As Reya (who agreed that tonight was their best chance at escaping this place without losing any other Meadower) went to go prepare and update the other Meadowers of the great plan of escape, Cleo, who went to ready food and water supply packs, and Aaroon, who stated he needed his scouts ready dish out weapons when it was time to go, went to the Flatshake to help Zackery and his scouts prepare for their escape. Austin had both Terrora and Scarleteye stay close by and in his line of sight, as he followed Aaroon to the concrete, subterranean construct to help do his part in supplying his friends and fellow Meadowers the self-defense tools they needed to stand a chance at escape and to fight if necessary.
There were only enough pistols and bullets for Aaroon and a few of his scouts, so the ones he deemed good enough with a gun he dished out to them. Aaroon managed to get himself a pistol with a few minor arms, like a long dagger and a few knives. Zackery had his own wooden spear with sidearms of long daggers. Austin managed to snag the last crossbow with a quiver of arrows he had found in the corner; there was only about 8 arrows left, but he'd have to make due. He also snagged a long dagger and a butter knife from the Oakhouse in addition to the sword and short daggers he came there with.
Those who were well enough to fight and in a condition to hold their own in a likely fight, were given standard knives, machetes, daggers, wooden spears and what was left of the few bows and any arrow they could find, along with supply bags for food and water that Cleo assured would last at least a day per individual if they managed their stuff properly.
By the time everyone was ready to go and standing in front of the opened northern gates, which had the log blockade from earlier removed, and still refused to close, it was nearly sundown and Reya had already began her encouragement speech to the crowd of teenagers as if they were soldiers preparing for the battle of their lives, and, given what's to come, Austin didn't think the analogy was that far from the truth.
"We will overcome this," Reya said, facing the crowd, confidence coming off her in waves that even Austin could feel as he stood beside her, with Terrora and Scarleteye in his line of sight. "We owe it to those we've lost this victory - we owe it to them our survival, we owe them at least that much𑁋," Reya began when someone had interrupted her, mid-speech, followed by a chorus of complaints from the crowds.
"What about Austin?" one of the Meadowers Austin didn't know much about asked. "He's an owl!"
"Yeah, and so was Scarleteye!" another cried out.
"Why are they still here?" another one asked. "Why are they even coming with us in the first place?"
"He broke the Taboo!" one exclaimed.
"Why is the Terrora girl coming?" Austin heard a girl about his age ask. "And Scarlet, too!" another girl screamed out. "Are they related?" a boy with dark, studious eyes looked from Austin to Scarleteye and back.
Austin moved before he thought anything through. He made his way to the head of the crowd and before Reya, who, surprise written on her face briefly, nodded her approval. "Yes," Austin looked at the crowd of teens and adolescents before him, heart racing a mile a minute, but his resolve to ease everyone's minds somehow maintained. "Scarleteye is my sister," he continued, as another wave of ambivalent murmurs spread through the 45 or so youths before him. When the crowd died down enough[major thanks to Aaroon and Reya], Austin continued on with "But I am not my sister and I cannot justify her misguided actions, but leaving either her or Terrora here would be murder, and we aren't savages, are we? We aren't Savagers, nor are we Annihilators 𑁋 Because we are better. Besides, had I not broke the Taboo, I wouldn't have been able to save our friends and I definitely wouldn't have found the way out of this place!"
"Are we even sure this 'way out' is a - ahem, way out?" Zackery asked, surprising Austin. "What if it isn't and we're walking to our deaths?"
"What if it is, tho?" Aaroon countered. "You're too critical sometimes, Zackery. Honestly, too critical for your own good."
"It's the only lead we've got," Reya spoke up. "In fact, it's the only lead we've received in a long time, guys. Why not take it?"
"Gee," the dark eyed boy from earlier snarled, sarcastically. "I don't know. We could die!"
"We'll die if we do nothing. We'll die if we stay," Austin countered, passionately. "At least, if we go, we have a shot to survive this place. You can stay if you want. Any of you can. But, if I do die, I'd rather go down fighting."
As the murmurs died down from the crowd, no one objecting, no one arguing where Austin's loyalty lies anymore, and, luckily, no one opting to stay there and die, there was only one final question to answer, this one from Cleo: "Are we...really gonna make it out of here alive?"
"Yes, Cleo," Austin turned to the little girl. "I'll make sure we all make it out of here alive. No more dying. No more running. No more being whatever kind of… of lab rat these Watchers think we are to them! I say… I say we escape this place, run down any Annihilator or Savager who dares get in our way and give those assholes what's coming to them for the torture they sent us through for 2 years! We've been locked in this helhole for too damn long. Surrounded by monsters and beasts that wants to kill us. Used a lab rats, and tortured both physically and psychologically. But no more. I won't stand by as we're being picked off one by one by an enemy made by these Watchers. We rise today, tonight, and, by tomorrow, we'll know what it's like to be free! Who's with me!?!"