Talon coughs, trying to suck in air after it's been knocked right out of his lungs as he impacted the wall. Turning to face his opponent, he ignores the throbbing pain in his shoulder from his harsh landing, his temporarily blurry vision sharpening rapidly as he focuses in on the towering, light brown tom. A small grin forms on Talon, his heart beating hard enough for him to hear it's quickened rhythm, blood pumping hot through him.

„Good one, Edge. But I'm not done just yet"

The large tom chuckles, unmoving in his slightly lowered battle stance, his paled milky eyes staring emptily ahead as his ears turn towards the recovering leader.

„I'd hope so. We're just warming up so far, aren't we?"

Talon laughs, his worries and stress for now forgotten as he slowly pads closer, lowering himself ready to pounce. The blind warrior attentively listens to even the tiniest noise, his ears remaining perfectly trained of Talon. The red eyed tom leaps forth, prompting Edge to turn, the large cat raising his paw to knock Talon out of the air. With a grin, the dark grey leader lands just short before Edge, dashing to the side to avoid Edge's raised paw descending where he just stood with enough force to knock him down. Edge quickly turns to deliver a sideway swipe at Talon, only to let out a deep, surprised gasp as all he hits is some fur, Talon already darting in under the anticipated strike. Talon closes his jaw around Edge's other front paw, strongly pulling it out from under the sizeable brown tom-cat. Trying to get on top of the fallen opponent, Talon's eyes go wide as Edge rapidly pulls in his hind legs and pushes them forth fiercely into Talon's belly, sending the dark grey cat flying once more.

He lands on his paws this time, huffing for air again and immediately dashing back in to try and still capitalise on Edge being down. By the time Talon's almost at his mark, Edge has rolled onto his belly and turned towards the rapidly approaching leader. Using that he is already lowered as such, Edge pushes himself off the ground with his hind legs into a pounce. Talon grinds his teeth and tries grinding to a quick halt and leaping off to the side. Edge lands on his paws with a thud, Talon pulling up his paw, focused in on Edge's broad neck. He realises his mistake too late as the blind warrior's big paw bats into the shoulder of his outstretched front leg, the brown furred body moving narrowly out of the way of Talon's swipe. The impact pushes Talon a bit to the side, destabilising him for a moment. That moment is all Edge needs. Before Talon can regain either his stance or some distance, the larger tom simply barrels into him with his full body, sending Talon straight to the ground. Dazed for less than a moment, Talon comes to just in time to the frightful sight of Edge's maw come down on him, his jaws closing on his chest. Talon huffs, before letting his head fall backwards.

„Foxdung…"

Edge chuckles low through Talon's fur before letting go, raising his head and sitting down beside the fallen leader. An amused expression paints the blind colossus's face, drawing his tongue over his muzzle, flashing the teeth he thankfully did not utilise.

„That would be your heart and lung pierced, I fear, Talon"

Talon grunts and slowly rolls over onto his bells

„Yes, I know. You are very quick for someone your size, Edge. And you don't pull your punches when you throw someone…"

The dark grey tom leans his head to the side and vainfully licks his shoulder, which took most of his impact when he was thrown against the wall.

„It's no battle training if it doesn't emulate battle. Are you alright though?"

The light brown tom slightly leans in, slicking his ear as his blind eyes rest on his leader, his question earnest in tone. Talon huffs quietly and slowly rises to his paws with a grunt before shaking out his pelt.

„I'm fine. My pride took more damage than I did"

The two toms chuckle in unison.

„As long as that's the case, you can continue fighting when needed."

Talon hums at this comment, tilting his head slightly in thought

„Maybe. But if you had been an enemy, I'm fairly sure I'd be halfway to Scourge by now. My reflexes still need work. I should have been able to dodge that strike."

Edge calmly shakes his head, ears remaining trained on Talon as his face just stares dead ahead, looking at nothing at all

„That's what training's for. Besides, you are far from weak. You are stronger than my littermates, stronger than most. I think only a few cats in the faction that could challenge you."

Talon sighs, looking to the side, down the nameless alley they traveled to to train today, twoleg monsters rushing past the entrance to it in a rapid, yet oddly rhythmic pace.

„Perhaps. But the cats from our faction are not the ones I worry most about. The only other leader I could take on right now is Granite, and that is if he doesn't summon Flame to fight for him. No cat could challenge Scourge when he ruled. I'm nowhere near that"

Edge nods slowly, before beginning to groom his chest fur between talking

„Perhaps. But is invincibility the most important trait for a leader? If prowess were the only quality we were looking for, we'd all be following Wrath. Yet here we are."

Talon chuckles as he stretches, popping several joints, before padding over to the small pile of dogteeth.

„I'm flattered. But unless I can defend my claim, we might still end up following Wrath, or one of the others. I try my best, for our faction and our clan, yes. That alone does not get me closer to becoming our one true leader though. I must become stronger still. No way around it"

Slowly Talon begins picking up the dogteeth, one by one, reattaching them over his natural claws. Edge remains where he is seated a moment longer, seeming in contemplation, before arising and padding over to Talon, to his own pile of detached dogteeth.

„Could be that you are right. All this leader business, it's not for me. Frost or Castle would probably have more of an opinion on that than I. But I will gladly train with you whenever you care to either way. Heh, as if you couldn't just order me to anyway."

Flexing his paws, unsheathing his claws a few times to ensure the dogteeth sit properly and correcting one of them before being content with it, Talon hums before looking to Edge.

„As if I'd go around ordering myself sparring matches. I do thank you for the training offer though, Edge. I'll likely take you up on that regularly. Can only grow stronger at a decent pace fighting opponents greater than I."

Edge hums, after carefully feeling out where the pile of dogteeth lie before him with his paw, beginning to pick them up and reattach them to his paws as well. Their ears perk up at the sound of running nearby. Talon looks up and over to the entrance to this side alley, spotting Kestrel running towards them. The last of his dogteeth reattached, the red eyed leader takes several steps in Kestrel's direction, ears perked attentively. Kestrel would not usually come running like that. Something out of the ordinary must be going on… and that means more often than not something isn't as it should in twoleg-place. The second-in-command stops shortly before talon, his breathing elevated to a panting for air, causing his first attempt to report to end in a small coughing fit instead of words. Talon places his paw on the brown tom's shoulder

„Breathe, Kestrel! You're of little use to us if you suffocate yourself! Take a second, then report"

Kestrel slowly nods, trying well and hard to catch his breath. Edge moves up to the two other cats, but remains silent as they wait for Kestrel to relay his intended message

„Talon… rogues. Our outer border to the lower twoleg-place. The group of rogues from around the horse place has moved in, already seized our food source behind the twoleg fish place. Clover got away with some light wounds, but we'll need a patrol to drive them off."

Talon's eyes narrow as he nods, leading the way, the two other toms following immediately.

„Do we know how many? What did Clover report?"

Kestrel bounds forward to be beside Talon, matching his speed afterwards

„Seven, maybe eight. No collars, probably all streetborn rogues."

Talon gives a scoff, guiding their way towards their main alley, the call to action numbing him to the remaining pain in his shoulder

„So we can expect them to know how to fight. Great… I'll lead the patrol, I'm warmed up as it is. We gather a patrol and head out immediately. We absolutely cannot afford to lose food right now."

Kestrel nods, still huffing to catch his breath. Edge hums from behind Talon

„I'm not very familiar with the streets down there. I could still come with you, but it might cost us time to guide me there."

Talon shakes his head, his pace slowly accelerating as Kestrel recovers. His mind is racing, practically throbbing against his skull as he navigates the snowy streets towards home

„No. Your prowess will be missed, but time is important here. Stay by the main alley. If there are more than Clover was able to spot and they make a push for the main alley, you'll save more lives there."

Edge nods, ears continuously remaining directed at the other two cats for direction

„As you wish. Nothing will get past me, Talon"

„I'm counting on that."

The trio enters the faction's main alley, padding at a stiff pace toward Talon's wall. The red eyed leader observes in his motion the cats around as he passes them, all going about their daily lives and duties. He turns his head towards Kestrel.

„They don't know the news yet?"

„No. Clover's in the healer's den, so far only me and the healers know. Well, and Grail, but she's still confined to the healer's den too"

Talon nods. Once they draw sufficiently close, he leaps up onto the dumpster, then from it straight up onto the wall. As Kestrel leaps up onto the dumpster, taking his position there, the first of the alley's denizens begin to take notice, slowly a small crowd gathering before the wall. Talon observes quietly for a moment as they gather, before raising his head. No time to wait for them to slowly drop in one by one. Taking one deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves first, Talon let's his voice thunder through the alley, loud and commanding

„Warriors of Bloodclan, gather before the wall for orders!"

As the already waiting cats look up to Talon, curious and impatient to hear what news there are, warriors begin to stream into the crowd at a rapid pace. Every cat with a studded collar in earshot races to join the others, they all gathering under Talon's gaze before looking up in expectant curiosity.

His tail lashing behind him a few times, he looks through the colourful congregation of pelts and collars, glistening bones and inquisitive eyes. All here, gathered immediately at his call. While the many eyes trained on him still perpetuate his nervousness, he could not deny the empowering feeling coursing through him. It feels good, reassuring, emboldening.

„Warriors. Rouges have stepped over the border! The food source behind the twoleg fish place has been taken!"

Emotion instantly boils up in the crowd. The looks sharpening into glares, individual voices beginning to sound above the muttering and discussing that sweep through the gathered warriors. Owl's growl rings loud through the noise

„Bunch of foxhearts! How dare they?"

Sparrow, surrounded by Hornet and Gravel, whom both turn to nod to his words, raises his voice above the cacophony

„Time to fight! No-one steals from Bloodclan!"

Frost, stepping forth through the crowd keeps his gaze up at Talon

„We will drive them off, right? We won't stand for rogues trespassing, taking food unasked?"

Many heads nod, more still turn back to look at Talon. Eyes blazing expectantly, ears perked to hear their leader's words. Talon returns their gaze, shooting a glance at Frost. By asking the question like that, he allows both the discussion to end early and for Talon to appear decisive. Was that on purpose, or was he merely asking aloud what was on his mind? Either way, it works in Talon's favour. The dark furred leader raises his head high

„Indeed we will. Bloodclan will defend it's territory. I want with me: Castle, Gravel, Owl, Frost, Hornet! Gash, Lantern, Sparrow and Rat, Wax, Spider! We move out immediately, everyone else continue on your given orders. We need to keep gathering all we can and our other border must remain protected also."