A Brutal Campaign {Fadedpelt}

[Gosh]

Spiderpaw nodded politely to the elderly cat and looked to Patchfur, waiting for him to explain. While she waited, she looked the newcomer up and down.

The elder looked rather mangy and thin, and Spiderpaw thought it might be a good idea to get her some food, as an offering of sorts. So she mewed, "Be right back," and padded away. It wasn't long before she found a lizard that would do well. Spiderpaw eagerly pounced at it, but it scurried out of her reach. It was another few minutes before Spiderpaw caught a beetle and decided that it would have to do. So she brought the black beetle to the elder, putting it on the ground before her with a courteous nod.

[duckyaisha]

Dingypaw grinned. She knew her intimidation tactic had worked. She probably looked semi-dead, but then again, that was even scarier than a plain old cat, wasn't it. Her white fangs tore into the beetle, and Dingypaw felt lucky that she had had two pieces of prey today. "What plans?" Dingypaw asked, suspicious. They might be in a war or battle, and the elder had no intention of getting involved with that. "

Patchfur looked at Woodstripe. "What, are you going to tell me how I have to talk, too?" he mewed scathingly. Then he turned to Dingypaw. "I'm sorry. That's Woodstripe, and I'm Patchfur. We are going to do an experiment where we have a simulation Clan," he explained. "Care to join?"

Dingypaw's hearing wasn't great, and she didn't hear every word, but she knew what Patchfur was talking about. She knew this was a great opportunity for her. "I'm in," she replied quickly, "but on two conditions. One, being an elder, I get fed every day by the warriors, like the cats of Riverclan. And two, I'm not confined to the elders' den."

[zelda]

Patchfur tilted her head to the side slightly in curiosity at the arrival of Woodstripe. She seemed pleasant enough...but one never knew, not with the cats around here.

"Pleasure to meet you," she meowed politely, dipping her head slightly to the brown tabby cat. "I am Fadedpelt. Your little...social experiment sounds intriguing." She didn't know anything about this cat, and she didn't know if she was fully prepared to accept this idea of a "fake Clan" -- but it was a good way to gain followers for the day she would eventually become leader.

[duckyaisha]

Dingypaw coughed, not wanting to be ignored, but not wanting to seem rude. She looked up at the she-cat, Fadedpelt, who had not so much as acknowledged her existance. She realized it must be because Woodstripe was younger and prettier and though they both commanded respect and attention, she looked like a dead cat brought back to life and Woodstripe didn't. Dingypaw sighed, her orange eyes turning from a harsh, scrutinizing shade to a dull version of the color. She didn't like being ignored, but didn't want to make enemies. She remained silent.

[Ten]

ooc| "Woodstripe was younger and prettier" <-- XD
I've always pictured her has big, bumbling, and businesslike, more on the ugly side.

bic|

"Why w-wouldn't you be c-confined to th-the elder's d-den?" Shortwhisker sputtered. "You're an elder! Th-that's where you g-go and that's wh-where you st-stay! It's n-not like you h-have anyw-where else t-to be."

Woodstripe nodded to Dingypaw, disregarding the tom. "Yes, we would have to take your age into consideration, and I hope that, be our attempt successful, every cat would receive their fill of food. As for dens, I had not planned for there to be any, and as we have not selected a leader as of yet, I do not know if there will be any. Are you satisfied with these conditions?"

While waiting for an answer, Woodstripe turned to Fadedpelt. "The pleasure is mine," she beamed. "Would you consider joining us? Whatever your views on Clanhood, this will give you solid, first-paw proof of how a leader-governed system operates."

[duckyaisha]

Ooc: "Woodstripe was younger and prettier" <-- XD
I've always pictured her has big, bumbling, and businesslike, more on the ugly side.

----X----

Prettier than Dingypaw, though.

Bic: "You promise I'll be allowed to move around camp and everything?" she asked Woodstripe. "Everything else is fine," she added hurriedly. "I think this is a really good idea, and I'm glad someone finally decided to try out a Clan for real. I've been waiting for this my whole life!"
Then she turned to deal with Shortwhisker. "Have you never heard about respecting your elders?" she hissed, her voice dropping to an icy cold low pitched snarl. "If you really respected me you would understand that if I stayed in the elders den my entire old-cat life, I would grow weak. I would get sick much more easily and it would be easier for such sicknesses to kill me. Do you want me to die? Hm? Do you?" she snarled, glaring at him with piercing orange eyes and forgetting all about Fadedpelt, concentrating solely on convincing Shortwhisker that she was a force to be reckoned with.

[Thistle]

The tall dark tabby trotted quickly after Woodstripe, like a kitten following its mother. Some more cats were huddled in a group, and the she-cat in front of him was talking to them.
He padded closer.

An old cat had joined in the conversation. She looked elderly and tired and frail and everything that he wasn't. Maybe he could settle down next to her; after all, they were the only two who probably weren't fit to become real warriors, and he enjoyed the comfort of having another cat by his side.
Batkit reclined to his haunches a tail-length away from Dingypaw, mumbling a quiet, "Hi."

[duckyaisha]

Dingypaw smiled at him. "Hello, kitten," she meowed warmly. He reminded her of her two kits, back when she had talked to them. "Are you going to join in the experiment as well?" she asked, hoping that he was. If he had no mother, maybe she could take care of him. She was lonely, and this kit might be a good companion.

[Ten]

ooc| "Prettier than Dingypaw, though." <-- can't argue with that, yet the idea of Woodstripe being prettier than someone is funny.

"If he had no mother, maybe she could take care of him." <-- awww.

bic|

Woodstripe chucked. "Only your legs can prevent you from going where you please."

The tuxedo tom froze, then took a step back. She didn't look like a powerful cat, of course, but her rugged look was intimidating, and he didn't have much muscle himself. "I-I w-wouldn't m-mind you d-d-dying," he muttered, head low, ears flat, amber eyes apprehensive. He was afraid, but as ever, he was opinionated. "It-it'd be l-less of a b-burden on th-the o-others."

[duckyaisha]

"So you're saying that, since I can't take care of myself, I should just die? That's not the way a Clan works. Elders give the leader valuable advice, since they are older and wiser. Perhaps we should kill all the kits, since they can't take care of themselves either. Just because someone is dependant on others doesn't mean they aren't useful. A Clan takes care of /all/ its members, and if you don't know that, then you still have a lot to learn about what a Clan is all about," she meowed firmly, her orange eyes glaring at the tom.