The plundering of Sunningrocks (closed)

The sun hung high in the sky, though it provided little warmth for the forest that had been cloaked in white. Others in her crew had begun complaining about the cold but Alethea felt at home in lower temperatures, the thick coat she took pride in maintaining doing wonders for her when it came to blocking out the freezing cold. Today however, the molly didn't care what happened to her pelt. She was more focused on the chase. Sometimes it felt like prey had a sixth sense, a way of constantly knowing where she was and when she would make a move on them. Alethea could go days without catching so much as a mouse, and today seemed no different for her.

Ears perked as the molly sidled along the round base of a tree, snowy paws melting quietly into the ground as green eyes scanned for her next target. Spotted! Bursting forth into the snowy land Alethea speared towards a thick looking rabbit. She was ready to paint the landscape red with its blood, but her enthusiasm had given the quick creature ample time to react to her advance. Snow crunched as her prey escaped her sight, but the molly's breakneck pace couldn't be stopped. Alethea slammed face-first into a tree, letting out a sharp hiss as the impact sounded through the forest. "Great Stag, what a-" She could still see it! The rabbit hadn't gone too far yet, perhaps she could still make it! Setting off toward her quarry once more the molly ran until she could no more.

She was able to admit when she was beaten, and the juicy creature had thoroughly run her ragged. Alethea was sure it had been toying with her this whole time, aware that no matter how hard she tried the gap between them would never get smaller. Letting out a defeated sigh the molly padded on, her attention now being stolen by a group of smooth white boulders. Hints of silvery-grey peeked through the snow. Ajex had told her about this place, hadn't he? The tom had spoken of how wonderfully warm these stones would turn in the sun, but it seemed that wasn't true for now. Mounting the lower stone Alethea brushed some snow to the side, creating a bare patch which she promptly plopped down on. Great Stag, it was colder than the snow itself! A shudder ripped along her spine, but the molly made no attempt to move. A tiny break wouldn't kill her.

ooc; i have decided to start ranking chad so im using the battle system to start. feel free to retaliate but he'll drop it after the first attack (and isnt even coming after her too hard. more jump scare tactics.

Having been born in the warmer season, this was the first time that Chad had experienced heavy snow. Whipping winds and chilling breezes were one thing but the clinging flakes of frost sent a constant shiver down his spine. It was nearly impossible to avoid when outside of the camp walls. For the time being, Thunderclan's camp was inhabited by a sparse crowd of loners with loose ends to the missing clan. With the forest nearly empty, only a few other rogues running through the woods, prey was decent enough to come by. His strength had started to build rather than wane in the company of much more experienced cats.

The young tom had begun building muscle roaming the territory. Whether it was in search of prey that he only had a vague idea of how to catch, or simply to stretch his stiff muscles, being able to wander comfortably was so freeing. Barren trees were blanketed in a dusting of snow. Everything had become painted in the muted browns and whites of a leaf-bare forest. Here and there the ground showed tracks of creatures that wandered through. Chad's pelt blended in oddly well this time of year; he had begun to feel like perhaps this wasn't a bad place for him to be, even if it wasn't what he was looking for.

The frustration bubbled up in his chest once more as he thought about his parents. He often imagined what they would say about this whole ordeal. Both had told him this was a foolish endeavor, and Chad hated to admit that they could be right. Letting the feeling course through him, he pelted forward to race through the snow and refusing to stop until his sides heaved. Panting, he finally stopped. With several slow blinks, he digested this was further from camp than he had ever strayed before. Along the frozen riverbank rose several stones, piled as if attempting to reach the sky. Their peaks had been enrobed in white.

In a stark contrast to the snowy background was the fluffy pelt of a cat. This wasn't the coat of any that he was familiar with. A low growl rumbled in his throat. Since leaving the stone den, he hadn't felt kinship to any land. But this was the place that he belonged, both in birthright and having settled into a comfortable routine. While he had no interest in getting into a fight, he had to do something. Quickly scaling the side of the rock and scattering loose snowflakes, Chad's steps became a tad more erratic due to not having solid grounding underpaw. When he finally leaped onto the unfamiliar cat, it was sloppy and untested. He was merely a mass of fur and long-limbs plopped on top of Alethea. The blows to the stranger were wild and less than calculated, rather non-committal in their attack.

It took a moment to steady himself as much as he could before meowing mildly, "So do you rogues just think you own every land then?" At first, it had meant to come across as recklessly bold. However, Chad quickly realized this was a young she-cat. His tucked away fear settled ever so slightly and he fixed her with the most serious gaze he could muster.

Chad used Front Paw Blow, dealing 5 damage and using 5 stamina.
Chad also used Dirty Trick, dealing 5 damage and using 7 stamina.

Chad
HP: 40/40
SP: 88/100

Alethea
HP: 30/40
SP: 100/100

In the snowy scape the molly had heard tiny sounds. At first a growl, probably from a squirrel or some other rodent, then what sounded like paw steps. Those paw steps got louder, erratic, but as the molly's head swiveled to find the source of the sound she was enveloped by a long-limbed cat. Alethea panicked underneath the tom as he showered her with blows. Fear filled every inch of her body. She was a healer not a fighter and against this tom she wouldn't stand a chance, doubly so as he had gotten the drop on her. Alethea thought to call out to Forest or Ajex in hopes that either of them would miraculously be able to hear her, then it dawned on her. Though numerous, the tom's attacks hadn't been very powerful, nor did she feel any claw marks on her. Actually, he was barely hurting her at all. Either this tom wasn't trying to hurt her or he was just terrible at it.

Rearing up on the tom Alethea slammed her head into the bottom of the tom's jaw. Darting from below him Alethea positioned herself across from the rogue, green eyes smoldering with anger as she regarded the masked cat. "Excuse me? Nobody can own land, it belongs to nature you-" Heathen! Alethea kept herself from speaking the word, knowing that this tom was probably unaware of what he had just said. It wasn't his fault, he didn't know. "Who are you to try and punish me for relaxing in this forest? I would ask that you think very carefully about your answer." If he was one of those clan kitties she had heard so much about then perhaps she'd have some harsh words for him, or even harsher claws, though she hoped it wouldn't come to either of those. Please just be some weird misunderstanding, please.

Alethea used Headbutt, dealing 5 HP and costing 5 SP

Chad
HP: 35/40
SP: 88/100

Alethea
HP: 30/40
SP: 95/100

Chad had only regained some semblance of his balance for a split second before she slammed her paw into his jaw. He teetered backwards, eventually stumbling sideways as his head reeled. The rogue had slipped from underneath him and stood defensively ahead. An ache immediately began to settle in the young tom's jaw. Silently, he cursed her for having such a forceful blow. An indignant look crossed his maw as he settled back on his haunches. Finally, feeling steadied, he growled out an annoyed response, "You didn't have to hit me so hard."

Both of his parents had been excellent warriors when they were in Thunderclan and had passed along some light training to him. However, there were two factors that prevented him from being a skilled fighter... a lack of experience and lack of desire to listen to his kin as they tried to teach. Both of these, along with his youth, had meant many lost fights. He was no stranger to a sore pelt but that didn't make it any more appealing. He stretched out his jaw, hissing softly. Despite the fact his tail lashed irritably, the bi-colored tom's demeanor was a lot more relaxed than moments earlier. Chad knew when he had been beat even if he was not happy about it and so he supposed he owed her an answer, "My name is Chad. My parents were Thunderclan warriors. Happy now, rogue?" There was any malice behind the words but he did narrow his eyes as he regarded her.

After a brief pause, he sighed. Dropping the light venom to his words, Chad continued on without waiting for her to respond, "Look, I've traveled a long way to get here. The clan might be gone but I get why borders exist now. It is much better to have some cat watching your pelt in one spot than allowing every cat that passed by to fight over scraps. It's smart. And I do hope they come back someday. But there's no Thunderclan now." He sounded a little mournful, finally saying the last bit out loud. Thinking that there could be a possibility that the clan would be gone forever was a sobering reality that he didn't quite want to accept yet. Maybe it was some kit-like hope that he had held onto all this time. Realizing how soft his voice had sounded, Chad hardened his gaze as he waited for her response.

"Huh?" For someone with such a forceful entry Alethea had expected more of a fight from the tom, even if that fight came from his words and not claws or teeth, but in a way this almost felt like... Submission? Not quite, at least not from what Forest had taught her, but didn't seem like he cared to continue with their little spat. "What would you have done if some creepy tom ruined your outing, hm?" If anything she should have hit him harder. Well, he wasn't pursuing a fight with her anymore. The molly let herself relax slightly, though she still kept her stance just in case he wanted to be sneaky.

Tension worked its way into her pelt once more as the tom mentioned parents from Thunderclan. It was her first time hearing the name of one of these clans, but she had decided it was an incredibly stupid name. The molly opened her mouth to let the tom know of the danger she was supposed to pose to him, but it seemed that he wasn't paying attention to her. Instead, he chose to blither on about borders and, er, something else. She had tuned out rather quickly as he started speaking about the importance of this and that. "Chad," She began, forcing her voice to return to its usual melodic tone, "count yourself lucky that the clans abandoned this land. My fa- Captain, wouldn't be so kind to your kin if they were here. He's a dangerous cat, you know. Maybe you've even heard of him." Fat chance! It took all of Alethea's self-control not to break down laughing at that. "I think I'm actually supposed to take care of you, but my time hunting has left me spent. It's a tiring sport, after all."

As much as she wanted to leave this tom to whatever he was doing out here (aside from attacking her), Alethea couldn't deny that this was a perfect chance at speaking with a real clan cat, if he truly was one. "You know borders don't appear so naturally, right? Don't you think it's a bit selfish to try and claim pieces of land as your own? You're cutting off an entire section of the forest for you and your kind just for the fun of it." She didn't even want to get started on the way they had all scarred sections of the forest with dens and herb stores. So far the molly had counted five separate locations holding these dens, but she wouldn't be surprised to find a few more if she really looked hard enough. "I hope Thunderclan never comes back, the forest would be a far better place without their presence." Was that too cruel to say? Great Stag, the child sounded like he would burst into tears if she pushed him too much, but she believed in every word she spoke. Alethea couldn't speak for what the forest was like with the clans, but without them it appeared to be a tainted eden; still beautiful despite its healing scars. Inviting the clans back would only create more of those scars, she was sure of it.

"Creepy tom?" He retorted, recoiling slightly as his words became a grumble, "I'm not a creepy
tom." Chad's nose wrinkled up in offense as his whiskers twitched. He had been called many things but never creepy. For some reason that insult prickled uncomfortably at his pelt. Despite the fact he was learning to settle in along other cats, he found himself discovering enjoyment from the presence of others, regardless of the desire to actually show it. A disconcerted expression crossed the young tom's maw as she continue on.

"Captain? Never heard of him." Chad meowed smoothly but a slight smirked worried its way onto the edge of his maw, "Surely he can't be that impressive if one of his companions is tired after a little hunting trip." His head tipped to the side as if asking a question. Admittedly, he did want to know more but would never be so forward to show interest in a random rogue, especially one settled so easily into the rightful territory of Thunderclan. He hated to think about how he would have to chase her away in the future but that was a while off.

As Alethea spoke ill of the territories once again, he prepared to correct her, however, the words that fell from her tongue immediately invoked a growl, "Thunderclan will return and it will be a much better use of the forest than a pawful of overfed and entitled rogues lounging around like they own the place. I bet your lot couldn't keep the forest if any other cats came to challenge you anyways." This time, it was Chad's turn to go too far with his speech. The frustrations that bubbled up spilled over but it was honestly spewing from his mouth. A truth that a cat like her needed to hear, and something he continued to long for as truth.