[Phoenix]

i'm an angel with a shotgun fighting 'til the war's won

StoneClan was hurting, but then, when were they not? It felt as though LightningClan and RainClan had nothing better to do than attack them, and it always surprised him that he was still surprised by fights at the border - as if he had ever come to expect anything less from their neighbors. StormClan had taught him that much; it seemed he was destined to keep forgetting the lesson. He hadn't thought his opinions of either clan could fall any further than they already had, but after the stunt LightningClan had pulled the night of the Gathering, he knew better. Never think that anything, even the breaking the Code, was off limits.

That was why Ospreywing now found himself on RainClan's border, determinedly renewing the scent markers. The silence on this particular front was growing suspicious, and even though word had quickly spread through camp at how sickly Timberstar had looked standing beside Lionstar and Hawkstar, he expected that RainClan was planning something. (After all, it wouldn't be the first time they had coordinated with LightningClan to attack StoneClan.) Yellow eyes peered into the other clan's territory, as if he could read the signs of an impending attack from the way the hot green-leaf wind blew through the dry grass. Having smelled a RainClan patrol not far back, he trusted his apparent solitude about as much as he trusted those cats to not attack him. Perhaps coming to the border alone had not been the wisest idea, but the warrior was confident that he could hold his own if claws were unsheathed.

He had stopped being a kit when he saw his parents cut down in front of him. He had grown up in the rugged landscape of the mountains, where death lurked around every corner. Violence was a language he understood perfectly.

i don't care if heaven won't take me back

angel with a shotgun | @poptart

[Deleted]

    Blizzardclaw patrolled the border as he had for many moons, the incident at the gathering was on his mind however it didn't lead to any change in behavior. Rainclan had never faced the hardships like what had befallen Stoneclan, thus the white warrior wasn't particularly paranoid after the stunt Lightningclan had pulled. Perhaps Blizzardclaw should have been worried, Rainclan was in shambles and was divided as it had never been before. An attack on the clan now would be a disaster, thus the senior warrior had no problem guarding the border with his life if he must. If they appeared strong on the edges of their territory none would suspect them to be soft deep into the core. Leading his patrol across the designated line that separated Rainclan from Stoneclan Blizzardclaw had to admit the border markings were well defined and fresh, and it wasn't long before he found the reason. A one warrior from Stoneclan sat just across the border and the senior warrior wondered how best to handle the situation, he eventually decided to ignore him and go on with the show of force.

Phoenix

[Phoenix]

i'm an angel with a shotgun fighting 'til the war's won

As if summoned by his thoughts, a RainClan patrol materialized out of the interior of their territory, led by a broad-shouldered tom whom he recognized as one of the clan’s more formidable warriors. The dark of his stripes stood out against the white backdrop of the rest of his pelt, and Ospreywing could see numerous scars littered across his fur; this was a cat who had seen many battlefields in his time. He cast a cursory glance across the rest of the patrol, registering exactly how much he, outnumbered and quite a bit leaner than the bulky RainClan cats, was at a disadvantage. Despite the way his nerves thrummed and instinct told him to back down, an intense loathing for giving the other clan any ground kept him in his place with narrowed eyes. RainClan had already walked over them once, and he wasn’t about to let it happen again, even if he was only one cat facing four.

But his own bravado seemed unnecessary, for the white warrior – Blizzardclaw, he finally remembered – ignored him and led his cats silently along the border. Standing his ground with his head high, Ospreywing watched as they filed by, his ears flicking and muscles on high alert, ready to spring forward or back depending on what the situation might require. They exchanged no words until—

“StoneClan scum, thinking he’s so strong. We could take him easy. Never did get to ask them how the mountains were.”

Muttered under the speaker’s breath, the words were quiet but still floated across the border. Instantly, the tuxedo tom’s head whipped around to pin the offending RainClan cat with a steely-eyed glare. The fur along his spine bristled, and he could feel the fury rising within him, as hot and raging as a forest fire. ”Yes,” He hissed back, wishing he could spit venom. ”Four against one is so very brave, but I suppose I should expect nothing less from a clan who needed help the last time they fought us. The mountains were fine, by the way. Feel free to go there yourself.” Please do. I don’t think you would last a day anyway.

i don't care if heaven won't take me back

angel with a shotgun | @poptart

[Deleted]

    Blizzardclaw figured the confrontation had been avoided and any chance of an incident had been defused, however it seemed one cat in his patrol had other ideas. Letting out a hiss of annoyance he turned to the culprit as Ospreywing quipped back his rebuttal, he stood menacingly over the warrior who had broken the patrols silence figuring his large size would be intimidating enough. Appointing another to lead the patrol the senior warrior sent them on without so much as a reply from the Rainclan warrior that had started the confrontation. He would be corrected later, for now Blizzardclaw figured it best he converse with the younger Stoneclan warrior alone. "I must commend your bravery." Blizzardclaw began closing the gap to stand on the border. "I wouldn't say it was the most tactically sound decision however." He finished with a chuckle before adding, "I assume you know who I am, but who are you?"

Phoenix

[Phoenix]

i'm an angel with a shotgun fighting 'til the war's won

The reaction on Rainclan’s side of the border was almost instantaneous. Blizzardclaw rounded on his own warrior with a look so intimidating the sensible part of the StoneClan cat found himself relieved that he was on his side of the invisible line. There was a quick shift in leadership, and the patrol was dismissed by the older warrior. For a moment, Ospreywing watched them go before turning his attention to the tom who now stood directly across from him. His lip twitched slightly at the other cat’s words, though out of disdain or smugness at the compliment it wasn’t entirely clear. He was loathe to accept anything, even a compliment, from RainClan.

”What’s life without a little risk,” The tuxedo tom responded drily, tail tip flicking as he eyed Blizzardclaw. There was a slight pause as he idly wondered what Blizzardclaw would do if he feigned ignorance and pretended to not know who he was. But that took too much effort, and he like to think himself above such pettiness anyway. He introduced himself. ”Ospreywing.” StoneClan warrior and hater of all things RainClan and LightningClan, at your service. It was amazing how much anger there mere thought of their neighbors could summon within him, but then, he had never been particularly good at forgiving and he never forgot. "Was there something you wanted, Blizzardclaw?"

i don't care if heaven won't take me back

angel with a shotgun | @poptart