Cross my Path (Closed!)

[havok]

Stormcry

Sunset turned the sky to the color of blood, a bad omen, especially after the events of the recent gathering. Stormcry almost wished he'd been there... almost. Looking over his shoulder, he saw his former apprentice, Warhawk following him, though she lagged behind, looking back as though she'd heard something. Checking the air again, he knew there was nothing there, but he'd let her figure that on her own. He mostly wished he'd been there so he could have helped keep her calm. From what he'd heard, she'd caused quite a racket at the gathering, threatening and almost attacking a Leader of all the things. Still he couldn't quite blame her. Warhawk was a passionate spirit and what Duskstar had proposed was unforgivable. Stormcry's own heart burned with a need to make the ThunderClan Leader pay. Soon, he promised himself, very soon.

Finally, he stopped at a fairly prey-filled area, turning to speak with Warhawk. "Let's split up to hunt from here. We'll meet back up when the sun is gone, alright?" Warhawk nodded, her ice-blue eyes shining excitedly as though this was her first hunt. As she dashed off into the ferns, he couldn't help but smile at his daughter-like warrior. Though the two warriors weren't related in any way, they'd developed a parent to kit bond as he'd trained her. Even when she was named a warrior, the bond had never weakened.

Suddenly, the breeze turned and Stormcry caught a stranger's scent. Maybe Warhawk had heard something afterall. Quick as a striking snake, Stormcry, shifted into the shadows, the stealthiness of his Clan coming to him as naturally as breathing. Eventually, he tracked the stranger's scent to a cluster of ferns. Playing hide-and-seek with ShadowClan cats was like trying to race the wind. It was stupid to even think you could win. Like a bolt of lightning, Stormcry burst out of his hiding place and landed squarely on top of the stranger, a loner, by her smell, pinning her to the ground. "Who are you and what do you think you're doing trespassing on ShadowClan teritory?!" he growled.

[rainy]

The snow hadn't stopped falling for weeks. The beautiful blanket was laid out soundly over the surrounding area, a sparkling expanse for all to see, seeming to stretch in every direction. It was a frigid beauty -- it might be pretty from a kittypet's point of view, but from someone who had to trek through it? Not so much. The precipitation had begun to fall again, the little flakes creating an ess through the air as they spiraled down and built up on the foot and a half of snow that was already there.

A stark golden figure stood out in the snow. Dusk heaved another breath as she pawed through the deep frozen ground. The beautiful she-cat was in search of prey. As per usual in leaf-bare, she had trouble maintaining her good looks as they gave way to haggard thinness. She had no qualms crossing Clan boundaries to find it, and she was pretty sure that that stench she had smelled a while back had been the ShadowClan markings. They weren't the most pleasant Clan to be sure, but she really didn't want to walk all the way to another Clan. They were the closest; they'd have to do. And so the she-cat had spent the past hour or so hunting.

Suddenly she froze as she detected another cat's scent. By now Dusk was near a small cluster of ferns. She shrieked as a cat landed on her and pinned her down. What's wrong with you? Normally you're not this slow! Her mind screamed at her. Hazy blue eyes glanced up at her attacker; it was a ShadowClan tom by his scent. She tried scrambling away but was already too weak. His question barely registered in her mind before the words were out: "I'm a loner, I'm looking for prey. What, did I break one of your little rules, Clan cat?" Dusk made no attempt to hide her scorn or introduce herself. She knew it was a dangerous move, especially since she was at his mercy, but all she could hope for was that he was compassionate. Then again, ShadowClan and compassion didn't mix very well...

[havok]

Her tone alone succeeded in ticking him off. Unsheathing his claws, he growled lowly, "Yes, actually. You are not in my Clan, therefore you not only trespass, but you're stealing. Any prey you've caught or may try to could've fed a kit or an Elder of my Clan. Prey is a precious commodity in ShadowClan's lands, the last thing we need is some selfish loner leaving us with even less than we already had." Though he didn't condone loners and rogues stealing from any Clan, he knew she'd have a better chance of hunting in ThunderClan. The enemy in him would rather have her steal from them or RiverClan because of the battles he knew was to come, but the honor in him was too strong for that. He wouldn't sink to their level.

He was too wary to let her up, though he'd given her fair enough warning. "I'll let you up if you promise to leave this land and never come back, understand? If I catch your scent again, I won't hesitate to kill you, then beg for forgiveness from StarClan and my Leader later. I'm sure they'll understand," he said, never loosening his grip.

((OOC: I know he seems kinda rejecty right now, but he's just being a good warrior. Don't worry, once Dusk is allowed by Sharpstar to fight with ShadowClan, he'll have to accept her presence and won't threaten her anymore. ^^'))

[rainy]

(ooc - awesome! XD this is exactly how I wanted it <3)

The loner flinched a little as his tone noticeably hardened and his claws came out. Okay, come on, use your brain, you stupid idiot. Why would you mouth off to a cat that's better fed than you, stronger than you, and has you pinned? The self-hating voice in her head was going off on another tirade. Dusk narrowed her eyes, trying not to give in. Her common sense told her she should lose the signs of aggression but her pride was telling her the opposite. This cat seemed strangely honorable for ShadowClan, though. Then again she hadn't been socializing at Gatherings since she was a medicine cat apprentice many moons ago. Perhaps the dispositions of the Clans had changed since then?

His words left her with a hoarse laugh that turned into a hacking cough. "Selfish? I would be selfish if I was a fat kittypet. Quite the opposite here ya know. Prey is turning out to be a 'precious commodity' everywhere I go." Her voice was easy, a tone of genuine amusement, as if they were friends. Dusk had a tendency to do that, switch around a lot, which often resulted in her annoying the other person. To emphasize her point she twisted a little, showing rib bones sharply poking through. "I don't want your sympathy or anything, I get your reasoning. Yeah, yeah, I'll go and never come back. This is the second Clan territory I've been banned from, gonna get harder to find food."

She hesitated a bit. His grip was starting to hurt even more, but there was a wheedling question in her mind that wouldn't go away. She had family in ThunderClan... and she knew something was up. Definitely, something was up. "Umm... yeah, this definitely is not the best time for this, but what's going on with ThunderClan and RiverClan? Their scents are all mixed up. Is there some big Clan cat war between them or sumthin'?" Of course he probably wouldn't humor her, particularly after the death threats, but it was worth a shot.

[/size]

[havok]

Her hoarse, laughing response was slightly unnerving at first, but once he heard the words, it just made him mad. "If it truly were the opposite, you would be of my Clan and you'd be hunting for the Elders and Kits, not yourself, which is exactly why I said your selfish." Though she agreed to his terms, he found it wasn't really sincere. Typical loners. Grudgingly, he let her up, claws still unsheathed, ready to fight, and he was ready to call for Warhawk if he needed her. Funny thing was, if had been Warhawk here instead of him, he's very sure this loner wouldn't have been given the comfort of a warning. His former apprentice would've clawed her ears off and left her running off without half of her pelt. The thought almost made him smirk... almost. It was simple for him to maintain a sterner face for the loner.

She didn't leave right, instead choosing to linger longer, trying Stromcry's aready worn patience further, to ask a question about the despicable ThunderClan and RiverClan. Though he really didn't see how it was any of her business, maybe she'd leave on better terms and stop stealing their prey if he gave her the information. "I wish they were fighting between each other. Then, they'd be out of our fur. In the past, ThunderClan have always been difficult and RiverClan have always been soft weaklings. Duskstar is trying to take over all four Clans in a tyranny, against the will of StarClan and the tradition of our ancestors. RiverClan has already given into his demands, but ShadowClan and WindClan are standing strong against them. There will be too many unnecessary deaths to come. You should leave the forest before then, unless you'd like to be caught up in all this mess," he finished. He stood there, still ready for a fight, or waiting for her to eventually leave. Checking the air again, he smelled prey nearby and it made him want to hunt, but he couldn't until he made sure the loner was out of ShadowClan territory. He prayed Warhawk would be able to make up for his momentary absense.

[rainy]

Dusk heaved a sigh of relief as she was finally let up and trotted in a circle, shaking out her limbs a little. These ShadowClan cats sure know how to give a beatdown without even really fighting. The warrior had a stern expression on his face, but she could bet there were all sorts of thoughts swirling around in his mind. Dusk knew she'd lucked out. A less patient ShadowClanner would've easily slashed her up without asking questions first. She preferred to avoid Clan territory except when she was desperate for food or wondering what was going on with the Clans, and even then tried not to stray too far, but she would never admit this to him. It was more fun to let other cats think that she was a snotty, selfish loner who enjoyed causing trouble. That was at least partly true anyway, right?

He did, in fact, answer her question which surprised her. ThunderClan have always been difficult... haha, I bet they have! But one of his words snapped her out of her disrespectful, mocking loner persona that she had adopted to toughen herself up. Duskstar. Dusk had turned to leave and had been ambling away even as the scent of prey floated toward her, but pivoted sharply. "Duskstar? Duskstar?! Where in StarClan is Midnightstar?!" Her claws had unsheathed and sunk into the snow as the thoughts churned through her brain. Midnightstar's gone? No... that can't be! Already so many of the people from her apprenticehood had disappeared. And now the leader? And what was this with this upstart little new leader trying to unite the Clans? Dusk harbored a lingering resentment towards ThunderClan but that was all gone now as she contemplated the future. What of her mother and brother? She had to go to ThunderClan--

No. They're the enemy, as has been obviously made clear by his words. They'd probably kill me. Dusk looked at the warrior intently. "Okay, nevermind. I'm not going to leave the forest. If that little Duskstar thinks he can take over, he's wrong. I suppose ShadowClan is going to fight against them, as per usual," she mused. I should change my name, I don't want to share a name with THAT. Then her typical loner disposition came back and she winked. "Alright, tough guy. Good luck with your battle then." Dusk began to walk away, not run, for the express purpose of annoying the warrior. But then she thought better of it and picked up her pace. Maybe I should go to ShadowClan's camp and help fight. Or WindClan. I'm already here, though, I could turn around... She debated it in her head.

[havok]

Much to his relief, the loner had started to leave, until she heard the name Duskstar. News of Midnightstar's disappearance seemed to have a personal affect on her and Stormcry could help, but wonder. Well, it didn't matter, she was a loner now. She chose to turn her back on whatever she had before and her reasons were her own. He replied crisply, "Only StarClan would know where MidnightStar and I can actually say I might actually miss another Clan's former Leader. This Duskstar is making quite a fool of himself." In all his studies of the Clans' histories, Stormcry had heard of these cases where a single Leader grew so power hungry they'd try to claim the whole forest as their own. The plans always ended up badly and eventually, that Leader was killed in the war they'd caused. It was stupid to think a repeat would have a different outcome.

Snarkily, she commented on how ShadowClan would fight back as though that was their solution to everything. Furrowing his brow in anger, he did not take insults on his Clan any better than Warhawk did, before responding, "Of course we will fight and even if we lose, the forest will know that free cats stood against a tyrant, that few stood against many, and that even a new Leader can fail." Even as he spoke he found his unsheathed claws digging into the earth beneath him, imagening them sinking into the pelt of Duskstar. He swore before this war was over, he would personally make the ThunderClan Leader lose a life. That would give Warhawk a grand tale to tell the generations to come.

Wacthing on as the loner left, Stormcry stood, steadfast. At first she walked slow, then went faster. He'd stay where he was until he could no longer see her, then get back to hunting with Warhawk. The Clan needed prey to strengthen them.

[rainy]

Dusk thought back to what the ShadowClanner had said. The way he had stood, taking pride in his Clan, speaking with a sense of honor bred throughout generations of his Clan... and not just his Clan. Every Clan cat she'd known was like that, every Clan cat she encountered was like that. Every time it filled her with a little sense of emptiness, like she was missing something. All the loners she'd known sneered at Clan cats and wondered how they could want to give up their lives to fight for a cause like this, where they wouldn't be getting anything to physically benefit them in return. Dusk had been astounded at these loners' blindness. She realized then that she was not the kind of cat they were; she was not the kind of cat that would stab a friend in the back and run with their prey. Sure, not all loners and rogues were like that. But she just didn't fit in.

Dusk cast a few surreptitious glances behind her to make sure she was out of the warrior's vision. Then, with a stealth perfected by moons of practice, she slung low to the ground and headed in the direction of ShadowClan camp, making sure to remain in foliage at all times and remain downwind as well as skirt around the area she had been in with the warrior. She scented not one but two warriors on the prowl and it would be very, very bad if they discovered her again. ShadowClan cats were much superior to her in terms of stalking and being stealthy. Nevertheless, she had to talk to the leader or deputy and StarClan help her if she'd be dragged into the camp like a prisoner by two warriors.