The Phantom and the Sun(Namo)

[Sunstar]

It had been a long day for the golden leader, she had been training her apprentice Mossypaw in the ways of the code. Teaching her how to hunt for food for her clan, teaching the apprentice battle skills while patrolling the borders of her neighboring clans. But now, Sunstar was going to relax at the waterfall. It was nearly sunset and the suns last rays caught the she-cats golden pelt, casting the eerie golden glow of her name. Her parents had named their daughter Sunkit for a reason, for when the last rays of the setting sun would catch a glimpse of her pelt and make it shine like the sun. The leader had lived up to her name proudly.

Coming to the waters edge, Sunstar crouched down and let a black paw go into the water. As it ran across her paw, the leader smiled, it felt good to be near water like it always had to her. It feels great against my fur. Maybe I can go for a swim. she thought, just as she jumped into the water, creating a splash. Of course, any of her clan-mates would understand they felt the same way, but an inturder wouldn't understand at all. After a couple of circles, the she-cat got out of the water and shook herself, then her ear twitched. Was someone near her?

[namosaga]

A white cat had ventured into this watery muck of a wasteland, looking for a certain someone after catching their scent. A smile crossed his face as he walked towards that direction. He had already been with a few she-cats the past few nights: loners, kittypets, shrieks, and his favorite, clan cats. It's not easy, but after some charm the Thunderclanner basically gave in.

But these girls were just too easy. They came, they left, and he grew bored of them. He needed a challenge to make the prize worth it. And he knew just the cat.

His smile grew wider as he waited by the waterfall, watching his golden glory with hungry pink eyes. With the glisten of crystal water and the glow from her gold pelt, it drew him closer. Even if he got wounded, he would want his wild prize.

He stepped closer behind her as she got out of the water, licking some of the water from her cheek. His smile was wanting, and somewhat sadistic. His pelt was as clean as could be, and his cuts from their earlier encounter had been gone without a trace.

"Hello, my golden glory," he whispered in her ear, purring. "Glad to see me?"

[Sunstar]

When the leader felt a lick on her cheek and a voice, she knew who it was. It was the tom that had threatened her, and he wasn't lying when he said that he would be back for her. Smoothly, Sunstar moved away from him and turned to face him. Her paw was better, much better and she was able to walk on it without feeling any pain, which was good especially when this tom came around. "Sorry, I didn't." she meowed, her voice stern and firm. Sunstar did not like this cat one bit, not at all.

"I see you did not take my warning. You are not welcomed here tom, not in my clans territory." she growled slightly, her eyes gleaming. What was it with this tom? He had interrupted her and Moonpaw's converstation after the training session she had with her own apprentice and the silver apprentice. He had injuryed her, luckily he didn't take one of her lives, but injuryed her enough to where she wasn't able to walk for moons. But now, Sunstar was more than disliking the tom she loathed him completely. He had ruined her chance on knowing Moonpaw's answer, and that was stressing her out completely.

[namosaga]

"I see you did not take my warning. You are not welcomed here tom, not in my clans territory."

"My, my. Temper, temper," he purred in her ear. He walked around her in a circle, once and twice, deciding he still liked what he sees. He looked into her eyes with a pink gaze, standing in front of her. "You know, you're a stubborn clan cat. I don't see why..." he moved to whisper in her ear again "...you fight. Those other clan cats didn't."

He laughed, walking towards the water and sitting at the edge, but he didn't take his eyes off of the golden she-cat. His claws silently slid out of his paws, and he started grooming. "So, Sunstar," he asked in a deep voice. "Have you changed your mind?"

[Sunstar]

When the she-cat saw him come over to her and shivered when he spoke to her. "I'm not like those other clan cats. I don't give in to a tom that has nothing better to do than torture she-cats from the clans." she said, keeping her gaze on the white tom. She wasn't liking this tom at all and by the way he was talking to her. I guess that's why she didn't like most toms, some where just plain rude others...like Moonpaw...respected she-cats especially his leader. It had bugged her to know what Moonpaw thought of her dream, she wanted to know his answer soon before she would go crazy over it.

Her thoughts were shattered when the white tom in front of her said her name. How did he know her name? Who told him? "How do you know my name?" she asked, her ears going back slightly. "And no, my mind is still the same. My decision will always be the same, especially when it comes to toms like you." she hissed at him.

[namosaga]

"How do you know my name?"

"Names are such a silly thing, my golden glory," he purred while grooming his pure white fur. "But if you must know, it was that beautiful Thunderclanner from last night. You really are a catch, aren't you? Everyone knows of you," Turning around, he walked over, standing in front of her.

"And no, my mind is still the same. My decision will always be the same, especially when it comes to toms like you."

"Toms like me?" the albino tom laughed into her ear. "My dear golden glory, you never have met anyone quite like me. So beautiful and perfect, no one disagrees. No one who's still around, anyway." His tail waves back and forth calmly as a crazed yet calm smile appered on his face. "Or do you happen to be talking about that little silver one? Oh, you really don't know a real cat when you see one,"

He looked into her mossy eyes. "And I can most certainly tell you, you see one right here."

[Sunstar]

Sunstar watched him with her mossy green gaze. Of course, she knew that every clan cat knew of her, it wasn't a surprise that a Thunderclanner would know of the golden Riverclan leader. "I am not shocked. I have made my mark on the each clan." she meowed sternly, not sure she wanted to know of what happened to the Thunderclan she-cat he had been with last night, but Sunstar was certain that he wasn't going to be with her....ever.

"Yes toms like you." she meowed, "I have met plenty of toms that would love to mess with every she-cat in each clan until they had their fill. I am no one of those she-cats to be messed with." she added. Then the she-cat froze for a moment. He was talking about Moonpaw, why was he talkinb about Moonpaw? "Leave the apprentice out of this." she growled. When he came over to her, Sunstar sort of snorted, "I will disagree with that."

[namosaga]

"I will disagree with that."

"Oh, my beautiful," Phantom started, his claws sneaking quietly out of his paws. Without a blink he swiped his paw against her muzzle, a smile on his face. Each fang glowed with his sadistic grin. "I can bring into this conversation whoever I want. She-cat, apprentice, you, whoever." He growled/purred, swiping is claws across her side at the same time. "Besides, you have to learn. The Phantom always gets who and what he pleases. No cat stands in my way..."

His pink eyes turned into a purple fire as the blue waterfall reflected in them. He was going to have fun, fighting for his prize. As long as she is alive in the end, of course. But if she dies, sure it's a shame, but he'll find another as beautiful and challenging as her. After all, with every clan, there is a fair share of beautiful girls, wild and untamed. And this thought echoed in his mind and his eyes. If she wasn't going to be his, she wouldn't breathe anymore.

He smirked. "My golden glory," he purred his nickname for her.

[Sunstar]

Sunstar hadn't noticed his claws until the pain evaporated into her mind and she staggered away from him. Her paw went up to her muzzle, just as she felt his claw rank her side and she yowled in pain. She growled at herself for being distracted for just a moment, but right now her mind was clear and completely ready for another attack. Even though he had been near Thunderclan last night, Sunstar wasn't going to allow it. He was in her territory, her home, and right now he just made her pissed. "You will not insult any of my clan-mates while I still have my breath." she growled, and ignoring the pain she launched herself at him.

Sunstar wasn't going to allow some tom, especially Phantom, attack her without a battle on his paws. The golden leader set her fangs into his shoulder, while she ranked her claws along his flank once again. "I wiill stand in your way...Phantom." she growled his name, just as she bit his paw just like he had done to her.

[namosaga]

Phantom yowled after his shoulder had been bitten and his flank had been torn my the leader's claws. His pink eyes turned into a red and purple fire as she bit his wrist like he had bitten hers in an earlier attack. No one messed with his pelt a second time. He didn't care how beautiful this she-cat is. She was going to pay.

Biting his paw had left her neck exposed, and Phantom grinned sadistically with sharp fangs as he bit down as hard as he could. He tried to bite down past the scruff, intending to make the wound as deep as he could. It was a game of chicken. Whoever couldn't stand the pain would let go.

And his pelt was ruined by her. Twice.

If he couldn't have fun with her, he would find a way to entertain himself. And her blood would be just that.

He wouldn't let go.

Driven by this thought, he continued to try and bite down with as much force as he would muster. Now whether this would just injure of kill the she-cat, he wouldn't know. But seeing the blood erupting from the wound and onto his muzzle was enough to give him an adrenaline rush; it was enough to give him some joy.

[Sunstar]

Sunstar winced when she felt the pain in her neck. Her hind paws came up and tried to push him off of her, the leaders claws scratching his cheek, but her vision was becoming blurry like before and she weakened her grip, eveutally letting go of his paw. She had caused enough damage, but the pain was seeping in her mind and blurring her vision. She knew what she what was happening. The golden leader was losing a life, but before that happened Sunstar kicked with her hind legs at his chest, making the cat fly off of her.

If that happened the leader would stagger away from Phantom before callpasing to the ground, her breathing coming in short gasps. She tried to fight off the urge to close her eyes, but she was failing horribly. But before she did close her eyes, Sunstar caught a glimps of a white pelt. Icepaw... she thought, then it occured to her, "Moonpaw.." she meowed softly, before her eyes shut.

But if it didn't work....well she would've died anyways in Phantom's jaws.

[namosaga]

Phantom felt a scratch on his cheek, but at the moment, he was having such a blast seeing how much damage he was giving the leader that he couldn't feel it. All he knew was that he was having fun.

At least until she had kicked him in the chest. Some of Sunstar's fur came off as Phantom tumbled away from the leader. He stood up, careful of his damaged paw, and glared at his golden glory before she collapsed on the ground. She was over with. He licked his paw, ignoring the urge to wince at the pain, before smirking at the dying, golden she-cat.

"I'm sorry, my crimson glory," he purred. "But no one messes with the pelt."

His ears flicked as he heard rustling, and turned his head to see two apprentices- the silver one from before, and hello. A beautiful brown she-cat. Both cats stood in shock to see their leader fallen.

"Sunstar!" Mossypaw rushed over immediately to her fallen leader, her brother right behind her. She looked all over the golden she-cat for any signs of life. Was this her first life taken? What if it was her final life? What would happen then?

Moonpaw stood by his sister, wondering how long it would take the golden leader to get back up. Neither had paid any attention to the albino tom until he started walking around Mossypaw with an interest.

"Hello little beauty," he murmured to Mossypaw.

[Sunstar]

The golden she-cat trembled as she saw Starclan. She saw her sister Icepaw, and realized she had finally lost one of her lives. "I need to return Icepaw. Before he gets a hold of Mossypaw or any other she-cat in my clan." she said. Icepaw nodded at her older sister, and with a flick of the white she-cat's tail, Sunstar was back in her body.

Once Sunstar realized what she was hearing, and her body felt right again. The golden leader got to her shakened paws and hissed at Phantom. This time though she felt the presenses of her sister, Icepaw, next to her. "Leave my apprentice alone!" Sunstar instatnly tackled Phantom on his side, she didn't feel any pain, didn't feel the anything else but agner boiling in her blood for this tom. The leader growled and with a bite she let her fangs sink into his shoulder, not enough to kill him but a warning, before she backed away from him and back to the two apprentices.

[namosaga]

Phantom yowled as the bite went into his shoulder, and then hissed. He had killed this she-cat. She should be dead. Yet somehow she lives... maybe the legends of the clan cats were true. Either way, he had overstayed his welcome. Once the golden she-cat had risen off of him, he stood up.

"As you wish, my crimson glory," Phantom purred, walking away, through the bushes. He was sure he wouldn't come back. At least, until he knew that there was another she-cat that was worth the trip. And he had one on his mind. The brown apprentice.

0o0o0o

Mossypaw stared at Sunstar as if she had seen a ghost. Her mouth started moving at once. "Sunstar! You're alive! But he killed you! Wait, how are you... Who was that cat? How badly did he hurt you? What did he want? Why did he call me that?" The brown apprentice spoke quickly, stumbing over her words so many times that it would take a while for either of the other two cats to understand.

Moonpaw hissed under his breath, ready to murder the white tom.

[Sunstar]

Watching the tom disappear was relief to the leader. The golden she-cat turned around to her apprentice, but her eyes went to Moonpaw before going to Mossypaw. "Yes Mossypaw I'm still alive." she walked, well limped over to her apprentice, and put her tail on Mossypaw's shoulder. "Mossypaw, if you ever see that cat, run back to camp no matter what. He is nothing but trouble for our clan." she meowed, then shook herself. The leader felt pain every where on her body, she hadn't realized that it would feel so horrible to lose a life.

Turning slightly, Sunstar licked her wounds, then sat down. She couldn't go back to camp like this. Her clan-mates would be wondering what would have happened to their leader. What would she say? How would she explain it to her clan? With a sigh, Sunstar went closer to the water, each step painful to the leader. "Moonpaw, go and find me some cobwebs. Quickly." she meowed, "Mossypaw, stay with me for now."