scramble to reach higher ground

Mistedsong stretched his stubby legs and shook out his fluffy pelt, blinking sleep from his eyes before standing and hopping down from his perch above SkyClan's camp. He padded over to the medicine den and stuck his head inside. "Blizzardpaw, we're going to collect herbs, wake up! I'll be outside," he meowed into the dim den before heading over to the apprentice's den and once again peeking his head in. The medicine cat smiled upon seeing the cat he was looking for. "Lionpaw, would you be willing to escort Blizzardpaw and I while we look for herbs? Normally I wouldn't bother you, but with the rogue sightings, I'm not sure I could defend both myself and Blizzardpaw very effectively alone if needed," he mewed somewhat anxiously. "I know Breezebranch hasn't been able to really train you much, so I figured you'd appreciate some responsibility outside of camp anyway."

He had been dreaming of mice, as any young to-be warrior would, and of silently stalking a whole nest, before pouncing and rapidly killing 4 mice on his own. The tomcat purred deep within his sleep, satisfaction at his catch and the pride of his mentor / mother gently searing its way into his heart, so you can imagine the little pang of disappointment as he was interrupted from his nap. Lifting his head, Lionpaw watched and listened through a sleepy haze as the medicine cat asked for his assistance, and he immediately nodded, a small smile gathering on his face. It was very nice to know that he was sought out to assist the medicine cats and although he was sure there wouldn't be a threat, it would still be nice to have an expedition outside of camp.

"Of course!" he purred, rasping his tongue over his paw, smoothing the sleep kinked fur behind his ears. "I'll protect you both if the need arises," Lionpaw flashed Mistedsong a reassuring look, attempting to alleviate some of the stress that had come through in his tone. He exited the den, arched his back in a long, luxurious stretch, and followed his medicine cats.

Blizzardpaw’s eyes opened slowly and her ears twitched when her mentor’s voice pulled her out from her comfortable dream world. She raised her head and shook it a bit to help the floating words in her drowsy mind to fall into place and make sense “G-going!” Almost right after answering, she yawned and stretched, feeling some of her bones pop into place as she did. She still had to get used to sleep out of the nursery and wake up early, but she was sure she would manage to do so soon enough.

After shaking and giving her long fluffy coat a quick grooming, making sore she didn’t have any twigs, dirt, herbs or moss stuck in, she stood up and walked towards the entrance of the den. The chilly leafbare wind greeted her as she stepped outside, helping to force the drowsiness off her body.

After spotting Mistedsong next to the Apprentice’s den, her ears catching the last bits of the quick exchange between him and the apprentice as she approached, though she still couldn’t tell who she was speaking to, given said apprentice hadn’t come out just yet “Rogues? Are we going to find some out there?” She had heard hushed rumors of the sightings in the nursery as a kit, but given the queen’s determination at keeping worrisome gathering news away from the ears of the young kits in the nursery, her knowledge was scarce and fragmented at best.

Her attention then turned to Lionpaw as he finally exited his den. She honestly had to scramble a bit around her memory to remember his name…her awful name-cat linking memory was something she would really need to work on “Hello! Are you going to be the brave warrior that protects us?” She playfully pawed at Lionpaw as she spoke, a bit too excited with the idea of going out gathering herbs and exploring the territories.

The medicine cat huffed, trying to dispel his own anxiety before addressing the concerns of his apprentice. "I don't think we will have any problems, as they haven't been sighted anywhere on anyone's territory, but it is much better to be safe than sorry. Rogues do not follow the code, and thus we will not be safe from their attack if they do come," Mistedsong meowed. "Lionpaw is not far off from being a warrior, though. We will be safe with him." The small tom padded towards the entrance to camp, heading out into the woods of SkyClan's territory. "We're running low on goldenrod and marigold, but I'd like to see if we can find any catmint. There's been hardly any coughing this leafbare and I'm not convinced it's not gonna sweep in late." He pointed his ears in the direction he was walking. "Near the Twolegplace is the best place to find catmint," he told Blizzardpaw. "It is the single best cure for greencough."

The cream tom lifted his tail in greeting to the medicine cat apprentice, allowing a small smile to plaster itself onto his face. However much he wasn't worried about encountering rogues, and however close to being a warrior he was, he couldn't shake the slight fear that churned deep in his stomach. It was a huge responsibility to be looking after such important members of his clan, and he silently vowed that he wouldn't fail them - they were the most indispensable members of the clan.

But then again, he had nothing to worry about.

"I sure am!" Lionpaw purred, swatting her ear in return at the friendly gesture, taking note to be careful as the size of his paws were rather large. "The biggest, bravest warrior ever!" He puffed out his chest before a chuckle rose deep within him, "I'm just joking of course, you have nothing to worry about." The tomcat followed after the duo, taking up the rear as he listened with feint interest in what the medicine cats discussed. For a brief moment in his kithood he had been interested in herbs, before realising he absolutely tested the smell of lots of them lumped together, and as such took no notice in the two toms in front of him. Tuning out, he let the sounds and smells of the forest greet him as the small patrol exited camp.

“If they don’t follow the code, how do they live? How do they make sure they are walking on the path their ancestors wish for them?” For her, living by any way that wasn’t under the code given to them by their ancestors was a completely alien idea she wasn’t sure how to wrap her head around, even less the idea of cats that simply couldn’t communicate and be looked over by those long gone.

So much to learn, even more than she probably realized.

She chuckled lightly when Lionpaw greeted her back, swatting one of her ears and shaking her head a bit due to the sensation, her chuckle turning into a wholehearted giggle “Lionpaw, the great! I wonder what your warrior name will be!” If he was so close to becoming a warrior, that was a question that wouldn’t stay unanswered for too long, that was for sure.

However, before she could give any suggestions from the top of her head, Mistedsong’s voice reached her ears again, causing her focus to shift from the apprentice to him, ears twitching with interest “Twolegplace?” She had heard about that place, but never been there. Oh boy, this would be a fun adventure! “Oh, Catmint for greencough! Yes, got it! Was that what I was given when I got whitecough when I was still a kit? Can I be the one to administer it if anyone falls ill?” She quickly walked to take her place next to her mentor, her unusually long tail moving behind her gracefully as she did.

She had seen Mistedsong treat a couple cats before, but she hadn’t been allowed to treat anyone herself yet thanks to her inexperience…and probably also because she found it a bit hard to link the name of the herb to it than its effects. It was nothing serious when she was told the symptoms and the what kind of treatment was needed, but it was when Mistedsong asked by the herb by name…she was getting better at it, she was sure, but she still had some way to go.

Mistedsong was perplexed by Blizzardpaw's question; he'd never really given it much thought. "I suppose they just live to survive. They aren't blessed with any kind of purpose, so they have none." He smiled at the banter of the two apprentices, appreciating the lightheartedness that he so rarely got to participate in himself. "Yes, it's good for whitecough as well, but so are some other herbs," he told Blizzardpaw. "I don't see why you can't. It's a pretty simple one, cats just need to eat the leaves, no poultices or anything." His eyes were caught by a fluffy yellow flower bud peeking out from a bush, and he padded ahead to inspect it further. "This is a marigold bud," the medicine cat meowed. "Do you remember what parts of the marigold we can use, Blizzardpaw?"

“But…if they have no purpose other than survival, how do they find the motivation to keep going? Do rogues have dreams too?” Blizzardpaw tilted her head, questions coming out of her muzzle almost on their own as she tried to figure out this new strange puzzle laid before her.

When Mistedsong stopped after spotting the herb, she had to stop and think for a second or two to notice it as well, causing her ears to drop for half a second, a bit ashamed that she didn’t spot it right away too. She had to make a mental note of being more alert of her surroundings. She quickly caught up with her mentor and looked at the fluffy yellow flower.

“Marigold, right…uh…” She sniffed the plant a bit “Petals…stem…leaves…” She whispered barely loud enough to be heard as she went through her memories, both of Mistedsong using it and the lessons given to her “Not right…maybe not like this? How did he…crushed…no…not crushed…chewed…Oh! Poultice!”.

The fluffy she-cat finally pulled away from the flower, her pink nose and the fur surrounding it now yellow thanks to the pollen she had just gotten stuck on her without noticing thanks to the whole smelling she did while she tried to remember “Its all of it, but you need to turn it into poultice! A cat shouldn’t just eat it whole like this!” Her tail moved from side to side excitedly as she waited for either denial or approval, the little particles of pollen on her nose getting sucked in, causing her to sneeze and lose her balance, falling backwards in a sitting position.

"I'm not sure, Blizzardpaw. I've never gotten close enough to a rogue to ask," Mistedsong replied. He watched with mild amusement as his apprentice worked through his question, nodding thoughtfully on occasion as he listened. When she finally settled on an answer, the medicine cat smiled wholly. "Correct! It is largely useful to prevent infection" he meowed, chuckling when the she-cat fell backwards. "Be careful, things are starting to bloom. There'll be a lot of pollen on pretty much everything soon."

The medicine cat's ears perked up, hearing a stick break nearby. "What was that?" he murmured, eyes flickering around nervously, tailtip twitching.

Mistedsong hissed in surprise, ducking backwards out of the way of the paw. "Run!" he hollered to his accomplices, his spine immediately protesting from the speed with which he turned tail and took off.

As always, though, his disability betrayed him, and he stumbled over a root, slamming to the ground. He was forced to defend himself by his position, the rogue rapidly catching up with him. "Lionpaw, protect Blizzardpaw!" he yowled urgently, readying himself to fight the rogue.

The member 'Asher' has done the following action : Roll Dice

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'Battle Dice' : 4

Blizzardpaw was about to ask if they should take the Marigold back to camp with them when her mentor suddenly got nervous. In her inexperienced state, she had failed to tell apart the sound of the stick snapping in half apart from the rest of the noises of the forest, so she was caught off-guard when the large scarred rogue jumped out of the frozen undergrowth and approached them with unsheathed claws and bared fangs. As much as she had just asked about the, she never thought she would face one like this before.

She stumbled backwards, her fur standing on end and mind choosing the worst possible timing to draw a blank, causing her to lose the precious time window she needed to escape. It wasn’t until Mistedsong spoke again that she snapped back into reality.

The member 'Silver Ink' has done the following action : Roll Dice

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'Battle Dice' : 6

The birdcall had halted, and even the wind itself had begun to hold it's breath. The scent had drifted into his nose just seconds before the rogue burst from the undergrowth, matted fur and singular eye beaming with pure malice and hatred. The snarl that burst from the cream-furred tom caught it's speaker off guard with the ferocity, and Lionpaw felt his long fur bush out defensively, long claws curling into the soft ground beneath him. He didn't have much time to react as a second rogue, much bulkier than the one approaching Blizzardpaw took on Mistedsong, and he found himself blindly obeying the elder medicine cat.

The apprentice barely noticed as the medicine cat sped away with a rogue hot on his tail, and he sent a speedy prayer to StarClan as he faced Gus, lips drawn back in a snarl and a dangerous growl rumbling in the back of his throat. Launching forward on strong hindlegs, that SkyClan was renown for, the tom so like a lion in stature bore down on Gus, both tooth and claws ready to meet his opponent. Relief flooded through him as his claws connected with the rogue's shoulder, and he bounced back, feeling the blood on his claws as he did so. This would not be an easy fight for the tom, and he was extremely worried about Mistedsong.

Lionpaw used Claws and Teeth, dealing -9 in damage!
(4 initially, + 5 from dice)

Gus
??/?? [HP]

Lionpaw :
30/30 [HP]

Blizzardpaw :
30/30 [HP]

The member 'oryx' has done the following action : Roll Dice

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'Battle Dice' : 5

Glad to see that Hulk had joined in on his little raid, Gus snapped his gaze back to the speckled apprentice, his teeth bared. Jumping forwards, he snapped his sharp teeth at her neck, just barely missing a fatal blow, though he was still able to catch some of her pelt. "Scared of that pearly white pelt getting dirty, are we?" he hissed as he shuffled backwards, ears pinned against his head. The scent of her blood fired him up even more and he was certain that him and his comrade would be victorious today.

Gus used Rogue Tactics. Gus rolled a 2, causing a total of 10 damage.

Gus
HP: 55/55

Blizzardpaw
HP: 20/30

The member 'Ice' has done the following action : Roll Dice

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'Battle Dice' : 2

Advancing over the very root that nearly sent Mistedsong sprawling, the tail-less Rogue's chest reverberated with a sharp and mocking laugh that rose above the commotion. "Running won't save you!" Hulk snarled, broken and twisted whiskers trembling as he continued his slow and methodical approach, street roughened paws easily crushing the delicate foliage and debris within his path. Gus seemed intent on handling the two younger cats, and with the undeniable benefit of greater age and experience on his side, it likely wouldn't take very long. And seeing the apparently poor shape this tom was in, this fight wouldn't take much at all! Devoting the entirety of his attention to the grey-white Medicine Cat, the tabby's lips peeled back into a foul grimace, "You stole this land, the very least you could be willing to do is put up a half-decent fight!"

Darting forward with a surprising speed, Hulk lunged at Mistedsong with a frighteningly loud yowl that set the chilly air alive with the terrified squawking of unsuspecting birds. Taking advantage of his larger weight and initial strike, the Rogue sent the smaller tom sprawling out against the roots of a neighboring tree- effectively trapping Mistedsong between his teeth and the unyielding form of the massive tree. Cruelly hooked and filthy claws purposely lashing for the most vulnerable points of the face and chest, the tabby's teeth snapped precariously close to the Medicine Cat's throat. Spitting up a mouthful of pale fur tinged with a faint trace of blood, thin tendrils of bloodied spittle extended in a spidery web from Hulk's mouth and Mistedsong's fur.


Hulk uses Rogue Tactics, Dealing 14 in Damage!
Initial 8 in Damage + 6 in Damage Done by Dice.

Hulk :
55/55 [HP]

Mistedsong :
16/30 [HP]

The member 'Seer' has done the following action : Roll Dice

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'Battle Dice' : 6

Mistedsong spat out a curse that he was sure Spottednose would have chastised him for before sending a quick mental prayer to StarClan to help them-- the three cats were more than a little bit out-classed in fighting prowess by the two rogues. The yowl of the attacking rogue hurt his ears, but that was quickly knocked out of his head as he collided with tree roots. The medicine cat did his best to ignore the cold tendrils of fear licking deep in his chest, unsheathing his claws and slashing at his attacker's face to hopefully give him the opportunity to get more distance between the two, unleashing a snarl deeper than he thought he was capable of making. His claws connected with flesh, staining his white paws with blood, and Mistedsong couldn't help but cringe internally; he was a healer, not a fighter, but this cat was clearly trying to kill him and he wasn't going down without a fight.

Mistedsong used Claws & Teeth, dealing 4 + 5 damage to Hulk.

Mistedsong: 16/30 HP

Hulk: 46/55 HP

The member 'Asher' has done the following action : Roll Dice

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'Battle Dice' : 5

Blizzardpaw yowled with some surprise when the large rogue launched his attack against her. While a good part of her knew that fights would be unavoidable regardless of rank, and Mistedsong’s warning of the lack of code rogues were known for still echoed as a muffled whisper on the back of her head, she would be lying if she said she expected to be caught as some kind of front-lines cat during a fight like this.

Her reaction was a mixed result of encouragement given by watching Lionpaw attack the rogue with her in an attempt to defend her, and an instinctive response to the surprising stinging feeling of the wound left on her by the large rogue.

Her long fluffy coat was standing on end as she landed the blow, claws she honestly hoped she would never need to use in this way making contact against the codeless rogue’s body standing before them “Leave us alone!” She was young, inexperienced and clearly not a warrior by any means. She could feel the cold bolt of fear traveling across her spine, making her body shiver, her own body recoiling at the feeling of the blood droplets that she had managed to draw with her blow, as a medicine cat was supposed to heal, never to harm...but she would be damned if she was just going to lay there and allow the rogue to throw her around like a piece of fresh-kill, leaving all the hard work for Lionpaw alone.


Blizzardpaw used Claws & Teeth against Gus, causing ( 4 + 6) 10 damage

Gus
HP: 36/55

Lionpaw :
30/30 [HP]

Blizzardpaw
HP: 20/30

The member 'Silver Ink' has done the following action : Roll Dice

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'Battle Dice' : 6