Hunting before the Storm

Spiderfang weaved left to avoid a patch of prickly brambles,her long legs pumping madly. She let the air pass over her scent glands in an effort to scent prey. "Stop,"she told Skull,forcing her own legs to a standing position. "I smelled mouse,"she told him,keeping her voice low. "Your call or mine?"she asked him,smiling.

Nightstar practically annoying his warriors, who always drew arguments toward them, had already began creeping behind a tree, the mouse on the other side. The morsel was cornered between a bramble thicket and, the DarkClan leader shot out startling the mouse, but Nightstar was faster yet, he pounced on the mouse and killed it before it could make a sound. "Mine." he meowed, burying the catch.

Spiderfang chuckled. "Nice catch,"she purred at her leader. Suddenly her body stifened,and her ears pricked. "Big rabbit,"she murmured,smiling. She rushed out of the undergrowth,startling the chubby rabbit,who ran for his life. It was over before it started,Spiderfang carrying it's limp body back by the throat.

Sparrowsong had also been hunting. She came across her friends and asked
"Do you wanna hunt together. I already cought a rabbit and a mouse."

"Sure! We need more prey,"Spiderfang murmured,burying her fat rabbit.

Skull had an angry look on his face. I don't take orders from you! He yowled in his mind, glancing at Spiderfang. But then, Nightstar solved the problem by catching the prey. He opened his mouth and drank in the air. The air was so still, as if it was a cat poised at the top of a cliff, ready to jump. His ear twitched. There! He turned around slowly, and then crouched. It was another fat rabbit. A fat rabbit so slow, he almost caught it as fast as Spiderfang on her swift legs. After dropping burying it, he turned around to look at Nightstar. "Have you noticed that all the prey we have caught seems to be very large? Do you think they are preparing for the storm?"

Spiderfang snorted. "It's Greenleaf. The prey's supposed to be fat." She walked past Skull,her tail twitching. She crouched down very low.....A thrush was flying just ahead. She bunched her haunches,her muscles protesting as she sank lower. Then,she leaped upwards like a spring,the thrush barely registering her before she batted it to the ground. It fell several tail lengths from her,and would be hard to get to before it flew away with a loud alarm call.

Skull merely snorted. "I was asking Nightstar, not you, Spiderfang." He then concentrated on the prey around him. The prey was evacuating every heart beat. The storm was coming very fast. He could tell that they wouldn't get back to camp dry. So he hurried up with the hunting, and took care of two mice, and one thrush.

Spiderfang bristled. She stalked into the undergrowth,hissing curses as thorns ripped her ears and bright red blood beaded on her black fur. She pounced on a small mouse,buried it,and continued on. 'Stupid furball,'she grumbled in her mind,her mood seeming to stay in the bad zone. Every time she tryed to lighten the mood,something happened that set her off again. She flexed her claws in and out,secretly hoping a fox or badger would conveniently come along so she could shred it's pelt.

Suddenly, the smell of fox wafted through the area. It didn't smell as horrible as usual, however. Perhaps this fox was far, far away? But Skull was very wrong. He heard it before he smelled it, with his huge ears of the Savanna Cat. "What!" He gasped just before the fox was upon him. It was much closer then he had thought it was; he had just enough time to dodge to the side before it attacked again. And then, to his disbelief, it spoke.

"You will not escape, cat. I am hungry."

"But-but! I have a Clan to serve!" And Skull attempted to divert it. But it didn't work.

"And I'm sure that your prey had a family, too. So is me catching you any different than you catching a mouse?" The fox asked, stepping on Skull's tail. Skull wriggled, but couldn't escape. Unbelievable! The fox could talk, and had asked him a very good question.

"That is why we thank our ancestors before we eat!" Skull snapped.

"And I do the same. If I killed you, then I would also thank my ancestors for your meat." The fox replied, blinking his sly, green eyes.

"What do you mean, 'if'?" Skull spat. The fox didn't answer.

Spiderfang screeched and launched herself onto the fox,clawing furiously. She bit down hard on it's ear and scratched at it's shoulders. "Run!"she screamed at Skull.

The fox, quite large for a fox, clenched his teeth, and dug his claws harder into Skull's tail.

"That hurts, you flea-bag!" Skull yowled, thrashing, and then finally breaking loose.

"It's not my fault, this crazy she-cat suddenly attacked me." The fox growled, giving his shoulders a very rough shake. "But I see why she would attack me. I am a fox on her territory."

Skull stood his ground. "I'm not running, Spiderfang! I'll battle him with you!" He growled.

The fox chuckled. "It's useless, kitties. I'm much stronger than both of you. And if I have to, I'll kill both of you and thank my ancestors for your lives!"

Spiderfang snarled,a strange light in her eyes,as she hit ground. Her claws were matted with thick ginger fur and blood,and she launched her paw under the fox's leg,hooking her claws around it. She pulled with all her might,hoping to trip the fox.

The fox was slightly being pulled. "You foolish cats!" He growled. He yanked his back foot foreward, his muscles tensing and then relaxing. "You'll merely get yourselves killed if you keep this up!"

"What are you talking about? We'll shred you to peices!" He yowled, and then leaped under the fox's legs and bit the other foot.

"I am Kanzou of Fire! You cannot defeat me!" Kanzou cried, rocketing off the ground, his flowing tail cutting the air, in hope of shaking these bloody cats off. His feet hit the ground roughly.

"I was taught by Taru of Sand!" He growled, his green eyes gleaming.

Spiderfang hissed,blood oozing from her shoulder. "I'll kill you,"she snarled,leaping for the fox's throat with her long fangs.

Kanzou leap out of the way, and attempted to kick Spiderfang with his flying back limbs, snarling. He hoped to only connect with anything but her head; he would try not to kill her.

Spiderfang went limp in the air and landed with a dull thud among the snowdrops at the foot of a big oak tree. She shrugged off the pain and ignored the lance of pure agony as her shoulder moved. She jumped up,wincing,and lunged for Kanzou's throat again,her desperation breaking through as her fang brushed soft fur.

Kanzou attempted to deflect the she-cat's attack with his paw. His shoulders stung, but not much blood seeped through. And then, he made his mind up.
"You cats aren't just some stinking rogues, are you?" Kanzou asked.

"No, we're not!" Skull spat, launching himself at Kanzou. Kanzou caught Skull paw the paw and flung him down.
"You cats are too worthy for me to kill. I only take the lives of rogues." Kanzou said, licking the blood from his lips. And then, she turned tail, and left.
"I will tell my father that you are worthy enough to ally with!" He barked at the two cats. Wincing, he realized he should get to the healers of his Tribe. He didn't need the scratches and his ear get infected.

Spiderfang limped after him a little bit,but she turned back. Her front legs gave out,and she fell awkwardly to the side,exhaustion and blood loss weighing down on her heavily. "Skull....you okay?"she called weakly,lifting her head slightly to look around. Blood pooled on the ground from her shoulder,but she pretended not to notice.

Skull yowled his anger. His flanks were bleeding, and he felt a bruise on his chin. He couldn't walk on his paw. It was bleeding heavily. "He was holding back, too!" Skull hissed.

"I know....we were beat by a fox,"Spiderfang snarled,pain in her voice. How were we beat? She thought with exhaustion,struggling to get to her paws. "Do you need help?"

Skull looked at Spiderfang, his purple eyes unreadable. This was the first time Spiderfang had ever asked for help. "Not really. I believe I am the most fit to walk, however, even with this paw." He growled in pain. He didn't care if his comment made Spiderfang bristle; at least that would mean she was back to normal.

Spiderfang nodded. "Alright. I might be able to get myself back to camp. Just didn't want anyone hurt." Her amber eyes blazed with agony as her shoulder protested. "Looks like...huff huff...We both need some herbs,eh?"she panted teasingly,sitting up.

Skull chuckled. "You think?" He meowed sarcastically, looking at Spiderfang's bleeding wound. "Hopefully Nightstar will bring that prey back." And then, he wobbled on three paws, attepmting to get back to camp. He spat. "DarkClan is weaker without us!" He hated being injured. And then, the cat jumped off the cliff. The rain started pouring. "Fox-dung, that storm is exactly what we need!"
(The cat jumped off the cliff- An expression I made up. It means the storm finally came.)

Spiderfang nodded and hobbled towards him,trying to keep weight off her injured shoulder. When she reached his side,she was soaking wet and panting. "You can go...back to...camp...I'll get...the prey...."she gasped,ready for the challenge of getting the fresh kill back to camp. She put on a brave face.