look who's talking..[ember/open! *wc or sc jump in*]

Emberfang hadn't really meant to end up on the Thunderpath. Honestly, it wasn't even that big of a deal. She'd been hunting a rabbit, because that was what she did. The snow was so thick in this part of the territory that even the scent of the Thunderpath was hidden. The rabbit had ran and she'd chased and suddenly she was dodging monsters, left and right, trapped in the middle of the path, barely a whisker length between her and death. A few of the monsters even wailed at her as they passed, as if she didn't know she was on their territory. 

Panicked and frightened, she spotted a break between two monsters and galloped towards it, skidding on the slick ice, tearing a claw. She nearly didn't make it, felt the rush of wind snag her tail as the monster sailed by, and yowling with fear, she leapt into a snow drift, falling up to her neck in the cold damp. She instantly regretted her decision, knowing it would take a nap and a wash from Sorrelcloud before she would even go about feeling any remsbalence of warm again. 

She took a minute, dragging herself out of the drift, tail and ears drooping with dejection. She shivered, shaking the snow out of her thin pelt, muttering to herself. The direction of the wind changed and she froze, literally this time, instead of figuratively. Shadowclan. And she was right on the edge of their territory. Fox dung. 

Emberfang's nose went up, ears pricking, searching for any sign of a cat. She shouldn't be caught here at all. That would be incredibly bad for Tallstar. 

Cold, scared, and angry, Emberfang's temper was fraying. Her tail flicked back and forth, her multicolored pelt beginning to prickle the longer she inhaled the Shadowclan scent. It was rank, filled with the heavy scent of swamp goop and frogs and it made her want to gag. Sometimes, she was grateful that the Thunderpath separated them from the rest of clans. If she had to smell them everyday, like she did Riverclan and their nasty fishy scent, she might actually have to leave the Clans. 

But to her dread, the Shadowclan scent got stronger and she realized that another cat was actually approaching. She pricked her ears, turning towards the other clan's territory, immediately spotting a calico cat stomping towards her. Emberfang puffed up, stiffening her tail and spine, lips curling into a snarl. She was safe on her territory, but that didn't mean Shadowclan would respect that. They had bad manners, at the very least. 

"You're a bit away from home aren't you?" The Shadowclan cat taunted.

But Emberfang, well, she was better than that. She could hold her tongue, she could. She' was old enough, mature enough. She flattened her ears, urged her fur down, and met the gaze of the other warrior, green on green. 

"I am home, Shadowclanner." She meowed back, pleased to note her voice was even. "This is my territory."


                                        Notes: Sorry it took so long, had a winter storm, knocked out my internet. 

The longer the Shadowclan she-cat spoke, the more Emberfang felt she would be justified in ripping her face off. She didn't know what she'd done to be so tormented. It was obvious that the other cat was looking for a fight, but Emberfang, true to her grumpy nature, would go out of her way to spite the Shadowclan cat.

She almost answered the other warrior, but the cat placed one foot carefully on the Thunderpath. Emberfang's heart rocketed for a half second because, well, she'd just been there, on that path, and nearly died, it was only instinct to fear it and only natural to want to warn and save any other cat who thought they could defeat the Monsters. Her eyes narrowed darkly on the paw, hoping the she-cat would stop, but then, hidden underneath the stench of the Thunderpaths, she caught another scent. Smugness. The Shadowclanner was toying with her. 

Her temper ticked. She bit her tongue. She was deputy now, she wasn't going to engage anyone in a battle they wouldn't win. If she attacked, she would bring the force of the clan with her now, and Shadowclan, for all their rudeness and spite, didn't deserve an Windclan attack. They wouldn't survive it. Windclan fought like the wind, fast, furious, and completely unstoppable. It was why they never tried to start wars, for the safety of the other clans. 

Emberfang thought she had a hold on her temper but then --

"I know where your borders lay, no worries, but has Tallstar forgotten how dangerous it is? A medicine cat should know better that to leave a dainty she-cat wonder along the thunderpath on her own. It dangerous.."

Her fury broke but her reason remained. She wouldn't physically attack the Shaowclan warrior. 

"You'll watch your tongue or I'll rip it out so you can." She spat, her calico fur once again bristling, her tail lashing as she stalked towards the other cat, stopping only once her paws were on the edge of the hard material of the Thunderpath. " Tallstar happens to be sanctioned by Starclan, fox dung. At least he obeys them. Littlestar didn't even show up to the Gathering; she's practically begging for Starclan to destroy her, the hare brain."

The other she-cat wondered further onto the thunderpath and Emberfang wondered if the she was stupid enough to die needlessly just to taunt her. She wondered how mad she would have to make the other cat to get her to stand in the middle of the path and get hit by a monster. Judging by her vindictive streak and her heedless need to win, Emberfang thought it wouldn't be much. Maybe just insult Shadowclan a little more, call her a kittypet and wait. All Shadowclanners tended to be self destructive, hare-brains that they are, too proud and cold to be anything else than doomed. She almost pitited them, but really, anything that happened, they did to themselves. So. 

She was so thought up in her thoughts she missed most of what the other warrior was saying but caught just the tail end. 

"Not a medicine cat with an inflated ego.."

Yet another slight at Tallstar, which was just silly. He was Starclan chosen, no matter how many cats complained, in the end he wasn't Lynxstar. If he was the only weakness in Windclan, an imagined one at that, was it really so bad to deal with other cats taunts? At this point, weren't they just reaching?

And yea, she'd been a little aggressive after that first attack, but who wouldn't be? She'd nearly died. She deserved to overreact a little. Emberfang wondered quickly if she ought to play it again and decided yes, of course she did, the silly stubby Shadowclan warrior might let something vital slip or she might be smooshed by a Monster. Win win either way. 

She tore her foot off the path, choosing to pace irritably parallel too it, like she was just waiting for an excuse to jump it and sink hr claws into the throat of the calico. To be very honest, she wouldn't really need that much of an excuse. She kept solid eye contact with the other cat, fur along her ruff bristling, claws scraping along ground as she moved. 

"Be QUIET," She snapped. 'about Tallstar. He's more of a warrior than Littlestar could ever be. What is your medicine cat doing any? Can't even heal a leader, who has lives. How incompetent. If Littlestar gets any sicker, send her here. Our littlest kit could save her."