then let my heart be hardened [RC/TC vs SKC BATTLE TOPIC]

Perchstar gritted her teeth as sharp fangs bit into her scruff. The shaking hurt. She wouldn't show a single grimace, a single wince to gratify the pain. Instead she tore herself out of Beechfang's jaws, shaking her own head in order to try and clear the dizziness. But it still lingered, making her vision blur. Why couldn't the scarred old fox-heart just lay down and die? Cries of pain from all around her--Poppyshine's, Cindersky's--all could have been avoided. Agonized claws dug into the thick dirt beneath her. Ice-blue eyes remained fixed on her enemy, their slight narrowing the only potential clue to the wildfire of rage that tortured her inside. This will end. It doesn't matter how desperately you fight your fate--there is only one way this battle will end. Your throat in my jaws. Never before had she wanted so strongly to kill someone. It was still for protection, still for justice and vengeance, she knew--but the only thing she wished for at this moment, with blood leaking from wounds and a fog of war in her mind, was Beechfang's corpse beneath her claws. Die.

Perchstar is stunned for one more turn.

His claws struck true, slicing through tender flesh, but Sunfire barely got to savor the sound of her agony before she turned on him, using her weight upon his shoulders to try and knock him off balance. He scoffed, shoving upwards, but like earlier, his paw ended up in the wrong place and the instability made his forelegs buckle. Sunfire's cheek slammed into the ground, and Mottlestar's claws pricked his forehead again. She leaned in close, and his entire body rippled with a shiver as she spoke into his ear.  

What a poet Mottlestar was, in her degradation of him. He couldn't protect his family? He should be ashamed? Yellow eyes narrowed as he lay there in her claws, not resisting, just... waiting... catching his breath... simmering. Blood dripped down his face, and he realized that there was no way it could be only his. He'd given as much as he'd taken, at least. What more could SkyClan want of him? He'd given all he had twice over, and the only mistake he'd made was not finishing her off the first time.

That thought made his breath hitch with frustration. No. This wasn't all he had.

"They're all going to die," Sunfire snarled. The yellow tom didn't specify who, or how, or when, but the implication was there. Every ThunderClanner that ever had the misfortune of crossing his path alone, every single one that strayed a hair too close to the border, every one who ever shared a drop of Mottlestar's blood, was going to die. And he would make it his life's work to see it happen.

He would start with her. And if the stars really could resurrect her, he'd kill her as many times as it took for her to stay dead.

Surging upwards with the last of his remaining strength, Sunfire attempted to throw Mottlestar off balance. The ThunderClan leader was not so easily dislodged, but his struggling had knocked her loose just enough for him to suddenly twist beneath her, and snap at something - anything. His teeth snatched something and he bit down hard, blinking through the blood dripping from the she-cat's face on to his. It was her paw, he realized, that he'd bared his neck to grab.

Sunfire used Random Recall & Snap, breaking the stun and dealing 10 damage at the cost of 10 stamina.

Sunfire:
5/73 HP
96/160 SP (-10)

Mottlestar:
13/80 HP (-10)
116/170 SP

Her march to this battle field had been as an arbiter of justice. Every step of her paws was placed in the name of wrath, every paw-print left behind in the tufts of snow that had remained amidst the leafbare weather had been left as a placement to mark the very war she came to march upon. Those steps would fade away with the melting snow, just as the memory of war did, but the ripples it would cause in cascade would be felt for the rest of the forest's lifespan. Mottlestar herself knew she would feel it, not just by the wounds that were due to scar on her face.

As Sunfire surged upwards, the tortoiseshell leader had no choice but to respect the will of gravity. Their sheer difference in size meant that, unless her hind paws had been firmly placed on the ground, any amount of surge from the tom would force her to ultimately depart from her position. Quick maneuvers and the beatings she'd taken against the earth had stolen some of her stamina from her, and it was simply impossible to expect the tortoiseshell to be able to hold on as firmly as she had done so earlier in the bloody encounter.

His movement caused an unavoidable tug of the wounds that had only slightly begun to clot on her face, the new trickle of crimson ultimately muddying her vision well enough for the tom's teeth to clench around her paw. It was pure instinct to attempt to yank it back, but it did no use for the reflexive maneuver.

Her nose already stung from the metallic bite of her blood, mixed with the coppery tang that came from Sunfire's own that had coated the insides of her mouth. One blink was all that she needed, though, to see the vital mistake that the tom had made. A mistake that, by all means, would cost the tom his life. She normally would have thought twice about lurching forward to sink in her teeth for the kill, normally would have contemplated whether this was truly worth it. But, between her hind leg that screeched from the abuse it had endured under the tom's claws, and the life of her too-young clanmate...

There was no hesitation on Mottlestar's part as her head darted forward, her teeth clamping upon that vital life-point. She willed her fangs down, down and down, plunging through fur and muscle until she felt the surge of life's liquid filling her maw. Even at that point, she kept going, drilling her fangs and forcing them to tear through his flesh. A growl rippled around the act, and a singular sharp tug backwards was made to pull at any remaining sinews and fibers of his neck that hadn't yet relented to her vengeance.

Her release only came as the gushing of his blood became too much, and the tortoiseshell spit it out with ire. It was easy enough at that point to pull her paw away, shaking the bloodied appendage to distract from the pain that sizzled in it. From the pain that sizzled in her face.

She would be one of the portraits of this war, and her chest was heaving with absolute exhaustion and pain as she spit a mixture of her own saliva and his remaining blood atop his body.

May you rot in the pits of the mist for leaving kits to die at your greedy claws, leech.

Mottlestar used Snap! She dealt 12 (10+2) damage and used 9 stamina.
Sunfire: [KO Pending]
-7/73 HP (-12)
96/160 SP

Mottlestar:
13/80 HP
107/170 SP (-9)

"Enjoy me instead" A look of disgust flashed across Vipershade's face, Is he.... hitting on me? Gross.

Vipershade Attempted Belly Rake! It was unsuccessful and he is now KO'd!

Falconmoon
35HP / 86SP

Nightstalker
0HP / 64 SP (-24HP)

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

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'Effect Dice' : 3

With her opponent prone, Beechfang slashed at her again. She was exhausted, her fur was heavy with water and blood, but she wouldn't give up while there was still fight left in her.

Beechfang used front part strike for -7 sp, dealing -10 damage. Perchstar is still stunned.

Beechfang
13 / 68 HP
52 / 130 SP (59 - 7)

Perchstar
8 / 80 HP (18 - 10)
131 / 170 SP

name. uwubers timezone. EST discord. @ uwubers code.kiikko

Am I... am I what? And just like that, Nightslaker passed out. Falconmoon's ears pinned back and his fangs were exposed in a mixture of emotions. Disgust, mostly... but also...

".... YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN LUCKY TO HAVE ME!" His hissed with indignant fury. He then shook his head and brought himself back to the... yes the war going on. Not his bruised ego mixed with "ew hecc no stinky Shadowclanners".

All of that was forgotten when he saw that Sunfire was in trouble. Falconmoon bolted. He threw himself forward and into the line of fire to guard his brother. Blood stained his pale fur even more and it ran thick. Falconmoon grunted and winced, but pushed back against his new foe.

"Not my brother. Not today. Rat."

Falconmoon has used Blocking Leap and took the damage meant for Sunfire from Mottlestar! -5SP

Falconmoon
23HP / 81SP (-12HP)(-5SP)

Sunfire
5HP / 96SP (+12HP)

Mottlestar
13HP / 107SP (No change)

One blow. One more good blow was all it would take. Then she could sink her fangs deep into the murderer's throat and head off the bloodshed. No one else needed to be hurt anymore. Perchstar regained the breath in her lungs through sheer force of willpower and struck out, lashing with claws directly at Beechfang's face--at the eye she'd already lost. To deal as much pain, to take as much thought as possible. This fight would be over. Every muscle in her was alive with tension, ignoring the thousand cuts and small wounds all over her own body, focused solely on the murderer. Was this it? Had she finally worn Beechfang down? She remained still, ready to move away from an attack at any moment, but ready to lunge in and end it the second she had confirmation.

Perchstar used Random Recall and Front Paw Strike, dealing 12 (10+2) damage and costing 6 (7-1) stamina. Perchstar is no longer stunned.

Perchstar:
8/80 HP
125/170 SP

Beechfang:
1/68 HP
79/130 SP

No, she would not quit, even when her vision blurred and every step felt like walking through thick brambles. Beechfang stumbled, sharp fangs snapping at Perchstar once more. One of them would die today, but she intended to take the Riverclan leader with her.

Beechfang used front paw strike for - 7 sp, dealing - 10 damage.

Beechfang
1/68 HP
45/130 SP (52-7)

Perchstar KO pending
0/80 HP (8-10)
125/170 SP

Stubborn to the last. The stubbornness that had caused this war. The stubbornness that was causing Perchstar's friends and Clanmates to bleed out alongside her. Of course, the falling, dying murderer had to try and lash out with one last blow. But her slowness was her undoing. Perchstar saw the attack coming from far away and was able to sidestep it easily, using the boundless adrenaline that was pumping through her veins. It had been her last strike. This was the end of it.

There was no time left to think, and certainly no sympathy left for someone who had insisted that her progeny fight for her to the last. So Perchstar knocked Beechfang to the ground with a simple blow. Compared to the fight that the tabby had put up, it was surprisingly easy.

I am sorry for the wait, Cloverheart.

And that was it. One moment, and it was over. Perchstar stood atop Beechfang's limp form. There was no need to consider her next course of action; it had been planned out in her mind over and over since the words had been spoken. The leader leaned down in a swift, fluid movement. Her jaws opened wide. Sharp white fangs gleamed for a moment in the sunlight, and then bit deep into the silver tabby's throat before locking together around the layers of fur and skin and jugular. Bright red blood flowed into her mouth, but she did not choke or flinch back from her actions. She completed what she had started--what Birdchaser had guaranteed. Life flowed out--a life too long, a life that had ended others and even now caused others pain and suffering. That was Beechfang's legacy. Pain and suffering for all others, and now the natural consequences of such a life could not be stopped. The roaring flow of the river could not be halted by mortal paws. Justice would take its toll, and not even the strongest could stop it. Blood kept coming, kept gushing out as the heart struggled to keep its frail, tenuous grip on life, but to no avail. Not until the body stopped thrashing did Perchstar release her vice grip on Beechfang's neck. Her jaws had been clamped so tightly together that it almost hurt to loosen them again and spit out globs of blood and chunks of disgusting silver fur.

I would pray that the stars have mercy on your soul, but you do not deserve what you refused to give others.

Panting, Perchstar used a white paw to wipe the scarlet traces from her mouth. Her battle was over... but the war would not grind to a screeching halt just because its heart had been torn out. SkyClan was full of nothing but bloodthirsty murderers and their consequences; most of them she knew would jump at the excuse to fight, even when it had become no longer necessary. But the RiverClan leader couldn't bring herself to look around at her surroundings--not yet. She needed just a moment to catch her breath from the exhausting fight. She certainly wasn't as young as she used to be, but somewhere deep inside her, the fact that she had won and delivered through on her promise sated the burning flame. A scalding ember of pride took its place. None would ever dare to mess with her Clan again. Not while she held true on her promises. Not when she made good on her threats. The corpse below her was proof of that. Beechfang's corpse, spared the indignity of drowning only by Perchstar's own mercy. Instead the perfect puncture wounds in its throat leaked out a puddle of crimson blood. The first cat she'd ever killed. Killed in battle, killed with no pretense of peace or safety. Beechfang had known that her death awaited the second that they'd locked eyes, and so there was no deceit, no trickery, no hatred. No code-breaking and certainly no murder. A death mutually agreed-upon. A death warned in advance. A death deserved.

For all Birdchaser's strong words, all her denunciations, Perchstar felt exactly the same as she had in that moment--only now, with her vindication strengthened by relief. It was over. She had not suddenly turned into a monster through the deed; no innocents had suffered at her paws. She would catch her breath, and then she would accompany her Clanmates and her allies to finish the battle. There was no need to continue it now, was there? Not with the object of betrayal lying so thoroughly and completely dead.

"It's over," she whispered. To herself, to Beechfang, to Cloverheart, to the stars. "And now let it be truly over."


Perchstar used Dodge-and-Fight, costing 6 (7-1) stamina.

Beechfang: (K.O. Pending)
0/68 HP
45/130 SP

Perchstar:
8/80 HP
111/170 SP

OOC: Please do not attack Perchstar since her next opponent has already been confirmed. Thank you.

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

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'Effect Dice' : 1

Briarthorn growled as the ThunderClan molly quickly turned around, as if her attempt to leave her incapacitated was but a mere annoyance. Very well, then, her assumption that she shouldn’t immediately dismiss her as an easy target was correct. Whatever. She’d do what she had to do in order to defend her Clan. Striking back just as quickly, Briarthorn launched forward and clamped her powerful jaws around her haunches, digging in deep and thrashing her head in an attempt to do the most damage she possibly could.

Briarthorn used Snap, dealing -10 damage and using -7 stamina.

Briarthorn:
63/73 HP
138/160 SP [-7]

Comfreyheart:
50/65 HP [-10]
120/130 SP