To Spark a Swan (closed)

Swansong padded through SkyClan's forest, the soothing scent of pine trees hidden under the sharpness of almost overwhelming cold. Crunching beneath her paws, the patchy layer of snow covering the pine needles she usually would have walked upon cut through her paw pads, numbing them with each step. But, she didn't really notice it as her ears twitched to catch the ringing call of a bird echo through the white-frosted tree trunks. It's so beautiful. It somehow seemed even better now that she had her warrior name, now that she had confronted the shadows stalking her mind.

She had been born in leaf-bare, and this time - cold and hunger-filled as it was - would always hold a special place in her heart. A glitter caught her eye, and she turned her head to catch sight of a frosted spiderweb stretching from a strip of peeling bark to the roots, little gems of blue-white glimmering as the pale sunlight caught on them. She spent a moment admiring it, her tail brushing gently against the ground behind her, before she moved on, opening her mouth and drawing in the scents around her for any hint of prey. Unsurprisingly, there wasn't much - just a stale, cold-bittered trace of blackbird. Well, maybe I'll have more luck further on.

She carefully skirted the ShadowClan border, staying clear of the strong scent that marked it even with the snow in a frosty layer on the ground. Too many things - bad things - had happened near this spot, and she had no intention of causing another one. It's probably best if I leave here as soon as I can. There wasn't any fresh prey scent around there, either. She turned, her pale, fluffy tail giving a small flick as she turned and started heading back deeper into SkyClan territory, frosty snow once more crunching slightly under her paws.

A sharp hiss sounded from behind the SkyClanner, and out from the darkness behind her streaked a dark-furred ShadowClanner chasing after a little brown mouse. Sparkfire had her eyes trained intensely on the furry rodent mere tail-lengths in front of her, trying to lash out her claws to grab it as he ran, missing every time. She hadn't even noticed herself racing over the border until it was too late; in fact, she ended up slamming headlong into Swansong. She yowled in surprise and shook her head, standing back up from where she landed in the snow on SkyClan territory.

The mouse now completely forgotten -- it had gotten away anyway -- Sparkfire quickly backed away from where the SkyClan molly lay in the snow, back towards her own territory. If she made it back over, perhaps a fight wouldn't ensue.

Sparkfire used Run-and-Tackle on Swansong, dealing 13 damage and costing 10 stamina.

Sparkfire
60/60 HP
190/200 SP

Swansong
27/40 HP
120/120 SP

A sudden kerfuffle behind her caught Swansong's ear, pounding rapidly behind her near the border. What is-? She started to turn, the corner of her eye catching a brief flash of dark fur-

And with a shocked gasp driven out of her lungs, the white snow beneath her paws came up to meet her body. Sudden chaos drove her fur spiking up as she tumbled, struggling to right herself. A scent, heavy and sharp with a marshy, earthy-yet-piney scent filled the air, and she shook her head, attempting to make sense of the sudden maelstrom of confusion and alarm coursing up and down her spine.

Eyes as surprised as she was met her own as she looked up, yellow eyes set in a dark face that she most definitely did not know. If the strange scent hadn't already notified her this cat wasn't from SkyClan, that fact certainly did. Feeling herself tense, she watched the other warily, unsure what move she should make. Clearly, this cat had crossed the border. But it doesn't need to come to a fight.

Still, she was a warrior now. Some measure of explanation was needed.

Rising back to her paws, she kept her posture as nonthreatening as possible as the other cat edged backwards, though her fur was still slightly fluffed up. "Why are you on SkyClan territory? ShadowClan is not welcome here."