[ti]Private[/ti]Keep Up!

[KingHarry]

Ezi

"Keep up, Fallenpaw. You're falling behind," Blackheart called, looking back for a moment as he led his young apprentice along the border that ran between IvyClan and MothClan territory. He'd originally wanted to go hunting today with Fallenpaw but, thanks to Mothstar and his clan's constant attempt to steal territory, it seemed that the border presence needed to be increased. That was fine, though. There was time to teach hunting skills later on.

"And keep your eyes open," He then instructed. "Ottertuft said that she'd seen a MothClan warrior around here earlier, so we need to make sure that they're gone." With any luck, everything would be fine. If things weren't and they did get into a fight, well, Blackheart would just have to take the lead, wouldn't he? Fallenpaw was only young - it was unlikely that he'd be able to fight off a MothClan warrior on his own.

For a moment, the warrior stopped walking in order to allow the other to catch up properly. Once Fallenpaw was by his side again, he resumed walking. "Are you nervous about what would happen if we did find an enemy warrior?" Blackheart asked, trying to gain an understanding of his apprentice's emotions. He didn't want Fallenpaw to be worried but sometimes when you were young you could not help such feelings, and so it was important that he did what he could to stop them.

[Ezi]

KingHarry

     The sleek boy bounded forwards to catch up to his mentor. Although he was a swift cat, he had been distracted by the strong scents around him. His strikingly patterned spine coiled and uncoiled as he sprang forward, slipping right into place beside his mentor. The urgency in Blackheart's voice surprised the boy, but also excited him, oh how it excited him! If his first real fight happened today, well, it would be amazing! Although Fallenpaw was quiet, he was driven and ambitious, and fighting was something he desperately wanted to improve on. "Yes, of course," he calmly replied, a cool serenity about him. Honestly, he was showing off for his mentor. He was really bubbling over the top with excitement over the simple opportunity of a lesson. Also, within the small amount of time he had known Blackheart, a tiny spark of admiration had started in him for his mentor. The cat seemed loyal to a fault when it came to his clan, which is exactly what Fallenpaw aimed to be. "Have you seen anything? Is there a cat?" The fur on Fallenpaw's neck stuck up with anticipation.

[KingHarry]

"Not yet, but some of these MothClan cats are good at hiding. You have to be alert for them at all times - especially because some of them are former IvyClan cats, and therefore know our tactics." Blackheart responded, carefully watching his apprentice out of the corner of his eye. Whatever happened, he would make sure that Fallenpaw didn't get hurt (or, at least, he didn't get hurt too badly). If his apprentice was permanently injured or, StarClan forbid, died, well, Blackheart wasn't sure he would be able to ever forgive himself for that.

The warrior took in a deep breath through his nose. "The MothClan scent is stronger over here, yet this should be IvyClan territory. Can you smell it too?" He asked, encouraging Fallenpaw to copy his actions. "If there is not one of their warriors nearby now, I'd say there certainly was recently. We'll have to be sure to tell Owlstar about this when we return to camp."

[Ezi]

KingHarry



     Fallenpaw studied his mentor's actions carefully, following him closely. He took a deep breath in, party his jaw a little to truly capture the scent. The scent was quite prominent, and Fallenpaw thought it rather strange, perhaps unfamiliar was a better word. After drawing in the scent, Fallenpaw had quickly become wary. He scrunched his nose into a sneer and pinned his ears against his head. "But there are borders. Why disrespect borders," he inquired softly. His large ears came up from against his head, flicking back and forth in search of a sound to give away any hiding enemies. Although he was slim and light, Fallenpaw was agile, and alert. Realizing that he was falling back searching for more signs of trespassers, he ran quickly up to meet his mentor's side again. He looked up with curious amber eyes, thoughts running quickly through his ever-spinning mind.

[KingHarry]

That was a good question. MothClan cats weren't evil; they were just... Disillusioned with their former clans, Blackheart supposed. The border fights couldn't be because the other clan just wanted to fight - there had to be a real reason behind them.

"From what I've heard, I think it's because they worried about the amount of prey available during leaf-bare." Blackheart responded after a moment. "MothClan's territory is more barren than ours. It's very empty, and there's even a part that's just twoleg carrion - so I think Mothstar is worried about going hungry."

Not that the warrior actually knew MothClan's leader, of course. He'd spoken to him during a gathering or two back when he was still Mothmaw, but that didn't mean that he knew him well. But worries about starvation made sense, right? Especially considering that IvyClan did know that the MothClan cats were hunting on the territory they stole.

"Of course, whatever the case, it isn't acceptable - hence why we have to make sure that we keep a strong presence on the borders." Blackheart then explained. If MothClan grew hungry, they could ask for help. Stealing territory was not something that IvyClan would stand for.

[Ezi]

     Fallenpaw gave a few quick nods as his mentor explained the situation. Starvation was something Fallenpaw, too, had struggled through. As a kit, after losing his mother, he had survived on little-to-no food until he was discovered by patrolling Ivyclan warriors. Fallenpaw wondered silently what life would've been like had he been discovered by another clan... Fallenpaw quickly snapped back to reality.
     "Makes sense though..." Fallenpaw was distracted by the suspense of it all, and didn't have a completely eloquent answer for his mentor. He padded forwards as quietly as possible, but couldn't help brushing a couple of bushes with his tail. The boy continued to test the air for Mothclan scent, his eyes flicking this way and that.
      Fallenpaw crouched lower as the scent became slightly stronger. "Can you smell that? It feels stronger." He slunk quietly alongside Blackheart, hoping desperately that he was doing well.

[Mama]

Yewpaw had detected the cats from a bit away, for she had been trying to time the patrols herself. If Mothclan was to know when the cats went out and came in, it would be a great asset for her clan. The pale white she-cat was crouched along a pile of snow, blending in perfectly. Her scent wouldn't be too much of an issue, the border already was heavily scented of her clan, but if she was able to get her claws on another cat and strike a bit of fear into them... both Sweetbriar and Rosespark would be happy, maybe even Mothstar.

Her advanced training from the living and the dead made her skilled in moves that were often forbidden, but they also made her more strong. Perking her ears up towards the sound of talking, she quickly picked up the shapes of two cats. One was a black and white feline, and the other seemed to be a strange apprentice... If the smaller cat decided to wander away, maybe she could teach him a bit of a lesson.

[M'Lady]

Oh, Sweetbriar adored the fact she and her apprentice blended in with the winter landscape so well. It made sneaking up on the Ivyclan cats so much easier. When the apprentice commented on how the scent was stronger, she had to suppress a laugh. Of course it was! He must be just out of the nursery, if he didn't realize this scent was fresher as well. These cats were trespassing on the newly claimed Mothclan territory, and Sweetbriar wouldn't stand for it! She was incredibly loyal to her leader, the handsome Mothstar, and if he wanted this territory, she'd keep it for him!

Moving her tail slightly, she flicked the flank of her apprentice, alerting her to her decision to attack. She trusted in Yewpaw, the young she-cat was just as skilled in battle moves as Sweetbriar had been at her age. Creeping forward on silent paws, she waited until she was close enough, then tensed her hind legs.

And she leaped!

With her strong muscles projecting her forward, she soared directly over the small Ivyclan apprentice near the snow bank where they had hidden, and towards the tom she knew as Blackheart. She landed close to him with a loud thump, and immediately lunged forward with her claws to catch him by surprise in his side.

[KingHarry]

Blackheart didn't reply to Fallenpaw - looking around nervously instead. Yes, the scent was strong here, but that wasn't a good thing. A stronger scent meant that it was more likely that-

He didn't have time to finish his train of thought. All of a sudden, a giant ball of fur flew through the air and unsheathed claws had connected with his side. Blackheart's instinctual reaction was to jump and hiss. His head swung around to see the MothClan warrior that he recognised as Sweetbriar - a formidable warrior, but one he could possibly hold out against if it was two against one. The real issue would come about if there was another around that would target Fallenpaw in a one-on-one fight, the younger warrior not having had anywhere near enough training to deal with this kind of situation on his own yet.

Facing Sweetbriar, Blackheart lashed out with one paw, claws aiming for his enemy's face. If he could hurt her face, maybe that would be enough to send her scurrying back into the bushes. It was unlikely, he knew that, but it was worth a try, right?

[Ezi]

     Fallenpaw watched in horror as a figure flew out from behind a snowbank and connected with his mentor's side. This was it, a real battle. In this moment, he decided that attempting to fight the warrior his mentor was in combat with was not a great idea. Instead, he perked his ears and picked up another presence, immediately going on the defense. Although he had very little warrior training, he had watched his rogue mother fight a tom once, and picked up that defense was important for slim cats like him. He crouched low to the ground in a rush and attempted to hide his belly. He slunk quickly towards the sound , hoping to lock his eyes it before it got to him, though in reality this probably wasn't a good choice. The boy gave an anxious glance back at his mentor before directing his over-sized ears to specifically locate the other creature. Fallenpaw let out the closest thing to a menacing hiss he could make and attempted a fierce snarl. The inexperienced boy thought perhaps he could intimidate the other presence? Fallenpaw though not prepared to fight, was ready to dodge any swiping claws with his swift movements.