We All Knew This Was Coming - Right? [closed]

Stormwatcher was on another one of his solo patrols - Wolfstar could take her orders about having to be around others right now and apply that to everyone else but not him!

The big guy was confident that he did not need to be babysat, not anymore at least! And besides! HE was actually helping the clan now not like his earlier days of laying around doing nothing.  She had finally gotten him to be a good warrior so he could not exactly waste his time waiting for all the 'proper' procedures of going out with someone else.

His paws unsurprisingly found themselves subconsciously going to the river - it was like he had 0 say in the matter as he just found that subconsciously that is where he always seemed to walk to.

He glared out at the opposite bank of the river and sat just sulking in utter silence. This was surely one of the best - most healthy ways to deal with the grief of his sister Birdstar.


---------


Unknown to stormwatcher someone was coming - for different reasons. Sprucebark had to have a moment away from everyone after Perchstars death - he had to just be alone for a little bit -

I will be back in time for the night vigil he promised himelf as he allowed himself to slip away while Perchstar's body was brought to where it would be grieved later tonight.

He slumped over and sat at the rivers edge looking at his reflection in the last bit of light that the day had.

He squeezed his eyes shut and just sobbed - it was an ugly sob of pure pain and hurt as he felt tears dribbling down his eyes and staining his cheeck fluff. "oh Perchtar... thank you- for everything" he whispered and felt his side heave achingly as he felt so defeated.


-----------

Stormwatcher kicked a pebble into the river frustrated - he watched it splash into the water as he sulked. His ears perked as a way upstream he thought he heard something.  His fur raised already out of instinct and he crept forward towards whatever was out there. The light was waning -

sunset - a perfect time for riverclan to try and ambush us he thought bitterly - the cowards that they were! To not even show themselves in the light! So be it! He would avenge his sisters unjustified murder!

He stalked forward angerly and silently until he spotted the source of the sound.  He hissed to himself watching - his ears pinned against his head as he recognized Sprucebark.

The two of them had a complicated mess of a relation - they had met when Stormwatcher had saved Sprucebark from badgers. And after that they had become very good freinds - for a time (while the alliance was still alive) he had even thought he felt something beyond just friends for the other tom.

But whatever they had came to utter ruin when the alliance crumbled and their clans went to war.

His eyes narrowed on Sprucebark- what in stars was that idiot doing!? He muttered to himself and stalked closer.
His ears swiveled until he realized - Sprucebark was crying?? No full on sobbing over there.

It just made him mad - what did that riverclanner have to cry over?? Some fish get away?

He grunted and shook with anger.

This was probably just a trap and a trick to get him to cross the border so he could be ambushed - did sprucebark really think that he could use their old friendship against him.

"THATS IT! IVE HAD IT WITH YOU! GET OVER HERE AND FIGHT ME FOR REAL! NO MORE CHEAP TRICKS NO MORE AMBUSHES! I AM NOT FALLING FOR THAT GET YOUR FAKE TEARS WIPED AWAY AND COME FIGHT ME LIKE THE CLAN CAT YOU ARE! he yelled staring intently at the opposing clan cat.


-----

Sprucebark had his face burried into his front paws as he felt every bit of pain bubbling up the surface - at the end of the day duty and rules meant so much to him. He was able to keep from breaking apart in front of Perchstar in her final moments - he didnt think it would be correct to fall apart and make her last moments feel that much harder.  But now that he was free of duty it all poured out. He was alone - or so he thought - he was finally where he could grief on his own and not have to worry about what his duty was - for an hour or so he could just lose himself in the pain of it all. Memories of her guiding voice echoed in his head - how she saved him from weasels when he was young and the countless walks they went on where he learned so much from her - she had taught him like a second mentor and was his Aunt in every sense of the word. She said he was her niece too right before she died - so - she had seen him that way too?

He was so lost in it that he didnt hear the pawsteps approaching until the yelling began.  He sat up terrfied and confused as ever as he yowled jumping from his laying down position.  His eyes were still cloudy from all the tears but he recognized that voice anywhere.

"S-s.. stormwatcher??" he muttered out his voice still froggy from the utter cry session he was still in the middle of.

As he wiped the tears from his eyes he panicked as he saw the big skyclan cat splashing his way across the river right towards him!

n-no I'm not here to attack your clan he tried to say - but his throat was so tight from the crying that only a small squeek escaped him as the other tom was climbing up the river bank and shaking his pelt off from all the water. He would be upon him in an few moments.

What was Stormwatcher thinking!! Crossing the border!


-----

"I'm not falling for some fake sympathy ploy! What did you think was gonna happen me come over to check on an old time friend just so you could attack me!?" he growled hissing.  Leave it to riverclan to try something so hurtful.

"I used to care about you Sprucebark! I thought you felt the same way- but clearly not if you want to try and trick me using the emotions we used to have against me!

He hissed and leapt at the riverclanner bowling them both over sending them tumbling down the river bank and onto a rocky shore a short distance below.

Stormwatcher hissed angerly he had officially had enough - the only way he could cope with his sisters death at this point was a good old fashion fight and if it had to be against an old friend - someone who he used to care about so much - so be it.

He hissed and swiped at sprucebark!

Sprucebark was caught off gaurd and the swipe landed knocking him back a bit but he was lucky in that it had not caught anything super well.

The two stared each other down as they circled

OOC: Here is how I will do the battle they will both start with 10 hitpoints and will roll hunting dice for both attack AND defense.  The attack only lands damage if higher than the defense dice.  I literally have 0 idea how well this will work or not and I hope it does not drag out too long

The dice order will be as follows:

Stormwatchers attacks will be applied first since he is starting this fight:

1 Storms attack - 2 Storms defense - 3 Spruce attack - 4 Spruce defense

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 9, 6, 4, 3

(good stars! Storm hits hard!)

Stormwatcher unleashed a flurry of attacks.  All the built up anger he had - all the unprocessed grief of losing a sister was currently all being thrown directly at sprucebark.

The riverclan cat cried out in pain as claws dug at him.
he tried to hit back at his larger opponent but nothing seemed to be working or breaking through.


He fell backwards and he was trapped Stormwatcher was coming right at him and his back was to the river - there was no where left to run.

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 7, 5, 7, 1

Sprucebark ko pending
Stormwatcher 8 hp (-2)

Stormwatcher grunted angerly seeing his old friend flail around so weakly - "come onnnn!!! FIGHT!" he growled angerly -

"I know you are stronger than this! Birdstar could not have died to a clan so easily beaten!" he hissed and clawed once more at Sprucebark he didnt hold back as he drove him further and further towards the river.


Sprucebark managed to get a little bit of counterplay swipping back and catching Stormwatchers jaw with a cut. The skyclanner licked at the wound the blood only making him go more crazy.

He swiped heavily again and it was over Sprucebark fell to his paws going dizzy.

He held up a front paw pleadingly "s-top stop this madness you ugly brute" he coughed


----

Stormwatcher felt on top of the world right now. He lowered his paws and stopped hitting his opponent as he yielded

"WHOOOO LETS GOOOO! he yowled as he strutted around a bit.

"Go tell perchstar who just did this to you - tell her she can 1-1 me next!"
The thought of getting the other leaders attention was something he wanted for awhile - whether stepping on that other cats tail during the gathering or defeating her warrior in a spar got it he didn't care.

He glanced at the riverclan cat - the one he used to care about so much... the one he used to love.

He sighed heavily as his adrenaline wore down.

"you need to work on your defense - maybe we can spar again soon" he meowed almost monologging.


-----

Sprucebark staggered back to his paws. He hurt a lot but it was nothing fatal or too serious - nothing that would not heal with time.

He glared at Stormwatcher as he dared speak of Perchstar like that. How he wished he could keep her name forever out of his mouth.

"you sick monster you! She's dead" he hissed his eyes flashing a rare furry of anger that would not usually ever come to the code following fellow.

He trembled in pure anguish "that's why I'm out here... it's not to trick you - this has nothing to do with you

news flash you mousebrain - the forest doesn't always revolve around you or skyclan

"you just cannot let it go can you? The war- your entire clan has moved on - How long will you hold me against it? Forever?

----------

Stormwatcher blinked looking disbelieving. His ear flickered not trusting what he had just heard -

Dead?? But as Sprucebark continued he was pretty sure it was all true the entire part of it. It wasn't really like what he had expected - he thought when Perchstar died he would be free - he would be over everything that had happened. Of course - he had also always envisioned himself as the one to kill her off. Her just being gone .... It felt so stunning.

He sat down bewildered - "I hadn't ever thought about letting it go he spoke but mostly to himself -

"Now you know what I have felt- now you feel where I have been." He hated Perchstar's guts but there was a certain level of respect he had for Sprucebark now that he was grieving - he knew how terrible that felt - to try so desperately to save the one you love and to lose them in the end all the same.

"Birdstar was like a sister to me - she taught me so much and made me better." he slowly forced himself to look at his sparring partner / frenemy / rival ... or whatever they were now.

"If Perchstar was anything like that to you- I'm so sorry.

He wanted to answer his question - of how long it would be that the war would keep them separated in this bitter entanglement.
Now... right now... that is how long. From now on I wont hold it against you but he couldn't bring himself to say all that certainly not right now.

He got up to his paws and after one last look to Sprucebark he waded back across the river to his own side.

The smell of blood alerted Wolfstar to Stormwatcher's presence before she spotted him through the trees. She had been on a patrol toward the Riverclan border, and the sight of her injured clanmate had the leader's hackles rising immediately as she leapt through the trees toward him.

"Stormwatcher, what happened?" She called, nearing the tabby. His wounds didn't look like the workings of the dogs at all... They looked like those that would be made by another cat. And with how close they were to the border... And that his fur was wet... "Explain yourself." She spoke, tone suddenly very, very neutral as she came to a stop before him. The thoughts that immediately ran through her mind were far from pleasant, knowing the recent hostilities between Skyclan and Riverclan were not truly gone even if the battle that had taken Birdstar and Beechfang had ended moons ago.

Ignoring her orders was one thing that he could justify. Lying to her was a line he wouldn't cross.

He shrugged and shook more water from his pelt and sat before her. "I crossed the border. Sparred with Sprucebark and then came back."

He was absolutely calm and neutral about it - he could have just as easily said he had just gone out to the pub for a round with the boys it would have been the same tone. It was as if there was nothing out of the ordinary about what he just did.

"we are even now - Sprucebark and I.  There is no further need for me to seek out Riverclan or start anything else now." He dipped his head slightly but met her gaze.

"So - do what you will. Banish me if you want demote me to kit - kill me if you really must. I couldn't really care at this point. The freedom that I feel right now is better than anything else I have ever felt.

He believed he had found true peace now - Riverclan and him were equal and he wanted nothing more with them his obsession was finally over. He felt as light as some of the birds they hunted.

"I don't think anything will come of it- we have an understanding of sorts" he meowed looking back at the riverclan border one last time.

"You realize this was inevitable - and this is probably one of the best endings

"You... Crossed the border. And sparred." Wolfstar spoke slowly, "With a Riverclanner." It was such an outlandish tale that anyone else would be lying. She knew Stormwatcher though, and his words rang with honesty.

"You realize we were just at war with them, yes? Spar or not, Stormwatcher, if that cat was injured, you know how vengeful Perchstar is." She hissed lowly. "Why would you put yourself in danger? Why potentially put the rest of the clan in danger?" And then the tom was speaking again, his tone matter-of-fact and almost... She couldn't quite put a name to whatever emotions he was feeling.

The leader took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. For a moment she simply stared at Stormwatcher without saying anything. Oh, she wanted to kill him, alright.

"Of sorts?" She repeated, "You best pray that is the case." The leader's tail lashed once. "I cannot have my warriors starting fights, Stormwatcher. That has led to enough hardship for all of us lately." And she wasn't even going to mention the stars-forsaken dogs. Stars, how much more could the clan take? War, predators, loss after loss after loss... Her ears flattened at the idea of banishment. No, she would not lose another cat she considered family. "I'm disappointed. You should know better." At least he hadn't lied, or tried to deny what had happened.

"No more crossing the border for the next moon. If you are to leave camp, it will be with an escort. Someone responsible."