Today was supposed to be a happy day for Terrormaw. The rat was having her very first litter of pups. Today was supposed to be a happy day, but to the new mother it seemed only to be another link in the chain of disastrous occurrences that made up her life.

Terrormaw was a slender rat with lovely black fur criss-crossed with thin scars. She was an excellent fighter, and, though she was young, she had already been in many battles during what was now called the War of Bane. Her life was a lonely one, she had been a general in the Bane's army, and although she was allowed to live among other gnawers her past misdeeds were neither forgiven nor forgotten.

The rat pup opened her eyes experimentally, then shut them swiftly. To bright! She let her eyes open the tiniest slit, the light that had startled her was less harsh this way, it was warm and yellow, but there was a dark spot amidst the light. Abruptly she was aware of her nose. It twitched, picking up a warm sweet, familiar smell.

Mother. She categorized it unconsciously. The pup's eyes opened completely now that she was sure she would not be hurt by the light, the floor was hard beneath her little pink paws. Impulsively the tiny rat squirmed toward Terrormaw, toward her mother. The black rat merely stared at her pup. Instincts, embedded within the females of all species since the dawn of time screamed for her to go to her pup, to rub it and groom it and feed it. Despite this she simply sat and gazed at her first and only pup. An expression of horror was steadily dawning on her face.

The sound of grinding rock was heard as the stone door of Terrormaw's personal cave was pushed open. Normally to was impossible to open the door from the outside, it was smooth and difficult to get hold of, thus giving privacy. But Terrormaw had intentionally left a slight opening for one particular rat.

Swiftstrike sauntered into the cave, she was a brownish grey color and was half again the size of Terrormaw. A warrior to her core, Swiftstrike played the part of a gruff veteran perfectly. She was missing an ear, a chunk of her tail and almost all of her left forepaw, all were trophies from past battles in which she had come from victorious. The veteran and the melancholy outcast had formed an odd friendship in the past three months after the war. Terrormaw was drawn to the older rat's understanding. Swiftstrike saw Terrormaw, not as a traitor, but as someone young and desperate who had made a mistake; and, though she would admit it to no one, Swiftstrike had somewhat come to view the black rat as her own child. Swiftstrike was the outcast's only friend. Most had known Terrormaw bore her first litter that day, none had cared.

"Well Ter?" The large rat demanded nosily as she walked over to the motionless Terrormaw. "Let's see them." she said, her nose was twitching fitfully as Swiftstrike looked over the small black gnawer's shoulder. Then, she too froze, staring at the pup as she would a venomous twister.

Food. Hungry. Cold. Mother. Basic needs not being fulfilled, the pup squeaked sharply, demanding attention. The two rats remained motionless, their eyes wide. Finally the tiny ball of fluff began to cry, it was a high pitched emergency cry, filled with desperation, and hopelessness, tears welled from the jewel bright eyes.

Terrormaw was jolted into action by the sobs and immediately began to do what her heart had been telling her to do all along. She curled her body around the pup-no-her pup, and gently nuzzled it's head, wiped it's tears, and murmured soft words to calm it. Swiftstrike was jolted into action by the cries as well, she fled the cave, stumbling slightly as her left forepaw was unable to carry her sprinting weight.

Soon, everywhere you went, every gnawer was hissing the exact same words to each other:

"Terrormaw, the traitor, has born a white rat."

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Ripred, the gnawer, was tired. It was three months after the war and he hadn't gotten a good nights sleep in Sandwich knows how long. Since before the Bane had come under his care, that was how long. Right now the only thing he wanted to do was find a nice quiet corner and curl up and sleep for about seven days, surely the Underland would last seven days with out their Peacemaker. But no, he could not do that, he had just been woken once again for a matter he considered trivial.

The rat who woke him had said something about Terrormaw, probably only a few hotheads stirring things up. Two weeks ago he had been dragged from bed to stop a group of her tormentors from their attempt at shaving her. What a day that had been!

He had been there so many times he didn't even have to think about where he was going, and sooner than he would have liked he found himself staring at the large flat stone that blocked the entrance to Terrormaw's personal cave. A crowd had gathered around the entrance and at the head of it was Furyfire.

Ripred didn't really have a problem with Furyfire, he was bent on peace at all costs, which was good, but he tended to be an extremist. Ripred wasn't surprised to see his blood red pelt leading the throng. Apparently Terrormaw would let none in, he didn't blame her, but it was his duty to find out what was going on.

"Terrormaw, it's Ripred, let me in Ter."

"No," came the reply. The gray rat was shocked, a week ago he would have received a submissive 'your will be done.' Not that he wanted that, but that was what he had expected. Terrormaw had been brought up in the Dead Lands along with Ripred's little band…along with the Bane…along with Twirltongue. Though not mentally unstable like the Bane, poor Terrormaw had received much the same treatment. Twirltongue had snared her with her honeyed words and false promises and by the end Terrormaw would do whatever anyone told her to. She was quick and smart and strong, but she had been a puppet, a dangerous puppet.

"Come on Terrormaw, I'm not going to hurt you." Ripred fumed at the delay, the crowd was growing and Furyfire was sending 'I told you so,' glances toward him.

"Alright." she finally caved. After the war she trusted no one, but had grown to rely on Ripred, he hadn't lied to her yet.

"I'm coming." said Furyfire in his deep rough voice. Ripred's eyes rolled, but he didn't have the patience to argue with the red rat. There was a slight sound of exhertation as Terrormaw moved the rock open enough for them to get hold of it. Furyfire shoved the stone the rest of the way. As soon as the opening was big enough Ripred clambered through, anxious to see what all the tumult was about. Inside he saw the Terrormaw curled around a pup.

Unbidden those words came to him:

'-Rat of long forgotten snow.'

'-Evil cloaked in coat of white.'

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"How did it happen Terrormaw." It was the only thing he could think to say, his mind was blank with the sight of the pup. He was only barely aware of Furyfire seething behind him.

After giving the blood red rat a look of utter loathing Terrormaw forced herself to look at Ripred. She saw a strange combonation of compassion, exhasperation, and understanding in their depths. The black rat began to cry, she shed no tears but her voice was high and stressed and she shuddered occasionally.

"I didn't mean to," was the first thing she said, "He was so kind to me, and he said such great things! He was so strong and-and- I didn't know what to do. I was confused!" Terrormaw knew she was rambling, but she could think of nothing different to say. "I didn't know what the war would be like, the cause seemed so just."

With the air of getting the worst out of the way Ripred said quietly, "Ter, I need you to tell me, calmly, who is the pup's sire?"

"The Bane." Terrormaw choked out, Furyfire hissed heatedly and his glittering gaze was drawn to the pup.

"Kill it." he stated, "Kill it or it will doom us all."

Immediately Terrormaw rose to the defense of her pup, "Never! I would see you to the Firelands before I let you put a claw on a single strand of her fur!"

Stepping in-between the two Ripred continued in his quiet voice, "Let me see the pup Terrormaw."

"You won't hurt her?" the black rat looked distressed, the pup merely looked confused and frightened.

"I promise." Ripred assured her. Terrormaw nodded and backed away so that the pup was in full view. The grey rat bent and sniffed at her, looking at her eyes and ears and seeing that every thing was as it should be with a new born pup. His tail raised into the air and dangled in front of the pup's face, immediately her bright eyes focused on it and followed it whenever Ripred made it twitch. This seemed to satisfy him for he nodded to himself, then lowered his great bulk to the stone floor, Terrormaw watched on apprehensively.

The pup had no qualms about going up to Ripred and made her way toward him, albeit a little ungainly. Her nose twitched and she kept sending darting glances toward the huge rat's tail as if hoping it would resume the game.

"What have you decided to call her?" Terrormaw almost jumped out of her fur at the unexpected question. Ripred was now nosing the pup, as though measuring her reactions to certain things, certain movements.

"Flay." Terrormaw replied a quaver in her voice. The other rat nodded absently, now focused on preventing Flay from nibbling his whiskers. Furyfire snarled making the baby squeal and scurry back to the protection of her mother. The black rat glared at Furyfire who's response was,

"It does not matter the name. Kill it."

Ripred growled in return, raising himself up to his full height he was taller even than Furyfire, their eyes met. "We will not kill her." he said forcefully, "We just fought a war for the right to live, we cannot take away the pup's right. You are acting like a human." the grey rat sneered derisively.

"You are a fool! The blood of the Bane runs through that pup's veins. Her future is as plain as her white fur!"

"Her future will be decided by herself. The Bane had the choice and so shall she."

Furyfire snarled. Ripred snarled back. Then a low smooth feminine voice penetrated their fight, "I have a proposal." For a moment Ripred though Terrormaw had spoken, but it wasn't she.

Another rat had entered the cave, she was a smooth all over charcoal color, like smoke, her fur was sleek and she was well muscled, her eyes glittered with a calculating intelligence.

"Shadowshiv." Furyfire fairly purred, "So good of you to come." The smoky rat smiled at him but her sight went straight to Ripred.

"What do you propose we do then?" Of all the rats who lived in the tunnels, Shadowshiv was his least favorite, partly because she reminded him of Twirltongue, partly because she was Furyfire's mate.

"We wait. Give her until she is half grown, then judge her. If she shows potential to be like her father, kill her." Shadowshiv smiled smugly.

"I hate to admit it, but that is a good idea. Is this satisfactory?" Ripred looked to Furyfire and Terrormaw who both nodded. "Then we shall wait…."