[KARAZHAL]

Like an electric shock, adrenaline coursed through Crowface's veins. She hopped at the end of her patrol. It was just as much about guarding their rear as it was Crowface saving her pride. She did not want a lot of questions coming back into camp. She knew from the moment anyone took a look at her ugly mug, there were going to be questions. She had to come up with a tale for this, plus she had to get the story straight first before reporting to Owlmind. In the proud she-cat's mind, this was a bold charge to secure territory for LightningClan. Who cared about the opinions of the other clans? All that mattered was if LightningClan had enough territory for their leisures, or Crowface would challenge somebody about it.


By now, the blood on her face had congealed, and she could no longer see Briarpaw and Birchspots ahead of her. She would be a good target for a predator or a vulture. Perhaps it was her hideousness that kept them at bay. The she-cat's black fur, usually sleek and unctuous as mink, was dusty and brown with dried blood. The deepest incision on her face still glistened red, but the diagonal mark, soon to be a new scar, was already beginning to clot on its own. Crowface's limbs moved stiff and creakily through the tall wavy grass. She had crossed this ground a million times, and so she could close her eyes and allow her body to plod its way back to camp. She assumed Birchspots and Briarpaw were far enough ahead to not look back at her. Hopefully they were in their own thoughts and would not disturb her. Crowface quite liked her reputation around camp, thank you. She trudged around the hill, trying to avoid her clanmates so that she didn't have to field their inevitable questions.

She made her way in through a back entrance in the hill. In the darkness of the former sets, she blended in well, except for the scent of blood, and crawling through in places was a pain. Still, it one of the forks led right to the warrior's den. Like a snake, she slunk in, pushing past a warrior who was leaving at the same time she was entering, and she made no apologies while doing so.

"Owlmind, are you in here?" she rasped. Her tongue rolled around in her mouth, still tasting Alderfrost's musk and blood, and she struggled not to spit on the ground where she and her clanmates slept. Crowface's emerald eyes gleamed in the hole while the rest of her melted into the shadows.

Her voice, raspy as stones, grated on the ears. "I'm reporting from the border patrol." Crowface glanced quickly at the main entryway, hoping Birchspots was occupied with the medicine cat and wouldn't come in here to interrupt with a conflicting story. No one would discredit her dedication. LightningClan was strong, and their claim to the Sunstones proved it.


OUT OF CHARACTER COMMENTS: backdated to newleaf 8, this thread takes place the same day as the sunstones battle but after the fight ends and crowface is reporting the border skirmish to owlmind!

[Ghost the Undead Goddess]

Owlmind

LightningClan || 75 Moons || Deputy

It wasn't often that the aging feline could be found within the depths of the Warrior's Den except for the few hours she spent curled up asleep during the long nights. Though her reasoning for ducking into the warm burrow was quite simple as she sought a question and answer from Brightpool, as the senior warrioress napped after spending most of the morning trekking through the underground tunnels. 

Leaving the brilliantly white she-cat to return to the gentle rest she had been roused, the deputy was met with the harsh and nearly overwhelming scent of fresh blood. 

It caused the large ears above her head to quickly tilt backwards as her lip curled ever so slightly while those unreadable amber pools quickly located the lanky black she-cat who quickly slunk into the burrow. Crowface's tone of voice only confirmed her slender shape as the sharp tang of iron practically covered her natural identifiable scent. Though it seemed that the wound was the last thing on the fierce tempered she-cat's mind as she attempted to report. 

Owlmind, however, had a different inquiry for why one of her warriors was practically shredded like a rabbit under the claws of a fox. Though there was no predatory scent that would cause worry over a canine, badger or even the dastardly Demon himself. It was faint, but the older molly could still point out the earthy scent of Stoneclan themselves, meaning there was only place for such a deep slicing wound occur. 

"You better have a very good explanation for the state of your presence." The bloody mark cutting across the once pristine, narrowed face of the black warrioress was deep and violently marring. There was no doubt that a scar would eventually replace it, though there was nothing wrong with displaying trophies of war and battle. 

However, there was no need for such things at the moment. Especially since Newleaf had just begun. 

"Lakefur, go get either Kindleflare or Tigereye. Immediately." Owlmind commanded with an air of respect that was common to the moon warn molly. The warrioress in question paused upon her entry into the warrior's den but quickly turned to seek out either healer that had been asked for. Even Lakefur could sense the urgency with the scent of blood wafting from Crowface like a lingering cloud. 

Turning those burning amber pools onto Crowface, Owlmind sat there and let her brain turn with question after question, inquiry after inquiry. She had sent a pawful of her cats towards Sun Stones to simply remark the border, and now here was this tempermental molly and the deputy could only guess the injuries cast upon their other clanmates who had partaken in what could only be assumed as a border scuffle. 

Something Lightningclan did not need nor want at the moment. 

"Crowface, what happened?" Her tone was a sharp mew, but neither her voice or her liquid gaze gave away anything that the strategic, general like feline felt nor thought. 

Wisdom. Courage. Strategy.

KARAZHAL || 506 Words 

[KARAZHAL]

Crowface's tongue rolled around in her mouth and spat red saliva at some dirty moss. Her eyes shifted under Owlmind's all-seeing ones. She watched Lakefur dart out, and began her recitation. "The patrol went to Sun Stones. StoneClan markings were there. We marked our boundaries. They challenged us, and yes, we had a skirmish, but we chased them off," she smirked with pride, lifting her nose to boast her bloodied teeth, proof that she'd sank them into the foe and claimed victory. She left out the part about the apprentice, not to lie, but because Crowface felt that mouthy little StoneClan cat had gotten a proper lesson. Want to act like you're grown? Then you'll get treated like it. In fact she gave less of a regard for the enemy's injuries than she did for her own. To hell with StoneClan!

But she did not like the sharp almost disapproving tone in Owlmind's mew. It was hard--impossible--for Crowface to read her, to gauge how the deputy was going to react. Don't deny me this... Crowface didn't want Kindleflare to come in right at this moment, knowing Lakefur was running to her, wherever she was, and was probably going to run back.

"If you think this is bad, you should see Alderfrost," she croaked in amusement, unable to keep from rubbing her victory into the tom's face. The next time Owlmind would see him, she'd know he'd gotten his tail walloped by her warrior.




OUT OF CHARACTER COMMENTS: a hot mess! Ghost the Undead Goddess