Night Walk

[spooy]

A crescent moon hung high in the sky, just a small claw-mark of light against the raven-dark sky. Along with it, tiny dots of light called stars glittered and twinkled, making their own lights. Not as bright, however, but Timekeeper loved them the most. And no wonder, since they made up Silverpelt.

Pawsteps as light as a kitten's, Timekeeper moved through the pine-scented forest with grace. She listened to the night sounds around her. Crickets chirping, mice ruffling in their dens, toads croaking. You get the point.

Taking a deep breath of the night air, the fuzzy she-cat was paying no attention whatsoever to where she was going. She walked straight into a tree."Owowow!" She rubbed her sore nose with a paw, her dark amber eyes glittering with emotion.

And Clumbsypaws strikes again . . .

[ravenclaw]

"Why do I like going out only when the moon is out?" The she-cat mumbled to herself. Her pawsteps were light as she snuck through Shadowclan's hunting grounds. Her ginger and white fur blended with the shadows that the deputy stuck to, keeping cover. Suddenly, the strong scent of hawk filled the air around Frostfoot. She immediately crouched, freezing where she was. She sniffed the air, pinpointing the large bird. There! A fox length ahead. Frostfoot lowered her head, stealthily sneaking around so she was behind the bird. In position, Frostfoot crept forward, careful not to make a sound.

"Almost..." She whispered, her voice barely audible. She bunched her muscles, her haunches wiggling as she prepared to spring. Suddenly, a nearby voice alerted the bird and it shrieked with panic, taking flight. Frostfoot shot forward, leaping into the air with her powerful, hind legs. Her claws grazed the skin under the feathers of the bird's back, but she couldn't get a hold of the prey. She hissed as she fell awekwardly onto the ground, hitting her shoulder in the mud. She stumbled with another hiss and looked around, fury in her icy blue eyes. She growled as she spotted one of her warriors, Timekeeper, and crouched once more through the shadows.

The deputy was beside Timekeeper, crouched in the grass too well to be seen. She launched herself forward, grabbing Timekeeper's shoulders tightly with her claws and pulled her to the ground, using her warrior's weight against her. She snarled as she attempted to pin the she-cat on her back and let her claws slide out of place, pricking Timekeeper's skin, but not breaking through it. "Rat-brain! I was stalking a hawk! It would've fed half the clan! Now it's gone and so is a good meal." Frostfoot snarled, her eyes like blue fire. She snorted and leaped gracefully off of Timekeeper, landing and sitting with her tail neatly over her paws and her eyes narrowed with barely suppressed anger. Frostfoot's hunts were always interrupted by something, and she was getting tired of it.

[spooy]

Timekeeper raised her head, her eyes and ears alert at the sound of the bird's shriek. Whatever could have alerted it? "Maybe someone just missed a catch,"

[/color]she mumbled to herself. Unfortunate, but still quite amusing at the same time. "I bet I could have caught the dumb thing!"

A slight rustle alerted her, although she couldn't quite locate where the sound came from. Her hackles raised, she was ready for anything to hit her. Well, she thought she was. Because, out of nowhere, a heavy weight slammed on top of her. Shadowclan scent bathed her nose and mouth, sparking an anger inside her.

Her own Clanmate was attacking her! The feeling went away as claws pricked at her skin. Panic searing under her skin, she began to yowl with terror. "G-Get off me! I'm Shadowclan for Starclan's sake!"

She got up as soon as the other cat released her, and she spun around to face her attacker. Her blood froze as she saw it was the deputy of her Clan. Embarrassed that the deputy had seen her give up so easily, she turned to lick some ruffled fur. She turned her gaze back to the deputy, her eyes narrowing, at the 'rat-brain' insult.

If this were any cat, she'd retaliate with a sharper insult, but this was the deputy, and she'd rather not have her tail chewed off. "Oh, Frostfoot. I-I . . . apologize. I had no idea!" She looked away, feeling guilt and embarrassment sear through her fur. "I really am sorry. I'll hunt to make up for it, if you want."[/size][/center]

[ravenclaw]

Frostfoot growled, her tail bushed out and her eyes narrowed, flashing like blue fire. "Yes, someone did miss that catch. You caused me too. And no, you couldn't have caught that dumb bird because your over here making as much noise as possible and running into trees." Frostfoot's tone was as furious as her glare. "And as for begging me to get off you? I should rip your claws off because you can't defend yourself properly. You never, ever beg an attacker to get off of you. It makes ShadowClan look weak and gives others the impression that we can't train our apprentices right. If I ever hear you beg someone to get off you again, I'll rip your tail off myself." She snarled, her fur bristling with barely suppressed anger.

She stood tall, her ginger and white tail lashing like a tree branch in a terrible storm. "Another problem is that you gave up far too quickly. If I were really an enemy cat, I probably would've killed you. I can't because I'm your deputy and that would make me not only look bad, but it would make me a cold blooded murderer." Frostfoot circled the she-cat, checking her for any weaknesses. Frostfoot had a heart of stone, but she cared about her warriors and their state of health. If there was a flaw, Frostfoot wanted to know about it and help the warrior work past it and use it to their advantage. When she found nothing wrong with Timekeeper, she circled again to stand in front of the she-cat, staring at her straight in the eyes. Then Timekeeper offered to hunt in apology for the lost bird. "Don't matter, the bird is lost and that is one less meal for my clan." The deputy stood thinking for a moment. She narrowed her eyes again and stared at Timekeeper without a blink of an eye.

Suddenly, she shot under the she-cat and rolled onto her back, kicking up with her hind legs, keeping her claws in, and tossed Timekeeper away from her. Quickly, Frostfoot sprang to her paws and lunged at the warrior, leaping and hoping to land of the she-cat's shoulders. "Always be ready for an attack! Never be off guard because you never know when even someone from ShadowClan will attack. I'm keeping my claws in because it is practice. Take your claws out and give me your best. And that's an order from your deputy!" Frostfoot snarled, crouching, muscles bunched, ready to attack again. She waited patiently for Timekeeper to give her deputy a go, watching the warrior's every movements, ready to twist them against her opponent. Frostfoot knew every one of her warriors flaws, and she used them against them when practicing battle moves. Frostfoot realized she was getting distracted and shook the thoughts away so she could concentrate. "Remember, Timekeeper, use your claws. Don't worry if you hurt me, I won't care and you won't get punished for using your claws. I promise I won't punish you." Frostfoot told the she-cat. When the deputy promised something, she stuck to it. She didn't care if she got hurt, she promised Timekeeper that she wouldn't get in trouble for using her claws, Frostfoot would make sure she didn't.

[spooy]

She dipped her head in guilt, her ears flattening against her head. She felt awful for acting so much like a coward, and now she was beginning to feel like she needed to go back to being an apprentice. But can that even happen?! Oh Starclan, please let this be over soon! She looked up at Frostfoot as the deputy remarked how she couldn't catch the 'dumb bird and her running into trees.

"I know what I did was foolish and self-centered, but I wasn't paying attention to anything around me at the time. You have to understand, running into trees hurts!" She then realized how bratty she sounded, and she prepared herself for any other harsh words Frostfoot would throw at her.

Timekeeper listened with humiliation at the mention of how she had given up so easily. The deputy was right, she was cowardly for doing such a thing. She kept her fur flat as the deputy searched her for injuries. She knew that the deputy cared about her warriors, so the jibes that were thrown at her at first came as a huge shock, but then again Timekeeper also knew that Frostfoot wanted strong warriors.

With a startled gasped, she ducked just in the nick of time as Frostfoot lunged at her. Th-That was close! She shook her pelt and stood up, stretching her tense shoulders, and moved into a crouching position. Her eyes gleamed with both excitement of a chance to fight, but also hesitation. She really didn't want to attack Frostfoot, although permission had been given.

"So I won't get in trouble? Well, in that case . . ." She sprang from her crouching position after she had finished speaking. As she reached the deputy, she swerved to the side and dashed out a paw, hoping to hit Frostfoot. She reached the other side of the deputy and spun around, facing her. Her amber eyes narrowed, contemplating Frostfoot's next move. She still was hesitant on hitting the deputy, and she began to wonder if this was even allowed.

[ravenclaw]

Frostfoot leaped sideways to avoid her claws, but it wasn't enough. She hissed as searing pain burned through her body. She looked at her side to see blood oozing out of four claw marks. She snapped her head at Timekeeper with her blue eyes full of fury and leaped at the she-cat with the speed of a WindClan cat. She batted her paw at Timekeeper's head. Frostfoot then swung her neck around and bashed her head into the she-cat's shoulder, hoping to knock her off balance. She hissed at the warrior and threw herself on top of her shoulders, holding on tight and

Not done yet