reconcile // dismantle [territory dispute]

The white tom shook his head, trying to clear the stun from himself even as the other cats struck him. He stood his ground doing his best to remain unwavering even if the wounds added up. It hurt but he wouldn't let it show. He knew this would happen, but for two of them to show up? Stars..

"Oathbreaker...? Fine. Call me that if you wish, but since you know oh so much about the medicine cat code then go ahead. Take my place sit back and watch your clanmates suffer in battle and do nothing about it. I promise you, you wouldn't be able to." The Medicine cat growled out. "Would you call Cloverheart an oath breaker if she took a hit for you leader? If she put herself in harms way so someone you care about wouldn't have to suffer as much? I doubt you would."

He stood, his chest heaving from the pain he was feeling but he continued to stand strong. He would make his point, even if they didn't listen to it. "And yet here you are.. mercilessly attacking a cat who hasn't even raised a single claw against you, and won't. Will you find pride in attacking a cat who wouldn't defend himself?" Green eyes remained steady on the two who decided he was a more valuable target than his leader or deputy. Which was fine, if it meant Minkstar and Stoatfur got away with less injuries. "I get to go home knowing I defended my leader, at least."

Good luck you two. Self sacrifice was a twisted way of helping others.. right?

Dovefrost is no longer stunned, and refuses to make a move.

Why would she not. Stop. Talking?! Rage warred with sick guilt twisting in his stomach, the two tearing his heart in an agony no claws could ever replicate.

He wanted nothing more than to stand down, to be convinced by her, to leave this disaster. I've made a mistake. A horrible one. But his own Clan needed the prey, needed the food. Why couldn't she just see that? Why did she have to keep spitting in his face?

I don't want to be the monster, but you're making it foxing hard.

So be it.

The warring emotions bleeding through his eyes sparked into the coldness of ice, and his claws lashed out. "For my mate, for my kits and their kits, for my Clan," He hissed, voice frigid, emotion suppressed to a squirming snake writhing in his gut, "I will do what I have to. Don't pretend you're not the same. Don't pretend you know my Clan's struggles any more than I do yours. I will die nine times over to give them what they need, and none of you will change that."

It was only then that her words fully registered with the shock of ice water.

Lost their leader?

Minkstar used front paw strike, dealing 12 damage and using 6 stamina.

Minkstar (+disadvantaged stats)

HP: 43/95

SP: 80/150 (-6)


Dewlight (stunned)

HP: 5/80 (-12)

SP: 107/170

(Forgot we have the buff, so added in the points I forgot to shave off: two from the previous two posts, and two more from when he used random recall and front paw strike)

Dovefrost wasn’t going to fight back? Turtlefur hesitated long enough to hear most of his angered defense, but his anxious expression went blank as the white tom dragged Cloverheart’s name into the dung.

“Cloverheart,” Turtlefur snarled through gritted teeth, hair raising along his spine and pupils growing large as he centered his target in sight. “was almost killed by SkyClan’s leader! When she stood up for us and WindClan at the Gathering, she was attacked! By a SkyClan cat! AGAIN!!! You don’t have the right to compare yourself to her, you sad warrior wannabe!” He raised up on his hind legs, fury blazing in his amber eyes. He brought his heavy paws down hard on the noble healer’s head with a sickening cracking noise.

“You wish you could be her! You wish you had the honor and courage she has! Don’t you ever say her name to me again, you rotten piece of horse dung!” Turtlefur yowled in rage at the downed medicine cat, not letting him go. His own white paws were splattered with blood; Dovefrost’s, Appledapple’s, Wolfblaze’s, dark crimson mixing with the river water that still clung to his belly fur. But his vision was clouded with images of Cloverheart’s mangled body as she was carried home from aiding another Clan. The scars that still marred her beautiful pelt. The fear that reflected in her deep and thoughtful gaze as she entered Fourtrees every moon. No one had the right to compare themself to her. No one.

Turtlefur’s vision returned, and he was staring down at Dovefrost still beneath his weight. The warrior’s usually soft and timid gaze was icy cold. The cat beneath him was pathetic. He stepped back to let Dovefrost run if he still had the strength. If not, that one-eyed warrior could come back for him, or maybe Minkstar would remember to grab him during his own retreat.

Minkstar. He was battering Dewlight and yowling horrible things. She was scaring him, too. And Jayshriek… “Bearspirit, help Jayshriek.” He meowed, numbness in his voice and a distant stare in his eyes.

Turtlefur used Upright Lock on Dovefrost, dealing 10 damage and using 20 stamina.

Bearspirit
14HP / 94SP

Dovefrost
KO PENDING
0HP / 65SP

Turtlefur
35HP / 66SP

The resounding seconds, infinitesimal in origin, passed with such a lackluster vigor that every intrinsic pulse of Jayshriek's rapidly fluttering heart seemed to drag on for untold hours, concrete passage of time splintering under the roaring flood of adrenaline curling hot and low within his being. Somewhere within the shaded reaches of his red-streaked peripheral vision, Eos was lunging once again, outstretched claws and bared fangs catching faintly upon the wan light of the dark evening, his splintered ribs howling under the force of the sudden collision, nervous system sparking alight with a fresh wave of fiery sensation roaring down the length of his spine. The liminal lightning of the dreary night sky all those moons ago dwindling sharply beneath the sudden interference of Ivystar and some faceless young Asylum escapee descending upon the unfortunate molly in a near synchronous mirror of action; anguished shrieking curling hot and tight upon the aggression sharpened air as a bone-crushing crack drifting high and hard against the rancorous symphony of the battle cries.

Whether the cracking of bone was his own skull being cleaved in twain or that of Eos’ final moments permanently residing somewhere within the depths of his brain, he could not decipher.

Hateful undercurrents of enraged snarls rang out across the bloodied-terrain, broken snatches and clunky pieces of his Clanmates wrath seeping through the tinny ringing within his pounding ears, likely dousing the flames of the faulty righteous fire that Minkstar had so desperately tried to flaunt. "Perhaps bashing that whining idiot's unimpressive brains out over the stones will be doing your entire Clan a sorely-needed mercy- false piety is a virtue held only by those incapable of preforming adequately." Low voice pitching sharply under the strain of both a violent jostling and a simmering snarl, the resounding collision of his hind-legs making hard contact with Stoatfur’s limbs in an underhanded sweep sent a tremoring shockwave up the length of his extended spine with the sheer force of such a movement. As the Deputy made to collapse from the sudden striking of his limbs, Jayshriek was immediately up and lunging just behind the stumbling tom; slipping forward in a fluid-like blot of smoky darkness and robotic poise. Corded muscles of his forelimbs clinching tightly around Stoatfur in a crushing embrace, the pristine lines of his bloodied teeth dug in perilously close to all things vital in a cruel bite.

Through the red haze of his vision, the ThunderClanner whose precious, life-giving veins and arteries were just below his teeth bore a striking similarity to Kitefire.

---

Jayshriek used Random Recall & Snap, Dealing -9 in Damage & Costing -12 in Stamina. Jayshriek is no longer stunned!
Random Recall -5 & Snap -7 = 12 Cumulative Stamina Loss.

JAYSHRIEK
7/50 [HP]
74/120 [SP]

STOATFUR
22/65 [HP]
78/120 [SP]

Jayshriek shook off the move like it was nothing more than the frail claws of a kit that had raked his coat. Soon, Stoatfur felt the tear and rip of his coat once again. This time, he surpressed the mangled cry, biting his own tongue in the process. The other warrior wouldn't get the satisfaction of hearing what pain he'd caused any longer.

The deputy, usually perceptive. was focused on the battle rather than what was going on between the medicine cat and their enemies. He had a move to make, an exchange for the bloody mess that was his maw. Ignoring the futile speech of Jayshriek once more, he bounded forward, sliding underneath the tom's underbelly and then lunging upwards to latch onto his maw.

Stoatfur used snap, dealing 10 damage and using 6 stamina.

Stoatfur
HP: 22/65
SP: 72/120

Jayshriek [Pending KO]
HP: 0/50
SP: 74/120

Dewlight hissed as claws sliced through her face, blood dripping down into her eyes. "For a tom that just 'wanted to talk peacefully', you sure aren't doing a lot of listening." She growled, wincing as she forced herself back up on unsteady paws. "For my mate, who you've been shredding all battle. For my kits, already struggling in the nursery because we aren't able to feed them all, as the prey was just starting to return and now it's leaving again. For my clan, who survived Greenleaf starving and hunted in their own territory, with no other clan's aid. The only help we got, despite multiple mentions of it at the gathering, was from WindClan, and even that came with a price. We lost more than we gained from that battle, and the hunting wasn't any easier." She hissed, shaking the blood that was blurring her vision from her face.

"You're right, I don't know your clans struggles. You haven't told me what they are. What I do know is that I've explained to you that we lost many warriors and apprentices this Greenleaf to the jaws of dogs. A horrible, drawn out death, as the brutes don't know the meaning of mercy. We lost just as many to starvation, with the river picked clean of fish and most land prey chased away or killed by the same dogs. And now, you're claiming the one constant prey source from us, because you think you need it so much more than us. If ThunderClan is really so desperate, then why haven't you given me any evidence that your clan is hungry and starving, despite me laying my clan's struggles before you for you to see and understand? Were you also hunted in your own territory? Was all of your prey also stolen all Greenleaf? Our fresh kill pile is nearly empty at all times, Minkstar, with maybe a small fish or bird in it. We celebrate when warriors are attacked by eagles because then most of us can eat the night. What about ThunderClan, Minkstar? Do you celebrate attacks on your clanmates because maybe you will all get to have a bite of something to eat?" She growled, voice cracking. The blood kept draining into her eyes, blinding her and making them water. The way that her fur was slicked revealed how painfully thin she was, despite recently giving birth to a large litter of kits.

She knew that the leader wouldn't listen, because he hadn't the whole time. She hadn't been the one to give the order for battle, he and his "peaceful" patrol had been the ones to jump on them. How could a leader, trusted with nine lives, be so full of himself that he couldn't see what was right in front of him? "I'm sure giving a life or two seems so meaningless in defense of your clan when you have so many. But I still only have one, and I will give that one as many times as it would take if it meant that my clan weren't sentenced to suffer a slow death of starvation through leaf-bare." She whispered, glancing over to where Turtlefur and Bearspirit were fighting side by side, and behind them Jayshriek. Scarletriver had been here too, fighting as hard as she can. Her eyes narrowed as she turned back to Minkstar, head tilted slightly. "Besides, this wouldn't be the only recent death of a RiverClan cat by a ThunderClan one." She added, crouching defensively. They were so close... Just a little longer.

Dewlight is no longer stunned!

Ivystar was gone? She was... was....

A soft buzzing replaced the pounding in his ears, his limbs suddenly limp, eyes darting down to a shaking paw dripping blood from extended claws. They came up again to the she-cat, the scent of milk and kits sweet under the sour tang of blood on her pelt. The blood his claws had drawn.

Nausea, thick and overpowering, choked his throat, his frame unmoving as she spoke, eyes locked unblinking, agony so deep he could have sworn the fire from claws on his pelt had ripped through his heart instead. "What am I doing?" The whisper was inaudible underneath the hissing and caterwauls of fighting, Stoatfur and his opponent and who knew how many others - the rest of the battlefield was blurred, swimming in dizzying whirls to his tunnel-vision locked on the RiverClan deputy, the RiverClan queen. For a flickering heartbeat his horrified mind saw a silver tabby face in place of hers, bright blue eyes accusing him from the unarguable position of a mother.

He had no defence against that. His Clan was thinning, the prey was dwindling, and he feared what Leaf-bare would bring, but he had no paltry, pitiful argument to bring against that. Not yet. That was the entire reason.... The reason for....

Why... why had he come here?

I can't do this. Stars save me, I'm not strong enough. I can't do this.

"I...." The word slipped from his maw in a rasp, conflict raging on his face unabated, claws in a shaking paw retreating, drawing slick, sticky blood back with them as it dropped to the cold stone ground, as if seeking some kind of stability in a quaking world.

A yowl tore through his indecision, and his breath caught in his throat in a deeper horror, head twisting around as a rage-filled blur slammed down onto what had once been a white pelt. "NO!

The cry ripped free of his maw in a shredded agony, a howl of rage, grief - sliced from beneath his foxed pelt. "Dovefrost!"

They'd all gone mad. All of them. Every last one. Including him.

There was nothing but icy rage left in his eyes when he whipped back around to the she-cat, an echoing ache buried deep beneath the fire of betrayal, of desperation and disgust. His sheathed paw lashed out, sweeping for her legs and knocking them from underneath her. "The only murder I see is your warrior trying to kill my medicine cat. My brother." The strangled hiss barely registered in his own ears through the roaring of gut-churning fear and heart-pounding fury.

He didn't wait to see her go down, didn't stick around to hear more accusations knife under his pelt, the burning slashes in his pelt forgotten as he lunged across the rocks, uncaring of the cracked and pitted surface that threatened to tear his feet from underneath him. To a wave of relief, he saw that Dove was up, standing bloodied and battered, but alive. Not that the looks of the RiverClanners around him showed much hope that he'd stay that way.

Panicked determination drummed in his chest, paws stretching to cover the final tail-length before things went too far, his body feeling far too sluggish. If only Raventail could have given him some WindClan speed with his life. You won't die on me. Not again. Not another one. I won't go through this again.

Minkstar used Experienced Steps, dealing 7 damage and using 9 stamina. Dewlight is stunned for 1 turn. KO is pending.

Minkstar (+disadvantaged stats)

HP: 43/95

SP: 71/150 (-9) [Dovefrost is still standing, so still buff?]


Dewlight

HP: 0/80 (-7) KO PENDING

SP: 107/170

Dovefrost let out a hoarse chuckle as he could see the anger flair to life in the other tom’s eyes. He knew that look well and what was about to come next so he stepped to the side, the paws that were intended to be brought down his head slipped past with a small brush.

”Compare myself to her? Why would I want that? It was her outburst that nearly killed another medicine cat at that gathering. She didn’t even help in fixing her mess.” He said with a dark chuckle as he stepped out of reach from the two toms. ”Plus your actions speak for themselves, according to you a battle isn’t a place for a medicine cat so it’s her fault she was attacked. Maybe she shouldn’t have gotten in the way.” He knew his words would anger the two even more, but that was fine. He just needed to keep their attention a little longer. Just a little bit more. Green eyes glanced over to his clanmates.. Good, their opponents were almost out. He could try to take his leave.

Dovefrost used Dodge and Flee! Escape was unsuccessful

Dovefrost:
2 / Half sp

The member 'Reaper King' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 6

Bearspirit was going to let the medicine cat retreat, but seeing as he wasn't moving fast enough... Bearspirit trotted after him, neither threateningly nor like they were best pals. "Go!" And with that, he swatted the medicine cat on the rear with a sheathed paw, encouraging him to get lost. He had other cats that he needed to destroy and this one wasn't worth the effort.

Bearspirit used Front Paw Blow, dealing 9 damage and -5SP

Bearspirit
14HP / 89SP (-5SP)

Dovefrost
-7HP / WhateverSP

Dovefrost froze as he felt the blow, he turned to the warrior giving him a slight nod before racing off to join Starlingflare.

Dovefrost is ko'd

That unbearably shrill and star-forsaken wailing was still going? Weight lurching downwards into the dirt with a surprise abandon for such a large cat, the initial collision into the coarse dirt was little more than unpleasant; hard enough to nick his tongue against his teeth, give his bones a thorough rattling, set the edges of his vision quavering with just a touch of dizziness.

The unbearable stench of ThunderClan pooled sharply on the tongue, tension seizing sharply under the sharp realization that the evidently enraged ThunderClanner was attempting to return the freely given gift of a tightly-clinched bite to the cheek. Wrenching his head back with enough force to send tremors down the length of his nervous system, Jayshriek only narrowly managed to avoid the snapping teeth.

---

Jayshriek used Dodge & Fight, Dealing -0 in Damage & Costing -15 in Stamina. Counterattack UNSUCCESSFUL!

JAYSHRIEK
7/50 [HP]
63/120 [SP]

STOATFUR
22/65 [HP]
72/120 [SP]

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

---

'Effect Dice' : 2

Once the medicine cat was no longer a problem, Bearspirit turned to face the battlefield. This was going to be a close one... he didn't want his clan to go home defeated, injured and far worse off for their efforts. His eyes went to Jayshriek, valiantly still fighting the Thunderclan deputy. Then his eyes went to Minkstar... his ears pinned flat against his head.

As much as he hated to admit it... Turtlefur was right. He loved Dewlight and would be far too emotionally invested into this attack. He was more likely to make a mistake, more likely to be blinded by fury. "Rip him to shreds, Turtlefur. I will join you soon." And with that, he raced towards Stoatfur and leaped upon him. His claws and teeth buried viciously into flesh, intending to do as much damage as possible to destroy his opponent.

Bearspirit used Jumping Strike, dealing 12 (+3 Unfocused) damage and -7SP

Bearspirit
14HP / 82SP (-7SP)

Stoatfur
10HP / 72SP (-12HP)

Dewlight felt her paws go out from under her, and she started to fall to the ground. Darkness settled in on the outskirts of her vision, but at the last moment she caught herself, breathing heavily as she stumbled back to her paws and shook the blood out of her eyes once more to find where her opponent had gone. She spotted him next to the still-standing medicine cat, and she let out a hiss as she staggered forward. "....You missed, Minkstar....." She sputtered, shaking her head in annoyance as she was blinded once again. "I can't say I'm surprised that you don't care about the apprentice your clan member slaughtered, given you don't care about any of us starving... But I had hoped you had a tiny bit of honor left in your frog-bellied self. Take the remnants of your peaceful patrol and leave. Or do you want this to continue?" She growled, waving her tail around at the blood-stained battlefield.

Dewlight used Dodge and Flee, flee was.... Unsuccessful. -1/2 Remaining SP.

Minkstar (+disadvantaged stats)
HP: 43/95
SP: 71/150

Dewlight
HP: 5/80 (+5)
SP: 53/170 (-1/2)