nervous hunting [open after kj posts!]

With a nervous skitter, Holly ducked through a bush, on the trail of… something. (Surely!) The soft thumping she’d heard for a while moved, and with a flick of her tail the young molly darted after it.

The soil was so wet, though, after a recent rain. It wasn’t her fault! But when she dove for it, her paws felt slippery — her claws just barely, baaarely touched fur. And then… it was off running. Foxes! Not again.

Still. Holly couldn’t let another fluffy fuzzy-ear give her the slip. It just wouldn’t do!! So she zipped around the foliage, tearing bits of dirt with her. “You little—! Get back here!”

I’m going to grind you into mousemeat! Or… or, um, rabbitmeat. Whatever! You’re still dead! Her chosen prey was off like a Windclan runner, though (no kidding), and with wide eyes she yowled, “Aunt Beechfang! Can you get it?!”

But then, these days, her Aunt Beechfang was no Windclan runner, either.

She was pretty big, actually. I mean, she always was! Leafbare and, er, stuff like being held captive by her murderous Uncle and his minions… and being forced to kill her mom… (Holly couldn’t ever help but flinch at the idea. Her mom.) Her aunt just looked terrible before. Right? That stuff would make anyone look horribly thin, and scary and mangey and terrifying and… maybe hard to look at.

But she’d come back! Her grandma Smokefeather, that is. And that — it was all over, now. And it was well into newleaf. So maybe, she’d been thinking, her aunt Beechfang was just… recovering. (Really, really well.) When Holly caught glimpses, her aunt always seemed fuller and less haggard—

(She was still hard to look at.)

—but… It’s all over now, right? That’s what it had to mean. Even Holly wasn’t so frail anymore, and her grandpa seemed well-enough. Her aunt… was just feeling better. As if by the weight of her thoughts, though, Holly slowed, distracted and muddy.

And then she looked up.

Holly attempted to catch something (-3) and failed, rolling a pred!

The eagle soared over the stretch of land, her keen eyes in search of prey. A rabbit raced, suddenly and boldly — and with an instinctive snap of wings she dove.

Sharp talons swept to grasp her prey — and missed! But as she came up, flapping wildly, there was another creature: larger, perhaps… but slow. And she dove again.

Eagle uses Swoop on Hollyshine, dealing 9 damage and costing 15 stamina.

Eagle:
40/40 | 110/125

Hollyshine:
31/40 | 97/100

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 10

Beechfang had been trying to focus on hunting, but she was distracted. Primroselight was gone... Her little sister. Sweet, gentle Primroselight who never got lost anymore. The thought filled her with anxiety. Muddythorn had gone after her, but hadn't returned either. Beechfang had scoured the borders, but had lost their in twolegplace much too quickly and had returned to camp defeated. Still, she kept an eye out, but with each passing day Beechfang found it harder to cling to the hope that they were alive. She'd never been the optimistic one, and twolegplace... Her thoughts went to the massive dog that she had fought with her parents and Dawnpaw, back when they were apprentices and Wolfstar was still Wolfcall. Primroselight was tough, she was skilled, but predators like that lurked in twolegplace and Beechfang still worried. And Muddythorn being gone left the clan without a medicine cat.

The thoughts that came after that lovely bit of knowledge filled her with dread.

"Hmm?" She'd missed Hollyshine's words altogether, giving her head a shake as if that would help clear it (ha, right). Whatever creature that was scurrying away was much too fast for Hollyshine... And much too fast for Beechfang to catch, either. Her belly was... larger, though if any cat asked she would tell them it was just fresh-kill. For the moment, at least, it was believable. She needed to speak with Dovefrost, with Bloodstar, before that passed.

The sudden scent of blood broke into her thoughts, and Beechfang spun. Ah...The eagle that had swooped at Hollyshine had found her mark, it seemed, and Beechfang's paws quickly carried her toward them. Leaping, she tackled the eagle to the ground, though instinct made her a bit more cautious with allowing her belly to be exposed to it than she otherwise usually was.

A fight was good. A fight meant distraction.

Beechfang used Leap and Hold for -15 sp, dealing -10 damage. Eagle is pinned for 1 turn.

Beechfang
55 / 55 hp
95 / 110 sp (110 - 15)

Eagle
30 / 40 hp (40 - 10)
110 / 125 sp

Hollyshine
31 / 40 hp
97 / 100 sp

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

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'Effect Dice' : 3

It came at her and foxes, was it huge. Holly squeaked and flattened like a fern in the wind, but the scary bird (an eagle? a hawk?) still sank its claws into her back. And it hurt!

She flailed, crying out, but some long-forgotten instinct told her to lean forward and dig her claws into the dirt. She resisted, and the sound of beating wings quickly turned to a thump of it hitting the ground — Aunt Beechfang!

The talons were abruptly ripped away. And she spun, wincing. But Holly still staggered forwards to bite into its thrashing wing, full-force.

Holly used Snap, dealing 8 damage and costing 7 stamina.

The eagle cried out as she was brought down, and bitten, and she beat her wings furiously — angrily. But she couldn’t move away.

The eagle is pinned!

Hollyshine
31/40 | 90/100

Beechfang
55/55 | 95/110

Eagle
22/40 | 110/125

Hollyshine whirled and slashed at the bird, and while Beechfang's grip hadn't been secure enough to keep it pinned, she sank her fangs into the bird's other wing with a growl. The eagle, if it had any sense, would try and flee rather than attacking, though with the damage the two Skyclanners had done it wouldn't make it far at all. As far as Beechfang was concerned, it could grace their fresh kill pile for having the audacity to attack Hollyshine at all.

Beechfang used Snap for -7 sp, dealing -10 damage.

Beechfang
55 / 55 hp
88 / 110 sp (95 - 7)

Eagle
12 / 40 hp (22 - 10)
110 / 125 sp

Hollyshine
31 / 40 hp
90 / 100 sp

Aunt Beechfang held it down good — it wasn’t getting away, not anytime soon. But still. A bit of nerves churned in her belly, at the idea, but she steeled herself and tried to slash at its belly. I’ll take care of it!

Only to find herself on the receiving end of its talons. Ouch! The murder-bird had sharp claws! Holly recoiled.

Holly attempted a belly rake. It failed! Takes 5 recoil damage and expends 25 stamina.

Beechfang
55/55 | 88/110

Eagle [no longer pinned!]
12/40 | 110/125

Hollyshine
26/40 | 65/100

She thrashed — equal measures angrily and desperately. How dare these creatures! The eagle flapped her wings, powerfully, and broke free. Yes!

Keen, dark bird-eyes met the tiny thing she had attempted to make her prey. Not so tiny, anymore. But it was no longer worth her time, and in spite of the strewn feathers — and the spiking pain in her wing — she immediately took flight. Ungraceful, ugly flight: but still something to put distance between her and them.

The eagle flees!

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

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'Effect Dice' : 3

Hollyshine had tried slashing at the bird's soft belly only to find talons in her pelt. Beechfang grimaced in sympathy, she knew from experience how sharp talons could be. The hawk thrashed wildly, breaking free of her own hold, and managed an ungainly, clumsy ascent out of reach. It seemed it had more sense than to try diving on them again, however.

"Are you alright? We can go back to the medicine den-" Muddythorn will patch you up, Beechfang almost said. But Muddythorn was gone, and Skyclan didn't have a medicine cat. Beechfang... Well, she had the knowledge, but she really, really didn't want to spend any more time in the den that had stolen her youth. "-I'll patch you up." She finished with a sigh, ears flattening for a moment at the idea. She didn't want to, never had. But it was better that Hollyshine's wounds were looked at by someone who know what they were doing instead of risking leaving them to become infected or not heal right.