[Dylan] Half-empty, or half-full?

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Adderstrike's gleaming yellow eyes stared into his Clan mate with a hint of annoyance in them. "I don't care how, or when you do it. Just make sure it gets done," he meowed sternly, face expressionless as the warrior merely nodded and padded off to work on the barrier of brambles that protected the camp. The deputy sighed, closing his eyes for a moment and letting his mind go blank. Surely, things couldn't get worse.

"Adderstrike, I've gather another warrior. We're both ready for the patrol." The brisk rasp of a familiar tom made Adderstrike relax. Finally, someone he could trust to get his work done. "Good. We'll head out immediately." The ShadowClan deputy trusted a small amount of cats, and Jaggedstripe was one of them, besides Foxstar and Eaglefeather. No one else. If he wasn't deputy, Jaggedstripe would've made a good one.

But the brown tabby wouldn't give up Deputy for anything. Curious on which mystery cat had joined his border patrol, Adderstrike leaned slightly to his left so he could catch a glimpse of them. The brown and white tabby pelt and those beautiful green eyes were unmistakable. Starlingfeather. The deputy aknowledged her with a tiny nod. Out of his entire Clan, Starlingfeather was one of the very few cats who didn't annoy or disappoint him.

Examining her for a moment, he confirmed what he had heard others say. Starlingfeather certainly was one of a kind. Her soft, green eyes were a nice touch on her white and brown tabby pelt. A very attractive she-cat indeed. But that changed nothing. If she can do her job, than that was good enough for him. Especially with the shortage of prey.

[dylan]

If only someone would ask for her to go on patrol, any patrol would work, just as long as she could have that adrenaline rush. Well, maybe it wasn’t the rush of adrenaline as it was having someone with her. The she-cat knew on patrol she would not be alone, she would be with others. It was difficult for her to have this feeling of wanting to help her clan, but not able to do so. Without someone with her to go hunting, the she-cat wouldn’t dare go alone. But given any chance, she would jump at the opportunity if asked.

Starlingfeather was grooming her long fur, trying to get the tangled mess to look half-way decent. She wasn’t succeeding too well, and really needed to take some time to get it done. But lately the she-cat had volunteered on so many patrols, having the time to groom it was near impossible. While she had a moment of downtime, the she-cat figured it was now or never.

Before she could groom much more than a few of the tangles from her fur she was approached by a tom and was more than willing to join him on patrol. Getting onto her paws and immediately forgetting about her pelt, she followed Jaggedstripe and toward the third member of their party. Seems like she would be on patrol with not just Jaggedstripe, but Adderstrike also. That was perfectly fine with her, Starlingfeather liked bigger patrols. It meant more cats to keep her from being so alone.

Looking to Adderstrike, she noticed the tom seemed to be assessing her. She just stared back, keeping herself composed as she smiled slightly at him. ”Thank you for allowing me to join your patrol, Adderstrike. Glad that I can be of some use to the clan.”

[/color] the she-cat murmured as she readied herself for departing, but making sure to thank the deputy for allowing her to join this patrol. The she-cat knew how to be polite, and she was not going to seem rude to anyone, if she could help it. ”Whenever you are ready, lead the way.”[/color]she added, her tail-tip twitching, eager to leave.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Adderstrike's whiskers twitched. "Anyone's help is appreciated," he meowed back, face expressionless and his eyes betraying nothing. If he felt a hint of admiration, he didn't show it. His gaze remained hard as stone as he flicked an ear as a signal to leave. Jaggedstripe nodded and followed closely behind, making sure Starlingfeather was nearby. And within a few moments, they were gone.

.:TERRITORY:.

Adderstrike pushed through the barrier of thorns and brambles, easily shaking off a thorn that had caught itself in his pelt as if it was dust. Nothing could harm Adderstrike. Physically and emotionally. One might think that was an exaggeration, but really, it wasn't. For his entire life, the deputy had formed a tough, outer shell around his heart and put self-preservation in the top three most important priorities. Serve his Clan, protect his Clan, and self-preservation. That was it. He worried too often what would happen if he wouldn't be able to think after the loss of a Clan mate, until it dawned on him that he should train himself to simply respect the dead and move on.

Adderstrike had adapted to some other things, as well. A varieyt of those being healthy, well-excersized, concealing his emotions completely, and others, too. He believed that these things made him a better warrior in every way, and he would keep it like that. If he is to lead ShadowClan one day, he must follow his strict guidelines and proceed with confidence. This included blocking out any thoughts of finding a mate. It wasn't important. Being deputy was important. Leading his Clan, some day, was important. Love was not important. Period.

But even if he had forbidden himself from becoming interested in such a thing, Adderstrike had thought of it a few times... Okay. Maybe more than a few times. He wonders if he was making the right choices; love being a small portion of that. But he always decides that happiness was not an option. He had a job, and that job was being the deputy of ShadowClan. It had taken him every last bit of will, strength and experience to earn this position, and he would not put it to waste, by finding some she-cat to get in his way.

[dylan]

Starlingfeather was glad that the deputy had said those words, though they were simple and probably nonchalant, she didn’t care, they meant something to her. Helping out her clan was all she had left. It looked like Adderstrike was all business, and the she-cat sure did not mind that. It meant things would flow more smoothly and more would get done. That was quite respectable and she was glad he had become deputy. Pushing all thoughts from her head she followed after the group, glad there was no small talk or meaningless drabbling occurring.

The pretty tabby followed the two toms and she had no problem that the others in the patrol were both toms. Other she-cats would probably be flirting, or doing whatever normal she-cats did, but that wasn’t Starlingfeather, she wasn’t normal. She had no clue what normal was anymore. She probably didn’t even know how to flirt. But the warrior was more into the patrol than she was the toms. She knew how to focus, and it was all she had ever known. Focusing on the task was much more important than some tom.

As she scented around she noticed they prey was definitely beginning to decline. There were fewer prey scents and it seemed this could possibly be a harsh leaf-bare. Hopefully among the three cats they could come up with at least a few pieces of prey. Anything would be helpful to the clan and Starlingfeather was determined not to come back into camp without anything. The clan relied on the warriors to find the prey and she was not about to not pull her weight in the clan.

[/size]

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Peace. Quiet. Adderstrike was on the verge of picking up a faint scent of prey when it happened. Jaggedstripe suddenly pelted after something the rest of the patrol could not see, and for a couple of heartbeats, the deputy noticed a brown flash of fur trying to escape from Jaggedstripe's claws. A mouse, perhaps. But it wasn't the sound of the mouse's neck that was snapping, it was the sound of Jaggedstripe's wrist.

For some reason, the mouse stumbled backwards and the tabby warrior tripped over it, landing right on his paw. A grunt of pain escaped from his throat, and he winced as he tried to rise to his paws. Adderstrike was by his side in a flash, helping the warrior up by supoprting his weight with his shoulder. The tom held in a other gasp of pain, and after a few moments of strained breathing, he seemed to have calmed down.

With one look at Jaggedstripe's face, the deputy realized with a hint of disappointment that he would not be able to accompany the patrol. "Get back to camp and we'll take it from here," he mewoed bluntly. Jaggedstripe simply nodded before turning and hobbling away, embarrassed at the clumsy dilemna he had caused. The deputy watched him for a heartbeat longer before clearing his throat and glancing at Starlingfeather. So that left just the two of them.

Which was fine. He flicked his ear as a signal to keep moving and went on - whether she understood or not. He wouldn't even bother to make any conversation with Starlingfeather, and he had no reason to, anyway. They hunt, return to camp, and carry on with their regular responsibilities. It was as simple as it could get. However, if Starlingfeather were the one to have gotton an injured paw, he figured that he would feel the same disappointment, since she was considered to be an ideal cat for his patrol. Quiet, focused, determined. Yes, an ideal cat, indeed.

[dylan]

Starlingfeather was just about to dart out to grab a nice juicy piece of prey when she heard something. What had just happened? Jaggedstripe had just hurt himself. It had not sounded pleasant at all. The she-cat looked at the tom warrior, a slight hint of sympathy on her face. If that would have been her she wouldn’t have been able to handle it. She would have gone insane. It looked like Jaggedstripe would be out for a few days, the wrist breaking was not a good sign. It meant one less warrior in the clan to find food. That just gave the she-cat an even more determined look. She would just have to pull even more weight. ”You almost had it.”

[/color] She managed to say, trying to at least be a little cheerful. Watching the warrior leave, she looked to Adderstrike. It was down to just her and the deputy.

The she-cat had been staring after Jaggedstripe, but had managed to pay attention to Adderstrike’s signal. With a nod, she followed after the tom once again. Her ears perked up as she heard rustling a few moments into their hunt. Looking toward the deputy, she blinked and began to head toward the sound. It was a family of starlings. The she-cat looked at the birds and noticed they were congregating around one starling in particular. It looked as if it were injured. She motioned with her tail to get Adderstrike’s attention. What would he think of this situation? How could she attack this family? She knew what it was like to lose her own family and they were going through enough as it was. Maybe the deputy would have an opinion.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[♦ stormeh ♦]

A hint of interest crossed Adderstrike's face when Starlingfeather motioned for him to take a look at whatever she had found. When he came closer, he noticed a group of starlings pecking around something on the ground. At first, the only thought that came to his mind was how ShadowClan would take having full stomaches for the first time after struggling through the scarcity of prey. But when he crouched down and began to creep towards the flock of black-bellied birds, he realized that something was off.

The starlings were chirping off tune, almost in a panick-like sense. A few of them moved, allowing him to catch a quick glimpse of what they were fussing about. He saw another starling, only this one wasn't chirping and gawking like the rest. In fact, it wasn't doing anything, besides just lying there. When it finally dawned on him, the deputy padded forwards, ignoring the other starlings as they scattered and flew away - not even batting an eyelash at them.

Adderstrike padded up the starling that remained, it's wings twisted in an awkward position. He could tell, by the feeble sounds and movements it was making that it was in alot of pain. For a moment, the tabby stood there, deep in his own thoughts. After a few moments, he finally reached down and gave the injured starling a swift bite to the neck, putting it out of its misery. But instead of taking it with him, he sent a quick prayer to StarClan and buried it into the ground, letting it rest in peace.

With not a single hint of emotion on his face, Adderstrike turned back to Starlingfeather and rasped, "Let's see if we can track down those other starlings." And just like that, he padded off in the direction of where most of the birds had flown off, sniffing the ground and the air around him, keeping his ears perked. Adderstrike was acting as if what he did had never happened. In that brief moment, his act of compassion might've revealed a hint of his soft side. He realized this, because as he walked on, he pushed all thoughts of the deceased starling out of his mind.

[dylan]

Had she done the right thing in asking Adderstrike to come over by where she was? Hopefully he wouldn’t think any less of her for wanting to not disturb the group of starlings. After all, she had been named after them. Not that the she-cat really cared about that, but surely an injured bird deserved mercy. And then the tom had done something completely unexpected. Adderstrike had killed the bird and given it a burial. Starlingfeather’s eyes widened, and she instantly felt something surge through her. He was being kind to an animal that any normal cat would have just brought back to camp. But he didn’t want the easy kill, he was being kind to it. The she-cat now held even more respect for the tom in this moment.

When he had turned around, she quickly snapped her attention back and hoped he hadn’t caught her watching. Starlingfeather merely nodded at his words and sheepishly looked to the ground. When he began to pad off again, she began to once again follow. Her jaws were parted in search of that flock of birds and she blinked. Surely that flock of starlings would be long gone by now. Deciding not to confront him of what had just occurred, Starlingfeather just continued to follow, keeping her senses spread out for any trace of food.

Finally the persistence of the she-cat was rewarded and she caught the faint scent of a mouse. Grinning she motioned to the deputy that she was headed off to trace the scent. Following it more closely she noticed a nest of mice. With her tail she waved frantically to Adderstrike. If done right, she knew they could get several out of the nest. She just needed his help to do so.

[/size]

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Adderstrike noticed the scent of mice in the air, and he turned towards it at the same exact moment as Starlingfeather had. He frowned when he saw the grin on her face, and stared at her for a moment, as if she was crazy. But she wasn't crazy... at least, not to the deputy. Maybe she was just being playful. However, in all honesty, he'd rather her not, and instead, focus on the task in hand. He had confirmed that the strong scent of mice lead to a nest of them. This would definetely feed the Clan.

Instantly thinking up of a plan, Adderstrike motioned for Starlingfeather to back away from the nest. "I'll serve as a distraction, and when they come out of their den, they'll run straight into your claws," he whispered slowly, his voice barely audible. Without checking to see if the pretty warrior had heard him, he crept toward the small burrow that was placed in between the roots of a heather bush. When he was close enough, the tabby tom took in a deep breath and let out a blood-curling yowl.

As if on cue, the mice (maybe 5 or 6 of them) came scrambling out of their burrow, frantic to escape the deputy's claws. He already snagged two of them, and managed a third, before letting the mice flee. As expected, they were heading straight for Starlingfeather, who - thank, StarClan - was able to conceal herself quite well. Turning his attention back onto the squirming mice in his paws. He bit each of them on their necks and let them slump onto the ground, burying them so he could collect it later.

[dylan]

When Adderstrike approached, Starlingfeather backed away for a few moments and listened to his plan. That would work perfectly. If they succeeded, plenty of mouths would be fed today. So he would be the distraction, and she would be the catcher. She nodded and began to think of a similar exercise she had done as an apprentice. It was very similar to this moment, but this time it actually counted. The warrior awaited anxiously for Adderstrike to finish his part of the ambush. She prepared herself for her own task, making sure she could grab as many mice as possible.

Starlingfeather heard Adderstrike scaring the mice, and she stayed still until the scurrying of mice came nearby. Finally spotting them, she began to swipe at them, stunning the first so she could reach the other two. Reaching out with her paws, she managed to grab them. Mice were so dumb. They stayed way too close together and were such easy prey. If they only had more brains. Then again, if they had more brains, they would be harder to catch and the clan would starve. Remembering the first mouse, she went back to it, seeing it shaking off the confusion. Before it could get away she ended its life and brought it back to the other two. Digging a small space so she could fit all three mice in a nice little pile, she covered them back up.

The tabby grinned, mission accomplished. Now to return back to Adderstrike. ”I managed to catch a few, and buried them just over there.”

[/color] she informed the tom. ”Should we take these back to camp so something else won’t find them, or should we continue hunting?”[/color] Starlingfeather asked. She was concerned about leaving so much fresh-kill just buried out here. Yes, it had proven to be safe in the past, but all of this would be plenty for all the elders, queens, and possibly a warrior or two. Was it worth the risk? But it wasn’t her decision, it was Adderstrike’s. She waited patiently for his answer.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]