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Post by Insidious on Feb 9, 2013 11:46:35 GMT -5
Foxpaw of TreeClan In camp, there tended to be a consistent buzz of conversing between various TreeClan standing felines. One could only be gifted such a priceless amount of time for their peace and quiet, before it was likely to be invaded. Foxpaw was in search of time to spend with her own thoughts. After all, it was a well-known fact that her warrior ceremony would be within any of the approaching moons, if not next few days. Although the lithe bodied she-cat was somewhat overdue in her ceremony, she didn't mind. Lionstar would gift her with the title of warrior when he saw her fit for it. For the time being, she was content in a place that felt homely to her: the treetop.
It was a few days earlier that Lionstar had taught the orange tabby how to ambush from the sky. It was an exhilarating experience, certainly. There were few things Foxpaw had been introduced to that supplied a higher butterfly effect in the stomach chamber than tumbling from the sky in hopes of landing atop the back of your target. Nevertheless, she didn't fear the idea as much as she had when first doing so under Lionstar's watchful gaze. Now – after she had visited Longstripe to gather a few more tips as Lionstar had instructed – Foxpaw knew she was ready to handle it, if need be.
A sigh of relaxation emitted from the she-cat's tiny jaws upon placing her head delicately atop forepaws hanging loosely off the edge of the branch's surface. Her tail swished once before finding a resting place tucked gently beneath her underbelly, ears pricking forward to become increasingly alert to any surrounding noise to aid the serenity of nature currently overwhelming her.
Surely, nothing will be able to disturb my peace and quiet all the way out here. It was a nice thought to have, the she-cat contemplated upon allowing her eyelids to momentarily flutter closed. |
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Post by Fawn on Feb 11, 2013 18:40:29 GMT -5
SILVERPAW~
It was along the same vein that Silverpaw had stepped out into the forest, her silver-ticked fur standing out against the decidedly brownish green and white landscape that was TreeClan's territory just coming out of leafbare. The snow had begun to melt, and Silverpaw did not have to squint so much because of the glare coming off of the snowbanks, the banks reduced to a few small mounds scattered throughout the flora. Though her mind was particularly calm, like the still surface of a lake in the middle of a breezeless greenleaf, her thoughts did circulate briefly through the teachings of her mentor, Nobleheart, and of the subconscious desire to spend more time with her sister, Rowanpaw.
I hope her training with Luckeyes is going well.
With her sister momentarily on the brain, Silverpaw thought back to their half-brother back at camp, a faint hope sparking at the possibility of all three of them getting the opportunity to spend together. Though it was unlikely considering how busy he was, he couldn't possibly be busy all of the time, now could he?
Though it wouldn't be long before Silverpaw would be called away on patrol, she had taken this brief respite in between duties, retreating into a quieter part of the forest, oblivious to the fact that Foxpaw - and a few things that didn't belong - were hidden from her view. Feeling safe enough that her instincts hit a lull, the pretty silver feline stretched out on a warm rock, beautifully green eyes narrowing, threatening to close as the warm sunlight bathed right over her. I'll head back to camp in a a moment...
Perhaps it was just bad luck, or perhaps Misfortune had taken a strange liking to her, but either Silverpaw suddenly became rather unknowingly disadvantaged at the appearance of two mask wearing creatures with sharp teeth, grabby, dextrous claws, and long banded tails. The pair of young raccoons large for their size, their winter coats still intact, along with the furious hunger that came with many days without foot. The larger of the two, the male, trundled through what was left of the snow with silent, certain footfalls, nose twitching as the pungent TreeClan scent assaulted his nostrils.
Spying the silver feline stretched out on the rock, a thought struck the two raccoons at exactly the same moment.
An easy meal!
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| We are born with a DNA blueprint into a world of scenario and circumstance we don't control |
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Co-Captain
INVENTORY
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Post by Phoenix on Feb 11, 2013 20:32:15 GMT -5
Life had been cooperating pretty well, in her opinion. The weather was getting better, and the snow, curious substance that it was, was rapidly receeding with the arrival of higher temperatures. These, in turn, sparked the prey's return. Their ribs no longer stood out as prominently as they had during the darkest, coldest days of leaf-bare, and because of that, she was satisfied. Silverpaw and Rowanpaw had joined them in the apprentice's den a little while back, and though they had not interacted much, she though that Lionstar's youngest kin were both tolerable, decent den mates. All in all, life was good.
Having decided to take full advantage of the opportune circumstances - who knew how long this delightfully warm weather would last - Littlepaw was out of camp, sneaking through what little undergrowth had survived leaf-bare's harsh gauntlet. The mouse ahead of her, lean like the rest of them but food all the same, seemed oblivious to her arrival as it dug through the remaining layers of snow with small forepaws. Claws slowly unsheathed as she crept forward on silent paws, freezing every time her paws were unfortunate enough to crunch on the snow. Her prey remained unaware. Bunching her muscles, she prepared to pounce. A rustle in the nearby brush alerted the mouse, and Littlepaw leapt forward, desperate to catch her prey before it became lost. She was met instead with the masked features of a raccoon. A startled hiss escaped her as her fur fluffed up, back arching threateningly. Surprisingly cowed, the creature lumbered back into the undergrowth, and after watching it go for a moment and soothing her thudding heart, the she-cat remembered the mouse. As she had expected, it had vanished.
Frustrated, she cursed the raccoon. Just because prey would become plentiful did not mean that it was, and TreeClan could still use every bit of food they could get their claws on. Moving in the opposite direction of the masked beast - she had no desire to meet up with it again - the apprentice wandered through the familiar territory, senses on the lookout for any sign of prey. None came, and she found herself circling back around, skirting the area where she had run into the mouse in favor of heading toward a handful of rocks. While they were relatively comfortable to relax on in the sunlight, they occasionally hid a mouse or two in their shadows. It was worth a shot, at least.
However the familiar scent of Silverpaw and the slightly fainter one of Foxpaw told her that the trip had been in vain. Cats had visited the place recently, and their trail would warn away any potential prey. Regardless, green eyes peered forward from their position behind a tree, spotting the now-familiar silvery pelt of the aptly named Silverpaw lazily stretched out on a rock. It was merely by chance that she happened to glance behind her clan mate and spotted the glittering, beady eyes lurking in the shadows behind the oblivious apprentice. As the shadows moved, morphing into the far too familiar shape of a raccoon, Littlepaw felt her heart stop. She could only screech, "Silverpaw! Behind you!", before her legs finally obeyed her frantic commands, and she leapt forward. |
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Post by Insidious on Feb 11, 2013 22:00:58 GMT -5
Foxpaw of TreeClan Alas, peace and quiet was unable to be cherished in its full extent, what with the constant reminder that the orange tabby was, in fact, never able to be completely alone in this clan-filled forest. Gray-green irises snapped open with an inwardly burning ire, traveling down the trunk of the tree she currently sat within until her eyes fixated upon a familiar bundle of silver fur; body resting delicately atop a bundle of rocks. Foxpaw's orange furred ears pricked forward, eyes narrowing at the seemingly oblivious state currently being held by fellow apprentice, Silverpaw. Although her scent would be somewhat masked due to the lack of ground-dwelling, it would still be present in the air, wouldn't it? A minor snort of disapproval was released from the she-cat's black nose, not nearly voluminous enough to be detected, however. It didn't necessarily matter to Foxpaw whether or not Silverpaw was able to scent her. The younger apprentice was of no concern to her. Her training was in the paws of Nobleheart, therefore, it wasn't Foxpaw's place to correct the lack of attentiveness Silverpaw exhibited to her surroundings. Surely, Nobleheart would have that covered.
It was only when a second body was noticed from the corner of her vision that Foxpaw's level of distaste heightened. She was only just beginning to forget about Silverpaw's presence and, furthermore, enjoy the last moment's of peace she would likely be gifted. Littlepaw's appearance upon the scenario was only increasing Foxpaw's chances of being noticed and, likely from there, being acknowledged. Although the orange tabby had no hard feelings toward Silverpaw or Littlepaw, she simply wasn't particularly in the mood for conversing.
Her eyelids were able to flutter closed for only a second's time, due to Littlepaw's sharp, urgent tone cutting through Foxpaw's attempt at forgetting about their presences below. “Silverpaw! Behind you!” At first, Foxpaw suspected that Littlepaw was perhaps playing a prank on Silverpaw in hopes of frightening the silver she-cat. Although, not being willing to take a chance, she still momentarily spared a glance downward to analyze the situation from her own skyward perception. Thankfully, Foxpaw had been in the right mindset to do so.
She had scented the raccoons a few minutes earlier, however, she had brushed off the thought – she knew she would be safe up in the trees. Foxpaw supposed that the lurking predators had escaped her mind before she could even think to consider Silverpaw's own safety. The orange tabby scrambled to her paws, gray-green eyes widening in both shock and horror as Littlepaw leaped forward to save Silverpaw from harm. Two apprentices facing two raccoons? The two felines – although they had a chance – likely wouldn't be victorious without a pawful of injuries. Foxpaw knew she had to help; would there be enough time to reach the ground and assist them before it was too late? No. Foxpaw had to think bigger. Then, an idea struck.
Her angling was off, therefore, Foxpaw began to fiddle her way to the middle of the branch from where she could leap to the next one over. If she could just get herself hoisted atop the proper branch, she would have a fair chance at performing the Sky Ambush tactic recently taught to her by both Lionstar and Longstripe. It was her best hope at aiding the two apprentices below in battle. She simply hoped that she could reach the proper positioning in time. Briefly locking her gaze below to witness the two raccoons circling in, her heart-rate increased with the building urgency as claws struck the rugged surface of bark and began to briskly maneuver toward her pinpointed location within the tree.
If Silverpaw and Littlepaw combined their forces against one of the raccoons, Foxpaw would likely be able to handle the second if able to successfully land atop its back and grip the creature's neck as she had done in training. All she had to do was reach that branch – only one more positioned between herself and the destination.
StarClan, don't fail me now.
[OOC: I was thinking that Littlepaw/Silverpaw can, in the next two posts, do decently well against the first raccoon. And just as the second begins to close in, Foxpaw will do her Sky Ambush thing and save the day. xD] |
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Post by Fawn on Feb 12, 2013 5:31:28 GMT -5
SILVERPAW~
Why oh why was her luck so bad lately?
It was as if StarClan or some other trickster spirit were trying to purposefully make spending time outside of camp particularly unpleasant and mostly life-threatening. Springing into the air as though electrocuted, several things struck her at once - the terrifyingly familiar stench of raccoons, the sound of Littlepaw running past her and straight for the beasts, as well as the jarring shock that came with being taken utterly by surprise.
Wha-?
Thoughts completely flatlining as instinct took over, Silverpaw, fluffed out in a feline's particular brand of battle fury, beautiful green orbs flashed with a mixture of worry and adrenaline, her fear scent strong but her desire to defend herself and her Clanmate stronger.
Oh StarClan please don't let her get hurt!
Not stopping to admire how bravely Littlepaw had charged ahead, Silverpaw rushed forward to play support to her attacking Clanmate, the bone-rattling snarls of the bigger raccoon sending her heart into panicked drum-beats, but Silverpaw took a courageous swipe, then nipping at it's left flank before backpedaling before it could grab her. In her first ever fight, Silverpaw, still disoriented from being startled awake - though her senses wee now on high alert - had been so utterly focused on the first raccoon that the second one, had it not shifted almost completely out of the corners of her peripherals, she would have likely missed it entirely. Even though she DID see it, the silver apprentice was far too preoccupied with the first one to realize she should've been doing something about the second one.
It appeared to be hanging back, as though it could not decide whether or not it wanted to attack.
OOC: I like that idea!  If it's okay with Phoenix, we can just go with that!
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| We are born with a DNA blueprint into a world of scenario and circumstance we don't control |
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Co-Captain
INVENTORY
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Post by Phoenix on Feb 15, 2013 12:05:14 GMT -5
In hindsight, she realized that charging straight toward a beast who looked twice her size with its thick, winter coat might not have been one of her better ideas, but by the time that thought had flickered across her consciousness, her body was already in motion. Green eyes widened slightly as the masked creature began to fill her vision and its beady eyes locked on her's. Lips parted in a feral snarl, and she could see jagged teeth made for ripping through flesh. Her heart thudded rapidly against her chest, as if fighting to break through and escape the encounter, even if its shell might not. Meeting more fur than they did flesh, her unsheathed claws became tangled in the matted mess as she struggled to cling - half hanging off its shoulder - to her opponent while inflicting more damage. She did her best to ignore the jaws snapping inches away from her body as it struggled to free itself from her grasp.
A yowl of shock escaped her when the raccoon suddenly swung around. Seeing it lash out at Silverpaw, she dug her claws into its shoulder with more force. Taking advantage of its distraction with the second feline, she managed to claw her way onto its back and wasted no time in biting at its neck. It was far from a death blow, but she could tell that it had worked from the screech that filled the air a moment later. Her heart nearly jumped into her throat when she realized that the raccoon would now be fully focused on dislodging her, and a moment after she dug her claws and teeth in further, she felt her body being whipped around as it tried to shake her off. Fur, she discovered as she soared through the air, was not as effective as flesh when it came to clinging to something.
With frantic lashes of her tail, she managed to almost right herself before colliding with the ground. She landed awkwardly on her paws, though her legs gave way a moment later. Forced to execute that roll that Leafscar had shown her hardly a few days before, she let her momentum slow - it did not take long - before climbing to her paws and spitting out the chunck of fur in her mouth. Shaking her head, she blinked away the effects of her less-than-graceful landing as she raced back into the fray. She had barely managed two blows before she caught sight of her opponent's partner, equally large and bulky.
"There are two!" Blood running cold, she backed off slightly, eyes flicking from one raccoon to the other. The second, at least, seemed to have decided to hang back, but she felt her back arching and fur rising all the same as they were confronted by two of these beasts.
OOC: Fine by me |
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Post by Insidious on Feb 15, 2013 18:01:29 GMT -5
F O X P A W It was apparent that Littlepaw and Silverpaw were struggling; this observation completed upon, at last, having her agile paws collide with the surface of the branch she desired. Gray-green eyes hastily flickered toward her two fellow apprentices just in time to witness the harsh landing of Littlepaw's body upon the ground after the raccoon had managed to shake her off. Foxpaw cringed at the sight, blinking – somewhat fearful – eyes toward Littlepaw as she managed to rise once again, darting back into battle to assist Silverpaw.
Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. It seemed as if Foxpaw's heart was beating a thousand times per minute as she lowered her body closer to the branch, crawling towards the edge to have a clear view of her target below. Littlepaw and Silverpaw – when teamed up with one another – managed suitably against the one raccoon. However, it was the second that lurked nearby that worried the orange tabby. The same hunger stirred in the eyes of the second, though, it seemed as if it was awaiting for the first to tire the two apprentices out, therefore, making its chances far greater. Foxpaw snorted lightly, disgusted at the intelligence the predator exhibited. Its tactics proved to be efficiently planned despite its singular flaw: Foxpaw.
With a new adrenaline coursing through the lithe she-cat's frame, she was able to burst forth without sparing herself a moment for second thoughts. As to be expected, a rush of butterflies was seemingly set free within her stomach chamber. The impact of cold wind against her downward soaring body was a sensation she adored; never failing to make the Sky Ambush tactic one she was increasingly beginning to warm up to.
And then, she landed. Claw impacted a rugged surface of gray fur, immediately hooking into the matted mess to establish a firm grip. Without gifting the raccoon time to react, she swiftly clamped her jaws around the creature's neck region, frontal paws wrapping around the sides of the animal's neck in the form of a bear hug – more or less so being friendly.
In the moment, she wasn't concerned with whether or not Littlepaw and Silverpaw were surprised to see her here. The entirety of her intellect was fixated upon one topic: hanging on for dear life. It seemed she was doing a suitable job, too. Even as the raccoon wailed; limbs flailing to kick her off... her combination of teeth and claws was unwilling to release their death-grip. |
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Post by Fawn on Feb 16, 2013 18:24:43 GMT -5
SILVERPAW~
"Littlepaw!" Silverpaw wailed in horror, seeing the lightly built she-cat flung away from the raccoon with enough force to - well, to do some damage! But the she-cat simply displayed a sturdiness Silverpaw had not been expecting from her, rolling deftly to the side and getting to her paws once more. In the distraction that came with worrying over Littlepaw, Silverpaw was brought back to focus by a powerful swipe of the raccoon's claws across her ears, slicing open the left in a short spray of blood droplets.
Howling and dancing back with pain, Silverpaw's fur fluffed out beyond what it had already accomplished, her green eyes wide as hot pain throbbed through her battered ear, the urge to attack the raccoons running away under the nearest bush. StarClan help! Please!
As if to answer her prayers, a ginger star seemed to fall from the sky - no, the trees - to pounce directly upon the second raccoon, which had apparently decided to make Silverpaw it's target, the weakest and least experienced of the two, leaving the she-cat to stare, momentarily speechless as Foxpaw hung on for dear life. Silverpaw couldn't remember a time when she'd ever been this glad to see the normally aloof she-cat, but now wasn't the time to get sentimental, for the raccoon Foxpaw had latched onto was trying to do everything in it's power to dislodge her.
Before the first raccoon could come to the aid of the second, Silverpaw bravely shifted her body sideways, trying to appear bigger and more threatening as she let out a spitting hiss, green eyes afire though her heart was trembling in her chest, her nerves frayed down to the wire. Even with Foxpaw here, they were almost over there heads, but they had the clear advantage now, and if they could just drive them back -
Once more, a fourth arrival to the battle showed up in the form of the lanky ginger tom, Longstripe, the warrior likely having heard the yowling and come running. He didn't ask questions, though his eyes were wide as they darted from Littlepaw to Foxpaw and to Silverpaw, but the short-pelted tom only let out a battle cry and lunged for the one attacking Foxpaw. Trying to shake her head free of the droplets falling into it from her scratched ear, Silverpaw didn't take her eyes off the raccoon, side stepping until she felt the brush of Littlepaw's coat against her own, taking comfort in knowing she had located the other she-cat.
With Longstripe and Foxpaw attacking the craftier one, would they be enough to take out the raccoon that had gone after them first?
Silverpaw's body trembled, but she wasn't running away - besides, this raccoon had to realize he (or she) was outnumbered 2 to 1, right? Apparently not, because it was charging right for them.
OOC: xD Sorry that was kind of all over the place. I figured Littlepaw and Silverpaw can just chase their raccoon off, and the combination of Longstripe and Foxpaw might end up killing theirs.
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| We are born with a DNA blueprint into a world of scenario and circumstance we don't control |
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Co-Captain
INVENTORY
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Post by Phoenix on Feb 22, 2013 18:25:13 GMT -5
A hiss escaped her as her shoulder began to complain with the movement required of dodging the blows, no doubt resentful about its impact with a ground not yet thawed from the leaf-bare chill. Green eyes widened a moment later when a black paw came out of seemingly no where, heading straight for her fellow apprentice's face. There was no time to shout a warning, and the howl of pain that followed shortly after told Littlepaw that the paw, adorned with dagger-like claws, had hit its mark. Taking advantage of the raccoon's distraction, which was, unfortunately, wounding her clan mate, she darted in, aiming her own blow with the beady black eyes. Forced to dance backward to avoid the worst of a swipe to the side - it still connected with her shoulder, though it did not go deep - she felt her desire to fight, already almost extinguished, curl up within her and give way to the instinct telling her to flee.
In the end, it was only sheer surpise that kept her rooted to the spot. Out of no where, a ginger blur fell from above, landing directly on top of a forgotten, second raccoon that had also appeared out of thin air. Stunned, she could only watch for a moment as Foxpaw, who had also slipped her mind, clung onto the flailing beast, before a hiss from the side reminded her of their first opponent. Silverpaw. Expecting the worst, the small tabby cast a swift glance toward the other she-cat, only to realise that Silverpaw had narrowly missed having green eyes, at least as green as hers, taken out by that well-placed swipe. Relief at the relative health of her clan mate helped soothe her nerves, giving her the courage to step up beside the younger apprentice. The moment that the hiss escaped her mouth, which she hoped had sounded more threatening than terrified, she felt fur brush up against her side. It had to be Silverpaw; there was no other, cat or raccoon, who would seek the comforting warmth that the contact provided. She was not alone. They could defeat the raccoon together. They had to.
But the moment was lost when their opponent was spurred into action, heading straight toward them. Biting down on the strangled yelp that wanted to escape her, she was surprised that the blinding moment of pure terror that had crashed over her mind was not as overwhelming as she had expected. She forced herself to think through the situation, the gears in her mind churning as quickly as possible. Raccoons were agile, yes? But perhaps the two of them could confuse it. "When-I-say-go," She shouted in one breath, speaking so quickly that her words began to overlap each other. "Go-that-way-I'll-go-this-way." Heart thudding in her ears, she watched as the large, masked creature barreled closer. Wait. Wait. Little more--. "Now!" Shouting the word, she threw herself to the side, attempting to keep her limbs close to avoid any flailing claws. Much to her relief she succeeded, and whipping around a moment later, she took complete advantage of the raccoon's momentary surprise. Fur fluffed up and truly doubting her sanity, she leapt at it with claws outstretched. "Get away from here!"
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Post by Insidious on Feb 23, 2013 0:46:03 GMT -5
F O X P A W It seemed that the raccoon had no plans of giving up its mission to dislodge her, though Foxpaw was equally as determined to remain atop of the creature as to not lose the upper-paw in this battle. Her claws were beginning to give out, and being forced to believe that she would soon be sent flying off the masked carnivore, she dug her fangs deeper into the back of the raccoon's neck in hopes of causing it severe pain before she would no longer be able to hold on. The creature screeched in terror – Foxpaw momentarily believing it to be due to the damage she was causing its neck – though was quick to realize the raccoon now had a second attacker at its flank.
Foxpaw recognized Longstripe immediately; his assistance in shaping Foxpaw's Sky Ambush tactic giving him a face she would not be quick to forget. A small smile tugged at her orange jaw, vanishing in a near instant upon realizing there was no time to waste with gratitude for the appearance of a warrior. Focusing all of her attention back on the raccoon – able to re-establish her grip with the mild distraction Longstripe provided – her hold around the creature's neck was soon revived.
Releasing her jaws from the scruff of the raccoon's neck, she protruded her neck to, instead, puncture the skin of the raccoon's ear. Pulling backward, the she-cat attempted to tear the ear – if not at least cause the creature horrid agony. It seemed that her plan was beginning to work; the raccoon rearing upward in an attempt of dislodging the orange tabby. In a vigorous attempt of staying latched upon the creature, her claws sunk deeper, muffling a few words through her half-closed jaw. “Longstripe, go for his neck and pull backward!” With the raccoon's reared position, the under-side of his neck was open to be grasped. Since Longstripe was a warrior, therefore, being far more powerful than Foxpaw; she figured he'd be the most likely candidate to successfully clamp his jaws around the target and, perhaps, severe a vital chunk and bring the raccoon to its untimely death. |
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Post by Fawn on Feb 25, 2013 19:01:12 GMT -5
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If it's okay with Phoenix, we can just go with that!