Warrior Cats x Reader

Cloudtail x Reader ~ Keeping Score

You watched, still hidden, as Cloudtail slowly crept toward the bramble bush. His muscles rippled beneath the fluff of his white pelt, and you nearly lost focus. As you shook your head to clear your mind, he lunged at last and tore through the thorny bush. His prey took flight at the sound, and his claws whizzed past the thrush's tail feathers, missing it by just one more claw-length.

Quick as a flash, you sprang out of your cover in the bracken. You were weightless for a moment, snagging the little bird in your jaws and twisting  midair to land gracefully on your feet. 

"Me one, Cloudtail none," you teased as haughtily as you could manage and dropped the thrush at your paws before giving it a shallow burial.

"Bad luck," he mumbled in excuse, though his whiskers twitched in amusement. "For me..."

"C'mon, let's keep going," you meowed with a soft purr of laughter. As you brushed past him, you flicked his ear with the tip of your tail teasingly. He only sighed playfully and followed.

The two of you padded toward the RiverClan border until you reached Sunningrocks. A vole scuttled among the stones, searching for seeds. Cloudtail reflexively dropped into the hunter's crouch while you stood back, waiting. He prowled toward his unsuspecting prey with feather-light steps. In one swift motion, he stretched out his paws as he leapt at the little creature.

Yet again, when he was least expecting it, you darted out in front of him and scooped the vole up in your claws, finishing it with a nip to the neck. He groaned in exasperation.

"That's two!" you boasted, lazily tossing dirt over your kill yet again.

"I'm going to catch you next," he threatened lightly. 

You let out a mrrow of laughter. "That is, if you can catch me..." 

As Cloudtail lunged for you, you pelted off through the undergrowth. He took off on your heels as you sped upstream, leaping over brambles and weaving between bracken fronds to evade him. 

Taking advantage of your smaller size, you ducked and slipped under a shrub. Cloudtail skidded into it before racing around its branches and chasing after you again. You lashed your tail in your wake, successfully smacking him across the muzzle. He swatted it away with a paw and spit fur from his mouth.

Still, you couldn't quite shake him. Feeling tricky, you turned to take your favourite shortcut along the wall of the gorge materialising ahead. You leapt gracefully down the tumble of stone and onto the sandy bank of the river, but Cloudtail was one step ahead of you. With a squeak of surprise, you ran into him and fell backward with the force. You purred with laughter and rolled onto your paws, but he stepped on your tail to revoke any chance of escape.

"Two to one," he stated triumphantly, like a challenge. 

"Oh, it's so on!"  

The moment you were free of his grasp, you leapt up the short wall of the gorge and hauled yourself over the edge. You took off, scrambling toward the undergrowth in another escape attempt. Cloudtail followed a few fox-lengths behind but was gaining. Thinking fast, you slipped into a cavern of exposed roots beneath a beech tree.

Cloudtail bolted past, and you heard the sound of his paw steps slowly die out. You sighed, letting out a breath you didn't realise you were holding. After poking your head out to doublecheck he was gone, you clambered out of the sheltered rut. You trotted out, back onto the path; just when you were about to break into a run, a heavy paw pinned your tail to the ground once again. 

You gasped and turned your head only to see that Cloudtail had doubled back and snuck up behind you. He gave you a self-satisfied look, which you rolled your eyes at and yanked your tail from his grip.

"How about a tie-breaker?" you suggested.

He let out a little mrrow of laughter but agreed. "I'll race you to Snakerocks."

"How about to the Great Sycamore?" 

"Deal."

"On your mark!" you meowed, getting low and wriggling your haunches. Was it a distraction tactic? Maybe.

"Get set..." Cloudtail joined in, crouching as well but his eyes still on you. Two could play at that sort of game though, so he laid his tail across your hips as if to still them.

"Go!" 

With your tail streaming behind you, you tore off toward your destination. Cloudtail was lagging behind but still close on your heels. Your paws drummed the forest floor, startling a bird or two in the undergrowth, to which you paid no mind. The brambles nearly tripped you at one point, but you still reached the sycamore first, only kitsteps ahead of a breathless Cloudtail.

"Better luck next time, slow poke," you teased, your tail flicking behind you as you circled him, catching your own breath.

He only dropped into a crouch in response, eyes full of mischief. You halted and cocked your head at him in confusion before realising too little too late--he lunged and bowled you over. After a few rolls, he had you pinned. 

You stuck your tongue out at him and went limp, pouting. "You're such a sore loser."

He purred with laughter as he shook his head at your antics. He dipped his head toward you, catching you off-guard as he nuzzled his cheek against yours affectionately.

"Now we're even."