Unwelcome Visitor [Tarot]

The hunting patrol Beechpaw had been assigned to had spread out, each member in search of their own prey. Beechpaw had caught the scent of quail after a bit of searching, and now the large tabby followed it, finally spotting the bird near the base of a tree. She dropped into a crouch, then carefully crept toward it. Birds had the unfortunate ability to fly out of a cat's reach, but she hoped that she would be able to catch this one unaware.

Snap!

Beechpaw growled in frustration as the bird immediately took to the air, then turned, eye narrowed as she searched for the source of the noise. Because, as clumsy as she could be, that hadn't been her. None of her clanmates were nearby... And a quick sniff turned up something else entirely. She turned, and spotted the source of the scent, lips peeling back into an unfriendly snarl.

"You're trespassing on Skyclan territory." She growled, not at all thrilled at the scent of the unfamiliar tom.

((OOC: Don't forget the invasion dice, whoever interrupts I'd like to hold off a bit until both characters get in usage of the battle system, please!))

Tarot had decided to venture to Skyclan. it was quite the journey, seeing as how he kept passing through other clan territories to a minimum, and he wasn't keen on leaving Klaus alone for too long after he had decided to be at the rogues' side through this interesting journey he was now on. It was no matter though, he still needed time alone every once in a while, he was a solitary loner who had only ever travelled with one other cat before until he met Klaus.

Also, he didn't think dragging the other Tom to the source of his burning loathing would be the best idea. Of course, he knew the risks of going it alone in this forest full of cats with superiority complexes. He had lasted this long though, and he knew when a tactical retreat was necessary if he ever got into fights.

So he considered himself smart enough to survive the rumoured horrors of Skyclan. So, when he finished the last leg of his journey after a rest, he finally hit the clan's border, and without pausing even a moment, walked over it. Immediately he took to the underbrush, focusing almost entirely on his stealth. With his violet eyes narrowed he explored what he could of the territory until he came across a cat...

This cat was very obviously experienced. At least experienced to get a collection of scars on her pelt that far surpassed his own collection. Of course, one could also argue that such scars could also show inexperience... because to get scars like that to have let themselves get torn to shreds in fights. They were the scars of a cat who thought they could take anything and escape with their lives.

Really judging someone based on their scars was not a really precise way to judge them at all.

He recognized some scars though, lightning scars. He had seen such scars and burns in the twolegplace where twolegs had learned to harness lightning and channel them into their structures, and loners had the unfortunate chance of touching those structures. How this clan cat who lives in a forest far away from any such structures got them was really what made him furrow his brow in mild confusion...

Perhaps they were just that unlucky.

Tarot didn't really come here to confront cats though, he came to observe them, who they acted. Which was a gambler's move, really, because it was easy to eventually get spotted if you just followed cats around from the shadows for an undefined amount of time.

For some reason, though he decided to follow this curious cat though. Being sure to remain as silent as possible so he wouldn't disturb their hunt. He was successful for a while until he accidentally snapped a twig on some bush he was passing through.

Ah, well, dry, dying twigs get the best of every cat at some point in their lives, no?

Of course, the cat he was lurking around heard this, and, for some reason, immediately assumed it was a cat that made the twig snap, not some panicked forest creature who saw her and immediately ran terrified into a bush. So, she scented the air, and unfortunately at that moment, he was downwind...

Perhaps this cat's luck was rubbing off on him, he should've chosen to observe another one who hadn't somehow been struck by lightning at some point in their life.

She soon caught sight of him, he had been peering from the bush that had betrayed him so heartlessly. For having only one working eye this molly had rather sharp sight. Slowly, he emerged, his lithe body being partially illuminated by the light filtering through the trees.

Her snarled question was met with an amused brow raise. These cats really do have some sort of twisted complex, don't they? Well, he supposed he had two choices now, run and try another day with likely less success than he had this time, or make a game of it and see if he could take down this clan cat before reinforcements came...

The latter seemed much more amusing. He wasn't particularly peckish, but it would be fun and, conveniently, be a good way to test how well he could apply Klaus's teachings.

"You know, I'd say it's more like nature decided that it'd let you cats reside here. Though nature is rather finicky, I wonder how long you clan cats will last until it decides to cast you out?" His hues glinted in dark amusement, made more intense by his scarred visage.

He stalked forwards, claws unsheathed. "Let's play a game, shall we, dear clan cat? I call it 'When will the Reinforcements come?' It's where I try to shred you apart without getting killed myself, and see if you or I last until your charming friends come to take a bite out of me." He cocked his head, a devilish smirk on his face. "Sounds fun, no? You seem like the type to enjoy such a game. So let's see how this pans out, shall we?"

Suddenly he burst forward, seeming to charge straight on only to feint to the left, on her blind side, and rammed into her. Clamping his jaws down on the side of her neck, he tore his claws into her pelt to try to both keep his grip and deal extra damage. Digging his teeth in, he jerked his head sharply to the side to inflict more harm. He was practically trying to maul her.

Whether this attack landed or not, he'd then tear away, (taking a chunk with him if the strike succeeded). Swiftly the loner would jump back to make more distance between himself and his victim, slowly beginning to circle her like a dog circling cornered prey.

"I've heard Skyclan is one of the more destructive clans you know. Of course, I'm just a loner, I hardly care about frivolous stereotypes. I do have a question though... are these clans of yours really worth fighting for?" He rose a brow, eyes glinting curiously even as his hooked talons scraped the ground below.

His ears were on a constant swivel, tail lashing. This loner was alert, it seemed like he really was waiting to see if backup for the unfortunate Skyclanner would arrive. His striking violet hues, though, remained locked on his impromptu opponent, watching her every move.

He clearly knew how to fight despite not being a clan cat. Of course, the scars marring his mottled pelt clearly stated he had been in fights, but his awareness, his moves, all spoke of experience in clashing with others. This would hardly be a pleasant battle... unless one actually enjoyed pain.






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-- Note --

If there are any errors in my use of the stat and battle system, feel free to DM me to let me know ^^

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

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'Invasion Dice' :

The rogue was darker-furred and scarred, and Beechpaw knew without asking that the scars he carried would have come from other fights. That was always how it was with rogues, and he was brazenly trespassing on clan territory. She had to wonder if he'd gotten most of them from his fellow miscreants, or from being driven off other clans' territory, but in the end the answer would be unimportant.

"You're one to talk, a filthy rogue with no place of his own in the world." Beechpaw sneered. Her clanmates were around, likely not close enough to pick up on conversation, but Beechpaw knew full well that the rogue wasn't going to let this stay just a conversation. They never did, they were all the same, every last one of them, only caring for violence and blood. The rogue lunged forward, and the medicine cat-turned-apprentice snarled, spinning to face him as he changed direction. Trying to stay in her blind spot? She would have given him credit for being smart if it wasn't so obvious. Teeth dug into her shoulder, and Beechpaw went limp beneath him as the fool began speaking again. Talking was good, that meant he would be distracted.

Beechpaw had lost a lot, both in cardio and strength, but she was still a very large cat. Larger than the rogue, at any rate. She surged upward, claws flashing at the rogue's face and neck in a furious volley of blows. That was the only reply she'd offer his words.

Beechpaw used Play Dead on Tarot for -5 sp, dealing -9 damage.
Beechpaw used Desperate Blows for -5 sp, dealing -7 damage.

Beechpaw
7 / 15 hp
20 / 30 sp (30 - 5 - 5)

Tarot
29 / 45 hp (45 - 9 - 7)
93 / 100 sp

Dawnfeather bounded along from branch to branch, unable to resist trilling like the birds. Muddy had cleared her for regular warrior stuff! He had said to try to not get in any fights, please, and she didn’t want to get in any and therefore had plans completely to the contrary. Beechaunt had gone on a patrol only a few minutes earlier, and so Dawnfeather had hurried off, hoping to catch up to them so she wouldn’t get in trouble- but today was such a glorious day that she couldn’t fathom getting in trouble- her neck ached a bit if she thwacked it on something, but she had no plans of thwacking it on anything.

Something sounded from ahead, something angry and familiar and she paused, paw in the air. A fight? She didn’t want to fight- and Muddy would have a fit if she did- but who was it? She scampered forwards, through the branches, silent as an owl and swift as a squirrel.

Oh! Oh! Oh! Beechaunt was in trouble! Who was that- why was he attacking her- the smell of blood hit her nostrils and she recoiled… she had to help her- Dawnfeather took a deep breath, readied herself, and sprung, colliding heavily with the tom, knocking them both to the ground. Her heart hammered. She didn’t dare try to keep him down- that’d put him in a wonderful position to claw her neck and reopen the wound the ShadowClan tom had given her…

She backed up, making sure to keep her back to a tree. “Please go, please? Thank you, many thanks, there’s a nice place for hunting just over the fence if you’re hungry, just please don’t hunt here, thanks…” She knew her and Beechaunt together could keep him down, but she also knew one of them would get wounded in the process, something she wanted to avoid if at all possible… he smelled vaguely familiar, she realized with a start. What was it…

Dawnfeather used Jumping Strike, dealing 10 (+3 unawares) damage and costing 7 stamina.

Beechpaw
7 / 15 hp
20 / 30 sp

Tarot
19 / 45 hp
93 / 100 sp

Dawnfeather
50/50 HP
113/120 SP

This was quite a fiesty one, but Tarot knew he had dealt some serious damage. Her quick reaction time reminded him of when he fought with Fawnstep before the rude tom had degraded into a jabbering mess of unravelled sanity. He hadn't not expected a counterattack though. Along with that, despite what his opponents often thought, he was never distracted, no matter if he chatted during fights to rile his opponents up.

Tarot was also rarely fooled by underhanded trick tactics, witnessing moves like going limp enough to make him, for the most part, prepared for counterstrikes. Besides, he had just bitten her once, he hadn't slammed her head, and he hadn't even bit into her jugular. Therefore, she was not down for the count until he made sure she was.

His gaze immediately locked onto the clan cat's paw heading towards him in an uppercut. The close quarters would make it hard to dodge all of the incoming blows, but he could do enough to at least avoid the first few savage strikes. Jerking back out of the way, he used the slight opening she had given him to evade the first blows and land a savage slash across her neck and cheek. He then shifted so his side caught the next few blows instead of his neck.

The loner barely flinched when her other blows landed, the feeling of blood dripping from wounds and pain far too familiar to him for it to be a surprise anymore. Right after she gave him another opening crouched and leapt over the scarred clanner, dashing further away only to skid and twist so he was facing her once more. He had now properly made more distance between himself and his foe.

"I beg to differ. For one, I am a loner, not a rogue. I thought you were partially blind, not deaf. And two, I have held onto territories before, I just prefer the freedom of wandering." He huffed, she hadn't even answered his question, how rude. Not terribly rude though, not like Fawnstep, but this cat was a poor conversationalist, that wasn't going to help her get far in life.

He paused, keeping his eyes locked on her form, only to hear the sounds of an incoming cat. In a blur of familiar pale and golden fur, something rammed into him, making him skid to the ground only to for the loner immediately get back up on his feet and leap back. His eyes locked onto the one who attacked him, and familiarity flashed through his hues. The tom blinked, then let out a bemused laugh.

"Dawnpaw is that you? You've grown up so fast! And that attack, masterful. I'm happy to see you've progressed so far, even if we are technically enemies at the moment." His eyes sparkled in amusement, tail curling up in a content hook. He let out a light chuckle, looking at the scarred cat he had been battling. "Well I'd say our little game is over, you guys have fairly good security, but I daresay it needs some improvement." the tom straightened, humming "With this lovely little surprise arrival, I have no further interest in this little bought."

The mottled tom glanced back at Dawnpaw with an amused smile, "After all your uncle said not to harm you if I could... though I suppose that was for if you ever trespassed not me... no matter, I doubt I could last long against you now." He glanced at the cat he had been fighting, "Not after this... uh... Skyclanner, gave me those nasty blows. She seems rather good at battling, a bit more training perhaps and she could be a very decent warrior." He nodded.

Despite his light conversation, he was still keeping a sharp eye on the two cats, his ears constantly swivelling and alert, his guard, despite appearances, was not down. Still, with his words and his sheathed claws, it did seem that he had no intent to strike any more blows unless forced to.

Idly he backed further away from the two in the direction of the nearest border of Skyclan's territory. He seemed fully prepared to leave just as the new arrival to the scene had politely asked him to. The loner still seemed to have quite a lot of energy, and would likely be able to outrun the two if he wanted to. Tail swishing he tilted his head at the duo, brow quirked. "If that's all, my fair feline duo? I only came here to observe the scenery, really. I must say I got a bit sidetracked though..." An odd thing to state seeing as how he had just bloodied up a clan cat upon crossing paths for his own amusement.

Tarot didn't actually want to scuffle anymore though. Perhaps he was just waiting to see if the new arrival wanted to say anything else, or he was just wary of turning his back on the two. Nonetheless, it seemed he was ready to promptly depart at their dismissal.


[center][Tarot used Dodge-and-Fight, dealing 5 damage and costing 15SP]

(Tarot dodged Beechpaw's 'Play Dead' but took damage from her 'Desperate Blows' and Dawnfeather's 'Jumping Strike')


Tarot
28HP / 78SP -7 SP

Beechpaw
7HP / 30SP -8 HP

Dawnfeather
50HP / 113SP



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-- Note --

If there are any errors in my use of the stat and battle system, feel free to DM me to let me know ^^

OOps, Dice roll (Thanks for the reminder Kj)

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

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'Effect Dice' : 5

The tom managed to avoid some of her blows, and Beechpaw growled in frustration. Claws sank into her neck and cheek, and the former medicine cat pulled back, grimacing at the warmth of blood spilling across her fur. The rogue spoke, and Beechpaw fought not to roll her eyes. "You outsiders are all the same, it makes no difference what you call yourselves."

A flash of gold fur, and she lashed out in alarm. Dawnfeather's voice registered in her ears, and she barreled into the tom. "Thanks, Dawnfeather," Beechpaw wheezed. The tom was speaking again, and Beechpaw eyed him as he seemed to know Dawnpaw. Mentions of her uncle... So he knew Dawnhawk, then? He was the only uncle that Dawnfeather would know aside from Lichenblaze, and he had kitnapped her, after all. The apprentice spat, teeth bared.

The tom was backing away from them, and Beechpaw advanced forward. If she couldn't kill Dawnhawk, she'd settle for killing his little friend. Silly comments about how she'd make a good warrior went ignored by the she-cat. She had no care for the words he threw her way, all they were for was to get under her skin, she was sure.

She spared a single glance toward Dawnfeather, then lunged forward again with unsheathed claaws aimed for the tom's shoulders. He wasn't leaving this territory unscathed if she could help it.

Beechpaw used Front Paw Strike on Tarot for -7 sp, dealing -6 damage.

Beechpaw
2 / 15 hp
13 / 30 sp (20 - 7)

Tarot
22 / 45 hp (28 - 6)
78 / 100 sp

Dawnfeather
50 / 50 hp
113 / 120 sp

“Oh- well, thank you!” Dawnfeather purred, racking her brain as to how she- oh, yes. She’d scented him around, but Hawkuncle had told her not to worry and so she didn’t. “Tell him I said hi! Oh, and I’m Dawnfeather now, such a pretty name, right? It’s nice meeting you, um…” She didn’t know his name, did she? “I hope you have a good day,” she called as he started to back away…

Oh. Right. She was- she was supposed to run him off, right? Wasn’t that what she’d already done? ”Beechaunt, wait!” It was too late- she was already surging forwards- she couldn’t just watch this happen- not quite sure what she was doing, she leapt for the tom, bringing sheathed paws down onto his shoulders as gently as she could while still bringing him to the ground.

“I’m sorry! I- oh dear. I think- it might be best- if you just maybe leave, kinda? Nothing personal, really! Hawkuncle knows some herbs- for scratches- oh dear.” What was she even supposed to do in this situation? He seemed nice, Beechaunt seemed mad, she was confused. She took a step back, glancing between them- Beechaunt looked tired- no, exhausted. And mad. Very mad.

“Erm…” She glanced apologetically at the tom… he hadn’t even been hunting, judging by the lack of prey. He’d probably just gotten lost- but Beechaunt knew what to do better than she did. Right? “Maybe…”

Dawnfeather used Upright Lock, dealing 10 damage and costing 20 stamina.  

Beechpaw
2 / 15 hp
13 / 30 sp

Tarot
12 / 45 hp
78 / 100 sp

Dawnfeather
50 / 50 hp
93 / 120 sp

"Then call me an outsider not a rogue. Since you obviously don't seem to be educated, let me clarify; 'Outsiders' is a term used for any cat that isn't in a clan. 'Rogue' is used for a clan cat who was exiled from the clan or left a clan, and are often considered traitors. Loners, half the time, don't even know what a clan is and usually just live their lives how they want far beyond Clan boundaries." His eyes narrowed in faint annoyance. Why were so many clan cats pigheaded? Their superiority complexes made him want to claw their faces off unless they actually showed to be educated and didn't loath loners for just existing.

When Dawnpaw clarified that she was now 'Dawnfeather', he grinned. "That is quite an elegant name, and you wear it proud it seems!" He chuckled, "Congratulations on being a full-fledged warrior." He purred, "And I'll be sure to tell your uncle the good news and mention you said hi. I hope you have a fine day as well." He smiled warmly. His friendly act was partially a facade, he'd never be so cheery if he wasn't acting. This was to ensure that the spawn of his comrade didn't get his name spoiled in front of his kin, so hopefully, they had a higher chance of favouring him over their clans depending on their experiences there. Who knew? It could possibly lead to Dawnfeather joining them in the future. Admittedly that was a bit of a stretch, but one could always hope.

He then heard the friendly molly exclaim what he assumed was the scarred Skyclanner's name, telling her to wait.

Why he'd expect even an iota of common sense out of the scarred cat at that point, who knew? He easily caught her preparing to lunge at him despite Dawnfeather clearly not wanting to start up another fight. His eyes narrowed and he shifted so his more vulnerable parts wouldn't take the brunt of the damage. Gaze flaring with ire he reared up slightly, eyes locking onto the wound he had inflicted from his first attack, he let out a disgruntled growl. "That's enough of that, Beech." Honestly at this point, it was more for her sake than his. Glancing over he saw Dawnfeather bounding towards him to assist her foolish friend, it was was time to take another blow.

Wincing as the warrior's paws crashed into his head, he shifted, lowering to the ground to try and absorb most of the shock. Then, darting from under her hold, he twisted to land a blow on the clan cat who obviously didn't know when was a good time to disengage from your enemy.

He surged forward, and with a savage swipe of his paw, he slammed his claws down the back of her neck. Hopefully, the shock from his blow would knock her out. Using the momentum he then jumped over her and circled to the center of the battle zone. Huffing, he let out a sigh, shaking his head slightly to try and get rid of the white spots dancing in front of his vision.

"I apologize for that, Dawnfeather. I was just trying to knock her out to get her to stop, she's in no condition to fight, and apparently doesn't know when the fight is over." He frowned, "Hopefully she'll learn some self control... Anyhow, no need to apologize for that splendid attack. You were just doing your job." Tarot smiled.





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-- Note --

If there are any errors in my use of the stat and battle system, please to DM me to let me know ^^

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

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'Effect Dice' : 3

Beechpaw didn't acknowledge his counterpoint with a response. He could wail all he wanted about how there was a difference, she knew better.

And Dawnfeather... Dawnfeather... Beechpaw loved her niece, truly. But she was so hopelessly naïve and Beechpaw couldn't for the life of her understand where she'd gotten it from. It certainly couldn't have been from this side of the family. Even Primroselight hadn't been so trusting. She needed to get those thoughts of of her niece's head, they were going to talk, just as soon as they got this filth off of our territory. If he knew Dawnhawk, he was probably here on her brother's behalf. Beechpaw had always known he wouldn't stay gone, despite what everyone wanted. He was a rogue who could make his own choices, but he chose to fight and then blame Skyclan for what happened. Manipulative piece of foxdung.

The rogue twisted, and Beechpaw didn't move fast enough to avoid it. Pain exploded across the back of her neck, and Beechpaw snarled as she hit the ground, breathing hard. It was a lucky hit she told herself, but that was a lie. She was simply out of shape. Horribly, horribly out of shape. With little real muscle tone and less stamina than a foxing kit. The knowledge of that was infuriating, and that was what let her stumble back to her paws, grimacing as she shook her head trying to clear her vision of the dark spots dancing in front of her eyes.

Foxdung. They needed the rogue off their territory... Hopefully Dawnfeather wasn't naïve enough to fall for the flowery words. Beechpaw, unfortunately, knew better than to test her body's limits. She would need to drive him off the territory herself.

Beechpaw is KO'd.

Beechaunt sank to the ground and Dawnfeather yelped, unsure of what to do here and how to do it and who to do it to- the tom seemed nice- niceish. “Thank you!” She purred, flicking her tail and helping her aunt to her paws. ”Beechaunt has self-control,” she protested gently. She was just doing her job.

“Nice to meet you! Oh, and what’s your name?” She couldn’t stay long- Beechaunt needed Muddy’s help. “It’s alright Beechaunt, we’ll get you straight to Muddy! He’s really good at medicine cat stuff- not that you aren’t, of course-“ She couldn’t wait around with Beechaunt looking so raggedly- but she would like to know this new cat’s name.

Dawnfeather did not attack this turn and will not do so if not attacked.

Tarot was glad his blow had landed, it seemed to have knocked some sense into the scarred Skyclanners brain so she could get it through her skull that he was done with the fight and obviously had no intentions of bothering the two further. Honestly, clan cats were so high-strung sometimes, that couldn't be healthy. The loner let out a huff of relief when the older clan cat finally stood down, claws sheathing once more, his paws were sticky with blood, which was beginning to become rather uncomfortable, not to mention that he probably looked like a mess with the amount of blood that was probably coating his fur.

Of course, she was probably fuming about the whole situation, but that was her own problem. It's not like one could always win the battles they fought, when you understood how to lose with grace and win humbly you end up much less stressed.

Dawnfeather gently defended her comrade, and he rose a skeptical brow, looking back at the scarred feline "I'll take your word for it I suppose. Perhaps it's just in the art of fighting when it doesn't show." He mused. When his companion's niece spoke up once more he smiled, "Apologies, was terribly rude of me not to introduce myself. I am Tarot, a simple loner." He dipped his head in a slight greeting.

Dawnfeather then spoke to her clanmate, talking about healing, and dropping the name of what he assumed to be a medicine cat. "Ah, yes, I best not keep you waiting when your clanmate needs medical attention." He hummed, then smiled, "Farewell then, Dawnfeather. I wish you and your clan luck in the future." He paused, then looked up, an idea striking him, "And I suggest you all be careful. I've heard whispers of something stirring in Riverclan..." He paused there, frowning, then shaking his head.

"Ah, nevermind though. I'm sure it's just the gossip of bored outsiders." He chuckled. Afterwards, he turned, padding past the two, only to pause and face the duo once more. "Good day to you both." He nodded. Then looking away, he shifted, muscles tensing and dashed off into the underbrush once more, heading in the direction of the nearest Skyclan border.

He'd need to clean out his wounds with some moss dampened in the river, then he'd have to scavenge some cobwebs to stem the bleeding (Though it was slowing already). He supposed Klaus would have to heal him 'properly' with herbs once the rogue came back from whatever excursion he went off on. Perhaps then he could tell his comrade all about his interesting encounters in Skyclan, and perhaps propose his new idea to the ex-clan cat.

The loner would probably get lectured for the 'reckless' adventure... but honestly, that'd just amuse Tarot more. After all, it had been all in good fun.

(And he had survived far worse than a short-tempered Skyclanner and Klaus's friendly niece in his journies, and he was still quite alive.)




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-- Note --

If there are any errors in my use of the stat and battle system, please to DM me to let me know ^^