{ the heat of the day [willow]

[Blush]

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OAKSPIRIT* life, love, this moment in the sun kiwii at btn & ote! It was not like Oakspirit to go anywhere alone, and he was still cursing himself for the mistake as padded through the sprouts of grass. He was headed toward the Horseplace and the destination was in sight: the large, strange Horsenest loomed in front of him and he could already smell the scent of cedar and hear the call of some anxious horse. It was better than silence, he thought gratefully. He hadn't meant to be traveling by himself that day. He had originally planned to go with Duskfire on a hunt and then perhaps lay out on the Sunningrocks and enjoy the nice weather of Newleaf... But he had overslept, dozing well into morning and awaking to find that his sister, along with every other warrior, had already left camp. Alone and off to a late start, he decided on a whim to head toward the Horseplace instead. After all, it had been so long since he'd visited the Horseplace. The last time he'd been here was in his apprenticeship, but the trip had taken longer than he'd remembered. It was now midday, and the heat of the sun warmed his pelt almost uncomfortably as he walked. Soon, he'd be able to rest at the Horseplace. Hopefully he could catch a vole, maybe a mouse if he thought he could stomach it. But something stopped him in his tracks---the call of the horse, maybe. There might be two-legs in there, he thought cautiously, but contradicted himself almost immediately. Since when are you afraid of a little danger? Caught in indecision, the tom stood still for several moments, a lone mass in the wide, flat field, absorbed in a trivial decision. So caught up was he inside his own head that he didn't even notice the scent or sound of another cat approaching...

[willow]

Raincloud, like the Riverclan tom, hadn't meant to wander this far, especially without a fellow Shadowclanner. She despised Riverclan territory, mostly for the fact that these surroundings were unfamiliar and filled with the overwhelming scent of the river and fish. But somehow she ended up at the Horseplace, where twolegs and their massive beasts thundered across expansive fields. She had never been here before but she had heard stories of times when unfortunate creatures got caught under the stone-hard paws of the horse-beasts; Sometimes even fool-hardy cats were trampled.

Well, Raincloud wasn't about to become one of those cats. She was staying safe and remaining in the brush where she could watch the Horseplace from a distance. She had been here for some time - there really was nothing else for her to do - just watching to see if the twolegs would ride their beasts but nothing showed. The only thing that told her of the horses was the whining coming from the horse's strange looking den and the strong scent of cedar that wafted in the wind. Honestly, she was becoming quite bored with the entire scene until she saw a stirring sight.

The gray and silver she-cat didn't recognize the brown tabby tom, but his sleek pelt and sure walk told her he had to be of Riverclan. Ha! He didn't even notice me. Foolish Riverclanner must think he's the only cat in the forest. She thought with a touch of smugness, standing on her pale white paws and beginning to slink from the shadows into the open, sunny area. Raincloud knew exactly what she was going to do to this confident cat, something to bring his enormous ego down to a dull roar.

Keeping her emerald eyes locked on the Riverclan tom, Raincloud stalked after him like she would a prey animal, quickly yet carefully creeping up behind him. The wind was blowing against her side, keeping her scent away from the tabby while he stood appearing somewhat unsure outside of the Horseplace. She was barely two tail-lengths away from the cat, tail flicking back and forth in anxiousness. Perfect!

Before the tom could sense her, she crouched, bunched her legs, and sprang with out-stretched paws and a loud, "HA!". She wasn't going to hurt the tom...physically. Just damage his pride and bit by having him know he was snuck up on by a Shadowclan cat.

Landing at his shoulders, she managed to roll the tom over and stand over him while keeping her front paws on his front legs. There was room for him to fight, but first he'd have to get over the shock of being tackled. "Pinned yah! Shadowclan one, Riverclan zero." Raincloud practically purred from pleasure in herself, narrowing her glowing green eyes down into the tom's.

(occ: I'm sorry, I had to xD)

[Blush]

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OAKSPIRIT* life, love, this moment in the sun kiwii at btn & ote! In truth, Oakspirit had thought he was the only cat in the forest. Not literally, no, but in his head, as he stared at the Horseplace, wondering whether or not to breach its borders, there was nothing in the world except him and it. Memories flashed before his eyes of himself, a young and wily Oakpaw, bravely skirting the feet of the horses, running with the beasts as Blackpaw had dared him to. Was he not the same adventurous young tom as he had been then? He was! He had just about made up his mind to continue forward when a flash of silver streaked his vision and THUMP! Before he could blink, Oakspirit was tumbling to the ground, his shoulders crumbling beneath the weight of paws. His first thought was that some friend of his, some fellow RiverClanner, had seen him and decided to take advantage of his distraction to play a joke on him, and at first, as he collided with the ground, he playfully pawed back. But his brain quickly caught up with his body, and the scent of ShadowClan hit him. Instinctively, his claws unsheathed. If there was one thing that could make the normally easygoing Oakspirit's blood boil, it was ShadowClan. He wrestled under the paws that held him down, struggling to get the moment he needed to launch himself up from the ground. As he stared with loathing into her eyes, his claws swinging wildly to grab at any tuft of fur he could manage, her words hit him. Pinned yah! ShadowClan one, RiverClan zero! Finally disentangling himself from the grip of the ShadowClanner, Oakspirit retracted his claws and uprighted himself. He muscles asked him to pounce back, to get on the offensive now that he was free, but he reigned his bad temper in to only a narrow glare. This was... a joke? Oakspirit let out a growl of disbelief. What are you doing here? he demanded, studying her. It wasn't so much a question about her right to be in RiverClan territory, although it was a right he would willingly dispute, but really it was a gut reaction of wanting to know more information. She didn't look like a typical ShadowClanner, and she certainly didn't act like one, playing jokes on RiverClanners. He could almost appreciate the humor of it, if he weren't so put off by the fact that he was standing on RiverClan land talking to a ShadowClanner. In the silent second after he spoke, his question felt inadequate and he felt the need to tack on something else. There are two-legs here. It's not safe if you don't know the way. His stare implied that she, being ShadowClan, would never 'know the way' around these parts.

[willow]

Raincloud was gonna be completely obvious, she hadn't expected the RiverClanner to start pawing at her even with unsheathed claws. Once he started to try and tear her fur out she immediately backed off; Like it was said, she had not intentions of harming the tom. But she couldn't escape the lumbering brute before a claw stung her cheek and blood began spotting her white muzzle. Letting the cat up and making sure to get at least a tail-length away, Raincloud checked herself over and was relieved to know nothing but her face had been affected by his wild blows.

Still, it was irritating to know a RiverClanner had actually managed to lay a paw on her and now she'd have to go back with the wound. If Brokenstar caught sight of it, what would happen? The very thought of that dark cat made her fur stand on end and tail quiver. He was a cat with good intentions, she supposed, but why on earth did he have to be insane enough to disregard the warrior code?

Lost her in own thoughts, Raincloud came back to reality when the tabby demanded an explanation of her. "What are you doing here?" Her green eyes flared and glared back at the RiverClanner's, only briefly though. She had as much right to be here as...whatever-his-name did, due to the agreement between their leaders. Though the question could be taken as what exactly she was doing in this spot, with a RiverClanner. That wasn't his business, really, but Raincloud supposed she should humor him. "What does it look like I'm doing?" She countered, trying to growl threateningly but her expression was anything but. Green eyes twinkled with obvious amusement at the situation and she even forgot about the subtle sting of the cut the Riverclan cat had given her. "Obviously I'm hunting Riverclan cats! All the other 'blood-thirsty' ShadowClanner's said I should try it, even if it's a bit fishy." And fat. She mused to herself, not going to go to that extreme and risk getting her face clawed again.
The silver-gray she-cat drew herself to her full height and sneered at the Riverclan tom, narrowing her eyes and paying close attention to see how he would react.

But then he said something that took her by surprise and her whole mocking expression turned into suspicion and haughtiness. Of course Raincloud didn't know the way around Riverclan territory, and she didn't want to know either, but it struck her wrong for him to say that. "Yes, I'm aware of that and still here I am. I don't need a RiverClanner to tell me I'm in a situation that's 'not safe'." the ShadowClanner scoffed, green eyes rolling in her head while she turned her head in a quick survey of the area, though she was sure there were no horse-beasts or twolegs out since she got here. "If it's so dangerous, then why are you here?" Raincloud shot back, looking up at the tom -let's face it, she wasn't going to be getting any taller and she was already shorter than most.

[Blush]

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OAKSPIRIT* life, love, this moment in the sun kiwii at btn & ote! OOC: I wish she had called him fat to his face, lawlz. He would take that one to heart. 'Maybe I need to start getting out of camp more often... And cut back on the fish...' ... even if it is a bit fishy. Oakspirit's tail twitched in offense at the insult. If they didn't like the smell of fish, maybe the ShadowClanners should stay off RiverClan's territory and learn to hunt on their own! It certainly didn't smell of fish in the mucky ShadowClan swamps. Yeah, well fish are tastier than those nasty lizards and frogs you have to eat over in The Wasteland... he muttered in the childish voice he'd used when Duskfire would tease him as an apprentice. Now that he was on his paws and he was confident she wasn't going to attack him--and equally confident that, if she did, he could stop her--he was feeling less uppity. The sight of this ShadowClanner so far in the depths of RiverClan territory was almost as amusing as it was annoying. He'd like to see her run with the beasts at the Horseplace. Even if she did make it out alive, she'd come back with a few chunks missing. No ShadowClanner could cut it out here. This was the secret proving grounds of RiverClan, as many an apprentice knew. For that reason alone, he scoffed when she asked the next question: If it's so dangerous, then why are you here? Instinctively, the tom stuck out his chest. A heroic glisten twinkled in his eye. If he would have been talking to a RiverClanner, his answer would have been, "Adventure." But he wasn't. The reek of her pelt wouldn't let him forget that this she-cat was ShadowClan. So he retorted cockily, Because I'm a RiverClanner. He gave proud a little lick to the one of the stripes that marked his chest. You may have the permission to hunt here, but you don't have the right. The birthright. We RiverClanners are born for this kind of thing. He took a haughty strut forward. Hunting in the sun where we're exposed to Twolegs. Running with the horses, feeling the wind in your fur. Chasing down the mice that try to feed off the beasts. It's in our blood; it's not in yours. Of course, everything he was saying was complete mousedung. But Leopardstar had already made him clean the ticks off elders for clawing up a ShadowClanner hunting on their territory and he wanted to avoid that punishment if at all possible. So this was his way of asserting his authority--his true right to be here. ShadowClan was just leeching off RiverClan's prosperity. It made him angry that this she-cat couldn't see that, but he would refrain from using his claws to make that point. For as long as he could, at any rate... He really didn't think he could handle seeing her actually hunt here. That might put him over the edge. This conversation had made up his mind for him: he was going in to the Horseplace. He was a RiverClanner, after all, and he had spent his apprenticeship here. The tabby tom strode forward, reveling in the sun glistening on his pelt. ShadowClan had no business being in this sun, RiverClan's sun. If she followed him, he would prove that to her. And if she didn't, well, he would be all the happier to be rid of the intruder...

[willow]

Triumph lit her eyes at noticing her blatant insult got under the tom's skin. She almost wanted to laugh at hearing that tone of voice he used when trying to insult her back. Raincloud had learned to ignore such childish taunts of Shadowclan's foot stuffs. She didn't have to eat frogs and lizards, but that was the prime source of fresh-kill in their territory and it suited them well enough. At least they didn't have a stench like Riverclan's fish that nearly choked everything else out. "It's a good thing Crookedstar agreed to let us hunt the other prey on your land, isn't it?" She sneered, rubbing some more salt onto the wound she had opened up. It was risky but hey! If this tom was going to try to insult her clan, she was going to return the favor.

Raincloud stifled a chuckle at seeing the RiverClanner get all high and mighty, whisker twitching and only half paying attention as he went on and on about how he was a Riverclan cat and had a birthright and blah, blah, blah. It really didn't matter to her, all it did was highly amuse and bore the ShadowClanner at the same time. How could this cat be so conceited, really? Turns out her attempt to stunt his ego had been a major failure.

"Really, you can actually run with horses? That sounds pretty unbelievable, considering all you do is sit at a river and wait until the prey comes to you." Raincloud retorted with a simper, appearing innocent but the taunt still glimmered in her eyes. "I find it hard to believe all that." She challenged, smirking at the tabby tom and giving a flick of her tail to dispel the bragging as if swatting away a fly. He honestly didn't expect her to believe Riverclan cats could be fast enough to keep up with the horse beasts, stupid enough to hunt in front of twolegs. If he was trying to make Riverclan sound so great and magical, all he did was tell her they were mindless risk-takers that lacked a single sensible bone in their chubby, fish-fed bodies.

Raincloud had expected some sort of childish response from the tom again, but he just walked with some dignity off into the Horseplace where there was little to no protection. Pausing in hesitation, she wondered if she should follow after him or just head back home. A playfully cruel smile curved into her maw as she thought, Well, where's the fun in that? Her day was going along pretty well, even if she had gotten clawed, and she wasn't going to just let this tom get away unscathed.

Padding after him on quiet paws, she made sure to keep behind him for the meanwhile before approaching towards his side. Not at his side, mind you, but parallel to him so wouldn't be left out of anything but not mistaken as being with the RiverClanner. The sun was beating down mercilessly on the open terrain and the open sky above them was making her jittery and feel unprotected, not to mention uncomfortably warm. This was so much more different than the pines of the Shadowclan forest. But even in her with all the uncertainty around her, she kept her outward appearance cool and collected.

In the silence, Raincloud found herself looking over at the RiverClanner. Her green eyes traced along his glossy pelt and for a moment she was admiring it. The sun made his previously plain tabby pelt shine with a rusty, orange-brown covered over with dark brown stripes. She noticed the way his muscles moved underneath his pelt and wondered if all she had known about the make-up of Riverclan cat's was true. The silvery gray she-cat had never been able to just look at another clan cat without turning tail to run or attacking them.

[Blush]

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OAKSPIRIT* life, love, this moment in the sun kiwii at btn & ote! When they reached the horseplace, Oakspirit ducked quickly into the shade. Immediately, the new air filled his lungs. There was no sun in here, but the air was stale and heavy, and the place was filled with a different kind of sluggish warmth. The only comfort was the stone beneath his paws, so oddly smooth and chilly that it was almost like walking on a thin patch of ice. Have you ever seen a horse before? For real, I mean. Up close? he asked, curiosity getting the better of him. As soon as the words were out, he wished he hadn't said anything, for two reasons. One, the stench was just unbearable. The scent of the horses was bad enough by itself, but combined with ShadowClan, it was almost too much. He was reminded that he could both be trampled to death or have his pelt clawed off if he didn't watch his back. And secondly, what business did he have saying anything nice to a ShadowClan cat? If any of his family had heard what he had just said... Talking to a ShadowClanner like a friend... His parents and Duskfire would be ashamed. Why was he being so nice to her? It was a worthy question, since anyone who knew him knew that he reacted to all of ShadowClan with a hiss and a bite. And yet, here he was, talking to a ShadowClan she-cat in broad daylight, showing her around the territory even. If he couldn't fight her off, he could have at least left her alone. But there was something different about her that nagged him. In a way, she didn't even really seem ShadowClan. If it weren't for her scent and her insults, he'd would've thought she was at least WindClan or ThunderClan born, if not RiverClan. He had been raised to see all ShadowClan cats as cruel and ugly, sneaky and vengeful. But she didn't seem to be any of these things... Oakspirit opened his mouth to ask for her name, but then firmly shut it. No. That was going too far. The tom had been slinking around the barn without too much concern because he knew from experience that on nice days like today, most of the creatures were outside. But there was one horse he knew would be indoors, an old friend, as Oakspirit liked to think of him, and he stopped when he came when he scented the familiar smell of the animal. You've gotta see this guy, he told the she-cat. He leapt up onto the ledge of the horsenest, and there, in the square enclosure, stood one of the biggest and oldest animals in the horseplace. A mammoth of an animal with a back broader than the old oak trees of the forest and ears the size of a kit. He was always in his nest and he was always sleeping. Oakspirit liked to think of him as an elder among the horses. His foot can crush you, but I've slept on his back before, Oakspirit bragged with a little white lie. He licked the dust from his paw, proudly remembering his apprentice days.

[willow]

The Riverclanner didn't hesitate to prance into the horseplace, like he had been there so mnay times before. He very well might have been and knew of the dangers that were in there. Maybe there were twolegs with their horse beasts, or even rats. There were always rats hanging around the edges of Shadowclan, so why shouldn't there be some anywhere else? For that reason, Raincloud stopped at the entrance to the wide gaping mouth of the twoleg building.

Scenting the air, she was practically taken off her paws by the hot, stuffy smells of horses, manure, and hay that hung around inside. It was already hot out here in the open, but it seemed like it was even warmer in there. The waves of that heavy air made her pelt crawl uncomfortably and she wondered if the Riverclan tom had purposefully brought her here just to watch her humiliate herself by not daring to go into the place he entered through to.

"Have you ever seen a horse before? For real, I mean. Up close?"

Raincloud tilted her head in genuine confusion, forgetting to be suspicious. Why was he asking her this? Riverclanners weren't usually so...calm with Shadowclan, and vice versa. Yet, even with the exchange of insults previously, he found a way to begin something more casual with her. And, to be honest, she didn't mind. Though he was arrogant and reeked of fish - no doubt he would smell like horses too - he was the only Riverclan cat that hadn't come at her totally hostile. It was...curious at the least.

"Um...No." She said just loud enough for him to hear, though her voice carried through the large barn.

He seemed to have his attention on getting somewhere in the horseplace, so while he was distracted the silvery gray she-cat slunk inside quickly and made sure to stay clear of stalls where the horses stayed. It was a small distance that she closed rather hastily between her and the tom. Now she didn't even bother not to contain her appearance. To be honest, she was unsettled at the least by being inclosed, looking up and only able to see the dark wood of twoleg formations, the only entrance visible being the great door they passed through. Her body stayed low to the ground, her ears swiveling uncomfortably to search for the sounds of pounding hoof-beats or foot falls of twolegs but it seemed the barn was empty. The twolegs must be out with their beasts. Less to worry about, I suppose...

The tom finally found what he was looking for and beaconed her to come and see something. She hesitated again, because she was still finding it hard to believe she trusted him enough to take her this far. Wait -- trust him? She didn't trust him, she couldn't possibly!...Then again, there was a reason beyond her own pride that led her into this situation. Curiosity, maybe? Anything but trust, Starclan...

Reluctantly, Raincloud jumped onto the ledge next to the Riverclanner and balanced with a certain nimble grace before finding a way to sit down, curling her tail around her paws. When she looked down into the nest, she practically fell over. There was a GIANT horse beast just standing in the stall, appearing to be sleeping. It wasn't scary...just...intimidating. Who wouldn't be intimidated by something that looked bigger than most twolegs?

"Great Starclan..." she gasped quietly, looking over the beast's broad shoulders and girth. How did things even get that big?

She raised a brow at the tom as he bragged about sleeping on the beast before, not resisting smirking at him. "Really? Well, then why don't you demonstrate?" Raincloud challenged jokingly with a flick of her tail, though she was curious to see if he would actually prove himself all the great things he said he and Riverclan was. "And if you even try to push me into there, you'll be needing a new pelt." she warned, a light twinkle in her green eyes.

[Blush]

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OAKSPIRIT* life, love, this moment in the sun kiwii at btn & ote! The tom watched her closely but carefully, gazing at her intently from the corner of his eye so he could gage her reaction to the animal. He licked his lips proudly when he finally heard her quiet response: Great StarClan... See? I told you they were big. he thought smugly. But his arrogance didn’t last long, because soon, she was questioning his ability to ride the beast. Had he really slept on its back before? But it seemed to be a balance of fear and bravery for the both of them because the she-cat didn’t remain calm for long. If you even try to push me into there, you'll be needing a new pelt. You’re scared? he challenged. Look. It’s easy. He was lying, but she didn’t need to know that. It wasn’t easy, not with most horses, but Oakspirit happened to know that this old guy was older than the hills. He had been in the Horseplace since Oakspirit’s mentor was a kit, or so the young tom had been told, and the animal simply had no energy left. Leaping onto his back was about as dangerous as leaping onto the back of half-blind, half-deaf, fully-asleep elder; if he played his cards right, the beast wouldn’t even notice him. And if he did, he’d hardly have the energy to care. And though other horses were less forgiving than this guy, Oakspirit figured what the ShadowClanner didn’t know couldn’t hurt her. And certainly, it couldn’t hurt him in his effort to show off. Still, having done this dozens of time didn’t make the tom any less scared when he decided to jump. He took a deep breath and leapt from the side of the horsenest onto the creature’s back, being careful to land lightly on his paws and keep his claws sheathed. The tabby froze for a heartbeat as he landed and the horse shifted, but he didn’t awaken. Oakspirit let out his breath. See? he whispered. You can’t get hurt as long as he doesn’t notice you. Or do you think you’ll wake him up? He couldn’t resist taunting her, even if his former hostility had melted amidst the stifling heat of the Horseplace. I thought ShadowClan was all about stealth... His eyes glinted as he tossed out the words; there was no mistaking the challenge. Oakspirit stared the she-cat down, wondering if she would jump. If she didn’t, perhaps he would have proved, at least to himself and to her, that RiverClan was braver than ShadowClan. But if she did jump, he couldn’t help wondering if she would be doing it to impress him or to defend her clan.

[willow]

"Of course not!" Her silver-blue fur fluffed out in defense, eyes narrowing in a fierce glare that dared the cat to jab at her again. She was not scared, Shadowclan cats were trained not to fear anything, especially plump, lazy Riverclanners. How dare he even suggest she was frightened...What was there to be scared of anyway? A big, old horse? "I'm just being...cautious. Your probably as slippery and slimy as the fish you eat." she snorted, her tail giving a series of erratic twitches to display her irritation at his pompous attitude. He acted like he had done everything, knew everything, feared nothing. Just because he was Riverclan, he thought he was running with the best. Well he needed a reality check, and she might be the one to give it to him.

She barely smiled at hearing the deep breath the tom took before the leap, betraying at least some fear at having to leap onto the beast's back. She surprised herself by sucking in a breath when the horse shifted under the tabby's paws, tensing up. When she realized she was actually being concerned for the Riverclanner, she shook herself and tried to look as non-nonchalant and dis-concerned as possible. Still...she couldn't stop herself from feeling some relief when the horse beast didn't buck and end up murdering the cat beneath it's hooves.

The tom was obviously still wary about disturbing the horse, keeping his voice low but managing to sneak in a challenge. She join him on the horse. Raincloud's green eyes widened in disbelief, glancing from the black horse to the cat. "Are you completely mouse-brained?...Okay, you've already proven you are, but do you really think I'm going to jump onto that?" she hissed quietly, shifting from paw to paw in unease. She came into the horseplace with a Riverclanner, she's seen a horse up close, but being on top of it was way too close for her comfort.

Then he threw a taunt.

Ohhhhh no, not another shot at Shadowclan pride. No matter how much she hated the idea of being made fun of by the tom - which he better dare not do -, she wasn't going to get on that creature's back. Tilting her chin up importantly, closing her eyes, and turning partly away from the Riverclan tom, Raincloud was overall displaying her stubborn refusal to accept his challenge. "No." she mewed flatly with a 'hmph'. "Shadowclan is about stealth, not stupidity. I refuse to feed into your childish need to try and prove Riverclan greater than Shadowclan." There. She had made up her mind and there was no changing it.

[Blush]

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OAKSPIRIT* life, love, this moment in the sun kiwii at btn & ote! A gloating expression crossed over his face as the ShadowClan she-cat refused to jump. Of course she wouldn't. ShadowClan were too afraid to even hunt during the day; it was exactly why they were called ShadowClan. They were cowards, feeding off RiverClan and bullying WindClan. He shouldn't expect any different from this she-cat just because she actually seemed... likeable. And yet, somehow, he had expected more from her. He realized now that he had wanted her to jump. "I refuse to feed into your childish need to try and prove Riverclan greater than Shadowclan." His eyes widened at her choice of words. Oh please, he scoffed. I'm being childish? You're the one acting like a kit, clinging to your mommy's side because you're too afraid to jump." He didn't care if he was being rude. He was, after all, talking to a cat that was mooching off his land, a cat who had tackled him on his own territory, a cat who had pushed him into showing off here... She had wondered about running with the horses. If she couldn't jump onto a sleeping one, how could she run with the ones that were wide awake? He realized, suddenly, that this was an experience he wanted to share with her. Clinging to side of the horse nest like a cat who had spent her whole life sheltered by the dense undergrowth of the ShadowClan swamps, she looked like a cat in dire need of a little excitement. An adrenaline rush would serve her well. If she wanted to hunt like a RiverClanner, she should learn how to have fun like one. Maybe he could push her into it. Come on, he mewed enticingly, his eyes lit up in passion. You look like you could use a little adventure, a thrill. Isn't that what you came here for? A new experience? He knew that wouldn't be enough to convince her, and he let his tongue unravel, allowing his passion for adventure to steer his words. He pushed her more, his eyes glittering and his whiskers bristled. You can't spend your whole life hiding in the shadows, he argued. I mean, some cats live to be a hundred moons old without ever really living at all. If you jump up here with me, it's one less minute you haven't lived. His eyes met and held her gaze as he silently wondered if she would refuse him again.

[willow]

Raincloud turned her narrowed glare back on the Riverclan tom, the beginnings of a snarl making her lip curl back over her teeth. "Come say that to my face, fish-breath." she growled, standing and digging her claws into the wood of the ledge to balance herself as she faced the tabby. How dare he continue to insinuate she was 'too afraid' to jump onto the back of the horse-beast with him! Just because she refused to lower herself to an idiotic Riverclan cat's level. She wanted to slap that look off his face, and not with sheathed claws either.

Then she dropped the insults and taunts and simply tried to lure her into doing what he wanted her to do. A first she was completely resolute, unmovable, unchanging in her decision. But the more he talked...the more she realized she actually wanted to leap onto the horse, to prove something of herself, not just Shadowclan. Any other cat would think she was being brain-washed, but in actuality it seemed that the tom was drawing out her adventurous side and proving a point.

As hard as it was to admit it, he was right. All she had done her entire life was live under the shadow of her clan and leader, trying to be the best warrior she could be and nothing else. She hadn't done anything really fun that didn't involve hunting or training with the same cats. It wasn't that she hated her clan or clan-mates, no she was completely loyal and grateful to them. But when wasn't she just working and training and surviving? When she was sleeping? Eating?

For a long moment, she stared back into the Riverclanner's green eyes, seeing the desire and excitement of trying new things. Blinking and shaking her head, the silvery-gray she-cat growled in suggested irritation, not trying to make it seem like she was actually seriously wanting to make the leap, more like she was being pressured to defend her clan's honor with one act.

"Make room, Riverclanner, or I'll knock you over." she warned, crouching down and bunching her muscles together in preparation of the leap she was about to make. Pushing down what fear she had and reminding herself to keep her claws in to avoid startling the beast, she got as low as she could and jumped into the air, getting more length than height in order to make it onto the roomy back of the horse.

Landing lightly and silently as she had been taught and raised to do, Raincloud stayed bent low on the bristle-furred beast as if waiting for it to all of a sudden throw her off. In reality, it barely moved any and just seemed to sigh, remaining still for other than it's breathing.
She had to admit her heart was beating fast and loud in her chest and she let out a long shaky breath as she slowly stood upright, looking down on her set paws for a moment to compose herself. Doing some even just a bit dangerous felt...good. Not to mention proving she could do anything that Riverclan tom could do.

Looking at him with a smug, proud expression, she grinned and flicked her tail as if the jump was nothing at all. "Satisfied?"

[Blush]

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OAKSPIRIT* life, love, this moment in the sun kiwii at btn & ote! Oakspirit's eyes widened as the she-cat lowered herself to jump. Was she actually going to do it? He felt... proud, maybe? No, that couldn't be it. He felt proud of his sister, proud of his friends. He could feel proud of his Clan, but he couldn't—or at least, he shouldn't—feel proud of his enemy. And no "alliance" would convince him that a ShadowClan cat wasn't his enemy. But there it was, impossible to suppress. The feeling of pride as she safely made the leap onto the horse's beastly back. Doing as he was told, he made room for as she landed, treading carefully on the creature's skin. If, after all he had done to convince her, this animal actually woke up... He didn't want to think about it. Satisfied? He was beaming, whiskers bristled, eyes glowing, tail out, but he turned the word over in his head. Satisfaction? Just like pride, he tried to fight it. She. Is. ShadowClan. He repeated the words abruptly in his head, trying to wrap his mind around them. What would Duskfire think if she could see him now? This she-cat was ShadowClan, and all his life he had been taught to despise them. There was nothing about her that should satisfy him. But... No. He wasn't ready to admit to satisfaction just yet. He could barely get his own mind around it, and saying it out loud would only make it that much worse. Well, this was just the introduction, he replied casually. Now you have to run with them. And them didn't mean this old nag. He wondered if she could hear the beating of the horse's heavy paws outside the way he could, or if he was just sensitive to it after spending so much time here. Either way, the creatures outside were much more lively than this old guy. It was the biggest rush he had ever experienced. He loved it, but it was terrifying. Would she be up to it? Perhaps he had pushed her boundaries enough for one day...

[willow]

The Shadowclan she-cat was a bit...disconcerted by the look on the tom's face. It was like he was practically glowing when he looked at her now and it made her feel strange. Not so much strange in the negative sense, but strange in that she hadn't been expecting the Riverclanner to seem so...so...what was the word? Proud? Maybe he was just so happy he had actually got a Shadowclanner to do what he wanted her to do. Yes, that had to be it. Why else would he be?

Still she couldn't shake this growing feeling of strangeness. She couldn't put a claw on what it was and not knowing was going to drive her mouse-brained. Raincloud finally opted to ignore it all together and put her own pride and confidence above it, which seemed to work for now. Her tail erect and green eyes matching the tom's with a bold challenge to dare her to do anything else. She may seem like she was ready for another challenge, but honestly this was enough for one day.

Suddenly, she became shockingly aware of how comfortable she was getting with this tom. What would her clan-mates think if they caught the scent of another cat on her, and Riverclan at that, there would be questioning, suspicions, and trouble for her. It was time to get out of here before anything else happened, time for them both to get back to their own worlds.

She opened her maw to say her departing when the tom set up another challenge for her. Running with the horses. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped before she quickly closed it again. "Are you serious? I think I've handled enough today, first dealing with a mouse-brained Riverclanner and then wandering into this place to jump onto a horse." the silvery gray she-cat turned away from the tom and crouched down to jump off the horse. "Thanks but no thanks."

With that she leaped back onto the wooden structure and looked towards the wide gaping mouth of the two-leg horseplace. For some reason, she looked back with something she could only discern as hope. She shook her head and took a deep breath to clear her head. Let him try to stop me. Let him give me a reason to rip his fur off. she told herself harshly but there wasn't a lot of energy behind those words, like she didn't mean it.

Of course she meant it. This was a Riverclan cat who had taunted and insulted her. He deserved to be clawed across the face...right? Of course. He was a rival, an enemy, and nothing was going to change that. These horseplace scents were clouding her common sense, she needed to get out of here.