Esquisse of Violence [WAR] // Lionize

The great brown leader's words confused Salamander, to put it simply. Why was this tom showing him mercy? The leader, no less? And to him- his attacker and the descendant of the cats who single-handedly had wronged everyone? He didn't deserve mercy, or kindness, or gentle words. Especially right after he fought him so ruthlessly.

The calico unsheathed his claws to deliver another strike, but paused. He was offering mercy. No matter how hard he fought, it was evident his tiny body wouldn't make a dent against a seasoned leader. He would only get injured horribly in trying. Even Asterstrike was urging him to leave. "I-I..." he stuttered, putting his paws back firmly on the ground. What would Silent Snows think, or Night, or Copper, watching him endanger himself from wherever they were? He wanted to be brave for them, for their memory, but would they truly want him to endanger himself like this?

Sally had just decided to surrender when something large rammed into him.

Salamanderpaw has been KO'd by Dustcloud at -7 HP!

This was it. The force of the impact had left him on the verge of unconsciousness. He disoriented and wheezing, blindly flailing his legs in an attempt to find solid ground. The mixture of blood and dirt in his mouth left a horrid taste that only exemplified the horrid pain he felt. The moment he got back onto his paws, he rushed back to the safety of the swamp, leaving the battleground without a second thought.

The large dark tabby felt a surge of dread as the apprentice was rammed into by a swirl of silver fur, he recognized his mate, but she was gone as quick as she came and he bent down sympathetically at Salamanderpaw, only to feel a flood of relief as the apprentice bolted into the marsh. To safety, where he belonged.

His attention turned now to the battlefield, where blood covered the ground. His claws sank into the earth, ears flattened as he noticed how still one of the bodies were. He padded toward Leaftwirl, cringed as he observed her neck, and padded towards Thornstar. His pelt prickled with anger.

"ENOUGH!" his yowl cut through the night air with a thunderous growl as he stared at the fighting leaders. "Look at our clans! This is hardly a duel now, this is a war, and a star cursed stupid one." His tail flicked over to where Leaftwirl’s body lay on the ground. Unnaturally still, among a throng of writhing, yowling and spitting bodies that slashed and clawed at each other.

He could see the blood on his clanmates, the blood on SkyClan, on Shadowclan. It made his stomach twist as he turned his gaze back to both leaders. His pupils slitted in rage as he glowered at Thornstar.
"Your clan got the blood it so desperately wanted, but at what cost?" He waved his tail.

"NONE if this was necessary. Control your deputy, and your warriors." He finished, then padded back a couple steps to see if any cat actually listened to him.

Oakstar used enraged dad screaming

Oakstar:
37/120 HP
220/300 SP

Poppyheart looked up weakly at Lightpaw as she dragged him away. He tried to lift himself up to his paws to help her, but he was too exhausted from the fight. He had tried so hard, too.

Then, the apprentice let go of his scruff. He looked up and saw her staring down at him, as if contemplating on a decision she was about to make. ”L-Lightpaw?” he began, but he fell silent when he saw her unsheathe her claws. Her eyes were no longer looking directly into his, but rather just below them.

She was looking at his throat.

Before he could cry out, he felt the little molly’s claws tear through his flesh. He yowled in agony, and panic enveloped him when he found himself struggling to breathe around the blood now clogging his windpipe. He coughed and hacked violently, but he still couldn’t take in a breath.

The apprentice — his murderer, that traitor — ran away and started to howl about something or other. If only he could scream as well. He needed his brother. He needed his brother to save him! Asterstrike! Save me, please! Help me!

His world began to spin, black spots appearing in the back of his eyes. He couldn’t hold onto consciousness any longer. He was so scared. He wanted his brother!

Redwing.

His thoughts suddenly derailed from his littermate. If he died, he would see his beloved again. But ... then Asterstrike would be all alone. He didn’t want to leave him.

A tear rolled down his cheek at this last thought before falling still.

---

Asterstrike heard Lightpaw’s cries, and he limped over to her as quickly as he could. ”Lightpaw? Kit, what’s wrong? Do ya need help findin’ Moth—?” His voice trailed off when something behind the apprentice caught his eye. It was a still lump of bushy russet fur. His eyes widened. "Poppyheart? Uh, Lightpaw, Mothglow's over there, go to her now!" He quickly shoved Lightpaw in the direction of the ShadowClan medicine cat with his muzzle before dashing over to his brother. "Poppyheart? Bro, are you oka—?"

He froze.

Poppyheart had a large gash on his throat.

He wasn't moving or breathing.

His amber eyes were staring off into nothingless, listless and glossy.

The entire world seemed to slow down. Asterstrike could no longer hear the screeches of war raging on behind him. Only an ever-growing loud ringing in his ears. Poppyheart ... his brother ... his sun and moon ... his hopes and dreams ... was dead.

"No.... No, no...! No, no, nonononononoN O O O ! !" Asterstrike shrieked that same word over and over again as the realization that his beloved brother was dead finally hit him like an oncoming monster on the Thunderpath. This couldn't be happening. This could NOT be happening! His brother was DEAD! Who KILLED him?

His eyes widened, his head shooting up. Poppyheart was fighting Beartooth. The ThunderClan deputy. He glanced back down at Poppyheart's throat. Seven claw marks. Beartooth had seven claws.

Beartooth killed his brother.

The ringing in his ears grew louder and louder still until he couldn't even hear his own thoughts. Then, his mind was filled with an ear-splitting chant that pounded at his head, worsening the headache he already had from fighting Oakstar. Beartooth killed him. Dirty brother killer. Kill Beartooth. Dirty brother killer. Beartooth killed him dirty brother killer kill Beartooth Kill dirty brother killed himBeartoothdirtykilledbrotherBeartoothkillhimbrotherBeartoothkillhimkillhimkillhimKILLHIMKILLHIMK I L L B E A R T O O T H—

Asterstrike whipped around, eyes narrowed into livid slits of blue and faded yellow, yet all he could see was red. He scanned the battlefield for his brother's killer. Finally, his gaze fell on the tabby. There! He snarled, unsheathing his claws and tensing up his muscles, before releasing an unholy shriek. He dug his claws into the ground to further propel himself towards his target. Once he was close enough, he launched himself at the ThunderClan deputy and slammed his head into his side with such force, he sent the stronger tom rolling across the battlefield. "YOU FOX-HEARTED MURDERER!" he screamed, staring Beartooth down as he tried to get up. "YOU KILLED MY BROTHER! YOU WILL FOREVER ROT IN THE DARK FOREST FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE THIS NIGHT, YOU DIRTY BROTHER KILLER!"

With Lynxscar gone, Daisyflame was ready to fight the ThunderClanner, but before he was able to make his move, another ThunderClanner sprung at him from out of the blue.

Reeling back, the large tom let out a yowl of pain as his face was pummeled with paws full of sharp claws. He had to finish off the she-cat and would deal with him later, even though having two cats on his tail was a difficult task. Smashing a paw across his opponent's muzzle, it was evident that she was done for and would need to retreat, and Daisyflame quickly turned his attention to the she-cat who'd chosen to attack him as well.

Daisyflame used Front Paw Blow, causing 11 damage and costing 5 stamina. +2 damage with Night Finesse.

Daisyflame
HP: 59/80
SP: 140/240

Ferretnose
K.O.ed

~~~~~

Hearing a familiar voice, Sunflower snapped his head up and turned his attention to Beanpaw who'd yelled at him to keep going. He didn't want to, oh StarClan how he wanted to flee from the battle, but he knew he'd be disowned by his family and clan if he did so, so that obviously wasn't an option.

Spotting his leader in the distance fighting against Thornstar, Sunflower knew what he had to do. It was a bold move, one that might cost him his own life, but at least he would hopefully be of some use to his leader and clan.

Rushing over to the battling leaders, the lanky tom whipped around and kicked at the she-cat with his long hind legs, his hind paws making a somewhat satisfying impact against her pelt. Jumping around with his abnormally large ears against his head and his long tail tucked under his rump like a scared dog, he stepped back, not quite sure of what he'd just done or the mistake he'd made.

Sunflower used Back Kick, causing 15 damage and costing 15 stamina.

Sunflower
HP: 59/80
SP: 190/240

Thornstar
HP: 55/120
SP: 250/300

Spottedstar
HP 64/120
SP: 265/300

Ferretnose smiled and flexed her claws as Dustcloud came crashing down on Daisyflame's flank. A beautiful, proud, and experienced warrior had come to her aid. She barely felt the pain as the tom's final blow buckled her joints and toppled her to the ground. As she scrambled backward and away from the last of the fighting, she gazed up in awe at her savior. "Thank you, sister," she purred, "StarClan give you strength."

The tabby shuffled around the fighting pair, ready to join the rest of the defeated in the shadows of the night. A terrible roar nearly shook the ground underfoot. She spun around, looking with blood-soaked vision as a gray tom shoved Beartooth aside, fur prickled with fury and grief. Murderer? Ferretnose gasped and ran towards them, wedging herself between the toms and pushing backward against Beartooth's fur, shielding him from the ShadowClanner's verbal assault. Her heart pounded with the threat of another set of claws on her flesh, but she gave away nothing as she stood against Asterspark's tirade. "Murderer?" she hissed. "Who's that she-cat, then, lying on the ground, with her blood on your clanmate's claws? Your deputy ambushes us and you dare to accuse us of breaking the code? Leave this place!" Ferretnose's fur tingled with the thrill of standing up for herself. It was a new and welcome feeling... but it wouldn't last long. Beartooth, however, still had fight left in him; she could feel his energy. She blinked back the blood still caught in her eye and nodded to him, urging him forward. Their victory was imminent.

Ferretnose is defeated and also a very amgery wifey

amgery wifey in action:

Nodding at Ferretnose and managing a weak smile, Dustcloud turned to face her opponent. Now that there were only two of them, pinning the tom down would become much easier. Running towards the ginger and white ShadowClanner, Dustcloud aimed for his scruff and she shook him back and forth, tossing him to the side. Now, she'd have a chance to hopefully finish the battle in time to get back into the fray and help Spottedstar.

Dustcloud used Scruff Shake, using -25 Stamina Points and dealing -8 Health Points. Daisyflame is stunned for 2 turns.

Dustcloud:
59/95 HP
170/250 SP

Daisyflame:
34/80 HP
145/240 SP

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

---

'Effect Dice' : 6

Having been taken off guard and suddenly thrashed around by the next she-cat that was ready to fight, Daisyflame let out a huff as she pinned him down, keeping a firm grip on him so that he wasn't able to move. His head spun and his vision became momentarily blurry, but such time immobilized gave the older warrior time to think and reflect.

Just like the cats that he'd fought before this, he too felt his energy ebbing away with every breath. His paws and pelt were coated with the blood of those he'd defeated, though such he didn't consider this battle much of an accomplishment. He'd broken the code by killing a cat, was told to pretty much just shake it off, and had sent two other cats away with injuries that they might not heal from. How in Silverpelt's name could any warrior find battles so... thrilling?

Just barely being able to lift his head, he glanced around the clearing. Nearly all of ShadowClan was gone except him, Mothglow, and Thornstar. Poppyheart's body laid still in the distance, another soul lost to the endless fighting of the forest. He'd failed the younger tom, which sent yet another wave of guilt pulsing through his veins; guilt almost as heavy as when he'd killed that she-cat earlier. Whether Poppyheart’s death was an accident or not was beyond his current knowledge, but he was positive that his stepson wouldn't be forgotten, just like his father.

This deadly war certainly had it's ups and downs, and at one point, he'd thought that his clan might have won, but it was evident that such a thought would not be the case. Every cat, from both sides, had fought long and hard, and while they were enemies, the tom found respect for every cat that had put their life on the line for the greater good, no matter what their point of view was. He assumed that in StarClan's eyes, both ShadowClan and SkyClan were in the wrong, in some way, shape, or form, but as warriors taught to follow their leader and the leader's law, there wasn't much any cat could do but fight with honor and glory, even if it meant fighting for the wrong thing, seeing as though none of them would ever really know.

Letting out a hiss as claws dug into his sides, he knew he couldn't give up, not when he'd gotten this far, but there was clearly no escaping Dustcloud's grasp, and maybe it was for the best. In the end, whether she finished him off right here and now, or he got a second chance to keep on fighting, it didn't really matter to him. All he cared about was that his friends and family were safe, and whether he got away with his life was up to the will of StarClan.

Daisyflame is still stunned.

Gazing at the dazed warrior, Dustcloud's features softened. Had he given up? Was this what was going to happen, now? The senior warrior supposed morale was pretty low... sparing a glance to the battlefield, she realized that all of his fighting Clanmates, aside from Thornstar, had been defeated. Why would he want to continue fighting after that? Keeping her shoulders tensed, she backed away from the warrior slightly. He was still too dazed to attack... So that meant at least for the moment, she was safe. Looking down, the silver tabby bent down to the tom's ear and uttered quietly, "Y-you can g-go, while you st-still have time to g-get out safely." Lifting the pressure from his side, she flickered her tail towards the shadows, where the rest of his fallen Clanmates had gathered. "No one w-will be mad at y-you, the war is n-nearly over now. I don't w-w-want to h-have hurt you." Her voice broke as she sympathetically moved out of the way. Now, it was up to him. Would he go while he still had the chance, or would he force her to make him leave?

Daisyflame is still stunned, but has been given a chance to flee.

It was growing quiet. Foxfire peaked around a tree from where Flowerthorn had ushered him - away from the battle but they were still able to see what was going...But Foxfire hadn't bothered to actually have the strength to look until now. Cats were retreating on both sides, only three groupings still looked to be locked in combat...One - he recognized him, he had been to the SkyClan camp with Thornstar after Redwing's demise - was shouting at the ThunderClan deputy. His ears perked, struggling to make out the words.

'...Brother killer.'

Oh no. Slowly, the deputy peeled himself away from the tree and slowly, carefully, started to make his way back toward the battle as he took in the sights. There was a downed body - a familiar red pelt of another cat who had joined Thornstar. He was...He had been the most vocal about Redwing. His mate. Oh StarClan... Poppyheart, that was what the tom's name was, wasn't it? Beartooth had...Killed him? No, no, nobody was suppose to die and now there was two deaths! "Stop..." he murmured, eyes wide with horror but is voice was barely a whisper... He swallowed, shaking as he stood there, begging for the fighting to stop.

Much to Beanpaw's surprise, Sunflower actually listened to him. The large apprentice's yellow eyes widened as the lanky tom ran to Thornstar of all cats, attacking her and helping Spottedstar in the process. He was fully expecting the anxiety-riddled tom to run back to camp with his tail between his legs, leaving Spottedstar, Beartooth, and the rest of SkyClan and ThunderClan's cats to defend themselves. He'd have to remind himself to applaud Sunflower later, as he knew it was something he wouldn't have usually done. With a sigh, Beanpaw touched his nose to Leaftwirl's nose. The young she-cat didn't deserve to die, she had so much left to live for... But she died in honor, defending SkyClan the way she was taught to do. His mind wandered to her poor kits, back to Sunflower... None of them deserved to lose her, especially not her poor kits. Growing up without some form of a mother was the most difficult thing Beanpaw would ever do, and hatred burned within the depths of his gaze. ShadowClan had caused this- Leaftwirl's death.

Glancing out to the rest of the cats, he realized that there were three ShadowClan cats remaining. One of them happened to be Mothglow, the medicine cat. The poor she-cat would have to deal with all of her injured Clanmates, just like Sagelight. Thornstar was responsible for all of this... The pain from Leaftwirl's death, all of his injured Clanmates. If she'd just taken him to begin with, none of this would have happened. There was no reason for the war, if he'd just kept his claws to himself to start with... No, Flintshard didn't deserve what had happened to him, but it was no excuse for bringing claw and tooth to all of SkyClan. Narrowing his eyes, he focused in on Thornstar, furious with the fluffy she-cat. Breaking into a run, he aimed for her flank as he reached towards her with unsheathed claws. When he made contact with her side, the pair of them went bowling to the side, tumbling in the dirt as he clawed at her shoulders desperately. "This is all your fault!" Tears welled up in his eyes, but he made an effort to push them away as he attempted, albeit in vain, to pin her to the ground.

Flowerthorn padded out from the cover carefully. Every fiber in her being telling her to usher Foxfire to safety, even if there were only a few Shadowclan cats left. She didn't trust them one bit. She stood back from the group. Her blue eyes looking to the cats. Murderer was being thrown left and right. Blame being passed from one cat to another. One thing the pale she-cat didn't see was that foxhearted deputy that started everything. What a coward. Not sticking by his leader's side... Despite the situation Flowerthorn felt the Shadowclan leader deserved better. Thornstar had agreed to a duel and nothing more than that but she got more.

Flowerthorn watched as Foxfire tried to stop the gray tom from tearing into the Thunderclan deputy along with that one Thunderclanner. Her eyes narrowed, almost daring the tom to make a move against her deputy. Even if she was weak he would pay for it with his life. Though a shout took her attention away from the group, turning to Beanpaw, and Thornstar. She watched with disinterest as the apprentice attacked the Shadowclan leader. Neither of whom she cared about too much. As long as her leader, deputy and medicine cat were safe that is all that mattered.

"BEANPAW!"

A screech suddenly erupted from the battlefield at Foxfire jolted forward at the sight. His fur stood on edge as he suddenly gave no regards to his own safety, not caring about the cats still fighting or even the imposing figure of Thornstar. His terrified yellow eyes remained solely fixed on the body of Beanpaw. No, nonononono! Beanpaw had been his first friend - the first cat he had met when he had decided to leave the nursery and now...He had forgotten him, just like he had forgotten Flowerthorn. And now he was...Oh StarClan. "Beanpaw, no, no, no, no," he murmured as he stumbled to a stop, breathing heavily as his wounds still ached and bled as he leaned down to stare at him. Thornstar had stepped on his neck. Two cats had been terrible enough but... For a second, he stared in horror...Before his gaze flared up, teeth bared as he met the leader's gaze.

"You! How could yo-" but then he drifted off, seeing horror reflecting in Thornstar's mismatch gazed. She...She didn't mean to, didn't she? Stars, why had Beanpaw attacked her. Why had any of this...Tears started to stream down Foxfire's face as his body started to quiver, lowering his head as he inspected Beanpaw. He..He wasn't going to survive - the deputy couldn't even tell if he was still breathing but he already knew it wasn't worth calling Sagelight over. That.... Oh Beanpaw. "Please...Stop," he sobbed, not bringing himself to look up at the leader. "You've done enough. We've all done enough... This...This wasn't worth it."

I was never worth it.

Listening as the she-cat spoke, Daisyflame tried to get himself up, but his efforts were in vain. Perking his ears, the sudden cries of cats throughout the clearing sent a chill up his spine. Bellow Thornstar was a young cat's body, laying deathly still just like when he'd killed that SkyClanner earlier, blood pooling out from around his head where he must have been struck. Thornstar looked just as shocked as he had, which told him it must have been an accident, but the SkyClanner's certainly didn't see it that way. Another one of the tree jumpers gone... it was a true shame, but he supposed such causalities were to be expected from such a battle.

Turning his attention back to the task at hand, Daisyflame let out a soft growl from the pain in his sides. "I..." he began, swallowing the lump that had grown in his throat and coughing up a spat of blood. Was he really going to do this? Yes, yes he was. "I've made it this far, I can't possibly give up now. I hope you can understand that," he mewed, his gaze fixed on Thornstar and the cat whom she'd just defeated. "Death, before dishonor," he mewed in barely a whisper, not expecting Dustcloud to be able to hear him above the roar of SkyClanners. He'd be able to get up, he just had to hold on a little longer. Then he could finish what had been started.

Daisyflame is still stunned.