And so it begins [c]

It had not taken long for the grublings to grow tired of the very loose leash their father, and his buddies kept around his spawn. All of them had taken the opportunity to seek out their own adventures, and their own forms of entertainment. Louse was no different, he had quickly grown restless and their home and surrounding areas were so boring. None of his siblings had been around to play, and the older cats tolerated him. It was the awful, but it was still better than the soggy box the twolegs had put them in. There was a loud yowl, a complaint of some kind, and Louse took that as his leave. He couldn't stand whining.

He slipped out of camp, and began his adventure. The tom didn't mind his own company, at least on his own there weren't any annoying voices, nor excuses to use the claws that constantly itched with pent up energy. Today he wanted to see the river, wanted to see how wild it was. He'd heard the waves were so loud they deafened everyone. The though made Louse smile, then he wouldn't have to listen to anyone of their stupid rules if he couldn't hear them. His pace quickened, until he was running, the moors of WindClan passing him by in a blur, It was so freeing to not feel confined, or locked in. He had enjoyed all his adventures so far, but the lack of appearances from other cats made this one especially enjoyable.

Up ahead he could hear the sound of crashing, the calico's ears perked and he raced forward, eager to see the river. He hadn't realised though that there would be such a sheer drop, and his mad dash was quickly followed by bad scrambling to stop himself from teetering over into the rapids below. Picking himself up, Louse peered over the edge taking in the view. The waves were cool, and he liked the crashing, but todays weather made the water a grey sludge colour. That wasn't very impressive. Perhaps it'd look better on the other side. That was where the cats that liked water lived, perhaps they liked water as it looked better from there side.

Carefully, Louse began to scale down the trench, towards the rapids. From his perch he'd spotted several stepping stones that marked his path across. Nimbly he crossed over, claws unsheathing as he skittered over the boulders, his pelt flaring as he came so close to the surging river. "It's scarier down here." he murmured. He honestly didn't even feel that scared, and the crossing was quickly completed. It was just another moment where he felt indifferent. He shrugged and kept going, eventually scrambling over the precipice and onto RiverClan's side of the cliff. A disappointed sigh left his mouth, it was looked the same on this side. Nothing made sense.

His claws burned in annoyance, and he knocked several stones into the river, watching as they were swallowed. Louse's face lit up with glee, that was more interesting. Rock after rock, increasing in size he rolled over the edge, laughing at the large splashes they caused, and then shivering himself as he was caught in the splashback. His brief fun was ruined though, out of the corner of his eye the rogue spotted a clan cat approaching. There was no point in attempting to hide, vegetation was sparse and with the beeline the cat was making towards him, it was obvious he'd been spotted. His amber eyes flared, and he stood up claws unsheathing, trying to make himself look as threatening as he could with his soggy pelt.

Troutpaw could not have sighed any louder. It may as well have been a yowl. The long-furred tabby approached with the most unamused look on his face. Time to tell this idiot off, he supposed. The patrol wasn't far behind him, but with how busy they were talking among themselves and marking borders... bah! He wouldn't bother asking them to come.

"Excuse me," He called out, thoroughly annoyed that anyone would come to Riverclan's territory. Did they not know who Perchstar was? Did they not see her magnificence? Idiots. Fools. Worthless larvae. "You are on Riverclan territory and that means you need to shove off." Troutpaw hardly sounded intimidating. He wasn't even angry. He was bored. He even sat a fox length from the rogue, whom was also apprentice aged. "We have enough useless free-loaders here, Riverclan doesn't need anymore." Now he was examining the fluff between his toes. Maybe if this rogue was an adult, Troutpaw would have bolted the other way.

Troutpaw’s words earned nothing but an eye roll from Louse. Up close the tom was hardly intimidating, sure he was big, but he was cumbersome and his pelt looked like it was meant for a badger, not a cat. The Riverclanners words bored him. So predictable, it was as the cats that he had to share his home with had said - arrogant, selfish and entitled. Louse was all those things too, but he tried his best not to make it obvious. Wearing undesirable traits on your sleeve didn’t earn you any favours, it only gave you enemies. Troutpaw had done just that, made an enemy of Louse. Though, the calico hardly considered much of the large apprentice, he was more of an annoyance. He’d learnt after living with his sibling that even annoyances could be fun, especially when wound up.

A mischievous grin crossed his features, and he trotted towards Troutpaw. “You are excused.” he mewed whiskers twitching “I’m quite happy with my rocks, so I won’t be shoving off anytime soon, you’re free to keep moving though.” his amber eyes fell to the floor in an almost sheepish matter, before flickering up to meet Troutpaw’s again “Bye ~”

Troutpaw had been quite content to just stare at his toes while the rogue left. But... apparently the rogue didn't want to leave. The apprentice cocked his head to the side and put his paw down, though if the rogue was trying to get a rise out of Troutpaw... Good luck with that. The apprentice inhaled deeply through his nose and exhaled loudly right back out.

"Alright, I know you're not a clan cat so I will make this more simple for you to understand. Riverclan isn't particularly fond of non-Riverclanners on their land. It's a whole thing." There was even an eye roll from Troutpaw, almost as if he secretly thought the idea of it was ridiculous himself. "It is my job, warriors' jobs too, to make sure rogues are not here, or even other clan cats. I personally couldn't give a fish less if you wanted to play in the gorge and play with the rocks. Maybe you'd fall in and that would be that. Let nature take care of itself, I say. Unfortunately clan law says I gotta confront you. So... get confronted."

Boom. He did his job. Troutpaw wasn't the violent sort, especially not after the confrontation with the weasel. Stars above... cats actually wanted to do this? There was something wrong with them. Fighting freaking hurt.

"With that out of the way, I, Troutpaw, ask again that you shove off. Do I need to get warriors out here to help me take care of you? They are a fish jump away if I call for them."

Louse yawned loudly, sitting down. “I already know your rules fish brain.” he mewed ildly, paws swirling the dust beneath him. “They’re stupid rules in my opinion, and they ruin my fun.” The tom stretched out, spreading his toes and humming at the satisfying crack of his bones. He grinned, turning away and brushing his tail over Troutpaw nose, ignoring his comment about the warriors. ”Why don’t you say ‘fox the rules’ and come and play my rock game instead, hm?” asked Louse, glancing back over his shoulder.

Play the rock game? Troutpaw stared at the rocks for a few seconds, considering it. He looked guiltily over his shoulder and gave this decision some thought. No. Perchstar would be unhappy with me for not doing my job. Fish scales! What do I do? I'm no fighter. He opened his mouth to call for the other warriors... but then closed it just a moment afterward. No. He could take care of this himself. It was just some rogue kid. He could handle this! His courage needed to be built up somehow...

Taking a breath to steady his nerves, Troutpaw began to walk forward with a determined look in his eyes. "I have asked you nicely enough times. If you won't listen then I have no choice but to use claws." His voice wavered at the mention of claws, but he cleared his throat and crouched down. He kicked off of the ground and... tried to release a war yowl. It sounded more like a deflating balloon as his heart raced and limbs shook.

Troutpaw used jumping strike, dealing 9 damage (first attack bonus) -7SP

Louse
31HP / 100SP (-9HP)

Troutpaw
20HP / 53SP (-7SP)

Louse groaned as he saw the shift in the apprentices eyes, Why did the clan cats insist of being so self righteous, couldn't they live a little. He steeled himself for the claws that shredded his pelt, not allowing the RiverClanner a chance to even relish in the injuries he made. Except he outright snorted at the cat's attempt at a war growl. "That's hardly going to make your enemies tremble with fear." he chortled. Not feeling the least bit concerned about Troutpaw, or the consequences of his actions, Louse laid into the thick furred apprentice. Claws tore at wherever he could reach, drawing rivulet's of blood where they snagged. His teeth clamped down on Troutpaw's shoulder, burying deep, before tearing away. He hadn't even wanted to fight this cat in the first place, but if he wantd to fight and ruin Louse's game, he supposed he would have to fight. The fight would be his new game, and Louse would win.

Louse used Snap and Desperate Blows on Troutpaw. Dealing -10 HP (-6 HP + -4 HP) and costing -14 SP (-7 SP + -7 SP)

Louse

11/20 HP
46/60 SP (-14 SP)

Troutpaw

10/20 HP (-10 HP)
53/ 60 SP

Troutpaw howled, probably more than was necessary, at the pain of his skin giving way to claws. He back-pedaled at first, his courage beginning to leave him at a rapid rate. His heart was thunder in his ears, his sides heaving with the effort of his labored breathing. He couldn't do this... he couldn't do this... But he had to. His mouth was as dry as sand on the wind and his eyes were wide with terror. He couldn't even hear Louse. All he could do was zero in on something and attack it. He ran forward and snapped at whatever he could... which just so happened to be Louse's tail.

Troutpaw used Tail Yank, dealing 7 damage and -15SP

Troutpaw
10HP / 38SP(-15SP)

Louse
Stunned 1 Turn
4HP / 46SP (-7HP)

Teeth closed around his tail, pulling him backwards, so Louse responded by doing the most sensible thing - pullling himself forward, until he pulled his tail free of Troutpaw, and the tom toppled forward. With his opponent momentarily disorientated he whirled round, striking hard and fast across his face.

Louse used Random Recall and Front Paw Strike. Dealing -7 HP and Costing -12 SP (-7 SP + -5 SP)

Louse

4/20 HP
34/60 SP (-12 SP)

Troutpaw

4/20 HP (- 7 HP)
38/60 SP

Troutpaw was in a full blind panic now. More blood. More pain. Fear... such intense fear. Once this fight was over, he was going straight to Perchstar to tell her that he was sorry, but he didn't have it in him to be a fighter. He would beg her for forgiveness and beg her to give him some other job so he would still be useful. He prayed to the stars that she would have mercy on him. He flailed his claws around, not sure if he connected with anything at all.

Troutpaw uses Front Paw Strike, dealing 6 damage and -7SP

Troutpaw
4HP / 31SP (-7SP)

Louse
KO PENDING
-3HP / 34SP

The RiverClan cats moves became erratic, completely void of any sense of purpose. Louse's lip curled in disdain. Was this really how the clan cats fought? He was disappointed, and bored to say the least. He'd found his rocks far more interesting. The tom lunged at him, and Louse moved to the side. The edge of the gorge was behind him, several pebbles skittered over the ledge. His eyes shifted to the RiverClanner, slashing across his neck, watching the tom crumple, is useless attempts at fighting stopped.

Louse used Dodge and Fight! It was a success! Dealing -5 HP and costing -7 SP

Louse

4/20 HP
29/60 SP (-7 SP)

Troutpaw

KO Pending

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

---

'Effect Dice' : 5

Troutpaw felt claws rake his neck. He strength began to fail... rapidly. He dropped, and once he realized his strength to get up was leaving him, after a few staggering attempts to stand, he simply gave up and curled tight into a ball. "Okay, okay enough! Please! Please!" He shook, curling as tight as he could. He had already been light-headed, but the disorientating, confused feeling only increased as time went on. Why did it feel like he couldn't get enough air? Was it just part of his panic?

"You can do whatever you want. I told you I don't even care about the rocks! I'll leave. Have as much fun as you want. I just... wa-nt... to g-go ho... -mmmm" Troutpaw's world faded to black and speech became impossible. Light broke the blackness. He was suddenly in a world of starlight... unmistakably in Silverpelt.

He stared, in awe, his pain gone and his eyesight crystal clear. A Starclan cat he didn't know approached him: A big, cream colored tom with bold tabby stripes of brown and a white underbelly wrapped in stars.

"Troutpaw... you did well. Welcome to Starclan. I'm Bearspirit." Upon hearing the words... Troutpaw felt his heart go heavy with shame. He stepped back a few steps and shook his head.

"I'm unworthy. I'm a coward. I don't belong in Starclan." He could no longer meet the Starclan cat's eyes.

"Nonsense. You fought even though you were frightened. We can only ever be courageous when we are afraid. Come. Your place among the stars awaits. One day Perchstar will join us. You can speak to her then. But... it is your choice, Troutpaw. If you feel unworthy, then the Mist will await you as well."

Troutpaw stared at the ground for several moments, weighing his decision. He'd like to eventually talk to Perchstar, or anyone in Riverclan right now. He owed everyone an apology. After several heartbeats, Troutpaw slowly turned away from Bearspirit. The Starclan cat watched with dismay as the apprentice approached the Mist, but did nothing to stop him. When he was ready, Starclan would accept him regardless. He just needed time, it seemed.

Troutpaw stepped into a world of white, watching the light of the stars vanish under the heavy fog. He let the Mist wrap around his form and embrace him. He was unworthy of a life in the stars, and he would not be convinced otherwise.

Troutpaw is dead

The rogue watched as the apprentice struggled to get up. "It's not that hard to stand. You were doing it fine just a moment ago, and quit whining. Everything's fine." he growled in frustration at the apprentice's gyrating voice. He watched as the rise and fall of tabby's chest beacme erratic, and then slowed rapidly as everything began to fail. Then it all stopped. It took several moments for Louse to realised what had happened.

The Riverclanner was dead. He had killed him.

He wasn't sure how it made him feel. Well, actually he was sure how he felt. He felt nothing, a complete lack of care for what he'd done. That was what confused him, he knew he should feel bad, perhaps even remorseful, but he felt the same as before. It was no different than taking the life of aa rabbit or a mouse. He was wrong there too, prey brought him satisfaction it was a meal. This RiverClan cat was nothing to him, and so he felt nothing for the death he had just caused.

The corpse was a still as a rock, the young tom wondered if he fell into the river like one. He also had to get rid of the body somehow. Taking the dead cat's scruff between his teeth, he pulled him to the edge than gave a hard shove. Louse watched him topple over, and plummet into the waves below. He fell just like his rocks, maybe louder he definitely heard a screech of some kind. The sound he made upon hitting the surface was louder too, and the splash bigger still. More of a double splash if anything, none of his rocks had done that. Louse blinked. The RiverClanner didn't appear above the surface either, he supposed he also sank like a rock. The rogue had always assumed RiverClan cats could float. He sighed, then batted the rest of his rock over, ending both of his games. It was best to get out of here now.