A Tale of Two Kitties [C]

Bearpaw had disturbed no less than three other apprentices in the apprentice den with how much he had tossed and turned that night. He'd been trying to sleep for hours before he was willing to just call it quits. He slipped out of the apprentice den and looked around camp, noting that there was absolutely no one else awake. That wasn't surprising, he supposed. His eyes turn toward the camp's entrance. He knew he wasn't supposed to leave as an apprentice... but if he stayed here for too long someone would eventually wake and ask him questions. Questions wasn't something that he wanted right now. A long walk might be enough to calm his nerves so that he could finally get some rest. He slipped out of camp quietly and began to wander. Something inside of him pulled him toward Fourtrees, though what that something was, he didn't know. He was careful as he went, making sure that his ears and nose were on high alert for trouble. A few times he saw an owl sitting high in a tree, which he avoided by slipping through many bushes and hardly hitting anything to make noise.

Eventually, Bearpaw found himself in the clearing that was Fourtrees. A great rock sat in the middle. Bearpaw stared at it, getting a feeling that this place was somehow important despite never having been to a gathering. Everything was too... perfect for nature to have caused this formation of things. So what had? His first thought was twolegs, as he had seen them landscape and garden before. Yet there was something more to it than just that... But what? Bearpaw made his way to the rock in the center and climbed it. He looked out across the empty clearing, then back up at the four great oaks. His eyes then went to the stars above and his gaze lingered on Brackenlark's star. Was his family up there somewhere too? Were they watching him, the way Sweetpaw and the other clan cats were watched over by their ancestors? It was a comforting thought, one that he wanted to believe...

But where was the proof?

Swiftpaw had slipped away from camp, unable to fall asleep out in the open like her clanmates seemed to be able to. The moors were simply too exposed, and even before she'd spent a moon and a half on her own, Eleos had never been one for sleeping somewhere so accessible to the elements and predators alike. Her mother had drilled into her the importance of self-preservation, and sleeping out in the open, with only the stars above, did not fit that at all. The territory was quiet around her, no trees were present to hide birds of prey, and aside from the wind ruffling Swiftpaw's pale fur, the moors seemed empty, quiet... Tranquil, almost.

She found herself wandering towards the hollow at the edge of Windclan's territory, pale gaze curiously taking in the four, massive oaks that marked the edges of the clearing. A large boulder sat in the center of the clearing, commanding attention the way Dayspring had done when calling the clan together for a ceremony. A few stale scents of other cats criss-crossed the clearing, but they were none she recognized. She'd heard the place was for... gatherings of some sort, but she'd never set foot in it before now. The clearing certainly wasn't full of cats now, however.

Movement had Swiftpaw's gaze snapping up, alarm coursing through her as another cat padded towards the rock in the center of the clearing. He simply... Sat on the rock, gazing up at the stars. All the tom had to do was look ahead of him, and he'd spot her. The wind was with Swiftpaw for the moment, bringing with it unfamiliar scent, as different from the scent of Windclan as one could get. A few notes of it were... vaguely recognizable as something she'd picked up on the wind around the gorge when Tawnyflare had showed her the territory, but she'd never seen any of the cats that supposedly inhabited the territory on the other side of it before.

And the wind chose that moment to shift direction, bringing Swiftpaw's scent directly to the stranger sitting above.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude, I'm not here to fight." Swiftpaw mewed almost automatically, tone slightly defensive as she spoke before the tom could move. She should've been paying more attention, foolish of her to be caught off guard and then announce her presence in the way she had, but nothing in the tom's movements had seemed aggressive, and Swiftpaw would like to keep it that way.

Bearpaw had been so lost in his own thoughts that he never noticed the other cat's approach/ The scent carried to him and he snapped out of his deep pondering. His eyes dropped and he spotted the other cat right away, but nothing in her body language said "dangerous" to him. She on the other hand, seemed awfully worried about him starting a fight. He cocked his head to one side, peridot green eyes blinking once.

"I won't fight with you." He assured her. He climbed down from the rock, hoping that if they were on equal ground she'd feel less intimidated. The scent on her fur wasn't one he recognized, but that was hardly surprising. He was new to these lands and to the clans themselves. "I'm Bearpaw of Riverclan." He offered softly. It still felt wrong to say though, as he was not originally born in Riverclan. He felt like he was at least somewhat an outcast, no matter how welcoming most cats in Riverclan were.

Swiftpaw stayed where she was as the striped tom abandoned his spot on the rock, relaxing at his words. Being on even ground helped with her own nerves, and still nothing in the tom's movements hinted at any sort of hostility. Now that he'd drawn closer, Swiftpaw realized they couldn't be that far apart in age, maybe he was also an apprentice then.

She wasn't left to wonder who he was for long, and Swiftpaw offered a quick smile in return. Riverclan, that had been the clan Tawnyflare had mentioned, seeming particularly disdainful as she'd said the name. Eleos didn't particularly give a rat's tail about what her mentor thought, and since Tawnyflare seemed to despise most things, it would be unfair of her to pass judgement on the tom for where he came from.

"I'm Swiftpaw, of Windclan." Eleos, she'd nearly said. The name still didn't feel right but if the reactions of her own clanmates were anything to go by, this Riverclanner didn't need to know Eleos. Maybe that was for the best.

"I I could ask what another 'paw is doing out here at this hour, but I don't exactly have a leg to stand on." Swiftpaw offered, the ghost of a smirk crossing her maw as ice blue eyes briefly met his green ones.

Swiftpaw of Windclan. He made sure to remember that name. He was fairly sure Windclan was the clan known for being... swift. He was curious to see if she had earned her name, but that was probably for another time. Bearpaw, he assumed, only got his name because of his size. Unfortunately for Swiftpaw, her humor was lost on him, if that's what that attempt was. He smirked, but the uncertainty of whether or not that was supposed to be a joke was plain as day on his face.

"I just couldn't sleep." He shrugged. The explanation was honest and simple. "I probably shouldn't have wandered out this far, but I'm new to the clans anyway. I wasn't born a Riverclanner... I was what the clans call a... a kittypet?" He was fairly sure that was the right word. He'd only heard it once or twice, but Ivystar seemed to give anyone who said it condescendingly with a harsh glare in response. It probably wasn't a nice word.

"Anyway, I'm here now, but I tend to wander. Is that why you're here too?"

Bearpaw's honest answer took Swiftpaw by surprise, both that her attempt at snark had apparently sailed right over his head, and the answer itself. The pale lynx-point sat, tail flicking.

"I wasn't born in the clan either, my mother was a... rogue, I suppose. Softbreeze, our medicine cat, found me wandering the edge of their territory." She admitted quietly. Rogue wasn't quite right, their family had been perfectly organized and they definitely hadn't cared only for themselves, but that was neither here nor there. Trying to explain the difference would likely just cause more trouble anyways. She wasn't Eleos anymore, and that was going to have to be enough. Her clanmates would accept that sooner or later, she hoped. It would make things easier, not having to constantly argue with cats who thought they were better.

"I'll get used to it, eventually I'm sure. I don't understand how my clanmates can just sleep out in the open. I figured wandering was better than tossing and turning in a nest." And she'd been curious to see fourtrees too, after hearing about it. But that was beside the point.

So he and the she-cat had something in common. It was a small comfort, but it was better than nothing. "I could never sleep out in the open... I guess that's a Windclan cat thing?" A sudden movement in the grass caught his eye and his head snapped to it. A mouse? He'd give it a shot. He nodded toward it so that Swiftpaw would realize what he was doing. He crept forward, hoping that his stance was right. He made a run for it once he thought he was close enough and pounced, hoping the trap the fuzzy creature beneath his toes.

Bearpaw attempted to catch a mouse! It was successful! -3SP

He managed it, surprising even himself, and bit the mouse's head to quickly dispatch it. He brought it over to Swiftpaw, his gait noticeably having a bit more of a bounce in it. "It's not much but I'll share with you if you want. We're on neutral territory... so we're not taking anything from anyone. Do we... have to take it to the freshkill pile anyway?" Questions that he would ask later, and he made a mental note of it.

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 3

"It is, I don't understand why, honestly." God knew Swiftpaw hadn't managed it either. It was too exposed, even without the wind constantly ruffling her fur. She fell silent then, picking up the movement in the undergrowth as Bearpaw nodded to it. She gave him the barest hint of a nod to show she understood that he was going for the mouse.

"Good catch!" She mewed. Swiftpaw could tell that he'd been pleasantly surprised to have caught the mouse at all, but she wasn't about to mention it. Mice weren't Riverclan's usual prey, but it had been a decent catch.

At Bearpaw's offer she couldn't help a grin. She hadn't expected it, but he wasn't a bad sort. "You didn't catch it within anyone's borders, so I wouldn't think so?" The mouse hadn't been in claimed territory, and neither were they. What their mentors didn't know wouldn't hurt them, surely. And besides, sharing prey was better than showing up in camp with scratches and bruises, right? And... She hadn't had mouse in a while.

Unfortunately for the two apprentices, an owl had also been eyeing that mouse. It's feathers ruffled, but still young and inexperienced with how to deal with other predators, it hesitated in attacking. Once the two cats began to enjoy the mouse together however... the owl decided that that was enough of a distraction. It dropped from a tree and flew toward them, talon outstretched. Losing it's nerve at the last moment however, it only struck one cat in the head lightly before deciding to try to go back into the nearest oak.

Owl used Talon Strike on Swiftpaw, dealing 10 damage and -10SP

Owl
50HP / 110SP (-10SP)

Bearpaw
20HP / 80SP

Swiftpaw
10HP / 80SP (-10HP)

---

Bearpaw was nearly dancing on his toes with her compliment. He hadn't meant to make it so obvious, but a good word here and there for him was... what he needed more than he realized. He set the mouse down between the two of them and considered her words for a moment. It was about what he figured as well. "Alright, I won't tell if you won't." He said with a shrug before he bent his head down to eat his half of the mouse... right before feathers silently entered his vision. He only had enough time to give her a startled look before the owl's talon reached down for her head.

He jumped for it, unsure of what else to do.

Bearpaw used Leap and Hold, dealing 6 damage and -10SP

Bearpaw
20HP / 70SP (-10SP)

Owl
Stunned for Two Turns!
44HP / 110SP (-6HP)

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

---

'Effect Dice' : 6

Swiftpaw nodded at Bearpaw, taking a bite of the mouse. Clan cats brought back their fresh kill to the rest of the clan and generally, by the time they ate what they caught the prey wasn't as warm or as fresh. She followed their rules of course, but actual fresh kill that hadn't had dirt or grass scraped over it tasted much better.

The rush of wind rather than the owl's silent feathers were what alerted Swiftpaw to it's presence, and she quickly ducked, twisting as talons caught her shoulder... The one that already had a scar on it. Just as quickly, Bearpaw had lunged for it, and Swiftpaw quickly slashed as the exposed underside of the owl with unsheathed claws. She followed it with another quick slash to the owl's wing. Running on the moors for even a short time had helped improve her reflexes, and and reaction time to things considerably. Swiftpaw hoped she could use that to put the owl away quickly before it could turn those talons on either cat again.

Swiftpaw used Belly Rake on Owl for -10sp, dealing -7 damage.
Swiftpaw used Swift Strike for -10sp, dealing -2 damage.

Swiftpaw
20 / 20 hp
60 / 80 sp

Owl
35 / 50 hp (44 - 7 - 2)
110 / 120 sp

Bearpaw
20 / 20 hp
70 / 80 sp

The owl was not expecting pain when he left the cats, nor was he expecting weight on his back. The bird of prey hit the earthy floor with a thump! The cat atop of it tore away mercilessly at it's back and no matter how much it struggled, it was now powerless to stop it. He shouldn't have been so greedy!

Owl is stunned for this turn!

---

Bearpaw didn't even have time to register what had just occurred. Not Swiftpaw's lightning fast attacks nor the fact that the owl was temporarily under his control. He tore away at it with a fury that most cats only possessed in an emotionally fueled rage. Bearpaw himself was so focused on what he was doing that he felt oddly numb. The adrenaline was there. His heart was pounding. But his emotions were banished far back to the corners of his mind. His fur stood on end, but his expression was only one of cold determination.

Bearpaw continues Leap and Hold, dealing 6 damage!

Owl
Stunned for one more turn!
29HP / 110SP (-6HP)

Bearpaw
20HP / 70SP

Swiftpaw
10HP / 60SP

Swiftpaw slashed furiously at the owl again, grimly determined to do as much damage as she could while it was defenseless. Bearpaw had it pinned, but she knew from experience that the hold wouldn't last forever. They never did. She kept an eye on him as well as the owl beneath his claws, and was prepared to leap atop it once Bearpaw lost his grip.

Swiftpaw used Belly Rake for -10sp, dealing -7 damage.

Swiftpaw
10 / 20 hp
50 / 80 sp (60 - 10)

Owl
22 / 50 hp (29 - 7)
110 / 120 sp

Bearpaw
20 / 20 hp
70 / 80 sp

The Owl finally shook the small cat off of it's back. It took a great effort, especially with the other one attacking it, but at least it had managed it. The owl made an attempt to take off, only to touchdown again, clearly significantly weakened. It pivoted on it's talon and struck out at the cat that had been holding onto it, a glancing blow across the top of Bearpaw's head.

Owl is no longer stunned!

Owl used Talon Strike on Bearpaw, dealing 10 damage and -10SP

Owl
22HP / 100SP (-10SP)

Bearpaw
10HP / 70SP (-10HP)

Swiftpaw
10HP / 50SP

---

Bearpaw slipped off of the owl's back. Before he could retaliate much, talons flew toward his head. A sudden sting across the top of his head had him flinch, but only barely. His claws shot forward, his focus still clear in his eyes, and he tore away at the underbelly of the bird of prey.

Bearpaw used belly rake, dealing 7 damage and -10SP

Bearpaw
10HP / 60SP (-10SP)

Owl
15HP / 100SP (-7HP)

Swiftpaw
10HP / 50SP