Old Demons (CLOSED)

[havok]

She'd had strange dreams before, but she'd always dismissed them as simply dreams. This one however... Warhawk woke up panting, as though she'd just run to Highstones and back. It had been frightening, to be sure, but unlike the others it had been all too clear. She thought she knew the figures in her dream, from stories the Elders told. The Warriors in her dream were from the Dark Forest, that she knew well enough, though what they'd said was slowly fading from memory, she knew it had been bad. After all, they'd chased her back into the waking world when they'd discovered the curious she-cat had been there and had heard.

Cursing her fading memory under her breathe, she stood and stretched before padding out of the warrior's den. Warhawk sat down just outside the entrance, surveying the busy camp. There was a patrol coming back to drop prey onto the fresh-kill pile already. Hunting felt really good right now, it'd help clear her head and steady her racing heart, if that made any sense. It did to her. However, she didn't want to just wander off on her own, she needed to talk with another cat about meaningless drabble to help her forget. Padding back into the den, she prodded the nearest warrior and said, "Hey. Get up, the day's wasting."

[FireFlyDragon]

Marshflight

Marshflight had been blessed with a quiet slumber, his breaths deep and silent as his form rose and fell against his moss nest, an ear or a tail twitching occasionally to signal off some invisible pest of some sort, though he was never disturbed enough to wake up. That was until the sound of a waking cat swarmed his drowsed senses. Still being half-asleep the young warrior’s mind found this disturbance annoying and uncoiling a paw or two he did his best to try and recapture his previous sleep, not wanting the comfortable night to end.

It would not be so as a paw prodded the large cat in the back, causing his fur to stickup somewhat as his eyes opened, sight somewhat blurry and distorted as he fought to open them and force himself awake. His eyes met another warrior’s ice blue orbs surrounded by such a delicate color of cream that he blinked a few times to clear his vision; such a contrast of colors often did that to him. As the warrior spoke he recognized the tone as a female, and hearing her words he realized that it was quite late in the day.

With sleep still lingering about the border of his mind he stood up slowly, stretching himself as best he could in the small space before joining the she-cat outside the den. His black and orange coat immediately fluffed up; the cold waking him quickly as he shook himself, ridding his body of those last few thoughts of sleep before he began the daily activities.

//OoC//And can we say this takes place before Marshflight is chosen as deputy? As that thread isn't done and it hasn't been announced yet?[/size][/color]

[havok]

((OOC: Yeah, sure. Whatever floats your boat.))

Marshflight looked up at her blurrily, blinking several times to clear his vision. He joined her outside, wordlessly, his pelt fluffing up against the cold air outside the den. At first Warhawk wondered if she'd upset him by waking him up, but then the memory of the dreams came and she knew she had to anyway. "Hey Marshflight, if you're not busy anyway, would you like to go hunting with me?" She hoped she didn't sound like some young she-cat with a crush. Oh, StarClan, she knew she did sound like it. Trying to shake her embarrassment away, she hoped he said yes anyway. She just wanted to be around anycat she could talk to. If not one of her Clanmates, then who was there? No one, that's who.

((OOC: Sorry for the short, but I didn't have much to work with.))

[FireFlyDragon]

Marshflight

The rest of the afternoon promised to be chilly; the cool breezes obvious to the tom as his mind focused on what to do. He figured he might as well go hunting; leaf-bare was on the way of course. With him almost lost in his own head Marshflight nearly missed what the she-cat said, but as his attention drifted back quickly to the warrior he caught enough to nod. “Sure, I was just thinking of hunting anyway. Where do you think we should go? Marsh, pinewoods?” Marshflight felt his words almost seemed hollow; and suddenly conscious at how indifferent he must sound he gave himself a slight shake, revealing a more approachable air as his tail flicked towards the small fresh-kill pile.

“Need something before we go?” The tom himself wasn’t hungry; more or less the thought of food right after waking almost repelled him. He had some weird…lets say knots in his daily activities that others sometimes found strange. “I’ll be just outside camp. Just head on out when your ready.” With a step seeming almost unnaturally light for his side he padded to the camp entrance, taking one look over his shoulder before pushing himself outside into the less protected outside world.

As soon as his paws brought him beyond the ferns a heavy wind belted him in the side. Surprised, he jumped a little, though his size more or less kept him rooted to the ground as he took a few more steps forward. He could feel that hunting would be a little more difficult then planned as the wind still continued to blow, hard enough to cause his winter-coat to ripple and go against it’s natural flow to a point where it was almost uncomfortable. But he was going to do what needed to be done, so he waited patiently for the she-cat as he thought about the more appropriate place to hunt considering the weather.

[havok]

Good, he seemed to be waking up, though he was too tired to tease her about how her question had sounded. Also good. He finally said something, though he still sounded tired... or emotionless, but either way, he was coming along. Warhawk thought about it for a moment, then reminded herself that cold weather in the Marsh would've made the prey sleepy and easier to hunt. Fluffing her own long-haired coat against the cold, she answered, "I think the Marsh would be good. That is, if you don't mind cold, wet paws." There was no harm in making sure he'd be okay with it.

He asked her if she needed anything before they went, then said he'd be waiting at the entrance. Warhawk glanced at the fresh-kill pile. Though it was full from the recent hunting patrol, she always had the need to eat last. Warhawk always put the Clan before herself. That's just how she was. Marshflight had left her there as she was thinking and she gave her pelt a few good licks before following after him, her plume of a tail held high. The wind outside the camp was strong and biting, even through her thick fur. This weather made the Pine Woodlands seem so much better though. "On second thought, the Pines would shield us better from the wind... What do you think?" Marshflight wasn't that much older than her. In fact, she remembered him staying in the Nursery before she was two moons old. Still, he was four moons more experienced than she, his opinion in warrior duties had to count for something.

[FireFlyDragon]

Marshflight

It wasn’t long before the she-cat appeared, her long coat buffed by the wind as she quickly made her way over to the tom, his ears pricking as she began to speak. He nodded, her words making sense as he was just thinking the same thing. He let out an approved purr at her suggestion, though it was nearly lost with the wind. “I think that’s correct! The pines would block some of the wind coming in, though this weather will make it harder to hunt altogether.” His head tilted as a sparkle lit in his green orbs. “But hey, I’m up for a challenge any day!” With that he motioned for the she-cat to follow him as he set off at a playful sprint towards the pine forests, making sure she was following behind him as he leapt over the thickening presence of roots and dead flora that gathered it’s self as they traveled into the forests.

He slowed considerably as the trees began to thicken, his ears now clear of harsh winds as the howling breezes split with the trunk’s and bough’s contact. His paw steps faded into simple things such as the wind lifting the fallen leaves, or maybe battered branches knocking together with the air’s motion as he proceeded. His shoulders slid smoothly beneath his coat, eyes ever watchful and ears pricked for sounds of prey. He was a hunter, and now he was showing his hard earned title as his ear-fur picked up tiny sounds; tiny scratches and scuttles of his coming catch.

His belly nearly brushing those brittle leaves that covered the otherwise bare ground, his paws silent as the sounds grew in volume he stalked forward. Unblinking orbs focused themselves upon his prey, remaining hidden so far as he waited. A flash of movement later he had gripped the mouse in his paws, claws hooking into it’s warm body as he finished it off. Immediately he looked for a good place to bury it, or a good place to leave it until he returned.

//OoC// It’s a bit awkward, the writing style changing mid post is a bit weird XD But I wrote this over a day or two so yeah…That can happen =3 Should we continue the thread in the pine woods? Or simply continue it here? I wasn’t to sure so I went ahead a little, though we can switch and me modify thy post XD. And sorry if I didn't give you enough to work with again <3.

[havok]

He seemed to agree with her on the Pinewoods and she smiled at his enthusiasm for a challenge. He motioned for her to follow him and she did, sprinting after him, her pawsteps, as silent as the shadows she lived in. The undergrowth grew heavier as they travelled and eventually the trees closed in on them and the dead pine needles on the ground muffled most sounds. Warhawk split off from the other hunter, as she'd seen movement near a bushel of ferns.

Silent as death, she crept up closer to the ferns, opening her maw slightly to taste the air. Shrews, definitely shrews. Instinctively, she licked her chops, and crouched in preparation for the sprint. Looking for her chance, she saw it as the shrew came sniffing out of the cover of ferns. As though the sun had exploded, Warhawk suddenly burst into movement, racing then leaping to her prey. She landed on the small, squirming body with a muffled thud, claws hooked into its flesh and keeping it still as she found its spine and cleanly snipped it with her fangs. The squirming stopped and the blood flowed. All was still and quiet.

Retracing her steps, she backtracked to where she'd left Marshflight. She found him a few fox-tails away, searching for a place to bury the mouse he'd caught. "Good job," she said around her shrew, "Let's bury our catches together, then it'll be easier to remember where they are." With that said, she dug a small ditch and dropped her shrew in it, prompting Marshflight to do the same with his mouse.

[FireFlyDragon]

Marshflight

Warhawk had apparently been successful with her hunt after splitting off from the tom beforehand, a shrew clamped in her jaws as she trotted over to him now, a compliment worded around her catch. He purred a thanks in response and at her prompting dropped the still-warm body of his prey into the shallow dip, helping her to cover it up with dirt and then leaves before stopping to pull a few from his claws that had gotten themselves stuck. “Very attached critters aren’t they?” He mused, giving a purr of amusement as he flipped his paws one way and then the other, detaching them after a short time.

Pausing to smooth down his ruffled pelt he gave the sky a long look, eyes thoughtful as his tail twitched unconsciously. “Smells like snow almost, or at least very cold” his tone wasn’t exactly as cheery as before, more calculating then anything. After all, snow usually made everything more difficult for the Clan, even just a small amount could possibly cause more then simple discomfort. Giving himself a shake he turned back to the she-cat, once more happy-go-lucky as he gave the covered prey a final pat.

“Well, we should get back to hunting.” He meowed, realizing that they seemed to have taken a little break with their burying. His green orbs meet the she-cat’s own icy ones, his head tilting as he waited for an answer. “That ok with you?"

[havok]

Helping her cover the kills, Marshflight got some leaves stuck to his paws. Warhawk giggled, even as there were a few leaves stuck to her long-haired pelt. She shook them away. Looking up at the sky through the clustered pines' branches she saw thick, dark clouds, slowly converging together. The air was bitingly crisp and hurt to breath, let alone scent in. Marshflight observed it was snow-type weather. Warhawk nodded in agreement. "Snow won't be good now. Not if the Medicine cats haven't retrieved every good herb left yet." She willed StarClan to watch over her Clanmates, and prayed they wouldn't get sick.

Marshflight gave the covered prey one final pat before turning back to her. He said they should get back to hunting and she agreed immediately, sprinting off into a thicket of ferns. Most of the frogs and toads were gone by now. It was too cold for them and they hibernated underground during the cold seasons. Taking in the breeze once more, she caught the warm smell of vole, on a few fox-tails from her hiding place behind a fern. She slunk around its position in a tight circle, trying to catch it on its exposed flank. It was nibbling on a bug, so it was distracted.

The shadows seemed to grow and she took that as a sign, darting in to barrel the little vole into the ground. As soon as she dug her claws into its small bady, a searing pain flashed through her mind, and the face of an angry tom along with it. She yowled out of surprise and because of the unsure moment, nearly lost her prey, but it hadn't gotten far. Warhawk tore it down again before delivering the killing bite. Looking all around her, she shearched for the phantom cat from her dreams, to no avail. "Who are you?" she growled aloud, before picking up her kill and taking it back to the dig spot.