We Meet Again [CLOSED]

The stocky warrior walked by the river one more time but this it was not near the sunset and he was not alone. Right next to him, his sister walked checking the borders as well. It had been a while since the last time they actually shared some time together... he still remembered how happy they were as apprentices, chasing after prey and competing to see who was the best hunter in those competitions Jaystar made so many moons ago. All those happy days were swept away since the flood happened... since Silverfang died. They had been away from each other for so much time. Did she blame him for what happened to their brother, Sparkfrost? Was she angry? Was she grieving Galepaw just like he did? Was she frustrated that she was still an apprentice? There were so many questions and he didn't even know where to start. Berrycloud sighed and turned his sight for a few seconds to the other side of the river, remembering the little fight he had a few days ago with that Skyclan apprentice called Maplepaw.

Stepping over reeds and trying her best to step strategically so that her paws wouldn't squelch in the mud, Ivypaw followed the path of the river alongside her brother. Despite the great losses that her Clan had experienced with the arrival and passing of the floods in their territories, nothing hit her quite like that of losing Galepaw, and watching Sparkfrost go through times of such difficulty. Her siblings were the only true family that Ivypaw felt she could rely on; they had been there since day one and never failed her once. The only thing that the silver tabby had to cling onto now was Berrycloud and Sparkfrost, and cling she intended to do. She couldn't bear the thought of losing them, too.

"So, Berrycloud… How are you holding up?" The she-cats eyes lifted to meet those of her dear brother, the uncanny resemblance between herself and her deceased grandmother evident in every feature. Her chartreuse eyes portrayed a sense of loss and fear, something that she now found all too familiar. The best thing that I can do, she thought with a bitter pang in her chest, is keep Berrycloud as close to my heart as possible. Ivypaw was determined not to lose another family member, and not even the most strong-willed cat could convince her to let go of him.

Maplepaw had done a lot of training. She'd been practicing climbing, getting stronger, breaking branches, and had even tried training in the treetop. And always came back with at least one piece of prey, just so her long absences were justified. Today, she'd been trying to cross the river. And she did! She made it to the other side when she scented that warrior Berrycloud again. She heard a voice and raced towards it, stopping when she saw who it was. Berrycloud and... someone else! "Oh! Hi Berrycloud, hi Other Cat! Tree's a party! What's up? Apart from the sky, of course. Life's been swell after the river went back down. It's a berry nice day today, don't you think? What's your name?" She asked the strange cat, barely bothering to even take a breath. "It's ice to meet you!"

The tom turned his green gaze to the she-cat, his expression hard to read. He was surprised, yes. But at the same time, Ivypaw gave him a little hope that maybe... not everything was lost with her. He let out a sigh and forced a sad smile. "Not really well... really. Life... it has been too much recently. I don't want to lose anyone else... but I don't think anymore that I can protect someone." He mewed sadly remembering Firepaw, Sparkfrost, Silverfang, Starlord and the mysterious she-cat who saved him at the mountains. All of them were hurt... and he was unable to do something. He was just a disgrace as a warrior yet, he still had his sister. He still had Sparkfrost and the rest of the clan. How could Riverclan rely on him, when he was such a failure.

The tom opened his mouth, his eyes about to cry. "Ivypaw, I am so..." Before Berrycloud could say the word "sorry", a familiar, cheerful voice took him out of his chat with Ivypaw. Berrycloud turned his face to the ginger-furred a bit stunned by seeing her at the other side of the river. "Wow! How did you manage to get here?" The tom didn't know quite right how to feel. Should he greet her or tell her to go? Maplepaw was trespassing his territory after all but they were in good terms too...

"Oh, Berrycloud…" She moved slightly to her right, nuzzling her cheek on her brothers shoulder, trying her best to comfort him, even it was against her nature. "There was simply nothing you could do…" Her voice cracked as she thought of Sparkfrost and Starlord, two cats that she'd held very dear to her heart. "I think perhaps StarClan had something different in mind for all those that we've lost, you know… Maybe our ancestors needed them, I don't know… But it's certainly not your fault, and you can't blame yourself for their deaths." She cast a sidelong glance towards her brother, preparing to stop his attempt at an apology, when a strange she-cat made her presence known.

She stood staring at her with a sense of bewilderment, her jaw hanging partly open as she talked on and on about the simplest things. Her confusion only grew when the she-cat mentioned her brother by name, and she shifted her gaze from the newcomer to Berrycloud and back again. "What in StarClan's name…" She sniffed the air, and realized with a start… SkyClan. She looked to Berrycloud, wondering why he hadn't asked the SkyClanner to leave the territory already. "I… I don't know who you are, or what you think you're doing over here, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave… This isn't SkyClan territory!" She said, narrowing her eyes at the she-cat across from her.

Maplepaw stood a little straighter. "I've been practicing my balance. The branches are so waterlogged that a few bend over most of the river, and then it's just jump and roll." She tilted her head at the other cat. "As for you, I'll have you know that it's polite to start with introductions, silly." She cuffed the she-cat on the ear playfully, not comprehending that perhaps the hostile apprentice wouldn't appreciate it. "My name's Maplepaw."

Maplepaw used Front Paw Blow, I'll add info later

Like before, Maplepaw took a joker side of the situation and despite Ivypaw's aggressive attitude, she just teased her. The warrior feared it could start into a really bad fight so he stepped a bit forward with a rather nervous smile, trying to calm the tense air between the two apprentices. "That's... really impressive, Maplepaw. This she-cat here is my sister, Ivypaw and I'm afraid she is right. You shouldn't be here. Some Riverclan warriors are not really nice and they really hurt if they see you around." He mewed to the ginger-furred cat before turning her gaze to his sister. "Ivypaw, this is Maplepaw, a Skyclan apprentice I fought a few days ago out of annoyance. After we talked, we found out we didn't have to fight and actually become friends. There's no need to fight her... I'm sure she will leave now and we can meet later at the Gathering and chat the three of us." He purred letting his fluffy tail rest on her lower back as a way to relax her.

Ivypaw recoiled with a slight hiss when Maplepaw cuffed her ear, perhaps not realizing it as she nicked the side, causing a small trickle of blood to drip down the side of her face. She unsheathed her claws, ignoring whatever Berrycloud was spewing about the relation between the two of them and the Gathering. Instead, she bunched up her hind legs and leaped towards the she-cat with a slight snarl building in the back of her throat. She slammed into the SkyClan she-cat’s side, knocking the breath from her lungs as she latched onto her back in a blur of fur and claws.

Ivypaw used Leap-and-Hold, dealing -6 Health Points and using -10 Stamina Points.

Maplepaw is Pinned for 2 turns.

Ivypaw:
16/20 HP
70/80 SP

Maplepaw:
14/20 HP
75/80 SP

The member 'Maple' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Effect Dice' : 4

Maplepaw stumbled back and tried to get up, only to find that the she-cat had dug her claws into the Skyclan cat's back. Tears sprung to her eyes at the pain. "Ivy think you're over-r-reacting..." She said as she struggled against Ivypaw. "Y- you know you don't have to kill me, r- right?"

Everything just happened so fast and the tom simply couldn't move fast enough. Ivypaw was on top of Maplepaw, her claws unsheathed. He knew his sister had all the rights to be angry at the other she-cat but, just like Maplepaw said, she didn't have to be so rough. The large approached them fastly though he didn't want to hurt Ivypaw by forcing to leave the SkyClanner's back. "Ivypaw! I know you're angry but please, there's no need to hurt each other. We just need to make her go away but not wound her..." He mewed, hoping Ivypaw could understand. Maplepaw didn't have to be here; it was undeniable that she was breaking the Code by doing so. But... she was a friend of him too. She saw his short-tempered self and played along with him in a friendly way not many cats would have done.

Berrycloud used Puppy Eyes on Ivypaw XD

Ivypaw's eyes flickered down to her brother as he rushed to her side, trying to convince her to stop what she was doing... Was he insane!? "Berrycloud, are you mad? This she-cat, she's- she's trespassing! You so readily let her romp about our territory like it's nothing- she's breaking the Code, for StarClan's sake! And if I stood back and let her do it, I would be too!" She practically yelled as she tightened her grip on Maplepaw's pelt, digging her claws further into the SkyClanner's skin. Perhaps, if the she-cat was willing to let go of her ignorance, she would let her go...


Ivypaw continued to use Leap-and-Hold, dealing -6 Health Points and using -10 Stamina Points.

Maplepaw is stunned for one more turn.

Ivypaw:
16/20 HP
60/80 SP

Maplepaw:
8/20 HP
75/80 SP

Maplepaw didn't understand all this crazy talk. She'd only wanted to make a friend.... How had she gone so wrong in just that? Everyone was always so serious, so... murderous. "What do you mean, this... trepass thing?" She asked, confused about what was going on. She'd been taught the Warrior Code, of course, so she'd heard about that- but it was so hard to remember... She thought she remembered that word used in one of the usual words. All she remembered off the top of her head was that there was supposed to be Gatherings every full moon, kittypets were bad, killing wasn't needed, and that friendships were allowed. So why wasn't she allowed to see her friend? "I... I don't undersand."

The tom stepped back, hurt by her sister's words. Sure, he could be the biggest of the litter and be as intimidating as any big cat could be but when it came to confronting his siblings... he was just a kit. It was impossible for him to lay a claw on them or be mad. All he could do was to take a step back and try to talk, though in this situation... it would be pretty hard. "I know! And you're right! She's breaking the Code but you have to understand that she's an apprentice too. Younger than you and me. She's still learning and her main mistake... was wanting to see me. I'm not saying you're the bad one here, sis. If there's someone to blame, that's me... as always..." He purred with an apologetically look in his emerald eyes ad he lowered his wide ears. "You're about to become a warrior. You already know all about the Code and you follow it accordingly. But sometimes... violence isn't the answer. After you release her, I'm sure Maplepaw will go home and remember that trespassing other clan's territory is also against the Code and that you were following it by challenging her to a battle." He approached slowly and let his head rest on the back of her neck, trying to calm her down. "Please... just let her go... We can talk over this... You can hit me if you want for I am the one who deserves it. I'm the one... who always messes up... with Sparkfrost, with Starlord, with Silverfang... don't hurt her anymore... please..."

Just a single glance towards her brother told Ivypaw just how badly she had messed up. She unsheathed her claws, shooting a look towards the SkyClan apprentice and hissing lowly, making it clear that she needed to leave. Now. Her gaze softened when she looked back to her brother. "I get that... But this is basic Code, Berrycloud... I guess I just thought... Maybe she, like, knew... I don't know." She shook her head, seeing where she had went wrong. She just thought that after telling her to leave, the next step would be making her leave. "I shouldn't have yelled, Berrycloud, I'm sorry... And it's not your fault, it's mine." She asserted with a nod of her head, nuzzling her brother with her cheek. "I'll only hit you if you keep blaming yourself for everything, Berrycloud." The tabby apprentice said jokingly, nudging his shoulder softly.