the gravity upon your face [closed]

The chilly buffet of choppy wind, a lingering reminder of the early season storm currently brewing upon the horizon, wreathed against the glossy mane of Jaypaw's dark coat, the probing tendrils of cool wind serving to set his teeth to soft chattering. The Leaf-Fall weather seemed to be cooling further and further with each passing of the sun, the drastically declining temperature of the river ever the present reminder of the freezing temperatures awaiting the forest in the near future. It was certainly unpleasant that he was a warm-season kitting, as his first Leafbare was fast encroaching- and he was woefully unprepared for the absolute misery of the next few moons. Weaving comfortably through the brittle grasses and softly decaying debris that encased the odd happenstance of the Twolegplace Farm, the young tom left a glistening trail of riverwater behind in his wake.

After spending the duration of his early morning training plunging about in the chilly, dark depths of the river, Jaypaw had been sent off on his lonesome with the hopes of an early afternoon hunt nursing some warmth back into his partially frozen blood. Pointedly ignoring bits of mud and silt that gently framed the wide expanse of his forepaws, the dark tom continued his idle waltzing about, finding more interest in eyeing the dilapidated structure as compared to searching for any sort of viable prey.

Despite the fact that Eris knew she was unlikely to find any cat within the beaten-down barn, she felt somewhat compelled to be there. She'd let her paws wander wherever they pleased, and it hadn't let her down thus far. So, after a fairly short amount of time, she found herself confined to the walls which had, for many moons, been falling, slowly but surely. A short search had proved futile in finding anyone to speak with, and Eris was unsure that the structure was... stable enough to withstand her prodding about too much longer. So, on abnormally large paws, the she-cat padded out of the wide doors, letting the warm sun dance about her face for a moment.

Just as she was about to head out, the sound of pawsteps reached her ears, which promptly turned towards the sound. In the distance she could see the dark form of a cat, slick and slightly muddy. Ah, this one must be RiverClan, then, she thought with a grin. The amount of RiverClanners she'd been able to speak with had been fairly low, which she disliked. Hopefully, this interaction would prove to be somewhat entertaining. The long-furred tortie began walking towards the tom, and when she was close enough to see the color of his eyes, she called out to him. "Hello, stranger. Might I ask your name?" She said politely, coming to a stop when she felt the distance between them had been effectively closed.

The soft flourish of chill-brittle grass catching upon dry earth sent the fine hairs atop Jaypaw's nape into a semiconscious state of alert, the faint webbing of a shiver creeping through his disarrayed shape in the callous form of chilly fingers- although initially unaware, it was painfully evident that something was sorely out of place. Still and unrelenting as he eyed the undeniably hostile outline of the dilapidated farmhouse, the muddied young tom's dark gaze narrowed a fraction at the sight of Eris, woefully unprepared for the possibility of another cat. Nonetheless, a cat who offered the illusion of not likely hailing from one of their neighboring Clans? How exactly would one go about conversation with something so... strange? Uncivilized? Different? Silky dark shape, weighted down the casual interference of mud and chilly river-water beading upon his softly arched spine, coiling into a defensive and not exactly friendly stance, the young tom did little aside from leer at Eris in the ensuing heartbeats, evidently more focused on assessing the potential threat before him.

"You're trespassing on my land," Jaypaw eventually refutes, low rasp of a voice carrying a surprising amount of cadence, "I think I'm within my rights to ask of your name before anything else."

"Mmm, fair enough." The tortoiseshell responded, walking past the tom with a flick of her tail. "Though I sincerely doubt that this land is yours alone, hmm? Perhaps your sense of self-importance surpasses your Clan pride...?" Head tilted a bit, Eris looked back at the younger tom with a slight smirk tugging at her maw. "Nevermind that, though. Unwavering loyalty was never a Clan cats' greatest trait. My name is Eris." Eventually the she-cat sat down, looking back at Jaypaw with icy blue eyes. "Truthfully, I'm not entirely sure what led me here. I'm not inclined to stay, as it's rather drab, so if you'd like me to leave..." Eris shrugged her shoulder a bit, looking off to the deteriorating barn. "I'm sure this interaction could be fruitful for the both of us, however." She added, voice soft yet firm.

The carefully conditioned muscles atop the shoulders, so delicately interwoven in an intricate map of overlapping bands of untried strength, tensed in a seething mixture of wariness and imbued agitation at the stranger's cheeky commentary. The aquiline curve of Jaypaw's sharp muzzle scrunched upwards in a thinly-veiled display of his currently foul state of mind, honey dark gaze remained fixed upon the looming mass of Eris amidst her casual strolling. Delicately weighted spine tensing into a posture of defensive attention, the dark-furred tom's ears pressed tightly against the narrow confines of his skull at the tortoiseshell's crooked, infuriating simper.

"It's my territory as it is my blood that connects me to these lands, a defining characteristic you obviously lack." Jaypaw leered back, sullen and sharp in his seething response, blatantly brushing away the connotations of the stranger's relatively accurate assessment. "Any one of my Clanmates would've given a similar response." And yet, so unlike his Clanmates, they were devoid of a lineage of Leaders that tied them all the more deeply to the rivers.

Purposely remaining poised and neatly coiled until there was a profuse ache resonating within the confines of his flesh, specks and flecks of broken foliage debris hung heavily in the stagnant air wreathing around the prickly young tom. It seemed as though Eris was weaving some sort of spiderweb with her rather unwarranted commentary; a sinewy dressing of thinly-veiled intrigue, a gleaming challenge encased within the fog of reason. Definitely a trap of some sort, as you could never trust an outsider. But for what? What could she possibly give? "My name is Jaypaw," He eventually concedes a modicum of ground, low voice thick with some unknowable emotion as he warily peers closer at Eris, "and it sounds like you want something from me with little to give in return."

Eris chuckled at the apprentice's remark, teeth chattering comedically at his response. "You shouldn't be so sure of your words, young one." She mewed, clearly knowing more than the tom about the words he spoke. She refused to reveal that, though. "Ah, would they, though? Not all Clan cats carry Clan blood, after all." The fluffy she-cat's tail lashed a bit as she turned and walked back towards the RiverClanner, fur fluffed up against the cold. "Jaypaw... What a wondrously boring name. I'm sure I could venture into another Clan's territory and meet someone with the same name. Doesn't that ever bother you?" The ragdoll tortoiseshell mewed, sitting down in front of the tom. She pointedly ignored his next remark, instead waiting for a response to her query.

The stagnant air pooling heavily upon the horizon surrounding the abandoned structure was wrought with the pungent scent of strange machinery and decaying wood. Despite remaining relatively cool to the sensitive bottom of the paw, the sandy earth was stifling under the unpleasant presence of normally undisturbed dust- now left hanging about in the thin air, stirred up by the sudden movement of the unlikely pair. Remaining rigid and unflinchingly close to the proximity of the stranger, the rapidly dwindling light of the day lengthened the shadow cast by Jaypaw's being.

"Only as much as it would bother the next," Jaypaw threaded back, softly feathered lips curling back into an agitated leer that plainly displayed his irritation with the seemingly pointless conversation, "there's only so many names in the world, Eris. I'm sure there are plenty of others who share your name as well." Heavy droplets of chilly river water stubbornly graced the thick webbing of his coat, faint silky streams of iridescent light catching softly against the pallid light of the afternoon sun. It was plain to see that his already limited patience was rapidly dwindling, easily riled up against the stranger's ability to walk a conversation in indefinite circles.

"If you have some point or another, I would suggest making it." Jaypaw sniffed, honey dark gaze narrowing fractionally as he continued to peer at Eris, intently scrutinizing the large stranger astride before him, "playing the name game isn't doing very much good."

"I'd argue that my name is rather unique. Far more so than Jaypaw, at least." The fluffy she-cat mused, flicking an ear. Her stubbornness was quite evident as she was tempted to continue to tease and pick at the tom over his name; her self-control shined even brighter as she made the reasoning for her presence quite clear. "My curiosity always gets the better of me, I suppose. My bones have been aching for some action, I must admit. How about a spar, hm? If it makes you feel any better, you can run home and tell your Clanmates you protected the territory when we're finished." She mewed with a wink, cream and light tints of brown dazzling with the light of the fallen sun.

The faint undercurrent of birdsong upon the drowsy early afternoon air was briefly interspersed with the soft interlude of conversing voices, silky fur catching against the cool-brittle earth, willowy boughs of a nipping breeze trembling heavily against the terse atmosphere. Chips of stone and unfortunate pebbles lingering too close to the dark-furred tom were sent skidding forward just a step or two, clicking together sharply under the careful flicking of Jaypaw's narrow forepaw. Settling into a semblance of resolute silence, the roughly coiling breeze seemed to cool and soften around the dark-furred young tom, seeping into the unkempt mane of his coat.

The faintest ghost of a twitch crept down the curved expanse of his spine, the only initial indicator that Eris' invitation was actually received and subsequently processed. Pale gaze illuminated into a reflective gleam of bright ambers and dazzling blues, the young RiverClanner continued to scrutinize the stranger before him. An unfamiliar emotion creased between the delicate arch of Jaypaw's lightly furrowed brows, suspended somewhere between repulsion and intrigue, as his tongue weighed heavily against the narrow confines of his tightly pursed mouth. In the ensuing silence, the relentless beat of his heart sounded much too loud.

The lingering alarm bells continued their relentless drilling within the fathoms of his chest, the continuous mindset of something being wrong failing to dissipate. It was an odd position to be in; being so wary of something and realizing that this was likely a horrible idea, but for some reason you couldn't even properly name. Sparring would do little good when he already possessed real battle experience, but anything to help him further understand. "What good is sparring," Jaypaw seethed out, suddenly darting forward in a flourish of dark fur, long forelimbs neatly hooking around the unkempt mane of Eris' nape and dragging her down with a surprising amount of strength, "if you already know what to do?"

-

Jaypaw used Leap & Hold, Dealing -6 in Damage & Costing -10 in Stamina.
Eris is held for ONE TURN, with damage in effect for each turn.


Jaypaw
20/20 [HP]
70/80 [SP]

Eris
69/75 [HP]
200/200 [SP]

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

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'Effect Dice' : 3