No More Final Words [SkC Camp Raid]

The blood ran, pooled, in a stark contrast to the pale golden hues of Dawnhawk's pelt. Wrenspring watched, unable to tear his eyes away. Then, there came the ear-piercing caterwauling. Such a sound was surreal, as if not being ripped from the lungs of a cat but something far more beastial and terrifying. He dug his claws into the earth to prevent himself from taking a step back. There was pain in the yowl, and carnal rage. When the sound finally ceased, the menacing words that ripped from Dawnhawk's throat.

It seemed to be without hesitation that the now two-toned tom was darting forward and knocking him over. The elder was knocked over and pinned to the ground. Strength was evident in the younger cat's frame. It became obvious that this was not a fight that he would win easily. More blood welled up from his pelt. Pain seemed like a distant sensation. He started up at the tom, seeking the emotion in his gaze. Drop dripped from his opponent's face and onto his pelt. Wrenspring, slowly digesting the words caused his whiskers to twitch in a mild amusement, "You can say that it was our battle but your obsession runs deeper than my claws in your pretty coat."

He wanted to spew more words, further draw the attention of this fallen creature. But something flickered at the edge of his gaze. Maplepaw. Wrenspring wanted to yowl at her but he was certain that all it would do was further draw the rogue's attention to the new attacker. Maplepaw's claws were small and did little damage in comparison to that of a senior warrior. Finding some ounce of strength, the white and gray tom began to writhe; he needed to do something, anything, to keep the other tom distracted, to cause as much damage as possible. But he was well pinned. All he could do was keep fighting and hope that she might let up.

Wrenspring is pinned for one more turn.

Dawnhawk wasted no time setting his claws to work on the senior warrior, ripping through layer and layer of fur, flesh, muscle, sinew... anything in his path. The second attacker came from nowhere, a light prick on his skin that almost didn't even draw Dawnhawk's attention.

Almost.

Burning blue eyes swiveled in their eye sockets to fix the apprentice with a frigid, murderous gaze. It was only then that the words registered in Dawnhawk's head. Daughter of the deputy? Well well... another sibling! Just what he needed. Momentarily pausing his furious attack on Wrenspring, a sinister grin split across Dawnhawk's face.

"Well... I wouldn't want the deputy upset with me." His attention flicked back to Wrenspring, who was by far the bigger threat of the two. "I stand by what I said earlier. Enjoy this worthless victory of marring my flawless face Wrenspring. I intend to do far worse to my sister here... and it's all thanks to you."

Dawnhawk slowly slid a rough tongue across his lips, licking at his own blood as much as Wrenspring's from his face. "Starclan must not like Skyclan as much as they like me. Every time Skyclan has come after me in a blind rage, it ends in death and despair for them. When will you learn? For Smokefeather, her audacity to spew such hateful words at me only rewarded her with a dead child. For Bloodstrike, when he ordered Lichenpaw and Tigersong to come after me, it ended with Tigersong's death. A gruesome death." He spared another glance at Maplepaw, hoping that she was listening. "And now, as your reward for marring me, she will be far worse." Dawnhawk buried his claws deep into Wrenspring and slashed at his some more, hoping to wound him deep enough to bleed out. But not before he witnessed what happened to Maplepaw.

"I am Starclan, you miserable rat! I am not to be contested!" And with that, Dawnhawk tore into the elder with a renewed fury.

Dawnhawk continues Leap and Hold, dealing 10 damage and -15SP

Dawnhawk
39HP / 111SP (-15SP)

Wrenspring
Stunned for one more turn
13HP / 46SP (-10HP)

Maplepaw
20HP / 53SP

Fear flashed behind Wrenspring's eyes. He wasn't scared of Dawnhawk, nor what damaged marred his own pelt, but the fear of what might happen to the young apprentice drove him onward. The desire to curse at the kit and beg her to flee was overwhelming. Continuously, the former warrior writhed and fought, battling his own ailing strength as much as the other cat that pinned him down. Admittedly, there was a flicker of doubt within him. Dawnhawk spoke of the favor of Starclan, how he was able to batter at Skyclan time and time again without repercussion. But with a hiss, he remembered something vital - Starclan merely guided their paws, cats made their own destiny.

"Your madness and obsession will be the end of you someday. I hope when you see your own reflection on the water that you are reminded of the very ugly thing that lives inside you. You can blame whatever you would like, Dawnhawk, justify yourself even, but the fact remains you're the only one who is in control of it." Wrenspring spoke to himself as much as he spoke to the vicious rogue atop him. As soon as the words parted from his maw, he found his own renewed strength, a drive to fight for the she-cat whose life was balanced precariously across his shoulder. It was by some miracle, maybe a moment of Starclan grace, that as he managed to flip himself over, Wrenspring was able to break from the grasp of claws.

"You might not be a warrior anymore but you still have the name of one. Prove yourself in combat by taking me down in stead of testing your claws on an untrained kit like some spineless foxheart." There was a low snarl as he tensed his muscles and faced his opponent. The restrained fear was dashed away by the returning fire in his gaze. For a moment, the elder forgot about the trembling in his own limbs and the blood springing up from his wounds. Self-preservation meant nothing to him. He had to keep going.

Wrenspring is no longer pinned after this turn.

Wrenspring
HP: 13/60
SP: 46/80

Dawnhawk
HP: 39/70
SP: 111/160

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

---

'Effect Dice' : 4

TKOing Maplepaw with Muggy's permission!


Dawnhawk felt the elder manage to get his paws under him and shove the pale tom off. He was quick to secure his footing... despite the aggravating apprentice at his heel. With a sharp kick, Dawnhawk managed to land a solid blow to the young she-cat. He heard a thump against the wall, and the annoying claw pricks ceased.

"Skyclan is far more obsessed with me than I am with them. I had a life in Windclan, a fresh start, and that was taken from me because Wolfstar wanted to wage war with them over me. It's his fault I am here. It is his fault that Cloudmane is dead, Foxfire may follow and so will you. As for the apprentice, I intend to make you watch what I do to her. It wouldn't be the first time I've killed a young kit."

The words ripped coldly from Dawnhawk's lips. At one point he felt horrible about Featherkit, and on some level he still did, but as often as she had been used against him he'd had no choice but to rationalize his choices. He launched himself once more at his opponent, intending to bring him down, though only enough that he couldn't move. He wanted the old warrior conscious. He too was about to learn that Dawnhawk always got the last laugh.

Dawnhawk used Front Paw Strike, dealing 11 damage and -7SP

Dawnhawk
39HP / 104SP (-7SP)

Wrenspring
2HP / 46SP (-11hp)

Maplepaw
T.K.O.
0HP / 0SP

"I know," Blossomstep had purred, pressing her cheek to Wolfstar's tenderly. "Do what needs done. I love you too, Wolfstar. Come back safe, okay? I'll see you soon." The memory of the moments before the majority of SkyClan left behind her mate for WindClan's camp had accompanied the she-cat as she waited for their return, knowing it would likely be a while. She trusted Wolfstar, she knew he would come home safe. She was already looking forward to trying to catch a rabbit for him tomorrow, one large enough that they could share. He wouldn't leave her behind. She smiled as she imagined inviting him to the creek to eat together, and reminisce. She couldn't help straining her ears for sounds of their return, as she thought about it. Some apprentices had remained behind, and though she had not seen Tornshadow leave with the battle patrol, she hadn't seen her in camp either. She couldn't begin to imagine the emotions running through the poor she-cat's head.... She would have to try to find her. She could at least be there for her great grandkit. When had she last seen her? It had been at the Gathering... She suddenly realized she hadn't seen Tornshadow since. She frowned as she paced back and forth across the camp, considering where the she-cat might have disappeared to. Smokefeather had emerged from the elder's den, and Blossomstep offered her a small nod as she disappeared into the territory for a walk. She should sit with her too... She was getting old, they would have plenty of time to speak together once they were both in the elder's den. Besides, Smokefeather seemed lost in her own thoughts at the moment.

Darkness had fallen, and most other cats were asleep. Smokefeather hadn't returned, but Blossomstep wasn't too worried. The she-cat could handle herself. She stepped out of camp to circle around it, taking her time as she tested the air for any out of place scents. Suddenly, as she reached the camp's entrance once more, she caught a whiff of WindClan. The hair along her back rose - had they found out about the attack? Had they sent a separate patrol? Another sniff told her it was only one cat, but a terrible shriek sent her bursting into the camp. Even just one cat against a fairly defenseless camp could do quite a bit of harm... A thought that was confirmed as her nostrils filled with the stench of blood. She scanned the camp, heart stopping momentarily as she saw little Dawnpaw standing just outside of the apprentice den. There was no time to reach her before heading to where the source of the blood scent seemed to be.... "Dawnpaw, get back in the den. Stay quiet." She demanded, beginning to step towards the elder's den. The name sounded so very foreign on her tongue, she had once trained an apprentice named Dawnpaw, her grandson. And now most of the clan was out fighting WindClan over him....

He stumbled - twisted paw giving out underneath the weight of the frame it had managed to carry throughout the seasons. Wrenspring felt trapped and helpless, confined by his own scarred pelt and the stifling air of the elder's den. Dawnhawk had told him to shut his jaw time and time again and yet, the condemning animosity in his seething was persistent. A soft gasp fell from his maw as Maplepaw was swatted aside easily. The former warrior wanted to snarl and snap, dig his teeth into that pretty flesh with what little waning strength remained. This was all he could do. If only that poor apprentice had not gotten involved, if only Dawnhawk had been stripped of breath before he had ran from Skyclan.

"A cat like you," he rasped, "will never be able to find a fresh start. All the things that you've done will catch up to you, Dawnhawk, no matter how far or how fast you run. One day you will watch all that you've built crumble and become as ugly as you. Starclan willing I'll be around to see it." Wrenspring look up at his opponent from his place on the ground, from where he had fallen. Breathing became more ragged, from exhaustion and from the draining adrenaline that rendered him better able to feel the freshly seething wounds that marred his pelt. Slowly, the breaths became quieter and his frame became still and limp. It seemed like the gray and white tom was not going to move any more.

He waited, giving the rogue a chance to get close, feeling the heat of his pelt. Drawing up every ounce of strength he had, it was then that Wrenspring struck. What had once been a limp pile of bones under a ragged coat was now a flurry of claws aimed at the wounds already opened. The Skyclanner wanted to give all he could. There was little that he could do in order to protect his kin, even less in his current state. Crooked tail lashing too and fro, a barrage of snarls coming from his maw, "You'll never be able to take down Skyclan! You will be your own ruin!"

Wrenspring used Play Dead, dealing 9 damage and using 5 stamina.

Wrenspring
HP: 2/60
SP: 41/80

Dawnhawk
HP: 30/70
SP: 104/160

Dawnhawk glowered with malice as the elder crumpled further to the floor. What actually angered him the most was the fact that he knew Wrenspring wasn't wrong. There was no chance of a fresh start for Dawnhawk. No matter how bad he might want it. It was enough to make the pale tom look to the side and think for a moment. Something about this truth, a truth he knew deep down all along but never wanted to acknowledge, being brought to the surface hurt him more than he expected it to. He brought his eyes back to Wrenspring, to see that the elder looked like he had finally died.

"Oh no you don't!" Dawnhawk went in for another strike, only to be met with claws. He was prepared this time, ducking his face out of the way but catching a nasty attack to the shoulders. Dawnhawk immediately followed up with a fang attack to the back of Wrenspring's neck.

"Don't you dare die! I will not allow it! Stand up! Stand up you old mound of fox dung! I'm not done torturing you yet!" Dawnhawk thrashed his head around, physically trying to stand Wrenspring up by pulling him up by the scruff. He shook him and shook him, but he could tell Wrenspring's body had reached it's limit. It would be impressive if the old tom was even conscious still by now.

With a final, enraged, firm bite down on the flesh in his mouth, he dropped Wrenspring to the floor, the elder's blood staining his face red.

"You're so boring..." He hissed, before he turned his attention to the apprentice. He didn't even hesitate. He leaped for the unmoving bundle of fur and buried his claws deep... Just as he was about to literally bite the youth's face off of her skull... he paused. It was at that moment he realized his kick must have killed her. There was no life in her body at all. He huffed and removed his claws from the small corpse.

"Lucky you..." He growled at the lifeless Maplepaw.

"Dawnpaw, get back in the den. Stay quiet."

Dawnhawk froze, momentarily snapped out of his frenzied state. His breathing stopped. He felt like his heart had too. Blossomstep... she had stayed... She stayed. Why had she stayed??? You know why she stayed... A voice inside Dawnhawk told him. He had barely heard her voice, almost like she wasn't talking to him. He crouched and began to stalk toward the entrance. Fear had replaced his fury. Shame had replaced his feeling of triumph.

Covered in blood and deep scratches on his face, the pale tom peered out from the darkness of the den, blue eyes glowing in the dim light. It was then that his eyes landed on both Blossomstep... and an apprentice that looked eerily like him. But female. It finally clicked... and it also clicked that Dawnhawk hadn't been Dawnpaw in many moons. But it felt so natural coming off of Blossomstep's tongue that he hadn't actually registered that fact.

"Why...?" He whispered out from the elder's den, unsure if Blossomstep would even hear him. Why... one word with so many questions behind it. Why was she here? Why would Skyclan not ever leave him alone? Why was this new apprentice named Dawnpaw?

Why did it have to be Blossomstep that stayed behind?

Dawnhawk used Scruff Shake, dealing 8 damage and -20SP

Dawnhawk
30HP / 84SP (-20SP)

Wrenspring
K.O.
-6HP / 41SP (-8HP)

Maplepaw is confirmed dead!

Blossomstep's ears perked as the camp fell suddenly quiet. The chaos that was erupting from the elder's den faded to silence as quickly as it had started, echoing off of the trees that swallowed the moon's light. The fur along the she-cat's spine rose uncomfortably, and she suddenly realized just how small she was, standing alone in SkyClan's camp, against a threat that was known but had not been seen - by her at least. An almost missed whispered caught her ear, and she struck up a defensive pose as she narrowed her eyes against the darkness that hid the elder's den entrance. The voice sounded familiar, hauntingly so. It wasn't possible, he was in WindClan. She had stayed behind to avoid confronting him. She was a coward, unable to raise her claws against her apprentice, against her grandson. It had to be some other cat. "Show yourself, now. Or I will drag you out here myself to see who you are." She spat, tail flicking back and forth. She wanted to look back, to ensure that Dawnpaw had listened.... But fear had rooted her paws, stiffening her neck so she couldn't look away to check.

Dawnpaw slunk deeper into the apprentice den, wavering between hiding herself in her nest and rushing out to see what was happening. A dream, a dream, it was a dream, a nightmare. She had always had extraordinarily lifelike dreams. This was one of them. She settled down into a crouching position, half hidden in the apprentice den. Her gold fur, however, betrayed her, shining dully in the moonlight. She didn’t notice. Blossomstep was here, she was a warrior, she’d protect. From the dream, of course. Why would it be anything else?

Blossomstep's voice cracked through the air harsher that a lightning strike. For just a moment, Dawnhawk felt like an apprentice himself. A wave of uncertainty and fear rushed over him, the same he felt when he had brought the Asylum to the camp and she had given him that look of anger and disappointment. For a few moments he was just as rooted to the spot as she was. She and Ashstorm were the only ones who knew the truth, the full truth, and still cared about him.

His mission suddenly felt... wrong. But how could he go back? He had already caused so much pain and death that it was irreparable. Wrenspring's words went through his head again. He could never start over. There was no option to turn himself around. This is who he was, and as long as Skyclan wasn't going to remain quiet about what atrocities he had committed, this was all he could ever be. Hot tears of frustration welled up in his eyes, but he blinked them away to keep his vision clear.

Suddenly finding his courage to move, Dawnhawk pushed off of the ground and flew towards Blossomstep with the explosive swiftness of a Windclan cat. As he closed the gap between them with an almost supernatural speed, he flexed out a single claw and gave his former mentor a half-hearted swipe. He couldn't watch his claws connect. He tore his blue gaze away as he felt his claws connect with flesh. His eyes instead were now on the retreating apprentice.

Dawnhawk was willing to leave himself open for an attack to continue his momentum and pass by Blossomstep to get to... Dawnpaw. Why had she been named that? By the way she looked, he could readily guess at least one of her parents. Hadn't Primroselight hated him? Was this all a huge mistake? Had some of Skyclan some to their senses and realized that it was Smokefeather that was so terrible, not him?

Dawnhawk slammed his paws into the ground as he neared the entrance to the apprentice den and slid himself around in a near complete 180 degrees. He slid to a stop just beside Dawnpaw. With a final swift strike, he buried his teeth into the scruff of the apprentice. It wasn't a lethal attack, but he wanted to be sure he had a firm grip on the young she-cat so that she wouldn't be able to get away easily.

It was then that Dawnhawk suddenly found his legs unable to move again.

"You weren't supposed to be here!" His voice was shrill and cracked as he yelled at Blossomstep through the apprentice's fur. His breathing became labored and salty tears mixed with the blood on his face. He couldn't move, but he had Dawnpaw as a hostage now at least.

In the blink of an eye, a gold form darted from the elder's den. The speed at which the form moved seemed to reaffirm her fear that a WindClan cat, or perhaps cats she thought with a flash a terror, had attacked the camp. She flinched as claws connected, gasping as the air was knocked out of her as she stumbled back. Half a second too late, she realized the target of the suddenly familiar cat, and her words caught in her breathless throat, unable to pass into existence. She felt like she was in slow motion as she turned to see Dawnpaw hanging from the jaws of the cat she had stayed behind to not have to face, and tears fell into her cheeks as she stared wordlessly at him. She was trying to speak, but nothing was coming out. Any substance behind her words seemed to falter before they could even reach her tongue, as though they were escaping through her chest or throat before being able to voice them. The grief in her eyes spoke everything she found herself unable to however - Dawnhawk wasn't supposed to be here either. This was the last thing she had wanted, and even her worst nightmares had been unable to prepare her for this possibility. Dawnpaw hung from her grandson's jaws, and she tried to stand tall and take a step forward, but she faltered. What was going on? Why were her paws not listening to her?

"Stop hunting me!" Dawnhawk screamed, right before he sucked in a sharp breath. He wouldn't be in any condition to fight, and not just because of his injuries. If Blossomstep attacked him right now... he wasn't so sure he could raise his claws to her again. If he didn't get out of here... leave right now... he was going to die. He was going to buckle and collapse to the floor from the sheer weight of shame and a confusing whirlwind of emotions that he couldn't make sense of.

"I just wanted to start over... now I can't!" He tore his eyes away from Blossomstep. His voice was beginning to choke out. "Follow me... and she dies!" He warned her. He kicked off of the ground and bolted away, apprentice in tow. Dawnhawk ran and ran and ran.

"Make too much noise and I'll end you right now!" Dawnhawk threatened the wad of fur in his mouth. As a matter of fact... he slowed down. He approached a thick tree trunk and aimed the apprentice's head at it as he loped by. The impact wouldn't be lethal, but it should knock her unconscious for a little while. He didn't need her to know how to get back home.

With a light thump he felt the apprentice go limp in his jaws. There. Now he didn't need to worry about her screaming and giving away their location. Dawnhawk ran to the river first, knowing that he was leaving behind a scent trail of fear and blood. He threw himself and his captive down in the mud and furiously rolled them both until they were both sufficiently covered. He scowled at the idea of having to now put mud in his mouth via Dawnpaw's scruff, but he picked the apprentice back up anyway. The grainy wet dirt wasn't pleasant, but it was necessary for escape.

With that out of the way, Dawnhawk began to run to a location he hadn't been to in many moons. It was a hiding spot at one point... and as far as he knew, the clan cats hadn't discovered it. The battle had been at Fourtrees... but the camp of the Asylum he'd never heard of being discovered.

~Exit Dawnhawk~

Blood roared in her ears as Dawnhawk spoke, drowning out his words. Why wouldn't her body listen to her? Why couldn't she speak? Sharp pain at her throat gripped like sharp claws, and her eyes widened as she made the realization just as Dawnhawk turned and fled.

She had flinched.

She could still get help. The rest of the clan should return soon. They needed her. Wolfstar needed her. This wouldn't be the end - it couldn't be the end. No, it wasn't possible. She tried to force a shaky paw up to give chase, but crumpled immediately as it lifted off of the ground. It took only a few heartbeats before the world around her dimmed, fading into black nothingness under the nearly full moon sky. She had taken her last breath before Dawnhawk's attack ever even landed, tears falling silently as she hoped, prayed, to see Wolfstar walk through the camp's entrance just one more time. As her world fell silent, she had a single fleeting thought. She wouldn't be able to catch him that rabbit. Blood soaked the fur at her throat, draining into the ground beneath her body as it grew cold, waiting for her clan to return home.

Foxfire eyes were unfocused as he remained leaning against the wall of the den, loosing aware of the sound of fighting, voices...But he couldn't focus on it, all of his energy being spent on simply staying awake. It wasn't until he was aware of a large form rushing past him that he finally stirred to some semblance of awareness, taking in the now truly blood-soaked den. Cloudmane was still cold and unmoving, Wrenspring was crumbled to the ground now and Foxfire couldn't tell if he was breathing. Slowly, the elder started to shift toward the entrance, every step making him wince as he stumbled forward. He was loosely aware of the other body crumbled near the entrance - an apprentice. He...Wasn't sure he knew her name, not from how much he had been sulking in the elder's den but he leaned down to give her pelt a gentle prod with his nose, only to shutter at how cold she was. Another death...

He pushed onwards, stumbling free of the elder's den only for his paws to give out beneath him - collapsing into a blood-soaked pile in the free air. A pained cough escaped him, spitting blood before his eyes landed on yet another still body. "Blos....som..." he gasped, eyes widening as he started to drag himself towards where the warrior had fallen - leaving a crimson streak across the ground as he went. He never made it, not enough his claws didn't have the strength to dig into the dirt and pull him further and he laid sprawled out not far from Blossomstep...But it was close enough to see her chest didn't seem to be moving. A third death, at least... A sense of anger started to burn at Foxfire's heart - not at Dawnhawk, but at Wolfstar.

Where...Was their protection? Had Blossomstep...Been the only warrior left?

The anger shimmered, the only sense of warmth he felt as his vision gave away to darkness and the elder fell unconscious.