Birchkit is bored

Birchkit looked up at his mother. He was still frightened. "Sh-Shadepaw" He muttered. "Outside the D-den" Birchkit got up and waked to the nursery entrance. He was looking outside the nursery to see if the tabby apprentice was still there arguing with Spotpaw and Smokewish, and sure enough he was. "He walked back to his mother and said, "L-look, he thinks that you're a traitor." Afterwards Birchkit laid down for a nap and drifted into dreamland

Smokewish almost winced at the stinging remark. Almost. "Now, really! Is that any way to speak to your Clanmates?" She wouldn't stoop to his level and insult him back. Insults were always a soft spot of hers. When she gets called a name, she's unlikely to get over it in a hurry. She tried to act calm and collected, but her eyes reflected the hurt his comment had inflicted.

Spotpaw hissed. "I expressed my opinion. At least I didn't break the warrior code. You broke several of the rules before you even were apprenticed! It's a wonder you aren't still a kit. You yourself have argued with Ivystar, have you not? You're not fit to be a warrior, Shadepaw." He noticed Smokewish. Surely Shadepaw would listen to a warrior?

Silverfang flicked her ears when she heard the commotion. With an annoyed hiss, the she-cat looked at the small group of young cats arguing. And again, Shadepaw was in the middle of trouble. The silvery she-cat sighed and made her way to Smokewish, Spotpaw and Shadepaw. The more experienced warrior looked at them with a clearly annoyed expression. "It seems that you like to get in troubles and fights, Shadepaw. I'll ask you to not call my son a traitor when he isn't. Unlike Sweetheart and Nutfur, he and Heronpaw were wiser than them and like Spotpaw said, they didn't break the Code. It's true that when he was younger he might have shown sympathy to another clan but things changed."

She fixed her eyes on Shadepaw and then on the nursery where Birchkit left to meet his mother. "I may hate and despise Sweetheart but, even if I hate to admit it, I have no proof of her breaking the Code. Even if I believe she's a suspicious traitor, I can't prove it. And I know you openly dislike her like me but, be rational. Birchkit doesn't deserve your hate too. He is just a kit and your brother, even if you don't like it. He hasn't done anything to you." As she spoke, the she-cat remembered her own relationship with Viperstorm, her younger sister. When she was young, she blamed her for killing their mother, Thistleblaze. But now that she was older and after seeing the relationship between her own kits, she slowly learned to accept her as family and protect her just like Thistleblaze her during her Moonstone Journey. The warrior didn't want her apprentice making the same mistakes she did for being bold and short-tempered.

Shadepaw wanted to raise his voice at all three of them, but instead he just let his tail twitch irritably. He looked up at Silverfang. "Doesn't the warrior code state that a leader's word is the warrior code? No one has any right to argue against Ivystar's verdict, and the one time I did was because I wanted justice for Fawnsong." He suddenly looked rather down, staring down at his paws. "I just wanna protect the Clan from potential traitors and murderers and provide for them, you know?"

Sweetheart flinched at Birchkit's words, but she didn't reply, instead looking down at her paws.

Birchkit heard Silverfang say his name, so he walked to the entrance of the nursery and watched. Listening to Shadepaws comment, he asked " And you think i would be a traitor?" He looked at him, upset by the fact he hadn't done anything to be treated like this.

Smokewish's fur bristled with anger, and she had to force the fur on her shoulders flat. "Oh, Birchkit, I'm sure he doesn't mean it. After all, wouldn't it be disrespectful to assume a cat would turn murderer? Or codebreaker? Or traitor?" She was finding it more and more difficult to keep the bitter tone out of her voice. Shadepaw had just called all of them - except Silverfang, as expected - fox-hearted traitors. Well, he would learn his lesson in time. "Besides, I never spoke out to Ivystar, and I, for one, think that Spotpaw has proved his loyalty many times. He doesn't need your approval, Shadepaw." She spat, allowing herself to vent for a moment before trying in vain to calm down. She bit the inside of her lip and stepped backwards. She had said her bit.

Spotpaw smiled slightly at his mother's and Smokewish's words. Smokewish thought he wasn't a traitor still. "Birchkit, don't listen to Shadepaw's negativity. We all know you'll become a great,
loyal warrior."

Silverfang looked at her apprentice severely and lashed her tail. "It does, but Spotpaw and Heronpaw never went against the leader's words, unlike Sweetheart and Nutfur, who went to the secret cave of gorge when Ivystar forbade them to be there. I also wanted justice for Fawnsong... she was my sister and I hate seeing that murderer in our camp but we must obey the leader. We might speak our minds in the right moments but never goes against Ivystar. That's what Spotpaw and Heronpaw have been doing."

After saying that, she turned her gaze to Birchkit, softening a bit her expression. "You'll become what you want to become. No one will decide your path but only you."

At these comments Birchkit felt happy, but still sat where he was. And was still suspiciously eyeing Shadepaw though.

Shadepaw's ears drew back and he growled softly. "Fine, fine, Spotpaw and Heronpaw aren't traitors. And... I guess Birchkit wasn't birthed just so Sweetheart could have someone else love her. But we can still agree and say that Sweetheart is a horrible cat for going against Ivystar's orders and wanting to help our enemy rather than us, right?"

Spotpaw returned the growl. "No! Can't you see she's trying to redeem herself? She's not the horrible one here, you are! She didn't want to help the enemy, from what I hear, she tried to warn that the enemy was coming and fought a rogue!"

Smokewish nodded to Spotpaw. "He's right! Sweetheart is an amazing cat, and she is my friend. I won't sit here and listen to you insult her!" She mewed defiantly, a rare change from her usual attitude. It kinda felt good to express her feelings instead of hiding them. Huh.

This time, the warrior turned her gaze toward the two cats, clearly angered by their words. She hissed and lashed her tail violently, stepping between them and her apprentice. "Oh, yeah. She "warned" us, right? What a joke. Let's be realistic. She was a queen during that time. Queens DON'T leave the camp, ever. She and Nutfur said that they fought a Thunderclan patrol but did you see any wounds? I don't think so. And what a coincidence that those ThunderClanners knew where the cave was and knew the right places where to swim to there. In the first place, ThunderClanners shouldn't swim!" She snapped. This time, the fiery she-cat had to agree with her impulsive apprentice, even if that meant going against her own son. "I can't prove she's a traitor but I'm pretty sure that that whole situation is fishy and suspicious."

For once, Shadepaw held his tongue, but he was grateful for his mentor's support. He nodded his agreement to her.