I Know You (Riddlehawk)

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The young tom didn't know where he was going, exactly. He just knew he had to urge to go somewhere.

The pale tabby hadn't been feeling like his usual self the last few days. Irritation made his tail twitch constantly. Pointless anger made him want to snap at whatever cat approached him. His fur would bristle if they tried. There was no reason he could name for this particular behavior, nor any blame on his mind to dwell on.

Icepaw had felt this way since the 'battle' with WindClan, and that was the best reason he could find for the strong emotions reaching even to his claws. That mockery of a battle had been nothing for him. He'd found himself at a loss as the other, older cats fought around him, but there was no open opponent for him to take. And when the apprentice had tried to help a Clanmate fight off a warrior, it had ended in n instant with nothing left for him to do.

"It's not fair," he growled under his breath, kicking aside a rock as he padded on. "I never get to actually fight any cat. Every time, some cat comes along to break it up. What's the use of training if I can't even use what I know?"

He spat on the ground and stopped where he was. That wasn't the only thing that was bothering him. It was also just being this way. The young tom normally had a much better disposition that this. Feeling so angry, and for an actually pointless reason, was making him feel all the worse. Icepaw didn't want to feel this way at all. And yet he was.

Icepaw shook his head, growling a little, before looking around him for the first time. His blue eyes widened in realization- he must have wandered straight across Stepping Stones, for now he was padding straight along the ThunderClan side of the boarder. How did I not notice that? The fur along his spine prickled. I shouldn't be here- I need to get back on my side of the river, now!

But the pale tabby didn't move. Instead, he stood stock still, just staring off into the tall oaks in front of him. He felt like some cat was already out there, not too far off. It wouldn't matter if he raced across the surface of the water, they would still have seen him. So the apprentice stood a bit straighter and unsheathed his claws in preparation. He didn't know what to expect, but if there was to be an attack from the undergrowth, he would welcome it. It had been too long since he'd really used his claws.

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Riddlehawk was padding through Thunderclan's territory, back to that fateful place where he had first met the tom that had set him on the path he was on now. Back to the place where a vendetta to protect his loved ones had been started. His ears flickered as he caught the sound and scent of a tom he had known once. The tom that had ripped out his bright gold orb of an eye. He padded towards it, the scent of that toms reincarnate being. He stopped, looking at the young apprentice that was standing there. He was bigger. much much much bigger. He got a small wry smile across his face as he stood there from his vantage point atop the small cliff that was there.

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At first, Icepaw wasn't able to see the cat who stood just above him on the overhang. The sun was in the way and casted a glare. All the tabby was able to see was a large silhouette of a ThunderClan cat. He growled threateningly and crouched lower to the sandy earth and squinted to get an idea for who it was. His eyes flashed to full wakefulness when he realized who it was. It was the same scarred tabby he'd seen too many times before.

A flicker of fear passed through his belly again. As he looked up at the ThunderClan tom, he was reminded of just how small he really was compared to Riddlehawk. Sure, he had grown, but Riddlehawk's mere shadow casted over him like a mountain. The thought to turn right around and dart back to RiverClan split through his mind.

But his claws held the young tom in place. Instead he took a few pawsteps back so that he could see the large tabby without having to squint into the sunlight and looked boldly at him, standing tall. "Riddlehawk," he growled coldly. The pale tabby tom wasn't exactly sure what to do. Attacking right away would be asking to be hit. But he wasn't going to sit around and chat, either.

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"Icepaw." He replied, just as coldly. He had a light smirk on his facce. The fear was plain on this young toms face, even though he was trying his hardest to mask it with confidence. He flicked his tail, ears flickering in the younger tom's direction. He knew that this young tom wanted to just jump up here and try and rip his throat out. But Riddlehawk would not budge from his vantage point. Let the little tom try and get up here, he'd swat him away like a little fly with that paw that had bludgeoned his possessor to death.

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The pale tabby tom set his fangs firmly together as the nerves continued to set in. It was just as before, just as he'd thought. Riddlehawk didn't see him as a threat. And why should he? Icepaw was a mere apprentice. He didn't have any real combat experience besides a few blows during the battles with WindClan. Not to mention that here, Riddlehawk had the high ground. An immediate leap and attack would be futile.

Icepaw breathed in deeply through his nostrils, ignoring the stench of ThunderClan that washed over everything around him. He just had to think through this. Nothing good would come of worrying. The young tom raised his tail as a sign of aggression and tried to look as unbothered as Riddlehawk. "So how's life going for you in ThunderClan, fox-heart?" He snarled tauntingly. He needed to buy some time. "Kill any more clean-pawed cats these last few moons?"

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Riddlehawk chuckled. The dark tabby's single gold eye shone brightly. Oh how this little tom amused him. "Not since that reckless tom that stole my eye." he said back, not tauntingly, but a taunt all the same. He knew it would irritate the young tom. Ah, the scent of Riverclan. Briny and salty like the ocean, fresh and fishy like the river. All things water. Thunderclan was muskier, thicker and heavier. The tom had a husky voice, rough and gravely all in the same breath.

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Icepaw turned up his nose. The deputy's attempt to taunt him hadn't quite done the job. More likely it had reminded the young tom that even though Froststorm had lost the most in the fight, the RiverClan warrior had left his mark. There was no getting rid of that. "Call him what you want- It looks like he was a good enough fighter to do some real damage."

The pale tabby took a few pawsteps to the right, slowly and casually, to where the height difference between the two tom's ground wasn't so much. He needed to even out the playing ground. The apprentice then stopped where the ground was a little lower than that of the deputy's, and snarled. "And I'll live up to that." Icepaw then flung himself at Riddlehawk, claws extended toward the tom's face.

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Riddlehawk smirked at the tom's amusing attempts at taunting him. When he launched himself for his face, Riddlehawk jumped back a bit, swiping his own claws for the young tom's face. Icepaw didn't hit him, only landed in front of him, not enough lift and strength to get him completely on Riddlehawk. He launched himself towards the younger tom, going to pin him easily beneath him for that same ringing headshot that would have left Froststorm stunned but might break the very young tom's neck......

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When Riddlehawk moved out of the way, Icepaw already knew he was in trouble. Suddenly a paw was coming at his face with readied claws before he touched the earth. The young tom ducked his head in as a split-second reaction, allowing his claws to miss his face, but just lightly claw over the back of his neck. He then proceeded to hit the ground in a roll, head over paws, to land in front of Riddlehawk in a wobbly stance.

Then next thing he saw was a mass of tabby-striped fur charging at him before the earth flew out from under his paws. Icepaw gasped in shock and pain as he landed on his back a little ways off, staring up at one gold eye and one empty socket, and one blunt paw heading toward him. Panicked, the pale tabby tom began to writhe back and forth with all the strength he could muster until he had a free front paw. With that paw he lashed out across his body. The blow possibly could have hit Riddlehawk's face, but he was aiming for the opposite forepaw that the tabby was pinning him with to make him loose balance, and give Icepaw the chance to escape the pin.

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When the young tom started writing to get free, Riddlehawk used a bit more force to keep him down. But the lash across his nose made him hiss in pain. Blood started dripping from his nose as the paw that had gouged his nose also went to swipe across his lame paw. The old injury felt little pain, time having killed alot of the nerve endings in that particular appendage. He stumbled a tiny bit, enough to free Icepaw's front legs and shoulders for a split second before regaining his balance. He made another swipe at the tom, feeling his lame paw land atleast one blow, but where Riddlehawk couldn't tell yet. He just hoped it would be enough to knock the already very disoriented tom off his feet.

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A drop of blood from Riddlehawk's nose fell to land on the bridge of the apprentice's own muzzle, just where he could see the blurry drop of scarlet in the center of his vision. Finding it bot a nuisance and a bit disturbing, he shook his head quickly to rid himself of what he could. Icepaw grunted as he felt the tabby's forepaws push in on his shoulders before relaxing slightly and pulling off. He quickly took advantage of this situation and pushed the rest of his body free from underneath the bigger cat's pin. The smaller tabby, however, had only gotten a tail-length away from Riddlehawk before he felt the blunt paw of his opponent smack across his flank, sending him falling to the earth on his side.

It was a hard fall, but the shock wave across his flank began to rid itself of the pain after a heartbeat. Gritting his teeth in a mix of pain and anger, the pale tabby heaved himself to his paws as quickly as he could- which wasn't very fast at all, actually. He felt worn and battered already, so soon into the battle. I can't stop yet! Icepaw hissed to himself before making a few retreating steps back toward the river. It was in the water, not on dry land, that RiverClan cats would have the advantage. If only he could lure Riddlehawk in, he could make a good move. But as he took another pawstep, the apprentice stumbled. One of his hind paws had given way, one he must have fallen on when he'd hit his flank. Icepaw fell to his side again, almost falling right into the stream, but landing instead on the edge of the bank.

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Riddlehawk was a bit off balance whenever he smacked Icepaw across the flank with that lame paw of his. He went after whenever the tom went down, using his lame paw to try and batter him father back towards the land. He knew Riverclan's tactics all too well, having fought here more than once. He moved to pin the tom down again, his jaws snapping down on flesh, not knowing what he had ahold of but he still held on. He gave a few quick shakes of his head, his strong neck muscles moving in a quick jerking motion. He didn't know if he broke the young tom's neck, or if he just broke a bone of something. But he felt something break. Heck, it could've been a bit of the young tom's tail for all he knew!

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When Riddlehawk had gone after him in an attempt to drive him away from the river, Icepaw had jumped back away from the heavy blows enough to only catch their wind rather than an actual hit. But each one came close, just a breath away from his muzzle. Fear was starting to build up inside the young tom. He just couldn't keep up with the older tom! Every move was too fast and too strong for an apprentice to match up against. A desire to flee across the river jumped into his mind again.

But he didn't get the chance to even consider it twice. Once again he was pushed onto his back and found the scarred tabby looming over him. Then, before Icepaw had the chance to react, he found his foreleg seething with an unbearable pain as jaws closed suddenly around it's middle. A horrible screech sounded from the pale tabby's own set of jaws as the pain sent a spasm up his leg and spread along the rest of his body, causing him to thrash about it pain. Then he found himself being shaken from side to side like a freshly caught fish, and a strained yowl continued to ring in his ears. He could hear a dreadful crack as another bout of the horrible pain attacked him again.

"Stop! Stop! Lemme', go, lemme' go!" Tears were welling up in his eyes as he screeched the words. He couldn't take it! Anything about Froststorm, it didn't matter now. His mind was too filled up with pain to think of anything else but the matter of self preservation. His cries were genuine. No trap, no lulling into a false sense of security crossed him. All that mattered was the release of his leg. "Please!"

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When Riddlehawk heard the young tom cry out in pain he released his jaws. He blinked, his ears flattening against his skull. He knealt down and looked at the injury before dashing off into the forest, coming back a moment later with a couple sturdy twigs and some cobwebs. He knew some rudimentary medicine cat skills but it wouldn't hold up long. He crouched down next to Icepaw, his single gold eye looking him over. "Here. Let me help you....." he murmered, his gravely rough voice speaking to the young tom gently.

[What if Riddlehawk took him back to camp and Icepaw changed sides on Froststorm and the others and ruined Froststorm's entire plan for him? xD It sure would get Froststorm's whiskers in a bunch!]

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((OOC: Me thinks that would definitely twist Frosty's tail... >3 ))

BIC: Icepaw hardly noticed the large tabby's temporary disappearance, as he was more concerned with the fact that the fiery pain in his leg wasn't going away. The apprentice was still yowling in pain, twisting into awkward positions while doing so as if they would make it better. They didn't. So he let out another long, loud screech before glancing down at his leg. His vision was somewhat blurred from the tears that had welled up in his eyes, but the pale tabby's leg was defiantly twisted in a way it should never have been.

The sound of pawsteps drawing closer drew half of his attention, and Icepaw glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Riddlehawk's form. A chill went down his spine. He was going to finish him off, no doubt! He'd slit his throat while he was down, or torture him until he died. That was what he'd been told all his life. This was a murderer he was facing. There wouldn't be any pity. He winced in preparation.

But the words that came out of the tabby's mouth didn't match up with his expectations. Icepaw opened one eye, still fearful, but instead of claws at his neck he saw Riddlehawk holding some twigs along with a cobweb or two. He couldn't exactly comprehend the meaning. But all his instincts pointed him in one direction. "N-no!" Icepaw shrunk back a bit, curling up into a defensive position. "Don't touch me!" There was no way he could let this cat come near him again. He had broken his leg! The apprentice glanced around him, wondering if he could make it back to camp with his leg the way it was. It wasn't likely. Maybe a patrol will see me and help. Anything but this.