Ask to Join A Squeak Among Us

I did not wake up to be mediocre.

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It wasn't really like her to hang around so close to the carrion without a specific order, but Nightwhisper didn't need an order to peruse her own territory. And prey dwindled here, fat rats with a lot of meat to feed the clan. Even if another clan might rue her for it, Nightwhisper found the taste of them rather interesting too, especially the ones not covered in diseases and such.

Duskmantle soon caught her eye, swiping around at just the thing she was looking for. She watched as the rat tried to escape the other side of the pipe and saw her opportunity, she didn't cast a shadow on the percieved exit and when the rat showed its ugly head and grinned

"Got it!" She chirped before her jaw slammed down onto the rat's spine. She gave a hearty tug and then slammed it on the ground with a crack. And then it was limp. She knew it might have been a little... unorthodox, but she didn't want to risk a bite... she found out first paw once that those ugly things have a bite that stung like fire. She wasn't keen on getting a bite anywhere on her.

Finding her footing on the pipe, she balanced herself, prancing over to Duskmantle with the rat in her jaws, dropping it at the paws of the blue smoke mink tom. "We make a good team!"

Tiptoe through the murk and mire
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Duskmantle barely had time to register Nightwhisper's triumphant chirp before his attention was pulled toward another rustle deeper within the refuse. "We do." He mewed but was already stalking towards the next sound. His shoulders dipped as he prowled around a debris heap, following the faint skitter of claws beneath the debris.

Another rat burst from beneath the rubbish attempting to dart past him. Duskmantle lunged, jaws snapping around her body before she could disappear between two piles and the large rat twisted violently in his grip. Its teeth found his lip and the pain shot through his muzzle, only making him clamp harder in retaliation.

The rat squealed sharply, legs kicking uselessly as it dropped from his mouth but Duskmantle made no move to end its suffering. He was already turning towards the second pile - what had made the first rat make a made dash back to it? From within he could hear small squeaking, offspring perhaps?

I did not wake up to be mediocre.

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When Duskmantle made a bite to the rat and let it slowly perish in it's own blood, Nightwhisper shrugged and forced a heavy paw into the nape of its neck. However, she didn't move to end its misery just yet, it was more-a-less to keep it in place while Duskmantle committed to his investigation as he usually did. And with her paw away from the blasted rat teeth, she didn't have much to worry about. 

"Sounds like rat-kits." Nightwhisper chuckled, glancing down at the rat, some may look at the rat and hear the tiny squeaks and feel guilt for taking a mother away from their offspring, but not Nightwhisper. ShadowClan had to live, and if they had to, they'd catch anything that they would be able to sink their teeth into, Nightwhisper especially.

When the rat beneath her paw tried to pivot to a better angle to ravish her paw with bites, she made well sure that she held the rat down hard enough to weaken it with a lack of oxygen to the windpipe, nothing to a deadly level. But it was just until Duskmantle found out this information. And the rat was slowly dying regardless of what she did. So why not just make it less likely for an injury. "How many do you think? Sounds like at least five squeaking about in there. Unless it's something else. Then I don't know exactly what it sounds like."

Tiptoe through the murk and mire
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Duskmantle's ears tipped forward at the tiny chorus of squeaks coming from within the pipe. "Five sounds about right..." He meowed out loud, listening for the distinct voices within.

Curiosity sharpened his gaze as he crouched lower, peering into the dark opening before slowly extending one foreleg inside. His paw scraped against the tube walls as he felt around, searching for the warmth and movement of the nest. Once some of his arm disappeared the squeak grew louder, more distressed.

"Rat-kits...Tender, then." He grinned, pushing his paw farther into the tube. His claws flexed out against the metal as he felt something small scurry beneath his paws. He immediately shifted his weight, eager to catch hold of it. "Let's find out how many." His cornflower eyes flashed towards Nightwhisper playfully. Another squeak sounded from deeper inside, and Duskmantle's eyes narrowed with predatory focus as he probed farther.

I did not wake up to be mediocre.

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When Duskmantle went prodding around in the hard and cold tunnel, it didn't take much to snap the fully grown rat's neck with a harsh stomp of her paw and trotted over with curious, almost kit-like interest and enthusiasm. Her paw launched into the tunnel as well, it was roomier than it looked on the outside and the squeaks of distress grew louder. But there was no rat-queen to answer them.

Nightwhisper gave a playful sideglance to Duskmantle and swished her tail with a strange sense of curiosity and playfulness "I'll chase them out and we can both try and catch one or two... depending on how many there are." She suggested, carefully unsheathing her claws.

All it needed to take was a poke the the rat-kits, but she wouldn't dare move until Duskmantle approved of their plan. Otherwise it would go awry fast. She narrowed her eyes and grinned excitedly. Eagerly awaiting Duskmantle's approval.