[occultation]

Shadowfur laughed at her immediate assumption that he was checking her out. Beyond Flameheart, he caught sight of Mirehound and a cat he didn't recognize looking at them both. The Enforcer aimed to meet Mirehound's gaze for a fleeting second, but was unsure if he succeeded or if she'd even notice. He was often a quick and cryptic communicator; of all the cats in ShadowClan, Mirehound would be the one to know that.

Realizing that perhaps he and Flameheart were drawing too much attention to themselves, he lowered his voice just a tad. He wasn't under the impression that they were easy to hear, especially over the pounding rain, but some cats had exceptional hearing.

"I think the fact that you immediately jumped to assume that I'm looking you over because I'm interested in you says a lot more about you than it does about me." he responded coolly. "Perhaps you're not as happy with your mate as you think, if you're so quick to be thinking about romance with another cat."

When she insinuated that he might threaten a she-cat's safety with his analysis of their pelt for scars, he snorted. "You have a lot to learn about body language, Flameheart. I am an honorable cat; all I care about is fighting and surviving. I don't wish to partake in such... disgusting practices."

She was certainly hot-headed and overly emotional; that much Shadowfur had easily been able to determine. Underneath, however, he suspected there might be a twinge or two of insecurity. Bloodthirstiness, too, although to what extent he was currently unsure.

At her umpteenth defense of her Clan and its ability that evening, Shadowfur only smiled. "If you struggled so much against a RiverClan cat who is so cowardly they can't be bothered to show up in their Clan after committing a crime, then I don't have much faith in your fighting ability. I have been fighting a lot longer than you." He glanced toward a series of four small scars, all parallel to one another, on his left flank. Although he could not see it, he thought too of the fifth scar on his body, a perfect line running between his shoulders.

Looking back at Flameheart, he growled in a low voice, "Do you see those four scars on my side? A cat gave them to me when I had their throat in my jaws. It's a reminder of what it means to truly be a good fighter: even in the jaws of death, with blood running down their neck, that warrior still landed a perfect strike. Precise, harsh, and perfectly timed." His green gaze glittered in the rain. "Time will tell if you can do the same."

Dawnstar's harsh, permanently irritated voice caught his attention. Turning his gaze away from the ThunderClan Keeper and up to the hulking molly on the Seastones, Shadowfur remained perfectly quiet. He chanted the names of their new apprentices, and of Darkfall and Larkfire. He was disappointed that Dawnstar did not announce the new Enforcers she'd named, but he wasn't surprised.

What did surprise him, though, was that Dawnstar chose to directly address her lack of a deputy. Whether it was the right call or not, Shadowfur wasn't sure. Did it send a strong message, or a weak one? He thought for a moment about what Flameheart had said; ultimately, it was ShadowClan as a whole that suffered because of Dawnstar's inability - or unwillingness - to choose a deputy.

However, no cat would know he was thinking such things. A look of fierce pride remained on his face. To anyone looking at him, he simply looked proud of his Clan.

( @SpiritedWarrior @daenerys )