Three Strikes: You're Out! [Gorge Territory Challenge]

Perchstar decided there was no need to speak during this fight. It ought to be quick and efficient--more efficient, she noted, now that they were suddenly battling three instead of five. Poppyshine's assistance was welcomed, and she gave a nod to her deputy as the fight continued. Shrikestar was well-trained in fighting. His attacks came swiftly, and they did hurt. However, Perchstar maintained focus. She fought back with a clawed blow of her own, cutting deep into the tom's shoulder.

Perchstar used Front Paw Strike on Shrikestar, dealing 11 (10+2-1) damage and costing 7 stamina.

Perchstar:
59/80 HP
156/170 SP

Shrikestar:
47/83 HP
153/170 SP

Poppyshine:
70/70 HP
153/160 SP

Tigerdance was quick to see just how disadvantaged Windclan was. They were weak from the fight with Shadowclan, some of their rank dead freshly buried. Even some of the warriors they brought couldn't participate in the fight because of their injuries. Green eyes narrowed and a hiss escaped the toms mouth, as he was attacked. He expected it but his eyes kept looking to his classmates as the fight continued and another piled on him. This wasn't good.. if they took more damage now, who knows what Shadowclan would do to them if they were too weak to fight again.

Tigerdance was quick to push off the towards, paws batting them both back but he didn't move to counter, instead he looked over to Perchstar and Poppyshine while keeping an eye on his opponent. Wait, wait! The tom called out, trying to get everyone to pause the fighting. Perchstar you can take the gorge. It's not worth fighting over.

The striped warrior looked to his deputy for help who had been at a safe distance this entire time. "We have bigger things to worry about and sustaining more injuries with a bigger threat looming over us is not worth it. A small piece of territory is worth losing if we are more prepared for what is to come next. We can't afford to loose any more clanmates." He said looking at Shrikestar. A wounded pride over losing territory was better than losing your whole clan. He didn't care if he got exiled for saying this but he was looking out for Windclan, especially with Shadowclan right on their tails at all times, and the fact that they had a warrior hostage.

Tigerdance used Front Paw Blow on Egretswoop dealing 7 damage, -5 SP. (Basically what he used to get Egret and Rowan off of him.)

Rowansong
50/50 HP
113/120 (-7) SP

Tigerdance
36/53 HP (adjusted for the MC's defending buff!)
115/120 SP

Egretswoop
33/40 HP
93/100 SP

It was luck that Smallbean had managed to move out of the way in time, especially given his physical state. Within the blink of an eye, the normal border patrol he had organized escalated into a territorial battle. From Perchstar's words, it was assumed that she wanted the gorge. It was as if the entire forest were against them.

Panicked, unsure of what to do, Smallbean paced the battle's outskirts, breathing growing more rapid with each drop of blood that stained the earth. As much as his racing mind told him to join the fight, to protect his clanmates along with the land they lived on, his body resisted. Even the action of jumping out of the way sent spikes of sharp pain through his body, originating from his fresh wounds. Desperate, he was, but even he knew that he would be of little use in his state.

"Shrikestar!" He called, keeping his distance from the fray. "I- Should I go get help? I can't fight." With each passing second the ground turned more red. Smallbean had lived long enough to tell when a battle was hopeless. Luckily, he wasn't the only one who saw it. Tigerdance called out, his voice raising above all of the others. The deputy raised his gaze. They exchanged glances. Although it wasn't a favorable decision, after brief thought, it was the right one to make. The gorge wasn't worth it. "He's.. right. There's nothing we can do here. We can't win this, not right now. We don't... We don't need more clanmates dying." The deputy looked to Shrikestar, desperately hoping that he could see their reasoning.

Out of pure instinct Eagle smacked back at Stormdance with a front paw swipe just because... well that was what he was trained to do.

front paw strike 8 dmg and 7 sp. +1 HP to Eagle from Windclans passive bonus

Eaglefly glanced at his clanmate and then back towards the much larger riverclan force. Tigerdance had a good point. As honorable it was to try and fight ... he also was pretty sure that honor could also mean stepping back if you realized you were in over your head.

Eaglefly had nothing against these riverclan cats. He just didnt want his family to get hurt. And right now fighting seemed like it was putting his family in more danger than just maybe listening to Tigerdance and hearing him out.


"Dad, I think he has a point.

The matchup he had did not look favorable at all as he looked up at the bigger more experienced looking warrior he was facing. He didn't really want to fight this guy, besides this was somebody elses family just like his family was to him right?

He looked over seeing that the riverclan deputy and leader were already ganging up on his dad and he frowned concerned. Tigerdance was right this land was not worth all this perhaps.

"It is honorable to fight. But perhaps at times it is just as honorable to recognize when you are outmatched to save both sides blood yes?

He put his claws away and stepped back from Stormdance completely uninterested in fighting him.

"I wont hit you if you don't hit me?" It seemed like a fair trade to him. He didn't enjoy being hit and it looked like this riverclan fellow had a good head on em. He probably didn't like being wacked at either if eagle had to guess.

This wasnt to say Eaglefly was cowardly, he just came to the same conclusion Tigerdance had (albeit a bit slower and with some help of his clanmate helping to point it out... but yea this did not look like something worth dying over. The gorge did offer nice sunset views so he would miss it for that ... but the flower fields were not so bad either he supposed even if it did bring up bittersweet memories of his mentor. With the recent loss of Flutterpetal he was not eager to go looking for more fights yet alone fights they were outnumbered in from the get go.

"oh you should come by here on a sunset" he purred facing his "opponent" Stormdance who at this point Eaglefly saw more as just another warrior. Like talking to someone at a gathering.

"very nice time of day to see it and very nice view... especially perhaps if you have a special someone to bring with you??"

"I'm eaglefly by the way." he meowed with a dip of head. "I wish we could have met at a gathering or something less... well less this."


(idk if I have to post with batsong every time? I really would hope not but just in case...)

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Batsong just kinda observed. The warriors were right. She hoped Shrikestar would hear them out. An offering of peace might go further right now than anything else.

(lol I cant have her do a lot really cause she cant intervein directly without penalties.)

Shrikestar grimaced in pain as both Perchstar and Poppyshine attacked him. He could feel the blood on his fur as he was clawed, as he was bitten. Just as he was about to strike back, he could hear a call coming from... Tigerdance? He kept his claws out, glancing between his warrior and the RiverClan leader. Retreat? Give up the Gorge? He snarled at such talk, but he could see that his warriors were being beaten. Having taken damage from the skirmish with ShadowClan, it just meant more blood was being spilled. It felt like the entire forest was against them, and now even his own clanmates. That was more of a defeat than losing the Gorge.

"Celebrate your victory, Perchstar, but keep one eye open. This defeat is temporary, but we are forever." Sheathing his claws, he backed away from the Gorge, keeping an eye on the RiverClan patrol in case they decided to continue the attack. "Tigerdance, we will speak about this at camp," he muttered, out of earshot of the rest of the cats.

Perchstar braced herself for the retaliating blow, noticing how Shrikestar got weaker and weaker with each attack. She and Poppyshine were a well-practiced team. However, before another blow came, another warrior called a halt. Confused, she glanced up. A younger warrior--Rowansong and Egretswoop's opponent--called out that since WindClan was already fighting with ShadowClan, there was no need for more bloodshed over such a ceremonial piece of territory. Perchstar silently agreed. It appeared that the already-small Clan was horribly weakened by their ongoing battle, and choosing to pick a new fight had been a terrible idea on their part. Could Shrikestar swallow his pride? Had he learned anything from the events of the forest over the past two moons? She remained tense, not unsheathing her claws, surveying the proceedings with a calm and steady gaze. The deputy spoke in favor of the idea, as did the other battling warrior. It seemed that it was too much for Shrikestar. He finally acquiesced, though he still couldn't bear to leave without one last veiled blow to assuage his wounded ego. She shook her head at him. "This is over," she told the other leader simply. WindClan had no numbers with which to challenge for such an inconsequential border. This had been a test to prove that RiverClan was not going to be messed with... and certainly not by someone as weak as WindClan. They would be wise if they never even glanced across the Gorge again.

WindClan was retreating. Though she remained outwardly neutral, Perchstar felt the warm glow of emotion she had recently identified as pride beginning to flow through her blood. They had won--and easily, too. She hadn't even brought anywhere near a full strength of numbers. Her Clan had grown and practiced and trained... they had fought and they had won. RiverClan was not a pushover. They would not be stepped on by any Clan. No one would get away with harming any of her Clanmates without being punished by teeth and claws. It took a heavy weight off her shoulders that she hadn't even realized was pushing down on her. She stood even taller as the moor-dwellers began to back away, ceding the re-marked border.

The RiverClan leader sheathed her claws and stepped back, glancing at the warrior who had begun the retreat. A tabby tom. She offered him a slow blink of acknowledgement. While RiverClan could have easily won this by continuing to fight, she appreciated conserving the herbs and time it would have taken to heal her Clanmates' wounds. Shrikestar didn't seem too happy with him, but having the ability to thoughtfully challenge a leader's decision was rare. It seemed that WindClan had at least one good warrior on their paws.

But there was no more time to spare for looking at the enemy Clan. Perchstar turned her eyes to her own Clanmates. Poppyshine--her deputy and dear friend, beside her every step of the way, who had helped her fight with Shrikestar. Stormdance--a strong senior warrior who held his own easily alongside his former apprentice, Rowansong, who while flashy, had fought very well indeed. Egretswoop had been the newest warrior, but she had more than proved herself. The fox pelt seemed more fitting than ever as she gracefully sheathed her claws. The feeling of pride strengthened. She looked at each of them in turn, nodding in thanks for their help, before speaking the simple sentence that made jubilance flood her veins. "The Gorge now belongs to RiverClan."