New Territory (Crowfrost/Vixenfang)

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] Snake Rocks had been won. ShadowClan had caught ThunderClan almost completely off guard. They had expected ShadowClan to occupy themselves on the moor with RiverClan, much like Wolfclaw had. Yet here he was, pulling guard duty with his best friend on unfamiliar territory. The warrior knew the stories and knew how dangerous it was to be around here, but the snow slowed the adders down considerably. Mostly, they just kept to themselves in their snakeholes. Lucky them. "We don't need this territory," he mumbled, mostly to himself as the pair strolled along their new border, "This is ridiculous. The Thunderpath is too big a border to be crossed in order to maintain this useless bit of land... I don't even think ThunderClan comes here all that often. There's no point!" The dark tabby growled and hung his head and tail low. His brow was furrowed and his ears drooped slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an old chervil stem. Probably the only useful thing in this part of the forest. The ThunderClan medicine cats were probably running low on their supply of it. In his mind, Wolfclaw debated wether or not Willowstar would claw his ears off if he let them get their claws on it. On any other given day, Wolfclaw was the happiest ShadowClan cat in the whole forest. However, that was only because he had tails to pull and traps to lay. With the only victim being Crowfrost, who was probably too alert to mess with, the tom gave up all hope of ever pulling a prank today. Oh, sad is the world... Word Count: 266 Audience: Crowfrost/Vixenfang Comments: In this thread, the 'spark' between Wolfclaw and Crowfrost will be established or at least acknowledged. After that, Viperfang and Vixenfang will attempt to pass the word of WindClan along to the ShadowClanners.

[{Otter}]

They had...failed. ThunderClan had failed. She, Vixenfang, had failed. Her unbreakable bite, her speed, her fury had not been enough. ThunderClan had lost Snakerocks. It now belonged to ShadowClan.

The thought disgusted her. How like ShadowClan. What, were they trying to drive ThunderClan out of the forest, too? Though she knew she would not be in ThunderClan much longer, and therefore would not have to endure the embarrassment of having lost a piece of her Clan's land so easily, Vixenfang was still angry. She had wanted to help ThunderClan as much as possible before leaving them forever. And now? Now she would leave them with a bit less territory. She was such a treacherous mousebrain.

Why her small ginger paws began to wander in the direction of the lost territory, she didn't know. When she realized where she was going she stopped, ears flattening and teeth bared. She shouldn't go forward. She knew she shouldn't. But...how could she not? She wanted to see if ShadowClan were enforcing their claim. If not, she'd hunt there. StarClan knew she wouldn't respect their victory if they weren't decent enough to actually defend it.

And so, with narrowed eyes and bristling fur, she stalked forward on light paws, moving nearly silently through the forest. When finally she came to the familiar territory (covered now with the fresh scent of ShadowClan), she stopped among the underbrush between the trees and set her eyes on the land.

There was, in fact, a cat guarding the land. The very cat she had fought in the battle. A small flash of pain tore through her left leg, and she flinched slightly as she glanced down at the clawmarks. He had done this to her. But, even so, she'd given him a fair amount of injuries in return. But it hadn't been enough. ShadowClan had won. Amber eyes narrowed to slits and a small growl drew from her throat. She needed to do something for ThunderClan before she left. But was it worth risking more injuries by attacking this dark warrior? She'd be weaker for WindClan, and she couldn't do that. Not if she was to be their leader.

She sat, her dark ginger fur sticking out uncomfortably well against the snow-swathed forest, and glared in the direction of Wolfclaw. "I'm not on Snakerocks yet, ShadowClanner. Will you challenge me?" she mewed darkly to herself. She half-hoped he would. If she had the chance to avenge ThunderClan before the next Gathering, StarClan knew she'd do her best. Starting, perhaps, with this ShadowClanner.

Note;; Sounds good. However, make sure it's clear that they won't join immediately. Perhaps they could simply respect the plan to rebuild WindClan and choose not to tattle on Vixenfang. Perhaps even because they will know that several ThunderClanners and RiverClanners will leave their Clans. I dunno

[blackie]

Crowfrost nodded in agreement. IT was a waste of their time. Sitting here doing nothing."Its honestly not even worth it. I could care less about keeping my fur warm and glossy," She mewed. Her eyes trailed the area around sunning rocks."Yet...who would cross this everyday. I mean there are the tunnles but it just seems like a waste of my time to get up every dawn in the cold and travel way out here. I could care less if Thunderclan takes it back."

Speak of the Devil. Her eyes trailed to a Thunderclan cat. Her fur didn't rise, her muscles didn't tense. Quite frankly she didn't care. IF Vixenfang had wanted to she could easily get a patrol of Thunderclan cats to take out Crowfrost and Wolfclaw. She looked to the tom and back to the she-cat." If this colored rock lands up I win. If it lands down you lose and you have to talk to her.."She mewed. The best one in the book now that she thought about. Tossing the small pebble she grinned."Looks like you lose...." She laughed and touched the tom gently with her tail.

"Vixenfang..."She mewed."You know this area now belongs to Shadowclan?" Her mew was effortless. You could tell she could care less."No Vixenfang. In case you couldn't notice we really don't care...what brings you out here anyways?" Her blue eyes trailed over to the she-cat. She flexed her claws but not to attack. Simply stretching if you will."Take it back. We will just go on our merry way and tell Willowstar we were attacked. Easy enough. Then you can have it back so I don't have to waste my time out here in the cold."

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] Wolfclaw raised his head and glanced at the clouds as he rolled his eyes in wonder at his friend's idea. Lie to Willowstar? Suicide! She'd find out before the next Gathering that Elkstar had permitted no such attack on two measly ShadowClan guards. Both leaders would have their ears for fresh-kill within a day's time! Even though he would give anything to be rid of this post, they would have to be smart about it. "Mouse-brain!" Wolfclaw coughed into his wrist. The warrior strode over to the two females. Like Crowfrost, there was no tension in his muscles, no bristled fur along his spine. Although he had been impressed the first time he heard the order to attack ThunderClan (it had been in hopes that ThunderClan would be forced to fight for more hunting grounds at the moor and in doing so, fight RiverCan for them), he had to admit that his leader hadn't thought things out completely. It would take work to keep any territory beyond the Thunderpath. The dark tom took up a space beside his comrade and curled his tail around his paws, eyes trained on Crowfrost. Claws were sheathed. Fur was flat. Tails were absent of any bush-like quality. There would be no fighting here. Not from him, anyway. "Even though I'm in complete agreement, it would take wounds to convince Willowstar that we were attacked." He turned to Vixenfang, eyes clouded in the memory of the fight. He had joined the patrol on orders. None were given here. He would not cross another border. "I, for one, am not willing to spill more blood on ThunderClan territory. Yours, or mine." Word Count: 269 Audience: Crowfrost/Vixenfang Comments: Noted.

[{Otter}]

There were two of them--she had not noticed the female warrior earlier. Vixenfang's head tilted to one side as she studied the two ShadowClan warriors. She recognized the gray she-cat to be Crowfrost, the one who had attempted to defend Wolfclaw from her. Though the scrawny ginger warrior felt a fair amount of hostility towards the warriors who had taken part of her former Clan's territory, they did not appear to hold the same hostility towards her.

Even so, she was not a particularly trustworthy judge of expressions. For all she knew, they could be simply hiding their hostility. Not that she actually suspected that, but it was at least a thought to hold on to.

...They even offered to leave. To just walk away, and let her reclaim THunderClan territory. The idea was very appealing, but Vixenfang knew it was less than likely to work. Willowstar was no mousebrain, and she wouldn't give up so easily. Besides, Vixenfang could not let ThunderClan be charged with such dishonorable tactics as to send a patrol of warriors to outnumber only two defenders. No, Elkstar would never order something like that, and for half a moon more, Vixenfang had to respect her leader's ways.

"I, for one, am not willing to spill more blood on ThunderClan territory. Yours, or mine."

Wise words, though they fell upon Vixenfang's ears with a fair amount of bitterness. She was not one to let something like this go so easily. Though her bitterness was not towards these two particular warriors as much as ShadowClan in itself, she couldn't help but feel the urge to attack. To avenge ThunderClan in some way. Vengeance was her way. But not when it involved harming to warriors who, quite clearly, had no interest in attacking her Clan in the first place.

"I wouldn't mind spilling ShadowClan blood," she mewed sharply, rising to her paws and padding over to the very edge of the border. No, she would not pass into Snake rocks unless provoked. Even then, she'd do her best to stay away. "But perhaps not yours. You do not seem to agree with what Willowstar has done. I can respect that, for I, too, have disagreed with a recent decision of Elkstar's." Why she was saying this, she wasn't quite sure. She had no interest in lying or pretending she always agreed with her own leader. These two warriors did not appear to be particularly interested in finding out secrets or gaining information that could harm ThunderClan. They simply appeared to be following orders. Why not chat?

[blackie]

Crowfrost raised a brow in curiosity. Really? She wouldn't mind spilling Shadowclans blood. She rolled her eyes and laughed. Not out loud of course, but on the inside. It made her happy to know that with a few words this lonely she cat would attack two fairly fresh warriors, althought some injuries had been attained."Really? Why won't you attack then?" Her voice was calm, but she was trying to prove a point. This she-cat was all talk.

Her eyes were trained on the Shadowclan tom before her. She couldn't help but cough when he spoke. She tossed a teasing smile before fixing her eyes back on the Thunderclan deputy. Why did she honestly come back. It wasn't as if she could actually beat them. Even if she brought more cats, Shadowclan was only a yowl away. Perhaps she should give Willowstar a little bit more credit.

"You don't follow your own leader? You are a deputy. Do your opinions not matter?" Her tone wasn't sharp she was simply curious."I don't believe in a sole leader in a clan. A deputy leads just as much as the leader does if not more. The leader just says the words to change a rank. A medicine cat is more important than your leader. Without them a leaders clan would die..."She trailed off to see if she was listening. Or taking her words to heart."You should be more authoritve in your clan Vixenfang..."

[{Otter}]

"Really? Why won't you attack then?" Was this cat dense? Had she not said moments ago why she wouldn't attack them? Or, at least, given a hint? She wouldn't attack them because they did not seem to have actually wanted to take ThunderClan territory. Vixenfang snorted and chose not to reward the ShadowClan warrior's question with a reply.

To the next part, however, Vixenfang's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Do not tell me how to be a deputy," she growled in response. As she was poor at catching inflections and tones, Vixenfang did not know whether Crowfrost's words were meant to be condescending or simply inquisitive. She simply took them for what they sounded like, and what it sounded like was a warrior of ShadowClan telling her how to do her job in ThunderClan. Perhaps the only reason it irked Vixenfang was because she was being scolded for how she lead ThunderClan, while in reality her heart was no longer a part of it.

"Yes, I disagree with Elkstar at times, but a good deputy doesn't continue to disagree when it is made clear that the leader will not change their mind. Elkstar was chosen by StarClan to lead ThunderClan. You may have no respect for your own leader, as can clearly be seen by your invitation to me to take back this land, but I respect my leader's decisions." She stopped, claws sheathing and unsheathing angrily. It was more than simple irritation that made her want to fly across the border and rip her claws into their pelts. No, it was anger born of knowledge. ShadowClan had driven WindClan out. Now ShadowClan was taking over ThunderClan. She scowled darkly. How could she ever allow such cats into her own Clan? Into WindClan?

She'd have to. There was no true reason to keep them out, and if they were to have any hope of ShadowClan not immediately attacking them, they would need former ShadowClan warriors in their ranks.

"I do not disagree with Elkstar's decision to stay out of the moor," she mewed; it must have seemed random, but her mind had been traveling in that direction the whole time. I agree with her that WindClan territory belongs to StarClan. Or, more specifically, it belongs to WindClan."

((Sorry, crap post))

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] "I wouldn't mind spilling ShadowClan blood." Wolfclaw blinked slowly, no emotion on his face. The scent of the wind told him that there were no other ThunderClan cats on their way to aid her should a fight break out. She was outnumbered, and he highly doubted that the deputy of the clan would be so mouse-brained as to attack with such damning odds stacked against her. Both Wolfclaw and Crowfrost were wounded, but neither were in so much pain that they couldn't fight back. They had been chosen as border guards for a reason. "But perhaps not yours. You do not seem to agree with what Willowstar has done. I can respect that, for I, too, have disagreed with a recent decision of Elkstar's." Before the tom could reply, Crowfrost had to voice her own comments. Wolfclaw flinched as she asked such kit-like questions. She'd just explained, hadn't she? No matter. His friend was probably tired. Perhaps their replacements would be coming soon. Dewcloud would be done caring for most of the injured by now. "Do not tell me how to be a deputy." "No cat would dare, Vixenfang," Wolfclaw cut in, trying to sound as calming as possible. He wasn't about to break up an all-out fight between two she-cats and he'd think twice before clawing a deputy after a battle was already won. It'd only bring Elkstar down on them sooner. "Crowfrost was just expressing the value of a deputy. Please continue..." It was very clear to Wolfclaw that the higher-ranked she-cat had more to talk about than just idle gossip. There was something on her mind and apparently, it was her intent to have the ShadowClan guards hear it. If it was for their ears only, she'd better get to it quickly. Although he knew politics had to be played delicately, time was precious at the moment. "Yes, I disagree with Elkstar at times, but a good deputy doesn't continue to disagree when it is made clear that the leader will not change their mind. Elkstar was chosen by StarClan to lead ThunderClan. You may have no respect for your own leader, as can clearly be seen by your invitation to me to take back this land, but I respect my leader's decisions." "It is not the will of StarClan that every cat follow their leaders blindly," Wolfclaw replied, brow furrowing slightly. He kept his mouth shut after that. There was no need to make a big deal out of one statement. He wasn't a kit anymore and it would take a lot more than that to set him off, even if the words were from another clan. "I do not disagree with Elkstar's decision to stay out of the moor. I agree with her that WindClan territory belongs to StarClan. Or, more specifically, it belongs to WindClan." A moment passed before the warrior tilted his ears in confusion. He'd tried to understand Vixenfang's meaning, but it almost completely escaped him. His mouth seemed to work without his brain, however, and his voice spouted off the first thought that came to mind. "Do you mean to say that WindClan has returned to take the moor?" Word Count: 517 Audience: Crowfrost/Vixenfang Comments: None

[{Otter}]

"It is not the will of StarClan that every cat follow their leaders blindly."

A snort erupted from her without her consent, and Vixenfang shook her head and limped forward. She crossed the border between ThunderClan and Snakerocks, heading toward the two ShadowClan warriors. She moved her left foreleg gingerly, not allowing for much of her weight to rest on it for more than a split second before she lifted it again. Reaching Wolfclaw and Crowfrost, she lowered her butt to the ground and curled her ginger tail around herself, raising her left forepaw gingerly. Did they see that she was in no shape to attack? She hoped so.

"You have no earthy idea how right you are about that statement, Wolfclaw," she mewed, voice laced with a slight bit of bitterness. Could he possibly know? Could he possibly know how far she would go to keep from blindly following her leader? He couldn't possibly.

Her final words brought silence upon the group, and Vixenfang waited quietly as they seemed to contemplate her words. What did they gather from what she said? Within a few seconds, she had her answer as Wolfclaw spoke again.

"Do you mean to say that WindClan has returned to take the moor?"

Well...he had some spectacular inductive reasoning skills. Vixenfang's ears flattened slightly, head tilting to one side as she gazed past the two ShadowClanners and into the forest beyond. What to say? The truth, no doubt. No choice. She was done with this secrecy. Besides, what would WindClan's return do to hurt ShadowClan? Nothing, really.

"Yes, they've returned. Or will soon," she replied, deep amber eyes narrowing as she fixed her gaze on the two warriors. "But they come from a different place than you would have expected." The Clans. Perhaps even your own Clan, she thought with a sigh.

[blackie]

Crowfrost looked at the she-cat. Windclan had returned? She pursed her lips in an odd fashion. She had been patrolling often and she could not recall Windclan scents."I have not scented Windclan..." She mewed skeptically. Windclan wasn't around. There was no way. It wasn't possible. Perhaps the she-cat before her knew much more than she inticipated. Her blue eyes grew with suspicsion as the two continued. Odd.

"If Windclan is around why havent we scented them. Vixenfang I believe you know something that the rest of us do not." Her mew was sharp and bitter. She did not like those who spoke but not in full scentences. It was her own metaphore that she liked to use."In other words Windclan is being made again. Isn't it? ISN'T IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She wanted to go into her face but would not cross the boarder.

"What ever is happening. I will not be leaving my clan..."She would not. However even if she did not like her clan that much, not her leader, just her clan, not the warriors, just the clan, she would not leave it. It was her home. "What ever you decide to do is your own choice, however I don't see a whole lot of cats wanting a Windclan around. A war will start. Everyone wants that territory."

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] "You have no earthy idea how right you are about that statement, Wolfclaw." The tom tilted his head forward as he listened to her. His surroundings darkened as he focused. He was certain that a badger could lumber up behind him rip his tail off without him noticing. So much for guard duty. Hopefully this wasn't some strange attempt to grab their attention and have them surrounded by ThunderClan warriors. If it were, job well done. "Yes, they've returned. Or will soon." "I have not scented Windclan..." his friend mewed skeptically, "If Windclan is around why havent we scented them. Vixenfang, I believe you know something that the rest of us do not." "But they come from a different place than you would have expected." "In other words Windclan is being made again. Isn't it?" Wolfclaw turned to Crowfrost, alarmed. Were all she-cats this quick to figure things out? And did they haveto be so testy all the time? Why couldn't they both calm down? For StarClan's sake, this wasn't the end of the forest! "That would require the presence of all clans in WindClan in order for it to have a chance. Maybe even some loner blood if they can handle Clan life..." The ShadowClan warrior trailed off, understanding starting to seep in to his mind. Now he knew why Vixenfang had come to Snakerocks. If she was working for WindClan, ShadowClan blood needed to be recruited. It was just bad luck that had her talking to the very cats she had fought this morning. On the bright side, you couldn't find a nicer ShadowClanner than Wolfclaw. For a split second, a mouse-length of time, his eyes villed with visions of the moor. He had seen the territory by night at each Gathering. He was often caught staring at it, wondering if he would ever set paw there. He had been so excited when Willowstar first claimed to fight for the open land. He wanted to tour the land himself, maybe finally get a chance to taste rabbit. He was pulled back to reality when his best friend voiced her own opinions. "What ever is happening. I will not be leaving my clan... What ever you decide to do is your own choice, however I don't see a whole lot of cats wanting WindClan around. A war will start. Everyone wants that territory." "War's already started. And not everyone wants the moor. ThunderClan stayed out of it. It was just Willowstar's aggression that drove her to attack at Snakerocks instead of keeping her promise about fighting RiverClan-" Wolfclaw paused again. RiverClan. There was the other problem. They wanted the free land as well, so wouldn't it make sense to recruit there too? "Speaking of which," he continued, turning to Vixenfang, "How many cats have you talked to about this? WindClan returning and all?" This certainly was turning out to be interesting... Word Count: 468 Audience: Crowfrost/Vixenfang Comments: I think everyone is figuring stuff out far quicker than their character ought to, especially Wolfclaw. But I think it's probably for the best, since the Gathering's started and everything...

[{Otter}]

((Oh, I agree with you ^.^))

"What ever is happening. I will not be leaving my clan... What ever you decide to do is your own choice, however I don't see a whole lot of cats wanting WindClan around. A war will start. Everyone wants that territory."

Vixenfang's ears flattened slightly at Crowfrost's sudden outburst, and she was opening her mouth to reply that there were quite a few cats who wanted WindClan around (including Elkstar), when Wolfclaw spoke.

"War's already started. And not everyone wants the moor. ThunderClan stayed out of it. It was just Willowstar's aggression that drove her to attack at Snakerocks instead of keeping her promise about fighting RiverClan-"

What he said was very, very true. Fighting would occur no matter what, but perhaps the arrival of WindClan could stem the flow of blood. That, at least, was what StarClan had seemed to think. StarClan. Should she tell them about her trip to the Moonstone? They might not believe her, but it was worth a shot. She didn't want them to go off and blabber to Willowstar.

But then...Wolfclaw's question sent Vixenfang's eyes to narrowing. "How many cats have joined me will be discovered in time," she mewed, gaze sweeping from Wolfclaw to Crowfrost. If they were going to go and tell their leader about her, she certainly wouldn't give them any other names to give Willowstar. "You have expressed your intentions--you will not join WindClan. We have nothing more to speak about, except this; I know the odds are against me. I do not hold false illusions about how easy or nice this will be. But I went to the Moonstone and spoke to StarClan. Brokenstar of ShadowClan, in fact. He encouraged me to try and rebuild WindClan." She shook her head and gazed over their shoulders, into ShadowClan territory. "ShadowClanners joining would make everything much easier. If you are willing, answer me this: would Willowstar be less willing to attack if there were members of her Clan among us, or would she count them as traitors and attack all the more readily?"

It was a big question. Vixenfang had no sympathies for ShadowClan cats, and truly did not want them in her new Clan. But she knew she couldn't reject any who wanted to join, and Brokenstar had told her not to ignore his own Clan. But...if Willowstar would only attack more eagerly if there were ShadowClan traitors among them, then certainly that would give her an excuse to not allow ShadowClan to join. It was worth a shot, perhaps.