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i'll follow you into the dark [open/shc]
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Post by spiderstep on Aug 1, 2015 22:46:58 GMT -5
I'M A CRACK IN THIS HOUSE
| of glass! |
spiderstep growled lowly to herself as her claws caught the fur of a large squirrel, nearly missing as the ginger pelted rodent darted about in a desperate and futile attempt to escape the feline's onslaught. huffing, the mottled black warrior pinned the thrashing animal, giving her prey a swift bite to the neck and effectively quelling it's exasperating struggles. blinking, spiderstep's oddly colored green eyes looked first left, then right before she placed the squirrel securely among the roots of a nearby oak. kicking some leaves over the fallen prey animal, spiderstep nodded smugly to herself. "one down, three to go." she murmured.
the small warrior had begun her hunt at dawn, and by sun-high she had only one rabbit to show for it. of course, she'd also spent a good part of the morning trekking far from thunderclan's camp site in order to hunt in the near seclusion only the dappled trees would provide her. "and you've only got one lousy squirrel to show for it. if you weren't so scared of hunting in front of everyone else you wouldn't even have to go out of your way."
as she began walking again, spiderstep's grumbling continued, her conversation with herself getting more and more heated with every step she took. when ratmask had seen how much of a failure she was, he'd taken to bringing her to the dappled trees in the hopes that being away from the ever watchful eyes of her clan would do her some good. and it had to a point. when she was by herself or with her mentor she could track and hunt and fight like everyone else. but when she was the center of attention? all bets were off.
she supposed it came from sticking to the shadows during kithood and apprenticeship. since her siblings were the ones in the limelight, far more attention-seeking than she ever dared to be, spiderstep simply wasn't used to having someone watch her. when they did, she turned into a bumbling mouse-brain, and starclan knew she couldn't handle the pity and ridicule she perceived in everyone's eyes. being a forty-moon-old warrior and never having had an apprentice only made things worse. especially since her own brother was the clan leader. what. did he not trust her to train an apprentice of her very own? then again, if she were in his position she wouldn't be giving herself an apprentice either. 'cause you're just a fool, spider. you can't even talk to your own relatives without stuttering and ducking your head like a pathetic kit. why should you expect them to put the well-being of another in your paws?
grumbling the mottle-furred she-cat continued on her way, taking in her various surroundings as her paws brought her steadily closer to the shadowclan border. though she knew she shouldn't be out so far without anyone to accompany her. at this point, she simply didn't care. so what if some mangy shadowclan warrior happened upon her? she hadn't done anything wrong, so there wasn't anything they could do but spit words at her anyways. and it wasn't like she wasn't used to being bullied about or having insulting names thrown her way. getting the same treatment from a cat in a rival clan wasn't going to hurt her anymore than getting it from her own clan did.
spiderstep huffed as she ducked under a bit of brush, mouth open and scenting the air. this close to the border, all she could smell was the marshy scent of shadowclan's territory. it did, however, seem that they hadn't marked their border yet this morning, and so she'd have to be careful not to cross the boundary. just in case one of the furballs was skulking around, though she highly doubted it. of course, the dark-furred feline couldn't dismiss it completely as her nose was clogged with the unfamiliar scent of the wetlands.
after a good bit of time padding aimlessly through the underbrush, spiderstep was close to turning tail and heading back to camp with her singular lousy squirrel when her eyes caught movement a few tail-lengths ahead. grinning to herself, the she-cat crouched low and began padding forward, perilously close to the border that separated the two neighboring clans. her narrowed green eyes watched as what looked to be an overly large rat rummaged around in the muddy ground, seeming to be looking for food, obviously unaware that it had become food itself.
despite the fact that the nutria - she'd finally managed to remember what the foreign thing was called - being obviously on shadowclan's border, spiderstep dropped down into a hunter's crouch. the warrior had no idea just how she was going to actually take down the animal, and she really didn't have time to wait and see if it would cross over onto thunderclan's side of the border. tail twitching in obvious irritation, the she-cat turned her head to the sky, a sly grin flitting over her features. she had a plan.
to the right was a some-what large tree, it's lower branches stretching out over the border to end just inside shadowclan's territory. if she could manage to climb the thing without falling and breaking her neck, she had a feeling like she could get behind the nutria and scare it over onto thunderclan's territory where she would be free to kill it. sure, technically she was still trespassing, but as long as she didn't take it down on shadowclan's border she wasn't breaking any rules. no harm, no foul, right?
with that in mind, spiderstep was quick to scurry up the tree, though she instantly regretted it. while she wasn't afraid of heights, she didn't want her scent to be on shadowclan's territory, as it was a sure way to increase the tension that already ran between the two clans. even so, with her being just inside the border, maybe they'd assume someone got a little too close when marking things. her mind set, spiderstep crawled along the lowest branch she could find that would hold her weight, for once thankful that she had never grown out of the awkward scraggly stage most apprentices seemed to go through.
soon enough she was directly over the prey, and cursing herself for misjudging the distance, as she would now have to jump just right to wind up directly behind her quary. the warrior sent a swift prayer up to starclan, grateful that the nutria had yet to realize the danger it was in. bunching her long limbs beneath her, spiderstep launched herself from the tree, landing a bit too far within the border yet effectively scaring the hide off of her prey. the chase was on.
zig-zagging back and fourth, spiderstep gave the nutria little choice in where it could go, herding the animal closer and closer to the border. the she-cat growled in frustration as the mouse-brained animal tried to double back into the safety of shadowclan's forrest. no way in hell was she letting that happen. with a hiss of frustrated desperation, spiderstep leaped towards the rodent, stopping just short of landing on top of it. finally, the terrified animal managed to make it's way over the border and onto thunderclan's territory.
yowling in victory, the warrior leapt upon it the first chance she got, her claws slipping in its wet, slick hair. growling, she managed to get one claw past the slimy outside hair and pierce the skin beneath. of course, she wasn't expecting the stupid thing to rear back in agitation and sink its overly long teeth into her leg. crying out, spiderstep jolted back in shock and pain, her sides heaving as she forced herself to jump back into the fray, determined not to let her prey escape.
though her foreleg was pulsing in agony, spiderstep refused to back down. slamming both paws onto the animals back, she sunk her claws in as much as she could, restraining the nutria as best as possible. hissing, spiderstep was finally able to deal a killing blow, and as she nutria died, she extracted her claws from its dense fur. the she-cat's sides were heaving with every breath she took, struggling to get enough breath and ease the burning sensation in her long. bringing her paw to her face, she set about to licking her wound, wincing in pain with each run of her tongue. | spiderstep forty moons female thunderclan warrior heterosexual |
| tags are open for shc male | |
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sorrelfang
ShadowClan
Posts: 1
Rank: warrior
Age: 37
Gender: male
Mentor: badgerstep
Played By: crescendo
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Post by sorrelfang on Aug 3, 2015 23:31:20 GMT -5
WHEN YOU'RE ALONE DO YOU THINK OF ME? ✿ Sorrelfang needed to get away from camp--it was choking him, smothering him with desperation. A feeling like panic had descended on him with no warning at all. One moment he'd been sharing tongues with Gingerwhisker, and the next he'd needed to escape. He couldn't be near his brother, with his cloudy eyes resting eerily on him. He couldn't be anywhere near camp. It was probably something--Squirrelheart maybe, or maybe it was the smothering sense of pity that inevitably ruined his normal relationship with Gingerwhisker. He loathed it, hated the feeling the came cruising down to settle in his heart like a heavy stone.
I don't want to just feel sorry for you every time I look at you, Sorrelfang thought, his heart felt heavy with pain as he pelted away from camp. He couldn't remember his excuse, a hastily uttered word about hunting and then he'd been gone. As soon as he'd gotten through the barrier to camp he'd streaked off as if running scared, pelted into the forest until his ginger belly fur brushed the ground and his tail streaked out behind him. Hunting his ass, he'd fled. He'd run, because he was terrified. There's nothing to fear, there's nothing to fear, it's not like it's catching, Sorrelfang thought, stretching his paws out as far as they'd go and tearing at the ground with his claws as he hauled himself forward. Every step took him further and further away from the camp, and he felt like he needed to run for forever. He felt like he needed to leave, to abandon everything he knew and loved behind. It had been tainted, perhaps by his own selfishness. Try as he might, he couldn't outpace it. Couldn't outpace the bitter thoughts that were cruel, were terrible. He hated himself for the thoughts, hated that they circled around his head. It would have been better if you had died as a warrior, I wouldn't have to grieve every time I saw you. Why did you have to go blind? Why did you do this to--
Stop! Stop! This isn't about you mouse-brain, this-- Sorrelfang's paws tangled up together and he went flying with a squeak of surprise. The tom sprawled through the air, paws churning at emptiness for a brief moment as his momentum carried him straight off his feet. He rolled, finally landing in an undignified heap. There he remained for a few moments, chest heaving desperately and fur standing on end. A feeling of misery flooded him, and he tried to shoulder it aside. This was why he'd run, to not drown. To not fall under the feeling of it. There had to be some sort of escape. The sound of yowling reached the warrior's ears, and--chest still heaving after his desperate run through the marshland--Sorrelfang scrambled to his paws. His ears pricked, and he blinked in surprise at the sight of a mottled black she-cat. For a moment he simply didn't know how to register her, she was clearly chasing prey--though she certainly wasn't being quiet about it. His whiskers twitched as he tracked her with his eyes, and it wasn't until the she-cat had charged over the border that it hit him at all. She'd been on his side of of the border. A cat that he didn't recognize--not a clan-mate, but a thief. Every hair on Sorrelfang's pelt rose, and a growl escaped his throat as he lashed his tail. How dare she!? ShadowClan needed every pawstep of prey, if thieves stole food they were stealing food out of the Elder's den--out of Gingerwhisker's mouth. Rage boiled in his chest, and the cat stalked stiff-legged in the direction of the she-cat. Just then, the nutria turned and bit her. Despite himself, Sorrelfang winced, squeezing one eye shut and stopping his advance. She managed to kill the thing--which still meant she was stealing. But it seemed as though she'd been hurt. "Hey," Sorrelfang called, without thinking--but then, he did a lot without thinking. The cat halted with his upper half over the border--if she didn't respect his border, why should he respect hers. "Did I just see you get your tail kicked by ShadowClan prey?"
"What I mean is, you're not hurt are you?" Sorrelfang went on, peering over the border. He didn't know anything about healing herbs, or he might have suggested something. Even so, he glanced around before darting to a tree and swathing one paw in cobwebs. The tom hopped back to where he was, extending it toward her with glimmering eyes. He tried to narrow them, but he couldn't help it. She wasn't doing anything now. Besides, what would the point be in fighting a she-cat that was already hurt? "Here," Sorrelfang meowed, twitching both ears uncomfortable. "For your wound, if you're bleeding. It's the only thing I know about this kinda stuff so... sorry."tag: spiderstep ▪ words: 821 ▪ ooc: woop here it is |
BY KERRIA ♥ OF GANGNAM STYLE |
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Post by spiderstep on Aug 5, 2015 3:01:51 GMT -5
I'M A CRACK IN THIS HOUSE
| of glass! |
her sides were still heaving with effort. dear god, why was she so tired? sure she hadn't gotten a lot of sleep last night but that didn't mean she should be so damned exhausted. yet her heart was racing in her chest. perhaps because of the fact that she has just stolen food from another clan? what a thief you are, itsy bitsy spider. taking food from the mouths of others. if it were your own clan, you'd be furious. that's nourishment you're taking from a kit. an elder.
"but it's nourishment i'm giving to our own!" she hissed in the silence. standing, the she-cat paced back and fourth, hindered more by her inner turmoil than her injured paw. what in starclan's name was wrong with her?! she'd never stolen before a day in her life. not taken attention from her siblings. not taken love and nurturing from their mother. and surely she had never broken the warrior code by taking prey from another clan's territory.
"how could you be so stupid, spider. your scent is going to be all over their border. no doubt they'll come along after you've gone, find out thunderclan has been on their side. and oh, won't your brother - not to mention leader be livid when he finds out someone's been sneaking around!" sure, she could argue that the nutria had in fact crossed the border. but it wouldn't have if she hadn't thought up the brilliant idea of chasing it over in the first place.
lashing out in anger, spiderstep whipped around, swiping the long-dead prey with her good paw and sending it skittering to the inside edge of thunderclan's border with shadowclan. perhaps if she could cover her scent with something, anything, she could put the nutria back. and if she did, maybe shadowclan would be too oblivious and believe an apprentice had somehow forgotten to bring the food back to the camp on a hunting expedition?
"hey."
that single word. a nonchalant greeting. and it ruined everything.
though she'd never admit it, a surprised squeak left spiderstep's mouth before she clamped down, her pale green eyes wide and wary before they narrowed, irritation flickering in their depths.
"get my tail kicked? really? sorry to burst your bubble, but no, i did not get my tail kicked by shadowclan prey, i got it kicked by thunderclan prey." surely if he noticed her scent on shadowclan's side of the border she could tell the strange tom she simply got too close? perhaps it would have worked, if only she hadn't caught the knowing glint in his eyes.
swallowing, spiderstep could feel her heart fluttering in her chest. despite his upper half protruding over the border, the mottled black she-cat hadn't the gall to call notice to it, especially when he asked whether or not she'd been hurt. blinking, she took stock of the dull aching in her paw. although the blood had slowed, it still trickled out and upon testing her weight she found that she couldn't do more than hobble.
spiderstep opened her mouth to say something, when the tom darted off only to return moments later, hopping forwards with a one paw swathed in cobwebs. the warrior's nose crinkled, her tail flicking in agitation. was this some ploy to get her to come closer. if she did would he then attack? weighing her options, the thunderclan warrior figured that if the shadowclan male had planned to attack her, he would have done so the moment he came upon her.
besides, she wasn't doing anything wrong. well, besides stealing prey. however... if it was killed on thunderclan territory, it was technically theirs right? and better yet, if she went to retrieve the cobwebs, she could easily explain away her scent at the edge of the border. her mind finally made up, spiderstep limped forward, gratefully taking the bit of cobwebs. taking a moment, she wrapped her paw, once more testing its weight.
satisfied, spiderstep forced herself to still the rapid beating of her heart. doing her best to channel her prim and proper sister, craneflight, she tilted her head upwards, wrapping her tail promptly around her paws. the she-cat's green eyes flicked up, then down as she took in the tom's full form with as much disdain as the timid she-cat could possibly muster.
"and what, may i ask, are you doing on thunderclan's border at this ungodly hour anyhow? shouldn't you be back at camp with your friends? or better yet, your family?" | spiderstep forty moons female thunderclan warrior heterosexual |
| | Notes: i hate that scroll bar but love this theme e_e |
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