Blood in the Dust (Stonewhisker, others welcome)

[mystic]

Rosethorn
^{Hell hath no fury...}

Rosethorn padded along carrying a small bird, it was one of the kinds that stayed the winter relying on its fellow's body heat to keep it warm. Rosethorn padded to a pile she had made, and dug in the snow, dropping the bird onto the mouse and squirrel that were already there. Then she scratched the snow back over them.

The sound of pawsteps in the snow made her stop and she slowly turned around. A muscular blue tom stood there, he had scars all over his face, his right ear was missing and he had no tail. He had crooked fangs and a cruel look in his eyes.

Rosethron puffed up and hissed. "Get off Thunderclan's land."

The tom walked towards her and breathed in her face. Rosethorn gagged and coughed at the foul stench of his breath. It smelled of long dead prey and death. She shuddered.
"Maybe you'll have to convince me to. You're a pretty little thing." he mewed.

"Back off, you creep." Rosethorn backed up against a tree. "I'm warning you... Leave this territory now" She snarled. "I am a warrior."

The tom threw back his head and laughed loudly. "This Thunderclan lets she-cats fight? Where I come from she-cats are nothing but slaves and kit bearers."

Rosethorn stood stiff and let out a low growl. "I dare you to say that again."

He looked her straight in the eye. "She-cats are only slaves, good for one thing alone." He growled.

The sandy she-cat let out a loud yowl and leapt forward, claws unsheathed. She aimed for the cat's face. However the larger tom batted her out of the way, brusing her side.

Rosethorn let out a groan and pushed herself to her feet. Carefully she eyed her foe then darted in, sinking her teeth into his leg and clawing at him. She saw his paw coming at her and tried to roll out of the way. The next second she felt unimaginable pain flood her body. The she-cat let out a yowl of pain and stumbled back, somehow she registered red drops on the snow. The massive tom charged her and smacked her into a roc. Rosethorn let out a small gasp and the last thing she registered before she passed out was him marking trees inside Thunderclan territory.

(He'll still be there once people show up)

[ivyy]

Stonewhisker had left the patrol to investigate the strange noises he had heard off in the distance. A couple other warriors had offered to come with him, but he had insisted the borders needed to be marked. The smell of an unknown cat hit his nostrils sharply, and a pang of anger followed. His pace quickened, as did his pulse.

Stonewhisker was now slinking through the under growth in the direction of the noises, now silence. Not even a bird chirped. His gut was twisted with a horrible feel as he inhaled the air which was thick with blood. The fur all along his spine was standing up as he saw the ugly Blue cat marking ThunderClan trees. His eyes widened as he noticed Rosethorn lying unconscious against a tree. "What in StarClan have you done?" he growled, something low in his chest rumbled threateningly.

The scarred tom sneered after the initial shock wore off. "Hey, youngster" he jeered in his raspy voice, "Run along and play." Stonewhisker's fur bristled with anger at the insult. "Listen here mousebrain, I'll give you to the count of 3 to get off ThunderClan territory." he hissed. His green eyes burning like hot emerald. "Why don't you come over here and say that again, little guy." the mysterious tom cackled.

"Nyah!" Stonewhisker yowled as he leaped at the rogue. His claws dug into the cat's oily pelt, producing a startled and pained cry. He felt a paw bat at his ear, white hot pain causing him to flinch. And the blue tom was on him.

He saw the rogue bare his fangs as he prepared to deliver the fatal blow. Stonewhisker clawed at his flank with his hind-legs, hot red blood soiling the pure white snow. Blood dripped into Stonewhisker's right eye as they circled each other, staring into one another's eyes. A low growl escaped his jaws as he shot like a bullet at his foe, claws digging into his shoulders. Stonewhisker didn't hesitate to sink his long fangs into the scarred tom's neck. There was a brief moment of struggle, and then the rogue went limp.

Stonewhisker pulled himself off of the corpse, the expanse of snow around them was spattered and dotted, as blood gushed from the dead rogue's wound, his jugular vein had been severed. Stonewhisker spat, his saliva tinted pink with his victim's blood. His right ear was torn half-way through, and he had multiple cuts down his shoulder and flank. Stonewhisker spun, remembering Rosethorn, and rushed to her side.

[Cai]

Though Hawkclaw and Stonewhisker were far from being the best of friends, when the latter disappeared to investigate the strange noises his patrol had heard, Hawkclaw grudgingly decided he'd better go after him to check that he hadn't run into real trouble. Friend of Whitestar's or not, he was still a Clanmate. Albeit a stupid Clanmate who was rushing off to be a hero, no doubt. Hawkclaw stalked through the undergrowth with the fresh scent of Stonewhisker in his nostrils. He curled his lip slightly, resenting the fact that he was bothering to babysit the closest friend of his estranged 'brother'.

He promptly forgot his old grudges when he caught the scent of fresh blood - and a lot of it. Worry instead replaced the grumbling, and he sped up instantly, charging over the cold ground to find out what on earth had happened. He burst out of the undergrowth to see Stonewhisker and another cat, both covered in blood. He felt a stab of horror for a moment when he thought Stonewhisker was dead, but he soon made sense of the situation and saw that the deputy was actually sprawled on the body of a dead cat whom he did not recognise.

When it became apparent that ThunderClan's deputy was not actually in any danger, Hawkclaw resumed his begrudging sentiments. "What in StarClan's name happened?" He snapped, spotting an apparently lifeless Rosethorn on the ground. He moved to her side and checked to see if she was breathing, which she was, and then backed off promptly, eyeing the rogue distastefully. "Filthy piece of crow-food," he muttered, angry that some stupid cat would attack a ThunderClan warrior. He said nothing in congratulations to Stonewhisker for defeating the big rogue, but he grunted something unintelligible and looked down at Rosethorn.

"Let's get her back to camp." He muttered. The rogue's body could be dealt with later. And by somebody else.

[mystic]

Rosethorn
^{Hell hath no fury...}

The first thing that Rosethorn did upon waking was leap up, claws unsheathed, at Stonewhisker. The scent of the enemy cat was strong on him and in her not fully conscious state she mistook him for her attacker. She stopped and blinked up at him. "What are you doing here?" were the first words out of her mouth. "Do you think, just because I'm a she-cat I'm unable to fend for myself?" She snarled. "I had everything perfectly under control." She added, not quite remembering that she had been knocked out by the rogue. She pushed past the two toms, not even really noticing that Hawkclaw as there. "Now where is that son of a she-fox? Let me at him! Let me rip his throat..." she stopped and looked at the dead rogue.

"YOU!" she snarled, turning on Stonewhisker. "You just had to stick your face in. I don't need PROTECTING!" She said. She had been like this ever since Barkwhisker has dumped her a few moons ago. That is, hostile towards toms. She turned around and began staggering towards camp, obviously still suffering from the blow to the head she receive. It was quite obvious that all her mental reasoning, along with her sense of balance hadn't quite returned. This became more, painfully, obvious when she walked into at tree.

"Who put that there?" she muttered, looking dazed.

[Grim]

Lol if you don't want to read it all, just skip the first two paragraphs ^_^ I feel weird diving straight into the current without a little side-story of Lightpool's whereabouts.

Hunting was going along particularly well for Lightpool. On account of the light sheet of snow, the young warrior's pale fur cameflouged her a great deal better than on a normal day in the midst of green-leaf. Thus far, she had batted two chaffinches from the air and snatched a lethargic squirrel from near the water's edge. All in all, the quiet she-cat was feeling extraordinarily proud of herself, considering she was usually a fair hunter at best. It was all due to her inability to blend in with her surroundings, of course. However, now that the forest was dotted with blankets of white, Lightpool was feeling considerably more at ease in the hunting crouches her mentor had taught her.

A small flurry of movement near the base of a nearby tree clawed at her attention. She swung her head around and fixed her wide vermillon eyes upon the sturdy little figure of a wren. The creature was roughly the same size as a mouse and the feathers were a hassle to pluck, but Lightpool realized that it was foolish to pick and choose prey during leaf-bare. The tiny animal would maybe fill an empty belly in the camp, she knew. She padded forward slowly, her legs bent and her abdoman hovering barely a mousetail above the ground. She stared at the busy wren, her ears pricked and straining to catch the little flurries of noises her prey made in it's quest for nutrition. Gingerly, Lightpool advanced on the small bird. In the back of her mind, she barely remembered to lift her tailtip before it brushed against the earth. However, although she was very quiet indeed, the wren unexpectedly stiffened and eyed it's surroundings cautiously. Lightpool mentally cursed and paused in her advances, keeping herself hidden in the underbrush and flat against the ground. Despite her efforts, her prey suddenly shrieked a warning call and took to the air. In a last desperate move, Lightpool threw herself out of hiding and leapt at the retreating bird. She pulled a spectacular display, but her paws clasped on empty air.

She landed with a snort of dismay, shoulders sagging briefly. Her attention, however fixed on her letdown as it may have been, was instantly snagged when a familiar yowl shattered the quiet forest. Lightpool's head shot up, her eyes wide in alarm. She shot off through the trees, following the direction she thought she'd heard Rosethorn's voice rise from. She quickly calculated her hunting partner's location and angled herself in that direction. It took only a few moments for her fleet paws to arrive upon the unfolded scene. A quiet mew of distress fell from her open muzzle. At first glimpse, she had thought Stonewhisker's blood-drenched body to be unmoving. However, upon a closer inspection, Lightpool realized he was very much alive. "Stonewhisker...?" Her voice was a puzzled tremor when she spoke and her gaze darted to Rosethorn's stirring figure.

A step back was taken when the sandy warrior leapt to her paws, claws clearly unsheathed and battle-ready. Surprise flitted across Lightpool's blunt face when her clan-mate began spouting accusations at their deputy. The heat was rolling off of the she-cat in waves, but Lightpool had no intentions of allowing an inter-Clan brawl to ripen. Stonewhisker, she knew, wouldn't bicker with the wounded she-cat like a scolded kit. However, Rosethorn might not take kindly to anything Stonewhisker said in her present state. She shot a brisk glance towards the gray deputy, a silent plea in her wide green eyes. Quickly, she padded towards Rosethorn and gently laid her thick tail on the pale warrior's flank. "Nobody thinks you're incapable, Rosethorn. We're just looking after our friends, is all," she murmured softly, continuing in a voice that grew stronger, "Now, let's have a look at those wounds." Her voice was kind, a soft chime meant for the younger warrior's ears alone. Her wide gaze strayed to the two toms, a glance that told them to leave the younger warrior alone. She wasn't in her right mind. The toms didn't need to be near her to realize how battered the youngest warrior was.

Only a quick glance was required to assess her clan-mate's injuries. It was blatantly clear that the female needed to see the medicine cat. "You'll need to let Russet-thorn see to you, I think," she mewed. "Would you like to lean on my shoulder?" Her question was made with a slight raise of her eyebrow and a small curve of a friendly smile on her lip.

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[ivyy]

.: Stonewhisker sucked a breath in, his chest protruding in shock, no one ever spoke to him like a troublesome kit. His bloodstained claws sank into the earth as his eyes glinted angrily. "You listen here, Rosethorn.." he began, only to scoff at her attempts to stalk off, which resulted in a comical collision with a tree. He shook his head, noticing the pale she-cat approaching the scene.

.: His fur was matted to his taut muscles by blood, a sickening mixture of his and the deceased rogue's. He nodded at Hawkclaw, not offended by his un-congratulatory manner. Mudpaw will be Mudpaw, Rosethorn will be Rosethorn, and Hawk will, obviously, be Hawkclaw. He didn't expect praise for something so despicable anyways. Stonewhisker hated that he had just taken a life, no matter how horribly said life was being lived.

.: However, the way he had just been spoken to had offended him. He eyed the unsteady she-cat skeptically, 'How ungrateful.' he thought, 'She could've been murdered, or worse.' he shook his head of the childish thoughts, and turned his attention to the shaken warrior. "You do need to go see Russet-thorn. And that is an order, Rosethorn." he said sternly. He signaled to the other cats with his tail, telling them to run along. "Come with me." he hissed, stalking off into the thick undergrowth.

[mystic]

Rosethorn
^{Hell hath no fury...}

She stopped and looked at the Deputy as he slipped into the bushes. "What?" She mewed as she followed him. "How can I see Russet-thorn and follow you at the same time?" She asked, still a little addled. She giggled a bit. "You're funny." She said, giggling from light headedness. She leapt into the bushes after him, quite obviously not in her right mind in the least.

"Hey... maybe I should... thank you for saving me?" she said, prowling towards him alluringly. Her muscles bunched and she leapt on him, grinning like a mad-cat.


(sorry for the short post. Just tying up a loose end before I faint. And I'm gonna leave it at that to keep it PG)

[Grim]

A glance was tossed towards the deputy when he spoke, but her attention was fixed largely on the addled young warrior. However, when Rosethorn brushed passed her without a word for her kindness, Lightpool grimaced. A low growl rumbled in her throat, but was shortly cut off when the she-cat remembered how battered Rosethorn had been. Even that thought, though, did little to calm her jittery nerves. Her gaze followed the two warriors into the underbrush, but she didn't follow. Despite the words and movement she heard in the bushes, Lightpool didn't follow. She snorted softly, almost indignantly, and turned away to resume hunting. She had almost left the scene before she remembered the other cat in the area. She glanced swiftly back at Hawkclaw. "Want to help me bring our catches back to the camp?"

It was merely a request for help. She would have to make two trips at least to bring back both her own and Rosethorn's catches.

We could start a new thread if you want, Cai?

[Cai]

[]

Hawkclaw stared at Rosethorn going past with a look of intense disgust on his face. He was not a particularly forgiving cat, and whatever bump on the head that she-cat had did not excuse her rudeness. He didn't tend to like many she-cats, and he certainly didn't like uppity, self-absorbed ones. In the space of about five minutes, Rosethorn had disrespected the deputy, blanked out his presence, utterly ignored an offer of assistance from Lightpool and lost Hawkclaw's good opinion quite thoroughly, and that was if she even had it in the first place.

Not even waiting for Rosethorn to get out of earshot, Hawkclaw muttered darkly "Stupid she-cat." He eyed her retreating form with displeasure, making a mental note never to rush to her assistance in future. Now the area was quite deserted, except for Lightpool. Hawkclaw nodded to the other she-cat briefly, then distastefully stepped around the rogue's body.

"Sure." Hawkclaw replied simply, not one to beat about the bush. "Where'd you leave them?"

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[Grim]

One beige ear flicked back in faint annoyance when Hawkclaw insulted the retreating birdbrain, clearly in compliance with the dark tabby. "Yeah, well," she muttered and turned away from the bloodstained scene. She huffed softly, irritation still seething in her pale green eyes. It was uncharacteristic for the young warrior to get miffed over something so slight and, below the tumultuous layer of completely justifiable vexation, Lightpool was a little disheartened by her kittish emotions. She wasn't a presumptuous little vixen like some cats. Being ignored wasn't new to the female. However, it had just made her pelt itch when her benevolent words and generous offer had been completely brushed off.

Hawkclaw's voice anchored her wandering mind back into the present. She glanced over her lean shoulder, golden eyes flashing briefly in surprise. She hadn't really expected the somber tom to accept her request. Immediately, she felt her cheeks flush with shame. She swiftly turned away from the warrior to mask her sudden swing into apparent unintelligence. "Well, uhm," she stammered softly, her brain momentarily lagging in it's surprise. After a second's pause, she sighed and raised her tail with a swift flourish. "Sorry, I guess my mind is still on Rosethorn," she mewed, her tongue burning with the half-lie. Who was she to estimate the tom's character? Despite having never really conversed with the older tom (besides on patrols and whatnot), Lightpool had been taught better than that. What was today, bring out the worst in Lightpool day? Why hadn't she been informed? She would've gladly stayed in the warrior's den.

"I left mine over near the stream. We can get that first, since we'll be coming back this way to get to camp?" she suggested, her tail flicking towards the stream a couple yards away. She had successfully made the switch from unintelligible to matter-of-fact, which is exactly where she should have been to begin with.

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[Cai]

Hawkclaw glanced at Lightpool, calmly watching her take control of her irritation at Rosethorn, not saying a word. When she cooled off, her annoyance was instead replaced by something like surprise when he agreed to help her. He vaguely noted some discomfort in Lightpool's demeanour, but merely grunted in response to her comment about Rosethorn. He didn't really care how peculiarly she was acting, and he made no remark on her apparent struggle to find words to string into a coherent sentence. Apparently she was surprised that he had agreed to assist her, which, to most cats, would be alarming. After all, it wasn't really a good sign when one's own Clanmate assumed the worst of you. But then, Hawkclaw as a rule did whatever he wanted to do, not what someone else wanted or expected him to do, so he was not bothered much. It just so happened that he felt like being helpful today.

"All right." Hawkclaw nodded in reponse once Lightpool had recovered her ability to talk sensibly, and headed towards the stream, his typical limited attempts to make conversation settling in as silence fell between them again. It was, at least, a reasonably comfortable silence, not one where the other cat was desperately struggling to think of some way to break it.

[[Bad post. e.e]]

[Grim]

As soon as Hawkclaw spoke, chagrin made her ears flatten. A heartfelt apology surged up her throat, but landed short once it reached her tongue. She choked it back and quietly followed the older warrior, her head bent in dismay and her ears still flat. She fixed her gaze to a point in the distance in an attempt to keep her emotions from straying to her eyes. She kept her troubled thoughts to herself, despite the guilt sinking in her stomach. Her companion seemed content with silence and, in a normal scenario, Lightpool would have been satisfied with a mutual quiet. Preferred it, even. However, with shame burning in her system, the she-cat couldn't feel comfortable padding near a cat she had misunderstood. Especially when he had caught her mistake.

Although he hadn't said anything about her rudeness, Lightpool was certain that he had realized the genuine reason behind her surprise. He seemed indifferent to being in her company, which only further added to her inner self-contempt and made it sufficiently more difficult for her to blurt out the apology stuck stubbornly to her tongue. To add to her predicament, Lightpool wasn't big on conversation to begin with. Thus, when something was tugging at her mind and she felt the need to say something, it was usually said.

An audible sigh slipped passed her lips when they reached their destination. Immediately, Lightpool overtook Hawkclaw and padded quickly towards a stunted tree nearby. She glanced over the area and clawed briskly at the mixture of snow and dirt, unveiling her small cache of prey. Two chaffinches and a lean squirrel rested limply where she'd left them before Rosethorn's cry. She gently grasped the birds by the wingtips and the squirrel by it's long tail and pulled them out of the small ditch. When she turned around to begin the journey back towards camp, the prey dragged along the ground between her forelegs. She jerked her head higher, but the prey still dragged between her legs. She breathed a sigh through her nose and began shuffling back with a determined glint in her eye, dragging her prey and stepping awkwardly around it. Hawkclaw could handle Rosethorn's catch once they reached it.

[/color]

[Cai]

Hawkclaw glanced sidelong at Lightpool and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. She seemed to be panicking, or at least reprimanding herself. He wasn't quite sure why, since she hadn't committed any great crime as far as he could see. Apparently she was very sensitive. Hawkclaw couldn't help but find her somewhat amusing, beating herself up over a crime which nobody but her had noticed. He even smiled slightly, though he kept his gaze straight ahead.

"Relax." He said, once he caught up with Lightpool again, pausing by the catches she'd left behind a small tree. "You look like you just swallowed a bee." Hawkclaw eyed the three pieces of prey, raised his eyebrows and looked at her in surprise. That was a very impressive haul to have caught in leafbare. Most cats struggled to bring home one piece of prey when the weather got cold, so this was definitely a welcome addition to the fresh-kill pile which had been so sadly depleted earlier. How pleased his 'brother' would be.

A melancholy mood replaced the brief amusement which had temporarily lightened Hawkclaw's features, and he spoke more gruffly than before. "You all right carrying those?" He eyed the she-cat, dragging the prey with some difficulty. He could quite easily have carried one for her...

[/blockquote]

[Grim]

Lightpool looked up, her jade eyes wide and an all-around startled expression stuck on her face. Slowly, her lips curved into a tiny smile. With the life of the smile, the guilt weighing her shoulders down seemed to evaporate. The ashamed tension eased out of her limbs and bunched muscles, instantly creating a much different aura around the young warrior. She flicked her ears forward and continued nudging at her pieces of prey until she had gathered them all. Admittedly, she looked a bit comical trying to haul her kills all at once, but she hadn't been worried about how she appeared. However, when Hawkclaw spoke again, she realized how stubborn she was being. Although she could have certainly dragged her prey back to camp on her own, albeit slowly, it was more sensible to accept help if it was offered. She spat the prey out and shook her head with a wry smile.

"I could probably use some help, if you wouldn't mind," She nudged the squirrel towards the tabby warrior. "Ironically, leaf-bare is the only time I can hunt properly," she said with a sardonic glance towards her bright pelt. She glanced sidelong at the tom and briskly scooped her prey back up. With her load made noticeably lighter, the female moved easier. The wings still dragged along the ground when she began padding towards the camp, but that couldn't have been helped. Lightpool was the size of an average forest cat, not a dog.

While they padded along, now in a comfortable silence, Lightpool considered her wayward judgment of Hawkclaw. She had mistook his brooding attitude and solemn features for a darker warrior. Truthfully, he still seemed a bit dark, but Lightpool had seen the ghost of a smile in his eyes and heard a joking ring in his voice. It heartened the young warrior, to know that ThunderClan had such a fine warrior. Unwittingly, the she-cat had begun to smile behind her catches. Lightpool didn't have many friends in ThunderClan, having preferred solitude to a great group of friends as an apprentice. Although she was kind, nobody really stole the time it took to become her friend. Therefore, Lightpool enjoyed even the light banter Hawkclaw had thrown her way.

The harsh tang of blood suddenly assaulted her senses. She wrinkled her lips back around her kills in a grimace of distaste. They had arrived upon the bloody scene again. She padded quickly towards Rosethorn's buried cache and set her birds down beside it. Her pale green eyes surveyed the scene briefly before landing on the dead cat nearby. "Suppose we should do something with it?" She asked softly, her eyes wide and still fixed on the body. The idea of touching the filthy rogue made her cringe, but it didn't seem right to let it lay in the middle of their territory.

[/color]

[Cai]

Hawkclaw nodded and picked up the squirrel he was offered easily, padding along with it casually. He only made a few vague noises to show that he was listening to Lightpool, but otherwise said nothing. He knew of several cats with light-coloured pelts that could hunt perfectly well in the warmer months - Whitestar, for example, hunted well year round in that irritatingly do-gooder way of his - but maybe it was different for Lightpool. He supposed her pelt would blend well with the snow, whenever it showed up.

Just then, the two of them returned to the gruesome scene of the battle from earlier. The rogue's body was still slumped unceremoniously where it had fallen at Stonewhisker's claws, the blood still staining the ground and filling the air with its sharp scent. Dropping the squirrel to the side, Hawkclaw eyed the body darkly, his distaste evident in his taut jaw. He glanced back at Lightpool, shrugging. "Tell my brother-" Hawkclaw winced slightly at his use of the term. The habit still hadn't worn off, even after moons of feuding. "Tell Whitestar. I'm sure he'll delight in sorting everything out." Just like he always does he added mentally.

Whatever Whitestar decided was his problem. Hawkclaw had no intention of sweating his guts out trying to bury a fox-hearted rogue who invaded ThunderClan's territory, assaulted a she-cat (albeit a snotty one, in his opinion) and picked a fight with the deputy. Hardly behaviour which he deemed worthy of a lot of effort on his part. "Maybe he has some cat he wants to punish. He'll send someone to sort it out, knowing him." Hawkclaw shrugged again, picked up several pieces of prey and started off towards camp. What Lightpool did next was up to her.

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