As The Soft Wind Blows[C]

Sootstorm hummed softly as he waited for Flutterpetal to show up. They had been assigned to a hunting patrol, which was a nice break from the constant border patrols which came with Shadowclan and Riverclan hissing insults at them everytime they so muched as took a step too close to the border. The weather today was gentle but cooling, and the rabbits would surely be out and about. The tom unconsiously began to smile as a butterfly fluttered by.

Flutterpetal used to enjoy hunting patrols more than anything. Running through the fields, feeling the gentle wind ruffle his fur, the thrill of chasing down rabbits and feeding the Clan. Nowadays, he found himself slightly more on edge. All of WindClan must have, with the constant threat of war breathing down their necks. Everything had been on edge since Nightstar mauled their warriors, but now it had all come to a head. Any moment now a patrol from Honeylight's Clan could come bursting across the moors with claws unsheathed. Even the thought of it made Flutterpetal feel as if he would be sick. It was less likely to happen on a hunting patrol than a border, but still... he wished he could just stay in camp and snuggle close to Adderdawn and hope desperately that nothing else bad would happen. Hadn't they been through enough? Hadn't the fox deaths, and the sickness, and being trapped at Highstones for moons by the Twolegs--hadn't that been enough? Couldn't the Clans talk things out? Why were claws the only answer?

The warrior shook the thoughts out of his head and went to join his patrolmate. He didn't know Sootspirit well; the tom was fairly young. Hopefully they'd get along. Flutterpetal smiled at the dappled tom as he approached. "Nice day out. Ready to go?"

Soon enough, Flutterpetal had joined him for patrol. Sootstorm gave the older warrior a small smile and quickly replied, "Of course!" Like him, Flutterpetal looked weary and tired, but that was the face of about every Windclan cat at the moment. At the very least they wouldn't be hunting near the border for this patrol, so there would be no cats throwing insults at them.

After they had been walking around for a while, the scent of rabbits caught Sootstorm's attention. He immediately turned and spotted a cluster of three rabbits hopping around at the bottom of a small slope. "Hey, should we get those?" He asked the older warrior. Flutterpetal was the one in charge of the patrol afterall.

Flutterpetal tried to let the scents and sounds of the territory relax him. It was WindClan... they were safe here. They weren't even near any borders. However, his worries still had him so distracted that he nearly missed the smell of rabbit until Sootstorm pointed it out to him. He nodded in response to the younger warrior's question, remembering the way that he and Rosepaw had hunted a little while before. "Right. We'll go at them from different angles, so that even when they all run, at least one of them will get caught." He dropped his voice low so as to not scare the prey. Then he began stalking quietly forward, trying to get within a safe distance to begin sprinting after the rabbits.

However, before he could begin, a large hawk above them apparently had the same idea. The bird swooped down, aiming for the rabbits, at the same time that Flutterpetal decided he should start to run. The warrior was startled by a quick blow to the top of his head. Almost instinctually, he retaliated at the bird, swiping at it with his claws. The rabbits escaped in the scuffle. "Look out!" he called to Sootstorm, trying to calm down the pounding of his heart at the appearance of the predator. It was just a bird. He'd beaten them before. Still, fear began to make his pelt prickle.

Flutterpetal tried to hunt a rabbit... A Hawk appeared instead! -3 SP.
Hawk used Swoop, dealing 8 (9-1) damage and costing 15 stamina.
Flutterpetal used Front Paw Strike, dealing 10 damage and costing 7 stamina.
Moor Runner is active.

Flutterpetal:
62/70 HP
150/160 SP

Hawk:
30/40 HP
110/125 SP

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 10

Sootstorm froze as a huge shadow blocked out the sun. The next thing he knew, talons and claws were flashing, and blood splattered the grass around them. Flutterpetal was injured! That was all it took for the young tom to throw himself at the hawk, his paws holding the bird firmly to the ground.

Sootstorm used Leap and Hold, dealing 7dmg and -15SP
Hawk is pinned for 2 rounds

Flutterpetal:
62/70 HP
150/160 SP

Hawk:
23/40 HP
110/125 SP

Sootstorm:
30/30 HP
65/80 SP

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

---

'Effect Dice' : 5

Flutterpetal winced, trying to shake off the sudden pain from the attack. Thankfully, Sootstorm came to help, pinning the bird down. The hawk squirmed under him, trying to free itself, but to no avail. Flutterpetal took another swipe at the bird while it was pinned, glad for the fact that he wouldn't be taking any more blows--at least not right now. "Thanks! S-sorry, it came out of nowhere..." Thankfully he was getting better at fighting these predators. The strike of his claws came almost naturally.

Flutterpetal used Front Paw Strike, dealing 10 damage and costing 7 stamina.
Hawk is stunned for 2 turns.

Flutterpetal:
62/70 HP
143/160 SP

Hawk:
13/40 HP
110/125 SP

Sootstorm:
30/30 HP
65/80 SP

It seems that Flutterpetal's injury would be the only one that the patrol would suffer today, at least from the hawk. Not that it was a good thing-- Flutterpetal shouldn't have been hurt in the first place. "No problem, let's get this over with," Sootstorm replied, still holding the large bird down with his weight.

Sootstorm used Leap and Hold, dealing 7dmg and -15SP
Hawk is pinned for 1 rounds

Flutterpetal:
62/70 HP
143/160 SP

Hawk:
6/40 HP (-7)
110/125 SP

Sootstorm:
30/30 HP
50/80 SP (-15)

Flutterpetal nodded, trying to shake the adrenaline out of his veins. "R-right." It was just a bird. The hawk, squirming beneath Sootstorm's claws, looked almost finished. One more swipe of his claws should do it. It was just like killing a rabbit... even if the thought of consciously taking a life more intelligent than that of prey made something in the back of his mind itch. He could do it. The warrior took a deep breath and aimed one last strike at the bird. It let out a screech, then it lay still.

Flutterpetal used Front Paw Strike, dealing 10 damage and costing 7 stamina.

Flutterpetal:
62/70 HP
136/160 SP

Hawk:
K.O.

Sootstorm:
30/30 HP
50/80 SP

Well--it was over. Flutterpetal blinked hard to clear his thoughts. He rubbed his claws a little bit on the grass, hoping to get the blood out before it dried. The less he thought about it, the better. "Well... I guess we can grab some feathers to put in the nests back in camp," he offered lightly, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

OOC: lol I wrote this post last night but my internet stopped working. sending it in at the library now

"Yeah, of course," Sootstorm agreed, his face morphing into a slight frown. Flutterpetal's smile looked... forced. Was something wrong? He couldn't for the life of him understand what could possibly give his friend such a sad change of pace? "Hey, is there something wrong?" He asked, voice laced with nothing but concern.

Flutterpetal's attempt to keep his emotions in check had not been successful. He sighed at Sootstorm's concern, letting the failed smile drop from his face. "I just... don't like fighting," he admitted. "I know it's part of warrior life. But whether it's a hawk or another cat, I just don't like unsheathing my claws. It feels wrong. I guess... that's why I'm so worried about this thing with ShadowClan." He shook out his fur. "But I know everyone's worried. It's not like my fears are the most important thing in the world. I should just suck it up, yeah?" He didn't want anyone to be disappointed in him. Fighting was part of his job, after all.