Understream[C]

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

Rose followed the faint scent of squirrel up an alleyway, silvery coat shimmering in the sun. The prey still showed no signs of fattening itself up for the long winter that laid ahead; perhaps this place simply had no winter? A land without winter or snow… anything more different than her home could hardly be imagined. Perhaps this was the place the birds migrated to, shelter from the blizzards and deathly still cold. It would be encouraging to see something else that had laid eyes on her home, even if it was just prey. She’d have to keep her eyes open.

There- a fluffy tail on the top of a low brick wall. Carefully, cautiously, Rose slunk forwards, blue eyes fixated on the squirrel, skinny though it might be. Every time it glanced her way, she froze, not daring to risk the catch. Her stomach growled for something more than scavenged kibble and old mouldy dumpster food, and a nice squirrel would be simply perfect.

Finally, Rose sprang forwards, biting the squirrel at the base of the neck and killing it quickly. Ah; the divine taste of blood in her mouth. The silvery molly dropped the creature, ready to feast, but her ever-watching blue eyes caught a glimpse of- another cat. A ginger tabby, a tom. He’d caught his own prey, by the looks of things, so hopefully he wouldn’t seek to chase her off hers. She wasn’t exactly an appealing target, either, larger than most of the cats she’d met on her travels, but if it came down to it, she would rather flee than fight.

“Um- hello?”

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

The ginger tabby jumped down next to her- with a hiss and fluffed fur, Rose shied away, dropped her prey so that it now lay squarely between them, fixed her fearful blue gaze on him. His silky smooth voice did much more to alarm her further than it did to soothe her, bringing back memories of the silver-tongued trickster of the skies, fickle Fox of the legends. This tom meant danger, she felt certain, and yet Rose felt as trapped as a lemming in an eagle’s nest. There was no way past him that did not put her within reach of his claws. This was exactly the sort of situation she sought to avoid, and yet she’d walked into it headfirst, drawn by the allure of prey she did not truly need and that still kept her from flight.

Her name? Another trick of the Fox whose tail left glowing marks across the northern skies. If this cat had sold his soul to the trickster, Rose would have none of this. Ajex was hardly his name, anyways; he did not look like one. What name could she give him before he tired of her silence…

“Asphodel-“ oh dear, could she not think of anything better than him? Hopefully it would satisfy this cat. “What do you want from me?”

His part of town? Rose had not passed any recent scent-marks, and besides, who could truly claim to hold territory here, where the humans held all in sway? This tom was a liar, and, most likely, a danger. Even though she doubted the legitimacy of his claim, Rose decided then and there to never come back to this section of the city. Or the city in general, perhaps. She’d glimpsed rolling fields and thick forests from the barn… and the cats in the city had proved nothing but trouble.

“Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t know. You- you can keep the sparrow,” she mewed, taking slow careful steps backwards, fur standing on end. “I- I was hungry, but uh… I can hunt somewhere else. I’ll go do that now, so I don’t scare the prey off your territory…”

She was not fool enough to turn her back on him, but instead leapt up onto the wall he had perched on earlier, giving herself the vantage point and an opportunity to bolt, as soon as she felt she could get away with it.

What?

Spar?

Rose’s face, for all her attempts to keep it stony and impassive, betrayed utter confusion on the silver molly’s part. Spar? In this season, where prey was scarce and the energy to hunt almost scarcer? And yet he offered the sparrow as collateral, and…

…and Rose had been raised in a place where one could go days without seeing prey. She could not afford to let this pass. The very idea terrified her slightly, but if she could just pretend for a little, and then concede defeat at the earliest believable opportunity…

“I- if you insist,” she mewed, gathering herself for the leap. Gods, how she hated this. It could go so terribly wrong so terribly quickly. “No claws.”

With a powerful leap, the silver molly sprung forwards, using her higher position to bowl over the other cat. Hopefully that would be enough, and he would let her go. Gods, this was a horrible idea.

Rose used Jumping Strike, dealing 10 damage and costing 7 stamina.

Rose
35/40 HP
63/70 SP (-7)

Ajex
40/50 HP (-10)
120/120 SP

ooc: rose actually has disadvantaged stats! No worries, I’ll correct it and thanks for noticing :D

Instead of rolling with the blow, the tom took her leap head-on, pinning Rose down with a grin. It took a conscious effort to not panic, to collect herself and pull herself together, to remember to keep her claws sheathed. One of the most important battle tactics to know, and one she knew well, was the art of escaping from being pinned by a larger creature. Compared to a fox or the thunderous hooves of a herd of elk, Ajex would be easy to escape from.

Rose twisted, kicking him in the stomach with her back legs and slipping out from underneath his hold, long fur aiding in her escape. Hopefully that would be enough?

Rose used Duck and Twist, success, dealing 7 damage and costing 5 stamina. She is no longer pinned.

Rose/"Asphodel"
27/40 HP
58/70 SP (-5)

Ajex
33/50 HP (-7)
105/120 SP

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

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'Effect Dice' : 6

Okay, okay-

The other cat’s blows were strong, and Rose shuddered to think of the damage that could’ve been done were his claws unsheathed. She would not come back this way ever again. Pushing forwards, paws fueled by adrenaline and the sort of panic that always accompanied any sort of conflict, the silvery tabby managed to slam him to the ground, claws sheathed. It wasn’t difficult to use her stocky build to keep him pinned, although she doubted she could keep him down for long.

“Okay…” she trailed off. He would hardly be likely to agree to stop this until he felt like he had won. Indeed, the moment he escaped from her pin, she would bolt, if she could do so.

Rose used Leap and Hold, dealing 7 damage and costing 15 stamina. No roll due to Survivalist.

Rose
12/40 HP
43/70 SP (-15)

Ajex pinned for one turn
26/50 HP (-7)
91/120 SP