The Hawk and the Thrush [Closed]

OOC: Takes place shortly after the Flower Patrol comes back.

IC: Klaus had to fight his nervousness from spilling out into fear scent for most of the way here. He left the Forgotten Order camp, taking a long way through many different territories and tried to give the snow as much time to cover his trail as well as his scent as possible. He looked like he had been attacked by powdered sugar, a heavily frosted version of his former self, from how long he had been out in the falling snow. By the time he reached the river, he took no chances. He muddied up his front and back legs as well as his tail to leave virtually no smell at all. The mud was cold and uncomfortable, freezing his skin underneath it, but he managed to stay warm beyond that. After he was confident that he would not leave a significant trail, he headed straight for Thunderclan territory.

He had sent Atalante there and apparently Achelois and Achlys had followed. Why? Maybe they were concerned for their sister's well-being, as he was. Regardless, it wasn't like he could tell them to come home at this point. He would just have to protect them to the best of his ability. There was no way they were going to avoid the clan gatherings... There was no way they could avoid Shadowclan. He had to make things very convincing... and that meant a victim along with a false threat. He prayed to the Dark Forest that it wouldn't be Waterlily that spotted him here. His heart was ice in his veins at the thought. It was almost enough to get him to abandon his mission and go home.

Almost.

He would complete this task. He had to. Klaus hunkered down amongst piles of snow near the border of Thunderclan territory and waited. The first cat he saw that was alone would be his messenger. A message that was written in blood.

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

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'Invasion Dice' :

Between the light-but-steady snowfall and the occasional gust forcing itself through the sea of trunks, it hardly surprised Thrushnose that the tracks vanished a couple tree-lengths from where they’d started. With a quiet sigh, she lifted her head and trudged forward.

She hadn’t set out to find a raccoon. Stars knew they already had enough pelts to line what felt like every nest in ThunderClan, and though most kinds of predator meat suited her fine in times as desperate as these, it wouldn’t work for the kits and queens, elders, cats recovering in Dovefrost’s den. What they needed was prey—actual prey, not disease-riddled crowfood. She knew all of this, and yet she rerouted at the first strain of raccoon scent that hit her nose. She needed to sink her claws into something. Focus on survival, nothing before or after. Hunting alone was all hurry up and wait, and waiting, thinking, was exactly what Thrushnose wanted to get away from.

As the forest thinned out, so did the scent. Squinting harder, Thrushnose took a step—and stopped cold when a faint rumble hit her ears. Of course. She’d walked this path a hundred times since her nursery days, she knew exactly where it led, what it meant. Her tail lashed as she weighed her options. Go back to hunting and waiting and thinking, or… She squared her broad shoulders and pressed on. Surely the river wouldn’t matter once she and the raccoon started tearing at each other.

Just before the river's rumble could grow into a roar, the scent trail went cold. Rather, it went everywhere. With fewer trees in the way, the leaf-bare winds had tossed it around until it was too thin to pinpoint. Thrushnose raised her nose to the air, then all but pressed it into the snow, searching. Maybe she’d taken a wrong turn; maybe she’d just waited too long. Either way, her plan to immerse herself in battle was slipping through her paws. She gave a resigned sigh that, to her own ears, sounded suspiciously like foxdung. Then she shook herself once, firmly, and padded toward the trees lining this section of ThunderClan’s borders. The least she could do was refresh the scent markers while she was here.

He didn't have to wait long. A brown and white tabby molly came into his view, clearly alone. A quick scent of the air to be absolutely sure no other patrols were coming followed by a very very careful listen... Nothing. The molly was his. Klaus burst out of his hiding spot and charged, galloping like a mad dog toward the unsuspecting Thunderclan warrior. He kicked off of the ground and sank his teeth brutally into the back of her neck before he pummeled her with his claws. Once he yanked out a mouthful of fur tainted with some blood, he spat out it out as if it were something vile.

"You're not either of my daughters, but I guess you'll have to do!" He growled, viciously bristling his fur and arching his back as his face wrinkled and contorted in a display of endless fury. "Achelois, Achlys, Atalanate... what traitors!" He yowled, making absolutely sure that his words were loud and clear. "Defend yourself, warrior! I want you completely shredded before I send you back to camp with my message!"

If Waterlily ever found out that Dawnhawk and Klaus were actually the same cat, this would absolutely shatter their relationship. However... his daughters might need the cover that he was providing them. It might save their life.

Klaus used Jumping Strike, dealing 13 damage (10+3 for first attack bonus) and -7SP

Klaus
65HP / 123SP (-7SP)

Thrushnose
52HP / 130SP (-13HP)

Pawsteps shattered the silence. Too soft to be a dog, too fast to be that raccoon. ThunderClan cats weren’t known for their speed; Thrushnose didn’t have time to face the threat (assuming it was one), and she knew it. Instead, she threw herself to the ground. Teeth sawed a chunk of skin and fur loose a moment later, just above the mess of scars, and she unsheathed her claws into the snow. At least it was the back of her neck, not the front. As blood-scent welled into the air, she noticed a trace of something new mixed with it. Damp, muddy. RiverClan—she snarled as claws came down along her back—except it was too undefined for that. Not fishy enough, either. Maybe rogue.

At the first whiff of an opening, she twisted onto her feet, claws flailing. A golden tom bristled in front of her, howling about daughters and traitors and—wait. Recognition flashed in Thrushnose’s eyes as they narrowed to slits. Achelois, Achlys, Atalante. Given where she’d been over the last moon of her life, there was only one place she could’ve heard those names. This had something to do with ThunderClan’s newest gaggle of apprentices. “What do you want,” she growled, voice as flat as she could manage. With any luck, he’d let her in on the answer. Or, if this fight moved far enough in her favor, she wouldn’t have to worry about his message at all. His left eye was damaged… Thrushnose lurched to her right and forward, slashing at the golden tom’s side in a flurry of claws and tabby fur.

Thrushnose used Front Paw Strike, dealing 10 damage and using 7 stamina.
Thrushnose also used Desperate Blows, dealing 6 damage and using 7 stamina.

Thrushnose
52/63 HP
116/130 SP (-14)

Klaus
49/65 HP (-16)
123/130 SP

"Tell those traitorous daughters of mine that I will not take this betrayal lightly!" He snarled, then came the barrage of claws. He managed to dodge some of it with a swift sidestep to his right, but not all. He lashed out once in an attempt to put some distance between both of them.

Klaus used Dodge and Fight, dealing 7 damage (Successful Counter) and -7SP

Klaus
59HP / 116SP (+10HP; -7SP)

Thrushnose
45HP / 116SP (-7HP)

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

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'Effect Dice' : 5

Triumph sparked in Thrushnose’s gut as her claws hit home. Good. He wouldn’t be shredding her just yet. Eager to capitalize on the opening she’d created, she pressed forward with another hiss—“What makes you think they’re with us?” The tom answered with a swipe that split the side of her nose, and she recoiled. That was what she got for trying to gather information. She'd never been skilled at splitting her attention; how cats threw taunts and threats at each other while fighting for their lives, she would never understand. Blinking her vision clear, Thrushnose charged again in an attempt to bowl the tom over, trying to keep him on the retreat.

Thrushnose used Jumping Strike, dealing 10 damage and using 7 stamina.

Thrushnose
45/65 HP
109/130 SP (-7)

Klaus
49/65 HP (-10)
116/130 SP

"I followed their scent trail to your border a few days ago and they haven't returned home. It's not complicated!" His ears pinned back as the molly pressed her advantage... except she probably didn't expect him to slip by her by suddenly going forward. His teeth went immediately for her tail, attempting to pull her off of balance.

Klaus used Tail Yank, dealing 10 damage and -15SP

Klaus
49HP / 101SP (-15SP)

Thrushnose
Stunned for 1 turn
35HP / 109SP (-10HP)

Rather than stumble further back as she’d hoped, the tom surged forward. A sharp pain shot up her spine. Thrushnose, unbalanced, let out a startled yelp. Fortunately, it took only a moment for sense and adrenaline to cut through the fog. The tom's teeth were still in her tail—the rest of him couldn’t be too far. At the first sign of his grip loosening, she whirled around on her broad paws and snapped at him, not particularly caring what she grabbed as long as it kept him from latching onto her tail again.

Thrushnose used Random Recall, using 5 stamina. Thrushnose is no longer stunned.
Thrushnose also used Snap, dealing 10 damage and using 7 stamina.

Thrushnose
35/65 HP
97/130 SP (-12)

Klaus
39/65 HP (-10)
101/130 SP

Well when that didn't work, Klaus supposed he could try to do something kind of stupid. Maybe it would pay off, but since she was so focused on going forward, maybe he would just slide under her and go for her soft belly. Or she would step on his throat. Either way.

Klaus used Belly Rake, dealing 5 damage to himself and -25SP

Klaus
34HP / 76SP (-5HP)(-25SP)

Thrushnose
35HP / 93SP (-0HP)

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

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'Effect Dice' : 2

Before she could take another swipe at him, the tom dropped out of view. Thrushnose’s gaze followed him to the ground. The same ThunderClan bulk that slowed her down made her strong as the trees she’d grown up under. It was with this weight that she pinned him down—more to stop the constant attacks than anything else; she’d been prepared for a fight with an instinct-driven beast, not this—and raked her claws across his skin, channeling her relief at striking a solid blow into a sharp, wordless snarl.

Thrushnose used Leap-and-Hold, dealing 10 damage and using 15 stamina. Klaus is pinned for 1 turn.

Thrushnose
35/65 HP
82/130 SP (-15)

Klaus [pinned]
24/65 HP (-10)
76/130 SP

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

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'Effect Dice' : 3

Her claws came down on him and made an immediate attempt to roll. Being pinned wasn't good, as a Skyclan trained warrior he knew it was something that could quickly turn the tide of any fight.

Klaus used duck and twist, dealing 4 damage and -5SP. Duck and Twist failed!

Klaus
Pinned this turn
24HP / 71SP (-5SP)

Thrushnose
31HP / 82SP (-4HP)