.:Just Your Luck:. [RUBBLENOSE + SPARK] [PG-13 / M] CLOSED

This RP Plot is a fighting plot, which means blood and possible gore may happen! If you're sensitive around that sort of stuff, please take caution when viewing these posts that we (Junip and I) post! Also, if the Cause isn't known RP wise (though I think it is), feel free to tell us and Spark will just be a stray cat trespassing to Rubblenose.

No sound could be heard this night except the rustling of the dark, damp, tall grass due to the humid, warm wind in Shadowclan's territory as Rubblenose trudged through it. He did so in a somber, silent, panther-like way, anger running through his mind ever since "The Cause" was made known to the clans. Cats, especially in Shadowclan, had trouble trusting their clan-mates in it, and the enemy clans; now they had the Cause and their little spies on their mind. Other felines were so dramatic, so caught up in petty emotions and things of the sorts instead of survival and living. The stupidity of cats angered him. Add that on top of that hole in the top of the Warrior's den that happens to shine light right into Rubblenose's face, and hunting worries, and you had a grumpy Rubblenose. To blow steam off and not explode on a clanmate (though he wanted to on several occasions), he took a walk in the dead of the night. It smelled and looked like rain, and above him were thick stratus clouds and very few stars peaking through. It only angered him further that clouds were blocking him from seeing the stars, AND it was going to rain while he was away from cover and camp. His fur, being very thick and the territory being very damp, made it hard for him to be or get dry even when he wasn't wet. He was considering turning back, but wanted to catch something. Wanted to kill something.

What better way to blow off steam than kill something for your clan? Though he would most likely eat it himself out of anger and crunch harshly on the bones; what? He was alone and angry, and he wasn't afraid to act a little barbarian. Not even the stars were paying attention. His health didn't help with his anger. He tried to sniff out prey, like a rodent that's most commonly found anywhere, but because they wield a musky-type of scent, plus the dampness, he couldn't smell anything at all. He hated his nose. It was so messed up because of all those fumes from the twolegs that he also hated. And he hated his big, furry paws that always dragged mud and dirt from taking a walk like this one. This night he hated everything! Rubblenose snarled, clawing at a patch of grass; the sound of the plant being torn was drowned out by the wind, blowing his way, naturally. It failed to cool him off.

- Spark -

Spark found herself outside on this cloudy night, having nothing else to do. For whatever reason, she just couldn't sleep. It was like she was hyped up on adrenaline. She had tossed and turned for half the night, no doubt waking a few of the Cause members with her wild movements, but she found no rest. She had even gotten up to pace and try to work off a bit of her restlessness to no avail. Finally, she gave up on sleep that night. With light pawsteps, she stepped over her Cause-mates' sleeping bodies (or those who were politely pretending to sleep, for her sake) and out of the barn.

Outside, the moon and stars were covered by dense clouds. Spark could barely see her paws in front of her- if they had not been white, she didn't think they would be visible at all. Lifting her nose to the air, she breathed in deep. The smells of the outside were dampened by the heavy smell of oncoming rain. Good. If she were to foray into clan territory to steal some prey, she would at least leave no marks for the morning patrols to find.

The thought of catching some mice in the barn seemed tame to her, for some reason. Not to mention the fact that everycat was sleeping at the moment. She was sure she would wake them up with the racket she would make. So, she decided to head over into the marsh. It was going to rain after all, so it was worth it to get her paws a little muddy for some frog, right? If you had asked her if she liked frog before coming to the forest, Spark would have asked you very seriously if you were insane. Now, having tried it, she found it had a nice taste, though it did not compare to, say, a sparrow or a hare.

Her mind made up, she pointed her paws to the east and the marsh. Crossing the road was easy- it was the dead of night, no twolegs were driving. She came upon the grasses very quickly. It was so dark, she stepped into a few puddles before her eyes got used to noticing the faint reflections before she stepped into them. Yech, she thought, shaking her paw to get the water off of it. And these so-called "ShadowClan" cats deal with this all the time?! No matter how much she enjoyed the taste of frog, you wouldn't find her out here much. Too wet.

With a look of distaste crossing over her face, she glanced up, squinting her eyes to see through the gloom. Her green eyes caught the dim silhouette of a blackened tree. Her ears pricked up. Maybe it would be dryer under there. Without caring about the fact that the wind was blowing across her fur, broadcasting her scent to whoever was there to smell her, she headed over to it. She stepped in three more puddles along the way. By the time she got to the tree, Spark was wet, cold, and beginning to regret coming out here. All this for a frog, eh Spark? she asked herself bitterly. Ah, well. It was too late now. Guess I'm just going to hunt some frogs in a bad temper, she growled. She slammed her foot down in a sudden burst of frustration,  splashing herself with cold, muddy water. A yowl built up inside of her, and she yearned to scream her frustration to the heavens. Coming to her senses before that happened, thankfully, she clamped her jaws shut and swallowed her yowl. Frogs, she reminded herself. You're here for frogs. Just get a couple and get out. She looked down at her paws, formerly white. Now, they were a gross shade of brown barely visible against the vaguely brownish-green ground. Camouflage, at least. The note of bitterness was tangible even in her own head. Just get to it, Spark. Then you can leave.

'Nothing, nothing, nothing, NOTHING, nothing....' Rubblenose thought to himself with anger as he sniffed from the ground, to the grass, to the sky as he searched for a mouse. No mouse in sight, and the water going up his nose wasn't clearing anything out. He wanted something with fur on a night like this, not a simple frog. A snake wouldn't be out here on a wet night like this, or at least that's what Rubblenose thought, and he surely wouldn't hear the silent slithering of the snake. He could see quite well in the night, however, as dark as it was. When he lived in the junkyard, he didn't need the stars to see; he could hardly see them anyways due to the smog and the clouds the was over the city all the time. The smog probably didn't help his scenting anyways. It wasn't that ALL his smell was bad, it's just...smelly things. Bad scents, he couldn't smell. Due to the heavy scent of rain and his anger, his smelling senses was probably dulled down.

As Rubblenose trudged, the water on the ground deepened and he was practically wading through muck covering his entire paws; it was always a little muddier and wetter towards the Burnt Sycamore. The roots caused deep embeds in the ground, making for deep puddles. Something brought him to stay outside, however. When he was angry, he tended to have nightmares. It was his mind's way of throwing a fit silently. Whenever his frustration wasn't released, it tormented him until he took it out on something else. He chose the tree, and as he waded up to it, he raked his claws down the sides of the bark while also stretching out his arms and legs. While doing this, his tail dipped in the muddy puddle, and leaves automatically clung to them as everything else did to his fur. Taking in one of those deep, long, angry sighs, he just slashed at the tree some more. When something caught his attention, and made him jump and making another returning splash; a splash from not to far away from Rubblenose. Recovering from the stun of the splashing noise, he took in a deep inhalation through his nose and tried to focus as hard as he could on smelling. Another strong sniff. And another. The water helped mask any scent, and Rubblenose still couldn't smell a single thing. Maybe, maybe just the light scent of dried grass, but it wasn't good enough for him. His swamp green eyes glared into the darkness as he scanned the area, looking for any cat or anything that could've made that noise. 'Coming out here just for a mouse wasn't worth it. Now I'm wet and searching for a stick, most likely, that fell into a puddle from the tree!' Rubblenose snarled to himself with another go at the tree, slashing into the tender, wet bark. His paw stomped down in the water, and he created a second splash. It felt good to make a ruckus, but splashing didn't really help him release his anger. Suddenly, the Cause came into his mind.

'The Cause...is it one of those cats making it's way into Shadowclan territory?' he asked himself with growing paranoia and anger as the memories went back to him, about the Gathering and the trust loss and the annoyance of it all, and the hole in his den...he couldn't contain himself anymore, and he came out of nowhere with a yowl in his deep voice. "Show yourself!" he hissed, lashing his tail and sending water droplets on the grass and ground.

- Spark -

The wind whistled in her ears, normally so acute to the tiniest of sounds. The wind filled them to capacity, however, and the damp, dank smell of the swamp just dulled another of her senses. This darkness isn't helping much either, she growled to herself. All this for some stupid frog?! I'm getting out of here.

As she turned to leave, empty-pawed, she heard a sound. Not a normal sound, either. It was a ripping sound, almost like something was tearing itself apart. It was unnatural. Spark felt a shiver go down her spine. With her breath caught in her throat, she turned back around to look at the tree. She took a step back, and her paw landed once again in another puddle. Before she could stop herself, she hissed in annoyance and frustration.

A faint noise came to her wind-deafened ears, like the splashing of a paw into water. An echo...? She let herself believe that for a minute. Then came a second splash. No... Not an echo... Another cat?! Spark's fur stood up along her spine. All of a sudden, the wind stopped screaming in her ears. She took this as a sign- danger. As she took another step back and bared her teeth, a low voice yowled from behind the tree.

"Show yourself!" It was followed by the sounds of many water droplets hitting the wet grass and puddles.

Spark stayed silent. Stealth was probably the best way to get out of this situation. Her fur was puffed up around her, a feature that only made this all seem worse. It half made her look like a dandelion. She shook her back paw free of the puddle that was behind her, and the water droplets that spattered out matched the noise the other cat had made. She cursed her poor judgement, but hoped she could edge around the tree and run off without the other cat noticing- she was trespassing, after all, and this tom sounded angry.

Unfortunately, she had missed the protruding root system that seemed to be completely responsible for all those stupid puddles she kept stepping in. She stepped, stepped again, and then tripped over backwards after her third step sent her leg right on top of one of the roots, causing it to slip and then fall. The puddle she landed in coated her fur in brownish-green muck that made Spark want to squirm. Who knew what was in this disgusting water? Ugh.

The little surprised yowl she let loose was sure to have notified the other cat that somebody else was around, so Spark jumped up. "All right, I'm here. Come and kill me... If you can." She tried to make her voice as menacing as possible, but she was pretty sure the mud dripping from her coat just made her look ridiculous. "You scared, Shadow cat? I'm fairly positive I could beat you in a fight. You don't sound like much." Truth be told, this strange cat had a deep voice, signifying a large male. Spark didn't really care much right now. She was cold, wet, and miserable, not to mention extremely frustrated. "Come and get me!"

Nothing but the wind and the grass was to be heard after he had roared like he did. Rubblenose felt incredibly better after doing so, and even though he was breathing heavily, it was a quiet breathing and it was worth it. He pricked his ears up as far as they could go, trying to hear anything but the wind. But, being a Shadowclan cat and raised in dark cities, he could see; seems like this cat, if it was a cat, was at a disadvantage. He stayed where he was to not give away his position (even his stealth skills couldn't evade the water puddles that was everywhere), but he squinted and looked quite hard. Whatever it was, it was on the other side of the tree; but was he mistaken, or did he see yellow? Was it from a monster's light? No. Water droplets landing in the puddles and grass broke him out of his thoughts, and more splashing and plopping noises was to be heard. He thanked Starclan for his gray fur and dark points and eyes, for he blended in the darkness well as the feline stalked clumsily closer to the tree. And a big splash and a yowl gave it away that it certainly was a cat; a cat whose fur was soaked. Rubblenose grinned, yet he was still frustrated. The cat's snarky remark made him even angrier.

"All right, I'm here. Come and kill me... If you can. You scared, Shadow cat? I'm fairly positive I could beat you in a fight. You don't sound like much."

The challenge the female feline had offered him was foolish, and he was quite amused at the feline's poor judgement at just how big he was. He waded through the water, his body down low as he hid in the grass around the tree's roots. His stomach about touched the water, and he looked at her from the corner of the tree; he was practically an ear's length bigger than her. He even had a large voice, but this feline was up for it and Rubblenose was more than happy to deliver a lesson to her. It seemed like it was her lucky night. Rubblenose's brute strength and endurance, plus immensely thick fur would keep him safe. That feline was in for it. Bunching up his haunches and a deep growl rising up from his throat, he charged at her with claws drawn out and teeth bared. "Get out of my territory!" he roared, feeling his large body slam into her and claws hit fur.

( Sure, it makes sense! Spark's barely an average fighter- her strength's more in hunting, so it will be fine if Rubble beats her up. xD )

- Spark -

Spark glared defiantly into the darkness as her challenge faded, hoping her thumping heartbeat wasn't giving her fear away. She could barely see the tree right in front of her, and she didn't really know how big the other cat was. Her only hope was that her bluff would work, and whoever that other cat was would get scared and run away. After some time had passed, she began to hope that her wild bluff had worked.

"Get out of my territory!" The roar took her by surprise, and it was joined by a sudden, heavy weight slamming into her and bowling her over. She felt the small pinpricks of claws pierce her thick coat, and for the first time in this hot summer she was grateful for her fur. The world spun around her twice, and she splashed into water both times. A root bashed into her skull as she stopped rolling and she saw stars.

A sudden fury filled her. This was a Clan cat, one who had no business driving her out. Why had these stupid cats come in and taken all the land?! No, wait, they can have this land. This stupid land full of stupid puddles and stupid mud and stupid frogs! A surge of strength helped her shove the clan cat off of her, allowing her to get a better look at him, even for just a split second.

He had thick fur, like her, which was sure to help him when they fought in earnest. It was also grey, with darker points, which was why, she assumed, she hadn't been able to see him earlier. He was also big. Much bigger than her, Spark, who was only barely average-sized. That meant he was stronger, which she had noticed from the force with which he had barreled into her. She could feel the sting of his claws on her shoulder, and when she glanced down at it, she saw the red blood leaking out of the wound. Fortunately, her own smaller build was likely to give her a speed advantage, and in her experience, speed often beat brute strength. She grasped onto that lifeline and stuck to it- it was truly her only hope to beat this tom.

"So," she growled, buying recovery time, "you're one of those cats, aren't you? The shadow ones? Trust me, I have no idea why you would want to live here. It's wet, cold, and muddy, and all there is to eat is frogs and snakes. Are you sure you like it here, Shadow cat?" She tried to hurt him using her words, but Spark had never been good at that. She was much more physical in nature. To tell the truth, fighting him would give her more satisfaction. Unfortunately, she was unsure whether she could beat him without wearing him out first.

To hide her fear and uncertainty, she smiled a disarmingly bright smile at him. Maybe he would think she was crazy and back away. Maybe he would come at her more conservatively if he thought she was crazy.

Hey, she was desperate.

Even though Rubblenose was sure he had winded the cat and that she would go scrambling off with her tail between her legs, but it seemed she had some rage in her that shoved him off of her. The sudden push of strength coming from the cat was impressive, and Rubblenose landed with a heavy plop in the water by the roots of the tree, sliding in the mud and finally bringing himself to a stop. Pausing to gather himself and get some more anger-strength, he looked her up and down a little more closely with a glare that she was giving back to him. Now that he could get that look. Long fur. Thick, too, but he had long Shadowclan signature claws; but he'd stick to teeth, his preferred way. Rubblenose always thought tactically and scanned his foes for weaknesses. This girl had quite a few compared to him. Considerably smaller. Most likely faster, which Rubblenose lacked and was sorry he did. Unfamiliar with Shadowclan territory, and Rubblenose was happy for that. Especially on such a wet night like this. And from falling in the puddle, her fur would most likely be weighed down from all the muck and water; that would take some speed off, he thought to himself half-halfheartedly. He wasn't too worried, but irritated that this rat would dare to come into his territory and fight him. Even after getting a good look at Rubblenose, it seemed as if she still had some bark in her.

When she was speaking her words, Rubblenose's anger bubbled back inside of him like a volcano, and he flexed his claws in the mud as she spat at him.

"So, you're one of those cats, aren't you? The shadow ones? Trust me, I have no idea why you would want to live here. It's wet, cold, and muddy, and all there is to eat is frogs and snakes. Are you sure you like it here, Shadow cat?"

Rubblenose was ready to give her a tongue lashing and a whopping, when she smiled. Smiled one of those wide-set, open, twisted smiles. Rubblenose's rage didn't vanish, but he chuckled deeply in a disturbed and unimpressed way, taking a step closer to her. "Are you trying to sway me, rat? Do you think I'm scared of you?" he sneered at her, licking his chops in a swift way. City cats tried to pull the same thing where he lived. Some of those cats were actually sick. Rabies, mange, disgusting things. Especially in the junkyard, all the poisonous things sorry felines would eat or drink. Fur falling off, pain going numb, mind going insane, Rubblenose had seen it all. He was anything but afraid. "I was raised in the junkyards of the city, death lurked around every corner, and sick cats were after me all the time. My own mother threw better insults at me." Rubblenose continued in his cocky way, it being his turn to turn on the attitude. "To answer your question before I kill you, yes, I do like it here. This terrain may seem hard to manage to a weakling like you, but this is nothing to me. So hit me with your best shot, fleabag!" he snarled with a slash to her face, swiping her nose. Rubblenose was pumped after his words to the enemy, and didn't hesitate whatsoever to attack once more. He meant to get her face, but the darkness was taking its' place once more, especially under the tree. That was fine with him, however; he had the whole night to take her down.

( So sorry this took so long! Had a busy weekend, didn't have much of a chance to get on the computer. )

- Spark -

The yellow-tabby she-cat stood her ground, even as the tom got back to his feet. The disturbing smile never left her face. She waited hesitantly, body braced for another impact. It was not forthcoming, however.

Instead, he chuckled in an unimpressed way, taking a step closer to her. "Are you trying to sway me, rat? Do you think I'm scared of you?" He licked his chops.

"Rat? Is that really the best insult you can give? Try a little harder, Shadow cat." Spark made sure her voice sounded as cocky and defiant as possible, hoping that it covered up her fear. She didn't feel she had to try any harder to pull out insults- calling someone by their clan name was the worst insult, in her mind.

"I was raised in the junkyards of the city, death lurked around every corner, and sick cats were after me all the time. My own mother threw better insults at me." The tom's voice was cocky, full of attitude. Spark didn't think he had it in him.

"I'll have you know, I roamed the streets as well, Shadow cat. You have no idea the horrors I saw." Her smile grew wider. "I saw cats kill each other every day. I know how it's done, and you don't pose any sort of challenge to me, I think." She shook out her fur, sending mud and dirty water flying in every direction. She tilted her head up, looking down her nose at him in a haughty way.

"To answer your question before I kill you, yes, I do like it here. This terrain may seem hard to manage to a weakling like you, but this is nothing to me. So hit me with your best shot, fleabag!" This was followed by a slash at her face, slicing open the skin on her nose. Blood welled out of the cut, and Spark fought the urge to sneeze.

She hissed at the sensation and lashed out with her own claws, making contact with fur. She wasn't sure whether she had drawn blood, or even where she had hit him- it was growing darker under the tree, getting harder to see all the time. She was quite certain this Shadow cat had even more of an advantage over her now; his eyesight in the dark was sure to be much better than hers if he saw this every night.

Jumping back after slashing at him to avoid any other attacks the tom might throw at her, she steadied herself with her tail. "You could at least give me a name, Shadow cat, so I can tell the others once you've died. I do love to brag." Of course this was a lie, and she did no such thing, but she hoped it was effective and unbalanced him. Remembering her twisted smile, she pulled it back out, making it even wider and creepier now that blood ran down her muzzle.

Despite her words towards him, though they were said straight in a cocky way, Rubblenose could've sworn he heard the quavering of fear in the fae's voice. If she roamed the streets and cats killed each other everyday, you'd think she'd know how it's done and not to challenge a full grown angry male in his own territory. Rubblenose almost cracked up due to this feline's false sense of strength and ignorance.

Rubblenose, when he struck her face, had his chest puffed out. Thankfully, his chest and neck was full of fur, like a mane, and he didn't feel tearing flesh from her claws. Just a clawful of thick gray fur was pulled out, and it did sting slightly, but no blood came through. Well, some did from the missing fur, but he thanked Starclan for his Siberian roots. Thinking of Starclan made him more willing to defeat this intruder. His mother was never one for intruders or lack of privacy, and he was determined to get this intruder out of his and his mother's territory. With pride welling up, he was about to hit her, when she jumped back. Rubblenose let out a snarl of hatred as she began to speak again, trying more to sound confident and threatening. He could've laughed out loud.

"You could at least give me a name, Shadow cat, so I can tell the others once you've died. I do love to brag."

He thought. Should he give his name to her? He was most likely going to defeat her anyways. And if she went back to "the Cause"s territory and told her gang about him, he'd be happy to take them all on anyways. Rubblenose felt ready to wipe all of those foolish cats out, out of the forest and city and anywhere else. He would tell her his name, with pride, ignoring the blood creeping down her muzzle. It was a thin stream. There would be more blood where that came from. "I'm Rubblenose," he growled with growing loudness and hate, "but you probably won't remember it after this!" And with those words, he brought a big paw up with speed from his anger, and slammed his paw down on her head with force. The blow would most likely dizzy her, and he kept his claws out and raked them down her face after he gave her the blow. He didn't care to move back as he hissed at her, satisfied.

(It's fine, we both get busy sometimes, I know!)

- Spark -

Spark stood with her legs spread apart to hold her balanced and ready to jump back from whatever attack this tom would surely be about to launch at her next. She could feel her heart beating strongly inside her chest. She was scared- no, terrified. This tom could very well kill her. She was beginning to realize that this was not the brightest decision she could have made.

"I'm Rubblenose," he growled, "but you probably won't remember it after this!"

His paw slammed down on the top of her head with dizzying force, and his claws followed suit. Thankfully, Spark had been at least slightly prepared for the attack and had moved her head to the side when his paw came down. She saw stars from the force of his blow, but didn't suffer as much damage from his claws as she might have. Rather, they slid almost harmlessly across her muzzle, leaving behind a few faint scratches that only gave forth a little bit of blood.

She didn't give her head time to clear, and that may be why she did the stupid, headstrong thing she did- she charged into him. Her head slammed into his chest, and she brought her claws out to scratch up his fur more.

Maybe she didn't hurt him at all. Maybe she just put herself into more danger. Maybe she was just trying to make herself look stronger. Maybe all that would happen would be him coughing and catching his breath and then he would kill her. Maybe it was pointless. But that didn't matter. She saw her chance, and she took it. Maybe she would win this fight, or at least not die losing it. That in itself would be a win. All she could do was hope- that might be enough.

Rubblenose was certainly not expecting her to move her head, and he growled as he could see what he was doing as he attacked her. She wasn't as unprepared as Rubblenose thought she was, huh. It was a little hard to see the muddy tabby, her fur wet with the dark muck she landed in. That probably explained why his paw must've slid down her muzzle. At least he landed a blow, he was sure he had smacked her good. Usually all he brought his paw down upon began to get dizzy. He regretted not moving out of her way, however, when she headbutted him right in the chest.

That blow to her head, plus a headbutt, surely did more damage to her as she did to Rubblenose. It was in the middle of his chest, for his upper body was raised from bringing his paw up. Even though fur blocked her claws as she scratched out fur, it didn't block out her head as she crashed into him. He was thrown off balance and the wind was knocked out of him. If it wasn't for the tree behind him, he would've fell over! He gasped for breath as he coughed and sputtered, cursing her in his thoughts as he got back to four paws, hovering over her. "You, you impudent thing! You're DIRT!" Rubblenose spat with a sharp breath, trying to regain his power in the battle. It took a while to tire him out, however, and that only made him angrier. Plus the fact that her claws actually did make their way through his shoulder fur and began to bleed.

Taking in a big breath and snarling at Spark, he chomped down on her scruff, making sure his teeth went into her fur as he regained his strength. His chest still ached and he still had to breath in deeply from his nose, that tickled from her fur, but he was anger driven. Being quite bigger than her, he was able to thrash about and shake her, using all his might to do so. "Dirt!" he growled once more to her, biting down harder.

( HGHGHLALKDFHGLK I had this all typed out and wonderful and then when I went to switch tabs to check something on Spark's app, I CLOSED THIS PAGE. I CAN'T EVEN. Gah. It's gonna be shorter than it was because of that, sorry. )

- Spark -

Spark's head rang with the force of her own body hitting Rubblenose's. She realized belatedly that this might not have been the best idea. However, it was too late to back out now. Literally.

Her headbutt sent both of them barreling into the tree. She crashed to the ground. Satisfaction flowed through her battered body when she heard him gasping for breath. Maybe she hadn't drawn blood, but she sure had winded him. She found her head to be fuzzy, which didn't really surprise her. She'd just taken two hard hits to the head, for heaven's sake! She gave it a shake for good measure.

When his voice came roaring out of his mouth, Spark was taken aback. "You, you impudent thing! You're DIRT!"

Her old name shocked her out of her stupor. "How...?" she whispered, just before his mouth closed on her scruff. She shrieked in sudden pain. "Dirt!" he growled into her fur, voice slightly muffled. With a wordless yowl, she shook her head violently. It made her skull blaze with pain, but she managed to loosen his grip on her scruff. A warm wetness came trickling out of her neck.

She felt a sudden anger fill her. Who was he to call her by the demeaning and degrading name her mother had given her?! She had changed her name to get away from thoughts of her unloving mother. Who was he to think he could defeat her in battle? He was just a stupid TOM!

She gathered her paws beneath her and jumped forward blindly. Her face was pointed down at the ground, so Rubblenose's body was between her and the tree she was aiming for. She hoped desperately that she had calculated the distance right- if she didn't slam him into the tree, she would just tumble over and be at the mercy of his claws.

His chest burned, as he shook her violently. She had winded him good, and not being able to breathe well in the first place, plus his junky nose, and her long fur in the way, AND the fact that he was speaking, made him suffocate a bit. It was well worth it though, especially speaking. "Dirt" seemed to make her upset, the insult that he had called her out of the blue. Maybe because she knew it was true, because she really was dirt. To him, that was. She shook her head as he shook her, trying to break free, and it was starting to work as Rubblenose's mouth started to tire, his jaws getting weak, and the saliva was making her fur slippery; not to mention blood and muddy water she had gotten on herself. It brought great pleasure to Rubblenose to see her bleeding, and there would be more. That was a promise. He continued trying to hold on, and hoped she would struggle more. Certainly, he had more energy than she did, and thrashing around would only make her more tired than she probably already was. Stupid girl, reckless girl. If this took place in the lawless junkyards Rubblenose had grown up in, he would've hopped right on her and snapped her neck, she would've been downed just like that. Her carcass fed to the dumb dogs or rats. leftovers for the maggots and flies.

However, she did not shake back aimlessly and struggled, but rather contained herself and jumped forward once more, another butt to Rubblenose catching him off guard. Rubblenose was already close to the tree, and that last headbutt about knocked him over and into it; he was a bit off balance, though he managed to get some back by getting on his four paws to shake her. Shaking her shook him, much to his dismay, and that stupid tree got in the way and she rammed him right into the tree. Rubblenose let out another painful breath of air, that sounded like a strained growl, and his back smacked right into the damp bark. If the flesh of the tree wasn't wet and he didn't have some ruff fur on his back, it probably would've hurt a lot more and maybe even cracked his back or neck; not saying it didn't hurt. In fact, it hurt quite a lot. He let go of her scruff as he exhaled harshly, and went into a little fit of coughing and trying to inhale. What a pain in the neck this cat was; literally! Not really watching where he was sending his paws, he slashed at fur and really just flailed, trying to get out of the tree or free, trying to make this, this pathetic girl get away from him.

( You little rebel, you.)

- Spark -

Spark growled with pleasure when she heard the crack of Rubblenose's body hitting the tree trunk behind him. She heard the breath woosh out of him again, and his jaws loosened around her neck. With a quick twist, she pulled back. His coughing and gasping made her smile. She had hurt him!

She suddenly felt the adrenaline leave her body, and with that gone, she realized that is was really the only thing keeping her going. When it faded away, all of her hurts were magnified tenfold. Her nose stung as blood dripped down her muzzle. The various bumps  and bruises scattered over her battered body. The little scratches from his claws swiping down her face after he slammed his paw on her head.

Her head. Something was wrong with her head. She had suffered quite a bit of harm to her poor skull, and her head couldn't handle it. It hurt, a lot. She was pretty sure it wasn't any permanent damage. However, the pain was very real and very big in this moment, and it nearly incapacitated her.

All right. No more headbutting. It hurts more than it helps.

While she was reeling in her sudden pain, more sprung out of seemingly nowhere. Spark glanced down at her chest in surprise- the tom's claws had pulled out fur, leaving her with bare patches that showed her skin. Thin scratches were already welling with blood.

She felt the sudden reckless feeling fill her again, and she wanted to hurt him, worse than he had hurt her. But he was bigger, much bigger, and that scared her. Despite her body screaming at her to open fire and tear in to him with her claws and jaws, there was one small part of her mind that was still rational- that part drew her back, forced her to go on the defensive.

She sat waiting, crouching, for him to go on the offensive. If he was so large and bulky, by the stars, she would use it against him.

Rubblenose took in as deep of a breath as he could, the burning of his chest still leaving a throbbing pain right in the middle, along with the small blood coming from the cuts. So much missing fur. Though this wouldn't usually bother him, he probably looked like he'd gotten torn up by a badger; well, an ignorant hissy girl. Same thing. Good thing his fur was usually matted. His fur seemed to soak up some of the blood that leaked out of his scratches. Not the best thing for his hygiene, not the healthiest, but he honestly didn't care. Rubble's heart pounded, and even though he wasn't even near his physical limit, he was quiet winded and definitely didn't make the first move when the tabby stood there in her defensive position. Rubblenose simply continued to stare her down, regaining his energy that he had lost when trying to swiftly attack. These were one of the days where he wished he had less fur and more speed. And energy. He wanted this to end, and frankly, he was angry enough that he wanted her to end. She was weakened. It was obvious. She might not have been panting like he had, but she was beaten and bloody, and she must have had a killer headache going on. If she had a head to ache, that was. Such a dumb cat. He wasn't going to let her escape, though, no. It wasn't going to end with letting her scramble away. When she's at his mercy, he'd demand all the information on the Cause until she breathed her last. Maybe he'd even bring her into Shadowclan's camp. He'd just love to see what Shadowstar would do to the sorry girl. Ah, he just had to push her to her limit, and by the looks of the banged up cat, she was close to it.

He arched up his back from rising anger and fluffed out his fur, and felt the tree brush up against his body. 'The tree!' he thought to himself with a little grin, flexing his claws. 'She's expecting me to just run at her so she can dodge, huh?' An idea and a memory formed in his head. Rubblenose took in a silent but deep breath as he simply charged at her once more, pushing off the tree with his backpaws.

No specific move used, a spur of the moment thinking. Rubblenose had once seen his mother preform the same sort of move on some rouges back at their past junkyard; but it was much more complex and she flew off the ground. Rubblenose's push off the tree just gave him a speed boost that he lacked (and now regained) as he barreled at her like he did in the first of the battle. Claws out once more (though one was torn out from clawing at long fur so much), and his mouth open in a snarl as he spat her way, coming at her.

( So sorry this is late! Gah, I'm horrible at keeping up with this aren't I? ;.; School hit me in the face. I had four tests on Wednesday. All my core subjects. aoimldhfalefja;dfkm So, here, have a longish one to make up for it. )

- Spark -

The stare down was intense. Spark watched him, green eyes fixed on his darker ones. She could see his mind moving, and she felt fear envelop her again. It was like neither of them could really get the better of each other. He smashed her head and scratched her face, she barreled him into a tree and winded him. Not to mention the missing chunks of fur that were probably highly unattractive on her own coat. She could tell the blood from the tom's scratches was soaking into his fur- the red was turning the grey black, in the gloom under the tree. Spark gingerly shifted her weight to her hind legs. If he was going to jump at her like he had before, she figured it would be better for her to roll over with the force rather than let him hit her head-on.

The waiting was unbearable. Spark saw his chest heaving up and down, and felt a momentary sense of pride lift the fear. She had hurt him, that was good. But why wasn't he rushing at her at this very moment? His sheer size and obvious strength would surely win him the fight. It was really only Spark's quick, reckless thinking that had lasted her this long. He was superior physically, in every way. So why...?

Ah. Saving his strength, was he? Wow, maybe she'd done more damage than she thought. The only outward signs of injury were his scratches and heaving breaths, so it didn't look like much had truly hurt him...

All of a sudden, a whirl of grey fur came out of the darkness, claws out and mouth snarling. Spark had let herself get distracted, and it might have been the death of her. His speed was astounding. The tree! she thought, a split second before he slammed into her. As she had planned, she rolled with his attack, but the sheer force of his body hitting hers bowled her over and smashed her into the puddle of water with much more pain than she had expected.

Her back hit the water first, rather than her head, which was good. Well, maybe not good, per say, but better than the alternative. His claws had got her in one shoulder- she felt the warm wetness of the blood, rather than the cold wetness of the water. His other paw seemed to have slid down her side, not scratching anything. She coughed from the fur that was tangled in her mouth and tried to ignore the unpleasant feeling of water soaking down her coat. Wait. Fur in her mouth?

Another split-second decision- she bit down, hard. She didn't know what part of his body she had between her jaws, or even if she was biting on flesh at all, or just his damningly thick fur.

The girl's eyes were rather lost with thinking, not sharp and focused as Rubblenose rammed into her. He was glad to catch her off guard; his speed caught him off guard, not used to doing things so fast. More used to lumbering along, only attacking with strength. And strength he showed as he slammed the cat to the ground, falling right into a puddle of water. The water got most of his bottom body wet, and it was murky, muddy, and extremely uncomfortable feeling. He absolutely hated water everywhere. On his paws and legs, he was used to it. But he was half-way drenched. The water hitting his pelt made him snarl. The impact hurt him less, as she seemed to go with his attack rather than brace herself. That was a smart move for her. But he was on top of her as she smacked her back on the ground, and that MUST have done some damage. He didn't expect her to be able to push him off of her, and if she had that strength, she must have some powers from Starclan or whatever she believed in. His claws pierced through her shoulders, and big cats have big claws, and he smiled in her face as she coughed. But one paw slid down her side and onto the ground, and his shoulder stuck out. With the water, and blood, he didn't feel her warm saliva on his long shoulder fur, where his ruff fell.

Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, and let out a yowl of pain. That little rat! His first instinct was to jump off of her as she bit him, but he finally had her pinned down. She was in pain, too. This was too good of an opportunity, and he yanked his shoulder back as hard as he could; as horrible as it felt. She had sharp little teeth, and blood streamed from the wound. The position he was in was quite uncomfortable (he thought he might have pulled his muscle or either dislocated his shoulder), but he brought up both paws and pushed on her shoulders, pushing back the pain in his weakened arm to push her down. He lifted his tail from the muck-water and lashed it, not only to get the water out, but also out of anger. Seeing her in her weakened state was very pleasing to him, however, and Rubblenose was certain she was at his mercy. He took this time to taunt her, flicking his ears and tail as he snickered.

"You could at least give me a name, Cause cat, so I can tell the others once you've died. I DO love to brag!" Rubblenose taunted her, repeating the words he had said to her in such a cocky way. Now who was the cat on their way to death? Her plans were certainly spoiled by him. Though his shoulder was killing him, and all the other wounds and his chest burning, it was certainly worth putting the pain off (as hard as it was to do that) to torment this sad excuse of a cat. "Give me one of those pretty smiles, while the blood's on your head and nose. Try and scare me off of you!" Rubblenose laugh-snarled, grinning wide. "Or, better yet, try and push me off of you!"

( )

- Spark-
Spark snarled with satisfaction as Rubblenose's blood flooded her mouth. He pulled back sharply, which must have hurt him, and that gave her room to spit the blood out like it was poison. She coughed again, from the unpleasant taste. All of a sudden, he pressed his paws onto her shoulders, forcing her fur to get even wetter.

He lashed his tail, whether that be in anger or discomfort, and water splattered the puddle, making little ripples.

"You could at least give me a name, Cause cat, so I can tell the others once you've died. I DO love to brag!" His deep baritone voice was playful, cocky, and Spark hated him for it. Who did he think he was, to throw her own words back at her?

"Spark," she growled, because she figured he had given her his name. It was the honorable thing to do, right? "My name is Spark. May it be a name to strike terror into your heart." There. That was dramatic enough, wasn't it?

"Give me one of those pretty smiles, while the blood's on your head and nose. Try and scare me off of you!" He laughed and snarled at the same time, a remarkable feat. "Or, better yet, try and push me off you!"

Spark did just as he asked and smiled a gruesome smile full of blood and sharp teeth. She spit the blood as hard as she could onto his face and hoped it reached his eyes. The only way she could get out of this situation would be to distract him, and it would be very difficult to do that at this point. She would have to wriggle out from under him, then turn tail and run. That was her only option. She didn't like it much, but it was all she had to go by. In fact, she hated running away. It made her look like a coward. If that was the only way to survive, though... That was all that mattered, right then. Survival.

So that's what she would do. Survive.

"Spark, my name is Spark. May it be a name to strike terror into your heart."

'Spark, Spark, Spark... he thought to himself with a little smirk, muttering her name under his breath to test it out on his tongue. "Oh, it's absolutely terrifying. Quite a shocking name, I'm paralyzed with fear. The sound of it just jolts me, it jump starts my heart with electrifying fear." Rubblenose sneered in her face sarcastically, enjoying himself thoroughly by insulting her name. Spark! "For a cat of your liking, with your nasty mucky fur, it should be 'Dirt'." he huffed. That's what Rubblenose thought. As he insisted for her to smile in a strange mix of growling laughter (sort of like a pirate would do), she did, and her poking teeth was stained with blood, and he even caught some tufts of fur stuck in between them, making him gag a bit. Such a nasty wild cat, vile was she. He could only imagined how horrible he looked, with his missing fur and matted fur, bloody and wet. Looking at her, Spark, made him feel better, however. She was a wreck. She'd have something to tell her Cause buddies about. There was no doubt he had won, and they would be able to tell. The thought of them all avoiding him in a battle made him grin. That is, if she was a Cause cat.

A stream of copper wet, sticky, nasty bloody spit went towards his face, breaking him free of his thoughts in a disgusting way. Unfortunately for him, he had been growling right up in her face; making him open for a spit in the eyes. It did fly into his eyes, actually, it was absolutely disgusting. It dripped down his face, and he shook his head and yowled, for his eyes were rather sensitive. "Dear Starclan, did some of her spit get into my mouth?" he thought to himself with a shudder, scrambling off of her in a frenzy to clean out his eyes. His claws were out, and as he jumped off of her, he clawed down at her stomach and shoulders. When he jumped off of her, he landed smack in another puddle, all but the top of his head was wet. All the pain from his wounds and scratches intensified as the dirty water got into his cuts and stung, as did the wind that whipped back up once more. Those were going to be infected, very infected from this water that only Starclan knew what was in it, plus that worthless cat's spit and filthy claws. His shoulder was on fire, no longer his chest, and he brought up his paws to wipe his eyes, leaving Spark to get up. He could've had her, killed her right there, but no, a spit in the eye and he'd been thrown off of her. Rubblenose hated himself for his weakness, not only with his eyes, but his diminishing energy and strength from the fight. He couldn't run after her if he tried, but she was going to have a fun time running with a bashed head, back, and body full of cuts and bites.

- Spark -

"Oh, it's absolutely terrifying. Quite a shocking name, I'm paralyzed with fear. The sound of it just jolts me, it jump starts my heart with electrifying fear."

Spark was unable to decide whether to roll her eyes or groan from the horrible puns he was making. However, she did neither, as both were likely to get her killed.

"For a cat of your liking, with your nasty mucky fur, it should be 'Dirt'."

At his words, her vision went red as she was filled with anger. He shouldn't KNOW that name! How could he know that? Was he some kind of mind reader? Spark found herself shaking with terror of the supernatural. With a huge effort, she stilled her limbs. This was not a time to get scared out of her wits. If she did that, she'd be frozen. Right now, this was the time to run.

When the blood she had spit into his face fall into his eyes and dripped down his face, Rubblenose jumped backward. His claws sliced down her shoulders as he did so, and the yellow-tabby bit back a yowl of pain. The tom fell backward into a different puddle, soaking his back and the top of his head.  Spark took her opportunity, rolling over and scrambling up slowly. She wasted precious seconds trying to get her paws underneath her. Even though they had only exchanged a few blows, the sheer force and power behind the tom's strikes was phenomenal. Her body ached, and she winced as she rose to her feet.

She hated that she was so weak. Why couldn't she beat him? Why did he have to be so good?! Where was the justice in that? She had come out her for a stars-forsaken frog. She hadn't even gotten that.

Her paws were heavy with mud and water, not to mention the exhaustion that was dragging her down. It was hard work, this fighting. She stumbled out of the shade of the burnt tree with weary steps, trying to go as fast as she could. What if he suddenly got back up? He would catch her and kill her for sure. This tom didn't seem like the one to follow the so-called "warrior code" those clans had going on. He seemed more ruthless, predatory, more angry, in a sense. Spark found that to be akin to her, and she hated it. This tom was her enemy. She would always try to kill him on sight, no matter what.  

Just now, though, she was the perfect target for an attack from behind. She was just exhausted.  There was no way she would survive one more blow.

'I wonder why the simple insult 'dirt' upsets her so...?' Rubblenose thought in the back of his mind, thinking of shouting it once more again. Just to anger her. Maybe she's sensitive to common insults like that, like most weak females seem to be around these woods. He didn't know the story behind that name, and it was just an ironic occurrence that it would offend her so much. Rubblenose could've called her worse things, and considered doing so as his body ached and stung everywhere. But honestly, Rubblenose didn't want to fight anymore. It was great fun tearing into her, but it was getting very tiresome, and his shoulder would hardly let him stand up to his feet; not to mention that he slipped down just trying to get up. His tail was drenched as well; that's mud that would never get out of there again, not to mention his whole entire fur. Did water make blood flow more? It seemed like it, because the more he just stared at Spark trying to get to her feet the more he grew tired. The fatigue outweighed the anger. He was just so, so weak. He could've killed her. If he was younger and in the junkyard, he would've! A spit in the eye and he was down, pathetic of him! Just thinking about the complaining he'd receive from his mother, her telling him to kill all trespassers, he could picture it in front of him.

Spark stumbled away from the tree, and Rubblenose summoned as much strength as he could; just to get up and standing. His shoulder, dear Starclan, it hurt. His fur felt like it put 20 pounds on him. All this dumb fighting off a Cause cat; if she would've stayed out, none of this would've happened! She never did deny being a Cause cat, anyways. The group of cats having it out for the Clans; they could just join, instead of causing all this drama. The complete peace was ruined because of them. Prey would no longer be stolen if all the cats just unified, or if those dumb cause cats just stayed to wherever they lived. What was this fighting all for, anyways? It was pointless. In the Great Battle, his mother died. He didn't rage against the clans. Breaking free of his thoughts, the cat was further away, but in range of him. He watched her, deciding if he should attack her once more. 'She would die, however. said the trembling little voice in the back of his head that he hated; his conscious. Rubblenose obviously won; with a lot of scars, however. His chest and shoulder, especially, was simply torn up. He would never forget this fight, short as it was, thankfully. He wouldn't kill her, she would go on and never forget him as well. He hoped the little fireball and her group would just leave Shadowclan alone; he was raised not liking trespassers. Perhaps his mother's low patience for betrayal and rouges lived in him. Rubblenose let out a row of coughing, taking in a breath once it was over.

"Don't you or your friends ever step foot on Shadowclan territory again. Next time I won't be so merciful." Rubblenose growled in a raspy voice, his throat in a considerable amount of pain. He bluffed, however. Truthfully, he didn't think he could kill a cat. There was no need to. It'd be a waste, and Rubblenose hated wasting. He slumped to the ground, his shoulder having enough of standing up. Yeah, he wasn't getting back up, much to the cat's probable satisfaction. With enough energy, that cat could tear him up on the spot. Rubblenose kept his glare on her, but couldn't get up. He let her go, with a lesson taught not to mess with him.

(  Thank you! Rubblenose is pretty awesome as well! )

- Spark -

Spark stumbled again and almost fell. It was nearly impossible to walk, simply because she was so beat up. Her head pounded and she found it hard to think. The only thing she could focus on right now was getting away from here. This tom, this Rubblenose, would come after her for sure. Nothing seemed to stop him from wanting to kill her.

She turned her head back once to see him just standing there, watching. Maybe he wasn't going to kill her...

His voice rang out, raspy and deep. It seemed like it caused him pain to speak. "Don't you or your friends ever step foot on ShadowClan territory again. Next time I won't be so merciful." Spark believed him. If she met him again, she wouldn't live to meet him a third time.

However, some small part inside her rejoiced to have an enemy, a solid one. Now, at least, she had more reason to want to get rid of the clans. This tom had tried to kill her, for stars' sake! It wasn't hard to get angry at this stupid ShadowClan and their stupid marsh and their stupid cats anymore. She had a vendetta out against them, and she would destroy them. Someday.

As she was turning around again to keep walking (stumbling, more like), she saw him fall to the ground. All of a sudden, compassion swelled up inside of her. He couldn't even stand. She didn't remember hurting his legs, but maybe when he was holding her down in the water and slipped... She should go help him... It was all for the better, though.  She shook her head free of those kindly thoughts and remembered her hatred. It was clear he hated her, too, because his dark green eyes were shining with an anger she knew well.

Almost against her will, she nodded at him. He had been a worthy opponent, worthy enough to send her scampering back to her home, but not without hurting him almost as much as he'd hurt her. It was a good battle, if not a nice one. To tell the truth, her veins were singing with adrenaline, and despite the pain in her  head, she felt... content.  Not happy, but content. She had a reason to hate the clans now, especially this ShadowClan, and it made her glad. Nothing could take that away from her.

Spark turned back around and continued on her way, without a frog and with a new enemy to watch out for. Tonight had been an okay night.

( This was so much fun! It took way too long to finish, thanks to STUPID SCHOOL but I had fun! Thanks for Rping with me, Cally. Spark and Rubblenose better meet up again in the future! )

'Ack, she saw me fall- ahh, I don't care.' he thought to himself with a tired huff as he stared at her, wondering what she would do after he had warned her with such certainty; and fell to the ground like a newborn kit trying out it's legs. Would she be angry and tear him up while he was weak on the ground, finish him off there, taunt him? Rubblenose gave up on trying to get her, he wouldn't be able to do that, not now that was. Much to Rubblenose's surprise, she nodded at him, respectfully it seemed. Rubblenose felt relieved, and though he didn't nod back, he didn't say anything to her. They weren't anywhere near good terms, not at all, but it was nice to let it all out on a cat that could certainly take it. Sure, she could hardly walk, but Rubblenose regrettably admired her will, her passion. However, his passion to defend Shadowclan was greater. And he would continue to chase out any cat who dared to trespass on his territory, his mother's territory, Shadowclan's territory. Whoever it may be. No, he didn't kill her, but he would kill any cat who posed a threat to Shadowclan. In a heartbeat, he would give up his life for a fellow warrior or his clan, too. And it's not like he didn't achieve victory. He was just pitying her.

As she walked away, certainly not turning around, Rubblenose took a deep breath inwards and struggled to stand. "Come on, fatty, get up." he growled to himself, his legs and arms trembling. As he watched her fade into the darkness, he was finally able to push himself to his four paw. Rubblenose shook out carefully, trying to regain his balance and dryness of fur, and not fall. He stayed up, however. Rubblenose felt so odd after the fight. He walked through the tall grass and puddles with a slight limp, similar to the way he walked after the fight. The wind blew away the clouds, revealing the stars, and even though the gusts stung and the water droplets blew from the few leaves the tree had and the grass, the pain was a bit numbed. Numbed by pride. He got a cat out of his territory. Better yet, an (assumed) Cause cat. "You're not too shabby, Rubble." he laughed in the same raspy low tone as he spoke in before. Maybe he didn't have enough energy to finish her off, but her escape was simply just a fluke. He could've finished her off. It just her good chances that he let her walk away. "Yes, I could've finished her. But I didn't." Rubblenose mumbled to himself, ignoring the mouse that dashed from the grass to the tree.

"It was just her luck."

(Plot closed!)