Why Do We Do This To Ourselves [c]

Silverhawk did not like interacting with queens. Anything to do with the nursery left him feeling agitated and uneasy, and they were no exception. Silverhawk did his best to avoid them and their kits and their foul den as often as he could. But sometimes... there was nothing to be done. Sometimes he was forced on a patrol with ShadowClan's newest expectant, who'd obnoxiously declared her frivolous moon at the last Clan meeting. Silverhawk dutifully avoided Lilyvalley since. It did not help that he didn't like her. He regarded her with the same respect one would a broken-winged bird, but she frightened him, too. She often saw between his twisting words, or at least saw enough to know there was a between to see, and that disconcerted him. She wasn't subtle about her dislike of him, either. Silverhawk could practically taste the reluctance that rolled off of Lilyvalley, the bitterness. At least the sentiment was mutual.

Silverhawk watched her pad off, tail waving. It was a wonder she managed to catch anything between her leg, her jaw, and the burden of growing lives. “Congratulations,” he called, voice sweet. “I didn't think queens were meant to be out hunting. Perhaps you're the exception.” He spared her the addition or lame cats. Not that he felt particularly nice—he was just terribly disinterested in her frustration boiling any further. He wasn't in the mood for it today.

With a whisk of his tail, Silverhawk turned away and stalked off for himself. He'd heard a frog while he'd been watching Lilyvalley, and he intended to kill it. Once he heard it again he dropped into a low crouch and trailed its scent, the sound of its periodic calls. It wasn't long before he laid eyes on it. He held his breath, wiggled his haunches, and sprang--just as something else descended for the kill, as well. Large talons dug into either side of his ribs and the owl let out a shrill cry of surprise at the catch it landed. Immediately, Silverhawk wiggled in its grip, reaching around to claw at whatever he could until he felt blood, saw feathers fluttering down past his face and heard the squawks of alarm turn into those of pain. When he was released, he scrambled back, hissing under his breath at the way his sides now stung. "Don't mind me," he called without bothering to look for Lilyvalley, "I can handle this myself. Wouldn't want you stressing the kits, now."

Silverhawk attempted to catch a frog... and summoned on Owl! -2 EP.
Owl used Swoop, dealing 9 damage and costing 15 EP.
Silverhawk used Claw, dealing 9 damage and costing 5 EP.

Silverhawk
51/60 (-9) HP
153/160 (-2, -5) EP

Owl
21/30 (-9) HP
75/90 (-15) EP

Silverhawk’s ears burned at Lilyvalley’s comments. What--did she think he couldn’t handle the owl himself? So what if it had grabbed him and nearly hauled him off the ground in its first plunge! His tail lashed furiously and he had to fight to swallow down a vicious snap demanding she stay back and watch him. He could kill the cursed bird himself just to show her how many cats it’d feed. But, after letting him wrestle with the bird for a bit, she came rushing in. Silverhawk’s lip curled, but he reminded himself the owl was his opponent, not Lilyvalley.

”Far prettier than yours,” he sniped, voice still light with song. The owl beat its wings to escape the assault, then immediately came back down, raking its claws at Lilyvalley’s shoulders. Silverhawk used its own attack against it, taking its low altitude as his opportunity to spring forward and bring it to the ground. His teeth sank into its neck as he collided with it, and he and the bird went for a brief roll, one that Silverhawk quickly came out on top of. The owl squawked weakly, but with a shake of Silverhawk’s head, he cut its life short.

After a puff, Silverhawk spat the feathers out of his mouth and looked back over his shoulder. "What was that about feeding the Clan?" He grinned smugly back at Lilyvalley. ”Oh, and thanks for all your help. Clearly," he gestured to the bird, which he'd done most of the work on, "I must have needed it." His tail flagged in a single lash before he turned and stalked away again. He was determined to actually find something on this outing.

But luck would not be on his side. As he ranged further from Lilyvalley, a strange chittering caught his attention, and it wasn't long before he laid eyes on a raccoon. Silverhawk groaned and considered leaving it to its own devices, but his frustrated claws itched to draw blood. Besides, it wouldn't do well to let it linger on the territory. He crouched down between a patch of ferns, watching it for a moment to be sure it was unaware of his presence, and then he sprang. The raccoon whirled and hissed violently, lashing out to drag its claws harshly under his muzzle as it tried to struggle away from his gripping claws.

Owl used Talon Strike on Lilyvalley, dealing 5 damage and costing 10 EP.
Silverhawk used Bite, dealing 12 damage and costing 5 EP. Owl is KO'd!

Silverhawk
51/60 HP
148/160 (-5) EP

Owl
-3/30 (-12) HP
65/90 (-10) EP

Lilyvalley
55/60 (-5) HP
153/160 EP

---

Silverhawk attempted to catch a frog... and summoned a raccoon! e.e -2 EP.
Silverhawk used Claw + Surprise Attack, dealing 15 damage and costing 15 EP.

Silverhawk
51/60 HP
131/160 (-2, -15) EP

Raccoon
5/20 (-15) HP
110/120 (-10) EP