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The Apostles is a warrior cats roleplay based in northern Wisconsin. On Lake Superior, the wild cats have made the Apostle Islands their home. It is on these islands - Rocky Island and South Twin Island - that the clan and tribe cats have lived in a peace and harmony that ebbs and flows with the tide.
But as the tides turn, so does the truce that binds them to one another; and as the water raises, a darkness follows, an evil that will end in bloodshed and violence.
Characters / Members: viperthroat (owl) and cressclaw (zuko) Dice?: yes Modifications: standard battle rules and modifiers. Scars?: ask for permission before large injury or scarring.
Viperthroat was out hunting, a very normal activity for her. Snow had fallen the night before, and a thin layer had stuck around into the day. That made it a little harder to hunt—especially for her, with her dark coat. But there was still enough visible darker bushes for her to get a little bit of camouflage. I'm not looking forward to it getting colder... the first snow was nice, but every snow after it is just. Nothing new. I prefer leaffall, with the fat squirrels and chipmunks. With a sigh, she listened to the sound of the wind and the subtle crunch of her paws in the snow. Many patches on the forest floor had been sheltered by the towering redwoods, but this patch here near the border with Lichenclan had gotten much more snowfall.
It was a dangerous game to wander so close to their territory. But I might as well make this a bit of a border patrol, too. I have to protect our home. The fresh smell of a squirrel had caught her attention, making her pause to check scent trails again. She wasn't sure if it had crossed the border yet, but there was only one way to find out. However, as she drew closer to the smell, she didn't spot the peppery grey tail of a squirrel, instead she saw... was that brown fur? Crouching, she crept forwards as quietly as she could to get a better look. Instead of a small furry creature coming into view, she spotted a cat. A cat who didn't look to be a Redwoodclanner, and was very close to Redwoodclan territory.
The black cat stood back up, and strode towards him with a heavier step. There could have been a patrol with him, but she wouldn't have known and wouldn't have cared. Sure enough, as she inhaled, the smell of Lichenclan intruder flooded her nose. Thankfully, it was just one. She bared her teeth, feeling her fur bristle along her spine as she set her eyes upon the smaller tom. He looked oddly familiar, but she didn't know why—she'd never seen his sorry pelt before in her life. And she certainly wasn't going to ask. He's on our territory. Starclan knows what he's up to—probably stealing prey, or plotting another attack. Where they get the jump on us, this time. She unsheathed her claws, orange eyes sparking like flint and steel. "You have ten seconds to tell me your business here before I rip your tail off, Lichenclanner." tags:Kazuko notes: very nice and sweet little intro from viper (up to you whether cress was after the squirrel/if it was on lc's side, and he can attack first too!)
hailpaw, viperthroat, seraphine, and acorntail of redwoodclan lakefire and cherrybite of thistleclan crescentbloom and stoatstripe of lichenclan gale of the tribe & ospreyfur of unknown my tracker
You're toeing the line here, you'll get caught if you keep doing this.
Cressclaw's head hung low, tasting the squirrel nearby on his tongue but not going for it. He had already caught something today (somehow), and it was getting late. There wasn't enough for him to have a meal tonight, most likely, but he still resisted the lure of the squirrel. He was too close to RedwoodClan territory to risk it... right?
You don't care if you get caught, though. Maybe they'd exile you and you can go find Spiderfrost.
That was tempting.
Stopping as he walked, Cressclaw slowly lifted his head to look towards RedwoodClan territory. Not only was the squirrel tempting him, but the chance to be reunited with the one family member he truly cared about. And, well... he was hungry.
Slowly turning to face the border, the tom hadn't even made a move to head towards the squirrel or any closer to the border before a black cat strode out of the bushes, and the tom scrambled backwards. I hadn't - what - I hadn't even made a move yet?! What on earth? What sort of luck is this?
"Huh - wh - I was just walking!" Cressclaw stammered a bit before finally getting his words out, "I wasn't hunting or anything - see, I'm still on my side of the border!" He glanced around frantically besides him, just to confirm this. He was, yes, but he was VERY close to the border...
Just let her rip your fur off. It's better that way.
Viperthroat flashed her teeth at the stammering response the seal-coated tom gave her. She was surprised to meet such an apologetic Lichenclanner—she'd expected them to be... more threatening, or something. She knew she was much bigger than him, even if she had never fought for real before, all she had to do was posture and maybe that'd scare him off. She stepped closer, tightening the gap that his stumbling back had made. With her fur fluffed and stance wide, she knew she must look big. For once, she was content having her large size—often it made hunting harder, as prey could fit into spaces she couldn't. But for battle... hmm. I'd never thought about it before? But I guess there can be tactic in fighting, too, but... eh. Hunting is more fun.
"Don't lie," she challenged, standing tall. The black cat regarded him for another long moment. "I know you were after that squirrel." Even if he had no idea about the squirrel, she was hoping it would still scare him—she was calling his bluff. If he hadn't seen it, then he couldn't claim so without sounding defensive. What's that? Viperthroat whirled around to glance over her shoulder—at first she had thought she heard something, but she realized a second too late that it was just branches rattling in the wind. She was about to look back when she realized... she could use this as a distraction. Perhaps if he had looked too...?
As soon as she turned back to the Lichenclanner, regardless of where his attention was, she launched herself forwards. She bowled him over with outstretched paws, and their bodies crunched through the snow. Muscled forelimbs pressed into his chest, and she unsheathed her claws, pressing harder. Easy as catching a squirrel. The molly's stomach was perfectly exposed for him to kick, but she had thick fur there—and she was curious to see how this went, honestly. Her eyes flashed a dangerous shade of amber in the weak sunlight, and she leaned down to growl into his ear. "Aren't you going to defend yourself?"
tags:Kazuko notes: man luck is just Never in cress' favor huh c':
Attack move: pounce and pin Attack Roll: WKAbWRMi1d20+1 Damage Roll: 1d12+1 Character HP: 60/601d20+1·1d12+1
hailpaw, viperthroat, seraphine, and acorntail of redwoodclan lakefire and cherrybite of thistleclan crescentbloom and stoatstripe of lichenclan gale of the tribe & ospreyfur of unknown my tracker
Viperthroat's appearance had definitely thrown the tom off, and Cressclaw found himself backing away, tail between his legs and breath catching. What was she doing here? Nothing more than looking for easy prey? Didn't RedwoodClan not want the violence between their clans? This she-cat, though, defied the logics presented by their situation.
A slight shift in the shrubbery to his back and left momentarily distracted Cressclaw, and his gaze broke away from Viperthroat for just a second, but that was enough. Viperthroat threw herself in his direction, and the two fell over each other, rolling top to tail through the snow, gripped in each other's claws and unwilling to let the other go. After the momentary shock, Cressclaw's mind snapped into action, a growl rumbling from deep in his throat. If he lost to a RedwoodClan cat after she initiated an attack? That would be devastating, not to his reputation (he didn't have one of those), but his health. Others would take advantage of this.
With Viperthroat's taunting words ringing in his ears, Cressclaw lashed out. Bringing his right foot forwards, the tom swiped at the she-cat, taking advantage of her distraction with the taunting and dishing out a deep slash right across her nose bridge. With that shock still there, he was able to kick the she-cat off of him, sending her away.
Wordlessly, the tom slashed Viperthroat across the face. She stepped off of him with a hiss, blood between her eyes, and she could soon taste it as it dribbled onto her muzzle and chin. He'd gotten her right above the nose. "Foxdung!" she growled, shaking her head and sending blood splattering across the enemy warrior and the redwood tree trunks. It made her a little light headed, the shaking, however. A squirrel's claws aren't this sharp... damnit. By the time she was in a defensive stance, the tom had gotten up. Licking blood from her lips, she lunged forwards...
And missed his face, just by a whisker. She brought her paw down, slamming into the earth, and stood before the brown mink cat. "Just get out of here!" she hissed, lashing her tail like a snake. Her eyes pressed into him, amber and venomous. "Go! Get off Redwoodclan territory!" she continued, a flash in her eyes. "Or I'll alert my patrol and they'll shove your tail down your throat." There was no patrol, obviously, but this cat didn't know that. She took a step away from him, looking over her shoulder as if for another cat, and watched out of the corner of her eye for him to run. He'd better go.
hailpaw, viperthroat, seraphine, and acorntail of redwoodclan lakefire and cherrybite of thistleclan crescentbloom and stoatstripe of lichenclan gale of the tribe & ospreyfur of unknown my tracker
Cressclaw nearly jumped out of his skin as Viperthroat's paw slammed down onto the ground in front of him, and he leaped backwards, eyes wide and pupils small as his heart raced with fear. This RedwoodClan cat really didn't care. I thought your clan weren't the killers in the equation! It still took Cressclaw a second or two to process his racing thoughts, fur prickling and whiskers twitching with fear. I could just stay. Let her kill me. It would be easier.
There was a drive there, though. Something stopped Cressclaw from giving up. There was a drive to survive. Self-preservation, perhaps. Maybe just cowardice. There was a belief, somewhere, that kept him there. Spiderfrost might still be alive. Cressclaw didn't think it was true, not after Minnowstar had had her way, but there was always that chance. Spiderfrost was smart. He wouldn't let that happen.
I don't want to die today.
With that resolve, Cressclaw turned and ran, adrenaline surging through the few muscles he had to get him as far away from the bloodthirsty black cat as quickly as he could, because screw the squirrel and screw the stupid politics that sent him mistakenly just over the clan boundaries. He didn't stop until the ground beneath his paw turned to sand, and the crashing of the lakeside pulled him from his panic. Gasping for breath, Cressclaw collapsed onto his haunches, letting his head hang as he focused on breathing. He was away. He was okay.
