Youth: Barleytuft's Patrol [closed]

"Oh, bucks and does, this was a perfect day for fog," Barleytuft muttered with dry sarcasm as he gazed out over the moor, dark hazel eyes scanning for the shape of Puddlepaw in what he could see. The pale, thin light of the sun stretched through a silvery veil that covered everything more than ten fox-lengths ahead. Any tracker knew the hindrance that moisture could cause. As the evenings grew cooler against the heavy heat of the days, mists and fogs rolling over the territory in the mornings were becoming more common. The morning when a hunting patrol was out searching for a missing apprentice was probably the worst time for it.

The pale tabby warrior glanced back to his companions. Elmskip and Grousefrost moved swiftly with him. "Truthfully, I don't know that Puddlepaw ever showed any interest in tunneling. She seemed like a moor-runner through and through if she was a WindClan cat at all. Let's keep our search shallow until we find something definitive, and have one of us on the surface at all times."

ooc;; In this topic, we will be using the Effect Dice to determine whether Barley, Grouse, or Elm will be able to find any evidence. First we need to find a scent. A roll between 1-2 means your cat has found a strong scent, and will find a good lead to where Puddlepaw went. A roll between 3-4 means your cat has caught a weak scent; it's better than nothing, however it doesn't give a precise trail to follow. A roll between 5-6 means your cat failed to catch a scent - better luck next time!

A silver ear twitched at Barelytuft’s remark. A grim nod his acknowledgement as they padded through the morning mist. The tunnels weren’t far, but he could barely see the tussocks that marked them through the grey mist coating everything. He listened silently as the older tom continued to talk, his nose hovering over the ground. With sight basically useless, scent was the superior and more effective option.

If a little difficult to find at first.

“Apprentices rarely stick to what they know.” Grousefrost looked up at the pale ginger tom with a huff, clearing his nose of the wet smells of dirt and grass. “Their harebrained curiosity too often gets the better of them.” He turned his nose back to the ground. The memory of Quailpaw struck him hard. How Goldengale still seemed to mourn for him. His gaze flicked to Barleytuft, wondering if the older tom had made the same realisation as the scent suddenly crossed his muzzle.

THERE!. He pressed his muzzle closer towards the ground, scenting to make certain it wasn’t just the scent of where the apprentice stopped for a moment. Instead there was a definitive scent trail… and relief swelled in his chest.

“Got it. Over here, Puddlepaw’s scent is strong.” He called out as he turned to look for Elmskip and Barleytuft.

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

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'Effect Dice' : 2

Elmskip limped after his companions, green eyes focused on the ground. It was no use trying to peer through the mist anyway. He kept quiet as he listened to his friend Barleytuft speak, mind racing. His generally pessimistic way of thinking kept telling him that there was no way Puddlepaw was still alive, but his logic told him that it was better to have hope than to just sink further into the dark cloud that ravaged his brain. As he walked, he kept his head low and mouth parted to try and catch a scent trail better. The ground was wet, the smells of the moor mixing with various prey- and WindClan-scents. This was going to be difficult.

The tortoiseshell warrior weaved behind the other two, trying to catch all the possibilities of where Puddlepaw could have gone. Unfortunately, the mingling scents were too much to pick through; he couldn't get anything at all. He sighed heavily with frustration, shaking his head to try and clear his nose. Then Grousefrost spoke up. Once again, the extremely efficient warrior had found a scent trail. "Good job, Grousefrost. Which way do we go now?" he mewed, feeling a pang of jealousy that it wasn't him that had found something. That was selfish of him but he wanted to be useful too.

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

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'Effect Dice' : 6

Sandpaw hadn't been ordered to go on this patrol. She admitted it, she just hadn't. However, her frustration was growing with her status in the clan. Younger cats all around her were made warriors, and it made Sandpaw wonder. Did Finchstar not trust her dedication to her home clan? Her blood? At the very least, her brother? When it had come to the conclusion that Puddlepaw was missing, Sandpaw's mind flashed to Lion's Skull tiny body. Death hurt. She was sensitive to it, and despite not knowing the other cat well she still felt the motherly urge to go and find her.

So Sandpaw followed the Tunneling group out without a word. The mist covered her scent for long enough until the group stopped. For a second, she paused. It wouldn't be too late to turn around act like she had ever left. Nah. That would be useless.

"Don't you know, Grousefrost, waiting around is inefficient." Her cool voice broke into the mist around the group. Though her tone was grave, her tail flick and eyes portrayed a sense of humor that never seemed to leave the cat. Grousefrost had caught a scent. Though she didn't smell anything new, she took the few steps over to find the scent Grousefrost had pointed out. ((Oops. dice roll hates plot progression)) Her blue gaze followed an invisible trail. It leaded straight to a tunnel. "This way!" She called and without hesitation, cleared the few tail lengths and dove naturally into the tunnel.

Darkness hit her face but she was used to it. She had been in this tunnel before, even. The dirt muddled up scents - StarClan what was wrong with her nose? - but she was coming up to a den, she was sure of it. Only a few-

And then she hit something.

A large snarl erupted around her and immediately she screamed, desperately attempting to scramble backwards. Claws swung at her face and her heart was racing faster than a rabbit's.

Harsh, sharp teeth grabbed her by the scruff and dragged her against her will. Her large, thick claws were no use holding her still. Another yowl escaped her lips as she was thrown into the wall. Her body hit the dirt of the fox's den with a thud, and the air whooshed out of her lungs. Groaning, Sandpaw felt herself fade in and out of consciousness...

The fox had returned. Turning it's back to the tunnel, the fox approached the stunned cat. Oh yes, another toy so soon. All alone and oh-so-stupid. Didn't the cute little thing know you should never hunt alone?

Fox #1 used ??? on Sandpaw and dealt 15 damage and used 20 stamina. Sandpaw is stunned for one turn.

Fox
75/75 Health
180/200 Stamina

Sandpaw
5/20 Health
80/80 Stamina

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

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'Effect Dice' : 6

Barleytuft nodded once, slightly, at Grousefrost's response, and was about to mutter agreement when the tom went on. The words the younger warrior said this time made Barleytuft's teeth grit together slightly as they settled sourly on his ears: “Their harebrained curiosity too often gets the better of them.” Grousefrost's head ducked slightly, and not a moment later the senior warrior saw the severe-eyed warrior's furtive, fleeting glance. Yes, their thoughts had fallen to the same dark place - how could they not? Quailpaw's curiosity wasn't harebrained, he wanted to protest, yet he had no choice but to admit, but the way he acted on it was. All they could do was hope that the way Puddlepaw acted wouldn't yield the same result.

The pale tom forced his thoughts away from his son. He was dead and thinking of him now did nothing for Puddlepaw, who could be alive. It was a hard, revolting truth that Barleytuft hated to swallow yet had to choke down every minute of every day. His son was dead and he had failed to find him. He just prayed they could find Puddlepaw.

The gray warrior's voice caught Barleytuft's attention and he looked to see that Grousefrost was focused, hot on a trail. Immediately he was rushing to his patrol member's side to try to take in the mouthful of scent - their first since testing her last traces in camp. Elmskip joined them swiftly, and asked Grousefrost expectantly for direction.

A haughty voice suddenly broke through the tense focus of the patrol, the voice of a she-cat who'd not been invited. Barleytuft immediately felt his tail lash as he whirled his head to watch Sandpaw approaching as casually as if she'd merely been running behind. "We aren't waiting around; we're finding the trail before we waste time," the senior warrior's stern voice immediately chided her, but she wasn't listening. She shouldered her way in, helping herself to the trail scent they had found, and then suddenly the tunnel-loving tabby was racing down into a nearby tunnel entrance with a cry without waiting for any kind of response.

Barleytuft let out an exasperated, almost angry sigh and groaned, "What's really inefficient is making a search patrol search for the cat who wasn't even lost!"

The pale tom spat with frustration and said shortly to his companions, "Keep above ground - we'll be right back. Keep on the scent." As he was speaking he was already loping towards the gap, and he too dove into the depths without hesitation.

[Dice Roll of 1, Barleytuft gets a good lead about what happened to Puddlepaw...]

Instantly, Barleytuft knew something was wrong. Something was terribly, terribly wrong. He had scented death in the tunnels too many times recently, but this was different - the tunnels themselves had not caused the death he scented now, but Barleytuft knew without a doubt that it was here, and it was the source. The overwhelming scent of blood hit him, and--

"Fox! No, no! Sandpaw - Sandpaw!" he cried in alarm, and almost immediately he received a blood-curdling response of a scream only tail-lengths away accentuated with a gangly, choked snarling of a fox. There was a fox den ahead, he knew, and Sandpaw had run directly into it.

Barleytuft was flying through the shadows, and suddenly the tunnel opened around him to show he had made it to the den. He could see nothing; his nose was overwhelmed and burning with the scent of blood, old and new, and fox scent. Sandpaw was here, he knew, and he could feel from the tension crackling in the air that the fox had the apprentice cornered. Stars, could he smell Puddlepaw too...? It was all so muddled.

Barleytuft surged forward blindly with a yowl of rage and fear; his instincts and tunneling senses told him where to lunge to hit the creature somehow, but where was beyond him. Don't fight in the tunnels! You stupid, stupid...! He body-checked the creature and felt the wind rush from his lungs at the force, but the fox was certainly off-balanced.

He couldn't see where Sandpaw was; he had no idea if she was even okay. "Sandpaw! Sandpaw, run! Please, Sandpaw, Puddlepaw, if you're here, get out! Surface! Surface!" He couldn't know if his words meant anything.

Barleytuft used Run and Tackle on Fox #1, using 10 SP and dealing 16 (13+3) HP.

Barleytuft
100/100 HP
270/280 SP (-10)

Fox
59/75 Health (-16)
180/200 Stamina

Sandpaw
5/20 Health
80/80 Stamina

The member 'Honey Badger' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Effect Dice' : 1

Grousefrost’s head lifted in surprise as his sister bounded up behind him. He barely found a word to say edgewise before she bounded off, wrecklessly, into a tunnel entrance. He turned to Barleytuft, ears flattened in annoyance as he nodded to the older tom in agreement. Padding around the tunnel entrance towards another nearby one. Yowls suddenly echoed from the depths, and Grousefrost leapt towards the other end of the tunnel.

It would be ineffecient and dangerous to run in the direction they had gone down. Without knowing what was down there, all it would do is trap them. Instead, he bolted for the other entrance.

“SANDPAW! PUDDLEPAW, BARLEYTUFT! THIS WAY!” He yowled loudly, hoping his voice could be heard over the growling and snarling inside. “Run towards my voice! Get out for Starclan’s SAKE! ” He waited for a moment. Head reeling with the realization that he might lose Sandpaw this day... his sister who had just returned.

Worse, that he might lose Barleytuft. The older tom's experience was valuable to the clan, they couldn't afford to just lose him to a fox because some cat had acted recklessly!

Yellow eyes glimmered in the darkness, a russet form slinking against the wall of the den as its ears perked at the sound of combat. It seemed its prey had come straight to them. Yowls of panic, cries to flee if given the chance...It was almost amusing to the fox as it lowered itself to the ground, prowling forward as it could just barely make out the three shapes that were in a tussle at the entrance. With a growl, it leaped forward toward the form that had rammed into its companion and was shouting for the other cat to flee, teeth bared and claws raking into the tom's side as it threw him to the ground - further from the entrance. It pulled back as it held itself between him and the exit, the bared teeth turning into a sickening grin at the idea of the slaughter that was about to commence, sparing a glance toward the other fox to make sure they were alright before starting to stalk toward the tom.

Fox 2 used ??? on Barleytuft and dealt 15 damage and used 20 stamina. Barleytuft is stunned for one turn.

Fox 2:
75/75 Health
180/200 Stamina

Barleytuft
85/100 HP
270/280 SP

(OOC: on mobile ack)

It all happened so quickly. Sandpaw came rushing in and darted down the tunnel. Barleytuft went after her. Grousefrost ran around to the other side, yowling. Elmskip stood rooted in place for what seemed like moons, watching with horror. Something was wrong. There were growling and yipping coming from the tunnels. Foxes. He shook his head. Move, you idiot. Do something, anything.

Before he knew it, he was sprinting for Grousefrost and the opposite entrance to the tunnels. He had to get in there. He couldn't lose his best friend and Grousefrost couldn't lose his sister. He limped down into the tunnels, all senses on high alert. There was at least one fox here and unfortunately, the stench of death and fear was very strong. Something moved ahead of him, he could hear its claws and its heavy breath panting. Mixed in with the reeking fox smell was the smell of cat further ahead. Barleytuft and Sandpaw were here somewhere. Mind racing, he decided the thing ahead was a fox and unsheathed his claws. Something thick and fluffy swiped near his face in the darkness and he quickly sank his teeth into it with a ferocious cry, raking the heavy body ahead with needle-sharp claws.

Elmskip used Teeth Grip on Fox #1, dealing 8 damage and costing 20 SP. Fox #1 is gripped for 1 turn.

Elmskip
40/40 HP
110/130 SP (-10)

Fox #1
51/75 HP (-8)
180/200 SP

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

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'Effect Dice' : 2

Sandpaw's head felt fuzzy. Faint noises of battle and screaming made her rock back and forth. Inside her head- it felt like mush. It almost buzzed, as if five hundred angry bees were locked in her head. Stinging her brain and fighting to get out. The fox turned away, facing Barleytuft. She stood, her legs wobbling from the force of hitting the wall. Her slender legs gave out with a small yelp, as her forehead bad touch a stone, slicing her head open. A new type of pain joined in the buzzing but slowly, slowly her thoughts seemed to connect that she just had to get back up and fight this fox.

Sandpaw is stunned for one turn. She will be free next turn.

The russet fox snarled, whipping around as another cat attacked her behind. It yowled. Oh, how did yowling activate it's predator instincts. Teeth bared, the fox lunged forward and snapped it's jaw shut. Foxdung, it missed it's grip but managed to graze the skin enough to open it; drops of blood made it to the fox's tongue driving her even more crazily. Another fox. Her partner. Without acknowledgment, the fox fell into a familiar fighting pattern with her partner, swiping and snarling in unison. Faintly over the howl and aggression of battle, a weird pattern of footsteps came up from behind her. Turning her head just in time, she felt teeth clamp down on her. The fox began to shake about, attempting to knock off the humorously maimed cat.

Fox #1 is gripped for one turn. She will be released after this turn.

Barleytuft had only just managed to recover himself from the body-slam before a nearly-invisible mass streamed from some dark recess of the den and raked his side with gutting intent. The warrior felt the breath sucked out of him in a strained gasp as he staggered, stumbled, and fell to his side on the cold earth. He groaned, all his mind trying to focus on the fresh wounds he had received. Not now, Barleytuft protested to the sudden fog in his head as he scrambled to regain his footing and get some kind of bearing on where he was and what was happening. How many foxes were there? Was Sandpaw still alive?

Barleytuft is stunned.

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The nearby den had exploded into chaos. Above in the mists, the slender, pale-coated fox with a marred side could hear when the snarling and yowling began. The creature's thick tail began to lash, but it waited - planning. It couldn't see the shapes running desperately down into the tunnels after their companions, but the predator could hear them. Its deep, burning amber eyes glinted with bloodthirst and impatience. Further the cats descended into the tunnel, and closer they raced to their doom. Their companions had been trapped, and now the foolish "rescuers" would be too. They thought that fighting two foxes was bad enough?

Never hunt alone. These predators lived by that motto, and the pale fox's long, slender head swung aside to glance a shadow nearby. The companion. With one low yip, the fox descended into the tunnel behind the cats. The eyes no longer served here, but fear was a powerful marker, and the fox quickly located one of the scrawny felines that had entered. With a snarl, the fox surged forward, slamming a wicked claw into the tom's hindquarters to throw him to the ground.

Fox #3 used ??? on Grousefrost, using 20 SP and dealing 15 HP. Grousefrost is stunned for one turn.

Fox 3:
75/75 Health
180/200 Stamina (-20)

Grousefrost:
30/45 Health (-15)
160/160 Stamina