Bait and Switch

[SPARROW]

[bg=maroon][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=width,300,true] SASHA BAIT AND SWITCH WORD COUNT - 310 IT WAS A DECENTLY long walk from the Twolegplace to the Raiders' Run, but not so much that Almondpaw might be growing suspicious. There were still scattered cabins and houses out this way, perfect potential places for Brodie to claim to be going to. Almondpaw was trying to act the part of heroic escort, but as young as she was, she couldn't see the danger she was getting into. NOW WAS THE tricky part. He had to make sure that there were other Raiders around to surround Brodie and Almondpaw before they had the chance to react. He wanted to make sure that neither of them tried to get away, not that he figured Brodie would. They had to be interred into the Raiders, instead of just waltzing in and joining, and he was certain that Almondpaw was at least going to try to put up a fight. SASHA RAN AHEAD far in front of the two he was leading, but made sure to indicate to Brodie the direction he was headed in. He was practically shaking with excitement, his usual fears belittled by impending glory. He burst into the camp, looking around for any of the other Raiders. "Hey, listen up!" he meowed loudly. "I've got a couple mousebrains from the Twolegplace following me. I need help to surround them." HE SMIRKED AND waited for any of the other Raiders to come to his aid. He hoped that nothing would go wrong to jeopardize his plot, and subsequently embarrass him. With luck, he might even receive a promotion to maybe a lieutenant... or even a captain. Sasha didn't mind dreaming big. Cats had been promoted for less, he figured. Usually it was mostly based on whomever had the most skill, and here he was to prove that he did indeed have it... even if often times his neurosis got in the way. ♥ ♥ ♥

[Sunstripe]

[bg=brown][atrb=border,7,true][atrb=height,300,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=bordercolor,maroon,true][atrb=width,500,true] ALMONDPAW Almondpaw was concerned when she began to realize that Brodie might live very far away from anyplace she knew. She wanted to stay around the Twolegplace, at least, because it had shelter and she could often find bowls of dry food left out for kittypets. She smelled a few other cats. She didn't know if this was an indicator of another twolegplace or if there were loners and rogues that hung out around here. Worse yet, they could be raiders. She frowned and looked at Brodie. "Where are we?" she asked.

[Toadie]

Gage was surprised when he saw Sasha burst into the camp. He knew that Sasha could often get excited about things, but usually that was out of terror rather than some kind of plan that he seemed to be yelling about. He wandered over and decided he'd do his best to lend a paw in the capture of the cats. He could at least make sure that they weren't hurt badly.

"Two mousebrains, hm?" he meowed to Sasha. "How did you pull that off?" He looked over into the distance and could just vaguely make out the two shapes that Sasha was referring to. It seemed like he was actually telling the truth rather than just making up a story for attention.

[Amelia]

[BRODiE]

Though he was puzzled when Sasha ran far ahead, Brodie did his best to keep up. He looked over at Almondpaw, still hoping that she believed he was just going back to his home. But Brodie didn't plan to ever go back to his home, he would rather not see his twolegs again.

She was beginning to ask questions, though, and he frowned. "We're almost there," he assured her. He could follow the trail of Sasha's scent fairly well. He looked off into the distance, still trying to spot the raider. For a moment he had a flash of doubt, wondering if something was up.

"Keep following me," Brodie meowed. He looked over at Almondpaw, trying to keep his blue eyes as gentle and reassuring as possible.

[Durango]

[bg=cdd0c3][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=width,400,true] omega The newly made Captain Omega was intrigued when Sasha, a known cowardly and somewhat neurotic feline, burst into Raiders' Run like his tail was on fire. Her dulled dusky brown-gray and white fur stood on end, wondering if he was just being skittish, or there was a threat. When he revealed that it was neither of these things, she relaxed a little. "It's hard to believe that you of all cats would be able to corner some recruits," she taunted him. "What did you do, threaten to weird them to death?" She flicked her tail back and forth, her whiskers twitching in amusement at her own teasing. She didn't want to offend Sasha, per-sey, she liked him, but she knew about his strange ways and his ineffectiveness. She cast a glance over towards the direction he was indicating to. She figured that if he was telling the truth, it was her duty as a captain to at least check it out. She wandered over, and could see Brodie and Almondpaw in the distance. Her pale eyes widened. That mousebrain wasn't kidding! she thought, surprised. She knew then what she had to do, and she dropped down, ready to circle the two when the time came.

[SPARROW]

[bg=maroon][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=width,300,true] SASHA BAIT AND SWITCH WORD COUNT - 185 SASHA COULDN'T HELP but frown at the way his fellow raiders reacted towards his announcement. They seemed to be more skeptical than willing to help. He knew they didn't think very much of his abilities, but he'd hoped they wouldn't react like this. His fur bristled just a little bit. He heard Gage's comment and his ears flicked. "It wasn't that hard," he meowed. "Like I said, they're mousebrains. They were easy to trick." Sasha heard Captain Omega's comment as well, her's was a lot less veiled in it's criticism. "I'm not stupid, Captain Omega," he meowed. "I just used my wits that's all." He saw that the captain was at least willing to go and check it out, which was good enough for him. HE LOOKED AROUND for more raiders to help him capture Brodie and Almondpaw. He didn't think they'd need too many more to catch just a couple of young, naive cats, but he still wanted to make sure that they couldn't run. They'd need to be cornered and taken into custody, and kept down in the pit where they couldn't escape. ♥ ♥ ♥

[Sunstripe]

[bg=brown][atrb=border,7,true][atrb=height,300,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=bordercolor,maroon,true][atrb=width,500,true] ALMONDPAW Almondpaw could now smell other cats, and she narrowed her eyes. She was beginning to doubt what Brodie was telling her. These cats didn't smell like kittypets, they smelled feral and the tangy stench of blood and decay hung in the air. Paranoid, she stepped back a little. She was young, but she had been fooled once, and caution was taking over. "I don't know about this, Brodie," she mewed. "I smell other cats, and they're not friendly. How about we take another way to your house?" She clawed at the ground and her fur was prickling. If Brodie refused an alternate route, she knew she was going to have to take the initiative and get out of there as quickly as possible, with or without him.

[Amelia]

[BRODiE]

Now smelling other cats, Brodie knew that he was nearing the fabled Raiders' Run. His blue eyes shifted back and forth. He turned to Almondpaw. She seemed scared, and he knew that she could run at any moment. "Listen, I know there are some loners around here, but there's no reason to be scared," he meowed. "They've never bothered me."

He slowly unsheathed his claws, ready to stop her if she tried to bolt... one way or another. There was a strong glint of devilishness in his blue eyes, and the smirk on his face was evidence of his nature. Foxdung, where's Sasha? he meowed, looking up at the trees. His tail lashed back and forth as he continued walking.

[Toadie]

When Gage realized that Sasha was telling the truth, he followed Captain Omega's lead and went to go and see if he could help to corner the unwitting duo. "I can't believe it," he murmured to Omega as he walked up behind her. "Sasha actually did something right for once." He briefly looked back to make sure that Sasha wasn't listening. "Anyhow, would you look at that? A kittypet and some kind of stray... young too, but she's knocked up."

He dropped down next to her, waiting for more Raiders to come so that they could ensure that Brodie and Almondpaw would not be escaping. His tail swished impatiently.

[Durango]

[bg=cdd0c3][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=width,400,true] omega Omega saw Gage approach her out of the corner of her eye. She continued to stay low, but acknowledged his presence with a flick of her tail. She always thought that Gage was a little soft to be a Raider, but he was loyal, and that was all that mattered. "I really can't believe it either," she answered, keeping the tone of her voice low as she watched Almondpaw and Brodie. "If she's going to have kits, we'll have more young fledglings in no time." She was excited at the potential for the Raiders to grow. Soon enough they would be bigger than a Clan of cats, and maybe Koschei's plan of assimilating with all the Clans to form one large group under his reign would succeed. They would be the ultimate fighters, in charge of every territory as far as the eye could see. As a loyal captain, I will have my place of absolute power, she added in her mind.

[SPARROW]

[bg=maroon][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=width,300,true] SASHA BAIT AND SWITCH WORD COUNT - 246 AS HIS ALLIES STARTED to group around Brodie and Almondpaw, Sasha figured that it was time to begin the trapping. A lot of the raiders seemed to be out of the camp, probably on important missions. For the one time I need them, too, he thought with a sigh. He started to get the nervous jitters as his initial pride wore off. I'm going to totally screw this up. He tried to shake his head to clear it of negative thoughts. TRYING TO COLLECT himself he picked up his head and strutted back to where Brodie and Almondpaw seemed to be having a vague disagreement. It was now the time to strike. He signalled the other raiders with his tail. "Looks like you both walked right into a trap," he meowed to them, trying to maintain his control with a defiant gleam in his eyes. Brodie, of course, most likely would believe he was 'trapped' until he was being beaten within an inch of his life. SASHA CLAWED THE GROUND as he waited to pounce along with Gage and Omega. The three of us can easily take down three, untrained cats, he thought. Brodie was a kittypet, and Almondpaw was probably some kind of stray reguee who lived in the twolegplace and was fed by humans who were trying to be kindly towards her. But now, after thorough brainwashing, they would both eventually be vicious raiders. At least Brodie already had the ambition and uncertain morals for it. ♥ ♥ ♥

[Sunstripe]

[bg=brown][atrb=border,7,true][atrb=height,300,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=bordercolor,maroon,true][atrb=width,500,true] ALMONDPAW Almondpaw's eyes opened wide when she saw the raider, and she jumped back with her fur bristling. Not this time, not again! she thought. She'd been attacked before; the very reason she was now pregnant. She shook her head, edging near Brodie in hopes that there would be safety in numbers. But he had been acting suspicious and she was concerned that maybe she had been wrong... maybe he was a raider too... "Get away from me!" she hissed to Sasha, trying to be as menacing as possible. Her claws were out, even though she knew she was too weak and small to fight. She was only apprentice aged after all, and this cat was so much bigger than her. Not to mention that there would probably be more raiders. She hoped she wouldn't have to fight to the death. But I would rather die than be captured by them!

[Amelia]

[BRODiE]

At first, Brodie was confused. He hadn't walked straight into a trap, his intention from the beginning was to join the raiders. He figured that it was just for show, and that Sasha didn't want Almondpaw knowing that Brodie was in on the whole thing just yet. At least, that's what he hoped was going on. I don't need to be captured, I'm perfectly willing to be a Raider! he thought. He clawed at the ground, however, trying to make it look like he was caught off guard.

He turned to Almondpaw and couldn't tell if she was ready to fight or ready to run. If she tries to run, I'll stop her... His blue eyes looked out with fake alarm. "What do you Raiders want with us?" he asked. He didn't know if he was so good at acting, but he didn't think there would be anything too suspicious about his voice. It wasn't stilted dialogue or anything.

[Toadie]

At Sasha's signal, Gage sprung forward and rushed towards Almondpaw and Brodie to help his fellow raider corner them. He tried to look as intimidating as possible. He didn't plan on hurting them too much, and he hoped that they would at least be mostly unharmed. He was unsure that the pain that was inflicted on new raiders was good for them... most of the time, it just seemed to turn them insane.

"Don't try to run," he meowed to them. "If you run, we'll catch you, and things will be worse for you." He looked around for Omega, waiting for her to join in. He knew that she was more likely than he was to injure one of the two cats, so he'd have to watch out and politely suggest that she go a little easier. Almondpaw was only around six moons old, and pregnant, and Brodie wasn't but a few moons older himself it seemed.

[Durango]

[bg=cdd0c3][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=width,400,true] omega Captain Omega took the strides to also walk up to the two newly captured cats, and give them a sly grin. "You're in Raider territory now, kittens," she purred to them with a malicious delight in her voice. She always loved to taunt the new cats. She unsheathed her claws and gave a quick prod to Brodie, with intent to leave a small cut on his nose. It'd only be a first taste of what was to come. "Are you scared?" she asked them both. She hoped they were, she enjoyed seeing the captured cats quivering in fear. She practically reveled in it. Soon enough, though, these would be the cats she would be raiding alongside. She could never quite wrap her mind around that, but it always came to pass.