Private Territory try and keep up [Thunder]

[GHOSTSTRIKE]

WE SLEEP SAFELY AT NIGHT BECAUSE ROUGH MEN STAND READY TO VISIT VIOLENCE ON THOSE WHO WOULD HARM US

​

---

Ghoststrike had disappeared after the meeting. Hadn't returned when the cats had all gathered that night to share tongues, either. It was only in the early hours of morning that the tomcat had returned, a near-silent shadow moving through camp at dawn's first light.

He'd taken his time. Made peace with his actions– or lack thereof. Now it was time to buckle down. If he was staying in Thunderclan for any prolonged period of time– a week, a month, a year– then he had to be confident it was the decision he wanted to make. No more uncertainties. No more excuses.

Which meant it was time to find his routine again.

It felt odd slipping into the warriors quarters, a space he wasn't familiar with, but it helped ease the awkwardness to know it was a semi-public space that he was technically entitled to by rank if he so chose. Also, he wasn't the only cat awake at that hour. A few other cats and apprentices were stirring as well, slipping out into the clearing to stretch and groom their pelts, hoping to snag an early breakfast before starting their day.

Reasonably he knew he could have approached any of them about training with him, but instead his paws brought him to a standstill at the nest of the chocolate tabby.

"Up and at 'em, Thunderflash." The words were a low rumble in the air between them, hushed enough to not disturb the others and punctuated by a sharp jostling of the nest as Ghost reached out to shove the edge of it.

"Your burning daylight." he called as he turned to pad back out, not interested in hanging around any longer than necessary. Either the younger warrior would wake up and join him or Ghost would go out alone today. Either way, the masked toms plans weren't changing.

@THUNDERFLASH
​

---

future thunderclanner - male - a large, grey tabby with dark amber eyes and several scars​

​

 

[THUNDERFLASH]

Thunderflash had honestly been worried- but he knew that it was important for Ghost- Ghoststrike to make a decision on his own. Sharp blues had watched the darker tabby disappear into the shadows. He, at that point, had offered his clanmates a soft smile, one that was forced and hid the way worry gnawed at his stomach, made some stupid joke to distract himself and them from the obvious hole missing from his side. When Ghoststrike hadn't returned at the end of the day, his anxieties had only doubled down. Baby blues had flicked to and from where he knew the shallow dirt nest was near Serpent's grave, expecting beady brown ones to be staring back at him at any given point.

But there had been no press of awareness on his flank. No knowing that Ghoststrike was watching the back of his head. No presence felt, heavy and dark and brooding like he was known to do. So as the moon kissed the sky, his eyes had trailed after the stars high above, a frown on his face before making his way into the warrior's den, where he had designated a nest for himself, and settled there. A breath left him, eyes closing. Sleep didn't come easy, though- he dozed in and out, the rotating question in his head blaring like an alarm. Is he coming back?

It's early morning when someone stands over his nest. Baby blues slid open, squinting at the slow dawning light, staring directly at bone-traced paws. His spine stiffened, vision snapping up at- Up and at 'em, Thunderflash. His nest was jostled, wide blinking eyes staring at Ghoststrike. Disbelief found him first, then relief that he did return after all. In his stupor, Ghoststrike was turning, stepping away, and he was left scrambling after him. "Wait!" He called, ears perked forward. Stumbling out of the warrior's den, he offered a sheepish grin at anyone who saw that before turning wide eyes towards Ghoststrike.

Thunderflash was quite an image at the moment- hair tufted up in any direction imaginable, his 'mohawk' not quite 'mohawk'-ing. Clearly he hadn't rested well, else it would have still been in good condition. There was a few heartbeats of trailing after Ghoststrike before he spoke up. "I knew y' woulda missed me, Ghostie." He hums, stretching his legs a bit to be shoulder-to-shoulder with the other warrior as they moved, likely towards the exit of camp. "How do y' like yer name? Fancy enough fer ye'?"

___________________ YOU'VE GOT MY BODY ☆ FLESH AND BONE, YEAH ___________________

• "speech"
  

• 

• THUNDERFLASH he/him, thunderclanner, twenty moons.
  ☆ a sh/lh chocolate tabby with low white and stunning baby blue eyes. stands of average height with a 'mohawk' and spiky-shaped mane.
  ☆ mentored by who / mentoring no one
  ☆ whichever relations / want listed
  ☆ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ☆ penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[GHOSTSTRIKE]

WE SLEEP SAFELY AT NIGHT BECAUSE ROUGH MEN STAND READY TO VISIT VIOLENCE ON THOSE WHO WOULD HARM US

​

---

Ghoststrike did not turn back to check if he was followed, nor did he let the subtle smirk he wore at the loud '"Wait" reach his eyes. It was just for him, and it was gone almost as soon as it'd shown itself, not meant to be witnessed by anyone else.

When Thunderflash emerged a moment later, still sleep-ruffled and hair a lopsided nest atop his head, it made him wonder if the cat had even slept at all the night prior. he nevertheless

"Keep telling yourself that, Pup." he answered, not sounding bothered. The teasing was half expected after all, though whether he would have taken it in stride like this from someone else had yet to be seen.

The topic of his name was another thing he knew couldn't be avoided forever, particularly after he'd been so firm on not taking one– on leaving this place and never looking back. He still didn't expect to see stars in his pelt when he died, but if he had to live out the rest of his days somewhere, and had to spend his life fighting still, why not do it here?

Why not do something good for a while?

"It's good enough." he stated, his feelings on the matter still entirely ambiguous. "Accurate, if that's what she was going for."

Each name having meaning behind it was an interesting concept, but not something he was entirely unfamiliar with. His own mother had named him 'Ghost' after all, and he wasn't so naïve as to pretend he didn't know why. At the very least this new naming convention would give him a somewhat clearer idea of what a cat's strengths were– he wouldn't be asking anyone called 'Cloudstumble' or 'Goatscreech' to accompany him on hunting patrols, that was for sure.

Out of camp he led them, and into the forest beyond– but he paused here, lingering just beyond the edges of their base. It was a chilly morning, but not unforgivingly so, and Ghost hoped the snow wasn't so deep that it slowed his efforts that morning. It'd been a while since he'd had a solid routine to follow, but now that he knew what to expect going forward it seemed easier to know where to start.

"Been a while since I've gone runnin'." he began, dark eyes sweeping the white-clad forest before them. "Figured I should pick it up again if I'm stickin' around– get the morning routine back on track."

It was all he offered in way of explanation, the only hint as to why he'd woken Thunderflash up at the asscrack of dawn to trek out into the snowy woods with him.

"You run?" he asked, gaze sliding to the side to land on the cat standing beside him. It wasn't an activity he'd seen the other partake in on the regular, but then again Ghost himself hadn't exactly kept to his own typical schedule given how things had gone recently.


​

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future thunderclanner - male - a large, grey tabby with dark amber eyes and several scars​

​

 

[THUNDERFLASH]

Keep telling yourself that, pup. The nickname made his ears burn, and he had to duck his head and lick his chest once or twice to keep himself any of kind of put together. Of all things to have called him, one that was normally meant as an insult, a name that he would have snapped at anyone for calling him that. But from Ghoststrike's lips specifically, it almost made his muscles soften and his heart burn to hear it again. Thunderflash cleared his throat moments later as Ghoststrike spoke upon his head, and he nodded. "Not tha' I've seen y' fight but boy, y' are lethal huntin'. Glad m' on yer side." He grinned brightly at Ghoststrike, stretching his body for a moment before stepping after him.

Frost and snow nipped at his paws, a soft curse leaving the longer haired cat. Going from warm nest to out in the frost was not his typical by any means. If he could sleep in, he would, but after last night, the way he worried about Ghoststrike not returning.. yeah, he was missing that nest right about now. Baby blues flicked towards Ghoststrike, wondering quietly to himself as they walked. Which was a miracle in itself- he was normally non-stop chatter when he finally got up in the morning, but with the lack of a meal and more then two hours of sleep behind him, well, he wasn't going to be yapping on like the moniker that Ghoststrike had awarded him just yet.

Ghoststrike stops, so Thunderflash draws shoulder-to-shoulder with the larger, his ears twitching curiously. He wasn't entirely sure why Ghoststrike had dragged him out here, and doubt bit him at the realization of that. Was this to tell him he was officially leaving? No, that wouldn't make any sense. Baby blues squinted at the white carpet in front of them as the sun began to just barely glint over the horizon, then turned back towards Ghoststrike when he finally explained. His eyebrows lifted, and perhaps a look of relief flashed across his eyes before he nodded. "Makes sense tha' y' do that." He says, tilting his head as he observed Ghoststrike from the side.

The next question causes his ears to perk. You run? Brown eyes finally met blue, and he blinks. His brain computed, and a shrug left him. "Not normally. Was always.. huntin' before. Woke up n' hunted. Nibbled on somethin'. Got up n' hunted. Running was normally reserved for extreme situations." A chuckle left him. Thunderflash looked towards the blanket laying over the forest again. "Never too late t' start, I s'pose. M' out here now."

___________________ YOU'VE GOT MY BODY ☆ FLESH AND BONE, YEAH ___________________

• "speech"
  

• 

• THUNDERFLASH he/him, thunderclanner, twenty moons.
  ☆ a sh/lh chocolate tabby with low white and stunning baby blue eyes. stands of average height with a 'mohawk' and spiky-shaped mane.
  ☆ mentored by who / mentoring no one
  ☆ whichever relations / want listed
  ☆ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ☆ penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[GHOSTSTRIKE]

WE SLEEP SAFELY AT NIGHT BECAUSE ROUGH MEN STAND READY TO VISIT VIOLENCE ON THOSE WHO WOULD HARM US

​

---

Ghost was unaware for once of the effect his words had on the other. Back home it was common-place to refer to each other in ways that implied 'doggish' behavior. 'Quit your barking', 'go try sitting pretty for some scraps','you're chasing your tail'. Insults born from their endless war against the mutts that had simply become a part of the culture. When Ghost called Thunder 'Pup', it still held those negative connotations, an insult meant to compare the cat to the naive, excitable puppies of the packs he once fought against– the ones who went wagging their tails and looking cute at the twolegs and older dogs in hopes of finding food and affection, only to get kicked away or snapped at.

The nickname had somehow managed to stick though, and after weeks Ghost had to begrudgingly admit (to himself and no-one else), that there was a sort of fondness attached to it now as well. That maybe he didn't want this particular pup kicked and snapped at, turned into something meaner.

"I'm sure you'll see it at some point." Especially if Ghost intended on staying. "Between Sables group and whatever predators are in the area, I'm sure trouble will show up eventually."

Pessimism or realism, he didn't care much what you called it. In his eyes, it was inevitable. If Sable had wanted to just leave well enough alone, he would have taken his group and been gone. Instead, he'd come back to kill Hawthorne.

And predators, well, just because he hadn't seen any dogs didn't mean there wasn't anything else out there.

"Used to run most mornings." the brute admitted, another vague detail of his past. "Might take it up again. It's a good way to get warm, at least." he noted as he looked around at the frost bitten forest around them.

Yeah, a run would do him good.

"Never too late t' start, I s'pose. M' out here now."

A sound like a grunt of approval escaped Ghost at those words. "Good lad." he rumbled as he began to stretch out his sleep-stiff muscles, knowing he'd regret it later if he didn't. "We'll go until we hit the big tree that's north of camp."

Short and sweet. If the other was tired by then and wanted to call it quits, Ghost would still be able to get some training in before scrounging up some breakfast for himself. He knew he wasn't at his best, too much time taken up healing and searching for food. He'd neglected his physical upkeep, and he knew he'd be feeling it by the end of the day. Would be feeling it until his body was used to the strain of his regular routine once more.

"Think you'll make it?" he asked, tone just shy of teasing, casual enough to deny it if he felt like it.
​

---

future thunderclanner - male - a large, grey tabby with dark amber eyes and several scars​

​

 

[THUNDERFLASH]

A breath leaves Thunderflash as the reaction flies under the radar. Small mercies, he thinks, for someone like Ghoststrike to not pick up on that. After all, he.. did kind of like that nickname. To lose it because Ghoststrike realized what it did to him? That would be a sore spot. Thunderflash breathed a sigh of relief as they spoke to each other, and perked up at the statement he started speaking, then tensed up.

Any mention of Sable these days had him on edge. Itching to get out of his nest and walk straight to wherever the hell they were- there was only so many ways to leave Fourtrees- and slit the tom's throat in his sleep. That was how he normally woke up these days, with a penchant to hurt anyone that left Serpentberry's young without a father, to hurt anyone that caused such grief to a collection of people. A grimace spreads on his face, obvious to Ghoststrike, ears flattening against his skull. A careful, and cautious, "Aye..." is all that follows that statement, his mind clearly in other places.

Thunderstrike refocuses as their conversation continues to carry, trying to push some of the negativity from his mind. Thunderflash's head tipped and he nodded. "Aye, tha's true. Too fuckin' cold." He sighs, letting the 'curse' word slip from his lips. Keeping those in around Serpentberry's kits was difficult enough. Being out here with Ghoststrike, well... he felt a little more free. Perhaps in more ways then one.

A smile curved at his maw, replacing the frown that had made it's way there since Sable was mentioned. Thunderflash tipped his head, eyes shifting to the other cat's body. Just to observe himself stretching, he thinks to himself, not to study how his muscles bunched or where he moved the best, where what was left of patchwork fur glimmered in the sun. Thunderflash let loose a cough, one of those early-morning-ones, stretching himself again. If for nothing but a distraction. "Aye, I think I know th' one." He responds.

His side still itched, but it was more of a phantom pain now then an actual lingering one. Sensitive, yes, but he should be able to manage that with no problem. Thunderflash's ears perked at the taunt, edging towards what he thinks is teasing. That, or sarcasm. A hum leaves him, noncommittal at first, then- "Should be askin' y' the same thin', y' daftie." A grin spreads, fangs glimmering in the light, before he's turning and taking off, stretching his body for the first time in a moon, trying to get a headstart towards the tree.

___________________ YOU'VE GOT MY BODY ☆ FLESH AND BONE, YEAH ___________________

• "speech"
  

• 

• THUNDERFLASH he/him, thunderclanner, twenty moons.
  ☆ a sh/lh chocolate tabby with low white and stunning baby blue eyes. stands of average height with a 'mohawk' and spiky-shaped mane.
  ☆ mentored by who / mentoring no one
  ☆ whichever relations / want listed
  ☆ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ☆ penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[GHOSTSTRIKE]

WE SLEEP SAFELY AT NIGHT BECAUSE ROUGH MEN STAND READY TO VISIT VIOLENCE ON THOSE WHO WOULD HARM US

​

---

Sable was still a sore spot for Thunder, it seemed. Ghost couldn't say he liked them either after all the trouble they'd caused, but it didn't hit him quite as personally. While he definitely felt something whenever his gaze caught the nasty scar along his clanmates side, he could only imagine the anger and betrayal the younger tabby felt at having his home torn in two. All the lives lost. All the good memories, soured.

But for Ghost, none of it was a new concept. One half of the clan trying to dominate and overthrow the other? He was just glad it hadn't stuck– that Hawthorne and his cats hadn't ended up with matching scars on their flanks.

"It's not a race!" called Ghost with a huff as he watched the grinning menace tear off into the woods, shaking his head. Probably should have expected it if he was honest. Thunder couldn't sit still at the best of times, so why the gruff tabby had expected them to hold back was a mystery.

"He'll learn the hard way.' he muttered as he set off after them.

The pace he set for himself was far more reasonable, brisk but restrained, not a mad dash for the finish, but a comfortable rhythm meant to loosen and warm up his body. Not as punishing as the one Thunderflash had chosen for themselves.

Too eager. Ghost mused to himself, He'll regret it when he's out of breath and starving for breakfast before we've even started.

And yet, Ghost found he didn't hate the idea of the mocha-furred cat learning the hard way this time. Builds character, or at least that was the excuse he chose to go with. It probably looked better on him than whatever pleasure he got from running someone ragged running training sessions and drills.
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fthunderclanner - male - a large, grey tabby with dark amber eyes and several scars​

​

 

[THUNDERFLASH]

Thunderflash had set a harsh pace for himself at first, mostly because it felt good to be unrestrained, to let his legs burn, to fight for air in his lungs. It had been so long, so long cooped up in that den that even this felt like a small mercy. Not long after, the pace had fallen off, however. A month of lazing around (lazing was a keyword, mostly because he couldn't sit still and then Serpentberry would yell at him to lay back down,) had made him pudgy and he needed to correct that. He isn't sure he'd be able to keep up with Ghoststrike's physique of all cats, but hey, he could try, right?

He's at more of a brisk jog now, something that Ghoststrike could probably see off from the distance if he looked hard enough. After all, he was wearing a natural camouflage that would blend into trunks and branches. Not so much the snow and ice, though. His paws were leaving enough evidence, given how hard of a pace he had started out with. By the time the tree was looming in the distance, he was slowing to a near-walk, shoulder moving to press against it's solid bark and head dipping down, hungrily drinking in air. Ghoststrke's arrival didn't go unheard by him, even though he never looked.

Some part of him just simply understood that was him. It could be his gait, or the fact that he knew it was Ghost following him to begin with. Baby blues blinked open, finally turning to look at him, and given the likely smug look on Ghoststrke's face, a frown found his. ".. Don' say I told y' so. I already know." He manages, waving a paw at the other.

___________________ YOU'VE GOT MY BODY ☆ FLESH AND BONE, YEAH ___________________

• "speech"
  

• 

• THUNDERFLASH he/him, thunderclanner, twenty moons.
  ☆ a sh/lh chocolate tabby with low white and stunning baby blue eyes. stands of average height with a 'mohawk' and spiky-shaped mane.
  ☆ mentored by who / mentoring no one
  ☆ whichever relations / want listed
  ☆ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ☆ penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[GHOSTSTRIKE]

WE SLEEP SAFELY AT NIGHT BECAUSE ROUGH MEN STAND READY TO VISIT VIOLENCE ON THOSE WHO WOULD HARM US

​

---

Ghost was always watching. It was one thing that could nearly be guaranteed in any situation. Watching entrypoints, watching potential threats, watching his clanmates.

Watching Thunder.

He wasn't sure why it was so easy to train his gaze on the latter. Chose not to question it, either. There was no time or space or need to complicate things with 'why'-- it simply was, like his decision to stay, or the new name he'd been given. Accepted, but not understood.

And there was definitely smugness there, a glitter within dark eyes that betrayed the neutral line of his lips, as he watched the other begin to lag and slow. The distance between them grew less and less, and by the time Thunder finally reached the tree and slumped against it to catch his breath, Ghost was strolling in hardly any worse for wear.

"Don't say I told y'so. I already know."

Ghost was not convinced, but he decided to give them the benefit of the doubt this time.

"Long as we're clear.' he answered, dark, amused eyes lingering on the tom before shifting to look up at the tree they were leaning against. It wasn't much different from the ones he'd seen in the city. Just a big tree. Good enough for what he needed.

"This looks like a good spot to run some scaling drills. Tree looks wide enough that we might not even have to take turns." he noted, circling it to get a better look. It was one of the biggest and oldest trees in their newly sprouting forest, and probably the best they'd get for climbing exercises like this one.

"I'll run a few rounds solo first, though. Show you what you're supposed to be doin'." And so that Thunder could take a breather before he keeled over from lack of oxygen.

Moving to the side that Thunder wasn't propped against, Ghost took his position at the base of the tree. Claws sunk into the bark, and he began to swiftly propel himself up using the strength in his hind legs. He went a fair distance up, and then reversed his way back down before scaling his way back up again.

"If you do it right, you'll start to feel it in your back legs after a while. Don't wait for them to turn jelly on you before calling it quits." he explained after doing a few and hopping back down to the forest floor. His tone this time was firm, in a way that suggested Thunder would have more to worry about than just falling out of the tree if they chose to go overboard this time.

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fthunderclanner - male - a large, grey tabby with dark amber eyes and several scars​

​

 

[THUNDERFLASH]

Thunderflash would have had to be blind to not know that Ghoststrike was watching him often. Those dark eyes always found him, no matter the occasional. It was like his fur itched anytime Ghoststrike set his vision on the other. But it didn't happen with anyone else, like if Serpentberry was trying to burn her sight into his hide angry at him for one thing or another, or if Hopekit was watching him from afar again. No, it never got to him like Ghoststrike's eyes did.

The smugness on the other's face sent an eyeroll in response once more, picking himself up from the tree with his breath mostly caught. It wasn't as if Ghoststrike's reaction didn't amuse him too- no, he thinks about halfway here he knew that Ghoststrike was going to look at him like that, and it almost always sent a shock to his core. One that he found himself seeking most days. "Aye, yeah, we're clear." He said, flicking his tail like a twoleg would wave a hand, as if to knock away the concept altogether. Ghoststrike's next statement caused his head to turn, baby blues scaling up the tree. "Huh. Y'think so?" Thunderflash questioned.

He wasn't a shining star at climbing, but he couldn't deny it was a good skill to have. Ears twitched as he tracked Ghoststrike's position across the trunk of the tree, twisting his mouth one way, then the other. A blink followed. "Show me? Och, yer gettin' cocky." He hummed, though that too was said in a playful light, shooting a look at the larger with a grin on his lips. Ghoststrike wasn't even looking, already scaling the tree, so he huffed a dramatic sigh, stepping back to crane his head up while Ghoststrike showed him what to be done. And all the while talking about it, of all things to do. Eyes strayed from the other's muzzle to his legs, clearly watching for the technique and not the way his muscles moved.

His throat cleared, stretching his own body out, before looking up at the trunk after Ghoststrike's final descent. "Aye, stop hoverin', Mom." He shoots back. Maybe his eyes lingered on Ghoststrike's for a moment longer before turning towards the trunk of the tree. A frown twisted on his face before he unsheathes his claws, beginning to scale the tree. His side burned alongside his already-tired legs, but maybe he was doing this out of spite. One pass, up and down, two pass, up and down. He considers a third, but his ears flatten against his skull, glancing towards Ghoststrike warily.

___________________ YOU'VE GOT MY BODY ☆ FLESH AND BONE, YEAH ___________________

• "speech"
  

• 

• THUNDERFLASH he/him, thunderclanner, twenty moons.
  ☆ a sh/lh chocolate tabby with low white and stunning baby blue eyes. stands of average height with a 'mohawk' and spiky-shaped mane.
  ☆ mentored by who / mentoring no one
  ☆ whichever relations / want listed
  ☆ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ☆ penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.