Badgerclaw - GaleClan Warrior, Adderpaw - GaleClan Apprentice Adderpaw sniggered. He watched the exchange between his uncle and his deputy, Badgerclaw and Tigereye, with interest - it was a rare sight that Badgerclaw should defer to any cat, but the young tom had learnt that Ripplestar and Tigereye were one of the few. Adderpaw couldn't help but wonder what his grandfather had been like, to instil such authoritarian discipline into his uncle and father. Adderpaw, who was partial to mischief, couldn't imagine Badgerclaw doing anything he was told not to by a high ranking cat.

Badgerclaw himself cast a disdainful glance at his dapple-pelted nephew. "I don't know why you're laughing, Petal," he said. The use of the sarcastic nickname was purely to show his nephew how ridiculous it sounded. No doubt it would have no such affect. Adderpaw snorted, half laughing and half in disbelief. "Get going, kit, your mentor will want to see how well you're coming along. Let me down and you'll know about it."

At that, Badgerclaw turned to Crowpaw. "Now, let us see how you're getting on with your hunting skills," he said. "Come on, let's get going." And Adderpaw Was left to watch the two toms disappear in the opposite direction to Tigereye.

Picking up his feet into a trot, Adderpaw sped up until he had caught up with his mentor. "So, what are we doing today?" he asked Tigereye. "Can we hunt foxes?"

Fox - Queen of the Vipers Fox considered each of her kits in turn. First Thorn, her only son - or at least, her only official son. Her only Viper son. Her other son belonged to RockClan and they had not seen each other since he had been made a Warrior; no doubt it would stay that way until Dusktalon decided to join the Vipers. In truth, if she acknowledged Dusktalon as her son, they could both be killed by their faction. However, she doubted Fang would stand for it. He loved her too much.

So, Thorn. Her strong, full-blooded Viper son. Nearly of Fighter age, he showed lots of potential and was nearly as brilliant as his mother, but her mind was unsettled. Something had stopped her announcing his succession, and so she had stayed her decision and allowed the faction to believe he was her heir. Perhaps she needed to see him mated first. Clover, his to be, was not perhaps the most likely of Queens, bit once they mated Fox had decided to begin training the she-cat for her new role. "I'll take Clover for extra Novice sessions, when they are together."

Then there was Nettle. She was the most aloof, and the daughter Fox considered to be most suitable for the role of Queen. But Nettle seemed disinterested. In fact, she didn't care for much within the Vipers, and needed more pushing. Fox made a mental note to speak to her Master. It was Nettle's own disinterest that prevented Fox from announcing her as heir. It was such a shame that Nettle and Thorn were siblings; they would have made a powerful pairing indeed, but the faction was unlikely to accept a pairing so closely related. It was a shame. "Perhaps Crowpaw will bring out more interest in Nettle."

Finally, Wren. The most pathetic of her kits, Wren showed no interest whatsoever in the succession. Part of Fox wanted to name her heir purely to watch her skirm. It would be so delicious to watch. Fox giggled to herself and stroked her tail over Bone's spine. "Wouldn't it be fun to make Wren heir? She would hate it!" The ginger she-cat allowed herself to wind around the tom, letting her flank press against his, before she settled uncomfortably close to him. "Isn't it a wonderful thought," she breathed into his ear, soft and sultry.

Dusktalon - RockClan Warrior Two bites and the vole was gone. The tiny bones of the animal crunched satisfactorily in his strong jaws and blood dribbled down his dark chin. Delicious. Smiling at Darkshade, Dusktalon watched her savage her own prey, something he found strangely attractive. She was beautiful in her ferocity. "One apprentice was enough for me. Hate the damn things. If I could forever stay away from kits, I would," he remarked, wondering if she felt the same way.

( Sorry for the delay everyone, finishing up with my exams)

Rockclan Tangelbelly, Shadowlark

"Isn't she normally with Ravensong anyways? It's strange that there's one sister and not the other. I suppose that we can wait a few minutes. If she still hasn't come back by the time the border patrol goes out, we could ask them to keep an eye out for her." Tanglebelly nodded to his leader.

“This is true. Perhaps we should ask Ravensong?” It was getting late in the morning as it was. All the cats were accounted for except Morningblossom. Perhaps the two she-cats had a falling out the other night? Tanglebelly looked from Shadowlark to Cherryflower. He wondered how much of a fuss the fiery mismatched she-cat would put up if he didn’t add her to the patrol. Surely the two could for one morning without each other?

Shadowlark looked up from her breakfast to Cherryflower. The she-cat seemed a little anxious. The warrior picked out a squirrel for her and trotted over. She had not wanted to intrude on the leader. She gave a respectful bow, noticing with a little amusement that Stonestar looked as though he had just climbed from his nest. She laid the squirrel next to Cherryflower.

“Sorry, I was up early this morning and didn’t want to wake you.” She whispered softly.

Galeclan Nettlepaw

"Hi, Nettlepaw, Ripplestar wants to take us and our mentors on a patrol." Nettlepaw glanced over at Ebony. He almost hadn’t seen her; he had been too busy seething.

“That would be right.” He sneered, more to himself then at her. His fur was still clumped together on his belly. At this point he was even considering a soak in the river if it meant he didn’t feel like his legs would stick together. This morning just kept getting better and better. He padded over to Ebony and Pinepaw, his head a rage of annoyance.

“Let’s go then.” He growled.

The Vipers Blacksparrow, Azalea

“No, there is no reason. I am yours and you are mine. That won’t change.” He was hers aye? The tom purred with amusement. It was good to see that his mate still had her fire. With a surprising out of character moment, he began to groom her, nipping lightly at a tick he found. For that morning, Blacksparrow was pleased.

Azalea finally emerged from her nest. She would have slept longer if it weren’t for all the commotion. She noted with amusement that Fox had seemed very pleased with herself. Having kits, ugh. Sounded like to far too much work. Fooling around with the toms was fun but Azalea had no interest in actually having to look after hungry kits.

(I love Cherryflower and Shadowlark together <3 So so much <3 <3 <3)

Cherryflower - RockClan Warrior Ah, there she was! Ever attention, Cherryflower's fur warmed affectionately at the sight of her closest, if not only, friend. The one cat who truly understood her. It was a relief to have her there, and Cherryflower instantly felt less anxious. As prickly as Shadowlark could be, they would always be close; they needed no one else, in the end. The dark she-cat trotted over, seeming ready to come to her aid as always. She was deeply appreciative. Especially for the squirrel! “Sorry, I was up early this morning and didn’t want to wake you,” Shadowlark whispered, and Cherryflower smiled at her. She let her pink tongue rasp over her friend's cheek; Thank you; I understand. The albino she-cat touched noses with her darker counterpart and leaned down to dig her teeth into the squirrel at her feet, enjoying the warmth of the creature. Shadowlark really was too good for her.

(Will post for Ebony when others post)

Crowpaw - GaleClan apprentice Crowpaw tried not to roll his eyes when Adderpaw got yelled at by their uncle for being disrespectful, as he had known would happen if his brother was caught laughing. He didn't seem to be trying very hard to hide it either, as usual. The tom got to his paws when Badgerclaw headed off into the forest, and silently followed until they were out of ear-shot.

"Anything in particular I should be looking for?" he asked Badgerclaw, opening his mouth so that he could scent everything around him to the best of his ability.

Bone - Commander of the Vipers Bone padded along in silence for several moments, his thoughts nearly mirroring Fox's; as she considered each of her children in depth, he considered his own. Were he King, which of his children would he choose as his heir?

There was Crowpaw, one of his two sons. Very talented, one of the strongest fighters and hunters out of the GaleClan apprentices. He was an intelligent cat too. He was more fueled by emotion than Bone or Adderpaw, which Bone considered to be a weakness. Could it be a strength though? To manipulate emotions you have to understand them yourself, he thought to himself. He'd always thought that Crowpaw was the weakest of his two sons though. Sure, he was talented, but he also seemed to care more about other cats than the other toms in their family. Was that weakness though, or could it be used to his benefit in the future?

Then there was Clover, his only daughter. She was very much like her mother, beautiful and kind, but she also had learned to be tough in recent moons. He'd never considered her as an heir, and still didn't like the idea. He wanted a tom as his heir, not a she-cat. She would be the closest thing to an heir he had though, since her mate was the most likely (in his opinion) to become heir to Fox. He believed that she would prove to be a good Queen someday, so long as she didn't let herself become soft.

And, finally, Adderpaw. He was also talented, like his brother, but more brutal. Adderpaw didn't make friends as easily as Crowpaw, something that could be both good and bad to him as a leader. He may have a harder time getting cats to support him, but he would also not be held back by other cats. Adderpaw didn't seem to be as emotional as Crowpaw (although he could be a bit hot-headed at times) and didn't care about other cats nearly as much as his brother seemed to. He could be a good leader though, if he could learn to make others want to follow him. "I hope something similar for Adderpaw," Bone said to Fox, when she mentioned her hope that Crowpaw could help Nettle. "Adderpaw is too hostile, too standoffish to other cats. If he wants to potentially lead some day, he will have to learn to make himself likeable."

He chuckled when Fox spoke about her daughter, Wren, as heir. He couldn't imagine the timid little she-cat as heir, she wasn't nearly as strong as Fox's other kits. "The rest of the group would walk all over her," he said to her, with a cruel laugh. "Although I suppose that Adderpaw would keep them in line." Bone allowed Fox to wreath herself around him, but didn't dare to return her affection in any way. The last thing he wanted was trouble with Fang. "I'd love to see Thorn's reaction if you named her as heir," he said with a slightly nervous chuckle, breaking away from the ginger she-cat.

Darkshade - RockClan warrior "One was more than enough for me," Darkshade said to Dusktalon with a laugh. "I've never been so tempted to unsheath my claws on a Clanmate before, I swear. It's amazing how slow some cats can be!" When he mentioned his hate for kits she laughed again, then nodded vigorously. "StarClan save me if I ever have kits. I don't have the patience for that. I'd die before I spent six moons stuck in the stupid nursery."

Stonestar and Ravensong - GaleClan leader and warrior Stonestar nodded to his deputy and called Ravensong over once her prey had been added to the fresh-kill pile. The she-cat obediently padded over, bowing her head first to Stonestar, then to Tanglebelly. "Good morning everyone," she said quietly. "How can I help?"

"We were just wondering where Morningblossom was," Stonestar said to her, pointing towards the camp entrance with his tail. "No one has seen her yet this morning."

"Oh we were hunting late last night," she said to Stonestar. "We just finished up a little bit after dawn. She told me to head back to camp, she wanted to catch a mouse she saw before she head back. She said she would only be a few minutes..." She shuffled her feet nervously and sighed. "It's been longer than a few minutes though. I'm starting to get worried."

Badgerclaw - GaleClan Warrior Badgerclaw watched Adderpaw trot after Tigereye, then turned to his other nephew. It was time to hunt for the Clan, he knew, but he wanted nothing more than to test out Crowpaw's fighting abilities. With a sigh, he padded over to the young tom. "Prey," he said, dryly. He was usually a clever kit, but he was being a mousebrain this morning. "You're looking for prey, Crowpaw."

Dusktalon - RockClan Warrior "StarClan, you're right!" the dark blue-grey tom exclaimed. "I'm glad not to be a she-cat. I can have my fun and not have to suffer for it-" Dusktalon cut himself off a little too late. "There are cats I'd love to skin too, you know?" He was talking an unusually large amount, so he fulled another rodent from the rapidly dwindling fresh kill pile, silencing himself with the food.

GaleClan: Snaketooth;

Snaketooth plopped down from his crouch so that he could lay down. He stretched his jaws in a huge yawn. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to sleep a bit earlier each day, but night time was so much more intriguing than day time. He guessed that maybe he just had some sort of weird nocturnal nature. The she-cat spoke again. Foxes and badgers? If there were foxes and badgers on GaleClan territory, surely Tigereye or Ripplestar would've announced it to the rest of the Clan. Besides, their scent was putrid. Snaketooth honestly wasn't worried about them. He shrugged in response. "I don't really care about getting hurt." Pain was something nonchalant to him; after all, no pain, no gain. Encountering and surviving a badger attack would just make him stronger. And if he died...well, then, oops. But in reality, he just had to get away from the stifling nature of the warriors' den. Gather his thoughts out in the open, in the peace and quiet. Perhaps that could get him closer to StarClan, closer to answers...but it hasn't worked so far. He should head back soon, but eh, who cares. Snaketooth stood back up onto his paws. A little while wouldn't hurt, do some hunting of his own later. His higher-ups would probably be livid for his disappearance either way. The RockClan she-cat thanked him, to which he responded with a dismissive flick of his tail. There was no point in reporting her, he thought. It would just cause unnecessary tension and a total hassle.
"Empty words. You crossed the border so easily on accident," he stated bluntly, in a slight monotone. Still tired, so tired. "so it could happen again."

Crowpaw - GaleClan apprentice Crowpaw bristled and rolled his eyes, then began scanning the forest for prey. He'd meant to ask whether Badgerclaw wanted to teach him hunting techniques used for a certain type of prey - like whether they were going fishing or just doing the normal hunt for mice and voles - but apparently he was feeling grouchy this morning. No one seemed all that happy this morning, honestly.

He caught the scent of a vole shortly after the beginning of their hunting expedition and lowered himself into a crouch, then slowly crept up on the animal. Once he was close enough he pounced, claws extended.

Darkshade - RockClan warrior Darkshade looked at Dusktalon with icy blue eyes, saying nothing to his comments about how great it was to be a tom. She could see the benefits - being able to fool around without worrying about consequences would be nice - but she knew that there were benefits to being female too. She finished off her raven, simply nodding when he said there were cats he'd love to skin too. Truthfully she'd love a chance to skin just about anyone in the clan, except for maybe her mother. It had been a long time since she'd had a good fight. Once all that was left was bones and feathers, she disposed of the waste and turned back to the tom. "Are you ready to go?" she asked him.

Morningblossom - RockClan warrior Morningblossom looked at the tom, listening to him talk about how pain meant little to him. It was a strange thought for her. How could he not fear pain? She wanted nothing to do with getting hurt. As he relaxed she did the same, even going so far as to smooth down a few parts of her pelt that were standing up after their scuffle. "Well, to each his own I guess," she said quietly, still not sure what to think.

She shrugged when he said it could easily happen again, not really saying anything back to him because she knew he was right. It had been an accident, and accidents happen. She would try to be more careful next time, but that was about all she could do.

"Well, I should probably get going," she said to him as she got to her paws. "My Clanmates will come looking for me soon." And I don't want them to see me here, talking to a GaleClan tom, she added to herself. The last thing she needed was for them to jump to conclusions and overreact. "I'll see you at the next Gathering maybe." She hesitated for just a moment before leaving, then flicked her tail as a farewell gesture and went back the way she had come, towards RockClan territory.

Badgerclaw - GaleClan Warrior It was then that Badgerclaw barreled headlong into Crowpaw. Before the younger tom's paw's touched ground, before his claws sank into the prey's flesh, before he had the chance to even yelp. The large, white tom barely grunted as his shoulder pounded into his nephew's flank, despite the soft thump the impact made. The vole, however, let out a squeak and fled into the undergrowth, probably thanking its own ancestors that Badgerclaw had sought to give Crowpaw a lesson today. Then hit the ground, rolling a couple of times, before the older tom came out on top, pinning the younger down with his paws. His hind feet, claws extended and unsheathed, were positioned so that they could dig into Crowpaw's groin painfully, his forepaws kneading his nephews inner shoulders. "You weren't paying attention, were you?"

Dusktalon - RockClan Warrior Gulping down the last of his second vole, Dusktalon stood and swiped his tongue slowly around his jaws, enjoying the last lingering taste of blood. He picked up the remains of his meal and padded over to a nearby apprentice who was just heading over to the fresh kill pile, Brownpaw as it turned out. "Bury these for me," he told her, smiling lazily, before turning back to Darkshade. "Now, I'm ready," he told her, coming up beside her. "She-cats first." He allowed her to leave the camp first, a smile on his face as he waited to watch her leave.

Crowpaw - GaleClan apprentice Crowpaw yelped when Badgerclaw attacked him, the larger tom easily knocking him off his feet and to the ground. Crowpaw barely noticed the vole make its escape as they hit the ground, then rolled a few times, and eventually stopped with Badgerclaw pinning him down. He winced as his uncle's claws dug into his groin, and from the soreness he could already feel in his shoulders, flank, and back from multiple impacts. Badgerclaw kneading his shoulders certainly didn't help either. "I was hunting, mousebrain!" he hissed at his uncle, eyes narrowed and ears flat against his head. He'd been paying attention to the hunt, as he'd been told to by his mentor and various other cats all his life. Of course he hadn't been expecting an attack!

Darkshade - RockClan warrior Darkshade rolled her eyes when Dusktalon gave the remains of his meal to an apprentice to bury before telling her she was ready to leave. "Because burying those yourself would have taken so much time," she said to him, with a wry smile. In a way, she admired his laziness; he'd managed to be even lazier than her. She lead the way out of the camp once he was ready, jumping down boulders as they headed towards the forested part of their territory. She could feel eyes on her as she walked and couldn't help but laugh. "You're disgusting," she said to him, with yet another eye-roll. A smile still lingered on her face though; after all, it was nice to know that she was drawing the attention of a tom, even if it was just Dusktalon.

Badgerclaw - GaleClan Warrior Mouse brain? "Mouse brain?" Badgerclaw roared. Without relaxing the force with which he held his nephew down, he lifted one paw slowly, then very quickly dashed his unsheathed claws across Crowpaw's cheek, leaving small gashes that no doubt stung. "I have been telling you since you were a kit to respect your elders." Replacing his paw, he dug the claws of his forepaws into the tom's shoulders slightly. "And RockClan wouldn't give a fox's shit whether you were hunting or not. Do you intend to fight back at all, or die like a kitting she-cat on your back?"

Dusktalon - RockClan Warrior Darkshade's laugh was completely at odds with her disgusted comment, but as Dusktalon drew level with her he knew which showed her true thoughts. "Would you prefer I didn't admire you?" he asked, smiling coyly. "StarCkan above, you must like me! You've not raked off my fur yet, and I've been staring at you all morning." It was a risk, and he knew it. "It's not like you're even a likeable she-cat, just a damned good-looking one. You hate all cats that aren't you or your mother." He suddenly got the urge to test her good mood. "Heavens, you've not taken her as a mate, have you?"

Crowpaw - GaleClan apprentice Crowpaw winced when his uncle dashed his claws against his cheek, leaving gashes in their wake. I respect good warriors, he seethed. Not the likes of you. He didn't dare to say it though, because he knew that the beating he would suffer for it wouldn't be worth the words. It was true though, he didn't truly respect Badgerclaw. He normally curbed his words around the tom, and did what he was told, but he did not look up to his uncle, nor had he looked up to his father when he'd been here, or even his mother. He'd learned at a young age to look beyond his family for role models; Ripplestar, Tigereye, and his mentor were three cats that he truly admired for their strength, wisdom, courage, and loyalty. He did not want to become like Badgerclaw, or his father, or even his brother.

"We're nowhere near the border," he said flatly, green eyes glaring at his uncle who was still positioned on top of him. He felt his claws dig into his shoulders, but ignored the pain. He'd already had it with his family this morning and it wasn't even sun-high yet. He wasn't going to give Badgerclaw what he wanted if he could avoid it, not with him acting like a total bully like he was. "And you know as well as I do that it's not going to happen so long as you keep pushing down this hard. I'm hardly half your size." Of course there were things he could do, moves he could execute, but he wasn't in the mood to make Badgerclaw happy by using them.

Darkshade - RockClan warrior And, just like that, he'd ruined her good mood. Truthfully she didn't mind him admiring her at all - she kept her fur clean for a reason and knew that she'd gained a beautiful form from her mother - but her fur bristled immediately afterwards. She rounded on him, teeth bared and blue eyes narrowed. She knew she wasn't particularly likeable, but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt to hear it directly. "Don't you dare talk bad about my mother in front of me," she snarled, claws instantly unsheathed. She nearly attacked the mouse-brain then and there, but forced herself to hold back. They were still close to camp - close enough that someone might hear a scuffle. As much as she'd love to draw some of his blood, this wasn't a good place for it.

Instead, she ran ahead several tail-lengths, then spoke without turning around. "You know what? I think I'll hunt alone this morning. Feel free to go back to camp and lounge around all day. We know that's the only thing you're good for." Then, with a flip of her tail, she disappeared into the undergrowth. And they wonder why I hate everyone, she thought to herself, completely disgusted.

Badgerclaw - GaleClan warrior Badger's brought his large, white face, with its thick black stripe above his nose, down towards his nephew's darker one. He sneered and spat as he spoke. "If RockClan came into our territory, I don't think they'd worry about staying near the border," he hissed. "You would be useless if they chose to invade."

Drawing back up, he launched himself off of Crowpaw. "You're pathetic. A RockClan warrior isn't going to avoid attacking you just because you're half his size. You have no excuse." The older tom began to stalk away, but kept his erase pricked. It would be just like Crowpaw to launch an attack while Badgerclaw's back was turned.

Dusktalon - RockClan warrior It was true, he'd been trying to bait her, but he hadn't expected it to be so easy. Dusktalon was slightly disappointed; he'd honestly thought better of her. "I'll talk to whomever I like, however I like, about whomever I like," he remarked matter-of-factory. It was not her decision. "If you have a quarrel with me, why not settle it? Or are you worried some cat as lazy as I could beat you as easily as I think I could?"

OOC: Are you guys still accepting? If so, I have two and a half cats I'd like to enter (I say half because my two sisters cannot function without each other and my rogue counts as one. So two and a half, ish? I don't know.) Quick skellies because I didn't see any in the description: Name: Ivorytail Rank: Warrior of Galeclan Bio: A former kittypet who was severely neglected and managed to escape. She does not know much about surviving outside, but she is not as soft as you would expect. Her rough times have taught her compassion, and she refuses to hold a grudge. Tuxedo cat with an ivory tail.

Names: Berrypaw and Tigerpaw. Rank: Apprentices of Rockclan Bios: Berrypaw and Tigerpaw are the two survivors of their mothers litter of four. Berrypaw is blind and Tigerpaw has devoted her life to taking care of "Blue Berry" as she is affectionately nicknamed. Berrypaw has pale blue eyes and a black body, save for one white spot on her stomach that is shaped like a crescent moon. Tigerpaw is the spitting image of their mother, orange with darker stripes, a white chin, belly, and left hind leg. (Yes they're based on my real life cats, who aren't sisters but have been together long enough not to know.)

-Stonesight-Loner-At Galeclan Border-

Stonesight hopped off the log she was sleeping on, yelping when one of her paws landed on a burr. She cursed Starclan for her bad luck, and lie down to nurse her paw. She looked around the area, remembering when she stumbled upon a place that looked like this before. But last time it was filled with cats, at least four clans worth. She could barely breathe with all the tension filling the air, but back then she was tired, hungry, and she didn't give a mouse's dung about what the other clans thought.

She wouldn't make that mistake again.

Stonesight stood up and wished she was part of her clan again. Hell, she wished she was part of any clan. The life of a loner wasn't her.

Before she knew it, she was walking along the edge of a clan border, the tall grass tickling her nose and the sun was rising behind her. Then she heard two voices, just a few foxlengths away. She sped up, trying to remember the last time she actually talked to a cat. '...you at the next Gathering, maybe.' "Wait! Ah! Please, wait!" She pushed herself harder, skidding to a stop when she was near enough the two cats.

Now what?

"Uhh... H-hello..."

-Hemlock-Head Healer of Vipers-Fresh Kill Pile- Hemlock stared at the pile of poppy seeds in front of him, keeping himself from taking more as the night went on. Before he knew it, the sun was shining through the one hole in the Healer's den, and cat's voices were bouncing off the walls of the caves. He decided he would pick himself up, slowly, and make his way to the fresh-kill pile, his stomach telling him he wasn't yet ready for breakfast. Maybe he would bring the kill back to his den and eat some mallow leaves before actually eating. But the couple at the pile changed his mind. He never liked how Blacksparrow treated Wilder. What was even worse was he acted so high and mighty, even when he kept his clan name.

He plopped down right across from them, fishing out a mouse for himself. Let's see if Blacksparrow keeps this act up around a real warrior who is nearly twice his size.

((is there any chance of a revival of this?))