Heroes [Graniteclaw]

[Tinpaw]

It was quiet in Stoneclan this morning. Last night was the Gathering, and most cats who had attended were sleeping in. Not Tinpaw, though. It had been her first Gathering, something that she was still excited about. Though she had managed to sleep for a few hours, her high energy had called her out of her nest at an early hour. She had tried to wake Steelpaw and Snowpaw, but no matter how hard she poked them they refused to wake up. Pfft, who needs ‘em? The young apprentice thought happily as she trotted along the Greenway. I can have plenty of fun all by myself! She had to admit though, causing trouble alone was not nearly as fun as doing it with her siblings. They hadn’t been on a proper adventure together since they were kits, and Tinpaw missed those days. As much as she had longed to become an apprentice, now that she finally was she found that it was a lot more work than she had anticipated.

But on this day, there was no work to be done. She figured she should probably hunt on her way back to camp, but her main purpose for coming out to the Greenway today was to check out this supposedly dangerous place. Her mother had told her many a time that she was not allowed to go anywhere near the hallowed monsters that stalked the Greenway, and even now that she was an apprentice she was warned by the older warriors not to mess around there unsupervised. But Tinpaw was not afraid, not even in the slightest! She approached one of the bigger monsters and gave it a hearty kick with her back foot. “Take that, you old rotten hunk of metal!” She giggled and jumped up onto the monster, staring down at the seemingly endless road that disappeared into the horizon.

Suddenly, the apprentice heard a rustling sound behind her. She twisted around, ears straining to hear it again. It had sounded like it came from the monster behind hers. Tinpaw jumped off of her hallowed monster and padded towards the noise cautiously. Had it just been her imagination? Slowly, she crept forward and peered into the hallowed monster. Tinpaw caught a very brief glance at a large, dog-like creature huddled in the passenger seat before it lunged straight at her.

The young cat let out a caterwaul that could have rivaled the battle-cry of the fiercest tom as she leaped backwards in fear. Not bothering to look back at the canine, she took off running down the overgrown freeway. Starclan help me! Tinpaw could feel the hot breath of the dog at her heels and knew that, even with her long legs, she couldn’t outrun it. In one, fluid motion, she launched herself underneath the nearest monster, scraping her back on its sharp underbelly. She recognized the long-muzzled canine as a coyote as it yipped and tried to squeeze itself under the monster with her. Its teeth snapped dangerously close to Tinpaw’s head, and she hissed at it in an attempt to get it to abandon its pursuit. “Leave me alone, you smelly mutt!” She yowled, but no matter how much noise she made, the coyote did not leave. Tinpaw’s brown eyes looked around wildly for a way out as she lay, trapped, under the hallow monster.

[♉ Graniteclaw]

[atrb=valign, top] The body of the mouse GraniteClaw had just caught was warm between his teeth. It smelled good too- a delicious breakfast for the warrior. He had slipped out of camp a bit earlier, unable to sleep very well after the Gathering. He was restless when the cats had headed back home, there was never any excitment outside of Gatherings and it just hadn't been enough for him. His thirst for adventure has not been quenced in the slightest. However is thirst for this mouse was about to be. The big warrior had decided to go out on a one-man hunting party to relieve some of his restlessness and as long as he brought prey back, he could afford to eat this one mouse. Padding over to a large tree that offered a wide span of shade, He slid down to his stomach to eat. The mouse was pretty fat, but it didn't last long. After just a few bites, it was gone. Flicking an ear, he pushed himself up and scrapped at the ground, digging a small hole to push the remains into. He kicked dirt and grass over it and went on his way, jaws parted and ears flicked forward- alert for more prey. As he walked slowly, taking in the scenery, something inside of him sifted. It was a feeling that started in his stomach, some sort of instict, and it kept growing as he walked. It was almost like a sharp pain, but a bit more dulled. It was then that he heard the faintest cry, it was actually so quiet at first that he thought he imagined it. But then it grew louder, and he finally recognized it- a cry for help. Graniteclaw came to a halt nearly immediately, turning his attention to his left. In the distance he could see the tiny mountains that were old, rusty monsters. The area was forbidden to go to unless you were a warrior and even then, you'd better be experienced and on your toes at all times. The place was extremely dangerous, any cat could get cut and become very sick from the injury- he'd seen happen. The cat died. The call for help was ringing in his ears and he completely forgot about hunting. A cat was in danger and needed help desperately. His protective instincts took over. Graniteclaw bounded in the direction of the cry, toward the forbidden Greenway. It had once been a thunderpath for monsters but after years of adbandonment, it had completely changed. Grass and flora covered it. It was basically a graveyard for monsters. As he streaked toward the most dangerous place in StoneClan's territory, he crossed paths with a rather familiar scent. He slowed only momentarily to drink it in, to confirm his growing fears. The scent was fresh and smelled strongly of his Clan. Please StarClan.. he didn't even finish the though, on the move again. He strained his leg muscles to push even more, reaching the area in record time. No one really ran toward this place- more like away from it. As he rounded one of the monsters, new sounds came to his ears that made him slide to a stop. Barking. Growling. The snapping of very sharp teeth. The smell was disgusting. A dog- no.. it was stronger than a dog's scent, more wild. A coyote. Great! He pushed the rising fear down, parting his jaws and flicking his gaze around wildly. The feline scent was very strong here and he could identifiy the cat by name. "Tinpaw!" he shouted the apprentices name, probably drawing attention to himself. template made by oxymoron! of back to neverland

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[Tinpaw]

As Tinpaw cowered underneath the monster, she tried her best to push back her fear and consider her situation logically. Think… I’m smarter than the coyote… there must be a way out of here! But there truly was not; at least, not that she could see. Upon reaching this conclusion, terror rose up in Tinpaw’s throat again. She figured she would have to just wait it out, but what if the coyote found a way to squeeze itself under the monster before it got bored and left?

Thinking that she didn’t have much choice, Tinpaw began to meow loudly for help. Her cries only frustrated the coyote more, and she barely leaped back in time when it swiped a deadly paw toward her. To her relief, a male voice eventually answered her. “Graniteclaw! Help!” A warrior! As much as she resented the fact that she needed to be rescued, Tinpaw couldn’t help but to feel overjoyed by the appearance of the older cat. Surely a strong warrior like Graniteclaw could save her!

Suddenly, the snapping teeth of the coyote vanished from sight. Tinpaw sat under the monster for a moment, confused as to why the canine had stopped trying to attack her. It must have seen Graniteclaw! Her heart sank. “Watch out!” She yelled a warning out to her clan mate, but didn’t dare to poke her head out from under the vehicle. It was impossible for her to know what was happening out there, but she prayed to Starclan that Graniteclaw wouldn’t get hurt on her account.

[♉ Graniteclaw]

[atrb=valign, top] How in StarClan's name had Tinpaw gotten herself stuck in this situation? Why int he world was the apprentice even out here? She knew, just as all apprenticed did, that it was strictly forbidden for them to be around this place without a warrior. He frantically scanned the abandoned monsters, trying to pinpoint where the sounds were coming from. The coyote's grows and barks were bouncing off of the other monsters, which made it harder to figure out which one the apprentice was near. Finally, he saw the tail end of the wild dog creature. It's head was shoved underneath a monster, which meant Tinpaw was hiding under it as well. His heart started to pound, giving away to the fear that was trickling back into his stomach and mind. This was the worst time to be afraid though. Graniteclaw was a hardened warrior, never one to run away from danger. His duty right now was to save the young apprentice, even if it was her fault for getting into this mess. He could chastise her later, but he needed to make sure she got out of there alive first. He took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly through his nose. He narrowed his eyes and made the terrifying decision to charge after the coyote. He thought he was going to surprise the coyote, but that didn't happen. When the warrior was a few fox length away, the feral animal heard him and spun around. His teeth were gleaming with saliva and his eyes were wide with excitement. Images of being torn apart by this animal flashed through his mind, but he shoved them away and made a wide half circle around the beast, choosing to attack from the side instead. He raced past the monster Tinpaw was stuck under and yowled a battle cry, choking down the words he wanted to scream at her. He aimed his anger and ferocity at the predator. Graniteclaw leaped into the air, turning his body so that he struck the coyote on the side with all four paws, latching on with his claws. They dug into the brown and gray fur, and the coyote howled with pain and anger. The bigger animal easily shook the feline off, and Graniteclaw narrowly dodged a huge paw to the head. His thoughts went to Tinpaw, and he called out to her: "Tinpaw! Get to higher ground now!" He could keep the coyote distracted long enough for the apprentice to get somewhere safer. template made by oxymoron! of back to neverland

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[Tinpaw]

It was a horrible feeling, to be able to hear the growls and yowls of a full-blown battle but not to be able to know what was happening. She tried to guess who was winning, but it was impossible to know for sure without leaving the relative safety of the monster she was hiding under. Tinpaw could only root silently for Graniteclaw and hope that Starclan would give him the strength to win.

Just as she was growing frustrated by having to stay hidden under the monster, Tinpaw heard Graniteclaw call out to her. He said to get to higher ground… higher ground where? Did this mean that he was beating the coyote? As these questions ran through her mind, she realized that she was hesitating far too long. Tinpaw leaped out from under the monster in a panicked haze, her long legs allowing her to run faster than she ever thought she could. However, she hesitated again when she reached the edge of the eroded asphalt path. Tinpaw skidded to a halt, tearing up her paw pads in the process, and looked over her shoulder at Graniteclaw. He’s in trouble! There was no other explanation for why he would still have been fighting the coyote unless he was somehow unable to run away. With the feeling of courageous elation flooding her small body, Tinpaw turned back and ran straight for the fight.

It was only as she was running back to help Graniteclaw that the apprentice realized she had no idea what she could do in such a situation. So, instead of running away like she had been told to do, she did the first thing that came to mind. With an almighty leap, Tinpaw launched herself straight on top of the coyote’s head. The canine was so preoccupied with Graniteclaw that he hadn’t noticed the younger female until her weight was between his ears. The coyote howled in surprise and began to toss his head around in an attempt to throw her off. Tinpaw’s claws dug into its head, holding on for dear life and hissing all the while.