sparring between a deer and soot

Deerpaw led the way to the clearing. moonlight shone through the gaps in the thick branches overhead, lighting up areas of Deerpaw's fur. the branches were what made this clearing so special to the she-cat. without most of the snow, the ground was the closet she could find to the marshes Duskflight had told her in his stories. she had never shown it to anyone before, but Sootpaw wasn't just anyone, was he?

turning to the dark grey tom, she purred, "Ready?"

Sootpaw followed behind Deerpaw, admiring the way the moonlight shone against her fur. He had been looking forward to the sparring session, partially to practice his fighting moves, but mostly because it meant he'd get to spend time with the tabby she-cat.

He wasn't exactly experienced with romantic feelings, having never experienced them before, but was there any other explanation for the warm feeling he got when he spoke to her, or the flutter in his chest when he saw her?

"Absolutely," He answered,

"I'd watch out if I were you though. Nightstalker's been teaching me some new battle moves, so you might not even stand a chance." He teased, his eyes aglow with mirth.

deerpaw scoffed at the tom's words. "well, I've fought two racoons and three snakes, and lived to tell the tale! I'll rip your pelt!" she purred, although her words were true, she didn't intend to hurt Sootpaw. she would never live with herself if she did.

she took a moment to admire the tom's fur. the way it curled softly around his body. snapping out of her daze, deerpaw dropped into a crouch and leapt.

deerpaw used jumping strike, dealing 6 (+3+1) dmg and -7 SP

Deerpaw
20/20 HP
53/60 SP (-7)

Sootpaw
10/20 HP (-10)
60/60 SP

He barely had enough time to be astonished by the amount of predators Deerpaw had fought before she was leaping toward him, taking him by surprise. He blinked in shock as she bowled him over, then leapt to his paws, turning and swiping at her with sheathed claws.







Sootpaw used: Front Paw Blow, dealing 4 (+1) damage and -5 SP

Sootpaw
10/20 HP
55/60 SP (-5)

Deerpaw
15/20 HP (-5)
53/60 SP

OOC: due to night finesse, all dmgs have a +1 bonus. edit your post pls

deerpaw felt Sootpaw's claw nick her shoulder. it wasn't nearly as painful as that bite she got from that adder once, or the swipe from the racoon that nearly hit her eye. but any enemy was still an enemy. her eyes hardening, she leapt forward and landed on the tom's shoulders, hissing as her weight brought him down.

Deerpaw used Leap and Hold (pin) dealing 6 (+1) dmg and -15 SP

Sootpaw is pinned for two turns
3/20 HP (-7)
55/60 SP

Deerpaw
15/20 HP
38/60 SP (-15)

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

---

'Effect Dice' : 6

Sootpaw hissed, thrashing under Deerpaw's weight. He narrowed his eyes as he felt a surge of annoyance toward his clumsiness.

How could he have let himself get pinned that easily?

Lashing his tail, he attempted to throw his denmate off, but the she-cat was too strong. Her training and battles had clearly turned her into a formidable opponent.

One I'd be proud to fight beside, He thought to himself, looking up at Deerpaw with a hint of admiration.


Sootpaw is stunned for one (1) turn
3/20 HP
55/60 SP

Deerpaw
15/20 HP
38/60 SP

Deerpaw felt Sootpaw squirm and wriggle under her paws to no anvil. best to finish it all quickly. digging her claws in, she felt his struggles grow weaker and weaker.

leap and hold continues, dealing 6 (+1) dmg and -7 SP
Sootpaw Knocked out
0/20 HP (-7)
55/60 SP

Deerpaw
15/20 HP
31/60 SP (-7)

Sootpaw winced as he felt Deerpaw's claws dig into his shoulders, before finally going limp. His energy sapped, he could barely muster the strength to speak.

"Alright," He panted in defeat, "You win. I guess those run-ins with predators really toughened you up."


Sootpaw can no longer fight!

Deerpaw laughed at the tom's reaction. letting go of sootpaw, she flicked a tail over his ears. "Well, you did great too. you could try twisting your body the next time someone pins you down, it might break the hold." she suggested, crouching down and twisting to demonstrate. starring at Sootpaw, she blurted out, "I'm glad you're shadowclan."

Sootpaw flopped onto his side, his flanks heaving as he watched Deerpaw demonstrate the move. He was still slightly annoyed with himself for forgetting something so simple, but he shrugged it off.

The next thing the she-cat said had his eyes widening slightly.

"I'm glad you're shadowclan too..." He sighed, staring into her eyes with a soft grin. His tiredness all but vanished as a warm feeling spread through him.

Suddenly he was aware of his fur, sticking out in all directions from the sparring match. He struggled to his feet, his pelt burning with embarrassment, and hurriedly attempted to smooth it.

He didn't usually care this much about how others saw him, but it was... different with her.

Deerpaw felt her fur heat up as sootpaw replied. bashfully licking down the random tuffs of fur sticking up, she glanced at the tom. "how has Nightstalker been? His sister, Swiftheart, is my mentor and she's incredibly kind and gentle. I wouldn't be here if she had not rescued me from a racoon once," she asked curiously. the black tom didn't look nearly as kind as the white she-cat.

"Nightstalker is... well honestly a bit stern, but he's also encouraging."

Sootpaw paused to lick his paw, drawing it over his ear before continuing.

"I think he's also pretty smart, I've learned a lot from him so far. How has training with Swiftheart been?" He asked, stopping his grooming session to turn his attention to Deerpaw.

Deerpaw looked around before whispering to Sootpaw, "Swiftheart has a crush on ratrunner! she told me to keep it a secret, but i could trust, right?" raising her voice to normal, she added, "she brings out on patrol every night and we make an awesome team! just the other day, I defeated her in a spar!" her amber eyes widened before she burst into laughter.

"I don't really feel like heading back to camp. let's stay here for the night and do some hunting in the morning as an excuse," Deerpaw yawned, exhaustion weighing her eyelids down. curling up into a ball, she felt sleep carry her into the dream world.

Sootpaw's eyes widened at the mention of Ratrunner, though he'd suspected ever since he caught Swiftheart staring at him. He listened carefully as Deerpaw recalled her adventures with her mentor, not at all surprised by the fact that Swiftheart had been beaten in a sparring match the same way he had. As she mentioned sleeping he nodded; he wasn't sure his tired paws would be able to carry him all the way back to camp. Besides, he had to admit that he liked it better with just the two of them.

As he curled up next to her, he muttered a soft, "`Night, Deerpaw", aware that she was already asleep and couldn't hear him. Closing his eyes, he felt sleep wash over him in waves, finally engulfing him in darkness.