[IC/RC] The other side

Jayleap's eyes widened, but quickly narrowed once more as he realized the cat he was fighting was the Roseclan deputy. He felt a paw in his side, a blunt force that knocked him down. He attempted to get back up quickly, but faltered before managing to regain his balance.

"You act as if we do not defend our own," he snarled. "The right thing to do would be to chastise the apprentice and take her back to your side." He growled, straightening himself. His side was throbbing now, and he looked again at Tigerpaw and the Roseclan apprentice, a small smile making his way to his face. "No matter what, you're in the wrong. We were merely following the warrior code ourselves." The deputy backed up before going in circles around the other tom, tail lashing, trying to look for any sign of ways to beat him. The other tom clearly invested in brute force, and if Jayleap was to defeat him, he'd have to do it by strategy.

Jayleap took a fake swipe at the Roseclan deputy before backing away quickly. He did this again, trying to move himself out of the way before the larger tom could attack. Finally, the young deputy took a swipe at the Roseclanner's cheek, trying to draw blood, before backing away again. Hopefully he could tire the other tom and get the best of him then.

( That's cool. It's fine the way it is, I just didn't want to go with the idea that Echostar had given her no training whatsoever; that would be really irresponsible of her. ^^' )

Tigerpaw jerked back as claws slashed the side of his neck, drawing blood. While he had the advantage here in weight and ability, this Roseclan apprentice was faster. Amidst the whirl of battle instinct that clouded his skull, the determined part of him made a mental note that his speed needed honing.

Tigerpaw was dimly aware of the two deputies battling alongside them as he eyed the apprentice. It was a face-off, clan against clan. Tigerpaw hadn't experienced a battle in his lifetime, and had he not been so distracted trying to keep his ears intact, he would have been sickened by the blood. It posed a scarlet reminder of a night he remembered unfortunately vividly.

Anger boiled once again in his bloodstream, and Tigerpaw imagined it flowing red-hot into his claws, urging him forward. The terrible stinging of his wounds faded, and he sprung forward once again. Doubt seemed to have left him, as he turned his rage on the (undeserving) apprentice before him, aiming to knock her to the ground.

Mothflight's ears rang at the sound of cats fighting. She felt as if she could ear every tuft of fur being torn, flesh tearing beneath claws. Her whole body buzzed with excitement. The two Roseclan cats were fighting valiantly against her clan-mates, but it was still three against two. Thorn like claws scraped the mossy earth beneath her. She believed strongly in her apprentice, despite not having trained very much at all. Her ice cold glare fixed on Jayleap and his enemy. As much as I'd like a fair fight, I'd also like to win. The two cats were deep in battle. She waited, watching Jayleap make his attack before haring around them and hoping to land a painful scratch down the Roseclanners back while he focused on the cat in front of him.

Bearshadow snarled furiously as he felt claws in his cheek and almost immediately against his back. He had nearly forgotten the other IvyClan warrior, a mistake he would not make again. He knew they were not going to win this battle, but he was not about to let any of them get away without a scratch to show for it. Without hesitation he flung his back legs out behind him, hoping to catch the other warrior in the chest or face before she could retreat from her move. Once his hind paws hit ground again he lunged forward, snapping his teeth at Jayleap's legs. His blood was bubbling too loudly for words, and he forced himself to listen for the sounds of Chervilpaw, knowing full well he had been doing this to protect her.
((I'm going to have him call for the retreat in 2-3 more posts, that okay?))

(Honestly Chervil’s the irresponsible one, if she hadn’t knowingly crossed the border to steal prey and imply the enemy warriors were kittypets I’m sure Echo would have nothing to worry about. Also how big is Tigerpaw? Chervil’s on the large size and they’re the same age(ish) so I’m not sure who’d have the weight advantage.
I’m good with that blossom, unless Kai wanted to intervene with Echo?)

Chervilpaw could no more than register the blood welling up around her paws before the enemy apprentice knocked the wind out of her. For a moment she lay under him, a sharp throb coming from her side, the ice inside her had melted leaving a residual calm. This wasn’t so different to tussling with her siblings…

A snarl cut through her respite and the panic slammed back into her. She pushed upwards with her hind legs, whether to protect her belly or throw her opponent off she wasn’t quite sure. It didn’t matter. Still dazed, her strikes were feebler than when she’d played like this with her siblings back in the nursery.

Somewhere around her sounds of battle raged on. Another snarl Bearshadow’s or Ivyclanner’s brought her back to her senses. If Bearshadow was still fighting she had to keep fighting and if he wasn’t… A hard knot formed in her belly. If not she had to fight three times as hard. She kicked up again with all her strength as she flailed her front paws aiming for her opponent’s chest.

( Well, Tigerpaw is supposed to be kind of average-sized, maybe a little on the large side. I kind of assumed the weight thing because he was somewhat older, but now I'm not sure. Chervilpaw probably would, in fact. )
( That's fine - I had planned on bringing Echostar in, but it may be better to leave this one to Bearshadow. It would make more sense, since his deputyship comes later. )

As the haze cleared from his head, Tigerpaw's brow furrowed. The molly was trapped beneath him, struggling with rather weak kicks against his belly. Confusion clouded his mind. Now what? He knew he had the perfect chance to end the fight, but what should he do? Attacking an opponent, especially another apprentice, seemed wrong when she was pinned like this. He could imagine Mothflight urging him on.

His hesitation cost him. Before he could register the paws planted against his sternum, the tom was thrown backwards. Luckily, he managed to land on his paws, stumbling at the impact. He winced, the fresh claw marks on his chest seeping scarlet into his fur. This isn't a play fight or a practice; I need to stay focused!

Claws dug in to her chest, causing flecks of blood to erupt from where they dug, and dampening her light brown chest fur. The breath was so suddenly knocked out of her lungs as Mothflight landed heavily on to the mossy forest floor. The she-cat lay sprawled for a moment, listening to the sounds of fighting cats vibrate around her in the clearing. Everything was happening around her still. She could just imagine her clan-mates back at camp, unaware of the border skirmish. Get up, mousebrain! She snarled to herself, shaking off her momentary day dream. Mothflight sprung to her paws and narrowed an icy gaze at the Roseclan deputy. Two on one might be unfair, but this was Ivylcan territory and it was rightfully theirs to defend. Not hesitating any further, Mothflight leaped back at the tom, hoping to land on his back this time and sink her fangs in to his soft tabby pelt. 

With a furious yowl, Bearshadow was startled by the she-cat landing on his back, and instinctively he rolled, hoping to crush her under him. He was suddenly aware of how serious his wounds felt and hissed loudly as he swallowed his pride. He and Chervilpaw would die if they didn't retreat now, and he would never get his revenge then.
"Chervilpaw! Fall back!" He ordered, glad to have dislodged his attacker, one way or another as he rolled back to his feet. Unfortunately he was already slightly dizzy from the amount of blood he was losing, even before the newly ripped flesh across his shoulders and neck. He snarled and swiped blindly toward the blurry shape of what he was fairly certain was the female warrior as he backed toward their territory, waiting for Chervilpaw to retreat before he dared to turn his back on the fight.

The copper taste in her mouth delighted Mothflight. The sticky goo clung to her black muzzle and curled along a whisker or two. Sweet Starclan, is this what it feels like to truly be a warrior? She thought proudly. Her presumptuous thought quickly faded as the cat dislodged her almost immediately. The sound of his howl rang in her ears loudly. The young she-cat rolled painfully back on to her four paws again, not allowing her arrogance to get the best of her, especially in front of her apprentice. Her blue eyes glowed as brightly as the sun at the realization that they had won the border battle. "That's right, run!" She hissed loudly, knowingly swiping out of range from the tabby tom. Mothflight felt her energy ebbing away at a fast rate as fatigue clung heavy to her muscles. 

(Perhaps we should make a thread with the medicine cat in our respective clans?)

Jayleap quickly scooted away as Mothflight attacked the Roseclan deputy, but got back in a fighting stance. He was panting, and as he heard Bearshadow's call to retreat, a grin reached his face. We won.

His tail lashed impatiently as he panted, looking around at his comrades before giving a defiant stare to Bearshadow and Chervilpaw. He was relieved. Not that he'd doubted in the first place, but he was relieved no one was too badly hurt. Of course, his wounds were now stinging more than they had when he'd gotten them since the adrenaline was wearing off, but in the end it was worth it. And that was when the flashback hit.

A flash of blood here. His claws over his brother. Fighting. Hunting. All too early for a cat. He blinked hard, stepping backwards before looking at Bearshadow. For a moment, he recognized the similarities Bearshadow and his own brother had, before gritting his teeth and backing away more. "Yeah, run."

( That's a good idea. )

Before the two apprentices had a chance to clash again, Bearshadow's surrendering cry rang through the air. As honor dictated, the yowl halted all fighting. Tigerpaw stepped back from Chervilpaw, almost tempted to dip his head to the apprentice. She was obviously (and according to Bearshadow) a new apprentice. And yet she held her ground against him; Mothflight had always said he was a skilled fighter for his age.

As Bearshadow and Chervilpaw backed off, Tigerpaw felt a swell of pride. His first real fight, and he had won! I can't wait to tell Softpaw about this. All of his battle training had been worth it; he had defended his clan! Not only that, but he had done it without an ounce of help from anyone else (other that his clanmates occupying Bearshadow). An achievement such as this brought a feeling of success to the young tom.

As the battle-induced adrenaline faded, along with the buzz of victory, Tigerpaw winced. The Roseclan apprentice had sharp claws. He was laced in scratches, one particularly painful gash on his neck throbbing in time with his heartbeat. Luckily, it wasn't deep enough to be dangerous; it was generally advised to protect your throat and belly at all costs. Tigerpaw flexed his aching claws, the stinging of his wounds not enough to dampen the elation of his first battle.

(Let me know when/if you do the IC one)

Chervilpaw felt the weight ease off her and she flung herself sideways, scrabbling back to her feet. She stood puffed up, teeth bared with her ears flattened to her skull, snarling. Her opponent stumbled, unsteady from the force of her kick. She moved forwards, weaving towards him as fast as she could. If she struck now…

"Chervilpaw! Fall back!"

The pounding of blood in her skull died to a slow ebb. Still poised to strike her ears pricked up as she glanced from the apprentice back to her deputy dripping with blood. Shame swelled in her chest; he’d been fighting two against one and he was injured, all because of her. She turned from the apprentice just catching the fight go out of him and then what looked like a nod as she took a tentative step towards Bearshadow. But those Ivyclan warriors were awfully big… In the end she pelted off towards the border, oddly cold and weak.

“I’m sorry Bearshadow.” Her voice was shaking.

All for a stupid crow. Echostar was going to kick her out for sure.