Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2017 23:46:36 GMT -5
Greenleaf Day 6
JaYSteP
42 Moons | NightClan | Senior Warrior
Saying Jaystep was livid would be an understatement. The black tom paced back and forth by the RainClan border, his late-night catch buried only a few tail-lengths away. His sister challenged him in front of his clanmates, backing some silly notion that Dimstar's breeding regulations were holding Nightclan back. Pinestar is too soft and liberal. What has Nightclan come to? Those rules made it so some sorry excuse of a cat doesn't birth or sire useless kits. That Bonetail is some lazy piece of work. I wouldn't wish to mentor a kit from him, more or less have to live with one who can barely feed itself. Jaystep thought bitterly, his hackles rising angrily. It wasn't until he stopped and sat back on his haunches that he noticed him.
The large, black tom perked his ears. Jaystep's faint, green gaze rested on a small, stout tabby tom sitting calmly in the darkness on the RainClan side of the border. The stranger's tail was wrapped collectedly around his paws. The only thing between the two rivals were the Muddy Pools, a stretch of land littered with puddles shining silver in the moonlight. The black tom lurched to his paws, taking a few bold, swaggering steps towards the Rainclan cat, paws stomping past the NightClan border, splashing muddy water up his legs. The brown RainClan tom didn't bat an eye, and in turn he counterpoised Jaystep's lumbering pace with a buoyant, yet uneven, gait. The RainClan cat's presence stirred the black tom, and something about him was... deadly... commanding. Jaystep felt uneasy, as if he was challenging a cat his elder and more experienced, though the other tom looked to be in his prime, just as he. From what Jaystep could tell, the cat was strong, despite his limp, and every bit a warrior, from the deep gouges on his flank, to his commanding posture.
"What do you want, fish-breath?" Jaystep taunted in a low, husky growl.
The toms had grown close enough to feel each other's breath on their whiskers, and although Jaystep was almost twice his size, the brown tom stared at him with a level, yellow-green gaze.
"I want you." The smaller cat responded in an chilling tone.
Jaystep felt a shiver slither down his spine like a snake. Me? The black tom pondered. This cat has gone mad.
"You're kidding me." Jaystep hesitated as the tom's gaze continued steadily. He's serious. Jaystep almost choked. The black tom shifted his weight, releasing a dismissing retort. "I don't think you're my...type."
"Hardly."
Jaystep smirked, digesting this insanity.
"Why do you want me?" The black tom asked matter-of-factly.
"You are strong. A perfect warrior. A perfect leader." The brown tabby paused, continuing in a guttural coo, voice dripping with satisfaction. "You want to know why I am here."
Jaystep had to admit, this cat was good. He wanted nothing more than to know what the stranger had to say. Me, a leader? Of what? Who? The black tom questioned, curiosity alight in his icy green gaze.
"I have a proposition."
There was a moment of silence before the brown tabby continued boldly, articulately... effortlessly.
"How would you like to become leader of Nightclan?"
Jaystep glanced away into the depths of RainClan territory beyond. Leader. So that is why he is here. What does this cat have against Pinestar and Foxfern? Or... What does he want in turn? The black tom's mind flashed with ambitious thoughts. Jaystar has a nice ring to it. He thought. Doubt was a weak spark kindled in the pit of his stomach, and no matter how little, it still held his tongue and prevented a rash response. Jaystep's father, Thorntail, was exiled from the clan after a fight with the deputy. I will not make the same mistakes as my father. He swore to himself. The black tom glanced around him, ears flicking to and fro. They were truly alone, with no prying ears or eyes. Jaystep's ambition soon doused any flames of doubt or hesitation. Only moment's after the smaller tom's proposal, the black tom let loose a thin, corrupted grin, responding to the RainClan cat in a unnerving rumble.
"I'm listening."
If you must break the law,
do it to seize power:
in all other cases observe it.
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