Thunderstruck [Stonestar]

[Mo]

The night was overcast. A storm was coming. The air was thick, oppressing and taunting with it's promise of clashing thunder and cutting lightning. The wind riled the trees, shaking the boughs, the dry leaves crinkling against each other, a sound like the laughter of some mad god ready to let lose it's fiery wrath onto the earth. Or so thought Wolf as he moved slowly through the undergrowth. Of course, it wasn't just the weather that had unsettled him. There were other cats somewhere in this forest. A lot of them.

He had stood near the edge of the thunderpath for some time deliberating this issue. The scent marker he had come to was a little old, but he could tell from the older scents underlining it that this was not another loner marking temporary territory. This was a clearly defined boarder that, judging by the number of scents he could distinctively pick out, at least nine cats frequented.

This was a curiosity to Wolf. He had come across cats in groups before, but they were always small. Two mates traveling, or a small band joined together for protection or, in the worst circumstances, to bully smaller groups or individual loners out of the best prey and nests. But none he had come across had numbered more than five or six. The idea of so many cats in one place made Wolf uncomfortable.

Yet he did not want to do the smart thing and turn back. He reasoned to himself that he had just come from a twolegplace where he'd had an altercation with a particularly peevish tom who, when realizing he could not match Wolf on his own, vowed to come with others the next time. The idea of another fight didn't frighten the loner, but it was an inconvenience he didn't want to deal with. Besides, he knew what lay behind him. What lay in front of him was new and full of promise. That mixed with his piqued interest got the better of him. Wolf made the fools choice. He went straight into the unknown and guarded territory.

He moved carefully, his paw steps decisive and precise, gliding him silently forward through the trees. Wolf moved as a wraith; a pale spectral being of the forest. This was his element. He'd always felt more comfortable in the woods. Even moving cautiously as he was, Wolf felt a familiar sense of ease settle upon him, a sense he kept trying to fight. He couldn't feel comfortable here. He had to be vigilant.

Every few strides he paused, raising his nose to the wind and straining his ears. A mouse was foraging among a near by blackberry bush, but Wolf was too on edge to hunt. He left the creature to it's meal, continuing onward, testing the boundaries.

Wolf was near a patch of juniper when he heard the sudden roar. For a moment he thought it was the storm finally breaking until he realized it was the sound of a monster streaking across the thunderpath. The cream-coloured tom scowled. He thought he'd gone further. Shaking his head at his on hesitation, Wolf went to take a step forward when a new scent hit him. A fresh scent. A feline scent.

Hackles prickling, Wolf stood motionless save only his ears, which were swiveling around to pick up any sound. He opened his mouth and tasted the air, cursing the humidity for muddling the scent. His blue eyes strained in the darkness to pinpoint any source of movement, and claws unsheathed.

[ŋ e m]

Stonestar could scent the storm before it came, before it revealed itself to the world below. Rain was a strong, prominent scent, and as heavy as it was, it said nothing more then an oncoming downpour. However, it seemed to hold back for right now, all Stonestar saw was dark clouds consuming the dark sky. As the clouds rolled across one another, in some race the world below would never truly comprehend. Some thought it pathetic, others like Stonestar knew the mysteries were for StarClan.

Light coordinated steps guided the gray male through his tree's, his bushes, his bracken. As he wandered his territory alone, something he rarely performed, he noticed the markers fading. He would have to send a patrol later to renew them, for the last thing Stonestar wanted were invaders. If it came to that, however, Stonestar knew his clan and their strength would triumph.

That was when Stonestar caught a scent- A scent that angered him and scared him a little. It was not one of his clan, nor any. He would have thought that those kittypets and loners would avoid these territories, via the stories that were spread! Stonestar lifted his lips in a hiss, and began to stalk through his land.

There, right next to the Thunderpath, stand a cat Stonestar had never seen. His hackles were raised, and Stonestar showed his own, intimidation always a factor he had possessed. Thunder screamed through the night, pounding in their ears. The storm was coming... And perhaps it was on his side. Who do you think you are, wandering into my territory!? Stonestar hissed violently, enraged.

It was his duty though, to protect his Clan and he would do so. He raised his hackles higher, hissing wildly. Who in the name of StarClan led him here?! How did he find this land? It was home of the fiercest of felines the forest had known!

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[Mo]

Overhead the storm, tired of it's long wait, let loose a roar of thunder, a frustrated beast howling to be let free. It was at that moment that the other cat came into view. It was another tom, his gray fur raised, matching Wolf own bristling pelt. He had, as he'd suspected, made a mistake in venturing into this territory.

"Who do you think you are, wandering into my territory!?

So this was one of the cats who lived here. A quick scan told Wolf that the other tom was alone, and he took a moment to study his opponent. He was large, but didn't look incredibly muscular. This seemed to favor Wolf, but he wasn't going to be fooled by appearance. He knew all too well that even the smallest and most harmless looking of cats could be deadly if they'd had the right training. He would not underestimate the large, furious cat before him.

Running through his options, fighting, flee, etc, Wolf chose his next move carefully. Forcing his hackles to settle, Wolf raised his head in an nonthreatening gesture. He spoke confidently, but not forcefully. "I'm just passing through. I don't want any trouble." This was true. ... Mostly. He didn't want any trouble. His reasons for trespassing... Well, that was confusing even for him. How could he possibly explain it to another?

[ŋ e m]

The loner lowered his hackles and took a more... Subordinate stance. good, Stonestar thought. He should learn his place quickly in the leaders presence. It wasn't that he was full of himself and wanted to be bowed to, but this cat invaded his territory and he would do whatever it took to protect it. He made a mental note to get his patrols out for marking. Obviously it didn't do much the way it is.

If you do not wish trouble, so be it. I will respect that. However, I will not be disrespected- you have crossed onto my clans territory, Stonestar stood tall now, his shoulders rolling, as his blue and green eyes met the strangers. You deliberately ignored our territory markers. They are faint, but there. Why do you do this? Stonestar practically hissed. He was angered, true, but he didn't let him blind himself. He was much better than that.

Now, Stonestar did nothing. He stared at the loner, disappointed he knew what was in the forests and still wandered into his land. and of all the Clans, why this one? The thunderpath? No, cat's tried to avoid it! For StarClan's sake, it had killed dozens. What did this cat want? Who was he? And why did he cross into his land? Stonestar's stormy eyes were like a hurricane now, yet his body showed no signs of his silent, controlled rage.

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