[ dancing with the devil ]

[Slug]

Title: [ dancing with the devil ]
Status: Private
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Crowclaw of MeadowClan (Slug) and Palepaw of MeadowClan (Cloudie)

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A tom-- sleek as a raven's wing-- crept silently through the tall golden blades of meadow, carefully stepping over frail-looking twigs and the occasional old, abandoned mouse burrow, his green-yellow eyes intent as they scrutinized their rather bland surroundings, while his large, bat-like ears swiveled and turned at the slightest noise of a cricket chirping or foliage rustle.

Suddenly, the black cat rushed forward with a crazed snarl, paws kicking up dirt as they thumped against the ground as the tom gave chase to a frantic hare. The duo twisted and turned, weaving through the meadow as the shrill cries of the prey pierced the air, warning all that a predator was near.

He could almost taste his victory-- his catch. But that wasn't what drove him so fiercely-- oh, no. It was the fear, delightfully sharp as it came off in waves from the hare. So close it was. So close, so close, so close. Just a whisker away from his jaws-- just a few seconds more, and the hare would be his.

Snap!

The sound of his teeth clamping down on the hare's back leg was absolutely beautiful. However, it did not compare to the pained, screams escaping his prey. Oh, how he could sit there all day and listen to it, but he knew he had a clan to feed, despite his own needs.

He latched onto the rabbit's sides with his claws, sinking his curved weapons in deep as he dragged the noisy hare closer, then released his hold on his prey's leg-- only to bite down on the hare's neck instead, jerking his head to the side.

Crrk!

Silence.

...Slowly, the black cat counted to ten, all the while enjoying the bitter taste of the hare's blood as he waited patiently for his prey to stop twitching. He smiled around his mouthful of flesh, though quickly that expression turned into something darker-- something more twisted.

With a smirk on his maw, he stood, trotting back to his oh-so-lovely apprentice, ignorant of the speckles of red on his face as he dropped his catch at Palepaw's paws. Raising a furry brow, he allowed his maw to curl into that crooked, smug smirk again, his nostrils flaring at the scent of the bleeding hare.

"That, dear Palepaw, is how you really catch your grub."

[Cloud of Diamonds]

Nod and smile. Nod, and, smile. Just pretend you're a perfect little apprentice who is so pleased by her mentor's marvelous catch. Pretend he's not a maniac. Pretend you aren't as scared as a rabbit in a fox den.

Right.

Even the spotted she-cat didn't have that much imagination.

She had to admit it was impressive...he was a good hunter, no doubt about that. But almost...unnatural in the way he seemed to take so much pleasure from killing the hare, from taking its life. He treated it...not as a gift of StarClan, but like a toy that was his to destroy...

The MeadowClanner shivered. She should keep away from such dark thoughts.

"That was great, Crowclaw." She smiled weakly, hoping he couldn't smell how scared she was. After all, if he could kill a hare so easily and with so much relish, why not a cat?

Her tail tip twitched nervously in the grass as she wondered what she would hunt.

[Slug]

His apprentice nodded and smiled at him, and he sneered slightly. He was the mentor. He didn't need her approval. He knew he was more than capable of hunting a mere rabbit. She wasn't even a warrior yet, and she was giving him that, but she was only young-- a simpleton who needed training. Oh, yes, and would Crowclaw train her-- he would train her until her dropped, and he knew exactly how...

The black tom smiled devilishly as he planned Palepaw's 'training', his smile growing more diabolical when the apprentice shivered, as if sensing the horrors to come.

"That was great, Crowclaw." She praised, and for a moment, Crowclaw lost his evil edge and forgot his plotting. For a moment, Crowclaw turned into an entirely different feline. For. A. Moment. He smiled.

It was a smile that was bright and happy-- a smile that said here I am! and showed a tom with a heart; then it was gone, without a trace. The smile slipped, the happiness fled, the heart darkened, and the peaceful tom was no more. All that was momentarily forgotten returned on swift claws, and only Crowclaw was left remaining. A bloody-faced and grinning Crowclaw.

"I am great," He agreed, standing taller and squaring his shoulders proudly while his green-yellow eyes gleamed with smugness. Crowclaw could smell it. The fear. The wonderful, mind-numbing fear! Where was it? Where was it coming from? Where, where, where?!

Crowclaw grimaced as he realized it was coming from his apprentice. It was obvious-- the way she had shivered, and her tail had twitched with an emotion that Crowclaw knew all too well: nervousness. "Palepaw," He drawled, staring down at the she-cat. "What exactly are you afraid of? I am simply curious, because you reek of fear, m'dear." Crowclaw checked his claws as they kneaded the ground, admiring the way they glinted under the sun.

Mmm, sharp.

[Cloud of Diamonds]

Nod and smile. Nod and smile. Even when your heart is screaming for you to run away, begging you to go tell Cedarstar you can't bear another day of being his apprentice. Even when...you secretly hate him deep down for making you feel like this, and some tiny part of you wants revenge. Even when that is smothered by utter terror, knowing you must lie or be ultimately shamed. Or something. Who knew what the insane tom might do.

"I...I'm worried about that badger." The spotted she-cat looked around nervously, just for effect. Though this was technically true, she couldn't say she'd given the black and white animal much thought in a while. It was mostly an ignored dear, uncomfortably acknowledged but pushed away for peace of mind most of the time. But it was a ready-made excuse, and it was a thousand times better than telling the black tom she wanted to run and not stop running away from him.

She tried to change the subject by answering his earlier comment.

"Yep. I bet you can teach me all sorts of things better than anyone, right? Like how to catch stuff in the open better? I need practice on that." She finished in an apologetic tone.

A very small part of her sneered at his arrogance...but an even smaller, unbiased part of her did admit that he was a good hunter and made her question sincere. She was truly curious to learn, become more skilled - if only she weren't so paralyzed by fear.