Punning up the Place (OPEN/Midnight)

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Emberpaw padded through the forest. He had already hunted for the day, but he hadn't been assigned another task by his mentor, so he had decided to just wait at a border and maybe joke around with any border patrols that came by. He knew his mentor would probably cuff him around the ears if they found out that he was sitting around in the forest doing nothing, but it was sure better than sitting in camp and doing nothing.

Soon the trees had begun to thin and he began to smell the tell-tale scent of Sunsetclan border markers intermixing with Leafclan markers. He came to a stop near the border and saw that the floor of the forest had spread into more undergrowth and the soil was beginning to mix with the sandy ground that marked Sunsetclan's territory.

Emberpaw sighed as he waited for something to happen. Why was life always so boring? No one in Leafclan seemed to like his jokes, always telling him that he needed to take things more seriously, or he would never become a warrior. Pshhh. Like he cared if he became a warrior -he just wanted to have some fun. Maybe other clans would be more welcoming to his punny attitude?

[Midnight]

Lilyfrost had been extremely bored as of late. It seemed that no cat wanted to feed into her hunger for drama and excitement, and the latest bit of news in SunsetClan was that Vineheart was named deputy. Woohoo, a new deputy, how juicy! Ick.

As the snow-white warrior, sauntered around the territory, she noticed a ginger pelt in the far distance, standing out horribly amongst the white and green of LeafClan's forest territory. Halting for a moment, Lilyfrost tipped her head, eyes clouding with confusion. Why was that cat just... sitting there? Were they dumb? Did they actually belong in LeafClan, or was the cat a loner invading their territory? One thing Lilyfrost knew for sure was that the ginger creature better not dare invade SunsetClan's territory or Lilyfrost would have something to say about it.

Interested in butting in, Lilyfrost stomped toward her Clan's border with LeafClan, standing her ground at the edge of the sand. By the scent, this cat was a tom, and Lilyfrost glared at the vile little apprentice (or warrior, but in that case, he was awfully small for a warrior), then bared her teeth and snarled, "And just what do you think you're doing, mister?"

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Emberpaw looked up into the glaring eyes of a warrior with a snow-white pelt. He grinned at the snarling warrior. For some reason, whenever cats tried to intimidate him, it merely amused him. He was safe on his side of the border anyway, so it wasn't like she would actually hurt him. "Heya there, Snowy!" he greeted the warrior cheekily. "I'm just waiting for a border patrol so I can play a prank on them. What are YOU doing?"

[Midnight]

"Oh, well isn't that nice?" Lilyfrost purred, laying far too heavy on the happy. "Well, wittle guy, I'm patrolling the borders. I'd love to see you try to pull a prank on me, because if you try to do that, there will be some big, big consequences. Do you know what that means?" Lilyfrost's blue eyes widened and she took another step forward, crouching down so she was face-to-face with Emberpaw. "That means that bad things will happen if you do that. Okay, lil' kitty? Why don't you run on home now, LeafClanner?" Or, rather, fall from a tree, you piece of crowfood. Lilyfrost thought in disgust in spite of the purring. She blinked warmly at the nasty-smelling LeafClanner, fluffing up her long fur. Lilyfrost then slid out her claws, doing her best to look innocent while waiting for the perfect moment to attack the apprentice.

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Emberpaw blinked at the warrior's vehemence. "Woah, woah, woah, there Snowy. I wasn't planning on pranking a Sunsetclan warrior. That's a big no-no. I meant other Leafclan members. If I pranked a Sunsetclan cat, Froststar would have my tail!" he protested at the warrior's assumption. "Anyway, I think you might be crossing the border a bit there," he pointed out absentmindedly. "I won't tell, if you get out of my face. I don't think it's very nice of you, Snowy dear." he purred confidently, licking his front right paw.

[Midnight]

"Incorrect." Lilyfrost corrected, looking down at her paws, which were almost buried in sand. "The border is where the undergrowth begins. If LeafClan had decent mentors, you'd know. Of course, knowing apprentices, it could be a simple matter of you not listening to your mentor. All things considered, we SunsetClanners have top-notch warriors, and thus our apprentices know exactly where the borders are." Lilyfrost flicked her tail-tip at Emberpaw, sticking her nose high in the air.

"My, my, you apprentices these days think you know everything, don't you? Learn manners, little ginger. One should always treat warriors with respect, regardless of whether they're from another Clan or not. I suppose it just goes to show how rogue-like and mange LeafClan truly is." The blue-eyed she-cat shook her head, sitting up and washing her pelt, carefully making sure that there was not a single bit of dirt marring her perfect appearance.

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Emberpaw rolled his eyes. "Ok, sure, attack me and my clan, see if I care, Snowy. Everyone's boring in Leafclan anyway. No one appreciates my jokes." he mourned dramatically before sitting back up. "Though by the looks of it, Sunsetclan would be even worse, if this is how a Sunsetclan warrior reacts to a harmless apprentice. What, feel threatened by me, Snowy? I promise I won't bite," Emberpaw showed his teeth playfully before rolling over onto his back on the Leafclan side of the border, scratching an itch on his spine, carelessly showing the Sunsetclan warrior how unthreatened he felt by her.

[Midnight]

If I felt threatened, I wouldn't do this! Lilyfrost thought, seeing the tom's exposed belly and lunging forward. She swiped at the tom, hoping that her claws made a breakthrough on his soft skin, then leaped back. Non-SunsetClanners weren't used to the sand, and if she could get him to cross the border, she could run back to camp and blame it all on him. What cat would blame the warrior in the situation? Clearly the apprentice hadn't been taught well enough and was at fault.

And so the SunsetClanner stood her ground, ready to attack or break into a run at a moment's notice. Her pelt was in disarray for the first time in a while, and her eyes were wide and wild. Her tail lashed furiously, and her claws itched to feel skin tear beneath.

[Deleted]

Emberpaw suddenly felt claws swipe across his exposed belly, and he screeched in pain, rolling over to his feet immediately to prevent further damage. He hissed in pain and looked down at his belly. The Sunsetclan warrior had just barely broken the skin, and a small amount of blood was leaking from the wound. He glared across the border at the warrior. "Well that was uncalled for," he sniffed, sticking his nose in the air. His eyes narrowed into slits as he stared at the warrior, wishing that she would step over the border again. "You're lucky that you're still on your own side of the border. As it is, you'll regret attacking me when I report it to my mentor." Emberpaw unsheathed his claws, burying them into the soil of the forest, forcing himself not to leap across the border and onto the arrogant warrior.

[Deleted]

((May I join?))

Finally. Peace and quiet. A place away from the Clan. Embergaze closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. She stood up and stretched. A short walk along the SunsetClan border would sound good. Embergaze started walking, hearing distant voices. She decided to ignore those voices for now and try to relax. That was until a screech filled the peaceful air. 

Embergaze straightened. It was coming from the border. Maybe there was a battle going on. She strained her ears but didn't hear anymore. This sounded like trouble. Trouble meant she could rush in, save a cat's life and prove herself once again to the Clan. Embergaze started running in the direction from where the screech came from. She could glimpse an apprentice and a warrior from SunsetClan now. 

Then she suddenly stopped running and stood behind a tree. Were those two talking? The apprentice sounded like he was challenging the warrior. How stupid of him! Standing near the border and threatening a warrior from a different Clan! That cat could drag him to her side of the border and kill him. Embergaze snorted. She'd better show herself now. 

The tortoiseshell she-cat padded into the view of the two cats. Glaring at the she-cat with her golden eyes, she spat: "What is a SunsetClan cat doing here? Shouldn't you be soaking yourself in one of those pools?" 

Then she turned and glared at the apprentice next. "And you, what are you doing so close to the border? Did your mentor allow you to leave the camp?!" Embergaze scolded.

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((I have no objections))

Emberpaw turned to look as a cat emerged from the trees and undergrowth on his side of the border and felt triumphant. That is, until the she-cat opened her mouth and started to speak. He scowled, ears falling back against his head as she scolded him.

"My mentor hasn't been around much these days," he mumbled. "I've already hunted for the clan today. I was going to wait around for one of our border patrols to see if he was on patrol. Then this Sunsetclan warrior came by and started threatening me! I wasn't doing anything wrong and she just attacked me for no reason!" he hissed, shooting a glare at the Sunsetclan warrior.

[Midnight]

"It's not like you know who I am," Lilyfrost snickered, teasing the young tom by turning and lashing her tail close to, but not quite over, the border, having all the fun in the world harassing him after all the nasty things he did to annoy her.

When another LeafClanner - this one appearing to be an actual warrior - came over, Lilyfrost stopped her teasing, sat down, and began washing a paw, acting as though she'd been minding her own business the entire time. "I was checking my Clan's border when I spotted this LeafClan apprentice hunting in our territory. I gave him a scratch to remember not to cross the borders. I won't report this little incident to Ratstar, but please try to keep your apprentices in your own territory." Lilyfrost dipped her head respectfully to the warrior. If she didn't believe the lie, oh well, Lilyfrost could still run and tattle to them to Ratstar. Ratstar wasn't a witness, and who was she going to believe? The LeafClanners or her own Clanmate? Psh, the answer was obvious.
And if the warrior did believe her, well, then Lilyfrost had won. She avoided looking at the apprentice, because if she looked up, she'd glare, and if that happened, the warrior would likely see it and catch on. Instead, Lilyfrost sat straight back up and steadily gazed into the eyes of the LeafClan she-cat.

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Embergaze glared back at the SunsetClan she-cat. That type of tone. She had heard that before. She was the one who used it on other cats when convincing them to believe or do something. That cat was a good talker just like her.

Her golden eyes swept through the apprentice examining him. A screech that loud must have drew blood, yet she didn't see any on his pelt. "Hunting in your territory? Pffft. This little guy couldn't even step onto the unused train tracks without quivering in fear of the snake monster who might pass by anytime soon." Embergaze turned to the ginger apprentice with a faked look of pity. Now, lets hope that idiot doesn't interrupt, Embrgaze thought.

"Though his eyes have been different lately... Darker than usual. I think it started when he got those nightmares. He acts weird in camp, making those so-called 'puns' I never thought he would have the courage to make, putting his paw on the border... Should I call the medicine cat on you, little cat? You know, one of my siblings has been having dreams lately. Something about dead cats getting into the bodies of the living to mess with the orderly peace of the Clans." Embergaze lied. To emphasize her point, she tried to push the younger apprentice away from her. Growl at me. Give me a death threat. Attack me, I don't care. Just make it seem like you're possessed by a Dark Forest cat, Embergaze thought.

The medicine cat would probably hear about this a few days after. She didn't care much right now. She needed to put the blame on another group of cats, so that the enemy warrior could pardon him. Specifically the evil dead ones.

[Deleted]

Emberpaw hissed in annoyance at the she-cat on his side of the border. How dare she insult him like that?! He was a fellow Leafclanner just like her! He knew that his clanmates didn't always appreciate his attempts at humor, but to side with a warrior from another clan?! He lashed his tail in frustration, a growl rising up from within his throat.

"I'll show you just how cowardly I can be," he hissed angrily, glaring at his clanmate, baring his teeth. He was already on edge from the dumb Sunsetclan warrior; if this she-cat pushed him any more, he'd attack, regardless that they were in the same clan.

[Midnight]

"Hm, well, I know what I saw." Lilyfrost persisted quietly. When the warrior started going on about nightmares and darkened eyes, Lilyfrost lifted her head, eyes wide with interest. This would make for some juicy gossip! A diseased, dying, vicious LeafClan apprentice? Yes, sir! However, he certainly looked fine, and as far as Lilyfrost was concerned, he wasn't acting any weirder than the average idiotic LeafClan apprentice.

When the apprentice hissed at his Clanmate, Lilyfrost stumbled back in some over-reactive shock, gasping. "My, my! Talking to a Clanmate like that? What a mouth you have!" Lilyfrost shook her head in disapproval, then glanced over at the warrior. "This is exactly the type of rudeness I received after he trespassed on SunsetClan's territory and tried to catch some of our prey! He has no respect." Deciding it better to play up the "on your side" game with the warrior, Lilyfrost let out a sigh. "I'm sorry that you have to deal with such an uncontrollable apprentice. I understand now why your Clan is not at fault here. I'm sure there's nothing his poor mentor can do about his behavior."