Skipstep wanted to yowl wanted to scream as his kits were ripped away from him. Barely registering anything else but the loss of his kits. His last link to Littlestar as he was dragged away and dumped in a prison with the bleeding Singedwolf. He had no idea if Littlestar's trusted guard was still alive, or if Bloodyrondo wished to imprison him with a corpse. 

But once his body came to a stop, heart aching, body curling in around the phantoms of the kits he'd had in his grasp only moments ago. Jaws parted in a silent wail, he forced his eyes closed and buried his muzzle in the ground forcing himself to control his breathing. 

He couldn't remember if Bloodyrondo had demoted him from Janus, he imagined he had, but all he'd really been focused on was 'the kits, the kits, I can't lose them like I've lost Littlestar, and Jetclaw-' Hot tears gathered in his eyes, his grief of his sister's death welling up within him. He'd tried to keep it back while he'd been clutching his kits. He'd known it was futile to try and cling to them, but cling to them and do his best to just assure them he loved them he loved them. Like somehow he could brand it into their minds and overwhelm whatever lies Bloodyrondo would fill their ears with. 

He knew the game. He knew the power in stealing kits from their parents when they were young, when they were moldable. Lightningmage and Shadowbard, could attest to that, and given where at least Lightningmage had stood with Bloodyrondo it seemed karma had come back to bite him. 

But he grit his teeth and worked to shove all that from his mind, he couldn't outfight the monsters Bloodyrondo had brought to his ranks (where in all of the lands had he gotten that beast? And why hadn't Skipstep noticed the red flags sooner!).

Skipstep forced himself to even out his breathing, pressing his head down into the ground and focus, there was one place he could run to for guidance, who could at the very least offer him something. He'd served SunClan and the teachings of the Sun God faithfully to avoid such a disaster like this!

They couldn't abandon him now when he'd done nothing but serve them!

He closed his eyes tightly, and prayed and prayed. 

He didn't know how long he laid there completely still, pleading with the ancient janus to come to him. To guide him. 

'Please, please what was Littlestar to do?! The Sun God was wrong, this can't be what you wanted! I've been faithful since Hazelcascade disappeared all those seasons ago! I've done nothing but serve your will! You can't do this to Littlestar! Please!' 

Eventually he began to notice how silent it was. Even in the prison there was the sound of water dripping somewhere, Singedwolf's ragged breathing, and the echoing whisper of a slight breeze in the cavern space. 

Not wanting to break his focus for fear he'd have to start over and risk losing more and more of his chance to connect. He waited several heartbeats before cracking an eye open. 

And he shot up to a sitting position.

He sat in a gorge, steep smooth walls reaching up towards the dimly orange lit sky above, lit by a source of fire far beyond this point he was at. He glanced behind and saw the path stretched off into the distance and into darkness. 

Then he turned back and was met with a massive cast iron door, that banged shut right in his face. On it was vague decorations of lions, tigers, flames and the sun. None of which Skipstep fully understood, had he? He couldn't recall and his eyes widened. 

"No!" Skipstep yowled rushing to the door and slamming his paws against it, but the doors didn't budge or even rattle from the impact. "You can't do this!"

He threw his head back his voice echoing throughout the gorge he was in. 

He unsheathed his claws and scraped them down the door. "I gave you everything you can't tell me that Bloodyrondo can do this so easily! How could you!" He screamed slashing and slamming against the door. "I served you faithfully for seasons! I never questioned! I did everything Foxstar asked, I did everything the Sun God asked of me, I did everything you asked of me. And all I asked, begged for was that you would protect my family! But you turn your backs on me on the word of a traitorous Priest Promised!" 

Skipstep continued to claw and slam against the door desperately, before he had to stop panting. 

"He will bring ruin to SunClan! He's killed our own! He's going to drag everyone to war's we cannot win! He's betrayed the High Priestess! Who only did what she had to when the Sun God's failings became clear! How can you do this to us?!" Tears flowed his eyes and he let his head fall his claws digging into the surface of the door. "He took my sister from me! He took Littlestar, took her broken body, broken by all you gods and he hurt her again!" Sobs bubbled up in his throat. 

"He stole my kits and he intends to twist him to his views. This is not like Rubyflame's litter. We were trying to guide them to your light! Bloodyrondo intends to simply hurt us! I was faithful!" His claws scraped down in a horrible sound. He knew he was wearing them down on the harder surface, but he didn't care. His grief all consuming. "I followed you! All I asked was you protect the ones I loved! How can you betray me like this?!" He shouted. "How can you favor him like this! Answer me!"

racer