WE’RE ALL LIVING IN THE GUTTER // prey stealer

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    in the dead of night he stalked his prey, a fat and juicy-looking vole. it was possibly the most delicious-looking rodent he’d seen in his whole life! it sure beat the scrawny mice and diseased rats that crawled the city. kaian couldn’t wait to hork down such a morsel. he’d have to visit the forest more often.


    focus. the tom lowered himself into a crouch and moved in near silence through the underbrush. the vole paused to groom itself, a fatal mistake. kaian sprang from his hiding spot and delivered a sharp bite to the creature’s neck. the soft crunch of bone, mitigated by thick flesh, almost made him drool. almost. he immediately thought of his siblings, how they surely needed the food more than he did. he could hunt here all night and catch his own food. yes, he’d save this special catch for them.

    In the dead of night.

    That's when thieves came. That's when cats stalked the lands of Thunderclan territory in an attempt to steal their prey.

    And Pebblepaw?

    Well, he was out for a walk, trying to quell the anxieties within his chest at the sights that had befallen Thunderclan. He was much too fearful.


    Even more now with a new, scary scent his way.

    Even more now as his eyes caught the figure of a tom catching prey. A non-Thunderclanner.

    A thief.


    "H-Hey! You! Y-You're o-on Thunderclan t-territory!"

    Pebblepaw's legs shook as he came out of the shadows.





    "thunderclan!" the tom let out an audible gasp, springing from his crouched position onto all fours in an instant. he'd just met bloodclan a few days ago. they had told him other clans were responsible for horrible crimes. if kaian recalled correctly, someone from the forest had tried to steal a poor kit's claws! he wasn't exactly sure what that even entailed, but he was sure it was gruesome. whiskers twitched as he collected himself; this cat was younger than him, smaller than him. kaian could certainly make a run for it if need be. "that's one of those other cat cults, isn't it?"

    The post was edited 1 time, last by KAIAN ().

    Pebblepaw leapt back in fright. Despite knowing that the other would act he still was not too keen on the sudden movement and accusatory tone!
    The thick furred apprentice tried to hold his ground, though he looked more frightened than ever before.


    What if this thief attacked him!?
    He knew he couldn't win in a fight!

    And he couldn't just let him get away with it!


    "Cat...wha..?" was this a trick? Confuse him and then knock him dead?!

    "I-I don't know wh-what that is b-but I won't let you take from our territory! W-We need that prey! Not...some...cult..? Yeah! Not some cult cat coming here!"

    was he using that word right?





    it seemed as if this kid was as frightened of kaian as kaian was of the kid. his muscles relaxed, and he looked at the stranger with confident amber eyes. he was tempted to ask the cat what he was going to do about it if kaian did take the prey, but he decided against it. "oh, you need this prey? look around, you've got prey for days here, you gonna eat it all? i doubt it'd hurt if i took just one vole." kaian was nice, but not a pushover. he'd earned his catch and wasn't going to let a crazy forest cat tell him he couldn't have it.



    While the stranger was focused on Pebblepaw, it gave Bearmumble plenty of time to come up from behind him. Massive in his mixed breed glory, the broad shouldered, large dark colored male loomed over the stranger, his lemon hues the color of a daunting, unforgiving full moon. Crescents now, actually, as he narrowed them to slits. "It's a matter of respect," Bearmumble would growl warningly, unamused by the character's logic as he stepped towards the creature, teeth revealing themselves beneath peeled lips. Hissing, he'd explain, "if we let you steal, what will stop you or you possible buddies from coming back again and again? We hold the rights to this territory because we have many mouths to feed - queens, kits, elders! We will fight to defend this territory and everything within it, so I suggest you put that vole down and leave unless your willing to earn the right to keep it," as he concluded, he'd lift a massive paw, revealing sharp talons glinting in the light.


    (c)trexgirl

    Pumpkin had been wandering the forest, likely actually with BearMumble at the time, however she was much slower then the Deputy and he was intensely protective of the entire clan like a father of his kits. The fact he ran ahead was not shocking, and it didn't take her too long to catch up since she used the terrain to her advantage. Upon arrival, the she-cat who was missing half her fur, covered in one giant burn scar, gently walked up beside her Deputy and gently placed her paw atop his raised one, casting him a smile to let him know she wasn't upset. BearMumble was great at protecting everyone, and the leader was always happy for that, however in his fatherly nature he sometimes missed something between the lines when he suspected a threat. PumpkinStar noticed something she was fairly sure her deputy had missed this time, the fact it sounded as if this younger cat had the chance, the time to eat that vole, yet he hadn't.


    "It's not for you is it young one?" she wasn't going to let him take it, the fact she stood beside BearMumble instead of taking another paw-step should have been enough to let her Deputy know she had no intention of letting the younger cat leave with the vole. PumpkinStar simply wanted to try to solve this without the need for claws and scratches. "If you were hunting for yourself, it would be gone already." just encase he had any idea's of lying about it for some reason, like some tough little tom.

    kaian stiffened as another cat appeared, this one much larger and more dangerous. should’ve run while i had the chance, he thought bitterly, eyes narrowing at the unfamiliar tom. what he said sparked no change in the red tabby’s heart. in fact, it made him all the more defiant. he was about to protest when another cat came along, bringing with her a calmer sort of vibe.


    “not everyone can afford to have respect,” the rogue snapped at the large tom before turning his attention to the molly. scarred from head to toe, an appearance to match her commanding presence. could this be the leader of the cult? kaian shuddered to think what they would make of him if he didn’t drop everything and run for the hills in an instant. you don’t just live for yourself. the thought echoed in his brain, and he daringly spoke once more. “no, it’s not for me. you’re not the only ones with mouths to feed,” he answered, shooting a glare at the tom who’d spoken earlier. he turned back to the she-cat, a new desperation in his voice. “please, this is the only fresh food i’ve found in weeks. i can’t let those cats die.”

    As she watched things unfold the scarred female could easily see in a way some other's couldn't read between the lines of tiny changes many just dismissed as twitches or fear. Even when faced with the cat who she knew had murdered her first mate in cold blood? Pumpkin had always been able to stay calm and think about everyone else around her instead of herself, likely an after effect of having lost her family in the way she did at the young age she had, then pushing everyone else away; She'd had more time to watch, to know that other's did not often only present the truth of things and that everyone was so much more then what they showed. The leader was well aware that most of the other's stand there only saw an intruder, some threat to the clan, but she saw so much more. Even from the little she had figured out? PumpkinStar saw a caretaker, someone who worked by the same law of hunting for those beloved before themselves, just as they did, someone from the city who thought much like herself and her clan-mates without realizing it.


    The ear she had remaining twitched slightly as she looked over at her Deputy with a brief smile nudging his cheek, paying mind to the tom she knew was just trying to protect everyone before deciding she knew that this could be ended without battle. "Calm down young one." the leader padded forward slightly, expression soft as she came to stand directly in front of the young tom, actually being clearly shorter then him now that she was closer. "Relax and sit for the moment." her voice was soft as she sat down herself the ear she had tipped towards him and her tail wrapped contently around her own paws. "Let's start with names alright? I'm PumpkinStar." even if the cat seemed fully grown, at least almost, she could tell he was young and when someone combined that age with being a caretaker, then when met with confrontation of course the reaction would be mutual, he had someone to protect. However, she was willing to trust that being met with someone calmer like herself, the tom would calm down considerably and be much easier to deal with, likely allowing an end result where it went alright for all involved.

    he hesitated for a moment, then slowly sat his rump on the ground, though he couldn't stop his tail from flicking impatiently. so the she-cat's name was pumpkinstar? odd name, he thought, though he didn't dare say it out loud. "i'm kaian," he responded uneasily.

    //oof sorry i stepped out of this ill swamp myself back in


    Pebblepaw, having shrunk back into the shadows after the deputy and leader's appearance, finally peeked out. The big apprentice dipped his head around the scarred leader, glancing at Bearmumble before looking at Kaian .


    He thought their names were weird?

    Okay.


    "I'm Pebblepaw," he offered meekly, "I'm sorry for...before."





    kaian looked to the young cat, flicking an ear to acknowledge his apology. hmph, he'd better be sorry for causing kaian such an inconvenience. "'pology accepted," he mumbled, turning back to look at pumpkinstar expectantly.

    Oh!

    Pebblepaw almost wanted to say something about the way Kaian spoke to him! But kept his mouth shut, embarrassment burning at his...everything.

    "Was jus' doin' my job..." he mumbled to himself.