[Fawn]

Honeypaw bounded ahead of her sister as they neared the sun stones; they were the only things that made being a morning cat actually seem worth it. The weather had begun to get cooler, and Honeypaw personally relished the opportunity to stretch out on the warm rocks to catch a tiny nap just after dawn, just before the heat of sunhigh began to descend upon the valley with blistering heat.

Foreign moorland scents assaulted the young she-cat's nose, and she skidded to a stop, whiskers twitching in dismay as she realized the mistake she'd nearly made. "Oh, I forgot." Mumbled Honeypaw, tail drooping. "LightningClan took our sun stones. Where do you want to go instead?" Honeypaw fixed her sister with a slightly meek expression, trying not to let on how disappointed she felt, how personally robbed she felt after LightningClan's fox-hearted behavior at the Gathering.

Honeypaw had stayed home, but she'd heard all about it from Heronpaw. She'd never seen her friend so angry; you'd think with that kind of emotional response, Honeypaw would remember such an important event. Yet as soon as she'd gone to sleep that night, it was as if it had all been just a dream. Clan life returned to normal, and she forgot about Sun Stones... Until now.

"Maybe the Sky Springs? Though it'll be pretty crowded." Honeypaw's ears pricked, her tone changing from one of melancholy to faint hope. "It's a shame Valerianpaw is so busy lately." She missed spending time with her brother; it was as if she hadn't seen much of him these days, and Honeypaw hoped to fix that in the near future. A LightningClan patrol was coming their way.

With a higher sensitivity than some of her Clanmates, Honeypaw's gaze widened, the she-cat turning around to see a glimpse of ginger fur approaching from the distance. What if they accused them of crossing the new scent markers? They hadn't, but LightningClan wasn't being very fair right now. Paws twitching with nerves, Honeypaw glanced anxiously at her sister, whispering. "Should we hide? We haven't done anything wrong but..."

But I don't trust LightningClan. It was probably a good thing Heronpaw wasn't here right now; her friend's temper was sure to come out at the sight of the approaching patrol.

It's so easy to make believe,
it seems you're livin' in a dream

Word Count: 378 Words
Tags: @dreamer , BlooRey DVD (Heronpaw mention!)
Notes:

[Deleted]

Cricketpaw

It had been a bit early when Honeypaw had asked her to go out for a walk, but since the two littermates had been so busy with training, neither of them had really had that much time to just spend together as sisters. When Cricketpaw had prodded Valerianpaw to ask him too, the only response she got was a hiss and him hiding under his tail. After that Cricketpaw let him be.

It was  glorious morning, not too hot, but also not yet chill as the warriors promised it would be come leaf-fall. And as she and her sister bounded along towards sun stones, they chattered amiably. It was only when an odd scent slammed into Cricketpaw that she regained her senses.

"Oh foxdung, Lightningclan." She echoed her sister, scowling. It had been a tumultuous gathering, and she had not particularly enjoyed it. The rage on her clanmates' faces had been enough to make her slightly queasy. Then after the battle when cats had returned wounded... well she was not too keen on seeing any lightningclan cats right now. Probably better to choose another place to hang out. "Well Moss Meadow is pretty cool... and if we bring moss back our mentors shouldn't complain too..." 

The white and brown apprentices words trailed off as she noticed an approaching cat, who was very clearly Lightningclan. Nuts. Honeypaw seemed very uncertain, and Cricketpaw was nervous. "Look, the cat has seen us, if we leave now, all its gonna look like is that we did cross the border. If we wait, and they get mad then we can always run back to camp for help."

Cricketpaw seemed optimistic, but to be honest she was just grasping for any possible way out. Hopefully the Lightningclan cat wouldnt bother them. They were still clearly on the Stoneclan side of the new border.

Fawn

[Insidious]

Palescreech took a lot of satisfaction away from walking through their newly claimed territory. On the night of the Gathering, as she marched into battle with Clanmates on either side, she had felt awfully NightClan. It had been a bold, underhanded move on their part, but she couldn't deny that on some level it had been thrilling. Palescreech was always drawn to trouble, to mischeif, and Firestar had done well to unite their Clan and make them - make her - feel powerful, alive, and indestructible.

Speaking of trouble...

The light in her eyes was so far beyond fondness when she looked at Nightstep. He was home to her. It felt like there was nothing in the entire forest she couldn't accomplish with him at her side. The cut on her shoulder was still fairly fresh, and it served as a painful reminder of the events that took place to make it possible for them to walk this far into Sun Stones. The pain didn't bother her like it should've; it was more of an enticing sting, really, because it didn't even compare to the other party. It was the first time she had fought alongside her mate, and she loved to watch him in his element. It had almost been difficult for her to focus on the task at hand with him as close to her as he had been. He was scarily similar to his former mentor, Whiteshade, when the adrenaline of battle and bloodshed pumped through his veins, but it somehow made her feel safe and untouchable. The odd time she had been able to spare a glance in his direction to check up on him and his opponent, and she saw the way his claws aimed to leave a permanent mark, a shudder of pleasure had traveled up and down the length of her spine. She knew he would do that for her in a heartbeat, and she loved that thought almost as much as she loved him.

The sight of the two StoneClan apprentices startled her out of her lovestruck daze. She should've been able to smell them before she saw them, but that went to show how secure she felt in Nighstep's company; she hardly paid attention to anything else, because not even an enemy patrol posed enough of a challenge to make her want to look somewhere else for longer than absolutely necessary. She pressed her shoulder against his, gesturing ahead. "What do we have here?" She purred, nudging his ear with her mouth so the words could be heard as a whisper. "I think it's time for us to have some fun."

Tags BlooRey DVD, @dreamer & Fawn

[BlooRey DVD]

The wide expanse of territory known as Sun Stones had recently been snatched up by LightningClan's ambitious leader, Firestar. The black and white tom had been a part of the initial patrol. He could still remember the night clearly; not a cloud in the sky, not a complaint from precious StarClan. It had been a beautiful thing, a wonderful loophole. On the night of the Gathering, while the five Clans met at the meeting point of the valley known as StarClan's Claws, a small collection of LightningClan warriors, spearheaded by the albino devil himself, had inconspicuously edged their border into StoneClan's territory, and nothing more. Following the termination of the Gathering, as the sun began to rise on a new day, StoneClan had found them. And what had followed was a display of StoneClan's stupidity and LightningClan's prowess. Some might have called the StoneClan patrol's move courageous, or brave; they had been vastly outnumbered, yet they'd challenged them anyway. Nightstep saw it as foolish; they had lacked the strength required to emerge victorious. Perhaps, if the roles had been reversed and a small group of LightningClan cats (obviously consisting of both he and Whiteshade) were faced with a larger StoneClan patrol, the outcome would have been different for the smaller patrol. What good was strength when you could not lay a paw on your opponent? The thought brought a sneer to Nightstep's features, even know. Sharp yellow eyes drifted to his companion. Palescreech, with her light cream coat and shining pearlescent eyes. She was fascinating, perched delicately on the edge of innocence and danger. His strikingly perfect Palescreech. Some were mislead by her gentler coloring and her shimmering eyes. Some were put off by her near-ghost like appearance. But he was not bothered, for he saw her for what she truly ways: stunning, fearless and unequivocally dangerous. If he was Yin, then she was most certainly his Yang. He'd kept an eye on her during the battle with StoneClan, less so because he didn't think she could handle herself. Rather... He enjoyed watching her fight. It would not stop him from cutting in if he thought she were in any real danger. No matter how talented or fearless she might have been in battle, she was still his. And he would destroy anyone that dare try to take what was his. Nightstep watched the pale furred she-cat approach, as though called forth by his thoughts alone. Her fur brushed up against his shoulder, drawing him out of his own head. Eyes the hue of fire followed her watery stare, taking in the situation just as her voice whispered into his ear. A thoughtful noise escaped him, a drawn out sound as though he were debating the single most important thing in the world. "Hm... The way the sunlight dances on your pelt... Your beauty caused me to miss their presence entirely." He glanced at her then, a devilishly handsome grin flashing his fangs in the sunlight. "But, my love, I do think you are correct. Lessons to teach, fun to be had... Shall we put on a little show?" The last few words were no louder than a rumble in her ear as he pressed close to her. Pausing only to tug playfully on her ear, the tuxedo demon stepped around her, setting course for the two StoneClan apprentices. His stride was unhurried, long limbs carrying him so that he seemed to glide over the stones. His was a trained, calculated grace, one that hinted as something dark beneath. His grin had long since fallen, the black and white tom halting on the new LightningClan border with a confidence that some might find overwhelming; not over far enough to be on StoneClan territory, but too far for it to be called a comfortable distance. An indifferent stare regarded them both, a single ear pivoting at the approach of his mate. He never once doubted that she would follow, and he knew that she would play her role perfectly. His piercing gaze regarded the pair, before abandoning them in favor of meeting his paler furred companion's gaze. "Interesting." He said simply, his tone carrying an almost sinister air to it. "What do you make of this, dear?" And then he waited, letting them tremble in their own pelts, as his mate made her own assessment of the situation.

Fawn Insidious @dreamer

Note: 34 moons old

[Fawn]

Cricketpaw spoke words of reason, and Honeypaw was quick to grasp onto them like a log floating down the rapids, holding on tightly as she could. If we get into any trouble, we can always run back for help. But what if she didn't run fast enough? What if the LightningClan cats all attacked at once?

Honeypaw, just when she thought she might burst into a cloud of fur and claws, noticed the ginger cat swerving away from them. She breathed an audible sigh of relief, which broke off into a small giggle of escaped nerves. "That was close. And good idea! The moss meadow will be great...."

Tabby ears flicked back with concern, her eyes widening as she watched a sleek tuxedo tom and a pretty pale she-cat meander over to them as if they owned the whole valley. The way they're looking at us... Honeypaw glanced down at her snowy paws, lifting them up one at a time as if she might realize she'd accidentally crossed the scent boundary (not that you could really see it).

We're on the right side but... why is it that I still feel so... unsafe?

Honeypaw moved closer to her sister, and attempted bravery. "Hello. It's been a pretty morning, hasn't it?" M-Maybe they just want to chat? Ever the optimist, even she couldn't ignore how absurd that sounded. LightningClan probably wanted to pick another fight.

But who would pick on apprentices? Not grown warriors, surely! Then again, who would attack a Clan right after a Gathering?

Try as she might, Honeypaw knew she was failing to mask the light scent of fear radiating from her. Smiling anxiously, she tried to stay on their good graces while stealing glances at her sister in case Cricketpaw gave the signal to run.

It's so easy to make believe,
it seems you're livin' in a dream

Word Count: 298 Words
Tags: @dreamer , BlooRey DVD , Insidious
Notes:

[Deleted]

Cricketpaw
Even as Cricketpaw herself was getting nervous, she could tell her sister was starting to panic. Every instinct in Cricketpaw, every muscle twitched to run away, but her sister needed her, so she put on her trademark smile and funneled her energy away from any thought of fleeing. Now she had to protect her sister.

Cricketpaw was too young to remember when Stoneclan had been chased out, but she knew that it had severely affected how Stoneclan reacted to other clan cats. Now she  understood why. Unable to know how cats would react, and unnecessarily aggressive movements against Stoneclan, tended to wear down at the ability to trust anyone outside your clan.

As they sat quivering with anticipation and fear, Cricketpaw felt nearly as jumpy as her namesake, they watched the ginger cat veer away. With a massive sigh which completely emptied her lungs, Cricketpaw joined her sister in giggling. They hadnt been seen, thank Starclan! Her sister was agreeing with her assessment about Moss Meadow, but her response seemed to stutter off mid phrase. Cricketpaw swiveled her ears and head towards where her sister was looking, and dread splashed down on her head like chill snowmelt water. There closer than the ginger Lightningclan cat had ever gotten, were two cats, a black tom and a creamy she-cat.

Cricketpaw had never seen such a smug and....predatory? look on a cats face before. The two sautered up to the border, so confident that they made Cricketpaw want to shrink away from them. It was odd, and honestly quite annoying. But when they started to sneer at them, Cricketpaw got angry. She forced herself to arch up, not menacingly, but also not submissively. Her tail went ramrod straight above her back. But a welcoming smile wavered  on her muzzle.

 

"Good morning. Enjoying your patrol on such a cool morning?"

Fawn@insidious@bloodrose

[Insidious]

With Nightstep’s flirtatious words sitting at the front of her mind, there was nothing that could’ve soured her mood. However, a StoneClan apprentice with sickly sweet manners was certainly close to accomplishing the impossible. Slowly, Palescreech’s light blue eyes moved from Honeypaw to Cricketpaw. The former wasn’t fooling anybody with her smile, but the latter, on the other hand, seemed to have a temper just barely staying under the surface. Her tail was arched over her back in an unspoken threat, and Palescreech was overcome by the desire to make her regret it.

The pale-furred warrior took a step forward. Cricketpaw might’ve not intended to appear menacing, but Palescreech wasn’t playing by the same rules. She returned the apprentices’ smile, but hers was tight-lipped and not nearly as welcoming. “It has been a pretty morning, and we are enjoying it—thank you for asking.” With pleasantries dealt with, she cleared her throat. Her eyes snapped onto Cricketpaw’s face like a leech. “I would ask if you’ve been enjoying yours, but you don’t seem to be interested in talking.” She gestured curtly to the she-cat’s tail, lifting a brow. “There’s no need for that, hm? The two of us were only going for a walk. Surely we didn’t give you the impression that we’d do something… wrong.” She peered up at her mate with a mischievous glow in her eyes, unconcerned about whether or not it was hidden from the apprentices’ view.

Tags BlooRey DVD, @dreamer & Fawn

[BlooRey DVD]

Oh how fascinating he found the young apprentice who stepped closer to the second. Sharp yellow eyes focused on her, watching every nearly imperceptible shiver of her fur. His senses were alert, the tuxedo tom not needing to open his mouth to taste the scent of fear drifting to him from this same she-cat. And then, of course, there was the other one. Disinterest seemed to glow in his eyes as he slowly pulled his gaze toward the second she-cat in the pair, taking in her pin-straight tail just as his mate pointed it out a little irritably. His tail tip twitched just so, his posture remaining straight, unyielding. There was not much that would strike fear into Nightstep's heart. A StoneClan apprentice was certainly not one of those things. He did admire (if only fractionally) her reserve to stand up for both herself and her Clanmate. Even so, it was a stupid move. Surely these two did not think they could win any form of confrontation, whether verbal or physical. Though... More than likely verbal. He would not take the first physical shot, and would only move to defend. As Palescreech finished her reply to the two StoneClanners, he let his yellow stare drift to her, meeting the mischievous look with one of his own. As his focus returned to the apprentices, he nonchalantly (and very obviously) dropped his eyes to his paw, lifting a forepaw as though searching for something beneath him. "Surely we did not cross into StoneClan territory." His voice was a confusing mix of level and challenging, as though tempting the younger cats to take the bait. "Apologies if we did, these scent markers can be... So very fickle." Much to Cricketpaw's irritation, he was sure, the sneer returned and his predatory gaze snapped back to the young she-cats. "All I wanted was to spend such a... Pretty morning with someone immeasurably special to me. Surely you both understand, hm?"

Fawn Insidious @dreamer

Note: 37 moons old

[Fawn]

It was impossible to suppress a shudder. StarClan, it's like talking to foxes! There was something deeply disconcerting about both cats, and though she normally would have found the tom's words and the affection between the tuxedo warrior and the pale warrioress sweet, Honeypaw felt an underlying trickle of mockery or cruelty that made the fur on the back of her neck stand up.

Cricketpaw's bravery was a reminder that she wasn't a helpless little kitten who shied away at any kind of confrontation. She always did better when there was another cat present who could be her beacon, her guiding light. Honeypaw nodded in resolution, and raised her tail in the same silent defiance.
"Y-You're not allowed to cross the border, that's against the Code." It was silly to lecture a warrior about the Code but what else could she say?

It was the only thing that made sense to her in that moment. They were warriors, so they should respect the Code. Even a Clan as fox-minded as LightningClan, right? If they don't, then they're no better than rogues! Honeypaw threw a nervous glance at her sister, still considering running away to be their smartest choice.

But StoneClan had run away once before, hadn't they? If they did it again, would LightningClan ever let them stop?

It's so easy to make believe,
it seems you're livin' in a dream

Word Count: 224 Words
Tags: BlooRey DVD Insidious
Notes:

[Deleted]

Birds-eye view, awake the stars 'cause they're all around you

12 Moons : She-Cat : Apprentice

Cricketpaw was struggling to hold up such an aggressive posture, she just wasn't used to it. Not to mention her every instinct was encouraging her to get out of there as soon as possible. But if they retreated now, Lightningclan would only feel more triumphant and more entitled to the land they had stolen. No Cricketpaw had to hope they would leave eventually, and she and Honeypaw could hurry back to camp.They are just playing with us, look at those smirks. The looks were almost like what she imagined a hungry dog might have, and the brown and white apprentice began to wonder if this was what it felt like to be a mouse.

Eventually the pale ginger she-cat spoke first, and Cricketpaw felt her blood boil, and simultaneously freeze from the amusement and disdain in her voice. Clearly she thought it would be funny to taunt them. Did they except the apprentices to get angry and cross the border and provoke a fight? The thought immediately brought Cricketpaw down to earth, and she shuddered at imagined claws raking through her fur. She and Honeypaw just needed to get away from here.

The black tom began speaking then as well and Cricketpaw could only bristle even more in indignation at the remark about borders. Why did he have to remind them of how they stole territory? Couldn't they be content? But immediately her sister's words focused her again.

"Look, it seems like you were enjoying your morning, Im sure you two have things to do, and would rather not bother with us apprentices, right? Why dont we just go our separate ways? No need for hostilities?"

The last few words were said a bit quieter than was probably wise, but she was just doing her best not to bolt.

--

Word Count:

Tags: Fawn Insidious BlooRey DVD

Notes:

Wide eyes will always brighten the blue

[Insidious]

"Did you hear that?" Palescreech sharply turned to look her mate in the eyes, shock clear as day in her bright, crystalline pools of blue. "It's against the Code. I had no clue. Thank StarClan we had these StoneClan apprentices here to tell us what we've grown up hearing for moons." Sarcasm dripped intensely from her last few words, and she peeled her lip back in unspoken contempt as she turned her attention back onto the she-cat known as Honeypaw. She had seemed to absorb some bravery from her little friend's aggressively poised tail, and Palescreech intended to knock her back down a few pegs to where she belonged.

When Nightstep referred to her as immeasurably special, a shiver of pleasure traveled down the length of her spine. Her sneer softened, and she entwined her tail around his like a snake. Caught up in the moment, she pushed the pair of apprentices into the back of her mind so she could steal a couple of seconds with her mate; she nuzzled his cheek, a purr rising in the back of her throat. Cricketpaw's solution to their little dilemma made her ears swivel, but she took her time returning to the present. Nightstep and her had all of the time in the world. There was certainly no rush.

"Hm..." She pressed her lips together in contemplation, "...I suppose you're right. I've gotten a little bored, so a change is in order." Her eyes flitted across Honeypaw and Cricketpaw's faces darkly. She knew she wouldn't have to say out loud what the predatory glint in her eyes, reminiscent of Nightstep's, was going to suggest. Her jaws split in a yawn, and she curtly gestured for the two of them to leave. "Move along. Now." Palescreech wasn't going to hurt them. As long as they didn't try and hurt her, they'd be safe from Nightstep, too—but they didn't need to know that.

She turned her head to the side, and appraised her mate thoughtfully. He was free to do as he pleased, but the look in her eyes suggested he was on a leash she was considering to release him from. Should she start to count? Surely that would toss Honeypaw and Cricketpaw over the edge.

Tags BlooRey DVD, @dreamer & Fawn