[Phoenix]

Very rarely did he ever willingly participate in a patrol, be it hunting or border, where he had not chosen the cats to accompany him; his general distaste for the ordinary demanded that, for his own wellbeing and that of those around him, he avoid the situation whenever possible. As such, he had taken to making himself scarce in camp, particularly when Firesky began searching around for experienced warriors to join those with less knowledge. He had no desire to be looped into spending more time with the felines in his clan than was necessary, and should he ever forget the reason why, it never took long for some circumstance to remind him of it.

For instance, he had lingered a moment too long in camp and managed to attract the attention of some self-confident cat - he hadn't bothered to note who, for the likelihood of him taking revenge was slim - who had decided that Whiteshade deserved to be assigned a patrol. With Ivysting and Icewhisker. Where the former had a reputation of spilling every secret she was ever told, the latter never ceased to try his patience. How the younger tom's mentor managed to train him to warrior hood, he would never understand. The instant he had padded over to join the two cats, Icewhisker had made some comment about his fur being white because he was always out in the sun. If this was the type of cat that LightningClan had to continually offer, then he would have to lower his expectations even more. Occasionally, he thought it shameful to be a part of such a pathetic clan. But then, he would always remember, there were those select few who were more than fully competent and had far more lucidity than the general population. Nightstep and Rookfrost often came to mind. They were the cats that made LightningClan strong.

"You want to know something?" A voice started from his left shoulder, and the alabaster tom took a moment to steel himself for an announcement of some other drivel.

"Yes, Icewhisker?"

Either oblivious to or ignoring the tenseness lacing the senior warrior's tone, the blue-eyed feline continued, "Rookfrost is always unhappy because he can't smell. He asked me if Snowpaw was deaf once, when I was a kit, and I told him that it was okay if he couldn't smell even though Snowpaw can hear. I'm not sure he believed me."

Whiteshade very nearly paused in his stride to look at the younger tom. It was only the knowledge that the tom had explained them to anyone he could ever since he began talking that kept him from doing so. That, and the scorn that replaced the incredulity that had flooded him upon hearing the other white warrior's words, convincing him that this tom was worth nothing, let alone his ire. With a cold focus on simply ridding himself of the other tom as soon as possible, he deemed it useless and counterproductive to attempt to correct the younger cat. Not only would pointing out every gaping hole in his logic cause him to spend an inordinate amount of time in Icewhisker's presence, but any efforts to correct the tom would undoubtedly result in him doing nothing more than waste his breath. "I am very confident in my belief that Rookfrost does indeed have a sense of smell," The senior warrior stated coolly, tail tip curling through the air. "Otherwise it is very unlikely that he would have maintained his post for as long as he has." He knew little about medicine and healing - his talents lay in the other direction - but what little he did know was that most of the herbs the dark furred scientist used in his concoctions were identified first and foremost by their scent.

"If that's what you think," Icewhisker conceded serenely, miraculously, in Whiteshade's opinion, picking up on the tone of finality that had accompanied his words. "Hey Ivyst--"

"We are supposed to be hunting, Icewhisker, and we cannot do that very well if you insist on alerting the prey to our presence by constantly talking." The other warrior seemed somewhat startled at the revelation, as if he had forgotten already the purpose of this patrol. Whiteshade closed his eyes for a moment, clinging to his last shred of patience. All he had to do was rid himself of his fellow warriors' company, and then he would be free to do - mostly, as he could not very well rid the world of a certain white-furred, blue-eyed nuisance - as he pleased. "Go," He ordered firmly, maintaining the level tone in his voice. Without a glance at Ivysting, who seemed intelligent enough to take the hint that he was not in the mood for idle conversation, the alabaster tom turned on his heel and disappeared into the tall grasses of LightningClan's territory.

[Deleted]

Getting on a patrol with Whiteshade had been easy enough. A few hints about the senior warrior not going on enough patrols recently, and Ivysting was on her way. Unfortunately she couldn't go just with Whiteshade, so had suggested Icewhisker. He would be easy enough to get rid of in order to talk with Whiteshade. And Ivysting was dead set on speaking alone with Whiteshade.

After the encounter with the Treeclan cats, Ivysting couldn't get it out of her head. The way Whiteshade shamelessly flirted with the she-cat called Appleshade made Ivysting suspicious. Whiteshade had always been odd, but this cross-clan flirting had to be squashed. The only problem was he never seemed to be alone. So Ivysting took matters into her own paws and got on a hunting patrol with him.

When the three cats left camp, Ivysting almost immediately regretted taking Icewhisker with them. He started to babble something about Rookfrost and his inability to smell things. She almost burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of the statement. He is a medicine cat! Of course he can smell things! He needs to! But instead of letting out the torrent of insults she would have loved to throw at him, Ivysting opened her mouth to send away the warrior. Whiteshade beat her to it though, and he briskly broke off the conversation.

His mood almost deterred Ivysting, but she was too set on having the conversation to turn away now. Following Whiteshade, she waited until they were far enough from Icewhisker to call out to him. "Whiteshade, wait up! I know you know I'm following you!" Quickening her pace to catch up, Ivysting wondered how to go about this conversation.

[Phoenix]

Already he could feel the relative peace of solitude taking effect. Whatever influence Icewhisker’s inane and unintelligent conversation had on him dwindled away, leaving him as composed and unreadable as ever. Exasperation and incredulity gave way to a calculating calm as his mind switched from having to entertain unwelcome companions to performing the simple task of hunting. Even if he was reluctantly assigned to this patrol and rabbits and the occasional mouse were far less interesting prey than another feline, he was never one to pass up an opportunity to hunt when it was placed so neatly in front of him on a silver platter. Scenting the air, the senior warrior paused in his stride, straightening up with the confidence of an experienced hunter.

With the coming of leaf-fall and the cooler weather, the prey had been spurred into action, instincts warning them of the oncoming leaf-bare. There was no challenge. His lip curled slightly as red eyes scanned his surroundings, claws smoothly unsheathing themselves and sinking into the soft soil beneath his paws. Ears flicked at the sound of a familiar voice calling his name, shattering the silence. Irritation flickered through him, just as the rustle of a nearby mouse caught his attention. As unintelligent as it was, the creature had undoubtedly heard the she-cat’s cry and was now aware of the presence of predators. Amused at the irony of the situation – that in attempting to escape the other cat it fell prey to a far more formidable hunter – the tom merely rotated his eyes to the side, barely turning his head. It did not take long for him to lock on its location. A quick dart of the paw, the precise motion executed with practiced ease, and the rodent was pinned, claws digging dangerously into its back. Before it could draw breath to squeal, the alabaster feline was atop it, jaws closing around a plump neck and silencing it forever, the scream dying unheard in its throat. Relishing the taste of blood resting on his tongue, he rose to his full height once more, this time acknowledging the rushed paw steps of the she-cat, and turned to face Ivysting.

Crimson eyes held no trace of the manic glint that had crossed them the instant the mouse was in his grasp, and the alabaster feline faced the other warrior with an unreadable expression, jaws still clamped around his catch. His tail flicked through the air as he studied the she-cat for a moment before lowering his head and placing the mouse at his paws just as delicately as a mother would her kit. ”Need I remind you as well that this is a hunting patrol? Do you need to be told, like Icewhisker, that continuous conversation, let alone yelling, will ruin our chances of a successful hunt?” Silky and smooth, his voice was soft, almost pleasant, and that alone hinted at the danger lurking beneath its warm façade. He had little patience when it came to dealing with those of the general intelligence level of his clan. ”Your shouting will have cost us invaluable prey, of which this was almost a part.” He gestured to the mouse at his paws.

”However, I find it clear that you desire to have a discussion with me,” The tom continued, voice still smooth. ”Because you have now rid this area of prey, I believe there is little harm that further conversation can do.” After another meaningful look, his tone turned almost mocking, and the senior warrior’s lip almost curled upward in a sneer. ”What do you want, Ivysting? How may I assuage your worries?” In truth, he cared little for her thoughts or fears and had no desire to reassure her of anything; his patience for such practices was even less than his for interactions with clan mates. Nevertheless, the sooner she spilled her heart to him, the sooner he could return to hunting and peaceful solitude.

[Deleted]

Whiteshade's infuriatingly superior mood never ceased to bother Ivysting. He always acted like everyone around him was an idiot. This got on Ivysting nerves and often made her want to strangle the white cat. Yet she was smart enough not to try that, as his reputation was very violent. So she contented herself with silently throwing insults at the cat as he went on about why she shouldn't have said anything.

When he was finally done his lecturing, Ivysting sat and curled her tail around her paws. "Well Whiteshade there is something you can do to assuage my worries." Casting a glance at Whiteshade, Ivysting hoped that targeting him alone was the best way to do this. "You see, I am a bit concerned about your loyalty to the clan. I have seen you flirt with cats from different clans." Pausing to catch her breath, Ivysting prayed to Starclan that Whiteshade didn't kill her for saying these things. "I just want to make sure that you are still loyal to Lightningclan. I haven't told anyone about this incident, but that's because I wanted to hear your side first. So, Whiteshade, please enlighten me. Why did you flirt with that Treeclanner?"

All Ivysting could do was sit back and watch Whiteshade. Thoughts raced through her mind at lightning speed. Thoughts of her having offended the larger warrior, and him attacking her. But also thoughts of him seeing his wrongdoing and explaining things to her. Ivysting would patiently wait for a response, yet part of her mind screamed at her for staying instead of fleeing the ominous tom. But Ivysting was resolute in her decision to stay, thinking about her loyalty to the clan, and her duty to hear Whiteshade's response.

[Phoenix]

His immediate response to her words was one of condescending amusement, the kind that one would feel toward a kit when watching it try to intimidate a warrior. Indeed, that situation successfully mirrored the scene before him, for the she-cat, despite her cold tone, had as much effect on him as the kit would have had on the feline beyond its years. Keen ears had missed neither the veiled threat nor the accusation hidden behind other words. The consequences for any cross-clan relationships were undoubtedly unpleasant and humiliating, but any anxiety he should have felt lingered out of reach.

"Have you now?" He spoke finally, his tone resembling that of a feline musing aloud. It was an effort to even recall the encounter with the TreeClan cat whom she was referencing; they all blurred together, each new one as insignificant as the last. They were all only games to him, amusing for the briefest instant before the light of interest was extinguished and they faded into the shadowed background of his mind. "One might find it insulting that you, a mere warrior who has yet to even train her first apprentice, dare accuse a far more experienced senior warrior such as myself of disloyalty to his clan." His tone, which had thus far remained fairly even, hinting at nothing but a faint interest, became delicately light, dangerously so. Red eyes glinted slightly as he evenly held her gaze.

The atmosphere, which had grown thick with tension, suddenly lightened when he broke eye contact, eyes flicking briefly away. A silence fell momentarily before he continued, all hints of danger gone, "However, I suppose I should be honored that you think me valuable enough to LightningClan to inquire, rather rudely, I might add, about my loyalties." Tail flicking, he slowly lowered his haunches to the ground, movements deliberate as he settled himself down. "Your worry is unnecessary; betraying LightningClan is not one of my intentions. Is that all?"

[Deleted]

At the mention of the fact she had yet to train an apprentice, Ivysting bristled. It wasn't as though she didn't want an apprentice. In truth she longed for an apprentice. Apprentices respected their mentors and Ivysting so badly wanted some respect. Unfortunately Redater though she was either unfit, or too young to take on an apprentice. This always bothered Ivysting, as cats younger than her got their own apprentices.

The tense atmosphere lessened as Whiteshade broke eye contact. A breath Ivysting didn't realize she had been holding came out. At his comments about being a valuble Lightningclan cat she rolled her eyes. Whiteshade was a valuble assest to the clan and he wasn't afraid to flaunt it. He had proved himself in many scirmaches, and his bloodthirsty attitude made clans think twice before fighting Lightningclan.

Whiteshade finally finished his lengthy response to a simple yes or no question. Yet he made it perfectly obvious to Ivysting there was so way he would betray the clan. SMiling again, Ivysting was glad he was not going to attack her. Not knowing what else to do, Ivysting did what came naturally to her and taked.

"Oh good", the she-cat gushed, "you had me worried for a while. I don't usually see someone flirt so obviously with another clan." Changing her tone to a more conversational one she continued, "Of course you are a valuble Lightningclan member! You have helped in so many battles, and proved yourself to be a... vicious hunter." Ivysting stopped speaking and continued to smile brilliantly at the red-eyed tom.