Badgering Your Acquaintances (C)

The white and frosty bleakness of the surrounding ThunderClan territory echoed Appledapple’s mood as she stalked through the trees. This leaf-bare and all its assorted challenges, along with the unrelated issues that had been plaguing her, was really beginning to get on her nerves. Crunching snow beneath her paws made her clench her teeth; a sound that had seemed pleasant at the beginning of the season now absolutely set her on edge. She had no hint as to whether her patrolling companion Starlingflare felt the same, but she had noticed that they were fairly similar in general temperament. It wouldn’t be too far of a jump to assume that he was just as frustrated with ThunderClan’s situation as she. Still, the patrol had been relatively quiet as they walked along the far-too-small borders and through other notable territory landmarks.

By the time they reached the Stony Hollow, Appledapple felt that it was probably time for her to speak up. Some people enjoyed a companionable silence, but she really wasn’t one. Of course, last time she’d tried to start a conversation, it had ended in a yelling match... but what were the odds of that happening again? “Hey, Starlingflare,” she began, “I never got to thank you for pulling me out of the river in that skirmish. I really--”

A loud crash made her stop her attempt at conversing. “What was that?” Silence for a moment, and then the crash came again. The tortoiseshell’s hackles raised. A second later, a giant badger came lumbering out of the hollow, an agitated snarl on its face. It didn’t look like it was taking kindly to the intruders in its new home. Before she had the chance to react, the badger lunged forward and swiped her with a giant paw. The massive blow sent her sprawling across the carpet of snow. Blood trailed from the sizable cuts it made on her side, and Appledapple lay on the ground, struggling to get up. Scarlet on white flooded her vision. How could I be taken off guard like that? "S-Starlingflare, look out," she coughed belatedly, trying to force herself onto her feet.

Starlingflare had followed the other in silence. He could feel his body protesting with every movement wanting nothing more than to go back to camp and curl up in the warmth of his nest. He could feel hunger pangs hit his stomach every so often but he did his best when it came to finding food, even if he wasn't the best hunter in Thunderclan.. He hoped that maybe today he could find something with Appledapple.

He paused in his steps when he heard his patrol mate speak up. A single yellow eye and an empty eye socket staring her down as he listened intently to her speak. A thank you? He never expected-... His attention was completely torn from the she-cat as his head whipped around to find the noise.. He was about to answer her when the badger had appeared attacking instantly. He heard her warning, hackles raised as he turned to the Badger with a snarl. He had to drive it off if he wanted to bring her to safety. Quickly Starlingflare rushed at the Badger, tackling it to the best of his ability. Claws digging into to fur and skin.

As Appledapple tried to struggle to a standing position a few fox-lengths away, the badger switched focus. A growl came from beneath its sharp teeth at Starlingflare's painful attack. The large animal shook the smaller cat off, getting rid of him like he was a thorn in its side. Despite their size, the claws had dug into its fur, so it needed a moment to get its bearings.

Pained after the massive blow, but finally able to move, Appledapple got on her feet and ran unevenly over to the other warrior. Blood oozed from the scratches on her side. "I like a good fight as much as the next cat," she meowed through teeth gritted in discomfort, "but I think this is probably too big for just us. We should go back to camp." She tried to nudge him up from where he'd been tossed to the ground. However, the badger was focused on the two cats it thought was a threat. Recovered from the shock of Starlingflare's claws, the badger swiftly attacked the one-eyed tom, leaning down to grab one of his legs in its teeth. Appledapple managed to get a quick claw swipe at the badger's nose, and it yelped in pain, stopping inches a bite that would likely have snapped his leg in half.

A sharp gasp escaped the tom as he was thrown to the ground. The snow took some of the impact, but it still knocked the air out of him. He tried to recover quickly, to pull himself to his paws but it was hard to do. The Badger was a lot stronger than he anticipated.

He froze as soon as the Badger went for his leg, the flash backs of his eye being taken flashing in his mind. He couldn't move, he couldn't do anything. Even as the Badger was chased away for a moment due to Appledapple's actions, he could feel the pain flaring up in his empty eye socket. He let out a hiss as Apple helped him to his feet. "Let's go." He told her, ready to make a bee-line for camp, but a thought crossed his mind. Could they even get out of here alive? Or would the Badger chase them down and kill them?

Appledapple nodded as he got up, glancing back to see how far they were from camp and if they would make it. However, the moment she took her eyes off the badger, it swung. Blinded by pain, further enraged, the large predator reared up on its hind legs. Both of its heavy, sharp-clawed paws raised up, and one slammed down on each cat, collapsing the already-injured warriors to the earth. Thankfully, the claws refrained from opening any more large wounds, but Appledapple and Starlingflare were both knocked unconscious by the hefty blows.

The badger looked down at their still forms, as if considering whether or not to eat them, but eventually decided that they weren't appetizing enough to be worth the effort. Squaring its shoulders, the large animal lumbered back into its sett, conserving its energy through the harsh, cold season. The two ThunderClan warriors were left lying in the middle of the Stony Hollow in the freezing snow.