Disturbing the Frost (Open Patrol)

Soft crunches sounded from within the heather expanses of WindClan's territory. The crisp morning air carried no breeze, only a light fog drifting up from the frost-laden grass as the sun heated their stalks from the chill of the night. Deerpaw stood near the head of the hunting patrol, his mouth agape for any lingering prey-scent. At this time of year, the hares and rabbits would be stringy, thin from the punishments Leafbare set upon them. Perhaps at this hour they'd still be asleep in their dens, sluggish and vulnerable from the cold. Though they wouldn't be easy pickings; his paws, though numb, could still feel the thorns of ice pricking as he stepped. The sound wouldn't go unnoticed forever either. The brown tom was certainly old enough to be a warrior, though he kept his reason to remain an apprentice to himself. Who in their right mind would believe him?

Barleytuft had been an early riser since kithood; he wasn't sure how his mother, Amberheart, had ever put up with him. It certainly helped make early morning patrols easier, though. Even leaf-bare hadn't put a damper on his ability to pop up with the sun. It certainly did make it harder to leave his nest, though. Still, the warrior had a job to do, so he had dragged himself up to meet with his assigned patrol. They left while the sun was still burning through the light fog, frosted earth and grasses crunching beneath their paws. It's a wonder we can ever catch anything in the leaf-bare, Barleytuft thought, feeling on edge by the constant sound. He looked at Deerpaw beside him, an apprentice who was older than he was. It was strange, but he didn't feel comfortable asking about it.

At a faint, musky scent, Deerpaw stopped mid-step. Though he didn't look at Barleytuft, he gave the tom a short flick of his tail before moving away. 'I'm going this way.' The brown apprentice twisted through the mostly dead grasses, following the smell of a hare that seemed to gather around one hole in the moor. Approaching cautiously, he listened just out of sight, situating himself above the hole. Soft, gentle breathing echoed quietly inside the den. Though he couldn't see it, it sure smelled like a hare.

After taking a deep breath, Deerpaw ducked into the dark hole, quickly finding his prize. It never knew he was there, as he gave it a sharp bite before it had the chance to wake. He dragged it out into the morning sun before burying it near a large stone - something more conspicuous than another hole in the ground.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

Barleytuft nodded once when Deerpaw indicated with his tail that he intended to go try to catch something in that direction. The sandy tabby warrior had scented the hare as well, but since the apprentice had found it first he had earned the opportunity to catch it. Instead Barleytuft continued to pad along for several tail-lengths until he heard the familiar scrabbling of paws in the dirt. He moved softly on his feet searching for the burrow which held a rabbit or hare. Intently focused on his task, Barleytuft thought little of it as a shadow fell over him.

That is, until he heard a piercing shriek in the sky. Up above an eagle circled, and the WindClan warrior's eyes met the large bird's causing his heart to freeze, skipping a beat. It dove for him and Barleytuft tried to make a mad dash out from its range, yowling, "Deerpaw! Eagle - watch the sky!" The words had just left his mouth when the eagle veered for him, claws trying to hook into his pelt. It caught onto his scruff and shoulders. Barleytuft let out a yowl of pain as he tore out from its wicked talons, creating large uneven gashes on his shoulders and it began to ascend. He lashed up with one paw, then another, yanking pawfuls of feathers out of the bird's tail before it could escape his grasp.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 10

The tom's ears focused on the screech high above, momentarily thinking to only keep an eye on the raptor, but it quickly dived towards the ground and he heard the yowls coming from Barleytuft. He leaped over the rock, practically using it to launch himself through the grass towards the warrior. Very little thought ran through his head, all save for the desire to get rid of the threat. Blood roared in his ears as he whizzed past the bleeding warrior, orange eyes trained on the back of the receding eagle. Just before it was out of reach, he launched himself at it, catching it by one of its featherless legs and weighing it down enough for it to fall back to the earth. It shrieked and beat its wings around his head, but he wouldn't let it get away. It seemed to already have a taste for cat.

Deerpaw used Run-and-Tackle on Eagle! It dealt 6 + 3 (not focused) damage and used 10 stamina.

Deerpaw
HP: 20/20
SP: 70/80

Eagle
HP: 35/60
SP: 180/200

Barleytuft
HP: 40/60
SP: 180/200

If Barleytuft hadn't been in so much pain and shock, he might have been impressed with the speed at which Deerpaw approached him and the large bird. The eagle, trying to ascend so it could make another attempt to dive at them, hadn't quite risen far enough to escape the elder apprentice's grasp. Barleytuft happened to glance up, gritting his teeth against the pain, as the tom leaped onto the bird. He snatched it by the leg and, despite its protests and furiously beating wings, dragged it back to the ground, practically throwing it onto the earth. The eagle let out a screech that made Barleytuft wince, and its thrashing became more violent and desperate. One claw lashed out, grazing Deerpaw's shoulders.

Barleytuft recognized its frantic movements; it was giving up the fight. Determined to see that it either fled or fell, Barleytuft lunged for it, ignoring the pain in his upper back and shoulders as he lashed furiously at its face. It let out cries of protest before flashing its wings out, battering both Deerpaw and Barleytut in the face. It was scrambling to its feet, and Barleytuft hissed, "Get back!" He scrambled backwards as a wing whipped by his face, and suddenly the eagle was taking off clumsily, spattering snow this way and that. Within a few moments it was in the air and retreating, the bird's normally smooth flight looking unsteady.

Barleytuft looked at Deerpaw and asked, "Are you alright? How bad did it get you?"

The Eagle used Talon Strike on Deerpaw, using 10 stamina and dealing 10 damage.
Barleytuft used Front Paws Strike, using 25 stamina and dealing 12 damage.
The Eagle has fled the battle. [chased off at less than 50% health]

Deerpaw
HP: 10/20 (-10)
SP: 70/80

Eagle
HP: 23/60 (-12)
SP: 170/200 (-10)

Barleytuft
HP: 40/60
SP: 155/200 (-25)

In those few moments all Deerpaw could see was the bird, its slashes and whaps not receiving much of a reaction as he held fast. Time moved like thick mud as the warrior battered the eagle's face until it could take no more. Though his gaze never faltered, he ducked and twisted out of the way of those massive wings, long feathers whizzing by his head as it took back to the air. This time, however, it seemed to have lost interest in making a meal out of the two WindClan toms. It took him a moment to register Barleytuft's words and only then did he notice the cut across his shoulder. It only stung, but of course he still had adrenaline running swift in his veins.

"I'll be fine," he said calmly before giving the wound a lick. A brief frown crossed his face when his eyes found the gashes in the cream tom's pelt. Those looked like they'd leave scars. "But you need to see Briarpaw." His voice remained flat, but his twitching tail betrayed his concern. 'Attacking a warrior? Are the birds that desperate? StarClan help us if there are more like that.'

Panting, Barleytuft looked nervously back up at the air as the bird slowly disappeared from view, fading out into the sky. Deerpaw replied and Barleytuft brought his gaze back to the other tom, but as he turned his neck he winced, letting out a little squeak of pain despite his gritted teeth. He glanced at the apprentice's wound, which already looked better after one quick lick. Obviously Deerpaw had noticed his injury, however, and stated that Barleytuft needed to see Briarpaw. The tabby warrior nodded shortly in agreement and rumbled, "Yeah, you're probably right." The warrior rolled his eyes and sighed, beginning to stride back towards camp and doing his best to walk in a way that stressed his wounds as little as possible. He asked Deerpaw, "Did you manage to catch what you were hunting?"