RUTHLESS // stealing prey

[SHALLOW]

It was not like he wanted to do this but he had no other choice. It was an act of desperation and from the way he saw it this was how life worked. Only the strongest would survive and he refused to go down like everyone was expecting him to do. Shallow would do whatever it took to keep himself alive to prove to the cats who had left him behind how wrong they had about him. The first attempt to steal food had been unsuccessful. The cats down at the river had not been sharing and Shallow had barely gotten away but not without new fresh scars to remember them by that would remain for the rest of his life. Now he was smarter having learned from his previous mistake. This time he wouldn't ask for food he would steal it right under thier noses just like a rogue. If playing dirty was the trick to survive then so be it. No one would take in a rogue like him anyway.

Shallow had been hiding himself while trying to mask his scent after rolling in some filthy puddles. Anything to make this into a victory. He would wait until he spoted a young cat who couldn't be much older then he was, and he would follow them in the dark until he watched as they hunted down a mouse. It wasn't much food for the starving kit who was nothing but skin and bone at this point but that mouse would be the first meal he had eaten for weeks. Maybe he even could be spareful so it would last for two days at least. Just thinking about it made his hunger almost unbearable. He knew very well he was losing strenght for each hour that past. He wasn't even sure for how much longer he would last if this contunied. This might be his last chance before he grow far to weak to even be able to stand on his paws any longer. It was now or never. Whatever the end game would be Shallow knew if he failed today he would die anyway so he couldn't lose. Didn't matter what he had to sacrifice or do... it was him against the world. No one would look out after him, only himself would.

The three-legged kit stalked himself closer using the enviroment around him to keep his present hidden. He come crawling into a bush as close he could come to the apprentice who stood there with pride shinning in thier eyes over thier.. maybe first kill to bring back home to thier clan. If Shallow wasn't starving he might have felt bad over what he was about to do but he had to keep his head straight, to remember this was how life worked so he had to adapt and evolve with it.

Shallow made his move as the cat turned thier back against them. He jumped out from the bush to lunge himself at them to knock them over. It was enough of a shook for the apprentice to drop thier mouse over the unexpected ambush. Shallow would take this rare opportunity to his advantage as he hurried himself over to pick the mouse up in his mouth and then...he ran as quickly his three legs had the strenght to carry him, all while the apprentice shouted behind him that a rogue had just stolen thier prey.

He was jumping over branches, running through bushes as he tried to get himself to the border there he would be safe and sound with his food. Unfortunately he wasn't fast enough and one of the warriors had been following his trace...Before knowing it the air got knocked out of him as something bigger and more powerful knocked him of his paws. Shallow flew to the ground, landing painfully on his side as the ribcage took a hit. He cought in discomfort all while clinging tightly to the mouse in his mouth, the only thing that keept him alive.

" Give back our prey you rogue thief!." the warrior would snarl as they come for him, and Shallow barely got away as he rolled out of the way and tried to get back up on his paws again to flee. But he was tripping over his own paws as he tried to stand again and the warrior caught up to him. They pinned them down underneath them as they stood over thier back and forced thier head down at the ground. " Let go of the prey, scum!." The warrior snarled in warning as they keept on pushing down on his head. Shallow clenched even more tightly down at the mouse until he let it go...only for him to somehow break his head free enough so he could bite the warriors paw that hold him down. The warrior hissed and retreated thier paw, and Shallow like a eel crawled himself free aiming to reach the mouse but the warrior kicked it away right under thier nose. Head swung with it as he tried to locate where the mouse had landed and it was then the kit felt fresh pain across his face as the warrior just had used thier claws as a weapon against them.

With a hiss of suprise Shallow retreated back feeling stunned for a moment as blood run down his face. It didn't took long before his eyes started to search for the mouse again and to his horror witnessed the warrior almost had reached the mouse!. Shallow stumbled over his first steps forward as he run again with exhaustion to reach the mouse before the warrior did. He throw himself over it before he swiftly turned and lashed out a paw at the warrior while hissing at them. Even the warrior looked shooked over this until they was back at thier defense again. " Tsk, you rogues really don't know when to give up, do you?!. Just give me the mouse back already and be gone brat!."

Shallow answered to this by standing up again on his shaky legs far beyond his own limits. Only his will-power keepts him on his paws at this point. Using his own body as a shield Shallow was ready to protect his food. Sliding the claws out Shallow looked ready for this fight to esculate into something real nasty. He really was ready to die to protect this food he had stolen, at any cost.

The warrior and Shallow locked eyes and stared right into the others eyes, both planning thier next move....

// here he finally is c': fill free to jump in and stop this to go any further <33 also if anyone who plays an apprentice wants to be the one shallow stole the prey from you are welcomed to (:

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[BASILPATCH]

it was, quite honestly, a small miracle that Basilpaw had caught anything at all. The catch had required next to no skill whatsoever, as it had practically stumbled directly into his paws. Surprised, both he and the creature had stared at each other in shock before Basilpaw snapped out of it and killed it.

His first catch! Harpyfall was going to be so proud! Maybe he would leave out how it happened though.

He looks up and around for his mentor now, eyes shining in pride, wanting to share this moment with him. It was so often that he messed up, underperformed, he was so excited to finally have something to show him. In the moment that he looks away though, something happens. There is a force to his side, a blow that is dealt and he is falling. He lands on the forest floor on his side with an audible oomph. The wind is knocked out of him for a moment and the second he’s regained his breath he lets out a sharp cry. What the heck was that?

He looks up, tears already starting to well up in his eyes and he sees his attacker, pinned to the ground by one of his clan mates. Close by laid Basilpaws mouse. It wasn’t fair! That had been his mouse why had that stranger taken it? The tears are leaking out of Basilpaw’s eyes now, staining his fur as he begins to wail. “Th-th-that was mine!” He cries out between sobs It had been his first! He had wanted to go home and show his mother and his littermates. They would all have been so proud of him and now all of it was ruined! All because of this dumb stupid bag of fleas.

// sorry for him bdbdbddbdb​

 

[sheepcurl]

She has broken away from the tiny group while tracking a tiny mouse, but theres a cry that rings through the forest and chills her to the bone. Trouble called and she immediately followed, only to stumble upon poor Basilpaw in tears, claiming that the rouge facing off with the warrior had stolen his prey. She hesitates, a large frown growing on her face. That ‘rouge’ was no bigger than a kit and she pins her ears and made her way past Basilpaw. Eyes shone with disappointment, brimming on the edge with both of them. She attempts to run a tail over Basilpaw’s back as she walks past.

“Ah, stand down,” she muses quietly, towards the warrior with furrowed brows. “You are attacking a child. El bebe does not deserve this.” her voice raised slightly in intensity at the gall this warrior had. “What is your name, hijo? Why are you out here all alone?” cautiously she speaks, paws slightly scratching the ground idly. “What happened to your leg? Are you hurt?” the question slides out before she could stop herself, curiosity getting the best of her as she promptly clamps her mouth shut to wait for the kids response.

If she just… was able… to talk him down… Then Basil would be able to have his mouse back to show to the camp and perhaps they’d even be bringing back a cat in tow. Joiners, non aggressive ones were common on Skyclan territory, but not the aggressive ones.

 

[SHALLOW]

Suddenly one opponent had turned into three. Shallow was outnumberd now and his chances to escape had changed to very small to most unlikely. While Shallow stood guard still the npc warrior seemed to relax a bit when thier clanmate joined them, however they where clearly still bitter and angry. " But he stole Basilpaw's prey!. We cannot let rogues get away with stuff like this, can we?!." he protested as they tried to convince Churrodream over to thier side.

Meanwhile Shallow stood still guarded over his prey, not even acknowledging Basilpaw with a look. Maybe it was out of shame or perhaps Shallow didn't feel anything about it. Hard to tell. " You should have protected it better." If he wanted the prey that badly it was. No emotions were in his voice when he stated that bluntly. Basilpaw's cries wouldn't work on him. Instead his gaze was focused and concentrated on the two warriors. When the one who had stept in focused thier attention on him he would narrow his orbs with mistrust. " Shallow." he replied shortly as he gave up his name since it wouldn't really change anything if he did or not. He stayed silent for a moment longer thinking through if he should be honest about her assumption he was alone out here. Of course it was true but did he really need to let them know that?. It might give him better chances to tell them that he wasn't. Maybe that would scare them, giving him an opening to run and get away from here. Shallow carefully thought this out but in the end he was meet with the cruel reality that lying wouldn't help him this time.

" I was dead weight." He lowerd down his gaze down a bit as he spoke, thinking back on how the group had abandoned him for to weeks ago because they didn't wanted to take care of a burden like him especially not when leaf-bare was approaching. He would just be an extra mouth to feed without having anything to give back. Worthless. That was what he had been called. Shallow looked up again when she asked about his leg next and this time he brought his tail to hide his missing back leg while his eyes grow colder, and looked more on guard then from before. " I wont give the mouse back." He chooses not to answer anymore of her questions to give her an advantage of him by telling her his weaknessess. It was not hard to tell how weak and fragile he was though looking like he could fall at any second. He was so tired and hungry yet he refused to give in.

" I need it more then you do." He stated the simply truth to his and thier situation here. They would survive without this mouse but he wouldn't. That was the cruellity to his reality here.
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[BLAZESTAR]

Blazestar hadn't been on the patrol. He's been at the ThunderClan border, and no doubt there's the scent of a ThunderClan warrior on his fur as he hasn't bothered to clean his pelt of her. He can't bear to - having her to lean against him and share prey with him while they talk about their days has been his only comfort in this cold, ruthless moon of his life. He's only so thankful Little Wolf has chosen ThunderClan for her home rather than ShadowClan.

But he stumbles onto a scene he can only describe as chaos. The NPC warrior, bristling and demanding, yells about how SkyClan can't let a rogue get away with stealing prey. Basilpaw weeps - that much isn't new. Churrodream and Deersong attempt to reason with the alleged prey-stealer.

Blazestar's heart drops. He's young, painfully so. Basilpaw's age at least. Dark pelted, blue-eyed, with a grim and dire expression on his face. The squirrel in question rests between his paws. The poor thing is thin to the point of being skeletal, and his blue eyes burn with determination. He isn't letting the prey go. He needs it more than they do.

And he's right.

The Ragdoll slips his way in between his warriors and the NPC who continues to bristle at the newcomer. "You do not make those decisions. I do, or Daisyflight does. Stand down. That cat isn't a rogue. He's little more than a kit trying to survive." It's the first time Blazestar has used an edge to his voice since he's become leader, and although he does not yell or rant, the set of his jaw becomes firm and his expression serious.

He turns to Shallow. Deersong and Churrodream are attempting to negotiate. Blazestar adds, "You won't have to steal prey to survive in SkyClan. But if you refuse, we will not demand the squirrel back." He gives the sobbing Basilpaw a sympathetic look. "Basilpaw, you did wonderfully catching that. I'll be sure to let Harpyfall know when we get back to camp."

He turns his blue gaze back to Shallow's, a question lingering between them.
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PENNED BY MARQUETTE​