Ask to Join Nose in the Air

I did not wake up to be mediocre.

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Nightwhisper seemed uncharacteristically quiet, her focus made only on the gradually strengthening scent that made itself more and more known as the time continued. Duskmantle was right, they were close. But close to what? A rogue passing through the twolegplace? then what, its not like the two could chase her out of the territory that wasn't there's, she was already out of ShadowClan. But the fact that she had strolled through ShadowClan territory to begin with was likely the issue to focus on, and yet, what were they to do about it?

"I know, I can smell her really close by." She whispered, her ears pricking for any such noises of activity of a cat, she couldn't really find any shuffling or mrrping or anything of the sort, but the scent was still so strong. She must be nearby. They didn't travel all this way for a fruitless endeavor, she was going to make sure of that.

Once again, Nightwhisper stepped ahead, ready to face anything, aggressive rogue? Lonely traveller? Anything. Perhaps not with claws right away, but if need be, she wasn't afraid to get her paws dirty, injury was nothing to Nightwhisper, gave her more stories to tell and a much more interesting tale for Glowkit... when she decided to visit them that is. But now, now was the time for discovery. Stories will come later.

Heir to the Black Prince

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Ahryndae had not made any effort to conceal herself. Why should she? The dark she-cat reclined atop the fountain's central stone as though it were a throne. Water trickled lazily beneath her perch, and her unique obsidian pelt caught the afternoon sunlight. The remains of a mouse lay between her paws, crimson staining the pale stone where she had been dining.

One forepaw was lifted delicately before her muzzle as she drew her tongue between her toes, cleaning away the last traces of blood with meticulous care. Her golden eyes slid open to catch the pair as they emerged, smelling of the pine infested bog she briefly visited.

"Ah...Swampstompers." She greeted the pair. The Black Princess didn't rise. "Followed me, did you?" A smile curled at one corner of her mouth before she resumed cleaning her paw. "Or have you come to admire the architexture?" Her voice a note of poised, aristocratic curiosity. This was her territory.

Tiptoe through the murk and mire
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Duskmantle halted the moment the rogue came into view. For all the effort they had spent tracking her, here she was advertising herself and enjoying a meal. The blood on the stone caught his eye, as well as the scent the mouse carried.

Beside him he could feel Nightwhisper poised to move but Duskmantle remained still. His cornflower gaze swept over her and the mouse remains... He stepped forward, stiffly. "Admire it? Can't say I've ever crossed the Thunderpath for the scenery."

It most certainly was her who invaded ShadowClan territory and they neede to at least interregate her. "You were careless and easily tracked. Were you inviting company or are you just that arrogant?' The black she-cat was rubbing him the wrong way and his eyes hardened.

I did not wake up to be mediocre.

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The fur along Nightwhisper's body puffed up immediately, hackles raising in defensive aggression. "Who are you calling Swampstomper?!" She snarled, fangs bared and claws beginning to dig into the solid earth beneath her. Her curled ears lowered as her green eyes narrowed at the entitled rogue speaking to them like she was better. "Keep that attitude and I'll show you what a 'swampstomper' can do. You pompous rat!" She hissed, spitting verbal venom at the cat.

However, when she had noticed how much calmer Duskmantle was, her fur lowered only slightly. Part of her knew she shouldn't go around picking fights with outsiders, but another part knew that they shouldn't be at twoleg place in the first place. And yet, here they stood, so a fight wasn't too far of, at least for Nightwhisper... at least right now. 

As calm as she could force herself to be, claws still unsheathed but her teeth no longer displayed, she stood beside the blue smoke tom and narrowed her eyes, the gaze hardening at the rogue... kittypet... whatever she was. The thing... the pompous rat. "You seem very bold to disrespect cats that outnumber you, rat" Nightwhisper elongated her words mockingly and gave a mock growl before shutting her jaws again. StarClan this cat needed some claws sunken into her.

Heir to the Black Prince

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While Nightwhisper bristled and spat and threatened the black she-cat remained draped and didn't unsheathe her claws. This would certainly be a valuable bit of gossip for the court. "You've tracked me across territories only to arrive breathless and angry. For what?"

Her golden eyes flicked toward Duskmantle. "Though at least one of you arrived with questions." He eyes blinked towards the more aggressive she-cat. "As far as you know...A have a court of cats nearby as well as a very loud very large human creature ready to snatch you all where you stand."

Her tongue swiped over her mouth, eyes half lidded. Let the savages rage at her in a tantrum. "You've called me rat twice now...Rats are quite successful creatures. Oppertunistic." Scouting for the court was inconvient enough if not for catching a snack on the way.

With a small sigh she rose, stretching briefly so her muscles shone in the sunlight. "Is this all about the mouse...?" She purred, unaffected.

Tiptoe through the murk and mire
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Duskmantle's tail lashed once as Nightwhisper erupted beside him. Stars above was she going to launch herself into the fountain? His eyes never left the black she-cat...talk of a court? What was that? It almost esclipsed the threat of a Twoleg...

"You talk a lot for a cat that hasn't answered a single question." he scoffed, voice level compared to Nightwhisper's insults. "And no...this isn't about the mouse."

A mouse wasn't worth crossing a Thunderpath or taking a trek through all of Twolegplace. "It's about ShadowClan territory and about how you were there and stole prey." For the first time Duskmantle allowed his eyes to drift briefly across the surrounding dens and fences....Measuring just to see if others were near or if he could sense a Twoleg threat before returning to the maurauder.

I did not wake up to be mediocre.

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"Rats are nosy and disease ridden vermin. A match made in StarClan if you ask me." Nightwhisper growled under her breath, but taking a moment to think, she realized that she would have a better chance fighting on the Thunderpath than trying to scale to weird twoleg-made stone waterfall that the 'rat' was sitting on. Although she hadn't been made aware of the prey stealing until Duskmantle mentioned it.

Part of her wanted to jump up their and rip into that pretty pelt of hers, but she chose the other option, standing back and letting Duskmantle negotiate. But there was no moment where she didn't threaten the black rat with her claws unsheathed and fur risen, tail puffed out like a freshly opened pinecone and twitching impatiently.

Taking a kit-step length back, she continued the stare at the obsidian colored prissy rat, as if trying to judge her next move, while she had made the concious and probably clever decision to back down from an immediate fight, she was still on edge and would be well prepared to skin that pretty pelt of hers for nest decoration if she needed to.

Heir to the Black Prince

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Ahryndae's ears twitched once as Duskmantle finally reached the heart of the matter. Of course it would be about territory....These savages were being terribly predictable even though they bothered to amuse her with the whole tracking her down.

The display might have been intimidating had Ahryndae not seen angry housecats twice her size throw similar tantrums over less. "I don't find your borders nearly as fascinating as you do." She simply didn't care enough. Neither of them were worth her time...barely worth the trip for a plump mouse and a few scents honestly.

The princess rose smoothly to her paws atop the fountain stone and sprang. Not at them, but it carried her lithe body up onto a low branch nearby from the fountain. A moment later she was climbing, higher and away until she came to her destination where she knew the swampstomers wouldn't tred.

Her paws landed on the slanted roof of the Twoleg den, dark silluette against the bright sky. "Enjoy your walk home, Swampstompers." She called down at them and turned away, disappearing from view.

Tiptoe through the murk and mire
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Duskmantle's ears flattened as the rogue moved. The black she-cat flowed from fountain to branch with irritating ease, carrying herself with the confidence of a cat who knew her surroundings. His claws bit into the earth as he shot forward, hoping to intercept, but he wasn't quick enough. "Mouse brained - "

His voice caught as she sprung higher. He followed her immediately, claws sinking into bark as he scooted up branch to branch. The Twoleg den loomed above him, roof slanted at an angle no sensible clan cat would trust. The scent of Twolegs hung thick around its edges. Duskmantle crouched slightly, measuring the distance and his eyes narrowed.

The uncertainty irritated him more than her smug farewell...He glanced toward the fence lines and surrounding dens one final time, searching for any sign of immediate danger. Finding none, he let out a slow breath through his nose. "Well, this was a waste of time... Sorry I dragged you out here."