All This For Nothing

[A n u y]

"One step . . . then another. . . keep going . . . freeze!"

Chocolatepaws body went ridged, she couldn't mess up now! She'd been tailing this beetle-brain crow for the past hour, she had to catch it! But it was looking directly at her. Beady black eyes watching. Chocolatepaw was sure she'd been spotted, but it just stood there as if trying to decide whether or not the cat sneaking up on it was a threat. Eventually it turned away and began to examine the ground again.

Chocolatepaw smirked, "Whatever is on the ground that your so fascinated with better be good, because it's going to cost you your life."

Raising her paws carefully she crept forward again. It was harder to keep quiet now and be agile, her paws were aching from following the bird so long and her muscles were sore from being frozen.

"It'll be worth it." She could almost taste it. She could feel the warm form and feathers in her mouth, she could hear it's alarm call in her ears as it warned others not to make it's mistake.

*Snap*! "No"! She hissed as the crow leaped for the air, a feather flying off as it beat it's wings. Chocolatepaw darted forward but she was no where near enough to strike and instead tripped, becoming tangled in a thorn patch. Growling she tried to rip one of her legs free but the thorns only cut and sunk deeper into her fur making her wince and gasp with pain. She glanced at she sky hoping the crow might still be in sight. But it was gone all that for nothing and now she was stuck.

[</cloudii>]

Cloudmist heard a thrashing in the Ferns; by where she was taking a walk and hoping to catch some prey to take back to the Clan as well. Trotting quickly over to where the sounds were coming from, she saw Chocolatepaw in the thorn patch. Poor Chocolatepaw! she rushed over to help the young she-cat. "Hey, Chocolatepaw, I'm here now, okay?" she meowed in a soothing, soft tone. Grasping the base of the dark brown tail, she tugged gently, hoping to free the fur from the thorns pricking at the pelt of the apprentice, poking and scratching.

"What did you do to get in here?" she asked, mildly curious. The tortoiseshell warrior kept tugging, edging around the thorns, trying to get at Chocolatepaw's scruff. Her clear green eyes were narrowed with the effort.

[A n u y]

"Oh . . .great, someones coming to see me like this!"

She tried desperately to twist around and get out quickly before Cloudmist could see her, she was nearly an apprentice; she should be able to do this by herself! But it was useless, even with her tugging and pulling all it did was hurt and bring the distinct shine of tears to her eyes making her humiliation worse.

A roar began to pound in her ears and they grew hot with embarrassment as Cloudmist trotted over. Was that concern or amusement in her eyes? The warrior spoke to her gently like she was just a little kit with a burr in her side. She was apprentice age! No longer a kit but a cat ready to train and become a warrior!

"That's why your were stupid enough to get caught in ferns"

"Nothing" she mewed trying to deflect Cloudmist question. "-- well actually -- I. .. I was, ummm. I was chasing something bad off our territory and was so focused on helping the clan i got stuck."

It was a lie. Chocolatepaw guessed as soon as she said it Cloudmist would see through it. Her earlier thought burned in her mind again. If Cloudmist saw her like this and had to help her get out she would tell the other warriors and no one would want her as an apprentice. Determined to free herself Chocolatepaw ripped at the ferns. Above her a cackling sound broke out. Amazingly the crow had returned and was now laughing at her.

"I'm going to kill that bird." She hissed angrily and pushed backward, along with cloudmists' tail tugging the thorns snapped and Chololatepaw fell backward collapsing on top of Cloudmist as dust and dead brambles were flung into the air.

[</cloudii>]

Cloudmist raised her eyebrow and sniffed the air. "I don't smell any other scent other than StormClan and the forest..." she meowed, her eyes glancing at Chocolatepaw. Then she was on her back, the apprentice on top of her. She heard the brown she-cat mutter something about a bird. "Huh?" the tortoiseshell she-cat was confused, "What bird?" Suddenly, she was alarmed. "An eagle? Hawk? Falcon? Is it something the Clan should know about?" her eyes flashed, glancing up in the sky.

ooc - Sorry, it's short >.<

[A n u y]

Chocolatepaw shoved herself up shaking her fur to get the dust off. She didn't really hear Cloudmist's words. Instead she scanned the trees, searching. "There!" bunching her muscles she launched forward at a pine tree, scrambling up it. Just as she got near the crow it took flight and leaped away.

A low growl rumbled from her chest and she half fell half climbed down. Her paws barely touched the ground before she was off and leaped up to the next tree climbing it recklessly, bark and branches breaking off and showering behind her in her mad attempts.

This time the crow flew higher up and she followed it. There were few limbs here though and she was so high. Suddenly Chocolatepaw didn't want the crow anymore she just wanted down. Glancing back she felt her limbs go cold, cloudmist looked so small. "Oh, Starclan!"

Trembling, she tried to get herself down, she was way to proud to ask for help and her mouth had gone dry anyway. The bark however was broken from her earlier attempts and was weak. She had a second to hear it crackle and snap and then she was falling through the air so still earlier, now riping at her fur. Chocolatepaw might have screamed, she wasn't sure. All she did know was somewhere along the way she slammed into a branch and managed to cling on as her back paws sliced threw the air trying to find purchase.

-XD this is so classic. I love it.-

[♫ [.nighty.]]

An annoyed Crystalpool wandered through the ferns. Shadowpaw, when I find you, you are going to do tiwce the work you've already been doing-- Suddenly a loud hiss erupted.
Crystalpool looked up and saw a crow flying away, and a mutter from... Chocolatepaw? Racing forward now, the young medicine cat froze when she was Cloudmist tending to Chocolatepaw. Then it just so happened, that a heartbeat later that Chocolatepaw was flying in midair, the clinging desperately to a branch. What in StarClan's name??? She thought, hurling herself forward.
"CHOCOLATEPAW!" she screamed, not knownig what she could do to this... Apprentice hanging on a branch. Panicking, Crystalpool's eyes bulged nearly out of her sockets.
Was she trying to get that crow?!?!?! Crystalpool thought, half worried, half annoyed.