Conflict {Closed}

It was almost difficult for Hailpaw to believe that she had been accepted back into ThunderClan—at least, what was left of it. Even after everything that had happened, everything that she had done, Pricklebush was still willing to receive her. Before the flood, she would never have thought it possible to go back to clan life. She had made her decision, and she had been prepared to live with it. But her brother had forgiven her. To an outsider, the thought would have been laughable. Trust her again? After she had deliberately broken that faith in the past? Pricklebush did; at least, he had trusted her enough to allow her to stay. Once, the two of them had been suckling together at their mother's belly. Now he was leading ThunderClan in Leopardstar's stead, while she was the traitor who had deserted her family and friends. Nepotism was not a good trait for one in a position of power. Nevertheless, Hailpaw could not deny the fact that she was incredibly happy—happier than she truly deserved to be. What had she done to merit such a brother? She had always taken him for granted in the past. Now her only hope was that the rest of her family members were all right. If she only had a chance, she would make things right with them again.

Driven from their homes, the remnants of ThunderClan, ShadowClan, and RiverClan now took refuge with the Tribe of Rushing Water. Hailpaw had heard tales of this strange group of cats before, but she had never expected to meet them. While the Tribe had oh-so-graciously taken the clan cats in, it was evident that hostility of the past still lurked among the living. Here lay the challenge for Hailpaw. The well-built apprentice was currently lying at the far end of the cave, chin settled on her paws. She had made sure to choose a deserted corner from which she could quietly watch the inner workings of the Tribe. Her clanmates were still keeping a distance away from her, something that was no surprise. News of her actions had quickly spread among the ThunderClan cats. Those who were opposed to her presence kept their silence; and those who had once been fond of her were now uncertain of how to react. For Pricklebush's sake, Hailpaw had been on her best behavior. She had kept her head down, pretending to be the unassuming and meek she-cat that she was not. Apart from her mother and brother, she had barely spoken to anyone.

Things had all been fine and good... until Hawk of Jagged Talons.

If one were to ask how Hailpaw felt about the particular to-be, the answer would certainly not be a pleasant one. Everything about Hawk rubbed Hailpaw's fur the wrong way, from her expression to her sharp tongue. What had really set the ThunderClan apprentice off, however, was the blatant disrespect the Tribe cat had shown to Pricklebush. When Hawk had swiped at the ginger-furred tom, a repeat of the Icepaw-incident had almost happened. Hailpaw was likely the only one who would ever know how close to disaster they had gone in that moment. It had taken every inch of her self-control to hold back. Pricklebush had grown strong; while obviously displeased, he had shown composure befitting of his position. She could not afford to ruin everything he had worked for—not again. She had learned her lesson. Thus, she swallowed her murderous intent and settled for a simple glare. Even so, she could not simply forget what had happened. The dissatisfaction churned within her, spinning the gears of her mind.

At last, Hailpaw stood. Hawk of Jagged Talons had entered the cave. Perhaps the to-be had just returned from a patrol; the details did not concern the white-furred apprentice. Striding forward at a casual pace, she headed towards the other. In the last moment, Hailpaw's shoulder collided with Hawk's. "What's wrong, Tribe-rat?" She meowed, the challenge in her tone thinly veiled, "Do you not have eyes?"

Let it be said that Hailpaw had no intention of truly causing trouble. Oh, no. She had grown wiser ever since the incident with Icepaw. She had been on her best behavior. But, well. Nothing wrong with a little fun, is there?

The itching under her pelt refused to cease as the temperature in the cave had begun to rise a few degrees. With so many warm, obnoxious bodies, all crammed into once space, everything had become increasingly unbearable. It seemed as if her fur would turn into twigs at any moment with how on edge its natural state had become. Only the few moments outside of the cavern, did Hawk of Jagged Talons not feel the uncontrollable urge to slash her claws on the first cat to utter a syllable to her. Much to her displeasure, that solace had been stripped away with the task of a shift at the cave mouth. Droplets of water from the drizzle outside had speckled her pelt and caused a further annoyance to warm throughout her. She had to shake it off every so often and sprayed the stone behind her had had been spared a similar fate.

When another cave-guard came to relieve her, Hawk could not have stalked away faster. Initially, she considered picking at whatever the prey-hunters might have brought in. But with one brief glance at the ever-waning pile, that brief flash of happiness was dampened immediately. She whipped around in an attempt to retreated to her nest until the next time some cat needed her. Peak would likely look for her eventually, but there was no harm in getting some well earned rest in the meantime. With each, heavy-footfall, her pads left behind a trail of barely noticeable, soft prints. Her head was low and shoulders hunched forward in the direction in which she traveled. The brown coated she-cat's eyes were zeroed in on only one thing: retiring to her feather-lined nest.

Wham!

A momentary shock was written across her face as she recoiled from the surprise of the impact, which had only been made greater by her haste. There was a flicker of an apology that danced across her tongue and died out even before it could even become a thought. Hawk was not one to apologize. Normally she might have offered the other cat a glare before continuing on. But it appeared this offender had more to do than get in her way. What's wrong, Tribe-rat? Do you not have eyes? Stunned by the momentary shock, it took the to-be an extra second to process the words. Her face transformed from one of surprise and into a wicked, sharp-toothed snarl. Hawk, who had leaped a few paces back, charged forward and slammed her shoulder squarely into Hailpaw's chest. Without hesitation, the she-cat them jumped on top of the clan cat and pressed her paws, threatening claws, into her coat. With a sharp hiss, spittle was flecked across the white apprentice's face.

"It seems like you might be the one without eyes, you homeless piece of hawk kill. This is my cave, you don't even belong here. So I suggest you stay out of my way." Each word was clipped, filled with a primal rage. Hawk of Jagged Talons just barely kept herself from ripping her claws into the pure, white coat. If it weren't for the frustration that rooted her to the spot, she would have simply stalked off but instead she spat at him once more with pure disgust, "I can show you back to where we make dirt, if you'd like? It will keep you out of the way of cats actually doing something that matters." The words hung in the air, another obvious threat that almost begged for a response. Without noticing, he claws slid into the stone, gripping at it with a thinly veiled control.

For one brief moment, shock flitted across Hawk's features. It was the moment right before a storm broke out, right before disaster unfolded. Then her expression morphed into the one Hailpaw had been anticipating—pure, unadulterated rage. The Tribe cat reacted with speed and violence. Hailpaw saw the attack coming, but she was a little too slow to dodge. In the next second, she caught the shoulder right in her chest. A grunt slipping from her parted jaws, the white apprentice staggered. As any warrior half-versed in battle would have done, Hawk seized the opportunity. The ThunderClanner found herself pinned to the ground, claws pricking through her thick pelt. The packed dirt floor beneath her, and the flash of bared fangs before her face—at that instant, a savage thrill ran up her spine. How long had it been since she had last felt such excitement? Quite a while, that was for sure. The prospect of battle was threateningly attractive. All she had to do was strike back, for the other she-cat had made the first move. If she were to lash out with a fully-clawed hind leg, catching the Tribe cat in her soft underbelly, what kind of face would Hawk make? In the moment that it took the to-be to realize what was going on, Hailpaw could deal quite a bit of damage. It only took a second for these considerations to flash through her mind. Her whiskers quivered, and every muscle in her body tensed.

"Hailpaw, you stupid, stupid cat. I missed you so much."

But Hailpaw was done with impulsively striking out. She had seen what the consequences could be. At the very least, she did not want to cause trouble for Pricklebush (well, a little was probably acceptable). As much as she loved fighting, she never wanted to see her brother cry again. Her clan was currently relying on the hospitality of the Tribe, and she was not quite foolish enough to ruin that. If this situation had taken place before the one with Icepaw, however, would she have done the same? Hailpaw knew the unfortunate answer. She was going to be a different cat now. "No thanks." She retorted, her maw twisting with a sneer, "Although it's awfully polite of you to have offered. I didn't think you were capable of such manners. With your earlier behavior, you certainly fooled me." There was no fear in the bright yellow eyes that gazed up at Hawk, only savagery.

Hailpaw made no attempt to shove the to-be off, daring her to cross the line.