Ill-mannered Infighting(part 2, open)

Wolfpaw shrunk back at Badgerpaw and backed away. "You're right, you're all right!
I DON'T know why I did it, but that's just what my thoughts said! I mean, Dovepaw's walk looked a tad bit suspicious and somehow my thoughts amplified that! I can't describe it and nobody would believe me if I did! You SHOULD exile me and you SHOULD have given me worse wounds! You could do it right now if you want, and Featherpaw doesn't even have to use up herbs on me because I DESERVE it! Oh, and by the way-" He said, whirling back to Badgerpaw, "I couldn't beat you if I tried, and I don't think even the stupid part of me could find any betrayal in sleeping." Why'd you take her back? You could've killed her then and there and said that you fought a badger or something. He wasn't a bad cat like that. Not this part of him. But now this good part was going to suffer because of the bad thoughts.

The approach of various other WindClanners fell upon unseeing eyes as Brindlewhisker continued to glare at Wolfpaw, seething rage practically dripping from her stern features. Swallowing her anger and instead pressing her cheek against Dovepaw's, the Deputy listened to the various accounts from Wolfpaw and Dovepaw, a foul taste arising in her mouth as she did so. Despite Wolfpaw's apologetic tone and appearance, the brindled she-cat felt nothing but anger and suspicion as she gazed at him. The grey apprentice who stood before her suddenly appeared terrifyingly similar to Rockthorn. She could feel the thick fur atop of nape bristle in response to this realization. "You did the right thing, my little Dove." Brindlewhisker finally conceded, struggling to keep her tone even as she spoke, "We do not attack our Clanmates, not even under circumstances such as these."

Breaking away from her supportive stance beside Dovepaw, Brindlewhisker circled Wolfpaw in an agitated manner, her tail lashing from side to side as she did so. For a brief moment, she found herself desperately longing for Dewtuft or Mottleheart's support in this issue- they would know what to do and say in regards to this terrible issue. "So instead of coming to your Clanmates and voicing your so-called 'concerns' about Dovepaw being a traitor," She reiterated coldly, a slight sigh edging her words, "You decided that the best course of action was to try and kill your denmate?" A touch of disbelief and disappointment flared in her eyes as she continued to warily circle Wolfpaw, her gaze occasionally flicking in Ashstar's direction as she waited for the Leader to weigh in on the matter at paw. Although a part of her privately agreed with Badgerpaw's fierce proclamation, she simply stayed quiet as she waited for others to chime in.

Deerpaw awoke once the cats gathered began to yowl and shout, and the young tom stretched and slowly padded over. His expression didn't change as his sharp eyes glanced over Dovepaw's wounds and settled on the guilty Wolfpaw. He liked to think he was on good terms with his denmate and that he was a good cat, but it seemed that he was wrong. He continued to stare at his Clanmate, face unreadable, then shifted his gaze to Ashstar and Brindlewhisker. They would be the ones to deliver his punishment. He was simply one of the jury.


A short she-cat barreled into WindClan camp, the only thing moving faster than her legs was her heart as she followed to scent of her apprentice back home. The blood alarmed the senior warrior to no end. There was just too much. It took her a moment or so to catch her breath and her chest burned from the exertion. In the moment she hadn't thought about what would happen if she reopened her wound. In those moments she was able to hear Wolfpaw blame himself directly for Dovepaw's injuries, and a snarl rose to Spiderfur's face; such a contortion was so rare of the anxious she-cat that she even surprised herself. She might have even looked threatening, if she just weren't so tiny. "Sh-She's right, Wo-Wolfpaw!" She spat, tail lashing. "You're n-no better than your na-na-namesake! How d-do we know that y-you won't turn on u-u-us too?"

Mistpaw finally got to her weak, shuddering legs. Her flat face darkened with rage as she bared her teeth at Wolfpaw, her ears flickering back against her head. Her sister, laid next to her with horrible wounds only a monster could give her. "You're disgusting! You're no worse than that Rockthorn! What's next? Are you gonna rip off your den-mates faces? Gonna rip them limb from limb you monsterous dog! You deserve to be put down!" Mistpaw shrieked, all signs of her timid behaviour gone like the wind, her claws unsheathing as she broke out into a horrid cough, collapsing back into her nest.

Swiftstep went over to his Spiderfur's side. "E-Easy mother. A-Ashstar will issue a punishment suitable for someone like him." he said gently. The warrior looked down, his eyes held pain and confusion along with anger. "Wasn't I a good enough mentor for him? Why did he go attack his den-mate like that? I-I don't understand what went through his mind to think that Dovepaw was a traitor." the tom spoke. Swiftstep bit his lip and let out a shaky sigh. He pressed himself closer to his mother, wanting to comfort her and himself. He looked up, glaring at his apprentice. The warrior then began to speak, "Ashstar, any punishment you give him is fine with me but a cat that acts and thinks like that shouldn't be given a punishment where they are to interact with others. I always put my trust in my apprentices but this one lost it all. I feel like I can no longer stay alone with Wolfpaw for he can turn on me in any given second." The sleek, brown warrior stood tall, staring down at his apprentice. He felt chills down his spine when he looked at how badly injured Dovepaw was. He trembled. He couldn't even trust his own apprentice, the one he spent the most time with and taught all he knew. That shook him to the core.

OOC: gosh everyone's posting too fast for me to respond

Twistedtail watched as other cats started to chime into the dilemma. She wasn't paying much attention at first, but she couldn't ignore the argumentation arising. She was just as mad as the rest of them, but the younger cats were bickering like idiots. "Badgerpaw," the experienced warrior sharply frowned at the feisty young apprentice, "I am just as infuriated by this as the rest of you, but I personally don't think someone should be considered a traitor or exiled if they come clean and apologize for it, ay?"


Her head snapped around as more angry voices joined chorus. Did she have to be the voice of opposition in this? "Mistpaw!" she yelled, a little harsher than intended. Her patience was worn thin. "What you say may very well be traitorous to this clan. Yes, he attacked a clanmate, but two wrongs don't make a right. Your words are suggesting that we kill him, or something along those lines, I don't know. But that just makes us just as bad as Rockthorn, doesn't it?" She flicked her crooked tail at Dovepaw. "Does she look like she was 'ripped limb by limb', does she!? No. He didn't seem to do too much damage, he came clean, and he's volunteering for punishment. Does that sound like a monster to you?"


The agitated tabby stepped forward, between Wolfpaw and the growing angry crowd. "I didn't want to be Wolfpaw's defender in this little 'trial', but if fate says so than so be it."

Badgerpaw let out a growl, taking a step forward. He wouldn't allow this traitor to continue living here. "No! He doesn't deserve another chance! He can apologize all he wants to but it won't change the fact that he almost killed a clan mate on a whim! A pure thought alone! What will come next? He murders a queen for trying to raise her kits? Or he tries to take Ashstar's life because she says something he doesn't agree with?" The apprentice growled. He wasn't going to share a den with a traitor.

To him it wasn't worth it trying to keep this tom in the clan. "What if he almost kills a Riverclan cat? Then we would have a war on our hands again just like the deputy situation all those moons ago!" He wasn't there for it but he heard stories of how Riverclan nearly destroyed Windclan because of what Smokepelt did. He knew the tom had turned his life around, but still. The situation was the same. Exile was the only way in his opinion.

The soft-spoken medicine cat apprentice stepped back just a little, having done all she could, and fixed her attention on the cats surrounding Dovepaw. Crowds weren't exactly her expertise, not in the slightest, but she forced herself to find her voice.

"I think we should all try and calm down and let Ashstar speak," she said quietly. "Something like this can't be overlooked, but everyone shouting over each other won't solve anything at all."

And suddenly, everything devolved into chaos. Ashstar was taken aback at all the answers, and the fury, being spat and yelled and snarled across the clearing. Wolfpaw had attacked and almost killed his Clanmate and denmate, Dovepaw, leaving her with serious injuries. Her brain reeled for a few moments as she tried to find a solution. If a warrior had done this, she would exile them without a second thought- but he was only an apprentice. He wouldn't be able to fend for himself in Twolegplace... and besides, SkyClan would probably take him in. But he needed punishment, and a close watch, that was for certain. How was she supposed to think with all this noise?

"Quiet, please!" Ashstar yowled, trying to regain control of the situation. When the clamor finally ceased, she exhaled. "Dovepaw, please go rest in the medicine den. Featherpaw, you may go with her if you wish- I'm sure Mottleheart is there sorting herbs, and he will need to be caught up on the situation. The rest of you, thank you all for your input. I would like to remind you all, however, that it is up to Brindlewhisker and I what happens to Wolfpaw." The leader's narrowed green eyes found the apprentice in question. "Suffice it to say that I am extremely disappointed in you. You had the trust of your Clanmates, and you have let us all down. Attacking another WindClan cat is unacceptable to the highest degree, and if you were a warrior, I would exile you here and now."

She took a deep breath, reaching her verdict. Her eyes flicked back towards Brindlewhisker, hoping that she would agree with the decision she had reached, and then landed back on the traitorous apprentice. "As it is, you are only an apprentice, and therefore- against my better nature- I am deciding to let you stay. However, you can't just go back to your regular duties. Wolfpaw, you will be demoted to kit status for a week, and then confined to camp for another moon after, until I reevaluate your behavior. You will be under guard at all times, day and night, by a selected group of experienced warriors. You will stay away from Dovepaw at all times. And if you step one more toe out of line, give me any reason to mistrust you or believe that you are endangering anyone else in this camp, I will drive you out of WindClan. Do not make me regret my mercy. Is that clear?" Ashstar's eyes glared deeply into the demoted apprentice's, hard and cold, giving him no reason to disbelieve her words.

OOC: what about those topics already going? Should I just finish those with his old rank...?

Wolfpaw looked down. He didn't respond to anyone else. They didn't understand, it wasn't pure thought, it wasn't a whim, and he wasn't planning on attacking anyone else. Attacking his leader because of something she said? Stupid. Taking a leader's life? More stupid. He was an apprentice- or, rather, now a kit. "Yes, Ashstar." He said quietly. Why had it been done? Why did he have to be like this? Mistpaw, as well as probably half the clan, wanted him dead. Would it be better if he lived alone? Truly and completely alone, with nobody to hurt? And the worst part was he couldn't control when or where it opened up. When he betrayed himself and his Clan. "You should just exile me, or kill me like Mistpaw said." He muttered, to Ashstar but not meaning for her to hear it. If he had never been born, Dovepaw would be fine. Everyone would be happy. He didn't even know about Smokepelt and Rockthorn, or who the heck they were. They must have been bad to be compared to him. "And you're right, by the way." He commented to everyone but Twistedtail. "Mostly. It was not a whim, and I can't tell you what went through my head. So stop asking! Because I DON'T KNOW WHY AND I DON'T KNOW HOW. Dovepaw should've just killed me as we fought!" That would have been better! He probably wasn't even going to go to Starclan!

As Dovepaw turned to head back to the medicine den, just as Ashstar had told her to do, she paused on her way there to look over her shoulder and listen to the rest of the leader's words. She couldn't help but narrow her eyes once Wolfpaw's punishment came into place. If she were the leader, then she would've exiled him regardless of rank or age. With a tiny huff, the she-cat lashed her gray tail. Seeing Wolfpaw in his current situation didn't make Dovepaw feel any sympathy for the tom, and her yellow gaze hardened as she stared at him.
"Why would I have killed you? I'm a WindClan cat, you're a WindClan cat, and I would never hurt, let alone kill my own Clanmate. At least I have some sort of sense and dignity, Wolfkit. Maybe, while you're at it, one of the queens can cut up your prey into tiny little chunks so you don't have trouble chewing and swallowing."
The she-cat spat out the suffix 'kit' with as much venom and bile in her tone as possible, and her final sentence was laced with hard sarcasm. The gray tabby spun around swiftly and ducked into the medicine den without another word.

Badgerpaw was more than shocked. Why? What was she allowing him to stay? This was absurd! He was a traitor that deserved to rot! It would be one thing if he attacked Dovepaw with good reason but he did it on a whim! "You are allowing the traitor to stay? A threat to every single one of us because he is an apprentice?" The apprentice let out a growl. Keeping this cat with them was going to come back and bit them in the behind, and eventually the would all see. The charcoal tom stared down his leader and the traitor. "He is a traitor, and he always will be! You'll see." Badgerpaw made his way for the exit of the camp, he didn't want to stick around with a traitor. If Wolfpaw was staying in the apprentices' den tonight then the tom better watch himself around Badgerpaw.

ooc: Yes you finish those with his old rank