[Insidious]

P A L E P A W

If anyone was to catch Palepaw in the act, they would assume she had a death wish. Despite the risks she constantly found herself taking, she couldn't stop – it was a fuel of adrenaline; a fellow predator being targeted by the mischievous grip of her small claws. Somehow, it provided a sense of power; supremacy. Although she too was to be classified as a predator, her species was certainly not at the top of the list. They came after foxes, badgers, lynxes, etc. There remained so many species in these forests that were more dangerous than those of the clans. It was pitiful, if one found themselves curious of Palepaw's opinion. She refused to be afraid of the other predators. Sure, they were bigger and, in some cases, scarier. But at the end of the day, they were no different than the clans. This was precisely why Palepaw was always so determined to find these monstrous mammals within LightningClan territory and attempt a wild goose-chase to send them astray within a different clan's borders. Not only did it go to show that these beasts weren't impossible to conquer... but it showed a more rebellious side of herself; a side she ultimately desired to nourish.

After a while, however, performing these small little tricks grew tiresome without someone to do so alongside her. Although Palepaw understood that not every cat was as fond of potentially putting their life on the line, she would never be of a similar mind set, for she was unable to understand such a point of view. Being a clan cat was about freedom, (if you put aside the constrictions of the Warrior Code) and freedom, as far as Palepaw was concerned, meant nothing if a cat didn't occasionally test their boundaries. Palepaw saw no reason to fear death. If her actions were to one day prove themselves an act of stupidity, she was fully prepared to pay the cost. Clan cats were built to fight for their clan, to work endlessly to put food in the mouths of their fellow warriors, etc. All of these tasks were small pieces that proved a clan cat's capabilities. A pity it was; so few seemed eager to take that extra step. Why be a clan cat if all you were going to do was fear death? These forests; these clans – every corner was potentially deadly.

It was because of these thoughts Palepaw had lately been having that she was in search of someone with similar intentions; a partner in crime, to be exact. She wanted a fellow apprentice to step up and prove to her that they weren't all the same; that they weren't all scared of the predators that ranked higher up the list. Of course, she didn't expect anyone to be as sharp at the task as herself. After all, she had been partaking in the wondrous, but deadly arts of fox-chase for enough days to consider herself mildly experienced. She knew that if she wanted to bring someone else along, she would therefore be accepting responsibility for any injuries they could very well inquire. But, baby steps could always be taken. Today, a wonderful yet scary adventure into their deepest territories. Tomorrow? Who knows what it'd bring.

Even in the darkness, her fur – as pale brown as can be – radiated with a brightness near equivalent to daylight itself. She was seated nearest the camp's edge, pale blue eyes skimming the area in continuous, circular loops in hopes of pinpointing a suitable candidate for the expedition she had in mind. It was clear that – even as the moon indicated an hour where apprentices were usually to depart for slumber – Palepaw's thoughts inhabited a different course; the way her paws angled deeper into the moonlit forest as opposed to the apprentice's den. If nobody was to approach; to take interest in the adrenaline pumping ideas she had planned... Palepaw would settle for scoping out the area alone. She stayed put a while longer, though. Just in case.

Surely, she wasn't the only apprentice LightningClan had to offer that wasn't entirely frightened by the more daring side of things.

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:000000]Nightpaw[/smear:ffffff]
~~~~~~~

At ten moons old, the LightningClan apprentice had begun to fill in, his legs had grown longer, his body a little thicker. He was sturdier on his paws now. Even his eyes had begun to change. What had been blue had turned into a teal color, and eventually, the teal color had begun to find itself chased away by a yellow-amber color. The teal only remained around his pupils, the rest of his eyes haven given way to their new color. Four white paws were in moving in rhythm along the ground as he strode silently from the depths of the apprentice's den. Sleep was such a fickle thing to the growing LightningClan tom. Whiteshade's training had lead him on a path where he began to rely less and less on sleep. Of course, he recognized that it was important to get some rest every now and again, or the body would begin to shut down. He only required less sleep than others his age might.

Black pelt invisible in the moonlight, save for the flashes of white that constituted his paws, chest and chin, the tom was headed out to do some hunting, or perhaps some extra battle training. It was what he did when he couldn't sleep. It felt good to move. He enjoyed the way his muscles bunched and stretched beneath his pelt, the way he was able to move quickly on paws that had grown to support his frame. He was still overall lithe, lacking the muscle structure that would have labelled him as bulky, but that didn't mean that he wasn't dangerous. Nightpaw had learnt fairly quickly that being dangerous had nothing to do with strength, but rather with skill and intelligence. His mentor, the white devil of LightningClan, proved just that. Whiteshade was a dangerous creature, filled with something else, this the black and white apprentice knew.

Nightpaw felt it too. It was probably not as strong within him as it was in his mentor, but it was there. That tug, that excitement he felt when blood welled up between his claws, or pooled in his mouth. A hunter, a predator, as he liked to call himself. And with a mind as sharp as his, being preened by one even sharper, Nightpaw felt that he quite easily fell into the category of dangerous. He'd prove it one day, he was just waiting for his chance. His claws were sharp enough to pierce skin, his teeth more than able to tear into flesh. But his pride and joy was his agility. The way he could bend himself, the way he could slip out of the way of an attack that you were sure would hit. He could bend and dodge like no one he'd seen yet. And it was fantastic. The less damage he took, the more damage he could deal. This was his strategy.

Being an agile cat, he let his opponents chase after him. He had the endurance to lead them on, until they found themselves too tired to continue. And then he would show them what pain meant, how it felt. Oh, how fun it could all be!

The black and white tom hesitated a moment, a movement that was barely noticeable in his stride. It took the form of a step that was just fractionally longer than the others, a fleeting instant where his right front paw remained off the ground a little too long. His shifting eyes had caught a familiar figure not far off, one he was easily able to label as Palepaw, even though the moon was playing tricks over her pelt. Even he was able to note that the moonlight complemented her pelt. Did it cause his heart to skip a beat like a hopeless romantic? Of course not, don't be ridiculous. He was Nightpaw. Still, this she-cat intrigued him. The fact that she was up at this hour intrigued him.

With a practiced ease, Nightpaw changed the direction of his course, heading towards her on silent paws. As he approached, he let his voice be heard, a smooth sound drifting upon the wind. "Well, aren't we up a little late tonight, hm?" His steps slowed until he was halted before her, standing as tall as he could manage, simply out of habit. He wasn't one to slouch or skulk around. He wasn't trying to hide from anyone. With a polite dip of his head, he added. "Greetings, Palepaw."

[Insidious]

P A L E P A W

Despite how in-tune the pale furred she-cat believed her senses to be, it was not entirely surprising that Nightpaw had been able to find a way around it. Since they had entered apprenticeship, she noted the changes in stature and behaviour alike that he was increasingly beginning to show. Perhaps his mentor, Whiteshade, could be the one that had caused such immense change in Nightpaw? Palepaw liked to believe herself correct, although, she didn't know enough of the albino tom to be certain of this assumption.

Pale brown ears perked upward alarmingly, light blue eyes matching the golden hue of Nightpaw's own. It was interesting how these types of situations always seemed to work out: out of all of the possible candidates for Palepaw to encounter this evening, the one standing before her now was none other than the same one she found herself mildly attracted to. Mildly a horrendous understatement. Thankfully, she had never been one to collapse under the pressure of desiring to impress one she liked. Instead, she disguised the brief skip-beat her heart performed with the straightening of her stance, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her small, creamy brown jaw. “I could say the same for you, Nightpaw.” The tip of her tail brushed across the terrain, neatly folding atop her tiny forepaws as she fixated the black-and-white tom with a warm, glowing gaze. “To be completely honest with you, I wasn't planning on sticking around too much longer.”

A glance was spared over her lean shoulders, contentedness spilling from the light blue depths of her irises as she skimmed the alluring forest just waiting to be explored in more depth. Palepaw knew that Nightpaw's accompaniment would perhaps... throw off her game. She liked to present herself with an aura of professionalism when involved in out-of-camp activity. Although Palepaw had enough self-confidence as to not think lowly of her capabilities, she knew that what she was bordering asking the fellow apprentice could very well put her on her toes for the evening's remainder. Oh well. It was a risk she was willing to take if it meant her expedition had not only another member, but one of whom she was particularly fond of.

“What do you say? Want to tag along?” Without awaiting Nightpaw's response, Palepaw rose from her seated stance and pivoted, taking a few gracious steps closer to the foliage in favour of not being seen doing so by a LightningClan warrior that hadn't yet fallen asleep – being caught in the act of departure without any true purpose besides that of stirring trouble was, for obvious reasons, not the best situation to be in. Palepaw didn't assume that she needed to inform Nightpaw of her plans just yet. Although her original idea had been to partake in one of her classic fox-chases; Nightpaw's life on the line? Not something she was willing to risk doing, nor take responsibility for should the event take such an unexpected turn for the worse.

Glancing backward, she matched her icy blue eyes with Nightpaw's own, gesturing for him to follow if he so pleased. Allowing a tiny grin to tug at her jaw before she returned her attention frontwards, the she-cat buckled her limbs closer to the terrain in favour of causing the least amount of noise as she slipped through the prickled brambles.

(If he ends up following her: Palepaw's idea is to go to LightningClan-TreeClan border and, she'll be close to crossing, but then they'll get confronted by Grayowl. If that works with you? His creepiness will be nothing new for Nightpaw. After all, Whiteshade trains him. xD)

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:000000]Nightpaw[/smear:ffffff]
~~~~~~~

Nightpaw's lips twitched slightly in what could only be described as a grin when she implied that he was up late as well. With a flick of his black tail, he managed to slip in a few words before she continued. "What can I say? I'm in my element, after all." He was, of course, referring to his name. As the pale she-cat continued, Nightpaw tipped his head slightly, ears pricked forward to listen to her as she spoke. Her words intrigued him. It was obvious she was planning to go somewhere. He'd gotten that vibe from her the moment he'd approached. Still, he couldn't help but wonder just where she had her sights set on. Part teal, part amber eyes watched as Palepaw glanced over her shoulder, almost as though the forest were calling to her. She was rather fascinating to watch. So... Alive.

He half expected her to tell him what her plans were, in an attempt to convince him to go with her. She looked like she was looking for a partner anyway. In truth, he probably would have gone without her asking, without needing to be convinced. When she invited him to follow her without giving him any indication of where he was going... This sparked a brighter interest within him. Black ears were pricked forward, watching her move away from him. Of course now he simply couldn't refuse. Pushing his body forward, he followed her, not caring if anyone saw him leave. Should he be interrogated, he'd simply say that Whiteshade had sent him on a sort of errand late that night. Who would doubt him? Whiteshade would do something like that.

He slipped through the brambles being as silent as was possible, slender frame maneuvering easily. Once free of the brambles, he pointed himself in the direction Palepaw was headed, pushing himself a little quicker. His white paws touched the ground with a soft sound as he ran forward, closing the distance between himself and the she-cat rapidly. As he pulled up beside her, he slowed to match her speed, casting an odd-colored gaze her way. Save for those oddly patterned eyes and the patches of white fur that gave him away, the tom would have been completely invisible in the darkness of the night. Still, there was something... Eerie about being able to see those little patches of him. It almost made him appear to be a spectre, barely visible, almost glowing as he glided across the terrain.

"Why do I have a feeling you aren't going to tell me where we're headed."

[Insidious]

P A L E P A W & G R A Y O W L

A thrilling sensation pricked at the pale brown fur along the back of her neck as Nightpaw pulled up beside her; thoroughly pleased that he had decided to accept her offer. (Alongside the tiny skip-beat her heart performed at the new closeness she shared with the black-and-white tom) It was proving quite difficult to keep the radiance of calm, collected charm in the depths of her icy blue eyes as she matched Nightpaw's own gold-teal. A part of her was more than willing, if not determined to find some reciprocated feelings on the tom-cat's part. The other part, however, was surprisingly fearful that rejection would be the outcome. Palepaw had quite the ego on her shoulders. As of now, she didn't think it was worth gifting him the opportunity to completely shatter it. Not yet.

"Why do I have a feeling you aren't going to tell me where we're headed."
She smirked, turning her attention frontwards so that the mild change in expression could sweep by unnoticed. Kicking her pace up a notch, the creamy brown she-cat pressed forward to gain a mouse-length or so of distance ahead of the black-and-white apprentice. Upon reaching her desired proximity ahead of Nightpaw, the tip of her tail lightly flicked against his nose, a small chuckle threatening to burst from her throat, though she caged it efficiently as to not ruin the moment. “Perhaps... because I'm not,” She glanced over her shoulders to match Nightpaw's gaze once again, blinking thoughtful eyes toward the tom-cat before she, at last, allowed the smallest of laughs to escape from their confinement. “I hope I'm not getting that predictable.”

It took a sufficient amount of effort, but Palepaw was able to drag her stare frontwards after a moment of lingering within the gold-teal gaze of Nightpaw. He could make whatever he wanted of her flick-on-his-nose and rather charming tone of voice. That was simply... Palepaw's way. Sure, the fondness she had for him in particular was substantially higher than any she had for the other toms of LightningClan. But, it wasn't like he knew. She didn't make it all that obvious, considering this was quite normal by Palepaw's standards. She was like this with anyone, if given the opportunity.

They had been walking for a decent amount of time. But, Palepaw expected that Nightpaw would be able to keep up with the consistency, By now, she assumed that Nightpaw had figured out that they were nearing LightningClan's border with TreeClan. Perhaps, he'd be able to piece two and two together? If not, well... he would figure out her reasoning for dragging so close to the border shortly. TreeClan's stench was beginning to appear in the atmosphere; Palepaw's nose wrinkling upward in mild distaste. She held no personal grudges against TreeClan nor its cats, but, that was merely because she had no experience with them. She figured this would be a good way to get some experience.

At last, she had reached the border. She stopped a moment before she would be crossing into TreeClan territory, sniffing the air in case a few TreeClan cats were perhaps nearby. For now, the coast seemed clear. And for that, she found her tail tip twitching with anticipation as she glanced backward toward Nightpaw.

“Ready to have some fun?”

Charcoal hued ears pricked, dark gold eyes – gleaming amongst the shadowy domain the cover of nightfall provided – fixating to the left with a newly found interest as to which unexpected feline the whispered tone had belonged to. The tip of his dark gray tail flicked hastily, signaling for Onyxpaw to stay low and to stay quiet; observational. By now, it was normal for the apprentices – even warriors – to be asleep. Grayowl, however, saw no reason to waste precious moonlight. A blanket of night heightened a feline's senses, therefore, Grayowl believed the environment would be better suited to the stealthy, mischievous training Onyxpaw required to remain at ease. It was all part of his well-played, caring mentor facade. All Onyxpaw had to do was believe him to genuinely be involved with her growth throughout their training. If he could achieve this, he was one step closer to twisting this trust and respect to his every desire and will. It was comical: how apprentices and mentors tended to bond so closely. Grayowl saw no reason to do something similar with Onyxpaw, nor did he want to. Either she was useful to him or she wasn't. If not, she was merely a chapter Lionstar had placed upon his shoulders – one he would shake off, should the opportunity arise and Onyxpaw prove completely worthless to him.

Without giving Onyxpaw any indication of his actions, the tom-cat glided forward. TreeClan's border was not to be taken lightly. Since Grayowl had no patrol to follow behind him, disregarding the black apprentice, he saw no reason to give whomever was waiting at their border any normal confrontation that could be expected upon winding up before a patrol. They were not dealing with a patrol, they were dealing with Grayowl. Therefore, the situation was immediately placed beneath a different light.

“Imagine how intrigued one, quite like myself, would be to see two apprentices so far from their camp at this peculiar hour without the accompaniment of any warriors.” Slipping through tangles of foliage upon TreeClan's half of the border, a malevolent grin spilled across that of his charcoal jaw, meticulous posture folding into a sit. “Intrigued, indeed.” Sharp gold eyes spared a glance over his shoulders, gesturing forward with a quick, curt movement of his head – Onyxpaw was not required to sit in hiding. Originally, his plan had been to cover some late-night hunting with the apprentice-aged she-cat. He would have taken to hunting of a different kind tonight, had Onyxpaw not been present. It was too early to introduce Onyxpaw to the concept, but surely, he could twirl the situation around a calculative, manipulative claw to gift the midnight patched she-cat with a minor exposure.

On LightningClan's half of the border, a pale brown she-cat back-stepped; caught off guard by the unexpected arrival of this dark gray warrior. A quick glance was spared toward Nightpaw before returning to the dark gold gaze he fixated upon the both of them with such ferocious intensity; the emotions within their off-putting, eerie depths unable to be pinpointed as the deadly sadism unknowingly coursing through the charcoal warrior's veins. Palepaw, however, was quick to calm her nerves. She could handle this; she could get out of this. “Sorry, sir. We didn't mean to interrupt. Merely sneaking in a bit of extra training to impress our mentors tomorrow morning.” Palepaw had always been an expert at talking circles around a simple mind. Little to her knowledge, however, was the fact that Grayowl's mind was far from simple. Currently, she believed this to be a battle easily won for the duo of LightningClan apprentices. But, it was far from over – Grayowl was intrigued by far more than their late-night arrival, but by the opportunity this arrival presented.

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:000000]Nightpaw[/smear:ffffff]
~~~~~~~~

Nightpaw gave a chuckle as the she-cat tossed her response over her shoulder. Her tail hadn't even caused the black and white tom to blink, but he'd had to hold back the sneeze that had threatened his tickled nose. White paws moving freely on the ground, he stayed back, allowing her the lead position she seemed to intent on keeping. The pace they were moving at was a good one, just comfortable for the fit apprentice. His teal-gold eyes flicked about as he took in the changing territory, watching as it flashed by his eyes. After a moment of examination, Nightpaw was able to deduce that they were headed towards the border LightningClan shared with TreeClan. At the thought of that Clan, his nose wrinkled slightly, but his step didn't falter. He couldn't help the curious look that flashed through his eyes, not that Palepaw would have seen it, as she'd been facing forward when it hit. What in the name of the Dark Forest was Palepaw planning? TreeClan? Did she intend to cross the border? Doing so didn't bother the ebony and ivory apprentice. Borders didn't mean much to him any more. He was simply surprised by the thought because he hadn't really expected Palepaw to be one to break the Warrior Code.

She was becoming more and more interesting with every moment that passed. Nightpaw, however, was not one to be distracted by anything for long. Interest, to him, was nothing more than a spark that caught his attention for a moment. In the blink of an eye, Nightpaw's somewhat cold, bored demeanour returned, and he continued to push himself behind her.

The distance between the apprentices and the border shortened with each stride they took, and soon enough, the pair had arrived. Slowing his steps, Nightpaw steadied his breathing, eyes carefully examining the undergrowth. His nose caught a scent moments before a pair of cats, apparently a mentor and apprentice, could be seen approaching them. He would have questioned what a mentor was doing out so late with their apprentice, had he not been mentored by Whiteshade, one who frequently used the night while training.

Black ears pricked forward, listening to the words spoken by this TreeClanner. Nightpaw had to force himself not to snort, or to retaliate with cold words. When Palepaw spoke, he turned his gaze to her, before stepping forward, to be level with her. His odd gaze focused itself upon the TreeClan warrior as he added to her statement. "Yeah, we were doing some training and I bet her that she couldn't find the TreeClan border with her eyes closed, using only her nose. She sure showed me!" The black and white tom chuckled, rolling his eyes slightly, in a manner that depicted exasperation, an apprentice slightly annoyed by the fact he'd just lost a bet to another. And a girl, on top of that!

Turning his gaze back upon this warrior, the apprentice awaited what would happen next, part of him hoping it would be something interesting.

[Fawn]

ØNYXPAW

I'm not a fan of puppeteers but I've a nagging fear, Someone else is pulling at the strings Something terrible is going down through the entire town Wreaking anarchy and all it brings ♦

There was something addicting about the forest at night; perhaps the swirling bluish black shadows and the grayed foliage in the moonlight agreed heavily with her predatory instincts? The idea of slinking along through the underbrush with nary a sound save for the faint noise of breathing, anything quieter than that likely swallowed up by the ever-present backdrop of forest noises. Stepping with all the reticent stealth of a panther, Onyxpaw followed after her mentor like a black-marked wraith in his wake, stopping when his fluid, phantasmal movements indicated that she do so. She would stop when he gestured, but it was not out as though she had settled into the niche of minion or servant to a master, for neat black ears had been swiveling and observing her surroundings through sense of hearing since they had first left camp, and she could feel the dryness of the grass beneath her paws, mindful of the light crunch it would make if she was not careful where she stepped. The wind was warm, and it carried many flavors upon it, her jaws parted slightly, the gentle rustle of a bramble claiming her attention for a few short heartbeats. Those voices - they sound young. Onyxpaw had not anticipated coming into contact with other Non-TreeClan cats so soon, and she felt a small shiver of anticipation, glossy shadow-pelt rippling under her lithe, still rather kittenish body. Though the trickster she-cat had lost the look of a pudgy dark kitten a long time ago, she did not quite have the complimentary lean, athletic build like some of her fellow Clanmates quite yet - though her paws were tough and her crouching tactics had been perfected from an early age due to her habitual lurking. With the chilly words of her mentor breathing through the warm night breezes, Onyxpaw stepped into the moonlight, allowing it to illuminate the dark, shimmering fur as though she were a gleaming black stone caught in a straying lunar swatch of light. Two apprentices! Though they are nearing warriorhood. Able to catch their full scent, gold eyes glimmered against a darkly pretty face, her chin lifting as she quietly sized them up, showing no such apprehension or fear towards Palepaw and Nightpaw - not while Grayowl was here. It wasn't necessarily a sense of companionship or comfort that she gleaned from the ambitious, silver-tongued feline she called mentor, it was more of a sense of surety that these two were highly unlikely to attack him any time soon. Grayowl had the fighting strength and the battle prowess of more than two LightningClan apprentices, no matter their skill - the odds were already in his favor, and despite herself being very much untrained, a raw lump of clay to be molded and melded where it was necessary, Onyxpaw was not so flighty as to abandon a battle and risk looking foolish in the process. She may not have been as...enthralled with the interesting character that was Grayowl, but the urge to impress the one with far more knowledge and skill than she was a strong one. Onyxpaw preferred to do it on her own terms, however, sometimes the Fates had a funny way of not complying to your wishes. While Grayowl exchanged an easy banter if not with an underlying note of sinister doings, Onyxpaw let her golden sights cast upon the black and white tuxedo tom first. There was something about him, something unusual... It was almost a recognizable thing, that look in his eyes or the aura he gave off, a feeling of coldness that could be sensed even on so warm a greenleaf night... Like an acquaintance, the look in his color-changing eyes spoke of familiarity, though Onyxpaw had never met this particular tom before. He could be dangerous. Nothing compared to Grayowl, but to an apprentice with little more than a natural affinity for stealth, reaction and a good sense of timing, he could be dangerous to her. Gradually directing her gaze to the other apprentice, a she-cat who was as skinny as a 6 moon old apprentice, though the intelligence of her gaze was not at all lost upon Onyxpaw. How lovely. Brains, brawn, coldness and cleverness. What a duo they make. Onyxpaw blinked, gaze snaking back to Grayowl, her haunches gradually folding into an easy sit, Onyxpaw licking her left paw to rub it over her facial features. If he was to be relaxed in this greeting, then so was she. It was a feigned sort of relaxation, however, as though she could afford such leisure but was not at all allowing her senses to dull or her guard to be truly lowered. Trust no one, and you will survive. Those were the words she lived by, and never before had they been more true than at this moment.

I curse the name, the one behind it all... ÐISCORD.

[Insidious]

P A L E P A W & G R A Y O W L

Three precious lives.
How intriguing it was to consider what family or friends awaited these two back in LightningClan's camp. Of course, Grayowl knew enough of Onyxpaw to have a ready-to-deliver answer on her part of the subject. Nightpaw and Palepaw however, remained two unlabeled faces with a story equally as unfamiliar to the ominous intellect of TreeClan's most blood lusting devil. The situation in its entirety was a temptation he could hardly resist. It took a suitable amount of forced effort, but Grayowl managed to keep his jaws enclosed – managed to refrain from snatching the lives of two young felines that had wandered to TreeClan's border; wandered into a dangerously close proximity.

Nothing more than the subtle twitch of one charcoal ear was gifted to indicate their response had been acknowledged at all. Grayowl knew a facade when one was being performed. Regardless, he would allow this duo of LightningClan apprentices to have their fun while such a thing was able to last. Right now, Grayowl was content to remain silent. There was no use in responding, not yet. He would let Palepaw and Nightpaw hang by a string of anxiety; should they allow his silence to play tricks on their mind. Truthfully, he was quiet due to contemplating. Three apprentices were at the grip of his claws, should he see an opportunity reason to lash out with purpose arise. Although Onyxpaw's death was not at the top of his priorities, there was certainly nothing keeping him from allowing her to be put into harm's way. Apprentice or Senior Warrior was irrelevant – defending the clan was honourable despite what title a cat held. Palepaw and Nightpaw had neglected to pose any true threat. However, to every puppet was a string – this situation surely had a twist that Grayowl, of all cats, could find.

“A pity; your bet was lost.” The words were offered to Nightpaw, though his dark gold eyes remained fixated upon his pale furred partner as he rose from his seated stance being newly mirrored by Onyxpaw. A few slow steps diminished the distance standing between Palepaw, Nightpaw and Grayowl. However, he assured to remain relatively out of striking range as to not provoke the LightningClan duo's retreat. “Of course, it was swell of you to pay our borders a visit. However,” The charcoal warrior's gaze slipped to the paws of Palepaw, the she-cat shuffling backward upon noticing the tom's analysis of how close they were to crossing onto TreeClan's lands. “It remains a mystery why the challenge of this bet would be posed at an hour where your mentors are expecting you to be at rest. Regardless of whether or not hidden details remain on the surface of your facade, it seems appropriate that you learn to not involve TreeClan in your bet-like schemes. Our territories are to remain peaceful in the night; undisturbed by wandering LightningClan cats.”

Palepaw's light blue eyes turned to Nightpaw; the curiousity with an obvious, sideline trait of fear revealing the skepticism she felt toward where Grayowl was directing this. Stepping farther away from the LightningClan-TreeClan border, the creamy brown she-cat took a new position at Nightpaw's flank – gaze briefly observing the black feline seated nearby; swiping a paw across her face. Was she not scared of this warrior? Did she trust him? Maybe, he was her mentor? Questions began to filter freely, but she was quick to snap out of the brief wonder and return her utmost attention to the dark gold pigmentation of Grayowl's lethal stare momentarily lingering upon the shadow-marked she-cat. “Onyxpaw, would you be so kind as to teach these two the lesson they must learn?” He did not await her response: Grayowl was not interested in examining the surprise that would likely cross through her pale yellow eyes. Tail tip flicking, the tom-cat settled into a content sit; dark gold eyes flicking from Palepaw to Nightpaw. Ah, which candidate would she choose?

What? Palepaw's hind limbs scrunched, her defensive instincts forcing her stance into one of proper positioning when threatened by attack. “Are you crazy? We didn't do anything wrong!” Icy blue eyes fixated upon the gray warrior, their threatening radiation quick to evaporate under the true intensity of his thorn-sharp gaze. The TreeClan tom offered no response; merely a smirk decorating the corner of his lip as if the idea of Palepaw's fear offered him some form of cruel amusement. Believing there to be no hope in dragging any sort of sympathy from Grayowl, Palepaw looked to Onyxpaw next.

Would she actually attack two fellow apprentices that had offered the TreeClan pair no true reason to do so? She could no be as sadistically cruel as the dark gray warrior shadowing near the sidelines sporting a malice grin all the most infectious. Could she?

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:000000]Nightpaw[/smear:ffffff]
~~~~~~~~~~~~

A pair of eyes, caught half-way between blue and yellow, flashed from one cat to another with something that could almost be called interest. The black and white LightningClan apprentice sat in a very relaxed manner. As crazy as it might sound, Nightpaw wasn't afraid of this TreeClan warrior, and was especially not afraid of the black feline that accompanied him. In his mind, however, the TreeClan tom was being incredibly careless, stupid even. The pair of apprentices hadn't done anything wrong, at least not at that point. Yet, the tom was making a massive deal out of it, as if they'd strode into TreeClan's camp. A flick of Nightpaw's ear was the only indication of his disapproval of the manner in which the tom was behaving.

He was well aware of Palepaw's presence. She'd moved back, standing by his flank, almost as though she were seeking shelter behind him. Had he been any other tom, he might have positioned himself defensively in front of her, tail raised and teeth bared, ready to take an attack for her. Had he been any other tom, he might have known the feeling so often referred to as love, and he might have cultivated such a thing, allowing his feelings for the pale she-cat to grow into something strong.

But he was Nightpaw. He felt something for her, that was certain. A certain intrigue at best, perhaps. He held her on higher ground than many of the other apprentices, at least. She wasn't incompetent, and she was strong-willed. Those characteristics made her one of the few cats he might actually concern himself with. Love? Probably not. Not in the way every she-cat seemed to dream of.

Instead of making himself look bigger, the tom dropped his head slightly, glancing away from the black feline who'd just been ordered to attack them. Nightpaw didn't protest. There was no shock in his body. All there seemed to be was a meekness. He'd been the runt of a litter. He had had to learn to make himself look stronger, larger than he was. Just because he'd begun to grow recently, reaching a taller height, and filling his body with muscles, it didn't mean that he couldn't remember how to make himself look small and weak once more.

His shoulder blades were suddenly pronounced as he lowered his chest ever so slightly to the ground. To anyone else, it might look as though he were surrendering to his fate. Little did they know, he was paying close attention to everything. His ears were attentive, even though they lay flat against his head. His quiet breathing was drawing in the scents around him, and though his head was downcast, his eyes were still very aware of where this so called Onyxpaw was. She might not even be aware that he was watching her, but he never let her out of his sight.

Palepaw looked ready to take on an opponent. Nightpaw didn't. He was trying to bait the black feline to attack him, and not his companion. What a surprise the ebony she-cat would be in for once she realized her mistake. In the off chance she didn't fall for it, and decided to rush past him to get to Palepaw, he'd intercept. He could feel the excitement building within him as he waited for the she-cat to strike. He wasn't putting on this charade for Palepaw's sake. The truth was, he wanted to fight. At least, this is what he told himself.

Perhaps, deep down, there was something.

Perhaps he was concerned about her.

Perhaps there was a chance after all.

[Fawn]

ØNYXPAW

I'm not a fan of puppeteers but I've a nagging fear, Someone else is pulling at the strings Something terrible is going down through the entire town Wreaking anarchy and all it brings ♦

A truly Herculean effort was given not to let her shock reach the surface, her facial features poised in a look of indifference, though the shady flutter of her eyes to Grayowl's direction unveiled a little of her true feelings. Is he insane? Testing me against two older apprentices with more skills than I! With a heavy pause, Onyxpaw considered the possibility that Grayowl was trying to kill her and make it look like an accident. But wait... Why would she think that? He's a loyal TreeClan warrior, and you are his apprentice. What would he gain from your death? Not only that...but there was a possibility her snakelike teacher was planning something, that the infernal fires of his mind were burning away all doubt, some sort of scheme hidden there in the ashes. Onyxpaw resisted the urge to frown heavily and lash her tail from side to side as though a garter snake caught under a fallen branch. He's put me in one heck of a bind! What is he THINKING? All of this fretting had been cycled through in a pawful of seconds, golden oculars sweeping to study the two apprentices with renewed interest, all the while cursing her luck. The behavior of the tuxedo tom contradicted all the accumulated knowledge she had inferred upon arrival, and it made her pelt itch to think she had somehow made an incorrect observation. Because of her unsureness regarding Nightpaw, Onyxpaw chose to make the skinny she-cat the focal point of her attack. Was it not better to attack the stronger one, in this case? If she could pin down the more experienced of the two, then the weaker, seemingly meek opponent would be the one she would have at her back. Would he feel less inclined to seek an opening if she attacked his companion with TreeClan's particular brand of philosophy? Of course, if she went after Palepaw, then Nightpaw might be too weary to turn his back on Grayowl to properly defend his Clanmate. Enough thinking. But before I start charging them like an idiot, it's time to light a little fire under Grayowl's hind legs... Onyxpaw did not originally have the intention of embarrassing Grayowl in front of the two LightningClan apprentices, but for the moment, she remained at leisure, like a panther grooming upon a bough, unconcerned by the world beneath her. "Are you sure you would not like to do the honors yourself? Teaching isn't really my place." Crooned the shadow marked she-cat, amber oculars glinting in the glow of the moonlight, her expression impish, radiating intelligence. She would rather appear like a fox discussing who should attack the tender young rabbits first then a rabbit trying to attack a couple of foxes.

I curse the name, the one behind it all... ÐISCORD.

[Insidious]

P A L E P A W & G R A Y O W L

What is she possibly up to?
Her light blue eyes radiated skepticism, never once averting from the odd, black spotted she-cat as her amber gaze–a scheming intelligence within their depths that Palepaw was too oblivious to correctly pinpoint under the influence of attack–disguising what plotting she was likely masking beneath the pure shock that had perhaps struck her from Grayowl's blunt request. The apprentice's light brown fur crawled with suspicion, the unease from the charcoal furred warrior's unfair demand failing to flicker across Onyxpaw's expression as Palepaw had expected prior. A curious duo the pair made for, Palepaw observed: The plotting mentor and his rebellious apprentice who fed it right back, all of this and more happening right beneath Nightpaw and Palepaw's very noses without so much as a pinch of recognition.

As Nightpaw lowered his body into a submissive position, Palepaw's blue eyes averted toward him with a mixture of confusion and utmost frustration. What in the name of StarClan was he thinking? Displaying such pitiful weakness for both TreeClan cats to witness would certainly do nothing but feed the fuel of their fire, pushing their pending attack to unveil. Perhaps, Palepaw would have voiced aloud this annoyance—allow Nightpaw to know precisely how much she disapproved of his unusual, unfitted behavior. However, that was just it, how unlike him this was. The tip of her pale brown tail flicked with impatience, blinking thoughtful eyes in Nightpaw's direction, tightly closed jaws hinting toward her lack of protest despite the greatest temptation. She would force herself to trust him, no matter what primal instinct told her to snap him back into reality with fierce, biting remarks.

As such thoughts began to overflow in the mind of Palepaw, a far more devious, manipulative mind didn't so much as process a small flicker of distaste when the sarcastic, if not unreasonable tone of Onyxpaw's voice drifted a verbal attack in Grayowl's direction. She couldn't have been able to pick a worse time to propose her usual persona of admitted intelligence, though rightfully a display of cunning stupidity in a situation she, despite being prosperous in the field of analytical skill, could not comprehend. This was not a night of teaching, at least not anymore. It was a night simply for bringing untimely death to a pair of oblivious LightningClan apprentices that had stumbled far too close to TreeClan's border in such an unlucky split second. Yet, the longer he allowed his dark gold eyes to pierce with a cobra's venom into whatever hidden emotion thrummed within Onyxpaw's vividly renewed gaze, the more unclear it was made as to what apprentice death in particular he was cheering for.

“Yes, teaching is not your place, Onyxpaw.” Grayowl's lowly toned vocals were calm, knowingly cunning. Onyxpaw was clever, though she would sooner than later learn to think nothing less of her charcoal mentor. “Questioning the teaching methods of your mentor is, furthermore, not your place.” His response was simplistic, perhaps not at all matching the curious glaze of spiteful triumph that glistened in the deep amber hue of his fixated gaze. They lured Onyxpaw to dig deeper, to attempt to find herself a clever weakness that could gain her an upper-paw over Grayowl. She, however, wasn't familiarized with the after effect. It was like making a deal with the devil, to attempt to shuffle your cards with Grayowl. Her words were the thin line that differentiated her existence, and her mind boggling disappearance.

Originally, he had planned to step in once the pair of LightningClan cats were able to place her into a fainted, blurry state of mind as he expected their combined power to accomplish against the inexperienced TreeClan apprentice. Therefore, it would be far easier to play their deaths as an illusion of her beaten, bruised state. Onyxpaw's injuries and overall memory of the event would vanish as if they never occurred, just like the unneeded, undesired existence of the LightningClan pair. However, to continue protesting in such a clever, conniving manner as she did—would Grayowl still desire to step in? Perhaps would he chase off the LightningClan pair when she reached such a state merely to finish the job himself?

After all, she had just implied that he would enjoy the honours...

[Fawn]

ØNYXPAW

I'm not a fan of puppeteers but I've a nagging fear, Someone else is pulling at the strings Something terrible is going down through the entire town Wreaking anarchy and all it brings ♦

As if a long white bony finger of death had slid from the base of her neck all the way down her spine, the shadow-marked feline's fur brisked slightly in the darkness, golden oculars narrowing into analyzing pinpricks. Even now, I cannot figure him out. Grayowl was either very spartan in his training methods or he was trying to prove a point she could not yet see. Her view point began to shift then, the conniving feline's eyes gradually leaving the charcoal warrior's to refocus on Palepaw and Nightpaw. Now then... if she was going to risk her life complying with Grayowl's stupid demands, then she damn well wanted to know the names of the cats she was attacking - for the probability that she defeated them both was not very high. If ever there was a chance for rematch, she did not want something like mistaken identity to get in her way later on. "What are your names?" Crooned Onyxpaw, this time she finally began to move, stretching out her front legs, taking on the demeanor of a panther -- all limber and deft of movement with a dark color scheme that made her difficult to properly see here in the dark - but the tension and intent to attack had now taken over. Fixing burning eyes on Nightpaw, she studied his weak charade once more, frustrated that she was unable to determine if he was playacting or showing a sincerely non-confrontational side of himself that Onyxpaw had misjudged in him earlier. It was quite likely that Grayowl had unsettled them, of course. Her mentor had a peculiar habit of doing that to both Clanmates and rival cats alike. She planned to use the shadows and the familiarity of territory to gain the upper hand during the battle; they would not be adept at climbing trees - and while that tuxedo tom would be rather difficult to see at times, she was confident that her natural affinity for stealth and sharpness of movement would not at all fail her. Even if Grayowl was going to just sit there and pull her strings like she was some kind of puppet - a spider who had no control of her own web, and dangled wherever he wanted her too. Suppressing a deep-seated glower of how oppressive her mentor's teaching style truly was sometimes, Onyxpaw began to stalk. Though her original target had been the pale one, the TreeClan apprentice felt better sorting out the tuxedo tom's behavior once and for all. Intending to gain a quick lead, Onyxpaw darted forward, and with a heavy paw swipe, she kicked up earth and stray bits of grass towards Palepaw's face - intending to cloud her vision for a few good seconds. Whirling on the second feline, Onyxpaw feinted to the right and lunged for the tom's shoulder with the intent to leap and latch on to his back. The adrenaline was already starting to kick in, now that she had made up her mind to take the plunge. The water may have been filled with serpents, but she was a confident swimmer. So long as she used every tool at her disposal.

I curse the name, the one behind it all... ÐISCORD.

[Insidious]

P A L E P A W & G R A Y O W L

The exterior of the charcoal tom's golden gaze quickly exchanged its prior aversion with renewed satisfaction as his sly, black-bodied apprentice instead chose to veer the direction of her calculative eyes upon the LightningClan pair as a sign of her final verdict: battle. Whether or not Onyxpaw had been influenced to agree with Grayowl's uncanny request was irrelevant, for regardless of her input upon it, she had agreed nonetheless. It was a wise choice on the young she-cat's part – despite her devious nature, it showed a brief glisten of potential that deep down, very deep down, she was capable of bending to the will of order instead of following by her own rules and schemes. The warrior's tail flicked casually over-top his forepaws, straightening the length of his spinal chord, gaze never averting from the scenario at paw. He was like a black widow: seemingly harmless with his lack of initiative toward involvement, though capable of unleashing a most catastrophic poison if to be provoked.

From the sidelines, Grayowl observed in the wake of his apprentice's every action – unknowingly awaiting the signal he would not be so clearly receiving, though would recognize absent of one at all. From the perspective of the prey, however, (a horrid word Grayowl pinned upon those captured in his widow-like web of bloodshed) it was far more difficult to play it so calmly.

Attempting to multi-task with both keeping a close eye on the petite panther and even more so upon her mystery cloaked mentor, Palepaw was hardly able to process the information Onyxpaw so easily inclined to receive. She hissed lowly, unamused by whatever games she was trying to play. Back in LightningClan's camp, she was the cunning, devious mind. Here however, at TreeClan's border where another posed a serious threat of stealing her most treasured title, it seemed unlikely that she would continue to believe herself superior to all minds... no, she was superior, and she would prove it.

“It doesn't matter what my name is. You have absolutely no good reason, or initiative matter of fact, to be receiving such a thing!”

A flash of unexpected dust blurred Palepaw's acute sense of vision, the pale furred she-cat back pedaling in an attempt of reviving her lost sight. In the wake of this momentary distraction, Palepaw was able to determine that she had likely chosen Nightpaw as her opponent – considering, even while weakened without vision, that she remained unharmed... it was simply unreasonable that Onyxpaw would have went through all of the trouble to follow through with no offensive attack at all upon her black-and-white expedition partner. Hastily blinking, the dust particles at last began to submit to Palepaw's frantic desire for sight. She observed cautiously as the TreeClan apprentice lunged for Nightpaw's shoulder, the tom-cat's admirer immediately feeling an intense urge to defend him from serious harm. However, she knew how foolish it'd be to take such an expected route, especially while being in such clear view of Onyxpaw. She wanted to surprise this trickster of a she-cat, this being precisely why she began to maneuver with all of the stealth she could manage to muster given the full extent of adrenaline pumping through her veins at merely the sight of this unfolding attack.

Grayowl, without so much as a flinch of a muscle, found his dark gold eyes leaving the source of the event to locate Nightpaw's pale hued companion making a clever curve for a spot that could get her out of Onyxpaw's line of vision. Even as she neared the dark gray tom's neatly seated figure, he refrained from the immense urge rocketing through his limbs like hot fire, pursuing him to lunge at the unsuspecting victim mere mouselengths from the grip of his claws. It'd be wrong of him to take the she-cat's life while Onyxpaw was not yet harmed, for it was venturing astray from the plan. It was because of this mental note that Grayowl calmed his tense, battle hungry nerves, nothing surpassing a curious blink being processed while Palepaw passed. If Onyxpaw could distract the pair for a few more moments, it'd only be a matter of time before she could take a soothing rest and he could remove the duo's pending destinies from pause.

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:000000]Nightpaw[/smear:ffffff]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not a word came from the hunched black and white feline. He kept his position, the perfect picture of submission on the outside. On the inside, however, now that was a different story. His mind was constantly processing Onyxpaw's behaviour, reading whatever body language he could, judging every move she made. He made sure to continue checking up on the warrior a well, though the older tom hadn't moved from his position yet. This didn't mean Grayowl wasn't a threat. He simply wasn't an immediate threat.

Finally, the black she-cat made her decision. Nightpaw didn't flinch as Onyxpaw kicked up dirt, spraying it at Palepaw's face. His stance suggested that he should have, but the tom seemed to be a lifeless statue. Perhaps he was so scared that he couldn't move? As if. The moment the black she-cat leapt in his direction, his turquoise and yellow eyes flashed to her and he grinned. Wrong move. From his hunkered down position, the transition was easy. With a sharp drop, the tuxedo tom rolled, kicking up sharply with his back paws. Onyxpaw had been aiming for his back, which meant he had the opportunity to go down. And that was exactly what he'd done. If all went according to plan, he'd land a sharp kick to her stomach, enough to wind her temporarily. And then the fun began.

The tom was quickly back on his feet. Whether his blow had landed correctly or not didn't change anything to the tom. He was facing Onyxpaw once more, feeling the thrilling sensation tearing through his veins. His eyes shone with something that could almost be considered a disease, a sickness that was slowly taking hold of him. He felt stronger, his claws slipping out of his paws. A dangerous glint showed in his changing eyes as he bunched his muscles. There was only a split second of a pause, just enough for Nightpaw to shift his weight back before leaping forward with a tremendous power, one that wouldn't be expected from a tom who looked as sleek as he did.

The truth, which his opponents always realized too late, was that Nightpaw did have muscles. They simply preferred hiding beneath his black and white coat. To an inattentive eye, he was nothing but a lanky tom, tall but with nothing to support him, nothing to classify him as dangerous. Look harder, however, and you would find what lay beneath. A young tom, still growing into his body, with quickly developing muscles, and a bloodlust that ripped through him violently and without warning. He was most certainly dangerous.

His jump was not high as hers had been. Instead, he darted in, striking out, just barely touching her, but landing a sure enough blow to grab her attention, and then he darted away, suddenly swooping back for another. He was confusing her, making her expect a pattern. And then, without a change in expression, the tom leapt from behind her, aiming for her back. Should he land, he would use all his weight to bring her to the ground and pin her there, like a piece of helpless prey.


"Surprise." He growled out. It could barely be considered speaking, the speech seemed so garbled by his wicked growl. He was a hunter, and she, the hunted.

[Fawn]

ØNYXPAW

I'm not a fan of puppeteers but I've a nagging fear, Someone else is pulling at the strings Something terrible is going down through the entire town Wreaking anarchy and all it brings ♦

Onyxpaw's stomach would have dropped at the severe miscalculation if she wasn't already certain it was fused to her spine. Letting out a ragged screech, the winded she-cat felt as if a jack-rabbit had kicked out with it's back legs, and Onyxpaw knew instantly that she was going to be heavily outclassed. The desire for self-preservation took precedence over actually winning the match - Grayowl could go tie his tail in knots for all she cared - he had thrown her to the wolves and help just wasn't coming. In the web of confusion spun by the tuxedo tom with the wicked eyes, Onyxpaw had failed to notice the almost vulpine, pale stalking she-cat that was coming up on her blind side - the overwhelming nature of Nightpaw's attacks leaving her vulnerable and forced to do things she wouldn't otherwise. Her only chance for survival were dirty tricks and cheap attacks - even if she forfeited what little honor she actually still had once this battle began - Onyxpaw was committed to doing whatever it took to escape those life-stealing claws of her two opponents. With Palepaw a fleeting thought in the back of the shadow-marked she-cat's mind, Onyxpaw's body twisted to the side, performing a duck and roll to avoid getting smashed with the weight of the aggressively agile LightningClan menace. In record time as well, considering she could hear the heavy thud of his paws impacting with the ground, Onyxpaw having luckily timed it nicely enough that she had rolled at the last possible second, making it difficult to make adjustments so late in his leap. Springing up onto delicate black paws, claws fully unsheathed, Onyxpaw saw her one and only chance to potentially slow down this monstrous young fighter. With a hiss meant to encourage herself more than daunt her opponent, Onyxpaw lunged, pulled her left forepaw to the side and raked across the front of his face, hoping to tear open his muzzle - or nick one of his eyes if the Gods of Fortune were indeed still smiling over her - fully aware that most cats were sensitive about injuries to the face. If the potential danger of nearly losing one of his senses did not deter him - then maybe the blood in his eyes would. Grayowl! You and your dangerous, obscure lessons! If I survive your 'tutelage', StarClan help me... To give herself a bit of solace over the unreasonable request of her mentor, Onyxpaw's hyper-aware, calculating brain concocted soothing images of a feeble, much older Grayowl, the tom having at least 12 moons on her, and would therefore retire a heck of a lot earlier than she ever would. We'll see who's unreasonable then, old one. I will not be an extension of your paw to do whatever you command of me. They were going to need to have a talk once this battle was over... If she was still alive, that is.

I curse the name, the one behind it all... ÐISCORD.