No right, no honour, just a bunch of puppets

[Estelle]

[ Title by Spiritedwarrior!

@Undertaker - this would be that little patrol ghostie pmed you about!
@lane. @perseus. @birdie ]


A light grimace formed on the tabby's face at the thought of meeting the ShadowClan leader. Well, not so much meeting her as confronting her about Silverpaw. Granted it wasn't right and the warrior who killed her should see some form of reprimanding, he just... Didn't necessarily believe this would do much. Call him pessimistic, but he thought the current ShadowClan leader similar to the previous one. A patrol would've hardly done anything with Icestar, and he didn't think Dawnstar was much different in that sense. Which is why he opted for a smaller patrol, it looked less threatening. Gingerfrost wanted to have his bases covered, one of which was to go of off the thought that Dawnstar may take a larger patrol a threat. Which they weren't. They wanted to talk, is all. Looking over his shoulder to Fogcloud, Raccoonear, and unfortunately Fawnpaw - it shouldn't a long trek before they got to the border. If only the medicine cat hadn't forced her way along, but what could he do. He didn't get the sense that she would listen to him if he told her to return back, evidently she wouldn't let that happen now. So he had to give in, work with it. He'd rather keep them all around.
"Raccoonear;" he turned the warrior's way "Stay close to Fawnpaw, whatever happens, don't leave her side."
That he won't budge on, didn't matter what anyone had to say, Gingerfrost wouldn't risk it. He'd prefer to think they were capable of diplomacy, but as some would say, you never know with ShadowClan.

It wasn't until they got to the border that Gingerfrost stopped in his tracks, staying a little way's away from the scent line that separated their territories. The ground was mushy and icky, and the tabby wasn't too fond of the feeling of mud between his toes, though it was the least on his mind.
"It'd be better if we waited here for a ShadowClanner;"
Much as it might not have sounded like it, it was more of a suggestion he quite wanted to go through with than an order. Simply, it felt as though it would only aggravate the dark leader if they simply walked onto her territory. Something Gingerfrost would like to avoid, hoping that the three of them might share the same sentiment. Unfortunately for him, the ground was a bit too muddy to sit down on. But he doubted it would be very long before they'd come across someone from the clan of shadows, so it had to be fine, he had intentionally aimed for an early time as to hopefully catch a border patrol or so anyway; something that could take them to Dawnstar respectfully or inform her of their presence. In the meantime however, it was mostly a waiting game. Carefully scanning the border, he couldn't help the heavier feeling in the depths of his stomach. Hopefully this would go well.

[perseus.]

Fogcloud eyes were hyper focused on everything around them as they started the trek toward the Shadowclan border. Her large body was tense, the silver tabby never had liked Shadowclan even if some of her family lived there. All of them were vicious and cruel, monsters really. Her hazel eyes flickered toward Gingerfrost as he came to a stop and nodded. It would not be a good idea to try and enter onto their territory, who knows what would happen them. Well Fogcloud knows, they probably would be ripped to shreds even with Fawnpaw here.

@Undertaker - this would be that little patrol ghostie pmed you about!
@lane. @Estelle @birdie

[taillow]

Fawnpaw
Padding from camp that day, Fawnpaw couldn't help but feel a pit of anxiety twisting in her stomach. It was easy to conceal it though, since she figured any display of nerves would surely have Gingerfrost sending her back to camp. But this was something she had to be apart of. RiverClan needed a united front, and with Pikestar in his den still resting from being sick she felt it was her duty to step in alongside the deputy and two shields as they made the trek to Saltmeadow Marsh.

Her ears flicked as she heard Gingerfrost assign Raccoonear to stay by herside, and despite the quick flash of irritation that shot through her, she understood his intention. After all, she still had no battle training and would be no help in a fight, so ShadowClan would likely see her as an easy target if it came to that. One of the newest shields, Raccoonear, she suspected to be a rather formidable fighter if the scars on her pelt were any indicator. So for now she kept quiet and simply nodded towards the deputy before fixing her gaze forward.

Soon enough they reached the border and Fawnpaw let out a small, soft breath she had been holding. It was eerie as always, but the medicine cat tried her best to not let that get under her pelt. Instead she scanned the other side with curious blue eyes. Surely a patrol or a solo warrior would be along and discover them soon enough. After all, she had always gotten the sense that even if they couldn't be seen, ShadowClan was always watching. Elmshadow and Ivysnake gave her that feeling, and she figured it could extend to the rest of the pine dwelling cats as well.

Eyes shifting over to Fogcloud, noticing how tense the she-cat seemed. Lightly, the medicine cat lifting her fluffy tail and aimed to brush it briefly across her Clanmates shoulder as a show of comfort before whisking it away. A quick, short 'we're in this together' notion before she went back to surveying the border.

[ @Estelle @perseus @lane. ]

[pxxylo]

> RACCOONEAR | @perseus. @Etselle @birdie @Undertaker

Despite the fact that a gut feeling in her telling her to just chicken out of the patrol and stay back tore through her like sharp claws, she dragged forward her heavy body, dragged it to where the other three cats she would be accompanying were standing. How is it possible that just yesterday I felt all dainty and light as a daisy? Today I feel like fifty damn cat's worth a' weight. The gray molly didn't find too much joy in visiting such... cats who lack morals. That's a nice way to put it, yeah? She slowly moved her icy gaze across the gathered crowd, nodding her head as to apologize for being a bit late.

The blue-eyed molly soon heard something amidst the murkiness of her mind that managed to make it to her because of the keyword of her name. Stay by Fawnpaw, don't leave. Easy enough, not too hard at all. The large molly's gaze wafted down to the fluffy molly who was now medicine cat. This would be the first time she'd be actually meeting her. What a nice way to meet your new medicine cat. She still seemed quite nice, a friend of her brother, so she must be a good cat, and a good medicine cat. While she was still bitter about being gone while something she still didn't know anything about happened to Snakeheart, she could easily accept and move on. With a large and tall stance, along with multiple scars, and even one on her face, unless she was smiling she almost looked... threatening?

She quickly tried to soften her own face and posture, casting Fawnpaw a kind smile. From the outside eye it almost seemed odd seeing someone who looked like Raccoonear did smiling like that, all gentle and nice. She nodded towards Gingerfrost and Fogcloud, soon after noticing Fogcloud's stiff stance. They seemed worried to her, but maybe it was something else. She smiled gently towards the silver tabby before looking forward. On the way there, she maintained her own silence, kept to her own thoughts like the rest of the patrol. Now, to wait.

[Undertaker]

@Estelle @perseus. @lane. @birdie @NinjaBloss @TheNyanCatMinecart @Ravensong

The forest, which should have resembled distinct and beautiful vegetation that was visible during the daylight, was seemingly swallowed by one long tract of darkness as if the murkiness of night bleakly painted it at all hours. Amidst this darkness, moved a beast in the form of an unnaturally gigantic cat. A predator in the night, she glides through the gloomy wilderness of her natural habitat.

Pine branches of perturbed trees susurrated not against her, but against the invisible threatening aura surrounding her. Her paws lightly decompressed the soil that seemed to bow to her approach as she wandered through the territory, head raised high and bushy tail arched above her back. The small animals of the forest retreated into the shadows in a pitiful attempt to conceal themselves, if only they knew she was born in those shadows they belonged to her and bent to her like everything that lived in this darkness.

What they did know, as every blade of grass knew, was that the creature stepping through them was anomalous. Powerful, clever, and with just enough madness to make a sinister combination - she was unstoppable in her aims. Whatever she came to achieve - everything had to bend to her will, unfold before her, accommodate her, or die. For this was her way.

She had set out without any real purpose, bring three she-cats that to her - in one way or another - were vaulted as kin and as kin shouldn't irk her as much as the average clanmate did. She's been tired mentally as of late and although she'd never admit it, Cougarivy, Vixensnarl, and Ivysnake brought her some sort of strange... comfort? No, not the right word? Peace of mind? Whatever the word, she felt less stressed out with them around. The heavily scarred clan leader left the she-cats to their own devices as she walked, nose twitching as a smelly scent, stronger than usual, drew her attention.

She was near RiverClan's border, it wasn't uncommon to smell that disgusting foul reek, what was uncommon was the silhouettes placed at the border. Dawnstar's golden irises illuminated in the shadows momentarily before the colossal feline detached from the darkness in silence, separating herself from the shadows as she approached the border stopping a good tail length from the patrol. Two of the four were known to her, yet still, she peered at them with the same insignificance one would at a pesty fly, an annoying tick, or a stray worm.

"I do hope that whatever you are here for isn't tedious, I might have to make you compensate me for my time with your blood." An unnerving sneer crept up on Dawnstar's maw as she greeted their guests in a flat tone. She was well aware of what they were here for, or so she assumed, perhaps her paws had brought her to their borders with hopes try and bite back today. It's been a while since Dawnstar's brought any clan chaos to ShadowClan. They've been playing with twolegs and dealing with internal problems as of late. She should work harder on changing that or at least encourage her clanmates to do so. Preferably in a way that would not bring humiliation to her or ShadowClan.

[Ian]

Vixensnarl slid through the murky forest with practiced ease, her lean muscles rippling as she wove her way through the pines. Being taken out on patrol with her mother, her platonic mate, and her Commander was refreshing. The brown tabby was used to barking orders and fighting tooth and claw to get patrols to report, so this relaxing outing was a nice change.

She stuck close to Ivysnake simply because she hadn't spent much time with the medicine cat, and she was one of the few in ShadowClan that the Enforcer could tolerate. The reek of fish alerted Vixensnarl that they were approaching the RiverClan border, and she idly unsheathed and sheathed her claws. Perhaps they would find another lost fish to teach a lesson to.

The reason the stink was so prominent quickly became apparent. A patrol was waiting at the border, consisting of the RiverClan deputy and medicine cat. Vixensnarl narrowed her eyes as she broke away from Ivysnake to flank Dawnstar, blatantly eyeing the patrol up and down before dismissing them with a quiet huff. She raised a forepaw and unsheathed her claws to flick the dirt from them, but it was also an idle threat.

"I do hope it's something boring. I've been itching for a good scrap recently." The tediousness of dealing with the internal problems in camp was precisely why Vixensnarl didn't want the position of deputy. She didn't mind the duties of Enforcer, but being deputy would limit her freedom of getting in scraps due to the political ramifications of such actions.

@Undertaker @birdie @Estelle @TheNyanCatMinecart @perseus. @Ravensong @lane.

[Pitou]

**Cougarivy**

@Undertaker @birdie @Estelle @TheNyanCatMinecart @perseus. @NinjaBloss @lane.

The night was chilly but Cougarivy's thick, although short, fur kept it pleasant as she weaved joltingly after the massive shadowed leader. The enforcer commander moved in and out of the shadows almost recklessly, an excitement buzzing through her toes. She didn't have any distinguishable reason for such excitement other than Elmshadow's kits wriggling in her belly and an impromptu nighttime outing with her leader, one of her more reliable enforcers and the medicine cat apprentice. She really only saw Ivysnake in passing but something about her she liked, even if it was simply the proximity to Elmshadow. Someone who worked so closely with her mate was surely a friend of hers. Her smile widened as her thoughts flitted from one subject to the next, her eyes not catching on anything in particular. There was a serious, though relaxed air around her that she either ignored or missed entirely in her own internal daydreams.

The little enforcer commander was made aware first of the little tingle that started at her nose and bled through down to her tail tip. Her nose twitched and the stench of Riverclan made its way into her consciousness. Subconsciously, her erratic movements condensed and she moved silently through the shadows. She let the shiver course through her as her daydreams switched abruptly to the war that had been alluded to over the death of that she-cat. Though it was looking less and less to do with Riverclan, it didn't banish her dreams. Though what did finally pull her out was a reality that surpassed those dreams. The moon-lined forms of four cats were perched along the border. Cougarivy's blue eyes lit up and a tight shiver ran down her spine. She flexed her claws into the soft dirt, watching Dawnstar from the corner of her eye as the dark she-cat moved forward to meet the Riverclan figures seemingly waiting. Cougarivy hung back for a heartbeat, reining in the exhilaration and anticipation. She followed behind the other she-cats, stepping out of the shadows and pulling out from behind them to stand to their side. Her claws flexed in waves as she crouched down, eyeing the Riverclanners. Was that...? She couldn't be so lucky to have stumbled upon both the Riverclan deputy and medicine cat, surely. She giggled to herself.

Though her attention was outwardly locked on the Riverclanners, Dawnstar's talk of paying with blood set the little black and white she-cat's mouth to watering. She related very little to Vixensnarl on most days. While she trusted the she-cat to make sure things got done, she was such a serious warrior, but she couldn't help feeling like the other enforcer reflected her exact thoughts in that moment. She could nearly taste the fishy blood on her tongue already and was praying that one would take a step over the border. Dawnstar's lack of surprise was apparent enough though Cougarivy wasn't sure if that had more to do with her never really being caught off-guard with anything or if the leader had some idea of why the Riverclanners were gathered here. It didn't cross her mind to wonder and she didn't much care at this point. Now what mattered was the fishies standing at her border and the heavy air of a possible impending scuffle. She licked her lips, fidgeting her paws, and let out a giggle.

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

~ IVYSNAKE OF SHADOWCLAN ~

The night was dark and shadowy, the thick pine needles blocking out the light of the moon and stars while the grip of leaf-bare gave ShadowClan territory its own added layer of bleakness. There were no leaves to lose here, nothing that would expose the land to the false promise of light, which the other Clans seemed to think meant happiness and security. And maybe they were right. For the shadows brought Ivysnake and every other sensible ShadowClan cat a sense of peace and belonging while everyone else was afraid of what lurked in them. The medicine cat apprentice padded behind Dawnstar and next to Vixensnarl, making the living definition of what it was to be a true member of ShadowClan. Developing, strengthening muscles rippled under her short yet thick pelt, and her dark brown tabby fur - sluiced with black stripes resembling ivy climbing and wrapping itself around her - turned her into a living shadow. Only her amber eyes, sharp and piercing, cut through the darkness. She was here with Dawnstar, her platonic mate, and one of the Enforcers. Only the best in ShadowClan. If her younger self could see her now, she'd be pleased. And Ivysnake was pleased.

A wall of fishy stench hit the tall medicine cat apprentice's nose, and she wrinkled it. RiverClan. Dawnstar had led the patrol in the direction of their border, and she saw some cats gathered there. Two of them she recognized: Gingerfrost, the deputy, and Fawnpaw, the cowardly medicine cat who had a heart soft enough for a bug to squish. Anyone else, she did not recognize. Vixensnarl broke away from her, and Ivysnake copied the brown tabby Enforcer, flanking her leader. Her long, sharp claws slid out as she eyed the other cats - a show of strength and a willingness to fight, but not anything that would drive the RiverClan cats over the edge unless they were that soft. I wonder if Fawnpaw will burst into tears. If she did, Ivysnake wouldn't be surprised.

Her gaze idly shifted to Cougarivy, who she hadn't paid much mind during the duration of their walk. The black-and-white she-cat looked a little mad, not as collected as Ivysnake would've liked, but she wasn't bad. She was loyal, and Dawnstar trusted her to make her the Enforcer Commander. Ivysnake's piercing eyes shifted back to the RiverClan cats. She remained still and silent, stoic, her ears not even flicking as Dawnstar and Vixensnarl made their comments or Cougarivy giggled. She wouldn't start a fight if one wasn't provoked, but if one did break out... It had been far too long since Ivysnake had drawn blood or taken someone's pelt as a prize. Did anyone still do that? We haven't had enough conflicts, she thought, disappointed. The thought of mirroring the old days sent a tingle of excitement through her belly, one that didn't reflect anywhere else, not even her eyes, which were supposedly the window to the soul. The medicine cat apprentice remained as solemn and serious as ever - although she was ready.

@Undertaker @birdie @Estelle @Ravensong @perseus. @NinjaBloss @lane. (Apologies for the wait!)