[Deleted]

If it feels good, tastes good,
It must be mine...

---

Blackwolf's recent retirement had been unsettling for Darkstorm. The elders' den was the last stop before StarClan as far as the young warrioress was concerned, and she wasn't at all ready to lose someone else she cared about, so soon. Logically, Blackwolf could have many more moons of life, safe and comfortable in the elders' den, kept out of any future battles that might occur, but Darkstorm was not a logical cat when it came to the ones she cared about. Her emotions took over completely when it came to her family. And Blackwolf was her family just as much as her sisters, as much as Shadowpaw and her mother.

Carrying a plump bat she had just caught, the dark tortoiseshell she-cat made her way to the elders' den, dropping the prey at her former mentor's paws. Night had fallen, the dusk patrol had returned already, and the apprentices were all out training. Meaning none of them had seen to the elders yet. Not that Blackwolf wasn't capable of walking to the freshkill pile himself. He might not even appreciate her bringing him prey, but she was going to do it anyway. “I know you can get it yourself, but consider it a sign of respect rather than anyone assuming you can't do it on your own,” she said in a low growl edged with fondness she couldn't hide, and that respect she spoke of.

She'd gone out hunting shortly after dusk had fallen, fury lending her extra energy, and brought back two bats and a toad, deposited the toad and one bat on the diminished freshkill pile, and taken the other for her mentor, freshly caught, still warm with the creature's faded life. She had yet to visit the old tom since his formal retirement, it made her uncomfortable to think about, but today, after what TreeClan had done, she felt the need to share her thoughts with a cat she knew would understand, a cat who had experience dealing with things like this. She wanted nothing more than to charge straight into TreeClan's camp and show them just what sort of mistake they'd made.

She folded her hind legs beneath her, tail twitching to and fro in an obvious show of her restlessness. Her orange eyes burned and she got right to the heart of the matter, “You've heard the news, right, gray-muzzle? I don't know if you've seen, but Pinestar is in bad shape. I don't know if she's lost a life or not, but it doesn't seem like StarClan's healing anything, that's for sure.” Her burning orange gaze flashed furiously as she hissed in frustration, "Those stinking squirrelchasers have claimed the land stretching all the way from the Deer Path to the Branch Trail!" Her tail lashed and she stood, unable to remain still any longer, pacing in front of her former mentor.

---

Heroes always get remembered,
But you know legends never die.

Fawn

[Fawn]

76 Moons. Senior Warrior. Tom. NightClan.
-
First, No Sequel

When Blackwolf had first heard paw-steps approaching the elders' den, he'd growled, suspecting it was his lazy son trying to avoid his new paternal responsibilities by visiting him. Instead, it was the last cat he'd ever trained, and someone whose company he didn't immediately rebuke. She'd even brought him a bat, because she wasn't a complete disrespectful little whelp.

Just most of the time.

Blackwolf acknowledged the prey with a blink of his two-colored eyes, a scarred front limb reaching forward to snag the bat by one of it's wings, dragging over the kill. He'd been halfway to the first bite, fangs hovering over the thin fur on the bat's flank when she'd called him Gray-muzzle. Blackwolf scoffed derisively, some of his old spark returning. "Call me that again and you'll be joining me." Blackwolf's threats were half-empty, like the ambush pond during a sweltering greenleaf.

He wasn't above beating up his own Clanmates if he thought they deserved it. But he'd never cripple one. Especially not one he actually liked. Darkstorm didn't deserve that kind of fate, anyway. She was one of the best things about this Clan, and Blackwolf would rather bust up another leg than see her end up stuck in here as a useless mouth to feed. Like Ratfur.

Blackwolf's taunting gaze found his only denmate, and he masked a sneer at the tom's sleeping form. Ratfur was a terrible hunter. A terrible Clan cat. Yet somehow managed to keep surviving. Blackwolf was slowly getting the impression that even if they stopped feeding him, Ratfur would still be around.

He was like an allergy. Harmless but annoying.

Darkstorm's fury was shared, sevenfold. "I retire for one season and already everything's gone to foxdung!" He snapped, savagely tearing a piece of meat from the bat. He chewed, swallowed, and continued - losing his appetite in favor of rightful anger. "Ravenstar wouldn't have let this happen. She always kept TreeClan in line." And on their side of the scent line where those tree-clingers belonged. "What's Pinestar planning on doing about it?" He doubted their new leader would have told the Clan her retaliation plans - but they had to do something.

Blackwolf felt like spitting. He didn't want to come out of retirement. But he'd be damned if he let TreeClan walk all over NightClan again.

Do the Math, No Equal

---
Word Count: 389 Words
Tags: @zen (Phoenix for the snark directed at Ratfur)
Notes:

[Deleted]

If it feels good, tastes good,
It must be mine...

---

Darkstorm was glad, at least, to hear her own anger reflected back at her in her mentor's voice. She had yet to participate in any REAL battles herself, and even as Blackwolf was entertaining coming out of retirement, Darkstorm couldn't help but wish the two of them had gotten the chance to fight side by side against TreeClan over this offense. But Blackwolf was in no right state to be fighting battles anymore. She would just have to be good enough to take his place, to show the Clan what a great mentor he was and make him proud that she was the last cat he ever trained. He could rest easy knowing she was fighting NightClan's battles.

Darkstorm shook her head, pausing briefly in her pacing as she did, “Pinestar hasn't told any cat anything that I'm aware of. Maybe Foxfern. She's... in a lot of pain.” Her claws slid from their sheathes to scrape at the stone beneath her paws, wishing it were a TreeClan warrior beneath her instead, “Lionstar was there himself. He did this to her. That's what the other cats on the patrol said. I never realized that big mouseheart was capable of dealing so much damage. I mean-” she hissed again, tail lashing continuously behind her, “He's a big cat, obviously he has the ability, but the way every cat talks about him I'd have thought him too soft.”

She would have to remember never to underestimate him if she happened to come face to face with him in the future. Because one way or another, she would be sinking her claws into some filthy TreeClan pelts. She turned back to Blackwolf, “I doubt anything will be done until Pinestar has recovered... but who knows how long THAT will take.” Her dark tail was still lashing, her voice dropping into a low growl, “And I'm not willing to wait that long. TreeClan has no idea what they've started.”

---

Heroes always get remembered,
But you know legends never die.

Fawn

[Fawn]

BLACKWOLF

First, No Sequel do The Math, No Equal

"Knowing that soft-hearted heap of foxdung," Blackwolf spat, "It was an accident. He landed on Ravenstar during a battle and she lost a life that way." Lionstar was hardly the vicious killer and powerful leader his name implied. The only other cat who caused that much destruction by accident was—Oakblaze. The name gave him a headache. "Foxfern should order a retaliation," Blackwolf turned to face his former apprentice, dual-colored eyes glinting with unchecked aggression. "I don't care what Pinestar's planning. Something needs to be done before those mousehearts get better ideas." With Pinestar injured, what was to stop TreeClan from going after more and more territory?

Me, he growled savagely, claws flexing. This... This was worth coming out of retirement over.

There was a kind of vindictive satisfaction over knowing the Clan still needed him. Ghostlight's death had... stolen his enjoyment of life, and the injury to his hip had been the finishing blow; but Blackwolf wasn't done yet. Not when there were still enemies that needed shredding. He fixed his gaze on his volatile apprentice. "Don't do anything stupid." Blackwolf stared her down. "TreeClan will get theirs." Not without a little planning. He had been out of the battle for too long.

It had been too long since they had battled against their forest-dwelling neighbors. Who were TreeClan's top fighters? Who was actually worthy of being called an opponent? Bloodtalon, Adderstrike, Blackfire. They were all dead, turned to dust underfoot. Who had risen to take their place?

"Find Hollystorm, and one other cat you trust. I want you three to watch the border. We need names of their strongest, so we can hit them where it hurts." Picking on kits and apprentices was what foxes did.

NightClan knew better. If Lionstar was going to cripple Pinestar, then they were going to cripple his best fighters. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and TreeClan wouldn't know what hit them.

76 Moons NightClan Senior Warrior

324 Words || @zen || Notes