The Head of the Snake [PLOT TOPIC]

Soon enough there were three cats on top of him, lashing out. Claws raked through his pelt in what felt like every direction, and he was unable to defend against it all. Fen held his own for as long as he could, but the cailco delivered a final blow that took him down, and he crashed into the ground until his eyes were level with the rest of his fallen comrades.

Fen is KO'D
sorry for no effort

Eris was swift on the rebound, and Beecloud did not have the foresight to dodge her attack. She was vicious, cunning, and deliberate as she incapacitated his shoulder and opening several wounds across his body before he was able to struggle back up to his paws. He could feel his shoulder joint giving way with any amount of weight, and he leaned onto his right side to compensate.

Just when he thought it was over, it wasn't. Beecloud cried out in pain as Eris, adderlike, opened a few of his scars. The torturous sensation licked his flesh like fire and forced him to recoil, dazed by the intensity. Panting, Beecloud could only shake his head to let the blood spray out from his face, dappling the white parts of his pelt and dripping onto the ground away from his eyes. He curled around himself, and it even seemed for a moment that Eris was stalling, allowing him to catch his breath.

”This is… no blessing,” he gasped. ”I will… never... be my father. No matter how much I resemble him. No matter what I do. I will not… repeat… his mistakes… Beartooth was flawed. He was… stars... in pain. These claws are a reminder… of the responsibility… that comes with strength. That some do not have. That you do not have.”

Beecloud hauled himself up, pushing up from his working legs and blinking away blood. He continued, ”You say your mother was almost eaten… as a kit. Yeah… I know a thing or two about that. We really aren't different at all, are we, Eris? My half-brother’s mother abandoned him in the woods… he was the only fortunate one.”

Beecloud is no longer stunned.

Once her opponent fell, Flashlight didn't waste a moment before dashing away - she didn't want to see it, if he would stand again, didn't want to know what she had done. Ignorance was blissful, and for once in her life she was content to take it for what it was. There was fire behind her eyes now, alongside the ice of her anger. She could not avenge Shrikefrost, not truly - not tonight - but she could avenge herself, pay back the cruelty of hiding her away in a cell and allowing her to falter as she had.

(The more her senses returned to her, the more she ached to dive again, into the half-frozen river. What did she care for the risk of it, when she'd come this close to death in every way that mattered? Her heart, her soul, her spirit, she had witnessed them withering before her - and now she was free to make them pay for what they'd done.)

Tonight, she did her best to channel what she had taken for her namesake - lightning; swift and powerful, brilliant and blinding.

A wordless battle-cry accompanied her arrival before a new opponent.

Flashlight used Run-and-Tackle, dealing 12 (9+3) damage and costing 10 stamina.

Flashlight
30/30 HP
65/110 SP (-10)

Deerhawk
15/30 HP
100/110 SP

Fawnstep
25/25 HP
80/80 SP

Spark
75/75 HP
175/200 SP

Rama
24/85 HP (-12)
210/230 SP

As Pyrik retreated, the battered gray she-cat rose up in his place and, with a single blow, slammed Eosphoros to the ground. A crunch rang through the air. Pyrik couldn’t tell which cat it had come from. Not that it mattered; clearly, the battle was over for both of them. For several moments, he hesitated where he stood, looking from the pair of Clan cats to the Scout dragging herself into the shadows. Were…were they supposed to kill her? He’d never known a fight between the Clans and Asylum to end any other way—yet neither warrior made an attempt to follow Eosphoros as she fled, and so Pyrik, with a pang of relief he wasn’t sure he was allowed to feel, backed off as well.

Two heartbeats passed in relative peace. Then it hit him. ShadowClan. "Wait—!" With a panicked yelp, the mottled tom wheeled around, searching desperately for Mistyfalcon and his Clanmate. Miraculously, they hadn’t vanished into the clearing’s chaos. In fact, their group had grown by one; while he’d been occupied with his own battle, Shira had joined theirs. Pyrik glanced back to his fox pelt, a heap of orange in the scattered slush, and pushed himself forward without it. He dashed past the Scout they were fighting (not fast enough; it was Casper, more distraught than Pyrik had ever seen him) and swiped at his back legs.

Pyrik used Rear-Up to Slash on Casper, dealing 14 damage and using 15 stamina.

Pyrik
75/75 HP
160/200 SP (-15)

Mistyfalcon
65/80 HP
220/240 SP

Murkystrike
45/45 HP
105/150 SP

Shira
75/75 HP
185/200 SP

Casper
10/85 HP (-14)
210/230 SP

He was lucky other cats came to his aid. Fawnstep was here, although he looked rather worse for wear, just as odorous as the rest of the captives. Two others as well, one that smelled of RiverClan and another... of Asylum? Before he had time to react to his unconventional ally, his opponent raked her claws over his face with great force. The old tomcat stumbled backwards, temporarily blinded by blood and pain. He blinked and shook his head despite his pounding headache. The words his allies and enemy alike traded flew past, their meaning lost on him. If Rama gave him another blow like that, he wouldn't be able to stand anymore. 'I'm seeing things now.' His thoughts felt like a pool of hot mud. Surely that wasn't Heatherrain laying on the ground? That couldn't be right.

Deerhawk is no longer stunned.

Deerhawk
HP: 15/30
SP: 100/110

Rama
HP: 24/85
SP: 210/230

Spark
HP: 75/75
SP: 175/200

Fawnstep
HP: 25/25
SP: 70/80

Flashlight
HP: 30/30
SP: 65/110

-------------------------------

Brick's confusion only mounted as her fellow Asylum members spoke. What were they talking about? They all danced around some clearly very important idea, leaving her out of the loop. But before she could ask Raisha what they were talking about, Captain Lyralei brought her sister down to the bloody dirt. What was happening? Her voice trembling she cried out, "Captain! I don't understand!" Would Raisha be okay? She wasn't moving at all, but Brick couldn't leave Ceres to fight the Captain all on her own. And so she struck Lyralei upside the head despite her reluctance to attack her superior.

A new cat came to lash at her captain, someone who said some strange things. She still couldn't put together what everyone was talking about. Her hare's skin hid the furrows on her brow. "Tawnykit? That's Raisha. Who's Tawnykit?"

BRICK used Front Paw Strike on Lyralei! She dealt 12 damage and used 10 stamina.

BRICK
HP: 75/75
SP: 175/200

Lyralei
HP: 6/120
SP: 215/300

Ceres
HP: 75/75
SP: 165/200

Zinnia
HP: 34/100
SP: 185/280

She felt like the most selfish cat out there. She should've been there! She should have been there for them! For her. But noooo. She just fled away and hid like a scared little kit all because her world had gone topsy-turvy. She wasn't the only one this was happening to but she was the one to choose the worst path. She thought she had a good handle on her emotions but as always, everything turned out to be a bitter lie. She simultaneously felt betrayed and like a betrayer. It hurt worse than any wound ever would. She had abandoned her family. She had abandoned Thalia. The only one who understood her. Her other half. Katana felt awful but there was not time for regrets. She needed to get to the battle. She needed to prove that she had changed. She needed for them to forgive her. She needed to forgive herself.

The panic in her gaze was not a good look on her. She was Katana for goodness sake! She prided herself in being strong, physically and mentally. For the second time in her life, she felt terrified and confused. She was terrified of the fighting that was happening just beyond the foliage she was currently sneaking through. She was terrified of who she'd be fighting against. She was fighting the ones who took her in- no! That was all wrong. They were the ones who'd taken her from her clan and her parents. The ones who lied to them all and caused all this in the first place. She needed to fight them. She wanted to fight them. She wanted to escape their hold on her. She was no weakling. She was not about to let them manipulate her ever again. Never again. She was tired of the lies and the pain in her damaged heart. It was their turn to see who Katana was meant to be.

The light-furred she-cat crashed through the bushes with a newfound energy and tore across the ground at a speed even she'd be surprised with, if she had been paying attention to it. Right now, she only had one objective. It was to fight alongside her friends. To fight with and for her true family. Those who'd been hurt and led astray like she'd been. Who were fed lies and trained to be ruthless against the very cats who'd birthed them and had once been their family. No more of that.

Icy green eyes locked onto a familiar figure amidst the chaos. Thalia. Sweet Thalia was there and fighting valiantly alongside Griffon and Stag. Katana smiled wolfishly. She was grateful and relieved that they seemed relatively unharmed.

"Thal! Griffon! Stag! Hope you don't mind me jumping in. Couldn't let you furballs have all the fun!" she called out, gaze fierce and determined as she rushed to their side. Before she reached them, she shed herself of the badger pelt that had once been her pride and joy. Now, it only reminded her of the manipulation she had endured and was more than happy to distance herself from it all. She felt free. No longer was she going to allow herself to be held down by the Asylum. Her mind was clear and her shoulders no longer held so much excruciating weight. She felt like she had been rebirthed into someone much, much more worthy of the strong name Katana.

As soon as she was just a few taillengths away, she leaped onto Cleft Spyre, who was still down after having been tackled by Stag, and used her weight to pin him down. She furiously slashed at his belly with her sharp back claws all the while looking at him straight in the eyes with a dangerous glint in her icy stare before gracefully leaping away and standing tall beside Thalia. She spat at him and sneered. "You aren't getting out of this you miserable mousebrained cat. You'll all think twice before taking us on ever again!"
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Katana used Belly Rake on Cleft Spyre, dealing 14 damage and using 10 SP.

Katana:
75/75[HP]
190/200[SP] (-10 SP)

Cleft Spyre:
28/85[HP] (-14 HP)
230/230[SP]

Thalia:
75/75[HP]
190/200[SP]

Stag:
75/75[HP]
190/200[SP]

Griffon:
75/75[HP]
180/200[SP]
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The fawn-colored she-cat turned to look at Thalia as she pressed her shoulder to hers. "We need to talk... after all this is over. I... I need to apologize to how bad of a friend I've been..." she said suddenly, eyes glazed over with intense guilt. "For now, let's beat them all up like the iconic duo we were always meant to be!" Katana's face softened before a determined grin spread. She shot the other two a wink before readying herself to fight again. Katana was back and here to stay!

Maybe Ravenclaw was a bit offended that Dawnhawk didn’t have any words for her. Maybe something like ‘You?!’ or something like that. Oh well, she could be annoyed by her traitorous brother later. Right now she had to be angry at her traitorous brother. With him facing off against Shrikesong, it was the perfect opportunity to strike. She turned around and kicked at him, feeling the thrill of good contact against an opponent. That would show him for ignoring her, and uh, all the other terrible things too.

Ravenclaw used Back Kick, dealing 11 damage.

Ravenclaw:
45/45 HP
160/200 SP (-15)

Dawnhawk:
38/120 HP
260/300 SP

Dawnhawk spared a glance at his sister, huffing and exhaling with the blows to protect his innards as much as possible. He wasn't going to win this. No one in the Asylum was... however...

"I'll be demoting you to apprentice when we get back home, Ravenclaw... or rather, Ravenpaw. Disobeying Wolfstar's orders has consequences." He left it at that and focused his attention back on Shrikesong. As he struck out at her, he wished it had been Eris. How had she not set up a perimeter??? Her arrogance had just cost her the forest, if she even survived this. Dawnhawk would survive. He would not allow himself to die here and leave his children alone. He used his powerful Skyclanner's hind legs to jump high into the air before coming back down onto Shrikeong, claws fully extended and rending away more of her flesh.

Dawnhawk used Leaping Bound, dealing 12 damage and -10SP


Dawnhawk
38HP / 250SP (-10SP)

Ravenclaw
45HP / 160SP

Shrikesong
Stunned for 1 Turn
16HP / 160SP (-12 HP)

Cedarheart
85HP / 200SP

---

The foreign cat fell and Bloodstrike spun on the two cats he had fought alongside. The she-cat he didn't know took off after a new opponent. His eyes went to Blossomstep and he stared, wondering if that truly was her. He inhaled deeply through his nose, breathing in fresh air for the first time in a long time. As scents were closely linked to memory... his came back a bit, like a fuzzy picture coming into focus. Slowly it became clear who was who... he recognized the clan scents, albeit they were faint over the scent of blood.

Bloodstrike looked over to Lyralei and he charged, though his mind was fuzzy still. He didn't think she was an ally... but he could be wrong. If he was, then he would fight the cats that were attacking her. He didn't have time to ask questions or rationalize much. There was only time to react... with his limited knowledge of what was going on. Despite his tiredness and disorientation, Bloodstrike fought. It was the only thing that his memory retained nearly completely from his moons of isolation.

Bloodstrike used Run and Tackle on Lyralei, dealing 13+3 damage and -10SP

Bloodstrike
85HP / 195SP (-10SP)

Lyralei
K.O.
-10HP / 215SP (-16HP)

Late once again, Mirae padded along the path to Fourtrees. She knew she had to go there to meet with Eris, but most of the information had gone in one ear and out the other. Lately, after learning of her clan origins, the young cat had gone quiet and reclusive. She didn't speak to her fellow Asylum or the ShadowClan cats except for basic acknowledgement. What could she even say? The betrayal still stung deep in her heart. It would take time for her to fully process the news. Mirae shook her head to clear her mind. She couldn't think about it when she had to speak with Eris, of all cats. She breathed in the crisp air and relished in the fresh chill. Just ignore it. But then, the fur on her neck began to prickle. A faint noise, almost like the buzzing of a beehive, sounded from in the distance. Was it coming from Fourtrees?

Mirae broke out into a run, and the sounds became clearer. Fighting cats. Cries of agony and fury bled out from the clearing, intensity growing as she approached. Her paws thrummed against the ground and the air whipping past her made her eyes water. Then, she skidded to a halt. The powerful stenches of cat and blood assaulted her nose and made her recoil. She stretched her neck up to look over the brambles barring her path. She had never been to Fourtrees before, missing every opportunity. The four oaks loomed over the cats, and a massive rock stood tall. But the sight of so many cats, Asylum and clan, locked into battle made her shudder in fear. Mirae recognised some of the cats, but she couldn't pick out her sisters. She pushed through the brambles with the initial urge to do something but the thorny tendrils snagged her pelt, ripping it off her. The porcupine pelt stayed behind in the thicket but Mirae didn't notice. She stood and watched. Who should she fight for? Asylum, or the clans? The cats who stole and raised her, or the cats who lost her? Paralyzed with indecision, fear, and horror, Mirae could only watch.

Dawnhawk started speaking about demoting the younger warrior that had joined the battle. Cedarheart blinked a few times, trying to wrap her head around that. Was he an Asylum cat that had climbed the ranks of a clan enough to be in that position of power? After a few moments, she remembered she was mid-battle. She could think about this after. Her opponent was still distracted, focusing on Shrikesong. In fact, that was the only cat he had struck during the battle. She decided to take advantage of that, skithering below him so he could turn and claw at his stomach. She quickly squeezed out jumping away so she wouldn’t get hit.

All around her, cats started to fall, retreating. Mainly Asylum which was a good thing. The clans simply had more warriors to fight with. And although their opponents had battle skills, they were way too outnumbered. The she-cat began to feel more confident. They could do this!


Cedarheart used Half-Turn Belly Rake, dealing 16 damage and costing 20 stamina!

Dawnhawk
22/120 [-16] HP
250/300 SP

Cedarheart
85/85 HP
180/230 [-20] SP

Ravenclaw
45/45 HP
160/200 SP

Shrikesong
16/60 HP
160/200 SP

"Is that so?" Eris growled, stark blue eyes peeking out from under her pelt. "You've already got the looks down. A spitting image of him, if I do say so myself." With no warning she leaped forward, sending Beecloud flying onto his back. Before he had a chance to scramble back to his paws she leaped onto him, using her front claws to pin him down by the shoulders. The longer she kept him pinned, the closer she got to his face, her eyes locked on his. "Responsibility is only a burden when you don't have the strength to bear it." Blood still dribbled slowly from her maw, dripping onto the tom's face. She let her words sink in for a moment but before the tom could reply, she raked her hind legs into the soft flesh of his belly, tearing open the scars that she'd created not two moons ago.

With that, she shoved herself off of him, considering the words he'd spoken. "Are you so dense that you could not put two and two together? It's as simple as 'cat catches mouse,' my dear Beecloud. I had more faith in you than that." She tilted her head slightly, staring at him as he recovered from his blows. "Think." She mewed harshly, readying herself for Beecloud's next attack.

Eris used Belly Rake, dealing -20 Health Points and using -10 Stamina Points. Beecloud is no longer stunned.

Eris:
95/120 HP
270/300 SP [-10]

Beecloud:
65/100 HP [-20]
190/240 SP

The night stole in on shadowed wings.

And was shattered like black, glittering shards of ice - cascading in a crashing sheet and sucking those standing above into whirling, dark depths.

Cleft saw the beast of a tom burst from the bushes, the tension of this uneasy night bursting loose in sudden clarity. They had been waiting. They had been watching. They had planned to bring down Asylum. Claws from massive paws slid loose with a coldness of pulsing, calculated rage. His heart thrummed in his chest, and a glimmer of teeth showed in a hint of a smile. One that didn't reach the glowing yellow light of his eyes beneath the dark-furred skull of the fox blended into his own pelt and held no semblance of humour.

He whirled to face the cats running from the screen of bushes around the Asylum's headquarters, a snarl rumbling from his lips, every muscle ready with the electric feel of lightning in his veins. And then his ear caught their words, his focus turned abruptly from the intruding Clan cats to the little group of young Asylum cats. Something akin to disbelief slowly grew in his eyes as they narrowed. Thalia did not sound as though she meant they should fight for Asylum.

She would choose blood over those that raised her?

Something dark quietly slipped into the readiness pumping through his veins, an old tiredness. Claw scratches across his face, wounds beneath his pelt. Scars. Cold amber eyes standing indifferent above him, hatred and disgust written in the wrinkle of her lip as she glared down, claws pricking into his soft belly. Desperate words, the scent of blood and the sound of panting.

"You should never have been born."

His claws sheathed, and he stood straight, amber eyes unreadable as she whirled, those fierce eyes alight with something she believed in meeting his, and burning like fire.

"Soft. Weak."

He simply lowered his head, meeting her rush head-on, something simmering in his own eyes, a twitch in the muscles of his face. The others decided, brought by her words like flies drawn to rotting meat. He was immovable, the claw scratches in his pelt from Griffon barely felt beneath the fox's protecting his own.

You were right, mother. I should never have been born.

Not to you.

Flames burned to life, and he leapt, molten eyes like fire as his lips peeled back in a snarl. Blackness twisted through his veins, roaring blood in his ears. "Pathetic? No, I don't think you quite understand."

He twisted, avoiding claws aimed for his belly with ease, quick as a snake, the spark of a smile taunting in his eyes as they flicked to Katana. The three of them? It seemed that Stag had miscalculated - he never had been the brightest of the kits.

"Who's taking on who? I didn't start this," He rumbled, muscles rippling languidly beneath his pelt as she turned and spoke to Thalia. The stinging on his pelt was heavenly, the scent of blood rising and the warmth of it trickling in oozing drops beneath his fur cradling the pain like a mother's tongue. Better than that. "You don't know who you fight for, do you? The same as all else - the spill of blood and the screams that fill the night. Can you hear it?" His words hissed, a hint of ecstasy that curled in bitter menace, like blood dripping from his claws. The pain was nothing - but the look in their eyes as they snarled at him clawed deeper than the worst of wounds. "They will weep tonight."

Cleft Spyre used Dodging Leap, using -15 SP and dodging both Stag and Katana.

Cleft Spyre
HP: 56/85
SP: 215/230 (-15)

Thalia
HP: 75/75
SP: 190/200

Griffon
HP: 75/75
SP: 180/200

Stag
HP:75/75
SP: 190/200

Katana
HP:75/75
SP: 190/200

Receiving no answers, Rama could only sigh. Somehow, she felt that Spark's answer would not bring her any solace, even if he felt the need to give it to her. Their priorities were not aligned... perhaps things had been different when Rama was brought into the Asylum. They were always trailblazers, but it seemed that ever since they came to this place, they'd been in a tailspin of brutality and violence. Perhaps it was because the Clans were the first ones to really put up a fight. The scouts' trip to WindClan all that time ago should have been a warning.

Asylum cats fell and retreated all around her, and she was soon overwhelmed by more and more warriors. The standard bit the inside of her cheek and struck for Deerhawk again, futile in her attempt to hold her ground as the war waged around her. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Luckily, it seemed that her claws had done a number on him, and Rama watched coldly as the tom struggled beneath him.

Rama used Rending Front Paws on Deerhawk.

Rama
24/85 HP
90/230 SP (-20)

Deerhawk KO
0/30 HP (-15)
100/110 SP

Fawnstep
25/25 HP
80/80 SP

Flashlight
35/35 HP
65/110 SP

Spark
75/75 HP
175/200 SP

---

Beecloud was easily bowled over the second time, and though he tried to block out the she-cat's blows, his shoulder was searing above the adrenhaline boost, and he could not find the strength to shove her off until she had made her mark on his stomach. The tom rolled, kicking up dust and slush with the flailing of his limbs. Though he knew he was not ready to stand again, he leered back into her steady gaze. The way she spoke was unnerving. Something about the sly movement of her tongue and the knowing lash of her tail sent him reeling again. Even as his pain deepened, the primal terror clawed up his throat, kicking and screaming all the way. She knew something that she would not tell him. She was coaxing something out of him... or was it a distraction.

He blinked; his brow furrowed. Eris was trying to trick him! Striking terror and doubt into his heart, she hoped to catch him off guard! Indignant, Beecloud's energy boomeranged back to him, and bellowing, he shot up from the ground and onto Eris, tearing pelt from flesh until he found her face in the dark of night. He raised a glistening paw in the air and brought it down onto her chest. He brought another blow down on her cheek. Her ear. Her shoulder. Where his claws met skin, blood welted up as a mark of his rage. His huge teeth found her collar bone, and there he thrashed, sawing through her until the taste of blood gave way to the taste of muscle, the taste of fat, the taste of ligaments. The blood that spilled from his mouth as he pulled away caught him by surprise, and he spat at the ground to rid himself of it.

Whether the injuries were serious or not, Beecloud couldn't quite tell, but he knew that he had at least shaken her. She wobbled now, and the wound from the base of her neck was an endless stream. She would probably need swift medical attention from one of her own. He shoved her away like an unwanted piece of crowfood and set both paws back onto the grass, wiping away the excess liquid.

"Enough mind games, Eris," he hissed. "Look around you. It's over. Whatever you're hiding now, we will find it. We will find it like we found our kits, and like we found our clanmates who you've held captive. Your Nightstrikers are dropping like flies... so why don't you spit it out already?"

For a moment, Beecloud nearly felt sorry. "I don't want to kill you. I'm not... I'm not going to kill you. But you've been defeated. This will end... you will have your life... and then you will leave, with the rest of the Asylum, having lost. You have nothing to lose by telling me. So say it."

Beecloud used Rear-up-to-Slash.

Beecloud
85/100 HP
175/240 SP (-15)

Eris
78/120 HP (-17)
280/300

AAAERHGHGH
DICE AWAY!!

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

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'Effect Dice' : 4