Just an Excursion [closed]

Tigerpaw didn't look back when she crossed the Thunderpath, feeling the breath of a monster as it just barely missed her. She felt the thrill of excitement when the idea that she was on WindClan territory struck her. She had been very bored, and she hated her dumb training, especially now that her stern and strict father had taken over as her mentor. And precious Viperpaw was always so perfect, too. And to top it all off, her siblings were just about to be warriors and she was nowhere near that. She kicked a pebble as she trotted along, further into the moorland territory. It was the middle of the night. Tigerpaw was lucky to have gotten out of camp without her overbearing father noticing and tracking her down, especially since that new rule about no one leaving camp was in place. She laughed to herself and continued her lovely stroll, thinking that no WindClan cat would be out at night.

Kestrelstorm. He was out and alone again. He was stretching his paws, speeding through the moors like a flash. He was minding his own business when a wretched stank hit his nose that stopped him cold. ShadowClan. Two intruders in a few days? Kestrelstorm made a silent note to tell Ashwing to step up border patrols in the future as he slowed to a trot. Lifting his nose, he followed the trail, claws unsheathed and muscels bunched and ready to pounce.

There they were. A younger cat, and a she-cat. Just trot-trot-trotting along. With a growl, he lept, claws digging in to the intruder.

Kestrelstorm used Run-And-Tackle costing 16 damage and 10 stamina.

Kestrelstorm:
35/45
120/120

Tigerpaw:
20/20
64/80

OoC: He won't attack more unless she fights back.

The surprise was horrible, and the pain even worse so. The tabby let out an echoing shriek, the loudest she'd ever been in her life. He came out of almost nowhere, a young-ish tom with a fire in his eyes like she'd never seen before and a brutual strength behind his blows. She struggled, slashing and hissing and biting, but she'd forgotten her training entirely in the sudden wave of fear. "Please don't!" Tigerpaw cried out, fearing for her own safety. She hadn't planned this out so well. "I give in!" That was rather pathetic. But then again, she was far too small to have ever had any real chance at winning.

Immediately, Kestrelstorm released. It would be cruel to keep attacking a small apprentice, and it was against the Warrior Code. Slowly, the tall tom backed up and licked his muzzle where a few drops of blood had been. He sheathed his claws to show the apprentice could relax. And it was then that Kestrelstorm actually looked at the ShadowClan cat.

She was so beautiful. She was tiny, but her pelt was striped like a tiger's. Her eyes were so green. Her ears so soft. Everything he never felt for Sablestar rushed through him and he almost stumbled from the weight. This... what was this? What was wrong with him.

Determined to not show weakness, he straightened up, towering over the she-cat. What should he do? Scare her off? Help her first? Talk to her? The last option was what his heart was screaming to do. So... he did.

"What are you doing here?" he asked suddenly, returning to the realization that she was in fact, a ShadowClan cat. There could be more around, and his nose was too filled with the scent of blood and this cat to tell. The wind whipped around them and he swayed with the breeze.

She pulled away almost immediately. She shouldn't have expected any less, really, but what did a dumb apprentice really know? Tigerpaw first tended to her own wounds, ignoring his question as she licked away the blood from the clawmarks. It stung, but it wasn't nearly as bad as when his claws were digging through her. It wasn't until she finished and looked up at him that she realized just how tall he was. Great StarClan, he's like a tree! Tigerpaw thought, straining her neck just to make eye contact with him. She was fortunate that he was feeling so merciful. It was so... kind of him. She thought that all outsiders were evil and mean, but he was not.

The tabby shrank back when he towered over her, but then shook out her pelt and stood as tall as she could manage in a faux display of courage. She couldn't help but be distracted by the way the moon shone on his pelt. "I was... I'm just out. I was looking for prey. And it ran over here but now I can't find it." That was a decent excuse, wasn't it? But she couldn't focus on her excuse enough to deliver it convincingly. Tigerpaw was caught by his sharp amber eyes.

Kestrelstorm didn't believe her. Why would she hunt on WindClan's territory? A ShadowClan cat would be no good at catching a rabbit. With a disbelieving look on his face, he sat down, curling his tail around his paws. His grey tail tip flicked in the moonlight. "What is your name?" he asked, stalling for time. He didn't want to let her go, and he didn't know why. Slowly, he licked his paw and drew it over his ear while keeping one eye on the apprentice. He was no longer afraid she could really do anything. He could easily chase and take her down if she bolted further into the territory. Like catching a rabbit. he thought morbidly to himself with an inward chuckle.

Tigerpaw's fur ruffled in annoyance. Was he even taking her seriously? She was used to that, of course, but only by her clanmates. She rebelliously took a seat on the hard ground, as if signaling that she wasn't about to go anywhere. Almost like a bit of a rebellion, though it was small and meaningless. "I'm Tigerpaw." She answered grudgingly, feeling an odd need to answer anything he asked of her. Then she added hastily, "But soon I'll be named something else. I'll be a warrior in no time at all. I mean it. So who are you?" She didn't like being the topic of the conversation, so she turned it back on him. She was mildly interested in knowing more about him, though she didn't know why. It wasn't like he was anything special. Just the tallest tom she'd ever seen, with the most striking eyes and fur that looked as soft and warm as a nest back in the nursery...

Kestrelstorm purred at the little cat. Such a feisty thing for something so small. And Tigerpaw... the name sounded familiar. He knew he had heard it at a Gathering before. Wasn't that, Leopardfang's daughter? Kestrelstorm didn't really doubt it, considering how strikingly similar their pelts were. Such... a nice pelt. "Oh, my name." Kestrelstorm said abruptly once she asked. "It is Kestrelstorm. I was named after my ambition, fierceness, speed, and unpredictability." he said slightly cockily. He was quite proud of his name for multiple reasons, and he felt the need to impress the ShadowClan cat. "And aren't you a little small to be a warrior yet?" he teased, relaxing. It... felt nice.

"So maybe I am small. What of it? You just won't see me coming when I get you one day." She responded with a hint of a playful snarl in her voice. Tigerpaw hopped to her paws and crouched a bit, her tail lashing from side to side and a front paw swiping at the air in Kestrelstorm's direction. She rather liked his name. It did sound pretty strong and ambitious, just like he seemed. "I'll trip you up and send you into the Thunderpath if you're not careful." The small she-cat looked up into the sky and realized that she had been out for too long. "Oh, it's been too long. My father will have my pelt if he knows I've left camp alone! Do... would you mind walking me back to the border?" She asked quietly, suddenly aware that she wasn't sure where she was. Besides, she didn't want to leave his company yet. He was intriguing and kind and very, very handsome.

Kestrelstormnpurred, flicking his grey ear and tail tip in amusement. "You couldn't reach high enough to push me of you tried!" he taunted while standing. "And I guess, if you're sure you have to go." he said sadly, looking up to the sky. "It's this way." Kestrepstorm began to trot slowly to the border, careful of his speed to Tigerpaw's. "Wait, why are you not allowed out on your own? Can't apprentices leave whenever they want?" The warrior was attempting to stall and make small talk, while being curious at the same time. In WindClan, apprentices were free to leave at any time as long as a cat knew they had left.

"Well, it's a bit of a clan secret, but I guess it doesn't matter. It's not just apprentices. Thrushstar's mad because of the cats that have been betraying ShadowClan, so he's got groups set up for patrols every night and no one, even warriors, can leave camp alone. It was really a challenge getting out. You should count yourself lucky that you even got to meet me." She explained with a purr, perfectly aware that he was walking slowly just for her. It was strange to think that an apprentice could run around without supervision in other clans. Did that make them stronger, to be out defending themselves on their own? Tigerpaw mentally rolled her eyes. "Besides, even if that rule weren't in place, my father doesn't think I'm really capable of being a strong warrior. I'm not sure you'd really get it. Leopardfang's the deputy of all of ShadowClan, and I'm just a little apprentice." She didn't mean to bring family issues up to this stranger, especially when they were her deepest and darkest problems, like how her siblings were always better than her. She went quiet and turned her thoughts to the journey home, hoping she'd answered his question well enough.

Kestrelstorm stopped, stunned. "Holly StarClan," he muttered, shocked at this news. "Thrushstar has gone mad." he said, shaking his head and continuing on. He could use this information against her and her clan, but a voice at the back of his head was telling him not to. The warrior scoffed at her declaration that he wouldn't understand daddy issues. "My father disowned me and said I wasn't good enough to my face at a Gathering." he countered bitterly. "No matter though. He was never a father to me. Falconstar was more of a father than he ever was." he walked in silence for a few pawsteps before he reached the border. "This is your stop." Kestrelstorm said awkwardly, desperately wanting her to stay. There was something about her. Something so... new. Forbidden. Dangerous. Life changing.

"Oh." So here was someone else who really did understand what it was like. Someone who felt the pain of not being good enough. And with Falconstar's death still hanging in the air... "I'm sorry, Kestrelstorm. I didn't know." Was all she could manage to say before they approached the bordering Thunderpath. It was still. No monsters were roaming this late at night. Tigerpaw wanted to say more, but she didn't have anything else to say. No words came to her, just strange feelings she didn't recognize as they swelled in her chest and throat. Looking at her paws, Tigerpaw wondered if what she was about to say was the right thing to do. "Yeah, I guess it is. I don't suppose that we could see each other again sometime, could we?" She glanced up into his eyes, her heart pounding far harder than it ever had. What would he say? Would he laugh at her and send her on her way? The stinging from her wounds had already melted away. She could only feel her fur warming up in embarrassment.

Kestrelstorm decided to lst the talk of fathers go. It was ruining his night, and making him angry. When they pulled up to the Thunderpath, he stared into her eyes as she asked to see him again. Secretly, he was going to ask her this himself, but he didn't know that until right this second. "I would love that." he whispered, Sablestar and his kits not even crossing his mind. "How about tomorrow?" he offered with a shy grin. He didn't even want her to leave anymore. Her eyes shone brighter than the stars and all he wanted to do was bury his muzzle into her fur.

Her eyes widened in half surprise and half joy. "I'd love it too. I'll meet you tomorrow, at sunhigh. Here." Her words were quick and breathless. Giddy excitement was pulsing through her and she could barely manage to keep still. "I'll see you then, Kestrelstorm." She loved saying his name. Tigerpaw backed away reluctantly and then turned to make sure her way across the path was clear. She sprinted away into the dark and disappeared in it, but not before casting a glance back at him with a strange look in her eyes.