Seeking Feathers (but mostly freshkill) [closed]

Beepaw paced around camp, his paws fumbling awkwardly as his brain shuffled through various introductions and greetings. Obviously, Dacedream knew who he was, but he couldn't just waltz up and beg her to take him on a patrol! They had never really talked to each other in the one-on-one type of sense. Beepaw desperately needed a chaperone for a patrol, and Duskrain was busy with most of the other warriors. Of all of his potential options, Dacedream was the least scary. He didn't bother counting Ferretnose, because he had made it quite clear to her that he was a grown cat now who didn't need his mother chasing after him. Bemused, she granted him his wish, but Beepaw noticed the silly twinkle in her eye she got when she knew he was fooling. With a couple of huffed breaths for courage, the enormous apprentice approached Dacedream somewhat awkwardly from the side.

"U-um, Dacedream?" he mewed with a heavy lisp, "Can you come with me so I can hunt? I'm not s'posed to go out by myself. I want to try and catch a bird today. They're coming back! You can hear them in the morning when the sun is coming up." He did not mention that he thought the way robins' tail feathers looked were handsome, or that he'd much like to save them for a Duskrain, who seemed to like strange things like that. He felt like, since he was a pretty boring apprentice compared to the other oddities in his den, he could at least grant her a few gifts in exchange for an education.

Stormpaw was out moving about ThunderClan's camp - and sometimes the territory - of her own free will, much to Dacedream's relief. Her son, Jaypaw, was on a patrol with another warrior and their apprentice to spar with them today. The tortoiseshell she-cat found herself with a rare day on which she had no plans. Nettlefire hadn't approached her for any patrols, her kits (who she could barely call kits except that she had birthed them) were training hard with their mentors, Duskrain herself was out on the territory, and Houndheart was... well, not particularly fond of company for the time-being. The sky was clear, crisp and blue, and the sun shone down with the promise of warmth that seemed to only barely heat Dacedream's pelt. She lay in the camp clearing in full view of the light, grooming herself slowly and intently. She had never cared too much for the beauty of her own pelt, and grooming always seemed to take longer than she cared to invest in it, but perhaps Vixenpaw had been rubbing off on her a little.

The warrior was washing the crook of her foreleg and chest when the sound of scuffling paws caught her attention. She knew right away it wasn't one of her kits - she had come to know their gaits by sound, of course, they were her kits! - and she was both surprised and delighted to see Beepaw, Ferretnose's boyishly charming and energetic son. "Yes, Beepaw?" Dacedream chirped, and upon hearing his request her ears perked and she immediately sat up with a grin full of enthusiasm. "I love bird hunting! That sounds like a great idea - I know Duskrain won't mind, she's probably out scaring all the beasts away so they won't mess with us." She stood and curled her tail over her back, mewing, "This'll be great. Are you ready now?"

Beepaw didn't expect such an enthusiastic affirmation. He nearly chirped his appreciation as he let his tensed muscles relax and shifted his paws into a casual stance. "Okay! Let's go!" he squeaked.

They walked briskly through the soggy woods, and Beepaw kept his amber eyes trained skyward, watching the directions that the songbirds flew in at the pair's approach. He furrowed his brow and tried to recall his mental map of the territory. He had to admit that it was lacking. He tried very hard to have a good sense of direction, but he sometimes felt he didn't know up from down. When the cogs of his brain finished chugging, Beepaw changed direction to follow the tweeting creatures. "There's this spot, like, between the Owl Tree and Snakerocks that they might be hanging out around. That's good, because it's my lucky spot. They won't see me comin'."

The hulking apprentice trampled towards the sounds of flapping wings until they came to the aforementioned area. A few old, hollowed logs nearly seeped into the ground. The whole clearing was covered in dry, spider-esque bushes that reached out towards the sun in the canopy. When Newleaf came, the forest would get much darker. Today, the sun was so bright that Beepaw had to squint. With jittery paws, he looked to Dacedream for approval and crashed after a little chickadee. His paw barely whiffed at it as it squawked and took wing. Beepaw couldn't help but stamp his paws in frustration. Why'd the pretty ones have to be so fast?

Beepaw attempted to catch a bird. Birdie yote. [-5 SP]

Beepaw
20/20 HP
75/80 SP (-5)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

The walk was pleasant enough for Dacedream, despite a little breeze that tugged at her thick mottled coat and the moisture that slopped around her paws. She was still RiverClan-blooded, whatever ThunderClan training she had received and forest diet she'd taken on, and so her wide paws and oily coat were fairly well-suited for dreary leaf-bare travel.  The warrior loved to see how Beepaw moved, his own broad paws catching the snowy earth while his eyes focused on the flitting birds above. The way his eyes darted betrayed his longing to pursue them, though he'd been clear about that in camp. Dacedream's whiskers quivered with adoration and amusement. If he's looking for the best place to catch birds, we should find a good clearing with lots of plants, she mused, but she could see the determination on his face. This would be a good chance to let him test his knowledge of the territory!

She was grateful that she was able to recognize his desire, for a moment later Beepaw swiveled and began to trod off towards the Owl Tree. Dacedream happily followed him, reminding herself to keep her tail low so that she wouldn't immediately give the pair away in case they spotted anything worth catching along the way. I'll have to tell Duskrain he's learning the territory well - faster than I did, she thought cheerfully. When they arrived, Dacedream beamed as her gaze swept around the sodden clearing. At some point she must have patrolled her with Duskrain and Houndheart; the thought warmed her heart, but even warmer was the plain excitement showing from Beepaw and his wriggling paws. The she-cat dismissed him with an encouraging nod and watched as he launched himself towards a bird. Dacedream barely concealed a laugh at the overenthusiastic-but-underplanned effort. It was something she would have done, and sometimes still did - seeing it in Beepaw was even more delightful.

"That's alright, Beepaw," the warrior mewed to him warmly, "I think that bird was just lucky. He happened to be looking in our direction so he saw when we arrived, that's all." Her plume tail flicked, and she gazed across the clearing to where a bush rustled. A little chirp of birdsong rose from beneath it, and Dacedream lowered her voice to tell Beepaw tactfully, "Sometimes if we stalk the bird we're more likely to catch it." The tortoiseshell she-cat crept forward, her stomach twisting with trepidation. As she made her way, though, it became clear that there was going to be no way to reach it without creeping around a sprawling trail of bracken. Dacedream paused for a second, thought, and then gathered her muscles beneath her. She threw herself over the bracken, as she knew the bird would see her if she went around.

Unfortunately, she was too slow. As she sailed towards the base of the bush, the bird's wings flapped hard and it rocketed into the air, flinging itself out of Dacedream's reach. The warrior landed in the mushy earth gracefully, her coat glimmering in the sunlight, and she looked up at the retreating bird with a frown. "Sometimes," she admitted with a sheepish laugh.

Dacedream tried to catch a bird and failed, using 5 stamina.

Dacedream
60/60 HP
195/200 SP (-5)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 7

Beepaw cackled at Dacedream as she shot out from the bracken. He liked how goofy she looked, scrambling after the bird. It was then that he decided that he would not be leaving the territory without a bird. Whether it was the warrior's catch or his, he refused to come back empty-pawed. Beepaw dove into the bushes and followed a different path from the one they had been following. He crawled under the thorns, clicking his tongue as his thick fur caught on them, hoping to find more songbirds that had heard the commotion they made before. He smelled the robin before he saw it. The red-bellied bird pecked at stray seeds and blades of grass that struggled to emerge from the cold soil. He wiggled his haunches and sprung out at the bird.

Beepaw attempted to catch a bird! [-5]

Beepaw
20/20 HP
70/80 SP (-5)

Snap. The raccoon plucked up the robin and crunched half of its bones in her large jaws. Beepaw had never seen a raccoon before, but he knew it as soon as he saw it. It was unmistakable. A long, bushy, ringed tail, and a dark mask over her beady black eyes. They might have been of comparable size if Beepaw was a fully grown warrior, but he was not. He was an apprentice, and he was as scared as one could be. The raccoon seemed defensive at first, backing up with the bird. Beepaw narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"Are you scared or somethin'?" he murmured. "Alright, so get lost!" Beepaw arched his back as he sauntered closer, waving a warning set of claws at the beast. "My mentor's gonna show up and kill you if you don't give me my bird back! Give it!" With more confidence than he had a moment before, Beepaw giggled and pounced forward at the nervous raccoon, cheering as she winced and dropped the bird on the ground. When he reached for the kill, the beast hissed. Beepaw tilted his head, watching the odd look in the raccoon's eyes. Something flickered in them, like annoyance, and the raccoon dove for Beepaw's leg with pin-sharp teeth.

The shock alone was enough to scare him off, but the beast did not let go of his shoulder. Beepaw cried out with terror as he and his assailant stumbled onto their sides and he tried to yank himself free. The raccoon only dug in deeper, puncturing his skin with its disgusting maw. He watched crimson leak from under his fur with growing panic. "Dacedream!!" he shouted. "Raccoon! Got me!!"

Raccoon used Iron Bite on Beepaw. Beepaw is KOed. [-30 HP] [-20 SP]

Raccoon
30/30 HP
280/300 SP (-20)

Beepaw
0/20 HP (-30)
70/80 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 10

Dacedream was not at all disheartened by Beepaw's laughter; she turned back to face him with her sheepish grin turning to one of mischief and amusement. "Next one's you, then!" she declared brightly, and without wasting another moment the white-and-tabby tom had sprung off the beaten path and into the underbrush. She listened as the sound of his pawsteps and the rustling foliage moved slowly further away, waiting a moment to give him a head start so she wouldn't accidentally frighten whatever prey he tried to catch. After a moment, Dacedream began to navigate through after him, the thorns tugging at her own fur as she squeezed between two bush boughs. Clumps of snow fell through some of the gaps, dropping on her ears and making them twitch. As she exited the thick foliage, she parted her lips to take in the air and immediately felt her stomach knot up as an unpleasant smell crossed her tongue. That smells like a raccoon, she mused anxiously.

The tortoiseshell she-cat began to sweep her gaze around, feeling uneasy about the scent she'd gathered. There was barely a breeze today, and Dacedream struggled for a few moments to determine which way the predator's scent must be coming from. "Beepaw?" she called, wondering if she ought to reign him in so they wouldn't be caught out alone and unprepared. She heard his voice, but with a growing sense of worry she realized he wasn't talking to her. Dacedream immediately swept off in the direction of his voice, about to call his name again. She was interrupted by a screeching cry of pain, and Dacedream gasped, "Beepaw!" She took off, broad paws thundering against the earth as her claws launched her forward to the sound of struggling.

Dacedream slammed through the underbrush like she was made of stone, ignoring the slicing of thorns and twigs across the thin fur of her face and ears. Beepaw needed her! Beepaw needed help! The terrifying memory of her first real hunt on ThunderClan territory swam in the back of her head; Dacedream, too, had been caught unprepared by a raccoon, coming within a few whiskers of blinding her with its first swipes. Had Dawngaze not been there, StarClan knew what may have happened to the barely-trained former RiverClan cat. Dacedream would not let that happen to Beepaw! She couldn't - Ferretnose would never forgive her, ThunderClan would never forgive her! She'd never forgive herself! Dacedream through her brawny frame over one final clump of bramble and instantly her green-hazel eyes flared with fury as they locked on the raccoon, clamped to Beepaw's foreleg while they struggled.

"Mange-pelt!" Dacedream shrieked at the fat brown-and-black creature, and threw herself onto the raccoon's back. She feared that if she tried to simply yank the cursed creature off it'd try to take Beepaw's leg with it, so instead she dug her hind paws hard into its back, over and over, and grappled its skull hard with her forepaws, hooking her thorny claws inot either side of its face. She tried to pry its head away. "Let go of him!" she demanded, "Let go!" Beepaw's wailing terror boomed in her ears like a storm.

Dacedream used Leap-and-Hold on the predator, using 10 stamina and dealing 11 damage. The raccoon is pinned for one turn.

Dacedream
60/60 HP
185/200 SP (-10)

Raccoon [pinned]
19/30 HP (-11)
280/300 SP

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

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'Effect Dice' : 3

The bushes churned to Beepaw's left as he began yanking on his own leg. He trained his gaze on the rustling branches and said a silent prayer for Dacedream's swift arrival. In the meantime, exclamations of pain were spilling from his maw as the panic began to wrap around his throat. "Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, stop!"

Dacedream's shrill battle cry was so intensely out of character that Beepaw flinched, dropping his belly and ducking out of the way — as if she might be aiming for him! The raccoon chittered in warning for a fraction of a moment before she tackled the beast. It yelped as it detached its teeth from Beepaw's leg and was crushed under Dacedream's paws. Beepaw gasped and scrambled backward, diving into the brush and lapping at his injured leg. He didn't know what an actual injury felt like, in fact, he was excited to finally get into a battle. He figured his first battle wound would be cool. His tune changed around the third lick, when the numbness of adrenaline ebbed and the stinging of a sizable gash remained. His father, Harefoot, was covered in scars from other creatures. Did they hurt this bad?

The raccoon sputtered and screeched under Dacedream's solid and experienced hold. Beepaw nearly felt bad for him before the pain in his leg burned brightly a second time. Then, he wasn't so sure.

The raccoon remained pinned.

Raccoon [pinned]
19/30 HP
280/300 SP

Dacedream
60/60 HP
185/200 SP

The moment that Beepaw rolled out of Dacedream's line of sight, freed from the raccoon's grasp, an overwhelming sense of relief flooded through her body despite the fury and adrenaline that helped fuel her claws. She didn't know how badly he'd been hurt, but as the predator reeled beneath her she knew she'd need to chase it away first before she could find out. She had to hope that if Beepaw was stable enough to run away he would be able to handle himself and his injuries alone for a moment. Dacedream gritted her teeth and redoubled her efforts, raking at the raccoon's head and battering it fiercely as she balanced on the scrabbling creature's back. She felt her paws slipping and sprang off of her enemy, taking care to scrape her claws on its flesh as she jumped off.

The thick-furred tortoiseshell landed between the raccoon and Beepaw, her broad paws gripping the earth with her dark claws. Dacedream glared threateningly at the raccoon and bushed up, bristling. She bared her teeth and braced for another attack, though she hoped it would simply take the hint. Already her thoughts were slipping to concern for Beepaw. She spat, "Why don't you stupid things pick on cats your own size?!" Dacedream stomped, taking a looming step forward as a challenge. "Get away from us!"

Dacedream used Rending Front Paws, using 25 stamina and dealing 13 damage.

Dacedream
60/60 HP
160/200 SP (-25)

Raccoon
6/30 HP (-13)
280/300 SP

The raccoon grunted as it was pitched to the ground by Dacedream's front paws. For a few moments, its chest heaved, but it did not move. The warrior loomed like something out of mythology over the beast, and it seemed they both knew the battle was over. The pest scrambled to its paws and lumbered in the opposite direction. It took a moment to lay its masked gaze on Beepaw and hiss. Beepaw, in turn, grinned at its ringed tail as it went.

The raccoon has fled!

The apprentice was arguably as large as Dacedream, but she was suddenly wrapped in an aura of grandeur. The Dacedream he grew up with was a standoffish and quite timid queen. This Dacedream saved his life without a second thought about it. And it was super cool! No wonder Duskrain liked her! Best of all, the robin that the raccoon has stolen from him was still intact a few pawsteps away. He inspected it with a sniff and determined that the raccoon had not contaminated it in any outstanding way... how lucky was he!

The smile that danced across his face was short lived, though, for his attention had returned to the searing pain in his foreleg. It wasn't the slow trickle of blood or the shallow puncture wound that upset him, but rather how he had received it. His ears flopped bashfully backwards. A familiar purr hummed in his mind. "Your father was fearsome in battle, Beekit. I saw grown warriors cower before him. That ThunderClan strength was passed to you... So don't be afraid of battle. Your power will speak for itself." Power? What power had he shown today? Power to call for help?

"I'm sorry I didn't fight it myself," Beepaw mumbled. "I'm sorry I called for you instead. I should have been stronger. Did you get hurt?"

Dacedream's green-hazel eyes glinted menacingly, but as the raccoon regained its footing it was quite apparent that it knew it was beaten. It began to lumber away, pausing a moment to leer at the place where Beepaw had disappeared into the underbrush. A low, throaty growl rumbled in Dacedream's throat, and she flexed her claws and took a few swift steps towards the raccoon. It didn't hesitate to continue on its way, fleeing the furious warrior. Dacedream's bushy tail lashed as she watched it disappear. She took a few slow steps after it; it was moving away at a rapid pace with no intention of turning back on the cat that had soundly beaten it. Beepaw's patchy tabby frame emerged from the branches, and Dacedream turned her head to watch him, still panting from the scrabble, as he inspected the robin.

"Beepaw! Thank goodness - are you alright?" Dacedream asked with concern and immense relief to see him moving on his own. She saw the bitter and disappointed look on his face despite the feathered fresh-kill he stood over. Her tufted ears angled towards him as he muttered an apology full of shame. The tortoiseshell queen made a chirp of surprise and sympathy and moved towards him, immediately answering, "Oh, sweetie, no - no one would expect you to fight a raccoon by yourself. Raccoons are nasty, mean creatures that always prey on apprentices and unprepared warriors, especially when they're alone. Dawngaze had to save me from a raccoon on my first hunt in the forest." Dacedream shook her head sadly, looking at Beepaw with a warm expression. "You were very brave. You did the right thing calling out for me so that I could find you and help. I did the same thing!"