Faded Hope [Skyclan Finale]

Dawnhawk dodged her blows, and Smokefeather kept the growl of frustration to herself. He wouldn't dodge her again, and he was fading just as she was. Briarthorn fought beside her still, which she was grateful for. If she could have, she would have thanked her for it, but her focus on Dawnhawk would not waver. Lashing out again with unsheathed claws, Smokefeather aimed once more for his face and throat. Anything to make him go away.

Smokefeather used Front Paw Strike for -7 sp, dealing -10+2+2 damage.

Smokefeather:
8 / 80 HP
82 / 170 SP (89 - 7)

Briarthorn:
60 / 60 HP
126 / 140 SP

Dawnhawk
0 / 100 HP (11 - 10 - 2 - 2)
124 / 180 SP

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Whatever words the dark forest cat had said went ignored as the agony of claws rending her belly sank in.

Beechfang is no longer stunned.

Beechfang
21 / 55 hp
74 / 110 sp

Darkleap
69 / 100 hp
135 / 180 sp

"Go back where y'came from, rat-heart," Driftcloud growled, moving to try and wrestle the Dark Forest cat away from his Clanmate. They caught her scruff in their teeth and bit down hard, their mouth flooding with that black liquid. He retched for a moment from the taste but kept his grip, his bulk and strength able to hold the molly still.

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Driftcloud used Teeth Grip on Vixentooth, dealing 8 damage and costing 10 stamina. Vixentooth is held for two turns!

Driftcloud
5/40 HP
64/100 SP (-10)

Vixentooth
64/100 HP (-8)
121/180 SP

Dandelionflight
29/50 HP
115/120 SP

The member 'Aspen' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Effect Dice' : 5

Too late. He was too late, he should've expected himself to be once he saw those StarClan forgive us stars in the sky once more, should've expected he wouldn't be able to get there in time to battle by his friend's side one last time. As the stars seemed to glint mockingly at him he could see it, there weren't just mortals fighting here today. Starclan was there as well, pelts glowing like obnoxiously oversized fireflies.

And as he watched one in particular strike down his old friend, his eyes narrowed with cold fury. With one final bound, he skidded into place behind his friend, claws unsheathed as he stood over his fallen friend, he took a few moments to catch his breath and try to reign in his emotions once more. Slowly, they sheathed again... no, now wasn't the time to fight. If he couldn't be there for Morningstar when he fought, he'd be there while he passed on.

Crouching down, he pressed his nose into the pale tom's pelt. There was something tight in his chest, something he... couldn't quite place, it was tight, cold, yet warm at the same time. He hadn't felt something like this before... or had he? His mind flashed back to when he buried Klaus, the loner that had travelled with him for moons once long ago. Yes... this feeling, it was the same, but deeper. Unbidden he murmured a few words, violet gaze lidded solemnly, "Farewell, broth'r. If 't be true the fates shall alloweth t'. Hopefully, we'll one day meeteth again. May thee finally beest at peace, may the shadows beest a comf'rt as thee prowl through them, may thee seeth the stars nev'rm're" For a few moments he sat there in silence, trying to ease himself, and after gaining his bearings he let his clenched jaw loosen.

With that, he slowly rose to look at the two before him, eyes cold. "Are you quite finished now? Finished tormenting this cat? Finished blaming this monster, despite being the one that created him?" His tone was flat,  "That's the truth of it after all... monsters aren't born, they're beaten into that shape by everyone around them, warped, twisted and then cast aside, pointed at, blamed for their own existence. And when they finally strike back, they're seen as the worst of the worst." He stated icily, lips peeling back in a humorless smile and bearing of teeth. "And then Starclan, in a shocking turn of events, beats them down more, for eternity. Making them suffer for so long... wouldn't that outweigh whatever crimes they commit in their short mortal lifespan? Terrible practice for punishing crimes I must say because it just makes the victims more bitter, vengeful, and then you're all surprised when they search for a way out of that hellish cycle and actually find it." He laughed, undertone dark with morbid humour. "For ghosts that are seen as wise and all-knowing, your practices are horribly illogical."

The tomcat eased, humour fading and stared at the two, gaze blank, voice level. The churning in his chest was ignored in favour of remaining calm and collected. " You're so amusingly great at stabbing yourselves in your own paw, following Starclan blindly. Shouldn't they be retired? They should be leaving mortals to sort out themselves, living their afterlives in peace, unbothered, not meddling. If they did that, this cycle would finally stop. No one wants to do that though, do they?" He rose a brow. "So the cycle begins again, and again, and again, and each time, these Clan Cats suffer. Nothing will change. This is the result of trying to bend the laws of nature to your whims. This is the punishment the Clans face because of their ancestors crimes." He snorted, and he'd be there to sit and watch these cats trip over their paws face-first into conflict now. He had no intention of leaving this forest behind forever, not after what he's experienced here, not when his friend's kin still remain alive. He'd care, or try to care for them when he could, in place of the fallen tom who felt so deeply for them regardless of how often they turned on him.

His eyes then locked onto the starclan cat that had dealt the blow, a deep loathing for them coiling in his stomach, and not just because they had killed his brother. Abomination, a blighted wound upon nature, they were nothing more than that, at least those from the Dark Forest didn't try to hide their own monstrous truths. These cats though? They did and then tried to act high and mighty about it despite scum prowling among their ranks. Scum like the mother of the fallen Dawnhawk who insulted and cursed her own kit.

Tarot didn't like kits, but he also wasn't unnecessarily cruel to them. Why would a mother have kits only to hate one of them and do exactly that? Blame a child for their own shortcomings? How pathetic, the fact that these blighted ghosts accepted a cat like that into their ranks said enough about them for him to make a judgment.

Still, he wouldn't attack first. No, he'd be the friend mourning the passing of  Morningstar, giving him at least a bit of respect before he was dragged into darkness... only to be attacked by the clan cats that call felines like him 'savages'. That was his code when he wasn't hunting, his one rule he followed. He would never stoop to the level of 'mindless brute' they viewed cats like him to be. After all, why do so when they already filled that role so well?

Dandelionflight felt Vixentooth run into her, and she took a few stumbling paw steps. It wasn't extremely strong, so she was able to recover quickly. Driftcloud managed to grab Vixentooth by the scruff. Dandelionflight rushed forward towards the Dark Forest warrior, attempting to slash her exposed underbelly. She dodged around Vixentooth's flailing paws and raked her claws down the she-cat.

Dandelionflight attempted to use Belly Rake, dealing 15 damage and 25 SP!

Dandelionflight
29/50 HP
90/120 SP (-25)

Driftcloud
5/40 HP
64/100 SP

Vixentooth
49/100 HP (-15)
121/180 SP

The member 'Lilystorm' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Effect Dice' : 6

Ashstorm could barely fathom what was happening.  She saw Lionboar's limp body on the ground.  Her son.  Why did this always happen?  Why did it seem like a curse was placed over the clan to cause as much pain as possible?  Even before the Dark Forest, nothing was ever calm.  It was all chaos and sorrow and death.  And no matter what was done, it did not seem like this cycle would ever end.

She wished it was a dream.  All of it.  She wished to wake up and be back to the day of her apprentice ceremony.  All of the happiness had left her.  Kindness also seemed to be leaving from her, and she almost seemed to be becoming a new cat.  Some of her clanmates are gone.  Her kits are gone.  Her parents are-

Wait.  Smokefeather?  Was what she heard right?

She stared silently for a moment but did not have much time to think about that.  She saw her sister bleeding and in pain.  She may have lost most of her family, but she would work hard to protect those who were left.

She rushed at the Dark Forest cat and suck her teeth into them, trying to draw as much blood as she could.

Ashstorm used Snap on Darkleap, dealing 10 in damage and using -7SP.

Ashstorm
70HP / 70HP
153SP / 160SP

Darkleap
59HP / 100HP
135SP / 180SP

Beechfang
21HP / 55HP
74SP / 110SP

Morningstar felt the final blow being struck. Both of his dad's kit-makers had teamed up to end him... fitting. Morningstar's tendrils of shadows flopped to the ground a moment before he crumpled down as well. There was a strange ringing in his ears as he slowly flopped over to one side. The shadows would come and claim his very soon... but Tarot suddenly stood over him and Morningstar managed to catch his words despite the ringing.

"Tarot," He said softly, so softly he didn't know if his friend would hear him. "It's only goodbye for now. These cats thought they had banished me before, dooming me to die, and I have proved them wrong time and time again. It will be no different this time." He gave his friend a bloody-toothed grin, but it was obvious that his eyes were unfocused. "I have made a Silverpelt of the Dark Forest, and a Dark Forest of Silverpelt. Better to reign in the Dark Forest than to be a servant of Starclan." There it was, his final spit upon the starry ancestors that thought themselves so righteous. He inhaled deeply one final time as shadows began to swallow his pale fur. The blood that had poured continuously from his wound seemed to finally congeal and turn stiff like jelly.

The ringing eventually became the only thing he could hear as his vision darkened until he could see no more. An inky blackness covered him, only to disappear a few moments later.

Dawnhawk was no more.

Aether fell to the ground, letting out a grunt as he hit the earth. But his gaze was not on his attacker. No, his attention had been taken away as he watched a sight he once hoped he would never see. His father had been killed, and this time for good, it seemed.

This tom, who Aether had looked up to for so long, who he had always admired, who Aether had always thought could never be beaten, had lost. For so long, all he had wanted was to please his father, to be that son that he would love. Even now, part of Aether still loved his father, despite the veil of anger covering it all. And it was that part left in him that made Aether cry. That part broke inside of him, and the pain just couldn't be covered up, no matter how much he said he hated his father.

Maybe that sight gave Aether some strength to keep going. To keep fighting. He lashed out at Honeyfang, eyes burning with rage and tears, as he tried to wrestle himself free. He clawed at the dark forest cat, until he eventually kicked her off. Once he got to his paws again, the difference in Aether was plain as day.

He was done playing.

Aether successfully used Duck and Twist, dealing 7 damage and costing 5 stamina

Aether
26/63 HP
81/100 SP

Honeyfang
73/100 HP
128/180 SP

The member 'Karuna' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Effect Dice' : 6

Honeyfang sputtered as she was kicked off, snarling. She made move to rush back, but froze — if only a moment. What is wrong with him? Something… undefinable, had changed.

But then she rallied, furiously. The kit was bold and foul, and maybe that was a credit to him — but he was still dirty-blooded, and for all his insult deserved it. With another violent cry she reared up on her hind legs, and moved to bash him with her paws.

Honeyfang used Upright Lock, dealing 12+2 damage and costing 10 stamina.

Aether:
12/63 | 81/100

Honeyfang:
73/100 | 118/180

Vixentooth yowled, her scruff suddenly gripped by sharp teeth. Once again, the bulky, yet naive young cat turned to attack her. Her paws struggled to hit properly, and she aimed to finish Driftcloud once and for all — but instead, her paws met the other foolish warrior despite their skilled dodging tactics. Scorching, stinging pain met her belly as claws raked over it, and she couldn't move because of the heavyweight on top of her. The she-cat struggled, teeth tightening with anger. If hateful looks could kill, they'd both be gone by now. "You're both such pains in the tail!" She hissed, "Fox-dung!"

Vixentooth used Front Paw Blow for 5 SP, dealing 7 damage!

Dandelionflight
22/50 HP (-7)
90/120 SP

Driftcloud
5/40 HP
64/100 SP

Vixentooth (held)
49/100 HP
116/180 SP (-5)

Dawnhawk fell, shadows curling over his body and then disappearing. Smokefeather came to a stop, blood-coated claws digging into the ground. Once, she might have mourned his death, but that time had passed long ago. He was no longer her kit, and was no longer Skyclan, hadn't been for a long time. There had been nothing left of the kit she'd birthed long before he'd left his mortal form behind, she knew.

With a shake of her head, Smokefeather glanced at Briarthorn. "You have my thanks. I won't be able to stay here much longer." She mewed, eyes narrowing as she glanced around to see clanmates locked in combat with the dark shadows that had overtaken their home. "Go, help the others. When-" not 'if,' she hoped, his body was still strung up on a branch above, though limited to Skyclan's camp, Smokefeather hadn't seen him anywhere while she'd lingered as a ghost. "-When Bloodstar resurrects, keep him from doing something stupid, will you?"

With those final words to Briarthorn, Smokefeather turned. Dawnhawk's kit was fighting one of the beasts, while Ashstorm had raced to help Beechfang fight another. Still, others were fighting as well, though her grandson fought alone. She didn't know the tom well, or at all, really, but if he fought against the dark forest, he was an ally. Smokefeather bounded forward, eyes locked on the foul creature he was fighting. Slipping beneath the dark forest she-cat, Smokefeather buried her claws in her belly with all of the ruthlessness Dawnhawk had shown her in life.

Smokefeather attempted Belly Rake for -25 sp, dealing -20+2+2 damage. It was successful.

Smokefeather
8 / 80 HP
57 / 170 SP (82 - 25)

Aether
12 / 63 HP
81 / 100 SP

Honeyfang
49 / 100 HP (73 - 20 - 2 - 2)
118 / 180 SP

The member 'kjSage' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Effect Dice' : 4