Thistle-down Between Your Ears

A stiff wind shoved the clouds to and fro. They hurried across the brightening sky like disturbed fish. The last of the leaf-fall geese made their way overhead, headed for warmer waters. The sun was low, the hour early, the wind temperamental and cold.

Hentooth’s pelt was a short one, but she didn’t shiver as she stalked forwards; oh, no. She was hot with boiling anger, directed at both of the apprentices following her. She’d chosen the early hour and stiff wind for a purpose. The apprentices should be warm enough- after all, they didn’t have to spend energy on thinking, seeing how they lacked the brains to do so.

Her tail didn’t lash as they headed out, the wind growing stiffer each time they created a rise. Her fur lay flat, her claws sheathed.

But they would know something was off.

The very way she walked was absolutely taut with anger. The way she planted her paws firmly onto the ground. The way she kept her maw shut; the way she didn’t even glance at them; the way she’d gotten a warrior to wake them and tell them to follow her.

They crested the final rise- the moor lay before them, the wind cut through the young medicine cat’s short pelt. Letting out a deep breath, she watched the steam rise from it for a moment, quickly whisked away by the gusts. Slowly she turned around, looking up at the sky above them, keeping her green gaze from locking with theirs. When she spoke after a moment of silence, her tone was sweet as honey- sweet and slick like poisoned honey.

“I suppose you can tell me why we’re out here?”

A second; a heartbeat. Before they could respond, she lowered her gaze to look them both in the eye. Her gaze was expressionless.

And then it wasn’t.

“I thought you knew better!” She lunged forward suddenly, only a hare-length from their faces. “And I was wrong. And I don’t like admitting that I’m wrong. But I was completely and utterly wrong. You both obviously don’t know what being WindClan is. You, Mistypaw, behaving like a SkyClan kit of a rotting vixen with your mentor. I am ashamed to call you an apprentice of WindClan- not because of your size, but because of your horse-dunged attitude! You can’t control being the runt. Ashfall could control what she did- heroically putting others’ safety before her own. Would you rather she could see and run perfectly? Oh, yes, then you would’ve never existed.” Her tail lashed, her eyes burned. Her unsheathed claws were buried in the ground; her every movement rough and sudden. She whipped around suddenly, focusing on the tom.

“Oh, and don’t you think you’re out of this! Do you ever think before you act? I think not. You could’ve started a forest-wide war with your temper shorter than the SkyClan leader’s tail! Cats could’ve died, in pain and agony, because some WindClan apprentice couldn’t keep his maw shut. Oh, and I know it could’ve happened- it’s happened before. Collateral damage is a thing! Your actions don’t just affect you- they affect everyone around you!”

She took a step back, wrath burning in her gaze. “Will both of you get your heads out of your rear ends long enough to see what utter steaming piles of horse-dung your attitudes are?”

One thing Mistypaw did not like was being yelled at. Especially when, in her eyes, she did nothing wrong. "You mean you wouldn't exist! You're only mad because it's Ashfall! I've heard the stories of what Bloodstar did when you were a kit! I've heard how Ashfall got her tail handed to her, too! What did she even accomplish? What was keeping Bloodstar from walking right over her and killing you? Maybe you are the one who shouldn't be here!"

As soon as she said it, she knew she had stepped out of line. But with her being as irritated as she was, there was no way she was backing down. "You call her a hero, but who did she actually save? She couldn't even save herself, let alone you. What she was, was stupid. And I am not afraid to say it."

She then turned to her brother. "You almost started a war? Ha! At least I didn't do that! What, did a ShadowClan cat look at you funny or something? You poor thing!"

Ooc:Is it bad that I am starting to hate my own character?

(OOC: gonna assume this is before the kit topic and not long after the gathering. Also, Karu, nope XD)

Of course when Hentooth wanted to take them out to gather some herbs, it'd be when the wind was practically blowing ice into their faces. Flamepaw blew a breath out into the chilly air, following her stomping paws and deciding he didn't care she was doing an impression of a badger with a headache as the wind whipped at his fur and curled it into sweeping fiery swirls. He rolled his eyes and looked over at Mistypaw, muttering out the side of his mouth, "You think somebody put some weeds in her-?"

His words cut off when he noticed her glaring at them both, her words breaking the howling wind that had filled her silence before. Every hair on his pelt prickled with warning. Oh, he knew that look. Jaw jutting out stubbornly, eyes steely, he muttered belligerently, "No, why?"

She rolled over him as soon as the words came out of his mouth, her voice loud and angry and oh-so "you are in big trouble." Oh yeah? When she lunged forward, he dug his claws into the ground, lip curling slightly and eyes flashing back into the face of the storm, unflinching. As if she'd know what being WindClan was!

And then it turned out she wasn't even yelling at him. The rebelliousness faded slightly, his expression turning to a smirk as he glanced sideways at his sister, the retort that had been on his tongue dying away to interested malice. "Hah, you should be glad you didn't get Timbersun! You hate your mentor just because she's missing some body parts? Wow, didn't know you were so petty, Mists. Got some rabbit-dung stuck-?"

And then Hentooth turned on him. War? Was she serious? Did she think Dirtpaw - or whatever his name was - was the leader's son or something? Who was she to talk about his attitude? All she'd done at the gathering was blatantly ignore him, and-!

Mistypaw's smug face made him burn, the anger growing in his chest roaring to a full-on bonfire as she laughed in his face, her mocking tone echoing in his ears.

His pupils slitted to threadbare slivers. A muted thunk rang out, paw swiping at her face, claws sheathed - barely - teeth bared and eyes blazing.

"I DID NOT START A WAR! You're exaggerating everything! He yowled, the emotions of that night bubbling straight back up again, the look on Mistypaw's face - mock pitying - dancing in front of his eyes. "He was a stupid apprentice, just like horsing Mistypaw over here, and he couldn't take a joke! You didn't even listen the first hundred times I said it! All you ever do is mock me, lecture me, or punish me! Well GO AHEAD! PUNISH ME! You'll always find some excuse for it, won't you?!"

Horse-dung continued to come out of Mistypaw’s mouth. Retorts floated around in Hentooth’s head, oh, yes, she knew what she’d say, What is stopping me from walking over and killing you? in a oddly calm voice- perhaps that would show her- but she kept talking-

Hentooth took a step back, ears flattening, tail lowering. Wha- no- how did she- her gaze wavered- the molly turned on her brother-

Mistypaw’s words to Flamepaw faded out. Hentooth continued staring at her, the anger slowly dropping off of her expression.

Maybe she told the truth. Maybe she was the one who shouldn’t be here. After all, what had she done for WindClan? Yell at some apprentices? No, maybe she shouldn’t be here…

Stop talking like that. You’re not making him proud.

No, no she wasn’t making him proud… what did she do for WindClan?

Stop talking like that. That is not something a true WindClan cat does.

No… maybe she wasn’t a true WindClan cat…

And then Flamepaw did something she would always love him for, something she couldn’t do herself- hit his sister square in the face. Hentooth let out an audible, satisfied sigh. Oh Ho Ho, she deserved that. Doubts thrown unceremoniously to the back of her mind, she turned to Flamepaw and weathered his verbal assault.

“I’m not about to punish you for that,” she mewed, flicking her tail in Mistypaw’s direction. “If anything I’m about to thank you for it. Now. I didn’t say you started a war. I didn’t even say you almost started a war. I said you could’ve. It’s happened before, and SkyClan is full of hypocrites, taking any chance to kill. If that Dirtpaw hit you in the face, they’d say it was self-defense. If you hit him in the face you’d be laying, broken and bloodied on the ground. And no, I don’t want that to happen. Now, Mistypaw,”

She turned. Her eyes flamed. “I will be talking to Daystar about such blatant disrespect and discrimination, unless you truly see what you did wrong, are doing wrong, and at this rate will continue to do wrong. Well? Do you? Did Flamepaw smack some sense into you?”

The wind blew straight into the small apprentice’s face as Hentooth towered above her, eyes gleaming. How things had changed since she set out on this walk, determined to show Flamepaw the what-for and thinking Mistypaw merely misguided. Well, Flamepaw didn’t quite get what she’d said, and Mistypaw seemed to be trying to get herself thrown into the Gorge.