Picking Off the Stragglers [Open]

Shrikestar stood up and stretched, having been spending a quick moment of peace in his den. Since the events at Highstones, and really the moment they got back, things had been hectic to say the least. It was a pain, but Shrikestar knew he had to deal with it. The clan depended on him, even if some were a bit more critical of him than others. It was okay: he would protect them all the same. What he needed was to get his claws out and do some territory protecting. He went into the center of the clearing, where some of his warriors and apprentices were milling about. They were either taking a quick moment of rest or were about to go do something else they needed to do.

"I am going out to make sure the territory is clear of any traps or predators," he called, gathering the attention of a few members of the clan. "Anyone is free to join me."

Lifting his gaze from his resting spot ever so close to the freshkill pile, Fuzzface let out a stifled yawn. Shrikestar was going out to patrol the territory, yet again. The plump warrior was certain that they'd been patrolling the area more than enough, and he wondered why in StarClan's name they needed to continue going out, when it wasn't like anything interesting would suddenly arise out of thin air. He almost gave a roll of his eyes, until something the leader said caught his attention; traps.

Those traps held the best food that anyone could offer; the sacred Twoleg wet food, and while he hated doing work more than anything in the world, he couldn't possibly pass up the chance to find more of that every so flavorful, juicy 'nectar.' No matter what any-cat told him, they wouldn't ever understand how amazing it was until they tried it themselves. He'd tried to get them to taste it in the past so they'd understand his craze for the weird prey-like food, but in the end... them not eating it meant more for him, which he wouldn't ever complain about.

Getting up, Fuzzface plodded across the camp towards his adopted father, his head hung in its usual low manner as his paws dragged across the ground. "I'll join you, or whatever," he huffed with a shrug of his shoulders, a pouting expression on his round maw. He wouldn't like it one bit, but if he got something out of this patrol, then so be it.

Shrikestar had hardly finished his sentence before Mudshriek was at his leader's side like an eager lapdog. What kind of warrior would he be if he let his clanmates go up against predators without his expert guidance, after all?

"I'll be joining as well." He said, dipping his head briefly. He didn't really care about the traps, it seemed odd to him that Windclan's warriors could be fooled by something created by simple-minded twolegs. Then again, several cats had been taken already, including Smallbean. The brown tom scoffed to himself at the thought of the clearly incompetent deputy. Perhaps if he didn't return, Mudshriek would be named in his place? Clearly he was the only one who deserved the position.

This was a good opportunity, too good to pass up. Exploring more of the territory and learning more about these traps, it was wonderful. The more he learned the more he could show off to the rest of the apprentices. Not to mention it might get him in Shrikestar's good graces. Of course he was a little late to offering his assistant when Mudshriek and Fuzzface offered to go. The latter of the which didn't even seem keen on going. It made Tigerpaw wonder why he even offered if he didn't want to? Was this cat even fit to be a warrior if he didn't want to help his leader?

Tigerpaw padded over, ignoring the other two warriors, dipping his head in greeting to Shrikestar. "I wish to join you today, if that's okay."

Kestrelpaw was just heading out of the den when he heard his father's call. Bounding up to him and circling around Tigerpaw, the young tom gleefully stood up on his hind legs and used his front paws to playfully push his father. "Count me in, dad!" He returned to his paws and started looking around. Where was his siblings? They should come too!

Shrikestar laughed as his son Kestrelpaw playfully pushed him. He then nodded to Tigerpaw, and to the rest of the small group as well. "I think this will be good. We don't want to have too big of a group and alert all the foxes in the territory." Leading the way, Shrikestar took his fellow WindClan warriors and apprentices out onto the moors. They were careful to avoid any traps, just in case one was hiding in wait for them. Then, out deep in the moors, Shrikestar caught scent of a fox. He halted his group, letting his claws slide out. "We're in the upwind. I doubt it knows we're here yet. Be cautious." He began to creep closer, making sure to make his words whispered to avoid detection. "Tigerpaw, Kestrelpaw, be sure to follow our lead. If things get too tough, be sure to back off. Foxes are extremely dangerous."

When they were close enough, Shrikestar took the initiative, bounding the rest of the way before leaping at the fox. With a yowl, he struck at the fox's legs, then snapped at the creature with his sharp teeth.

A fox appears!

Shrikestar uses Swift Strike + Snap for 17 damage, costing 17 stamina.

Shrikestar:

80/80 HP
153/170 SP

Fox:

43/60 HP
180/180 SP

Following Shrikestar, he listened and his smart ears perked at his adopted father's words about foxes. In all the moons he'd been alive he'd only ever seen one from a distant and hadn't gotten to be up close to one yet. Soon enough though, the group approached none other than the orange canine itself with wasn't more than a few cat-lengths away from them.

"Oh wow," the plump grey tom gasped, watching as Shrikestar too no time to wait and initiated the battle with the beast. Up close it was much bigger than he thought they'd be. "I bet it tastes great!" he purred happily, his deep amber eyes filled with curiosity. Well, it wasn't too much larger than them, but he couldn't fathom how many cats it could feed being the size that it was compared to a measly a vole.

Mouth watering and claws digging into the frosty ground below, Fuzzface's stumpy tail lashed back and forth as his excitement grew. Yeah it was a predator and had sharp teeth, but so did he. He wasn't a fan of battling by any means and would much rather let the others do the work, but he knew that if he wanted to eat it, he'd need to do at least something, or else he'd never hear the end of his clanmate's nagging. Hopefully, this fox would at least put up a good fight to make this all worth it.

With Shrikestar having made his move, the warrior couldn't contain himself and decided better late than never. Jumping forward as best as he could with all the extra "fluff" that he carried, Fuzzface bit down hard onto the fox's poofy tail and held on.


Fuzzface used Tail Yank; dealing -8 HP and costing -15 SP. The fox is stunned for 1 turn.
NOTE: Fuzzface is affected by the disadvantaged stat reduction.

Fuzzface
HP: 35/35
SP: 55/70

Fox
HP: 35/60
SP: 180/180

Tigerpaw didn't know what to think of the Fox at first. It was a strange looking, a little scary if he was honest. Even if fear tried to take hold on his heart he wasn't going to let it. He had something to prove after all. He would help with the fox even if he ended up with some type of injury.

The tom moved forward finding an opening between his leader and the lazy warrior. The chocolate tom dug his teeth into the fox's skin.

Tigerpaw used Snap dealing 6 damage, -7 SP

Tigerpaw:
20/20 HP
53/60 SP

Fox:
HP: 29/60
SP: 180/180

Kestrelpaw strode with his fluffing-out fur touching Shrikestar's, only breaking contact when the fox was seen and he was told to stay back. That's when it hit him. Coyotegrin had forbidden him from fighting a fox, or even going near one. But as Shrikestar charged forward, he became confused. If he was with his father, surely that meant it was okay? Confliction tightened his muscles as he watched one by one, the crowd of cats descend upon the fox. For most of his life, he had slept on the pelt of one. His mother only briefly told him the story of how she got it, and now, seeing one in real life put it all into perspective. Frozen, he watched Tigerpaw leap forward. His chest was pounding hard, and his paws almost shook. He hardly even had battle training! Tightening his jaw, he realized that by killing this fox, he made Sparrowpaw, Jaypaw, and Eaglepaw just a little safer. With a shriek, he copied Tigerpaw and covered the open side, sinking his teeth into the fox's flesh.

Kestrelpaw used Snap dealing 6 damage, -7 SP

Kestrelpaw:
20/20 HP
53/60 SP

Fox:
HP: 22/60
SP: 180/180

Mudshriek had seen his fair share of foxes in his life, and this one was no different. Beady black eyes filled with malice, coarse orange fur, and that awful smell. They were an abomination, moreso even than those disgusting twolegs, and he wished he could rid his clan of them once and for all. Charging forward alongside his clanmates, he raked his claws down the fox's flank, snarling in satisfaction as he sliced through flesh and fur. This fox was foolish to assume it could stand against Windclan's finest.


Mudshriek used Front Paw Strike dealing 8 dmg and -7 stamina
40/40 HP
93/100 SP [-7]

Fox
14/22 HP [-8]
180/180 SP

The fox, who had just been looking for prey, had suddenly become the prey. It snarled, its beady eyes darting from cat to cat. It was outmanned, but never outgunned. Refusing to back down, it jumped at Shrikestar, biting down on his leg. Shrikestar hissed in pain, but refused to back down either. Gimping a little, he struck at the fox's face with claws outstretched, slashing it across the face. The fox howled in pain, tail striking the ground as it stumbled backwards.

Fox used Iron Bite on Shrikestar, dealing 17 damage and costing 30 stamina.
Shrikestar used Front Paw Strike on the Fox, dealing 10 damage and costing 7 stamina.

Shrikestar:
63/80 HP
146/170 SP

Fox:
4/60 HP
150/180 SP

With the fox now clearly exhausted, Fuzzface decided to take the opportunity to finish the fight once and for all. Jumping forward, he snapped at the fox's neck scruff and managed to catch it's pelt between his teeth. Latching on, he bit down hard, and as its warm blood poured into his mouth he didn't dare let go. It didn't take long before the fox stopped struggling and fell limp, and the warrior let out, dropping its lifeless body to the ground.

"Let's get this back... to camp," he huffed, taking a moment to catch his breath before giving his grey pelt a shake.


Fuzzface used Snap; K.O.'ing the fox and costing -7 SP.
NOTE: Fuzzface is affected by the disadvantaged stat reduction.

Fuzzface
HP: 35/35
SP: 48/70

Fox
K.O.'ed