if there's a prize for r[o]tten judgement

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    Sprinting, Goldengaze had his eyes locked on the quick gray hare that was desperately trying to save its own life. The pursuit was quite a sight, with both the cat and the rabbit darting through the grass, into tunnels, over rocks and under bushes. Usually, Goldengaze wouldn't prolong his chases so much, but after seeing the sheer size of this rabbit, he knew it was a good catch, would feed probably around 4 WindClanners; he was making sure that its blood was pumping to ensure maximum juiciness.

    After about two minutes of this chase, the terrain began to change. Rocky and steep, he knew that he was approaching DarkClan territory. In order to prevent any prey disputes, he had one final surge ahead and killed the rabbit, pouncing on its head and biting its neck. Winded, Goldengaze lay down and closed his eyes; breathing heavily, he began to lick his coat to cool himself down. At this point, he was only about two tail-lengths away from the DarkClan border. I'll turn back soon, he told himself. He hadn't crossed over the border, after all, but he was in a place where most WindClanners avoided, due to the rocky and uneven nature of it. Any DarkClanners who saw him here would be mighty suspicious.

    TAGS ✦ ✧ ✦ — Deerblood promised herself she wouldn't torture anyone else, and she had remained clean of blood for a few weeks at least, but she could never get rid of her protective nature. She was a guardian first and a cat second, and such a character trait was only exemplified when Passionkit came limping and keening into Darkclan camp, with his tail down and his ears sagging. She had to get her mind off of it. As she raced through rock cluster after rock cluster with her tail streaming behind her and muscles rippling beneath her deep brown pelt, she could feel the whisk of leaves against her face chase away the anger and rip it from her paws. It melted away from her body and was left scattered in bits and pieces across the forest floor, and it was almost entirely gone by the time the forest began to thin and she could see a great rolling prairie stretch out beyond the gaps in the treeline. The thick musk of the border reached her steadily, and she breathed it's scent in like two old friends might embrace.


    All the anger that Deerblood had managed to flick away from her fur like a flea returned in a surge, a tsunami of brimming annoyance within her upon spotting an unfamiliar pelt on the border. Just beneath the stink of the markings was the smell of heather and wildflowers, and the Darkclanner quickly identified it as Windclan. Her own scent of elderberries joined the fray as she drew closer, her toes tipping the very line of the border as she stared at him. He was sleek and agile whereas she was built in a more brawny fashion, the effects of living in the mountains. "Hmm," she hummed ominously, forcing her fur to lie flat. "Mighty close to the border, aren't you? If that rabbit went a few tail-lengths further, it would have been ours."

    Tinpelt was taking a walk, trying to get a grasp on the new territory, his new home. He was startled from his thoughts when he heard deerblood speak. He padded over and looked at the cat who had shown up on their border.


    Taking a sniff, he recognized the scent instantly “windclan. How should I handle this? Deerblood seems to be acting nice, I guess I’d better follow suit.”


    Padding up into sight, he cleared his throat to make his presence known. “It’s a shame that prey wasn’t fast enough to cross the border, it sure looks tasty!”

    He had seen her approaching, her deep brown fur dark enough to be subtle under the shade of the trees, yet it shimmered as she stepped into the sun. Being aggressive by nature, Goldengaze surprised himself when his first thought was, She's beautiful. He stood up, puffing out his chets and lifting his head proudly. It didn't last long, however; his brief enamoration was pushed to the side when he saw Deerblood's muscular frame and scarred face, and her soapy scent of pine trees irritated his nostrils. Not my type, he thought snarkily, though his body language didn't change as he continued to eye the she-cat. His attention was drawn to the approaching tom.

    "Didn't know DarkClanners ate rabbit," he stated, standing up to obscure their view of the rabbit, making it clear that they weren't to touch it. "Thought you bird-brains had a diet of strictly avian creatures." He smirked, waiting for their response to his jab.

    TAGS ✦ ✧ ✦ — Deerblood glanced behind her as the crash of footfalls in the underbrush came from behind her and Tinpelt came to her side, and she smiled only briefly in amusement at his friendliness. He seemed to have severely underestimated the tension of this interaction. She turned back, and his eyes raked over her fur while he puffed out his chest, but Deerblood did not do the same. She had her eyes on someone else. The tom's aura changed immensely, and Deerblood stood taller, looking down at him from the difference in elevation. He protected his rabbit and came at her with cutting words, but Deerblood only smirked. Playground insults, she thought in amusement. "I see you think us stupid enough to not take other prey when available," she responded with a dismissive roll of her shoulders and a condescending flick of her ears. "But it never has been a WindClanner's strong suit to think with logic before rushing in."

    Tinpelt winced at the two cat’s exchange. “Deerblood didn’t like that one bit. I need to step in before things escalate.”


    The grey tom stepped forward so that he was in front of deerblood, a smile plastered on his face. “There’s no need for insults. Food is food, and that rabbit looks like it’d be a nice experience.”


    He held up his paw, predicting what goldengaze would say next. “Of course, you caught it on your land. That rabbit may look good, but we won’t fight you for it!” He laughed.

    "Alright, sweetheart, calm down," the tom growled, taking a step towards the border for the first time since she arrived. He paused for a moment, looking briefly over at Tinpelt before continuing to walk over to the she-cat. She was on her side of her border, he on his; but nevertheless, they were nose to nose. He was taller than her by a head, yet she was noticeably more muscular; he bristled his fur in order to compensate. "You sure are a pretty little thing, I wouldn't want to have to add to your scars if you don't learn your place."

    Tinpelt sighed in disappointment. “You know what? I was trying to be nice and come to a peaceful resolution, but I can see that you’re not the type of cat who accepts that.”


    He stepped forward, between goldengaze and deerblood. “You do realize windclan and darkclan have an alliance, don’t you? We’re not enemies, you know. I doubt jasperstar knows about this bad behavior of yours, maybe we should just go over and tell him.”