Here We Go, Now {Closed}

That morning, Hailpaw seemed to be even more energetic than she usually was. The fluffy white she-cat was currently standing at the edges of a sandy clearing, accompanied by an NPC warrior that she had already lost interest in. Some of the apprentices were to have sparring matches today. It was apparently some sort of mass training arranged by a few warriors. Hailpaw being Hailpaw, there was nothing that could get her more excited than the thought of a battle. If there was one fact disappointing, though, it was that claws were to be sheathed. There would be no spilling of blood. Without the thrill of raking her claws through another's pelt, feeling the sting of her own wounds, Hailpaw was afraid that it simply wasn't going to be as fun as an actual fight. It was a necessary sacrifice if she wanted to personally experience the strength of her fellow apprentices. Her opponent was supposedly going to be Harepaw, a tom that she sometimes saw hanging around Beartooth. He seemed to have a fairly good relationship with her older brother. Having never really had a proper conversation with him before, she could not say that she knew what kind of cat he was. Personality aside, she was more interested in finding out if he was strong.

Said tom had yet to arrive at the sparring grounds. He wasn't late, really; Hailpaw was just early. Still, she couldn't help but grow slightly impatient as she waited for the gray-brown apprentice to show himself. She flexed her claws into the soft dirt, bright eyes constantly scanning her surroundings. The recent death of her mentor Leafstorm still weighed on her mind. Just like Beepaw, he walked StarClan's hunting grounds now. As a warrior who had lived through many a conflict, there was so much he knew that he had not yet taught her. It was frustrating and painful to think about the late tom. They were emotions that she did not deal well with, and her only way of handling them was to throw herself into her training.

At the sound of approaching pawsteps, her gaze snapped in their direction. "There you are!" Hailpaw exclaimed, breaking into a wide grin. Leaving the impassive NPC behind, she bounded forward to greet Harepaw. "Your name's Harepaw, isn't it? Mine's Hailpaw. Let's get along!"

'Ugh. I hate group fighting days...' Sparring with Scarletsong was all good and well; she was nice and they practiced on rocks and bushes, not each other--unless she was demonstrating something complicated, in which case she didn't beat the stuffing out of him, which some other apprentices sometimes did by accident. Or on purpose. It was hard to tell with a few of them. Harepaw trudged through the territory on his way to the grounds, face sullen. He wasn't very good at masking his emotions, clearly. He'd been told earlier that Hailpaw was to be partner this time. 'Beartooth's sister, I think. That she-cat with the pretty white fur...' His eyes lifted as he briefly pondered her, expression unintentionally dreamy. She did have quite a lovely pelt, didn't she? She must be a very careful hunter with such a noticeable appearance. And he thought that cleaning it to keep it so snowy must be such a hassle for her. Harepaw considered that Hailpaw had to be a very careful, measured she-cat. Clearly, he'd never spoken to her before, but it was nice to think that his sparring partner would be pleasant and lovely to meet.

He stopped in his tracks, suddenly realizing he was at his destination when the blur of Hailpaw's white pelt and the sound of her voice pulled him from his daydream unexpectedly. "Oh. Yes, I'm Harepaw... a pleasure to meet you." He meowed, too surprised by the interruption of his thoughts to be awkward. Okay, maybe he was a little off the mark. He thought she was charming anyway, and smiled a dumb grin. She seemed pretty excited to meet him, which only encouraged his misconceptions more.

Hailpaw quickly decided that Harepaw seemed friendly enough. Well, he was Beartooth's friend after all. She doubted that her older brother would choose some cat of ill personality to get along with... Right? She better be right. "Perfect weather today, isn't it?" She asked, the grin still fixed on her face. "It's perfect for a battle." Of course, she had no idea what kind of impression Harepaw held of her. She was completely oblivious. It didn't take her much of an effort to begin shattering his illusion. "I'm so excited. Aren't you, too?" Her bright yellow eyes, connecting with Harepaw's green, almost seemed to sparkle. The scary part was that she sincerely held no ill will towards him. She was innocently, earnestly, anticipating what was to come.

Without waiting for a response from Harepaw, Hailpaw spun around and skipped back towards the NPC warrior. "He's here!" She announced energetically, "We can start now!" NPC warrior took one look at the fluffy white apprentice and sighed. He couldn't deal with this positiveness so early in the morning. Directing an uninterested glance towards Harepaw, he began to explain the rules for the training that they would carry out. They were pretty simple, really. The fight would take place within the bounds of a circle drawn out in the sand. Claws sheathed, the two young cats would tussle until one surrendered or was forced out of the ring. Simple rules were the best; they were easy to remember and gave one plenty of freedom. Hailpaw vigorously nodded out an "I've got it," but she was already looking forward to the start of the match and barely paid any attention to Mr. NPC.

Hailpaw needed no further encouragement to jump into the ring. She practically flew into it--such was her excitement. Facing Harepaw, a light smirk crossed her maw. "I'll warn you, though. I'm pretty strong! You'll have to do your best!"

At that moment, a listless "Match, start!" resounded within the cool morning air.

He was a bit taken aback by her eagerness to fight. Well, at least someone here had some energy for training, right? Maybe she just really liked to practice. She probably was this excited for hunting a patrolling, too, Harepaw reasoned incorrectly. Harepaw listened to the NPC warrior's instructions, absentmindedly drifting away in his thoughts again. When Hailpaw spoke, he suddenly realized that he's missed the instructions, but a glance at the circle in the sand gave him an idea of what to do, and of course he already knew not to use claws. "uh, yes. Understood." He meowed, then followed Hailpaw to the ring. Her smirk was a little bit worrying. She seemed awfully excited about this...

The warrior's call was met with hesitation. Harepaw didn't move immediately, unsure whether she really meant that she was strong or if she was teasing. Either way, Harepaw didn't actually want to try that hard. He rather liked looking at her pretty amber eyes and talking with her. He shook his head, realizing that standing in the circle motionless wasn't going to get them any closer to the end of this training session, so he launched himself at her, albeit much more softly than he had in other situations like this. Perhaps his reservation would bite him in the butt today.

Harepaw used Front Paw Blow on Hailpaw, dealing 4 damage and using 5 stamina.

Harepaw:
20/20
75/80

Hailpaw:
16/20
80/80

Even after the match had begun, Hailpaw simply stood still. While she was usually one to take the initiative, it was her intention to let Harepaw get the first blow in this time. Well, he was a clanmate after all. She could afford to go a tiny bit easier on him. She really wanted to see how strong he was. Harepaw, surprisingly, did not move immediately either. He actually seemed to hesitate for a moment. Oh? Hailpaw noted curiously, This is interesting. Still, showing an opening before an enemy was never a good idea—unless they were Hailpaw, but Harepaw wasn't Hailpaw. At last, he came lunging forward. The fluffy white molly "Oof"ed as the two apprentices tumbled unto the sand. His blow was softer than she had expected. Was it just the lack of claws, or was he going easy on her? No, no, he could surely hit harder than he had, even without claws. He really was going easy on her.

Reflexes were everything in a battle. In a flash, Hailpaw had leaped back up. Her paw was a blur of white through the air before it made contact with the side of Harepaw's head. As soon as she had struck him, she darted a few steps backwards so as to be out of his range. Eyes were set on their sparring match, and she had made sure to keep her claws sheathed. "I warned you, didn't I?" She asked, raising one eyebrow mischievously, "That's how you ought to hit. You're going to have to try a lot harder, Harepaw~"

Quite frankly put, Hailpaw was annoyed that a clanmate of hers would dare to go pull their blows on her. You'd better take this seriously, or else it wouldn't be any fun! Still, her cheerful demeanor did not waver in the least.

Hailpaw used Front Paw Strike, dealing 6 damage and costing 10 stamina.

Hailpaw
16/20
70/80

Harepaw
14/20
75/80

The connection between her paw and his head took him by surprise, as did the force that they connected with. He was a bit dizzy and stumbled slightly out of pure shock, completely evident on his face. She was right. She did warn him, and he pulled punches anyway. Judging by her form and enthusiasm, Hailpaw was not new to battling and would handle him just fine. Harepaw felt like an idiot at her taunting, and readjusted his form so that he was slightly crouched in a defensive posture. The sudden tension of the sparring match plus the gaze of the cats around them made him feel panicked, and a slight adrenaline rush like the one he felt during the scuffle a the ShadowClan border blocked out his thoughts. Instead he grit his teeth charged at her with all the force he could muster in such close quarters. They collided, his paws slamming into her chest and shoulder briefly connecting with hers. He hoped he wouldn't disappoint her this time. He really didn't like fighting.

Harepaw used Run-and-Tackle on Hailpaw, dealing 6 damage and using 10 stamina.

Harepaw
14/20
65/80

Hailpaw
10/20
70/80

Hailpaw noticed the shift in Harepaw's behavior and grinned slightly. Great. It seemed that he had taken her words to heart. He was finally getting serious. Despite what her careless attitude might seem to suggest, her bright gaze was sharp, taking in her opponent's every little movement. Her muscles tensed beneath her thick white pelt, like springs set to be released. In the next instance, motion exploded across the scene. Hailpaw staggered beneath the weight of the paws that struck her. Her fluffy tail lashed against the ground, stirring the sand. "That's more like it!" She exclaimed, as her yellow eyes connected with his green. Springing forward, she slammed her shoulder into the other apprentice's side. Allowing momentum to guide her movements, she threw him down. Now! She was not one to pass up an opportunity, speedily pinning Harepaw to the ground. "You move too slowly." She mewed playfully. While she might have been a she-cat, Hailpaw was easily as large as most toms her age. Her size proved especially beneficial to her love of fighting.

Hailpaw used Leap and Hold, dealing 6 damage and costing 10 stamina. Harepaw is pinned for one turn.

Hailpaw
10/20
60/80

Harepaw
8/20
65/80

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

---

'Effect Dice' : 1

Harepaw could feel the breath rush out of his lungs when he was knocked to the ground and pinned, eyes widening in panic and limbs flailing fruitlessly as he struggled against her weight. He was a thin, scrawny cat, and as tall as he was becoming, he had no weight and no stature. Without the use of claws, Harepaw had practically no defense against the stronger apprentice. His hind legs scrabbled against the ground and her legs without enough force to rescue himself from this unfortunate situation. He could feel the gazes of other apprentices burning into him, but right now he was a bit too scrambled to pay them any mind and instead was shifting his attention between Hailpaw, to his own struggle to breathe, and to the ground he was being pressed against. An uncharacteristic snarl escaped his lips in his panic. It was certainly not on purpose, although it was unlikely to matter in the end.

Harepaw is no longer pinned.

Harepaw
8/20
65/80

Hailpaw
10/20
70/80

Harepaw attempted to put up a struggle, but it was not much of one. He was barely able to loosen the other apprentice's hold. Hailpaw could see the panic filling the tom's green eyes, could hear the snarl that slipped from parted jaws. The gleeful expression slipping off her face, she gazed down upon her struggling opponent with cold yellow eyes. No good, huh? He was not strong enough. Holding him down any longer would be pointless. With a soft grunt, she kicked out at his exposed underbelly with her hind legs. Instead of the familiar sensation of claws sinking into flesh, her paws made contact with soft fur. The difference was striking, but it was not enough to throw her off. Hailpaw released the other apprentice and took a step back. She took up a defensive stance, waiting for Harepaw to get up.

Hailpaw used Belly Rake, dealing 7 damage and costing 10 stamina.

Hailpaw
10/20
50/80

Harepaw
1/20
65/80

OOC: I forgot to subtract from the stats in my last post. Would you mind editing your last post accordingly? ;)

While he was immensely grateful that his innards would remain inside as they belonged, the sensation of being kicked in the stomach was still unpleasant at best and painful in this particular situation. Harepaw grunted from the force and continued his pointless struggling, stopping only to stare back into her eyes with confusion behind them. This pretty she-cat seemed like she was enjoying this too much, which was concerning considering he was her denmate and on her side. He supposed he was lucky that she wasn't really clawing his guts out and was merely pummeling him to bits in front of everyone else present. Being released was an unexpected mercy, and he took no time to roll right out of the ring they were fighting in. Sure, he was a coward. He wasn't afraid to admit that. Harepaw would rather not deal with any more unnecessary kicks and slaps, frankly, and he sighed in both relief and disappointment when the unenthusiastic NPC warrior stepped in to call the match. The scrawny tom took care to avoid her gaze and ignore her reaction, as angered as it was sure to be judging by her frightening interest in turning him into crowfood with her bare paws.

Harepaw forfeited cause he's a quitter and a wuss.

In an instance, Hailpaw understood what the other apprentice intended to do. "Ah! Hey—!" The protest sputtered forth, but it was to no avail. The border of the ring was left blurred as Harepaw rolled over it. The stocky she-cat could only stare in wide-eyed disbelief, her gaze never leaving Harepaw even at the words of the NPC warrior. Of all the possible things to do...! Parting her jaws, she drew a sharp intake of breath. She was struck with the intense desire to put her current feelings to words, but language failed her at this moment. Anger swelled slowly and surely within her, like pressure within a vessel that would soon break. Pale grains of sand had clung to the tom's richly-colored pelt, and they were shaken off as he stood. He was deliberately avoiding her gaze, and wisely so. The realization caused every strand of fur on her pelt to prickle with frustration. No cat ought to run away from a battle, especially a battle with her. Such were not the actions of a warrior. "You coward!" She yowled, bounding after him. If he thought she would simply allow him to walk away, he was greatly mistaken. Ignoring the warning glare of the NPC, she skidded to a stop before Harepaw. Her burning gaze clashed against his.

"What's with this conclusion? It's unacceptable!" Speaking heatedly, Hailpaw lashed her feathery tail. The main force behind her words was not fury or outrage. Sure, she was angry, but there was something else—something else at stake. "How could you quit like that? Have you no pride at all? Don't give up so easily!" Her voice rose along with the agitation in her tone. "You hadn't lost yet! You had a chance, but you threw it away! There's no fun in winning like this. Were you looking down on me?" The stares of her clanmates bore into her pelt, but she barely noticed them. Pride and passion were on the line here. To quit a match the way Harepaw did was nothing but a disgrace to both parties. Had he not experienced even a portion of the thrill she had? He was taking everything too lightly.

He was fully prepared to leave despite her protests, but Hailpaw's sudden stop in front of him caused Harepaw to halt in place. For a mere second he thought she might leap upon him and finish what she had been doing earlier, but she skidded short and glared at him with such a ferocity that he shuddered. His posture remained closed and submissive, shoulders hunched slightly and tail drooping by his hind legs. The brown apprentice was very bad at confrontations and was quite bewildered, unsure what to say, if anything at all, that would calm her down. "Unacceptable?" Harepaw echoed in his own stuttering voice. Doubt clouded his mind as Hailpaw went on, wondering if he really had done something wrong. But the unimpressed warrior had said nothing, and the other apprentices continued with their sparring. He was still searching for a response when she reached her final question, at once making him feel ashamed and yet also indignant.

"Looking down on you?" His expression was a mixture of confusion and annoyance, although he didn't know if either emotion was justified. "Well yeah, maybe I was being casual at first, but it wasn't because I thought you were bad! I just wasn't expecting you to be so... I dunno, serious?" Harepaw shrugged, a guilty frown on his face. He had really expected something much friendlier and even relaxed. They were both pretty old apprentices; Harepaw didn't know Hailpaw still treated training sessions like they were the most important things in a clan cat's life. His green eyes shifted, avoiding eye contact wherever he could manage, and eventually settled on the ground at his paws where he scuffed the dirt subconsciously. "I didn't realize it meant this much to you... I'm sorry. But I just don't agree with you that I could've won. There's a limit, y'know? You have to know when you're outmatched, and it turns out I'm outmatched very easily..." An awkward, forced laugh escaped his mouth, although it was very unconvincing. Harepaw looked back up, face grim. "I don't have any pride. It's hard to have any when you're a bad apprentice who couldn't win a fight to save his life. Not all of us like getting our pelts clawed, Hailpaw. Not even in pretend fights. It's embarrassing." He sighed and turned away, having finally worked up the courage to pull himself away. "Go ahead and tell the others what you want. There's not a lot you could say about me that I haven't thought of already." Harepaw meowed, resigned to his defeat. The fact that she was likely repulsed by his behavior was an extra blow to his already-shaken confidence.

Come on, look me in the eye! Who're you having a conversation with?

As Harepaw's gaze seemed to dart about, focusing everywhere but on Hailpaw's face, the fluffy she-cat clenched her jaws in frustration. She leveled a steady glare at the other apprentice, one that he could probably feel burning into his fur. The lack of eye contact bothered her to no end. One ought always to face his peers head on. Such was the belief that she held, and Harepaw's behavior was not fitting. Of course, someone as strong and confident as Hailpaw would not be able to easily understand his feelings. The difference in their natural ability aside, she also happened to be rather dense. Emphasis on the "rather." She was the type to get swept away in the moment, who was likely to be unaware of anything not clearly explained to her. Fortunately, Harepaw did explain. As he spoke, Hailpaw felt her anger begin to drain away, seemingly seeping away into the very sand beneath her paws. When the last word had left the tom's mouth, the white apprentice found herself speechless. For a brief moment of awkward silence, she fumbled around for the words that she always seemed to have.

What surprised her was Harepaw's attitude towards himself. From the moment of her birth, Hailpaw had always been filled with confidence. Faith in herself seemed to come almost naturally. This mysterious confidence, of course, originated partly from her skills and abilities. However, even if she had born talentless, it was very likely that she would still have turned out the same way. It was one of her strengths, but also one of her weaknesses. Gladepaw might have called it courage; Pricklepaw would have called it recklessness. At that moment, Hailpaw was struck by a realization. Rather than being the kind of cat who would quit at the first sight of difficulty, who had just been playing around, Harepaw had honestly believed that he stood no chance. The cat that stood before her was well-aware of his flaws, and his words were tinted with self-deprecation. She had never been very good at reading others; it was no surprise that she would misunderstand his intentions.

"Not all of us like getting our pelts clawed, Hailpaw." Well, good point.

"... My motto is to live life as seriously as possible." After a moment's hesitation, Hailpaw was finally able to respond. Raising a nonexistent eyebrow, she went on, "I can't see the point of going through life half-heartedly. But I guess that has nothing to do with you, huh." Her expression was one of solemnity, her tone dry. Every now and then, the fluffy apprentice was capable of showing her serious side as well. At the very least, she appeared to have calmed down, no longer boiling with white-hot energy. "Fine. I guess a rematch right now would be pointless anyway. There's nothing I can do, so I'll let this pass..." Before Harepaw could take the opportunity to escape, however, the young she-cat once more cut before him. For StarClan's sake, they would make eye contact, if it was the last thing she accomplished. Her frowning features drew closer to the tom's face than was probably appropriate. Hailpaw being Hailpaw, however, she either failed to notice or did not mind the proximity. "But hey! I warned you, didn't I? I told you I was strong. What's all this talk about being easily outmatched? You're not weak; I'm just strong! Don't get your facts wrong. I've fought cats who put up even less of a fight than you did." Sharp gaze narrowing, she continued to protest, "And do you really think I'm the kind of cat to go around telling everyone what a poor fighter you supposedly are? I've got no time for something like that!" It turned out that she had been mistaken. In his own way, Harepaw had been taking the battle seriously—or so she supposed. Still, she could not help being bothered by the way he spoke of himself.

All of a sudden, an idea popped into her head, and Hailpaw grinned slyly. "But I suppose I could tell them how pretty your green eyes are up close." During the sparring bout, she had noticed his eyes upon pinning him down. The thought had flitted through her mind, only to be pushed aside in the heat of the moment. Now that they were no longer fighting, she could certainly see that she had been right. Flicking the tip of her feathery tail, she took a step back. "Maybe everyone'd want to spar with you, then."

How could he have possibly avoided the gaze of a cat forcing her muzzle into his face? Her quick movement caught him off guard, and Harepaw's eyes widened as he stared back into Hailpaw's. He wasn't expecting her to accept or even understand his reluctance to fight. Could it be that she didn't think so poorly of him, even after this display? Astounded by the idea that Hailpaw, brave and strong as she was, would be so forgiving of his fearful behavior, Harepaw could only stutter and stumble over words that he didn't even know he was saying. "I guess... I didn't really... not sure...? Uh..." His babbling went unnoticed as the other apprentice continued speaking. After a brief moment of processing what Hailpaw had just said about his eyes, his pelt immediately grew hot with self-consciousness. 'Are my eyes really pretty?' was his first thought, immediately followed by, 'Wait, does this mean... she likes me?'

His gaze again flicked away as he battled awkwardness and embarrassment. He'd never even considered that someone might think highly of him, especially not a she-cat, and especially not one standing this close. But Harepaw could tell that his lack of eye contact was frustrating to her, and he did his best to look her in her eyes, although he glanced away briefly now and then out of habit. "Oh, uh, I hope they don't try to spar with me..." He meowed, offering a small chuckle in an effort to relax. Was it normal for a heat to beat this fast? He was sure Hailpaw would hear it through his chest, although she did step back which seemed to lessen the tension just slightly. He shifted his weight, feeling uncomfortable, and wished the fog in his brain would lift. 'I'm so confused! What if she doesn't like me, but she's being nice? But what if she does and I act rude to her? But...' His jumbled thoughts continued in this vein, and meanwhile, he began to meow words that he wasn't even sure he was saying correctly. "Well, your eyes are good too... I mean pretty! Like, in the... really nice... kind of way..." Internally, he was screaming.