Taking Back The Crown [c]

OOC: These are the cats that are on the two patrols who will be meeting.
ShadowClan
Rosepaw
Moonshine
Murkystrike
Mistyfalcon

SkyClan
Tornpaw
Birdsong
Bloodstrike
Blossomstep

You guys know how this works!

IC:

Rosepaw, reckless as ever, was racing in front of her patrol, turning around every now and then to stick her tongue out a Musty, as she would forever call them. She had also been trying so very hard to get Moonshine in on the teasing. Moonshine was with her when they were both accepted to the Clan, and even though they had not interacted much, Rosepaw was rather fond of the she-cat. The two were a lot alike, both being born from Asylum cats. And it would be nice to get to know her a little bit more than that.

Turning her attention back to Musty, she grinned wildly. "Come on, you love birds! Try to keep up!" Then again, she was one to talk, with how often she needed to stop to catch her breath. And now seemed like as good a time as ever to do just that. So she sat down along the border, acting as though she was waiting for her patrol. But wait, what side of the border was she on?

Murkystrike padded along with the patrol, ear flicked slightly as Rosepaw teased her and Mistyfalcon with the name she had developed for them. She would never admit it to anyone, but it was starting to grow on her, just a little bit. Looking over to her mate, she smiled at him as she picked up the pace some. "Alright alright, we're coming Rosepaw!" She called as they neared the border. The scent marks were fairly strong, and as she looked towards the she-cat she realized that she couldn't tell which side of the border she was on. "Rosepaw, come back this way some!" She mewed, trying to keep her voice low. Hopefully there wouldn't be a SkyClan patrol nearby, just in case.

---

Blossomstep was walking along with her patrol near the border with SkyClan when she suddenly heard voices nearby. The scent of ShadowClan was strong, it must be a patrol as well. Perhaps they could share some news, it had been moons since she had passed another clan's patrol. It would be refreshing to have a normal interaction with ShadowClan, or any clan for that matter.

Mistyfalcon padded alongside the patrol, rolling his eyes at Rosepaw's teasing. He couldn't bring himself to be mad at the spunky apprentice, of course, and... Maybe she was right that he was grateful, in a way.

That didn't excuse her stars-cursed names, however. "Not one word, Moonshine. I will ask Flintstar to demote you." He half-growled a warning to his former apprentice, though it wasn't serious. His eyes narrowed as Rosepaw charged ahead, and he sped up slightly, ears twitching back a bit at the scent of Skyclan on the breeze.

"Rosepaw, come back..." He mewed at the same time Murkystrike did. "Skyclan, smells fresh." He added sourly. The last thing anyone needed right now was a fight if it could be avoided.

---

Birdsong trailed her grandmother as they neared the borders, content to stay near Tornpaw's side. The mingled scents of Skyclan and Shadowclan made her uneasy, especially with how fresh the latter seemed to be. This particular section of the border seemed to overlap, and it was hard for her to tell where one territory ended and the other began. Why neither clan wasn't more careful, Birdsong would never know, and she would've avoided the border entirely if Bloodstrike hadn't pulled her onto patrol.

"Did you hear that?" She asked quietly, ears pricking at the sound of voices that were... just a bit closer than they should be.

Tornpaw didn't say anything. She was uncomfortable being on this patrol with Bloodstrike. Not after he wanted to get rid of Dawnhawk for good himself. She stuck close to Birdsong's side not wanting to get in the way of the older warriors, only pausing in her footsteps when it was mentioned that something was near by. "Sounds like another patrol.." She told her friend. They should be fine. Hopefully. She didn't need things going bad if she needed to use them as an escape from Shadowclan.

Bloodstrike had been nearly silent the entire time. His ripped ears kept swiveling this way and that way and his nose was constantly to the wind. He occasionally parted his jaws to try to find the more subtle scents in the air. He was on edge. As they approached the Shadowclan border he picked up the unmistakable scent of a patrol on the air. There was still some brush growing around the area and his ears flattened a bit when his toes sunk just a bit into the wet earth below him. How Shadowclan cats lived with constantly wet and muddy feet was a mystery to him.

While glaring down at the ground, silently cursing it for daring to hold more water than it could absorb, a flash of white caught the corner of his vision. By the time he snapped his head in that direction... it had disappeared behind a brush. His fur bristled. Just a moment later, he saw white... and gold pass between a break in the thicker foliage. He shot a glance over his shoulder at the rest of Skyclan patrol to go absolutely silent. He didn't wait for a response.

Bloodstrike sunk into a low crouch and moved swiftly but silently forward. He could hear the Shadowclan cats talking quietly among themselves with Dawnhawk padding after them from the rear. Did he plan on ambushing a Shadowclan patrol? He wouldn't put it passed him if there was an apprentice or some easy target among them. He could see Dawnhawk killing an apprentice and then claiming he was still part of Skyclan to start a Shadowclan and Skyclan war.

Bloodstrike wasn't about to allow that to happen.

Once he was within range of the fleeting white and gold pelt, he pushed off of the ground with his powerful Skyclanner's legs and sent his claws and teeth sailing ahead of him. Dawnhawk's pelt came into full view and Bloodstrike's jaws opened. He aimed to embed his fangs into the back of Dawnhawk's head and at the top of his neck. A turn of his head and a sudden yank backward would end the tom's life in the matter of an instant. Minimal pain and no suffering, which was more than he deserved at this point, but at least it would be over.

Just when he thought he had it however, Bloodstrike's jaws slammed closed on empty air. Dawnhawk had ducked out of the way of his teeth and dove underneath him. Foxdung! His paws landed back on the ground and he whirled to face the white and gold....

She-cat???? Bloodstrike froze in place, gazing into eyes that were just a bit too green and a face that was far too freckled and feminine to be Dawnhawk. Everything else however, was an exact carbon copy of the cat he had mistaken her for. It was a good thing that she had been so quick to react, but now he had other problems. She was part of the Shadowclan patrol, he was sure of it, because he had seen her with Shadowclan at the gathering. He had almost leaped at her and killed her then too... I'm an idiot...

"I'm sorry! You're not who I thought you were!" He quickly apologized. But it was too late. What was done was done.

---

Moonshine padded after the Shadowclan patrol further towards the back. Rosepaw cracked her up, though she at least tried to keep her chuckling as quiet as possible. That is... until Mistyfalcon told her not to say a word. "You know what that makes me want to do? Scream what I'm thinking as loud as I can. I won't though. Lucky for you, I like food... I think now I'm just going to find petals and sprinkle them on you two while you sleep." She leaned to the side and looked at Rosepaw with a mischievous smirk. "You want to help me?" She giggled.

And then her Shadowclan's eyes picked up movement to her left. As quickly as it appeared, it was gone again. In that moment she felt uneasy. A Skyclan patrol? She scented the air and picked up that same scent that she smelled on Tornpaw from the gathering. Maybe that's all it was...

But wait! It wasn't!

The giant of a tom that looked like a scarred up, striped bobcat leapt from the shadows. Moonshine felt like she saw it on slow motion. His fangs were poised to sink into the back of her skull, an executioner's strike if she ever saw one. She dropped herself low and shifted her body to the left towards the tom, aiming to go under him and out of the way rather than try to run to the right only to be chased down.

It worked. She narrowly avoided his giant hindpaws kicking her in the face, but it was worth the risk to avoid a lethal blow. She back-pedaled quickly, her eyes wide, her breathing heavy and her heart racing. If it hadn't been for some experience in the Asylum, Moonshine would have froze up and absolutely would have been dead. He spun on her and she was in a fighting stance just as swiftly. He halted in his tracks and a flicker of realization flashed in his eyes. He mistook her for...? Oh... my dad... That didn't make the situation any better. Moonshine's ears flattened and her fur bristled. Her claws extended and a growl rumbled in her throat.

"Sorry??? Sorry??? You could have killed me! That's about as far from sorry as you can get you frog-brain!" She spat. She was actually furious. It had been a very long time since the last time she actually felt anger. She hated the feeling. She took a step closer toward the giant tom, no longer caring that he was big enough to fit her whole head in his mouth. "Maybe you should positively identify your target before you go trying to kill someone!" She yowled, shaking with rage. There was a part of her that was angry that he would have killed her dad on sight, but the image of a near death experience helped fuel that rage.

Everything seemed to move so fast. They were having fun, it seemed, but Murkystrike and Mistyfalcon seemed to be getting worried. She was moving to rejoin her patrol, as their nervousness had even put her on edge, when a monstrous form had lunged at the patrol, and more specifically, Moonshine. Adrenaline coursed through her to the point that she did not even hear the words that passed. There was more cats, just on the other side of the trees. If one of them had attacked, surely the others would as well.

Perhaps it was a bit cheating to go for the apprentice of the patrol, but there was no way she could take on a warrior. Especially not without her mentor here telling her what to do. So she did all she could think to do. Not that there was much thinking involved in the first place. She just let her legs do the work, charging at the white and gold she-cat and ramming her body into her. Only then did she hear the previous attacker.....apologize? Oops. Maybe she should have thought about this more.

Rosepaw used Run-and-Tackle on Tornpaw, dealing 9 damage [6+3] and costing 10 stamina.

Rosepaw (Has disabled stats due to asthma)
15/15 HP
40/50 SP

Tornpaw
11/20 HP
80/80 SP

Murkystrike chuckled lightly at Moonshine's light-hearted threat, her pelt flashing with warmth at the idea of waking up and being surrounded by petals. Rosepaw turned to come closer to the patrol again, and the warrior nodded grimly to Mistyfalcon's observation. The fur along her back started to rise as she saw a flash of fur, and in the next moment a large cat burst forth and came after... Moonshine? Adrenaline pulled her paws into motion, and she registered that there were other cats stepping forward from SkyClan's side. Her attention was focused on the one who had struck out at Moonshine though, and she leaped forward and sent both of them tumbling to the ground before finally finding herself upright, teeth bared at a face she found familiar. Shocked, Murkystrike lowered her unsheathed paw. "Bloodstrike?..." Her voice trailed off as she still stood over the tom, astonished to see that the one who had attacked her clanmate was the one she had spoken to nearly a moon before at Fourtrees. "Why?" She choked out, eyes narrowing at the surprise wore off. She was going to keep Moonshine safe, no matter what it took.

Murkystrike used Leap-and-Hold on Bloodstrike, dealing 13 damage and costing 10 SP. Bloodstrike is pinned for 1 turn.

Murkystrike:
80/80 HP
230/240 SP (-10)

Bloodstrike: (Pinned! x1)
87/100 HP (-13)
280/280 SP

---

Blossomstep looked to Birdsong and Tornpaw as they talked quietly to each other, but when she looked back up to Bloodstrike their eyes met. Her son sank into a crouch and disappeared, and Blossomstep scented the air. Had he seen something she hadn't? Just when she moved to call out to him quietly, she saw him launch himself towards a hauntingly familiar pelt. She gasped and ran forward, not entirely sure what she would do, but thankfully Dawnhawk noticed the danger and narrowly avoided what would have been a killing bite. When the cat turned, Blossomstep's stomach dropped further. That wasn't Dawnhawk at all. Oh stars. Bloodstrike seemed to realize this as well, but it was far too late. A different ShadowClan she-cat jumped onto him, and Blossomstep took a quick glance at the rest of the patrol. Another older warrior, and two younger cats. One of them jumped forward onto Tornpaw, and she locked eyes with the ShadowClan tom. Tensions that were already high had bubbled over, and she couldn't, wouldn't, just let him jump in where he liked.

Blossomstep used Run-and-Tackle on Mistyfalcon, dealing 16 (13+3) damage and costing 10 SP.

Blossomstep:
100/100 HP
270/280 SP (-10)

Mistyfalcon:
84/100 HP (-16)
280/280 SP

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

---

'Effect Dice' : 3

Moonshine's threats got a quiet laugh out of Mistyfalcon, and he shook his head, giving Murkystrike an amused look. That amusement quickly vanished as a flash of movement caught his eye, however.

"F-" The tom growled a low curse under his breath as a tattered Skyclan tom leapt for his former apprentice, muscles tensing to spring at him. Before he could, the tom was... apologizing for mistaking Moonshine for someone else, apparently, and that didn't improve Mistyfalcon's opinion of him in the slightest. Before he could spring for him, however, Murkystrike had leapt for him, and a second Skyclanner was leaping at Mistyfalcon while Rosepaw barreled into the gold and white she-cat. He hadn't expected much, given his previous encounters with Skyclanners ending in battle and his ear being taken as food, but anger still flashed in his eyes as he twisted, rearing back and slashing at the gray tabby that had attacked him.

Mistyfalcon used Rear-Up to Slash on Blossomstep for -15sp, dealing -17 damage.

Blossomstep
83/100 HP (-17)
270/280 SP

Mistyfalcon
84/100 HP
265/280 SP (-15)

Birdsong's eyes widened as Bloodstrike dropped into a crouch and slunk after a pale figure in the undergrowth. Did they have to fight? She really didn't want to fight. Why was everyone so blood-thirsty? This was why their borders needed clearer markings.

Just as quickly as Bloodstrike had gone for the Shadowclan she-cat who was clearly not Dawnhawk after a second glance, he was apologizing... And then a Shadowclanner launched herself at Tornpaw. Birdsong hissed in anger as Blossomstep lunged for a dark-furred Shadowclanner and a tortoiseshell leaped at her grandfather... And that left the pale she-cat who resembled her own clanmate more than she did anyone in the Shadowclan patrol. Birdsong sprang forward, aiming to drive the other she-cat to the ground and rake her claws through her fur. If the she-cat happened to meet her eyes, she might see a hint of an apology, though Birdsong couldn't just let her up to jump on one of her other clanmates. She didn't want to fight, but she would, this time.

Birdsong used leap and hold on Moonshine for -10sp, dealing -9 damage. Moonshine is pinned for TWO turns.

Moonshine -lah 1/2-
31/40 HP (-9)
120/120 SP

Birdsong -lah 1/2-
45/45 HP
150 / 160 SP (-10)

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

---

'Effect Dice' : 5

Chaos... absolute chaos. Before anyone had much time to register what was happening, cats were attacking cats. Bloodstrike felt a weight on his back and he hit the ground with his shoulder. He snapped his eyes over to look Murkystrike in the eye. "She looks like Dawnhawk. I made a mistake." He told her honestly. Though he wasn't about to let any Shadowclanner just pin him to the spot like that. He liked Murkystrike, but at the end of the day, he had to be a show of strength and a force to be reckoned with. Skyclan's well being depended on it.

Bloodstrike pushed off with his powerful legs and rolled, throwing Murkystrike off of him and climbing back to his feet. The skirmish had already started. "We may as well..." He said, sounding defeated. He spread his paws apart evenly and crouched down into a fighting stance. This was his fault... and he would explain the injuries that happened here to Wolfstar later.

Bloodstrike used Duck and Twist, dealing 8 damage to Murkystrike and - 25SP

Bloodstrike
No longer stunned
87HP / 255SP (-25SP)

Murkystrike
72HP / 230SP (-8HP)

---

Cats began to fight all around them. For just a moment Moonshine wondered if she should have shut up. Were all of these cats here to kill Shadowclanners? Another warrior was upon her, pinning her to the spot as she hesitated to fight. That big tom leaping out at her had completely threw off her ability to focus and fight. It had been a misunderstanding... and now this.

Moonshine is pinned and cannot attack this turn!

Moonshine
31HP / 120SP

Birdsong
45HP / 150SP

Tornpaw was startled. Suddenly watching Bloodstrike attack a cat that obviously wasn't Dawnhawk but looked like him? She didn't see it but clearly others did. The gold and white apprentice let out a growl as soon as she was attacked by the other cat. "What the thorns?" She growled out as she was sent to the ground. Tornpaw quickly moved to her feet before jumping onto the other apprentice and pinning her to the ground.

Tornpaw used Leap and Hold dealing 6 damage, -10 SP. Rosepaw is pinned for two turns.

Tornpaw:
11/20 HP
70/80 SP

Rosepaw:
9/15 HP
40/50 SP

The member 'Reaper King' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Effect Dice' : 6

It was with a shock that the apprentice she had charged at was suddenly on top of her, and the air was knocked out of her. She broke into a fit of coughs, struggling to breathe as the weight remained on top of her. Stars, this was what she got for charging in blind. Looking around, she realized that the rest of her patrol had been locked in combat. She would be on her own in this. But as she squirmed about under the she-cat's paws, it was clear that she was trapped.

"You're not that bad a fighter. Maybe, if we meet under better circumstances, you could teach me some of those moves. Sorry for attacking you, by the way, but your patrol sort of attacked us first, I guess."

Rosepaw is pinned and cannot attack.

Murkystrike's eyes narrowed at the mention of the tom that Bloodstrike had warned her about. Even if Moonshine looked like Dawnhawk, she was still a she-cat. "A rather large mistake.... You could have killed my clanmate. An innocent one at that." She growled as he twisted under her, throwing off her grip on his shoulders. Rolling with the impact, she got to her paws and regained her balance. Darting forward, she slid under Bloodstrike's belly and slashed with her claws before getting back up, taking up a defensive stance. She had never fought him before, but she knew she would take advantage of her lack of balance in standing up, so she was expecting an attack.

Murkystrike used Half-Turn Belly Rake, dealing 15 damage and costing 20 SP.

Bloodstrike
72/100 HP (-15)
255/280 SP

Murkystrike
72/80 HP
210/240 SP (-20)

---

Blossomstep was a bit taken aback by the ferocity with which the ShadowClan tom attacked her. Biting back a hiss as his claws sliced through the fur at her shoulders, she glanced around for something she could use to her advantage. As the ShadowClan cat landed, she took the chance to sprint away, scaling Highpine quickly. Once she was high enough, she turned and pushed off of the trunk with her hind legs, crashing into the tom and sending them both rolling across the forest floor. Blossomstep stood over him, holding him to the ground with a sheathed paw. "Can we stop this? I'll try to get through to Bloodstrike and the others if you can do the same for your clanmates." She mewed, sounding desperate.

Blossomstep used Leaping Bound on Mistyfalcon, dealing 12 damage and costing 10 SP. Mistyfalcon is Pinned for 1 turn.

Blossomstep:
83/100 HP
260/280 SP (-10)

Mistyfalcon: Pinned! (x1)
72/100 HP (-12)
265/280 SP