Warriors RPG (V2)

[The Kingpin]

"It's never a good idea to trespass on Clan territory, Thunderclan especially so. Patrols do not take kindly to...unwanted guests" he added as he inspected his talons absently. "Now, I didn't pluck you out of that storm four seasons ago to get killed by angry patrols and Monsters tearing across the Thunderpath, and I don't think your mother would like it either" explained the Tom as he stepped off the young loner, letting him get to his feet. "Be it dumb luck or impeccable timing, You actually get to keep your ears this time. The next patrol might not be as friendly. Now, off you go. Behave yourself, and try to keep your senses on your surroundings next time, hm?" he purred, smiling surprisingly softly to the younger tom despite his otherwise rough appearance...

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

As if to drive the point home, an ominous growl rumbled from the undergrowth to the young cat's left. Firestreak blinked in surprise; he hadn't expected such subtlety from Shortear.

[The Kingpin]

Shadowsoul was half tempted to look over his shoulder at the source of the growl, though instead, his tail simply twitched in mild irritation. It was only natural, he concluded, with this being her home and Tiger being nothing but a loner to her. It didn't change the fact he was disappointed she couldn't let her superiors deal with the situation uninterrupted. On the bright side however, it WOULD serve to give his warning substance...

[Hopeflower]

Tiger picked himself up slowly, flinching slightly as it was made clear that Wraith wasn't alone. "Right...um, thanks for that. I'll remember," he mewed nervously, glancing at the undergrowth behind the black Bengal. After a moment's pause, he added with a hesitant smile, "Nice seeing you again." He snatched up the squirrel quickly, bounding back the way he'd come before the Clan cats could change their minds and shred his pelt anyway.

[The Kingpin]

"Nice seeing you too. Pass my regards to your mother" growled Shadowsoul in response, watching the young tom bolt off with his kill. Glancing over his shoulders to the two cats in hiding, he gestured for them to continue the patrol. "Not every encounter need involve bloodshed to get a message across" he growled, his statement quite obviously aimed at Shortear, who he had half expected to leap out and try and attack the young tom anyway...

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

"And rogues shouldn't leave with the prey they stole!" Shortear retorted hotly, stalking out of the undergrowth to stare daggers at the fleeing cat.

Firestreak padded over to join them from the opposite side, his tail twitching uneasily. Shortear wasn't wrong; the rogue - "Tiger", according to Shadowsoul - had taken prey that was rightfully ThunderClan's. At the same time, not all cats outside Clans needed to have their fur ripped off for crossing the border. If the cat was friendly, it might serve as a useful ally to the Clan - but that still didn't mean prey was fair game.

[The Kingpin]

"A kindness given one day is a kindness returned another day. I believe we made it clear he was lucky to be let leave with his life. This'll be the second time I've saved his hide. One day, he will have to return the favour. He's indebted to us" growled Shadowsoul calmly. "No sense making enemies where you can make allies" he purred with a smirk as he eyed the two behind him...

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

"RiverClan still want Sunningrocks. Hey, I bet if we throw all our prey over the river, they'll leave us alone!" Shortear growled mockingly with a lash of her tail, stalking ahead to lead the group back toward the Thunderpath. Firestreak sighed. There was a frustrating amount of gray area towards the issue; the young tom wasn't really sure what to think.

[The Kingpin]

"Riverclan is large, and greedy for turf. They strive for power and will do anything to get it. Loners are as the label states; alone. Power is meaningless to them, and thus, so is territory. What they want, are allies, and are grateful for help. Especially young ones fighting for their lives every single day. Take it from someone who's lived the life; Tiger won't soon forget this kindness. When called upon, he'll be ready and willing to pay us back for it" growled Shadowsoul firmly. "It also helps to know who you are dealing with. Tiger is young, naive and eager for friendship. He won't answer kindness with treachery. Besides, I believe he's got the message that he may well be flayed alive if he trespasses again" he added...

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

"Rogues are not loners," Shortear retorted, her tone still sharp. "What you see as kindness, they see as weakness. They'll tell you what you want to hear because they know they are vulnerable. But the moment your back is turned..." she trailed off, swiping at a twig to illustrate the point.

[Hopeflower]

Tiger narrowly avoided charging right onto the Thunderpath, turning just in time to avoid skidding into the path of a monster. He slowed down to a trot after that, heading towards home. He could see a darkly colored cat pacing on the other side of the Thunderpath some distance away, and he could only guess at who it was, without the ability to call out.

[The Kingpin]

"To be pessimistic is to be blind, my dear" purred Shadowsoul with a shake of his head. "I learned long ago just what kind of cats Tiger and his mother were. You distrust them because you do not know them, but I? I know them well enough to know they will not be a threat to us. Done right, they could become useful tools" he growled calmly as he resumed walking, leading the patrol onwards, not wanting to fall behind on their schedule...

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

"Still thinking like a loner." Shortear paused. "Maybe you still are one," she added under her breath, flashing a glare at the dark tom.

"Easy now," Firestreak cut in, giving the she-cat a hard stare. "One squirrel isn't worth a divide in the clan. Let's just make sure he's out of the territory, then head toward Fourtrees."

[The Kingpin]

"Better to know how they think and be ready to face them, than to be ignorant and end up under their claws. My history dates back to your parents' time, and it began as a Warrior" growled Wraith lowly as he pressed forward, stepping through a bush as he saw the silhouette of Tiger walking across the Thunderpath...

[Hopeflower]

Tiger flinched back as two monsters roared by, one going in each direction. During the brief calm that followed, the young cat scurried to the other side and continued on his way home. His neck was starting to ache from the weight of the squirrel, but he refused to give up his prize.

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

The rest of the early morning route along the borders seemed to blaze by; the three cats encountered no further resistance, though they had not said much during their journey. Firestreak had slipped away to hunt when they neared Sunningrocks, and was carrying a particularly large vole as they entered the ravine. The tabby-and-white warrior had hesitated at the thought of leaving Shortear and Shadowsoul alone, but in the end, old feelings of trepidation won out. He met up with them again as they were heading back to camp, and both cats seemed to have their hides intact, so he assumed all had gone well.

As they pushed through the gorse tunnel, Firestreak broke into a sudden trot. "I'll make our report to Shadowstar," he mumbled through his mouthful, maybe a bit too hastily. The orange tom added the vole he was carrying to the fresh-kill pile and ignored the protests of his stomach as he made his way toward the ThunderClan leader's den.

[C S]

Far across the forest territory, where the trees shrunk and shied away from and the grass that grew healthy elsewhere turned brown and matted, the two toms treaded their path. Behind them they heard the sounds of the monstrous constructs that roared down the cracked black straight cutting through the land. To their sides and farther along their trek was dark brown earth that seemed caught in an eternal leaf-bare, currently trapped in the shadow of the colossal peaks stabbing up at the blue skies.

The long haired cats felt their coats ruffle in the cold breeze that raced down the staggering heights, blowing against their faces in such a way that they started to wonder if it was a natural occurrence or if some force was trying to make them turn back the way they came. Ever since that night, visited by the cats they never knew in their dreams, it was hard not to glean such notions out of uncommon happenings. They walked across the hard, dry ground, questioning whether or not they were the only ones feeling the cold of the frost season still.

But steadfast they went, the chilled air falling silent after the passing of yet another monster. Strangely, they noted, the sounds were growing ever more distant, unnaturally so. Before long, they were left in a cold deadness, barren and rocky. Pebbles transitioned to rocks where the dirt faded away. Rocky ground was then decorated by boulders situated on the incline.

And there was only silence. The toms did not speak to each other and the earth did not speak to them. Up the slope was the rock arch. And inside: the truths to the stories they heard over the last year, the truths they had to find to make sense of that one night the two tried to put behind them.

[The Kingpin]

The rest of the patrol had gone on in relative silence, and was mostly uneventful. The earlier discussion had brought some thoughts to the Warrior's mind however. As he strode across the Camp to settle at the foot of a tree, he began considering the implications of what he had seen that morning. Being a tom born amidst violence and death, having spent his entire life surrounded by it, had left its mark on him. He was both numbed to the savagery of the life they chose to live, and concerned by the mark it left on the minds of others; how it changed them. Young Shortear, while she was always a headstrong cat, had once been free of the hate, negativity and pessimism that now seemed to characterise her. That had all changed as she went through her Warrior apprenticeship and was taught of the Warrior Code, of the skills she needed to fight and kill for her Clan, and of the brutality that surrounded her and awaited her beyond the Clan's borders. While it had done much to make her an effective fighter, it had also taken away something...something once beautiful and valuable...And it was that very thing that Shadowsoul saw value in trying to return, or at least preserve...

[Hopeflower]

Shadowstar was lounging in a patch of sunlight, waiting for the rest of her hunting patrol to be ready to go while she chatted with her sister. Falconflight was organizing the day's patrols, flicking annoyed glances at the warriors' den every now and then. Mapleleaf was taking a considerably long time to get up, which was they only reason they hadn't yet left. "Impatient to go, are we?" Swanfeather asked, amused as she followed the tabby leader's gaze. "Mapleleaf is hardly a young warrior," Shadowstar replied, the hint of a growl in her tone. She worked her claws in the dirt. "She shouldn't be sleeping in like a new apprentice." The pregnant white she-cat chuckled softly, watching Falconflight as he finished up telling the cats who was on which patrols and stalked toward the den. "She's in for a pretty rude awakening," Swanfeather mewed.

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

Firestreak was so focused on the Highrock and the den beyond it that he almost didn't notice his leader was elsewhere. Tail twitching in mild embarrassment, the young warrior suddenly hesitated in his journey before he got too close. Although he could detect a faint trace of irritation in Shadowstar's gaze, he could tell that she was enjoying the time with her sister. He really didn't like being the bearer of bad news - was it even bad news? - but the ThunderClan leader wasn't exactly a temperamental apprentice or a worrisome queen who might buckle under such things. "I'm worrying too much. Again," the tom grumbled quietly to himself, resuming his trek.

"Shadowstar," he said mildly, bowing his head briefly to the silver she-cat. "Swanfeather," he added with a little more casualness, giving her a respectful nod in greeting.