Robin and Tiger

Robinpaw crunched through the undergrowth, not really caring whether or not the scared away prey. She just wanted to get away from everyone and everything. I hate being part of a clan! I hate taking orders, I hate learning things I already know from these old fleabags! She gritted her teeth as she caught her pelt on a patch of brambles. She sighed. I may hate it, but I have to stay. After all these cats have done for me I can't leave.

She glared at the stars of Silverpelt. They glittered back cold and lifeless. Robinpaw lay down on comfy patch of grass. She didn't know how her clanmates could see warrior ancestors up there. Even if they did, it wouldn't matter to her. She had no warrior ancestors, only stealing cheating rougues to watch over her.

A dark, striped cat trudged through the muddy undergrowth, picking through brambles and bracken. "I hate this place so, so much..." Tigerblaze grumbled to himself as the trailing branches from lower bushes tugged at his brindled fur and threatened to rip out clumps of it. He was just recently made a warrior, bored of apprentice duties. He knew he could do it... he just didn't feel like going through all those annoying tests. Assessments, they called them? Whatever.

Tigerblaze tore out of a particularly clingy thorn bush, leaving behind a fair amount of brown fur, stained a deep grey by the moonlight. He stared at it for a moment, then sighed and continued on. He would be furless by the time he stopped to hunt or rest or something.

Just up ahead, he scented someone. Well, it was most likely the loud cracking that gave whoever it was away, and he realized that he'd been hearing the noises from a long ways away, just never really paying attention to it. He padded onwards, not caring if Whoever It Was noticed him or not.

Then, he saw her. Lying down on a lush, springy patch of grass, was Robinpaw. He'd never really noticed her before. The red fur on her chest was washed with starlight, turning a shade of grey-ish mahogany. The she-cat's silver-grey pelt was darker, mixing in with the shadows of the trees surrounding her. Her green eyes were bright with annoyance as they reflected the stars up above. She didn't look like she wanted to be disturbed, so naturally, Tigerblaze decided that he would, indeed, disturb her. "Why so serious?" He drawled, padding straight up to her and stretching out beside her.

Robinpaw flicked her ears out of annoyance. Why did he -whoever he was- have to come and disturb her peace? She just wanted to be alone for once. "I was just thinking," she muttered, scooting slightly away from him. She couldn't think of this tom's name, it was hard to remember the name of every single cat.

"Thinking? About what, Robinpaw?" He asked, rolling over onto his back but keeping his hazel gaze fixed on her. Now he was genuinely curious. After a moment of silence, he added, "That is your name, isn't it?" This StarClan-forsaken Clan has way too many cats. It was one of those times where is somewhat okay memory actually came in handy.

Robinpaw glared back at the tom. "Stuff," she muttered. She didn't dare tell him ow she felt about clan life, they would think that she was unloyal. If they thought that then she might never become a warrior which meant replacing stale bedding and gathering moss for the rest of her life. "Yeah, it's Robinpaw. What's your name anyway?" She asked offhandedly.

"C'mon, you can tell me. I promise I won't tell another soul." He meowed, waving off her question with a flick of his tail like a fly buzzing around his ears. He met her emerald glare with his unwavering hazel stare, willing her to tell him. "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?" He whined, nudging her with his shoulder.

Robinpaw narrowed her eyes menacingly, "No, and stop bothering me about it." And with that she got up and proceeded to go somewhere annoying-tom-free.

Tigerblaze leapt to his paws as soon as she did. He was determined to follow her until she gave in to him. Padding quickly up to her and matching his pace with her brisk one, he watched her with a glint in his eyes. "Why can't you tell me? I told you, I won't tell anyone. Even if they threaten to send me to the dark forest." He mewed, suppressing a grin. Come on, was he that hard to trust?

Robinpaw growled threateningly, "How am I supposed to trust you, you're part of them!Just please leave me alone!" Her tone suddenly turned soft "Besides, you wouldn't understand anyway." Her emerald optics swept over him. He didn't know just how much she wanted someone to confide in.

For the first time in his life, the tabby tom was lost for words. Who's them? He stopped short in his tracks and stared at her, his mouth half-open in a soundless gape, as if he were stuck in the middle of saying something that he didn't want to finish.

Tigerblaze shook his head to clear up the fog that seemed to envelope his mind, then padded silently up to Robinpaw. "You can trust me." He mewed quietly, unsure of why he said that. Maybe he just felt sympathy for the grey she-cat. That was probably it.

Robinpaw shrugged away from the tom, "I don't even know your name yet." For some reason, she found herself whispering.

OOC: SHOORTT.

His brindled fur shook with a suppressed purr. "Tigerblaze." He meowed to her. "Now will you tell me?" His eyes twinkled like the stars glittering above as he looked at her, laughter conveying through his eyes.

OOC: ... my muse is having a slow death. XD

OOC: Dont. Let. It. Die. Not yet anyway. X3 I'll be gone for about a week if you didn't already know, so yeah...

Robinpaw didn't know where to start, she had so many things she wanted to say. "Okay, but I'm serious, if you tell anyone, I'll rip your fur off." There was no hint of amusement in her tone. She took a deep breath. "I hate living in a clan. I hate everything about it, all of the cats, the worthless chores, everything. I can't stand living with him." She subconsciously pushed closer to Tigerstrike. "But I can't leave."

Tigerblaze listened as she spoke. Her tone was serious, one that told him that it was definitely not the right time to joke around. It was unlike his personality to not joke at serious times, but something was just willing him not to.

"Oh." He found his mew was breathless, as if he had been running for countless foxlengths. He took a deep breath. "I feel like I don't belong. I remember something from far back, something that tells me I wasn't Clan-born." He found himself leaking his most hidden secrets, unearthing the ones that had been buried deep inside his heart.

"Doesn't anyone find it strange that nobody has records of my parents in this Clan? That I was just... dumped here? With no Clan scent, no kittypet scent, no rogue or loner scent, just the scent of the forest?" He found himself whispering, taking a half-step towards Robinpaw. He had no clue what that had to do with her, but he felt like a weight had been lifted off his heart, one that was as heavy as a boulder. It felt good to finally tell someone of his troubles, but why he chose to tell her specifically, he didn't know. He had never felt any true need to work for his Clan, to hunt for them, to change their bedding.

OOC: *grabs muse* DON'T LEAVE! *flails* And I dunno why I posted all that crap about him. XD

Robinpaw listened carefully to what he had to say, she didn't know how to respond. "That is strange," she mewed thoughtfully. Suddenly her mind flashed back to when she had first some to Thunderclan, bruised and broken. "I remember when I first came to this forest." Hew mew was expressionless, hollow. "I came because I had no where else to go. My mother didn't want me, she tried to kill me." Robinpaw's eyes welled up with tears. "Then, as if he was called Swee-" Robinpaw stopped, "Nevermind."

Tigerblaze blinked, letting her words sink in. He brushed his tail in a comforting, but somewhat awkward gesture across her flank. He wasn't used to that sort of thing, but she looked so upset and lost. "You can tell me." He murmured.

It was then that he realized that he'd been living a lonely life. He had always been lazy, never really doing his apprentice chores, and when he did, it was always poorly done. He always teased others instead of being empathetic, and nobody really cared for him, nor him others. It all came rushing to him, threatening to overwhelm him, like a huge wave was crashing down upon him.

Robinpaw could feel the emotion pouring out of Tigerblaze; it was like a torrent threatening to take her over. She shook her head, overwhelmed. She wanted to tell him everything, but she knew that she couldn't. She moved closer to him and looked deep into his golden eyes. "I had better get back to camp," she murmured. And with that she paded away.

Just as she was nearing camp she heard a sickeningly familar voice beside her.

"Robin... It's good that you left him alone like that." Out of the shadows a lean dark tom approached.

"You know I don't like that tom.." Robinpaw flinched away from his coaxing voice.

"I don't care," she growled. Suddenly the tom was in front of her, blocking her way.

"Oh really?" His voice was sharper than before, but it still maintained an air of calmness. Before Robinpaw knew what was happining sharp, black claws dug into her flesh. She fought the urge to yowl.

"I- I'll never see him again. I swear."

"Good. Now come here." Before Robinpaw had the chance to decline the tom pulled her closer. "Remember Robin, I'll always be watching. And if I see you with that tom again- or any tom..." he kicked her sharply in the jaw. "Someone's gonna get hurt."

OOC: Sweetfur, you little creeper.

Tigerblaze watched the she-cat leave. He shook his broad head. What's going on with me today? He padded silently off after Robinpaw, following the trail of cleared brambles, suddenly too weary to bother to head in another direction.

Suddenly, he heard a menacingly calm voice from further ahead, followed by Robinpaw's muffled response. He darted quickly and quietly behind the tree dividing the three cats, ears pricked to hear what they were saying, before he heard a dull thud and Robinpaw's stifled yowl.

"Robinpaw!" He snarled, unable to stand there any longer. He stood his ground in between the two cats and whipped around to face the tom. His eyes widened as he stared at him.

"... Sweetfur?"

Sweetfur bristled in alarm. Fox dung! Surely he couldn't have been listening the whole time? Sweetfur turned around slowly, careful not to betray his inner turmoil. "Yes Tigerblaze?" His voice was frighteningly quiet, like a calm before the storm.

Tigerblaze fought to keep his tone steady. "What are you two doing?" Maybe he could pretend he hadn't seen anything... a bit late... but maybe. He relaxed his muscles, letting his bristling fur settle and sheathed his claws, although he kept kneading the ground with his paws.

If he sets one single claw on her, I'll shred him.

"We were just talking," Sweefur lied. His eyes seemed to glow red in the pale moonlight. The tension was building, it wasn't long before he began feeling nervous. If this cat tells anyone, I'll be driven out; or worse- killed. I can't let that happen. Sweefur dug his claws into the ground uneasily before finally breaking the silence. "I know what you saw. You can't go back to camp, I won't let you." Suddenly Sweetfur leapt at Tigerblaze, attempting to rip out his throat.

__

Robinpaw watched in horror as Sweetfur assaulted Tigerblaze. All she could manage was a strangled "NO!"

The tabby tom's green eyes widened as Robinpaw's yowl split the heavy atmosphere. Tigerblaze woke up from his daze just as Sweetfur lunged at him, eyes blazing with a mixture of fury and terror. The large tom screeched in fury and ducked, Sweetfur's paw swiping and ripping his ear. It throbbed with pain as blood spilled out of the injury and started to drip slowly into his eye. Swiping at it with his paw to clear his vision, he unsheathed his claws to retaliate and leapt at the lean tom's side with his forepaws outstretched, aiming to flatten him from the top and attack his back.

Tigerblaze hit him hard in the side, knocking the breath out of him. This tom was stronger than he had expected, Perhaps this battle will be a challenge after all. Sweetfur leapt up from the ground, wincing as he noticed the small puddle of blood beneath him. I'm going to have to kill him quick, but that doesn't mean I can have a little fun before I do. The dark tom launched himself at his adversary's ears, attempting to rip them off.

Tigerblaze swallowed another yowl of pain and anger as the dark tom tore at his ears, succeeding to make the bleeding nick deeper, the blood flowing quicker than ever before. He bared his fangs, half in fury and half from his aching, sliced ear. What's wrong with him?!

The large tabby started to run at Sweetfur head on, eyes blazing, intent on his opponent.

Sweetfur stifled a smile as his blow hit head on. "See that Robin!? That's what you get for being unfaithful," he spat. Tigerblaze, green eyes glowing was coming straight for Sweetfur. Nimbly as he could, he leapt out of the way. If that would have hit me, I could have been dead. Now getting tired of toying with his prey, he decided to finish it. Making sure Robin was watching, Sweetfur knelt on the ground as if he had been hurt.