The Bloody Gate (Closed)

Yowling. Screaming. Fighting. The scent of blood in the air and the sounds that bodies make when they hit the ground. All of this was what had Bloodpaw racing across his territory with a swiftness that he didn't even know that he possessed. He didn't hear the thudding of bodies until he drew closer. The wooden fence that separated Skyclan from the Twoleg place suddenly came into view when he hopped over enough undergrowth and slid to a stop. The screaming and yowling of battling cats continued. A thud here, a metallic crash as cats hit trash cans there.

"What is happening?" Bloodpaw's hair was standing on end. He had come here ready for a fight, thinking his clan was being attacked. He scented the air, trying his best to get more information than just the overwhelming stench of blood and fear. He didn't scent any Skyclan members... he didn't think. Boom! The fence shuddered from the other side, causing Bloodpaw to startle and spit out of surprise. His back was arched for just a moment until he regained control of himself and dropped into a fighting stance.

Fur was visible beneath the little gap in the fence now. The fur was white, smeared and stained with red and pink. He thought he could see the cat it belonged to breathing, though the breathing was rapid. Bloodpaw didn't know what to do. He crouched and crept closer, though his movements were more uncertain and shaky than he was used to. He put his nose down by the white cat's body and inhaled. They didn't smell at all like Skyclan... but like crowfood. He would have assumed Shadowclan, but there was no definitive clan scent. No smell of swampland either.

"Hey," Bloodpaw spoke softly while still trying to be heard over the ruckus over the fence. "What is going on over there? Can you get up?" He asked the white ball of bloody fur under the tiny gap in the fence. The white mass moved a little bit, but before there was any kind of reply, the fence shuddered again as a force hit it. The white fur disappeared and left a red trail behind it. Bloodpaw backed up a few steps. Was this what clan battles were like? His eyes scanned the tree limbs that hung over the fence... he could climb one and look down onto the chaos he supposed. But did he want to?

Adderpaw wished she'd been born deaf as well as mute. Maybe then she wouldn't have to listen to the constant yammering of her littermates and fellow apprentices. StarClan, it was a wonder they caught anything with that level of volume. She padded away from them, getting as far as possible while staying in camp. She could always just leave, of course, but the sun on her pelt was nice and she wasn't willing to part with that comfort just because of some noise. Besides, she couldn't give the noisemakers the satisfaction of 'winning'. Not unless something more interesting came by, of course.

Well, speak of the devil and he doth appear. Adderpaw spotted her brother running through the forest with a rather alarmed expression on his face. What could possibly be this urgent? Somewhat reluctantly, the thin she-cat slunk out of camp and followed the trail of flattened grass and crushed pinecones that Bloodpaw had left behind in his wake. Within seconds of leaving camp, Adderpaw found out what her brother had been so alarmed about. There was definitely a fight going on, by the sound of it. As she drew closer to the sound, she saw her littermate standing before a large wooden fence- the source of all the racket. She silently crept to his side, tapping him with a paw to get his attention and raising a questioning eyebrow. 'What are you doing?' she mouthed.

So. Creeping up on Bloodpaw... not a good idea when he was tense like this. Bloodpaw felt a tap on his flank after being focused on the chaos on the other side of the fence. He spun with a growl and spat when his eyes took in the form of another cat. His claws flexed out.... but he stopped himself short once he realized it was Adderpaw.

"Oh hi Adderpaw," He practically snarled. "I don't need my heart... that's fine... just keep sneaking up on me." He was angry for a second, but the adrenaline wore off quickly and the effect made him feel giddy. He chuckled at her as his rage fell away. He turned his attention back to the fence and nodded at it. There was some red smeared on the ground just under the gap where the white cat had been.

"There is a huge fight over there. I want to see, do you?" He asked her without waiting for a response. He started climbing the tree and carefully, with practiced Skyclan balance, walked out across the limb to look down on the carnage. His eyes widened.

A white cat corpse here. A bloody mess there. A gray cat and a siamese cat had finally broken away from each other after rolling on the ground, then split off in different directions, hissing and growling the whole way.

"Clanless cats... Could you imagine being like that? No back up... no Starclan... nothing. Just yourself and your own ability to either live or die." He wasn't sure how he felt about the dead cat next to some old... monster feet? That's what it looked like they were.

My voice was the last voice she heard... He thought to himself upon realization that she was indeed a she.

Adderpaw wasn't really surprised at Bloodpaw's reaction: he'd always had a bit of a short temper with her. It was hardly Adderpaw's fault, that was literally the only way she could have gotten his attention. His frankly annoying attitude was not her problem. Plus, his anger was gone as fast as it had came. He was similar to Adderpaw in the way he redirected his attention elsewhere instead of letting himself get angry. Adderpaw could respect that. She looked at the spot under the fence where he was looking, spotting a bright crimson stain. She approached it curiously and sniffed it, noting the harsh metallic scent. It was strong, but not altogether unpleasant. It smelt like fresh-kill. She supposed it kind of was, only... bigger. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Bloodpaw making his way up a tree by the fence. She followed suit, the scent of blood still lingering in her nostrils. She stealthily tiptoed over the branch Bloodpaw was standing on, looking down at the scene before her. Only half-listening to her brother's philosophical questioning, Adderpaw waited until the two Clanless cats were entirely out of sight before suddenly jumping off of the branch onto the battlefield below. With no hesitation, she trotted over to the still white shape by the hole in the fence. It was a cat, there was no doubt about that. A dead one, judging by the blood and the glassy, unblinking eyes. It smelled just like the blood on the other side of the fence, only far stronger. There was no Clan scent on the body to be found, obviously. Completely enraptured, Adderpaw reached out with a white paw and nudged the body. It was odd and limp, it didn't resist as much as a living cat. Did all dead things do this? It was still warm, but quickly getting cooler. Then, a rather troubling thought occured to her: If it smells like fresh-kill, what must it taste like? Thankfully, a sound behind her broke her out of her trance before she could do anything stupid. Right, Bloodpaw was still here. Turning away from the dead body with some effort, she looked back up at her brother. Did he know this cat? He certainly looked a bit spooked. She cocked her head at him questioningly.

His heart dropped when he saw Adderpaw just... go over the edge. He tensed and looked around, searching for any sign that there were more cats in the area. Once he was sure it was clear and they weren't about to get jumped, Bloodpaw leaped down onto the other side of the fence as well. He slinked around, claws out, ready to spring into action at the slightest sign of movement.

"I just wanted to look... not hop over the... naked tree things." He nodded towards the fence. He crept up to the dead cat as well and stared at her. She would have been very beautiful to look at at one point, but now that she was covered in bloody scratches, her fur was a mess, and her eyes were glazed over, it was unnerving, to say the least.

"They just... killed her." He didn't know how he felt about that. Part of him was sad for her, but another part of him wondered why they felt the need to take such extreme measures. Did she deserve it? With a sudden thought, he looked at Adderpaw.

"Do you think you could kill another cat?" He didn't mean physical capability, but mentally and emotionally. He thought under certain circumstances that he could, but it would have to be for a very good reason. He was content to rough someone up and send them home to lick their wounds.