Meeting [Harewhisker's and Lightingclaw's patrols]

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

The sun, hot and high in the sky, beat down on the cats as they trekked over familiar territory. Harewhisker had led his patrol across WindClan's moors at a quick pace. He knew exactly where they were going- he had lived on the moors his whole life and knew them better than anything else- so he didn't waste any time. In almost no time they had reached the edge of the moor and came to the boarder with ShadowClan, the stretch of black stuff known as the Thunderpath.

He waited as the monsters roared past, looking for an opportunity when the traffic stopped long enough for the cats to cross. As soon as a chance opened up, he ran across first. Waiting safely in the grass on the other side, he had made sure each cat crossed safely before turning to face the unknowns of the unfamiliar territory.

Now they stood just inside ShadowClan's territory, the Thunderpath only fox-lengths behind them. Harewhisker tasted the air cautiously, trying to focus on the scents of the land in front of him rather than the strong putrid scent of the Thunderpath behind. "Stay alert," he told the other cats, taking a few steps further into the other Clan's land. "Unless you know ShadowClan territory well, I suggest you be careful." They only had to find the camp, tell the cats that their kits were safe and healing, and they could leave. Simple.

[Sydney]

As soon as they had left the camp, Ospreyfang had calmed down immensely. His non-sense chattering had slowed down into a soft hum as he lagged behind the others, eyes wide and staring at everything. Careful, careful, his mind chided quietly. Don't step on rock, watch out watch out, WATCHOUTWATCHOUT.

It may have seemed a little eerie to others, to watch the black and white cat sway back and forth, humming quietly to himself as he dragged his stomach forward.

Slowly though, as the day dragged on, the Windclan ground turned to harsh rock and, beyond the deadly thunderpath waited Shadowclan territory, a place Ospreyfang was not familiar with.

Shadowclan was a strange place to the tom.

And strange places set him off.

Suddenly, at their arrival to the thunderpath, the tom's mindless chatter came back, and occasionally his head would roll to the side to stare oddly at one of the apprentices.

"Careful, careful caaareefulfulfululul," He chided, the panic in his tone rising as the patrol slowed down as they reached Shadowclan territory.

"Bad bad bad BAD cats, DARK cats, DISEASES, CAREFUL." Quieting himself, the tom lolled his head forward and stared questioningly at Smokepaw. "Hare-Hare-Harwhiskerwhiskerwhisker, smell that?"

[/color]

[Ki]

Confession time: Smokepaw had something in common with Ospreyfang. Strange things unnerved him. Granted, he dealt with it rather differently. Whenever something frightened him or shook him up a bit, Smokepaw went deeper into his ironclad shell. While Ospreyfang chattered and lolled his head, Smokepaw kept his steely dark green eyes ahead and his ears perked. The apprentice had to fight the urge to tell Ospreyfang to shush. Smokepaw didn't know where they were, and it was a possibility that their patrol could be seen as hostile. But the whole point of this patrol was to tell ShadowClan that the two kits were safe and being cared for. Being noticed was the point. At Ospreyfang's words he lifted his muzzle and scented the air. Everything smelled strange. A bitter sour scent, ShadowClan's scent, hung over everything. Mud squished uncomfortably under his paws. Smokepaw was born to run in the moors, not the marshes.

How do they live here?! Smokepaw wondered. Mud caked his paws already, turning his gray fur brown. He stayed silent, as he usually did. Smokepaw attempted to pick out an individual scent and discover how recent it was. There were so many criss-crossing scents however, all different ages, that it was hard to snatch one.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Leading the way purposefully out of camp, Lightningclaw skirted around the camp and made her way over to where the nursery was. She would start here, and hopefully be able to track Alfa to where he was. It shouldn't be too hard; the weather was calm and relatively dry, and the trail wasn't too old. Sure enough, she caught the scent of blood, loner, and Paleflower's kits lingering near the edge of camp where the nursery was closest to. Raising her head, she beckoned Foxfur and Deerfur with her tail. "I've caught his scent. Keep your senses open - we don't want to miss them." Turning on her heel, she loped quickly away from camp, altering her direction whenever the trail began to grow faint. Before long camp was far behind, and the patrol was approaching the border that they shared with WindClan.

Narrowing her eyes, Lightningclaw flicked her emerald gaze around as she padded through the swamp. If Alfa wanted to leave their territory in this direction, he would need to cross the Thunderpath to do it. She wondered if he could truly do that while dragging the kits along with him, and decided to keep her senses alert in case the tom had simply decided to use the scents of the Thunderpath to confuse his trackers. "Spread out, but stay in sight of each other," she warned her patrol. "Alfa might be hiding nearby. I'm not convinced that he could have crossed the Thunderpath with Paleflower's kits in tow."

[spike]

Foxfur was keeping himself right behind Lightningclaw. He had all faith in the young she-cat. Being eight moons her elder, he was used to being in the rear of patrols anyways. She mentioned scenting Alfa near the nursery. He took a whiff for himself and recoiled as if it had been an adder ready to strike. Loner stench was there alright. But it was its mixture with blood that made him jolt back. Shaking his head, the warrior turned and bounded after the she-cat leading them.

His fur was on end to think of what he would do had it been his kits. Sure, Foxfur had never seen them but he was sure that he'd know. "Will do, Lightningclaw," the warrior muttered when she said to keep an eye. If it wasn't bad enough that he had brought the kits so far out of camp, there was a Thunderpath between wherever he was going and here. He just prayed to StarClan that they kept a good eye and watched over the two kits. StarClan knew Paleflower wouldn't be able to handle it otherwise.

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Harewhisker was finding it hard to tell his way around ShadowClan's territory. His nose filled with multiple scents that he wasn't used to smelling on the moor. The dampness and mud was strongest, along with the pungent ShadowClan scent and the Thunderpath he still smelled behind them. He stepped further into the territory, his mouth constantly open to take in scents, trying to make sense of them. He turned his head to look at Ospreyfang, who was chattering away nervously and stuttering his name. "Shhhh. Quiet down." he said under his breath.

The WindClan cat narrowed his eyes and looked around. The land wasn't crowded with trees like ThunderClan but it still wasn't as open as he was used to. Shrubs and occasional trees speckled over the ground and on top of that the earth was wet and sticky. He tried not to let the dampness get to him but he was quickly becoming unhappy at the way the mud felt cold between his toes. The sooner they could get out of here, the better.

He set off, making sure the other cats were following him, to find ShadowClan's camp. He had no idea where it was and hoped they would run into it soon enough, but it would have to be by chance. If they were lucky they would encounter a reasonable ShadowClan cat who would help them to camp and let them deliver their news. Speaking of lucky, he was surprised to catch a glimpse of a light-colored coat. It was probably a ShadowClan cat, although he couldn't tell by scent; the land itself smelled so much of ShadowClan that he couldn't tell if there was a separate cat scent. "Hello?" he called out. "Who is there?"

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Lightningclaw stalked quickly through the territory, following Alfa's trail closer to the Thunderpath. It did indeed appear that he was intending to cross it, but she would remain wary in case it turned out that he was still nearby, or had perhaps returned for some reason. Catching a new scent, the silvery tortoiseshell paused for a moment to try and identify it more clearly. It smelled like WindClan. They were close to the border... had it blown over from the moors? Or had the scrawny little cats decided to pick this of all times to sneak a mouse or two from ShadowClan territory. Sniffing again, the slender warrior realized that the scent was indeed fresh, and definitely nearby. "Stay close," she called quietly to Deerfur and Foxfur. "I smell WindClan cats."

Ghosting quickly towards the smell, Lightningclaw pricked her ears at a wary call from ahead of her. What kind of warrior announces his presence in enemy territory? she wondered to herself. The kind that wants to be found. Did that mean that WindClan had something so important to speak to them about that it couldn't wait for a couple days until they met at Fourtrees to discuss Foxfur's kits? Well, she supposed that she was about to find out. Flicking her tail for her patrol to follow her, she stepped out from behind a stand of reeds and faced the WindClan patrol squarely. "What brings you to ShadowClan territory?" she demanded. There was no need to attack... yet. Hot-blooded as she was, Lightningclaw also recognized that not every problem was to be solved with a fight.

[Ki]

Smokepaw blinked as the ShadowClan patrol came out from behind some reeds. Thank StarClan. The news could be delivered and they could leave. It seemed that Specklestar had sent out a patrol. To look for the kits, he wondered? Smokepaw looked to Harewhisker to explain what was going on. He certainly wasn't going to say anything. Smokepaw was just an apprentice. And strange cats frightened him. It took a good deal of will power to keep from looking intimidated by them. Instead Smokepaw kept that same bored, listless expression on his face. As if the ShadowClan cats were the most unimpressive, dullest cats he'd ever laid his dark green eyes on. When deep down all he wanted to do was turn and run back to the moors, then sit with his beloved Maplepaw and clean the mud off his paws while he told her what the marshes of ShadowClan were like.

Not many WindClan cats have seen this territory before. Smokepaw realized. Cats didn't exactly travel from the moors and over to the marshes for a nice little chat. He made a note to observe everything so that he could tell Maplepaw and Rowanclaw about it. They were the only ones he really talked to. Sure, he had his half-uncle Snaketooth. But somehow the cat just unnerved him to no end.

[Yoko]

ooc: Super late
Bristlepaw kept in step with Smokepaw, not that they were friends or anything, but it was better than pressing close to his mentor like a kit. He felt as if he were on a quest. SOme big important mission to save the Clan rather than just a friendly message to ShadowClan that their kits were safe. He kept super alert even when they were crossing their own territory, and then they crossed the Thunder Path. It was the most exhilerating feeling he had ever had, being young and never having been a battle. The hard black dirt beneath his paws and the acrid scent stnging his nostrils. It was great!

ShadowClan territory was magnificent, and strange. He liked how unalike it was to the WindClan moors, though he had to admit he felt trapped amongst the trees and soft earth. How would they be able to run here? He crouched defensively as they discovered that they were not alone, but copied Smokepaw and straightened up as the ShadowClan Patrol approached. His eyes were wide. He had seen these cats at Gatherings but there were so many ShadowClan cats there he had not bothered to learn names. He kept his paws firmly on the ground and his claws sheathed.

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Harewhisker knew they were lucky to have encountered a patrol so soon after they came to ShadowClan's territory. It would be a lot easier than wandering blindly through the swamps until they stumbled across the camp, and they wouldn't look as clueless in a strange land. Maybe they could even just deliver the message to this patrol and not have to go to their camp. When a young cat emerged from the reeds to face the patrol, the tabby warrior straightened up himself. Reminding himself that he was the lead of this patrol, he looked at the ShadowClan cat respectfully. "Excuse us for coming onto your territory, but we have news that we thought you might want to hear." he paused for a short moment to make sure the other cats of his patrol were quiet. Good, they were letting him speak. "We found two ShadowClan kits injured just outside of our territory. They are under Russetfang's care at the moment, although we have no idea how they got so far away from their camp."

He gave the ShadowClan she-cat a suspicious look. If they had so many cats that they couldn't keep track of them all, or if the kits managed to wander so far away on their own, there was no way they could just hand over Rivermist's kits. It wasn't safe compared to their current home.

[:c a i:]

((I'm late...))

Deerfur kept in step with Lightningclaw, content to pad a pace behind her as they went along. He narrowed his eyes slightly as the scent of WindClan's hills and grassland came wafting over to their patrol, making a strange mix with ShadowClan's natural scent. He decided he would just be there for show. Flash a bit of muscle-power and whatnot. At least he looked the part of eager-beaver patroller, regardless of whether he was actually an energetic, flashy warrior. He faced the WindClan patrol, quickly putting a stern look on his face whilst decidedly letting Lightningclaw talk.

Deerfur attempted to keep his expression neutral, though he couldn't help but curl his lip slightly at the mention of the kits. WindClan had their kits? Was there something suspicious about that? He shifted on his paws, waiting for Lightningclaw to reply to the WindClan cat - Harewhisker, he recognised him as - since she was leading. Hmm. This was not a brilliant thing to have occurred. ShadowClan was trying to gain some kits from WindClan, not lose a pair. Though it didn't happen often, Deerfur was occasionally roused to a more vehement response, and he was sure that if they ran into Alfa, it would be one of those times.

[Sydney]

As the Shadowclan patrol allowed themselves to be known, Ospreyfang found his mind slipping farther and farther away from his control. Eyes wide, the tom pressed his belly to the moist ground, ears pulled back and his mouth open with mindless chittering. "Cats cats cats cats. Bad cats bad cats, strange strange..." Cocking his head lifelessly to the side, the tom allowed his eyes to shift back and forth from inbetween the Shadowclan patrol, sucking in every detail.

They looked nasty.

They were probabaly covered in diseases.

DISEASES! NONONONONO

Shaking his head wildly, the little tom's chattering increased slightly in volume, his claws digging into the ground everytime someone moved.

As Harewhisker mentioned the kits, Ospreyfang nodded, his head bobbing with extreme force.

"Yes yes yeesss, strangestrang-"

Suddenly shutting himself up, the tom frowned, his previous train of thought lost as new things filled his mind. His eyes shifted to Harewhisker for a moment, before shifting back to the Shadowclan cats.

"Diseases, nasty nasty diseasesdiseases, don't touch..."

He had gone back to muttering to himself.

[spike]

Foxfur was quiet as he snuck through the marshes. His long-furred tail kept itself up and out of the marsh since he didn't feel like grooming it when he returned to camp. His nose had been stuck in some bushes, maw parted in hopes of a whiff but he was called by Lightningclaw. Grumbling slightly at the lack of scents, he returned to her side. Deerfur was padding quietly in step with the leader of the group but Foxfur felt that there was more than just walking to this whole thing.

Except when WindClan scent wafted through his senses. If there was anything worse than losing two kits, this must've been it. He felt that he could not fight them completely if they had come to fight since they were Rivermist's family and friends. These were her kits' clanmates. He was almost overly thankful when they announced they found two kits. His only assumption had been Dusk-kit and Tawnykit. The tom also mentioned they were injured.

"Alfa," the tom spat. "Alfa took them pretty far. He hurt them too I bet." He was beginning to despise everything of that loner. The next chance the Clan saw him, he would be lucky to get out with his tail on. If he got out, of course.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Lightningclaw narrowed her eyes with concern at the news that the WindClan warrior had for them. It was, of course, a miracle that the kits were safe in the paws of Clan cats instead of in the dubious care of Alfa. The golden tortoiseshell thanked StarClan that things weren't worse than this. However it did raise questions about how the kits got there, and if the warrior was telling the truth about how WindClan had come to possess the kits. Paleflower and Smokeheart both seemed familiar with the loner, so it wasn't much of a coincidence that he had struck ShadowClan again. But she would be watchful nevertheless... there was no room for error over something like this. Her eyes flicked uneasily over the other warrior in the patrol; he seemed in less than perfect mental health. This was the kind of protection that ShadowClan's kits had to rely on?

Lightningclaw opened her mouth to reply when Foxfur let out a growl. She didn't know whether or not the Clan cats should know about Alfa... but what could it hurt? The sooner some cat caught the rogue, the better. The Clan of the cat mattered little, as long as the thieving tom was captured and taught a lesson. Figuring that it was inevitable that the other cats heard about the loner in any case, she shook her head inwardly and opened her mouth once again to speak. "If what you say is true, then we will accompany you to your camp to make sure that our kits are well. They should be returned to their mother as soon as possible, so if they are fit enough to travel, then we will escort them safely home."

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

He felt his claws extend into the damp earth, digging at the ground to steady his aggravation. Right when they were in the middle of the conversation, Ospreyfang had started babbling out some nonsense and making strange gestures, and eventually ended up muttering to himself. Harewhisker narrowly resisted saying something to the hallucinating tom, something that would probably end up sounding more like a hiss to shut his mouth than a plea to be quiet. This was exactly what he hadn't wanted, for ShadowClan cats to think their Clan consisted of skittish, insane cats. Why had he agreed to bring Ospreyfang along?

To make matters worse, the she-cat insisted on coming to WindClan's camp to see the ShadowClan kits. His eyes lingered on the lead of the patrol, wondering briefly why such a young cat would lead when there were two other older cats, possibly more hiding in the shadows and waiting to ambush if the meeting went wrong. Not to mention one of the cats he recognized as Foxfur, the one who wanted his kits to come live in ShadowClan. But most of his thoughts were screaming accusations of why they would want to be taken back to his camp. Not only would they be coming into an enemy Clan's camp, but StarClan knew what they would think if they saw the three loners there as well. And there was no doubt Foxfur would want to take the opportunity to see his kits and stay even more fixed on wanting them to come to ShadowClan. Common sense would make one think it was right to refuse this ridiculous request, but another part of his mind was running through the possible advantages. They would still be in debt to WindClan, and WindClan could use this to deny Rivermist's kits to ShadowClan. If he refused the request, it would make them look more suspicious and they would probably go back and tell Specklestar about this. It would be better to agree, to show off WindClan's responsibility and ability to cooperate with their present enemy. He knew he would be facing grief from Ravenstar, but hopefully his leader would see his thinking. So much for trying to work his way to getting Ravenstar's attention and get the chance of being deputy someday.

At last he made a decision. "...Alright, if you so need to see we're telling the truth. We will take you to WindClan's camp. But you will leave when Ravenstar says, and that will likely as soon as possible." Without looking back he turned around and started leading the way back to the Thunderpath and toward WindClan land. This was a bad idea.

((Long post is loooong.))