Old Cat, Old Tricks

[Smokeleaf]

ooc: Here's the way I think of it: we could be where we started, running around the forest for no apparent reason, talking about how much we hate each other. Or worse: we could be in this same situation, only with very inactive people. Like every other thread in this website.
bic:

His thoughts were quickly shaken by the snarling from beside him. Ravensoul turned, then flinched as poisonous jaws came much too close to his pelt; but the little cat was injured, and didn't have the energy. Thank you, Flaming Eternal! he thought to himself, but the worst was not over yet. The cat was hissing; not hissing like a cat, but hissing like a serpent, and his slithering minions were now circling the four Pelts, far too close for comfort.
Wait. Four? Ravensoul cursed under his breath when he noticed Smokepaw in on the action, crouching with Jadedtail, tail thrashing anxiously. Why did she have to come? It was bad enough, having the three strongest cats in SootClan here (he didn't mean that Jadedtail was stronger than the toms, only that she was of better rank than most), but now an apprentice was involved, and with constant warfare, young cats were always needed.

Smokepaw shook from fear. The deputy, not understanding? Especially Jadedtail! She was as bright and strong as the toms; all of the she-cats looked up to her! Or, at least, Smokepaw did. She hadn't a clue what to do, but she knew she had to be strong, for the good of her Clan. "Should I go get help?" she offered hastily, but before Jadedtail could answer, it became evident that it was too late. While the little cat was down, he was not unconcious, and was... telling the snakes to encompass them. Smokepaw didn't know how it was possible, but she knew that that's what was happening. She also knew that fleeing was out of the question; one false move, and she was snake-food. They would have to fight this out, or die trying. Only the Flaming Eternal could save them now.

Ravensoul bristled in anticipation. This was not good. They'd have to work together, and he knew Sinistermask would not be pleased. Fighting alongside she-cats was dispicable enough, but he fiercely disliked his sister and his apprentice, and might act brazenly. This could not end well, but they had to try.
"Everyone! Together!" he instructed, centering himself in the clearing. He'd heard a story, once, where the beasts of olden day circled together to protect themselves, but the cunning lion turned them against each other and picked them off, one by one. This could work in reverse, he realized. If they stayed together, stayed loyal, they could win. Forget that they were outnumbered, or that their enemy could kill them in one bite. Teamwork was all they really needed. It was like hunting a one-legged rodent; a mouse divided against itself cannot stand.
They could do this.

ooc: Wow, cheesy humor. I'm really bored. Anyway, I hope that when Fang instructed the serpents to surround us, they actually obeyed, or else that was some major power-playing going on there.

[[[ShAdYCaUStI]]]

ooc;; She'll have to forgive you; the snakes haven't got bios so she's technically powerplaying all of them anyway C= Ok, I can't post right now because I'm supposed to be leaving in a second, but I'm going to save the day by having Phantom come in - yes, the Flaming Eternal pulled through. Sorry that was sarcastic. Anyway, hang in there a while. And Smokeh? - I liked your cheesy humour. >^.^<

[Molten]

(( Nah, I guess its okay.. Wait, can I write bios for snakes, or only cats? ^^' ))

[[[ShAdYCaUStI]]]

ooc;; I vote no bios for snakes. They don't really have ... brains dearie. Kinda like mices or whatever. Ya know?

[[[ShAdYCaUStI]]]

Sinistermask twisted to avoid venomous fangs, trying desperately to sort out how one was expected to fight these nasty adders. The slippery things slithered in and out and did their best to kill him. He sprang back just in time to miss another one of them, and hesitated a moment, panting. Ravensoul had injured the little snake-cat and it lay on the ground, evidently commanding the serpents from his fallen position. They were rallying around him, hissing ominously. He glanced around and then narrowed his eyes a little when he saw Smokepaw. The little she-cat shouldn't be here; she was his apprentice and he was supposed to teach her to fight - but not by thrusting her into a death-trap like this one! He growled in frustration. And what was Jadedtail staring at so brainlessly? What was there off in the distance that had caught her attention and that kept her from fighting alongside her betters? Ravensoul was calling them all together. He would not group together with his all-too-perky sister. But a good warrior - at least, a good SootClan warrior anyway - always did as his leader commanded. If Ravensoul said band together, then band together it was, he supposed. With a longsuffering sigh, He moved back to Ravensoul's side.

The shadow was drawing nearer; whatever it was was approaching them, slowly, silently, stealthily, keeping in the shadows, slinking along like a dark ripple on the landscape. She narrowed her eyes watching it, and then her mind registered that Smokepaw had spoken to her. Go for help... perhaps that would be best; it would get the apprentice out of the way, at any rate. But then she heard Ravensoul's call. No; Ravensoul didn't care about the age of a cat and he would be most displeased with any cat running off just as he called them all together. She shook her head at Smokepaw and padded over to join her mate and her brother.

"No, Smokepaw," she said called wearily over her shoulder. "Join up around Ravensoul; you heard him."

ooc;; Ok I think after another post from Molten I'll bring Phantom in to break things up.

[Smokeleaf]

Smokepaw shook in fear. She had never seen so many skakes before! How could she fight them? She barely knew how to fight cats!
I should be here, she thought. I'm only an apprentice, and a she-cat at that! It was too late now; she was stuck here, and if she tried to run, she'd be killed for sure. Death was not what any cat wanted for their Clan; even Ravensoul and Sinistermask would agree.

Ravensoul crouched down, teeth bared, tongue hissing furiously. He felt the other cats rally around him, forming their own lethal circle within that of their enemy. It would have to work.
Still, the fear within him was almost unbearable. Any second now he'd be shaking just as badly as Smokepaw, and that was foolish, especially in the others' company. He bit his tongue, then spat at the snakes in disgust. He had to cover up his faults; that was his job as leader.
"Well? What's wrong with you?" he jeered. "Come on, let's see what you've got! I didn't come here to lose! I came here to kill a few mousebrains, and that's just what I'm going do!"
He didn't mention that the mousebrains he intended to kill were actual mice with actual mouse brains, but those were minor details.

Smokepaw fought off the urge to glare at her leader. How in the name of the Flaming Eternal was provoking the snakes going to solve anything? Did he have some sort of death wish?

ooc: Weird post. I don't know what to write. Let's hope the snakes don't kill us before Phantom does.

[[[ShAdYCaUStI]]]

Jadedtail wondered vaguely, somewhere in the hazy back of her mind, whether the snakes could even understand Ravensoul's taunts; it didn't really matter. His tone conveyed the message quite clearly. If she were a snake, she would be lunging for his throat right now. Fortunately she wasn't a snake, and the snakes weren't she. She felt the warmth of her clanmates bsside her and wondered briefly how death felt; the searing pain, the fier of poison flooding her veins; and then - nothing. Like sliding underwater, perhaps. She shook off the morbid thought and tried to catch a glimpse of the elusive black shade she had been watching; it had disappeared. She flexed her claws, swished her tail, and pushed away the sudden voice inside her that wondered whether Ravensoul would care if these filthy adders murdered her. She saw the fear in Smokepaw's eyes and felt a stab of regret. The little cat was much too young to face anything as grim as that awful ring of fangs and flat, cold eyes. Too young to face terror or death or the dying screams of cats in agony. She tried to shake away the thoughts of death and shadows.

Sinistermask felt the addrenaline coursing through him as he faced what would mroe than likely be his terrible, ignoble death. Dying in a fight - that was glorious. Going down slashing and tearing and drawing blood - that was beautiful. Falling to the poisonous fangs of nasty little creatures that slid on their ugly flat bellies - that was shameful. He bared his teeth savegely and snarled, laying his ears flat back against his skull. If those adders meant to send him to the Flaming Eternal, he certainly meant to send a few to Snaky Hell on the way out.

ooc;; do you want me to just bring Phantom in now? I was kinda waiting till Molteh posted again, but I can have him pop in whenever you want.

[Smokeleaf]

ooc: Whenever.
... I don't know what to write.
bic:

Smokepaw unsheathed her claws, itching for the fight to end. Had it even begun? she wondered. Sure, there was some fighting when she got there, but it was hardly battle. And this was most certainly not battle. Battle was the searing pain, the slashing claws, the biting teeth. It was not waiting for your opponent to make the first move while standing there like sitting ducks.
This was not right.

Do something! Ravensoul pleaded silently. He didn't want to die, that much was certain, but he didn't have the patience for them to pace and hiss and slither. They were playing mind games, he realized, and he was not prepared to defend himself. Pretty soon he would probably reach up and put himself out of his misery, just to avoid this grueling anticipation. He couldn't stand it! It was agonizing!
Please! Just do something!

[[[ShAdYCaUStI]]]

ooc;; Molten, your snakies better give way before Phantom. I won't PP but if they don't, we'll be right back where we started.

The sun's morning rays did not reflect off the mottled night-shaded pelt. Perhaps it gleamed a little off the white ears - perhaps; but only a little. The silent form was a shade, a phantom, a ghostly menace of evil that slid sinuously with uncanny, almost unnatural grace and agility beneath stunted trees and over the ashen ground of Emberclan's territory. Black paws like velvet, black tail like a following whisper of icy breath behind the shadow-shape. He opened his mouth silently and his black eyes gleamed just the barest bit. The scents were so much at odds with each other; cat-scents and adder-scents... He scented the breeze once more, just to be certain. Yes, adders. The air was ripe with fear and anger. Death would come soon. Death... Except that... Beginnings of ideas stirred like black clouds in the warped, twisted mind. The black ghost drifted closer to the cats below; he could see them there now, circled together, four of them, ringed by snakes. One of the oddest situations he had ever seen - but the Phantom did not stop to contemplate that. He knew no irony, no humour, no interest - not like that, at least. Death was hanging in the air, like a thunderstorm ready to break on the unsuspecting world. Those adders would break their formation if he charged them, most likely. And those cats... He licked his lips at the thought of the sweet, suculent cats upon whom he could feast. The dripping blood, the shrieks of agony, the screams of terror... But then again, he had this ... idea ... this though ... this plot ... swirling and forming, slowly, in his mind. Perhaps he would leave them alive. They could be so useful... He would forego the delights of killing and consuming. There was more purpose now to leaving the cats alive. With that thought, the dark shade flowed swiftly down toward the stalemate. He would break the ring of snakes and then see what happened next.

Jadedtail felt a cold prickled sliding up her spine as her eyes again caught the shadow-form. It was a cat, she could see now, running toward them. Black, it looked, with white ears. What an oddly-coloured cat. Something about it chilled her. It frightened her more than the snakes did. As he drew closer, she shuddered at his cold eyes, so unnaturally black.

Sinistermask suddenly saw what his sister had been watching. That strange-looking cat approaching with such abandon and such unnaturally fluid motions was slightly unnerving. Perhaps it'll get us out of this fix, he thought grimly, looking over at Ravensoul. His eyes had a mad light. He'll do something stupid soon, Sinistermask thought - not that he would ever voice that particular phrase. Stupid wasn't a word any intelligent cat used in the hearing of Sootclan's leader. He glaned over at his apprentice and felt the slightest twinge of annoyance. She shouldn't be here at all, and yet there she was, quivering and trembling, about to die with the rest of them. Everything was wrong today.

[Molten]

(( Short post, but I'm in a hurry... ))

Fang ran away, heart pounding hard inside his chest. Most snakes followed, but the others were distractinig the SootClan cats. He didn't care at all, all he cared about was escaping, eating and feeding his army. The fighting snakes noticed the others were away because they detected the heat that went missing, so they slithered away to follow Fang. They were about to eat.

[Smokeleaf]

Death was something no young one - not cat, not twoleg, not even snake - should have to face. If she could, Smokepaw would make all five Clans get along- even TimberClan. There would be no more battles, no more blood, no more death and caterwauling filling the midnight breeze. Perhaps then, they wouldn't face disaster. Maybe once they were all at peace, the Flaming Eternal would forgive them all and cease the fires and the flood and the famine that overwhelmed them so frequently.
Alas, such were the thoughts of only kits, and Smokepaw quickly pushed them out of her mind. Even still, she could not rid herself of death. It was overwhelming now, and she didn't like the thought. The sour stench filled the air, but in the back of her mind, she knew she must be imagining it. No cat had died; it wasn't possible. Unfortunately, another scent was mingled within it: dried blood.
Smokepaw knew that was real.
For a brief moment, she felt the pelts of her mentor and deputy peel away from her, both looking in the same direction. Ignoring the snakes for a moment, she followed their gaze and in horror, realized a newcomer in the forest. She would call him a loner, but he looked much more like a rogue. She had never met a rogue before; he was mangy and gray with white ears and cold black eyes, like the volcanic stone around their territory. No, no, she reminded herself. Not rogue, loner. He was a loner. She had no reason to suspect anything bad of him.
Even bearing that in mind, she could not focus on their slithering doom. Something much more important had come up.

Ravensoul was the only SootClan cat not to notice their unexpected company. He was still glaring at the adders, willing to fight for his Clan even if he didn't know how. He couldn't die yet anyway; he didn't have a tom-kit to become leader, and if he didn't have a tom-kit, then who would claim the title? Jadedtail? he wondered. The other Clans did that, but a she-cat could not be the SootClan leader. She-cats weren't fit for leadership in any Clan; he wondered why no one else understood. Still, there was no one else to take control, not according to any sort of tradition. He supposed Sinistermask might try for position.
That won't happen! he reminded himself. We'll finish off these mouse-brains once and for all!


x-x-x-x
ooc: Oops late post... hmm... just pretend it ended this way:

bic:
"In shock, Ravensoul took a step back as he watched the snakes slither away, following their limping master as he tore back into the forest. He sighed, relieved. Thank you, Flaming Eternal!"

ooc: or something of the sort.

[Molten]

(( Off to EmberClan I go! ;D ))

[[[ShAdYCaUStI]]]

ooc;; Seriously Molten? --groans inwardly--

bic::
Jadedtail shuddered as the adders all slithered away, waves of relief rolling over her so that she felt she might collapse. A sudden image came to her mind, of Ravensoul supporting her - and then it quickly vanished in a cynical flash of realism. He would be more likely to rake his claws down her side so she would know that collapsing was unacceptable. But those nasty little snakes had left, and taken their wounded, unnaturally serpent-like cat leader with them. The relief might just kill her. Every muscle suddenly ached; she hadn't realized how tense she was until they all released at once. She blinked slowly, feeling exhausted - and the sun wasn't even directly above them yet. This day, she felt, was going to be long. She glanced around and saw the mixtures of relief and worry in the other cats' eyes as well. This black tom that stank of death - he had saved their lives; but who was he? What was he? Her nightmares roiled through her mind again, and she forced her eyes to remain clear, her body to stay still, her fur to lie smooth. She forced herself to remain upright and cool instead of collapsing or fleeing as every instinct screamed for her to do.

The strange little snake-cat was fleeing, helped along by his unnerving battalion of adders; they had broken ranks when the black cat pounded through; turned tail and run - or rather, slithered and, in the cat's case, limped - away. He was glad. He relished a good fight as much as any warrior in the clan, but fighting a death-battle with snakes was something no cat could envision without dread. He was very glad they had left; glad nobody had been hurt. Miraculous, really, that they were all here, alive, unscathed - even that little mousebrained Smokepaw. It would hardly have reflected well on him if she had been hurt. But still - this evil-scented tom unnerved him, with his strangely mottled coat and eery obsidian eyes. How Jadedtail had even noticed him in the first place was a mystery. Weird she-cat; he really, really couldn't stand his sister. Watching the stranger instead of protecting her clan... He shook his head rather disgustedly, but as much as he tried to hide it and ignore it, this cat frightened him. There was something about him - something that chilled Sinistermask to the bone. His whiskers twitched a little, of their own volition, and he quickly forced them to be still. He might be unnerved - even terrified - by this strange tom, but he would not show weakness. He owed that much to his clan, and besides - he was proud. Sinistermask never showed weakness. He would die first.

These cats all smelled of fear. He opened his mouth wide and drank in the scents of their terror, their uncertainty - their warm, living blood. They would be good - fresh, strong meat. Screams and cries and agonized yowls could fill this clearing - and then he would be gone, disappearing through the grey landscape before their blood was cool on the ashy ground. But there was a purpose - there was a reason for this. He would leave them alive - leave them alive a little longer. If this worked - if these vague ideas all matured the way they ought to - there would be much more than these pitiful four cats. Much more than four carcasses lying in a clearing. There would be death, terror, horror, blood - strewn across all of these pathetic little clans. Even their precious Flaming Eternal, or StarClan, or whatever it was they worshiped - even that could not save them from Phantom's ravaging. He licked his ashy-coloured maw, stepping, silent, sinuous, like a smooth spectre of death, toward the she-cat, looking long into those oddly-shaped green eyes. There was something fiery in them, something bright and almost joyful. A sadistic twist of interest tugged in his mind. He would enjoy watching that fire die, killing that cheerfully impetuous look. He would enjoy breaing this cat and then killing her. He turned to the little one now; a sweet little fluffball of a cat. She was a pretty little grey tabby, with an interesting pattern of stripes. All that hardly mattered. She hadn't got the other she-cat's unstoppable look. Her eyes were unusual - blue and rather attractive - and she looked very sweet, though not nearly as interesting as the other cat's. This one would provide some amusement, but not as much. There wasn't as much to stamp out in her. She would probably wither. No matter - her blood would be just as sweet on his tongue, just as sweet spilling out onto the ground. He savoured the moment, his face nearly touching hers, knowing he was terrifying to her.

[Smokeleaf]

"Who are you?"
The words escaped Smokepaw's tongue before she could stop them. She hadn't even been thinking about his name, but with his face so near hers she didn't know what else to do.
She searched his pure black eyes, waiting for an answer, and hardly expecting it to come.

Her question alerted Ravensoul, who spun around to face the newcomer. Why hadn't he realized? He should have noticed when his Clanmates had gone silent, or what had caused the snakes to leave. He'd been so focused on their leader that he didn't have time to worry about anything else. No matter; this cat had clearly saved their lives, and intrigued Ravensoul.
"Yes, who are you?" he prodded. Realizing how rude he must sound, he cleared his throat and proclaimed, "I am Ravensoul, leader of SootClan. This is Sinistermask, Jadedtail, and Smokepaw. What are you doing on our territory?"

Smokepaw was surprised by his nonchalance. He had said too much; even as an apprentice, she knew that any knowledge an enemy had of you could be lethal. Names, clans, ranks; who knew where this rogue - loner she insisted - had come from? He could know everything about them now, and worse, might decide to fight them.
That's when it struck her: Ravensoul didn't sense the same things they did. He didn't see the darkness, or smell the death, or hear the faint beats of this cat's heart. He thought he was encountering a normal loner in the forest, and would easily be chased out of the territory if needed. If their leader had the wool pulled over his eyes, they could all be in danger.

[[[ShAdYCaUStI]]]

Jadedtail stiffened at those sharp, high words from the little apprentice at her side. She had to consciously keep herself from cringing. Don't make any potentially abrasive moves, she chided mentally. If she didn't know her brother would never listen, she might suggest that Sinistermask teach his apprentice a little more in the way of diplomacy and prudence. She could only hope this spectre-rogue would take no offense.

Don't forget to teach the little fluffball to keep her mouth shut, Sinistermask noted silently. If they lived through this awful day, that would be the first lesson he would pound into her head. But then, he could hardly blame her for losing her cool - that creepy black rogue had his face right up by hers and anyone would be unnerved by those cold black eyes and the pall of death that hung about him. Ravensoul's words caught him by surprise - his leader was usually less... gregarious. Even had this been any ordinary loner, it wasn't like their leader to give so much information away straight off. Sinistermask glanced over at Jadedtail and saw that she too was shocked by Ravensoul's imprudent little speech. If nothing else, he thought with a sort of grim humour, nobody can say that today is boring.

The little one's outburst would have made him smile, if he had been the sort of cat that smiled. He wasn't. He allowed himself a soft chuckle, hardly more than a low vibration of his vocal chords in the stillness. It wasn't a mirthful sound; it was an ironic sound, a chillingly cold sound - the sound of one who feels he has those around him safely under his paws. The way another cat might chuckle as it toys with the helpless mouse before devouring it. He knew the effect that soft sound had on the cats around him. These little clan kitties were feeling the novel sensation of their blood flowing like a winter river through their veins. It was a sensation that many cats thought they knew but discovered, just before death cut their thoughts off short, that they didn't. It took someone - something - terrible like Phantom to show them what it truly was, that icy fear that turned their bones to rotting wood and their muscles to shreds of drying grass. Phantom himself did not know the feeling; he did not know fear. What he felt at that moment was the usual hot surge of sadistic delight as he saw the terror in their eyes; that addictive flush of anticipation as he imagined their blood flying free of their bodies.

"Who are you?" Few cats had ever asked that. Some simply didn't live long enough for the words to leave their mouths; others were petrified with terror so that they couldn't have spoken if they had wanted to. Most wasted their breath on other things - who the cat killing them was hardly mattered at the time; they used what few moments they had left in begging for their lives, pleading for the black menace to spare their miserable skins, beseeching him to let them live a moment longer. Most cats who asked only got a cruel gleam of midnight eyes and the taste of sudden death for an answer. But he had already decided not to kill these cats - and besides, something about that oddly courageous question - some sort of pride or anger or stubborn determination to cling to life showing above the terror he knew she felt - something about it intrigued him. The leader's sudden outburst put him in a less congenial frame of mind; it was irritating, if nothing else. Pompous, arrogant, overbearing, belittling words - entirely unnecessary and rather foolish. What sort of cat volutnarily gave out so much information to a total stranger? But he could reply nicely enough; he knew how to be civil to other cats, despite the fact that his preference was to consume them rather than to converse with them.

"Some call me Phantom," he offered, a bland tone in his soft voice. He did his best to take the menacing edge off of it, to remove the hiss, the soft sounds that gave it the terrifyingly evil, sadistic, bloodthirsty quality that could drive his prey mad with fear and horror before he consumed them. Sometimes breaking their minds first was almost as satisfying as the look of shock on their faces as their own life's blood spilled over the ground at their paws. "I have... been searching for your clan for some time." He hadn't given any thought to what he might say; he had thought of a vague idea and acted on it. Now he wondered how they would accept his words, how they might react. What questions would they ask? He didn't really need this subterfuge; he could simply kill them and leave. But there was something intriguing in the idea of leaving these cats alive, in working some subtle web, of spreading his soft poisonous words until he could taste the blood flowing over the whole world. He backed off the little she-cat a bit, sat back on his haunches, studied the cats closely from his fathomless shadowy eyes.

ooc;;
I don't know how the plot works - I mean, I know the plot itself but we had set a date for it and then nothing really happened and so I don't know how much I'm allowed to do with Phantom yet, and has anyone seen our admins lately? How many positions do we need filled still? (Way too many, of course. Gah this sucks.) On the bright side, I LOVE posting with Phantom! He's amazingly.... evil. =3