Duskfall [S]

Ooc: solo unless I roll a failure on the invasion die, of course. Which is probably what’s going to happen

The last rays of the setting sun illuminated the distant trees behind the young tom. Flitting between snowdrifts like a wraith, Astraeus scoured his surroundings for prey, maw parted and ears pricked. His pelt blended seamlessly with the snow as the light began to fail. This was what he was counting on- and, hopefully, the fact that WindClan cats were supposed to be asleep. Right? Maybe they had some sort of dusk patrol, or he’d encounter a lone Clan cat. More than possible. His lack of scent -he’d rolled in a scant patch of mint before trying his paw at the moor- should both help him hide and make sure nocat connected him with his siblings. He was no fool- they’d been wandering around hunting, too -their territory couldn’t support all of them- and surely some of them had been caught.

He lifted his head to taste the air. Prime hunting- the snow muffled his pawsteps, his pelt blended in perfectly, and it shouldn’t be too difficult to catch a hare.

Right?

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

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'Invasion Dice' :

Movement caught his eye- dropping instantly into a crouch, he watched a nice, fat hare hop slowly by, beady eyes fixed on a scant clump of grass. Ooooh… his stomach threatened to growl and he speedily stifled all thoughts of its warm, succulent meat. How had WindClan passed this up? He’d have to tell his siblings and parents about the bountiful moors. It only made sense, he reflected as he slowly stalked the hare. The territory was wide open- they couldn’t patrol all of it, or catch all the prey that hid in the tunnels he’d noticed. They were lucky their territory was protected by the cascading waterfall on one side, and the Thunderpath on the other.

The Gorge might not be such an obstacle as he’d first thought. He’d scented a very faint fishy scent near it, and it was certainly jumpable. WindClan was lucky RiverClanners caught fish instead of chasing hares.

Mousedung!

While he’d been preoccupied with his thoughts, the hare suddenly dove into a nearby tunnel. Come on. Focus. No use for this bountiful territory if the prey’s too hard for you to catch.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 6

The silver tom risked rising briefly onto his haunches, gazing around for prey. Another hare- he slunk closer, yellow eyes fixated on his prey. The cold permeated his pads and sunk into his ears, but it was no use complaining. Maybe once he and his siblings got a bit bigger they could fight enough foxes for them all to wear pelts like the ones Ma used for bedding.

Neither he nor the hare noticed the shadow.

Out of nowhere powerful talons grabbed the hare before it had a chance to escape. A hawk- a big one- before Astraeus had time to think his paws were carrying him forwards, cannoning into the bird with a yowl. He lashed out at the feathers, feeling something more substantial give way beneath his claws- warm blood gushed out onto his paws. The hawk, previously inclined to simply fly off, gave a shriek of anger and dropped the hare, lashing back out at the silver tom. He winced, pain searing through his shoulder. Before he’d back off, though, he’d give the hawk something to remember him by- claws flashed through the air one more time, scoring over the bird’s eye, before the rogue took a step back, sides heaving and blood slowly dripping from the gash in his shoulder.

He gently licked the wound, keeping his eyes on the wounded hawk. It wasn’t bleeding too badly -his wound, that is- and was probably fine. He’d use some of those herbs Da had taught them once he had the chance, though.

The bleeding bird gave a shriek of defiance and anger. A lucky swipe had injured one of its wings, but it wouldn’t flee. It wanted revenge on this creature.

A hawk has appeared! Astraeus used Front Paw Strike and Dirty Trick, dealing 12 damage and costing 14 stamina. Hawk used Talon Strike, dealing 7 damage and costing 10 stamina.

Astraeus
33/40 HP (-7)
79/100 SP (21 from hunting and battle)

Hawk
28/40 HP (-12)
115/125 SP (10)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 9

Astraeus studied the hawk intently, the battle at a temporary standstill. The bird was injured, clearly, and furious. From the way it brandished its wings, however, it was at least somewhat intimidated by the young tom. He could use that to his advantage, but he still paused.

In the heat of battle, in the anger of seeing his prey stolen, he had rashly rushed into battle. Something that was mouse-brained. He could leave now, relatively unharmed. By fighting further he risked injury or even death. That was why he and his siblings should always work in groups- three optimally, for- he cut that thought off, focusing on the present. No. He couldn’t afford to lose this prey- neither the hare nor the hawk. His family was hungry, and he would gladly risk his life for them- but he would play it safe.

He lashed his tail. The hawk’s eyes narrowed. A sudden explosion of movement, and he surged forwards, aiming for the uninjured wing. At the last moment, he threw himself aside, instead sinking his teeth into the bird’s already-bloodied wing, and jerking it roughly to the side. The bird let out a pained shriek and lashed out with a sharp beak, but the surprise attack had given the young tom just enough time to leap back and avoid the attack.

Astraeus used Tail Yank (technically Wing Yank but whatever), dealing 7 damage and costing 15 stamina. Hawk is stunned for one turn!

Astraeus
33/40 HP
65/100 SP (-15)

Hawk stunned for one turn
21/40 SP (-7)
115/125 SP

The hawk was the one to make the first move this time. Winded, Astraeus was just too slow to get out of the way as it leapt towards him, wings half-spread, knocking him onto his back in the snow. A powerful beak struck the snow a whisker’s-length from his head, while sharp talons clawed once again at his stomach.

Astraeus lashed out wildly, claws connecting with soft plumage that gave way readily. More warm, metallic blood gushed onto his face, until the hawk stumbled off him, panting in a strange, bird-like manner. The young tom clambered swiftly to his paws, eyeing his opponent. Despite the blood-stains all over his fur, he was largely unharmed. The hawk, however, was another story, bed-raggled and with open wounds- the blood staining the loner’s fur was from the bird.

The two enemies slowly circled each other, the hare forgotten. The hawk made small jumps, holding its injured wing close to its body, beady eyes fixed on the cat. Astraeus knew he had almost won- but it was all too easy to be cocky and overconfident. He’d have to fight as though they were both fresh in order to be sure of the outcome.

Astraeus used Front Paw Strike and Dirty Trick, dealing 12 damage and costing 14 stamina. Hawk used Talon Strike, dealing 7 damage and costing 10 stamina.

Astraeus
26/40 HP (-7)
51/100 SP (-14)

Hawk
08/40 HP (-12)
105/125 SP (-10)

It was time to finish this. Despite himself, Astraeus felt almost a pang of pity for the panting, bloodied predator that still stood strong and bold. If only he and the bird hadn’t crossed paths… but there was no point in bemoaning that which had come to pass. It would succumb to his claws tonight. He would finish this with one blow.

The silver tom leapt towards the bird, yowling. It raised itself up, sharp beak prepared to meet the loner, but instead Astraeus slipped under it, claws raking at the softer belly and talons. The bird gave a pained shriek and slowly crumpled to the ground, wings twitching. Astraeus almost-gently clamped his jaws around the bird’s neck, ending its pain.

A few seconds passed before he stood, stumbling backwards and gazing, almost dumbfounded, at the scene before him. A hawk, dead, blood all over it. A bloodied yet triumphant young tom. The object of the dispute, a very-dead hare. Blood was everywhere, all over the snow, and with a sinking heart Astraeus realized that there was no way he could hide it all from WindClan. There was simply too much blood- only a fox-length of new snow could cover it, and even then it could probably still be scented.

It was too much to hope WindClan wouldn’t notice it, but he could at least make it look like an eagle had made a kill or something, instead of a full-on fight. With a sigh, he set about kicking snow over the traces of blood and feathers, wrinkling his nose at the cold, and sighing at how heavy his paws felt after fighting the beast.

Once he was finally finished, it was full-dark, the night sky wreathed with stars. There was no hiding the blood-scent that hang heavy in the air, or the scattered feathers that poked out from snow-drifts. Maybe… maybe they’d think a hawk had made a very, very messy kill? With a sigh, Astraeus admitted to himself that it would be best if he avoided WindClan territory for a while. He’d cleaned himself and the hawk of blood as best he could… and now it was time to take a circular route back to camp, stopping by the mint patch on the way. He wasn’t about to leave a trail of blood for predators or enemy cats, after all… with a sigh, he carefully maneuvered the hare onto his back, grabbed the hawk in his jaws, and started towards the Gorge. He could leave a fake trail to RiverClan, then back home after cleansing himself and his prey of the blood-scent as best he could in the mint patch.

Wouldn’t everyone be so impressed?

Astraeus used Belly Rake. Attempt was a success, dealing 15 damage and costing 25 stamina.

Astraeus
26/40 HP
26/100 SP (-25)

Hawk
0/ 40 HP (K. O.)
105/125 SP

Ooc: followed directly by this topic. Also Astraeus has made quite a bit of a mess and laid a ‘fake path’ to the Gorge, if anyone wants to do anything with that.

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

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'Effect Dice' : 6