. Jade had her gaze narrowed on him, and his on her.

"Calm down brother... Please you have to understand Mom just wants the best for us,"

Hazel jr mumbled.

Duck snarled turning his glare to Hazel Jr. Ferra walked up to Duck and put a gentle hand on his shoulder which he flicked off in his temperamental way. He seemed to have caught his mothers upset gaze.

It gleamed in disapproval.

"Duck, pull your act together,"

Duck nodded and crossed his arms in a sassy manor.

He was still peeved.

Jade had kept Gorse at the house telling him to call Hazel to be sure that the King wouldn't worry.  Luckily Hazel responded well thinking that it was a good idea he stayed there. Jade brought out a game called gem count. It almost seemed exactly like monopoly except with a lot of differences.

Where instead of cards that said you got caught by the police go to jail it said something along the lines of, 'you were caught sneaking over a kingdom boundary, go to the dungeon'. At first my sisterly instincts kicked in and I wanted to stop Ferra from playing. I saw so many times that there were cards like 'you got burnt whilst mining for blast crystals, pay one quartz to get your leg healed or loose two turns' .

I had no idea what a blast crystal was so I ended up asking Jade.

Apparently it was a gem that if hit wrong, would set off a deadly explosion.

I paid Gorse, yet again two opals for crossing over Opal Falls; I looked around.

"This game really reminds me of monopoly."

Stump looked at me confused for a second then stated,

"I dunno what that is..... but cool!"

Ferra smiled taking the opportunity to answer this one with a small bit of shock in her voice,

"o-oh! You don't know what m-monoploy is? It's a game from where me and Sarah come from. It's where you try and become the one with all the money or for here I guess in your case gems,"

Stump nodded.

"Heh, neat. I didn't know our games were that similar,"

Ferra giggled.

"Same!"

Suddenly Ferra gave me a look of almost surprise and happiness gleaming in her eyes, at first I wondered what she was thinking until it dawned upon me as well.

'Please don't say it... Please please don't say it!'

"Remember the time you threw a temper tantrum cause I beat you at chess?"

'Oh gosh there she goes and says it...'

"Y-yeah yeah... Whatever it was a few years ago,"

I grumbled, Duck looked at Ferra confused to what I meant.

"What..?"

"Oh! Sarah hates losing stuff. One time she lost a rock she found at the beach and she started tearing everything in the house up. It was really funny cause it was in her pocket the whole time!"

I could feel my face heating up at that.

Yeah, I did get upset about stupid stuff like that.

But.

Doesn't everybody?

Duck had this weird face.

It was all scrunched up because he was trying not to burst out laughing.

Gorse made a little squeaking noise.

"Awe! Your cute when ya blush Sarie!"

Gorse had finally won at gem count, so we moved to a new game that Duck picked out called 'Wolves of the West.' It was basically just a wolf rpg game, the point of the game was that you all started off as pups in the same or separate litters and compete against each other to become alpha of the pack.

We were half way through the game, Duck's character killed off Gorse and Jade's characters. So that left him and her out of the game and well... dead... Jade seemed fairly unhappy with Duck and sent him a quick playful glare. I watched as Gorse let out a laugh and said it was fine.

"HA! It's just a game!"
He purred giving Jade and Duck a nudge to loosen them up.

Ferrra whas about to take her turn when suddenly, there was a knocking at the door. Jade sighed getting up and shifted over to the door.

"Who is it...?"

She called out as Ferra stopped.

"Open the door Jade...."

I saw her ears go back and she hissed at the door.

"WHY WOULD I EVER LET YOU IN WISH?"

Me and Ferra watched as yet again the female voice of who we assumed to be Wish answered.

"I wish to see your son..."

We watched Jade's attitude sloped into a much more sassy one.

"Which one....?"

"Ugh! Don't play these games with me Jade! Let me in! I need to see Stump! NOW!"

I glanced at Stump giving him a questioning look to which he responded with one right back at me.

The door was opened with a growl from Jade and a black she-cat walking in she glared at Stump and tackled him suddenly. Duck snickered and let out a faint purr.

"Stump I didn't know you were such a lady's man!~"

I was going to go get her off of him but then I heard what she said....

"Stump you're under arrest for the murder of Mask Heizenfield!"