a splash of the sun [closed]

Officially speaking, Snowflight’s reason for visiting the Gorge was twofold. First, he had a Clan (and the few SkyClanners who didn’t turn up their noses at frogs) to feed; second, someone needed to protect their borders from the forest’s second most troublesome Clan. However, his biggest motive was the one he hadn’t mentioned to Ivystar. If he spent one more day surrounded by dry land, he’d explode. Sure, the Gorge’s roars were nothing like the peaceful river he’d grown up near, and he’d probably die if he tried to swim in it—but water was water, and after a season without it, he was desperate.

He stopped at the cliff’s edge, peering into the churning mass beneath. Sunhigh’s gentle warmth pressed down on his back; gusts from WindClan’s side of the border buffeted his face and chest, carrying jumbled scents with them. Rabbit, stale patrol-scent, more rabbit—WindClan. Fresh WindClan, at that. Snowflight’s eyes snapped open. “Who’s there?” he called over the Gorge’s rumbling, tail lashing back and forth as he searched for the potential intruder. If anyone was be bee-brained enough to try jumping over the Gorge, it’d be a WindClanner. He’d seen it before.

Maplewhisker had decided to hunt near the gorge.  It was a dry day, as most days had been recently.  There would be more prey where there was water, and the gorge seemed like the only place were there was water left in WindClan territory.  She padded up the familiar hunting trail, scenting for any signs of prey.  Soon she scented fresh rabbit.  Maplewhisker crawled along the dry, dusty moor, following the scent.  By now she was beginning to near the gorge.  

As she neared a clump of gorse, the rabbit darted out, fleeing for its life.  Maplewhisker darted after it, the excitement of the chase blazing in her eyes.  The rabbit darted every which way, making her lose her sense of direction.  Right as she was within pouncing distance, the rabbit leaped out of reach, Maplewhisker in steady pursuit.  She felt air beneath her paws, as if the ground had split in two, leaving her falling into nothingness.  Panic swelled up inside of her, threatening her to start flailing in the air.  She took deep breaths.  She prepared her landing, relieved when she found solid earth beneath her paws.

Her relief didn't last long, when Maplewhisker realized that she had accidentally leaped the gorge and was now on RiverClan territory.  She took a rest for a moment, dazed, before pacing along the edge of the gorge, looking for a way back onto her own territory.  She realized just how far and high up the gorge was on WindClan territory, and thanked StarClan that she didn't get hurt.  The drop down from the RiverClan side to the gorge was not as steep, though a cat could still get very ingured falling from it.  As Maplewhisker was padding back and forth.  She froze as she heard approaching pawsteps.  

How was she going to explain what had really happened? Some warriors wanted to fight no matter what the truth was.  She braced herself as she heard a voice asking who was there.  Trying to stay calm, she thought of ways to explain what had happened.  Maplewhisker hadn't caught any prey on their side of the border, so maybe she could get back to her territory without a battle.  She figured that she could start by telling them who she was.
"I'm Maplewhisker of WindClan" she responded to their question.  If it came to a fight, she knew she could protect herself, but any injury she might get would be bad, with herb stocks starting to die as the weather grew colder.  She stood waiting as the pawsteps of her judgement grew ever closer, preparing herself for whatever might happen.

Though Snowflight had technically asked a question, he’d done so expecting a preemptive attack from the dried-out bushes nearby or a scuffle of paws as the wandering cat, prey, or predator hurtled back to their own territory. The last thing he’d prepared for was a voice. Face bunching up in confusion, he straightened until he was almost standing on tiptoe. Between the Gorge’s commotion and his less-than-perfect hearing, he couldn’t make out what the voice said—but the fact that he’d heard it at all meant there had to be another cat here. The type of threat he could handle on his own, thank the stars.

Heartened by that thought, he stepped away from the bushes and turned in what felt like a full circle, searching for the source of the voice. At last, his gaze landed on a fluffy, russet-furred shape. There, shrouded in heather-and-breeze scent, with all four of her paws firmly planted on RiverClan’s side of the Gorge, stood the intruder. She hadn’t caught anything yet (maybe she wasn’t here to hunt at all), but a trespasser who didn’t steal was still a trespasser. Still breaking the code. “What d’you think you’re doing?” he called back, a hint of a snarl in his voice. “This is RiverClan territory.” Then he was off, darting toward the russet she-cat like a minnow shooting between a pair of searching paws.

As he closed in, his legs faltered. The goal was to drive the russet cat off his territory, not knock her into the Gorge—and so, before he would’ve collided with her, he reared up on his hind legs and attempted to bring his forepaws down on the she-cat’s head instead. Once his paws hit the ground, he scrambled back, tail swishing wildly. The further from the edge this fight happened, the better.

Snowflight used Upright Front Paws, dealing 12 damage and using 20 stamina.

Snowflight
55/55 HP
150/170 SP (-20)

Maplewhisker
48/60 HP (-12)
200/200 SP

As Maplewhisker was standing defensively near the edge of the gorge, the approaching cat burst through the undergrowth.  They darted toward her, sending their paws down on her head.  The blow left her dazed for a moment, before she was able to figure out a plan.  She would still try to explain how she got there.  Maplewhisker decided she would fight, but she would try to avoid any serious injury on both her and the other cat.  

Maplewhisker took a few steps back, then darted at the other cat.  As she reached striking distance, she darted under the other cat's soft underbelly and flipped onto her back, swift as a snake, and sliced her claws through their pelt.  She didn't want to hurt them, so she did the least amount of damage possible that would still put them down for a few seconds.  She slid back out from under him, taking up her defensive position again.

Though Maplewhisker knew it was her fault she had crossed the border, it didn't stop her from trying to reason with the other cat.
"I'm Maplewhisker of WindClan," she repeated, in case they hadn't heard, "I accidentally leaped the gorge in pursuit of a rabbit."  She kept her eyes fixed on him, scanning his face for any change in expression.  She went on.  "If you'll let me, we can stop fighting and I'll get off you're territory"

Maplewhisker figured her idea to get away safely wouldn't work, but she was ready for whatever the other cat might suggest.  She knew that there were many cats who would like to keep fighting, as if they had something to prove.  She hoped that the RiverClan cat she saw before her was not one of them.

Maplewhisker used Half-Turn Belly Rake, costing 20 SP and dealing 13 HP.


Maplewhisker
48/60 HP
180/160 SP (-20)

Snowflight
42/55 HP (-13)
150/170 SP

Snowflight’s mouth curved into a smile, equal parts triumph and relief, as the she-cat stepped back. The sooner this skirmish was over, the better. Spiderquill already had his paws full with patching up half of SkyClan. His shoulders relaxed the tiniest bit. But he’d misjudged. In the blink of an eye, the gap between him and his opponent vanished; the she-cat threw herself to the ground and dragged her claws across his belly. The scratches were shallow—he’d gotten worse from sparring sessions—but they managed to pull a yelp from his throat regardless. As she retreated, he hunched in on himself, blinking furiously. Frog-dirt, fish-guts— Of course it wasn’t that easy!

Rather than take advantage of his distraction, the she-cat simply stood there. Then she spoke. Against all reason, Snowflight lifted his head to better hear her. He’d heard excuses and bargaining before; a name, on the other paw, was an unusual thing to get from an intruder. He eyed Maplewhisker for a long moment, caught somewhere between suspicion and intrigue.

The scratches on his belly stung anew, reminding him what he’d already gotten for letting his guard down. Eyes narrowed to slits, Snowflight bent down low and sprang forward. He landed on Maplewhisker’s back, digging his claws in just enough to keep his balance. “Tell me why I should believe you,” he growled, ears pulled flat. “You’re not the first cat who’s ‘accidentally’ crossed the border.” Even so, hesitance had wormed its way into his gut. He’d been prepared for a fight—heck, he’d started this one—but…all he’d come for was the water. A moment’s normalcy. If it hadn’t been for this WindClanner, he would’ve gotten it. His claws poked at Maplewhisker’s shoulders.

Snowflight used Leap-and-Hold, dealing 11 damage and using 10 stamina. Maplewhisker is pinned for 2 turns.

Snowflight
42/55 HP
140/170 SP (-10)

Maplewhisker [pinned]
37/60 HP (-11)
180/200 SP

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

---

'Effect Dice' : 6

Maplewhisker is pinned.


Maplewhisker [pinned]
37/60 HP
180/200 SP

Snowflight
42/55 HP
140/170 SP

Snowflight merely snorted in response to the first part of her excuse, but the second part gave him pause. His ears rose just a bit as he considered. For all the accusations he threw during border scuffles, he’d only ever caught one cat in the act of stealing prey, and that one hadn’t even been Clanborn. Though apprentices might try sneaking prey from other territories on their own, any sensible warrior would expect opposition, especially knowing RiverClan had been hunting and patrolling to feed two Clans. He lifted his muzzle to the breeze one last time. Aside from WindClan and the rabbit Maplewhisker had supposedly been chasing, no other scents stuck out to him. Even in these times, prey preferred testing their luck at the muddy riverbed to facing the Gorge’s dangers.

The first signs of movement made him tense up, but Maplewhisker didn’t even attempt to throw him off. Snowflight shifted his weight back despite himself. He had the advantage—fewer wounds and more at stake. Giving up just didn't feel right. Then he thought of Spiderquill, the water, the idea of having to spend the next few sunups in the medicine den, and suddenly, talking didn't seem like such a bad idea. If this got Maplewhisker away from RiverClan territory, he’d done his duty just as well as if he’d fought her to the end. “If I let you go,” he said, slowly at first, but gaining confidence as he spoke, “you’ll go back to your own territory. Without the rabbit.” Of course, that rabbit was long gone. “And you’ll stay on your side of the border. All right?”

Snowflight continued to use Leap-and-Hold, dealing 11 damage. Maplewhisker is pinned for 1 turn.

Snowflight
42/55 HP
140/170 SP

Maplewhisker [pinned]
26/60 HP (-11)
180/200 SP

There. The answer he’d been looking for. Whether he could trust it or not was another matter, but he’d cross that branch when he came to it. With a grunt of acknowledgement, Snowflight leapt free and whirled around, just in case Maplewhisker got the bright idea to roll over on him. “If you come over here again, I’m finishing this fight,” he warned. “Now get out!” Intending to hurry her toward her side of the Gorge, he struck out toward her face. His claws snagged her left ear. That hadn’t been the plan—but when he thought about it, he’d given her a reminder to stay away from RiverClan lands. Besides, it was only an ear. If WindClan’s medicine cats were as capable as any other Clan’s, it would heal just fine. Standing as tall as he could manage, Snowflight took a stiff step back. Until Maplewhisker was firmly on her own territory, he wouldn’t dare turn away.

Maplewhisker felt a small stab of pain in her left ear and quickly stood up.  She turned to run back to the gorge.  There was some stepping stones nearby where the ground flattened toward the river, and she bounded across.  Relieved that she was on her own territory once again, she padded on the familiar trail to the WindClan camp.