Ok…name break! I NEED names! Ratfur is expecting kits, and I plan her to have her kits sometime. So if u could give me some good kit names, that would ROCK! makes luv sign with hand
Runningpaw gulped. It seemed like a ShadowClan patrol: about six of them. The cat that had knocked him over was a black tom. He had rippling muscles and was huge, almost three times Runningpaw's size. Herbs, Runningpaw thought grimly. Definitely herbs. Cheater. Runningpaw thought with defiance.
The warrior smirked, showing not gleaming white teeth but yellowed, rotting ones.
"You should be more careful as to scenting other cats," He whispered snidely, blowing rank breath into Runningpaw's face. "We were right here all along."
Runningpaw coughed the horrible scent of carrion breath and murmured, "Where's Ashstar?"
"Oh, your leader? Right over there," The tom pointed his black tail.
Runningpaw was shocked at what he saw. Right there in front of him was Ashstar, being held by two bulky warriors.
But something was wrong. She wasn't…normal. Well of course she wasn't normal, she had scratches and wounds all over her face! But there was something different about her… she didn't look so…feminine.
The apprentice trembled. "T-that isn't Ashstar," He stammered. His blue eyes were wide and staring all around at all of the warriors around him. Runningpaw could admit that he was a bit scared. But ShadowClan warriors sometimes were something to be scared of, especially when they were angry.
The tom snickered richly. "You finally noticed," He purred roughly. "I thought that you would never figure out that she wasn't here. That's Hazefrost, one of our fellow warriors."
Runningpaw glared up at the cat. "Where is she?" He growled. "Where is she!" He started to yowl. "Tell me where she is! NOW!" Snapped Runningpaw.
"Oh, I'm afraid we can't tell you that," The warrior mock sighed. "She might be on the way to our camp right now, and she might be right here with our patrol. I guess you're going to have to claw it out of us," He growled. He smirked nastily again as he had before.
Runningpaw gave the tom a death glare. He didn't dare say anything in fear that at any word of defiance the tom would claw his ears off. But if the apprentice was going to find Ashstar, he was going to have to defeat this tom.
Unsheathing his claws silently, Runningpaw murmured, "Why should I do that? I don't want to get blood on that silky smooth fur of yours. You would only look more like a tom."
The black tom smiled. "Try me," He growled.
Runningpaw smirked. "I'd be glad to." He bared his fangs and hurled himself at the warrior, flaying his claws every which way. But to his surprise, it wasn't the tom he was fighting- it was another apprentice.
It was a white she-cat. She had leaped into the air at one of the patrols' signals. They must have planned for her to attack so that Runningpaw wouldn't place a claw on their bulky tom. StarClan, Runningpaw thought, These cats are organized.
"Grrrar!" The she-cat hissed. She bowled Runningpaw over quickly, leaving him stunned on the hard earth.
That only made Runningpaw even more infuriated. "Gerroff!" He hissed at the she-cat. He bunched his muscles and launched her off, leaving a few clawmarks and kicking her all the way across the leafy floor and into a tree.
He smiled as he saw the she-cat laying there, stunned, but frowned as a different thought popped into his head: Was she dead?
Runningpaw hurried to the she-cat, checking to see if she was okay. He put his ear to her heart, checking for a pulse. He dug his muzzle into her fur. It wasn't cold…
Just then, she sprang back up from the tree and slapped Runningpaw right across the face. Runningpaw howled as he felt blood ooze down his muzzle and cheeks. It stung like heck.
Ok, you're done! Runningpaw felt like saying. He leaped back up from where he was crouched and hid himself behind the tree, leaving the she-cat stalking around the tree in circles, confused. Stupid apprentice, Runningpaw thought. Little did she know that he was nestled up in a tree, just waiting to attack by flying out of the tree and landing on her.
And he did just that. He hissed with defiance and flew out of the tree, landing on the apprentice's back. He dug his claws into her back, making many marks in her shoulders. Runningpaw raked his claws down her back and brought his paws down on her back, putting as much weight as he could on her back.
Just as Runningpaw predicted, she bowled herself over, head over paws, and was squashed to the ground. "Get out," He whispered into her ear.
She shook her head. "No," She replied coldly.
Runningpaw growled in reply and ran his claws across her shoulders. "This is your chance to get out of here," Runningpaw murmured again to the white cat. "Leave ThunderClan territory and I won't ever lay a claw on you again."
She hissed a long, low hiss. "No way," She mumbled. The white she-cat flipped Runningpaw over onto his back. The light brown tom tried to claw at her flanks, but he was too squashed to do any movement with his claws or paws.
Unfortunately, she had exposed his soft belly. Runningpaw knew what was coming and winced as she raised her claws to slice his stomach. "Now, you get out," She hissed silently to Runningpaw. "You get out and let ShadowClan have this territory, and then you can get out of this with an intact underside!" She growled menacingly.
Runningpaw said nothing, just waited for her to take a slice at his belly. She again raised her paw very very slowly, unsheathing her claws so that Runningpaw could see. So over dramatic, Runningpaw thought with hate.
Right as her claws started to come down onto his belly, Runningpaw held back a howl. Suddenly, a huge gray shape leaped onto the she-cat, prying her off of Runningpaw.
The confused tom looked up to see what cat could have possibly protected him. And he was pleased at what he saw. "Ashstar!" He purred happily.
The leader smiled down at him warmly for a couple of heartbeats as she clawed at the apprentice. "You must be stupid," Runningpaw heard Ashstar growl, "if you didn't know that ThunderClan never quits."
The white she-cat mrowled with surprise at the leader's presence. "H-how did you ever get out of there?" She whispered, half to herself.
"Oh, it was easy," Ashstar mewed back matter-of-factly. "Bramble branches are easy to get out of for a loyal ThunderClan she-cat, especially their leader! Be more respectful when in the presence of a leader, okay?" She mewed respectfully.
The white apprentice nodded, still looking down at Ashstar's huge gray claws. The white she-cat's eyes were wide open and she gaped silently in horror as she leapt away, howling at the top of her breath.
Runningpaw's jaw dropped and he stared at Ashstar, surprised. "Wow!" He exclaimed, his blue eyes round. "That was awesome! How did you do that?" He asked with awe.
Ashstar proudly lifted her head. "When you are a leader, you develop the leader's ways," She purred proudly.
The black tom pawed the ground impatiently. "Are you two just going to rant off about how you chased off a fickle apprentice or actually start to fight here?" He challenged.
Ashstar narrowed her eyes. "If you think that we have no right to pass, then we shall fight," She mewed coolly. Runningpaw was surprised at her tranquil attitude towards the intruders that had kidnapped her and temporarily hid her in a patch of bramble bushes!
The black tom smirked. "I like how you play, Ashstar," He joked. But it sounded a tad bit more respectful than Runningpaw had expected. Maybe he was finally getting up to speed and recognizing Ashstar as the leader of a Clan.
"Thank you, Hurricanesong," Ashstar murmured. Hurricanesong must have been the name of the black tom. The leader's eyes were glittering as she spoke for some reason, but it instantly went away as she noticed the rest of the patrol were staring at her, including Runningpaw. "Well, are you going to let us through or not?" She growled, a challenging tone in her voice.
"Glad you brought that up," Hurricanesong replied. "We will depart from this area if…" his voice trailed away and he twisted his face in thought. "If you bring us all the prey you can carry."