A Meeting at the Border - Old

<pound3>Whisperpaw slowly opens her eyes to the dim early morning light. She was back in the apprentices' den, as Cobraback had fixed her leg up. She stood up and stretched it out, ignoring the small burst of pain. She walked out of the Apprentice's den, scanning the camp for other cats. Seeing none, she shrugs and walks over to the fresh-kill pile and sniffs around, searching for a nice, fat vole to eat. Finding only a small one, she sighs and picks it up. The small black apprentice then walks over to her favorite spot to eat; underneath an overhand near he front of camp. She settles down in the dip and munches on the vole, keeping her ears pricked for noise.

<Lithestep>Rowanpaw trotted out of the apprentice's den and nodded over to Whisperpaw who was sitting nearby. He went to the freshkill pile and grabbed a shrew for himself; not too big, but not very small. The apprentice padded over to Whisperpaw and crouched down to eat the prey, close enough that they could talk if they wished.

<Warriors-horse>Agatestep marched out of the warriors' den; the expression on her face and the air about her told that she was in the get-things-done mood. The big warrior looked around camp, hoping to form a patrol, but the only other cats awake seemed to be Whisperpaw and Rowanpaw. Padding over to the pair of apprentices, she cleared her throat. "Are you two interested in patrolling after you are finished eating?" she inquired. "We haven't checked the TideClan border in a while, and even with the tremors, I think we need to keep them marked."

<pound3>Whisperpaw nods and finishes up her vole. She tosses over the mangles skeleton and stands up. She sniffs her leg and nods. "Yeah, I'm up for it, Agatestp." She says. Whle waiting for Rowanpaw to finish, she sits down and begins grooming her fluffed-up chest fur. Whisperpaw also begins grooming the rest of her bosy, smoothing down and bits sticking up.

<Lithestep>Rowanpaw nodded his head excitedly as he finished the last bite. He was still cautious around Agatestep after outing her motherly incident to his siblings and then accidentally to his sadistic grandfather. "I'm ready," he mewed, standing once he had buried the remains of the prey. He gave a few licks to his chest fur and swiped a paw over each ear, then looked ahead.

<Warriors-horse>Agatestep gave a nod. Perusing the camp one last time but seeing no other cats, she beckoned with her tail for the two to follow her out. If she had any hard feelings about the incident a few sunrises ago, they did not show. The light-furred she-cat's face was its usual mask of somberness. Agatestep began to head towards the TideClan border, where fresh scent was drifting into their territory on the breeze.

<pound3>Whisperpaw nods and follows Agatestep, parting her jaws to check for TideClan scent. She sets off at a slow run, her ears pricked for noice and her nose set for scent. She checks behind her every once in a while, to make sure Rowanpaw is still following them.

<Lithestep>Rowanpaw followed slowly and quietly. It was always nice to go out into the territory, to feel the sun's warmth rising off the rocks. Checking the Tideclan border brought back mixed feelings of the she-cat Sealpaw he used to visit before she was lost in the falls. A familiar twinge of bitterness twisted his heart, but with the time that had passed he was able to push it away easily enough.

<Warriors-horse>Padding along the border was Shellstar, leader of TideClan, along with a small patrol. She spotted Agatestep and frowned slightly. "Good morning," she called, trying to keep the exhaustion from seeping into her tone. // Agatestep's expression remained unchanged as the TideClan patrol came into view. "Well, well, looks like we have company," she muttered to the two apprentices.

<pound3>Whisperpaw smiles slightyand sits down, licking her paw. "Greetings, Shellstar." She says politely. The small apprentice tries to give Agatestep a silent message saying, "Don't upset them, especially Shellstar." But she never sees the message. Frowning, Whisperpaw goes back to licking her paw and examining the patrol.

<Lithestep>Deepshade's muzzle wrinkled threateningly and a growl was working its way up her throat. She dug her claws into the ground pensively. Rockyclan was not a clan she ever felt comfortable around. Rowanpaw's hackles rose at the sight of the Tideclan patrol. He recognized the deputy, who looked pretty scary. He did his best to look threatening in his own way, bushing out his tail and flexing what muscles he had.

<Warriors-horse>Shellstar flicked her tail at Deepshade, signaling for the she-cat to calm. She knew the deputy didn't like RockyClan, but this was no time to be threatening. It was only a warrior and two others that she knew to be apprentices - not a threat in comparison to their patrol. "Calm your apprentice, Agatestep. We haven't crossed your border, and don't mean to pick a fight. We're only passing by." Agatestep flicked her tail once, raising her chin as if challenging the leader. "We'll see about that, Shellstar." The she-cat could smell the TideClanners' marks along the edges of the tidepools; it didn't seem like they had crossed the territory, but the warrior she-cat wanted to make sure before taking the leader's word for it.

<pound3>Whisperpaw noticed Eowanpaw's actions and rushed over. "Don't be like that. I'm sure they won't start a fight here." She says. "Calm down, okay?" And with that, she turns and goes back to her spot, eyeing the patrol cautiously, even though she knew they were no threat. Shellstar wouldn't let Deepshade start a fight. Not when the second tremor had happened not too long ago. She thought.

<Lithestep>Deepshade straightened and forced herself to breathe calmly, but still eyed the group. She noticed the ruddy apprentice who was Tarpit's grandson and felt bile rose at the thought of the elder. She kept that to herself though. At Agatestep's curt tone she turned her attention back to the she-cat, "What? Do you think we've trespassed?" Her back fur rose at the hint of suspicion. Rowanpaw glanced at Agatestep and remained alert, even at the Tideclan leader's suggestion. The deputy seemed to be very on edge and he felt tense at her aggressive outlook.

<Warriors-horse>Agatestep's tail lashed a few times, and she gave the deputy a stony look. "Not necessarily. Why, have you?" she replied tersely, eyes glinting. // Looking from she-cat to she-cat, Shellstar frowned deeply. "Please, we mustn't start a fight. We haven't trespassed, and nor have you, it seems. There's no reason to bicker..."

<Lithestep>The Tideclan deputy bared her teeth for a moment,"No." Deepshade immediately closed her mouth at her leader's words. She shut her eyes as she calmed herself; any interaction she had with Rockyclan always got tense; it frustrated her that she found it so hard to keep her cool.
Rowanpaw padded about, sniffed the markers, then turned back to Aggy, "I don't smell anything. But maybe I'm missing something. I honestly wouldn't mind giving that Deepshade a few good scratches. He walked back to the patrol and watched the others keenly.

<Warriors-horse>A low growl rumbled in Agatestep's throat, but she calmed herself when Deepshade seemed to back off. Giving the TideClan patrol a stiff nod, she turned away. "Very well. Good day to you," she growled, padding the opposite direction along the border and beckoning for the two apprentices to follow. "Tell me if you scent anything over the borderline," she muttered to Rowanpaw. The tomcat - and many other of the young apprentices - had a better sense of smell than she did nowadays. If only I had a whole nose... maybe I'd be able to scent better as I get older, she thought to herself with a scowl. // Shellstar sighed and padded forwards once more. "I've never liked that warrior, Agatestep. She's always been far to stoic."

<Lithestep>Rowanpaw nodded, shooting one last look back at the Tideclan patrol, "Right." // Deepshade flicked her tail irritably, "I feel the same way. Her clam is admirable yet increasingly frustrating. I would not be surprised if Lionstar made her deputy though." Her nostrils flared at the thought.

<Warriors-horse>As they came to the end of the border, where the mountain began to rise up, she turned back. "Alright, we can head back to camp. It smells like that deputy of theirs was being truthful." She huffed, kneading her claws into the dust. // Shellstar gave a nod of agreement, seeming to be far away in thought. She gestured for the rest of the patrol to go on ahead so that she could speak with Deepshade more privately as they walked. "It worries me that we may have to ally with all four Clans. There's so much tension; I don't know how we'll be able to stand united if everyone is spatting." The tabby leader's shoulders seemed weighted down by the thought. "How in StarClan's name are we supposed to do so?"

<Lithestep>Deepshade let out a ragged breath, "I should have acted better. I am sorry. Rockyclan has riled me ever since the... death of my mate." She looked ahead, thinking over her leader's words, "I would like to think that the clans could work together if we had to. We all want the same basic things: to be safe, to have a good home, to provide for our clans. If any of those wishes are impeded upon by whatever uncertainty is coming our way, the clans will be forced to band together whether we like it or not. I guess I could even work with Rockyclan if I had to, no matter how much I dislike them."

<Warriors-horse>Shellstar placed her tail across Deepshade's shoulders. "I understand." The leader's gaze also turned to the path ahead, and she nodded absently as Deepshade spoke. "I pray what you suggest would prove to be true, if disaster strikes," she murmured. "If Goldrush's warning meant what we believe, we may be in for more trouble than we think."

[End TideClan]

[Meanwhile in RockyClan…]

<Lithestep>Rowanpaw narrowed his eyes, "Come to think of it, I seem to remember seeing her bickering with Tarpit at a past Gathering. I know he rubs everyone the wrong way, but Starclan, if looks could kill, he'd be dead right now." Rowanpaw shivered at the memory.

<Warriors-horse>Agatestep scowled. "If Tarpit is the cause, I wouldn't blame the poor she-cat. He's a whole bush of thorns, if you ask me." A flash of hatred shone in her eyes at the memory of their first spat in the elders' den.

<Laufeiia> Lionstar trudged out of the Healer's Den. Having taken his daily herb batch to speed up the healing of his bruising and cut from the tremor. The golden tom hasn't slept well the past week, and he had a habit of walking around with claws unsheathed. As if to strike down another tremor if it appeared.

<Warriors-horse>Agatestep pushed through the camp entrance, with Rowanpaw in tow. Spotting Lionstar, she made a beeline for the leader and cleared her throat. "Excuse me, Lionstar. We have something to report from our patrol."

<Lithestep>Rowanpaw walked briskly into camp after Agatestep and came upon his father, "Dad!" He waited for Aggy to report. Redfawn met her son and mate in the clearing. Rowanpaw seemed agitated, along with Agatestep who seemed even more so than usual. She hoped wherever they'd been everything was alright.


Sorry if the rp is a little confusing to read. I think you guys are smart enough to be able to get the just of it though.

An old rp and drawing back from July 9th that I'd been meaning to post for a while. I was a bit too impatient to do a full-fledged background on the picture, as you can see. Meh. Coloring's a bit messy, apologies. I wasn't trying to be super careful with it, I guess. *sigh* Like I said. July 9th.

On the left: Shellstar & Deepshade
On the right: Rowanpaw, Agatestep, and Whisperpaw.


Art + Agatestep and Shellstar (c) *Warriors-horse
Rowanpaw, Deepshade (c) *Lithestep
Whisperpaw (c) ~pound3
All other characters in the roleplay (c) respective owners