|
|
Post by pantherfur on Jul 4, 2008 16:05:48 GMT -5
Ashes had made her home right outside of the clan's boundaries. She had found a fallen hallow tree trunk and made it her home. She's lived there for a while, not bothered by the clan, always hunting away from the borders, yet today, she stepped into their territory to hunt. No cat would notice a mouse or two missing right?
|
|
|
|
Post by ♫.Starredmyst on Jul 4, 2008 17:00:02 GMT -5
OOc;{This kitty's profile isn't COMPLETELY finished yet and stuff, but all the essentials are down on it and I'll have it done by the end of the day tomorrow, so I'm entering him. xD}
A golden pelt flickered between the dead branches of a bush, glittering nearly as much as the snow in the bleak winter sun; despite the black spots that mottled it, the fur was bright against the dull grey backdrop of a winter forest. Leafbare wasn't Aviansun's best hunting season -- the only season he really blended in with the forest was leaf-fall, when young rodents were just big enough to be useful and plentiful enough to be easy-to-catch anyway.
Nonetheless, the young tom had more than made up for his distinctive coloring with control, practice and a little creativity. He now slid silently through the thickest underbrush anywhere around, dark eyes intent on his prey.
That prey was currently crouched a few tail-lengths away, hunting a mouse.
Aviansun had been hunting more typical "food" until a couple minutes ago; he had been doing so for most of the morning, and had a small stash of caught prey hiding under a nearby oak tree.
But then he had scented this cat -- female, unfamiliar, and definitely not Clan. She wasn't far inside the borders -- but as far as Aviansun was concerned, she didn't have to be. She was still out of line. Where a cat was out of line, there was the opportunity for blackmail -- and where there was the opportunity for blackmail, there was the possibility of gain.
So he crept closer -- closer -- staying downwind, silent, hidden --
And, when he was only a few tail-lengths away, he pounced.
He aimed to land directly on the unfamiliar tabby, claws unsheathed; tensed to spring away, or land on the ground if necessary. His voice was low, but loud enough to carry if he had missed; there was a dangerous tone to it.
"Well, well, well. I seem to have caught a trespasser. What were you thinking, pretty one?"
|
|
|
|
Post by pantherfur on Jul 4, 2008 17:30:40 GMT -5
Ashes was caught off guard and pinned to the ground. Instantly she felt the pain of claws in her shoulders which caused her to cry out in pain.
She looked up into the eyes of her attacker. Her heart was pounding, he was quick and she didn't sense him untill the last minute. She struggled under his grip, but it only made the pain worse.
With a hiss she glared up at him. "I was hungry..." She said with a harsh voice. "What's wrong with wanting to eat..."
|
|
|
|
Post by ♫.Starredmyst on Jul 4, 2008 17:50:11 GMT -5
Aviansun didn't look intimidated by the she-cat's defiance; in contrast, his eyes narrowed with amusement, and dug his claws a little deeper into her pelt, hoping to draw blood.
"I'll tell you what's wrong with that," he breathed, dark eyes glittering in the stranger's face. "It's not your food to take. You're killing our kits, taking those mice this late in the year. A thief doesn't deserve to eat -- and if you can't find a different way to get food, you don't deserve to live, darling."
Now he loosened his grip; leaning back a little, enough for the she-cat to breathe something other than his fur, but keeping her securely under his control. "Hmm...I think I could gain quite a bit by handing you over to Patchstar, don't you? He's been quite charming with intruders lately -- he flat-out told us us kill the last ones. The fool warrior who caught them wouldn't kill them, of course...so he'd be all the more happy to see that someone listens to him when you died, wouldn't he?"
He stared off over the trespasser's head, his face a speculative mask. Waiting, though he didn't show it, for the stranger to dissolve in pleas.
Hopefully she's not got too much backbone...I'm not certain which would gain me more; a spy in Twolegplace or a leader's gratitude.
|
|
|
|
Post by pantherfur on Jul 4, 2008 23:59:43 GMT -5
Ashes cried in pain, she could feel the blood coming from the open wounds the claws make. He was so heavy.
His threats ment nothing to her. "Take me to your so called leader. Let him kill me himself." She hissed a plan forming in her head already. "I swear on my own fur I won't run." She didn't have a plan to run. She was a cat of he word. [/color]
|
|
|
|
Post by ♫.Starredmyst on Jul 5, 2008 6:43:17 GMT -5
Ah, so she did have a little spine. A pity; but Aviansun was finding himself strangely amused by this scene...and it wasn't too likely that there were any Clan cats about to show up, so he didn't see the harm in scaring the cat a little further.
Oh, what do I do...I'm not particularly in the mood to have her killed; it'll gain me Patchstar's gratitude, but that lump of fat isn't going to last long anyway. Perhaps if I can push her enough...
"Oh, no, darling, Patchstar wouldn't kill you." The tom chuckled throatily, baring his teeth in a dangerous smile. "He doesn't like blood on his paws. He'd have me do it." He tilted his head, thoughtfully, digging his claws in again. "You seem to think this hurts quite a lot. How do you think it would feel to die...slowly? To have your fur ripped off while other cats held you down, and then be left to die right there? Yes, that would please Patchstar plenty..."
Once again, he loosened his grip, now staring directly into the she-cat's eyes. "But I can be merciful, sweetheart. Seems to me your fur's a small thing to swear on if you're about to lose it, don't you think? Perhaps we can come to...an agreement of sorts, instead."
|
|
|
|
Post by pantherfur on Jul 5, 2008 14:30:02 GMT -5
This cat was evil. She could tell he played with people's minds, but was he telling the truth? Were those clan cats that horrible...?
The claws in her shoulders made her cry again. She had to stay still or he'd make it worse, but she could smell the blood now.
A deal? She didn't want to give in... but it was apparent she'd never win this. "What do you want..." She breathed. [/color]
|
|
|
|
Post by ♫.Starredmyst on Jul 6, 2008 8:23:17 GMT -5
Aviansun smiled.
It wasn't a kind smile; it was the cool, self-satisfied smile of a predator who knows his prey is trapped. Slowly, very carefully, he withdrew his claws and weight from the loner she-cat, moving whisker-length by whisker-length, until he sat on the ground next to where his "catch" lay. Then, very deliberately, he tilted his head and lifted a paw, carefully cleaning the blood off his claws with every sign of enjoyment.
It's not as though she has any idea I think cat blood tastes disgusting.
When he figured he'd sat long enough to heighten the anticipation -- and {assuming she had, ignore from here down if not} to ensure that the pretty little cat was going to live up to her word after all -- he set his paw back on the ground delicately.
"It's not what I want from you, sweetheart. It's what you are willing to do to repay me for that little gift of your life."
He stood up once more, padding up close to the stranger and beginning to circle her slowly. "I think we can start with your name, pretty one. What do they call you, those scoundrels haunting Twolegplace?"
|
|
|
|
Post by pantherfur on Jul 6, 2008 11:46:43 GMT -5
The moment he got off she rolled over onto her hanches. She watched him carefully; Studied his movements and motions. Finaly she sat up.
Her shoulders ached, but she wouldn't let him see that. When that cat spoke again her ears perked. Twolegs? Non-furs he must mean.
She responded with a soft calm yet cold voice. "They called me Ashes." He made it seem like being named by non-furs was a bad thing.
Ashes wasn'r stupid, she knew this cat was no good, but her life was on the line. She had to go with it, but she wasn't going to be used as a tool...[/color]
|
|
|
|
Post by ♫.Starredmyst on Jul 6, 2008 15:17:39 GMT -5
'Called'? Not 'call'? That was interesting. Ah -- perhaps the she-cat thought he was referring to the Twolegs themselves, rather than the street-scum cats that lurked around them?
Which, Aviansun reflected, was even more interesting. The she-cat really didn't smell any more like Twoleg than any other loner living around their dens; her words, however, seemed to imply that she'd lived with them at some point -- and didn't dislike them so much that she would discard the name they'd given her. He stored that thought for later contemplation, and smiled at her.
"Ashes. What a -- fitting -- name, pretty one." The tom leaned closer to her, briefly brushing his cheek against the soft grey fur in a pointed, but casual movement; he knew from personal experience that physical intimidation worked particularly well when the target was a she-cat or smaller than he was. He tilted his head, his smile now dangerously gentle, poised like a mask on his face.
"Let's start over, darling. I've been rather -- aggressive, haven't I?" He rose to his paws and took a half-step back to put a polite distance between them, bowing his head in a slight, half-mocking greeting. "You are Ashes; I am...a loyal IvoryClan warrior. I'm going to respectfully ask you to leave; you, thankful that I have chosen not to, ah, 'introduce' you to my leader, are going to offer the best thing you can think of as repayment...am I wrong?" He swiveled an ear forward eloquently.
|
|
|
|
Post by pantherfur on Jul 6, 2008 16:20:42 GMT -5
She pulled from his touch. No matter how nice he was, at this point she'd never trust any clan-cat. She assumed that they were nicer then the alley-cats around the non-fur nests, but they were just as bad. No good cats who only think of themselves.
But this moment was rare, she thought, possibly some mercy shown in the clan-cat. Yet... the air around him still made her feel uneasy. It felt like a dog staring her down from across the yard. He's chained up, and knows it, so he won't try to get at her... but in his mind... in his mind she's as good as dead...
"Repayment...?" She said calmly, her eyes narrowed, still watching him. It bothered her, his sudden change. "What kind of repayment would I owe a clan-cat?" She said coldly.
[/color]
|
|
