Deadlihood || Blazingpaw

» SMOLDERSTRIKE

A small, petite gray calico swept into the Carriorplace with a blank expression pasted on her face. Her nose did not scrunch at the stench, and her molten eyes stayed indifferent as they gazed over the black sacs of garbage strewn haphazardly all about. Smolderstrike wasn't here to hunt; the rats that lived in and around the trash were ridden with disease so heavily, not even an idiot would dare look for food there. No, she was there to kill. Camp was too full with cats lazing about after a day of work, so the young warrior had decided to venture out to make a dent in the population of rats in the area.

Smolderstrike had known even before she'd overheard Stormstar speaking to his deputy about it that the rats were too plentiful. Of course it wasn't much of a matter yet, and the gray tom had said he'd send a few cats to solve it tomorrow, but the she-cat didn't want to wait that long. Today had been full of thoughts of that one silver tom in particular, the handsome devil she couldn't even bring herself to think the name of. Just thoughts of his face, his gentle voice sent her stomach churning in disgust. Smolderstrike tightened her jaw the slightest bit and forbade herself to think further about the ex-leader of ShadowClan. He was bad for her, made her weak; she hated feeling weak.

Get to work, Smolderstrike...he gave you a name, and that's it. He's dead.....gone.

With that, Fernstar slowly dissipated into nothingness in her mind once more. He was locked behind her strong walls that kept everything that would make her break far in the back of her brain. She had something else at task aside from stupidly hopeful memories. She shook the last bit of him away with a toss of her head and was off, prowling around the heap of junk the rats called home. Her claws dug into the dank ground, hard because of the leafbare snow and stared at the wriggling form of a fat rodent squeezing out of a hole in the mountain.

Idiots, rodents are. she thought darkly.

Approaching the unaware rat silently, on light paws, she was a tail-length from it before her body slid slowly into a hunter's crouch. Smolderstrike crept ever closer, close enough to smell its stench and then sprang. Landing squarely on its back, the gray calico shoved a paw down onto it's skull and watched it go limp beneath her, unconscious. With that, her claws shred its throat and the first rat was dead. Burying it swiftly and going for another, Smolderstrike's ears twitched back a bit when she caught the faint scent of a Clanmate approaching. It was hardly detectable over the strong smell of the garbage, but definitely there. The warrior made no move to face the other however, and continued searching for a second rat, stone-faced per usual.

Blazingpaw was bored. He spent the entirety of the day sleeping; trying to rid his mind of Morningstreak's bloodied maw and crippling words. He could still hear her moans in his sleep - so he ditched his nest and settled himself on the edge of camp. The tom watched his clanmates step quietly amongst each other, too disturbed to even mention the she-cat's name. Blazingpaw wouldn't admit it but he was just as terrified as they were. He's never seen as anything like it before. The gathering was etched in his mind; constantly on replay and it was getting beneath his skin. He needed to get out of here. The camp was suddenly too small, the walls were closing in, and he found himself struggling to breath. Suddenly, as the sun sank into the trees, he heard a slight rustle through the undergrowth. Someone else was leaving camp - Smolderstrike. The tom narrowed his eyes, what was she doing?

Without any consolation he broke through the thorn barrier and pushed himself out of camp. He needed a distraction - an excuse to pass time. Smolderstrike was an interesting she-cat. She didn't speak much and her background was as hazy as they came. She was a few moons older than the tom, so he didn't know much about her apprenticeship. They shared a few moons in the same den but there was never any reason for them to talk. He was an annoying prick and she was as anti-social as any stuck up bitch. But what he did know of her intrigued him. He's seen her lash out before - violent enough to draw blood. The massive apprentice wasn't frightened of her, no, it only egged him on. He wanted to get under her skin; push her buttons; find out what makes her tick. The tom slunk through the undergrowth, quietly stalking the she-cat as she padded through the marshland. He was careful to stay far enough behind to remain unnoticed. He wanted to watch her first; he wanted to play this game right.

He followed her to the carrionplace, curious to as what her intentions were. Blazingpaw figured she was smart enough to avoid bringing the rats back to camp as a source of food - even a kit wasn't that dumb. So, what was she doing? The tom settled onto his haunches and observed Smolderstrike as she sunk onto her paws and hunted? - He lifted his head, confusion smothered his features, "What an idiot." He seethed beneath his breath. She was going to infect the entire clan with disease. Not only were his clanmates completely terrified, but now they were going to be ridden with sickness as well? He had to stop this mouse-brain before she endangered the entire camp. Just as she sunk her teeth into the soft flesh of a rat did Blazingpaw break through the undergrowth and confront the warrior, "What in Starclan's name are you doing?"

"Are you some special kind of stupid?" But as the words left his mouth he found himself realizing his mistake - she wasn't hunting them, she was killing them, for fun. He watched as the she-cat kicked dirt over the rat and turned to face him. He wrinkled his nose, dumbfounded by his own stupidity.

» SMOLDERSTRIKE

Smolderstrike stopped what she was doing, noting that no rats seemed to be moving inside the stinking heap before her. Turning to gaze at Blazingpaw at last, she simply stared at him blankly, blazing yellow eyes regarding him with frosty indifference. The gray calico knew of the large apprentice's games, the way he enjoyed pissing off her Clanmates just to be a prick. Smolderstrike however, wouldn't rise to his bait. Many had attempted to piss her off, make her lose the solid mask of icy flame that was her blank expression of nothingness but they had utterly failed. Nothing angered Smolderstrike as much as her past and the cats in it, but none were either aware or gutsy enough to attempt to use it as material.

Tail swaying a bit as she turned her body to fully face the apprentice, Smolderstrike simply sunk to her haunches and fixed him with a stare. There was no hate or amusement or annoyance, it was just her eyes scanning the other slowly, meticulously. Blazingpaw was muscular and large, quite a bit bigger than herself. His footsteps into her presence had been clumsy, as were his words. Smolderstrike obviously wasn't impressed.

"I'll not waste time stating the obvious; I suggest you leave, you're a nuisance."

Rising once more to her paws, the ashy gray, ginger, and white warrior returned to observing the garbage. Her words had been a simple, blunt statement, free of hardly any emotion but a hint of venom. Smolderstrike spoke in the same way to every cat. They simply did not deserve her emotions, and most definitely wouldn't dig up the ones she no longer felt. Blazingpaw was simply in her way, a nuisance. He may have power, but his lack of grace would be his downfall. The younger cat would do nothing but get himself hurt, and Smolderstike didn't feel like having to explain to Thistlespot and Stormstar what had even happened.

Realizing the rodents wouldn't come crawling out because of the scent of their comrade's blood, Smolderstrike gazed around the dump for something to startle a few out but found nothing. She supposed this would be a waiting game, and it didn't bother the young warrior in the least. Patience was a virtue she'd learned long ago, and she was quite sure her Clanmates wouldn't mind her not returning to camp for a few hours.

Waiting didn't last long though; Smolderstrike grew tired of staring at the heap. She had done a lot that day already and was quite exhausted even without playing a waiting game with the silly rats. Looking around for something to startle them out, Smolderstrike's ears stood at attention when an aluminum soda can glinted into her vision. As an older kit, her and Petal had always collected them only to swat them at fences to send dogs into wild fits of howls and snarls, throwing themselves at the sturdy wood - or sometimes metal - just to get the felines.

The memories made her eyes darken, and just like the earlier thoughts of Fernstar, she sent Petal to the back of her mind; dangerous memories like those belonged behind her wall of steel and ice. Smolderstrike blinked a few times before sending the can flying and watching two rats come out, squeaking angrily. Deftly smacking another can, this one smashed against one of the two rodents' heads, dazing it while the other squealed and charged her.

The tom scoffed at her indifference. Her words hit him as she spoke him; cold and lacking of any disturbance. She didn't display any emotion - it was just her eyes; back and forth they scanned him like a preying hawk. Blazingpaw narrowed his own, watching as the she-cat merely turned on her heel and went back to her little cat and mouse game. The massive tom wrinkled his nose. He was disgusted with his own stupidity, but what drove him wild most was his sincere desire for redemption. It's not that he wanted to impress her, or earn her respect - no, he wanted to see her angry - those were his intentions. Instead, she reacted as if he hadn't said anything at all. As if his words barely graced the ends of her pelt, and refused to cling on. He wanted to get under her skin. Blazingpaw still stood, watching as she waited, and still nothing came. He didn't know what it was, this appetite of his; this sheer lust he harbored, but he wanted it. The tom wanted to get her mad.

Regardless of the consequences the tom strode forward and threw himself in front of her. He blocked her vision, destroyed her progress, and fixed her a burning gaze. Blazingpaw grit his teeth, his eyes glittering, "Look, I don't know what kind of game you're playing but-" The words caught in his throat and were quickly cut short by a sharp, mangled yowl. The tom jumped as a large rat raked it's teeth into his hindquarters and dug in for dear life. Blazingpaw immediately dropped to the ground, trying to suffocate the rat beneath his enormous weight, but instead it only hung on tighter. Pain shot through him in waves as the rat dug mercilessly through his flesh. As pathetic as it seemed, the only thing that made sense was to thrash about. With a grunt, he threw his weight to the left and swung the rodent into the air and onto the ground. Before it could even move, Blazingpaw was already on it's back, biting into it's neck and killing it swiftly.

A sharp breath left his throat, followed by a longer, slower one; the tom could feel his heart pounding in his chest. And then it came back to him. He could feel Smolderstrike watching him, her eyes set his pelt ablaze. The apprentice gritted his teeth, he didn't know why, but he could feel his face flush. He could feel the embarrassment ignite him like a wildfire. Closing his eyes, the tom straightened his posture and let out a few more long breaths. Composure, find your composure. But he didn't have any. "Why did you just sit there?!" He exclaimed loudly, "Or why didn't you say anything!" The tom could feel his blood boil, "Those damn things are infected!" He paused, his voice shaking, "I'm probably infected." Without any sense of indecency, he scooted tail first, her direction, and turned his head over his shoulder, "Tell me, sweet pea, does this look infected to you?" Because it sure as hell felt infected.

ooc// so uhhh, blazingpaw just got bit in the ass by a rat

» SMOLDERSTRIKE

A blur of mottled pelt whisked in front of the she-cat's nose, fiery eyes burning into her own cool amber ones. He spoke harshly, possibly hoping to make her snap back. Actually, she was nearly positive that was what his intentions were. Alas, he paused mid-sentence, and let out a pain-filled roar. Blinking, Smolderstrike looked at Blazingpaw with a gaze full of cool calm. The gray calico had twitched her paws, as if to aid him, but she knew there was no aiding someone who thrashed like he did. The apprentice's loud grunts and caterwauls forced the warrior's ears to cant back ever so slightly as she simply kept staring.

The silence stretched on smoothly, her gaze staying on Blazingpaw's massive form steadily the whole time. She didn't even blink when he demanded to know why she hadn't helped or warned him. Instead, Smolderstrike continued to wait; he'd get it out of his system eventually, and only then would she speak. After all, it was nearly impossible to get a word in edge wise when it came to a panicked or angry cat.

An analytical gaze scanned Blazingpaw's rear, passing over the plains of torn and bloody flesh. Once done inspecting it, rather closely, those stony eyes returned to the larger cat's immediately. After an even longer pause to wait and see if he had anything else to sputter out, Smolderstrike finally opened her jaws and formed a straightforward answer, per the norm for her.

"I don't play games, Blazingpaw. And I believe we both know that it was your fault that you got bitten; you were well aware of the task I was performing, and the possible consequences of foolishly intervening. Also, infection is something that takes time to happen. First, the wound will attempt to heal, and next it will fester. Go back to camp and have the medicine cat fix you up; I need to finish the business I started with these rodents."

Padding around the massive patched apprentice, Smolderstrike watched serenely as three rats ventured out of the pile to see what was happening. Noticing they were too big for her to take down all at once, the small warrior swiftly collected more cans and sent them barreling toward two of the three rats with startling accuracy. From the force, one was sent flying and another fell to the ground, unconscious. Startled, the third rat charged her, much like the one that had bitten Blazingpaw moments before. Smolderstrike deftly sliced its throat just as it reared back to bite her, then went on to approach the others, who were slowly getting up to attempt and injure her. During all of this, her back was completely to Blazingpaw; she was blatantly ignoring him in hopes that he'd heed her words although it was unfortunately unlikely he'd do so.

"You don't play games?" The tom let out an incredulous scoff, "Then what's with the charade?" The apprentice may lack any and all kinds of empathy, but he knew he was capable of feeling. And if a brute like himself could manage to feel something, then he was sure that a warrior like Smolderstrike wasn't made of stone. She was hiding. Hiding behind a wall that she built herself. Blazingpaw would know. He did the same thing himself, after Honeypaw's death he wasn't sure if he'd ever feel anything again - but he was starting to unravel. It started with the little things, like the sun on his back, or the brightness in a kit's eye. He would never admit it but he was starting to appreciate life again - and it was making his tongue curl.

Blazingpaw narrowed his eyes, watching as the she-cat padded around him and directed her attention elsewhere - not that she had paid him any attention to begin with. Smolderstrike was treating him like a pest, and it made his fur bristle. The apprentice was fairly aware of the fact that the majority of his clanmates despised him, and he was very aware of the fact that the majority of the blame was justly placed on him. But at least he made an effort. This she-cat, on the other hand, refused to acknowledge anyone but herself. It's like she welcomed hate with open paws. The tom settled himself onto his haunches, a soft hiss left his maws as his rump grazed his hind legs; his injury was definitely going to be a nuisance, but he continued to observe the warrior regardless.

He wasn't going to let her get off this easy. Unfortunately for Smolderstrike, he was intrigued by her cold disposition. She could become an interesting play-thing for the tom. He definitely needed something in his life; a new challenge, and starclan, would she be challenging. A cocky smirk slid through his lips for only a brief second before it was replaced with sheer, blank indifference. "And why would I head back to camp when your company has been so pleasant." With little to no effort, the tom rolled onto his paws and padded, yet again, in her direction.

"See, I'm interested in knowing something-" The apprentice fixed himself in front of the she-cat, obstructing her line of vision with his massive body, "Why are you a part of Shadowclan, when it's painfully obvious that you want nothing to do with our clan." Blazingpaw raised an inquisitive brow, "Shadowclan demands pure, loyal blood you know."

ooc// this iS SHIT. I AM SO RUSTY