Regret Tastes Sweet [now open]

After many moons within the nursery, comfy and pleasant by his mothers side, the tom-kit figured an adventure was in order. It was due time he graced Skyclan with his presence. They're lucky to have me, he assured the small voice nagging in the back of his mind. Despite his inherent greatness by being the son of Wildfang, Hawthornkit sometimes thought about if he really was all that perfect. Wildfang was so amazing and beautiful and strong. Could he really live up to her?

He shook his head and focused on the task at paw. Even if he couldn't be as great as his mother, he was certainly better than his clan members. Right? And even if not, he would just have to convince them otherwise. Eager to prove his theory, the kitten strutted towards the first cat he laid his eyes upon. Someone he just had to be better than.

The unique appearance of a very short cat caught his attention. Hawthornkit hadn't seen them in the nursery before, though to be fair he wouldn't want to. The kit's fur was gross and matted, as if not cleaned in thousands of moons. An easy victim to target Hawthornkit's insecurities at. Holding his tail high, he approached the sickly kit. Even for leaf-bare he looked skinny. "Your ribs are practically sticking out! Don't you eat?" he exclaimed with a concerned tone, making sure to include that hint of ridicule. But now for what he was actually wondering, "And what are you doing outside the nursery? Doesn't anyone care for you?" Wildfang certainly was the best mom if this is how other kits were treated.

Sweeteagle wasn't exactly the happiest cat in the world to be back in Skyclan. He knew that many Dark Forest cats reacted quite positively to be back in their old clans, but he felt small...er than he already was. He looked around the camp, many cats seemed to walk past him. At least nobody is calling me a k- His thoughts were interrupted by a particularly squeaky kit voice behind him. Oh boy... He thought snapping his head around quickly, revealing the ever-dripping cut on his throat. "I don't need to eat, kit." He hissed.

The tiny bengal tom twisted fully around towards the kit, at least he was slightly taller than him, he smirked a little. "Careful with your words. I killed kits like you." He lifted one of his paws, scarred by helpless paws, he liked letting the littler ones struggle. "I'm Sweeteagle, but I ain't sweet and I won't let you forget it if you keep this attitude up." He let his claws out, slashing them near the kit's face.

Hawthornkit didn't expect this. He didn't expect the kit to turn around and hiss. He didn't expect the blood dripping from his neck. Didn't expect his words, didn't expect his scarred paw, and didn't expect the claws flying at his face. He winced, stumbling back with a sharp whimper. He knew he wasn't hurt, but the embarrassment stung enough.

He pictured his mother in his mind, then carefully picked himself up and resumed a delicate but angry posture. Hawthornkit wanted to refrain from growling, but he doubted Wildfang would hold back. "Sweeteagle?" he hissed back, "What a dumb name you've given yourself. You may be a bit taller than most kits, but don't grow a big head about it. You're no adult. You're... some kind of warrior-wanna-be! You don't think that's pathetic?"

He grinned, convinced Wildfang would be proud of her son. He rarely saw her sharp side, but it was intense when it happened. She was beautifully fierce and tough, and maybe her son could be too! This weird kitten would surely realize their inferiority, because Hawthornkit acted just like Wildfang would!

Sweeteagle narrowed his eyes as the tom-kit spoke back. This... Kit chattered on and on, despite clearly scared of him. "You have to be more pathetic for trying to hide your fear. I can smell it, everyone in this clearing could. I think it smells... Quite good." He licked his jaws, stepping a bit closer. "Didn't I tell you to watch your words? I come from the Dark Forest, I'll happily eat troublemakers like you all up." His tail lashed.

"Actually, why don't I do that now?"

The small cashmere bengal tom snapped near his face, letting the sun shine on his terrifyingly sharp fangs. Swiftly, he slashed the smaller tom's chest, just near the neck, so, so, close to being fatal.

He stepped away. "I'm feeling nice. I'll let you live... For now."

He cleaned the blood off of his claws, not breaking eye-contact with the tom kit. He paused, giving a little smirk, before a little laugh. "I might be almost as tall as you, but I'm 10 times as strong. Don't you dare say something like that to me again, or I'll really kill and eat you."

Sweeteagle used Front Paw Strike on Hawthornkit, dealing -12 (10 +2 for Dark Forest Cat) HP (Hawthornkit) and -7 SP (Sweeteagle). Hawthornkit is KO'd

Hawthornkit - KO'd
-2/10 HP (-12)

Sweeteagle -
173/180 SP (-7)

His ears flicked back and his tail curled under him. Sweeteagle was not afraid. Not one bit. Hawthornkit began to shake once the opposing tom advanced, licking his chops. The kit shrunk into himself. Is he going to eat me!? He stared up at the Dark Forest foe, frozen, watching for what came next.

Teeth flashed, claws sliced. It was useless to try and dodge. Heartbeat skyrocketing, he pathetically screamed before falling over his tail. As he gasped for air, his eyes darted up at his attacker, looking to see if he would strike again. The bengal locked gaze with Hawthornkit as he cleaned the blood off his claws.

His blood.

The tom-kit brought a paw up to his heaving, aching, stinging chest. Realizing he had been truly injured, he began to instinctively wail. Would somebody- anybody- help the weak kitten?

The grown servil-like looking kit narrowed his eyes in anger. "You maggot!" he yowled and launched himself at Sweeteagle. "Attacking a kit is a coward's move, meaning that since you attacked a kit it means that you are nothing but a good-for-nothing cat that should go back to the Dark Forest and sulk until you dissapear forever." While spitting those words out he got in front of the kit and was ready to defend him from whatever attack the dark forest maggot was ready to do next.

Cedarkit was a bigger kit. Between being in the nursery for a while and being apprentice age he still had a long way to go, but he certainly looked and acted like an apprentice when he needed to. and this was one of those times that he needed to.