a patrol for two (closed)

The chilly breeze made Harepaw's short fur fluff up. Even standing in midday sun wasn't enough to keep him warm, so the dusty brown tom began trotting in circles to get his blood flowing more. Unfortunately, he tripped over his paws and wound up face-first in the dwindling fresh-kill pile, embarrassed because he was in plain sight and easily visible to all of camp. The old apprentice shuffled towards the edge of camp shamefully, although his mind dwelled on the pile he'd just fallen into. It was quite small and sad, and the best way to escape the embarrassment of his dumb mistake was to flee camp in hopes of catching prey despite his recent bad luck. He glanced around for Beartooth, but upon being unable to find his friend, he scrambled to the apprentices' den and bumped squarely into another cat that was on the way out. "U-uh, sorry! Want to go hunting with me?" He blurted out before he could even recognize who he'd run into, his nose still smarting from the collision.

Lonely. That's what Flamepaw had been feeling recently. The apprentice felt utterly alone despite having all of these familiar cats around. It didn't help that her mentor Birdflight had gotten severely injured during the battle against Lichenmask. Flamepaw couldn't talk face to face with her because she'd gag at the site of her missing eye. Maybe she just needed something to do. That'll help take her mind off of things. Yeah. That would be nice.

The apprentice got up from her nest and stretched. She usually lied there thinking about her early years as well as what could lay ahead. She had to stop doing this. She wouldn't become a warrior if acted like this. The she-cat wrinkled her nose as she began to walk out. As she set one paw out of the den, a swift blur crashed into her. She yelped as she stumbled backwards. When the voice asked her to go hunting, her eyes widened. Her? They wanted her to go? Did she know them? The colorfully coated she-cat looked at the source of the voice and tilted her head to one side. She's seen him around, usually hanging out with Beartooth. She forgot his name. Flamepaw smiled awkwardly and nodded slowly. "S-Sure. Why were you in a rush? If you don't mind me asking." Nice going Flamepaw. You'll scare him off with your stuttering and nosy questions. The apprentice blushed in slight embarrassment as she waited for a response from him. Thank Starclan for fur.

Harepaw shuffled in discomfort, not expecting his question to be answered nor to be ask a question back. He wasn't even sure who he'd asked until he lifted his green eyes from the ground to her face. 'That's... Firepaw? Right? Blazepaw? No... definitely Firepaw.' But he couldn't just admit that he was fleeing camp, so he sputtered looking for an answer before he finally meowed a full sentence: "I saw that the fresh-kill pile was low, and, um, thought I should do something about it, but, ah, I didn't want to go alone, so I thought that, maybe, you'd... you'd want to... go. With me." Harepaw cut off there, eyes drifting away to avoid eye contact. 'I'm such a stupid mousebrain!' No wonder he didn't get to fight Lichenmask's cronies. He was too cowardly to talk to one of his own clanmates!

The she-cat looked down and played with her paws as she listened to the tom's explanation. She then lifted her head once he finished and gave him one of her rarer smiles. "T-That was very thoughtful o-of you to think o-of the clan like that...er...what's your name? I forgot to a-ask. Oh! M-Mine's Flamepaw...just...just so you know..." she whispered the last part with her head tilted in thought. I hope he doesn't find me strange. Flamepaw had never been invited to do anything with anyone before. She didn't want to come off as weird. That'd surely blow her chances to make friendships. Would she even make a good friend? Only Starclan knew.

Harepaw smiled hesitantly, at once grateful he didn't call her by the wrong name. Now that would have made this uncomfortable situation even worse than it already was. There had to be some way to break this tension. "Yes, ah, I'm Harepaw. It's a pleasure to meet you, Flamepaw." He meowed, forcing a smile. He hoped she could tell it wasn't her fault that this meeting was so... awkward. It was just a regrettable part of his personality. He paused momentarily, tail flicking from side to side, and then backed out of the way of the den exit. It'd probably help if he wasn't in her way. "Shall we head out, then?" Harepaw meowed, hoping the distraction of hunting would make things more relaxed, or at least not so uncomfortably personal. He quickly shuffled towards the camp exit, briefly checking if she was following, then headed out into the territory to find a good hunting spot.

OOC; that was bad haha. I was thinking they could bond over their failures/successes while hunting and maybe relax a bit lmao

OOC: Yeah! That'd be good! :)

IC: "Yeah. Let's go!" Flamepaw said enthusiastically. She felt the need to lighten up the mood for them both. The she-cat then began to follow the tom's lead, nodding at him when he looked back to check on her. She was secretly excited for this. She occasionally let it show by smiling. She rarely ever smiled a true smile. Most of her family was gone. What was there to be happy about? 'This.' said a voice in her head. She was finally going out to hang out and hunt with a den-mate. It was a turning point in her life.

It was rather quiet as the two apprentices searched for a great hunting spot. Flamepaw couldn't stop the nervousness from flowing through her. What if she messed up a catch? What if she embarrassed herself? She wouldn't be able to face anyone again! As those thoughts circled her mind, the she-cat had accidentally bumped into Harepaw from behind. "Oh!" The apprentice backed away quickly and looked down with embarrassment. "S-Sorry! I kinda blanked out there..." She flashed him a sheepish smile and then began to proceed ahead, leaving the tom a few lengths behind. She didn't want to make things anymore awkward for them.

The rest of the trip had continued without anymore hassle. Flamepaw made sure she was aware of her surroundings. Couldn't have anymore incidents happen. She was trying to make a friendship after all.

The duo had arrived to a section of the territory that had more prey scattered about than any other place. It might be because the sun was able to touch more spots on the ground. Even if it was really chilly, the sun helped a small amount to keep them warm.

Flamepaw turned to Harepaw and nodded. This was a place they could start at but the she-cat needed to know if the other agreed. "Harepaw, do you think this is a good place to start at?" Flamepaw then waited for a response, paws shuffling slightly.

The further they got, the less tense Harepaw began to feel. At least they both had a goal in mind, now, instead of searching for words and topics to talk about. 'Flamepaw. Flamepaw, Flamepaw, Flamepaw.' Harepaw repeated her name in his mind to make sure it was stuck in his memory for good. It made sense, he thought, because of the bright ginger patches in her fur. Her own brightened mood helped him considerably, and he allowed himself to return a smile or two as they trotted along in the territory, the occasional cold breeze ruffling their short pelts. He was sniffing the ground in search of prey-scent when Flamepaw bumped into him, startling him and making him jump a bit. "O-oh, no, I guess I shouldn't have stopped so suddenly," He responded, trying to flatten the areas where his fur had stuck up. That was embarrassing for sure. He was relieved when she hurried in front of him, content to follow for the rest of the excursion, until they found a suitable hunting spot. He intentionally stood in a patch of sun, allowing the heat to warm up his brown coat, and nodded to his hunting companion. "I think it'll do just fine, Flamepaw," He purred, smiling at her.

After smiling for perhaps too long, Harepaw broke eye contact and lifted his muzzle to look for scents of prey. He would need to focus in order to hear or smell signs of life. The flapping of small wings echoed in his ears, and he tracked the sound to a nearby root where a pigeon had settled down and began picking at the stump, no doubt hunting its own prey just beneath the bark. Unfortunately for Harepaw, he was so focused on his prey, he did not realize that he was being sized up and stalked as well. A rather large owl peered down from the branch above, watching the brown tomcat as he unknowingly stalked his own prey. The bird spread its tawny wings and silently descended upon Harepaw, talons reaching out for a direct attack to the unwitting apprentice's back and shoulders.

The owl used Talon Strike, dealing 10 damage and using 10 stamina.

Owl
50 HP/110 SP

Harepaw
10/20
80/80

ooc; welp. this did not go as planned, i'm so sorry x) think we can chase it off at half health tho

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 10

OOC: I'm terribly sorry for the delay! I had forgotten that it was my turn to post! ;-;

IC: The dazed apprentice locked eyes with the smiling tom for what seemed like countless moments before he turned away to begin hunting. She blinked and shook her head slightly, breaking from her trance. The apprentice then slowly padded away in search of some prey for her to hunt.

She didn't get very far before the sounds of a battle where Harepaw was reached her twitching ears. Her head whipped around and her body moved on its own as she raced to her friend's aid.

When she reached him, she saw an owl strike his back with it's talons. The she-cat hissed and jumped into action. As soon as it dove again, she jumped up, got a hold of one of it's wings and pulled it down to the ground with all her might. She pinned it down, placing both her paws on it's back, and held it there then looked up to address Harepaw, "Help me Harepaw! We need to kill this thing!" Flamepaw then began to rake with her unsheathed paws to start wearing it down.
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Flamepaw used Leap-and-hold, dealing 6 damage and using 10 sp.

Flamepaw:
20/20
70/80

Owl:
44/50
110/120

Harepaw:
10/20
80/80

Owl is pinned for 2 turns

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

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'Effect Dice' : 6

He hissed as the bird's talons raked across his back, an unexpected burst of pain that made him jump and crouch defensively. He snarled at the owl as it swooped back down to draw more blood, but then Flamepaw charged into the scene and took the creature down almost effortlessly. He stared for a few heartbeats, utterly shocked, before her meow snapped him out of it. Harepaw jumped forward, claws outstretched, and dragged them across its sides in an attempt to rip at its soft stomach. The owl struggled against Flamepaw's weight, screeching and thrashing.

Harepaw used Belly Rake, dealing 7 damage and using 10 stamina. The owl is pinned for 1 turn.

Flamepaw:
20/20
70/80

Owl:
37/50
110/120

Harepaw:
10/20
70/80

OOC: So much is going on in my life! ;-; Sorry for this delay and all future delays!

IC: Flamepaw continued to hold on and shred the bird's belly. She was no longer the doubting and self-conscious Flamepaw. When those she cares about are hurt or in trouble, she's ready to claw and tear the enemy apart. The apprentice didn't know how different she was acting. This was all pure instinct. It suited her name well. She always had the fiery spirit but the tragedies in her life had hid it away. Harepaw awoken what she had hid away for so long. She was not going to lose Harepaw to some dumb creature!
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Flamepaw continued to use Leap-and-hold, dealing 6 damage and using 10 sp.

Flamepaw:
20/20
60/80

Owl:
31/50
110/120

Harepaw:
10/20
70/80

Owl is pinned for 1 more turn

OOC2: Does this leap-and-hold still drain stamina? I'll edit my post if not!

OOC; yes it does, you've done it right :) it's at half health so we can either chase it off now or choose to kill it. I think we could get away with killing it for sure.

The encounter was at once frightening and exciting, slightly painful yet also surprisingly fun. Harepaw couldn't suppress a smile as the pair of apprentices successfully held down the owl, ripping feathers and flesh in several consecutive blows. He found his gaze travelling to Flamepaw, looking mighty as she kept her balance atop the predator's back, and for a few moments he was distracted once more. But then the owl let out another pained and angered shriek, and Harepaw snapped out of his trance and leapt forward to sink his claws back into it for another blow. "Come on, Flamepaw, let's teach this dumb bird a lesson!" He shouted, invigorated by battle for the first time in his life.

Harepaw used Front Paw Strike, dealing 6 damage and using 10 stamina.

Flamepaw:
20/20
60/80

Owl:
25/50
110/120

Harepaw:
10/20
60/80

The Owl is pinned.

"Yeah! This thing won't get out of this alive!" meowed the she-cat as she raked her claws once more before she began to feel the owl begin to slip from their grasps. "Watch out Harepaw! It's getting loose." warned the apprentice as she jumped back while signaling the tom to do the same. She didn't want any of them to get their claws stuck in it's feathers and get lifted into the air. It seemed to be exhausted but she could see the fury in it's eyes. With that type of anger, it may suddenly become even stronger. She could see that it wanted their blood badly. Flamepaw jumped in front of Harepaw to attempt to shield him from any upcoming attacks the bird may unleash.
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Flamepaw used Leap-and-hold one last time, dealing 6 damage.

Flamepaw:
20/20
60/80

Owl:
19/50
110/120

Harepaw:
10/20
60/80

Owl is no longer pinned

OOC: ok i've actually spoken to a knowledgeable staff member (unlike myself) and it turns out you don't use stamina for the second turn of leap and hold, sorry about the confusion!

Harepaw distanced himself from the thrashing bird at Flamepaw's suggestion, glad she jumped off instead of hanging on any longer than was safe. The owl's large wings battered the air around it, scattering feathers and droplets of blood around them. It rose in the air, flapping wildly in a fit of rage, and lunged for the apprentices with its sharp talons. Harepaw gasped as Flamepaw put herself in between himself and the bird, remembering the pain of being struck earlier. When the owl tore at her side, Harepaw skirted around and took the chance to rip at its exposed belly with his claws. Now he was just as angry as the bird, a renewal of his resolve to kill the thing already.

The owl used Talon Strike on Flamepaw, dealing 10 damage and using 10 stamina.

Harepaw used Belly Rake, dealing 7 damage and using 10 stamina.

Flamepaw:
10/20
60/80

Owl:
12/50
100/120

Harepaw:
10/20
50/80