Post by sandfire on Dec 23, 2009 10:06:18 GMT -5
It was still and quiet. As still and quiet as it got. The Shadowclan lands were full of cats lately, and it had always been hard to find some peace and quiet as an apprentice...Unless he was training with Nightshade. Whiskers twitched with amusement at the thought, and why shouldn't they? It was amusing. The tabby crouched in the light underbrush of the pine forest as he hunted in the shadows, tracking the faintest hint of mouse. It was hard to sniff out anything through the thicket of cat smells, most dirty rogues he had yet to get used to. His nose wrinkled.
It didn't help, of course, that with the more cats around, prey had gotten wise. They learned how to pay attention, how to flee and avoid, and in failing that, they left instead. They headed for other territories which were safer. He didn't blame his brother for trying to get more land, even if it had sparked up tension. He wasn't the best stalker, but even when he wasn't as silent as the mouse he was hunting, he was invisible. Even when his paw caught a stick, he could freeze into the darkness, and when the prey would look up, they wouldn't see so much as a tail of him.
He wondered how many mice thought to themselves, 'oh, I must be hearing things... Crazy, crazy. Just eat your seed and get somewhere safe.' He stifled a purr when his blue eyes caught sight of a scrap of brown fur. Tiny enough to be a newborn kit... Just a little mouse. His pink tongue curled around his lips and he inched closer. The little thing was nothing more than a scrap of meat on bones. Or maybe that was just fur on bones. At the very least, his clan would have another little bit of meat to eat, while Shadestar focused on his tactics on handling the other clans and war and boarder patrols went out.
He lunged when he got close enough. The mouse heard him, but didn't look up. Its ear flicked up, and its eyes closed as it bit down on its seed. It was a good run, the thing seemed to think. He almost regretted the pitiful kill as his snapped its neck with a sharp bite. The taste of warm flesh between his teeth- that DIDN'T reek of feline, of other clans- made his legs fall out under him. He wanted to curl up and just devour it now...
"Good catch!" A hushed, thrilled mew called. Instantly, the dark grey tabby's eyes shot up to it's owner. There, next to one of the pines, was a cat who looked...hauntingly like him when he was an apprentice. His pelt prickled as he stood up, his tail lashed as he held the mouse proudly. As if to say, this is my kill, mine. "Appologies, Drydusk," the cat mewled, stepping forward and dipping his head. "I didn't mean to startle you."
Drydusk's tail continued to lash as he dropped the mouse. His mouth was hit with the scent of Fireclan. He had seen this tom around before, sure, he just didn't know who this cat was. "You didn't startle me," he retorted after a bit. "But thank you. Starclan guides my hunting this morning." Although he had never been one to praise Starclan for every catch, even in leafbare, and even though he didn't give Starclan enough credit most of the time... Around Fireclan, he felt a sharp line had to be drawn. That he had to remind them that even if their non-believing flee-bitten coats didn't believe, that he was a clan cat and HE still did.
The cat's whiskers twitched with amusement. "Your call. I'm Whisper by the by, I suppose you don't know that." He glanced at his paws for a moment and back up, grey-blue eyes meeting a near matching pair. The Fireclanner padded forward, standing only a tail-length away when he stopped again. Drydusk's thin pelt prickled around his neck, distrusting. "Relax... I was helping your clans before you even knew how to catch that mouse."
"Have you got bees for brains?" He hissed in reply, his tail lashing. "Help? Help? You Fireclan cats don't help us. You make things worse. You always have." Whisker dipped his head, a small smile on his face as his ears flicked back in understanding. It seemed like the kind of look that meant, 'I will have to respectfully agree to disagree with you.'
He raised his head only high enough to keep a gaze properly, and flicked his half-tail. His scar-riddled fur twitched with his nose. "When Crueleye was leader... when he came around to the clans and raped all those she-cats, I was the one who kept an eye on those mothers. I tried to help when I could. We aren't all evil... Well. Most of them are awful. But you have your bad bunch too, don't you?" Whisker asked, his lips curling back into what seemed like a grin.
"Anyway, are you going to eat that or take it back?" Whisper asked softly. The other, larger tom blinked, putting a protective paw on the now cool body of his catch. His whiskers twitched and he frowned, mewing more for clarification in his small voice, "I'm just asking because it would be against the code for you to eat... And it looked like you were going to-"
"I would never! The queens and kits need food, even if I am starving... I haven't eaten in two sunrises. Besides, what do YOU know about clan code?" Drydusk snapped back, his ears pinning back. "You know what, why don't you go prove your worth and catch something yourself. Any maybe for once, you selfish Fireclan brute, instead of eating it yourself, you could give back to the clan that took you in!" Startled, the small tom skittered back, his ears back too, his head dipped low in submission, keeping standing straight so he didn't look ready to pounce.
This was no way for a real clan cat to act. With a frown, his fur settled and he sat down, averting his eyes. Real clan cats didn't intimidate others because they could, they only did it to protect their territory... "I'll have you know," Whisper started up, keeping his voice low and polite, barely above a whisper. "That when I hunt, I always hunt for the queens. When they are fed, the elders, then our leaders and the apprentices. I always eat last. Drydusk, I see you do the same. You're a good tom. Shame what paws have been handed us to walk in."
The smaller tom walked around the other until his blue averted eyes' gaze was upon him. He walked up close and picked up the half-forgotten mouse. Through his teeth, he mewed, "let head bah tah camm."
"Okay. Sorry."
"Ar-rry catched no prey," purred Whisper, turning and flicking his half-tail across Drydusk's nose. "Comm." The brother of Shadowclan's leader smiled and caught up along his side, padding along with him back. It didn't take long for him to notice that they weren't heading back to camp... Not directly. "'ere." He pawed at a bit of dirt to reveal a mouse to the other tom.
Blinking, he picked up the other tom's catch. So he was worth something... They headed back to camp, each carrying a mouse. They had both been lucky this morning, hadn't they? Maybe Starclan watched even the rogue clan's pawsteps...
It didn't help, of course, that with the more cats around, prey had gotten wise. They learned how to pay attention, how to flee and avoid, and in failing that, they left instead. They headed for other territories which were safer. He didn't blame his brother for trying to get more land, even if it had sparked up tension. He wasn't the best stalker, but even when he wasn't as silent as the mouse he was hunting, he was invisible. Even when his paw caught a stick, he could freeze into the darkness, and when the prey would look up, they wouldn't see so much as a tail of him.
He wondered how many mice thought to themselves, 'oh, I must be hearing things... Crazy, crazy. Just eat your seed and get somewhere safe.' He stifled a purr when his blue eyes caught sight of a scrap of brown fur. Tiny enough to be a newborn kit... Just a little mouse. His pink tongue curled around his lips and he inched closer. The little thing was nothing more than a scrap of meat on bones. Or maybe that was just fur on bones. At the very least, his clan would have another little bit of meat to eat, while Shadestar focused on his tactics on handling the other clans and war and boarder patrols went out.
He lunged when he got close enough. The mouse heard him, but didn't look up. Its ear flicked up, and its eyes closed as it bit down on its seed. It was a good run, the thing seemed to think. He almost regretted the pitiful kill as his snapped its neck with a sharp bite. The taste of warm flesh between his teeth- that DIDN'T reek of feline, of other clans- made his legs fall out under him. He wanted to curl up and just devour it now...
"Good catch!" A hushed, thrilled mew called. Instantly, the dark grey tabby's eyes shot up to it's owner. There, next to one of the pines, was a cat who looked...hauntingly like him when he was an apprentice. His pelt prickled as he stood up, his tail lashed as he held the mouse proudly. As if to say, this is my kill, mine. "Appologies, Drydusk," the cat mewled, stepping forward and dipping his head. "I didn't mean to startle you."
Drydusk's tail continued to lash as he dropped the mouse. His mouth was hit with the scent of Fireclan. He had seen this tom around before, sure, he just didn't know who this cat was. "You didn't startle me," he retorted after a bit. "But thank you. Starclan guides my hunting this morning." Although he had never been one to praise Starclan for every catch, even in leafbare, and even though he didn't give Starclan enough credit most of the time... Around Fireclan, he felt a sharp line had to be drawn. That he had to remind them that even if their non-believing flee-bitten coats didn't believe, that he was a clan cat and HE still did.
The cat's whiskers twitched with amusement. "Your call. I'm Whisper by the by, I suppose you don't know that." He glanced at his paws for a moment and back up, grey-blue eyes meeting a near matching pair. The Fireclanner padded forward, standing only a tail-length away when he stopped again. Drydusk's thin pelt prickled around his neck, distrusting. "Relax... I was helping your clans before you even knew how to catch that mouse."
"Have you got bees for brains?" He hissed in reply, his tail lashing. "Help? Help? You Fireclan cats don't help us. You make things worse. You always have." Whisker dipped his head, a small smile on his face as his ears flicked back in understanding. It seemed like the kind of look that meant, 'I will have to respectfully agree to disagree with you.'
He raised his head only high enough to keep a gaze properly, and flicked his half-tail. His scar-riddled fur twitched with his nose. "When Crueleye was leader... when he came around to the clans and raped all those she-cats, I was the one who kept an eye on those mothers. I tried to help when I could. We aren't all evil... Well. Most of them are awful. But you have your bad bunch too, don't you?" Whisker asked, his lips curling back into what seemed like a grin.
"Anyway, are you going to eat that or take it back?" Whisper asked softly. The other, larger tom blinked, putting a protective paw on the now cool body of his catch. His whiskers twitched and he frowned, mewing more for clarification in his small voice, "I'm just asking because it would be against the code for you to eat... And it looked like you were going to-"
"I would never! The queens and kits need food, even if I am starving... I haven't eaten in two sunrises. Besides, what do YOU know about clan code?" Drydusk snapped back, his ears pinning back. "You know what, why don't you go prove your worth and catch something yourself. Any maybe for once, you selfish Fireclan brute, instead of eating it yourself, you could give back to the clan that took you in!" Startled, the small tom skittered back, his ears back too, his head dipped low in submission, keeping standing straight so he didn't look ready to pounce.
This was no way for a real clan cat to act. With a frown, his fur settled and he sat down, averting his eyes. Real clan cats didn't intimidate others because they could, they only did it to protect their territory... "I'll have you know," Whisper started up, keeping his voice low and polite, barely above a whisper. "That when I hunt, I always hunt for the queens. When they are fed, the elders, then our leaders and the apprentices. I always eat last. Drydusk, I see you do the same. You're a good tom. Shame what paws have been handed us to walk in."
The smaller tom walked around the other until his blue averted eyes' gaze was upon him. He walked up close and picked up the half-forgotten mouse. Through his teeth, he mewed, "let head bah tah camm."
"Okay. Sorry."
"Ar-rry catched no prey," purred Whisper, turning and flicking his half-tail across Drydusk's nose. "Comm." The brother of Shadowclan's leader smiled and caught up along his side, padding along with him back. It didn't take long for him to notice that they weren't heading back to camp... Not directly. "'ere." He pawed at a bit of dirt to reveal a mouse to the other tom.
Blinking, he picked up the other tom's catch. So he was worth something... They headed back to camp, each carrying a mouse. They had both been lucky this morning, hadn't they? Maybe Starclan watched even the rogue clan's pawsteps...