Call for Blood [SkC vs WC]

Burrpaw silently padded towards the back, behind his mentor. He was almost old enough to be a warrior, but this was hardly a way to celebrate.

His thoughts went back to his kithood friend Cherrykit, who went missing. Perhaps it was best for him to not be here. The thought of the happy-go-lucky ginger tom trying to fight another cat was almost laughable due to the absurdity. He accidentally squished a beetle and he was upset for days. The sandy colored tom smiled a bit at the memory before raising his head.

WindClan was a foreign terrain- there were no trees. How do you catch prey without any trees?

Perhaps that would be a question answered later on. The openness unnerved the tom but he would not admit such a thing with Birdsong in front of him.

Burrpaw almost found it hard to breathe, worried it would be loud enough to summon all of WindClan. He... could die. Dead. Gone. A lump in his throat formed, sitting in the back like a stone.

StarClan, please let everything be okay.

Ravenclaw could barely keep her paws still. Sleep had completely eluded her, and she ended up coming out to due an impromptu camp guarding, even if her constant pacing started to annoy the actual guards. How was she supposed to stay still, though? How was she supposed to sleep? This was war. She had been involved in war, facing against the Asylum, but one loose end remained... She scored the earth with her claws, making a multitude of angry or annoyed faces without realizing she was doing it. She wasn't so gone that she thought war was great, but when it was necessary, she would run into it with claws out and no hesitation. Besides, she was excited to rip the pelts off a WindClan cat or two.

Eventually it was time to go, and she had to force herself to walk in lockstep with her fellow clanmates. Her leader, the deputy, her fellow warriors... Her father, brothers, sisters, even Beechface was there. This was real. It was really happening. Her heart was pumping in her chest so fast she was sure it would scare all the prey away. She wanted to just run ahead of everyone and jump into the camp herself. Thankfully she did not act on that desire.

They made it to Fourtrees, and they waited... and waited... and the WindClan tom never showed. "Windswept furbrain," she hissed lowly, whipping her tail back and forth angrily. He was making her look like an idiot! Why wasn't he there? Was it truly all a trap? Or had they found out? She looked up towards Wolfstar, who didn't look too happy himself. The word was getting out that it was time to move: they would go onto WindClan territory without him. Now there was unease in her pawsteps as she walked impatiently with the others. That tom... He seemed legitimately willing to get Dawnhawk out of there. So what in StarClan's name had happened? Did someone tip them off? She shook her head hard. It didn't matter. She was going to destroy them no matter what the truth was.

There was no way Sunpaw could sleep. He lay curled up in his nest with the other apprentices, big blue eyes trained on the entrance to camp as his whole form trembled. He wasn't ready for whatever was about to happen; he'd never be ready, but with what little training he had, he would do his best to defend WindClan. His home. He hoped his father would be proud.

Flypaw had stuck close to his Clanmates since their arrival at WindClan’s dry, thorny camp. Tonight was no different. He lay curled at the edge of their little group, head on his paws, coppery eyes round and gleaming. Who could sleep with a battle on the horizon? All he knew about war was what nursery tales and Turtlefur had told him, but that was more than enough to keep him wide awake. It helped that he had no real stake in this fight. If WindClan were driven out, RiverClan could probably take their territory; if SkyClan fled, RiverClan would get hunting rights as promised, and even WindClan’s awful, stringy prey beat going hungry. Best of all, if Flypaw was brave enough, word would travel back home to his mentor, his sister—all of his Clanmates. He’d never get left out of a Gathering again.

Presently, he realized his tail had begun to thump against the sand. He pinned it down with a paw, and the fidgeting migrated to his whiskers instead.

Ashfall, like the insomniac she was, couldn't sleep. How could she? Skyclan could be on their doorstep any moment now. Her gaze swept the camp once more, checking out everything and everyone. Cats were awake, few were asleep, some were even out of their nests. She couldn't leave camp to get away from the collective fear if she wanted to. Part of her hoped that Skyclan would leave as soon as they realized Dawnhawk was no longer there, but Skyclan would never run from a fight would they. No, most of them would be unlike her father in that regard. She wouldn't run either. She refused to act like her father, she refused to act in a manner even close. Whatever happened tonight, she would stand her ground, and protect her clan, or die trying.

Tawnyflare watched the other cats as they pathetically tossed and turned around, or paced around when sleep would not come. Meanwhile, she sat there, dressed in her fox pelt, sneering at any RiverClan cat to come close. It was funny watching them jump, thinking an Asylum cat was here, while Lilacstar had to hurriedly explain that she was one of the missing kits, and a WindClan cat at birth. Although if any cats were alive during the reign of Asylum, they would certainly get a bit of a scare should they see the face under the pelt. Not that she was going to let them.

When she wasn't terrorizing the cats that were supposed to be their allies, Tawnyflare had her eyes on Yarrowpaw, as well as the kits she had left in the nursery. She should probably be taking care of the runts, but there was no way that she was missing out on a fight. Besides, Dayspring was over there, the kits would live. It would all turn out just fine, she just wanted in on the fun.

Meanwhile, Lilacstar was at wits end, as this seemed nothing but chaos. Ivystar had sent some of her cats to the camp, and that gave her some comfort, knowing that the other leader was keeping her end of the deal. She had even sent her medicine cat apprentice, something she was sure Smallbean would be grateful for. Even still, she hated seeing the fear in her Clanmates, and it seemed even RiverClan was nervous for what was to come. She could only hope for the best. Quietly, she slipped over to Sunpaw, who seemed to be especially anxious, resting her chin on his head. She would do all she could to protect her Clan, no matter what she had to do.

Stricken by fear and dread, there was no way Smallbean could sleep, no matter how much he probably needed it. The medicine cat lay in his nest, staring up to the ceiling of the den. If it weren't for his open eyes, one would think the tom was simply sleeping. A soft sigh escaped his mouth as he once again turned in the moss, trying to find a position comfortable enough to sleep. He now laid facing the den entrance, watching as a small silhouette walked back and forth. Cloverpaw, Riverclan's medicine cat apprentice. Past her, he noticed a familiar pelt. He smiled. He could always count on Spotlake to be there for him.

"Why don't you come in and try to get some rest?" Smallbean was sitting up now as he whispered toward Cloverpaw. He didn't expect her to listen to him, if he were in her position he wouldn't. His gaze trailed across the den floor to the herb piles he had set out earlier in the day when he had brainstormed what herbs he would need for what wounds.

As calm as the night was, his mind was far from it, jumping between worst-case scenarios and deep thoughts about what would drive Skyclan to war. After the time Smallbean had spent with Dawnhawk in the medicine den, he was sure that he wasn't a bad cat, and even though his past wasn't exactly clean, the medicine cat truly believed that he had changed. If only Skyclan could see that.

Jaw set in frustration and eyes anxiously flicking about, Rainypaw hesitantly trailed behind her clanmates. Normally she was much more composed than this but this was all off to her. It all felt wrong. However, she had to get her act together fast before anything could start. There was no turning back at this point.

The apprentice sped up her pace to reach Bumblepaw's other side, Nighthaze already there to comfort their brother. She pressed herself snuggly against his side as the marched toward their dooms. Yes, she firmly believed it to be their doom, even if they weren't all unnecessarily killed. All the way over, she never stopped praying to the starry cats above to end this madness before it got ugly. But alas, she knew it wasn't to be. She had to stay strong and do her best to defend her brothers, to prevent their demise even at the cost of her own life. She had already come to terms that there was a chance that some wouldn't make it out of here but she hoped that she wouldn't see any of her family go down with her own two eyes. She'd rather go down first and be spared the horrid images but she knew that was unfair to them. They loved her just as much as she did them. They'd just have to stick together if they wanted to come out of this relatively unscathed.

Spottedpaw's blood was hot with anxiety. After a restless sleep during the day, her father's call to arms had woken her, and she'd followed him into the camp to wait with the rest of the clan, until Wolfstar finally joined them. The clan was silent, and Spottedstar wished she could call it a purposeful silence... but really, it just felt ominous, like a dark cloud hanging over their heads, waiting to unleash a torrent of rainfall. As they finally moved along, Spottedpaw sought out her siblings in the crowd, joining Bearpaw and Newtpaw in the crowd, alternating which sibling she pressed her fluffy pelt to as they walked. Ahead, she saw her mentor trailing just behind his own brother, and her eyes sought the ground. She swallowed hard, hoping that the things Juniperlight had taught her would come in handy, tonight... hoping against hope that she could make him - and the clan - proud... and prove Beechface wrong.

They made it to Fourtrees without incident, and waited... and waited some more... but whatever they were seeking never came, and eventually, SkyClan set out onto WindClan territory alone. Spottedpaw stuck close to her siblings once more, her stance rigid and cautious... she felt so exposed out here, with no trees to climb, no brush to shelter within or behind... how did these cats live like this? How did they catch prey with no cover? The congregation came to a halt once more, and Spottedpaw shivered in place, pressing herself against Newtpaw and slicking her ears back in anticipation of what was to come. She wasn't afraid to fight, but she didn't want to die.


Cold, sharp amber-gold eyes fixated on the entrance to the WindClan camp. For several moments, Wolfstar watched, crouched down low several fox-lengths ahead of his clan, pressed against the moorland so that his dark coat blended with the shadows. Nothing stirred, no cat raised alarm... and yet, still... Wolfstar waited. It felt wrong, almost, to be staring at another clan's camp with them being none the wiser... and a chill crept along his spine as he considered that perhaps someone, once, had done this to SkyClan. He closed his eyes briefly, steeling his resolve, and then turned and slunk back to where Bloodstrike and Beechface waited for him.

"Nothing," he said, voice a low growl. He stood tall, eyes sweeping the crowd of gathered cats. He saw a mixture of emotions mirrored back in their eyes... fear, trepidation, fury... Wolfstar exhaled, turned back to his son, and nodded once. Without another word, he led SkyClan down the sandy slope in which WindClan's camp had been constructed.

SkyClan exploded through the gorse tunnel with a caterwaul of challenge, Wolfstar at their lead. Behind him, warriors streamed into WindClan's camp, and at once, the space was alive with frenzy and chaos. Wolfstar slid to a halt, his eyes searching for a specific target, but as he kicked up dust, a scent drew his attention. RiverClan. There were RiverClan cats here? The leader's eyes narrowed into angry yellow slits, his blood pounding in his veins as rage filled him from toe to tail. How dare Ivystar interfere? How dare she stake a claim against SkyClan's call for justice? Red tinted his vision, and all he could hear, momentarily, was the pounding of his own heartbeat. A flash of tawny fur, and wide, terrified green eyes to his left drew his attention, and Wolfstar turned, nostrils flaring and bringing in the unmistakable scent of RiverClan from her coat. The leader took a step towards her, eyes flashing, tail a writhing snake behind him, and then leaped. It didn't matter in the moment that she looked young, and in his rage it didn't even register that her coat smelled faintly of herbs.

Wolfstar leaped, his claws making contact with the she-cat as his teeth sank in to the fur at the back of her neck. He shook wildly, the taste of blood filling his mouth and welling beneath his claws as he savaged the apprentice. If Ivystar wanted to risk blood and death for something that didn't concern her and never had... he would make her regret it.

Wolfstar used Front Paw Strike on Cloverpaw, dealing 12 damage and costing 6 stamina. Wolfstar takes 3 damage from StarClan's Judgement.

Wolfstar:
97/100 HP (-3)
154/160 SP (-6)

Cloverpaw:
3/15 HP (-12)
40/40 SP


Spottedpaw charged into the clearing alongside a surge of SkyClan pelts. Her siblings were lost in the chaos, and soon Spottedpaw found herself alone - or as alone as she could be in the middle of a wartorn camp. Her ears plastered against her head, and she shrunk down as a pair of battling cats shoved past her, slashing and spitting. Then a flurry of movement caught her eye, and she turned to see Wolfstar ravaging a smaller cat. From the side of her eye, another figure caught her attention, a pale, scarred tom, his eyes blazing with fury and focused right on Wolfstar. Oh no you don't! She charged, intercepting him before he could reach the leader, and stood her ground, head between her shoulders, tail lashing, her mouth opening in a furious hiss of challenge.

Spottedpaw has challenged Yarrowpaw.

At Wolfstar's signal, Bloodstrike stormed the camp. His eyes searched for one particular pelt... Dayspring's. Once his eyes settled on her, he charged forward. Not a sound came from the Skyclan deputy's mouth... there was just going to be teeth and claws in Dayspring's flesh. He had raged for long enough... howling and yelling all of the time. But now that his fury had somewhere to physically go, sound wasn't necessary. Only blood.

Bloodstrike used Front Paw Strike on Dayspring, dealing 11 - 1 (Moor Runner Ability for Windclan Cats) damage and -6 SP

Bloodstrike
80HP / 154SP (-6SP)

Dayspring
40HP / 110SP (-10HP)

OOC: Fast because work. Bearspirit later!

Wolfstar turned back towards her, and Beechface bared her teeth in a silent snarl at his words, fluffy tail lashing as her claws dug into the ground beneath her. Nothing? Nothing? No, it couldn't be. They would show Windclan.

Wolfstar turned, leading the clan toward the entrance of Windclan's camp, and Beechface followed swiftly, large paws making short work of the distance as she forced her way through the tunnel after Wolfstar.

Windclan cats were scattered throughout the camp... And then a different scent hit Beechface's nose. Riverclan. She growled low in her throat, dark stare sweeping the crowd. Ivystar had stuck her nose where it didn't belong, it seemed... And then Wolfstar was going after that apprentice Spiderquill had introduced at one of the previous medicine cat meetings. Beechface gave her grandfather a nod, and silently surveyed the crowd. As a medicine cat she couldn't attack first... But if anyone stepped to her, she was perfectly fine with tearing into them.

---

Birdsong stepped into the Windclan camp with her clanmates, paws shaking ever-so-slightly as anxiety coursed through her. Chaos bloomed around her, and she froze, light green eyes scanning the crowd. Windclan and... Riverclan had apparently shown up. Why would Riverclan get involved here?

---

The pale-furred Windclanner tossed and turned, finally finding a comfortable-ish position. Bearspirit was nearby, and strangely it was... Comforting, almost, but she couldn't place why. It didn't matter, Swiftspirit had finally managed to drift in and out of an uneasy sleep when yowls split the air, and she jerked away, hauling herself out of her nest with a hiss. The former loner slid into a crouch, pale eyes sweeping over the crowd to look for a likely opponent as she shook off the last vestiges of sleep. She wasn't anywhere near well-rested... And it showed.

Hayglow's head shot up the moment Wolfstar - and the rest of SkyClan - stormed into the camp. Within an instance she was on her paws, a yowl escaping her throat as Wolfstar closed the distant and attacked one of the RiverClan cats - an apprentice at that. "SkyClan! T-They are here! Everybody up!" she yowled as she threw herself out of the tall grass and towards a cat at random - ramming into them with a wince, heart beating fast at the idea of fighting but she couldn't...She had to do something! She drew back with bared teeth, growl dying in her throat however when she got a glimpse at the tom she had attacked - only seeing one eye reflected back at her. O-Oh... She swallowed, ears slicking back as her tail lashed, looking sheepish at fighting a disabled opponent but he...He was the one invading her camp.

Hayglow used Jumping Strike on Juniperlight, dealing 10 (7+3 bonus damage due to Juniperlight not being focused on her) and costing 7 stamina.

Hayglow:
50/50 HP
113/120 SP (-7 SP)

Juniperlight:
35/45 HP (-10 HP)
90/90 SP


Muddyleap was startled awake when his mother suddenly threw herself to her paws, sending him reeling back as he had been using her as a pillow. "Momma...?" he muttered with a shake of his head, before her words hit him. SkyClan were here. He glanced up to see it was true - cats already throwing themselves at each other. He clambered to his paws, tail lashing in excitement before he found himself hesitating. He...He couldn't. His momma had said no. He wanted to fight, he really did but... His eyes scanned the crowd of SkyClan cats, before his eyes settled on a rather mean-looking one. Something about her caused him to pause, before he followed her gaze and realized it was in the direction where his sister was. His eyes widen as he suddenly found himself moving, breaking out of the tall grass towards the SkyClan she-cat before something caused him to come to a clumsy halt - another flash of fur streaking towards his target. Eyes widening in wonder as he recognized who it was.

The horizon flickered, dancing across his sightline. In an instant, Fawnstep was on his paws and racing forward. There was a dark-pelted she-cat that caught his eye. Claws were already unsheathed as he reached the target. No time for chatter, no time for ceremony. A low snarl ripped through his chest as the tearing talons seared across her face. There was no discrimination or hesitation, not an ounce of mercy for their invaders. Kits had slept peacefully in this camp and they threatened that. Skyclan would fall at his claws and his teeth would mark their pelts.

Fawnstep used front paw strike, dealing 10 damage and using 7 stamina.
Fawnstep also used swift strike, dealing 5 damage and using 10 stamina.
Moor Runner is active -1 to each attack done to Fawnstep.

Fawnstep
HP: 60/60
SP: 123/140

Ravenclan
HP: 45/60
SP: 140/140

The signal was fast but SkyClan was faster, charging down the slope and through the thorny bushes with vengeance in their eyes. Juniperlight was on Wolfstar’s heels, and he, too, picked up the sharp scent of RiverClan. His mind clouded with confusion. What were they doing here? They had no claim in this battle. His hesitation was his downfall—a gold she-cat struck him on his blind side, and he reeled before responding with a snarl. He hated the way she was looking at him, like he was some poor kit. He jumped, digging claws and teeth into anything he could get ahold of.

Juniperlight used Leap-and-Hold on Hayglow, dealing 8 damage and using 14 sp. Stunned for 2 turns.

Juniperlight:
35/45 HP
76/90 SP

Hayglow:
42/50 HP
113/120 SP

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

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'Effect Dice' : 6