double teamed [c]

Bearpaw wasn't used to traveling across the territory on her own. Most of the time, she'd be accompanied by either her mentor or a patrol, but she desired to be alone with her thoughts for the time being. She was confident enough with her knowledge of the landmarks around SkyClan's ground, but she made sure to pay attention to her pawsteps and murmur her directions to herself as she maneuvered through the trees in order to prevent getting lost.

Truthfully, the young she-cat was unsure of who to speak to about the inner battles that she was fighting. Those doubts that she had carried in the most obscure corner of her mind had grown and expanded at a dangerous pace, and now it practically occupied her entire brain. There was no doubt that SkyClan's territory was beautiful. It was abundant with prey that bolted across the ground and dashed through the sky. The winding branches of the endless trees seemed to reach up and touch the clouds, while the birdsong coming from the shelter of the nests above echoed in Bearpaw's ears. It was scenery that a cat would wish to see in their dreams, but she had the opportunity to see it whenever she wanted. In fact, the land was one of the two positive things that seemed to keep her paws stuck to SkyClan. Her littermates were the second reason.

She couldn't tell why the thought of disappearing into the night without a trace had even entered her mind in the first place.
It's just a phase, it doesn't mean anything, Bearpaw had told herself one night, so keep focusing on your training and just forget about it.
Forgetting things was one of the she-cat's many skills, so how come this was an issue that she couldn't let go?

Before she knew it, she had reached the Thunderpath. Every cat knew just how dangerous it was, so Bearpaw had no intention of crossing it, but there seemed to be a force tugging at her chest and telling her to run. There was life on the other side, and perhaps she would finally be able to feel as if she belonged somewhere. ShadowClan was where Bearpaw's mother had lived before she decided to have her kits in SkyClan. Out of every Clan in the forest, why was she feeling the need to go there?

She flinched as a bright red monster flashed past her, filling her nose with its repulsive fumes and her ears with its earsplitting growling. That seemed to drag her out of the trance that she had fallen into. Bearpaw gave the Thunderpath a furious glare before turning around to head home. There was no use in staying here any longer. She was, sadly, unable to start her trip back before she was harshly interrupted by the noisy beating of wings. It was none other than an owl that had made the decision to feast on SkyClan apprentice for its midday meal. A shadow fell across the she-cat's face as the bird took a step towards her.

This would be her first time engaging in a fight without any of her Clanmates to assist her, but the she-cat felt up to the challenge. Her first training session and the brawl with the eagle had unlocked something within her. As a kit, hearing stories about battles had terrified her, but after having the opportunity to try it out for herself, she had enjoyed how it made her feel. She instantly sprang at the creature without even taking the time to think, but the owl was still far bigger than her. It shoved back with such ferocity that Bearpaw stumbled right onto the dark, hard midst of the Thunderpath. The increase in fumes was enough to cloud the she-cat's vision, but the owl was as persistent as ever. As much as the apprentice wanted to take her opponent down, she knew that fighting in the path of a monster was nowhere near wise, and she had to find some sort of way to get off.

The only direction that Bearpaw could think of was to run straight into ShadowClan's territory. Attempting to rush past the owl to get back to SkyClan would only result in her getting held up on the Thunderpath longer. Surely the other Clan would understand her reasoning if she were to get caught. When her paws hit the grass on the other side and the owl joined her, she was finally able to make a proper first move. The owl's belly was exposed whenever it spread its wings, and that gave Bearpaw the opportunity to lash out at its weak point with her front claws. It didn't waste any time to retaliate, and before she knew it, there were talons running down her back and drawing a considerable amount of blood. The pain that pulsed through her body only motivated her to fight harder.

She had to get off of ShadowClan's territory... fast.

bearpaw used "belly rake" on owl, dealing 7 damage and costing 10 stamina.
owl used "talon strike" on bearpaw, dealing 10 damage and costing 10 stamina.

bearpaw
hp - 10/20
sp - 70/80

owl
hp - 43/50
sp - 110/120

Smokepaw stood under the shadows of the trees. It was bright and hot, and she didn’t think she liked the daytime. She peered across the Thunderpath. There was SkyClan, just like they had said. The tales of the SkyClan cats she had spoken to at the Gathering had enticed her curiosity, and therefore she had ventured to the very edge of ShadowClan territory to get a look. Of course, she wouldn’t have been able to really see it at night, which was why she was out during the day. There were trees. And they were tall. That was pretty much it, from what the black she-cat could see.

Suddenly, a pelt appeared among the trees on the other side. Another she-cat, and she didn’t look happy. Smokepaw moved backwards a bit, her black pelt camouflaging her presence. A monster sped past, and she flinched, trying not to cough.

Out of nowhere, an owl attacked the other cat, harrying her across the Thunderpath towards Smokepaw, who wasn’t about to watch another cat be mauled. Besides, owls were a persistent nuisance to ShadowClan, and while she couldn’t take one down by herself, perhaps if the two she-cats worked together…

Smokepaw rose to her paws and charged at the owl, slamming into it and knocking it onto the ground. She stumbled a bit on the other side, but managed to keep on her paws. No time to talk- hopefully the other she-cat would realize that.

Smokepaw used run-and-tackle, doing 9 [6+3] damage and costing 10 stamina.

Smokepaw
20/20 HP
70/80 SP (-10)

Bearpaw
10/20 HP
70/80 SP

Owl
36/50 HP (-9)
110/120 SP

Bearpaw was taken aback by the sudden flash of black fur that appeared before her eyes, and she instantly began to wonder if another predator had decided to join the fray, but when her vision cleared up and she noticed that it was only another cat, she let out a quick breath. The scents of the owl, the Thunderpath, and the scent of the unnamed cat beside her was starting to become overwhelming, but Bearpaw realized that she had to push through it if this owl was going to end up taking the loss. The apprentice could hear the blood rushing in her ears as she darted forward to get another attack in. Other than size, the wings of the owl was the only advantage that it had over the two young she-cats, and Bearpaw figured that she would have to disable them in order for them to succeed.

When she landed on top of the owl, she forcefully embedded her front claws into the feathers of its wings and listened quietly as it let out a shrill hoot of protest. There was a rather violent glint in her eye as she watched her opponent to ensure that it wouldn't escape too soon. Her hind paws were used to keep the rest of its body down. In her mind, Bearpaw figured that the other cat would be able to get a few hits in while she kept it down, but she wasn't sure if her new "ally" had the same thought process as her.

bearpaw used "leap and hold" on owl, dealing 6 damage and costing 10 stamina.
owl is pinned for two turns.

bearpaw
hp - 10/20
sp - 60/80

owl
hp - 30/50
sp - 110/120

smokepaw
hp - 20/20
sp - 70/80

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

---

'Effect Dice' : 6

Smokepaw gave a brisk nod of approval as the other cat pinned the owl down. A brief glance told her the other she-cat was an apprentice, like herself. Could two apprentices take down an owl? Smokepaw was going to try, at least, although she would take care to not die trying.

She turned tail and leapt a few fox-lengths into the deep shadows of the woods, then rushed back, striking at an unexpected angle and with force, although she took care to not dislodge the cat holding the beast down.

“When it kicks you off I’ll pin it down,” she panted, fighting stance ready.

Smokepaw used Shadowed Ambush on the owl, dealing 6 damage and costing 15 SP.

Smokepaw
20/20 HP
55/80 SP (-15)

Bearpaw
10/20 HP
60/80 SP

Owl
24/50 (-6) HP
110/120 SP

"Sounds good." Bearpaw said, giving Smokepaw a quick nod.
The owl seemed to grow more and more impatient and restless with every heartbeat that passed, and the apprentice had to use every bit of strength that she had to keep it on the ground. It was inevitable that the creature was going to end up bucking her off eventually, and the apprentice knew that she had to be prepared to land on her paws when the time came, but she decided to bask in the powerful glow of being in control. Considering the fact that she was an apprentice, she didn't have the opportunity to be in control of anything very often. It didn't even feel like she was in full control of her emotions lately, not with spontaneous thoughts of crossing the Thunderpath to start a new life running around in her mind. The midst of a battle was the only time that the world around her seemed to feel completely right.

"leap and hold" remained in effect. owl took 6 damage and is pinned for one turn.

bearpaw
hp - 10/20
sp - 60/80

owl
hp - 18/50
sp - 110/120

smokepaw
hp - 20/20
sp - 55/80

Smokepaw gave a nod back, taking a few deep breaths before launching herself at the owl. It didn’t seem the other apprentice could hold it down for much longer, so she needed to get as much damage in as possible. Too bad it wasn’t nighttime. It was weird and hard to fight when it wasn’t nighttime.
She raked her claws at the owl’s stomach, feeling feathers and skin beneath. It hadn’t done as much damage as she wished, but all the feathers had gotten in the way. Backing off, she got ready to pin the owl down whenever the other she-cat’s grip lessened. Hopefully they could talk after they took the owl down- she hadn’t even gotten her name.

Smokepaw used Belly Rake, dealing 7 damage and costing 10 stamina.
Smokepaw
20 HP/ 45 (-10) SP

Bearpaw
10 HP/ 60 SP

Owl
11 (-7) HP/ 110/120 SP

Every jolt of protest from the owl became increasingly stronger as it twisted and attempted to stretch its wings from underneath Bearpaw, until eventually it gave one final push of rage that sent the apprentice crashing straight to the ground. It took a heartbeat to regain its balance and refocus its vision, but it seemed to be ready to fight again almost quicker than it had fallen in the first place. Bearpaw decided to throw in another blow with her front claws unsheathed before the owl fully recovered its awareness and made a move that neither of them would be able to dodge.

bearpaw used "front paw strike" on owl, dealing 6 damage and costing 10 stamina.
owl is no longer pinned.

bearpaw
hp - 10/20
sp - 50/80

owl
hp - 5/50
sp - 110/120

smokepaw
hp - 20/20
sp - 45/80

Smokepaw winced as the owl finally threw the other apprentice off, although she didn’t seem harmed and actually fought back. The intimidating beast, having regained its wits, spread its wings and gave a threatening call. Smokepaw felt her paws start to tremble at the sight of it. Thank StarClan, the other apprentice managed to do quite the number on it, and Smokepaw doubted if it could even fly at this point. She took a deep breath and struck out at the owl with unsheathed claws. To her amazement, the owl tottered, gave a weak call, and fell to the ground. They had really done it. They had killed an owl.

“This’ll be fine nest material,” she purred, poking the soft down. “Erm- I’m Smokepaw. You? And I guess you have as much right to this thing as I do.” She continued messing around with the feathers. She couldn’t drag it home by herself anyways, and the poor SkyClan cat looked rather worn- the poor thing deserved some feathers, or some of the meat.

Smokepaw used Front Paw Strike, dealing 6 damage and costing 10 stamina. Owl is dead.

Smokepaw
20 HP/ 35 (-10) SP

Owl
0 (-6) HP/ 110 SP

A triumphant smile overtook Bearpaw's features as the owl stumbled and squeaked before helplessly flopping back to the ground. The violent glint from earlier remained in her eyes as she scanned the bird from wing to wing, ensuring that it wasn't going to end up alive and take them by surprise. The she-cat, after finding herself satisfied with the lack of movement from the creature, took a step back and glanced up at the apprentice beside her.

It was almost as if the fierce fire that had burned brightly within her amber eyes had vanished in a matter of heartbeats, only to be replaced with a joyful sparkle and a cheerful smile. There was no doubt that this apprentice was from ShadowClan, but Bearpaw was no longer in a hurry to head back to the other side of the Thunderpath now that there was no longer an owl on her tail. The other she-cat seemed kind enough, and she figured that no harm would be done to either of them if nobody went back to their camps and tattled.

"I'm Bearpaw. It's nice to meet you, uh-" The brown apprentice paused and glanced up at the sky, desperately attempting to remember the ShadowClan cat's name which she had only heard less than a few heartbeats ago.

"-uh... Smokepaw? Yes, Smokepaw, that's right. Sorry! Anyways, maybe we could split it somehow. You take some of the feathers and I take some of the meat? Or you can take some of the meat if you want to, I don't mind."
It would be unwise to skip off into the sunset without at least a small bit of the owl's remains to take back to SkyClan, but Bearpaw was more than willing to share.

"You're from ShadowClan, right?" Bearpaw smoothly changed the subject as she padded toward the owl and began to study it, "The marshland is pretty cool. I can see why you all like the territory so much."

Smokepaw sunk her teeth into one of the wings and gave it an experimental tug. “You can pr’bly take as mush as you can c’rry,” she muttered, words muffled by feathers. Her eyes brightened as Bearpaw began to talk about one of her favorite subjects.

“Oh my StarClan, yes. We have a bit of danger and mystery to protect our camp,” she mewed as she waved a paw in the direction of the Deep Marshes. “Add some amazing hunting grounds- the Pine Grove- and- she caught herself just in time to avoid mentioning the tunnels. “And we get to sleep during the hot day and patrol during the night. There are less predators during the night and more prey. Less chance of border skirmishes too- less blood lost without a true reason. Also, everycat’s really nice. Rookfire’s a great medicine cat, Flintstar’s a great leader, and Murkystrike is an awesome deputy! Just the other day she actually took time out of her busy schedule to check on us apprentices! Pretty great, huh? Does SkyClan have anything like this?” she asked the last part genuinely curious. Oh. She’d better ask some questions about SkyClan, before she forgot.

“Erm…” Her many, many many questions seemed to have momentarily deserted her. She stood for a millisecond with her mouth open, mind racing. “What is SkyClan like? I can sorta see the territory from here, but… are the cats nice? Do you have a good mentor, or siblings, or parents? Oh my StarClan I’m sorry if that’s a bad topic I ask a lot of questions no offense I swear!”

Maybe she was overreacting, but some cats were touchy on family, for good reason. And she did ask a lot of questions. Smokepaw sat down and let the other she-cat digest her many questions. In the future, she’d try to stick to impersonal questions.

Bearpaw's eyes continued to sparkle as she listened to Smokepaw describe ShadowClan's lifestyle. The only thing that seemed to throw her off was the mention of the lack of border skirmishes. Bearpaw hadn't met the opportunity to engage in a border clash of her own due to the fact that most of the patrols that she had joined had made it clear that there was no need for unnecessary fighting. She wasn't sure if "unnecessary" was a word that could be used to describe fighting. After all, how could a warrior become stronger if they never had the opportunity to sharpen their skills and test out their abilities? She flicked a brown ear as she continued to listen to the ShadowClan apprentice speak. With every word, her interest for the Clan began to grow just like the smile on her maw.

When Smokepaw brought up SkyClan, Bearpaw knew that she shouldn't confide in a stranger about her true feelings towards her birth Clan. It was her job to carry the Clan's name with pride, no matter what her heart said.
"Oh, no, it's fine! It's only fair that I tell you a bit about my Clan, too. SkyClan is lovely! We don't have a marsh like ShadowClan. Instead, we have a lot of tall trees that we climb to catch birds and stuff. My family is pretty big, but it's nice to know that I have plenty of cats that I can count on when I need them."

She took a moment to tilt her head in thought as she moved on to her next set of words.
"My littermates... they're the most important cats in the world to me. I love them so much, but-" The she-cat abruptly cut herself off.

But if I love them so much, why do I desire to run away for the sake of my own comfort? Bearpaw thought, her eyes narrowing.

"Nevermind," The apprentice started up again, replacing her frown with another grin, "I guess I got a little carried away. Y'know, I'm a bit shocked that you're not mad about the fact that I'm over here. I'm glad I ran into you and not some other ShadowClan warrior, but if they're as nice as you say, I guess anyone else would've been just as understanding."

Smokepaw listened with wide eyes to Bearpaw's description of SkyClan. "I'm glad you have a good family. Some cats attack once the subject is mentioned. You're surprised that I'm not mad? But- anycat could see you didn't mean to come over- it was that owl's fault. I'm glad I was able to help you, and I'm sure that almost every other cat in ShadowClan would agree. Well, almost everyone else. Some cats are a bit iffy, but if they'd been in my paws, they would help. Owls are a nuisance and it's best to have somecat else help you fight one."

Smokepaw abruptly sneezed as a feather landed on her nose. "StarClan, feathers. Umm.. just for the future... If I was in your position, would another SkyClan cat attack me on sight? Nightpaw and Bumblepaw seemed nice enough..." Maybe at some point in their apprenticeship they were turned into killing machines like the not-sharptooth deputy. "I'm only asking because I don't want to be jumped on unawares, you know. SkyClan is... a bordering Clan, you know!" She'd meant to say "SkyClan has the worst reputation and is the sort of thing queens threaten kits with", but that was rather a bit too much.

"I'm just really happy in ShadowClan. I ask a lot of questions about other Clans, but what I learn just makes me love ShadowClan more." Her customary "no offense" was forgotten as she stared at the marshes with an almost homesick air- even though she was only pawsteps away.

Bearpaw was unsure of how to answer Smokepaw's question. Regarding outsiders, SkyClan was a bit hostile. She knew that the Clan had every right to be suspicious, especially after the Asylum had claimed control of the forest and one of their own ranks, Dawnhawk, had joined them in the takeover. Bearpaw hadn't been alive during that time, but the stories that she heard from the warriors and elders never failed to send a chill down her spine.

"I think most cats would've understood. A lot of them wouldn't have been so willing to stick around and chat like me, but I'm sure everything would've been fine." She responded as her tail curled around to rest on her paws.

She couldn't help but smile as Smokepaw changed the topic back to ShadowClan. She seemed so happy and content, and that was really all that Bearpaw wanted. It took everything in her to not ask the apprentice beside her if they could take the owl back to ShadowClan's camp together and then stay there for StarClan knows how long. Maybe then, she would be able to feel the happiness that Smokepaw seemed to feel.

"I love the way that you speak about ShadowClan. It sounds like you're really proud of them. I think that they're extremely lucky to have you as an apprentice. You know how to tear up an owl pretty well, too." The she-cat seemed to have a smile in her voice as she spoke.

Smokepaw heaved a small sigh of relief at Bearpaw's words. Perhaps SkyClan wasn't as terrible as the elders' tales made it seem. Her ears pricked at Bearpaw's next words.

"I guess I am," she mewed, staring into the marshes. "Oh, um, thank you! I'm sure SkyClan is exceedingly lucky to have you, too- the way you stood up to that owl even when you thought you were alone in enemy territory was amazing. If I'd been on my own I probably would've run back to camp. You're a really good fighter!"

Her ears pricked at the faint call of a bittern deep within the marshes, a reminder of home. "I've really got to go soon," she mewed, placing a paw on the owl and looking into the other apprentice's eyes. "Feel free to take as much of the owl as you can carry. I'll bring some warriors back with me to get the rest of it. Oh, and owl feathers are really swell nest material. You probably know that, though, SkyClan and all that. Um, I hope I see you again!"

Smokepaw stood up, ready to leave, but waited just a moment to see if the other she-cat had any last words... StarClan, that sounded wrong.