Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2019 13:46:04 GMT -5
Following Palefire along the TreeClan border, trailing behind Squirrelheart and Cardinalfrost and taking up the rear guard of the patrol, Darkstorm kept a sharp orange gaze across the border while the two older she-cats chatted in hushed tones too quiet for her to hear. She didn’t care to join them, not with the threat of TreeClan retaliation ever present. Her dark tail twitched back and forth behind her as she padded along on paws falling heavier than normal due to tiredness. The sunhigh patrol was no NightClan cat’s favorite, but their neighboring Clans were far more likely to stage attacks or steal prey during the day, so it had to be done.
Suddenly Palefire lifted his tail to signal for them to stop and Squirrelheart and Cardinalfrost fell silent and alert. Darkstorm paused, ears straining forward, and caught the sounds of what had to be a TreeClan patrol heading toward them. There was no rush to their steps. It was likely just a routine patrol and nothing more. But they wouldn’t know until they saw just how many cats were in it.
Leading the patrol was Gorsetail, easily recognizable from moons as TreeClan’s deputy. The other three toms Darkstorm did not know the names of. A scarred black tom, a black and white tom, and a dark golden tom that she spent a few moments studying, trying to decide if he looked enough like Lionstar to be kin or if it was only coincidence. Her tail twitched again.
The other patrol slowed only briefly as they saw the NightClan patrol waiting, but when Palefire only dipped his head and made to move on, Gorsetail kept moving as well. Darkstorm’s ears flicked in irritation. Part of her wanted to follow them, to ensure they didn’t try to make good on Lionstar’s veiled threat to retake the territory they had so recently won, but they were only four cats. A patrol meant to shift a border would surely be larger.
Then the dark golden tom opened his big mouth as he passed. "Slow down, Gorsetail," drawled Brackenstride, "My shoulder's still sore from that mangy old warrior."
Darkstorm stopped, one paw raised, as the TreeClan tom's words sank in and just who he was talking about took a moment to register. Crowflame and Graywolf's descriptions of the tom that had murdered Blackwolf suddenly clicked into place as well and she whirled around, a low growl the only warning as she leaped for the young tom, claws unsheathed and fangs bared.
Gorsetail had just been turning to warn Brackenstride off making anymore incendiary comments, and so he was the first to see Darkstorm move. The pure hatred burning in her eyes was enough for the deputy to make the quick decision to intercept her. There was no time to try to reason with the dark she-cat, only time to try to lessen the damage that was already about to be done.
Darkstorm and Gorsetail crashed together through the undergrowth on TreeClan's side of the border, the NightClan warrioress blind with fury as she tore mercilessly into the pelt of the deputy. Gorsetail did his best at first to simply try to subdue her before the rest of both patrols could escalate the fight, but he quickly realized that might not be an option.
“Darkstorm! Stop! Darkstorm, get back here!” Palefire snarled from the NightClan side of the border, tail blocking Cardinalfrost and Squirrelheart from joining the fray as his pelt bushed in alarm, his call falling on deaf ears. With NightClan's current situation, the last thing they needed was to escalate hostilities with TreeClan. The gray tom hissed in frustration as Panthermask and Berrythorn quickly put themselves in front of the NightClan patrol, teeth bared, warning them not to come any further. “We don't want to fight!” Palefire insisted. Behind him, Cardinalfrost growled softly, “Speak for yourself.” But her sister hushed her.
Darkstorm was only vaguely aware of Gorsetail's own claws scoring her pelt. Lost in the rage and grief of attempting to avenge Blackwolf’s death, she did not even register that she was attacking the wrong cat. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that TreeClan paid for what they had taken from NightClan.
She had Gorsetail pinned, did not register how limp he was beneath her as she went in for a killing bite, when suddenly Brackenstride rammed into her, knocking her away just in time to save the deputy's life. She was about to lunge for him when suddenly familiar gray fur blocked her view. The other two toms had let Palefire through to subdue his Clanmate and stop the fighting. Darkstorm hesitated, the red haze of fury beginning to subside from her mind at the sight of her Clanmate.
“Darkstorm, enough! Get back across the border!” he stood firmly between her and the two TreeClanners, tail twitching anxiously.
She stared at him a moment longer, then saw Panthermask rush to Brackenstride and Gorsetail, “He's hurt bad… we need to get him back to camp.” Berrythorn joined them, casting a furious look her way, “Get off our territory!”
Gorsetail lay motionless, but for the rise and fall of his breathing. Darkstorm's lip curled, her gaze shifting to Brackenstride with renewed hatred, “This isn't over. TreeClan owes NightClan a life. If you value yours, murderer, you’'ll stay away from our border.” With great reluctance, she managed to force herself away, back toward the NightClan border, as the tom hurled some sort of retort at her back that she didn't bother to listen to while the other toms carefully lifted Gorsetail up to carry him back to camp.
Palefire hurried along with her, lowering his voice to a low hiss, “Darkstorm, with everything happening right now, that was an incredibly stupid thing to do!”
“I don't need your lecturing,” she spat back, bounding ahead of him so she wouldn't have to listen to more of it. If she ever saw Blackwolf's killer at their border again, she would not hesitate to do the same thing. And next time, no one was getting in her way.
Fawn Phoenix
Suddenly Palefire lifted his tail to signal for them to stop and Squirrelheart and Cardinalfrost fell silent and alert. Darkstorm paused, ears straining forward, and caught the sounds of what had to be a TreeClan patrol heading toward them. There was no rush to their steps. It was likely just a routine patrol and nothing more. But they wouldn’t know until they saw just how many cats were in it.
Leading the patrol was Gorsetail, easily recognizable from moons as TreeClan’s deputy. The other three toms Darkstorm did not know the names of. A scarred black tom, a black and white tom, and a dark golden tom that she spent a few moments studying, trying to decide if he looked enough like Lionstar to be kin or if it was only coincidence. Her tail twitched again.
The other patrol slowed only briefly as they saw the NightClan patrol waiting, but when Palefire only dipped his head and made to move on, Gorsetail kept moving as well. Darkstorm’s ears flicked in irritation. Part of her wanted to follow them, to ensure they didn’t try to make good on Lionstar’s veiled threat to retake the territory they had so recently won, but they were only four cats. A patrol meant to shift a border would surely be larger.
Then the dark golden tom opened his big mouth as he passed. "Slow down, Gorsetail," drawled Brackenstride, "My shoulder's still sore from that mangy old warrior."
Darkstorm stopped, one paw raised, as the TreeClan tom's words sank in and just who he was talking about took a moment to register. Crowflame and Graywolf's descriptions of the tom that had murdered Blackwolf suddenly clicked into place as well and she whirled around, a low growl the only warning as she leaped for the young tom, claws unsheathed and fangs bared.
Gorsetail had just been turning to warn Brackenstride off making anymore incendiary comments, and so he was the first to see Darkstorm move. The pure hatred burning in her eyes was enough for the deputy to make the quick decision to intercept her. There was no time to try to reason with the dark she-cat, only time to try to lessen the damage that was already about to be done.
Darkstorm and Gorsetail crashed together through the undergrowth on TreeClan's side of the border, the NightClan warrioress blind with fury as she tore mercilessly into the pelt of the deputy. Gorsetail did his best at first to simply try to subdue her before the rest of both patrols could escalate the fight, but he quickly realized that might not be an option.
“Darkstorm! Stop! Darkstorm, get back here!” Palefire snarled from the NightClan side of the border, tail blocking Cardinalfrost and Squirrelheart from joining the fray as his pelt bushed in alarm, his call falling on deaf ears. With NightClan's current situation, the last thing they needed was to escalate hostilities with TreeClan. The gray tom hissed in frustration as Panthermask and Berrythorn quickly put themselves in front of the NightClan patrol, teeth bared, warning them not to come any further. “We don't want to fight!” Palefire insisted. Behind him, Cardinalfrost growled softly, “Speak for yourself.” But her sister hushed her.
Darkstorm was only vaguely aware of Gorsetail's own claws scoring her pelt. Lost in the rage and grief of attempting to avenge Blackwolf’s death, she did not even register that she was attacking the wrong cat. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that TreeClan paid for what they had taken from NightClan.
She had Gorsetail pinned, did not register how limp he was beneath her as she went in for a killing bite, when suddenly Brackenstride rammed into her, knocking her away just in time to save the deputy's life. She was about to lunge for him when suddenly familiar gray fur blocked her view. The other two toms had let Palefire through to subdue his Clanmate and stop the fighting. Darkstorm hesitated, the red haze of fury beginning to subside from her mind at the sight of her Clanmate.
“Darkstorm, enough! Get back across the border!” he stood firmly between her and the two TreeClanners, tail twitching anxiously.
She stared at him a moment longer, then saw Panthermask rush to Brackenstride and Gorsetail, “He's hurt bad… we need to get him back to camp.” Berrythorn joined them, casting a furious look her way, “Get off our territory!”
Gorsetail lay motionless, but for the rise and fall of his breathing. Darkstorm's lip curled, her gaze shifting to Brackenstride with renewed hatred, “This isn't over. TreeClan owes NightClan a life. If you value yours, murderer, you’'ll stay away from our border.” With great reluctance, she managed to force herself away, back toward the NightClan border, as the tom hurled some sort of retort at her back that she didn't bother to listen to while the other toms carefully lifted Gorsetail up to carry him back to camp.
Palefire hurried along with her, lowering his voice to a low hiss, “Darkstorm, with everything happening right now, that was an incredibly stupid thing to do!”
“I don't need your lecturing,” she spat back, bounding ahead of him so she wouldn't have to listen to more of it. If she ever saw Blackwolf's killer at their border again, she would not hesitate to do the same thing. And next time, no one was getting in her way.
Fawn Phoenix