ready, set, go! [closed]

It was a beautiful morning in SkyClan territory. The forest was starting to accept, reclaim the fallen trees struck down so ignobly, starting to cover the splintered trunks in shrouds of ivy and moss. It was easier to accept that so many trees were just- gone, before they should’ve been- easier to accept the scars on the forest, now that they were no longer bleeding but scabbing over. They would heal. The forest would heal. And, in time, they would become mounds of earth, festooned in flowers as a memory to what had been lost.

Speaking of things that had been lost.

Dawnfeather had been lost a long time- and now that she’d returned… well, there were a lot of new SkyClanners. Which was good! Just… they couldn’t exactly replace, really, those she’d hoped to find… but they didn’t need to. They were their own cats, and Dawnfeather was very grateful for them. That was why she had invited one of them out to spar! Sparring was still and always had been one of her favorite things- which might surprise those who expected the gentle she-cat to abhor all fighting… but battles, to Dawnfeather, friendly spars- they were a chance to show beauty, grace, elegance, to stretch her muscles and get back into the swing of things.

Today she’d asked Wolfblossom- Wolfblossom, what a beautiful name, the ferocity of the wolf enhanced by the elegance of the flower, a short prefix accompanied by a suffix that just flowed off the tongue, ah, Dawnfeather loved this name, for all that it reminded her that certain cats were never coming back, aye, replaced-

-today she’d asked Wolfblossom to join her at Halfstone, a place uniquely suited to SkyClanners- easy to bound from stone to tree to back again- for a spar. She had to get to know her Clan again, and what better way to do so than a spar? It told one a lot about a cat, it did- the way they fought. It was a glimpse into the inner workings of their soul, a time when no false veil could be overlaid, a time when it was the inner cat who had no time to do anything but react.

Dawnfeather sniffed around Halfstone, making sure that no foxes lurked around the boulder. It was a favorite place of theirs to den, but the scent was old and stale, likely from before the earthquake. She doubted their spar would be interrupted today. The golden molly, for all her seeming distraction, was fully expecting Wolfblossom to appear out of nowhere any moment now- that was how she’d opened many spars with her Clanmates, and some had picked up the habit. Why wait to introduce oneself when you could do so with their whole attention?

Everywhere she looked, there were signs of the horrible earth-shaking disaster that had struck the territory. Today all seemed quiet, but Wolfblossom still found that she was nervous and eyeing the trees above with a newfound sense of unease. The large she-cat had never been particularly adept in the trees, but recent events had prompted her to be a little more cautious than her typical self had been. Whatever had caused the upheaval, she could only hope that it didn't happen again. If it did, she wanted to be prepared... Though she wasn't quite sure how one could possibly prepare for such a thing.

Today she was heading toward halfstone however, to spar with the newly-returned Dawnfeather. Wolfblossom wasn't sure what to make of the cream and golden she-cat who had appeared alongside her brother and mother, but it seemed like Beechfang had trusted her, and she was a clanmate. A supposed cousin, though Wolfblossom had never met any of her aunts other than Ravenclaw. Still, she'd been happy to accept the other she-cat's presence in Skyclan. And, if Wolfblossom was being honest, she could use a good sparring session. It was always good to keep those skills sharp.

Halfstone came into view, and with it the half-stranger that was to be her sparring partner. "Hey, Dawnfeather," She called out cheerfully, and that was all the warning the other she-cat would get as Wolfblossom leaped forward with a burst of speed, hoping to use her size and the surprise of immediately jumping into the spar to her advantage. Wolfblossom was Skyclan, and while she was younger, she hadn't spent seasons away doing stars-knew-what. She couldn't very well let the other she-cat get the upper paw in a spar now, could she?

Wolfblossom used Jumping Strike for -7 sp, dealing -10+3 damage.

Wolfblossom
60 / 60 hp
133 / 140 sp (140 - 7)

Dawnfeather
47 / 60 hp (60 - 10 - 3)
140 / 140 sp

Her ears pricked at a half-familiar cheerful voice, and Dawnfeather’s head snapped up. A grey pelt was barreling towards her with remarkable speed. At the last moment, Dawnfeather bunched her haunches beneath her and jumped- SkyClan training and blood alike sending her almost straight up, over her opponent’s head, golden fur flashing in the sunlight. It was moments like these, silhouetted in midair, the wind gusting through her fur, that the world seemed to pause. She felt like a bird, some songbird pirouetting through the skies, some StarClanner watching over the living.

Except that, of course, StarClanners didn’t exactly fall.

Yet Dawnfeather did, kicking off the side of Halfstone to send herself shooting towards the other she-cat, gravity and the energy from her kick speeding her fall. With claws sheathed she landed nearly on the other cat’s back- but Wolfblossom was too sturdy for the golden she-cat to hope to pin, at least not yet, and so instead of trying to simply use her strength to pin the grey molly to the ground, Dawnfeather bounded agilely away, like a hawk that swooped in with sharp talons, then coasted away.

“I love your name, Wolfblossom,” she purred, standing some distance away. She doubted she could pull off a dodge like that again, not when the other molly was expecting it, and talking during fights wasn’t exactly best form… but this was a spar, not a fight. “I was the last warrior Wolfcallstar named, I think. You remind me of him, a little.” Maybe other cats wouldn’t have seen the similarities- but Dawnfeather did. Two good-hearted cats, devoted to their family. She hadn’t known Wolfstar as well as she’d liked, but she certainly hoped she could get to know this cousin of hers.

In the momentarily lull, no longer than it took for the grey molly to recover from the attack and perhaps respond, Dawnfeather sized up her opponent. Big, broad-shouldered, looked like she could take on a dog and win- incidentally, the kind of cat Dawnfeather knew how to fight. She’d sparred with Beechaunt and Bloodstrike more than enough to know to be quick and agile, to not let herself get caught. If she was- well- those paws were strong, yes, but she thought she could maybe take a few hits.

Dawnfeather used Dodge and Fight, counterattack was successful dealing 7 damage and costing 7 stamina.

Dawnfeather
60/60 HP
133/140 SP (-7)

Wolfblossom
53/60 HP (-7)
133/140 SP

lol A was supposed to be the one who always dodges the first attack but dawn gets to do it once, as a treat

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

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'Effect Dice' : 4

Dawnfeather had leapt straight into the air in surprise... And Wolfblossom was a bit too bulky to be fast enough to change her trajectory. The counterattack was expected, because of course it was, and she let out a huff, whiskers twitching as she regarded the golden she-cat with blue eyes. Her reflexes hadn't been dulled by life outside of the clans, though Wolfblossom wasn't sure why she would've expected it to.

"Wolfstar... Wolfcall... Mom's grandfather, right?" Wolfblossom had to admit, she was curious. "She never really spoke about him, what was he like?" Her own grandfather had always seemed... 'Tired' wasn't quite the word Wolfblossom wanted, but... it was that, too. She hadn't known him all that well when he'd still been leader of Skyclan, but he'd brought her brother Crowpaw back to the clan and had seemed intent on keeping mom safe. She was sure he had plenty of faults, but Wolfblossom wouldn't be the one to judge the unpredictable tom, and Bloodstrike wasn't who she was asking about. Wolfstar she'd never had the chance to meet at all, but Beechfang had named her after him, and now it seemed as though she reminded Dawnfeather of him.

Refocusing on the spar, she turned suddenly, darting up the nearest tree and shoving off of a branch with Skyclan-bred and trained ease, aiming to pin the older she-cat to the ground. Dawnfeather wasn't the only one who could jump, and despite Wolfblossom's bulky frame, she knew how to use it in combat.

Wolfblossom used Leaping Bound for -10 sp, dealing -7 damage. Dawnfeather is pinned for 1 turn.

Wolfblossom
53 / 60 HP
123 / 140 SP (133 - 10)

Dawnfeather
53 / 60 HP (60 - 7)
133 / 140 SP

Wolfblossom asked a question, a simple one, yet it threw Dawnfeather for a loop. Was- she was really- she was older than many of the cats in her Clan. They didn’t remember Wolfstar. Some didn’t even remember Bloodstrike. She wasn’t a young warrior anymore, was she? In the prime of life, aye, at the peak of her strength- but not, exactly, young anymore. Wolfblossom- Wolfblossom was younger than Holly would’ve been.

She banished the distracting thoughts momentarily from her mind (not for very long, she didn’t mean to be mean to her thoughts) in time to watch admiringly as Wolfblossom carved through the air towards her. Oh, she started to leap out of the way, but the other grey molly knew what she was doing, and bulky paws brought her to the ground. Dawnfeather would never be able to summon quite the sheer power the other she-cat could, and it was a beautiful thing to watch- what Beechaunt and Bloodstrike should’ve, by all rights, been able to do.

Perhaps whilst being pinned to the ground wasn’t the best time to continue a conversation… but Dawnfeather had hardly ever cared for what most cats did or thought. “Wolfstar… he cared about his family. Deeply- but like a frozen current under a sheen of ice. You’re more open, I think- less ice, a river in new-leaf. That’s a good thing- some cats thought he left because he didn’t care… but I think he did, so much so that he couldn’t stay, meaning well, like the eagles.”

For a moment, the odd comparison dangled in the air, then Dawnfeather suddenly twisted under the larger molly, as if she meant to roll out of the pin- but instead she thrust upward with her powerful back legs- not enough to seriously hurt, but hopefully enough to distract the other molly and wind her as Dawnfeather slid out from under the large white paws.

Dawnfeather attempted to use Duck and Twist, attempt was successful, dealing 7 damage and costing 5 stamina.

Wolfblossom
46/60 HP (-7)
123/140 SP

Dawnfeather
53/53 HP
127/140 SP (-5)

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

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'Effect Dice' : 6

Dawnfeather's words were... interesting, Wolfblossom supposed. Interesting, not what she was expecting, and distracting. A huff escaped the larger of the two as paws slammed into her belly. Dawnfeather clearly knew how to fight, though it was unsurprising when she remembered how comfortable Beechfang had seemed with the she-cat. Wolfblossom backed off as Dawnfeather scrambled out from beneath her, circling. She'd expect her to try that again at some point, because with Wolfblossom's size advantage it would be easy to. For the moment, she was intent on watching what her opponent would do if she didn't.

"He left... Different reasoning than Bloodstrike, I'm guessing? Mom never seemed like she could decide to be happy or angry about it. Conflicted." Beechfang had always, to Wolfblossom's knowledge, been a she-cat of conflict, but Dawnfeather's words seemed to lend weight to that thought. There had been a reason for it, clearly. She lifted a sheathed paw, swiping at Dawnfeather.

"And what about you? Mom just... Found you on her way toward us, huh? You weren't in the clan when I was a kit." She remarked. Wolfblossom's paws had seldom left Skyclan territory, only to go to the moonstone and to gatherings, and sometimes a bit closer to the twoleg fence that marked the edge of Skyclan territory, in hopes of seeing her mom. Even though she knew she shouldn't have, keeping track of how often the big silvery tabby had frequented Skyclan's border was integral to Wolfblossom. She cared, she hadn't abandoned them willingly so much as she was forced to go away. Stupid Riverclanners.

Wolfblossom used Front Paw Strike for -7 sp, dealing -10 damage.

Wolfblossom
46 / 60 HP
116 / 140 SP (123 - 7)

Dawnfeather
43 / 60 HP (53 - 10)
127 / 140 SP

Ooh, she was circling, now, like a wolf around weakened prey. Unperturbed by the fact that, in this scenario, she was the prey, Dawnfeather listened intently to Wolfblossom’s questions, still mildly distracted by the comparisons she was drawing in her mind- strength and power that was certain of a victory, yet seeking to win with the least collateral possible- like a pack of wolves taking down a weakened moose. The other tabby was more white than grey, but Dawnfeather could see some of the wolf in her powerful strides- but the elegance of the blossom tempered the ferocity and did away with the savage nature of the wolf, adding grace to movements incredibly powerful.

“It’s been a long time…” and for a fraction of a second it was a long time, since she’d- she’d sent acorns down on Smokema and Olive by mistake, or snuggled with Prima and Holly and helped Muddy with herbs… “But I believe he left SkyClan to find us a better home, at a time when it seemed like the forest would perhaps unite to drive us out. I hope he succeeded, at least for himself and… Juniperbright? I think that was his name.”

Dawnfeather’s keen blue eyes followed Wolfblossom’s every move… she began to slowly turn with the other cat. “Prima- Primroselight, my mother, your aunt, she and Muddy- Muddythorn, my older brother, the medicine cat, went missing at the same time- and so did Holly and Wasp, my younger sisters- and Olive- still my best friend, Olive- went missing just before that… and, well, I just couldn’t stay. I had to look for them until StarClan guided me back to hom- SkyClan. I missed Beechaunt though- so, so happy she was the first I met on my way back.”

It wasn’t home, was it? Not yet, but it would be, if she kept making new ties to carefully bind herself to the territory she’d grown up in. Like she was now-

And with a grin Dawnfeather surged forwards- but instead of attempting to bowl over the other cat, she hooked her claws into a nearby tree and was up it in a flash- then down even faster, as she repeated her move from earlier, yet with more force behind it, managing- just managing to pin the larger molly to the ground.

Dawnfeather used Leap and Hold, lasting for two turns, dealing 10 damage each turn and costing 15 stamina.

Wolfblossom pinned for two turns
36 / 60 HP (-10)
116 / 140 SP

Dawnfeather
43 / 60 HP
112 / 140 SP (-15)

ok it’s official Dawnfeather inherited Dawnhawk’s unholy dice rolls

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

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'Effect Dice' : 4

((It's gotta be the name. The effect dice have never liked me lol))

"I understand wanting to find them." She mewed, "Mom's scent had grown faint at the border for a while. I was... worried." She was curious about the cats that she'd never known. Muddythorn had been a medicine cat, had Beechfang trained him, then? And his disappearance and the lack of a proper medicine cat for so long was why dad had chosen both Fogfeather and Plumleaf, wasn't it?

"You and my brother ran into her? It's good that she's sticking near the border, at least." It would've been better if mom was here instead, but it wasn't happening. Not for now. Maybe, one day... Wolfblossom shoved the thought from her mind. "I suppose you didn't recognize most of the clan when you came back, did you? It must be strange after being away so long."

Dawnfeather leaped at her, and Wolfblossom grinned. She had been gone longer than Wolfblossom had been alive, but she fought like a Skyclanner. She twisted abruptly, trying to shake the smaller cat away to scramble to her paws. The other warrior stuck to her like a burr, and Wolfblossom huffed, giving Dawnfeather a half-hearted glare. Pinned by the outsider who had just returned, well, at least nobody else was around to see it. She might never hear the end of it otherwise.

Wolfblossom used Duck and Twist for -5 sp, dealing -4 damage. Escape unsuccessful.

Wolfblossom pinned for 1 more turn
36 / 60 HP
111 / 140 SP (116 - 5)

Dawnfeather
39 / 60 HP (43 - 4)
112 / 140 SP

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

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'Effect Dice' : 2

It wasn’t exactly easy to keep Wolfblossom pinned… although eating fresh-kill every day had brought some of the strength back to Dawnfeather’s limbs, she could feel that if she’d been eating well every day and sleeping in warm shelter every night, she would’ve been much stronger by now… but it didn’t really matter, now that she had others to help her. Now that she didn’t have to rely wholly on her own strength. Now that she could spar without worrying that it was taking up precious hunting time.

Yes, yes, talking during whilst sparring was a bad idea if you really wanted to win, but Dawnfeather didn’t exactly care about winning as much as she did about having a good time. “It was… different, yes,” she mewed, struggling to keep the larger warrior pinned down. “So many cats I’ve never met… but that’s good. Change is good. The generation before me were caught up in their struggles and vengeance upon revenge upon revenge until no-one could remember what started the conflict. It’s good for new cats to come, ones that have a fresh new outlook- but I’m not old yet,” she purred with a grin, despite the fact that Wolfblossom nearly managed to slip out from under her paws for a moment there.

Dawnfeather continued Leap-and-Hold, dealing another 10 damage and costing another 15 stamina.

Wolfblossom pinned for 1 more turn
26 / 60 HP (-10 HP)
111 / 140 SP

Dawnfeather
39 / 60 HP
97 / 140 SP (-15 SP)

((Okay the dice do not like her but that won't stop me lmao))

While Dawnfeather talked, Wolfblossom twisted once more, trying to break her hold. She would be out of her grip regardless soon enough, but pinning Wolfblossom for this long would be sure to have worn on Dawnfeather too. And if Wolfblossom could free herself just a little faster...

"It seems that way, from what I've heard. Those that are left have learned from it, I hope." Beechfang seemed to at least regret her own mistakes, and Bloodstrike was... Worn down, tired. But it was hard to truly tell with either of them. The older cats that were still in SKyclan, Wolfblossom didn't know well at all in comparison.

Once more she failed to completely remove herself from Dawnfeather's grip, but she managed another solid jab to the golden she-cat's side with a heavy paw.

Wolfblossom used Duck and Twist for -5 sp, dealing -4 damage. Escape unsuccessful.

Wolfblossom
26 / 60 HP
106 / 140 SP (111 - 5)

Dawnfeather
35 / 60 HP (39 - 4)
97 / 140 SP

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

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'Effect Dice' : 2