dark thorn . [shadow & i]

[Dster .]

ooc; fail post is fail. excuse my rustiness.

Darkstar yawned.

No one was around so it didn't matter, but she had really intended to go on one of her infamous solo patrols instead taking a snooze. But the weather was bright and warm. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and more than anything, she wanted to lie beneath her favorite pine tree; her eyes barely open while her ears were caressed by the musical rhythms of the forest.

By now, she'd settled herself underneath her favorite pine tree. The shade was welcomed as the relentless sun would eventually suck the energy from her black body. And nobody didn't need that. But already, the ShadowClan leader found her eyelids drooping over her amber irises. It was against her better nature.. the border really needed to be patrolled. The forest was in a peacetime, which was appreciated; but she hated to get complacent. You couldn't trust the other Clans, not for a second. A moment of emergency and they'd turn their backs on the Warrior Code. There was currently a shortage of prey and she wasn't willing to just assume they wouldn't pass up the opportunity to try for some ShadowClan fresh-kill. And as such, the border wouldn't go unpatrolled—not with her in command!

Except for maybe today.

[Shadow Da Smiffster]

Yellowthorn was irritated. It was much too hot, and her pelt was. way too fluffy for the sun-high heat. In fact, earlier the ShadowClan warrior had entertained herself on the thought of crossing into RiverClan territory and taking a dip in their disgusting waters.

Of course, Yellowthorn was no kit, and certainly not an apprentice either. She was a senior warrior, and though she was not egotistical, she considered herself one of bigger assets to the Clan. Still, she was not good enough to become Deputy... at least, not yet. Eventually, she thought, she would gain the respect she deserved from her fellow Clanmates, but that would need to be earned.

You see, Yellowthorn was named after her sharp personality. Even among ShadowClan warriors, she was disliked. And she cared that she was disliked... but she just couldn't help it. She had this need... to feel superior. Like she was the best. Clearly though, if others disagreed, then she was not.

She would fix that eventually though.

At last, the warrior became too irate to stay in camp, and walked out towards the forests. It was likely that there would be shade there, and maybe even prey she could pick up. Darkstar had left a while ago, she noted, probably to scout the boarders. Usually, it was either her or Darkstar to do something like that alone. No other cat would be foolish enough to take on a rival patrol alone aside from those two....

A smirk made its way onto Yellowthorn's face at the thought of beating a ThunderClanner to a pulp, but those thoughts quickly vanished as a scent made its way into her nose. Speak of the devil... it was Darkstar herself... though not patrolling as Yellowthorn had thought. Her smirk grew wider as she padded over to her leader, "Well well well Darkstar, taking a catnap?"

[Dster .]

Darkstar hadn't been resting long before someone came around to disturb her dozing.

Her eyes opened slightly, ears pinning themselves to the back of her head. "Yellowthooorn," the leader groaned, flipping onto her side and then onto her back. She could hear the bugs buzzing around them. The sun shone overhead and a soft, cool breeze ran through the clearing, keeping the worst of greenleaf's heat off their backs. It was the perfect weather for some downtime, but somehow she guessed she might not get some today. The dark she-cat decided she would have to find a hiding place for occasions like these.

The ShadowClan leader opened her eyes a little more to mock-glare at the warrior as she gazed at her upside-down. "Yellowthorn, if it looks like I'm taking a catnap, did it not occur to you that perhaps I would want to continue said catnap?" Darkstar muttered. She wasn't really all that annoyed; but it was fun to play around. Nine lives and a couple more responsibilities later, and it was still the same ol' Dark. She got serious when she needed to be.. authoritative when she needed to be. When the Clan was in need of direction, she was at the helm. But this leader was still just a loyal member of ShadowClan. And a goofy one at that.

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[Shadow Da Smiffster]

"Well Darkstar, I would love to continue letting you take a nap, but what kind of faithful warrior would I be if I allowed you to sleep on the job. You are our leader after all. Can't waste your nine lives sleeping on a day like today when prey is getting harder and harder to find...." Yellowthorn said this calmly, though the undertones of her voice came off as a bit condescending, as they usually did. Well, this was Yellowthorn... she didn't give a damn who she was talking to, whether it be her leader or a kit.

She demanded and expected respect, though she was still having trouble grasping on how to make others feel that way. The she-cat was a more-or-less feared Warrior in the Clan, especially by the younger cats... which she honestly didn't mind so much, but it wasn't her preference, "Regardless of what you decide to do Darkstar, I am going to look after the Clan today and try to catch some food for our dwindling food pile. The elders are starting to complain about their stomachs in between the unbearable heat today, and all of the apprentices are sloppy in this weather, so I'm taking it upon myself to do their dirty work. Were you out patrolling?"

Yellowthorn's tail swished behind her once as a bug flew passed her ears. She was tempted to jump up and paw at it, but not because she wanted to play... no, she just wanted the irritating creature to die. Still, the amount of flies around meant animal droppings, and animal droppings meant prey. It was overall, a good sign, though not one she was fond of.

[Dster .]

Darkstar flicked her ears. She'd been unaware of the elders' complaining and now guilt struck her center. That's why you don't go sneaking out of camp even before the sun's up! a voice in her reprimanded and she frowned, turning back onto her belly. "Point taken, Yellowthorn," the dark leader meowed, ignoring the warrior's tone of voice. After the way she'd behaved, it was well-deserved. But silently, she promised to make up for it.

Rising to her paws, Darkstar shook the dust from her pelt. "Well," the black she-cat said, pausing to consider her words, "I had intended to patrol the ThunderClan border. But there's still plenty of time to make sure those fleabags haven't tried to step paw on our territory." Instinctively, at the thought, she unsheathed her claws. Those talons, somewhat dulled by the lack of action, shone in the sunlight, and she decided that if there were no ThunderClan bones to sharpen them on (and hopeful, there wouldn't be), then she have to later sharpen them on a tree. A grin plastered itself to her face. But let's not jump to conclusions, her mind thought devilishly.

[Shadow Da Smiffster]

Yellowthorn's tail swished behind her a few times as the fly continued to pester her. Why, StarClan, why was it always her? She was already burdened with being the most irate cat in the Clan. Did she really have to attract bugs too? Yellowthorn was known for getting dirt and grime stuck in her thick coat no matter how hard she tried to keep clean, making a nice nesting ground for fleas in addition to the ever lovely little flies buzzing around her head seemingly twenty-four-seven.

"I don't see why we can't do both at once. You check the boarders, and I'll hunt nearby, in case one of those ThunderClan idiots do try to sneak into our territory. They know we'll always have a source of toads and rats to feed us, as tasteless and gross as they are at times, but we have food while they are starting to run thin."

Yellowthorn paused, finally having enough of the fly buzzing, and with a hiss, she snapped her head around and crunched the tiny creature in her jaws. It's blood tasted sour, stale, and like bile all at the same time, but she didn't spit it out. She wouldn't look so tacky in front of her leader. Instead, she licked her maw a few times after swallowing the bug and said, "That was disgusting. I hate insects. They're a bunch of mouse-brained annoyances."

Without waiting for an answer from her leader, Yellowthorn brushed passed Darkstar, heading towards the ThunderClan boarder at a brisk trot. Whether her superior decided to follow her or not was up to her, and Yellowthorn wasn't going to complain either way. Perhaps though, if Darkstar followed her, she would consider making Yellowthorn into the next Deputy of ShadowClan once old Ashcloud kicked the bucket or retired to the Elders den. She was skilled enough, and aged enough to be the Deputy after all... so why not show off her talents a bit?

Besides, if Ashcloud was the Deputy, and Darkstar wanted another cat with her attitude when the time called for it, Yellowthorn was the right cat. She was mentored by the older warrior nearly twenty moons ago after all, and they shared the same fiery personality...