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Post by me on Jul 2, 2009 22:33:56 GMT -5
Flametail, the young deputy of GaleClan, darted between tall grasses as she made her way south to the tentative border they now shared with ThornClan. The shadows were long, and the sun burned orange low in the sky, but despite the coming night, she was hopeful that ThornClan would stay in their own territory, especially so soon after the agreement.
Or maybe they wouldn't. She kept to the shadows, constantly glancing to the south, her ears pricked for every sound, as she trekked along the border.
Well, at least it wouldn't be long before she got to the River Jag. No cat would dare attack another there. Maybe she would hunt and rest a bit, before turning north to patrol MireClan's border. Now those cats, those would be dangerous... especially with their camouflage skills. But, at least the GaleClan cats had some pretty decent camouflage skills too.
She had thought this in a sort of absent-minded, background noise sort of way. But now, she brought all her attention to bear on the issue at hand: patrolling and keeping her eyes and ears out for anything abnormal.
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Post by Owlgaze on Jul 3, 2009 16:40:54 GMT -5
Rainfall slipped silently through the territory, staying just behind the deputy. He looked around warily; ever since the new territory had been disputed on they had to be on a sharp lookout all the time. The cats of ThornClan sported mottled brown pelts that would blend in perfectly with the low shrubs and dappled shadows that were everywhere in this part of the territory. He listened to the soft sound of his own breathing as he relied more on his ears and nose in detecting danger. He couldn't sense anything, not a hint of enemy warriors anywhere. There had been a lot of fighting recently, and he was glad for the break. It would be a shame if this day ended in a battle.
He relaxed a bit, letting his neck fur down, he enjoyed the sights and sounds of the world as the light faded. Birds began to chirp all around them, a song wishing goodbye to the daytime. A warm breeze blew all around them, the sun that day had warmed the air significantly. Turning to the she-cat in front of him, he mewed warily "I can't sense anything out of the ordinary," pausing momentarily he added "At least it's a nice evening to be out here,"
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Post by me on Jul 3, 2009 19:59:30 GMT -5
"Hmmm. Me neither." She made no reply to his comment on the weather. After speaking, Flametail was silent for several more steps, contemplating. Rainfall did have a point -- nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be happening here. Perhaps ThornClan would stay in their territory after all.
By now, they had almost reached the clan gathering area, and Flametail didn't really think there was any point in patrolling the rest of the border. They hadn't scented anything, seen anything, or heard anything, and if they just cut straight across to the MireClan border the wind would carry the scent of any ThornClan invaders near the River Jag straight to them. Strange weather -- most of the time, the wind blew in the opposite direction, from GaleClan's territory towards the other clans. But at least the night was clear, with a few stars already showing in the eastern sky.
"Why don't we just go straight to MireClan? If ThornClan's attacking, we'll smell them," Flametail explained, slowing to a stop and turning to face her companion.
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Post by Owlgaze on Jul 4, 2009 13:36:00 GMT -5
Rainfall shrugged."Sure, if you want to take that risk. They could probably smell us where we are now" with a flick of his tail he added "But it all seems quiet," He figured it would be a good night for the other clan to attack, but it appeared they weren't taking the opportunity. Besides, maybe there would be some trouble on the MireClan border. His paws had started itching to do something. He wanted to run, it was his favourite thing to do, to feel the wind ruffling your pelt as your paws carried you lightning fast. He knew this part of the territory well enough for the fading light not to hinder him, and besides, cats had excellent night vision.
He took a small leap forward so he was beside the deputy. With a hopeful look in his eye, he asked "Wanna run there?" It was only a short distance from here to the MireClan border, and he doubted that there would be any trouble between here and there.
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Post by me on Jul 4, 2009 14:22:25 GMT -5
((Hey Owl, could you please go here and give your input on whether or not you think this forum should have a chatbox? warriorsstalk.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=chat&action=display&thread=26&page=1))"Yeah, that's about what I figured. Racing? A race sounds great!" She said, purring at the gray warrior. "I haven't got to stretch my legs since that last battle, racing back to camp to get our leader over to talk to the leader of ThornClan." Flametail was really quite young for a deputy, only sixteen moons, and her kit like playfulness showed despite the responsibility of being a deputy. She stopped and crouched beside Rainfall, bracing her legs as if about to run, but then spun on her hind legs and pushed both her forepaws against his shoulder and side before spinning away again and bounding off towards MireClan territory. "Come on!" She called over her shoulder, purring to herself about the trick as she ran. Hopefully he would have been knocked over and she would get a long head start. But she also knew that, even with a head start, she would have to really push herself to even keep up with Rainfall. He was one of the fastest cats in all the clans. But maybe... she could trick him? She stopped running and darted sideways to hide behind a small, twisted bush, crouching ready to pounce. |
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Post by Owlgaze on Jul 11, 2009 20:03:25 GMT -5
((Sorry I haven't replied, I was gone for a bit. Actually, I'm leaving for a week again tomorrow, I travel quite a bit in the summer))
Rainfall was about to reply "|Well, I just wanted to ru..." but he was cut short as he was toppled over. Blinking with surprise, he lay there for a moment before his pride caught up with him. Jumping to his feet, he followed the deputy, more by the sound of her trampling through the woods up ahead then by seeing her. She had a good head start and he could only see flashes of her orange tail in the bushes ahead. Picking up the pace, he bounded forward, letting himself go The annoyance at himself for not paying attention, with a playful attitude, he vowed to get back at her. Suddenly, he saw a black and orange flash dart to the side, and the running noise stopped. Warily, he slowed down to investigate. He didn't want to be tricked a second time!
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Post by me on Jul 11, 2009 20:17:27 GMT -5
((That's fine ^^ did you have a good vacation? Good luck on your trip tomorrow!))
Flametail snarled in annoyance that the other cat had apparently seen her dodge sideways into the bushes. A good plan, ruined. But, no big deal, there were plenty of other opportunities. She backed slowly away, her paws silent, tail and ears low. When she figured she was far enough away and out of sight of Rainfall, she took off running again. He would definitely hear the thuding of her paws against the ground now, but at least she (hopefully) had a head start. Or he could be stalking behind her now. She had no idea, but figured that since she had already chosen this course of action, she better see it through.
The young deputy began to pant hard, and her legs were starting to get tired. If Rainfall was behind her, she couldn't hear him over the pounding of her heart. She definitely needed a break. Keeping an eye out for large trees, she quickly spotted one and leaped towards the trunk with a powerful kick from her hind legs.
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Post by Owlgaze on Jul 16, 2009 18:56:00 GMT -5
What sounded like an explosion pelted out from behind the tree, turning to follow the noise, Rainfall heard the deputy's pawsteps again. Startled, he started again, fighting past the bushes that hid the spot, he panted. Ahead was pretty clear, and he could hear Flametail's pawsteps fading away. He sprinted forward, he could hear her ahead, but she had a good headstart. He slowed down a little, to what he figured matched her pace, maybe slower. He didn't want to tire himself out all at once, breathing steadily, he checked his pace. The time he wasted running was paying off, he could keep it up for a few minutes at least. Hopefully she'll slow down, then I'll be able to catch up to her he thought excitedly.
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Post by me on Jul 16, 2009 20:17:21 GMT -5
Flametail crouched, hidden, in the shadows of the leafy tree and tried to breathe quieter, but that proved extremely difficult, not to mention unsuccessful. If Rainfall came now, he would hear her for sure.
Here he came! She could hear him. Desperately, Flametail took a huge breath and then held it, her sides aching with the effort to keep the breath in. Unfortunately, she could hold it no longer just as he came in sight, and let it out explosively, beginning to pant again. "Mouse dung!" She growled, and then leaped down from the tree. "All right, Rainfall, you got me. Let's rest for a bit before we finish the patrol, what do you say?"
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Post by Owlgaze on Jul 19, 2009 23:09:50 GMT -5
Rainfall stopped short, surprised as the deputy leaped down from the tree "Sounds good," he meowed with an amused smile. He couldn't help feeling a bit satisfied with himself as he flopped down on a patch of ferns. He lay still for a few moments, before washing the dust off his forelegs. Night was almost upon them, and the forest was dark. His dark grey pelt was good at keeping him hidden in this time of night. It was a good time for hunting, maybe he would pick up a mouse or two for the fresh-kill pile. His gaze turned toward the deputy. "So, do you think MireClan would stand a chance at beating us if they attacked tonight?" he tried to keep his mood light tonight. With all the battles and conflict recently, a little bit of lightheartedness was a good thing.
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Post by me on Jul 20, 2009 14:32:31 GMT -5
"The whole of MireClan against the two of us? Sure. They'd flay us. But if they chose tonight to invade us..." her voice trailed off. "We're still weak from that battle against ThornClan. They would probably win. Still, if they do, at least we're patrolling, so we won't be caught unawares..." she broke off and laid her head on her paws, her ears pricked uneasily towards MireClan territory. A slight breeze rustled the trees, and Flametail twitched irritably as it ruffled her fur the wrong way. After a while she spoke again. "There is one good thing, though. Maybe now that we have a truce with ThornClan, we will be able to make that the permanent border and get all this trouble with MireClan straightened out soon. That would be good. To tell you the truth, I'm getting a bit tired of this constantly fighting war thing. It's unnatural. The clans aren't meant to fight constantly..."
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Post by Owlgaze on Jul 26, 2009 19:43:39 GMT -5
"Well, of course they'd get the two of us," Rainfall meowed "But MireClan need their stealth, they're so clumsy with their enormous paws." He snorted. Rainfall really didn't think much of any of the other clans. He shot a glance around the forest. You never knew what the shadows could be hiding. "But you're right. All this fighting feels wrong." He checked out the MireClan border warily, sniffing, he could tell where the line of scent marks were through the woods. He studied the border cautiously, his eyes darting to every small movement, whether it was the wind rustling the leaves of the bushes, or small animals darting through the night. "Too much war is definitely a bad thing, even for warriors," he ended with a smirk. Even GaleClan is getting tired, he thought silently, and everyone knows we're usually always prepared for a fight. He wondered what would put an end to this war once and for all.
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Post by me on Jul 26, 2009 21:56:51 GMT -5
"Yes," said Flametail, staring off into the distance with her eyes unfocused. "Well, it's not like we can do anything about it by just sitting here. All we can do is help our clans as much as possible and try to negotiate for peace whenever we can... At the last gathering, I heard some of the MireClan warriors talking, they were thinking that maybe the old BreezeClan territory could be turned into a sort of neutral territory, where any cat can go to hunt and keep whatever it catches... I must admit, it's a good idea. I suppose they hadn't spoken to their leader before the gathering, or else the leader didn't like it for some reason... interesting, though, huh? ... the gathering tonight should be interesting, though."
The black-and-orange deputy cat stood up and shook leaves off her pelt, stretching stiff muscles. "Let's get going. If I sit around any longer I'm going to get even stiffer. I'm turning into an elder," she complained.
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Post by Owlgaze on Jul 30, 2009 17:34:48 GMT -5
"Of course," he mewed tactfully, rising to his paws. He turned to look at the deputy with a reserved look "So, would you happen to know who's coming to the gathering tonight?" he mewed, trying to sound inconspicious. He knew it was usually the leader's decision, but Flametail was one of the leader's chief advisors. She might know. He really hoped he would be picked, he'd fought bravely in the battles recently and in his mind, he deserved to go. He had missed the last bathering as well, and he was aching to hear what the other clans had to say. Hopefully a message of peace, the other clans can't be holding out well either. I bet they're just as sick of this as we are! And the neutral territory was an interesting idea. He didn't think it was the best option, but it would be better than fighting. Would it be fair to the clans that didn't border on it? They wouldn't be able to access it without tresspassing on another clan's territory. There would be squabbles over prey that could break out into fights. Eventually, someone was going to want to claim it again. But then again, we needed a solution, and this seemed the most reasonable so far" He turned to the deputy again, focusing on getting to go to the gathering "I mean, if the leader's told you yet. Or even decided."
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Post by me on Jul 31, 2009 2:16:50 GMT -5
Flametail jogged off in the direction of the MireClan border, glancing behind after a few steps to see if Rainfall was following. "Well, I'm going, obviously, and you're going. All the usuals, leader, medicine cat, one of the senior warriors... it's going to be a smaller patrol than usual, though, the leader wants to leave most of the warriors behind to protect the camp in case ThornClan or MireClan takes advantage of our going to the gathering to... skip the gathering themselves and attack us."
Working the stiffness out of her muscles, she sped up, until she was several yards ahead of Rainfall, her bright orange tail streaming out behind her. As she neared the MireClan border, the ground became more marshy, and the trees began to die away, instead becoming thick underbrush and tall, grassy plants. Patches of ground -- those not shadowed by the foliage -- shimmered with moisture under the moonlight, and squelched uncomfortably under Flametail's paws.
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