A Trio of Toms (Open)

[yoko]

ooc: ShadowClan or RiverClan cats please.

The glory of morning is that thin line between the soft violet night and the claw sharp edge of daylight's orange glow. The cool wafting breeze carrying day's first breath over gentle undulations of the lake's water, the feel of dampness in the sparse grass in marshlands, the songs of birds in their rising passions, the energetic rustlings of squirrel, morning cannot exist without these elements. This indeed was truly a morning.

Yet, it was a wonder that soon these lands may be coated in the glistening damp white of snow. Soon this refreshingly cool breeze would turn icy and howling, the thin line on the horizon may remain, but only if the dull low clouds, fat with more snow, did not hide it. And yet, that too would be morning.

Swiftfoot contemplated these facts and observations as he skimmed alongside the small thunderpath which served as a border between himself and that Clan which smelled so powerfully of the fish on which they prey. He was quiet in his musings, quite certain that his brothers would take no interest in them. If he had had his way, they would not be on patrol at this very moment, he would be alone, and in his solitude he would commute with nature, no-not commute, cats only disturb the beauty of it. He would want to stand in it and disappear, becoming only the eyes that watch the gentle yet swift changes of the world, without any chance of disturbing it.

Crowclaw trotted along with a high head. His ears were perked alertly, and his tail was aloft in case he needed to signal his brothers to halt. His eyes shifted with a sharp speed, spotting movements in his vision and only turning away once assured it was nothing at all.

He moved in stoic silence, proud to be charged with the duty of defending his Clan's Border, if only for the morning until need to fight arises. He scented RiverClan and his face twisted a bit in disdain for their smell, they stank of what they hunted. How could a Clan, which so gluttonously fed through all the seasons, dare to stray so near the border? He admitted he scented no crossing, but the thought of it disturbed him. Then, realizing he was becoming distracted by his natural rivalry with the enemy Clan, he focused again on the task at paw.

Swift, silent, movements like the shadow of a snake, or perhaps a bird's wings if a bird could be so quiet in travel. Here was Ravenflight, who, for all his fierce and deadly beauty, scowled with disdain at the task he had been given. Why had Crowclaw volunteered him for such a task?! To wake at a StarClan forsaken hour and sniff around a border that had not been crossed for several moons?!

Everything about Border Patrol irritated him. If RiverClan were so bold as to attack, which he felt they were too fat and stupid to do in the first place, there were not enough ShadowClan cats to defend against them. As strong and ferocious as Ravenflight knew he and his brothers to be, a Battle Patrol would simply ignore them and swarm past! Also, if there was no battle, as there had not been in several moons, then whatever was the point of sending Warriors to traipse across ShadowClan seeking one out? And ALSO, even if a mange-pelted, greedy glutton of a RiverClan cat dared to cross the border to steal prey, What did it matter? ShadowClan could just steal prey back! What did borders matter to the strong who could easily overpower the weak and feed themselves? Was that not the way of the wild? The way the cats of this lake had lived before the rule of Pain-in-the-buttstar?

"There's nothing here! Are you satisfied?" Ravenflight snarled.

"We don't know that. We haven't reached the end of the border," Crowclaw mewed calmly, used to his brother's agitations.

"This is a waste of time and sleep!" Ravenflight asserted, gritting his teeth.

"Are you saying you don't even have the stamina to wake up a bit earlier than Sunhigh?" Crowclaw mewed, slightly amused.

Ravenflight gave a low growl, seeing the slight smirk on his brother's face, "I'm saying that I have more sense than a bird which caws stupidly at the morning sky, though the morning is no different than any other!

"Why, Ravenflight!" Crowclaw mewed in false astonishment. "That was quite poetic and philosophical of you! Are you sure you aren't becoming Swiftfoot?

"Leave me out of your kit games," Swiftfoot mewed, disinterested and trying to hone in on the different voices of each bird.

Ravenflight was about to retort, but Crowclaw raised his tail and the trio halted. "Who's there?" Crowclaw demanded, unsheathing his claws.

[Yellowstar]

Pawsteps sounded softly on the chilled earth, silent as night. Ears swiveled, alert to the most minute sounds around. Jaws open, picking up scents that drifted across their glands, pinpointing their location. And eyes narrowed, yellow-green irises scanning the forest undergrowth for any signs of life that his ears or nose picked up. A perfectly designed machine, made to kill, made to survive. He kept his body low to the ground, reddish fur brushing against the grass and limbs crouched and ready to spring at a moment's notice. The sun had risen some time ago, and that left the tom at a disadvantage against prey which relied on sight. The moon had gone back into hiding for the day, leaving him without the cover of its darkness to rely on. But this tom was not so foolish as to only rely on the night; while he was a creature born and raised to use the shadows to his advantage, he was not completely vulnerable without them. He pitied any cat who was, for they would go hungry while he made his catch in clear daylight.

A sudden movement to his left; the tom followed the sound and spotted the squirrel making its way toward a nearby tree, large bushy tail waving as it hopped along the forest floor. It was quick in its escape but not quick enough. Immediately, letting instinct take over, the cat crouched further down, building up tension in his muscles before springing out at a run toward the prey. He covered the ground in less than a heartbeat, landing squarely on the creature and killing it before it had a chance to slip away. The squirrel lay limply in his mouth as he picked it up, giving no signs of life. A clean kill; the tom was rather pleased with himself although it didn't show on his face. His gaze was as stoic as ever as he comtemplated what to do with the catch. He had eaten earlier and wasn't fond of the taste of fur in his mouth when he tried to eat squirrels, so decided he would just bring it back to camp. Perhaps some poor kit or elder would want it, for he had no taste for the bushy-furred creatures.

Another sound brought his attention away from the squirrel and back toward the forest; this time it wasn't prey he was hearing, but other cats. Letting the breeze waft over his scent glands again, he realized he was near the RiverClan border, but the voices of the cats were familiar. Deciding to investigate, he prowled toward the voices, silent as he was when stalking prey, determined not to let them notice him before he got a good view of them first. From behind a thornbush and peering through the branches, he saw it was the three brothers: Crowclaw, Swiftfoot and Ravenflight. The dawn patrol, he supposed, for they were close to the border and seemed to be arguing sleep and waking up early or something of the sort. He was about to turn around and go off on his own again when he heard the sharp voice of Crowclaw calling out. Mousedung, he cursed to himself. He had been meaning to go unnoticed but somehow the other tom had noticed him. Might as well make an appearance.

Leaving the squirrel behind, the ginger tom padded out from around the bush, appearing utterly unfazed by the fact that he had been found out. Foxclaw reguarded the three toms with a look of familiarity yet indifference, and flicked his tail idly as he spoke. "Good morning, Crowclaw, Ravenflight, Swiftfoot. How is dawn patrol?"

[mystic]

Finchnose
^{I am not distracta- Oh look a butterfly!}

Oh... oh a bug!

Finchnose walked along keeping his nose to the ground and his eyes to a rather large pillbug. He walked, lifting his legs up high and to the side. This bug was most facinating. His long tail quivered in pleasure "I've got my eye on you mr bug!" he mewed. "You're not doing anything on Riverclan..." He stopped and picked his head up. There were scents on the wind. "Shadowclan!" he mewed. "Cherryfur. I smell Shadowclan! Should I run back to camp and get the warriors before those dastardly cats try to take our land again?" he meowed. "They're prey stealing, land taking no good stinky tails!" he flicked his tail then puffed up his fur and spat impressivly. "They'll face my claws of fury if they step one toe over the border."

He hopped about spitting like a rabid squirrel. Then he stopped and looked up. "Oh look, one of the last leaves of the season!" he jumped up and caught it on his paw. "Look, it's all covered in frost. It's so pertty!" he purred. "What do you think Cherryfur?" he asked, flicking his ears about. Then he sat down and looked the leaf. He kept on chattering, not even sure if the Deputy was still with him.

[yoko]

The interrupter of their hunt emerged and even so, Crowclaw remained dutifully crouched until he recognized sight and scent of Foxclaw. It simply would not do if Crowclaw was distracted from an actual intruder by the face of a ShadowClan cat. Easing his crouch, he stood tall once more, head elevated to the proper height (above everyone else's).

"Foxclaw, how are you doing this fine morning?" he mewed brassily.

He had no quarrel with Foxclaw for the moment. They surely had their disagreements now and then, but Crowclaw knew the virtues of not holding a grudge.

Swiftfoot's ears twitched in annoyance. Yet another voice piercing the beautifully soft music nature provided for them., Honestly, there were days he wanted to rip out cat's tongues for the sake of the natural world.

All the same, he stared dully over at Foxclaw. He would never understand that need cats feel to communicate. Foxclaw had obviously been attempting to pass unnoticed. Even when Swiftfoot had caught whiff of him, the black and white tom sought not to disturb.

The most slender of the toms turned his attention to something of more interest. A rather loud voice that was utterly scarring to his delicate ears. Even with the wind blowing towards them, Swiftfoot picked up that awful sound.

Ravenflight tilted his head back and snorted. Crowclaw is so overly cautious, a bug could set him off! He looked over Foxclaw. He wasn't fond of this cat. Admittedly, he wasn't fond of anyone much, but this cat especially. Perhaps because they were too alike. There could be no room in ShadowClan for two rebels. And let's face it, Ravenflight does the job better. He smirked.

"What are you doing way out here, Foxclaw? Get lost on your own territory?"

[Amber]

Of course she had gone on an early morning patrol, why? It was originally her idea to go solo, either that or bring an older, more experienced warrior. But plans had quickly been changed when she awoke and padded into the camp, to find only one warrior awake. It had been a great misfortune. The deputy would have gladly gone by herself, it wasn't like she was capable of patrolling a border by herself. No, that was clearly not the case. Fighting was her specialty, it energized her and fed her appetite better than any piece of prey could. She lived for battles, not that hunting was bad either. It was the thrill of the kill. But something about battling was just much better. It was so invigorating.

Just thought thought about battling left the ginger tabby grinning with pleasure. She would love to sink her claws into flesh, and see the look of her opponent as they fled away, retreating back to their camp. Speaking of camp, while she was at camp deciding on what to do, she had been caught just before going out of camp by the newest warrior of RiverClan. Just her luck. She had invited him along, playing good little deputy and to her misfortune, the tom had agreed. And so that is how Cherryfur ended up patrolling the border with Finchnose.

It hadn't been too bad at first, the she-cat had pretty much ignored the warrior's weirdness and chattering. Her thoughts were still full of battle. There would be no way she would patrol a border again with just Finchnose, next time she would make sure another cat was with her next time. And what was with him and that stupid bug? Some cats should not have been made warriors. He was one of them. What was he doing now, talking to the bug? Mental cat. Very mental cat. Shaking her head in disgust, she padded closer to the border with ShadowClan, completely ignoring her clanmate. She would probably have clawed some sense into him if she had two more seconds around him. It was a good thing she moved.

As the scent of ShadowClan became more and more pungent, Cherryfur realized there must be a patrol nearby. It seemed Finchnose noticed it aswell. At least he was somewhat useful. She listened to him babbling and sighed. "No, we will go and investigate. If they seem the least bit on edge and come closer to our border than I would like then, yes, by all means you can run back to camp and get more warriors, but for now leave that stupid bug alone and keep your voice down. We don't want to alert the whole forest." she hissed. At least he had a battle spirit ready, that she admired.

"Will you keep your voice down you mousebrain! The point is to not alert the ShadowClan warriors. But your chattering is starting to annoy me, and I guarentee anyone who is listening is about ready to hit their head against a tree. So shut your trap!" her hiss became a bit louder this time as her green eyes glared at the tom.

[Yellowstar]

Foxclaw looked back at Crowclaw as the tom spoke, taking in the smooth tone and apparent relaxed state. Having just been arguing with Ravenflight, he certainly composed himself quickly, all for having a respectful appearance, he supposed. Yes, the two toms had very different views on things and Foxclaw didn't treat the other tom with any sort of approval. But he was civil at least. Foxclaw caught the glance that Swiftfoot was giving him and stared back with a dark glint in his eye, wondering what the feminine tom had been thinking, before turning his attention back to Crowclaw. He was about to reply when Ravenflight's growl broke through the morning air.

Foxclaw turned his head slightly and narrowed his eyes. The two had been rather similar before but it seemed that recently Ravenflight had been acting differently, as if he actually started to follow what that 'reformist' Rainstar thought was best for a Clan. That didn't give him any more points in Foxclaw's book. He paid attention when observing his Clan mates and noticed changes like these. And that in addition to the jab of what must have been an attempt to rile him up made the ginger tom's fur prick with irritation. But no, he wouldn't give Ravenflight the satisfaction of that. He had better control than that. Foxclaw lashed his tail and gave the tom a stone-cold glare but no more. "On the contrary, I was hunting and suddenly heard yowling. Thought maybe you needed help scaring off a kittypet."

And while he was speaking curtly to Ravenflight, little more than a hint of aggravation in his voice, his ears were picking up other sounds further off. Some cats were making a ruckus in the forest, making so much noise only a deaf cat couldn't hear them. Upon listening more closely he determined it was a tom, likely a RiverClan cat as he didn't recognize the chattering voice. Mouse dung, what cats would be stupid enough to approach the border when the scents of the four toms should be so close and strong? He directed his gaze toward the border as he heard a she-cat's voice next and spotted a flash of ginger fur among the foliage. So there was a patrol approaching; he could clearly scent RiverClan now and narrowed his gaze as he watched. But said nothing.

[yoko]

Ravenflight eyed the other tom cockily. He had no fear of battle, with words or with claws, and he had no doubt Foxclaw would be a worthy opponent. He pondered this with a calm smirk and a mocking look in his eyes. Rainstar would surely disapprove of a Clanmate antagonizing a clanmate, but the leader could kiss fox-dung for all her cared. He wasn't about to let Foxclaw jab at him and get away with it (regardless of who started this)

"Poor Foxclaw," he mewed with an ironic smirk, "you would consider a kittypet a major threat. Fear not, if we see one, we'll call you in to handle it. We'll take care of more serious matters."

Crowclaw only shook his head. He disapproved of their little rivalry. Could they not see that the Clan was of more importance?! What good would it do anyone if these two were to spill each others blood? What could be accomplished in shadow attacking shadow?

All the same, he refused to be involved. Contradicting Ravenflight would drive him away, and supporting his verbal assault woulf only encourage such behavior. Instead, the Noble ShadowClan Warrior turned his attention to the obvious noise on the border. Bracing himself, he turned to face the border entirely, whose marker was only a fox-length away. These RiverClan cats, or at least that's what they smelled like, were too near the border.

"Come out. Surely you have more honor than to skulk so poorly and with such cowardice?"

Swiftfoot sighed. Once again, conflict could not be avoided. How he wished to be away from these noisy fire-blooded cats. Must they quarrel over everything? Where was the reason? How low and base were their minds that they could not think beyond that Code that a bunch of dead cats established an eternity ago?

They cannot think for themselves...

[mystic]

Finchnose
^{I am not distracta- Oh look a butterfly!}

Finchnose shut his yap rather quickly. He looked at the Deputy. Something told him that if she had been leader, he would have been kicked out of the clan. Sitting still, for once, he curled his tail up around his paws. "So what's the plan?" he asked in a rather piercing whisper. Then he stopped and stood stock still.
"Oh what is that?" he mewed, tail staraight up. He padded forward, then broke into a run. Finally he came upon the object of his interest. A crumpled up shiny thing. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but it seemed really cool. With a grin he picked it up in his mouth.

(hey, all cats love crumpled up tin foil)

[Yellowstar]

The RiverClan cats across the border only held his attention for a moment; even though he should have and would normally be focused on those of the rival Clan, his heated gaze slid back to Ravenflight and his red fur started to bristle. He should have known that Ravenflight would only get more riled up- though Foxclaw was surprised that the other tom had picked up on the jab he aimed at him- but hadn't been willing to just let Ravenflight insult him. Now he was pushing his luck and Foxclaw didn't want this to go on much longer for the RiverClan cats were foxlengths away, but he had more self respect than to willingly be the loser to this little quarrel. So much for self control.

"Serious matters may be better handled by cats who don't mewl about having to wake up early." He growled lowly.

[yoko]

Ravenflight snarled rather nastily, "Serious matters can't be handled by cats who skulk around their own territory, too afraid to even be see by their Clanmates! They also can't be handled by low-down, belly-crawling worms like-"

"E-nough! Both of you!" Crowclaw hissed, creeping closer to the border.

But he ceased to move immediately at a rather unnatural sound. It was sharp, tanging disturbingly in his ears. The proud and noble tom stood still, but his fur was on end. Fiercely, he curled his lips to reveal most of his teeth. He was shifting a little on his hackles, trying to keep nimble in case some monster sprang.

"We can hear you! Come out, whatever kind of fiend you are and fight like a cat!"

Swiftfoot crept forward as well. He was an expert by now of natural sounds, and that tinkling crackle was unlike anything that had ever befallen his ears. Soon, he was beside Crowclaw, back arched, yet mouth tightly pinched shut. His eyes were wide as he stared beyond the foliage of surely hiding foes.

Glancing beside him, he saw Ravenflight doing the same, but the fur around his brother's neck bristled like snakes! Even Swiftfoot had to stand and marvel that such a small young tom could carry such sheer ferocity. If a RiverClan were to spot him now, they would surely mistake him for a vicious badger rather than an angry ShadowClan Cat. It was hard to believe that he was acting this way out of sheer Clan Rivalry...

Perhaps, Foxclaw's presence has contributed to his displeased mood...?

[Amber]

It was probably a good thing Cherryfur had a ginger pelt. It reflected her mood most of the time, anger. If it had been white, she probably wouldn't have seemed so intimidating when she was angry, the red just reflected so well. The boiling anger soon quieted a bit inside of her as Finchnose reacted and listened. It was so peaceful...for a few split seconds. This tom would have been crowfood by now if she were in charge. All the mousebrains in the clan would not be tolerated. He would have been ripped to shreds by her own claws. It would have felt so good. His flesh beneath her paws was sounding very good.

"The plan is to..." before she could get it out, that mousebrained tom was off again distracted. Never again. Cherryfur was regretting this more and more. Her claws flexed into the ground, it was a self-attempt to keep them away from Finchnose's fur. Whatever, leave him be. He could go run into a den of badgers if he wished. The clan would be better off. One less cat to feed, one less mousebrain.

And a voice soon flooded her ears as she turned around. ShadowClan. With a hiss she realized the tom had led them to being discovered. Maybe ShadowClan could help her dispose of him properly. It was tempting. Padding closer she noticed it was a patrol of some sort. "The cowardness is not mine. That would be my mousebrained clanmate." This, Cherryfur had not problem admitting, her tail pointing to the cat who was distracted. "And I dare you to even think about calling me a coward again. Unless you would like a nice memory of me. One that includes pain." she snarled, her tail lashing out.

"Your clanmates amuse me." The she-cat stated simply, a smirk apparent across her face. "Mind if I watch them rip eachother to shreds?

[mystic]

Finchnose
^{I am not distracta- Oh look a butterfly!}

Finchnose didn't notice the toms anymore. He was far to absorbed with the strange shiny thing he had found. When he picked it up he found that tasted rather funny so he spat it out and began batting it around with his paws. As he played with his newfound toy the other cats talked. Talking was so boring, unless they were talking about interesting things. Then it wasn't boring. He sighed, they didn't seem to be attacking. But just in case he decided that he should go back to camp and get some other warriors. Picking up the shiny thing he padded back towards camp.

(and I'm dropping out, there's a 95% chance Cherry will get back to camp before him. Since Finchy's likely to get distracted.)

[Yellowstar]

Foxclaw tensed, muscles rippling under his tabby pelt and eyes smoldering at the testy tom, fully prepared to retort back with something along the lines of "It takes a warrior who knows how to travel unnoticed and who knows a bit of tact to be trusted with serious missions." when Crowclaw interrupted their brief quarrel. Irritation flashed in his amber eyes as he looked to Crowclaw, wanting nothing more than to claw at Ravenflight's ears for attempting to insult him, but then the warrior remembered that they had more urgent things to deal with than irritating Clan mates. His gaze dragged over the undergrowth until they landed on the border and the territory past it once more, keen senses picking up on the approaching RiverClan scent. Tail still twitching, he crouched down a bit in an attempt to mask his brightly colored coat, cursing that he had not been born with darker fur that would be more suited to hiding from sight.

When the cat came into view, Foxclaw was surprised to see that there was only one. He was sure that he had smelled at least one other cat, unless they had mysteriously turned tail and ran away. He amused the thought of the other RiverClan cat pelting away, too frightened of the ShadowClan warriors to even help his Clan mate. That was what ShadowClan really were, terrors of the forest, ones who made other Clans cower in fear. Not the half as worthy Clan that one certain leader was trying to make them into now. These thoughts entertained him and slightly toned down his angry mood, so that when the RiverClan cat spoke he was back to his usual, controlled self.

Ah, a fierce one. Always more interesting to encounter one of those cats on the border than a mouselike, timid cat. And she did have another cat with her, likely the one who had ran away. As she went on he realized this was RiverClan's young deputy Cherryfur. Very young, he remarked, she looked no older than he was. What had driven Palestar to pick this cat over his senior warriors, he wondered? In any case, by the time she finished speaking he had stood up fully, needing no extra effort to appear confident and unruffled than the natural look he always had on his face. One that said he knew everything that was going on. "That won't be necessary," Foxclaw replied simply. "Ravenflight and I were just having a chat."

[Grim]

”Who’s idea was it to hunt this early in the morning, anyway?” Fawnstep muttered crossly, her observant gaze glancing sharply over the frosted ground. She had left the hunting patrol behind—lost them somewhere near the shore, or so she thought that’s where she had left them. The entire Clan knew what a dreadful hunter she was, and yet they’d chosen her to be amongst the early-risers for a hunting patrol. ”Honestly, they’re just begging me to claw their ears off of their thick skulls,” she continued in an annoyed whisper, her gaze still cutting across the small expanse of territory in front of her. The ShadowClan border loomed at her right, bringing the pungent perfume of pine and dampness onto the RiverClan side of the border. She wrinkled her lips against the foreign scents and cast a dark look towards the ShadowClan pines before hurrying along, all the while searching for signs of prey.

The scent that eventually hit the tortoiseshell made the fur on her shoulders rise. She lifted her head up in a sharp jerk and swept a cool stare around herself, trying to locate the source of the sour aroma. At that time, the sound of voices nearby stole her attention. Fawnstep instinctively lowered her bulky body into an apprehensive crouch and moved diligently towards the voices, her ears straining to hear the speakers in order to differentiate them. She flicked an ear back in disinterest when an unknown tom spoke again, but tensed when Cherryfur’s distinctive voice rang out. She would have recognized that strong, proud voice anywhere. Although Fawnstep wasn’t too passionate about she-cat company, an exception was always made for the deputy. The diluted tortie rose fluidly from her crouch and padded forward confidently, her large head and feathery tail held brazenly high.

”Ah, Cherryfur, it’s a good day to socialize with the neighbors, is it not?” Her voice rang out in an almost lethargic, beguiling manner. However slow and sly her tongue was, though, her eyes were glacial when they inspected the rival tomcats. She padded smoothly to her deputy’s side, her chilly gaze fixed on the ShadowClan warriors across the border. She had rapidly absorbed the scene upon entering it. When she realized that Cherryfur was alone, the blood ran faster in her veins. In an effort to mask her trepidation, Fawnstep languidly reclined her haunches and sat tall beside the RiverClan deputy. She gave the mane fur on her chest a slow lick, her eyes never leaving the opposite warriors, and wrapped her luxuriant tail loosely around her robust body. She noted the ginger tom’s relaxed state and felt her insides boil. She itched to rake her claws across the his smug face—She could easily replace that comfortable expression with one of utter astonishment and pain. He looked too at-ease for the she-cat’s own comfort.

[yoko]

Ravenflight stopped his growling in favor of a delicioius smirk. It was the RiverClan Deputy that had been causing all the trouble? Well, despite all the snarling and desire to unleash his fury upon an enemy Clan, his eyes could not help but trail that feminine form. The fur along his neck fell a little. Crowclaw was calming down, unfortunately this would not be enough of a trespass for the Noble Tom to leap at Cherryfur's throat. So Ravenflight might at least have some fun.

He sat back on his haunches with a sly mocking smirk and his shadowed brow pulled back to show his dark eyes.

"Oh, so its your Clanmate that's cowardly? And who might that be? You look all alone here. And as for the fight, well, we all know its no contest to begin with and we certainly are not here for your entertainment. Swim along little fish. You're presence is not welcome here."

Then approached a new she-cat also rather attractive to sight, if not the better looking of the two.

"Would this lovely cat be the cowardly friend to which you refer? Oh you do so wrong your friend here!"

Crowclaw had gone utterly rigid at the sight of the RiverClan Deputy. It was not out of fear that he felt such remorse for his words. His guilt was in speaking so disrespectfully of a she-cat who, no doubt, had gone through hardship and struggle to get to her position. Enemy Clan or not, Crowclaw felt a deep respect for that.

Even so, he would not lose ground for her sake. "If you're leading a patrol, we would appreciate if you simply moved along. Otherwise we will be obligated to stand here and watch you all day."

In regards to Foxclaw, he was rather glad that the tom had the sense not to entertain these she-cats by brawling with his own rash and careless brother. Differences mattered not in the matter of common enemies. As for Ravenflight, Crowclaw had to repress the urge to chuckle. This was no laughing matter! He would have nudged Ravenflight's side or flicked his ear if he did not have the distinct impression that that would lead to a true brawl.

Swiftfoot was calmly watching the comedy unfold. For this was not a serious enough incident surely to result in real battle. So he was left to examine the rather flat characters of these cats.

There was Crowclaw, infinitely honorable and proud. He was utterly too dedicated to his tasks for his own good, and in fact this led to him being rather boring in instances such as this.

Then there was Ravenflight who, despite violent tendencies, was at heart a womanizer and certainly fantasizing many instances in which this odd meeting along the border could work out in his favor. His taunts were empty, perhaps even a bit flirtatious.

There was Foxclaw who, even while being Ravenflight's natural rival, managed that saintly control that for moons Swiftfoot thought he alone had mastered. All the same, his response too was somewhat dull. Apparently, he intended to protect his pride in not fighting Ravenflight in the plain view of a RiverClan Deputy.

Cherryfur, arguably the most interesting at the moment, seemed rather content to stand before four ShadowClan toms despite her youth and vulnerability at being almost alone. She, although Swiftfoot had perceived her as a bit of a hothead, probably had not been responsible for the disturbing noises on the other side of the border.

Then came the arrival of Fawnstep, she looked every bit as controlled as Foxclaw, only perhaps with a bit more submerged rage.

He (Swiftfoot), analyzed himself in this peculiar situation. He concluded that he was the most sensible looking as he was not caught up in any of the drama taking place. He was in a position to attack at any given moment or to stay put and not be noticed at all.

Though he found this comedy before him utterly insignificant in the scheme of greater natural occurrences, he could not help but be slightly amused.