[Phoenix]

now was acknowledged the presence of the red death

Resting high in the sky, the full moon cast a silvery glow across the landscape, illuminating the rolling moorlands in a pale, stark light. In the distance, the twisted spires that were StarClan's Claws stretched up into the inky sky, silhouetted against the starry backdrop, and though he could neither see nor hear them, he could picture the multitude of cats gathered at their base. A warm night breeze caused the tall grass to sway slightly, and it carried with it traces of the Gathering he had been ordered to miss. The mingled scents of the clans promised success on their midnight raid; StoneClan had thus far remained ignorant of their neighbor's intentions and less-than-honorable plan.

Any other night, it would not have been entirely unusual to see the white feline ghosting across the moor, as he seemed to require far less sleep than the average cat and spent the witching hours wandering or - better yet - searching for prey. On the night of a Gathering, however, his time was usually spent drifting among warriors from other clans and making small talk, for as a senior warrior, he was called often enough to attend the meetings. At times, he found it rather tedious, but far more comfortable than his sister on such occasions, he made do without too much trouble. Tonight, however, was entirely different. On Firestar's orders, he was to lead their small band of warriors - and one apprentice, though why the young cat had been included, he was not entirely sure - to the often-tested Sun Stones. Currently the rocks lay in StoneClan's possession, but if all went well this night, as he was fairly confident it would (though admittedly, the success of their claim was not particularly high on his list of priorities, not when blood could be shed) then that would change.

They moved at a brisk pace through LightingClan's territory, and Whiteshade did not slow the patrol for the sake of those less comfortable with loping through the darkness. Where his paws landed softly and confidently on the dry ground, he heard muttered curses and complaints from some of the warriors at his back - Rosefire and Tallstep, no doubt. He was aware of his own former apprentice's presence, and it felt oddly right to have Nightstep there; they had spent many long nights out training together. Before long, they arrived at the border, and crimson eyes glittered darkly in the moonlight as Whiteshade cast a cursory glance over their small patrol. Together they totaled two senior warriors, three warriors, and one apprentice - more than enough to accomplish their current task.

Gesturing for the others to gather with an imperious flick of the tail, he waited a moment before reminding the patrol of their task, as any leader ought to when he found himself doubting the ability of his subordinates. "We are to reclaim Sun Stones," He reiterated. "Tonight we will do nothing more than move the border into StoneClan's land and mark the Stones as our own, after which we will wait for reinforcements to come at dawn." Whiteshade paused, looking around at the shadowed faces, some more familiar than others. "It is highly unlikely that we will encounter a StoneClan patrol this late, but do keep in mind that as it is the night of the Gathering, there is the truce between the clans we must uphold. Keep your claws sheathed until dawn." Then, we will fight. His lips twitched at the thought, and his claws itched for the sensation of warm blood spilling over them. It had been too long.

With another flick of his tail, he dismissed the assembled felines, sending them off to do as they were told while he moved off in his own direction. Truce or not, StoneClan would not be happy about this, and daybreak came with the promise of bloodshed. He couldn't wait.

and the red death held illimitable dominion over all

whiteshade | lightningclan | senior warrior

masque of the red death | background image

BlooRey DVD @marshymutt Fawn Insidious Hellion

Patrol One - Whiteshade (leader), Nightstep, Batpaw, Tallstep (npc), Rosefire (npc), Silentcry (npc)
Patrol Two - Firestar, Palescreech, Brightpool, Russetfall (npc)
StoneClan - Eagletalon, Petalrain, Silentpaw, Windsong (npc), Swiftstrike (npc)

[Deleted]

Pale yellow eyes glanced up at the sky every now and then, looking up towards the sky as often as possible while the cat that owned them tried her hardest to keep up with the warriors that surrounded her. On this fine night she was granted the honor of accompanying her clanmates  to the Sun Stones where she would assist them in marking the stones as their own territory. Batpaw considered herself lucky to be a part of it all and even more so that she was the only apprentice in the group, but at the same time she couldn't stop the thoughts from intruding into her mind that perhaps what they were doing was wrong.

Certainly, the dark-furred she-cat would never doubt her leader's wisdom, the Sun Stones belonged to Lightningclan, that she truly believed. However, to take the stones during a gathering? That, she wasn't quite sure of and her mind itched with thought of their ancestors looking on disapprovingly as they made their way quietly across the moorlands in the direction of Stoneclan territory. She was certain that she would have a difficult time shaking these thoughts from her mind but she was determined to get the job done, after all, she was on this team for a reason and she wasn't about to give up now just because of a little doubt.

She pressed on without  much trouble, deciding to try and take her mind off of Starclan for a while by observing the cats around her. Her ears managed to catch snippets of complaints from a couple of the warriors in front of her though she was unsure of who was speaking, not yet entirely familiar with their voices. Still, she huffed silently, less than amused by the older felines' grumbling. Surely the trip couldn't be THAT hard on them could it? After all, she was shorter than many of the cats that surrounded her and she was keeping up just fine, though perhaps that was because she was still quite young. Either way, she decided to turn her attention elsewhere, listening to cats complain would only get boring fast.

Finally, her eyes settled on Whiteshade just as they arrived at the border and she listened intently as the tom reiterated their goal for the group before they all broke off to mark the borders. With a confident nod of her head, Batpaw too set off, beginning to mark the border with her clanmates. There was no going back now, not even if they wanted to. So the only thing left to do was what she had been told to and then, after everything was marked, they would wait for the battle that was most assuredly coming at dawn.

[BlooRey DVD]

Alternating paws of black and white ghosted over the surface of the night-darkened moorlands. His voice was not amongst those muttering and cursing about the terrain and the night's dim lighting; no, he was quite comfortable in the dark of the night. Only his brilliant yellow eyes and the flashes of white marring his body could be seen as he drifted a few pawsteps back from his former mentor's side. Sparing the white tom a glance, Nightstep could not help but think how familiar something like this felt; he had lost count of the nights he'd spent training beneath the moon, instead of curled up contently in his nest. Nor would he trade any of them for the sleep he had missed. There was no question in his mind; Whiteshade had helped guide him to becoming a formidable warrior of LightningClan, and a deadly force to be reckoned with on the battle field. Whiteshade had opened the path to greatness to him, but it had been up to Nightstep to seize it for himself. It did not come free, and he had worked hard for several moons to achieve it. Nothing in life was free, and his warrior name had been no different. Yellow eyes glanced behind him, to the staggering forms of the three other warriors, and the smaller form of the only apprentice on the patrol. He let his gaze linger on her jet black form, barely more than a shadow in the night. She'd been a good choice for this night time patrol, and that assessment was based on more than her coat color alone. From what he'd picked up from previous interactions with her, sleep was not something that came easily to her. Better to put her to work than to have that wasted. Still, if fighting broke out, having an apprentice on their side might put them at a disadvantage. Do not underestimate her. He reminded himself, pulling his gaze forward once more to continue his walk. You were an apprentice once too, and would have been a match for many warriors even back then. Giving his head a slight shake to pair with his silent chuckle, Nightstep focused himself on the task at paw. Because that is what it was; a job assigned to them by the LightningClan leader. There was no enjoyment to be had from shifting a Clan border that might spark a war between two Clans. A strange light seemed to burn behind the tuxedo tom's powerful gaze as the smallest of smirks bloomed to existence on his features. It was there for a moment before Nightstep reined the stirring beast beneath back behind the mask of the strong warrior he wore on a day to day basis. Alright, perhaps there is a little enjoyment to be had. In the last major battle with StoneClan, Nightstep had been chosen to play his role as an apprentice fighting on the StormClan side of the battle. And if you were to ask him, there'd been enjoyment to be had back then, too. Though... Not everyone would necessarily agree. It was almost as though he could sense the change in Whiteshade. Thoughts of the StormClan battle faded from his mind, and his pupils contracted as his focus was pulled away from thoughts of battle to more mundane thoughts. He is about to speak. He thought to himself, ears rotating forward to listen even before the white tom flicked his tail to command their attention. He'd heard the instructions himself, having been present with Whiteshade at the time of their delivery. With a brief nod of his head, the tuxedo tom communicated his understanding. Standing stock still, a mixture of respect and instincts had him immobile until given his command to proceed. If he were to speak now, cats who'd spoken to him in more mundane scenarios might not believe him to be the same tom. No longer was he truly a warrior of LightningClan. Here he was a solider, a machine to execute orders in whatever way he might see fit. Occasionally, he became something much, much darker. When the dismissive flick of Whiteshade's tail set him free, the tom rose without a word, splitting from the group to begin pushing the LightningClan border further and further in StoneClan territory.

Phoenix @marshymutt

[Hellion]

With the gathering behind them, Firestar instructed half of the patrol to carry on back to camp. Some were given extra instructions to in order to evacuate the camp. Rookfrost was supposed to be preparing to give his expertise in the healing art. Russetfall remained with his mate and leader until the newer, fresher warriors joined them.

Palescreech walked ahead of Brightpool and Firestar gave a nod to each of her warriors. She hoped that they had rested enough, as were instuctions.

"Dawn is approaching, we need to hurry," She told him, flicking her short tail before leading the way. Her paws steps knew the path so her mind was free to wander and so it did.

Her thoughts went to Batpaw, for a moment. The apprentice was the youngest of the raid and was intended to be a runner if the StoneClan dawn patrol came to overwhelm them. Glancing for a moment behind her to Brightpool she wondered if the mentor had given Batpaw that message, but decided to remind the apprentice anyway.

She crested over a small hill and able to see the cats lingering on the stones. Dawn was just starting to light up the sky with orange and red light.

Picking up her pace she nearly galloped toward the group and arrived with her heart hammering.

"I trust the night was uneventful?" She asked, her question directed toward Whiteshade as the rest of her group gathered behind her.

Insidious Phoenix @marshymutt

[Insidious]

Palescreech had always fought dirtily, and tonight would be no exception. She had spent a good chuck of her moons as an apprentice playing pranks on unsuspecting foxes that traipsed LightningClan territory, and more than once she had been lucky to escape unscathed. Fairly certain that a StoneClan patrol would pose no problems if she could handle a fox, she moved ahead of her Clanmate and leader, eager to arrive. Her mate, Nightstep, had been on the first patrol, and she hoped with all of her heart that his group hadn't been caught. Of course, she didn't doubt that he would be able to handle himself if the situation escalated into a fight; his former mentor, Whiteshade, was also present which solidified her faith in LightningClan's inevitable success. She had seen him fight before, and needless to say she was thankful they fought on the same side.

The pale brown she-cat returned Firestar's nod, eyes passing over Brightpool in her search for her tuxedo mate. When she saw him, there was nothing she could've done to suppress the smile that spilled across her lips. Her leader addressed Whiteshade, and acting upon the cues that had been discussed prior to their departure, she assumed a position beside Nightstep. She entwined their tails, exchanging a brief, warm look with the tom before peering across the border into StoneClan territory. Soon enough, the border would be pushed in. She itched to put her paws where they supposedly didn't belong.

Tags: BlooRey DVD , @marshymutt , Phoenix , Fawn & Hellion

[Fawn]

62 Moons // Tom // Senior Warrior // StoneClan

It was the dawn after a Gathering. Most of the cats that had gone were still sleeping cozily in their nests, but Eagletalon, Hawkstar, and several others made use of the day through hunting or patrolling.

Leading the Dawn patrol, the sandy warrior took the group of four over the rocky landscape, his golden eyes adjusting to the pale rosy light of dawn just starting to crest the mountain side. Much of their part of the valley was still in shadow, and the short scrubland was wet with dew, the fur on his paws and legs pressing against bone and muscle as he walked through it.

A LightningClan scent on the breeze raised the hairs along Eagletalon's spine. Beside him, Swiftstrike hissed; Eagletalon signaled for the group to freeze where they were, his gaze narrowing as he looked towards the Sunstones. They were far enough away that any movement was a faint collection of shadows over the sun stones.

Eagletalon started running, a growl rolling out of his throat as he charged over dark rock and damp heather. Either those were very large lizards, or StoneClan was being invaded!

As one force, the StoneClan patrol descended upon the sunstones, Eagletalon baring his teeth now that they were only a few fox lengths away. Whiteshade! That albino warrior had stalked his nightmares for the past couple of seasons, reappearing whenever his thoughts strayed too close to the horrors of StormClan's attack...

And Firestar. What a fox-hearted leader. "Go back to StoneClan, get a battle patrol," he spoke to Petalrain hurriedly, his claws unsheathing. "Be quick!"

This was going to get ugly.

As the senior most warrior present, Eagletalon did not use diplomacy. He did not announce his arrival with civility or threats; he roared a battle cry and descended upon LightningClan, knowing full well the odds were against them. LightningClan may have more warriors, but he was going to give them more a few scars to remember him by.

Swiftstrike dove for Palescreech, while Silentpaw, by process of elimination, went after Batpaw. It would be two against one in every battle, but Eagletalon didn't care. Instead, he squared off against the white-furred demon and the tuxedo tom, while Blacksmoke twisted through the air like her namesake, targeting Firestar herself.

If we can hold on until a battle patrol arrives—

Then the Sunstones would not be lost after all.
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Word Count: 400 Words
Tags: Hellion , Insidious , BlooRey DVD , @marshymutt
Notes: Windsong replaced with Blacksmoke, because Windsong is a queen.