Post by Ravenspirit on Feb 16, 2007 18:10:00 GMT -5
Chapter 9.
ﭚ
The camp was peaceful on a sunny morning. Cats were lying around sleepily, conversing quietly with their friends before hunting and border patrols. All was calm, but it was only the calm before the storm. Nightcloud raced into the camp, her fur standing on end in alarm. “Rouges!” she called out. “Rouges are attacking!” She stopped, panting, her sides heaving with the effort of running from the border to the camp so quickly. Cats scrambled to their paws all around, and no sooner had they did so that a yowl cut through the air. A black rouge leapt into the camp, followed by several others who pored into camp at the speed of water running down a steep fall. Clan and rouge clashed together, clawing and spitting. At the first call of danger Ravenpaw had shot out of the apprentices den. Now she faced a white rouge tom, who snarled into her face with fowl breath. They looked into each other’s eyes, his full of hatred a scorn, hers full of fire and energy. Her eyes flickered, and as if there had been a nod, the battle between flesh and blood began. He leapt at her, but she skillfully leapt aside, scoring his flank with sharp claws. She twisted and turned finally leaping at him and grabbing hold with claws, and together the rolled, a yowling ball of orange and white fur. Her hind claws whirred his belly to shreds, her teeth ripped at his ear. As soon as she had sent him yowling out of camp, she dived into a mass of multi-colored fur, which proved to be three cats ganging up on Nightcloud. Turning their attention from the black she-cat to her, they surrounded her, and dived for her. But she dived and ducked, shredding through fur and blood with each paw-stroke. She held still till one leapt onto her back, than with surprising agility for one who had a cat twice the size of she on her back she flung herself into the air, twisting and turning, and finally spinning at high speeds until the rouge was flung away. Spinning round she clawed at the other two, finally flinging herself at one and ripping her claws across his face. She cuffed him savagely, than dived forward, sinking her teeth into his throat. Her front paws reached out from under his neck to fasten themselves to his shoulders, her hind claws sunk deep into his belly. Tearing herself sideways from him, she ripped most of his throat, and than seemed to disappear into thin air: But not for long. The third rouge soon felt claws sink deep into his shoulders, though he never saw or heard her coming from above. As he ran forward she let her back paws dig into the ground and let her front claws dig into his back, leaving eight long bleeding scars along his spine. Turning at a hiss of rage behind her, she came nose to nose with the rouge leader, the great black tom. As he dived at her, she knowing he would spend all his energy to kill her, a thought flashed through her mind, of something that had saved the ThunderClan leader Firestar many times. Crouching down low to the ground, she gave the appearance of weakness, while she snaked her hind legs beneath her, and dug into the ground with claws as sharp as brambles for purchase. When he was just above her, almost ready to land on top of her she flung herself upwards, arching her spine until her body met with his belly, flinging him backwards onto the dirt. The whole camp had frozen, watching as the little orange apprentice twisted around in midair and landed on the rouge leader’s belly with enough force to blow all the air out of him. Her claws were kept so sharp that there wasn’t even a sound as they zipped open the rouge leader from throat to tail. Than Ravenpaw flipped of his stomach, and disappeared into thin air, so silently that even cats next to her heard not a sound. Than a white grey spotted tom let out a hiss of surprise as he was bowled off Russetfur, whose claws had been sinking into her throat as he watched the spectacle of battle unfold, with such force that he lay limp upon the ground. Two warriors who had been holding down a struggling Talonpaw were suddenly hit with a blinding pain as Ravenpaw appeared before them and cuffed them with claws unsheathed. In a matter of seconds she had attacked four cats and ghosted away without a scratch sustained. The whole camp was frozen for what seemed like moons: Than there was a crash as cats flung themselves through the camp walls, yowling in fear. Almost as soon as the retreat had begun it was over, with the body of the leader and several other rouges. And standing in the center of the camp was Ravenpaw, a scratch on her nose and the fur hanging from one shoulder, but with eyes shinning.
Chapter 10.
ﭚ
The wind scored across the earth, blowing layers of snow into the faces of Talonpaw and Ravenpaw. They were supposed to be hunting, but as it was a cold windy day the prey had all hidden in holes. Only a few birds remained, pecking reverently at the ground in hopes of finding food, though there seemed to be none. The two apprentices where having just as hard a time, struggling through the snow in great leaps: It was fun at first, but soon grew exhausting, and frightened what little prey there was away. Ravenpaw saw a thrush pecking at the ground beneath a large tree, and by the tree was a great deal of open space. Her mind, which had been dull with cold slowly went through the motions of a hunting strategy, until, almost as if StarClan themselves had sent it, an idea flashed through her head. Motioning to Talonpaw, she whispered the plan for catching the thrush in his ear, and than turned away. Creeping up on the opposite side of the tree where the thrush was feeding, Ravenpaw pulled herself up until she was almost to the very top of the large pine: Than she waved her tail. It was the signal for Talonpaw, and he crept forward, not to close, than sprang without bothering to be too quiet. Startled, the thrush flew strait up next to the tree: When it came level with Ravenpaw’s nose she sprang from the tree branch she had perched on. Reaching forward with both forepaws she knocked the thrush out of the air, before doing a limp flip and landing safely in the deep soft snow. Talonpaw meanwhile had recoved the stunned thrush, and had ended its life with a quick bite to the head. It was the first prey they had caught that day, and by days end the returned with a few more birds, including a shell-shocked crow that had chosen the wrong day to be out. It had worked, but the fresh-kill pile was extremely low, and no one ate there fill that day.
ﭚ
The camp was peaceful on a sunny morning. Cats were lying around sleepily, conversing quietly with their friends before hunting and border patrols. All was calm, but it was only the calm before the storm. Nightcloud raced into the camp, her fur standing on end in alarm. “Rouges!” she called out. “Rouges are attacking!” She stopped, panting, her sides heaving with the effort of running from the border to the camp so quickly. Cats scrambled to their paws all around, and no sooner had they did so that a yowl cut through the air. A black rouge leapt into the camp, followed by several others who pored into camp at the speed of water running down a steep fall. Clan and rouge clashed together, clawing and spitting. At the first call of danger Ravenpaw had shot out of the apprentices den. Now she faced a white rouge tom, who snarled into her face with fowl breath. They looked into each other’s eyes, his full of hatred a scorn, hers full of fire and energy. Her eyes flickered, and as if there had been a nod, the battle between flesh and blood began. He leapt at her, but she skillfully leapt aside, scoring his flank with sharp claws. She twisted and turned finally leaping at him and grabbing hold with claws, and together the rolled, a yowling ball of orange and white fur. Her hind claws whirred his belly to shreds, her teeth ripped at his ear. As soon as she had sent him yowling out of camp, she dived into a mass of multi-colored fur, which proved to be three cats ganging up on Nightcloud. Turning their attention from the black she-cat to her, they surrounded her, and dived for her. But she dived and ducked, shredding through fur and blood with each paw-stroke. She held still till one leapt onto her back, than with surprising agility for one who had a cat twice the size of she on her back she flung herself into the air, twisting and turning, and finally spinning at high speeds until the rouge was flung away. Spinning round she clawed at the other two, finally flinging herself at one and ripping her claws across his face. She cuffed him savagely, than dived forward, sinking her teeth into his throat. Her front paws reached out from under his neck to fasten themselves to his shoulders, her hind claws sunk deep into his belly. Tearing herself sideways from him, she ripped most of his throat, and than seemed to disappear into thin air: But not for long. The third rouge soon felt claws sink deep into his shoulders, though he never saw or heard her coming from above. As he ran forward she let her back paws dig into the ground and let her front claws dig into his back, leaving eight long bleeding scars along his spine. Turning at a hiss of rage behind her, she came nose to nose with the rouge leader, the great black tom. As he dived at her, she knowing he would spend all his energy to kill her, a thought flashed through her mind, of something that had saved the ThunderClan leader Firestar many times. Crouching down low to the ground, she gave the appearance of weakness, while she snaked her hind legs beneath her, and dug into the ground with claws as sharp as brambles for purchase. When he was just above her, almost ready to land on top of her she flung herself upwards, arching her spine until her body met with his belly, flinging him backwards onto the dirt. The whole camp had frozen, watching as the little orange apprentice twisted around in midair and landed on the rouge leader’s belly with enough force to blow all the air out of him. Her claws were kept so sharp that there wasn’t even a sound as they zipped open the rouge leader from throat to tail. Than Ravenpaw flipped of his stomach, and disappeared into thin air, so silently that even cats next to her heard not a sound. Than a white grey spotted tom let out a hiss of surprise as he was bowled off Russetfur, whose claws had been sinking into her throat as he watched the spectacle of battle unfold, with such force that he lay limp upon the ground. Two warriors who had been holding down a struggling Talonpaw were suddenly hit with a blinding pain as Ravenpaw appeared before them and cuffed them with claws unsheathed. In a matter of seconds she had attacked four cats and ghosted away without a scratch sustained. The whole camp was frozen for what seemed like moons: Than there was a crash as cats flung themselves through the camp walls, yowling in fear. Almost as soon as the retreat had begun it was over, with the body of the leader and several other rouges. And standing in the center of the camp was Ravenpaw, a scratch on her nose and the fur hanging from one shoulder, but with eyes shinning.
Chapter 10.
ﭚ
The wind scored across the earth, blowing layers of snow into the faces of Talonpaw and Ravenpaw. They were supposed to be hunting, but as it was a cold windy day the prey had all hidden in holes. Only a few birds remained, pecking reverently at the ground in hopes of finding food, though there seemed to be none. The two apprentices where having just as hard a time, struggling through the snow in great leaps: It was fun at first, but soon grew exhausting, and frightened what little prey there was away. Ravenpaw saw a thrush pecking at the ground beneath a large tree, and by the tree was a great deal of open space. Her mind, which had been dull with cold slowly went through the motions of a hunting strategy, until, almost as if StarClan themselves had sent it, an idea flashed through her head. Motioning to Talonpaw, she whispered the plan for catching the thrush in his ear, and than turned away. Creeping up on the opposite side of the tree where the thrush was feeding, Ravenpaw pulled herself up until she was almost to the very top of the large pine: Than she waved her tail. It was the signal for Talonpaw, and he crept forward, not to close, than sprang without bothering to be too quiet. Startled, the thrush flew strait up next to the tree: When it came level with Ravenpaw’s nose she sprang from the tree branch she had perched on. Reaching forward with both forepaws she knocked the thrush out of the air, before doing a limp flip and landing safely in the deep soft snow. Talonpaw meanwhile had recoved the stunned thrush, and had ended its life with a quick bite to the head. It was the first prey they had caught that day, and by days end the returned with a few more birds, including a shell-shocked crow that had chosen the wrong day to be out. It had worked, but the fresh-kill pile was extremely low, and no one ate there fill that day.