[Deleted]

Valiantpaw could say with certainty that he would much rather have stayed in camp; but here he was, padding along in his brother's wake, the two of them on a mission that was quite possibly going to land them both in trouble. Daringpaw lived up to his name with a vengeance, and in a way, he supposed, so did Valiantpaw. He couldn't let his littermate go on this harebrained scheme on his own, and while it might have been smarter to alert a warrior to prevent it altogether, he hadn't. He didn't like the idea of ratting his brother out, especially when it wouldn't have been hard for Daringpaw to figure out he had, and risk a rift in their relationship.

So, here they were, for better or worse. At least if it went poorly (assuming they both got out of this alive) then they'd face punishment together. And hey, they were both hefty toms- not warriors with their apprenticeships behind them but capable enough. Hopefully. Valiantpaw's ginger tail flicked and he spoke, just loud enough to be heard as he trudged along. "Got a plan? What're we doing once we find the badger- chasing it off?" It would make him feel better, at least, if he knew Daringpaw had put some thought into this, rather than taking off with the barest shred of an idea what to do once they'd found what they were looking for.
Katara

[Katara]

[googlefont=Arizonia][googlefont=Roboto][googlefont=Gravitas One]

daringpaw

daringpaw

LIGHTNINGCLAN APPRENTICE. 12 MOONS. TOM.

[attr="class","daringt"]When Daringpaw had found a badger set with fresh scent inside of it, he didn't do what any normal apprentice would have done. No, he did the brave thing. He neglected to tell his mentor or his deputy or Owlstar about it, and had instead set the matter upon his own young, sturdy shoulders. He was going to be the one to drive out the badger, and he was determined to bring back a trophy of his victory so everyone would know that he, an apprentice, had kept LightningClan safe. Perhaps then Owlstar would see it fitting to accelerate his apprenticeship.

He let out a soft snort, thinking about the apprentice-aged warriors he'd seen with TreeClan at the last Gathering. Twelve moons old, and a warrior already! That should have been Daringpaw. Crowface was always bitching to him about how his hunting and tracking could use more work, but what did it matter? He fought better than anyone else, and she had to know that by now. It wasn't like it was hard to catch a rabbit, and he didn't see what more training could possibly do at this point. He was ready to be a warrior!

So that was why he was out here tonight, under StarClan's eyes, with Valiantpaw at his side. He could never lie to his brother, so when he'd caught him slipping out of the apprentices' den he told him what he was up to. Though he was confident he could've taken on the badger by himself, he was glad to have Valiantpaw by his side. Better him than Noblepaw, that was for sure.

Daringpaw twitched an ear as Valiantpaw spoke up, inquiring after a plan. "Send it yowling for the mountains!" he declared. His eyes gleamed. "Well, that's the general idea." To be honest, he hadn't thought much about it - he was the type of cat that improvised under pressure, and it hadn't taken him the wrong way yet. "We can start by luring it out of the set, because we don't want to have to fight it in there." It wouldn't be big enough for him to fight in, and the badger would know its home far better than the apprentices. "If we make enough noise, it'll come to investigate. Then we'll ambush it with a surprise attack!" He unsheathed his claws reflexively, tearing out tufts of long grass as he trotted along. "If we create enough trouble for it, we can drive it in the direction of Sun Stones, and then it'll be StoneClan's problem." He had no sympathy for his neighboring Clan.

"It's foolproof!" Daringpaw boasted. "Are you ready? We're almost there!" He opened his jaws, detecting the fresh scent of badger as they neared its set.

[attr="class","daringtn"]TAG @sable

[attr="class","daringtn"]NOTES <3

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[Deleted]

It was a decent plan. It was at least better than no plan, at which point Valiantpaw would have attempted to think of one. He was content to go with what Daringpaw had in mind, giving a nod of understanding of their goal and squaring his shoulders to what they'd be doing. He flashed an approving glance at his brother for his plan, which was as good as any warrior could have come up with, and padded the last few tail-lengths to the set. One way or the other, Daringpaw's idea meant driving the badger off LightningClan territory, and whoever would have to deal with it after they’d managed it was not something they needed to concern themselves with.

The mouth of the burrow was rank with badger scent, unmistakable, and almost despite himself, Valiantpaw's tail flickered in nervous tension. He didn't say anything to dampen the mood, though, merely tossed a glance at Daringpaw and spoke, his voice dropped down to a barely audible whisper.

"I can lure it out, you do the ambush?" Luring was the easiest bit, and Daringpaw deserved to have his moment by surprising the badger and taking it off guard before Valiantpaw joined his efforts to his brother’s. Still nervous, but not showing it in his bland expression- maybe his tail would give him away, but he wasn’t going to outright admit it- Valiantpaw tipped his head toward his littermate and waited for him to agree and hide himself away, or to suggest an alternate approach.
Katara

[Katara]

[googlefont=Arizonia][googlefont=Roboto][googlefont=Gravitas One]

daringpaw

daringpaw

LIGHTNINGCLAN APPRENTICE. 12 MOONS. TOM.

[attr="class","daringt"]The scent of badger was strong here, making him curl his lip in disgust. He had no idea how the brute lived with its own reek. Knowing it must be inside the dark opening of the set, he felt a surge of excitement and anticipation rising inside him. Soon, he'd be raking his claws across a badger's ugly muzzle!

Valiantpaw seemed to approve of Daringpaw's plan, which just made him even more pleased with himself. Once they had closed the gap between themselves and the set's opening, his brother whispered the confirmation of their roles in the plan. Daringpaw nodded at him, slinking away into the heather that crowded the top of the badger's home. Once it emerged, he would be able to leap onto its back immediately and gain the advantage straightaway. He didn't doubt himself for a moment, confident their plan couldn't possibly fail.

Once he was ready, the ginger tom let out a hiss to signal to Valiantpaw, "Ready!"

[attr="class","daringtn"]TAG @sable

[attr="class","daringtn"]NOTES <3

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[Deleted]

Ready! Daringpaw confirmed, and Valiantpaw edged closer to the sett mouth. He could smell the badger, but he couldn’t see it yet through the dark and the shadows beyond the entrance to the burrow. He paused a couple tail-lengths from the entrance and raked his claws through the grass, ripping up clumps with loud tearing sounds to announce his presence.

He waited, tense and ready to hurl himself out of the way when the badger emerged, gaze briefly flicking up at Daringpaw to check that his brother was still ready to engage the badger when it did come out.

What Valiantpaw didn’t expect was the low growl rising from behind him, and the fur up his spine began to prick as he spun around, eyes widening as he spotted the badger pushing from the grass… and he was directly between it and the burrow. And out of range of any spring Daringpaw could make before the badger was within reach of Valiantpaw. Spine arching instantly, the young apprentice hissed a threat, unwilling to strike first but knowing he couldn’t back away without the badger lunging at him.
Katara

[Katara]

[googlefont=Arizonia][googlefont=Roboto][googlefont=Gravitas One]

daringpaw

daringpaw

LIGHTNINGCLAN APPRENTICE. 12 MOONS. TOM.

[attr="class","daringt"]Daringpaw was still waiting tensely when he heard that growl, deeper and louder than anything another creature could make. His tail swished in excitement, and he flexed his shoulders in preparation for the leap - and then froze in horror when the badger emerged not below him, but ahead of him. And Valiantpaw was caught inbetween the badger's home and its claws. No! It wasn't supposed to work out this way! Why in StarClan's name had that ugly creature been away from its burrow?

The young tom did not hesitate a moment longer. He launched himself off the top of the badger's den and landed a few fox-lengths away from the badger. It didn't look too impressed with Valiantpaw's hissing, and it raised an enormous paw to clout him. It was too slow to hit Valiantpaw, and Daringpaw was already there to retaliate - he barreled straight into the badger's foreleg without thinking, catching it completely off balance. It staggered at once, and Daringpaw was not prepared for the weight of its head on his back as it collapsed on the earth. It knocked the breath right out of him. He only had heartbeats to struggle away, and felt its teeth snap dangerously close to flank. It followed up the bite with a vicious slice of its claws, and though the apprentice thought he was well out of the way, his tail was not. Red hot pain scorched down the length of his tail, and he let out an outraged yowl.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that, you ugly brute!" he snarled, swinging his head around to look for his brother. "Valiantpaw! We can still win - I'll keep it busy here. We can take turns - you attack its back, and when it lunges for you, you can jump away and keep it busy while I attack its back again." He let out another vicious growl, swiping with unsheathed claws at the badger's muzzle. He didn't make contact, but it was enough to make the badger roar and snap at him angrily.

[attr="class","daringtn"]TAG @sable

[attr="class","daringtn"]NOTES <3

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