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Post by Fawn on Sept 27, 2016 21:52:04 GMT -5
 19 MOONS LIGHTNINGCLAN WARRIOR The flooded grasses were normally an excellent place to hunt. Even with the leaf-fall coolness in the air and under paw, Harestrike had been confident he could find something to catch. That was, until he smelled crowfood. "What mossbrain left something rotting out here?" He snarled at thin air, stalking forward to investigate the source, see if he could recognize the stench of any Clanmates. Nothing but predators would be attracted to a place like this, and not only would they eat all the fresh prey to be found here, they posed a danger to the rest of LightningClan as well.
Harestrike didn't bother getting close to the mouse carcass, his lip curling back as the sour, sweet smell of rotten meat tried to coat his tongue the further he got. The scent that hit him next, however, was like being struck in the nose with a tree branch. Badger! A thrill of fear and exhileration both struck the tom cat at once, and he immediately crouched down, making himself smaller in case the hulking beast was trying to sneak up on him.
Badgers were big, clumsy, aggressive animals. But even if he thought they looked stupid, their claws were sharp and their teeth were even sharper. Even Harestrike knew better than to challenge one on his own; the warrior slipped away from the flooded grasses, his thoughts of the badger confirmed when he noticed a pile of badger dung not far from where the dead mouse had been. Bolting back to camp on strong legs, Harestrike slowed his rapid pace only when he got nearer to the hill where LightningClan made their home.
"Redscar!" He called, his tail waving behind him to catch the deputy's attention. Skidding to a stop in front of the red, scarred warrior, Harestrike paused momentarily to catch his breath. In a low, excited voice, his gaze eager, he told him what he'd seen. "Crowfood and badger dung, in the flooded grasses. I didn't track it, yet. Thought you should see it first." This could be his chance to have a real battle; Firestar hadn't picked him for the Battle of Sun Stones, maybe chasing a badger out of their territory would be enough to prove to their leader that she needed to start taking his prowess seriously. Redscar was highly capable himself, and Harestrike would love to challenge the older tom some day—but for now, they had a badger to find.
Word Count: 414 Words Tags: @poptart I CAN'T SLOW DOWN, I WON'T BE WAITING FOR YOU |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2016 18:51:53 GMT -5
redscar A routine day was what Redscar thought he had awaiting him, managing patrols had become his way of life and he often desperately wished for a bit of excitement that he hadn't felt since he became deputy. When Harestrike flagged him down and explained they had a badger situation on their paws he perked up instantly, however he was gave pause as he thought through the situation. Was it his job to take care of such situations? Redscar certainly thought so. Would Firestar be pleased that he had led a patrol to get rid of the badger without asking her first, especially when he had to leave from camp to do it? No, she would not be pleased. After weighing the pros and cons Redscar finally replied, "Show me." In his mind he was okay with asking for forgiveness instead of permission and he had every intention of demonstrating why he was one of the most skilled warriors in the clan. deputy of lightningclan |
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Post by Fawn on Sept 29, 2016 19:14:52 GMT -5
19 MOONS LIGHTNINGCLAN WARRIOR Harestrike led Redscar out of camp, his pace naturally quickening the further they went from the hill. Despite how 'serious' the situation was, Harestrike was thoroughly enjoying himself; maybe Thrushwhisker would show up sooner or later, or even Sunblaze, and then they'd really make this exciting; he knew his former mentor couldn't turn down such an exciting prospect. Lining the nursery with badger fur would be a point of pride for every LightningClan cat; the other Clans did not have warriors anywhere near as fierce.
NightClan would like to say otherwise, but Harestrike knew better. NightClan was all reputation and no honor. Yeah yeah yeah he'd heard of Blackwolf and Dimstar and Hollowcry, but most of that was rumor; they didn't share a border with NightClan, so he could hardly confirm all those old battle stories, could he?
The scent of badger yanked the young warrior out of his musings, and he gestured with a thrust of his tail to the half-eaten crow-food. "There," he gestured again to the badger dung. "And there." Harestrike stepped back to give the deputy some room to investigate, and cast his own senses wide, hoping to spot either badger tracks in the grassy terrain or pick up a scent trail leading to it's den. "We're going to track it, right?" Harestrike mewed, the anticipation in his voice clear.
Word Count: 228 Words Tags: @poptart I CAN'T SLOW DOWN, I WON'T BE WAITING FOR YOU |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2016 20:00:03 GMT -5
redscar Redscar noticed Harestrike's excitement the further they ventured from camp, he was happy to have a motivated cat by his side for such an undertaking. The deputy was feeling excitement himself, he missed the rush of battle, however he wasn't as fixated on reaching the evidence of the badger as Harestrike seemed to be. Redscar did his best to extend his senses as the ventured into the territory, having a badger get the drop on you could spell doom for even the most talented of warriors. As the smell of badger washed over the group Redscar knew they had made it to the site without incident, he didn't even need to investigate to know it was a badger. Poking around he tried to discern all the information he could, what direction the badger had left in was the most important. Secondly he looked for signs that there could have been more than one, another situation that could get a warrior killed before they even knew what was happening. Taking time to step back and think over the situation Redscar began to plot, the badger wasn't going anywhere after all. They could go gather a full patrol and drive the badger out in relative safety, however the deputy didn't want to watch after cats that weren't up to the task. Instead Redscar decided they would just get rid of it themselves, "Track it?" Redscar began as he started to follow the badgers exit path, shooting a sly grin over his shoulder at Harestrike he added "We're gunna kill it." deputy of lightningclan |
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Post by Fawn on Sept 30, 2016 21:48:56 GMT -5
19 MOONS LIGHTNINGCLAN WARRIOR "Track it? We're gunna kill it."
Harestrike shivered, fire igniting in his eyes as the deputy started speaking his language. Finally! Now here was a warrior who understood what glory was and how to get it; chasing a badger out of their territory was a pain in the tail more than anything. Killing a badger in their territory was a sign of prowess, a tale to tell their kits and grandkits (not that he even wanted to think that far ahead).
Before he could take more than two steps forward, shadowing Redscar's pawsteps as they hunted down the badger, the scent of Sharpfang was carried on the breeze. Harestrike glanced back to see the senior warrior padding towards them, his eyes sparkling and a smirk on his muzzle. "Did you say what I thought you just said, Redscar? Hunting a badger, eh? Well three's better than two."
Fine, just don't get in my way. Harestrike wasn't dumb enough to get on Sharpfang's bad side so soon; the warrior was probably four times his age, and, though Harestrike was reluctant to admit it, had twice as much battle experience. The odds were stacked in their favor, however, and as Harestrike parted his jaws to try to pick out the badger's scent, he felt his confidence rise like the sun, warming him from whisker to tail-tip. "Who gets to be the lucky cat that lures it out of it's den?"
Harestrike was the fastest of the three. He glanced at Redscar, hoping the deputy would give him permission to taunt the beast as soon as they found it.
Word Count:272 Words Tags: @poptart I CAN'T SLOW DOWN, I WON'T BE WAITING FOR YOU |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2016 19:41:57 GMT -5
redscar Redscar wasn't convinced that two cats attempting to kill a badger was an intelligent decision, but he was confident in his ability to improvise if need be. Such an ability was not needed as if seemingly sent from Starclan Sharpfang arrived. Redscar was confident that the three of them could easily handle the badger and noted that the risk factor of their patrol had been reduced significantly. "We'd be happy to have you." Redscar mewed to Sharpfang before giving the word, "Let's go get this badger." Following the pungent scent trail left by the beast was an easy task if not a revolting one. The fiery deputy had every intention of playing bait for the badger, something he was confident he could accomplish without injury. As Harestrike asked Redscar about just that the deputy figured he was asking for permission to be bait himself. Never wanting to stifle another's attempt at glory Redscar replied with a thinly veiled warning, "The honor is all yours, just be careful. If that badger catches you its over." deputy of lightningclan |
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Post by Fawn on Oct 5, 2016 14:26:44 GMT -5
19 MOONS LIGHTNINGCLAN WARRIOR "It won't," Harestrike promised, a bold glint in his eyes. Badgers are too slow and stupid to catch me. He hadn't actually encountered one before, but he knew enough about them to recognize one and get out of its way before it could cave his skull in.
With an eager pace, he had to remind himself not to run ahead of the older warriors. Not only would that make him seem too much like an apprentice, but he was likely to miss the telltale signs of badger if he just rushed through this. Forcing himself to match Sharpfang and Redscar step for step inside, the anticipation built up easily as the stench of badger got stronger and stronger the more they walked.
Soon enough, the three cats were standing nearly on top of it, the badger's den two foxlengths away from where they crouched. Harestrike glanced at Redscar; the deputy gave him the go ahead, and Harestrike crept towards the opening of the badger's den. The smell was almost overpowering, and the fur along his spine lifted with alarm and exhileration as he saw something large moving within the darkness.
"Hey! Dirt for brains! Bet you can't catch me!" He didn't care if the badger understood cat speech or not. The young warrior was sure the big lumbering beast understood his taunting tone even if the words made little sense. Harestrike made several backwards leaps as the black and white creature shouldered its way out of its set, snarling.
My, what big teeth you have! Harestrike hissed back, pelt fluffing up as he angled himself sideways, appearing larger than he was. Come and get me, ugly!
Word Count: 283 WordsTags: @poptart I CAN'T SLOW DOWN, I WON'T BE WAITING FOR YOU |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2016 14:53:05 GMT -5
redscar Redscar noticed the anticipation that seemed to course through Harestrike, and he wasn't at all surprised. He may have been a warrior of Lightningclan but he was still a young cat and your first badger fight was exhilarating in ways near impossible to describe. Once they had positioned themselves in a proper ambush he gave Harestrike the go ahead and the action began. After only a few moments the Badger had reared its ugly head and Redscar grinned as Harestrike lured it out of it's den skillfully. "Quietly..." He whispered to Sharpfang as he left his cover and quickly slunk across the ground before silently jumping on the badger and tearing into it with razor sharp teeth and claws. The fiery deputy hoped that the badger would be stunned not having realized he was under attack by more than one cat, surprise would be their weapon as they ended its life quickly. deputy of lightningclan |
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Post by Fawn on Oct 15, 2016 15:46:31 GMT -5
19 MOONS LIGHTNINGCLAN WARRIOR Harestrike had to scramble out of the way to avoid the enraged badger's stomping feet; he felt a jolt of envy as he watched Redscar scratching tufts of fur out of the badger's back. Maybe being bait hadn't been the best way to win glory? There was no point in dwelling on that now; the badger was here and it was pissed.
Harestrike, claws unsheathed, swiped at the badger's mouth, feeling the heat of its breath and spit damping his paw as he struck. Harestrike quickly sprang back, as nimble and lightfooted as his namesake. Sharpfang was shredding the back of the badger's legs, scratching and biting what he could reach. Ducking an enraged swipe of the badger's blunt, thick claws that would have shredded his ears to nothingness, Harestrike risked a glance at Redscar.
Could you kill a badger the way you killed a regular piece of prey? Harestrike was too young and too inexperienced in fighting with the fierce creatures to know if it was possible. Their skulls and necks seemed thick, much too thick for a cat to get a proper hold of. But maybe the throat... Harestrike's ears flattened against his head, grinning as the badger tried in vain to throw off Redscar.
Word Count: 208 Words Tags: @poptart I CAN'T SLOW DOWN, I WON'T BE WAITING FOR YOU |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2016 16:13:44 GMT -5
redscar Their strategy appeared to be working, the badger couldn't seem to rid itself of the three cats that were attacking it in unison. Redscar knew the beast was built tough, however this meant they would just have to tear it apart piece by piece until there was nothing left. Harestrike had still managed to keep the badgers focus on him through the whole ordeal, this impressed Redscar and gave him a perfect opportunity to hook a paw around slash at the badgers throat. The move caused a nasty gash to open as blood spilled forth onto the earth, the fight would soon be over. "Harestrike, take out its front legs!" Redscar commanded knowning that Sharpfang was handing the back ones. The beast would fall, and with its wounded neck the battle was already lost. Fervently Redscar began to rip and tear at anything he could get his claws on and jaws around. deputy of lightningclan |
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Post by Fawn on Oct 16, 2016 21:31:36 GMT -5
19 MOONS LIGHTNINGCLAN WARRIOR Hearing the deputy's order, Harestrike felt badger blood splash onto his shoulder fur, the acrid stench of it burning his nostrils as he darted forward to take out the badger's legs. A bloody, dying badger was no easy prey, however; Harestrike was knocked sideways, the top of the badger's paw having struck him hard enough on the shoulder that he staggered and nearly fell over. Disoriented and hissing, Harestrike struggled back to his feet, snarling as he sank his teeth into the badger's other leg, yanking it forward to knock the beast off balance. He quickly let go and danced back, feeling pain for the first time as he realized his shoulder hadn't just been bruised, but cut.
The badger was finished, though. He heard the beast's labored breaths and it's angry snarls beginning to fade in intensity; Redscar was still shredding it's back for bedding, and Sharpfang had managed to take chunks of fur out of the badger's back legs.
Harestrike caught his breath, watching as the light finally faded from the badger's eyes. He looked up, seeing Redscar's muzzle stained with the animal's blood. "I'm beginning to see why Firestar made you deputy," Harestrike snorted, but it was a compliment nonetheless. The ginger tom really looked the part of 'ferocious deputy'.
Word Count: 209 Words Tags: @poptart I CAN'T SLOW DOWN, I WON'T BE WAITING FOR YOU Wrap up the thread? |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2016 20:51:47 GMT -5
Redscar kept tearing into the badger with everything he had, and finally for all their work the beast went down and never got up again. Climbing off and giving himself a shake Redscar grinned at Harestrikes' comment before he began to survey his clanmates, checking for injuries was his first priority after engaging a badger. Sharpfang seemed to be injury free, that was good. Harestrike wasn't so lucky however as blood dripped from his shoulder. Redscar quickly rushed over and checked the potential wound, it was in fact the young toms blood and not the badgers. After short inspection Redscar spoke, "Make sure to get the wound treated by Rookfrost, you don't want it to get infected. Otherwise I think you're fine." Stepping back he turned to survey the great beast which they had felled, and pride welled in the deputies chest. "So how are we going to get this thing back to camp?" Fawn
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Post by Fawn on Oct 17, 2016 22:35:45 GMT -5
19 MOONS LIGHTNINGCLAN WARRIOR "So how are we going to get this thing back to camp?"
Despite the adrenaline surge starting to die down and his wound beginning to act up, Harestrike smirked, flexing his claws as if he almost wished that fight had lasted longer. "Slowly. The three of us can manage." If they could kill it, then they could drag it home.
Shaking out his pelt, Harestrike scattered scarlet drops of blood onto the grasses nearby, the white parts of his coat turning an unflattering reddish brown as the blood already started to dry. While Sharpfang grabbed the fur at the badger's right shoulder, Harestrike almost grabbed the left, then tilted his head, obviously working out how best to get it back.
"You're the biggest," and the strongest, he mewed to Redscar. "Carry some of it on your back, we'll hold up the rest." He looked at Sharpfang, and found the older warrior nodding. It was a good enough plan. Redscar might not appreciate having to carry so much of the badger, but there were only so many ways to drag a beast that big back to camp without spending the entire morning doing so.
Word Count: 198 WordsTags: @poptart I CAN'T SLOW DOWN, I WON'T BE WAITING FOR YOU |
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