There and Back Again [Sunstrike]

[thicketwhisker]

Thicketwhicker ~ 50 ~ Senior Warrior ~ ShadowClan ~ Tom

With Leafbare finally exiting the lake forest and Newleaf beginning to poke its existence through the trees, hunting was on every-cats mind.  They wanted to get a lot done and stocked before it became too hot to do anything during Sun High.  While hunting patrols were still being sent out, many cats who didn't have apprentices went out to hunt on their own or just for fun.  Thicketwhisker was one of those cats who liked to keep up his skills.

While the large tabby and white tom was a tactical creature, he didn't much like the actual fighting aspect of battling.  He was a gentle and passive cat who liked to plan and think about battles but not actually participate.  As such, his skills were much more honed to hunting - despite his massive build.  But he had a unique way of hunting that wasn't hindered by his frame.  

The tom had backed himself into a space just barely large enough to fit him.  It was covered by a shrub and left him camouflaged in with the plant.  He waited in perfect silence and stillness for a time that would have been unbearable to nearly anyone else.  But sure enough, after enough time had passed, a rather plump mouse made its way in front of his hiding spot.  The creature stopped for only a moment to snatch up a seed but it was a moment too long.  Thicketwhisker leaped from his place and killed the creature with a swift bite.

He had skipped his own breakfast (the tom rarely ate when he first woke) but his stomach started to remind him of its emptiness now that freshkill was dangling from his jaw.  He moved over to the edge of the water and dipped his front paws in just barely.  As a long-haired cat, he didn't love being wet but the cool water was nice on his aging pawpads.  He slipped into a laying position and began to eat the mouse, gazing over the water and wondering what the other Clans were doing at this hour.  He doubted that the other three would be so foolish as to let a fruitful Newleaf go to waste and he assumed many other cats in the forest hunted this day.

Tags// Sunstrike
Comments// Just kind of a general; wherever this ends up is good with me!

[Sunstrike]

 
    A fine, fine newleaf morning indeed. The sun was creeping it's way up, and the light trickling through the dark pines was watery and gentle, not yet the harsh rays of sunhigh. Sunstrike had been surprised to wake and find himself on no morning patrols, other cats had volunteered themselves, and for once he was completely free for the better portion of the morning. This particular day, he decided that regardless of his patrol status, the prey was running wild, and he could nicely hone his hunting skills. You see, the massive orange brute wasn't the stealthiest of cats due to his size. It wasn't to say that he failed at it, he certainly did not, and trusted in his skills to at least bag a few morsels for his clan- however, Ferretcloud was the one who truly shined at that particular aspect of clan life, something he respected his sister greatly for.

    He was not without his skills however. Battle had always ran true in the tom's veins, and he could feel powerful, rope-like muscles with each step. He was a beast to be reckoned with, and knew himself to be a battle feared warrior. Perhaps he was cocky, or thought over all way too highly of himself, but he beamed slightly with this though, and picked up his steps, itching to sink his claws into something. A warrior from another clan, trespassing? A pesky fox or badger, poking their nose too close to camp for his liking? No, no, neither of those things graced the amped up warrior this morning, instead, a lizard sat still as death on the trunk of a mighty pine, focusing intently on an insect skittering up the side. Sunstrike came to an immediate half, freezing up and dropping into a crouch as his briefly inspected his future prey. It was a dark brown little creature, perfectly adapted to blend in to it's environment, unlike the fluffy orange tom stalking it. He was surprised, just slightly, as he observed breakfast sitting so openly. Normally, these sorts of prey items didn't make themselves well known until greenleaf rolled around, more susceptible to the cold than most as it was.

    Sunstrike tensed, drawing himself into position and with a mighty leap launched himself at the trunk. Of course, the lizard had already gone for it's bug, and moments before Sunstrike slammed into the tree, outstretched claws first, the lizard was gone. He hissed his frustration and sank his claws deeper into the bark through his rage. Great. Hunting was just never his strongest suit. He huffed and pushed off the tree, stalking off with an irritated flick of his tail. He was pleased however as the prey dense forest offered him a few other chances along the way, and he was proud of a fat mouse he found snuffling among the pine needles. Curious as to what the lakeside pickings were, he casually strolled towards the shore, not pausing as he caught sight of a familiar tom resting near the edge of the water, resting his paws. He chirped out a greeting as his dropped his mouth and approached his clanmate, "Enjoying yourself Thicketwhisker? I never knew you were part RiverClan."

[thicketwhisker]

Thicketwhicker ~ 50 ~ Senior Warrior ~ ShadowClan ~ Tom

"Enjoying yourself Thicketwhisker? I never knew you were part RiverClan."  Without looking up, Thicketwhisker recognized his friend's voice.  The smell of the fresher mouse that the orange tom had brought with him made its way to the tabby and white, even through he bites he took of his own food.  "And I never knew you had it in you to actually catch yourself a meal."

Thicketwhisker lazily rolled his head over to glance up at his friend, a glimmer of ornery affection in his eyes.  While ten moons and a vastly different colour scheme separated the toms, they were otherwise very nearly the same cat.  They enjoyed the company of each other greatly, both were family oriented and both had dreams of pushing ShadowClan into a new age.  But despite their strong friendship, they also felt a sense of rivalry between them.

Thicketwhsiker always won in a hunting contest but Sunstrikes powerful muscles and preference for fighting over-powered the older tom in a battle.  So Thicketwhsiker couldn't help but tease his Clanmate when he showed up with a meal.  "Did you catch it all by yourself or did your apprentice help you out?"  He laughed softly and flicked his tail, offering a particularity sunny patch beside him to the aptly named warrior.

Tags// Sunstrike
Comments// Sorry it took so long, I totally forgot to check this thread :/

[Sunstrike]

    Sunstrike gave a stretch and a shake, snorting as Thicketwhisker spoke, "And I never knew you had it in you to actually catch yourself a meal." He didn't respond immediately, shooting the tom a half-hearted look of exasperation before his gaze too devolved into affectionate amusement. Thicketwhisker had nearly been perhaps just a few moons short of becoming a warrior when Sunstrike and his sister were born, and had moved into the warriors den sometime around the time he became Sunpaw and took up his own residence in the apprentice den. This hasn't meant much to the toms though, given that he found himself looking up to Thicketwhisker nearly as much as he had looked up to Ravenfrost. Much like himself and his mentor, Thicketwhisker was one of the cats that broke the mold for tradtional ShadowClan values. A clan that once put power before everything else, shunned and harmed their own for personal gains, and warred feverishly with the other three clans, those few toms had different values, wanting ShadowClan to gain it's power through fairer means. Sunstrike wished to see a ShadowClan that was powerful, yes, but powerful through having nurtured it's young into powerful, noble warriors, a ShadowClan that would seek the high road in clan disagreements, though never be viewed as weak or inferior. A ShadowClan that lived by the warrior code through and through.

    This had separated the toms, somewhat, from the rest of the clan. Some viewed Ravenfrost as soft and weak, and those same cats looked to Sunstrike and Thicketwhisker in a similar light, viewing them as cats that would drag the clan to it's end if either ever dared take the mantle of leader, but, what separated them from the fox hearts within ShadowClan drew the pair closer- at least on a base level. Sunstrike viewed Thicketwhisker as an ally, a friend, and a rival. Both toms yearned to one day be the one that lead ShadowClan to it's glory days, a different ShadowClan, an honorable one. This did not, however, put strain on their relationship.

    "Did you catch it all by yourself?" The fiery orange tom gave another incredulous snort as he bent to gather his hard-earned prey. Oh, how grateful he was that Thicketwhisker hadn't been around to watch his failure with the lizard! StarClan was truly merciful this new-leaf day, for he never would have heard the end of that blunder. Moving towards the patch of sunlight offered, he once again released his breakfast and flopped unceremoniously to the lake shore with an undignified huff. He didn't respond immediately, instead taking a chunk from the still warm prey and chewing far too long. "I think you'll be oh-so pleased to hear that I did!" His response was slow and sarcastic, accompanied with a roll of his eyes. "I just tried so hard, Thicketwhisker. Just to make you proud." He cocked his head at the tabby and white tom and grinned a bit of a shit-eating-grin, "You trying your paw at fishing? Don't fall in now, I won't come in after you. It will take me a whole moon to dry off again, and I just can't have that, now can I?" He feigned a long suffering sigh, "And if you drown who will I tease? Firestep?"

[thicketwhisker]

Thicketwhicker ~ 50 ~ Senior Warrior ~ ShadowClan ~ Tom

"I think you'll be oh-so pleased to hear that I did! I just tried so hard, Thicketwhisker. Just to make you proud." Sunstrikes voice was dripping with a playful venom and it was clear that Thicketwhsiker had softly poked a nerve. But the younger tom was takign it in fun and for that Thicketwhsiker was grateful. While he doubted anything at this point could sever their brotherhood, the last thing he wanted now was to loose a close friend. He could feel the stirrings of change in the near future and he wanted to be able to stand strong among cats he trusted. "Well you have succeeded. I am very impressed with your juvenile and thin catch."

Sunstrike had flopped beside him on the shore of the lake but had opted to stay a few pawsteps back from the waters edge. It seemed the orange tom was not as keen to cool his pads in the refreshing water and risk...getting pushed in. "You trying your paw at fishing? Don't fall in now, I won't come in after you. It will take me a whole moon to dry off again, and I just can't have that, now can I?" Almost as if he had developed the power to read minds, Sunstrike mentioned falling in. Ah well, guess he probably would have seen that attack coming. Still, it would have been the Clans biggest laugh of the season to watch the moon-long process of Sunstrike drying off and fluffing out and grooming constantly to get every last fur tuft back in its perfect place. Thicketwhsiker would have been the hero of the Clan for creating such an entertaining spectacle.

There was a pause and Thicketwhsiker thought perhaps the jest was done and they would just eat in silence for a few moments. But Sunstrike spoke up again. "And if you drown who will I tease? Firestep?" This time, his voice was less playful and the older tom knew why. Firestep. It had been moons since the squabble but it was still something that seemed to haunt the orange tom and his mother and sister. Thicketwhsiker had been only a moon into his warriorship and had been in no place to do anything but he remembered being shocked that Firestep had been allowed to stay in the Clan. Perhaps that meant that ShadowClan was moving in a direction that didn't punish so harshly. Still, everycat walked on egg shells around the Elders den which was unfortunate for the other retired cats who weren't so...horrible to be around. But Thicketwhsiker tried to keep the uplifting air to the conversation. "Oh I'd pay to see that. From my comfy seat in StarClan, taking bets on how long before that grumpy old beast unsheathed his claws.". He realized he had no idea what he was doing. Thicketwhsiker had usually been a suave talker with a silver tongue but it seemed like this time he was more interested in eating his own paw. He found a new and miraculous interest in his prey and quieted down to finish off his morning meal.

Tags// Sunstrike
Comments// Sorry it took so long, I totally forgot to check this thread :/

[Sunstrike]

Sunstrike

TURN YOUR FACE TO THE SUN

    Sunstrike dipped his head to take a big bite of her prey before Thicketwhisker spoke, "Well you have succeeded. I am very impressed with your juvenile and thin catch." And he paused to stare at it, frowning. It wasn't juvenile. Well, perhaps a bit scrawny, but he was rather pleased with it. Shrugging his massive orange shoulders, he dropped his head and chomped into the rapidly cooling prey, realizing he didn't care about the size, as his rumbling stomach demanded he eat right now regardless. Besides, he could catch better things if he so pleased.. maybe. At the very least, he had only caught this particular rodent because it had crossed his path, albeit slowly. Unlike his accursed lizard.

    He was about half way done with his mouse when Thicketwhisker responded again. "Oh I'd pay to see that. From my comfy seat in StarClan, taking bets on how long before that grumpy old beast unsheathed his claws." He stopped eating once again and pulled back, staring down at his half finished breakfast thoughtfully. Yes, most of the clan would agree with his friend. Tensions were thick between Sunstrike and his father, and nearly every time they got within striking distance of each other, the air crackled with rage and fur fluffed threateningly. The clan was on edge, waiting for the day it would turn into a blood bath, or lead to the death of one of the two toms. Even more likely, the waited with bated breath for the day that Firestep made a move against Sunstrike behind the scenes, plotting for his downfall, or that of his sister.

    Sunstrike was ready for that day. Regardless of how it ended, it would remove a heavy burden from the warrior's shoulders, whether due to Firestep's death, or his own. He didn't respond right away, opting to instead finish his meal in relative silence and beginning to clean his face and paws. "I'm sure every one would, hell, I'm eager for it too. Get it over with and give me a reason to kill him." His voice was bitter and his gaze dark as he glared at the water. It was a terrible thing to admit. It was against the warrior code, against any moral codes, killing a clan member, killing kin, but if he didn't do it, it would be him, it would be Ferretcloud, it would be cats he loved and respected. It was better that Firestep be ended first. Clearing his throat, he decided to lighten the mood back up, "But honestly, I'd like to see him make a fool of himself, bring that cranky piece of foxdung down a notch or two." He chuckled and gestured wildly with a forepaw. "Maybe we can find a few rotten fish to dump in his nest, or some spiders, or gravel, something." He sounded like a naughty apprentice, planning pranks against his father, though he was indeed many moons older, and having had apprentices of his own now. It was a desperate move to hide his growing unease.

507 words

@thicketwhisker

Whoops this took awhile, I didn't really know where to go with it

ulla

[thicketwhisker]

Thicketwhicker ~ 50 ~ Senior Warrior ~ ShadowClan ~ Tom

The pair sat in silence eating for awhile.  It wasn't an awkward silence by most cats' sense of the word.  The pair were old friends who had spent almost their entire lives being friends.  The least they could do was sit in silence for a few minutes.  But with the topic having been shifted to ShadowClan's own troublemaker and resident pain in the ass, the air around them grew tighter with tension.  "I'm sure every one would, hell, I'm eager for it too. Get it over with and give me a reason to kill him."

Sunstrike had been plagued by his father since before Thicketwhisker and he were close friends.  As long as the pair had known each other, Firestep had loomed behind him.  The tabby and white tom was all to aware of how much damage the elder had done and continued to do.  He lifted his tail and lay it gently across his friend's back in a show of comradery and strength.   Without words, he told his friend that no matter what happened, Thicketwhsiker would stand firmly at his side.

"But honestly, I'd like to see him make a fool of himself, bring that cranky piece of foxdung down a notch or two.  Maybe we can find a few rotten fish to dump in his nest, or some spiders, or gravel, something."  Thicketwhisker let out an unexpected belly laugh.  Despite everything, Sunstrike still had a good soul.  "I am sure Swampstar would approve of two of his older warriors taking revenge like that on an elder."  He shook his head, chuckling softly by now.

He had finished his meal and glanced over to see that his friends' food was gone as well.  He stood up in a stretch, popping his spine as he went.  "Come on.  Lets go catch some food to bring back to the Clan.  Maybe I could give you some pointers along the way."

Tags// Sunstrike
Comments// blargle