Outrunning karma, that boy [Perchstar]

Considering the grotesque imagery of the small, flattened body of the River Clan cat that haunted the rouges mind, one would think Grub would have stayed far, FAR away from River Clan territory. But the moons of isolation he had tried to give himself failed as one cat after the other seemed to gravitate towards him. Not a single one of those cats knew anything about him or what had happened on that farm... So, in his own mind, that must mean no one else knew. The small white apprentice hadn't snitched! He was safe! Besides, they wouldn't know it was Grub. He was Felix to them. What a clever guy.

With an unbothered hum, the flee-ridden trespasser walked about the edge of the river freely and without guilt. Peering into the weirdly murky water in hopes of finding a fish or two, Grub was only left with disappointment - lapping at the water reminded him of drinking out of puddles on the side of the road, and his body forced him to retch the foul water back up. "Blegh! Must suck to live here." He watched his own vomit float down the river, no longer his problem.

Pushing himself up, Grub headed away from the nasty river and onto something he found rather interesting: miscellaneous holes filled with water. Probably run-off zones for the river, so he wouldn't even attempt to taste them. But as he sat quietly in the grass, he couldn't help but wonder why it was so... Quiet. Not even a field mouse to heard. He was starting to feel nervous.

As she had promised Swanpaw, Perchstar was sending out more patrols to check for intruders on the territory. However, none had been successful as of yet. It wasn't as if any cat could truly be stealthy enough to avoid all of them, so it seemed most likely that whoever it was, they had turned tail and fled like a coward after causing Morningpaw's death. It was frustrating not to be able to avenge the poor apprentice. But, all things considered, it may have been for the best. After all, in a leaf-fall that was beginning as poorly as this one was, a bloody fight was probably the last thing that RiverClan needed.

But as always, it seemed that the stars were watching her in order to make her punishment as lasting as possible. And so it was that when Perchstar found her first day in a moon that she could wander the territory on her own, more for the sake of silent walking than for scouting predators or enemies, that she came upon a trace of enemy scent. Sharp, foul Twoleg smells that made her hackles raise. A rogue nearby, on her territory.

It was not for nothing that she had become a warrior. Perchstar knew the terrain well enough to be completely masked by the cattails as she crept upon the shadow by the river. A mangy-looking furball... orange and white fur. Could this be the trespasser? Could this be Morningpaw's killer?

Either way, he did not belong on RiverClan territory. With a silent flourish, the gray-and-white unsheathed her claws and leapt at the tom, bowling him over into the muddy riverbank. "Who are you?" she snarled into his face. "Why are you trespassing here?"

Perchstar used Jumping Strike, dealing 15 (10+2+3) damage and costing 7 stamina.

Perchstar:
80/80 HP
163/170 SP

Grub:
45/60 HP
130/130 SP

"Oof!"  One moment, the tom was sitting in an uneasy silence. The next, his face was being pushed into the muddy ground and mouth flooding with a foul taste that reminded him of the nasty water he drank earlier. The hot breath of the she-cat above him was feeling anything but welcoming, not to mention the sharp claws that dug into his skin. It was terrifying that he hadn't scented her or even heard her approach him. The nagging feeling in his stomach said the River Clan had finally caught up to him.

A nervous grin found it's way to his maw, crooked fangs catching on one side of his lip. He felt no glee in any of this, but he just couldn't help the stifled giggle that escaped him as she hissed her question. Who was he? Who was he? Great question! He would not be telling the true either way.
His grinning stopped as he spat the mud from his mouth into her face. The stuck fang loosening from his lip as he opened wide, biting with all his might into the She-cat's exposed leg and piercing the flesh.

As she stumbled back, Grub got to his paws and stood defensively. "Copperlark, though one would usually ask before ripping into a stranger." He spat. The grungy tom hadn't seen that pregnant she-cat since they had run into each other weeks ago. He was sure she wouldn't mind him borrowing her name. "Care to share yours? It's only polite."

Grub used Bite paired with Dirty Trick (8+7), dealing a total 15 damage and costing 14 SP.
Survivalist is active!

Perchstar:
65/80 HP (-15)
163/170 SP

Grub:
45/60 HP
130/130 SP (-14)

Though a satisfying expression of terror crossed the rogue's face, he laughed as he fought back. It wasn't a pleasant laugh; it sounded just as nasty as he looked. "Copperlark," he called himself. But as Perchstar regained her footing, she couldn't help but keep her eyes narrowed in a cold glare. There were three options: One, he was an exiled Clan cat that no Clan had announced or warned about, and that was his real name. Two, he was a lying piece-of-scum rogue, the same one who had gone by the name "Felix," which could just as easily have been a lie. Three, he was a Clan cat who somehow stank of Twolegplace and really was just that stupid.

She felt like the "lying piece-of-scum rogue" option was the most likely.

Either way--it didn't really matter what his name was. The question had been a cursory one designed to elicit a response from anyone reasonable. Since he was fighting back as well as trespassing, there was no more need to assume he would explain himself. He obviously knew how to fight. However, he was out of his depth fighting a Clan cat. Let alone one in their natural territory. Perchstar lunged forward without giving the tom time to growl out any more nonsensical sentences. In one simple leap, sharp claws dug into the back of his shoulders, and a heavy blow forced his head into the muddy, filthy waters. Let him taste his own vomit. "You know you are trespassing. You chose to fight instead of flee. Trying to weasel your way out is useless." She could give him her name--though if he were a Clan cat, he would know it already, further outing his attempted disguise. But what was the point in doing so when she planned to run him out of the territory permanently, tail between his legs?

Perchstar used Underwater Clinch, dealing 11 (9+2) damage and costing 10 stamina. Grub is stunned for 1 turn.

Perchstar:
65/80 HP
153/170 SP

Grub:
34/60 HP
116/130 SP

It was this type of reaction that made the slimy tom feel it wasn't worth putting effort into believable lies. To him, he didn't deserve the cruelty that these forest cats gave him anytime he was near. He had done nothing to them. Just look at the beautiful she-cat before him: her face twisting with hatred for a cat she had only just met. That was who these cats saw him as. A cat deserving of scorn. A cat whose head was underwater.

Sharp claws digging into his shoulder blades made him gasp in pain, only for his head to be forced beneath the muddy and bitter waters of the puddle he'd rolled into at the start of all this. He sputtered and coughed as he struggled to resurface.

It was rare, but Grub snarled in response.  At this point, he should just beg to be drowned instead of listen to the same lecture over and over again. He couldn't believe it. What a boring default of a reason to rip a cat to shreds. At least admit you just wanted to kill something. He coughed out an indignant response, "Trespassing? Trespassing? Does every cat and feral beast in this forest really believe they own everything here? Open your eyes to the world, lion-mane. It's so much bigger out there than you realize. Do you even know what a sheep is? How about a cow? A horse? A chicken? Yet you claim that my home is yours... Despicable, really. Selfish. There are more lives out there than your own." The she-cat may be larger than him, but he wouldn't go out like this. Uncaring of a mouth full of mud, he twisted his body to sink his teeth once more into a gray leg. Hard. That River Clan apprentice deserved the death he got, now that he thought about it.

Grub used Random Recall paired with Snap, dealing a total of 8 damage and costing 12 stamina.  

Perchstar:
57/80 HP (-8)
153/170 SP

Grub:
34/60 HP
104/130 SP (-12)

Perchstar resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the tom's indignance, yanking her leg harshly from his teeth. How entitled did you have to be, walking anywhere you wanted and claiming that those whose home it was had no right to ask you to leave? There was only one outsider she'd ever met that deserved any respect, and he had known better than to trespass. Some idle part of her mind wondered whether the two had ever met, but she dismissed the thought as unnecessary. "If the world is so big," she said simply, "then leave. Find a place where the customs suit you. Here, we have homes where only our family are welcome. Perhaps there are some places in the world where anyone may walk wherever they please." It was almost a waste to spend any time talking. She'd only been speaking while she paced back and forth, eyes staring into his while she thought about her next move--not giving away a single step or betraying a single thought. Then she lunged forward, sharp claws striking at the rogue's face.

Perchstar used Front Paw Strike, dealing 12 (10+2) damage and costing 7 stamina.

Perchstar:
57/80 HP
146/170 SP

Grub:
22/60 HP
104/130 SP

Grub remembered a time when his humans child would sneak up behind hay bales just to yank on his tail. He had lashed out once, earning a scolding from both Mr. Worm and the hands that fed him on cold winter nights. He had every right to claw at the child, yet he was punished for it. Until now, that was the angriest he had ever been. Until now, he thought himself a pretty chill guy. Anger surged through him as he slammed full forced into the claws that came for him, both he and the she-cat slipping in the mud. "Where the customs suit me?!" He put his entire body into that exclamation as he raked dirty, jagged claws into the she-cat from mane to flank. "You hold a false claim to my home! To my lively hood! I was born and raised in that stupid barn, yet who comes knocking at my door late in the night? One of you high and mighty clan cats who trample the earth I worked so hard to protect!!" He remembered the awe in those kids eyes as they watched the sheep slowly nod off in the dimly lit barn made just for them. He hadn't thought much of their visit, thinking they were just curious eyes passing through as usual. But to his dismay, one of them attacked him, claiming he was... Trespassing? That was the first time that word had confused him. Even as the silver she-cat before him used it, it still made no sense.

Grub used Belly Rake, dealing 15 damage and costing 25 stamina.

Perchstar:
42/80 HP (-15)
146/170 SP

Grub:
22/60 HP
79/130 SP (-25)

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

---

'Effect Dice' : 4

A rogue born and raised around the Clans' territory did not give him any such claim as what he assumed he had, but Perchstar was tired of arguing. Clearly there was no reasoning with this tom. Whether he was or was not the killer of Morningpaw--and she strongly suspected that he was--words would not solve the issue. Only claws and teeth. And despite how desperately he fought, it appeared that her battle training made her far his superior. Though his claws digging into her belly hurt, she grit her teeth and pushed forward, sticking out her front legs to trip him as he resurfaced, slamming him into the ground. Mentioning a barn, mentioning other Clan cats... her suspicions were all but confirmed. "It was you, wasn't it. Who caused his death." Her voice was low and contained no growl, but the narrowed eyes staring into the rogue's face were ice-cold.

Perchstar used Experienced Steps, dealing 10 (8+2) damage and costing 10 stamina. Grub is stunned for 1 turn.

Perchstar:
42/80 HP
136/170 SP

Grub:
12/60 HP
79/130 SP