First steps [closed]

Smallbean watched Silverwing from across camp, silently debating whether or not he should approach her. He'd been trying to improve his social skills without any outside help, but so far he hadn't made it as far as he hoped he would. It seemed to come naturally for Silverwing, though. He'd noticed how easily she could strike up a conversation when the same situation would be a struggle for him. Maybe, just maybe, she'd be kind enough to give him some tips so that he could at least attempt to do the same.

Taking in a deep breath, he quickly scampered across camp, stopping when he stood in front of Silverwing. "Hey um... Silverwing, you busy? This is strange but um... Can you help me with something?"

Silverwing had noticed Smallbean watching her, and for a long uncomfortable moment she had believed Brackenwing has truly told Shrikestar about what happened at the border. She had banished the thought, but believing even for a second that her friend would do that to her made Silverwing sick. She was getting ready to march over to Smallbean and get to the bottom of this staring problem he had, before she noticed he had already started to approach her. A slight smile cracked her features as she looked down at him. She hadn't ever been this close to him. Now she understood his name. It wasn't often that Silverwing found cats smaller than her, but when she did she had no choice but to savor it. "Hey, Smallbean." she greeted in an overly cheery tone. "Yes yes, I can teach you how a master hunts, I was just about to go hunting if you'd like to join me!"

It took no time at all for Smallbean to recognize Silverwing's emphasis on his name. "Hahah.... yeah." Being shorter than most other cats was something he'd long grown used to, but it wasn't exactly something he enjoyed being pointed out. Before he could go on with his question, Silverwing... assumed... that he was asking for help with hunting... for some reason. ".... What?" He stood with a puzzled expression, trying to figure out if Silverwing was joking.... It didn't seem like she was joking. She was a lot more strange than he'd expected- but she was confident, something he envied.

After thinking it over, he figured it'd be awkward if he just sat in camp and asked for advice, if they went hunting he'd at least have something to do with his paws. With a small sigh, he gave in. "You know what, yeah, sure I'll go hunting with you. Lead the way."

The smile she wore only grew as he agreed to join her. He did sound reluctant at first, could she have misread the situation? No, that couldn't be. Silverwing didn't have anything to offer the clan beside her excellent hunting skills, it was the only reason they put up with her, after all. With a flick of her tail, Silverwing began leading her Smallbean out of camp.

When she was satisfied with their location, she turned to the deputy. "Now, when I said I'd teach you how a master hunts, that didn't mean you would end up a masterful hunter like me. It's impossible, especially since..." Silverwing cut off, staring briefly at Smallbean's legs. They were so tiny, they looked like they belonged on a kit. She averted her gaze from them, trying to hold in a rising laugh. "Since, uh... I'm just fast, probably the fastest cat in Windclan." She almost felt bad for him, it had probably been hard for him to keep up with her on their way here. "Anyways, just watch and tell me what you learn!" Silverwing padded forward, periodically sniffing the air for any prey scents. She didn't have to travel too far before a scent hit her nose, and she immediately crouched low to the ground. Stalking silently toward the scent, she eventually found the culprit, a decently sized rabbit. A great find indeed! Silverwing watched it for a bit, waiting for the perfect moment to.... Pounce! Her paws slammed into the creature's body, pinning it to the ground, and with a quick bite to its neck Silverwing quelled the rabbit's squirming. Scooping the body up, she made her way back to Smallbean, where she dropped her kill. "Easy, simple," and with a smug smirk, she added: "masterful!"

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

Smallbean stayed quiet while Silverwing talked. The pause and glance at his legs she made was painfully obvious to Smallbean. It put a terribly bad taste in his mouth. Her cocky words didn't bother him because of his superiority, but because she chose to assume that he was incapable because of his stature. Sometimes it was difficult to keep up, but that didn't mean that he couldn't... or that he was fine with it being pointed out. He cast a glance at her, one of a mix between hurt and annoyance.

Maybe he shouldn't have chosen to go out with her after all. The more Silverwing talked, the less Smallbean wanted her help. What if he ended up like her? Sitting in silence, he watched as Silverwing wandered off, likely in pursuit of prey- he wouldn't know, he stopped paying attention. All he could think about was the warrior's remarks on his height. Was that really how the rest of the clan saw him? A joke? The first time it happened, it was easy to brush off, but obviously his height was all Silverwing saw when she looked at him. He'd come out here to get help solving one problem but now he had a whole other to worry about.

The she-cat soon returned, a rabbit hanging from her jaws. "Good catch, Silverwing... I think I'm gonna head back to camp, though."

Though he complimented her catch, it was painfully clear to Silverwing that he had no real interest in it. Why had he come all the way out here with her? He just seemed... Depressed? Something like that. He had been the one to approach her, but ever since their conversation had started he hadn't really been too responsive. His next words stirred some deep feeling in her. She wasn't quite sure what that feeling was, but it forced her to take a quick panicked step toward him. "Don't go yet, I-" Her words were quick, and laden with desperation. By the time she had noticed it, it was already too late. Still, she kept quiet for a long moment, taking a few hesitant steps away from Smallbean. Why had she said that? She had a problem with her words in general, but those had come out of her in such an odd fashion, and in a tone she didn't recognize. She had heard fear in her words, something that she had never heard from herself before. When she finally spoke again, her voice was low, lacking any of the confidence and cheerfulness that it usually had. "Did I do something wrong?"

At this point Smallbean was already back on his paws, turning in the direction of camp. Silverwing's sudden desperation startled him, though, stopping him in his tracks. "-huh?" He looked over the young warrior. Was she alright? This was a sudden, strange break in character... nothing like the determined persona he'd seen earlier.

Still, his motivation was killed. He didn't feel like asking her for help anymore, no matter how the conversation was about to go- at least not right now. Maybe he'd try again later, when Silverwing realized how hurtful comments like that could be. He didn't want to outright tell her that, though. Silverwing probably hadn't meant to hurt his feelings, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her that she had. Obviously, him just leaving her demonstration early was enough to make her panic, for whatever reason, although if he were in here situation he'd probably act just the same.

With a concerned look in his eyes, he gave an excuse. "No... I'm just... suddenly not feeling so well." He quickly averted his gaze. "Sorry."

The concerned look that he showed her felt like a claw digging its way into her gut. She hated that look, it felt like he was pitying her for her outburst. His excuse only made things worse. Not feeling well? If you weren't feeling well you wouldn't have come out here in the first place. Silverwing, what did you do? It was obvious that he was lying, painfully obvious. "A-alright then, I'll just... Stay her a while longer." She tried forcing confidence back into her voice, but his looking away told her all she needed to know. He was uncomfortable around her, she had blown her only chance to impress him, and the pain of losing such a chance burned like a bite to the leg. It burned so terribly that it almost felt real. Silverwing flinched as the pain worsened and she was suddenly pulled back. Turning to the best of her ability, she came face to face with an orange creature latched on to her back leg. Embarrassment quickly turned to panic as she realized what was happening. She shook her leg desperately trying to throw it off, but to no avail. She let out a shriek that was full of panic and pain as she tried freeing herself from the beast's grip.

A fox has appeared, and has used Thrash on Silverwing, Dealing 10 HP and costing 15 SP
Silverwing is stunned for 2 turns

Fox:
60/60 HP
165/180 SP (-15)

Silverwing:
30/40 HP (-10)
100/100 SP

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

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'Effect Dice' : 4

"GAH! Silverwing!" Before Smallbean had the chance to leave, he heard a screech from behind him, followed by the scent of fox and, quickly after, blood. Turning back toward the warrior, his eyes rested upon a fox, who had it's jaws clamped tightly around Silverwing's hind leg. Pushing through his emotions, he charged toward the fox and reared into it, sinking his fangs into the fox's hind leg, mimicking it's attack on Silverwing. 'Doesn't feel to good, does it now?' He thought, slashing away at it's hindquarters with his claws, only pulling away when blood filled his mouth. He dashed backwards and spat the blood into the dirt, cringing at it's metallic taste.


Smallbean used Snap and Swift Strike on fox, dealing 17 HP [10+7] and costing 17 SP [10+7]

Fox:
43/60 HP [-17]
165/180 SP

Silverwing:
30/40 HP
100/100 SP

Smallbean:
70/70
143/160 [-17]

Silverwing couldn't hear much over her own cries, but she could just barely make out a figure behind the fox. The orange creature let out a yelp, loosening its grip on her leg just enough for her to free herself! Another quick yank of her leg freed it from the fox's maw, sending a healthy spattering of blood on the ground around her. The pain was almost unbearable, but she was a warrior, she could fight through it! Baring her teeth in a display of hostility, Silverwing swiped an unsheathed paw at the fox, nailing it just barely on the face. This only seemed to anger it however, as instead of going for Smallbean it launched itself under her and bit at the same leg as before with a much greater force. A ragged cry of pain escaped Silverwing as a cracking noise penetrated the air.

Silverwing used Random Recall to escape the stun, and used Front Paw Swipe, dealing 8 HP and costing 7 SP
Mr. Fox has used Iron Bite on Silverwing, dealing 17 HP and costing 30 SP

Fox:
35/60 HP (-8)
135/180 SP (-30)

Silverwing:
13/40 HP (-17)
93/100 SP (-7)

Smallbean:
70/70
143/160 [-17]

From behind the fox Smallbean could figure out that Silverwing had freed herself, but the amount of blood on the ground worried him. They had to get rid of this fox quick so that Silverwing could make it back to camp before she lost too much blood. Almost just as he thought that, the fox lunged toward the young warrior again, latching onto her leg in the same spot. He cringed on her behalf, not needing to imagine the pain; Silverwing's cry of agony painted him a perfect picture.

Quite literally leaping back into battle, Smallbean lunged toward the fox, pushing it over and positioning himself on top of it's back. Stars, it seemed like he was pinning large predators often lately, he was starting to get better at it. Pressing his paw in between the fox's shoulder blades, he called out to Silverwing. "Are you okay enough to walk? I'm gonna keep it down for as long as I can!" As he said that, he unsheathed his claws, digging them into the fox for extra support.


Smallbean used Leap-And-Hold on Fox, dealing 10 HP and costing 15 SP for each turn in effect. Fox is pinned for 2 turns!

Fox:
25/60 HP [-10]
135/180 SP

Silverwing:
13/40 HP
93/100 SP

Smallbean:
70/70
128/160 [-15]

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

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'Effect Dice' : 5

Holding back tears, Silverwing tried to put weight on her leg. That had been a big mistake, more pain shot through her, though she managed to hold back another pained cry through gritted teeth. "I-I don't think-" She cut off as another wave of pain seemed to pulse along her leg. Silverwing shook her head frantically, partly in answer to Smallbean's question but mostly in an attempt to drive the pain from her head. There was no way she could get back to camp like this, but she definitely wouldn't be able to help Smallbean fight off the fox. Not like he needed her help anyway. All she could do was stare helplessly as the fox started to struggle with Smallbean on top, twisting every way it could to try and grab the cat from its back.

Silverwing has elected to do nothing

Fox:
25/60 HP
135/180 SP

Silverwing:
13/40 HP
93/100 SP

Smallbean:
70/70
128/160