hunting monsters in the dark

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the carrionplace had never been a desirable destination in onyxfeather's mind. it reeked of rot and twoleg filth, but there was no denying the opportunity it could provide when the situation was dire. and while it wasn't a luxurious place to live, the previously mentioned opportunities it possessed had attracted outside visitors for as long as the deputy could remember. rogues and loners had been a problem in shadowclan territory since long before onyxfeather had a youngster. he remembered acutely the tensions and hardships these intruders brought into shadowclan, and the disdain and hatred adderfang and many others had felt towards them for most of their lives. onyxfeather was no different. shadowclan couldn't tolerate intruders in their territory, and the frequent problems that arose by their presence had also had adverse impacts of the politics between the clans, too. [break][break]

as a new deputy, onyxfeather wanted to make a point of vigilantly maintaining the borders and preventing problems before that had the chance to slip into the territory. however idealistic that idea might sound, the tall ebony tom was also a realist. trespassers can and would trespass at any given opportunity, and if experience had proven anything, they would often find themselves making home inside the carrionplace. [break][break]

today, onyxfeather had elected two of his finest to join him on their latest sweep of the territory: siblings crowstrike and starlingshade. both were trustworthy and capable, and the ebony tom was confident they would be able to hold their own if the going got tough. for that reason, onyxfeather had requested not to bring bearpaw and dustpaw on this particular outing, given the stakes were higher to run into trouble on this particular route. [break][break]

onyxfeather trotted at a steady pace with the two younger warriors at his flank. the sun was already beginning to dip into the horizon as the towering pine trees thinned out and the carrionplace came into view. he slowed down as the trio approached, his ears perked up and amber eyes glinting in the dying sun to survey the dystopian landscape before them. "i haven't heard any reports of troubles in the area recently, but be alert." onyxfeather cautioned with a low voice, though he was sure he didn't need to remind them. "rogues have been known to take refuge here before."[break][break]

before them, the carrionplace was gated off with silver mesh fencing that wrapped around the perimeter. onyxfeather padded along its length before pausing when they came to a gap that had been dug just below the fence, large enough for most cats to fit through. the deputy peered through the silver mesh, looking for any signs of movement before nodding toward the siblings that it was clear to move through. if they were lucky, they could make a sweep of the place and return back to camp without any interruptions.