tragedy, inevitability

Timberpaw was nearly a warrior. At least, that's what he kept telling himself as he sauntered through the SkyClan territory alone. The apprentice lifted his nose to scent the air, tasting the faintest scent of ShadowClan in the distance - the border wasn't far from here. He wanted to try hunting by himself... Flowerthorn was a great mentor, and had taught him a lot, but he hadn't been out on his own yet, and he wanted to be able to prove himself. To prove to the clan that he could do things on his own. Maybe then he'd be able to be a warrior more quickly... get his own apprentice, that he could teach everything Flowerthorn had taught to him!

The mottled apprentice neared the ShadowClan border. He hadn't been over here many times, and the territory of the shadowy cats fascinated him. How any cat could hunt in the marshes was fascinating to him. And if he wasn't so scared of crossing the border and getting in trouble, he'd want to try. Flicking his tail, Timberpaw scaled a tree and settled down on a branch, waiting for a bird to appear. Sooner than he thought, one did, a young cardinal at the tip of the branch. Timberpaw pounced, capturing the bird between his paws and dispatching it quickly. With the colorful bird in his mouth, he descended the tree.

Nightpaw had stared at the border for a few long moments. He had crossed the border, blatantly, with thoughts about the she-cat he had met only a moon ago. Something in him wanted to see the strange she-cat again. He wanted to see her climb, to have her guidance as he attempted the difficult task of clambering up one of the trees his clan's deputy once died in.

A shudder ran up his spine at the memory of his mother's hatred at them for it. He shouldn't want to climb, he shouldn't want to be here. Yet he did. He craved it, even as sounds of twigs snapping and claws sliding on bark made him pause. His gaze lifted to see a mottled tom above him, carrying a bird.
“Hello... would you happen to know where Basilpaw is?” He asked. Confidence bolstered once he realised that the cat who had descended was his own height. Another apprentice, one he could take care of if it came to a fight.

Timberpaw tilted his head at the appearance of another cat, fur bristling along his spine when he realized that this was not one of his clan. The other tom smelled distinctly of ShadowClan. Timberpaw narrowed his eyes uncertainly. "This is SkyClan territory." He pointed with his tail towards the border. "ShadowClan is that way. What do you want Basilpaw for, anyway?"

As the other tom apprentice's fur bristled, Nightpaw's own body tensed in response. The hairs of his pelt rising to meet the challenge of the other tom.
“I know that!” He spat, blue eyes narrowed at the mottled tom's with disgust. “... and that's none of your business!” He added, then lunged towards Timberpaw, hoping to intimidate the other tom into staying silent by tackling him.

Nightpaw used Run and Tackle

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

Timberpaw
HP: 14/20 (-6)
SP 80/80

Having been completely unprepared for the attack, Timberpaw didn't have time to respond before Nightpaw was slamming into him, knocking him off his paws. He stumbled back a fox-length, yowling angrily, and the cardinal went skidding in the snow in the opposite direction. Almost instantly, Timberpaw was on all fours again, back arched with his eyes narrowed on Nightpaw. "What's your problem?" he demanded. "Why do you think Basilpaw would want to see you anyway, ShadowClanner?!" He wrinkled his nose, making sure that wherever Nightpaw moved, he moved too, keeping the other apprentice in his line of sight but not really wanting to go on the offensive. "You should go back to where you belong, and stay away from her! And off our territory!"

His eyes darted side to side. He knew how to keep this intruder off their land. "I'm going to go tell Spottedstar that you crossed the border!" Without thinking, he turned and bolted back towards the SkyClan camp. But it was a long way, and the terrain was still rough. He only took a few steps before he slid on a patch of ice, coming down hard and dazed on his belly.

“Why? Because you say so?” Nightpaw growled, the other tom's jab about perhaps Basilpaw not wanting to see him stung, but... what if she didn't? It wasn't impossible. They didn't know each other that well. Yet, it was the last sentence that made Nightpaw's blood run cold.

“You can't!” He hissed, darting off after Timberpaw and leaping after the other tom. When he saw the brown and white tom slip in the ice, his claws spread. Provided him careful traction as he padded towards the other tom. Spottedstar couldn't know, because then his mother would know... and she would be furious. He growled and lunged out to smack the other apprentice's head to the ground. An attempt to stun the other tom. “You won't tell him anything! Got it!?”

Timberpaw whipped around, belly up, to swipe at Nightpaw's face with claws outstretched. "Maybe you should have thought about that before you broke the warrior code and crossed the border, then attacked me on SKYCLAN territory!?" he growled. "I'm gonna tell him everything and there's nothing you can do to stop me - better get used to the elders' den because you're going to be cracking fleas for a moon!" Timberpaw shoved, trying to heave the other tom off him with a furious snarl.

Timberpaw used Front Paw Strike

Nightpaw
HP: 14/20 (-6)
SP 70/80

Timberpaw
HP: 14/20
SP 70/80 (-10)

“No you're NOT!” Nightpaw yowled angrily. His claws raked at the other tom's soft belly fur as the other tried to rise. “I just wanted to see Basilpaw and more of the SkyClan's forest, but instead you're making me fight you. I hate it!” His teeth flashed as he snapped his response back at the tom beneath him. The sheer fear of his mother finding out... he growled lowly.

“You won't tell anyone. Got it?” He snarled, blue eyes filled with anger and fear as they glared into TImberpaw's, as if hoping to extract such a promise.

Nightpaw used Belly Rake

Nightpaw
HP: 14/20
SP 60/80 (-10)

Timberpaw
HP: 7/20 (-7)
SP 70/80

The sharp bite of Nightpaw's claws through the flesh of his belly made Timberpaw wince, and finally fear flashed in his bright eyes. The SkyClan apprentice was scared, but he was also angry. What gave this ShadowClanner the right? "I didn't MAKE you do anything!" he snarled. "You're the fox-heart who likes to break the code and you should be punished for it. Now get OFF me-" he shoved again "-so I can go HOME."

As the tom beneath him struggled, Nightpaw came to a horrifying conclusion. His mother might not be happy about the idea of him going into SkyClan territory… but she might delay his warrior ceremony. Worse, she might assign him a kit sitter or something. Never allow him near the border again. If that happened… if that happened, he’d never see Basilpaw anymore. He’d never get to be among these looming trees again… but that was only if. Blue eyes sharpened into slits as he regarded the enemy apprentice.

SkyClan cats had killed Shadowclan cats before in cold blood. Really, he was just returning the favour as he lunged down. Teeth sinking into the mottled tom’s throat as he but down hard and watched as blood began to pool in the snow. Not good… he released the tom from his grip. Could see the scores of bites and scratches from their fight. If he could only just… he paused, the sound of a frozen river nearby.

The sounds of something heavy moving in the snow seemed infinitely louder to Nightpaw’s ears as he hauled the body carefully towards the freezing river. There was still a small stream in the center that was visible water as he pushed Timberpaw’s body into the stream, shoved his paws into the bitter cold to ensure the body was truly in it. Then, he darted off in the direction of Thunderclan. The mangepelts who helped SkyClan all that time ago.

Really, this was their faults. Then, that tom, everyone else’s fault. Not his. It’d never be his fault the tom couldn’t just keep quiet.