For Old Times' Sake...

[Brambles]

The stiff breeze ruffled the tom's coat, pushing the fur in a direction that made the cat shift the way he sat. The air was nice to feel against the ever present heat, but it was not the cooling sensation Mustangchance had hoped for. Rather, it was the same stick warm feeling that had dominated the air over the Clans. He was, quite frankly, sick of it. Having grown up around the constant cold that is IceClan, Mustangchance found it very hard to adapt to this destructing heat. It was hard enough to find any fresh-kill for his Clan, but with the heat on top of that made life nearly unbearable. A sigh escaped between the brown and white furred maws of the tom. If only his children could live with IceClan as it had been instead of what it is. But if any cat in the forest could find a solution to this problem is DreamClan were unable to, it would surely be Polarstar or Quollfrost.

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[Squid]

The lithe, long legged why tom pushed his way through the dripping undergrowth. Since the snow, and ice was melting, everything seemed to be soaking wet in IceClan, and though it was something they were used to, the heat was not. Polarstar headed to Timber Gorge, only to see his father, Mustangchance, sitting by it. His father was still larger than him, but only because Polarstar had inherited his mother's smaller, thin appearence rather than his father's larger build. "Hello" He said, walking up and sitting next to Mustangchance.

[Brambles]

Ears flicked towards where the sound waves originated from, and clear blue eyes swiftly followed, falling upon the familiar pelt and bodice that was his son. Maw twisted upwards in the form of a smile as Mustangchance spoke. 'Polarstar, it is good to see you.' His piercing gaze shifted away from the IceClan leader to gaze back out over the Timber Gorge. Another breeze arose from the depths, again bringing with it the sticky feeling that Mustangchance had come to loath. Where was DreamClan in these troubling times? Mustangchance swung his skull from side to side, shaking free from his mind the troubles that dominated it. He should not dwell upon those matters for the moment. He was in the company of his son, and he need not bring about more miseries to the Clan leader when so many must already rule his conscience. 'How goes it, my son?' Mustangchance murmured, his voice reverberating around the Gorge.

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[Squid]

"It's well, I was hunting, to see what I couldn't find, and now I'm soaked to the bone with warm water" Polarstar lightly shook his left paw, a few droplets of water falling from it. He looked over the edge just barely to look for the bottom of the Gorge, shuddering at the thought of ever falling down a steep drop like that, and scooted back a bit "I did manage find a mouse, and a bird that had come to splash in a pond by the caves"

[Brambles]

Mustangchance nodded. 'Good, good. It will be greatly welcomed by the Clan. We have been in need of more food.' The tom's voice, though sincere, was distant, distracted. So many thoughts whirled through the warrior's mind, he knew not what they meant. When trying to concentrate on one thought, another would swiftly shove aside the previous and be gone just as quickly. Mustangchance began to aquire a headeache from the ceaseless process. Smiling wryly at his son before the tom could notice, Mustangchance stood and shook his own fur. It was dry of course, but the humidity made him feel as though he were constantly swimming in a warm spring from AshClan territory. The thought of the other Clan made Mustangchance grunt. They would be used to the heat anyways. Though the prey shortage was affecting all the Clans.

[/size]

[Squid]

Polarstar stared at the ground, digging his claws in and out of the soft dirt. It was only when he sheathed his claws did he hear a noise. Polarstar's ears went straight up, and he leaped to his feet, whirling around with his fur bristling and back arched as he hissed. Out of the bushes came an adult badger, and it looked hungry. Polarstar hissed again, but the badger wasn't going to give up an opportunity for dinner, so it leaped at Mustangchance, which in a way was understandable since Mustangchance was biggest, but Polarstar wouldn't have that. He met with the badger half way, climbing onto it's back and digging his claws in, refusing to let go as the badger tried to dislodge him. "Run!" Polarstar yelled to Mustangchance.

[Brambles]

By the time the badger had lunged for the tom, Mustangchance was already to his paws, leaping to the right in attempts to avoid the dagger-like claws and pointed teeth. Blue eyes flashed with alarm as he saw Polarstar leap atop the badger, claws sinking into it's back. Mustangchance crouched to spring, ready to assist his son to dispatch to badger and drive it off. Muscles bunched beneath his sleek brown and white fur as the tom began his leap. He was stopped short of his destination. Unbeknownst to Mustangchance, another badger had lumbered out of the brushes. Having seen the first badger busy with Polarstar, the new arrival had decided upon Mustangchance. The badger's massive paw slapped Mustangchance down from mid-pounce. The warrior tumbled, confused with the sudden interruption. From the corner of his eye, Mustangchance could see the badger headed his way. Mustangchance rolled to the side as the badger again swung. The razor-sharp claws sunk into the moist dirt where Mustangchance had been. The tom lept to his feet and shouldered into the badger, throwing his whole weight into the effort. Teeth snapped uncomfortably close to Mustangchance's ear as he himself sunk fangs into the creature. He struck bone, and the badger howled in pain, swiping Mustangchance away with it's massive paw. The tom rolled with the attack, now dangerously close to the edge of the gorge..

[/size]

[Squid]

Polarstar got a swift glance at the other badger, watching his father fight it, and a feeling of dread swept through him when he saw Mustangchance close to the edge of the gorge. Without a second thought, Polarstar leaped off the badger, and streaked to his father, grabbing him just before a small edge gave way and pulling him back up. A yowl of pain escaped Polarstar's jaws as sharp claws were struck down his back, and he whirled on the badger, swiping his claws at it, warning it and the other one to stay back.

[Fallentear ||]

A black creature raised it's blood-stained muzzle from where it lay tucking into a sparrow that had been too weak with hunger to avoid a predator. The meal was hardly a mouthful, but that was all the feline needed nowadays to be full. Demonic, steele optics stared into the distance, trying to see something far away through the undergrowth that was not visible. Silvertongue narrowed her eyes and leaped to her paws, running towards the gorge and disregarding the bones and feathers she'd left. The she-cat was positive that she'd heard yowls of fighting cats, and earlier she'd smelled a female badger. That had to mean that the mate and kits were nearby, and that meant trouble.

Pounding across the rocky terrain, she didn't even bother to slow her pace as the fight scene came into view, although she was dangerously close to the gorge. She leaped onto the back of the smaller, male badger with a fearless battle cry. In her peripheral she saw two startled toms lingering dangerously close to the edge. They were both slightly injured. The male badger rocked beneath her with the momentum of her speed and collision. He had just swiped at the smaller tom, and so was close to the gorge himself. With a loud howl, Silvertongue leaped away and slammed into him again, making him stagger towards the edge. Then, the earth crumbled below his paws. With a roar of rage and terror, the badger slid backwards into the gorge, slashing out at Silvertongue desperately, in hopes that he could catch his claws on her and stop his fall. She leaped back to avoid his swiping daggers, but cried out in pain when crushing jaws closed on the back of her neck from behind. She hadn't turned fast enough to defend herself from the gigantic female badger..

The world began to slowly spin out of control, the colors faded to dull grays before her eyes. Then all slipped into darkness..

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[Squid]

After being sure that his father would not fall, Polarstar whirled around, trying to hunt down the male badger, not realizing that Silvertongue had pushed him over the edge. Seeing the female badger, with his warrior in her jaws by the neck, he let out a fierce cry, and streaked towards them both. Rearing back on his hind paws, Polarstar came down on the badger's head, slashing at it's eyes furiously, hoping that blinding it would give them an advantage.

[Amber]

(May I join?)

A streak of pale brown tabby fur flashed momentarily, silheoutte framed in the air as if hanging before Fearowstrike landed on the female badger. She had thrown herself with such force the badger toppled over, and she grinned, unknowing of Polarstar. She jumped back off of the badger gracefully, and the badger stood back up. She did not have time to see if the cat was still in danger before lunging again, this time for the neck. She latched onto the badger and threw her whole weight to the side, in an attempt to topple it again.

[Squid]

Polarstar didn't even realize what had happened until he was flat on his back, the breath knocked out of him. When Fearowstrike had managed to topple the badger, it had come right down ontop of him, and it had not been pleasent either. Quickly catching his breath, Polarstar scrambled to his paws in time to hear the badger roar with anger, realizing that it was outnumbered, before lumbering off. Polarstar chased after it until it was out of sight across the border, and slowly walking back to Timber Gorge to see if Mustangchance was still alright.

[Fallentear ||]

A slow, swirling fog was behind her eyes. She opened them. There stood a glowing figure, with patches of ginger and gray and brown and white and every other color all over her pelt. "Mother?" She whispered, stepping forward. The cat shook her head, "It is not your time, darling. Your friends have saved you for now. Goodbye.."

The world burst into amazing clarity as Silvertongue's eyes flew open. She got to her paws, finding as much strength in her limbs as there was before. It was almost as if nothing had happened. Besides the oozing blood and burning sensation on the back of her neck, she felt fine. Silvertongue did not even need to ask what had happened, she knew from Owlwing that she had been saved by Fearowstrike and Polarstar. She smiled, something she didn't do often. "That was exciting." She said in a slightly sarcastic way. "We make a great team." She added, no sarcasm whatsoever in the comment. Looking around at the other cats, her eyes were still ablaze with the light of battle.

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[Amber]

Fearowstrike lay panting on the ground. She still half-expected to feel weak with age, and by her real age, she was quite old. But she was forgetting how young she was now. Not even a senior warrior.

She got to her paws, not exactly sure where along the way she ended up on the ground in the first place. She assumed she had failed in toppling the badger a second time; the next thign she knew she was on the ground and it was fleeing like the coward it was. She stretched her limbs, and satisfied she wasn't injured, she looked to Silvertongue, giving her a 'look'. "Team?" she teased, sticking her tongue out childishly.

Before Silvertongue could react Fearowstrike was racing away, hustling to get to her leader now. She scented Mustangchance nearby, and realized he must have been out with Polarstar. All amusement vanished she skidded to an arubt stop, stopping to ponder a moment. Should she stay with Silvertongue, should the badger come back once she was alone, or should she go help Mustangchance? She turned and trudged back, realizing the worse danger to her currently confirmed 'A-OK' - or at least not 'down' - Clanmate.

[Squid]

Sitting there by Mustangchance, with the small figure he possessed, Polarstar looked nearly like Soulfrost had as she died, snow white fur soaked with blood. However, the four claw marks that went straight down his back were plain and clear as he examined his father, realizing the two of them, without Silvertongue and Fearowstrike, would have been dead by now.