Grey Havens [Closed]

Darkpaw purposely dug his claws into the rocks where snakes were said to sleep. In this much cold, how could they possibly move? He was willing to take the risk to feed his clan. After a few moments of digging his hooked paw around in there, he managed to touch something. It was too squishy to be a branch or a root. Hooking his claws into said mystery thing, he pulled it out, revealing a hibernating adder. He pinned down the head, nearly as big as his paw, and began to bite and chew his way through the thick neck. Towards the end, there was a bit of movement from the serpent as it grew warmer, but it wasn't enough to do any real damage. Once the head was severed from the snake, Darkpaw pushed it aside and made a mental note to bury the head later. A severed head of a snake could still bite.

A heavy sigh came from Darkpaw, making him realize he'd been holding his breath the whole time. The last thing he needed was to get bit. He looked at the size of the fat adder and smiled though. That would feed at least two adult cats probably. Maybe there was more that big in there. Steeling his nerves again, Darkpaw reached his paw between the cracks, very carefully feeling around for another sleeping snake body.

Starlingflare had been around hunting as well with Darkpaw, not really knowing what to say to the apprentice so he had just remained quiet. He didn't know what exactly had happened to the tom at the gathering, but from whispers around the camp it wasn't all to good. Something about Morningstar attacking him or something? He wasn't sure.

He let out a sigh, turning his attention away from his own hunt before finding the apprentice at the rocks, digging into them.. Huh.. The gray tom approached the multi colored tom careful not to startle him. "Be careful. Don't need you ending up like our ghostly friends."

Darkpaw's ears swiveled backward to listen to Starlingflare's approach. He turned his head to stare at him for just a moment before he withdrew his paw from the hole. His expression suggested one of more than just mild annoyance. "Friends? I'd hardly call them that. Intruders maybe. Foreign invaders. Things of that nature." He hadn't felt any other snakes in there so he turned to pick up the fat adder on the ground. It was a challenge to get his jaws around it. Even when he lifted the scaly thing, the snake's neck still dragged in the snow and so did it's tail. There was no way he could close his jaws around the entire body.

A few steps forward made him realize that he wasn't able to see passed the snake's body well enough. With a frustrated sigh, he set it back down. "I hope you have a plan to get rid of them, Starlingflare. To the Dark Forest with anything Stoatstar says. He's wrong. If he doesn't do something about it I will when I am old enough."

He readjusted the snake so as to drag it by the tail. Even then it was a challenge to pull it through the snow. What a monster this snake had turned out to be! Then it's life was gone, snuffed out... just like that. It gave him hope for the future and his own endeavors.

Starlingflare's eye remained on the apprentice, narrowing ever so slightly at his words, and his dislike of the Dark Forest. Of course he didn't let his irritation show too much, the tom was still young. "Oh my. Such a strong position for an apprentice." The gray warrior said. "Though, I have to disagree. I think Stoatstar did the right thing. He is keeping Thunderclan safe, and letting us grow stronger, and our visitors seem to want the same thing." The warrior said.

He stepped away from the apprentice, yellow eye scanning the forest. "All starclan ever did for us was let us suffer, and let the other clans walk all over us." It was time for a change. "It's certainly time for a change, and if you try to prevent that change, you will most likely end up dead, Darkpaw." The warrior turned back, yellow gaze back on the young tom. The threat was there, whether it was from him or the Dark Forest it didn't matter. As long as the message was delivered.

The threat was not missed by the apprentice, but it didn't soften the surprise. It flashed briefly in his eyes before he forced it to go away. His tail tip twitched and his ears laid flat, but he didn't really know what to do beyond that. Dropping his snake one more time, he thought about what he should say. Nothing came to mind and he only stood there, giving Starlingflare, his older half brother, the nastiest look he could manage. After a moment he found some words and plucked up his courage.

"Yeah it's so much better to be walked all over by dead things that stink of rot. Maybe that's what you like. I almost had one of those Dark Forest cats kill me but then my... Morningstar stopped her. Keep running your mouth and maybe you will end up dead."

Right as the words left his mouth he regretted it. He said too much. He said too much. He said too much. But it was too late now. Softpaw and Starlingflare were Dark Forest supporters... Stoatstar too. Should he run? Should he get away from here before something awful happened to him? Morningstar wouldn't always be around to save him... and he hated the fact that the thought he had at least one Dark Forest cat to protect him from the rest gave him comfort. He felt like a traitor.

Starlingflare scoffed, the apprentice's glare didn't effect him in the slightest. "Morningstar isn't a threat. Any trick he knows, I know, and besides." A smirk formed on the older warrior's face, a dark chuckle soon to follow. "Morningstar isn't here to save you." Oh how tempting it would be to lash out at the apprentice, to teach him a lesson but he couldn't make it seem like it was his fault.

The gray tom approached the apprentice now. His stance aggressive. Claws digging into the ground. "Now are you going to be a good apprentice and do as your leader asks? Or perhaps I should tell our lovely friends that you want them gone? I don't think they will be as tolerant of your mouth as I am."

Darkpaw stared into the eye of his older brother, though their relationship had been shallow at best. He was being threatened and challenged, but he was right, Morningstar wasn't here right now. You know everything he knows? Then I guess I should fight you to figure out how to fight him. He wasn't sure that he really believed Starlingflare, but he had no real reason to not believe him as well. Darkpaw lowered his eyes after a moment and turned away like he was going to let it go.

Then like a lightning flash, the apprentice spun and unsheathed his claws. He landed a hit on the gray tom, not caring about the rule against fighting clanmates. This was the appropriate thing to do wasn't it? Isn't this what toms did? If one challenged you you had to fight back or you were a coward, right? He didn't know. He didn't have a dad to teach him these things.

Darkpaw used Jumping Strike, dealing 9 damage (6+3) and -7SP

Disadvantaged stats active

Darkpaw
20HP / 23SP (-7SP)

Starlingflare
56HP / 120SP (-9HP)

Instead of hissing or growling at being attacked the gray warrior could only chuckle even as his wounds bleed. The sound coming from his mouth was dark and sinister. "That was a grave mistake you just made." He didn't care if he had hurt the apprentice too badly at this point. Of course he wasn't going to kill the young tom just yet, just teach him a lesson he would never forget.

The one-eyed tom looked like he was about to head one direction before using his shoulder charged into the apprentice, knocking the air out of him. Another laugh escaping the tom as he watched the damage he had just caused. "Oh this is so fun!" Of course his ears were perked, listening to any and all sounds of pain he caused.

Of course he knew that he would get in trouble if this continued. He just had to hit the apprentice back once as a warning and that would be enough right? The gray tom reigned himself in, controlling his crazy behavior for now. "Have you learned your lesson Darkpaw?"

Starlingflare used Dishonorable Charge dealing 10 damage, -20 SP. Darkpaw is stunned for two turns!

Darkpaw:
10HP / 23SP (-10HP)

Starlingflare:
56HP / 100SP (-20SP)

Darkpaw growled in response to Starlingflare's chuckle, which was about as threatening as air being let out of a balloon. The shoulder slam from the larger tom sent a shock of pain through him that made his eyes widen and his mouth drop open. He crumpled to the floor and lie there, moving his mouth like a fish out of water trying to get air back into his lungs. He didn't even know such pain was even possible. Once he managed to get some control over his muscles, he did what he could to curl himself up into a ball to protect his innards as best as he could.

He was done fighting for now. He hadn't been trained to handle pain like that... let alone efficiently fight while it was going on. In his last ounce of stubbornness, he clenched his jaws together and refused to speak. He was clearly hurt, but he wasn't going to give Starlingflare the satisfaction of hearing his voice winded and at a higher pitch than normal. He was already struggling to keep his eyes from watering.

Darkpaw is stunned for this turn!
Stormy Strength active! Darkpaw is stunned one turn!

Darkpaw
10HP / 23SP

Starlingflare
56HP / 100SP

While he was irritated the apprentice gave him nothing, he didn't let it show, choosing to look down at the apprentice for a moment. Seeing how the tom didn't respond, the warrior took it like he was done trying to fight. Good he didn't want to kill him just yet, or anyone in Thunderclan for that matter. "Come on, grab your snake and let's get back to camp. If anyone asks, we fought a Raccoon."

The gray tom padded away, not bothering to see if the apprentice was following him. If the apprentice wanted to speak the truth of how he attacked a clanmate then fine, Starlingflare was prepared for that situation, but it would probably be best if both of them didn't bring up this little skirmish here.

Darkpaw managed to get to his feet after he took a few breaths. He was worried there for a moment he wouldn't have been able to breathe. He stared after Starlingflare, not sure what to think at the moment. "There's nothing to tell." He said through a ragged breath. "You hit like a she-cat." That said, he wasn't about to attack again. He grabbed the snake up by the tail and began to drag it back. He need to rest his ribs or a bit after this.