only the beginning (open!)

[{Seal}]

A soft breeze shifted across the coastal plain, bending and swaying the tall grasses until they seemed to merge together in climbing and falling waves on a great green sea. High above, the pale blue sky was clear save for a line of thunderheads far off on the horizon. The air was heavy and damp, and though the weak sunlight valiantly cast its light and warmth down upon the land, it was clear that within an hour or so the sky would be split by lightning, and the air filled with the rumbling of newleaf thunder.

Fully aware of this fact, the light brown tomcat stalked purposefully across the land, the tall grass parting obediently around his long, skinny body. Hard-padded paws gripped the dirt beneath as powerful muscles twitched in an effort not to break into a sprint. Away from his Clanmates and the pressures of leadership, Sprucestar's tail left its position curled above his head and instead streamed out behind him, the tip twitching slightly as he forced himself to keep his movements to a swift walk.

Only one thing could have propelled Sprucestar to slip silently away from camp at sunhigh--the time of day he hated most. Even now, when the sun was not too strong or bright, Sprucestar's tail twitched irritably, but he kept his eyes set upon the land ahead of him and his mind locked on the reason he was here: investigation.

Over the past few days, GrassClan warriors had been returning from patrols with concerns about Sandstrip, the vague border between his Clan and WaveClan. According to his Clanmates, they had been finding WaveClan scent on GrassClan's side of the border more frequently than ever, although they had never met a WaveClan patrol. In response, Sprucestar had chosen to wait and see if the border-crossing stopped, but now that it hadn't, he had to admit to himself that there was no way around it--he would have to check out the border for himself. And so here he was. He had chosen not to take any warriors with him, preferring to see and puzzle out the results on his own. Sprucestar liked to do many things on his own.

Finally the soft dirt and grass beneath Sprucestar's paws shifted to a thin layer of grainy sand, and he stopped in his tracks. Once more his long tail curled high above his head as his leaf-green eyes surveyed the land expressionlessly.

Why any cat had chosen to make this a boundary between two Clans was a mystery to many cats, and Sprucestar was not exempt. He paced up and down the border, feeling the strange sand shift beneath his paws as his gaze surveyed where he assumed the true boundary was--a thicker, deeper layer of sand a few rabbit-hops away. Once he had decided where the border was, he set to work shifting through the various scents. GrassClan, of course, and the fishier scents of WaveClan, as well as the smell of rabbits and even a fox. Sprucestar's tail twitched absently as he focused on the WaveClan smell, ignoring any stale scent and focusing only on the scent that indicated a cat had been here within the past day. Finally, he pinpointed such a scent, and followed it along the border until it came right across his path.

Sprucestar stopped in surprise, whiskers twitching, and sniffed again. Sure enough, the scent was strong, as if this cat had only been here a few hours ago. It was clearly WaveClan, and clearly across the border. While one or two steps across would not have bothered Sprucestar (for, after all, if the leader of one of the Clans couldn't easily decide where the true border was, how could he expect warriors of an enemy Clan to do so?), this was too much--the smell came several fox-lengths into GrassClan territory.

Heaving a heavy sigh, the sand-colored tom turned full-on to face WaveClan territory, straining his eyes for any sign of a patrol. "Unfortunately, it appears my warriors were right," he murmured aloud to himself, shaking is head slightly. He sat down, curling his long tail about his forepaws, and waited. Surely a WaveClan patrol would pass this way at some point, and he would be sure to leave a message for their leader.

Word Count; 714
Muse; not terrible ^.^
Tags; Any WaveClan or GrassClan cat!
Comments; dun dun dunn....

[♥--Tilly]

H o n e y p a w

The stalks of emerald vegetation tickled the chin of the young she-cat who leapt through their dancing and twisting depths. The rhythm of her strides was off, and the awkward cat’s dance was quite the contrast to the unified tide of the grass but she seemed to believe that she naturally fit in. The wind rippled over her thin fur, and a grin settled upon her maw the further her strides extended and the more the colors blurred as they sped past her. The young apprentice had fulfilled all of her daily duties today, including a little bit of extra training, and now she was enjoying a nice run. Her jaw parted and she breathed in the scents of prey and her clanmates, her tail twitching absently behind her.

Honeypaw’s golden figure caught the faint rays of the sun and set her to a shimmering glow as she wadded through the rolling meadow. A scent caught her interests though and she slowed to a mere jaunt, what was he doing out here she wondered. Sprucestar, the leader of GrassClan, was apparently in the immediate area. Honeypaw slowed further, the wind buffeting her pale ginger fur away from her wiry body slightly. She perked her ears forward, listening for a sound of movement or indication of which way he was. Finally she caught the trail and began slowly padding in his wake, a satisfied grin situated upon her maw.

Grass conformed to her slinky frame, the blades tickling along her shoulder blades and rib bones as she weaved her own route through it. A casual glance upwards caused some part of Honeypaw to drop in spirit by a considerable amount, stormclouds. The thunderheads far off brought the promise of lightening and that made the audacious young she-cat’s heart plummet. But, she swallowed her fear with the simple flick of an ear and pushed onwards, hoping to come along the company of her leader soon enough. Honeypaw’s deep green eyes swept continuously over grass, but she took no sign of him yet. As she reached the crest of small hill she laid her eyes upon a brown, tall figure in distant; Sprucestar. Honeypaw adjusted her course towards him and continued at the same brisk walk, aware that with each step the storm also drew closer. But as usual, nothing could intimidate her once she had made a decision to proceed, and half the time there was not even a decision to be considered. The answer with Honeypaw was almost all the time, yes.

Even the young she-cat knew what the leader was doing out here now. There had been rumors and whispers among the warriors of trespassing upon GrassClan’s lands by WaveClan at this border, and she presumed her leader was investigating these reports. As the saying goes, curiosity kills the cat; but Honeypaw did not waste time weighing options, if the leader bestowed her wrath upon her for follow him, so be it. The lithe ginger cat stepped out of the comfortable blades of grass and felt the grains of sand immediately pressed up against her pads. Her claws scrapped through the soft terrain and for a moment she stood transfixed as she stirred the loose grains about her paws, then her mind once again focused on her true purpose for venturing out to the borders.

Her lope carried her across the few foxlengths that Sprucestar was and then her never-failing friendliness reared its head up. “Hello Sprucestar!”

[/b] She chirped the apprentice beaming as she stood a few lengths behind her leader, her eyes trailing over the opposite clan’s territory. She too could pick up the hint of WaveClan scents and her tail flicked in slight annoyance, did they not have enough of their own? Honeypaw was a bit of a hot head but she lacked the true understanding of the disrespect the other clan was displaying just yet, that knowledge would come later on in her life.
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[{Seal}]

The minutes ticked by, indicated only by the steady twitching of the very tip of the long, sand-colored tail. Wind swished through the grass behind and picked up the soft white sand in the distance, creating swirls that had often, in his younger days, made Sprucestar think he was seeing the wind itself. Airborne sand clumped and reformed, and more than a few times Sprucestar thought he could see a WaveClan warrior in the distance, only to discover it was nothing more than a particularly dense swish of sand--each time, the only indication that he had seen anything of interest was a slight twitch of the whiskers. In the several minutes that he waited, Sprucestar did not make to rise or move from his position.

It was as the day was growing darker--not from the setting of the sun but from the darkening clouds above--that Sprucestar finally released a silent sigh, his rigid stance relaxing slightly as he allowed his tail to uncurl from around his paws. There was no movement in the distance, and he had no reason to believe a patrol of WaveClan warriors would venture out this way with a storm so near at hand. They were odd cats, WaveClanners, but they were no fools--few cats dared to venture out on an open stretch of flat land in the middle of a lightning storm. And neither should I, he thought, glancing up at the sky and, past the clouds, to StarClan. Losing a life only four moons into my leadership is not something my Clan would approve of. Nor would Sunstar, his former leader. And if Sprucestar was honest with himself, he dreaded the disapproval of the spirit of his beloved leader more than the disapproval of his Clanmates.

Not to say that his Clan's worries did not bother him. It was the very fact that he was sensitive to his Clanmates' thoughts that he rose silently to his paws, tail curling once more above his head as he swept his gaze one final time over WaveClan territory.

"Hello Sprucestar!"

[/i]

The sudden cheerful greeting caught the lanky tomcat off-guard; an instinctual tensing of the muscles and twitch of the ears were all he allowed of himself, however. Within the next moment Sprucestar sorted through the voices in his memory and came across the name of his surprise companion: adventurous Honeypaw.

For a brief moment Sprucestar allowed his serious gaze to soften; although he craved and treasured his moments alone, he could not deny even to himself that he did not love his Clan. But the softness was gone in an instant, and by the time he turned smoothly to face the young she-cat, Sprucestar's gaze was characteristically formal and detached. "Greetings, Honeypaw," he mewed coolly, acting for all the world as if he had expected her sudden appearance.

A small portion of Sprucestar's mind--the portion that was always observing and calculating the world--had sudden clicked on the reality of what WaveClan warriors crossing the border could mean. Not only would the prey count be effected if WaveClan truly was trespassing, but his cats, especially his apprentices, were in danger. What apprentice would stand by and watch an enemy warrior--even an enemy patrol of warriors--take prey from GrassClan territory? GrassClan was not a Clan of rash or ambitious cats, but no well-trained Clan cat would stand for such a thing. They would attack, and his Clanmates could be injured.

I will wait here for a patrol, even if I must wait all night, he decided at last, tail lashing in determination. They will be given no reason to return over the border in the morning. And if Honeypaw was to wait with him, well, it would do her good to see some inter-Clan encounters. Returning his attention to her, he decided to test her and mewed, "Tell me...what am I doing here, Honeypaw?" She was a bright, observant young cat--no doubt she already knew of the warriors' reports. But he was interested to see just how much she could tell from seeing the place for herself.[/blockquote]
Muse; so-so, but I was in a hurry at the end Sorry if this post was boring!
Comments; nadda
Tags; Honeypaw! And we could use a WaveClan cat or two.[/size][/blockquote]

[♥--Tilly]

H o n e y p a w

Honeypaw stood stiffly as she watched the leader, expecting a jump or some sort of surprised reaction. After all, the young apprentice had tried her best at sneaking up on her mentor and leader, but apparently to no avail. A dejected look slipped across her features, but she wiped it clean only briefly after its veil fell over her pale features. She awaited the greetings of her clanmate, her tail twitching in slight apprehension. A bird twittered somewhere off in the distance and her ear flicked towards its dulcet melody, absorbing the cheerful tune that marred the void of silence. It seemed like those few brief moments without movement and conversation were forever, and the she-cat’s anticipation mounted quickly. Maybe Sprucestar would be glad of her company? But, the thought must have been absurd. The bird’s song was drowned out by the short, stoic greeting the tom offered forth to her. She frowned slightly but refused to let the uninspiring hello ruin the bright-eyed smile she offered forth. Her tail curled in a friendly way as she bounded a few steps forward to take a stance beside Sprucestar.

Her emerald eyes glittered in the faint sunlight as she turned her head to face the border between the two clans, a somewhat thoughtful air wrapping around the she-cat. She sat down and curled her long tail about her forelegs, the tip twitching with a combination of nerves, at the coming storm, and curiosity. Silence seemed to once more make its mark upon the conversation but rather it was Honeypaw who became unattached to the task at hand. Her thoughts were roaming off as she suddenly fretted the encounter that would surely happen between WaveClan and GrassClan, what if she got injured? It was not the fact that she would be harmed, but rather what it would do to her doting mother. Honeypaw frowned at the thought, but decided that she would be just fine. The apprentice did not consider herself to be weak by any measure and besides, the leader of GrassClan was with her.

The lanky she-cat cast a glance at her leader after she sub-consciously heard his voice break her train of thoughts. What had he asked? She drew into her memory bank and produced the question he had asked of her. She had assumed she knew that answer but just to be sure she tested her hypothesis. Her jaw parted and drew in the air, still catching a rather strong scent of the WaveClan cats. Green eyes fluttered over the border, searching for movement or any other indication other than scent. But it was all sand; any evidence was long covered by the wind. Besides she was fairly certain as the warriors had been murmuring about it for a good few days. Honeypaw twisted her gaze to rest on her mentor, “You’re waiting to see if any WaveClan cats cross the border,” She mewed, “Because you have heard the warriors’ reports and WaveClan’s scent is on this side of the border.” She was satisfied with her answer and believed she had provided enough intelligence for her to receive some praise, but she was never sure with her clanmates, they were often times harder to read then the cats she had met only once at a gathering.

She craned her slender neck to the side, scanning the dunes on WaveClan’s territory. Part of her wished they would show as Honeypaw was curious as to why they believed the warrior code could be broken now or what was so dire they ventured across the border, but the other part of her wished that Sprucestar would decide to return tomorrow, when storm clouds did not loom so closely. But, the first portion of her dominated and she retained her composure her vision still meandering over the opposite clan’s territory. She even strained her eyes in case she had missed a tail here or there. In the distance the muted din of thunder sounds and her wiry body twitched slightly where she was seated, but her attention did not waver from her inspecting, steady and sure were two words she never strayed from. Where was this patrol then? Or were they waiting for the cover of the storm to sneak across the border?

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[{Seal}]

A flash of lightning streaked across the horizon, zig-zagging like a frightened rabbit through the sky, and a distant rumble of thunder caused Sprucestar's ears to twitch in surprise; the storm was coming on much faster than he had expected. Far into WaveClan territory, rain began to fall in great sheets, and the warm, heavy breeze carried with it the unmistakable scent of wet. Sprucestar's pale green eyes darkened as the storm clouds hanging over the ocean in the distance began to grow, slowly inching their way closer and closer to GrassClan territory. Within the hour, the coastal plains would be awash with spring rain, and the steams, already bursting their banks from the recent snowmelt, would overflow.

He had almost forgotten Honeypaw was standing beside him, but he drew himself back to the present as his apprentice spoke. "Well done," he mewed seriously; he had to work hard to keep the affection from showing in his eyes. Whatever he may seem to think, Sprucestar could never deny (and never tried to deny) Honeypaw's merit. She was shaping into a fine young cat, and he was proud to be her mentor. "But WaveClan are not foolish enough to cross the border with me watching. I am here to wait for a patrol." Returning his eyes to the sandy expanse across the border, he went on, "When WaveClan hear a warning from the leader of GrassClan himself, they will have no excuse to continue. I hope to avoid a fight."

Sure, he hoped to avoid a fight, but part of Sprucestar knew it was pointless. The border between the two Clans was just too vague; he could not deny that his own warriors had crossed into WaveClan territory on accident plenty of times in the past. He, himself had done it, although he was much more careful now that he was responsible for GrassClan. It was possible, he knew, that WaveClan had crossed over on accident, but it was not probable. If WaveClan were doing this for a reason, a simple warning from their enemy would not suffice to stop them.

But he had to try and figure this out peacefully, at the very least. That was why Sunstar had chosen him as deputy, after all; the former leader of GrassClan knew Sprucestar was not prone to rash decisions, and it was because of the very tensions between WaveClan and GrassClan that Sunstar knew he had need of a deputy like him. Still, it did not sit well with any cat to scent enemy over the border so far, and Sprucestar's eyes narrowed as he desperately searched the land before him for a sign of a WaveClan patrol. Now that the rain had begun, he knew they couldn't stay here long; GrassClan territory was too dangerous when heavy storms caused the streams to burst their banks, and no cat of GrassClan was a strong swimmer. They would wait for a little longer, and then leave.

The moments passed once more in silence, and Sprucestar could not help but silently commend Honeypaw for her patience. Most apprentices would have grown weary of sitting and watching, but she had kept her silence admirably. Deciding to reward her for this, he rose easily to his paws and turned to face the pale ginger she-cat, his eyes bright and tail curled high above his head. "While we wait, I see no reason why we should not show any onlookers how our apprentices fight," he commented seriously, though his eyes betrayed him; he would be glad for a bit of action after sitting for so long. "Attack me."

[squirtle]

Otterflight
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There was a storm raging out in the distance. The sound of thunder could be heard easily but was definitely far away. Though, soon it would hit the Clan territories and the cats would have to take shelter or risk getting wet. Water never bothered the WaveClan cats but rain was just different. It hit you and sometimes the rain was hard or just fell down from the sky hard. Either way tonight, if the storm didn't let up, The WaveClan cats would probably be sheltering somewhere for the night. Patrols would still be held but they would be quick and not very efficient. This happened every newleaf though and was always suspected. Newleaf was always accompanied by rain storms and the odd late snow-fall too, sometimes. It was normal but never liked.

Otterflight especially hated storms. It meant the ocean would go crazy and wouldn't be swim-able till it calmed down. He loved to swim and was in it daily if he could be. It was the best thing about the day, hunting. He had grown quite used to his usual routine and decided it needed a little twist. He was going to hunt in a different area. But with the storm coming fast, the tom wasn't too sure if it was safe enough for him to go out there. He would try though, till he was certain that he was unable to swim back to the main land. He was like that though, always needed to try something before calling it almost impossible. But some things he just knew not to do.

He padded toward the questionable border between WaveClan and GrassClan. Otterflight never did like that border as fights happened there a lot it seemed. GrassClan seemed to be wanted to pick fights all the time, or at least that is how Otterflight seen it as. When the wind picked up the strong smell of GrassClan hit Otterflight in the face. The smell was offal and it made the brown tom scrunch up his nose and want to turn away. But the smell was fresh, like someone was at the border. It's probably just a patrol. He thought, not really convinced of that though. He padded closer toward the border where two cats came into view. He knew of the tom, Sprucestar, but the small she-cat, he hadn't met her yet.

Hesitating, Otterflight moved closer, not really sure what the two wanted. Two cats wasn't a patrol and there was no way Otterflight was about to fight both of them. Even if it was just Sprucestar or the she-cat, he wouldn't dare start a fight. Fights were mouse-brained, sometimes necessary but still mouse-brained. Otterflight narrowed his eyes, stepping lightly with his tail twitching nervously. He was only one tom and not a very good fighter either. "Any reason you two are at the border? Two cats isn't a very big patrol." His mew was a little shaky but he tried to be as confident as he could.

His pale green eyes moved between the two GrassClan cats. He had only seen Sprucestar once at the gathering. He looked much thinner up close and if the GrassClan cat's couldn't run fast, Otterflight felt better that he could take the leader on if necessary. Otterflight stood in the sand, moving his paws away. He liked the feeling of the sand going between his toes. It was another joy he had with being a WaveClan cat. The brown tom never took his eyes off of the two cats but he did move between them. It felt odd to be the only one there. He had only been a warrior for about six moons and even within those six moons, Otterflight hadn't had to confront another Clan cat at the border never mind two.

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muse; alright considering..
word count; 629
comments; It was hard to top your guys' 600-700 word count. XD So tired...
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[♥--Tilly]

H o n e y p a w

The cream she-cat’s ear twitched in response to the dilute response her leader and mentor had provided with no praise at what she had mustered with her scents and background knowledge. She let out a slight sigh, her desire to please her clanmates playing through in that sigh. But, that was Sprucestar, he never was one to exhibit his emotions what so ever, let alone to a simple apprentice. She drew herself from her thoughts as her leader continued speaking, her emerald eyes turning to settle upon the wiry figure of Sprucestar. She earnestly did listen, although she shifted and twisted in agitation at having sat still for so long. But at the mention of GrassClan she pulled her attention back to the words that filled the surrounding area, “Right, Sprucestar,”

[/b] She mewed adamantly, “We’ll make sure they listen to our warnings. Neither clan needs more blood on their claws, right?” Her questioning gaze fluttered across the border, hoping that the WaveClan cats would agree with this statement just as she did.

Honeypaw was a brilliant verbal fighter, she herself did not quite have the heart to spill another cat’s blood, although she would do it in the defense of her clan but she was not one to promote the idea. She’d much rather spend her time having no bad blood between the clans and focus on things that she enjoyed, like exploring. The energetic apprentice finally stood up and unsheathed her claws, running them along the grainy earth beneath her. She knew very well that the tiny grains of sand were actually a good aid to strengthening and sharpening her claws, her sinewy muscles flexed under her light ginger fur the shoulder blades jutting out from her slinky form. She yawned, the white fangs exposed to the grey world that they were generally shielded from. Just a few moments after she rose, Sprucestar did too. She glanced over at him and caught him just in time to hear his voice. Fighting practice! Honeypaw’s green eyes beamed up onto her mentor, a slight grin overtaking her muzzle. Her eager nod seemed to rock her skinny frame in the momentum it carried.

She turned and took a few paces away from her leader, giving herself the sufficient space to maneuver freely. She ducked her body low in a sort of bow, dropping her hindquarters shortly after, keeping her tail nearly parallel with her body. Just as the pale she-cat was about to make her move she caught a sound, like footprints on the sand. Her vision immediately swung towards the dunes, and then she met the sight of nothing other than a WaveClan warrior. She didn’t know the brown tom, but then again, she didn’t know cats from any other clans really. He approached them and Honeypaw could feel the hairs along her spine beginning to prickle in response to the repulsive scent he carried and the knowledge that he was, in a way, her enemy. The tip of her tail twitched as he pressed forward, daring to venture closer to them still. His pawsteps mingled with the far-off rumble of the thunder, but she didn’t need her hearing to see his location now.

The cat approached them and stopped near the border, and Honeypaw’s discomfort was only displayed in the form of blatant irritation at another cat being so near to her clan’s territory. His voice cut through the air and she listened intently, he eyes narrowing, she was suspicious. Why was he so near to the border? And all alone too. She spoke her thoughts before she had time to call them back, her tongue flinging them forth in her spitfire fashion. “We could ask you the same thing.” She mewed, mentally sizing up the cat. He wasn’t all the much taller than her, but his muscle sure beat hers. She glanced at his massive paws and then over at Sprucestar’s. Surely speed beat their blessing any day. Assured of herself, Honeypaw stood up straight and asserted her presence by puffing out her chest slightly, her tail swinging slowly back and forth over her prickled shoulders. Needless to say, the apprentice wasn’t very good with manners although she did have a good side, and it might have displayed itself if the storm didn’t already have the fawn she-cat on edge. Her forlorn gaze up at the clouds was a telltale sign of this nerve shattering fear that had gripped the she-cat in her stance.
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[Fawn]

Lambnose/ 634 words

Long, pure-white legs moved rythmically, cutting through the long grass in the territory. Lambnose, who happened to be the owner, was out and about. The grass swayed under-paw and the light breeze ruffled her long fur. The air was humid, and very heavy-feeling. The cats chin was jutted out, as she was determined to catch the darting, light-brown rabbit a couple of fox lengths away. She, as a GrassClanner, was very fast, but unfortunatly, hares usually out-ran cats. Her stump of a tail was twitching behind her in anticipation, and she dug her claws deep into the somewhat-damp earth. The sky-blue eyes were set on the bounding bundle of fur infront of her. she sped up, and her prey, looking back, veered off towards WaveClan territory. Her mind almost drew her back, away from the rabbit, but she kept going.

If it runs off of our territory, I'll go back. It's pretty scrawny, anyways. As if on cue, as she was nearing the border, the running rabbit stumbled upon a small hole in the sand. Seizing the chance, Lambnose put a paw triumphantly on the poor, shivering thing's stomach. She went down to eye-level, and gave it a swift bite to the neck to stop it's breathing. picking up her catch, she looked around. Through the rabbits scent, she could smell something familiar. It was Sprucestar, and his cream-colored apprentice. She decided to follow the trail, and made quick progress towards the destination she estimated they were. Sure enough, it was not long before Lambnose caught sight of the three cats. Wait--Three cats?! I had been looking for only two!

She sprinted towards them, then slowed to a trot as she came up next to the three. Just as she had first thought, there were three cats. Sprucestar and Honeypaw on the GrassClan side of the border, with just a tint of green on their side of the sandstrip, small patches of grass and whatnot. On the other side, standing confidently as many WaveClan cats, was a tom cat in which she did not reconize. She sat down next to her leader, and bobbed her head towards him.

Hello Sprucestar and Honeypaw, I hope you two are doing well, as ever. She paid no attention to she tom, determined to be as arrogant as ever --which she was very arrogant at times-- and ignore him. Honeypaw spoke, her chest puffed out as she almost spat an answer back to the cat on the other side of the border, it was obvious that her little habit of saying before speaking was kicking in. That wasn't a bad thing, not in Lambnose's book. If you had something to say to someone, it was better of to let them know, she had always thought. “We could ask you the same thing.” It seemed to her they might've been asking each other what they were doing at the border. Or acusing each other. Either way, she didn't know, and would keep her mouth shut until she knew for sure. Her pelt prickled at the thought of the WaveClan cat acusing her leader of trying to cross the border.

GrassClan cats were not that stupid! It was WaveClan that was tresspassing, after all. Lambnose had been one of the warriors to report to Sprucestar that they had found their scent. She decided to glance at the WaveClan cat to try and listen to what he had to say. She was impaitent, and it was times like these she would rather have a long tail to flick in annoyance.

[{Seal}]

It took a surprising amount of self-control for Sprucestar not to release a proud purr as Honeypaw prepared herself to attack. Her eyes were bright and eager, her milk-gold body moving into position. She was making a fine apprentice, and would soon be a marvelous warrior. Not that he would eve say it, of course.

Sprucestar dropped into a defensive crouch, tail lashing from side-to-side as he felt his powerful muscles tighten in preparation to spring over Honeypaw's head or dodge to one side--whatever he could do to keep clear of her swift movements. Two pairs of pale green eyes locked; mentor and apprentice; leader and young cat. The coming storm, the distant thunder was all forgotten, and for a moment the seriousness in Sprucestar's eyes was replaced with the bright spark of eagerness.

The tawny leader's back was to the border, so he did not see the chocolate brown tom approach. Sprucestar's first notion that something was wrong was Honeypaw's sudden change of expression; then he caught the familiar, fishy musk of WaveClan. In a split second Sprucestar guessed what was going on, and he rose smoothly to his paws and turned to face the WaveClan warrior, claws sheathed and eyes cool and serious.

This face was familiar to him, and Sprucestar sorted through his knowledge of WaveClanners until he rested upon the name: Otterflight. Not many moons ago, this slender brown tom had been an apprentice, his eyes bright at the prospect of attending his first Gathering. Now Otterflight stood before him as a full warrior, impressively calm (if not a bit rude) as he challenged the leader of GrassClan.

Before Sprucestar could respond, Honeypaw had taken care of it for him. The tall, long-legged leader flicked his tail and gave her a sharp look; though he agreed with the words she spoke, she should not have answered the warrior before her leader. "Greetings, Otterflight," he mewed solemnly, padding forward until he was sitting at what he deemed to be the border. He curled his long tail around his forepaws, pale green eyes locked on the WaveClan warrior's. "Two cats is a small patrol, but one is even smaller, is it not?"

The soft sound of pawsteps sounded from behind, and the familiar voice of Lambnose spoke up. In true Lambnose fashion, the warrior completely ignored the WaveClanner and merely addressed her Clanmates, and Sprucestar flicked his ears to her in response. "Hello, Lambnose," he mewed without taking his eyes off Otterflight.

Three GrassClanners facing one WaveClanner was not the way to go about making peace. Though he had planned to come here alone, Sprucestar had somehow managed to attract two others--a veritable patrol. Even if Otterflight did not feel threatened, the idea of him bringing the news back to his leader that mighty Sprucestar needed two other Clanmates beside him was not one the leader was willing to tolerate. "Lambnose, Honeypaw, give Otterflight and me a moment." It was not a question; it was a command from their leader, and he did not bother to see if they obeyed. Instead he set his full attention on the WaveClan warrior and went on calmly, "I was waiting for a patrol, Otterflight. I wonder if you could give a message to Saltstar."