under the night [ bast

[Rendezvous]

[style=text-align:justify; margin-top:-8px; width: 270px; height: 430px; overflow:auto; float:left; margin-left:8px;][style=margin-top:30px; padding-left:1px;]
Shadows masked the silhouette of the she-cat as she slipped outside of the Windclan camp. The wind was brushing against her fur, almost tempting her to run back to her warm nest, yet she was determined to practice hunting tonight, like every other night. She slipped out behind the warrior's den and bounded across the moors, avoiding the occasional rabbit hole. Not going to fall in there again! She thought as she continued going through her miniature obstacle course.

Once she was a good length away from the camp, the black cat slowed her pace, glad that she was a good sprinter. "Now to hunt. She meowed quietly as she scented the night air for any signs of prey. The common prey within the moors was the usual rabbit, and if they were lucky, they'd catch a bird or mouse that would stray onto their territory.

Tonight, Crowflight had scented a mouse. Hearing her belly rumble, the she-cat lowered herself into a hunting position, her ears and eyes focused on where her prey was located. The she-cat had vowed not to fill her belly with a single morsel until she had successfully caught prey. The cat hadn't managed to catch a single creature since she was an apprentice, and even then she believed that her mentor had felt sorry for her and ran the prey into her claws.

Soon enough she spotted a small gray mouse feasting on a grass seed a few tail lengths away. You're mine. She thought as she stalked forward, her balance slightly off as she moved pawstep by pawstep. The little field mouse stood up on its tiny legs, already alert to the presence of the feline. As soon as she saw this, Crowflight bolted into action and rushed after the mouse, not even stopping to think about how she was going to catch it.

I will catch it! She thought as she raced after the tiny woodland creature, not caring that she had passed outlook rock and had stepped onto the neutral territory of Fourtrees. Her eyes were focused on the mouse who was desperately trying to escape the teeth and claws of the predator.

The she-cat was lucky that the mouse hadn't taken shelter in a burrow during the chase. Perhaps the creature was too fearful to think about trying to hide. Pounding after the rodent, Crowflight unknowingly crossed the Thunderpath and pounced only to narrowly miss the mouse as it finally slipped into a hole just on the other side of the hazardous road. Panting, the cat pawed at the hole only to realize that she had lost this battle.

"Just my luck. All the black cats get the bad luck around here. The she cat meowed aloud as she glanced around her surroundings. Sniffing the air, she realized that this was most certainly not Windclan territory. It reeked of.., "Shadowclan." The she-cat meowed, her tail flicking from side to side, realizing that this was hostile territory. "Better leave before anyone notices me, I don't want to cause any more trouble." The slender she-cat looked around one more time nervously. Shadowclan territory looked entirely uninviting to her, with its creepy sounds and the darkness that seemed to loom over her, almost intimidating her.

As she turned to head back across the Thunderpath, a group of monsters roared past, causing her to move back to the side of Shadowclan territory. "Mousedung! Crowflight crouched on hostile territory, her eyes watching the monsters, awaiting for them to complete their passage.

[/style][/style]

[bast]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true]

[atrb=background,http://i46.tinypic.com/2rzxult.jpg] [scrolly:h(299),w(482),sy] OSPREYFOOT jerked awake, green eyes snapping open as his full body spasmed in surprise. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Bluesmoke flinch back at the sudden movement, the blue-grey tom's light green eyes looking down at Ospreyfoot with something like quiet curiosity in them. Huffing quietly, the burly black and white tom nodded to his clanmate and waved his tail in dismissal. Bluesmoke just bobbed his head and picked his way through the crowded warriors den to curl up between Shalefall and Pinestep over in a corner of the den. Sighing quietly, Ospreyfoot shifted around a bit to gently tug his hind legs free from being used as a pillow for Lilacfoot. It was his turn for the midnight patrol and just like always Bluesmoke, late to bed, was rousing the guard. Cedarstorm was supposed to be accompanying Ospreyfoot tonight but when the black and white tom extricated himself from Lilacfoot and stood, he only found the tabby tom still sound asleep between Mousecloud and Wildclaw. Whiskers twitching in amusement, Ospreyfoot picked his way over his slumbering clanmates toward the den entrance. No doubt Cedarstorm had dropped off to sleep again after Bluesmoke tried to wake him but Ospreyfoot wasn't going to let it ruffle his fur. Solo patrols were fun in their own way and there was no need for two tired warriors. SLIDING out of the narrow den entrance, Ospreyfoot took a moment to appreciate the midnight quiet of camp. The air was cool but not uncomfortable, damp with nighttime dew and the sky was alight with stars. The Gathering was a few days off and in it's sky the moon was beginning to swell, bathing the camp in dapples of silvery light. Before heading off into the forest Ospreyfoot made quick rounds to the other dens. The queens and kits were slumbering quietly, the medicine cat and his apprentice dozing in their herb-scented nests. Ospreyfoot hesitated outside of Froststar's den before peeking in. The white-furred she-cat was curled up in her nest, scarred muzzle resting on her front paws, fast asleep. Smiling gently, he stepped back and made his way out of camp. It was nice to know some where sleeping quietly these days. WHILE Ospreyfoot would never be able to claim that he'd had StarClan-induced dreams, he could certainly say he'd had restless dreams as of late which was why he'd woken so sharply to Bluesmoke's touch. As far as Ospreyfoot could tell, the dreams weren't even about anything in particular, they were just...restless. Sensations, colors, sounds, they would all press in on him and shift like clouds roiling before a storm. Sometimes he'd wake up feeling more tired than when he'd laid down after spending the night feeling like he was running for his life. 'SEEMS to be a theme for me,' Ospreyfoot thought mildly as he leaped over the trunk of a fallen cedar. SHAKING his head, the black and white tom pushed the thoughts away and resolved himself to just focus on his patrol. Starting out from camp, Ospreyfoot spiraled out from there. Maybe it wasn't the most effective patrol method ever, energy-wise and time-wise but to be honest Ospreyfoot wasn't concerned. With his sleep being so restless he figured he might as well wear himself out so he could sleep deeply enough to avoid dreaming altogether until it was time to go hunt for the day. Maybe he could find some fun colored pebbles down by the stream to entertain Ternkit. Smiling to himself at the thought of the little tom kit, Ospreyfoot circled around until he reached the stream that ran toward the thunderpath. Wading into the shallow stream, Ospreyfoot uses the silvery moonlight to search for any particularly interesting pebbles. Any one he chose would no doubt please Ternkit but Ospreyfoot liked to find the fun ones, then he could send Ternkit on a special mission to give it to Froststar or Ashcloud, depending on which she-cat was having the worse day. Thankfully pebble-hunting proved to be a fine distraction for Ospreyfoot as well, giving him time to think about something pleasant instead of the clamor and oddness that had, as of late, become his reality. NEARBY, the thunderpath stretched out along the border. At this time of night it was normally fairly quiet, few monsters rumbling by. Tonight though, the quiet was broken by the rush of a passing monster. Perking his ears, Ospreyfoot looked up from his pebble hunting, not because of the familiar monster roar but because of the sound of rustling grass. Frowning, Ospreyfoot quietly picked his way out of the water and made his way up the embankment to where grass and earth met the unusual dark thunderpath. Green-amber eyes skimmed the dark damp grass until they fell on a splash of black fur with vivid eyes crouched at the edge of the thunderpath. Looking down it, Ospreyfoot saw several monsters with their bright eyes coming rumbling down the way. Standing up out of his crouch, Ospreyfoot bounded forward along the side of the road toward the unfamiliar cat. "GET back! Do you want to get flattened!?" Ospreyfoot called, skidding to a halt near the she-cat and stiffening as one monster and then another rumbled by, his black and white fur rising. The thunderpath may be familiar but that didn't mean he liked being this close to it. The putrid breath of the monsters ruffled his fur, another pair already rumbling over the hill with their too-bright eyes lighting the way. "Come on, get back from here, it's not safe," Ospreyfoot meowed to the unfamiliar she-cat, crouching low, gaze tracking the approaching monsters. TOO many ShadowClanners had been victims here for Ospreyfoot to ever feel safe anywhere near this place. Down by the stream it was okay because there was only one or two times in anyone's memory when the monsters left the path and they never went far. The metal rails usually kept them from getting far. Still, cats had died here. Ashcloud, her foot had been ruined here if Ospreyfoot was remembering correctly. His own mother had met her death here, going deaf younger than anyone had expected and trying to hide it she had gone out hunting and chased a rabbit out onto the path. She hadn't know what had hit her. No one had dared to go get the body until well past moonhigh after her death, when the path went silent long enough for Ospreyfoot and his brother to go collect her flattened body. The WindClan scent from the stranger told him that she most likely didn't know the dangers and perhaps another cat, Pinestep or someone colder of heart, would just let her try to dash across but Ospreyfoot had enough blood on his paws and enough lives hanging in the balance and relying on him. He didn't need a stranger too, probably lost in the dark and in a place where her clan would never find her body. "PLEASE miss, don't try to cross here," Ospreyfoot meowed softer this time, "it's not safe." Tagged;; Crowflight Singing;; "We Are" by Thousand Foot Krutch Words;; 1222 Notes;; NA [/scrolly]

[Rendezvous]

[style=text-align:justify; margin-top:-8px; width: 270px; height: 430px; overflow:auto; float:left; margin-left:8px;][style=margin-top:30px; padding-left:1px;]

Upon hearing another voice behind her, Crowflight immediately jumped back away from the Thunderpath, her fur fluffed up on her lithe frame. A monster had just roared past, its eyes glinting in the darkness. With her eyes widened in fear, she looked to the black and white tom who had nearly scared the fur off of her.

Taking the time to differentiate from the musty scent of the Thunderpath and the scent of cat, she realized that this tom wore the fragrance of Shadowclan. Now, this confused the young she-cat. "Well, duh, I know its not safe. I was waiting for it to be clear to cross." The she-cat meowed, shocked that the tom had said anything at all. "Since when do Shadowclan cats warn cats about what is safe and what is not?" She meowed again, looking at the tom as if he would blurt out any moment that he wasn't actually a Shadowclan cat.

Crowflight remembered her days spent as a kit in the nursery and how her mother would always tell her stories about the horrible, and frightening Shadowclan. She remembered the story of how Shadowclan cats devoured other young cats who had lost their way, and they even ate crowfood! "Please don't eat me, if you are Shadowclan." The black she-cat meowed hesitantly, stepping back from the tom. She most certaintly didn't have herself becoming dinner for another cat on her agenda today!

Unfortunately, the warrior was standing not only on unfamiliar territory, but hostile territory. She could hear the frogs and their horrible croak-croak, and other animal sounds of the night that she was not accustomed to hearing in the safety of Windclan. "I was trying to hunt..and I ended up here. I wasn't trying to steal any prey, I had followed the mouse from Windclan!" Crowflight decided to shut her mouth, no other cat needed to know how horrible of a hunter she was.

She had trailed a mouse all the way from the moors, through fourtrees and onto Shadowclan territory, and still had not caught the pesky mouse. If that wasn't pathetic, Crowflight didn't know what was.

[/style][/style]