master of my pain | spar turned fight

[Cherryblossom]

Warriors could not and should not be aware of the private happenings between apprentices, but just this once Cherrypaw wished Slate had a socially perceptive bone in his body, or that Greeneyes was not always so relentlessly cheerful. The calico twists her paws deeper into the Sandy Ravine as she gazes at her designated opponent. Cherrypaw tries (not her best, admittedly) not to let too much vitriol leak into her stare, to play its intensity off as mere analysis of her opponent. The midday sun glimmers favorably upon his slender, muscled form, taller than her but not by much. Not to the degree Lupinepaw towered over both of them. Maybe if Cherrypaw squints hard enough, she can see the indentations where her cool black nose had pressed into his fur, where her tongue had so tenderly rasped over, the lingering green of her loving gaze in icy blues—

What was so precious about him? He possessed nothing that she didn't. It was just circumstance, her moon-long absence on the journey, it had to be. The whining little boy from the sewers could not be better than her. The two circle each other. Cherrypaw mindfully stills her tail, longing to lash into a frenzy. She could not show Falconpaw he had won anything. Cherrypaw already had a prize of her own, and Lupinepaw had made a choice. And still, staring in the face of her choice, she can't stem the tide of red creeping in at the edges of her sight.

Closing in and shifting her weight backwards, Cherrypaw experimentally jabs at his face with a paw, then follows up with a hard, fast cuff to the side of his neck. Lupinepaw likes him. So what? She likes him better than Cherrypaw.

ooc: @falconpaw! takes place before this​

 

[falcongaze]

❝ STATUES AND EMPIRES✧°.☀ ————————————
It almost felt like deja-vu, if that was a good word for it. It was not the first time Cherrypaw and Falconpaw had sparred, thought Cherrypaw had been.. different then. Naive, immature. This was a wicked way she had learned and matured through, one of the last few generations apprentices at three moons instead of six. Blue eyes blinked as Falconpaw settled into a ever-familiar crouch, his shoulders raising as his head lowered. Long legs had been bestowed upon him, wide-set and large ears. His tail swept low, twitching at the tip.

Cherrypaw's gaze is full of ire, as Falconpaw would expect. Greeneyes and Slate were sure to be nearby, but Falconpaw would have kept his face neutral regardless of what Cherrypaw threw at him emotionally or through speech. Her eyes roamed, however, something that caused his ears to twitch and turn. What now, something in my fur? It was completely unbeknownst to the apprentice that the dappled mollie was thinking hard about who Falconpaw padded after, who he enjoyed curling up against night after night.

And regardless of what she was and wasn't thinking, Falconpaw could see the anger creeping into her features. He spoke, perhaps out of his better judgement. "Don't lose your focus." He murmured. Cherrypaw leapt forward, and he inhaled sharply, ducking away from the paw to the face only to be cuffed against the side of his neck. He stepped to the side, using the force that pushed him through to lead his movements- body whipping around to slam his side into Cherrypaw's, hoping to throw her into a stumble. If successful, he'd press that attack, pouncing at her to bowl her over.

Of course Falconpaw knew there was something up between Cherrypaw and Lupinepaw- but why wouldn't there be? They were friends since young, since before Falconpaw was given to Skyclan for protection. It tasted like acid in his throat anytime he remembered their tails twined together, but for what reason? He couldn't tell.

"SPEECH"

[penned by dallas - ☀]

———————————— ☀.°✧ ALL AT YOUR PAWS ❞ ​

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[Cherryblossom]

Before she moved, Cherrypaw would've raised a brow. "Don't lose your focus." "Don't tell me what to do." The moon-long gap in their ages had narrowed, but never quite closed. Falconpaw had probably reached into it to obtain the audacity needed to offer her this useless morsel of advice. Or perhaps it was a thinly-disguised taunt, as though she posed something that bordered on a challenge to him if only she'd focus. She was plenty focused.

The rest of Falconpaw's body snaps in the direction of where her paw had guided his neck. Her paws float in the sand as she turns to meet his side assault, but he's a touch faster than her. His shoulder collides with hers while she's in the unbalanced middle of her turn, and she skids backwards amid a spray of sand. He's on top of her in another heartbeat, ruddy paws slamming into the tangling white of her pelt.

Slate, with his superior mass and skill, has knocked her over more times than she knows to count in their moons of training; instead of resisting the push, she follows in it, letting her back whumpf into the sand. At the same time, her hind legs lash upwards, hoping to find purchase in his underbelly and savagely kick into it. If that failed, she'd settle for anywhere within reach, aiming to distract him for long enough to flip herself back upright, or maybe just to get some chip damage in.

Against her own benefit, she hopes he doesn't jump out of range after knocking her over. She hopes he stays close. She hopes he wants to hurt her as much as she does him.​

 

[falcongaze]

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ- Cherrypaw's quip back to him was with rough words- sharp, the edges revealed and teeth pulled back. His eyes narrowed and ears laid back. If it was to be like that, then, it would be. It was a kindness. He thought briefly, just before the spat had began.

Cherrypaw goes down underneath of him, and he knows it isn't over. Slate was Cherrypaw's mentor- he had seen firsthand what the lead warrior could do, and he was more proficient in battle then Greeneyes was. His teeth grit together as her hind legs slammed into his underbelly, and his body was effectively thrown off, sliding in the sand nearby. Blue eyes never left her figure, despite the ebbing of pain at his stomach. His tail lashed. Against his better judgement in another life, he'd speak here- but not today.

He knew who was watching, he knew what was on the line. His shoulders tensed as he slowly began to circle. Falconpaw hadn't jumped far away- that didn't end the battle by any means, of course. Another volley began this time as he ran forward, then slid into the sand. It was hopefully flung up into her eyes and he'd explode from underneath of her, slamming his paw into the underside of her chin. If successful, he'd advance forward, attempting to batter her with his paws.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── ILL SEE YOU WHEN ⋅❁⋅ THE WRATH COMES AROUND ──┐‎

• "speech"
  

• 

• FALCONPAW 🌧 he/him, apprentice of skyclan, eleven moons.
  ⭃ LH chocolate lynx point with deep blue eyes, and a long scar on his left cheek down under his jawline. pushes his 'hair' back. very long legged, half oriental moggie.
  ⭃ mentored by greeneyes / / mentoring no one
  ⭃ padding after lupinepaw / / brother to spottedpaw and sagepaw
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

​

 

[Cherryblossom]

Satisfaction twists through her as her feet connect with what flesh Leaf-bare has spared from Falconpaw's belly, and she inhales the vision of him flying off into sand as she scrambles to her paws. Breath spills in pants and gasps from her unhinged jaw, but yellow eyes remain hawk-bright upon her adversary. She circles him as he does her, tail bristling but still, taught to conserve her draining energy on such a useless expression of anger no matter how much she longs to beat the air with it.

The chocolate point darts forwards, and Cherrypaw dodges to the left. The sand erupts beneath the blur of Falconpaw's paws, and a startled wheeze is the only sign of the calico beneath the spray of sand. Instinct saves her vision, but the close of her eyes has lost her vital time. Her head lashes backwards as his paw collides with the soft palate of her chin, teeth slamming against each other with an almost bone-shattering snap. When the pure, lightning white of shock fades, her first thought is "thank StarClan I didn't bite my tongue off," followed by blue-hot, blistering rage at the fact she needed to think it at all.

Falconpaw apologizes with a deluge of blows, and Cherrypaw shifts onto her hind legs to block them with her own forepaws. Her jaw is throbbing; it pulses with each hit he aims, whether she takes it, blocks it, or avoids it. She could slip to the side again and try pressing him from another angle instead of treading water. Or she could take it all and return it to him tenfold. A furious cry spills from her as she lunges forwards, ears pinned and eyes screwed against the continued attacks, to try and shove Falconpaw backwards and, hopefully, into the ground. No matter where he would end up, she would then try to wrap her jaws around his throat, biting hard enough to bruise but not enough to draw blood.​

 

[falcongaze]

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ- This is getting dangerous. End it. Something within whispered, probably the crueler side of him flashing it's teeth. He bit it back as the sand rained down upon the both, her eyes closed as his paw hit. Satisfaction burned, and Falconpaw knew it shouldn't feel right like this to pummel someone else. It shouldn't be what he wanted, pain caused to another. But the further the fight went, the more his heart hummed with the adrenaline and need to finish it.

Cherrypaw reared back to throw paws back at him, and he falters for a moment with her furious cry. His paws battered- the better part of him still keeping his hits lighter then he wished- at her as she charged forward. Ice cold shock hit him from eartip to pawpad as her mouth closed around his neck and fur, his paws sliding backwards in the sand. He didn't topple backwards, but he did yowl in surprise, then fury. It was one thing to get into a fight, but it was another thing to go for his throat and crush like so.

He reacted in kind, using all of the power in his long leg as his paw came down, smashing at her left eye over and over. Blue eyes were wide then narrow with desperation and anger, and it was moments later that he twisted his entire body, both paws moving to shove her backwards. His shoulders heaved, voice raw as he spoke. "Dirty move." Falconpaw would charge forward, his shoulder aimed to slam into her chest and fling her backwards, hopefully contacting something solid.

In this red-coated vision, he didn't see his mentors, or any other cat move towards them, leaving him particularly open.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── ILL SEE YOU WHEN ⋅❁⋅ THE WRATH COMES AROUND ──┐‎

• "speech"
  

• 

• FALCONPAW 🌧 he/him, apprentice of skyclan, eleven moons.
  ⭃ LH chocolate lynx point with deep blue eyes, and a long scar on his left cheek down under his jawline. pushes his 'hair' back. very long legged, half oriental moggie.
  ⭃ mentored by greeneyes / / mentoring no one
  ⭃ padding after lupinepaw / / brother to spottedpaw and sagepaw
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

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[GREENEYES]

Rounds of gossip are never-ending in SkyClan’s camp, but Greeneyes is nearly oblivious to the inner-workings of the apprentice den these days. His own days of apprenticeship are long gone, with it the tales his own peers held, the entanglement or lack thereof in who likes who.

So this — this feels like just another training session to the lead warrior. One reminiscent of his apprentice’s early moons in training, an opponent rematched. Falconpaw is no longer the small kit he used to be (Greeneyes swears the chocolate point is taller than him now) and neither is Cherrypaw either. Both are closer to warriorhood than ever, with a set of skills they hadn’t back then. Cherrypaw has gone to the mountains and back. Falconpaw survived a sickness infamous with death. They’re both strong, Greeneyes knows.

And Falconpaw can hold his own now, though Greeneyes still worries for his amigo in ways a mentor only can. He’s seen him fight against rogues, seen him protect his peers. He knows what his apprentice is capable of. Still, training is a must, so here they are.

And Greeneyes smiles as he watches, pride at how far Falconpaw has come rearing its head as the young tom fights back, as he takes the offense against Cherrypaw. Where Greeneyes may be more equipped in hunting lessons, Slate is more equipped for sparring, so he can’t help but to be proud of the fact that his apprentice is doing so well, that he’s able to counterstrike and defend himself and —

The calico rears back on snowy legs, a shout and a lunge forward following. Falconpaw falters — and Greeneyes thinks he might’ve too — and Cherrypaw is able to get ahead. Greeneyes’ smile drops, eyes blowing wide as sharp teeth aim for his apprentices’ neck. “ Hey — “ he starts, a paw moving forward. This is… This is far too much, far too real for a mere training session.

A cry from Falconpaw is next, and battering strikes drive chocolate paws. “ Falcon — “ he starts to warn him, tries to cut the battle short before it can get worse. A twist in form, the apprentice is back on his feet, charging for Cherrypaw again and —

This is only going to get worse.

“ HEY! “ he shouts, bounding forward in the way of the battle, taking the bulk of the blow Falconpaw’s driving form aims to deliver. Paws stagger back, and he drives them into the sand in an effort to balance himself, before pushing back at his apprentice’s form in an attempt to steer him backwards.

Cherrypaw and Falconpaw have always had some sort of rivalry between them. The lead warrior doesn’t know why, though maybe he should be asking after the show they’ve put on.

“ That’s enough! “ he snaps, eyes wide and his own sides heaving as he looks to Falconpaw, to Cherrypaw. To Slate, begging for the latter’s mentor to agree with him. “ Both of you, that’s enough! What... What has gotten into you? “ Training should never go this far — they should know that by now! ​

✦ ABOUT

• 

  GREENKIT ‣ GREENPAW ‣ GREENEYES
  ── Lead Warrior of SkyClan
  
  ── Daisyflight x Raven Ramble
  ── AMAB; He/Him
  ── A red tabby and white tom with bright green eyes.
  ── Mentored by Sheepcurl; Currently mentoring Falconpaw
  ── "Speech"; Attack​

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[SLATESNARL]

Everything has gone to plan.

Slate can sense it as he watches Cherrypaw soldier through Falconpaw's offensive jabs and rush her opponent, enraged and fueled by sheer adrenaline. She is nearing warriorhood, sharpened by his rigorous training and equipped with the skills to hold her own in battle. He could see it in their training together and he could see it now as she went for the tom's throat. Such moves are not usually encouraged in spars, especially between two trainees, but Slate does not immediately object.

Only when Falconpaw hits her back does his mentor, Greeneyes, vocalize his concerns and physically insert himself between the apprentices. The Maine Coon gets to his paws, padding forth although with less urgency than the other lead warrior. "He's right. Don't overdo it, unless y'wanna stay with Dawnglare again." As far as Slate knows, the two near-adults are merely overeager to impress and excel. It is not a bad thing, but it's not wise to push boundaries. Getting wounded in training was counterproductive.

The broad-mawed male looks to the tortoiseshell now, addressing her, "You held yourself well." His words offer affirmation although his expression remains as neutral as ever. "If that were a real fight, that bite to the throat would've been the end of it." His eyes narrow slightly, guaranteeing. It was a dirty move perhaps, as Falconpaw had put it, but it would have been effective. Obviously this spar was growing too heated to continue, but in any other circumstance, his apprentice would have won. In a rare instance, Slate could confidently admit that he takes pride in knowing that. There is relief in knowing that. Cherrypaw was not as hopeless as he'd initially thought.

₊ ⋆ * ⊹ ₊ ☾ —— 𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐜𝐞

•  

• 

• 

  ₊ ⋆ * ⊹ ₊ ☾

  slate
  

  — he/him; lead warrior of skyclan
  — a hulking, scarred charcoal-black colored maine coon with amber eyes
  — "speech", thoughts, attack
  — link to full tags; @ on discord or dm @beaaats for plots!​

  ​

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[edenberry ?!]

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 〰 Understanding anger and its value was a lesson particularly challenging for one who valued unwavering kindness in the face of adversity. SkyClan, for its part, had nurtured that good-spirited nature to most degrees and very rarely did they subject themself to the opinions of those that catered to violence and cruelty in a world that produced enough of its own without the intentional, willful addition of more. They weren't bothered so much, with the reality that fighting was unavoidable... but the willingness to seek out death as the first answer was one that made their skin crawl.

It's kill or be killed, someone had said... they forget who now. Maybe Slate, honestly. They don't care to credit him. But... did it have to be? Half-lidded eyes sit as silent observer, hoping to understand the decisions their peers make in their spar, take notes on how they might improve or learn something. Cherrypaw's tactics are ruthless, relentless... they seek claws scored through fur in a way not unalike her mentor. (Edenpaw hates this). Falconpaw values precision... maybe disorientation? It seems the less harmful path, one they favor...

Until it's more than just a spar.

Their banter becomes silent as teeth gnash at each other and they recognize the moment the blossom-dappled girl's face twists into something more sinister than just frustration. Her teeth... do not belong around his neck....

Greeneyes has the authority to say something, steps in readily and calls both of them out on their progress from mutual opponents to deadly foes... and they hate Slate for his lack of care. Does he even know Cherrypaw? How can he not see the burning golden embers in that furious stare? Their tongue is tied in their mouth, unable to decide who to flock to... Falconpaw had never once hurt them or given them reason to hate him but Cherrypaw... they liked Cherrypaw. They'd probably die to be on the receiving end of that simmering glower.

"You kicked up sand at her eyes first," they meow at the dusty tom. He'd called her move 'dirty'... but so was his. They'd picked their side, refuse to glance at Falconpaw. "Greeneyes said it's over so let's just leave it at that... I'll spar with you more if you want Cherrypaw. I could use the practice." Ignoring it would be a pitiful display of 'how long can I dodge' rather than a true paw-to-paw trading of blows.

-- mentor tag @Hazelbeam​

 

[Cherryblossom]

Falconpaw's throat vibrates with his yowl, a sound she has little time to savor before his paw is blinding upon her eye. It only takes a couple of blows before she lets go, reeling into the white-hot, maw parted into a soundless howl of pain that only intensifies as he shoves her one-eyed state backwards. The calico stumbles in the sand, one half of her face morphing into a grotesque snarl centered on her throbbing eye. "Dirty move," she hears below the ringing in her face. You're calling me dirty?! She cracks her bad eye open to glare at him with all her might, pride rooting her to the sandy floor as he blitzes her once more.

Ginger lightning flashes between them. The sound of Greeneyes' shoulder absorbing Falconpaw's blow is a resounding thunderclap. Cherrypaw staggers a few more steps back, lifting a paw to press to her warm eye. The lead warrior's eyes are wide, but with what Cherrypaw can't tell. Is he appalled? Just shocked? Enraged? Cherrypaw stares past his admonishing form at his apprentice, as though taunting him to come back for her. She swipes her tongue over her lips, at once afraid and eager to encounter the tang of blood. Suddenly, she's very eager to groom her pelt—what a state it must be in.

Slate intervenes before she can come up with something. To many's surprise, his words are somewhat gentler than Greeneyes'. Dandelion eyes cast a final glance towards Falconpaw, then settle on her mentor with the slightest of nods. Then, the twin ambers descend upon her. "You held yourself well," is what comes from them. "Thank you," she should say. She should fall to her knees at the praise, given freely and almost warmly, unshadowed by the everpresent critique. "Yes," she says instead, nodding deeper. "Of course," is what it means. Of course she would be better than some sewer rat, nevermind her shaken jaw and bruising eye.

From the sidelines, Edenpaw pipes up. Cherrypaw's gaze is quick to find them. In all her rage, she'd essentially forgotten they'd be watching as well; she stifles what minor surprise lingers in her gaze with a slight smile. "Mmm, yeah," she meows, turning towards Falconpaw. Her smile deepens into something more sinister as their eyes meet, more gloating, more scornful. If this had been a real fight, maybe the point would've escaped alive with the beating he'd dealt to her face. But within the boundaries of SkyClan, victory seemed to be hers, if only in the eyes of everyone but him. And she supposes that was all that mattered.

The black-striped feline offers to spar, and she glances back at them, surprise briefly lighting her face. "Ah..." She tilts her head, tenderly laying a cool paw over her eye, then licking it to clean herself with. "Are you sure, love?" she muses, unhindered by the presence of her mentor and other warriors. Not that she wouldn't be able to handle Edenpaw...well, not that there was anything bad about fighting Edenpaw, it's just...her eye is really smarting, and she isn't particularly keen to hit the pelt she pads after. And...Edenpaw isn't really fun to spar either. Going after Falconpaw wasn't fun either, but it was exciting, and she found it difficult to be excited about pursuing someone who was hard to hit outside of not wanting to hit them anyway.​

 

[falcongaze]

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ- Satisfaction burned when his paw made contact with her eyes, and as he charged, his shoulder collided with something distinctly not Cherrypaw. A scent more familiar, one he's sparred with before, and he staggered backwards. Resounding thoughts came through, clearing his thoughts swiftly. Blue eyes narrowed as he reoriented himself, a paw lifting to press at his throat. Words, accusing, dug into his side of Greeneyes- ones that he had grown into avoiding. What has gotten into you? A fine question.

Edenpaw was upon the sidelines as Slate moved to speak to Cherrypaw. He didn't look over- flashes of memories dug into his throat which had begun to ache. Lupinepaw's forlorn look as Edenpaw and Cherrypaw shared a private moment not-so-privately. Her paws digging into the earth of camp as she moved away from the new lovebirds. His nose flared, lifting his vision from the ground to pinpoint towards Cherrypaw. Smug scorn fell like acid upon his heart and his flank, Cherrypaw's nose lifting. That stupidly perfect smug little look on her face.

Anger flared all the same again. He inhaled sharply, digging himself in. Center yourself. Center. He nearly hissed at himself mentally, tail lashing as his eyes shifted away again. Eyes back towards Edenpaw, who was supplying- no, who was taking a side. "Yeah. Greeneyes said it's over." He spoke, his voice full of gravel. Something lurked within his tone- deeper and darker, something that if either of the other apprentices supplied any other quips, would likely break free from it's holding pen within.

Vision lifted back towards Greeneyes. This was a totally different issue here. It wasn't a friend taking the side of his childhood bully, his biggest pain in the neck now, it was his mentor- his most trusted, the cat he admired. And what he had read from his mentor's tone, his mentors eyes? It made the burning shame of loss, the stinging knowledge of a shifting of talents, all that much more potent. "Right." He exhaled sharply. It wasn't a noise of relieve, but one that indicated something else bubbling up.

His ear twitched. Love. If his throat and body didn't ache from the intense spar, he'd grind his teeth. His tail flicked, and without asking for permission, he spoke. "I'm heading back to camp. Going to catch something on the way back." Falconpaw turned and stepped away from the sandy area. His head wasn't hung, no, he moved on a mission, eyes directly forward and shoulders tense.

// out unless stopped!

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── ILL SEE YOU WHEN ⋅❁⋅ THE WRATH COMES AROUND ──┐‎

• "speech"
  

• 

• FALCONPAW 🌧 he/him, apprentice of skyclan, eleven moons.
  ⭃ LH chocolate lynx point with deep blue eyes, and a long scar on his left cheek down under his jawline. pushes his 'hair' back. very long legged, half oriental moggie.
  ⭃ mentored by greeneyes / / mentoring no one
  ⭃ padding after lupinepaw / / brother to spottedpaw and sagepaw
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

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