Looking for Trouble [open]

Marshmallow had just gotten back from 'hunting' with Fawnpatch. She was starting to like that Dark Forest warrior, her information was very useful for her. She was just about to tear into a very plump looking frog when a small voice caught her black ears. "Hm?" She looked down at the red and white kit. "Me?" She flicked a paw to her chest. "I'm not grumpy, kit, just bored." She chuckled. "If you find a moss ball, I'd be happy to play with you." She flicked her tail side-to-side and went back to her frog. I thought I wasn't standing out that much, maybe not interacting with anyone is the reason I stand out, but who is there to hang out with apart from.. Fawnpatch? She thought. No, Fawnpatch is a Dark Forest warrior, Frostgaze wouldn't like it if I hung out with her all the time.

When the kit didn't run off, Marshmallow glanced at them, a little confused. But as the kit started to ramble, she smiled a little. Oh, she wants real fun. She lifted her head. "Hmm... If I were to guess, you were going to..." Is she gonna let me choose? Ha, this is gonna be fun. "Climb up onto the jaggedrock and get everyone's attention, before jumping down from the very top. It's perfect! It'll scare absolutely everyone." She giggled, keeping her voice low.

Marshmallow watched the kit as she ran up the Jagged Rock. Is she mindless or something? She thought, holding in a chuckle. She tilted her head as the kit started calling. Is she gonna do it? Marshmallow flicked her tail, waiting patiently.

Then, the kit started shaking, was she crying? Marshmallow lowered her ears looking the kit in the eyes. Somehow I'll have to convince her without drawing attention to myself. After a little thought, her movements were small, but they seemed convincing. A soft smile and a small, yet confident, nod. Come on, Rosekit. Have your fun.

Marshmallow watched the kit carefully. If she trusted her, she would do it right? And if she didn't, well, she was useless to her, like a mouse. Suddenly, Marshmallow saw Rosekit's eyes shut, her muscles tensed. Did anyone see me talking to her? Would they blame me again? She glanced around the clearing. Would Rosekit trust me after this? Deciding quickly that the best option would be to 'save' the kit from the large fall, the she-cat watched until the reddish cat made a leap into the air.

Alright. Come on Rosekit...

The spotted she-cat watched the kit jump into the air, eyes still shut. Now... I'll just have to... Her thoughts trailed off as she bounced into action, onto her black paws. She ran, and then jumped, snatching the kit in her jaws by the scruff, just before the kit hit the ground. She stood for a second, catching her breath.

Rosekit was in her jaws. Just as shocked as she was. Forcing herself to seem calm, she placed the kit on the ground and spoke softly. "See, I told you you'd be safe." Well, she didn't exactly tell her, but Marshmallow's heart was racing so much she didn't really care. If I were a second too late, it would've been a repeat of the Loudnose thunderpath thing. It would've probably been- just with my luck- someone saw me talking to her and I would've gotten in trouble for someone else being a mousebrain.

She turned her gaze back to the crowd. I... Just saved a kit, funny, huh?

“Way to go, Marshmallow,” Snowfoot snarked, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. “Mind telling me why she was up there to begin with?”

"Yes," Came a low, rasping growl from behind Snowfoot, "Why was my daughter up there?" Mistyfalcon's gaze was cool as he regarded Marshmallow, suspicion plain to see on his scarred face. He'd only caught the tail end of what was going on as he'd exited the elders' den, and had made his way toward the gathering cats. His pelt was thinning and more pale fur marked his muzzle than had been there last moon. Whatever Rosekit had gotten into, and finding Marshmallow in the thick of it as well, was very likely to add to those white hairs. "Good of you to catch her at the last second. The jaggedrock is much too high for a kit to be playing on." He added, tone sharpening as his eyes narrowed slightly at Marshmallow. He hadn't forgotten what had happened to Loudnose while in her company, and he still wasn't sure that he fully believed the story she had spun then. Loudnose wasn't a kit... But Rosekit was. An impressionable, headstrong kit with more stubborn determination than sense.

Snowfoot’s mind raced. Marshmallow had sent the kit up there? “Rosekit, go to the nursery,” she said, trying to remain calm. “We need to have an adult conversation.”

OOC: I'd prefer if you waited for me to post with marshmallow to keep the post order))

IC: Marshmallow didn't get the response she expected. She was being bombarded with questions as if she put the kit up there and then pushed her down. Her tail flicked, trying to process all of the information. "I didn't put her up there, if that's what you're on about." She muttered, then Rosekit started squeaking.

She turned her head back towards the kit. "Yes. A very dangerous prank that you didn't hesitate to perform." Her nose twitched, glaring at her. "A prank that you came up with, announced to me- of all cats- then ran up the rock and proceeded to jump off. The only thing you didn't think about, was who was going to stop you from hurting yourself." Her black tipped tail flicked. "Nobody was going to. They just stared." She glanced back at Snowfoot before staring daggers at Rosekit again. "So I had to step in and save you from getting really hurt, so congratulations kit, you not only scared the whole clan, but me, too." She suddenly bent in a bit closer, whispering into the kit's ear. "Go back to the nursery, we can talk later, I have to save my pelt."

She got up, turning back around. "Way to go, Snowfoot." She snarled. "I didn't see you moving to catch her. Why, don't you care about kits?" She glanced over at the other warriors in the clearing. "Nobody moved. Nobody wanted to catch her, didn't they? Did they want to see the little prankster get hurt? Can Shadowclan really go that low?" She then glared at Mistyfalcon. "Are you still upset with me? Over an accident that happened seasons ago? Over a cat that isn't even alive today?" Her heart was beating in her chest, she was only really afraid of getting punished over nothing again. "That incident wasn't my fault. You know this. Loudnose said it himself. If it were my fault, I wouldn't be in this clan anymore. There. Case closed... Or do you just hate me?" Her tail lashed.

"Is that it? I'm right, aren't I? The only reason I'm not out of Shadowclan is just because you need someone to pick on! Now you're spreading rumours to the younger warriors, making them hate me, too?" She flicked her paw over at Snowfoot, not bringing her gaze away from the tom. "I could sit around camp doing my warriors duties and be accused of murder!" She started to hiss, her claws flexing, but she stopped herself from attacking the older tom. "If any other cat saved Rosekit, you wouldn't question them, you'd congratulate them! You'd say 'Oh, well done! You saved our beloved kit!' But just... Just because it was me, you had to step in and question every movement."

Marshmallow huffed, sitting down. "What's so wrong with me? Why is it always Marshmallow did this, Marshmallow did that?" She looked to her paws, forcing tears to her eyes. "I- I really don't understand..." Her voice went a little bit higher, to mimic crying, forcing herself to shake a little. At least my real voice didn't show, I... really don't know how I managed that.

"Yes, Rosekit, half the gray hairs on my muzzle are from you alone." Mistyfalcon shook his head in exasperation, he already regretted saying it, he knew she was only likely to take that as a challenge to add to his gray hairs. "Listen to Snowfoot and go to the nursery. I want to hear of no more pranks from you." The poor queens were having enough troubles looking after her, unfortunately, but with Mistyfalcon's body having slowed down after so much abuse taken as a warrior, he was little better.

Marshmallow's attempt to garner sympathy had little effect on Mistyfalcon. He had little patience for whining on a good day, and there had been precious few of those recently. "Why then," He rasped, turning his attention mostly toward Marshmallow while still keeping an eye on Rosekit, "whenever my kits wind up in trouble, it is you at the center of things? Loudnose was naïve, but he wouldn't have been so foolish as to run onto a thunderpath for a moth on his own. Kits are impressionable and lack judgement, we expect them to get in trouble and do stupid things to an extent. Most would also expect a reasonable warrior to intervene before it got to that point, rather than join in with their recklessness." The jab at Loudnose being dead made him bristle, and the old tom let out an annoyed growl, his tenuous grasp of a more tactful tongue failing him as he replied with more than a little hostility in his tone. "He at least fought for the clan when it mattered rather than sit in camp and watch." Words accompanied with a lash of his tail, Mistyfalcon fell silent, gaze turning away from Marshmallow as he fought to curb his own temper. He'd never been the diplomat, that had always been Murkystar.

“And don’t forget,” Snowfoot growled, “I was your apprentice. Where were you when that dog attacked? I doubt you even knew which patrol I was on! Not to mention you never assessed me either! In fact, you were hardly around!”