a warning to the people [closed battle topic]

Like all large-scale battles, this fight utilizes the 36-hour timer! Please remember that the 36-hour timer is per battle, not per person- if you don't post in that time frame, even if the other person also hasn't, your character will be automatically KO'd.

This battle’s participants:
ShadowClan: Leopardsun, Sablestrike, Pineblossom, Moondancer, Batswarm, Badgermask
WindClan: Smallbean, Flutterpetal, Adderdawn, Owlshade, Fuzzface, Sleepyhollow


Leopardsun swallowed a deep sigh. She had dug the pit she was lying in now- it was her that had decided they had gone too far, that had decided on a two-tier assault and finalized their plan of attack.

Enter phase one.

She was acting leader, and so she would lead the first. A small team, meant to lure the WindClan cats into a false sense of security- make them think the marsh-dwellers were satisfied with just this.

Underneath her resignation, though, there was still that burning anger- biting away at her sense of logic and reason. WindClan needed to learn that their place was not in ShadowClan's business.

In the dead of night, when most would be asleep, the cats of ShadowClan were in the midst of their daily routines-

Excepting Leopardsun’s strike team, who followed silently behind her as she stepped one paw over WindClan’s border.

Sablestrike was unpredictable at times, but she had no doubt he would be an asset in a battle like this. Pineblossom had proven herself a capable and reliable warrior. Badgermask had, with time, grown into a strong warrior capable of standing on her own. While not exactly experienced, Moondancer and Batswarm had enough pride for the entire forest between the two of them, and she was trusting that it would be enough to carry a small-scale assault.

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

---

'Invasion Dice' :

Moondancer stalked silently at her mother's heels, pale gaze taking in the open moorlands in front of them. It was a far cry from the marshes she knew, and Moondancer felt exposed as the group of warriors stepped into the territory. No Windclanner in sight so far... They had to know that retaliation was likely, so to not see anyone at all made her fur bristle.

Either they thought Shadowclan would take their filthy dirt-slinging lying down... Or they truly were the cowards they seemed to be, hiding away in their camp and too scared to defend their borders.

Pineblossom was on the patrol, Moondancer's former mentor. Sablestrike, a skilled warrior. Her mother and brother, too. Tawnyshadow, her sparring partner, almost-friend. The moons of training would pay off today. The task ahead was not one Moondancer looked forward to, but Shadowclan's pride was hers. Windclan would learn to keep their noses inside their own territory today.

How he ended up on this patrol was also a mystery to Batswarm. What he thought was just some normal stroll along the border had suddenly turned into crouching in the dirt beside his mother and sister. Disgusting.

Normally he would never do this, but the tension coming off the rest of this patrol was enough to alert him that this was a very serious affair; Not to mention they'd stepped paw onto another clans territory. It would be a lie to say this wasn't scaring him. He had no care of what WindClan had done, either.

The black warrior prowled behind Leopardsun, ears perked for any sounds that might alert him of the enemy's presence. This would be a real battle, something that Sablestrike usually couldn't partake it. There had only been one time where the tom was able to fight with claws, drawing blood from his opponent in a life or death situation. He had won then, but that had been against an inexperienced rogue. This fight would be against clan cats, all of which would be trained for combat. The tom found himself excited at the prospect of a real battle with warriors that knew what they were doing. This would be a good test of his skills.

Badgermask had elected to follow the rear of the group - her pawpads silent as she curled her lips at the open moor as they crossed the border. As much as she wanted to give WindClan not a whisker of attention, the council had spoken - it was time for war. She would not let her mother down,  not when she was acting deputy but she was relieved to have her siblings at her side. She had come to enjoy what little combat she had tasted - losing herself to the flow of it without letting a true thought, a moment of doubt or hesitation, cross her mind.

Whatever WindClan cat that met her claws this night would wish they had simply been graced with her indifference towards them.

Flutterpetal couldn't see very well in the dark. Though there was some semblance of moon shining over the moors, bathing them in pale light, it was nothing compared to the bright sun of earlier. His eyes were bleary from lack of sleep. Being out here late at night was the last thing he wanted to do. It wasn't as if sleep would come for him anyway, given the stress that was weighing down his every step, but at least lying in a nest close to Adderdawn's warm breath with his eyes closed gave him some small amount of comfort. There was no comfort in this. At least his brother was with him too, he supposed.

ShadowClan was, as their name suggested, the Clan of shadows. If they were to invade, it would likely be in the night. That was probably why Smallbean had organized this patrol to come out at this late hour. Flutterpetal couldn't really complain. Well, he could--he could stand in camp and try again to tell Shrikestar that all of this was his fault and to beg for some kind of understanding why this was happening--but there would be no use. So instead he took shallow breaths of overly cool night air, and stayed as close to Adderdawn's side as physically possible. Hopefully ShadowClan wasn't foolish enough to invade over the actions of two cats. Hopefully bloodshed could be avoided. Hopefully no more WindClan lives would be lost due to the indifference of the stars. If WindClan really is the closest to StarClan, as Shrikestar claims... maybe they will protect us tonight.

OOC: When the battle starts, please do not engage Flutterpetal, as his opponent has already been decided OOC. Thank you :)

Smallbean felt heavy. Heavy in the way his weary limbs yearned to drag under the weight of his exhaustion, in the way his eyelids threatened to yield to the burden of his sleepiness. It was a struggle to keep his pawsteps light as he crept down a ridge, ears erect and alert to the slightest unnatural sound from anywhere but behind him. To his back was an assortment of warriors, chosen with the intention to defend in mind. The thought of having to lead defense patrols would normally make his nerves skyrocket, but this was not the first night patrol he'd lead, nor would it be the last. Tensions with Shadowclan had been heightened, yes, but there had been almost nothing to imply that Shadowclan would soon be attacking. That was the point, though, he supposed.

As fatigued as his limbs were, his senses were alert, mismatched eyes watching for movement in what little light the moon gave off. The flatness of the moors was a benefit when it came to spotting dangers, but even with the open territory in front of him, there wasn't much his un-adapted eyes could make out. The pale shapes of hills blended together with divets and patches of grass. Upon leaving camp, he figured it was his other senses that he needed to rely on. Between the intensity of the night's silence and the running of his thoughts, though, he opted to rely on his sense of smell. He kept his nose raised despite the lack of a breeze.

How and why he'd been chosen for a such a night as this was beyond his comprehension. Fuzzface was no fighter nor had he wished to be a part of the tedious drama that was currently going on between the clans. The night seemed to be darker than usual and he had to admit, if ShadowClan wanted to attack... they'd probably be smart enough to do it now since they were such night owls.

As for him though, he was tired and it kept every ounce of his strength to keep him from complaining about being out of his nest at such an hour. While he'd been instructed to stay as silent as possible, his paw steps were still heavier than his more lean clanmates and he did his best to not just let all of his plump belly drag across the ground below. Whatever was going to happen, hopefully they could get it over with quick. Or even better; perhaps all of his clanmates were just paranoid and nothing was even going to happen tonight.

Owlshade's pale blue eyes swept the landscape before him, past the darkened silhouettes of his Clanmates, on to the moor that stretched beyond. The patrol was silent, almost solemnly so, and the heavy tension that filled the air kept his hackles prickling at the crack of every branch, the screech of every bird or bat. He didn't like the dark... never really had. More for the fact that his bright pelt stuck out like a sore paw than fear, truly, but the patrols had been increased, and that meant everyone was pulling double duty. This far, ShadowClan had done the smart thing by staying on their own territory... but that didn't mean it would stay that way.

Leopardsun fixed her gaze on their opponents, voice quiet as she gave a single command:

"Now."

She didn't allow herself a moment to hesitate. She'd let herself dwell long enough on whether or not this was the right decision; the time had come to act.

Leopardsun used Teeth Grip on Smallbean, dealing 10 damage (as Night Finesse and Moor Runner cancel out) and costing 10 SP! Smallbean is gripped for 2 turns!

Leopardsun
70/70 HP
150/160 SP (-10)

Smallbean
60/70 HP (-10)
160/160 SP

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

---

'Effect Dice' : 4