[Deleted]

Blackwolf was dead. Darkstorm should have been a member of that battle party, she could have had his back. She would have had his back, as apparently none of the rest of them had. When she got her claws into the unfortunate TreeClanner that had dared to take a NightClan life, TreeClan was going to pay a life of their own for the crime. From all accounts, the one that did this had gotten away with it, but she was not about to see Blackwolf go unavenged.

Her tail lashed, Blackwolf’s death and her fury over it had consumed her every waking moment in the two days since the battle had taken place. It even followed her into her dreams, where she had thus far lived out no less than five separate instances of revenge against Blackwolf’s killer. She didn’t even know exactly what the tom looked like. She’d gotten a description from those that had been there, however she had never paid much attention to warriors from other Clans at gatherings so she couldn’t say if she’d ever seen him before or not. But she certainly saw him in her dreams.

She had been far too angry to deal with her apprentice the day after the fight and had sent Gracklepaw with her brother Cinderpaw to train for the night. It had been best for both of them. But she could not justify another night’s neglect. So she had called Gracklepaw to go hunting with her, her tail twitching with barely contained contempt for their forest dwelling neighbors as she led her apprentice out of camp, her tone sharp when she spoke, “Tonight I’ll show you the best places to find bats hibernating. If you can find them, they make easy pickings during leafbare. There are a few places in NightClan territory where they can be found, but the best places are beyond our borders, in caves higher up in the mountains.”

A little mindless bat slaughter wouldn’t be a terrible way to spend the night. She would just have to be careful that there would still be something left of the creatures to bring back to the Clan. “We’ll leave the territory first. Best we have all our energy if we’re going outside our borders.” She cast a burning glance back at Gracklepaw, “Where we’re going, there will be countless bats. Do not kill more than we can carry back home from the mountains. Just because there are many does not mean that we should be wasteful, especially not in leafbare.” The reminder was for herself as much as her apprentice. It would be easy to swipe them from cave walls and low cavern roofs until there were none left to reach. Even if they woke, they were slow, clumsy, such easy prey.

Her tail lashed again as she crossed over NightClan scent markers and into the unclaimed territory beyond. These bat caves took a bit of time to reach, but they were well worth it, like a secret cache of prey for NightClan to tap into when other prey was scarce in the heart of leafbare. Most cats didn’t enjoy leaving NightClan territory to get there, though, and stuck to the smaller hibernacula within the territory. But Darkstorm could use the extra exercise, something to help work off this scorching anger. With a quick glance back at Gracklepaw, she called, “Watch your step, and try to keep up!” With that she picked up the pace, bounding through the snow as she led them higher up the mountain.

---

Hellion I figure they can reach a cave in your post and harvest them some sleepy bats and get the hunting out of the way, start heading back, and then in my next post a pair of loners comes along and tries to steal their bats so they can open a can of whoop ass xD

Fawn blackwolf and indirect brackenstride mention xD

Leafbare 22 Gray clouds coat the sky but the snowfall has lightened significantly

[Hellion]

{

}

I won't suffer, be broken, get tired, or wasted
Surrender to nothing
~

She and Starlingcry had been some of the first cats to welcome back the battle party. Her tail had twitched with eagerness to learn of how it went, but instead of seeing excited faces she saw solemn ones. Blackwolf had been killed. Gracklepaw remembered watching her grandmother's shoulder stiffen and gaze shift upward to the sky. Starlingcry had been one of Blackwolf's apprentices and part of the legacy he left behind.

Gracklepaw had watched the mourning from a respectful distance. She hadn't known him as many of her clanmates did. The only connection she had to Blackwolf was her own mentor being of one his and the Starlingcry connection. They shared no blood. She expected the vigil to be done and his body carried off to wherever the elder buried cats and things would go back to normal.

However, she hadn't expected Darkstorm to be so twisted up about her old mentor's death. Cats died and more were born. Why should the living bother with the dead? Annoyed with Darkstorm for neglecting her, she charged full force into training with Cinderpaw or asked her uncle Coalmask to take her somewhere interesting. He didn't seem to mind and often agreed to spar with her, his own apprentice watching from the side. Rarely to eager to fight with Gracklepaw, she often forgot to sheath her claws.

Luckily that annoyance went away the moment Darkstorm told her they would be going hunting. Following her mentor without hesitation, she didn't bother to utter the dead cat's name and offered no words of condolence. Instead, her attention hung to every one of Darkstorm's words. The idea of leaving NightClan territory was thrilling and a little unsettling. Her grandmother spoke of mountain cats and loners that often ventured into the valley and paid no attention to scent warnings. Curious if they would run into any of them, Gracklepaw spoke up.

"Do loners live in the mountains or do they hide out like rats in whatever den they can find?," Her question came at poor timing to Darkstorm's warning to watch her step. Nearly stumbling over a nearly perfectly covered pine root, Gracklepaw attempted to play it off and hurried to keep up with Darkstorm. Her question was forgotten.

Keeping up with Darkstorm wasn't as difficult as Gracklepaw had thought and it was then she realized how much she had grown. Clearly coming into her own frame with every passing day, she'd easily stand taller than her grandmother and proudly so. Gracklepaw looked forward to the day that Starlingcry would have to look up at her.

Caught up in her short daydream, Gracklepaw slowed her stride the moment the cave came into view. The ground was harder on her paw-pads then the soft pine forest floor. Instead, of running straight over everything, she maneuvered over smooth stones and avoid rocky and jagged ones. Arriving at the mouth of the cave, she paused to catch her breath, looking toward Darkstorm for direction.

~
GRACKLEPAW

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0
Lyrics: Attack - 30 Seconds to Mars
Tag:

[Deleted]

Upon reaching a cave, Darkstorm paused, scenting the air within, feeling somewhat satisfied with the exertion to reach their destination. It had worked off the edge of her anger, at least. Perhaps it would be easier to control herself now. As Gracklepaw stopped beside her, waiting for direction, she took a few more paces into the cave, using her tail to indicate that Gracklepaw should wait.

She could certainly smell bats, but it was also important to ensure their scent wasn’t hiding anything or anyone that might attack them. Once she was satisfied they were alone, she flicked her tail to beckon Gracklepaw over, keeping her voice soft, “We’ll head farther back, where the roof of the cave will be lower. It will take a few moments for our eyes to adjust to the dark back there, but after they do, the task is simple. Jump and swipe down as many bats as you can, and then finish them off quickly before they recover and fly away. They pack themselves in tight up there for warmth, so you should have no trouble knocking several down at once. You’ll only get one or two good tries before the colony is disturbed, so make your jumps count. And I hope you don’t mind getting your paws dirty.” She flashed a grin before heading back. The farther in they went, the more bat dung would be covering the ground.

Farther back, the cave was near pitch black in the night and Darkstorm moved slowly, quietly, keeping her tail against Gracklepaw’s shoulder so they stayed close together until their eyes adjusted. Finally, she could make out dark shapes above. She led them a little deeper, where the cave roof sloped down a bit farther, and came to a stop. The roof of the cave was just reachable if they were able to put enough strength into their leaps. She gave her apprentice a sharp nod, crouched, and pushed upward with all her strength, swiping out with claws outstretched. She felt furry bodies beneath her claws as she ripped several from their perches and heard them thud onto the floor. Hoping the fall would be enough to keep them stunned momentarily, she leaped once more, scraping a few more bats to the ground, and quickly began dispatching them, though a couple got away.

Alarmed chittering ensued from the rest of the colony as they began to wake from their deep slumber. “Quickly, gather whatever you got and let’s get out,” she hissed quietly to Gracklepaw, gathering up five the five bats she’d managed to kill and waiting only to ensure Gracklepaw was ready to go before bounding out of the cave before the bats could swarm and dive bomb them. A few paces away from the cave, she turned to Gracklepaw to see just how she’d done, setting her bats down in the snow for a moment and grinning, “I think it was worth the trip.”

“Oh, I agree.” Darkstorm’s hackles rose as she whipped around to see a large, scarred tom blocking their path down the mountain. He grinned at her, “Now if you just hand over those bats, I’ll let you both go home safe and sound.”

Darkstorm spat, “Let us?” Her eyes blazed as she stared the tom down, “You don’t have any idea what you just walked into. I’m going to tear your pelt off and use it to line my nest!”

The tom rolled his shoulders, looking unconcerned, and still arrogantly confident, “Oh, I can’t wait for you to try.”

The tom was big, but it was still two against one. Something was off. Darkstorm’s ears twitched, trying to catch any other sounds around them, but she could detect nothing. She glanced back at Gracklepaw only briefly, hissing quietly, “Guard our catch. There might be others waiting nearby to steal it while he’s distracting us. Don’t move unless they show themselves.” She’d fallen prey to that loner tactic on her very first excursion out here. With that she stalked toward the tom, fangs bared and tail lashing.

---

Hellion Spoiler, there is indeed another loner waiting to steal the prey xD

[Hellion]

{

}

I won't suffer, be broken, get tired, or wasted
Surrender to nothing
~

The scent threw her off, making her nose twitch. She felt like gagging. Never a smell she wanted to have in her nose again unless she could feel her ribs and they were the only bit of prey left. Remaining close to Darkstorm, Gracklepaw looked upward to the roof of the cave. Luckily for them, it wasn't too tall and with a good jump, she could likely scrap the top.

Eager to sink her claws into something alive, she followed after Darkstorm toward the back of the cave. She couldn't help the annoyance the brewed in her chest at the sensation of stepping on something moist. She'd have to walk in a puddle or two to rid herself of the gunk. However, her complaints were kept silent. The last thing she wanted was for Darkstorm to think she was a soft kitty-pet.

Getting Darkstorm's signal, Gracklepaw launched herself upward. Claws spread wide as she tried to pull down as many as possible. Her first leap brought down three. The sizable things were no match for her. She had the strength of a young warrior and the sharp claws of a killer.

On her second leap, she landed three more, taking a moment to ensure they were dead. She prepared for a third swipe but Darkstorm called her off. Gracklepaw wasn't the type to pout but she was tempted. Bats were easy pickings and it was fun, but it would also be wasteful to kill them and be unable to carry them back.

Gathering up her kills, she bolted after Darkstorm, thankful her eyes adjusted to the lack of light to allow for her to avoid being hit by few who dared dive down at her.

Presenting her kills to Darkstorm, she felt pride burn in her chest, replacing her disappointment of having been called away. "I a--" Her words were caught off by the arriving loner. Trusting in her mentor, she moved to stand over their catch, her own hackles raised. Torn between wanting to help Darkstorm, she forced herself to focus on the area around her.

Darkstorm was right.

From behind a boulder, another tom emerged. He too was covered in scars, Gracklepaw's claws itched to give him another. Her eyes narrowed on his marred face, silently taunting him to make the first move. Not falling for the bait, he eased forward, claws extended to scrap against the dirt. Her own red painted claws flexed outward. He got within a few tail-lengths, a grave error.

Launching forward Gracklepaw collided with him, she preferred close combat. Her claws rake over whatever bit of flesh she could catch. While she knew the proper ways to fight, a practically fully trained warrior, she didn't bother. She enjoyed the adrenaline rush of letting herself fight on muscle memory alone. She trusted her nature, the desire to win, no matter the cost.

Separating after a short tussle, Gracklepaw panted, the loner gasped for air. His fur was bloody, her own dusty, her claws freshly painted. "Is that all you got?" Her taunt came with a smirk, her tail lashing behind her. She could swear a flicker of fear appeared in the loner's eyes.

'Is he scared of me? Afraid of what I could do to him' The moment the thought occurred, she found power in it. A thrill that she would soon crave There were no other warriors to call her back, Darkstorm was busy with her own loner. Not to mention they were far from home and loners were as plentiful as fleas. One less wouldn't hurt.

Darting forward to the left before abruptly going right, she shouldered him over. He yowled as her forepaw caught the soft part of his neck, applying a painful amount of pressure to keep him pinned. The sound quickly drowned out as he gasped for air. She watched him, the panic in his eyes as he struggled to breathe.

However, despite the intoxication of the thrill, she backed off. Not enough to let him up, her paw was still there to remind him that she was the one to determine his future.

~
GRACKLEPAW

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0
Lyrics: Attack - 30 Seconds to Mars
Tag:

[Deleted]

Not unlike Gracklepaw, Darkstorm allowed pure instinct to take over as she engaged the enemy. All her fury over Blackwolf's murder was channeled into unrelenting energy as she rained down blow after blow and barely felt any hits the big tom managed to land. Something warm and wet at her shoulder had her vaguely aware of a wound he had managed to inflict, but we'll timed claw swipes at the loner's face kept him otherwise well at bay. She aimed for his legs in between aiming at his face, keeping him dancing, moving, tiring. He was big but he was slow, and as he tired he got clumsy, slipping on snow and tripping over stones until he finally gave her the perfect opening.

She rammed into him as he stumbled atop an outcrop of rock and sent him tumbling over the edge. The initial drop was not a long one, not enough to kill him, but he continued to tumble for some distance until he finally stopped. She watched his dark shape below, claws scrapind on stone, and after a long few heartbeats he managed to stagger to his paws, hurriedly dragging himself away, either forgetting his companion or not caring that he might still be locked in battle.

Feeling a deal calmer than she had since Blackwolf's body had been brought back to camp, she turned back to check on Gracklepaw, stalking back toward her apprentice to find her pinning the second the loner. Their catch of bats had not been touched. She stared down at the other tom through burning amber eyes for a long moment before addressing Gracklepaw, “He is no warrior. He is outside the warrior code. Victory is yours, but out here… victory is what you make it. End this, one way or another, and let's get our catch back to camp. We have mouths to feed.”

She turned back to the pile of bats they had left unguarded, gathering up her own catches as she waited, unconcerned, for her apprentice to either let the tom go or end his miserable existence. The fate of a loner that had attacked them and tried to steal their prey mattered not to her.

---

Hellion end with your next post?

[Hellion]

{

}

I won't suffer, be broken, get tired, or wasted
Surrender to nothing
~

He is no warrior. He is outside the warrior code...

Was that all it took? A warrior name and a Clan scent. Those words echoed in Gracklepaw's brain, drowning out the rest of what her mentor said. She could sense that Darkstorm was readying herself to leave, that Gracklepaw had been taking up too much time with the loner.

A choice had been laid out before her, kill the loner or allow him to go. Her earlier notion of the loners being like fleas, swayed her in one direction.

Pressing harder against the frantic loner's windpipe, Gracklepaw extended her claws to dig deep in the process. His death occurred quickly but judging by the expression stuck to his face, it was painful.

Pulling herself away from the new still warm body, she realized she had been panting. Her body hyperaware of everything that she almost felt faint, but she also felt even more alive. One less flea in the world.

Furthering herself even more from the body, she gathered up the bats and headed after Darkstorm. She had no guilt.

~
GRACKLEPAW

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0
Lyrics: Attack - 30 Seconds to Mars
Tag: