Work And Play

[Shadow Da Smiffster]

Open to three other cats!
_{All I can say,
I shouldn't say....}

The morning air blew softly into the warriors den, rousing the light sleeping she-cat known as the wild one of the clan; the rebellious, unique, and kindhearted Ashpelt. It was a well known fact that her sleep was nearly always shaky, especially in the early morning, and she would often roll around unconsciously. Because of this, the warriors sharing the den with her made her move towards the front, away from their sleeping bodies.

Pfft, and probably also to let my huge body take the bulk of the wind in the mornings. Burr, is it cold, the she-cat thought as she picked herself off her den. She walked out groggily, shaking her thick pelt and sending a wave of fur onto the floor. A purr of amusement rose from her chest as she noticed this, "Spring is certainly in action then," she chuckled. "Though these other mousebrains are lucky they don't have the fur of a lynx."

Ashpelt made her way towards the center of camp, looking around the clearing for any other signs of life....

"What a surprise," she sighed. Not even the deputy was out yet, which Ashpelt found odd. Usually the deputy and leader were awake at the crack of dawn, planning the patrols. "Hm... well, maybe I'll do some organizing this morning," she she-cat mewed to herself as she stretched her back out. It was reasonable, she thought, as Ashpelt was a senior warrior, and more experienced then the average cat around the camp these days. Or, at least she thought so. However, the youngsters had potential, she'd give them that much. "Give ol' Eclipsestar and Dappledsky a break. Now, which unlucky souls get to come with me this morning?"

And of course, just as she finished her sentence, the first unlucky soul came out of the warriors den. "Jadeclaw!" she yowled. The young tom, not expecting someone to be up at this hour, nearly jumped out of his fur before giving Ashpelt a meaningful glare.

"What?" he muttered. "And be quiet, you'll wake up the whole clan."

"Come on patrol with me," she responded, not even acknowledging the second part of his sentence. "I'm going to organize a bit and give our leader and deputy a break. Now then, turn your tail around and go get a few more warriors to come along with us. And hurry it up. I'm itching to get out of camp already!"

Groaning, Jadeclaw turned back around and padded into the warriors den. His eyes narrowed, trying to pinpoint a good selection for the group. Ashpelt was probably doing this as a test as well as just because it was convenient. He was a new warrior, and so she wanted to see how smart he was.

_{Can we take a ride?
Get out of this place,
While we still have time...}

[Possk]

Whiskers twitching slightly, the tomcat opened his mouth, inhaling the musky scents surrounding him. 'Strange..it doesn't smell like my side of the forest,' he mused. He could no longer hear the crashing waves of the river as the water splashed up against the shore, something even a kit as faraway as the nursery could pick up on. Rather, unfamiliar sounds filled his ears. Caws of birds that rarely flew over RiverClan territory; faint scraping of paws as unidentifiable creatures raced on rock. Strange, how very strange. It felt more like ThunderClan territory than anything else; the tomcat could almost sense the sharp electric jolts of hostility radiating from the rival Clan.

"How odd," the brown cat murmured softly, digging his claws deep into the soil. "It certainly brings up fond memories to stand here. Doesn't it?"
"Indeed it does," a quiet voice purred. The tomcat flicked his ears, turning towards the direction of the newcomer. Slinking out from under the cover of the shadows, the new cat jumped nimbly from rock to rock and eventually coming to a stop in front of the tom. The newcomer was rather frail looking, as well as very crude; the tom sniffed in disdain at the hint of crowfood coming off the raggedy warrior. The newcomer took no note of the tom's obvious aversion; instead, he rasped a tongue over his chest and quietly continued speaking.

"The peace between the Clans has become fairly dull," he said. "We become lazy and fat as we wait around for nothing to happen, regardless of the river's affliction. Wouldn't you agree?"
The tom twitched his ears. "Obviously," he replied tartly, taking a seat beside the newcomer. "A kit could have told you as much. But still, it cannot last. The idea of peace is upheld only by good conditions; under these circumstances, cats will be at their breaking point before long."

The newcomer stretched, batting his tail at the tom's face. The tom pulled back quickly, narrowly avoiding being slapped. "You talk as if you do not want to hasten the chances of this possibility," he murmured. Flexing his claws, he stabbed them into the earth, tugging out bits and pieces of grass. "I'm beginning to want to take things into my own paws. Shall we?" While the cat's expression remained as cool and collected as ever, a certain..eagerness seemed to come off him in waves. The tom did not respond; rather, after a moment's pause, his maw broke out into a sinister smirk.

However, at once the dream split apart. The newcomer was engulfed by the shadows again, leaving the tomcat to wake rather abruptly. The tomcat, Ragweed, blinked, heart pounding fiercely inside his chest. It still seemed early in the morning; at least, that was what he could tell from the number of sleeping bodies beside him. So what had caused him to wake up this early?

Ragweed found his answer fairly quickly. The long furred she-cat, Ashpelt, was already up and about outside, and had sent the younger warrior Jadeclaw back into the den. 'My my, a bossy she-cat she's turned out to be,' he thought dully. Ordering his former apprentice about without a care in the world--if she wasn't careful, she'd turn out to be the next deputy, perhaps even the next leader. 'And what a joy that would be. Another incompetent figurehead to replace our current slop.'

"Jadeclaw, may I ask why you are up and about at this time of day?" Ragweed groaned, staggering sleepily to a standing position. He blinked, finding himself subconsciously comparing the young warrior to him. It was strange how different the two cats were; Jadeclaw towered over his former mentor, despite the large gap in age difference. "The dawn patrol won't even be out yet."