The SwiftClan Camp

castpaw jumped over burnwind, flying over. She landed smoothliy, as if she had done this many times. she whipped around, and clawed burnwind, claws sheathed. then sh ran under, and pushed up with all her might, throwing burnwind off.

"Awesome!" Brightstar's eyes glowed. "Leaftail, wanna do our other move?"
Leaftail noded. "Duh!"
Brightstar stalked up on Leaftail. Brightstar grabbed Leaftail's shoulders, pulling Brightstar down. Brightstar easily let Leaftail push her down. When Leaftail put her paws over Brightstar, Brightstar pushed up in one movement and clawed Leaftail's belly, claws sheathed.

"wow!" siad castpaw

Brightstar smiled.

Bloodbath had been watching, hidden from them by bushes. He smirked, thinking of how well the apprentices were doing. But stregth doesn't always win the battle. The true test will be on their persistance and determination, not on how fast they are. He thought to himself. Then, hearing a rustling to his left, he struck out a paw and snagged a mouse on its way home. He examined the squeaking, protesting little vermin and he added to himself Yet again...speed and strength sure do help win the fight. He continued to play with the mouse until he grew bored. Then, he put the thing in his mouth and let his far-too-big teeth do the work in breaking its spine. With a final crack, and pained squeak, it finally stopped squirming. He silently got to his paws and padded away, going to place the kill on the fresh-kill pile.

Snarling, Brightstar saw the cat pad over to the kill pile. He was going to steal their prey!

Hearing the snarl, Bloodbath looked up. He had just reached the pile. He smirked, feeling the familiar pull on the skin around his ear peircings. Then, he bent over the pile, opened his mouth, and dropped the dead mouse on the pile. Then he looked back at the leader of the clan and shot Brighteye a challenging look that said he wouldn't back down.

"So what are you doing?" Rufflepelt mewed, stepping up. "We'll fight if we have to."

Bloodbath sat on the well-worn ground. Then he turned his head towards the younger-but-bigger-than-he cat. "What do you take me for, warrior? A mere apprentice?" he asked, his voice far deeper than it ought to have been. Then, he chuckled "I'm probably older than your clan, fool. However, I am in need of a new one. And I've chosen yours, mousebrain." He bent his head and began to pick at the scabs around his peircings with his back claws. "If you will have me" he began, as he stopped picking at his ear, and turned his red gaze towards Brightstar "You may as well know my name, fair leader. My name is Bloodbath, and I refuse to change any part of it. I need a name to strike fear, and I have lived up to it, and beyond." He glared defiance at Brightstar. "What say you, oh leader of Swiftclan? I have brought you my strength, and the freshly murdered mouse as a gift."

" we Don't really like the term 'murder a mouse' said burnwind, padding up.

His bloody gaze swept to the new cat. "Ah, I see. Well then, in that case, I butchered a mouse for your clan as a gift." He turned back to Brightstar.

"Intruders!" Snowpaw whispered.
"A intruder." Ironkit corrected him.
Woodkit was bouncing. "Really? Intruders? Here?"
The elderly warrior she-cat swept her gave over the kits. Clawtalon was her name. "Silence. We'll listen and try to find out what happens."
"Intruders!" Stealthpaw snarled. "Let's kill 'em, Foxpaw!"
Foxpaw unsheathed his claws, snarling, glancing over his shoulder to look at Brightstar for permission.

Bloodbath's lip curled into a grin when he saw the apprentices' enthusiasm. He remembered when he was their age. Lying on the alley floor, challenging all the kittypets that sautered by, on their way back to thier twolegs. And then he killed his first cat...And he knew it was what he wanted to do the rest of his life.

((Don't Claw Stealthpaw into shreds... okay? But don't harm him either, I won't harm you... just scratches. They can be... like.... equal... sort of. But Stealthpaw ROCKS at battles... kay?))
Stealthpaw didn't want a signal. He crept down, ready to pounce.

((....sure. ))


Bloodbath's eye didn't miss a thing. Seeing the apprentice crouch, he broke out of his self-control and laughed. "DO you really think you can fight me, weak and puny apprentice?! Do you really think you will win? Idiot! Mousebrain!" He bent in double laughing. "Still, I've never backed off a challenge, and I like your spunk. I'd love to hurt you until the spunkiness dies in your eyes and you are yowling for your mother. Try me! I DARE you!"

"I'm not afraid!" Stealthpaw snarled. He hurtled himself into Bloodbath.

Bloodbath met him in the air, and hooked all of his claws into the apprentice's sides, hanging on until they stopped rolling. He shifted his weight so he would land on the bottom, then, with his claws still hooked in, he kicked the apprentice away from him, deeply scrathing Stealthpaw's sides. Then, he lapt back to his paws, a snarling grin on his face.

Stealthpaw was hurt, but that made him more furious. He grabbed ahold of Bloodbath's neck and flung him at the stone underground cave wall in the SwiftClan camp. His neck bent at an angle and made a small cracking noise when it hit the wall.
Foxpaw leapt in, snarling, but Brightstar stepped in front of him and threw him back. She padded up to Stealthpaw, still fighting Bloodbath, and curled her lip. She tussled with Bloodbath until she had him down, and then hissed "All right, cat, why are you here?"

Bloodbath regained his breath. I'll make you pay, apprentice. He silently vowed to himself. He noticed Stealthpaw had the gall to still be standing right there, right next to his leader. Bloodbath grinned then, and looked defiantly into the leader's eyes. "By Starclan's glare, have I not already made it obvious? I thought you clancats had better brainpower than this idiocy! Well, since Starclan figured you didn't need that much intelligence, I'll make it loud and clear, clear enough even for a mouse! I. WANT. TO. JOIN. YOUR. CLAN. I've lost my own, and have been searching for one, and yours shows the strength and bravity I look for in a clan. Although, it could use a bit more brains, but yours is the best I've found so far. Even if your youth are foolish." And with that, his huge front paw struck out and pushed Stealthpaw's front legs out from under him, causing the apprentice to fall flat on its face. Bloodbath's grin widened a fraction, but the whole time his gaze hadn't left Brightstar's.

"Stealthpaw, please leave." Brightstar mewed. "See Fawnspots and Snowpaw. And do not say against me," she snarled, "Or I'll rip your leg off." she turned to Bloodbath. "Fine, stupid cat. And if you're going to join this clan, don't attack the apprentices with your claws unsheathed, or any cats with your claws unsheathed, unless me or one of the senior warriors say its okay. Understand?"

" are you sure?" whispered burnwind" I mean, he seems awfully violent"

"We welcome violent, Burnwind." Brightstar hissed, "As long as it's not violent on us."

Bloodbath made a show of rolling his eyes, and said "Oh, fine, I will abide by your rules if you say so, my leige." And his claws loudly sheathed with an audible snick. "Now, you all know my name, but I do not know yours, and as my leader, I should make it a point to know your name. So, what is it?"

Brightstar turned, and stopped for a second. "Brightstar."

Bloodbath paused for a second of thought, then slowly nodded. "Brightstar. A lovely name. I'm more used to names that tell of brutallity, but seeing as that is now my past..." he sighed "My good ol' past, I should put it behind me. So, thank you, leader Brightstar, for allowing me to join your clan." Then he got back up to his paws and shook out his ruffled fur.