Scriptorial || Round Zeta «Entry»

❝ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ sᴜɴ ɪs sʜɪɴɪɴɢ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ɪs ɪɴ ᴀ sᴛᴏʀᴍ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴇᴀʀɴ ᴡʜᴏ ᴛʀᴜʟʏ ᴄᴀʀᴇs ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ. ❞

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ᴘʀᴏᴍᴘᴛ | ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴏɴғʟɪᴄᴛ.

ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ | 1498

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It's cold.

The sun had tucked away behind clouds, afraid of what brooded below it - a battle between cats. The cats were split into two groups, both sides watching the other with murderous, glimmering eyes. The coldness of the wind stung like frostbite to Jaguarstrike, and she shivered involuntarily.

Am I alone?

The clouds cleared, exposing the frightened sun to the battlefield. The cats paid no attention to it, tensed and focused. It was almost as if the mind of every cat was twisted and touched by the paws of a wicked villian.

No, he's here.

The familiar warmth of Sleethawk's fur brushed Jaguarstrike's pelt gently. The bengal she-cat felt herself visibly relax, and gave the silver tabby a grateful lick. She turned back to face the front, narrowing her eyes. The tension between the two separate groups were being stretched dangerously thin, hisses and spats heard and seen  from both sides.

It snapped.

Step. Step. Step. Within a blink of an eye, the cats unsheathed their claws and charged at one another, a harmony of savage battle cries forcing the sun to retreat behind passing, nonchalant clouds. Jaguarstrike charged, baring her teeth in a spitting rage. What irony, she thought bitterly.

That we'd be fighting our own Clanmates.

She faced off against a cream-coloured tom, slashing and dodging his assaults. Snarling, she darted forward swiftly, using her powerful hind legs to boost herself. I wish we didn't have to fight, Ivorytuft, she thought. You're no match for me. She slowed down and mimicked a crouch, as if she was about to duck under him and attack his underbelly. On instinct, Ivorytuft crouched down as well, ready to intercept her attack. Jaguarstrike narrowed her eyes and smirked.

Got you.

Using her hind legs to boost herself once more, she pushed off the ground, kicking up loose bits of sand whilst doing so. Before Ivorytuft could comprehend that he was tricked, Jaguarstrike landed her unsheathed claws onto his shoulders, digging them painfully deep inside. The tom let out an agonised yowl, trying to shake Jaguarstrike off.

You should've seen that coming.

ApricityClan cats were well-aware of Jaguarstrike's intelligence and ability in combat. Yet, he made a fatal mistake of following his instincts, she thought darkly. She yanked her claws out from Ivorytuft's shoulders forcefully, earning another pained yelp from the tom. She shut her eyes momentarily, shaking her head in disappointment.

I am vile - never forget.

The bengal she-cat shifted her attention to Sleethawk, who was fighting two warriors at the same time. Before she could decide if she wanted to help her friend, the smell of wet plants hit her. It had started to rain. Jaguarstrike pricked up her ears, her eyes holding horror. "We can't fight during a storm! Especially not in Lustrous Coast!"

I need to help.

Jaguarstrike was nervous now, staring at Ivorytuft writhing about in pain. ApricityClan cats knew well of what the consequences were if they hung around the Lustrous Coast during a storm, yet none of them made a move to run. Sleethawk appeared beside her, panting heavily. "We'll be caught in the waves if we don't seek shelter."

Shelter. We need to move.

"I-I can still f-fight!" Ivorytuft hissed, forcing himself to stand. Jaguarstrike immediately shifted into an aggressive stance, fur bristling. "You can't fight well if you don't have strength in your shoulders," she snapped. At the same time, the rain started getting heavier. The sun no longer had a view of the fight, blocked by sombre grey clouds.

We're in trouble.

Ivorytuft launched himself at Jaguarstrike, his eyes glowing with determination. Sleethawk wanted to help, but he was tackled by another warrior. Jaguarstrike and Ivorytuft resembled flashes of brown and cream as they slashed at each other. Occasionally, Ivorytuft winced and staggered from the wounds in his shoulders, but he did well in recovering swiftly.

Mouse-brain!

That was what he wanted, isn't it? Jaguarstrike thought venomously, as if the very thought of him carried the risk of greencough. Ivorytuft narrowed his eyes and spoke. "Blitz was right, you know." Something snapped inside Jaguarstrike, causing her to pin Ivorytuft down, her eyes ablaze with intense fury.

Silence!

"You have no idea - none whatsoever - what his actions mean to me," Jaguarstrike hissed, her jaws dangerously close to Ivorytuft's throat.

None at all...

With a snarl, Ivorytuft pushed Jaguarstrike off. Jaguarstrike muttered a silent curse. While it was true that Jaguarstrike was able to use her intelligence to fight her battles, Ivorytuft was undeniably a good fighter. What he lacked in intelligence, he made up with experience and aptitude for combat.

There's no turning back.

They were exchanging a dance of the battlefield. Ivorytuft lunged forward, and with his remaining strength, he smashed his paw against Jaguarstrike's head, sending her tumbling to the ground. The she-cat groaned in pain, unable to stand up. Her vision was blurry, and the strength from her paws left her. To make matters worse, the rain had turned into a raging storm, rain beating down at her pelt mockingly. I won't lose!

I can't lose...

Lightning flashed. She could not find the strength to stand. Her wet fur clung to her like spider webs, and it only emphasised her exhaustion. Ivorytuft looked like he was about to collapse once more, yet he inched closer to Jaguarstrike.

It can't end this way...

Heaving, she forced herself to stand, keeping in mind that she would be crowfood if she could not even stand up. "I won't let you defeat me, Ivorytuft! I'll prove to you that Blitz is nothing but a manipulating villain!" Jaguarstrike hissed, lashing her tail. Her paws trembled and her head spun, but she still spoke passionately.

I'll show all of you.

The two engaged in a fight once more. Jaguarstrike bit down on his shoulder, making sure it dug into the previous wound she had inflicted. Ivorytuft yowled in pain, and shook her off violently. Jaguarstrike collapsed once more, starting to feel the effects of fighting in the rain. Another flash of lightning appeared, followed by the angered roar of thunder. Her eyes widened. Oh, no! Sleethawk!

Fight it!

Jaguarstrike whipped her head to find Sleethawk, and dragged herself towards him. The silver tabby tom was in a mess - he was allowing his opponent to inflict wounds on him as he quivered in shock and fear. Snarling, Jaguarstrike tackled the tom and sank her claws into his underbelly. The tom screeched, thrashing about recklessly. Before Jaguarstrike could harm him any further, a body rammed against her.

Ivorytuft!

Jaguarstrike felt chilled to the bone - things were starting to look even worse for her. Sleethawk's fear is thunder. No one - not even himself - knows why he fears thunder so much. Her heart ached painfully to see her usually strong-willed friend succumb to his pitiful state. He was curled up in a ball of bloody mess, yet all he cared about was hiding from the sound of thunder. Jaguarstrike faced her two opponents before her with a snarl.

I'll protect you - just like you've always protected me.

Ivorytuft seemed to hold slight pity for Sleethawk, but he pushed it away quickly. He attacked Jaguarstrike with the other tom, chomping down on her tail while his partner tore at her ears. Jaguarstrike's paws shook beneath her, and her bloodied pelt stained her pelt darker. Her iridescent green eyes burned with determination in contrast. she stood taller, and even though her fur matted together made her look skinnier, she resembled her large wildcat ancestors.

I'll win this... to protect you.

Jaguarstrike's eyes never left her opponents, but her mind drifted elsewhere. The wave will come soon. However, I don't have much strength left, so I'll have to work smart, she thought to herself. She lashed her tail mockingly at the two toms, coaxing them to follow her. That's right. Follow.

I'll end this.

The bengal she-cat maneuvered through the mess of fighting savages tearing at one another, careful to ensure that the two toms were following her. She winced when the saltwater washed over her wounds, but stood still and waited. All three of them had entered the waters, and it was time for Jaguarstrike to fight. With a hiss, she reared up on her hind legs and smashed her forepaws onto the water, splashing water into their eyes.

Water is my ally.

Taking advantage of their momentary blindness, Jaguarstrike rammed into them, followed by using her paws to sweep their paws beneath them. They were already in waters deep enough to submerge completely, hence they lost their balance. Ivorytuft recovered first, but Jaguarstrike pushed him back into the water. He resurfaced, spluttering. He grabbed his partner's scruff and exclaimed, "I surrender! I surrender!"

Victory is mine.

Noticing the waves getting more violent, she signalled the two cats to leave the waters. She swiftly returned to Sleethawk's side and helped him up. "You'll be all right," Jaguarstrike whispered. "I promise."

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|| ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ's ɴᴏᴛᴇ ||

I got this out later because I was busy with for the whole week.

This one-shot is for WattyWarriors' Scriptorial, Round Zeta. {Briarfur}

I don't like what I got out, but it covers most of what I came up with within a short span of time.

A trivia will be added later for anyone who is interested. Hope you enjoyed reading this!

~ Sky ❄

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|| ᴛʀɪᴠɪᴀ ||

➵ I had only a few hours to come up with a plot, but had little trouble cutting down on words.

➵ It was originally going to be Jaguarstrike fighting against a storm to reach a sheltered area during her journey to save Quiverfeather, but since it has to be a conflict between cats, it was tweaked.

➵ I mentioned before that Sleethawk has the fear of thunder, brontophobia. It is shown in this chapter to create more drama.

➵ Ivorytuft was originally going to be an unnamed tom, but since it was easier to describe him by name, he was named.

➵ Blitz manipulated a part of ApricityClan and made them turn on one another - it was how the battle started.

➵ Hyraxpaw and Rimepaw were originally going to be described in the fight, but the idea was later scrapped.

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