Snapping Falcons [Fangsnap]

The sun had just set as Mistyfalcon stepped out of the warrior's den, blue eyes scanning the camp as he made his way toward the camp entrance. He'd been assigned to patrolling with Fangsnap tonight, and it wasn't long before Mistyfalcon spotted the ginger warrior padding in his direction.

He'd gone missing as an apprentice, and it still bothered Mistyfalcon how his own patrol had somehow managed to lose track of a fresh-faced apprentice so thoroughly. Murkystrike had found him not long ago, the clan had welcomed him back, and the apprentice had quickly earned his warrior name. Fangsnap had been fortunate to come back to the clan in one piece... But perhaps he wasn't that lucky. Twolegs, he'd said upon his return, and the tom was flighty and nervous enough, from what little Mistyfalcon could gather. He'd been all but skin and bones upon arriving back in Shadowclan, indicating things hadn't been pleasant by any means.

Regardless, Fangsnap was a part of Shadowclan, and was as much of a warrior as anyone else. Mistyfalcon gave the tom a brisk nod, turning to lead him out into the territory. The pine grove was always a decent place to hunt, and that was where they'd head tonight.

Fangsnap followed after his fellow clanmate. Despite the pair of them having hardly spoken before, the russet-pelted tom knew that the other warrior was both well-known and well-respected among the clan. Underneath the pale light of the navy-blanketed skies, he had begun to feel more at ease. The strange nature of these cats and their abnormal sleeping patterns had left the former loner quickly forgetting what sunlight was like against his back. It was a feeling he missed. But none of that mattered now. This was a patrol for the clan and his own personal agenda to know these cats demanded he pay close attention to Mistyfalcon.

There came a stiff nod in return and he followed without a word. His pads no longer flinched ever so slightly at the never-ending squelching of mud beneath them. Behind Fangsnap, his tail flickered to and fro, in a slow and rhythmic sway. Ears perked for even the slightest sound, eyes dancing about to catch even the tiniest twist of a shadow, before returning to the smoky-pelt of his denmate. The journey itself was rather uneventful as neither seemed eager to chatter this early in the night. As they approached the pine grove, Fangsnap parted his maw and sucked in the damp air. It was a pleasant taste, and scent. This was perhaps his favorite place on the territory, if he ever took long enough to think about such things.

"So here then?" He muttered finally, fixing Mistyfalcon with a quizzical look. The question was more redundant than anything, as he claws had already begun to flex into the earth, with ears pricked in search of prey.

"Yes." His answer was laconic, though that wasn't unusual for Mistyfalcon. He simply felt little need for pointless conversation.

He turned his attention towards hunting rather than talking, and sensitive ears caught the soft scuffling of a vole among the grasses. Mistyfalcon dropped into a crouch and stalked toward it. He sprang forward, fangs catching the creature by the throat. It was buried with practiced efficiency before Mistyfalcon moved on in search of more prey.

"Hm." Fangsnap grunted, nodding simply. It seemed that he was in good company then. If Mistyfalcon was contented to hunt in silence, forgetting the prying questions that most of their clanmates asked in moments such as these, then the warrior would not take that for granted. In a similar manner, he set off in his own hunt. A lizard scuttered about about with concerned steps. Luckily for he and his patrol mate, the worry was concentrated on some business that only the tiny scaled creature could know. It had not sensed their presence.

Such a thing would make a sparse meal, strips of tough sinew and bone. But Shadowclan did not pass up opportunities, and neither would he. Rogues did not discriminate when it came to their next meal. Stalking silently forward, the tom's paw flickered out to catch the lizard. Just before it was out of reach, his claws hooked into the base of its tail, pulling it closer. A well-timed move with his other paw swiftly cut the throat of the animal, ending its life all at once. Satisfied, the tom quickly buried it at the base of a sturdy pine.

Without a thought of how odd it might have seemed, it sunk his claws deep into the bark and swiftly hauled himself up to the lowest branch. Often, Fangsnap had found himself on fences or walls. It had become second nature to seek out higher ground, surveying the land below, while also sinking into the shadows. True to the name of this clan, the tree provided extra shading against the moonlight. His eyes glanced about, seeking another target, and following after the frame of Mistyfalcon. For as much as he longed to know of the tom, Fangsnap would never care enough to ask. A cat's nature always revealed itself over time.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 6

Mistyfalcon's head instinctively lifted at movement from above, a slow blink of surprise as instead of an imagined predator that was so typically in the trees, instead it was Fangsnap's ginger form in the branches. Trees were more a Skyclan thing than a Shadowclan thing... And he made the mental note that Fangsnap was not what he'd expected. "Something you picked up in twolegplace, or have you been sticking your nose around Skyclan territory?" He had to admit he was a little curious, having never stepped foot in twolegplace himself. He was mostly joking about the Skyclan comment, though Mistyfalcon found the tree-loving clan to be distasteful, his disdain for them was far less than it was for the sheltered, soft kittypets he'd been lucky enough to only hear tales about.

He fell silent, catching sight of a rabbit, and stalked toward it while being careful to remain downwind. Close enough, he leapt, teeth sinking into the rabbit's throat. Mistyfalcon turned, burying the rabbit near the base of a tree, before his eyes lifted to track Fangsnap's progress for a moment.

It did not come as a shock to him, the way the Shadowclanner called his behavior out as odd. But, luckily, under the guise of Fangpaw, such strange habits were easy to explain away. Balancing carefully, the russet tom moved to the edge of the branch to better address his patrolmate. The low gravel of his voice betrayed nothing, this was little more than pleasant conversation between acquaintances, "Out in the, hm, twolegplace, you can never be too cautious. A vantage point like this could be the difference of life or death somewhere like that. Suppose old survival habits die hard."

He teetered at the edge, leaping just as it bowed onto the next branch. Fangsnap did not have the natural-born talent of a Skyclan cat, nor the stupidity to climb higher than he should, or seek out a jump beyond his own skill; but there was just enough practice in his limbs to make this seem like an easy feat. From above, he watched with interest as Mistyfalcon took down the rabbit. There was a flicker of movement not far off, behind where the Shadowclan warrior had stopped. Fangsnap ground his teeth. It appeared there was an advantage to his strange method.

"Watch out!" He barked before lunging forward and diving from the tree. Another raccoon in this forsaken sanctuary. Why was it always raccoons? Fangsnap snagged the predator between his paws, squishing the air from its lungs and causing the pair of them to roll over several times. His opponent was snarling and snapping in retaliation, something that did not come as quite the surprise. Admittedly, in the moment, he forgot there was another warrior nearby and the potential for aid. It was still so strange to have other cats who considered more than their own wellbeing in such a stark contrast to that of where he'd come from.

Fangpaw had been different.

There was a flash of blood, a memory, and for a brief moment the current situation faded away. A sheer helplessness overwhelmed him. Pain, not the physical type, numbed the warrior's limbs. He'd wanted to cry out in the moment but a sound never came. It was the snap of his own shoulder that brought him back to. Adrenaline just barely tempered back the searing pain from the raccoon's wild bite. He clamped his teeth together so tight he could feel it piercing his own skin as he thrashed about, wildly trying to get the upper paw of the battle.

Fangsnap used run and tackle on the raccoon, dealing 9 (+3) damage and using 10 stamina.
Raccoon used iron bite, dealing 30 damage and using 20 stamina.

Fangsnap
HP: 15/45
SP: 150/160

Raccoon
HP: 18/30
SP: 280/300

"Fair enough, I suppose. We all do what we have to." Mistyfalcon shrugged. He personally wouldn't trust the trees, especially not those closer to the Skyclan borders where fire had raged last greenleaf. If Fangsnap wanted to risk his neck climbing, that was his decision to make.

Fangsnap's call and the flurry of snaps and snarls behind him had Mistyfalcon spinning around, fur lifting as the scent of raccoon and blood hit his nose. The thing had sank fangs into his clanmate's shoulder, and Fangsnap was struggling to regain the upper paw after having tackled it, apparently.

Going after the Shadowclanners was the last mistake this raccoon would make. Mistyfalcon reared back, unsheathed claws flashing as he swiped at the creature. He'd fought them enough times to know better than to let those filthy fangs and claws take a swipe at him, and finishing this one off after Fangsnap had already barreled into it was no trouble at all. Seasons of training and fighting had honed Mistyfalcon's claws, and those claws caught the raccoon beneath the throat with ease.

"Fangsnap?" Mistyfalcon eyed the ginger tom's shoulder. "You might see Rookfire about that. Nasty critters." He glanced down at the slain raccoon with a sigh.

Mistyfalcon used Rear-Up to Slash on Raccoon for -15 sp, dealing -17 damage.
Night Finesse is active, +2 damage.

Mistyfalcon
100 / 100 hp
265 / 280 sp (280 - 15)

Raccoon -DEAD-
0 / 30 hp (18 - 19)
280 / 300 sp

One moment relentless fangs were tearing into his shoulder, the next they were being ripped away. Scarlet drops from the raccoon flecked his coat, further slicking it. The wound was a nasty one and comparable to other yellow-fanged tears he had received before. Their medicine cat was a helpful resource. Fangsnap knew what it was like to have a wound infected on more than one occasion. He quickly rose to his pads and gritted his teeth at the searing pain. Treading back to camp would be a nearly unbearable feat but he was determined not to let the agony write itself across his features.

Managing a neutral mask, the russet warrior turned in the direction of camp. He offered Mistyfalcon a stiff nod of gratitude for the assistance, biting back a sharp remark about how he didn't need assistance fighting, even if it was welcomed in this instance. Instead he settled for a mild answer, hoping to crush potential for conversation so he could focus on staying upright, "I've seen worse." He shrugged it away, trying, and failing not to think of the times that he had indeed faced worse than this particular moment... and contemplating the fact that he had then faced such things without any cat at his side.

Mistyfalcon turned to pick up the prey taht the pair had caught, glancing over at Fangsnap as he spoke. "So have I... Still don't need that getting infected." Mistyfalcon responded briskly. It was pragmatism, plain and simple. He fell into step beside the injured warrior, and chose to say little else. Right now, his focus was getting Fangsnap back to camp in one piece.