Pair of Thieves [closed]

When the last of the sunlight disappeared from ThunderClan's camp, Beecloud trotted into the warriors' den, yawning loud and long as the weariness of the hot, sticky day radiated off of his thick pelt. Squeezing through the entrance, he stepped over a few cats who had turned in early and settled into his nest, the soft moss squishing between his pads. He lifted up a corner of the mossy nest and leaned down to pull out a hidden trove of personal belongings from underneath it.

The feathers he had collected over the moons were incredibly varied, the smallest of which being a finch's, the largest being a tail feather from a goose that had flown over his head. He observed them in the low light that peeked through the tightly woven brambles. He couldn't explain his fascination with them, other than their beauty. The many patterns, colors, and shapes of quills were a wonder of the forest. How could birds be so similar, yet so wildly different? Beecloud enjoyed the thrill and intrigue of life's many mysteries. He had no desire to unravel them, rather to observe and revere them. He was well aware of how cats sometimes regarded his many thoughtful strolls and collections as odd, but he couldn't bother to care. There was so much he wanted to see, and too little time to answer their questions.

There were two feathers missing from his collection that he craved to own. Robins eluded him, though they were common birds. It seemed that they always escaped his claws before he could catch them. He wanted nothing more than a bright red feather from the chest of that particular fowl.

The second type was trickier than catching prey. Owls didn't take kindly to warriors grabbing their wings, and they were difficult to find. There was only one reliable source of owls in ThunderClan's territory... and he wasn't keen on going there alone. But, oh, how nice it would be to save a large wing feather from such a terrifying creature...

Luckily, as Beecloud lifted his eyes to peer around the den, he saw a cat who he knew would at least entertain the idea he had. She was mischievous enough to sneak out of camp in the dead of night, and they were fond enough of each other to make a fantastic pair of thieves. It would be a little dangerous, but should anything arise, two cats could take down an owl... right? Beecloud crept to Robinloft's nest and gently nudged her back leg with a six-toed paw, beaming as she lifted her head.

"How do you feel about leaving camp and doing something stupid?" Beecloud whispered softly. "Come on, take a risk with me. Let's steal a feather from the Owl Tree!"

Arriving into camp only moments after dark, the amber and grey warrior padded into camp, a large finch hanging from her jaws. Despite how unbearable the heat can be, there can often be prey running around looking for water, which meant more prey running around, free to be caught. That is how Robinloft was able to leave camp and come back so quickly with a catch.

She approached the fresh-kill pile and dropped the finch on top, spitting out the extra feathers that had fallen off of the bird. What was she to do now? it didn't seem like there was much to do around camp, things were pretty calm. It was almost night, after all. With a sigh and a small shrug she decided it would probably be best to go to sleep. She wasn't exactly tired, but she would never turn down an opportunity to get some good rest. If she was able to wake up early enough, maybe she could go on the dawn patrol.

With that, the she-cat walked into the warrior's den, finding her nest. She walked among the nests, making sure to not step on any stray tails or paws. It was almost surprising how many cats were already settling down to sleep. Usually it was pretty late when she went into her nest, so most cats were asleep by that time. It seemed almost odd to know that cats normally slept this early. She plopped down into the bed of moss, wrapping her tail around her body. Hopefully she could get herself to sleep this early. Forcing her eyes closed, she nuzzled deeper into her nest, trying to fall asleep.


She wasn't sure how long it'd been, but she found herself being nudged awake. Quickly raising her head, she looked around, trying to find who had woken her up. Her eyes rested on Beecloud, or what seemed to be him. She could hardly tell due to the darkness. She was able to confirm it was the large tom when she heard his whisper through the shadows. A risk? Why would he want her to go with him? Wasn't there better cats? It's not as if she was about to argue though, she would never miss a chance to to something fun without someone on her tail telling her not to, especially with Beecloud. They've been friends for a while now, and now Robinloft started to look forward to being put on patrols with him. "Stupid sounds great!" She whispered.

Standing up, she shook off the extra bits of moss that clung to her pelt and followed Beecloud out of the warriors den. "So, we're stealing feathers from the owl tree? Sounds like fun to me!" Despite the fact the she was always following the rules, Robinloft enjoyed sneaking out and causing mischief. It made her feel like an apprentice, sure, but it was fun! Keeping her eyes peeled, she scanned the camp to make sure nobody was awake. It wasn't exactly against the rules for warriors to go out at night, but it was better if nobody caught them.

Beecloud beamed at her response, nodding towards the camp entrance and slipping slowly out into the darkness. He shook out his fluffy coat instinctively against the thick humidity, grimacing at the uncomfortable feeling. ThunderClan's territory was difficult to navigate in the darkness, but he trusted his paws and his nose to guide him as he oriented himself in the minimal light. The warm night did have a few benefits. The young tom lifted his amber eyes to the treeline above him and Robinloft, watching the aimless flickering of fireflies as they spoke in their secret tongue. He nudged the she-cat, motioning her to stop walking. "It's nice here. Let's grab a drink before we go," he murmured.

Beecloud slinked down to the nearest stream, belly scraping the forest floor as he set his six-toed front paws in the trickling water and submerged his entire muzzle. He lapped up water in an almost doglike manner before backing up from the stream and flopping unceremoniously on his side. His eyes flickered between the fireflies above and Robinloft beside him. "Thank you for coming out with me," he said, half-yawning as he stretched his legs out in front of him. "It's beautiful out here... I kind of get why ShadowClan hunts at night. It's better having someone with me." Beecloud's tail swished lazily back and forth, brushing the ground, rustling the ferns nearby. "Feathers are really, really beautiful. I've liked them since I was a kit. They're all so... different. No two birds have the same feather. And I always felt different, so I guess I connected with that. I have this collection, and it's nowhere near done, but I really want an owl feather. They're bigger than anything I've had so far. The owl will be out hunting right now, so we can climb right in and grab a handful... you can get first pick, if you want."

In response to Beecloud, she quickly nodded back and followed him through the camp entrance. Since she had become a warrior it was very rare that she would sneak out and do something stupid, so even just the act of leaving camp made her heartbeat speed up. Glancing around in the darkness, she could barely tell where anything was unless it was right in front of her. It was truly a wonder how Beecloud knew the way so well. Then again, Robinloft had only been to the Owl tree but a few times, and she didn't know the path that well.

As they continued on she soon noticed Beecloud's gaze drift up to the trees, and her's soon followed. What was he looking at? Maybe the fireflies? They were quite mesmerizing, after all, it was almost hard to look away. Her attention was soon broken by a nudge. She looked over to Beecloud as h suggested to get a drink of water. Shifting his gaze behind him, her eyes rested on a stream. It's water almost looked silver in the pale moonlight.

Settling down next to him, she lapped up the cool water beside Becloud. It felt good on her throat and she appreciated how it cooled down her body, especially considering the heat the clans had been facing the past few moons. She then walked over to meet the tom as he laid down on the ground behind her. "Well, i should really be the one thanking you" She sat down beside where Beecloud lay, wrapping her tail around her paws. "It's been quite a while since I've done something like this, it's quite exhilarating, even if it's something as simple as stealing owl feathers." She paused for a moment, allowing Beecloud to continue. "Feathers are pretty, but I've never put effort into collecting them. I guess you're right though, each feather is so unique, and i think it's really cool how you'r collecting them. As for the Owl feathers, i wouldn't ind first pick, but if you really want first pick i wouldn't mind that either."

Beecloud's lips curled sheepishly. Robinloft's wholehearted acceptance and enthusiasm meant much more than she knew. It was easy to write off his collections and antics as odd behavior, this he knew. He spent a lot of time by himself, after all. He was not the most social or excitable tom in the world, and spent so much time in his own head he sometimes missed the things happening around him. Dutiful warriors stayed in the present moment. He tried not to be self-conscious about it. If Oakstar had wanted him to be rigid, he shouldn't have assigned Duskrain to mentor him. Robinloft seemed to recognize that, and respect it. It filled the tom's stomach with fuzziness, and he rose to his paws with a little more spring than when he had sat down. "Let's go," he whispered.

The tom marched forward, the sound of chattering frogs and crickets loud in his tufted ears. He grew more excited as the tree came into view, twisting around to grin excitedly at his companion. When he turned around, he lowered his body to the ground and began to approach the trunk. It was bigger up close, wasn't it? Beecloud frowned, drumming his paws as he tried to think of a plan. He couldn't hear an owl inside. There was no owl in the air. There wasn't even the quiet chirping of owlets. It was by all means a very safe tree... but still.

Beecloud looked to Robinloft. "Okay, I'm climbing it. I'll reach into the hole, grab a pawful, and pass them down to you," he said. The tom shifted his weight onto his back paws and hooked his front claws onto the uneven bark, sinking them into the wood. A twinge of anxiety pulled at his heart. "Erm, if you notice anything shifty, please tell me so we can make a run for it!"

He ascended the tree, one paw after another hoisting him up to the large hole where the owl resided. It smelled like eggs and feathers, along with the putrid smell of the pellets owls often coughed up. Beecloud cringed, his nose wrinkling up, as he stuck both his head and his left foreleg into the hole. He dug around for a few moments, hooking a bit of down and some wing feathers from the nest. His claws ran across the surface of something hard and brittle, which cracked under the pressure. He squinted in the low light and noticed a round white shape, pierced and leaking. Oh, no! An egg!

Meanwhile, in the starry sky above, a large winged creature was flying towards them.

(OOC: will there actually be an owl and battle system used? Or will it just be them running from the owl or something like that. also sorry about ho late this reply is :,0)))


Robinloft sat beside Beecloud for a moment longer, taking in everything around her. How good it felt to be out, she would never have done this on her own. She personally would've been content if the two had stayed there the whole night talking, but they had a mission, so it came as no surprise to her when Beecloud suddenly hopped up. "Alright" Her whisper was barely enough to reach Beecloud's ears, but she knew that the tom heard her response.

Following the tom, she began walking at the same pace as him, making sure to stay on his tail. Despite her love for staying up late, she ironically was no good at navigating in the dark, so Beepaw's tracking and navigation skills were quite impressive to her. Soon enough, she could sense that they had approached a small clearing. They must've arrived at the tree already. She was soon able to confirm that as the space opened up and the moonlight shined through, illuminating the large oak. "Woah..." She couldn't help but let out sounds of awe at the sheer size of the tree. Over all of her time on Thunderclan land, she had never seen the tree up close. She'd never had the need to go there, after all.

Widening her eyes, she looked at Beecloud as he turned to face her and explain the plan. "Alright, seems like a pretty good plan." A smile spread across her face as her heart started beating. Though the chances of an owl were somewhat low, as the bird should be out hunting, she loved the rush she felt from taking risks. Following Beecloud to the base of the tree, she heard a few anxious words come from him. "Oh- of course, i'll keep a look out." Watching Beecloud climb the tree, she followed, but stayed very close to the ground. She wanted to make sure they didn't lose any feathers, so she wanted to be relatively close to Beecloud.

Suddenly, she noticed a shadow pass over her vision. The she-cat didn't often get too afraid when encountering predators, yet terror filled her body when she turned around to look at the silhouette that flew in the sky above. She tried to call up to Beecloud, but no words escaped her throat. Her body was frozen in place, the claws on her forelegs stuck to the bark of the oak. The most important task she was given, she of course failed at executing. In a moment of desperation, she did her best to alert the tom by pulling at his tail with her mouth. After a moment of trying to push out a sound, she was able to stutter out two words, a warning.