Accidents are just waiting to happen (closed)

The loss of Crowspirit had been hard on Swiftheart. The tom had cursed himself for not knowing how to comfort the molly, but he had always been bad with words. Sablestrike was much more suited towards offerings, be it prey or with a simple spar they always felt more effective than what he could ever do with his own words. Still, when he had offered Swiftheart a sparring partner so that she may let out any of her frustrations he hadn't been expecting her to say yes. While she'd always accepted his sparring requests in the past it had been with less dire events surrounding them. Would this be too much for the molly, or would it be exactly what she needed? No matter which of those two it was Sablestrike would just be happy to help Swiftheart in any way he could, even if it ended with a couple of bruises.

Sablestrike lead the ghostly molly out of camp, tail twitching anxiously as he searched for a suitable space for them to use. It was hard to tell what would make a good sparring ground for them with the snow covering any traces of the ground below, so he settled with a nice open clearing just outside of the camp. It was all the same to him at this point. Turning to Swiftheart the tom dipped his head, signaling that he was ready to start. Dropping into a sparring stance Sablestrike stared down his opponent. Something about this still felt... Off?

(OOC note:
I think I will have her scar him next post, so that I can work up to it. UwU do you have a scar in particular in mind?  If so if you can include a note in your post on where you want his scar to be so I can write that into my next post :)  )

Swiftheart had felt numb, she couldnt sleep well anymore her mind always finding its way back to her poor limp daughters body and her daughters missing eyes that had been taken from her moments before her throat had been slit.  

Swiftheart's eyes drifted to Sablestrike as he asked for a spar she nodded agreeing wanting to feel... anything besides what she currently felt.  And... it was time with someone else she cared for.

Swiftheart was always a very social and (usually when times not so dire happy cat)

getting to spend time with a clanmate would not be turned down... and maybe she could talk with him, she always had been one to talk a lot and longed for that now... she knew he on the other paw was not super big into talking but that was okay... he could listen too even that would help she was pretty sure.


As he went and led her to the sparring arena and faced him her expression was completly neutral a rare thing for her.  She just looked dead ahead unblinking her usually bright deep blue eyes seemed to have a layer of frost and unusual coldness over them.

She shook her head trying to get ready.

"Sable I -- ..."   I feel miserable...

She felt herself want to start crying... however, another part of herself wanted to just smack something and this is what they were here to do!

It was the strangest feeling she ever felt... a part of her wanted to ask him to stop... to just go to his side and lean against her friend and cry and sob into his pelt and let him support her in that way...

However the other part of her was ready for this... wanted it even.  Which was very new for her and she did not even know how to handle this new emotion... She had seen the leadership of 4 shadowclan leaders and had survived some of the hardest things the stars could throw at them... but this was something new, she was not sure she was entirely comfortable with what she felt within herself.

However, there was no time to think further as whatever pit of emotion it was acted and she dug her claws into the earth below and narrowed her deep ice blue eyes onto him.

She arched her back and let out a truly feral hiss.  This spar would mimic as close to possible a real fight.

"Defend yourself" she muttered before launching herself right at him!

The spar was on!!

Whatever these new emotions were, they had changed her fighting style completely,

Usually, she held a very solid principled stance, would not overcommit on attacks and would slowly outwork her opponents in small inaccuracies they would make wearing them down. Not opening herself up for any counters and solidly planted.

Now, however she was playing with the most aggressive of styles launching attacks and committing hard to them each time, only forward movements bearing down on the younger deputy.


Swiftheart uses Jumping strike for 13 dmg and 7 sp

She pushed him back and bowled at him over from her starting position.

As she smacked him and watched him stumble somewhat she hissed almost to the point of anger. "Come on Sable! If those loners were to attack, you need to not be pushed back with such ease!" she hissed pinning her ears back against her head.

None of that was meant to be directed at him as much as it was, if she could see herself in the third person she would have called the spar off right then and there and apologize for everything she just said and cried into his shoulder, tell him how miserable she truely felt and try and work through this in a healthier way... but she could not view it like this at all.

"stand and fight!" she hissed



Swiftheart
70 / 70 hp
153 / 160 sp (-7)

Sablestrike
57 / 70 hp (-13)
160 / 160 sp

There was a brief moment where the tom had thought of calling this spar off to speak more directly to the snowy she-cat, but that moment was lost as soon as she let out a menacing hiss. Sablestrike could feel the fur along his spine rise at the sound, something he was sure he'd never heard come from Swiftheart before. Defend yourself! As if he needed her telling him that, this was a spar wasn't it? He wouldn't just allow her to hit him for fr- A snowstorm angled at him, threating to push the deputy to the ground had he not reacted mere seconds before the impact. It was less graceful than he would have liked, but Swiftheart had caught him off-guard with this odd rush of hers. He had only seen her fight a couple of times in his life, but her style back then was nothing compared to the wild savage attacks she wielded now. That older style of hers had been something to be proud of, magnificent in her form and flawless in her execution. This seemed a more raw, primal way of fighting. Well, this is what you wanted, at least she's taking it seriously.

Stumbling slightly as he regained his balance, the tom paused. Sablestrike's eyes narrowed at the molly's comment, was she trying to imply something? A deep rumble sounded in the tom's throat, Swiftheart's words striking his mind just as potently as any slash to his physical form. She wanted him to stand and fight, but that wasn't nearly enough for him. "Heartless wretch!" He yowled, vitriol stinging the words angled at Swiftheart. He hadn't let anyone know of the shame he felt for letting one of his own fall in such unfamiliar lands, but if Swiftheart was intent on making this spar of theirs as real as possible then who was he to let her have all the fun? He, just like any other cat, had anger that he couldn't let loose, save for this moment. In this moment, she was no more than a rogue to him.

Powerful limbs propelled the tom toward the ghostly molly, teeth finding their mark at her neck as the tom used him momentum to drag her to the ground. Carefully, oh so carefully he had to be not to lose himself in the midst of the fight and sink deep enough to draw blood. No, lighter, he had to be lighter. Loosening his grip slightly on her neck Sablestrike continued to batter the molly with an assault of sheathed paws all aimed at her exposed flank. Was this too much, or too little? Stars he didn't care anymore. Swiftheart was sure to repay him in kind, he would worry about things like that only if she decided to pull out.

Sablestrike used Snap and Desperate Blows, Dealing 16 HP and Costing 14 SP

Swiftheart
54 / 70 hp (-16)
153 / 160 sp

Sablestrike
57 / 70 hp
160 / 146 sp (-14)

The white furred warrior's pelt bristled out and she felt herself shaking in fits of anguish and hurt. Through four leaderships she had lived and still could not recall being this upset and angry at anyone or anything. None of it was Sable's fault, that much she did realize but he was the one offering to let her vent and vent she would! If he wanted to have her spar to get some of this out... so be it, she would take just about anything to stop feeling in this star forsaken headspace.

She hissed loudly as he caught her scruff in his jaws and she twisted trying to rake herself free as he seemed to be biting harder to the point she wondered if he wanted her blood too. He could have it... she was losing everything else around her so what was some more?  It hurt a decent amount but she was almost glad she could feel something other than the dulling heart ache that had plagued her this entire cursed trip.

So many cats she loved and cared about were all slipping away, Crowspirit her caring and kind daughter, Echo her last sibling sacrificing himself to a wolf... she was the older sibling stars that was supposed to have been her job! Frostpaw, her apprentice that she had been so close to saving, she had gotten her away from the wolves only for that dark forest sickness to take her too, Burdockroot... a major support for her mental check ins the medicine cat had given everything to this clan and her last act to save her apprentice. Oh the wish that she could have been like Burdockroot in the sense that the now gone medicine cat had actually saved her apprentice.  Swiftheart had failed to save Frostpaw, just as she had failed to save Deerleap... and gladly would have traded places with either her apprentices if that meant her all too young apprentice could have warm breath once more.

She managed to catch his face with a paw pushing him back and freeing her scruff again.  She held her chin down covering her throat as if this was the real thing of a fight. All this hurt, she didn't know how to deal with this big a loss.  Usually she could recover after the loss of a loved one, but this trip killed them all so fast right next to one another, there was no rest, no time to even take in ones death before she was burying the next.

The molly's ears laid back hurt at his counter words.  Moons ago, back when Murkystar was still alive, her mom had given her this warrior name.  

'ShadowClan honors your kindness and caring personality, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan' (-Mosspelt)

Her name, swiftheart was supposed to be a reminder to these traits her mother saw in her. Full of heart, full of energy and boundless love was the swiftheart she was named to be.  

"Heartless wretch!"

Her eyes flickered angerly at him and she blinked them closed momentarily just wanting to go back to that day, back to when she was just becoming a warrior. She wondered if her mom wherever she was, still saw those traits she listed so long ago in her.

(Murkystar does not live in the stars due to the starclan sacrifice, I dont know if she even exists at all anymore but swiftheart belives she is somewhere)

She wanted to believe these traits were still there but felt so much hurt and loss it was hard to feel much else in recent moons.

"That's right... That is exactly what I have become" she replied shaky voiced.

Wretch: An unfortunate or unhappy person was the perfect description of her life the past few moons...

and heartless? That hurt, but if her warrior ceremony was today, she wasn't so sure her mom would have let her keep the heart suffix.  So perhaps he was right here too.


She slammed her front paw down hard on the ground besides her in pure frustration.  She had never felt this way ever before and it felt ... miserable, awful and terrifying... but a subtle undertone of it was reliving, a release for all this grief that weighted her down like 10 extra pelts.


"happy now?" she asked voice cracking nearly.  Was this what he wanted? To watch her just crumble out here?

She narrowed her eyes on him as the pair of them circled building up to something terrible.

Closer and closer they got she didnt ever back down or stop to consider that she was in no condition to be fighting anyone, much less a clanmate who she loved (not in a mate sense.  Friend sense. Just to be crystal clear of anyone following along.)

She flung herself at him battering him back again with heavy front paw blow after blow crashing down on him and using all her weight and momentum from her leap to shove his head out of the way.  The first couple hits were to get his front paws back so he couldnt block anything any more.  Soon after she was striking against his body.


As she hit him harder and harder she let out a shriek of pure anguish and pain that had been bottled up for far too long.
"I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!

She couldnt stop her eyes from fogging up and tearing over as the image of what those loners had done to her daughter flashed in her mind.  Her daughter's eyes taken and ripped out before her throat was slit.  Crowspirits final moments in this world were of darkness and terror.

"I COULD HAVE STOPPED THEM, I COULD HAVE SAVED HER

She felt her stomach twist into knots as she felt all her energy zapping.

She sniffled and wiped a front paw over her face as she felt tears raining down her cheeks.  To her absolute horror, she felt warm liqud all over her paw now smeared on her face as she had tried to wipe away the tears.  She shreiked stumbling backwards as she looked at her now red stained front paws.

She was full on shaking now.  What had happened?  Had she cut a paw pad? Was her first though, no... that wouldnt have all this blood.

Her jaw dropped slightly as she looked up more, she had raked a clean cut all along her clanmate and deputies chest.

"No... noo no no" she whimpered.  This was a nightmare with no escape and no awakening.  She felt a wave of panic hit her as she tremblingly went closer to him... Good stars how bad was it??

She felt a sinking feeling in her gut as she looked... She let out a slight sigh ... It was a bad cut but nothing life threathing like she had at first feared.  Still, the amount of guilt and shame she felt in the moment was paralyzing.  She stood there locked in place just staring for a second at what she had done.

Finally she was able to try and react, "I'm s- so sorry sable" She stumbled forward on shaky paws wanting to try and fix this immediately, she wanted to lick at the wound to make sure no infection set in... little did she realize how threateningly any forward advancements might accidently be taken by a cat who was just hurt by someone they were supposed to be able to trust...

Sablestrike's grip on the molly loosed completely as she pushed him away. The tom backstepped to prevent a counterattack that never came. In another headspace he would have put a stop to their spar the moment he had heard Swiftheart's voice faltering voice, but not now. He had become too absorbed in their little game. The circling, like two predators waiting for the other to take the first bite and invite a bloody slaughter, the taunting hisses and growls.

"Happy? I should slice you from neck to tail for what you did!" As the molly leapt toward him Sablestrike threw out a barrage of strikes of his own, matching Swiftheart blow for blow before he started to flag. The distorted face of the molly in front of him grew clearer and the tom could feel a cutting sensation at his heart. This... This was wrong. They were getting too heated, he was getting too heated. Being able to let out their frustrations in this manner was only hurting the both of them, he needed-

Crimson liquid stained the pure molly, where had that come from? Had he bitten her too hard earlier? Blow after blow hammered down on the tom, defending against the onslaught of attacks becoming a tougher task. Blood roared in Sablestrike's ears, threatening to drown out the she-cat's pained wails. Then it stopped. The attacks, the yelling, the need to defend. All that was left was the horrendous pounding in his ears and a newfound sensation of utter pain resonating at his chest.

The tom devolved into short ragged gasps as he realized what had happened. The rouge had drawn first blood. They- They were still fighting weren't they? Golden eyes flicked upwards to meet a molly advancing towards him. The pounding grew louder, stars it was like thunder in his ears spurring the tom to take action and strike out against his attacker. Fever ran in his bones and the deputy swiped out viscously, claws meeting flesh and embedding themselves in the rogue's chest. Wetness exploded at his paws, leaving a trail in the snow as Sablestrike pulled his claws away and readied himself for another strike. His body wanted to move, the fever wanted more, but that thunderous beat that had invaded his mind had seemed content. The rhythm died down rather abruptly, leaving only the pain and a new feeling in its place. Regret.

Blood painted the snow beneath them and marred the pretty molly's pristine pelt. Stars... Oh STARS. His own clanmates, stars how could he have let himself get this out of paw? Sablestrike took a shaky step back, afraid that he was still capable of more, that he would want more, even through the swirling feeling in his gut. Every moment upright felt like it was dragging him one step closer to losing his stomach. "I-I'm sorry, I don't- I didn't-" STARS, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! He was meant to protect his clanmates, not hurt them! What a foolish, idiotic, utterly stupid idea. Why did he ever think this would be good for either of them? His own idiocy and lack of understanding had lead Swiftheart to a darker place than where she had started. It was his fault that her beautiful pelt was now stained with blood, and it was his fault that his own pelt shared the same fate.

The tom's mind was filled with curses. Why had he ever thought he could help? Why couldn't ever control his impulses? It was always the same, never thinking but always acting.

Sablestrike's gaze fell to the wound at his chest, unfocused eyes pretending to examine the wound so he didn't have to see the pain on Swiftheart's face nor the distrust and anger that surely laid there. What could he even say to her? "I'm so sorry, stars I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, I'm so-" The tom repeated himself over and over, a new stinging sensation prickling at the back of his eyes as the repetition grew faster and faster.

Swiftheart was so worried and scared. She saw a million possible outcomes flash before her eyes... most of them involved him being furious with her.

The possibility of being yelled at flashed before her... the possibility of being put on trial?? Possibility of her clan not understanding what had happened?

Would they sentence her to be like Redice?? She quivered -- Would they banish her like they did her beloved brother?

She felt tears stream down her face more and more.

However, then something happened she did not have as one of her possibilities ...

He was applogizing to her too...

She sat there stunned for a moment before rushing to his side and gently leaned against him.

"its okay... its okay im alright. We are alright" she looked down at the two matching scars they both now would have.

"shadowclan can only fall from the inside... we are not going to let that happen. All of this... stays here behind us I promise." She gently and carefully pawed his shoulder and concidered even hugging at him but did not want to over-reach either... she did not want to leave here before contact that was not involving claws.

(we can end it here or keep going. Up to u <3)