Oblivious: Unsuspecting, unaware, deaf [Open to SkyClan!]

As long as Hopepaw left the camp with an older cat, no one stopped her! So when one of her friends accompanied her, Hopepaw led the way through the forest with the loudest purr she could muster (not knowing that it made a noise). She was an expert in these lands, after all. They would have no idea where to find prey if it weren't for Hopepaw. She held her head high, leading the way around their territory. After a little while of not finding anything, Hopepaw's purrs stopped, and her body shifted to focus, frustrated that prey continued to be elusive.

With a huff, Hopepaw sat by a large tree that looked like it had fallen sideways. She turned back towards her companion, a frustrated frown on her face. She was the best! Why hadn't she found anything yet?

Great Starclan, how does any cat keep up? Never before had Auburnflare considered that a Windclan cat might have a purpose but maybe they were better suited to keep up with Hopepaw. The white-furred molly was a bundle of joy and enthusiasm. Her lack of ability to hear or verbally communicate never slowed her down. His heart thudded as his paws skidded on scraps of foliage, taking sharp turns, and leaping over sudden obstacles. Acornstar's ability to handle Hopepaw as an apprentice was a more impressive feat than leading a clan, he decided silently to himself. Something he would never say aloud.

The warrior panted softly from darting after the apprentice. Her pelt had become slightly dirtied by the escapade and he fought the natural instinct to groom away the debris. He owed it to Sleepycloud and Stormsong to look after their kit with care. Besides, the brown and white patched tom had always enjoyed her presence even if it was exhausting at times. Auburnflare bit back the desire to call after her, relieved to find she turned around with a frown. Finally. Padding over, his head tipped to the side in question. Hopepaw had been expecting something, but what?

He glanced behind her, icy blue gaze settling on the slightly damp fallen trunk. Realization washed over him and Auburnflare pushed away a growl. The sickening scent of Skyclan filled his nostrils. Meeting Hopepaw's gaze, he half-turned away, trying to motion her back from the opposing clan's territory. This was too close for comfort. If any cat confronted Hopepaw, he would shred them. Repeating the gesture a few times in an effort to catch he attention, the warrior made sure not to look away for a second. Just in case.

He kept turning his head back as if he wanted to return to where they had already been. Hopepaw rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed whine. They both were just there and saw no prey whatsoever. Why would they go back? The apprentice held her ground and folded her ears as if her whine wasn't enough to show her displeasure. Hopepaw knew the general smell of another group of cats. She had met some at the gathering. They seemed well enough, so knowing they were closer to where they lived didn't bother her.

With a spiteful huff, the apprentice padded after the other cat, only to pause after a heartbeat—that smell...! It was faint, but she knew it. Squirrel! Her eyes went wide, and the white apprentice dropped into a crouch, flicking her ears enough to pick up the direction of the wind. Slowly, her gaze scanned the forest. There, on one of the tall white trees, a squirrel slowly climbed the trunk with what looked like a nut in its mouth. With Hopepaw's luck, they were downwind!

It caught sight of her, and the two held each other's gaze before it scrambled down the tree and bolted across the forest floor--away from them both and their home. Heart leaping to her chest, Hopepaw followed in quick pursuit, unknowingly crossing the border. With claws outstretched, she jumped towards it and barreled into the creature's form, ending its life with a snap. Head held high, Hopepaw turned her head towards her friend. As always, she catches the prey! An extremely loud purr left her chest as she padded back towards the sideways tree.

Hopepaw attempts to catch a squirrel! She caught it! Costing 5 Stamina. She is disabled, so the hunting roll gets a -2.


Hopepaw
15/15 HP
25/30 SP (-5)

The member 'Splotch' has done the following action : Dice roll

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#1 'Hunting Dice' : 1

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#2 'Invasion Dice' :

All stormwatcher knew was that one second he was on patrol, the next he heard a cat nearby causing his heart to race with fear and adreneline. He glanced around and saw a tresspasser!

Claws were already out as he raced to attack the tresspasser and invader and prey theaf


He gave no warning at all as he leapt out claws marking their target as he tried to deal as much damage as possible in the first contact. Whoever this was would learn the rules better.


"You are tresspassing on skyclan land" he yowled in frustration as he attacked

Leaping strike for 13 dmg and 7 sp

Hopepaw:
2 hp
25 sp

Stormwatcher
70 hp
153 sp

Brackendawn was only a few tail-lengths behind Stormwatcher, when the tom took off. It took him a moment, but he found the cause of Stormwatcher's outburst. "Stormwatcher wait!" he yowled, giving chase as well. It was far too late, the older warrior was long gone. A frustrated snarl escaped Brackendawn and he pelted after Stormwatcher, his anger rising. His sister did not need the problems this was about to cause, nor did he feel like the one to yell at the enemy and his senior warrior, but that was what the situation was. Panting, he pushed himself harder he wasn't going to be able to stop his clanmate, but he could at least take the blow. Enemy or not, by stopping Stormwatcher he was protecting his family from war, even if it was his own pelt that was torn to shreds.

His clanmate's claws tore into his flesh, and his teeth gritted together, to suppress his scream. He squeezed his eyes shut, swallowing. It burnt, almost as bad as the owl's claws had so long ago. He'd forgotten what it was like to bleed, but it was better than what would have happened to the apprentice Stormwatcher had launched himself at. He inhaled shakily then turned his blazing blue eyes on his companion. "I don't care if she's trespassing we don't need to drag my family into another war!" seethed Brackendawn, tail lashing. His eyes then found Auburnflare. "And why does it not surprise me you haven't taught your apprentice where the border is. Bunch of foxing mousebrains." He smacked his tail across Stormwatcher's face as he turned. "Try not to act like the company you keep." The stench of blood from his wounds hit his nose, and he felt lightheaded. "What am I going to tell Thymelight?" maybe he hadn't thought this through. He padded towards Hopepaw, anger emanating from his body. "Get back over the border and-" he snatched the squirrel from her and unsheathed his claws jabbing her rump to help her on her way. "-give me that." He didn't want to look at them.

Brackendawn used Blocking Leap taking the damage intended for Hopepaw! Costing -5 SP

Brackendawn

17/30 HP
75/80 SP

Stormwatcher

70/70 HP
153/160 SP

Hopepaw

15/15 HP
25/30 SP

With the sounds of a commotion up ahead, Wolfstar had bounded forward, strong legs making easy work as she leaped from branch to branch, approaching the fallen oak from above.

"Enough!" Wolfstar's voice carried through the air as she stared down at the offending scene. A Thunderclan apprentice on Skyclan territory... With prey. That Brackendawn had so nicely retrieved after blocking his own clanmate from dealing with the situation. Wolfstar had not seen the start of the events unfold, clearly, and what she did see, she did not like.

"Tell me, why is a Thunderclanner trespassing on Skyclan land, with prey, no less? Our borders have been exceedingly clear lately." The leader dropped from the branch she stood on, landing on the ground with a heavy thud. "Thank you for retrieving it, Brackendawn... But do not undermine our border's defenses the next time you do so." Sometimes claws were necessary, as unsavory as the thought was. Perhaps if the apprentice had a brain, she would realize the favor that Brackendawn had done for her.

Pale blue eyes turned from her own clanmates to the apprentice-aged cat and the tom who accompanied her. "Now, You. Explain yourself. I think there has been enough strife between our clans recently... And I assume Acornstem doesn't wish for more." Or maybe she was Acornstar now, Wolfstar did not particularly care. Right now, it was her cat that had trespassed... "So why then, do I find you on my territory, with a squirrel? Does Thunderclan not teach their apprentices, or do you simply not care?" She watched both the apprentice and the tom she assumed was her mentor, expression hard. The warrior at least did not seem to want to be there... But neither had Graywind before she had caved to her brother's demands, if their account of that skirmish in leaf-fall was true.

For a second, Auburnflare felt relief wash over him. Despite her annoyance, the snow-furred apprentice had begrudgingly started to pad after him. And then, she was gone. Whipping around the brown and white warrior sprinted after her, just barely catching her tail as is went over the fallen oak. He leaped onto the border landmark, praying to Starclan for once, in hopes he could grab her a leave. But apparently the stars weren't listening. Already Skyclan cats were charging at Hopepaw as if they'd been sitting in wait at the border.

Claws dug angrily into the rotting bark as he glared down at Skyclanners. A snarl sat at the back of his throat, only stilled by the fact it seemed the one cat was calling off their attacking clanmate. All of them were lucky that happened before Auburnflare had hurled himself onto Stormwatcher. No cat would hurt Hopepaw when he was around, and yet, it was too late for that. The warrior seethed, face to face with the bordering clan whose shaking morals could hardly accomodate any reason. He'd been prepared to yowl at them and grab the apprentice by the scruff until another voice cried out.

Wolfstar. He quickly recognized her from the gathering. If it were any other leader, the tom might have at least bow his head in a tense courtesy. But he wouldn't afford any Skyclan cat such respect and instead glared at her, tail tip twitching. There was a pause, just enough for him to take a breath before meowing, "I've never seen cats so easily threatened by the ignorance of an apprentice but it wouldn't be the first time." Skyclan had killed an apprentice, he'd never forget, especially not now.

"Especially not a deaf apprentice. Hopepaw can't hear your warnings. Starclan knows she couldn't understand me trying to drag her away from the border before she caught wind of the squirrel and gave chase." Auburnflare's icy blue gaze raked over the gathered Skyclan cats, "Squirrel's yours. You're welcome. I'm sure Acornstar's apprentice will stay clear in the future thanks to your warm reception. I'll take her back to camp, no need to chase us off. This clearly isn't a battle patrol." Each word was tense and measured, keeping more venomous words at bay. He tried to catch the young she-cat's eye for some reassurance, longing to race as far from here as possible.

One moment, she was bringing her catch home, and then the next, two large cats were in her vicinity! Startled, Hopepaw squeaked out a trill of confusion. The smell of blood hit her nose, and despite being pushed towards her home, the apprentice wheeled around to face the cats, her fur puffed out to try and look even lightly bigger than she was. It was at that moment she got to take in the entire scene of what was happening. One cat, the one who had taken her catch, was dripping scarlet onto the forest floor with their eyes askance. Another loomed over Hopepaw with an air of power. The other cat--the cat that had its claws out with a rage Hopepaw didn't understand-- that cat gave her pause.

Never before had she seen such hatred in another cat. What had she done? What was wrong? Why had He Who Rages attacked their friend? Or had that friend protected Hopepaw...? The young apprentice let the fur on her pelt settle and made herself as small as possible. Giving She Who Breathes Power a weary glance, the apprentice turned towards He Who Protects. They were not looking at her, but she felt the need to thank him for saving her from what looked like a deadly attack.

She gently butted her head to his uninjured side, then rounded to the side that was freshly bleeding and gave a few licks to clean some of the wound partially. However, Hopepaw felt she was not welcome here and didn't want to overstay, knowing He Who Rages was staring her down just a few tail lengths away. The apprentice got low to the ground again and quickly made her way to He Who Watches Over. She scrambled up the bark to his side, smelling the change in the air around them. It smelled more like home than the other side. Her blue eyes flicked between the other cats, trying to put more together.

Had they needed the squirrel? Were they starving? Or did they have other cats back in their home who were? Did they need help? Is that why they took the squirrel? But then why did He Who Watches Over seem so angry? Because they were willing to attack Hopepaw for the meal? If they had just asked, Hopepaw would have given it to them. The forest was getting warmer by the day, and prey wasn't as scarce as a month ago. But then why would they be starving? Was it still cold over there? Her questions had no answers nor any way for her to understand them. Maybe she'll stay away from this area. The swift river is on one side of the territory, the stench path is on another, and some angry, starving cats are on this side.

Her mind was working on overdrive. She wished she could get clarification somehow.

Stormwatcher was inches from striking the thief that was stealing food from him and his family. When his fluffball of a clanmate Bracken got right in the way. He rolled his eyes heavily at the clumsiness of his clanmate, could he not get right in the way!?

He wasnt planning on killing the apprentice, just attacking within his right to do so was all. Why did his clanmates have to be oh so noble?? Was Thunderclan noble when they killed his sister (adoptive) Birdstar? Certainly not.

His eyes narrowed at the other thunderclanner as tehy attempted an explanation. IT sounded to him more like a half tailed excuse.

He got right up in Auburnflares face, pawstep closer and closer till they were meare inches from one another as he stared down at the smaller cat. Daring the thunderclanner to do something about it. With wolfstar here now he couldnt attack as directly as he would have liked but he had no quarrel with letting the pressure get to Auburn till he hopefully made a move.

Come on... hit me... do it and I can burry you right were you stand it might be the best lesson this apprentice will ever get

His eyes burned into Auburn so this, this was the warrior foolish enough to go letting a death apprentice out ahead of him so far? His anger shifted from the apprentice to the clearly moss for brains cat that should have been escorting her better.

"You are a foxing idiot for letting her out of your sight then, what if we were badgers?? HMM she would be dead and you would be responsible. I might have attacked her within my right to do so but I wasnt gonna kill her. If she got hurt out here it would have been on you.

He had nothing left to say but continued to glare at his enemy warrior.

His ears flicked listening to the thunderclanners words more, "and Ive never seen a cat so ignorant before, dont you think if shes death you would do a better job keeping watch over her? You ignorant piece of crowfood

ohhhh he wanted to fight this idiot so much. For what they did to Birdstar and Beechface. What are you gonna do about it huh?? he meowed and shoved at the enemy tresspassing on their land.

"Come on, swing then fool. Start something I dare you, see how it goes for you... you can go say hi to mottlestar by the end of it" he wanted to poke and push any buttons possible hopefully mottle was close to this idiot so that he would start a fight, once auburn started something he could finish them both and it would be under self defense, until then he was content enough just hurling insults.

How bracken wanted to defend the same clan that had just murdered their clanmates in cold blood made him question his clanmates loyalty enterily. He might not be as intense as his friend sun but he saw a lot of suns points now. Thunderclan was mud and he would let every one of them know that

Attempts at urging the apprentice away hadn't worked, instead he gazed down with wide eyes as Hopepaw gently butted his side. Had she imprinted on him or something? He was not ready to be a father, much less to a cat from ThunderClan of all places. Why was she acting like this he'd just told her to go? "I won't tell you again..." snarled Brackendawn "... Go back to where you came from." She paid his words no mind, skirting round his paw that tried to manoeuvre her back towards the border. Instead the white apprentice raised her head to lick his wounds, which caused him to lock up as his vision swam from pain and confusion... Why? But he didn't even get to ask her before she was scurrying away and a sudden shadow descended from the heavens.

The sudden arrival of his grandmother had Brackendawn taking several steps back, his ears falling flat against his head at the harshness in her voice. Sometimes he forgot she was his leader too, as an apprentice it had been easier to ignore her high rank amongst the clan, but now as she towered over the scuffling cats the large warrior felt more imposing than ever. His pelt bristled at the comment she made, undermining his actions in front of hostile cats, in front of older cats. A protesting growl rose up in his throat, the pain from the blow he had taken igniting the short fuse he had done so well to keep in check. "Maybe I don't want to continue down a continuous cycle of bloodshed when things can be settled more civilly... Especially when it is my sister that has to deal with them." he snapped, making sure to send Stormwatcher a pointed glare. Perhaps his joy at going to war back at the lakes had been far more concerning than Brackendawn had taken it for.

The ThunderClan tom was the next to speak, with clipped and measured words, which earnt an annoyed huff from the brindled tom. An apology would have sufficed just fine, but he just had to be so morally superior. Was it a trait of all ThunderClanner's to be so snobbish? Humility would do them some good. Though, unfortunately but also fortunately he was correct. Not that he dignified ThunderClan by looking back at them. Everything made sense, and it explained the molly's odd actions before in part. She really had no clue about anything. She didn't understabd that they were enmies, He blinked, but pushed the kind gesture away, now wasn't the time. It made the warrior pleased to know that he had judged correctly by throwing himself between Hopepaw and Stormwatcher. A disabled apprentice, who happened to belong to the ThunderClan leader maimed by a SkyClanner... It was not a good look. Of course, said SkyClanner also couldn't admit his wrong doings. In fact he was actively trying to make things worse.

"Shut up Stormwatcher." he hissed "Are you thicker than an oak tree? She can't hear you, and I didn't spend moons travelling back to SkyClan for you to start another war because you lack self control. I'll be the one that'll hit you if you don't shove a moss ball in it!" Brackendawn's tail thrashed angrily behind him as his gaze returned back to his grandmother. "No wonder everyone hates us when claws are our first course of action, why am I the only one that seems to understand that?" With a scoff, he storm passed his leader, making sure to give her a good shoulder barge.

"And I've never met a clan who so willfully disregarded a clear border and was defensive of doing so." Wolfstar muttered, a flash of irritation rising within as the Thunderclan warrior first began to speak.

Acornstar's apprentice... And deaf, apparently. That explained a few things, like the young she-cat's continued silence and the seeming confusion on her face. But it was not an excuse. Wolfstar watched as the apprentice stepped toward Brackendawn, and for just a moment the leader's gaze softened slightly.

"So, we share a goal of not wanting to continue in pointless bloodshed? Good. Because unfortunately it will have a point soon enough if problems like these are not addressed." She spoke to Brackendawn, voice soft, but her tone hard as ice. "Stormwatcher." She added, glancing between her warriors, "That's enough."

"If you would, inform Acornstar that I would speak with her. There's more to this situation than I was aware of initially - than my warriors were aware of, but I will not have this escalate or be misunderstood. Unable to hear or not, she should understand where her clan's borders are." Wolfstar addressed the warrior again, "For her own safety, let alone that of others who may have the wrong idea." And the sanctity of their border, which Wolfstar had no intention of changing.

A slow breath left the slightly parted side of his maw as Hopepaw scrambled to his side. He nudged her with his nose and drew close. Trying to get her attention, Auburnflare longed to communicate something. As he glanced at the Skyclan patrol, his maw parted as if to show her to taste the air before bearing his teeth. Threat. The warrior hardly knew if such a thing would worked but he needed to try something. This couldn't happen again. Acornstar would kill him. Sleepycloud would kill him. And he would take down the entire Skyclan patrol that dared to draw blood.

"You must be a Windclan cat if you can keep up every cat in your clan within sight." The Thunderclanner looked down at Stormwatcher with half-lidded eyes. Before he could speak, the tom's clanmate was snapping at him. He couldn't help but twitch his whiskers. Although the whole clan was a mess at least there was a cat or two with sense. Not that he ever expected this particular warrior to be the one with a thought but stranger things had happened. With a flick of his ear, the warrior turned to Skyclan's leader. His own gaze was as icy as hers, unwavering. He couldn't help but wonder what thoughts ran through Wolfstar's, the head of such a wild clan, lacking in morals.

"I'm not going to welcome you to camp but I'll let her know. You can speak with her at the gathering in a few sunsets." Auburnflare's tone was neutral as he regarded them. Tail flicking Hopepaw's coat, the brown and white tom half-turned as he threw a farewell over his shoulder, "I'm taking Hopepaw back to camp and at the very least I can promise you all that I never want her near this border again." His jaw tightened as he tried to whisk the apprentice away. The last thing he wanted to do was stick around any long with the one tom's eyes burning into both him and Hopepaw.