Open Territory THE TEETH THAT GNASH AND GNASH + fox

[OWLBARK]

Leafbare was so close. The mist that left his mouth in the morning and the grass crunching with ice told Owlbark this. It was close enough that worry was a constant knot in his belly. They had kits on the way and elders to feed. They had herbs to collect and patients to heal quickly before it became near impossible to keep them comfortably warm. Every night the deputy racked his head with worries and possibilities of preparation. He was tired. He craved the ease of greenleaf.

Owlbark knew he was not the only one in the forest craving warmth and also food. He had scented the fox two days ago. It crept close to camp, undoubtedly attracted to their freshkill pile. It had been dutifully stocked by his warriors and he planned to keep it that way.

The fox would not reap their rewards. So, he gathered a patrol to find where the fox was hiding. His goal was intel, but he had prepped his followers for a possible fight against hungry teeth. He wasn't naive enough to not know it would probably go that way.

The tabby tom pushed through ferns with his mouth drinking in the scents of the woods. It wasn't long before the musk of fox caught his tongue. "Quiet," he warned and sunk low on his haunches. It was close and had probably already noted their presence. It could be any-

White teeth flashed through the ferns in front of his face and nearly caught his muzzle. Owlbark hissed and slashed out with claws, missing stark orange fur. The fox jumped through underbrush and out of sight, but was clearly still stalking the patrol. "ThunderClan get ready!"

ooc: fox attack!! roll a d20 and see how you do!
1-10: he gets you!
11-20: you get him!
i'll be secretly keeping track of the fox's health for this thread and feel free to roleplay its actions!

 

[Boarthorn Boarthorn]

Boarthorn had volunteered to join the patrol, dutiful as ever. He had been absolved of all other patrols for the moon on account of his graduation, but the young tom couldn't sit idle, not when the whispers of foxes on the territory. Not when his baby siblings were soon to join the clan, when leafbare whispered in the winds. He had been raised strong to defend his clan, and that is what he sought to do.

But, even so, the young warrior found himself distracted. The last few days or so, all following his warrior ceremony, it had been.... Awful. It was impossible to ignore the crawling sensation down his back as his father was labelled a murderer. The sight impossible to blink away of the two slaughter mates side by side as Daisynose and Pineconekit's lives were torn apart at the seams. There had not been a moment of respite, but he could not lie dormant. Even if his mind seemed to be in as many places as the present.

Creeping alongside the patrol, Owlbark was quiet yet commanding, for a cat he once quietly feared, he could see why the other had been tasked as Loonstar's right hand, strong in the face of strife. The deputy barked something, and the young warrior held his tongue, crawling with his belly low to the ground but still managing to tower above everyone else. It was an unsettling feeling, but he pushed it away. He was there to protect his clan.

After Cedarsnap and Sweetpetal, he needed to take more action. Maybe if he had been faster, braver even. Then maybe Sweetpetal could have had a fighting chance. Maybe he could have protected him, and the young mollys back in camp wouldn't be beside themselves in grief. Maybe he could...

"ThunderClan get ready!"

Boarthorn's eyes shot wide, the whole patrol suddenly on edge. Swallowing hard, he swivelled his head about, suddenly hypervigilant. Had Owlbark seen the fox? The tabby cursed himself silently; he had been too in his own mind to pay attention... He tried to level his breathing, not panic; he was amidst clanmates, and everything would be-

The young warrior could not react in time as, to his side, the blur of orange fur burst from the underbrush, maw snapping wildly towards him. All he could muster was a frightened call for "HELP-" as jaws clamped at the side of his throat, knocking him over with a hard thud as the snarling thing latched onto flesh and fur. Even as he desperately swiped at the thing with enormous paws, his heart thrummed in his ears as that awfully familiar sensation of blood trickling down his throat. There, pinned to the ground with teeth snared into his flesh, all Boarthorn could pray was that a clanmate could knock the thing off.

---

OOC - boar rolled a 1........ uhh... help :( (Copper is gonna help him regardless but HEEEEELP)

​

BOARTHORN He/They, Thunderclan Ranger, 12 moons.
A long-haired, blue ticked tabby tom with a prominent underbite, blue eyes and growing vitiligo.
mentored by Loonstar // mentoring no one
littermate to Saltpaw // sibling to Leveretkit
Copperstorm x Dewshine // parent to none // mated to no one
"SPEECH" // "THOUGHTS" // ATTEMPTED ACTION
penned by Pheo ↛ phoenixwashere on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[Copperstorm]

You walk along the edge of danger
AND IT WILL CHANGE YOU

.

Leafbare was upon them. he felt it in the very first breath he'd drawn that morning. Cold, sharp, biting. It had made his ears flick back and worry twist hard in his chest. But patrols continued, and Dewshine was safe at camp... Where she needed to remain until the kits were born. Longer, if leafbare had anything to say about it. Warmth mattered. Safety mattered. They could alternate in and out of the nursery once the kits were here, but for now, he needed to keep her still, protected, sheltered.

And then there was the fox.

The blasted creature had become a problem the moment Owlbark reported it. A fox in leafbare was a desperate fox. Dangerous. Hungry. When Owlbark prepared to lead the patrol, Copperstorm had insisted he come and so had Boarthorn. Now they were all weaving through the frosted undergrowth, quiet, tense, alert. Every noise mattered. Every scent. Copperstorm halted at Owlbark's signal, muscles coiled, breath low. He opened his mouth to ask what the deputy had caught wind of but didn't have the chance. A streak of orange tore through the underbrush. Owlbark's battle cry split the air.

Copperstorm reacted on instinct, fur bristling, claws sliding free. But the breath punched out of him the moment he saw it, the fox's jaws clamped around his son's throat. A sound left Copperstorm, raw, ragged, enraged... Nothing like a warrior's controlled cry. More like a father's terror. He launched himself forward, slamming onto the fox's back with every ounce of strength in his body. His jaws found flesh near the creature's eye, his claws raking wildly for purchase.

The fox shrieked, pain lancing through its wail and it let go of Boarthorn. It released him, snapping its head upward in fury, twisting its whole body to shake Copperstorm off before he could blind it. The shift nearly threw Copperstorm, but he clung on hard, teeth sinking deeper, hind paws kicking viciously against the fox's ribs to keep it focused on him and not his son.

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

36 MOONS

𖧧

THUNDERCLAN

𖧧

SONG

𖧧

bio

 

[Briarfox Briarfox]

TRIGGER WARNING

Wounds, Blood, Eye Injury, Enjoyment of Violence

BRIARPAW, 11 moons / THUNDERCLAN APPRENTICE
A long-furred chocolate tortie with white tail tip.
Brother to Brick, Gracepaw, Echokit, Frecklekit, Victorykit
SPEECH || THOUGHTS
OOC Rolled a nat 20 to attack the fox! Took out one of its eyes.

---

Briarpaw sprang to attention at the alarm call, his claws unsheathed. He watched as Boarthorn took a nasty hit, with Copperstorm following after his son to defend him. For what wasn't the first time, Briarpaw considered what it would be like to have a parent like Copperstorm, a cat willing to throw themselves into danger in order to protect their kin. He reasoned, however, that he wouldn't be the cat he is now if he'd had a father like Copperstorm. He wouldn't have trained as hard as he had, knowing he wouldn't be responsible for looking out for his own hide.

Briarpaw had no time to dwell on the past. When he saw and opportunity, he rushed forward to the fox, racing past Boarthorn in a blue of brown and ginger. Long fur fluffed as he skid to a stop before the beast.

"Get out of ThunderClan territory!" he snarled, even though he was aware the fox could not understand him. He hoped the snarling teeth and outstretched claws would be enough. With a leap, he joined Copperstorm in the assault, raking his claws down the face of the fox and feeling soft flesh tear beneath his onslaught. Blood soaked his paws and splattered his chest fur as the eye of the fox was mauled. The fox screeched in pain and shook, but Briarpaw managed to land without harm, fluffed and furious, ready to attack again when the opportunity arose.

 

[tenebrouspaw]

[ rolled a 5 :( ]

Tenebrouspaw insisted on this patrol. Trembletuft was wary, given their struggling dynamic, but the molly convinced him that if she could handle herself on a scouting patrol, then it'd be worth something. He still set rules too strict for the young molly, but she pressed on in spite of them. Perhaps when all is said and done, the tortoiseshell molly will have wished she listened.

The fox rushes out. Owlbark calls for them to ready themselves, but it's too late for some - Boarthorn is scooped up and narrowly saved by Copperstorm, and Briarpaw gets (what the molly would call) a lucky shot in, blood spraying forth from the fox's expression. It whips around in pain, making nonsensical noises in its rampage, and Tenebrouspaw darts forth next, considering this the best chance she has to prove herself. She launches towards its face, paw outstretched and claws unsheathed -

And it immediately snaps its yellow-and-red teeth down on her wrist. Her adrenaline blocks her from hearing any sort of true crack, but Tenebrouspaw still cries out in pain regardless. Her claws score the side of the fox's throat in a feeble effort to be let loose, and the beast thrashes her to the side, tossing her away.

 

[Boarthorn Boarthorn]

Everything felt more like a whirr of noise, a ringing of blood rushing in his ears with the awfully familiar sensation of blood trailing through his pelt. Last time, he knew it wasn't his, dully convincing himself it wasn't a corpse he was carrying. This time? There was nothing to convince him about. Boarthorn knew his own blood was trailing down his throat, where the thrum of pain coursed through his throat with every breath as the beast latched onto them.

Dark, sharp eyes glared down, piercing through his very being, sharper than the fangs ingrained in his flesh. The thing snarled through a mouthful of his fur, its breath hot on his face as it heaved through its muffled maw. Boarthorn did not know what the thing was thinking other than slaughter; it saw him as a threat, so he had to go. This couldn't be it, right?

They watched numbly as Copperstorm rushed over and ripped the thing from the young warrior's throat, the rush of warmth down their neck as fangs unleashed from flesh. Tears threatened to prick at his eyes; it wasn't their first swaraye into the viscera of a fight, but the rush of the battle at Skyclan was nothing like the drawling sensation they felt their body sink into. The adrenaline was so high that they could pick themself up easily, but they found their paws heavy as the pain overtook their mind in a fog, pushing themself upright.

All they could feel was shame. Too distracted to notice the thing, too in their own mind, and their wounds were nothing but their own fault.

Boarthorn breathed through clenched teeth. That foul thing had taken some flesh with it, not enough to leave him incapacitated, but enough for their mind to blur in agony. Huge form shaking on heavy paws, balanced only on unsheathed claws, trying to focus on the beast before they got launched at again. His father unleashed a fury at it; never had he seen the tom so enraged, only to watch Briarpaw fearlessly fling himself at it. Boarthorn felt his mouth water in nausea as the apprentice managed to rip the thing's eye out, blood leaching from its skull as an unholy cry reverberated from its throat.

The young warrior slowly backed away, heaving breaths as they tried to stop the pain overwhelming them, but they still found their eyes darting around. There were too many apprentices here, too many in close reach of a wild beast in a frenzy.

To their terror, it is an apprentice who again launched at the thing. Tenebrouspaw foolishly dashed at the thing, maybe to match Briarpaw's attack, but also there hung the cry of pain of the apprentice as the thing sank fangs into her wrist. The giant tabby's stomach heaved again at the sound of the crunch of bone. She was only young; such a wound was something a seasoned warrior ended up with. He knew he was meant to back away, prevent any more damage, but watching the apprentice get flung like discarded prey, Boarthorn couldn't leave the tortie.

Praying to Starclan, biting on his tongue to not cry out, he ran to Tenebrouspaw, breathing hard as he bowed his head to try to help her up. "We're retreating before we get more hurt, c'mon Tenebrousth." His voice quiet, low, the apprentice was proud, but this was no place to be mauled like a fool when they could get out safe.

But, just as he moved to help Tenebrouspaw up, something made his blood run cold. Pawsteps, and fast.

All he could think to do was shield the apprentice as the thing impacted, hard. Another yowl of agony ripped from the tabby's maw. It was just as scared as he was, more even. In its desperation, it leapt up and clawed onto his back, that sickening, heavy breath on the back of its throat as it managed to sink fangs into his scruff. If Boarthorn were any smaller a cat, it would have killed him, but in that moment fear coursed through his entire form. Where the fog had settled in exhaustion from being saved, it burned now red hot in his chest, a primal terror as the thing was a whiskers away from the killing blow.

Wild, terrified eyes fell to Tenebrouspaw, his fear hardening to resolve. As frenzied claws flailed looking for a hold in his shoulders, neck, throat, anywhere, Boarthorn stumbled backwards, away from the apprentice. Heaving breaths as his heart raced and fur slick with blood as with one desperate raising of his paws, Boarthorn purposefully felled himself, slamming the weight of his body hard against the beast that clung to his back.

They cried out again, their very being searing in agony, eyes truly bleary, forcing the fox to unlatch its jaws from his neck as it wailed in pain. All the warrior could pray was that it was enough to scare the thing off. Finally, it had done a number on themself and Tenebrouspaw, but the rest of the patrol had done well to launch their own fury.

Boarthorn's chest rose and fell with wheezing breaths, trying to heave through the pain that took over their every thought. Their eyes screwed shut, not seeing the blood bath that marred the earth and stained his silver pelt crimson.

---

OOC - boar rolled a SECOND nat 1 sorry guys im tormenting the fella

​

BOARTHORN He/They, Thunderclan Ranger, 12 moons.
A long-haired, blue ticked tabby tom with a prominent underbite, blue eyes and growing vitiligo.
mentored by Loonstar // mentoring no one
littermate to Saltpaw // sibling to Leveretkit
Copperstorm x Dewshine // parent to none // mated to no one
"SPEECH" // "THOUGHTS" // ATTEMPTED ACTION
penned by Pheo ↛ phoenixwashere on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[OWLBARK]

It's a flurry of teeth and fur in the span of seconds. The orange beast writhes under claws, but is also fighting back with more vitriol than Owlbark hoped. He had hoped the fox would get a nick on the nose and retreat into its lair... wherever it was. Instead, though, it is lunging and driving into his patrol with a fervor. He thought for a moment of why it would be reacting this way, but the action unfolding in front of him whips him from the curiosity. Boarthorn, fresh in his warrior name, takes the brunt of the fox's attacks and looked worse for wear. Owlbark cringed at the young warriors cries of pain and the blood that ran from his coat.

Owlbark watched this unfold and calculated his moves amongst the chaos. Briarpaw nicks an eye in a well-timed strike. Copperstorm is clinging to the creature with a strength worthy of a Storm Guard. Boarthorn was large, and when he attacked the fox, it made it hard for the deputy to find an opening. The new warrior was thrown away after shielding Tenebrouspaw and laid firmly where he landed. "Copperstorm!" Owlbark cried over the yips and yowls of the aggressing fox. "Get Boarthorn!"

After he gave his order, the deputy rushed to the fox. HIs heart hammered in his chest and his mouth was wet with nausea. He was not immune to fear, as much as he liked to think he was. He felt the way his legs shook and fought to have him run. Cowardly. Foolish. Pathetic.

Owlbark's body collided with the thin legs of the fox. It yelped in surprise and lurched to one side as it stumbled. The tabby tom grunted in effort as he hit again with his full weight and the fox crashed to the ground. It's paws scrambled on the bare soil to find purchase and pop back up. He took this opportunity to run. He didn't want to engage with this beast any longer. They'd taken as many hits as they could. Boarthorn was no longer able to fight, and the apprentices were a liability at this point. "Run!"

His jaws latched around Tenebrouspaw's scruff as he tried to pull her to her feet or just drag her away if her had to. Just as he turned to race to safety, blinding pain gripped his leg. He held fast to Tenebrouspaw, not wanting to abandon the apprentice. If anything, he bit into her scruff harder to fight against the pain. He looked from the corner of his vision, green eyes ablaze and wild in the fray. The fox had his lower leg clamped between jaws and it was ready to pull. Primordial panic set in and Owlbark kicked with his legs like mad until a slash of the nose made the fox release.

It must have realized the fight was not worth the blood it was losing as it turned and jumped into the underbrush. Green eyes wildly scanned his patrol. Everyone was still here, more or less. He did not wait to see if the fox returned before dragging the apprentice in his jaws to camp.

i turned 'round and there you go *ੈ✩‧₊˚

• ooc: rolled an 11 >:3c
  i'll make a return thread for the patrol, but i don't think this is the last we'll see the fox hehe
  
• 

  ☾ OWLBARK
  ☾ THUNDERCLAN DEPUTY
  ☾ 58 moons, ages every 1st of the month
  ☾ open to peaceful interactions
  ☾ "SPEECH #687A63"
  ☾ penned by muddly

• toyhouse
  playlist
  pinterest

 

[Copperstorm]

You walk along the edge of danger
AND IT WILL CHANGE YOU

.

Somewhere at the edge of the chaos, Copperstorm caught sight of Briarpaw landing a solid blow, strong enough to finally force the fox to drop Boarthorn. The fox twisted violently, and Copperstorm was flung off, landing with a jolt on his paws. A hiss of surprise and pain slipped out, but he was otherwise unharmed... Unlike the others... His son bleeding. And there was Tenebrouspaw too, hurt and limping.

Everything was happening too fast.

Boarthorn moved toward Tenebrouspaw, calling the retreat, smart, level‑headed even through agony. Copperstorm's heart surged with pride... Followed instantly by terror as the fox lunged again. Boarthorn fought back with everything he had, but the fox was relentless. Copperstorm launched himself into the fray, fur bristling, claws ripping into the fox's muzzle in a furious swipe. For a heartbeat, he wanted nothing more than to tear the creature apart, rip and claw until it never threatened ThunderClan again.

But Owlbark's order cut through the fog of rage, sharp and clear... Get Boarthorn. He skidded back, forcing room between the fox and his son. Copperstorm braced his body against Boarthorn's side, letting the tom lean into him as he heaved him upright. " Come! We're taking you home, son! " Copperstorm's voice was urgent, cracking with fear he refused to let loose. His eyes flicked over the blood darkening Boarthorn's fur, too much blood. Stay. Stay awake. Stay alive. " One paw at a time... Come on, Boar... You haven't even met your little siblings yet. " His attempt at humor trembled. " We can't scare Dewshine like that, can we? "

The scent of blood and fear clung to him as he pushed forward, every muscle ready to take his son's weight if he faltered. Behind them he heard the others, Owlbark's pained snarl... But the fox finally turned tail and fled back into the undergrowth. Copperstorm didn't relax. Not for a heartbeat. His gaze hardened, burning like embers. If that fox ever came back... He would have its heart for dinner...


Speech, thoughts/emphasis

36 MOONS

𖧧

THUNDERCLAN

𖧧

SONG

𖧧

bio

 

[Boarthorn Boarthorn]

Boar found every breath a laboured task, through lidded eyes, he watched Owlbark and Copperstorm finally send the thing running, only as the deputy had his leg horribly torn. He'd never heard such a sound of terror from the maw of the tom, wincing at the sound just as he did through every painful wheeze. Blood seeped down his shoulders, warm and sickening, and his mind spun even as he lay there like abandoned prey.

A dull realisation that his name was being called forced him to reality for another breath or so. Owlbark's call to help, Copperstorm's pleas for him to stay awake. Everything was fuzzy about the edges, but the pain wouldn't let him slip into any sort of unconsciousness. He knew how dangerous that would be, how much blood poured from his wounds. The air coated in the scent of his blood, heavy and foul.

His father was gentle, helping him to his paws, through his ringing ears, the thundering of his chest reverberated through his pelt. The young warrior bit his tongue, looking to the dark pelted tabby with a sorrowful expression. "I'm sthorry, Papa, I let you down." He mumbled, any louder was painful, too much movement ripping pain through his neck and coursing through his whole body. They leaned heavily against Copperstorn, painting his pelt the same crimson. Starclan, how would Dewshine react to his state? His heart ached. She didn't need this, not now. Guilt writhed beneath his pelt, clouded amongst the pain and muted by the dizziness that whirred through his every thought, but still there, unavoidable.

Every word Copperstorm spoke was urgent yet gentle, helping him one step at a time. And all Boarthorn would utter, over and over. "I'm sthorry, Papa."

​

BOARTHORN He/They, Thunderclan Ranger, 12 moons.
A long-haired, blue ticked tabby tom with a prominent underbite, blue eyes and growing vitiligo.
mentored by Loonstar // mentoring no one
littermate to Saltpaw // sibling to Leveretkit
Copperstorm x Dewshine // parent to none // mated to no one
"SPEECH" // "THOUGHTS" // ATTEMPTED ACTION
penned by Pheo ↛ phoenixwashere on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[Briarfox Briarfox]

BRIARPAW, 12 moons / THUNDERCLAN APPRENTICE
A long-furred chocolate tortie with white tail tip.
Brother to Brick, Gracepaw, Echokit, Frecklekit, Victorykit
SPEECH || THOUGHTS
Tagging person here

---

Briarpaw snarled, mouth dripping crimson, and readied to chase the beast. He would have followed it through the forest, hunted it down, had his deputy not stopped them. Like it or not, he was still an apprentice - he couldn't go chasing down monsters in the woods, no matter how much he craved it.

He'd done well. No one was around to be proud of him, except perhaps those he'd fought alongside, but he would carry that pride in his fierce heart. He'd not soon forget the feeling of blood on his claws. The way his own paws had changed fate.

If he could fight a fox, he could defend his Clan from those who would weaken it.

He looked to Owlbark, carrying Tenebrouspaw, and Copperstorm, helping Boarthorn. He would return alone to camp with the patrol, head held high and eyes ablaze.

Be it fox or snake, cat or creature. He would face it head on again and again.