CLEARING CAMP 2 ✘ the gallant ones

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His expression draws tight, neutral - he is stone, obsidian carved into the features of a bristling cat with a single narrowed orange eye. WindClan has already taken the lead to press forward in their own territory, there was no time to pause or lick wounds; if they didn’t keep putting pressure on the vagrants they’d be able to gather themselves enough to hit back and they had already seen how dangerous they were. A single rogue made a pitiful opponent, but a swarm was the carrionplace rats that tore apart Sootstar, enough teeth digging in would bring down the most resilient of cats. Again the dark tom thinks about how he should not be here doing this, he should dutifully at the side of his leader whose voice would inspire and raise up above the masses - ordering the clans to begin with the borderline arrogant confidence he’d always had. But they would have to make do with him.

“Drag them into the depths, make them regret not giving the river the respect it's due.” His voice trembles, there is a quiver in his words that is the barely contained rage he feels building inside his chest like a hard knot; from the moment Cicadastar’s body hit the ground at the initial attack, to the moment they made plans to retaliate - he has been barely held together through grit and will alone, the tiny filaments of sensibility that kept him restrained all threaten to snap under the force of his anger. It pushes outward, stretches the wires taut- he wants to sink his teeth into something living and bite down until it stops. “Every other clan push them outside the territory to the water!” They had the advantage here, this was their territory and once they got close enough to the edge of the river itself there would be nothing stopping them from being overpowered by his clanmates; no cat generally swam with the ease and skill a RiverClan cat did - they were sculpted by the waters, reared within the shallow pools, fed plentifully by it. They would not lose here. His tail flicks up, raises in one single lash of movement; the signal to attack.

  • Feel free to powerplay the rogues following the guidelines! During these final battles, each character is limited to killing one rogue. If they are a warrior or above, they will not need assistance. If they are an apprentice, they must have help from at least one other cat to get a kill in.

  • 57913530_r2t3y4lghl4FDra.png
    Smokethroat
    —⊰⋅ Deputy of RiverClan
    —⊰⋅ He/Him
    "SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
    —⊰⋅ Black tom w/vitiligo & one orange eye.
    —⊰⋅ penned by Rai

 
The whole trip back to RiverClan Ratpaw had been shaking. Was it nerves? Excitement? Worry? Pain? She did not know, and she hoped that she would not find out in a horrible way soon. Following as close as she could to her own clan the apprentice moved forward and into the water, shaking subsiding as she soon got used to the cold and the rush of the river by her side once more. The muck and foliage that clung to her pelt from staying within the forest and the swamp for so long slowly floating away down the current as she stood still near the bank, ears pricked and eyes wide as she listened for the sound of the rogues rushing to the edge of the territory - towards their doom.

Breath still she sat for what felt like forever before the first wave of rogues came barreling into her vision, chased by four clans brought together by nothing but desperation and annoyance for the trespassers that had dared to take what was not rightfully theirs. She prepared herself for the desperate cats to come to them, sinking lower into the water for a moment to try and make it seem as though it was deeper there than it actually was. She wasn't good at fighting, no, but she could try to surprise the other enough to startle them into the water more or to run away out of the territory. She only hoped her plan would work.

As one came near her, teeth gnashing and a snarl ripping from his throat, Ratpaw quickly stood up and lunged forward, surprising the cat as she soon found herself moving as quickly as she could within the water to get behind the other and she pushed causing him to stumble forward and scramble as he began to try and tread water, not realizing with the force of the push from Ratpaw and the current of the water he was heading straight in the direction of @Snakeblink . Once he was out of reach Rat turned around once more, prepping herself just in case she needed to defend herself.

  • 72197262_ih0kl09k9BIlFkG.png
    ratkit - ratpaw - rat???
    ⋆ female - she/her - 6 moons
    ⋆ homosexual - not looking
    ⋆ apprentice of riverclan
    ⋆ peaceful powerplay allowed
    attack - "speech" - thought
    ⋆ penned by tikki
 
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MAYBE I'D BE A SAINT IF I WEREN'T ————————————​

The fight in the moors was difficult and confusing — wide open space or dark tunnels, all of it hard to navigate or hard to hide in. Despite keeping to the edges of battle, jumping on vulnerable rogues to overwhelm them with numbers, Snakeblink has gotten quite a few bruises and scratches for his troubles.

But here it will be different. He will make it different.

Snakeblink slips into the river in utter silence, following the clan warriors like a shadow. He remembers the blood spilled on their own land, Cicadastar and Carppaw like so much prey to the rogues; the hunger is still a sharp pain, a fresh nagging from days of lean hunting on borrowed land. He holds that anger in his chest like a precious stone as he navigates through the dark water, diving under the surface as he reaches the shore and lying in wait.

He doesn’t have to wait long. A flash of white a short way off — Ratpaw rushing at a rogue and pushing him away from the shallows, sending him paddling downstream in a flurry of graceless, unskilled swimming.

After a moment of flailing,the rogue manages to right himself. But his footing is still awkward on the silt and mud of the riverbed, the water coming up to his shoulders pulling him further away even as he digs his claws in the soft ground. Snakeblink has no such trouble. Kicking his legs, he cuts through the water towards the rogue, coming up to him from the black depths. His claws make contact first, digging into the rogue’s shoulders; then his head breaking through the surface, teeth closing around the rogue’s neck as his back paws brace against the sand he pulls, dragging the hapless land-cat underwater.

He loses his hold near immediately as the rogue thrashes in his grasp, panicked claws racking against Snakeblink’s chest and forcing him to jerk away before his pelt is torn like a vole’s. A cloud of bubbles explodes out of the other’s chest as he flails, reaching for the surface, breaching out a moment before Snakeblink bites around his hindleg and drags him back in, climbing on top of the floundering cat to catch a breath of his own.

He’s mostly bones and skin, but a grown cat’s entire weight on one’s back is not something a poor swimmer can easily manage. Snakeblink fights his efforts to free himself, the dark water gaining a reddish tint as he scrambles over the rogue’s back with his claws unsheathed, pushing his head under again and again, the rogue’s struggles weakening each time he’s denied the relief of a lungful of air.

At last he goes limp, all the fight leaching out of him along with one last burst of air. Snakeblink has his claws caught in the other’s fur; scrambling to free himself before the deadweight can drag him downstream, he throws himself back blindly, aiming to dive under and do it again.

Before he can, though, he feels another set of teeth closing around his scruff with a burst of pain, hauling him out of the protective embrace of the river. The bulk of another rogue looms over him, and she keeps her hold on his spine tight as she drags him towards the shore and back on solid ground. It’s his turn to flail blindly at her, barely managing to free himself with a slash at her face that only glances off her muzzle, and he can barely roll to a crouch before the rogue is on him again, rising on her hindlegs with both front paws aiming for him, all claws out.

——————————————————————————————————— so god damn lonely
  • Dealt with the rogue @Ratpaw sent his way, currently in trouble with another one on land and open to rescuing
  • Snakeblink • he / him. 46 ☾, riverclan warrior
    — a sleek, skinny tabby with long ears and a scar over his right eye.
    — gay, not actually evil, penned by @Kangoo


 
₊· ͟͟͞͞➳˚ Much like her father she's keeps a neutral expression as her bicolored gaze focuses on the home that had been wrongfully stolen from her and the rest of Riverclan. The memory of Cicadapaw getting struck, Cicadastar surrounded and killed mercilessly by heartless rogues, Smokethroat getting crowded in the same way, and having to move to one territory to another. It's enough to make her blood begin to boil and her vision blur from the seething anger that she felt now and her jaw tightens unable to push this feeling of wanting to bite down and not letting go until someone stopped moving. She keeps close by but mostly next to her brother, Cicadapaw, and she wonders if he can feel the anger radiating off of her. Beepaw finds it easy to read her littermate and only hopes that he catches her eye and understands what she wishes to do. They were foolish trying to take a rogue by themselves but perhaps together they'd be able to overwhelm their enemy.

The moment Smokethroat gives his order and signals for them to attack, Beepaw gives a quick nod to Cicadapaw for him to follow her lead as she swims forward with ease, she's within her element, she's home. Her initial idea being lure the rogue close enough to the waters and she could send them to her brother's way but her bicolored gaze focuses on a snowy pelt of her best friend, her muscles tensing up until Snakeblink takes care of the rogue. Although, the lead warrior practically gets fished out by a rogue do her eyes narrow into dangerous slits and large ears lay flat against her head. Pulling herself from the depths with curly fur that dangles like seaweed against her body, the apprentice briefly shares a gaze with her brother and storms forward after unsheathing her own claws.

Lunging forward with her own claws stretched out does the smoke molly barely manage to knock the rogue off her balance and she latches onto the rogue being careful not to kick Snakeblink as she does. "Cada!" She says before biting down on the shoulder of the other molly letting her fangs sink in until the taste of blood flowed within her jaws, it isn't long until she's shaken off and she tumbles back and quickly rises to her paws. The rogue swings at her and Beepaw reacts quickly remembering the dodge and roll that Sablepaw had taught her when she had been little, how she had tried perfecting since she became an apprentice. How her body rolled after tightening her core and springing upwards once more with her own swipe. The rogue manages to catch her off guard and lashes out towards her shoulder managing to graze over the skin causing a hiss of pain to leave her.

/ saving @Snakeblink and going to be tagteaming the rogue with @CICADAPAW >:]
  • beekit_chibi.png
    ❥ 4 moons old
    ❥ riverclan apprentice
    ❥ sexuality unknown; single
    ❥ daughter of cicadastar and smokethroat
    ❥ sister of cicadapaw & starlightpaw
    "speech", thoughts, attacking
    ❥ easy; still learning how to fight
    ❥ peaceful powerplay allowed
 
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DON'T YOU GIVE ME UP, PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP

with one solid nod to smokethroat, the leader takes off, aiming to scare some of the rogues to the water. there was but little shadows to work with, but chilledstar intended to make it work. their teeth pulled back in a quick snap towards a tail that dashed past them. they pulled back on the tail, attempting to drag the rogue's attention elsewhere.

"you do not belong here!"

they snapped angrily, fiery gaze locked on a polar opposite rogue of white, with a patch of black. twitching their nose, they lunged forward, using the surprise they still had on the feline to tackle them to the ground. they had no intentions to kill this one. their teeth snapped near their ear and they hissed a promise.

"run. or you shall see how the darkness takes the light from your eyes."

claws come in contact with their nose, making them pull back just enough for the rogue to rush off. with a hiss, and shake off their nose, they spin around to find more rogues. one makes it way towards smokethroat and chilledstar snarls, rushing forward and pushing into the cat, intercepting it from smokethroat. they stand in front of it, with a quick look to the deputy.

"got your back."

they mean it, and they'd mean it later. there was something itching within them to be on good terms with this leader and they hardly know why. address it later.

// feel free to assist chilledstar in any way !! currently intercepting a rogue from attacking @Smokethroat
 

Their leader was taken.. but no other leader had suffered the same as them. They had not had such importance stripped from their clan. It had made rage and envy bubble over and begin to overfill; pouring over and oozing. Prayer for revenge had been heard.. now it was time to see if it had been answered. Claws itched with the desire to tear into flesh and watch their single lives fade from their bodies just as Riverclan watched many of them slip from their king. Her face was permanently scarred; a lasting reminder of the nightmare that fell upon their clan. Now she hoped the story it served would turn into a reminder of victory. She hoped. They all would hope.

Lowly she kept her body at the call of command, disappearing into the reeds once she had spotted a target. It felt as if she were stalking prey, excitement stirring in her gut. There was nothing holding her back, but still, she kept her discipline to keep from charging early. The victim stood alert, swiveling their head at the call of intuition. They were being watched. Hunted.

Paws fell slower as she grew closer. Then within a flash, she pounced.

The speed and impact knocked them to the ground. It was a rolling ball of chaos; yowls and enraged screams exploding from the rouge. Claws and teeth were exposed, claws stretching and flashing to slice and injure. Neither were hit besides the repetitive impacts upon the cold hard earth with each roll upon the other. Then the rolling stopped as water began to soak fur.

Jaws met jugular and water spilled over both bodies. Bubbles resurfaced but only one body had met among them. Crimson surrounded mix-matched paws but the color was prohibited from staining the victor. Light-patched fur had only been more clean than it had in days.

Shock spilled over the molly's soaked face for a moment as she caught her breath in heavy laps of air; the results of the battle within the depths. It was a flash of vulnerability and she took advantage of it. She had meant to kill. Although, she wasn't prepared for the feelings it served her for the moment. Then there was satisfaction.

Petalnose rose her head to look upon their home, now a battlefield becoming bloodied. Were they winning? Were her clanmates as lucky as her?

She caught sight of Snakeblink nearby, disappointment meeting her gaze as the rouge began to rise for a strike. "Watch out, furball!" she hissed, aiming to bite upon her hind leg and pull it from underneath her in a flash. Hopefully, her move could help her comrade to redemption. She jumped back to let the green-eyed tabby have a chance to finish. "Now!"

// Closed to killing now!
But now assisting @Snakeblink
Tags
 
Grapejuice never expected his first real fight to be an all out battle, but he figured it was better than being alone. If he needed help, there would be someone who'd help him, or so he'd like to think. The bell on his collar does not ring, for he has clogged it with mud while still in the marsh. He strides along with the other clan cats. He did well enough on the moors, managed to choke a rogue into fleeing. Now, the riverlands needed his expertise.

And so, when Smokethroat gave the signal, he quickly jumped into action.

The chunky blue tom bolted into the fray, bulldozing into a rogue and bowling them over.

"GET OUTTA HERE YOU STUPID ROTTEN PILE OF TWOLEG GARBAGE!!!" He screeched into their face, making the rogue wince.

"Stop yelling in my ears you oaf-"

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!?"

"I called you a STUPID OAF!!" The rogue spat, kicking his hindlegs into Grapejuice's gut.

But no. That does not work... Oh, it hurts, and if Grapejuice didn't know any better, he'd think his eyes were popping out from the blow. But he stays on top of the rogue out of pure spite. He raised a paw and smacked the rogue as hard as he could. Which to the surprise of anyone watching probably, is pretty hard for a kittypet.

The rogue kicks again, and he falters. This allows the rogue to wriggle out of his grip and get back on his feet. He doesn't give Grapejuice a chance to react before he lashes his claws across his face. Anger bubbles up within Grapejuice. Lowering himself, he prepares to launch. But the rogue sees him coming, and moves out of the way to strike at his flank. Grapejuice growls, and as he circles his enemy, he takes note of the position of the river. He pauses when it's right behind him.

He may not have it in him to take a life himself....But he can help someone else do it!! The Riverclanners are in the river, painting it red with the blood of their enemies. They won't mind an extra rogue, right?

The rogue rushes him and Grapejuice meets him with open arms, gripping him. Then, with the help of the rogue's momentum, Grapejuice rolls onto his back and KICKS as hard as he can, sending the rogue flying towards the river. Powerful as his Skyclanner legs are, the rogue lands just shy of the water line. So Grapejuice rushes to meet the rogue and bulldozes him again, this time stopping himself short. He remembers seeing goats do this when his twoleg took him to a farm to take care of a sick animal.

The goat was mad at him and it was his fault, but hey. Maybe the goat shouldn't have stupid looking horns on its head.

But Instead of using his head like the goat, Grapejuice used his shoulder, which is significantly less painful.

He watches the rogue stumble back into the water, where he hopes a Riverclanner takes care of him from there.


((Grapejuice has pushed a rogue into the water for someone to DESTROY ))​
 
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his father looks every inch the leader-to-be (in the future, please, so far in the future) he has been named as. cut-steel features, flaming orange eye, bitten commands. cicadapaw is a poor excuse for a soldier and he knows it, but he feeds on rage, building the fire in his chest. the helplessness of not even a moon ago is so far away, miles away, living in the sweet peace of rage. the battlefield asks little of him—he need not be prim and polite and charming. all he needs is his claws and his teeth and hot blood on his tongue.

dual eyes snag on his sister's and her eyes are clarity, her jaw tight with the rage pulsing against his own temples. they will attack together, black-and-white paw for paw. he unsheathes his claws, curved and cruel and shiny as a bird's, follows her into the water at his father's signal. he dips beneath the surface, freed with the current guiding his paws, trailing her towards the rogues. he must be a strange sight, an apprentice spindly and oozing midnight curls like globs of poisoning oil, dripping water, when he emerges.

his eyes are narrowed to pinpricks, his chest taut and heaving, sweat popping on his pawpads with the water, with the rush of it all. he's a spare moment behind but in that moment his sister's calling him, a rogue scraping claws over her shoulder despite her deft motions. cicadapaw lurches forward, brutality driving his thin limbs, shoves them with all the might his skinny frame can muster, raking claws down their exposed flesh. he bares pearly fangs, panting, watching them stumble and fall with their muzzle in the river.

he's catching his balance, keeping himself controlled—but his sister can handle it while he gets to his feet. blood running from a struck nose, iron on his tongue, he rasps, "bee!" cicadapaw nods to the rogue, staggering to get up with a muzzleful of water. i'll be there soon.

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  • tagteaming with @BEEPAW. !!
  • 5mGwJgx.png
    cicadapaw ; apprentice of riverclan
    x. he/him ; 4 moons ; tags
    x. unsightly black-and-white tom with heterochromatic amber and blue eyes
    x. played by dejavu
    cicadapaw is the wayward son of cicadastar and smokethroat, veritable riverclan royalty who fails to live up to his legacy. veiled in a perpertual miasma of internal conflict and rage, he finds solace in his anger when he can find it nowhere else.

 
₊· ͟͟͞͞➳˚ When her brother comes to her aid is when she feels relieved and more confident than ever, they could take on anything if they stood side by side. His taller yet thinner frame is thrown against the rogue and claws are drawn out to strike and pierce through flesh, it's enough to send the rogue stumbling backwards until they fall into the river. It seems Cicadapaw was losing his own balance and him calling out her name is enough to grab her attention, she nods back to him only to dart forward once more as she doesn't hesitate to spring into action. Her claws digging underneath the chin of the rogue, on her throat, and pushing down so the rogue's muzzle remained underneath the water. It's not long until the larger feline starts flailing and swiping frantically at the air trying to reach her, claws find purchase and briefly graze her cheek, and she pushes further until her claws are piercing through flesh.

Little beads of blood start to blossom and soon its slithering down the neck of the rogue, it reminds her of what they had done and what they had taken from her. Her breathing growing quick and her mismatched eyes watching the bubbles rising from below the waters where the rogue attempts to escape her "Cada!" She calls back shooting him a quick glance and then focusing once more on the rogue that was desperately trying to claw it's way out of this one, her ears laying flat against her head still feeling the blood boiling within her and that anger that was beginning to eat away at her.

The memory of Cicadastar being killed more than one in her mind and she swallows, they had slit his throat and tore into him. It makes her ponder if her claws were sharp enough to deal such damage but even just making the rogue bleed and pay for what they had done would be enough. One of her paws draws away from where she had it having father that her brother would be reunited at her side and finish off the trespasser, claws swiftly dragging down its neck and wincing at the blood that spurt. The rogue writhes and manages to surface for a moment and greedily gulping at air, the fur along Beepaw's spine prickling in the slightest and watching through narrowed eyes. She isn't afraid anymore.

/ currently attempting to drown a rogue @CICADAPAW bugtwin tagteam

  • beekit_chibi.png
    ❥ 4 moons old
    ❥ riverclan apprentice
    ❥ sexuality unknown; single
    ❥ daughter of cicadastar and smokethroat
    ❥ sister of cicadapaw & starlightpaw
    "speech", thoughts, attacking
    ❥ easy; still learning how to fight
    ❥ peaceful powerplay allowed
 


There would've been a time, just two sunsets ago, when Deacon wouldn't have bothered to fight. False promises of food had followed the black tabby through three different territories, he'd been willing to cut his losses and find somewhere with a few fewer lies and a lot more fun to lay his head on, but then, his sister had given him meals. Some measly frog at first, then a bigger one, today, it'd been a crow, which had given Deacon the strength they needed to feel motivated to participate in the battle. It was not for RiverClan's sake, but their own. The rush as they dodged claws and carved new scars into old ones was addictive, if there was one thing they had taken away from their youth, it was that there was no point in denying oneself any enjoyment. If that meant doing a good deed in a process, then the tabby wouldn't complain. He was rusty, he felt it as he danced through the land opponents in search of one that wasn't so preoccupied. Limbs did move like they wanted them to, they were certain if they even tried to claw at someone's eyes he'd hit thin air.

Then, he saw it. The potential for a magnum opus, a rogue by the river, distracted by some cat from goodness knows what group, a mark that wouldn't have to rely on his skills or lack thereof. The Ripple Colony member ran forward, ducking beneath a cat that barrelled towards him, jumping over another that had an apprentice pinned by the throat. As his target reared like a horse to deliver a strong blow, Deacon crashed his body into them sideways. The rogue was sent flying into the river and the ticked tabby skidded to a halt by the bank, the grin on their maw warping to confusion as the creature began to struggle. "You got bees in your brain or something?!" He called out over the sound of splashing, incredulous as to what he was seeing. "You took RiverClan and you can't bloody swim?!" Like a disappointed dad, he watched the rogue flail to the shore and pull itself up, body shaking with shock. "Oi! Where you goin'!?" Deacon didn't know if he was calling to the fleeing rogue or the clan cat who moved away in disgust of its own target being poached from it, both had surprised him with their responses.

Rats, could the moons get any more ridiculous?


 
◇────────────【☆】【☆】────────────◇

XXXXXHer Clan had suffered a humiliating, pulverizing defeat at the paws of these greedy rats, but now the river is pulling at her flanks, and there’s rock shoring up beneath her paws. She’s home—they all are, where they belong, and Oxbowpaw will fight like hell to defend what is their’s. The girl’s never been in a battle before, not a proper one—and there’s a gleam of adrenaline in blazing yellow eyes that sparks and stutters like the beginnings of a great fire. Muscles ripple, paws churn in the water, until she’s pelting onto the riverbank with droplets flying from her cinnamon pelt.

XXXXXThe camp is in chaos. Snakeblink fights alongside Ratpaw—she sees Cicadapaw and Beepaw in the rapids, struggling to pin a rogue twice their size. One of the colony cats, a tabby, holds his own. At Smokethroat’s command, Oxbowpaw’s gaze settles on a thin, scrawny gray tom, his pelt balding at the joints. He’s maybe thrice her age, but the look he gives her is one of sheer desperation.

XXXXXFor RiverClan!” There’s glee rich in her voice; she extends her claws, mussing the pebbly earth beneath them, and takes off after the gray tom. He hisses once in her face, fielding her blow. The rogue’s terrified eyes are ever-watchful of the river around them, and it’s as Deacon says, she realizes—they can’t swim, not really, not like a RiverClan warrior can! “Why don’t we take a dip, friend?” She taunts, the fur on her back fluffing out with excitement. “I’ll—hey!

XXXXXThe answer was a resounding no; the rogue kicks up earth, right into her eyes, as he flees. Pebbles find purchase on the scratchy surface of her tongue. She spits, eyes narrowing, and she turns to her siblings with a brilliant lightning-flash smile. “Brookpaw! Meadowpaw! Whaddya say we teach this fool—ah, no time, he’s getting away, COME ON!

XXXXXWithout waiting for reassurance from her littermates, Oxbowpaw hares after the thin-pelted gray rogue, crunching stone-cobbled earth underpaw.



─────────​
chasing a rogue with @meadowpaw and @brookpaw , no interruptions for now!
 

The last time she had fought - truly fought - had been during the battle for Sunningrocks. It had been a difficult battle and not only had RiverClan lost the land and battle that day, Lilybloom had lost her eye. Sometimes that moment still haunted her dreams but she had recovered well from the experience all in all. The loss of Sunningrocks had been hard to bare but at least ThunderClan had not been callous enough to drive them from their true home, to mercilessly surround and kill Cicadastar.

Lilybloom waits with several other RiverClan cats for the rogues to be driven towards them. She sees Smokethroat's signal and like her clanmates she is ready and eager for a fight. Chaos breaks out around them and Lilybloom is only faintly aware of some of what is going on around her. She sees some of her clanmates grappling with rogues, either on their own, or with help as was the case with Oxbowpaw and her siblings. Lilybloom is quick to engage a rogue herself, practically barging into a rogue that appeared to be attempting to flee, hoping that in the chaos it wouldn't be missed. She does not successfully knock the other cat down at first but it is enough to stagger them, giving Lilybloom a further opening to pounce. Her teeth find purchase in the scruff of the rogues neck, twisting slightly in an effort to reduce their chances of getting away. "You do not belong here!" Lilybloom growls through gritted teeth. She is trying to drag them towards the water, but the rogue is twisting and spitting curses now, an unsheathed claw catching Lilybloom on the leg. It hurts of course but she cannot afford to let up and so her grip remains firm.

// open for help! lily is dragging a rogue close to the water's edge/preventing them fleeing
 
Frostbite enters the fray with fearsome determination. These rogues may very well have killed Cicadastar, though Frostbite hoped he was simply separated from his clan. He did not hate Riverclan or Cicadastar, and wouldn't wish being mauled to death multiple times on him. That fate is a fate reserved for the WORST of the worst, and Riverclan has not met those requirements. He feels out of place here, on someone else's territory, fighting for another clan. But this must be done.

Those rogues must be taught a lesson, and he is happy to lend his strength and ferocity to the cause.

The first rogue he spots is his enemy for this battle. His fur is already stained red from Windclan's battle, and with the frigid look in his eyes and his muzzle and throat splashed with crimson, he is a frightening sight to behold as he comes rushing in to meet his opponent. He lunges, jaws wide and teeth fully bared. He grips the rogue's scruff and turns his body to the side to shove them as they struggle towards the water. Claws rake down his shoulder and he shakes the rogue with as much force as he can, throwing the rogue to the ground and slamming a paw onto their throat.

He looks down at frightened eyes with ice in his own. His tail stands tall as he looks down his nose at his victim. Even as they clawed and kicked at him, he continued to put pressure on their throat.

"What did you think was going to happen, hm? Did you think the clans would just leave? Did you think you had won?" He speaks, tone laced with venom.

"You wanted the river.... Then you shall have it." He says with a cruel smile on his face.

He quickly leans down to grip the rogue by the throat and lifts them, barely giving them time to breathe. Frostbite feels their frantic blows weakening, but fortunately the river is right there, full of Riverclanners just waiting for the chance to tear these rogues apart. Frostbite slams the rogue down again and pins their trembling body.

"I expected more from you, but its fine....Your real enemy is there, do you see? Your life is not mine to take...." He hisses, gesturing to the river with a tilt of his head.

Claws tore at him and tugged out clumps of fur, and he watched the rogue struggle. Even as tears formed in their eyes, Frostbite felt nothing. An enemy is an enemy, and they don't deserve mercy. This rogue put kits and queens in danger, drove them from safety. He thinks of his own kits, of Halfshade's kits who he swore to protect for her. That this rogue could put them in danger had they gotten the chance to come for the marsh.....

He snarls and grips the Rogue by the scruff once more to angrily thrash them about like a toy. He drags them into the water and gives not a second thought to throwing them to the nearest open Riverclanner. The water stings the many cuts and scratches he's received, but he pays them no mind. He would worry about them later.

(( Frostbite threw a rogue to the fish come get ur food ))​
 
⋆ ✧    ·   ⋆ ✧    ·   ✧ ⋆     ·   ✧ ⋆
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The reeds, though dying in the chilling months, wrapped around their hunger-thinned form like skeletal claws- they quake in noisy decay with each stretch that leans into the familiarity of this place. Home. Oh, how the damp earth just at the shoreline felt like the softest reprieve on aching pads- WindClan's moors were so unforgiving under-paw and the wretched Thunderpath a blasphemous sensation as well. Neither direction were a comfortable journey to endure...

But here... It is perfect. A breath draws in and it tastes clearer than ever before, like it was always meant to be hers. The experience is bittersweet with the reality of the fury-tight voice that rings out behind them- they are missing their river-crested star and that hollowness creates an echo of the unspoken grief every single RiverClanner held within their chests.

This was justice.

The cold embrace of the water was not something she thought she'd miss... but it's chilling touch numbs the rampant fire, gives her clarity. The other clans move in tandem with them, leverage their talents- it is a type of cooperation they'd likely never experience again. Her pause to survey finds her an impatient enemy, one that hisses and spits on the dry land at her gaunt figure, sizing her up to be frail after weeks of defeat and hunger. Lichentail returns a snarl, circling around to pull their attention as other allies searched for openings to aid each other. "Go easy on me, I'm a little tired after helping WindClan already," a pointless request, an annoyance to her competitor at best.

He hardly hesitates before lunging at her, knocking her to the ground with a wheeze as the air is slammed from her lungs. [6] Swiping at her opponent's face, the blue tabby glances quickly for signs of escape, preparing for her next move when a distantly familiar gaze catches her eyes-- Instead of trying to squirm free, they smile wickedly at the rogue above them before sinking their claws into its sides and pulling close to hold it there--

Now you're just as stuck as I am... And here comes help to shred you to pieces... (What an unlikely clan to need to rely on..)


--- plotted assistance from @FOXGLARE
 
They're finally taking back what's theirs. Meadowpaw is familiar with taking; Buckgait had been taken when the twolegs found her, and prey had been taken when the river dried, and health had been taken when yellowcough had spread over the Clans, and camp had been taken when the rogues took advantage of them. So much taking that he'd had no control over, that he'd never even tried to fight back, really. But now it is Meadowpaw who will be doing the taking. He'll be taking his camp back from its pirates, and he'll do it by force.

It's really all he'd dreamed about as a kitten. Maybe if he'd done something; said something; stepped somewhere different on the day his mother had been stolen from him, then maybe she wouldn't have disappeared at all. Maybe if he'd attacked the twoleg that stole her, maybe she could still be around. He hadn't saved her then, but maybe he could chase the opportunity that he has now– when Oxbowpaw shouts for him and Brookpaw, Meadowpaw's ears twitch with anticipation. This would be his moment. He's sure of it.

"I'm with you!" he shouts to his littermate, fawn limbs bounding effortlessly alongside hers. And, really, he isn't scared at all– he would team up with his littermates, and they'd kill this rogue for what he did to RiverClan, and the justice would be swift and righteous and they'd get to sleep in camp again instead of the filthy bog they hid in now. He's done being scared; adrenaline pumps through each capillary. The rogue is mousy, unassuming; the way the ribs poke out beneath the thin grey pelt makes him look old and out of his prime. Meanwhile, Meadowpaw is just entering his own. Lightningstone has taught him well in battle, and Meadowpaw is prepared to put every last inch of that knowledge to good use.

He sprints alongside Oxbowpaw, attempting to push the rogue towards her and Brookpaw so as to corner him.

/ helping @OXBOWPAW and @brookpaw :- ) no interruptions please!
 
ੈ♡˳ . ° ✦ Darkwhisker doesn't like fighting.

This has been true since he'd first opened his eyes. But if there's one thing that he's learned… that Houndstride and WindClan's continuous cruelty have taught him, it's that he must unsheathe his claws to protect his clanmates when all peaceful options have been exhausted.

And the rogues have shown that they are not interested in peaceful solutions or talking things through. Visions of Cicadastar's lives being ripped one by one from him swim behind Darkwhisker's eyes. He couldn't let that happen to another clanmate. He couldn't let it happen to Lilybloom.

Darkwhisker didn't want to lose anyone else to this merciless world.

He waits beside Lilybloom, his muscles taut. There is no eager gleam in his eyes, only a resigned acceptance that this is the only way and a determination to defend what he loves. Silently, he sends a quick prayer to StarClan. Protect us and let us emerge from this triumphant.

Smokethroat gives the signal, and chaos erupts around them. Darkwhisker's first instinct is to freeze, his eyes widening as the silence of night is broken by caterwauls and battle cries. There is a moment of hesitation, where he is back in SkyClan's camp with blood running down his face and the stench of moors clogging his nose. And then, Lilybloom's voice shakes him from his stupor.

Lilybloom. Where is she? His head whips around until he sees the familiar tortoiseshell pelt of his sister; she's got her teeth sunk into a rogue's scruff, trying to haul them to the river where she'll have the advantage.

The rogue's claws flash in the moonlight, and tear across Lilybloom's leg.

That is what spurs Darkwhisker into action. He lunges forward with lips curled. "Keep your claws off of her!" He wouldn't lose another sibling today. This is for you, Steepsnout.

He sinks his teeth into the rogue's hind leg, using his weight to help haul them towards the river with Lilybloom. With unsavory words spat in his direction, their other leg kicks out, its claws scoring across one of Darkwhisker's shoulders. Pain blazes through him, a grimace contorting his face as he falters. But his hesitancy only lasts a few heartbeats before he’s recovering his grip on the rogue’s leg.

 ° .  . ° 
  • helping @LILYBLOOM. drag a rogue towards the river!
  • 70853174_jzBF6DKXUD78oQw.png
    DARKWHISKER — HE/HIM ・ 17 MOONS ・ RIVERCLAN WARRIOR ・ PENNED BY NICO
    tall, lithe dusky brown tom with splashes of white. a cheerful tom who tries to put a smile on the face of everyone he talks to, darkwhisker's life is devoted to spreading positivity in a world full of negativity. though his words may be fanciful— and coated in the sugar of white lies, at times— he is a well-intentioned, albeit overly idealistic, young warrior.
 

The river-washed scent he’d been born into finds its way back to his nose - a home that he’d begun to lose hope in ever seeing again now in front of him, though it’s nowhere near the state of moving back into, with the infestation it still carries.

This isn’t the tom’s first battle - it is far from it now, his shoulders littered with souvenirs from past opponents - and it won’t be the last, he’s certain. But, by far, this feels the most important, as the white dipped paws tread closer to the battlefield. They are here to take, but not in the way WindClan once had, the way these rogues had either. What’s rightfully theirs, what’s meant to be taken back, will be taken back by the end of this. For RiverClan, for Cicadastar.

He listens to Smokethroat’s words, a careful nod given as sunlit eyes narrow on the clearing. And when the signal is given, he bursts forward. “F-For RiverClan!

The black and white tom rushes after a shadow-furred rogue, a tapered gaze locked on as he shepherds the form toward the river. One whose lingering fear is dismissed in the throes of battle in the RiverClanner’s mind, but not the rogue he chases after. Foolish, he thinks of the rogues who’d thought to inhabit a territory they feared, one they couldn’t fully take advantage of in their stake of it.

Sharp claws leave his opponent cornered, backed against watered trenches. Squabbling, a plea let out. But Gillsight doesn’t hear it over the raging rush filling his ears, as he leaps forward to strike, claws sinking into his opponent as he drags flailing limbs down into the river, into inky darkness.

His opponent’s own talons find his chest, a stinging swipe amid collision - one that leaves Gillsight hissing at the shock of pain. Crimson tinges the water around the spar, but the warrior pushes onward nonetheless, as he sinks his own claws further into rogue-scented fur with a growl. He will rid his home of its invaders, one by one, if he has to.

For RiverClan. For Cicadastar. For Clearsight.
 
  • Crying
Reactions: Snakeblink
MAYBE I'D BE A SAINT IF I WEREN'T ————————————​

The rogue is tackled away before she can fall claws-first on Snakeblink, Beepaw and Cicadapaw latching onto her and Petalnose pulling her leg from underneath her. He backs away instead of jumping on the opportunity to deliver the killing blow, the two apprentices already dragging the rogue underwater with a determination that speaks of their parentage. He throws Petalnose a helpless look: these two are already better fighters than him, it seems.

”Sorry,” he winces, aware enough to be embarrassed that he wasn’t quicker. Another glance: yeah, no, the apprentices have it handled for now. With a shifty-eyed nod at Petalnose he quickly slinks away, darting between fighters and into the shadows; going in search of rogues already engaged in battle to take by surprise. He’s clearly better off not facing them one-on-one and face to face.

——————————————————————————————————— so god damn lonely

  • Snakeblink • he / him. 46 ☾, riverclan warrior
    — a sleek, skinny tabby with long ears and a scar over his right eye.
    — gay, not actually evil, penned by @Kangoo


 
Awesome! It's my time to shine! She runs her tongue across her pearly whites, ready to take back her new home. it was strange thinking about it. She only really got to know this place for a little bit before she had been chased off with the others, but now was the time to get to know it better and it's cats. Unfortunately, Sasha didn't get the chance to learn how to swim very well yet so she isn't a true Riverclanner yet. Even though she did practice and receive some lessons (more like watch and try and copy her new clanmates), it wasn't easy. However, she's become more accustomed to water. It wasn't as scary as it was before, and she had the support of her friends Kaede and Frond! What more could she ask for?

Meeting all the clans and seeing cats from each of them was an experience she'd never dream of. In short, she's quite happy that she took the chance and joined this clan. Sure it has it's faults, but now she knows the true might of the clans. With all of them fighting alongside each other they were unstoppable! Now this is POWER! The last thing she wants is to drown herself, so despite Smokethroat's orders she finds herself taking the role of pushing rogues towards the water, to her clanmates who actually knew how to swim and not drown themselves by accident. Sasha herself is nothing to sneeze at when it comes to battle, but she wouldn't say she was almighty.

Amber eyes land on Snakeblink whom she doesn't know too well, but she is a miffed that he isn't taking charge. Ain't you a lead warrior or something?! "Snakeblinko!" Comes a yowl as she darts to his side and avoids an incoming attack from a rogue. "Let's work together! You and me, we can take these jerks!" Unfortunately what she thinks is false. She had assumed he was fearful and wanted to avoid fighting, not that he planning on surprising their enemies. She preferred fighting head on, so she failed to see what Snakeblink had been attempting to do. Whoa! Hey now, don't do that to Snakey! Amber eyes glare at an incoming rogue coming from Snakeblink's blindside, and without any warning given to Snakeblink, she slams into the rogue. Can't let them surround us, we'll die if that happens!

// interacting with @Snakeblink
 
  • Love
Reactions: Snakeblink
die with memories , not dreams .
︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶
Kaede had never quite seen fighting like this, not until strangers invaded the RiverClan and SkyClan camps with an unwavering vengeance, driving them out and into unknown territory that reeked of decay and made it all that more difficult to move. It’d been agonizing grooming his fur with his father cursing him in his ear for most of their time in ShadowClan and SkyClan.

It seemed he didn’t remember all that much after that, not which the sinking feeling that his father would have shoved him to the wolves again. It hurt but wasn’t his father teaching him to be quicker on his paws? It was a simple explanation. He had failed then, lost in a sea of claws and teeth.

Shaking his helm, Kaede glanced at the others, then toward the water, but deemed it useless. He was big, but Kaede wasn’t all that good at swimming, no matter how many times his father tossed him into the frigid waters, pulling him under time and time again until he remembered to hold his breath.

His dual-toned gaze shifted amongst the sea of cats, picking out familiar fur and those he hadn’t had the chance to know since the invasion. He would have liked to befriend them, as silly as it was. He enjoyed having friends, although that has become extremely difficult—Was he smiling too much? Maybe it was creepier than he thought. His father certainly hadn’t appreciated it, nearly sending him into a pile of rats during one of their hunts in ShadowClan.

Massive paws thudding against the ground, Kaede used his massive build to his advantage, his father’s voice roaring in his mind as he slammed into an unsuspecting rogue. His teeth bared, deadly and all kinds of vicious, the dual-toned brute tussled with the smaller rogue.

They rolled across the ground, teeth nipping and clawing at visible flesh when his teeth found purchase in the rogue’s scruff, dragging the trashing rogue with a surge of strength.
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