Written in the Stars

Compared to Beepaw's frantic energy, Badgerpaw was almost eerily still. Maybe it was because there was just the teensiest bit more riding on this for him - after all, this was his own mentor's brainchild. He was the only cat representing his own clan in these fights. There was a lot for him to prove on his muscular shoulders. But while he stood still, his muscles seemed to twitch with unshed desire to move. Only the barking, rasping reminders in the back of his mentor's head telling him to be still, to not expend energy needlessly. To 'show a little composure for Starclan's sake.'

Yeah, there was a fair bit on his mind right then. 

"I thought I'd made it clear; this is a test of our battles skills. Not who has the better impression of a mouse that's eaten strange berries." He smirked, cocking his head to the side and puffing out his chest ever so slightly. He looked to Mothmaw one last time for a hint of approval before a signal was dropped and he rose to his paws, flexing his claws into the earth and turning in a stout little circle, feeling the spring of his own turf strengthen him. The idea that he could do this. 

He didn't run at his opponent though - that was a trick that Mothmaw had shown him. The first to move, in this situation, would be the first to show their weaknesses - a list to the side, a slight favoring of one foot over the other. A topheaviness. Everybody had something that was a tell...and Badgerpaw had been told that in this case it would be his chance to exploit it - that would be by far the biggest and best way to make his mark.

Meanwhile, the one thing that couldn't be stilled was his tongue; because that was a second strategy he had. 

"Still plenty of time to back down, you know? It's not like we wouldn't expect that from Nightclan. I mean...where's all your pretty muck to roll in? How ever will you cope with being on dry land like good, decent cats for once?"


bits KingHarry zeldahime

beepaw

Composure was not a term in Beepaw's vocabulary. It was the sort of thing she'd associate with stuffy elders and the adults who looked down their noses at anyone they pegged as less. Less respectable, less honourable, less-less-less; if there was anything Beepaw wasn't it was less. So confident was she in this fact that she barely batted an eye at her opponent's seriousness, too busy grinning with a smile just this side of wicked. Were it on anyone but a whelp of an apprentice, it might have been intimidating - instead, it simply gave her the look of some bite-happy swamp creature.

Well, she was a Nightclanner.

She narrowed her eyes at the mouse comment, the fur bristling along her pelt hinting at some distaste for the comparison. Being on the small side for a Nightclanner left her noticeably minute when placed side-by-side with another clan cat. Her black nose wrinkled, expression souring as Badgerpaw continued. And where the goading was fun, there was something about the good and decent bit that rubbed her the wrong way. For a moment, she was torn between the glee brought on by the battle to come and the irritation at the arrogance Badgerpaw seemed to be exuding. Well, her own ego could compete, but Beepaw lacked the self-awareness to make that comparison. Still plenty of time to back down, you know?

"Nah, you're goin' down pretty boy!" 

The confidence. Beepaw didn't waste any more time, and darted towards her opponent - she wasn't terribly experienced in fighting, especially not real fighting. She knew enough to know that speed was likely on her side, even if her size wasn't. What she lacked in patience, Beepaw made up for in fervour. She dashed forward, and made to pounce - instead of making contact with her opponent though, she angled herself to the side in a fairly dextrous manoeuvre. Her intention was to feint, trying to goad Badgerpaw into some kind of reaction.


Broadfae

As he expected, or rather depended upon, Beepaw made the first move - running tilt towards him until he felt he could reach out with his claws and touch her. And he could, if he really wanted too; but that would be giving ground, wouldn't it.

Size could determine a lot in battle - he knew that, because how many times had he tried and failed to unseat Mothmaw when he was still a six-moon fresh kit? Tenacity didn't make up for that; no siree. Sometimes the easiest thing for a bigger cat to do was to do nothing; or at least, appear to be. Badgerpaw anchored himself against the ground, muscles tensed and pepared for one of two options - 

Either Beepaw was going to try and take him down, or make him flinch. If he anchored himself and put his weight into it, he'd make it extremely hard to do the latter - and if by some miracle she did happen to unseat him, being hunkered down would mean that it wouldn't hurt quite as much. He couldn't help but let that little hesitant flicker of worry cross his features as indeed she got close - so close he imagined he could feel the breath of her whiskers as she crossed.

But at the last second, she seemed to slip sideways - and that was when he moved. Rather, he seemed to follow her feint, tipping himself over rather than springing; the force of his body, formerly locked down as it was, using her own momentum against her the moment he realized what direction she was going in. Maybe it wasn't the most graceful of moves, but it put him in place to check her with his shoulder by chance - to take the speed she used and knock her off her feet.

"Tricks, tricks - is that all you Nightclan cats know how to do?"


bits

beepaw

She had been prepared for a slow moving opponent, but without experience on her side it was hard to react to Badgerpaw's move. The shoulder check threw her off balance, forcing the smaller apprentice to compensate. If she hit the ground, there was an excellent chance that the fight would be over before she even got to hit someone. Once Badgerpaw made contact, her reflex was to twist around, not bothering to try and put space between her and her opponent. This wasn't like tumbling around pelt-to-pelt with her clanmates - there would be no forgiveness should she allow herself to get pinned - but she didn't like the idea of darting out of reach. 

Beepaw leaned into Badgerpaw's shoulder-check, her front legs stretching out with extended claws to try and grab onto him. If she failed, she'd certainly have to recover just to get back to her paws. If she was successful however, she'd keep herself from being knocked down (even if it came at the price of being very close to her opponent). Landing the grab would leave her side bared, not that it crossed her mind in the moment. Though it had slipped somewhat at the check, her grin lit up again once Badgerpaw goaded her on. Successful or not, Beepaw was finding this fight absolutely thrilling.

"Try to keep up, mousebrain!"

Broadfae

For as many advantages against the weather that it might have, there was a distinct disadvantaged to long luxurious fur - and that was giving someone a handle upon which to grab onto. Badgerpaw felt the fur on fur contact, but before a wicked grin at his success could cross his maw, felt the tug against the fur on his back - sharp, insistent.

"Pulling fur - really? I've seen kits with more dignity!" He yelped - although truthfully it really, actually hurt. He tried to shake her loose, but she might as well have been a burr in his fur; he might not have liked her tactics, but he couldn't say they weren't effective.

He needed to loosen her hold; and for good - while he tried to get purchase and kick her in the side with his hind legs, he couldn't quite get at her - nor could he kick her other paws out from under her. Which left him with another vulnerable move - but a necessary continuation, he thought, of following her on her dodge.

Badgerpaw used his hind paws not to buck her off - but to buck himself sideways, rolling over to his side, front paws raised to protect his throat and squishier belly while he tried to do one of two things - force Beepaw to either release her hold on him or to take her down with him as he powered onto his back - thus making her regret ever trying to lay paws on him as the full force of his weight came down on her.

bits

beepaw

Aside from cling and hit, there wasn't a great deal of strategy going into the apprentice's attack. Her goal appeared to be to hold on and still try to do damage, which in her current position just meant kicking indiscriminately with her hind legs. A Beepaw-shaped burr that fought back? If it prolonged the fight (which was no longer in her favour, not that the stubborn apprentice would ever acknowledge that as the truth) then it was worth trying.

Pulling fur? Even where she was, practically attached to Badgerpaw, she couldn't keep the snicker from escaping her - as gleeful as the grins she'd been wearing on and off throughout the night. "Spend a lot of time playing in the nursery?" Her words were just this side of breathless, but the taunting was part of the fun and that's what this was to her - fun.

She tightened her grip, flexing claws that didn't bother to try and slash the body she clung to. And then Badgerpaw was crushing her to the ground, Beepaw not acting quickly enough to avoid being brought down with him. She couldn't free herself, but the close-proximity (and the inability to admit defeat) gave her a rush of energy. Trapped though she seemed to be, she had enough freedom of movement to twist and struggle, trying to bite at Badgerpaw where she could reach even if it wouldn't be enough to drive him off of her.


Broadfae

Her fangs and claws were sharp - he'd give her that. Then again a fox could be just the same, digging into bit at the biggest parts. He growled at the comments, biting back a retort just because he was certain there would be a tremor of pain if he let himself speak. If he spoke, he would give himself away - and he wasn't going to let her think she could possibly hurt him. Oh no.

Let her choke on his fur then. Wait a moment...choke. He had managed to pin her, even as she squirmed beneath him. What he needed to do was silence her for good; stop her from moving; and part of that was already there. She could bite, but he could do something worse. He could take her breath away.

Ever so slowly, with a grunt, he shifted, digging into her body with his shoulder until he felt it slip down into a softer spot - her teeth flashed and grabbed at him, but he leaned in, letting her grab his ruff, but at the same time piling down hard on what he thought might be the soft part of her throat, or her chest- or even forcing her mouth shut. She couldn't keep biting him if she couldn't catch her breath.

bits

beepaw

She had been feeling rather pleased with the energy she'd brought to this battle of theirs, but there could only be one victor out of the two of them. Unable to figure out just how to wriggle out from below the Dawnclanner, Beepaw seemed to lack the know-how to really get herself out of the hot water she'd fallen into by virtue of letting herself be pinned. It was no surprise then that she took the opportunity to snap at Badgerpaw wherever he'd let his guard down long enough to allow her to do so. It still wasn't enough to keep him from crushing her downwards, his shoulder digging into her throat in a move that'd probably leave her with a considerably sore throat (although, depending on who you ask, a few days of a quieter Beepaw wouldn't be too much of a travesty). Not one to be deterred in the face of inevitable potential failure, Beepaw kept at her fervent batting, striking anywhere she could like a  - well, like a bee that someone squishes below their paw. Sharp and just this side of desperate, her aggression not quite matched by her physique. Still, it wasn't enough to do anything but steal her breath, and the strength of her strikes waned as she began to feel the breathlessness imposed upon her. Eventually, she was more or less still, her ears pinned back and her paw placed against her opponent - no longer batting away, but instead held against the body covering her with a weak but steady touch. She'd rather pass out than tap out, but it was clear to anyone with half a brain that the smaller apprentice was defeated.

Broadfae