moral support [c]

The day was beginning to give way to dusk, and the horizon line was beginning to swallow the sun. The warm Greenleaf wind had settled down to a cool breeze that made the butt on the moor dance and sway. Although the sky and the greenery was shifting from afternoon to evening, the prey was still as lively as ever.

The rabbits and hares that sprinted across the moorland possessed great speed that only a cat born with blood that belonged to the Clan of the wind could stand a chance against them, but the very deputy of said Clan was unsure if her natural WindClan legs would be able to help her today. There seemed to still be the smallest bit of determination in her veins as she rose to her three functioning paws from where she had laid herself down near the nursery and took a heartbeat or two to glance around the camp. When she wasn't in the medicine den, she was near the nursery, checking on the kits and making sure that they were alright. Ever since the SkyClan deputy had put on such a terrifying display in front of their very eyes, the she-cat felt as if it was her responsibility to see how they were doing every day.

It wouldn't harm any cat if Dayspring took this opportunity to practice hunting. Moving her broken leg as much as possible without straining herself would prevent it from stiffening up, which would only making the overall healing process longer since she would need to exercise it even more after her splint was removed. She still desperately wanted to be a useful butt to the Clan, and there was no better way to do that than bringing home some fresh kill for the pile. There was one cat in particular that she was looking for, though.

Ashfall had mentioned hunting earlier, and Dayspring was sure that her denmate would have just as much trouble hunting considering her multitude of injuries was there to act as a hurdle. When she finally spotted her friend, she padded over with a slight smile and flicked an ear in greeting.
"Hi, Ashfall." Dayspring began, shuffling her front paw that wasn't bound by a splint against the dust.
"Are you still up for hunting? I know you mentioned it earlier and I just thought this would be a nice time to give it a shot."

Ashfall had been resting outside the medicine den, trying to clear her mind of all the bad that had occurred as of late. Dawnhawk, Skyclan, Bloodstrike... Her list repeated, it was tough to forget. The warmth of the sun helped her paw feel better, yet still mostly numb. Whatever Bloodstrike had done, it had been effective, the paw was difficult to control and kept mostly limp, unable to flex. She had begun walking on it again though, despite the heavy limp it posed. Perhaps there had been stares, there were not many with wounds such as she had that were not relegated to the elder's den, or worse. She didn't look around at others much anymore. She hadn't even seen herself, still, since her wounds had been attained. Ashfall didn't want to admit it, but she was afraid of what she looked like now. How terrible was the scarring? How pronounced were the wounds that would remind her of her lineage for the rest of her life? Maybe she would look soon, is what she kept telling herself. Soon hadn't come yet though.

Before long, she heard the ruffling of the short grass nearby, someone was coming. Ashfall's eyes flicked to where she should've been able to see the incoming cat, before quickly turning her head to see. Her blindspot... it was still unusual. It would have alarmed her had the pawsteps not been so soft, gentle. Of course, it would be Dayspring with that kind of gait, she seemed the sort. "Hey there." She responded in kind, dipping her head slightly. Dayspring was the deputy after all, even if they seemed to be... friends now? She wasn't opposed, just surprised. "I'm up for hunting. I'm assuming your leg is feeling a bit better?" Getting to her paws, albeit a bit awkwardly, Ashfall poised herself to follow Dayspring out of camp, picking her paw up as she stood still. Better than leaning heavily to one side.

Dayspring promptly nodded as the two of them started to head out of camp.
"It is. I'm starting to get used to having the splint, but I'm not sure if that's a good thing because I can move around easier or a bad thing because I've had it on for that long. Uh, enough about me, though. What about you? Do you think your paw is gonna be able to flex soon?"

No matter how bad Dayspring's injury was, it would never compare to Ashfall's. The she-cat would only be able to see out of one eye for the rest of her life, and there was a possibility that she would never able to walk the same ever again. It was almost as if her friend was a walking reminder of Dayspring's own personal weakness. If the deputy would've had the strength to withstand Bloodstrike's attacks, then Ashfall wouldn't have had to play the role of the hero, and she would still have sight in both eyes and strength in all four paws. There was no room for regrets, now. As much as it pained Dayspring, time continued to move forward, and she couldn't spend the rest of her life feeling guilty.

When she was sure they had padded out far enough, she glanced around at the moorland before turning to look at her friend.
"I don't think it'll be smart for either of us to try chasing after rabbits right now... y'know, under the circumstances and stuff. Maybe there are some mice or birds that we can sneak up on."
The hunting crouch was a common strategy that almost every cat in the forest used to sneak up on prey, but if Dayspring couldn't properly lower herself to the ground, then she was unsure of how good her stalking abilities would be. It was frustrating to think about, but at least every moment that passed was a moment closer to the removal of her wooden splint.

Ashfall shook her head quickly. "No, my paw is like this to stay I assume. It hasn't gotten any better since the battle, even though the wound is closed. It was cut deep, I suppose I would've been more surprised if it had healed properly. I just... have to adapt, it'll be soon enough. A bit of training with it and I'll be just as fast as I used to be."

Ashfall limped after Dayspring, enjoying the sun on her back and the time being spent with her. Dayspring was interesting, far more than she had thought originally. At least she really cared for her clanmates, if nothing else. She could be a bit... timid, but in time perhaps she'd grow out of that and become more of a leader. It just took experience, that's all. Her ear perked up when Dayspring began to speak, and Ashfall nodded. "Yeah, running is still a bit of an issue. Mice and birds should be easier, and Greenleaf has brought plenty of them to the moors."

Picking up her paw, Ashfall limped away, doing her best to crouch down into the grass. She had scented a mouse hiding somewhere in the grasses, but she hadn't quite spotted it yet. Maybe she was too close to a nest, or maybe the eagle that begun to dive wanted the mouse she was hunting as a snack, and wanted to get rid of the competition. Whatever it was, the eagle swooped down on Ashfall's blind side, and she didn't realize until she felt searing lines of pain score down her side and back. Her bad paw, which instinctively went out to catch her, buckled beneath her weight, causing her to fall momentarily. Hissing in pain, Ashfall called out to Dayspring, "Eagle! Watch out!" It took a few heartbeats of struggle to make her way back to all her paws, tracking the eagle with her eyes.

Ashfall tried to hunt a mouse, and instead an Eagle appeared! The Eagle used Swoop, dealing 9 damage and using 15 stamina!

Ashfall
36/45 HP (-9)
90/90 SP

Eagle
40/40 HP
110/125 SP (-15)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 10

Dayspring felt herself frowning and her heart sinking as Ashfall spoke. The she-cat deserved much better than permanent injuries and a limp until the day that she died. It made the deputy feel furious, and she rarely had the opportunity to say that. She managed to swallow any harsh words that she had prepared to spit out about Bloodstrike and simply kept her ears perked as she listened to her friend speak. She made a silent vow to help Ashfall with anything that she might need regarding adapting to this new lifestyle. It was the least she could do to thank her without explicitly saying 'thank you'.

She purred in agreement as Ashfall mentioned prey. With everything else that was going on within the Clan, at least food wasn't a factor that they had to worry about. Thank StarClan for Greenleaf and the blessings that it brought to the moorland. Dayspring quietly watched as the she-cat crouched low to the ground and started off on pursuit of a mouse. A sliver of a smile bloomed on her face. If Ashfall managed to catch this on her very first try since being maimed in the battle, then Dayspring would be more than amazed. Honestly, she was already impressed that the warrior had the determination to try. If Dayspring had been in Ashfall's place, she was unsure if she would've had the drive to get up and start anew.

Any cheerful thoughts that surrounded her head quickly disappeared as the intimidating shadow of an eagle darkened her view. She let out a high-pitched squeak of terror as it swooped down and dragged its menacing talons along Ashfall's side. Dayspring wasted no time as she clambered over to her friend to ensure that she had made it back onto her paws. She had planned to hunt today, not fight. What if neither of them made it back to camp alive?

She panicked, attempting to think of a way to attack the predator without harming her broken leg, before she instinctively reached out and dragged her claws along the eagle's body with her one working forelimb.

dayspring used "front paw strike" on eagle, dealing 8 damage and costing 7 stamina.

dayspring
hp - 45/45
sp - 73/80

eagle
hp - 32/40
sp - 110/125

ashfall
hp - 36/45
sp - 90/90

Ashfall got up faster, thanks to Dayspring's help, and began tracking the eagle with her gaze. When it came down to swoop once more, Ashfall leaped upward, grabbing the eagle in her claws, and bringing it down to the ground. A stray talon caught Ashfall in the shoulder before she was able to pin it down, but at least it was down now. It had no chance of injuring Dayspring if it was grounded. Her teeth remained gritted together in pain as she positioned herself more favorably, trying to give Dayspring room to assault the eagle as well.

Eagle used Talon Strike, dealing 7 damage and using 10 stamina!

Ashfall used Leap-and-Hold, dealing 9 damage and using 15 stamina! The eagle is pinned for 2 turns!

Ashfall
29/45 HP (-7)
75/90 SP (-15)

Dayspring
45/45 HP
73/80 SP

Eagle [pinned for 2 turns]
23/40 HP (-9)
100/125 SP (-10)

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

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'Effect Dice' : 5

Dayspring's eyes glittered with worry and concern as Ashfall pinned the massive bird down despite the fact that her paw was still giving her issues and the eagle was keen on striking back in any way that it could. She sprung into action almost instantly in an attempt to hurt the eagle as much as she could before it figured out a way to break free from Ashfall's grasp. She lunged toward one of its wings and snapped at it with her sharp jaws. She figured that utilizing her teeth during this fight would only be useful since she had temporarily lost the ability to use all four paws to her advantage.

dayspring used "snap", dealing 8 damage and costing 7 stamina.

dayspring
hp - 45/45
sp - 66/80

eagle
hp - 15/40
sp - 100/125

ashfall
hp - 29/45
sp - 75/90

Ashfall was beginning to lose her grip on the eagle as it continued to struggle. Even though the eagle's struggles had begun to weaken, it was a large creature, and she was still weaker than she had been before her wounds. Despite this, she dug her claws in harder, raking them down the eagle's sides to get a better grip. This thing wasn't going anywhere... at least not yet.

Ashfall continued using Leap-and-Hold, dealing another 9 damage, and using another 15 stamina!

Ashfall
29/45 HP
60/90 SP (-15)

Dayspring
45/45 HP
66/80 SP

Eagle [pinned for 1 turn]
6/40 HP (-9)
100/125 SP

With every moment that passed, the eagle grew a little bit weaker. She noticed how much it began to struggle under Ashfall's grasp, and each one of Dayspring's blows only made it panic more. She predicted that it wouldn't be able to withstand much more, and the sooner this fight ended, the happier she would be. She took a moment to ensure that she hadn't damaged her splint while engaging in battle before throwing yet another set of unsheathed claws at the eagle's exposed face, much to its rage and dismay.

dayspring used "front paw strike" on eagle, dealing 8 damage and costing 7 stamina.

dayspring
hp - 45/45
sp - 59/80

eagle
hp - ko.
sp - 100/125

ashfall
hp - 29/45
sp - 60/90

Ashfall watched as Dayspring threw another set of claws at the eagle's face. She didn't think it would've taken much to take down the eagle after that, and she would have been correct. The eagle's face, and throat, became red within moments, and it bled out after only a little while longer. Carefully, Ashfall moved herself off the eagle, looking at it for a moment. "Good work. I'm glad I wasn't out here on my own, could've been nasty otherwise." Her head turned to lick some of her scratches, trying to keep them from stinging too badly. "Is your leg okay? We can go back now if you want, I think an eagle is plenty to bring back to camp." A part of her felt guilty that they had even had to fight, but after a quick lookover, it seemed that Dayspring was alright. Thank the stars for that.