[Insidious]

Spidervenom

He walked slowly at the back of the group, disinclined not a fitted enough term to describe the level of anxiety he possessed toward spending time with not one, but two cats that likely exceeded his abilities in more than one way. One was an apprentice, the fluffy tom registered as Thornpaw, his behavior generally aggressive enough to send Spidervenom sulking into the shadows to take cover, though he was visibly lesser of the quality then he was a few moons prior. The other, a member of Blackwolf's posse identifiable as Hollowcry, his greedy aura none-too-difficult to miss the way he was positioned at the front of the trio, a sharp amber stare often spared over his shoulders, the lethality of their pierce sending a shiver down Spidervenom's spine each time. Neither of the two toms could be considered company that Spidervenom would seek out, but it wasn't hard to be placed in this group, there not being one cat in existence he'd ever consider approaching. He didn't seek out other cats in the hopes of sparking a conversation, he could hardly hold it together when he watched others partake in such a thing. For him, it was simply classified as unnatural behavior that he sought to avoid.

When Hollowcry pivoted in a fluid motion, the sharpness of his sudden movement pinning Spidervenom's ears back, he watched in blank analysis as the dark brown tom stalked off, his legs cringing a fraction closer to his stomach due to claiming he had a “stomach ache” and was required to return to camp. Spidervenom wasn't complaining – it was one less cat to keep his heart pumping at a mile a minute – but it didn't make the situation any less awkward, an expectant gaze cast upon Thornpaw before awkwardly being averted to the ground where his paws lay. Just because Thornpaw is an apprentice and I'm a warrior doesn't mean that I'm any more fitted for leading this patrol. The way the striped warrior remained firmly glued in position, occasionally glancing at Thornpaw to see if he had shifted a muscle at all, was enough to voice aloud the young tom's thoughts.

It probably wasn't the most productive patrol ever organized, but now that Hollowcry had taken the easy way out – Spidervenom momentarily wondered why he hadn't been clever enough to formulate an escape plan of his own – they definitely weren't in for the most pleasant time.

OOC: Fawn

[Fawn]

THORNPAW

12 Moons | NightClan | Tom | Apprentice

Sharp orange eyes roved to their corners to watch Hollowcry make his slightly uncomfortable looking escape back towards NightClan camp; Thornpaw snorted, highly doubtful of the tom's display but not about to challenge him pointlessly over it. With the older warrior no longer in the picture, that left the buff-colored tom with Spidervenom, a rather squirrelly warrior by anycat's standards, and possibly even less useful than Ratfur, who could, at the very least, be used as a meat-shield for the nursery if the camp was ever under attack and Blackwolf nearby. Thornpaw doubted Ratfur had the gumption to protect the nursery on his own – running away looked more to be his specialty. When Spidervenom didn't move forward to take the lead on this patrol, Thornpaw wasn't surprised, only glancing over his shoulder at the skittish tom in acknowledgment that yeah, I'll lead this stupid patrol and get it over with. Not anticipating anything particularly exciting, the deputy's apprentice moved forward at a calm pace, his own serious personality not allowing him to be too leisurely about it, his expression drawn into a look of serious pensiveness, as if he always had a problem he was trying to figure out. ”He's probably just faking it,” Thornpaw mewed, knowing full well he probably wouldn't get an answer out of Spidervenom – now there was a tom who wouldn't be caught dead saying a bad thing about anycat, especially not one as...aggressive or snide as Hollowcry could be. Still, Thornpaw felt a little cheerier after voicing aloud his own suspicions in a mocking tone, perfectly out of earshot of that detestable older warrior. This momentary spike in mood was short-lived, however, as Thornpaw detected an unfamiliar scent on the wind, having led Spidervenom to the edges of NightClan's black-pine forest, claws unsheathing upon instinct, the large buff would-be-warrior tensing at the shoulders and the haunches, as though prepared to take a battle stance at any moment. ”Do you sme—“ Never mind. The flighty warrior wouldn't be much good against an enemy patrol, but at the very least, Thornpaw could try to hold them off while Spidervenom ran back to NightClan camp to warn Ravenstar and Roughthroat. There was no point in asking if he smelled anything; the longer those foreign scents struck against his scent glands, the more surer he was that there were cats here who shouldn't be.

[Insidious]

Spidervenom

Sandy brown ears pricked upon hearing Thornpaw's voice, pondering the tom's accusation of Hollowcry's behavior and weighing the possibility of it being true. He remained silent, as was unknowingly suspected from the start by Thornpaw, but if the younger would-be-warrior would have bothered to glance over his shoulders in Spidervenom's direction, he would have been able to decipher with ease that his words had not been left entirely absent of acknowledgment. Spidervenom supposed the probability of Hollowcry having faked the stomach ache was plausible, knowing all too well that a few of Blackwolf's posse members were capable of being a tad conniving at times. But, the striped warrior simply brushed off the thought – it was too late now to ask Hollowcry directly, because he was surely already back at camp.

Not that he would have asked anyway.

Once again, Thornpaw addressed him, Spidervenom responding with a mildly curious twitch of an ear, but otherwise seeming relatively uninterested in conversing any more than necessary. It was only when the true nature of Thornpaw's words dawned upon him that his body stiffened, the pace with which he trekked in the younger tom's wake slowing to that of a hesitant trot. One sniff at the surrounding air proved Spidervenom's nightmare true, immediately taking into consideration the chances of him slinking back into the foliage and managing to get away without being noticed and called upon. He had been mere seconds away from doing precisely that, but it was a last minute voice in the back of his head that made him pause, emerald eyes skimming Thornpaw's frame thoughtfully and realizing how terribly rude such an action on his part would be, even if it could be expected of his nature. With a dreadful sigh, he took another step forward, peering just over Thornpaw's shoulders into the bushes, another cautious sniff of the air informing him that the cats he scented were nearing. All Spidervenom could do was wish that Hollowcry hadn't left, for once, admittedly desiring the company of one reasonably more talkative, if not cunningly hostile. Surely, his presence would be of aid – what good would an almost-warrior and a barely-warrior be against another group of cats? They knew not of the skills they would bring to this encounter, and it only made the striped tom more nervous.

Spidervenom had channeled all of the courage in his body to flank Thornpaw, peering into the underbrush with an intense eye. His form was shriveled backward, the image itself quite cowardly, but it remained an improvement from his usual behavior. His leafy pigmented eyes betrayed the worry he possessed, it clear that he'd rather be huddled in camp safely, away from any possible dangers that lurked around the borders of NightClan. He had been about to spare a glance at his patrol partner, nearly believing he'd have the courage to say a few words, before the violent parting of foliage forced his attention to snap forwardly.

From the lethal shadows approached two felines, the pair of cats – the grins they wore upon their jaws indicated they knew that, in this situation, they were the ones trespassing – examining Spidervenom and Thornpaw with equally venomous glares. The striped warrior blinked a pair of conflicted eyes, able to feel the sudden halt of his heart deep beneath his coat of thin fur. He wasn't a violent cat, he was not supposed to be facing a situation like this. The tom had solemnly promised himself that he'd avoid having to face a threat such as this if his life depended on it (as he was certain it did in this current moment), and he had broken that promise by having had himself elected upon this border patrol. Surely, Ravenstar and Roughthroat knew better than to send someone like him to ensure safety was remaining in tact along their borders. But right now, he wasn't able to contemplate that for long.

Maybe this exchange can be peaceful? The malicious hiss that erupted from the jaws of the larger, clearly more dominant feline ripped apart this hopeful thought, Spidervenom's ears flicking backward as to not fully process the threatening noise. He looked to Thornpaw from the corner of his eye, wondering how he was taking the situation, and exactly how he planned on dealing with it. He was the deputy's apprentice, after all. The chances of Spidervenom being able to make a better call were unlikely, if not an entirely silly thought to begin with.

OOC: I hope it's okay that I brought the two rogues into the thread now? c: I wasn't entirely sure what to do with them, so I hope this gave you enough to go off of! If not, I can probably edit a few things to make it more fitted to what you had planned.

[Fawn]

THORNPAW

12 Moons | NightClan | Tom | Apprentice

He may've been the deputy's apprentice, but that did not necessarily mean that any of Roughthroat's coolness under pressure had transferred into the buff-colored tom. To his credit, however, despite a snarl of obvious loathing rearranging itself onto his features, orange eyes ablaze with battle-lust towards the impending fight, Thornpaw at least had the nerve to address them before the narrow window of opportunity to settle things peaceably closed for good. "You're trespassing, filth. This is your only warning." Exterior radiating nothing but rightful aggression towards to cats who had stepped onto land that did not belong to them, his insides were a bubbling, simmering cauldron of both excitement and disgust with a few pockets of fear that occasionally made themselves known, his limbs beginning to tremble due to a noxious mixture of all three emotions. The two rogues apparently felt it necessary to disregard Thornpaw's words entirely, their teeth showing in cruel smiles – the sprier of the two lunging right for Spidervenom, as if he had automatically targeted the warrior as the weaker of the two. Thornpaw's heart lurched forward with the rogue, his claws shredding the grass as he went to intercept the smaller rogue's charge – Mouse dung, of all the cats to be stuck on patrol with, why did it have to be a tom Thornpaw wasn't even sure could fight?! Now would've been a perfect time for Hollowcry to saunter on up and prove it wasn't only his tongue that was sharp, but Thornpaw had too much pride to admit he needed the older warrior's help. Truth be told, he was anxious, this would likely feel more like a two-on-one battle than an even match-up – he could see it in his Clanmate's eyes that he'd rather run back to camp and bring a patrol instead of face the brunt of the rogues' claws alongside him. Regardless of how he felt, however, the fight was still happening, and Thornpaw took a hefty blow to the shoulder by interrupting the younger rogue's attack, the buff tom nearly biting through his tongue in surprise at the amount of pain that caused him. The young rogue – Brimstone – would not be deterred from his target for long, and took another aim at Spidervenom, apparently trying to blind the other tom from the get-go. Thornpaw hissed out a warning – as if Spidervenom would actually need to be told what to do in this type of situation, his voice rising out slightly louder than he meant to, panic making his vocals an octave higher than the norm. ”Spidervenom move!”

[Insidious]

Spidervenom

It was pure gratitude that rippled through the young tom's veins as Thornpaw intercepted the smaller rouge's attack, granting him enough mobility to properly flex his seemingly paralyzed limbs and shrivel backward a touch farther. Leaf-green eyes examined the pain that momentarily inscribed itself upon the apprentice's facial features, admittedly taken aback by his own lack of courage, it having been so low that Thornpaw had been required to sustain the damage so clearly meant for him. The apology was clear in Spidervenom's wide-eyed stare, having almost dismissed the presence of their two intruders until Thornpaw's urgent statement reached his pricked ears.

A sideway glance spared Spidervenom's body in the nick of time, having managed to curve his smaller-than-average frame and evade the pending attack that, this time, Thornpaw hadn't went out of his way to stop. Fear laced the warrior's expression, his heart beating a mile a minute as he pivoted ungracefully to once again face their pair of opponents. Even as he peered upon the feline that seemed so intent with attacking him and him alone, he couldn't find it within himself to muster up some bravery and face him single-pawed. A calming breath was inhaled, the calming effects it had questionable, but managing to soothe his muscles a tad nonetheless. Such had managed to rid with his paralysis to much of Spidervenom's surprise, a shaky step forward showing a mild sign of progress. An uncertain glance was spared in Thornpaw's direction, a slow gulp momentarily constricting his throat, but believing his stare was enough to indicate to the younger tom the words he failed to voice aloud. I THINK that I can do this long enough for you to get rid of the other one.

There was a hidden emphasis implied upon the word “think”, but it was present nonetheless. A short dip of the head finished Spidervenom's unsaid statement before frightful eyes met their counterparts, lowering his haunches to the terrain in preperation to endure – possibly intercept? Though no promises were being made – the attack he knew would be unleashed at any moment. StarClan help me now!

In equivalence with Spidervenom's attention being averted elsewhere was the forwardly lunge of the larger rouge, Obsidian's, paws – claws unsheathed in hopes of breaking through the fur and down to the skin of Thornpaw's body. Hunger for victory flared in the rouge's lethal eyes, seemingly unconcerned with the happenings of his partner, unable to focus upon anything but the apprentice that awaited him mere mouselengths ahead. His courage had been noted – having taken a hit for his lesser companion – and it was now up to Obsidian to shatter what remained of it.

[Fawn]

THORNPAW

12 Moons | NightClan | Tom | Apprentice

It was difficult to fight and worry about a full grown warrior at the same time, so Thornpaw compartmentalized. As much as he was loathe to make a Clanmate feel abandoned or anything of the like (despite how antisocial he was, he DID care), Thornpaw had to concentrate on not getting his throat ripped out by the big rogue. You're on your own for now, Spidervenom. He never would understand the purpose of such an ominous name with such an easily frightened cat; maybe it bespoke of some kind of hidden lethality – Thornpaw wouldn't be surprised, he doubted Ravenstar would've handed Spidervenom such a name otherwise – but the time for such thoughts had passed. Snarling, Thornpaw flattened his considerable body into the forest floor, ducking a swipe that would've shredded and snagged at his ears if he hadn't done so, the muscular tom launching himself for Obsidian's exposed chest, feeling as though he could bowl over the large warrior just with his size alone. He hadn't realized just how much he'd grown since coming into Roughthroat's tutelage. ”You aren't welcome here!” He hissed by the tom's ear, voice low and menacing as any true NightClan cat's could be. I have to finish this quickly and help Spidervenom. Unless the warrior had an unexpected moment of courage, he was going to be in trouble. Brimstone, noting how much the warrior seemed to quiver with fear and do nothing else but dodge, decided to toy with the NightClan tom, feigning swipes that would hurt if connected but he wasn't putting every ounce of his strength behind. Beating him would be no obstacle. The rogue grinned, headstrong and arrogant, as he attempted to lunge and grab the older tom in some kind of lock.

[Insidious]

Spidervenom

Admittedly unprepared for the strength that had been behind Thornpaw's counter strike, the large rouge had falsely endured the attack, having lead himself to believe the apprentice's damage dealt would be of a minimum amount. Unwillingly tumbling backward due to the force behind the shaggy brown cat's lunge, Obsidian impacted the ground with a hearty thud, clenching his jaw as to not indicate the pain he newly possessed from the blood trickling down his chest, the wound readily having punctured the delicate skin just beneath his neck. Hissing as he rose, the large rouge's ears pinned against his skull, violent hatred inscribed within the intensity of his locked gaze as two wavering steps backward were processed. A short glimpse at his partner spared him with a view of the games he was playing with Spidervenom, snorting aloud and summoning Brimstone's retreat with a hasty snarl. His eyes landed on Thornpaw one last time before he pivoted, eyelids confining the gleam of their glowing amber hue as he vanished into the foliage, expectant that Brimstone would be at his heels shortly.

Surely enough, it seemed that Brimstone was more than willing to abide by the desires of his higher-up.

Spidervenom had been continuing the seemingly futile process of dodging and recollecting himself, dodging and recollecting himself. It was a merry-go-round of never-ending nonsense, but ever the process he would prefer when it came to such horrific confrontation. His light-as-air approach somehow aided him in evading the damage Brimstone sought to deal beneath his mocking strikes, the constant motion beginning to take a toll upon his lungs, though not a moment too soon. One more dodge and he was certain he would have been required to actually fight if he wanted to keep Brimstone distracted long enough for the sake of Thornpaw's success, but so it seemed those petrifying thoughts – enough to send him into a new frenzy of paralysis – had surfaced before they were entirely necessary. Emerald eyes observed the rageful retreat of Obsidian, fearfully locking within the golden depths of Brimstone's own as he hissed at Spidervenom – the warrior shriveling backward, wholly growing tiresome with the consistent anger being directed toward him – before he pivoted to follow, ever loyally, in the wake of Obsidian.

Spidervenom huffed once the pair of rouges were no longer in sight, glancing in Thornpaw's direction and matching the tom's stare. The striped warrior disinclined his head, not so much to say we did it as it was to say you did it. It was only when the silence lingered that Spidervenom decided this was as a good a time as any to advance back the way they had came, knowing Ravenstar and Roughthroat would surely need to be enlightened of this incident. Thornpaw would, of course, do all of the talking – Spidervenom would need at least a moon to recover his vocal chords. But he would be at the tom's side, offering the occasional nod to carry out the conversation and inform the NightClan leader and deputy that everything he said was true, as much as he hated to say he had been a part of it.