no glory in the west [closed]

The late evening sky, a simmering smudge of unperturbed silky darkness wreathing around the jagged teeth of the illustrious Highstones, was laden with the lingering weight of a cloying humidity- an uncharacteristic stillness bearing down upon the forest with the grace of a stalking fox, the continuous threat of teeth upon precious arteries and veins. The prickling presence of faint electricity provided a mouth-curdling inkling of an unusual Leafbare storm, a dark smear of coiling energy gathering somewhere just beyond the reach of the eye, the tremulous threat eagerly awaiting its chance to unleash a torrential downpour upon the already overflowing territories. Somewhere, countless leagues away, the dark stain across the horizon was briefly illuminated by a dazzling flash of lightning; the resounding crack of thunder a faint shudder across the late evening sky, bleaching the snow-capped forest an utterly dismal stark white.

The barren and stiff foliage that gracelessly flanked the crumbling outskirts of the Gorge flashed by in a never-ending stream of bleary greys and browns, occasionally illuminated by the blinding tendrils of lightning, the faint whisper of the rapidly encroaching turbulent falls turned pallid and sodden under the roar of the rushing winds and rumble of building thunder. Most had settled down for the evening several hours ago - wise in their decision to get a full night's sleep in preparation of a full day's worth of duties - and were already lost to the world in their deep dreaming, blissfully unaware of the brewing storm that crept ever closer. Jayshriek could not be counted among those, however. In the few, unbearably long days that had crept forth following the surprise encounter with Beecloud, his futile patience and already pitiful drive to engage with Asylum overseers had plummeted to astonishingly low depths, apprehension of abiding by his need to remain prepared driving him to a heightened state of unease.

The world continuously streaked by in a molten stream of darkness underscored by the raging storm, the Asylum overseer forced to match his frenetic pace amidst the mad-dash towards the looming wound of the Gorge. A frantic flutter of relief pulsed through the winding, intricate map of Jayshriek's circulatory system at the realization of another cat lingering by the border- though whoever they were, they didn't appear to be the same unfortunate molly that he had initially encountered when this tedious game of cat and mouse had begun. Ah well, the starving would prey upon bones if they must. Without breaking stride, and leaving his curious Asylum dweller behind alongside the safety of the familiar boundary of RiverClan territory, the dark-furred tom launched himself across the Gorge- floundering in the horribly damp air for several long heartbeats, dark coat awash with the silvery spray of the rumbling currents.

A sharp spray of ice, partially-frozen mud, and stones went lurching into the air all around his sudden landing as he easily cleared the disputed border, lunging for the likely stunned WindClanner. Beecloud's hushed instructions wreathed heavily against the pounding confines of his aching skull, engraved in the fathoms of his brain with an immense sense of detail. "Typical WindClanners, always to be caught like a mouse." Jayshriek seethed out softly, muzzle unbearably close to the rounded curve of Zinnia's likely twitching ear, the ferocious roar of the river safely drowning out the low droll of their conversation, "I come bearing word of Asylum, as I'm sure you've been waiting for."

-

Jayshriek used Run-and-Tackle, Dealing -12 in Damage & Costing -10 in Stamina.
Additional +3 in Damage Due to Unfocused Opponent.

Jayshriek
45/45 [HP]
150/160 [SP]

Zinnia
88/100 [HP]
240/240 [SP]

Zinnia had taken to frequenting the borders - it was easy enough to pass it off as regular border patrol, or simply hunting trips; and she guessed that the guards following her assumed she was looking to pick a fight (or perhaps simply doing what she claimed to - she did hunt, and she did patrol the borders). It was, in part, an excuse to get away from the larger number of Asylum shadows lurking about (one was manageable in comparison, given that they were also quiet), and in part hoping for news.

Today, it seemed, she would get her wish. "Caught? I see no mouse here," she replied swiftly. Then, soft and low: "There's been news, then?"

She didn't waste a moment after that, responding to the assault in kind. She moved with the speed of the wind and slashed at her opponent, relentless and at the same time cautious in her strikes - they couldn't risk catching their guards' attention more than necessary.

Zinnia used Rending Front Paws; dealing 17 damage and costing 25 SP!

Jayshriek
HP: 28/45 (-17)
SP: 150/160

Zinnia
HP: 88/100
SP: 215/240 (-25)

Silvery rivulets of leisurely lingering steam curling and wreathing violently under the sudden series of movements kicked up by the quarreling pair, the continuous thunder of the churning riverwaters continuing on as though nothing was amiss. With a sudden violent jar of the teeth and a fiery pinprick of a likely now-strained muscle, Jayshriek's head snapped back under the force of the blow, just enough momentum behind the movement to feign an actual reaction, though lacking in enough force to cause any real damage or pain. Several terse heartbeats of silence welcomed Zinnia's initial inquiry, tongue carefully probing each thoroughly rattled tooth in search of damage or unintended wound as he re-centered his focus. The curious gleam in his Asylum overseer's gaze had been enough to set him alight with wariness, steps even lighter where they had already been previously oversaturated with carefulness. It had to look real enough to pass, he had been spending too much time picking fights at the border in recent moons. Carefully pitching his weight forward so that he was more or less fully upright and frontal facing, Jayshriek suddenly reared up in a bristling flourish of smoky dark fur, movements smooth and resembling those of a coiling snake.

"StarClan has finally shared some rumination or another, beheading a serpent within its nest and whatnot- cryptic nonsense that belays the work at the paws of others." Jayshriek seethed out low and quiet, lashing out with both front forepaws, hooking sharply around the delicate ridge of Zinnia's nape and dragging her unwilling shape closer, the entire movement just this side of violent enough to be convincing. Lurching his weight backwards with a practiced ease and a surprising abandon for a cat currently prancing about at the edge of the Gorge, the young tom sent the quietly conversing pair rolling a tail-length or so away from the crumbling stoneface. Dark pupils expanding against the honeyed dark surface of his practiced and poised stare, his fiery streak of mutually incited reckless indulgence easily dismissed the ever-billowing current of unease constricting cold and unrelenting within his chest. "In a quarter moon's time, all of our fellow mouse-catchers shall meet at the northern Thunderpath, and from there we'll make the trek to Fourtrees. After that... it'll just be the matter of attempting to capture and subdue the head of Asylum- whatever else that might entail, whatever the.. cost might be." Though the subtle warning was shaded as gently as he could possibly manage, he knew the meaning was blatant enough. A leap of faith, a willing plunge into the cavern of death.

"There is one final thing," Jayshriek eventually murmured after a heartbeat of silence, aware of the eyes curiously adorning the pair, sore teeth clicking softly as he turned over Beecloud's final parting revelation.

-

Jayshriek used Upright Front Paws, Dealing -11 in Damage & Costing -20 in Stamina.

Jayshriek
28/45 [HP]
130/160 [SP]

Zinnia
77/100 [HP]
215/240 [SP]

That was it, then - warrior ancestors shared their wisdom, and so the plan was set. She had to refrain from dipping her head; over her time in the forest, sacrifice was something she had come to understand all too well. "It's been too long, we'd be foolish not to fight back so long as there's still something to be salvaged from the wreckage they've left us. Whatever the risk, it can't be higher than the price of living like this - our freedom and our home."

But her false opponent wasn't finished, it seemed. "Something else?"

If the stars had spoken and the plan was set, what else could possibly be left to say?

Zinnia used Rear-Up to Slash; dealing 17 damage and costing 15 SP!

Jayshriek
HP: 11/45 (-17)
SP: 130/160

Zinnia
HP: 77/100
SP: 200/240 (-15)

A sharp twinge, deep and unsettling in the way it sleuthed through the tightly bound musculature of his prominent ribs, resonated through Jayshriek's disheveled shape, Zinnia's curt interest and barrage of persistent strikes easily cutting away from the murky depths of his unease. Teeth clinching together with enough force to splinter bone, and certainly enough to inflict irreparable damage upon himself, the dark-furred RiverClanner attempted to remain fixated upon the proposition offered up by his unwilling opponent, quick-moving brain desperately attempting to gather enough thought to establish a valid answer. The entire situation was ludicrous, cruel beyond the pale; a sharp reminder of the nonexistent sanctity between Asylum and the Clans, no ground unworthy of the touch of wickedness. "All of the kits that vanished without a trace in the moons leading up to Asylum's occupation," Jayshriek sighed, detaching himself from Zinnia's immediate proximity with a mechanical and practiced ease, "they were never lost to outside forces such as predators or the elements, they were here all along. Asylum took them, reared them like their own- stars only knows how they've fared amidst all of this."

Sweeping backwards a pace or two in a silky flourish of dark-fur illuminated by a wreathing tendril of lightning curling earthbound, a jagged tooth of light bathing the spindly grasses of the Gorge in painfully white shade for several heartbeats, the RiverClanner's sharp features creased under the revelation. There was a certain uncomfortable detachedness that had befallen him after his siblings had initially gone missing, absolutely certain that they had befallen some untimely fate at the claws of a starved and desperate predator. Yet they had never truly gone anywhere, stolen away from the shaky grounds of disillusioned kin and left to the predatory birds who circled high above. The raw wound of their dwindling freedom and autonomy made all the more inflamed at the theft that had preceded the entire ordeal. "Quarter moon. Until then, keep your head above the currents and don't let them catch a whiff of the slightest defect."

-

Jayshriek used Disengage, Dealing -0 in Damage & Costing -130 in Stamina.
This battle encounter has ENDED!

Jayshriek
11/45 [HP]
0/160 [SP]

Zinnia
77/100 [HP]
200/240 [SP]