A Call to Claws [MH]

[Sloth]

Welcome to EoD's first ever Master Hunt! Only those that have signed up may post in this thread but if you're interested in participating don't worry! There will be future Master Hunts soon! Be sure to follow all rules and guidelines!

Go here for information on rules and guidelines!

1. Maple - Lionpaw
2. owl - Spottedstrike
3. @nyara - Honeyfrost
4. Sloth - Timbershade

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Medium Danger: If a predator attack rolls a 10; its attack will kill a cat. A 8-9 roll will severely injure a cat. A 5-7 will lightly injure a cat. 1-4; is a miss.

Severe attack Ranges: A 9-10 will be a twisted/mangled limb, 7-8 loss of an eye, 6 loss of an ear, 5 broken tail, 1-4 deep scratch/bite.
Light Attack Ranges: A 8-10 will be a sprained paw, 4-7 will be a light scratch/bite, 1-3 a torn claw.

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This badger has a medium predator danger level.
This badger will have 4 attack turns.
This badger will contain a threshold of 6 and must be hit 5 times.
The threshold count may decrease the longer the battle lasts.

Details of this Badger: This badger is a large and older female. It is plain she's been around the block a few times and has lived through many hard seasons, making her tough and clever. She appears rather slim compared to most badgers this time of year but her recent stay at the Basking Rocks has given her a chance to regain some strength. She does not tolerate trespassers and has been on the look out for Clan cats since her arrival.

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Another day in her new territory. The badger ambled out of her freshly dug tunnel, thirst driving her to the nearby water's edge. Her eyes were mildly alert, sleep still pulling at her mind as she crossed the Basking Rocks. She paused for a moment to sharpen her claws along the rough edged boulders and growled at the disappearing tail of a snake as it slithered into a crevice in the stone. The badger moved on quickly; her focus back on getting a drink and then hopefully something to eat. Just the thought of all the reptiles absorbing the morning suns rays excited her and she chattered her teeth in anticipation.

[Maple]

L ionpaw sunk silently to the ground, his belly brushing the undergrowth as he waited in nervous anticipation. He kept his weight as balanced as he could, trying to recall every single detail of information that Oaktalon had taught him in the last few moons. He was a member of the patrol that was instructed to drive out or kill the badger who had made her home at the Basking Rocks and he intended to do WillowClan proud. You can do this, Lionpaw. Drive out the badger and don't get hurt or killed in the process...simple, right? He had jumped at the chance to volunteer for this patrol, both eager to prove himself and protect the clan from the dangers that a badger posed. His sister wasn't too pleased that he was out on this patrol but Lionpaw knew in his heart that it was the right thing to do. He couldn't just sit by when other members of his clan faced this danger.   Lionpaw shifted and moved a few inches forward. He could see the Badger from where he was in the underbrush but he was not in attacking range yet. He would have to move closer if he had any hopes of successfully landing a hit on the lumbering beast.   He waited until he thought he could see the badger was facing the other way and made his movement forward, desperately hoping that he went undetected. He didn't want to alert the badger before they were ready to make the first attack. He would stand back and wait for one of the older warriors to make the first move before moving in to make his own attack.  WORDS: 278 TAG: Sloth owl @nyara

credit to nat of adoxography.

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notes: Hopefully this is okay! I've never done a MH before but I looked at an old hunting one on Ataxia for reference. 

[Sloth]

Timbershade

Willowclan | Warrior

Timbershade followed after Lionpaw cautiously; her eyes narrowing as he moved quickly past her. 'So much for taking the lead,' the calico thought to herself. After hearing there was a badger in the territory Timbershade jumped quickly at the opportunity to show her worth to her clan, her sister, and most importantly her parents. She felt exhilarated to hear Hollyclaw wasn't involved in the hunt and didn't hesitate to flaunt her position in the patrol to anyone who would listen. She watched the apprentice crouch low and advance, impressed by his form at such a young age. Timbershade followed after Lionpaw and kept herself low to the ground. Her paws brushed softly against the earth as she attempted to keep her head low and her ears laid back to not bring any attention to herself. 

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Maple owl @nyara | 140 words

[owl]

Spottedstrike padded carefully after her clanmates, whiskers twitching. They were nearing where the badger was; she could smell it's terrible stench. Her eyes focused on Lionpaw, the youngest and least experienced of the patrol. She had to admit that she was probably the second least-experienced, both Honeyfrost and Timbershade were much older than her. I can still prove myself. Maybe dad would finally notice me? No... Mum's probably pretty angry that I'm risking my neck when a better warrior could, and have a better chance of surviving. Ack, don't think like that! She hadn't been as tripping-over-their-own-paws as the other warriors to volunteer, but she was just as invested. A badger in their territory would be a risk to everyone, especially to kits and apprentices, who were the clan's future. Spottedstrike kept herself low, with ears flattened back. She was used to keeping herself quiet, but usually there was just a mouse or a squirrel on the other end, not a badger. She stopped next to Lionpaw, glancing over at the pale-coated tom for a moment before following his gaze. She caught her breath. The badger was right there. Her muscles froze for a moment, awestruck by how large the animal was. But it looked pretty slender, and it's grey and black pelt was riddled with scars. Spottedstrike swallowed. I'm still going to wait for someone else to make a move first. 

Tags: Sloth , Maple , @nyara
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[Deleted]

Honestly, Honeyfrost felt a little foolish. She was out putting her neck on the line risking more than possible death, and for what? Clanmates she didn’t even trust? No, she knew why she was doing this, she could never let down her clan or allow an innocent to die thanks to a brutish creature such as the one they were hunting down, her loyalty would never allow it despite her deeply rooted distrust of her clanmates. And yet a nervous uncertainty if this wasn’t just folly on her part still pulsed through her veins like a troublesome lightning. She wasn’t in no way an invalid, in fact she held quite hefty experience, and yet she knew she was in no way a great fighter. There were warriors so much stronger and better suited to this task! And to send an apprentice, too! The pale warrior’s gaze darts worriedly toward the young tom, his name lingering in the back of her mind like a small whisper. He was so brave, she could see it in his eyes. His jaw set with a clear determination as he kept low to the ground, slithering smoothly forward like a stealthy snake. She wondered how he would come out of this, against her will of course as she did not want to imagine the brave child mangled beyond repair.

A shudder passes through her, and she turns her gaze with a false calm toward her other companions. Lionpaw might have overtaken their little patrol, perhaps unintentionally, but it was clear that Timbershade still saw herself as their leader. The other molly was far fiercer than Honeyfrost, and it was unknown to the pale warrior whether she had gone through more of less than herself. Either way, she was strong and brave and it was doubtful she would ever let her clan down. Honeyfrost could see the determination sparking in her gaze. Just slightly behind them, Honeyfrost knew there was Spottedstrike, again with a cool determination the entire patrol carried, provided by hope and unbreakable loyalty. The other clans were fools to suggest they held no ties, no bonds other than their whispered lies and callous rumours. They were strong when they fought together, surprisngly so. Still, Honeyfrost could tell Spottedstrike was the most nervous of the group, or that was how it seemed, at least. Yet it did not make Honeyfrost feel better, as it should have. The pale warrior wasn’t at all certain she could trust her clanmates at all. How troublesome that could be, sometimes.

Compared to her companions, especially Spottedstrike, Honeyfrost’s pawsteps sounded loud and clumsy to her own ears even as she knew her own stealth. She wasn’t sure how bad this truly was, how quiet she was in actuality as she slunk forward all but hugging the ground, eyes narrowed and whiskers twitching subtly in anticipation. She could only hope that the badger would not notice them, allowing the chance for attack. Eventually the warrior would lay eyes upon their shared nemesis, and her ears would slide back toward her skull. Just a little closer, and their retreat would be impossible, there would be no turning back. Honeyfrost would not return to her clan without putting in more worth than perhaps she truly had. Silently, she felt her gaze slide back toward the self-proclaimed leader of their little group, honeyed orbs perhaps somewhat questioning as she assessed the other woman for any voiceless commands. They would attack when the time was right, and it would seem that time wasn’t just now.

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[Sloth]

Maple, owl, @nyara, Everyone got such great rolls! To keep the Hunt rolling I'm going to RNG a cat that rolled a 6 to select one that the badger saw. Lionpaw will be the first one attacked in the Hunt!

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The badger finished her morning drink and began nosing her way around the smaller stones along the Basking Rocks. The prey was easy to catch here and she'd managed to overturn some stones, gobbling up a few slugs and larvae hiding beneath them before the shift in wind caught her attention. Her small eyes caught little, everything a blur outside of the shoreline a few short feet away. She knew her nose wasn't lying to her and her ears picked up the soft sound of shuffled feet. The badger turned towards the direction of her makeshift den and started amble towards the protection. The den was not yet completed but it would provide her enough protection for the time being; all she needed to do was wait out the cats and make an appearance in the night. On her way her blurry vision saw the shifting form of something near by, no doubt the cats who's scent were clouding her nose. They were nestled between herself and safety and seeing no other way out the badger immediately began to bark, threatening the newcommers with her loud calls and hisses.

The nearness of a gray cat took her by surprise and she lashed out with her claws in fear and anger.

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Attack roll: uKc8hyka The badger has landed a severe attack!

Area of attack: The badger has deep scratched Lionpaw!

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The badger has sank her claws deep into Lionpaw! (Maple it is up to you if the attack has landed on Lionpaw's leg, shoulder, or side. This attack is severe enough that Lionpaw will need to stay in the medicine cat's den until the wounds have healed and will leave permanent scaring.)
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[Maple]

L ionpaw could see that his clanmates had moved into position like he had. This was it...He was waiting with bated breath for someone to make the first move. He wanted to strike out given his proximity to the creature but he knew his place within the group. He was only an apprentice, an apprentice with little to no experience in this kind of situation at that. The last thing he needed was to step out of line by making the first move and failing. He would gain little respect for making the first move even if he landed the hit. No, he would wait his turn.  Lionpaw didn't expect the badger to suddenly perk up and notice that they were there so suddenly, they had all been so quiet...what happened? It began to bark and hiss at them and Lionpaw startled despite himself, taking in the sheer size and presence this beast commanded. Lionpaw shot up from his belly and into an attack crouch to prepare himself for the attack but in doing so, the badger turned her sharp gaze on him. This is it, Lionpaw thought as he watched the badger move its attention fully on him.   The badger lashed out towards him and Lionpaw's heart leapt out of his throat. He shifted instinctively to guard himself as he had no time to dodge the attack. He felt pain erupt from his left shoulder and Lionpaw gasped in shock, the shoulder radiating pain. It hurt so bad that Lionpaw wanted to collapse to the ground, and nearly did, but instead, he used his momentum to lash out at the badger with his right paw, claws extended. He aimed for the badger's upper body, hoping to land on the head to stun it but would be pleased with landing any hit at this point, regardless of location. His injury prevented him from using his full strength and so he just hoped that whatever strength he did have would be enough. He could feel blood dripping from his shoulder and he knew that this injury was more than a shallow cut, this was serious. WORDS: 353 TAG: Sloth@owl@nyara

credit to nat of adoxography.

OK0BOE1W

[Deleted]

This seemed to be going well, at least. They were so silent, the badger hadn’t seemed to have noticed them, was simply ambling along sniffing around. From the looks of it, she was eating something. ’Disgusting beast, you eat your worms somewhere else!’ her mind snarls. Was it odd that her thoughts held a tone more vicious than her true words could ever hold. No, that wasn’t true. She could/i] be vicious. She could be beyond it. Yet she wasnt’ Many never truly were what they could be. After all, wouldn’t they all be much more dangerous and capable if they were? They could all be honest. They could all be grateful. They could all work together, as one. Yet they didn’t. ’Now is not the time!’ she reminds herself fiercely. Again, its startling how forceful her thoughts could sound. Perhaps she’d feel safer if everyone could hear the voice of her thoughts instead.

Movement of the badger drew her attention, now, and Honeyfrost turns her honey amber gaze toward the lumbering creature in full. It had spotted them, and it was clearly angry. It was bloodthirsty, in fact. Part of her felt it reminded her of some Ravenclanners. No, it was too loud, too raucous. Too obviously angry. Ears twitching in disdain, the woman frowns, eyes narrowing icily at the badger. Who would make the first move? Likely Timbershade, surely? And yet, it would seem fate, or at least the badger, had other plans. Startled by the young tom’s closeness, her barks turn to growls of fury and fear, and a paw slashes out toward the young tom. ’Not fast enough...’ Honeyfrost’s mind whispers as the youngster doesn’t even get to dodge away. Such helpful thoughts. Not. Ears pinning, the warrior peels her lips back in a snarl. Yet before she can advance, the young tom gets his own revenge and slices a pawful of deadly claws toward the brutish creature’s head.

With the badger hopefully distracted, Honeyfrost sees her opening. Dodging out of line, the pale molly springs around to hopefully approach toward its hindquarters. Claws dug deep into the earth from grip, the pale molly keeps herself low in a battle stance as she aims to rake her claws across the badger’s side, hoping the injury she deals would slow the creature down and give them a chance. Just in case, the warrior then attempts to jump away following her attack, hoping to outrun any claws and teeth aimed at her. How dare the creature attack her clanmate! Her endless loyalty, despite her distrust of her clanmates, caused a surge of anger toward the badger. Perhaps her attack had been an impulsive defence of the young innocent the beast had injured, or perhaps not. Either way, she hoped its blood would spatter the earth in her wake.

Sloth, Maple, owl (forgot to tag last time, whoops ^^’)
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[owl]

Spottedstrike leapt back when the badger's huge black paw came lashing towards her. She closed her eyes, then opened them when she heard the paw collide with another cat. Lionpaw! She thought, her heart leaping up into her throat. She was too shocked to speak. Was the apprentice okay? Lionpaw's shoulder dribbled blood. It didn't look that good. It looked pretty bad, actually. She watched as the silvery tom clawed at the badger instead of falling back like she'd expect. Shock flashed momentarily in her yellow eyes again. He was stronger than she'd expected. Maybe I underestimated this apprentice. Spottedstrike unsheathed her claws again, she had retracted them when she retreated, a bad habit, and flattened her ears. The calico leapt towards the badger's unprotected side, paw aiming to gouge into the peppery-colored fur. Time seemed to slow down, and she let out a sharp hiss, waiting for impact... or not?

Tags: Sloth , Maple , @nyara
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[Sloth]

Timbershade

Willowclan | Warrior

Timbershade watched in suspended horror as the badger seemed to suddenly appear. The calico was lost in thoughts of her expanding family and too concerned with clan matters to watch where her feet were guiding her. She flicked her ears back in agitation for her mistake and as the badger's claws connected with Lionpaw's shoulder she felt a wave of guilt. She should have been there to defend the young tom but she'd stalled and now it was too late. Timbershade scold turned into triumph as Lionpaw slashed at the beasts face. She hoped it would land and before she could take another breath Honeyfrost and Spottedstrike moved in to attack. The calico followed quickly behind, circling the badger and aiming herself towards its back leg. She shuffled swiftly to the opposite side of Honeyfrost's attack and swept out a firm unsheathed strike. Timbershade's face shone with determination and a rush of thrill filled her. This was what she was born to be; the rush of adrenaline filling her veins with purpose. A grin pulled at her face and she prayed to StarClan for their triumph.

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Maple, owl, @nyara | 000 words

[Sloth]

Maple, owl, @nyara, Great round everyone ^-^ The badger has two hits left!!

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The badger's attack made contact with the gray cat. Her sharpened claws pierced into the feline's flesh and she watched as the blood stained her foot. The group of cats didn't give her a chance to move much more as they swarmed around her. Lionpaw's attack made contact with her face, his claws slashing across her cheek and leaving a deep gash. The smell of her own blood filled her sharp nose and she snarled at the scent. Her ears picked up the sound of the group of cats moved towards her, claws scrapping across stone as she quickly became surrounded. She was outnumbered and it brought a rush of panic followed by the flames of pain as Honeyfrost landed an attack across her side. The badger flinched away from the assault and snarled, her teeth flashing in the light as she snapped at the she-cat. Her attack missed as Honeyfrost jumped back and her teeth rattled, the sound of her bite a sharp and clear smack. When another cat circled her the badger was ready and watched Spottedstrike attempt to rake her claw's against her exposed side. The badger didn't hesitate and quickly moved to retaliate against the she-cat. As she moved to defend herself the badger felt a sharp pain along her back leg as Timbershade's claws made contact with her body.

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Attack roll: 5wVcAa0Y The badger has missed!

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The badger's retaliation attack against Spottedstrike has missed! Her swipe was aimed at the she-cat's face but Timbershade's attack against her back legs broke her stance and her strike went wide; missing by just a whisker.

·

[Deleted]

Honeyfrost feels her claws rake easily along the badger’s side, exposing a stream of blood in her wake. The scent is a sting to her nose, and he muzzle wrinkles, but she can’t help the satisfaction that she hadn’t missed. Still, the creature wasn’t happy, and she was lucky to have leapt away when she did as she badger’s teeth would clack closed just whiskers from her face. It would have killed her if she was just that much closer. Shaking off the feeling, Honeyfrost drops back into her battle stance, tail lashing behind her as she waits for an opening.

Claws and fangs slash air, and Spottedstrike’s attack missed, only landing her a retaliation from the beast. Fortunately, Timbershade upset its balance by striking her back legs with sharp, vicious claws. At least the creature missed Spottedstrike, it meant only one cat was hurt. Still, the warrior worried for the young injured apprentice, her gaze slicing quickly toward the younger feline, before forcing her attention back to the task at hand. She couldn’t afford to get distracted. Readying herself, she spots an opening when the badger’s body curves around away from her in attack, and she springs forward.

It was, admittedly, the same side and attack as before, but it was quick and easy, and she had no intention of getting to close to the beast’s face. Besides, if she sliced it deep enough it would be affective anyway. Still, this time she’d aim a little lower. With claws unsheathed, the molly attempts to dig her claws deep as far under the creature’s belly as she could ‘safely’ reach, before raking them along and aiming to spring away again before she could get bitten.

Sloth , Maple , owl

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[Maple]

L ionpaw stumbled back, blood underneath his claws and blood dripping down his shoulder. The attack hadn't been the strongest, but it had landed and that was what counted. Lionpaw was breathing hard, his vision narrowing to a point. There was adrenaline rushing through his blood and his heart was racing. He could see his clanmates surrounding the creature through his pain but he was having troubles focusing. It was only once he concentrated hard that he could take in the scene around him as it was happening. Lionpaw was standing strong, or as strong as he could manage, and watched as everything moved in slow motion. It looked like Honeyfrost landed a hit as the badger leapt back and snarled following her movement. Lionpaw watched the sharp teeth in horror as they snapped around, taking in the sheer size of its teeth as they were directed towards his clanmate.  Spottedstrike moved to attack its exposed side but the badger moved to retaliate before the strike could land. It was likely only Timbershade's attack that prevented the badger from landing a hit on Spottedstrike and injuring her like he himself was injured.  Lionpaw saw an opening and knew that he needed to take it before the badger moved again and he lost his chance. His shoulder was killing him but if he fell back, that would leave his clanmates weakened. Even with an injury, he was better here than fleeing.  He sprang forward and snapped at the badger, aiming for its exposed shoulder. He could see that Honeyfrost had moved more or less at the same time but he couldn't tell if her attack landed or not. If he believed in StarClan he would be praying to them now that he landed a strong bite that would tear at the skin and cause pain. Lionpaw was the only of his clanmates injured so far, and he intended to keep it that way.   WORDS:  321 TAG: owl @nyara Sloth

credit to nat of adoxography.

|pWb2Qie

[Sloth]

Timbershade

Willowclan | Warrior

Timbershade let lose a growl of triumph as her paw made contact with the badger's back leg. She dug her claws deep into the beast's flesh as she slashed and was rewarded with a spray of blood filling the air and covering her extended leg. Timbershade quickly stepped back from the badger after her attack, wary the rage filled intruder would turn its focus towards her and leave her bleeding out like poor Lionpaw. Her eyes flashed over towards the tom and frowned in concern, worried he was losing too much blood. She was impressed by the young tom's determination and strength but hoped he wasn't getting ahead of himself. His bleeding shoulder left him off balance and if the badger turned back to him she was worried he wouldn't be able to move out of the way fast enough.

Timbershade's gaze focused back on the badger and gathered her strength. She moved into an attack crouch and bunched her muscles in preparation. As the badger's attack missed Spottedstrike, Timbershade jumped towards the beast to try and dig her claws deep into it's back, hoping to force the badger face first into the ground.

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owl , Maple , @nyara | 196 words

[owl]

Spottedstrike let out a hiss as her paws wend wide, narrowly missing the badger's side. A kit could've done better than that! She thought angrily. But she didn't expect what would happen next. The badger turned to her and lashed out a paw, fast as lighting. Her eyes focused on the looming paw at the last second, and she attempted to scramble out of the way. And you're going to get your face torn up you mousebrain! But then the paw missed, disappearing as quickly as it came, and the badger let out a grunt when Timbershade's attack landed and dug in deep. Her eyes flashed with gratitude. Timbershade's attack had saved her an eye. Or both eyes, possibly. And she needed those. Spottedstrike lashed her tail and whirled around to face the badger again, watching it's murderous eyes shine. We will drive you out. WillowClan is strong. She leapt forwards and brought her claws down upon what she hoped was the middle of the badger's face. Unless it turned. Or saw her. Or something else went wrong. It was a dangerous move, but she was not one to let an opportunity go.

Tags: Sloth, Maple, @nyara
Notes: 
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