Right When You Think You Know What to Say [C]

Poppyshine

Poppyshine hoped that she was doing well being deputy. She didn’t exactly go around asking if she was doing a good job, but she did try to check in with different cats in her clan from time to time, seeing if they had anything on their mind. Right now, she had taken Stormpaw out with her to catch up, make sure he was doing well—and, most importantly, ensure that her choice of Owlshriek for his mentor was a good one.

“How have you been, Stormpaw?” Poppyshine asked him with a smile. They were out on a leisurely walk, the excuse being to walk the borders, but she didn’t expect anything to come of it. They would have a relaxing time together out in the territory.

Stormpaw

Stormpaw was just a bit nervous when Poppyshine offered to take him out. He’d wondered if he was in trouble, and had wracked his brain trying to think of something he did wrong recently. He came up with a lot of things, but none that he could see the deputy needing to speak to him over. Still, after a little while of walking around, Stormpaw began to relax. Afterall, he knew Poppyshine when he was still a kit, before she became deputy. She was always easy for him to be around, and she had a soothing presence that helped Stormpaw’s tense muscles slowly begin to relax.

Besides, he enjoyed being out and about like this. He liked feeling the wind in his fur and smelling the fresh scent of the territory. He looked up in surprise when Poppyshine began talking, having gotten used to the companionable silence. “Oh, I’ve been doing well,” He said softly. “How about you? Is being a deputy nice?”

Poppyshine

Poppyshine’s smiled eased when Stormpaw said he was doing well. She didn’t think that Owlshriek would do a bad job, but she knew that Stormpaw was a skittish soul. It was good to know that he still felt comfortable despite his nerves.

“I’m very happy to hear that,” she mewed. “And yes, I’ve been great! Being deputy is very nice.” And stressful, but she wasn’t about to tell an apprentice that. She and Perchstar worked hard to keep RiverClan running. The rest of the clan didn’t need to know about the stresses that they dealt with. “How is being an apprentice? And how is Owlshriek? I bet he’s teaching you a lot.”

Stormpaw

“Being an apprentice is really fun!” Stormpaw smiled. He paused for a moment, briefly wondering if he should tell Poppyshine his worry that he wasn’t a very good apprentice… but he didn’t want to bother the deputy with something as trivial as that. “And Owlshriek is really nice! He’s been teaching me a ton.” He smiled. He does feel safe around Owlshriek, and like the older tom would have his back no matter what. He’s not an expert on what makes a ‘good mentor’, but that made Owlshriek pretty amazing in his book.

Poppyshine

Seeing the smile happily on Stormpaw’s face put Poppyshine more at ease. She didn’t even need to hear Stormpaw say that Owlshriek was a good mentor to know that it was true—though it was helpful to still hear it from him. She had not made a mistake in choosing a mentor for Stormapw. It seemed that she had, in fact, made a good decision.

The lighthearted conversation quickly died out when Poppyshine heard a soft hiss from some weeds. She turned her head and saw two snakes slithering towards Stormpaw. She gasped and cried, “Stormpaw! Get back!” Poppyshine leapt at one of the snakes, bowling it over with her claws. Both hissed and attacked Poppyshine at once, one biting down on her, earning a yowl of pain from the warrior. The other snake looked at Stormpaw and snapped at him.

Poppyshine used Jumping Strike on Snake 1, dealing 11 (8 + 3) damage and costing 7 SP.
Snake 1 used Gripping Bite on Poppyshine, dealing 7 SP and costing 15.
Snake 2 uses Serpent Strike on Stormpaw, dealing 6 damage and costing 10 SP.
Serpentine Movement is active! Roll one "Effect Dice" for every turn fighting the snake.

Poppyshine
43 / 50 HP (-7)
113 / 120 SP (-7)

Snake 1
4 / 15 HP (-11)
60 / 75 SP (-15)

Snake 2
15 / 15 HP
65 / 75 SP (-10)

Stormpaw
14 / 20 HP (-6)
60 / 60 SP

Stormpaw

Stormpaw gave a pained gasp. The sharp teeth of the snake is unlike anything the young apprentice had experienced before. For a second, Stormpaw is overwhelmed by fear. And then the sound of Poppyshine’s yowl of pain cut through that haze. Suddenly, Stormpaw felt angry. His claws unsheathed and he batted at the snake who just snapped at him, trying to catch a hold of the slithering, slick scales.

Unfortunately, Stormpaw isn’t a very experienced fighter, and certainly had never dealt with a snake before. His paw hits the ground again rather than the snake, who slithered easily out of Stormpaw’s reach. He growled low in his throat, and his tail lashed with frustration.

OOC: Stormpaw tried to use Front Paw Strike on Snake 2, and missed!

Poppyshine
43/50 HP
113/120 SP

Snake 1
4 / 15 HP
60 / 75 SP

Snake 2
15 / 15 HP
65 / 75 SP

Stormpaw
14 / 20 HP
53 / 60 SP (-7)

Poppyshine

Poppyshine craned her neck to look at Stormpaw and her heart skipped a beat when she heard him gasp from being bit. Her heartrate sped up and she knew she had to get this snake off of her so she could make sure Stormpaw didn’t get hurt. Gritting her teeth, she tried to slash at the snake. It slid its body out of the way too easily and bit down harder on her shoulder before letting go.

The snake that Stormpaw was dealing with lashed out, biting at him again.

Poppyshine tried to use Front Paw Blow, but was unsuccessful, costing 5 SP.
Snake 1 used Gripping Bite on Poppyshine, dealing 7 damage and costing 15SP.
Snake 2 used Serpent Strike on Stormpaw, dealing 6 damage and costing 10 SP.

Poppyshine
36/50 HP (-7)
113/120 SP

Snake 1
4 / 15 HP
45 / 75 SP (-15)

Snake 2
15 / 15 HP
55 / 75 SP (-10)

Stormpaw
8 / 20 HP (-6)
53 / 60 SP (-7)

Stormpaw

Fiery pain laced up Stormpaw’s shoulder from the second bite, and blood dampened his soft fur, turning his white spots a shocking red. A yowl ripped out of Stormpaw this time. A mixture of anger and instinct drove Stormpaw to twist and snap at the snake’s tail. He wants to get a hold of the snake and knock it to the ground. He didn’t want it hurting him or Poppyshine again. All of Owlshriek’s training drove him to move.

A rush of satisfaction filled Stormpaw when his teeth met scaly flesh. He dug in, growling as he yanked as hard as he could. He slammed the snake to the ground, stunning it. His bright blue eyes flashed briefly with accomplishment.

Stormpaw used Tail Yank, stunning Snake 2 and doing 7 points of damage. He used 15 SP.

Poppyshine
36/50 HP
113/120 SP

Snake 1
4 / 15 HP
45 / 75 SP

Snake 2
8 / 15 HP (-7)
55 / 75 SP

Stormpaw
8 / 20 HP
38 / 60 SP (-15)

Poppyshine

Poppyshine caught a glimpse of Stormpaw managing to yank on the snake, and she let out a breath of relief. Stormpaw was doing well holding his own. He may even be able to take it out before she finished dealing with her own. Owlshriek had been teaching him well.

She focused again on her own predator. She hissed and swiped at it again. She managed to land her claws on it this time, digging deep into its long neck. It hissed and collapsed onto the ground, writhing and struggling before its injuries became too much, and it fell still. Poppyshine breathed out again and turned to assist Stormpaw.

Poppyshine used Front Paw Strike, dealing 8 damage and costing 7 SP.
Snake 1 is dead!
Snake 2 is stunned!

Poppyshine
36/50 HP
106/120 SP (-7)

Snake 1 [KO]
-4 / 15 HP (-8)
45 / 75 SP

Snake 2 [STUNNED]
8 / 15 HP
55 / 75 SP

Stormpaw
8 / 20 HP
38 / 60 SP

Stormpaw

Stormpaw was relieved when his snake stopped moving momentarily. Out of the corner of his eye, he noted Poppyshine finishing the other snake off. Good. Still, Stormpaw wasn’t going to waste time. He could tell that the snake he had a hold of wasn’t going to stay down for long.

He lunged forward and bit down on the snake’s scaly flesh, trying to finish it off and weakening it significantly.

Stormpaw used Snap, dealing 6 damage and costing 7 SP!

Poppyshine
36/50 HP
106/120 SP (-7)

Snake 2
2 / 15 HP (-6)
55 / 75 SP

Stormpaw
8 / 20 HP
31 / 60 SP (-7)