Death is Waiting, I am ready to Go [Closed]

Wraith passed over the borders like he always did. He could smell that a patrol must have gone by not long ago. It was time for him to kill again, as he was always meant to do. The sun was setting across the frosty ground, staining everything in a pale red. Wraith looked up at the tree that he did not know was specifically the Owl Tree. He would hide here for now, and leap down upon unsuspecting cats. The Dynasty of Death demanded blood be spilled, and so it would be. He scrambled up the tree and nestled himself to look like a knot on the limb. Even his eyes were a brownish orange, so he would not stand out despite the white the lightly dusted the tree and the grounds below.

Come forth, souls to be reaped. Wraith awaits you.

Kitepaw had split away from the hunting patrol, or rather, duo. Her and Pinefrost were out searching for prey. However, knowing of the missing kit from their clan, admittedly her gaze was peering behind the frosted foliage more than it would on any other patrol. The young she-cat had tried to find even a scent for quite some time now. The cold ear made her nose twitch and the heavy precipitation in the air seemed to dull her senses. She was not a fan of such things. With the deafness in her one ear, the apprentice had grown to rely on scent, sight, and touch more heavily than other cats. To have one of those stifled made unease creep up her already chilled spine.

In a futile effort, she attempted to fluff out her fur and shake her coat. The action did little to heat her paws or return the sensation to her nose. Kitepaw just managed to catch wind of a mouse scuffling up ahead. Robinloft had already taught her a trick or two. Light pawsteps made hunting a breeze, as long as she executed properly and remember all her steps. Ear and eyes were trained on the target, head angle towards the creature to capture every little sound. She crept forward, inching closer... and just when she was ready to pounce... it darted away and underneath the roots of a tree. A low sigh left the sides of her maw and she prepared to turn away. Today just wasn't a good day for hunting, she tried to tell herself. There had to be something else nearby, right?

Little did she know that now, it was Kitepaw that was being hunted.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 9

The air held the scent of frost in it, the kind that filled Pinefrost's lungs with cold. He took a deep breath, watching as his niece, Kitepaw, delved deeper into the undergrowth in search of some prey. Thrushnose still remained in the nursery with Badgerkit, waiting for Laurelkit if she might return. Meanwhile, more patrols had been leaving camp - both in search of food for the chilling Leaffall, and their youngling as well. Pinefrost had begun to envy the warriors with larger, thicker coats, as the icy wind would cut through his and Kitepaw's russet fur like claws. She didn't seem to mind the light sleet that fell from the sky, however. Or if she did, she didn't show it. Kitepaw would grow into a fine hunter, Pinefrost imagined.

However she returned later with no prey in her maw. The warrior only smiled, shrugging. "Everyone's more on edge lately, 's alright Kitepaw." He pressed a paw down on the top of her head to ruffle her fur, just like Beecloud used to do to him as an apprentice. "Let's go try somewhere else. We can go deeper into the thicket, the snow won't be as cold there..." The duo padded beneath the dried ferns and bracken, their pelts brushing against the undergrowth, sending the stalks wobbling in the empty sky. There was a strange sense of foreboding in the air, however Pinefrost attributed it to Laurelkit's disappearance. A squirrel was found nibbling on a nut worriedly, not but ten fox-lengths away. "Squirrels, my favorite." Pinefrost whispered to Kitepaw, dropping into a crouch. "You wanna have another go?"

Wraith kept perfect stillness as he watched the two clan cats below him. The smaller one had missed her prey, a sign that Wraith took that he needed to kill her. The prey was spared because it was not it's time to die. It must be her's then. Still... his eyes scanned the larger, older tom as well. He could be a problem... he needed to dispatch or at least incapacitate him first. Making up his mind, Wraith finally moved and turned himself to face them on the tree branch as quietly as he could. Their backs were to him when he finally sprung from the tree branch. He fought like a Skyclan cat, but he was far from such a thing. He was Wraith... a soldier from the Dynasty of Death, and the Balance called for lives to be taken today.

He dropped his full weight onto the unsuspecting warrior and immediately begin to tear into his flesh. He would need to decimate or incapacitate him quickly and then kill the intended target, which was the apprentice.

"The Balance and the Dynasty of Death stakes it's claim on the life of your younger companion, young tom. Sacrifice her, and you will not die. Resist and I will kill you both."

Wraith used Leap and Hold on Pinefrost, dealing 9 damage and -10SP

Wraith
45HP / 130SP (-10SP)

Pinefrost
Stunned for TWO turns
36HP / 160SP (-9HP)

Kitepaw
20HP / 80SP

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

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'Effect Dice' : 6

Not a moment later, Pinefrost appeared. His silken words were reassuring and she looked up at her elder kin with a lopsided smile. Her ears fell to the side as one slender paw ruffled the fur between them. Kitepaw's whiskers twitched slightly before she pulled away, finding herself uncomfortable at the idea of fallen ears. However, their conversation quickly turned back to the continued hunt at paw. She stayed at his side, head up and eyes keen for prey somewhere ahead. He offered her the catch and Kitepaw crouched in preparation...

There was a flicker of movement before she could pounce. Immediately, the apprentice rose onto all four paws. Her eyes widened to drink in the scene. There was a rogue, tearing into the flesh of her patrolmate. She hadn't heard it coming! He'd snuck up on her deaf side. Kitepaw barely had time to process the thought as it flitted through her head. The bigger matter was making sure that this enemy cat was no longer tearing into Pinefrost. An assertation was made, a declaration of death. There was a chill sent through her blood, striking deeper than the breeze. Were she a cat of a weaker soul, perhaps her paws would have stalled.

"Get off of him you ragged rat!" Kitepaw, despite the note of a quiver in her voice, snapped out her own threat as she lashed forward with unsheathed claws.

Kitepaw used front paw strike, dealing 6 damage and using 10 stamina.

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

Wraith
HP: 39/45 (-6)
SP: 130/140

Pinefrost - Stunned
HP: 36/45
SP: 160/160

Kitepaw's green eyes sparkled in the sun as she gazed up at Pinefrost. He grinned at her, nodding towards the undergrowth to note they should continue. He was staring at the dried ferns poking from the frost one moment, and found himself pressed into the ground the next. The warrior's first thought was that Kitepaw had suddenly decided to do some impromptu battle training, but then a foreign scent filled his nose. Something musty and strong. His assailant wasn't of the clans, no. Still reeling from impact, Pinefrost let himself roll with the tackle into the bracken, turning to gaze upon the loner. The tom was massive, a dark brown pelt pulled over his muscular shoulders. The warrior hissed in defiance, stunned as the large tom let his claws rip through the russet cat's pelt. Pinefrost let out a pained hiss, swinging his head to and fro as it was pressed into the cold dirt. Where was Kitepaw?

Suddenly the weight on Pinefrost's back lifted as the smaller apprentice barreled into their attacker, spitting fire with that coy confidence she shared with her uncle. The tom couldn't help but let a smile crawl across his maw as he lashed out, wriggling with all the force of LionClan in attempt to get the loner off of him.

Pinefrost is pinned for 1 more turn.

Wraith continued to tear into his target. Upon hearing no response, he continued his grim work despite the efforts of the younger cat. His eyes glanced at her, coldly, before dismissing her presence once more and focusing again on the older tom.

"You have chosen... Death." And so be it. He would kill them both. He vowed that the next cat he saw, he would spare so the Balance would not be disrupted. Even as the young she-cat buried her claws into him, Wraith didn't even so much as blink. His claws tore and tore and tore, even as he rolled with his adversary. Eventually he would dig through to the other side of the tom, and he had no one to blame but himself.

Wraith continues his Leap and Hold, dealing another 9 damage.

Wraith
Final turn of Leap and Hold
39HP / 130SP

Pinefrost
Pinned for 1 more turn
27HP / 160SP (-9HP)

Kitepaw
20HP / 70SP

It was just like the many tales of horrible and vicious rogues, bound by no honorable code like the clans. Kitepaw had never met a clanless cat before and thought little of such fantastical stories. But now it stared at her down the bridge of her slender nose - the face of merciless death. Her pelt prickled and it was purely the adrenaline that drove her onslaught of attacks. Naturally, every fiber of her being screamed for her to run. This was not some skirmish with another apprentice but rather a creature whose muscles were shaped and bound by feats she could hardly bear to imagine.

This was no time to ponder such obscure ideas, it was a time for action. Her clanmate was pinned down and it was her fault for not being able to hear it. Kitepaw's gaze darted to the nearest tree and she grit her teeth. This move she'd only seen done once and had hardly gotten the practice in. However, with Pinefrost pinned by this brute, there were hardly any options. Lithe paws hardly touched the ground as the decision was made. Effortlessly, she bounded to the trunk and scrambled up it until she was just high enough to see the brown tom's back. With as much strength as the apprentice could muster in her spindly hind legs, she pushed off and sprang towards Wraith. She soared over him and let her unsheathed claws score the flesh and fur along the length of his spine.

When she landed, her sides heaved from the efforts and paws stumbled slightly to try and find their footing. Kitepaw stared at the scene with wide eyes. She needed to rest a moment, suck in a single breath, then it would be her chance to find another opportunity for attack.

Kitepaw used Tree Spring on Wraith, dealing 7 damage and using 15 stamina.

Kitepaw
HP: 20/20
SP: 55/80 (-15)

Wraith
HP: 32/45 (-7)
SP: 130/140

Pinefrost - Stunned
HP: 27/45
SP: 160/160

Pinefrost's vision began to blur as the loner forced all his weight on the tom, pressing him into the ground. With every gasp, air became more scarce, and the warrior could feel the slick tang of blood against his back as the massive tom's claws ripped into his shoulder blades. The world faded to black, then Pinefrost pulled himself from the gloom once more, looking for Kitepaw with desperate eyes, russet head shaking as he struggled to pull himself to his feet. A shadow from overhead flashed over the warrior, and Pinefrost was briefly reminded of the bird that he and his kin had killed together. But this was no bird. The weight on Pinefrost's back was suddenly ripped away as the loner stumbled, pulled off of the tom by Kitepaw's mighty leap from the tree. The apprentice skidded to a halt and stood on the other end of the clearing, panting.

With renewed strength, Pinefrost pulled himself to his paws and lifted his head from between his shoulders, a trickle of blood dripping from his maw. This was the first he was able to get a good look at the loner - large and intimidating, his frame a deep brown. But still a cat - and could be defeated like one too. Grinning, Pinefrost wiped the crimson from his chin and dropped into a readied stance, green eyes flashing. "Alright, coward. Let's do this for real this time."

Pinefrost is no longer pinned.

Wraith felt pain down his spine and it was enough to get him to release his hold on the brown tom. A blank, dead gaze was cast at the apprentice. He'd had enough of her, but she was far less of a threat than the larger tom. Without a single growl or hiss or even a grunt, Wraith sighed and turned his gaze back to the tom. An insult was thrown his way, but he might as well have not said anything for all the reaction he got. Wraith merely blinked once before moving forward to attack again.

Wraith used Rear Up to Slash, dealing 11 damage and -15SP

Wraith
32HP / 115SP (-15SP)

Kitepaw
20HP / 55SP

Pinefrost
16HP / 160SP (-11HP)

OOC: Sorry! I didn't realize it was my turn!!

Kitepaw witnessed the continued onslaught of attacks. Her claws flexed as she waited for the right moment to charge forward and lash out. As the rogue rose up onto his hindlegs and slashed at her clanmate. Thankfully, a slender frame allowed her to slide underneath Wraith and lash as his stomach. Scoring the soft flesh and fur was hardly a comfort. Such wild strength and threat of death admittedly sacred her, even if the apprentice tried to push away the thought. She rounded, prepared to rush forward again when it was time.

Kitepaw used Belly Rake on Wraith, dealing 7 damage and using 10 stamina.

Kitepaw
HP: 20/20
SP: 45/80 (-10)

Wraith
HP: 25/45 (-7)
SP: 115/140

Pinefrost
HP: 16/45
SP: 160/160