Ruffling Rye ((CLOSED))

With an odd feeling of anger and jealousy settling in her gut, Kindlepaw sat at the edge of the apprentice sleeping area with narrowed eyes and her ears flat against her head. She'd never felt like this before, but as she watched Ryekit play around in the snow, oblivious to the world around him as he waddled through the fluffy, white powder, her blood began to boil. He was so weird with his crippled paws and jaw, his mind that didn't seem to function right... she couldn't stand to see someone so weak in the clan. She would always respect her mother and father, but the fact that they hadn't done something about Ryekit made her fur stand on end. Now that his Greencough wasn't as severe, she assumed that StarClan was allowing her little brother to live and she didn't like it one bit, especially now that he was getting all the attention from her parents, it wasn't fair.

Mumbling under her breath, and watching as it turned into fog and then disappeared into the frosty air, the grey she-cat stood up and gave her pelt a shake. Padding over to the small cat, she put on a fake smile, though she was sure that it was pretty convincing, not like Ryekit knew any better. Being early in the morning, the camp hadn't started to wake up yet and luckily for her, Ryekit just so happened to be playing near the edge of camp, like any retarded little cat would do, completely clueless to the dangers that awaited near the edge of camp, like foxes wanting to grab a quick snack.

"Hello Ryekit," Kindlepaw chirped cheerfully. She'd be fine, she could totally do this. It wasn't like he was going to tell anyone with his inadequate speech and introverted personality.

When the small tom looked up wondering who'd said hello, her facial expression immediate turned cold and blank. Lifting her front paws off the ground, she shoved the kit into the snow with a satisfying 'oof.' Taking a step forward, she snapped her jaws together a couple times, showing off her sharp, white teeth and mocking the fact that he was barely able to open his underdeveloped mouth.

Cornering the kit so that he was pushed up against the camp wall of tall, thick grass, Kindlepaw stood over his quivering body, eyes burning with fire in them. "You're a pathetic excuse for a cat and a disgrace to our family," she hissed, her teeth bared and lips curled back into a snarl like composure as she locked gazes with her little brother, only centimeters away from his face. She couldn't believe that her father wasn't able to feed this dumb little cat those Deathberries, it would've been a great service to the clan. They didn't need Ryekit to slow everyone down and it infuriated her that everyone besides her father and a few cats were too naive to see it.

It seemed like all Falconstone and his followers cared about was dissing Smokepelt and one day, she'd give them a taste of their own medicine. Those fleapelts were just as bad as RiverClan and they disgusted her. How could they even call themselves WindClan cats? They had no honor, no loyalty!

Becoming distracted from the task at hand, a soft whimper from Ryekit pulled her out of her thoughts. Snapping her eyes back to meet his, she let out a growl from deep in her throat. "You're nothing to the clan, " she sneered, watching as his eyes grew wide and the fear scent over took the one crisp air. Though it was obvious that she was scaring him, he stayed quiet and another thing that enraged her popped into mind. "Did you hear that? Did it get to that dumb little brain of yours?" the she-cat pressed on, swatting at his head with a grey paw. "Did it? Come on, say something, rabbitfodder," Kindlepaw taunted with a devious smile, hitting his head with her other paw. He attempted to duck down and back away, but there was no were to run. Well, it's not like he could run.

"That's right, be afraid, you coward," she whispered, her tail lashing back and forth as she towered over her kin, though she wished they weren't related at all.

Quailpaw trotted proudly in from her hunting patrol, carrying a fat, heavy rabbit in her jaws. Though her paws felt frozen and she was numb to the tip of her tail, she was happy. Mossfoot was a great mentor; she'd learned so much in this past couple of sunrises. She even loved changing out Cedarfur's bedding, because he told the best stories. But her favorite part had been learning how to fight; both WindClan and a few ThunderClan moves. Apprenticeship was great! The gray speckled she-cat let out a sigh of happiness, dropped her piece of still-warm prey into the fresh-kill pile, and turned around with a beaming smile on her face.

The apprentice's heart stopped cold when she saw what was happening just a few fox-lengths away.

Her older sister, Kindlepaw, was beating her brother Ryekit down into the snow, a hateful smirk on her face. She whispered cruel taunts that she thought no one could hear. Her poor crippled brother was whimpering in pain and fear at this abuse. The grin melted off of Quailpaw's face, replaced by confusion, disbelief, and then an angry snarl. Nobody, not even her sister, got to do that to her brother!

The gray speckled she-cat ran full force at her sister, bowling her down into the snow. She was careful not to hurt Ryekit. "What in StarClan's name are you doing?" she spat. "He's your brother, you fox-heart! How dare you tease him? No one, and I mean no one, picks on my brother! No, you're the coward, bullying such a little cat! Pick on someone your own size!" Her claws dug into Kindlepaw's shoulders.

Her frosty blue eyes, filled with fire and determination, met Ryekit's scared green ones. "Go find dad," she mouthed, hoping he would understand like he always used to when they played games as kits.

Quailpaw used Run-and-tackle on Kindlepaw, dealing 6+3 damage. -9 HP, -10 SP

Quailpaw:
20/20 HP
70/80 SP

Kindlepaw:
11/20 HP
80/80 SP

As if his life flashed before his eyes, a familiar pelt raced onto the scene and still crouched against the grass, Ryekit watched in horror as his sisters fought over him. What did they want? Couldn't everyone just leave him alone?

Fur bristling and fearing the worst, the small kit watched the fight break out but the look Quailpaw gave him said it all. He knew that phrase, "go find dad," he was sure that he'd heard it before, though his memory was a bit hazy, per usual. Giving a swift nod, the kit ran off as fast as his three stiff legs could carry him, his back left paw almost completely useless. Find dad, find dad, he kept repeating, praying to StarClan that he wouldn't forget a command as simple as that.

~~~~~~

Letting out a yowl as someone knocked her over, Kindlepaw scrambled to get up, but sharp claws dug into her shoulders. Wincing at the pain, she looked up to see Quailpaw. Letting out a hiss, she stood up, just barely stronger than the younger cat and flung her off. With blood dripping down her side and staining the pure white snow bellow, she looked down to her paws, breathing heavily. No! Quailpaw wasn't going to get in the way! She wouldn't allow it! Watching as Ryekit scampered away, she was horror stricken and knew if her father found out about this, which was pretty much inevitable, she was done for.

"He's a liability to this clan, can't you see that?" the grey she-cat spat, twisting around to face her sister, wide eyes filled with rage. "All of you think that he has potential, but he doesn't!" Running towards the she-cat, the apprentice used her strong back legs to jump into the air and onto her sibling's back, digging into her flesh with sharp claws.

Kindlepaw used Leap and Hold, causing 6 damage and costing 10 stamina. Ice rolled a 6.

Kindlepaw:
HP: 11/20
SP: 70/80

Quailpaw:
HP: 13/20
SP: 70/80

The member 'Ice' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Effect Dice' : 6

Quailpaw struggled under her older sister's weight, letting out a hiss of pain as Kindlepaw's claws dug in. She nodded in satisfaction as Ryekit scampered off, understanding in his eyes. "A liability?" she growled disbelievingly. "Your own brother is a liability? Was our father a liability when Fishstar broke his jaw? Is Cedarfur a liability because of his twisted paw? That's the beauty of Clan life, Kindlepaw- we protect every cat from the youngest kit to the oldest elder." Her frosty blue eyes glared into Kindlepaw's orange ones. "Like it or not, Ryekit is your brother and your Clanmate. How dare you pick on him? I won't let you hurt him! He's my brother and I love him, and you should too!"

Still holding her sister down under her weight, part of her knew why Quailpaw and the others thought those things but she still couldn't see what they saw in him. "Protect him? You're all wasting your time!" she spat, leaning down to reach her sister's ear. In "protecting" him, the clan was wasting time and resources, did they really all care about Ryekit that much?

Jumping off of Quialpaw's back, Kindlepaw lept away from the she-cat, back arched. How could she love him when he was like that? Did he even love her? Running towards her young sister, she slashed her claws at the smaller cat's side and slid under Quailpaw, snow flying everywhere and sticking to her pelt as she raked the soft skin with her hing legs.

Kindlepaw used Belly Rake, causing 7 damage and costing 10 stamina.

Kindlepaw:
HP: 11/20
SP: 60/80

Quailpaw:
HP: 6/20
SP: 70/80

~~~~~~

Limping over to the warrior's sleeping area, Ryekit already assumed that Smokepelt was awake from the rucuss but he wanted to fetch the deputy anyway. "Mokepult!" the kit mewed, his words all jumbled together, looking around and trying to find his father's dark pelt. He needed to get help quick, before the two she-cats were able to seriously hurt each other!

Quailpaw let out a pained yowl as her sister raked her soft belly. "Wasting our time? No, the only thing that's wasting our time is trying to teach the warrior code to cats like you, cats who don't love their own family!" She struck Kindlepaw a blow across her face, claws unsheathed. "As family, we protect each other! And I'll protect Ryekit from bullies like you with my dying breath!" She was breathing in ragged, heavy gasps now, bleeding strongly from slashes on her shoulders and white underbelly. Blood shed by her kin made patterns on the scuffled white snow. Quailpaw was badly hurt, and she knew it, but she still stood ready, claws unsheathed, teeth bared in a snarl. Her pain filled eyes narrowed as she glared at her older sister.

Sleep deprived and overwhelmed with clan drama and duties to be preformed, Smokepelt slept soundly, not hearing the fight that broke out just a few foxlengths away. It was only when a paw prodded at his side and wouldn't stop that he lifted his head drowsily. "Wha-" he started but stopped when his eyes focused on who'd woken him up. Seeing Ryekit, he was truly surprised that the kit actually came to him after what he'd attempted to do, but from the horrified look on his son's face, it instantly told him something wasn't right.

Was it a fox? A rogue? Another clan invading? Quickly standing up from his comfy nest, he looked from the grey and white kit to the direction that the small cat was now staring in. Unfortunately, what he'd been awoken for was in a sense far worse than a fox invading camp. Well, at least to a father it was a pretty unwanted sight.

Near the edge of camp, Kindlepaw and Quailpaw were squared off against each other. Both she-cats had the look of pure fury and rage on their faces as they stood a short distance from one another, fur bristling, ears back, claws extended, and teeth bared. Splotches of dark red blood stained the usually white snow around them and looking closer, he could see that they both had claw marks and chunks of fur missing in their pelts, along with blood that was barely visible through their dark grey fur. What in StarClan's name... were his eyes deceiving him?

Unable to wrap his head around the fact that both of his kits had been fighting, he tried to deny it but quickly failed. There was not other explanation for the horrible sight and as a parent, it hurt him to see his kits like this. How... how could they? And what in the world had they even been fighting over? The deputy wondered to himself, still standing next to Ryekit. No, he didn't have time for this. First, he needed to figure out what was going on and then he could ask questions later.

Looking down to his son who looked just as equally confused and fearful of the situation, Smokepelt touched the kit on the back with his tail and gave a soft smile when their gazes met. "Thank you," he mewed, grateful that although Ryekit wasn't the best with words, he at least knew between right and wrong.

Standing up a little taller than usual, the tom padded out of the sleeping area and towards the two she-cats. They seemed ready to fight once more, but before they were able to pounce, he stepped in the middle of them. Looking from Kindlepaw and then to Quailpaw, his emotions were a complete mess. Did he snap at them or talk to them first? And could he really be angry at them and who was he supposed to be angry at?

Confused and somewhat hurt by the fact that he even needed to confront his kits about something as serious as this, he looked to Quailpaw, the younger of the two. Might as well start with her first.

"What is going on?" he asked calmly, though his blood started to boil. And why in StarClan's name were you both fighting to the death? Smokepelt wanted to yowl, but stayed quiet for the time being, wanting to hear what they had to say before jumping to conclusions.

And this folks, is why we can't have nice things.

Quailpaw started at the around of her father's voice, jumping and turning around. Ryekit had done it! She knew he wasn't dumb! The she-cat smiled at Ryekit, giving him a thankful nod. She shook out her fur self-consciously at her father's disappointed tone, but she knew she'd done the right thing. As she moved, she winced in pain, letting out a strangled hiss. The cuts on her shoulders and belly still dripped blood and stung like the Dark Forest. She pretended that she wasn't wounded at all, but her father probably knew better.

"I came in from my hunting patrol," she started, voice full of pain but still strong and fierce. "I caught the giant rabbit in the fresh-kill pile, Dad, you should've seen it. But then I saw Kindlepaw bullying Ryekit. She pushed him down into the snow and told him all sorts of mean things, that he was weak and a coward and no one loved him. That he was a pathetic excuse for a cat and a disgrace to our family. She was tormenting him."

Quailpaw took a deep, shaky breath. "I saw the fear in his eyes, Dad, the hurt. I couldn't let that happen. No one, not even my sister, gets to do that to my brother. So I ran over there to make her stop, told her to pick on someone her own size, and we got into a big fight. I sent Ryekit to go find you. I was about to win when you showed up." The gray speckled apprentice puffed out her chest in pride, but let out another hiss of pain. Her white paw was dyed red with blood.

Suddenly hearing her father's ice cold voice sent shivers down her spine. Although she was the one who caused all the trouble, she knew there would be consequences, but was prepared and at this point although she should've cared, she didn't. Her family and clan were all too caught up in their little fantasy that Ryekit would actually become something, it made her blood boil. That little kit better not ever get in my way

Turning around to face her father, the anger in her eyes didn't waver as she met his gaze. She wasn't scared of him, why would she have a reason to be? It wasn't like he was going to exile her, he was too soft to do something like that to his own kit. What she was slightly worried about was losing her rank as apprentice and she silently prayed to StarClan that that wouldn't be the case.

~~~~~~

Looking into Kindlepaw's eyes when she turned around, it was as if he didn't know her. He'd never seen such a burning flame of fury in the young she-cat and couldn't figure out what had gotten into her since she had never been one to have any sort of temper. He'd have to chat with her more about her feelings later.

Prying his eyes away from the grey she-cat, he turned back to Quailpaw, the younger of the two, and listened. At first, he didn't know where she was going in telling him about her hunting, though he was most definitely proud, and soon enough, she got to the drama side of things.

Kindlepaw had what? She... she'd bullied Ryekit and openly fought her sister? Upon hearing this, the tom was shocked and didn't know what to say as his kit went on. She'd never shown any signs of aggression and although he didn't want to believe that Kindlepaw had done something like this, he knew Quailpaw wouldn't lie to him. For a few moments while his blood started to boil with anger and other emotions, all he could wonder was, where did this come from?

Taking a deep breath, the deputy didn't really know how to handle the situation. Well, it was obvious who was to blame and as much as Smokepelt tried to stay calm and collected, his pelt itched with annoyance. Kindlepaw, how dare she pick on her little brother like that. How would she like it if he told her she was worthless? Not to mention her fighting with her sister to the point where one of them almost got seriously injured... it infuriated him.

He loved her, he really did, but seeing something like this happen and not seeing a hint of remorse on the she-cats face put him off. Turning his head to Kindlepaw, his eyes practically bore into her soul.

"What were you thinking? Bullying your little brother like that," he snapped, tail lashing, and unable to control his anger towards the she-cat any longer. Towering over his kit, his breathes became frantic as he tried to search for words among all his other thoughts.

"Do you think that I spend all my time and effort raising and training you just for the fun of it? Or... or just so you can go around acting like a foxhearted rogue and picking on your siblings? It's as if you've forgotten everything I've ever told you and I can't even express how disappointed I am with you right now," he spat. Watching as the apprentice shrunk in size as if she was trying to hide in a turtle shell, he pushed away any sort of remorse or guilt that was creeping up on him in since she didn't deserve it.

Looking back to Quailpaw, he gave a small dip of his head to show thanks. "Unlike you, your sister has morals and actually cares about her sick brother. Thank you Quailpaw," he meowed, proud of his little girl for standing up against her older sibling. Turning his head around towards the sleeping area, Ryekit was still where he'd left him and he was glad that the small kit hadn't gotten hurt. He'll make a great warrior, even with his... struggles.

Now, what to do with Kindlepaw. Looking back to the apprentice, she needed to be put in her place and although he hated punishing anyone in the clan, at times, it must be done.

~~~~~~

Able to see Smokepelt's disappointment as Quailpaw started telling him everything, the apprentice lowered her defensive stance and through all her anger and jealously felt truthfully guilty. No he'd hate her even more and she wondered if he'd ever be able to forgive her. All she wanted was for him to stop caring about that mouse of a cat and pay attention to her more, but she never thought it would come down to this.

Hissing at her sister's comment about her "almost winning," Kindlepaw shot her sister a glance and looked back to Smokepelt, practically able to see the anger growing under his dark, grey pelt. When he asked her if she denied any of this with a crack in his voice, she nodded her head and looked down to the ground, not daring to look up at him.

After Quailpaw finished, for what felt like ages there was only the sound of a chilly Leafbare breeze rustling through the grass and the stiff breath of her father. 'She wasn't scared of him.' That was definitely a lie.

Wincing at the disapproval in her father's voice, Kindlepaw crouched down lower to the ground, and tucked her tail around her legs. Now who's the coward, her thoughts teased and she could feel tears making their way to her eyes. As he went on, she simply nodded her head no to his comment about him training and raising her, and as much as she hated to admit it, he was right. She was better than this, what had gotten into her? Even she didn't know.

Quailpaw's chest puffed out in pride as her father complimented her, but then she drew back again, coughing and wincing in pain as her cuts let out a fresh downpour of blood. She felt a sort of vindictive happiness as Kindlepaw was put in her place, but also felt a bit of sympathy. She knew she'd never want Smokepelt to talk to her like that. She looked over to where Ryekit stood, back at the sleeping area.n"Thank you," she told him hoarsely, though she knew he couldn't hear her. She wanted to comfort her sister, but thought better of it. Instead she sat there uncomfortably, waiting for her father's verdict.

Letting out a sigh, he looked to his paws and slowly shook his head. "What am I going to do with you," he mumbled almost inaudibly. He never thought the day would come where he'd need to punish one of his own kits and he especially didn't expect it to be over bullying Ryekit. Lifting his head and looking back to Kindlepaw, he took a deep breath, praying that he was doing the right thing.

"Although I don't want to punish you, what you've done can not be undone," he started and turned to Quailpaw. "Go to the medicine cat den and get your wounds checked," the tom mewed softly and pointed with his muzzle to the den. Looking back to Kindlepaw, he quickly decided on how to deal with the situation. Of course he could've chosen a much worse punishment, but she was still young and if she could show him that she'd learned her lesson, then he'd be satisfied.

"Kindlepaw," the tall tom meowed, their gazes meeting, but her's quickly fell towards the ground. "Until you earn your warrior name, well... if, you earn your warrior name, you will be on cleaning duty and 'probation,' so to speak. You'll be responsible for waking up with the sun, cleaning the elder's den, and the Dirtplace when needed. In addition, a warrior will be assigned to keep an eye on you, to make sure you don't try to pull a stunt like this again," the deputy stated, although he doubted she'd ever do something like this again. Though this was her first time making a somewhat severe mistake like this, she was a quick learner and though he tried not to show any emotion on the matter, he felt horrible to having to be the one to give her orders in such a manor.

He knew this was going to be hard for the she-cat, but even so, she brought it upon herself. "I don't care how you feel towards me, or anyone else for that matter. You will learn to love your brother for who he is and if not, then have fun explaining to every-cat why you haven't become a warrior while your younger siblings surpass you. Am I understood?" the tom finished, looking down to his daughter. He didn't have all day to deal with this and needed to start thinking about patrol assignments.

Please let everything be alright, he prayed for the future, simply wanting his sweet and bubbly daughter back.

~~~~~~

Listening to her father, Kindlepaw kept her gaze down towards her feet, tears falling onto the snow bellow when he mentioned her possibly not gaining her warrior name. That would mean Furzepaw was going to move on without her and she couldn't let that happen. They were best of friends and even just thinking about him earning his warrior name without her made the apprentice want to yowl her brains out.

Tck, it's not like Quailpaw would get the same punishments, she thought to herself bitterly as her sister padded towards the medicine cat den and her ears laying flat against her head once more. Extending her claws and letting them sink into the cold ground bellow, the headstrong she-cat wasn't going to back down, no matter how much he threatened her.

Great, cleaning the Dirtplace and taking care of Cedarfur, no big deal. But what was a big deal, was the fact that a cat was going to be keeping track of every step and breath she took. Snapping her head up, the two cat's gazes locked together, her eyes burning into his soul with rage. Opening her jaw to give him a piece of her mind, Kindlepaw quickly shut it. No matter how much she wanted to claw his ears off, she couldn't act defensive or it would only make matters worse. After a few moments of silence, she finally spoke. "Understood," Kindlepaw replied through gritted teeth, her muscles still tense.

For now, she'd comply with his restrictions if it meant becoming a warrior, but she still despised Ryekit and always would.

OOC: Topic Over (?)