Starlit Hunt (Open Roleplay)

[avatarkorra]

It was dark...

The moon was no more than a sliver as thin as a claw as it rose above the thick, inky black forest. Surrounding it, countless twinkling specks of stars spanned, yet not even their glow could fully illuminate the dark earth.

At a moment’s glance, the thick pine forest looked almost frozen, basked in a faint silvery glow. Indeed the glow was nothing more than a veil that covered the uppermost branches. Only slight flecks of pearly starlight managed to reach the earth. Yet beneath this almost spectral canopy, the murky forest floor teemed with life. Insect song resounded through the air. A slight, cool breeze weaved its way through the barren trunks. An occasional rustling of dry pine needles accompanied the crickets’ chant. Yet of course, to the predator, none of this mattered except for the latter, for she was solely interested in sinking her fangs into flesh. The fear scent of prey was her perfume, and its lifeblood was her ambrosia.

The predator was lean and low to the ground, obviously a feline. Her dark pelt was invisible, completely absorbed by shadow. A shadow, that is what she was. Only the slightest traces of starlight laced the fur along her spine when the sparkle touched it just right. Her snake of a tail lashed, almost as if it had a mind of its own. Her name was Vipershade, and she stalked forwards as her yellowish green eyes sliced through the night.

Rustle, rustle.

Immediately, Vipershade froze. Was it perhaps a rat? An adder? Her ears shot upwards. The crackle of paws against leaves was certainly too large to belong to a prey animal, and too small and light to belong to a fox or badger. Vipershade's ears drooped slightly. The scent hit her nose, and it definitely belonged to a feline, a fellow ShadowClan cat too. Reluctantly, she turned and waited for the newcomer to approach...

['a v i <3]

--lilymoon

The shadows of the night covered the ShadowClan forest. Under the sliver of the moon, Lilymoon's mostly white pelt glowed. The she-cat hadn't been able to sleep and had decided to go for a night-time hunt. As she prowled through the woods, keeping to paths well worn that were wreathed in shadows, the she-cat had came across a smell.

ShadowClan. A fellow warrior, pricking her ears slightly the she-cat followed the smell slowly as she recognized it to be the she-cat Vipershade. Slightly disappointed, that it wasn't some unsuspecting tom, the she-cat pushed through the bracken until she met her clan-mate and blinked her blue eyes slowly before speaking.

"Vipershade." she mewed in a cool manner. She hadn't spent much time around the she-cat and not that Lilymoon cared what the she-cat thought about her... but she was still going to make an effort to be nice. If only because no one was watching.

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[avatarkorra]

Vipershade met the she-cat's clear blue gaze with her own luminescent green stare. She relaxed somewhat, mainly thanks to confident arrogance rather than actual friendliness or companionship. Vipershade did not know Lillymoon very well, in fact, the two barley exchanged a word prior to that night, yet she seemed like the sort of cat who would rather groom her luxurious pelt rather than hunt or fight. After all, how else would a cat keep a pelt so white through all the dust and much that was scattered around ShadowClan? Vipershade smirked slightly. That spoiled she-cat? Nothing to worry about. She's probably scared of getting a speck of dirt on her pelt... Vipershade thought somewhat scornfully, yet didn't speak a word.

"Lillymoon." Vipershade purred in reply. Her eyes narrowed into slivers of jade. "What are you doing out? Going for a midnight stroll?" Before the calico and white cat could answer, Vipershade continued, "I myself am hunting. Of course, I'm more than able to catch plenty of prey by myself, but if you think you won't get in the way, an extra pair of ears wouldn't hurt."

Vipershade's ear twitched as the far-off screech of an owl sliced through the air, yet her gaze didn't waver from Lillymoon. In truth, the sleek black she-cat wasn't too hopeful for her fellow warrior to have particularly keen ears or sharp reflexes, but another pair of eyes to watch her own glory never hurt, of course, that was assuming that Lillymoon agreed to accompany her. Not that Vipershade was particularly optimistic about those odds.

[|♥|Panther|♥|]

A calico she cat walked around the territory. Crimsonleaf just couldn't sleep and needed to get out. Night time was her favorite time because it was darkness just like her. she had no friends in camp and that was a good thing, that is the way she liked it. The only thing she liked was fighting and wished that she could shed some blood instead of the prey's blood. Then she herd talking. What are they doing out here so late? she wondered. Crimsonleaf looked around to see that it was Lilymoon and Vipershade. Only if it was someone else that she could rip to shreds.

['a v i <3]

--l i l y m o o n

Staring into Vipershade's green eyes, Lilymoon felt another gaze watching them from the forest. Flicking her ear, she dipped her head slightly to Vipershade, accepting her hunting invitation. She probably thinks that someone as beautiful as myself can't contribute. I'll show her how wrong she is, if only to see the surprise in her eyes.

"Fine. Let's hunt." She mewed coolly, twitching her tail. The ShadowClan forest wouldn't be teaming with prey. Not on this cool Leaf-Bare night, but Lilymoon wasn't going to be the one to comment on that. By the appraising look the other she-cat gave her, the calico she-cat knew that she would have to earn her respect... the hard way.

Stepping away from the other she-cat she began walking along the path, not even bothering to glance over her shoulder to see if Vipershade was following. Ears pricked forward, blue eyes alert, the she-cat walked smoothly along the well worn path.

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[avatarkorra]

Vipershade found herself casting a quick glance over her shoulder, not from nervousness, rather just a slight whim; a feeling of someone else watching her and Lillymoon. Fine. If they want something to watch, I’ll give them something to watch.

Vipershade gave a quick shade of her pelt, mewing, "Come on, If we stay still much longer I swear I'll turn into a stone."

Without waiting for a response, she whipped around and started her run with an impressive bound. The she-cat's ears were pricked up like two black leaves, yet she couldn't hear anything aside from the insect-song filling the night air with its chirping. Cursing under her breath, Vipershade briskly trotted forwards. Her path weaved and swerved through the trees, though she still couldn't make out any fresh prey-scent.

Vipershade's walk came to an abrupt halt when she felt her paw sink into something cool and wet. The fur on her spine prickled at the feeling of mud seeping in between her toes, and the musky scent filled her nostrils. She took a step back, only now noticing the scraps of starlight reflected in the shallow, muddy pool. Only now the specks of light danced on the water's surface, thanks to the ripples her paws had made.

Something, not Vipershade herself, made a splash in the water, and there she saw it, a sort of lump that was raised up from the rippling mirror surface> It was a frog or toad, Vipershade couldn't tell, but she hoped for the former. Toads were quite bitter, in her opinion. Although no cat was all too eager to leap into a muddy pool, Vipershade wouldn't hesitate to do so, at least, in front of fellow warriors. After all, everyone had to know how great she was.

Ears flattened back in distaste, Vipershade gave a great leap into the pool. Much to her luck, it wasn't deep at all, and she felt something cold and slimy squirming beneath her paw. However, Vipershade didn't really appreciate that now her beautiful ebony fur was splattered with muck and bits of leaf debris. The fur along her legs was completely plastered to her skin from the splash.

"And that," she mewed smugly, "is how its done."

['a v i <3]

--LillYmooN

The pair of she-cat prowled through the ShadowClan territory. Lilymoon promptly halted as they came to a particular boggy part of the territory. As Vipershade lept into the pool after whatever it was that had made such a splash. Wrinkling her nose in disgust, at the mud Lilymoon hissed, "I don't see the point in jumping in after one of those chewy pieces of vermin when there are perfectly normal squirrels that we can eat."


Turning her back pointedly on the now disgustingly muddy she-cat she mewed haughtily, "Now we'll have to travel all over the territory because no prey will be around after that splash." Padding away from the bog, she she-cat sat down a few paces away and waited on the other she-cat. She was intending to stay well away from the mud, there was no reason to dirty her beautiful pelt if she didn't have to to.

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[ooc: sorry, it's not my best work, I kinda dried myself up on Stormeh's post. o.o]

[|♥|Panther|♥|]

The calico warrior watched the two she-cats hunt. Crimsonleaf just sat in her spot and watched as the moon moved slowly. Frogs, really? Yuck im not touching that one she thought as Vipershade killed it. Then Crimsonleaf's eyes fell on Lilymoon. She thinks she is the best warrior and the prettiest she-cat of all. Well my claws can make that pelt look a better color. She said thinking aloud with out even knowing.

[avatarkorra]

Vipershade tossed the dead frog-- thankfully it had turned out to be a frog-- onto the shore of the pool.

"What's the matter, kittypet? Scared of a bit of dirt?" the sleek black she-cat hissed scornfully, "And for the record, that was the only prey around here. Last I checked, mice don't live underwater." She stalked out of the water, concealing discomfort at the cold much with a confident strut. Just to prove her point, she shook out her pelt right while passing the whitish calico, showering the area around her in droplets. Before the other she-cat could react, Vipershade took several leaps out of her reach, flicking her tail impishly.

Vipershade scratched a pawful of pine needles over the dead frog. It had been cold to start with, but now it was quite stiff as well. Either way, it was the best thing she had managed to find that night. Besides, she decided it was better than whatever that pompous Lillymoon could catch.

ooc// It's fine!

['a v i <3]

liLLymooN

The she-cat flicked her ear as Vipershade came out of the mud, she had thought she had heard someone say something. Turning towards the black she-cat she flattened her ears and snarled as she dared to call her kitty-pet.

As the black she-cat stalked towards her, Lilymoon flattened her ears and growled, "Call me kittypet again and I'll shred up that mangy black pelt of yours." Unsheathing the claws, her blue eyes raked over the she-cat.

As the black she-cat shook mud splattering it all over her beautiful fur, Lilymoon's eyes blazed as she launched herself forward, just inches from the other she-cat's nose. "Just look at what you've done to my beautiful fur! I'll shred you."

The only thing Lilymoon hated more than clan disloyalty, was her pelt being dirty, just because the black she-cat wasn't as beautiful as her, doesn't mean she had to ruin the only beautiful pelt in ShadowClan.

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[avatarkorra]

Vipershade sneered. "What, you shred me with those little kittypet claws of yours?" The she-cat's deriding laughter filled the air around her. "I bet you couldn't shred a rat, let alone do something useful."

A rather bored look surfaced on Vipershade's face as she leaned back, her black pelt brushing against the bark of a tree. With her body pressed against the trunk, she looked like some living manifestation of shadow wrapping around the wood, except the jade eyes gave away her true identity as they looked upon Lillymoon with a slight annoyance.

That she-cat's yowling was going to scare all the good prey away. She might be nice to look at, but when it came to her voice, Vipershade would rather listen to a crow's harsh cawing. She glanced again at Lillymoon, almost challengingly. Eight long, black claws, lethal thorns of obsidian, slid out of her deceivingly soft paws and into the ground below. If her high-string clanmate did try to cuff at her, then Vipershade would be ready. In fact, who didn't enjoy a good fight? Maybe it would be more exciting with a scuffle, or at least it would teach that snobby warrior who was in charge. And Vipershade was quite good at fighting, if she did say so herself.

"And that beautiful pelt of yours?" Vipershade continued to gloat, "It isn't really that great. In fact, it stands out like a thorn in the paw. I think the mud was an improvement."

[avatarkorra]

Hello?

['a v i <3]

--lilyMOON

Fighting the urge to rip Vipershade to shred, Lilymoon forced her pelt to lie flat and decided to speak with a non-chalant barb. "Whatever, Vipershade. We all know who the tom-cats actually want as mate, and who is the better hunter. I don't have to prove myself to the likes of you. You, who calls herself a warrior." She spoke slowly, the edge in her voice almost as obvious as a brick wall.

With a dainty humph, she turned flicking her tail over the she-cat's face harshly and padded towards the other side of the territory where a clean stream awaited and where she could find real prey.

Fighting the disgusting feeling of the mud flecks seeping to her fur, the she-cat let out a satisfied purr with herself. She didn't claw Vipershade's face off, mostly because she was a better warrior and when she was ShadowClan's leader, Lilystar she would exact her revenge on Vipershade- and all the other lesser warriors.

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[ooc: Sorry, I could have sworn I had posted!]