Trying it out [ the new idea ]

[| | Fudgey | |]

.:Lakeclan:.
Earthstar looked at Oakpaw, his eyes wide open, every heart-beat pounding painfully against the taut skin stretched along his chest. ”W…Y…” he began, then with a gigantic effort that Earthstar had never felt before and hoped never to feel again he closed his mouth and sheathed his claws. { Mostly. } Earthstar felt his chin raise a little - he was getting better at controlling his anger. He didn’t need to listen to some stupid, stuck-up runt of an apprentice.
However …Minstar…
Earthstar looked back at the Boulderclan leader, eyebrows arching and eyes narrowing maliciously. ”Why, I thought Boulderclan had a little more control over the actions of its apprentices.” He called across loftily, tail lashing from side to side. ”But obviously my thoughts were thoughts were wrong.”
Earthstar’s mouth curled into an unpleasant sneer. ”You’ve disappointed me Mintstar.”



.:Sunclan:.
Shooting an angry glare at the two leaders Earthstar and Mintstar Moongaze felt a surge of annoyance that they wouldn’t focus on the contest. His apprentice was performing and all they cared about was scoring points against each other.
”You’re doing great” Moongaze quickly called across to Maplepaw, for in fact, she had caught a fish and looked as if she was going to catch some more. Shooting a furtive glance at Cheetahpaw, Moongaze’s heart sunk to see the Boulderclan apprentice had also caught a fish.
It was going to be tough for Maplepaw.

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[Candy]

BoulderClan

Oakpaw stiffened and swished around with an evil grin on her face."Well I'm sorry Earthstar but come down here and say that to my face you stupid piece of fox-dung."Now he had done it.Nobody calls her leader stupid although he didn't actually say the word it sounded like he did."Only I can call my leader those kind of things although I'll probably never do that in my life unless of course they get on MY nerves."She then stopped to hear that "Earthstar" was dissapointed in Mintstar and hissed "What are you her father or mate!?"She then mimicked Earthstar as good as she could "You've dissapointed me Mintstar"She laughed and then mewed on "Anybody would think that you were Mintstar's father because only a FATHER would say that kind of a thing or maybe you think that only tom's should be leaders.What you going to go against us she-cats now?"She lashed her tail in the air and continued on "So let me get this straight your going to go against Snowstar and Mintstar for toms to be leaders?You are going to go after the deputies as well aren't you?Well aren't you mouse-brained."Again she dug her claws into the ground and then sheathed them."Well will see who's better in fighting.BoulderClan or itty pitty LakeClan."She then turned and padded back to Coldheart not even breathing another word to him or to anybody else.

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[Cari]

_{ooc: *clears throat- speaks with an British accent* 'Scuse me, but you know old chaps, it's a trifle difficult doin' the role play not knowing which apprentice is going to win, you know. I'm never sure whether to have Maplepaw do bally well or terribly. Any suggestions?}

bic: Sunclan

_{Maplepaw sat absolutely still, an excited feeling bubbling in her chest. She was poised for action, and didn't even move when she heard her mentor's praise. She wanted desperately to look over at her competitor from Boulderclan, but knew it would only mean getting more nervous and perhaps missing a perfect opportunity to catch another fish. She could hear the excited hubbub of the four clans behind her.
Suddenly a large (at leaste comparativley) fish came into veiw, slowly swimming beneath the surface in that peacefull, silent world of underwater. Maplepaw's heart thudded against her chest. She raised her paw slightly and narrowed her eyes, her whisker's switching ever so slightly.
Then her paw whooshed through the air and made a faint slashing, bubbly noise as it hit the water and sailed beneath the surface. Almost instatantly she hit the large body of the fish and unsheathed her claws. The fish began writhing, and Maplepaw was nearly pulled into the water herself. Recovering quickly, she braced herself and got a better grip with her claws. Quickly she began to haul her catch out of the water. It landed with a slap and thud on the pebbly shore, flapping about wildly.
This time Maplepaw's pounce upon it wasn't awkward, but feirce. She had to be, the stregth of her catch was enormous! She quickly immobolized her catch and placed it neatly next to her first one. She nodded slightly to herself in satisfaction and flicked her tail, then turned back to the water, a smile on her face. She was getting the hang of this!}

[rain]

Willowkit, distracted by Oakpaw's taunting, hissed wildly. Her frustrations of not being an apprentice and not being able to participate in the contests showed clearly in her emerald eyes. "Shut up Oakpaw!" she snarled, "You disrespect Lakeclan, and you make a fool out of Boulderclan! What kind of mouse-brained fool are you, to say those kinds of things to a leader?! It doesn't matter which clan Earthstar is from, or how much you disagree with his actions. Don't you have any respect?!" Her eyes flashed dangerously, the hackles on her back rising.

[| | Fudgey | |]

.:Lakeclan:.
Once again { with titanical effort } Earthstar ignored the taunts of Oakpaw although one thing she said could not be ignored. ”Mintstar and I are not mates” he growled menacingly, his eyes flashing. With a sharp eye and a lot of guessing a cat could see this meant more to Earthstar than he was letting on. And all that about she-cats!
Why; Earthstar had a mate and had a good intention to tell that plucky little apprentice it but no… that would give it away, and that was far worse than being taunted by a stuck-up Boulderclan. However - for once, help was at hand.
Looking politely down at Willowkit, his face in a pained smile that looked like for all the world he would not rather do anything except listen to the kitten speak. ”Well said Willowkit” he mewed encouragingly, not really caring about the kitten but her words. If he had back-up, then suddenly he wasn’t weak anymore.
”Tut tut tut …even in your own clan you have disagreements.” Earthstar shook his great furry head in mock sadness, eyes glinting happily.

”You have one more minute” he called loudly to the fishing apprentices, turning his face away to hide his broad smirk.

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[rain]

Willowkit turned to Earthstar, baring her teeth. "I didn't say I was taking your side." she spat, ears pinned back against her skull. She glared from Earthstar to Oakpaw, and back again, her tail lashing in anger.

Dawnbreeze watched Willowkit, letting her ramble. Her daughter was right after all, Oakpaw didn't have a right to speak to someone of such high status that way, yet Earthstar should not be bossing the other clans around as if he ruled them all.

[smiley.]

Dream
Snowstar found it was finally time for her to step in between this fight, knowing that everyone around her would not be able to stand it for much longer. She narrowed her eyes and opened her lips. "That is enough." She hissed to them, a growl erupting from her throat. She looked ahead to find the apprentices working busy to prepare themselves; a good sign. She turned back to Earthstar and Oakpaw, waiting for them to get their butts anywhere but where they were right then. She looked at Earthstar, a look only her mate could understand. 'I'm disappointed in you.'

[/center]

[Candy]

BoulderClan

Oakpaw stopped again and turned to Willowkit and hissed "How about you shut your stupid mouth.You shouldn't even be here WillowKIT!"She let the kit out a more louder."If you really like Earthstar that much and are willing to side with him how about you go and join LakeClan and you and Earthstar could be a cozzy twosome."Her claws unseathed she wanted to pounce on Willowkit but knew that was against the warrior code."Your lucky you are a kit retard or else you would be furless.A naked cat."She then turned to Earthstar and mewed "Getting help from a kit.Your are hopeless Earthstar.H-O-P-E-L-E-S-S."She spelt the word out for him there and then.She then looked at Snowstar and mewed "Fine but I won't let go.You could ask Coldheart for that."She then turned to Earthstar and mewed "Can't wait to kick your itty bitty apprentices butt in fighting."

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[Pessimistic One]

|ooc| Fudgester. You keep forgetting Snakecharm. -- scold --
Do I have to attack you with rotten catnip over and over again to imprint it in your mind?
And Cari, we could make it a tie: Cheetahpaw could manage to catch two more fish, then Maplepaw could catch one more.


|bic|
<| BoulderClan |>

Without really intending it, Cheetahpaw's concentration slid out of focus as he turned to slyly glance at how Maplepaw was doing, inconspicuously flexing his claws at her large catch. That's a collosal one for sure... Crestfallen for a moment or so, he almost immediately perked up. He wasn't going to give up right then and there because some stupid SunClan apprentice caught a much larger fish than himself, also adding another piece of fresh-kill to her very small pile that now consisted of two.
Gazing at his inferior pile of one fish, which really couldn't be called a pile at all, he flicked his tail out of pure frustration. C'mon.
Profoundly aware of Mintstar's stare on his back, he readied himself again, brow furrowed and body still. Finally, a fish wandered near enough, totally unaware of a hanging threat. Without much thought to it, his paw flashed out with claws at the ready, and satisfaction rose a purr from his chest as he made a connection. Equally as fast, the fish was out of the water and at his side, flopping weakly. Crystalline blue eyes gleaming, he pounced upon his catch, giving it a bite to the head neatly.
Lifting his head, he faced the water once more, posing yet again. With his ears twitching, he located another of the creatures, its scales gleaming underneath the clear waters. Grinning enthusiastically, he easily batted his paw towards it, snagging a claw on its tail with grim content as he flung it out, disposing it with an effortless nip to the neck.
Aglow with pride, the tawny apprentice's head craned over to the side to flash the SunClan apprentice a taunting smile.
With a minute left to go, he didn't doubt that she wouldn't catch another, yet he also didn't doubt that she would catch at least one more. The latter didn't seem too horrible, though; the contest would be a tie. No biggy.

"Oakpaw, control yourself. We don't want a full-fledged brawl..." Coldheart muttered, though his command wasn't too serious, if he wanted to be honest to himself. He wanted to hurl as much insults as he could at Earthstar, too, but what would that achieve? What would he gain from the insolence to a leader?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
For once fair-tempered about a manner such as this, the black-and-white tomcat settled down visably, curling his tail around his paws as he watched for Earthstar's reaction; at the same time, he was inspecting his leader. And her reaction to this would be...?
Stifling a sigh from his apprentice's obnoxious behaviour, Coldheart rolled his eyes and flattened his ears out of both irritation and amusement.
Apprentices would be apprentices. Leaders...well, leaders.

[Cari]

ooc: Capital idea, Starstar! A tie it shall be! Oh... but wait- shall I call you Starstar, or Meowzah, or Cheetah?

Sunclan

Maplepaw caught Cheetahpaw's expression out of the corner of her eye. She opened her mouth to retotrt but decided against it. "No use wasting time on a Boulderclan cat." she thought, as she gazed intently down into the water.
SHe was begining to get worried now. One minute to go- not much time for her. "I only need to catch one fish to tie with him." she thought desperately, eyes flitting about in search for the gleaming skin she so longed to see.
Then she saw it. A small fish had swam near. Her paw swooshed down into the water but with no sucess. She continued like this several more times, each time draining a little bit of her hope and getting her more and more anxious.
But then she remembered Moongaze's words. "Stay clam... they can sense it..." she took a deep breath and trying to relax. The time was almost up.
Calmly she repositioned herself, poising her paw in midair. Then there was that gleam again. Her heart skipped a beat. She waited for just the right moment and went in for the kill. Contact! She pulled the fish out of the water and killed it easily. She looked with satisfaction on her three catches. Turning to Cheetahpaw she gave him a look that said "So there."

[rain]

Willowkit hissed, spitting with rage. "Piece of foxdung," she snarled, just loud enough for Oakpaw to hear. Her claws unsheathed, she gripped the soil beneath them furiously. Her emerald eyes were bright with fight showing clearly in them. She refused to back down to Oakpaw. Ranked a kit or not, I could still beat you anyday. She flexed her powerful shoulders, the muscles in her hindquarters coiled and ready to spring.

[| | Fudgey | |]

.:Lakeclan:.
That was it. Earthstar couldn’t stand it any more and with a pained and apologetic glance at Snowstar that he hoped explained everything, how he was sorry but she wouldn’t be able to stand it either.
Or …maybe she would. But that didn’t matter.
Launching himself off the highrock he sprang at Oakpaw, claws unsheathed. It was the lowest of the low to attack an apprentice but this insolent, stupid, stuck-up, proud little beast deserved every scratch and bite she got.
He would leave it to Skystar or Snowstar to continue with the contest.

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[Candy]

BoulderClan

Oakpaw turned around and glared at Willowkit.You'll regret that.She mouthed to her before she moved away and let Earthstar hit the ground.Her claws unseathed she stared at him.Her small body could slip through practicly anything.Being small gave you an advantage your quicker then your foe.Right when she was going to attack him Skystar stepped foward and yowled at both of them "Stop this now."A growl rose in his throat and let it out "This is just like any other gathering,both of you bring shame towards your clan.Oakpaw one more move from you and BoulderClan will not compete."He then turned to Earthstar and mewed "The same goes for LakeClan.We must stop this now or this will end up in a dissaster.If you want the contests to go on both of you should appoliges to each other and move on.LakeClan and BoulderClan could settle it in the fighting category claws sheathed."He flicked his tail and glared at both of them and waited for them to stop spitting at each other.
Oakpaw's tail swished in the air but she stopped not wanting for BoulderClan to forefight the contest."I'll say sorry once you do."She hissed and mewed at the same time sharply at Earthstar.

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[Pessimistic One]

|ooc| Fudgester. Do you want me to go spazz-attack on you? YOU NEED TO PLAY SNAKECHARM TOO, DANGIT. -- throwsahissyfit --

|bic|
<| BoulderClan |>

Coldheart watched both apprentice and leader coldly, his tail flitting back and forth in an impatient manner, as if he were expecting something to happen any moment. Blue eyes narrowing to slits, the black-and-white tom almost immediately sprang to his paws and arched his back in a hiss, fur bristling aggressively while claws unsheathed as the burly tomcat launched himself at Oakpaw. How dare Earthstar try to attack his own apprentice, without sheathed claws at that!
Spitting furiously, and obviously not thinking, the quick-to-anger tomcat leaped at the brown leader with the rage of TigerClan, swiping his paw out at him threateningly. "I dare you to try an attack my own apprentice before me again, Earthstar!" the warrior spat, his ears flattened to the base of his skull as his lips curled up in a snarl. He didn't care what Skystar said; instead, he deliberately ignored the SunClan leader like he wasn't there.

Cheetahpaw only blinked at Maplepaw, visably shrugging his shoulders indifferently. So what? She managed to catch just one more fish before the time could run out, after a couple of tries at that. But it really didn't matter to him. He would much rather have all the glory shine on him instead, to tell the truth, but having a tie was better than losing to the she-cat.
Giving his chest fur a few licks, he returned his gaze to focus on Maplepaw. "Alright. You caught another. Big whoop. That just means it's a tie between us BoulderClan cats and you SunClan cats. I don't give a piece of foxdung."

[Owl]

ooc; Can't... keep... up.

ic; Mintstar's fur bristled in hostility. "Atleast my cats at frightened into submission, to scared to support their own clan leader!" she snarled, angry at Earthstar's immature actions. Forcing her fur to flatten, she glared at each evenly.

"Oakpaw... you should know better then agitate elders. They're so fragile you might cause an accident." cooed Mintstar, and although the comment was rude she indeed meant that the fight was over. "Earthstar, I was expecting better than arguing with an apprentice. Oakpaw, good as your intentions may be this is not acceptable." she glared at each, but was determined to watch the rest of the apprentice contest.

***

An angry yowl split the air as Earthstar lunged, Oakpaw darting out of the way just in time. Whirling around, she moved to butt in but was beaten by Skystar. Rather than being relieved, her pelt bristled indignantly. "This is no business of yours, Skystar." she mewed, as polite as her deadly voice could manage. "It is not Sunclan's, nor Starclan's affairs." She bared her fangs at Earthstar. She was done trying to negotiate with her own apprentice or Earthstar. She was done with this stupid gathering where Earthstar was a smart-ass and fighting raged hotter than excitement. Whirling around to face her cats, she yowled out a command. "Boulderclan, we are leaving! she yowled. "Assemble and leave; we will not mingle with Lakeclan any longer." she growled storming in a round-about way to herd Willowkit, Dawnbreeze and Lightningkit. She was tired of runaways and pointless arguments. This was just a big waste of time.