Unfair advantage [c]

They seemed to have kept going for days! Hours! Moons! Nothing but constant walking, or being carried by either Sootstorm or Fennelbreeze. She had put her tiny little paws down on multiple occasions that she could walk herself, thank-you-very-much, but that didn't matter when she ended up inevitably exhausted due to simply being a kit and having to relent. The only cat she ever allowed herself to be carried by was Fennelbreeze. After all, she wasn't going to her her father, the deputy be stuck carrying her! Nope! She was going to be as stubborn as the snow, walking every step right beside him. Or running. It was hard when she was still so much smaller.

But at least for now, she had time to rest. And by rest, that meant causing absolute chaos with her sister, Heatherkit. "Heeeeeeeaaaaaaaaattttttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrkit~!" She called out for her sister, moving through the various clanmates that had taken an interest in them all. That was the other thing about being the daughter of the deputy. Everyone cared about her-them. But she didn't care about them. She wanted to play with her sister! As soon as she spotted the cream-tipped pelt, her curled ears stood to alert, picking their target as she recoiled. A heartbeat later, she launched herself directly at her sister, ready to tackle and fight. They had to keep training!

Most kits were born into the safety and comfort of an established camp. For Windclan, that usually meant the moors, nestled into the earth underneath the pallid glow of moonlight and watchful gaze of the stars. However, with the clans being displaced from their home and wandering through the mountains in search of safety, Heatherkit and her siblings were left to explore the world in a most unusual way. This wasn't there home, it was merely a stop. The landscape would change slightly as they trudged on through the snow. She found that with her long-fur and having grown accustomed to the cold, Heatherkit quite liked it, especially since her pale coat blended in with the scenery.

Similar to her sister, Crakekit, Heatherkit preferred to let her own paws carry her along. Often, she would pretend to be warrior. If other cats tried to pick her up by the scruff, it would be met with the fiery protests of a sharp-tongued kit. Only Fennelbreeze and Sootstorm could tell her what to do. Maybe Tigerstar too, but he was busy with far more important things. For the moment, she was too. Ice-blue eyes peered at a tiny stick that peeked up from the surface of the snow. Her haunches wiggled in preparation to leap but was quickly interrupted by the familiar wail of her sister calling her name.

Ears perked, Heatherkit raised her head, only to be immediately tackled by the frame of another kit. They fell back into the snow and she rolled to the side, battering Crakekit with her forepaws. It was hard to keep her claws sheathed but she didn't want to have Fennelbreeze chastise her again so she quickly slipped them away after raking the coat of her littermate. She propped herself up and shot a teasing glare at Crakekit, with her tail flicking, "You know, if you yowl like that before you pounce, every cat is going to know you're coming. You have to stay quiet! Every good warrior knows that."

As if to demonstrate, her maw snapped shut and she quickly flipped over and threw herself onto Crakekit with a mock hiss.

At her sister's particularly unwanted commentary, Crakekit couldn't fight the urge to roll her eyes. "Or perhaps it's a ruse to make you think I come in peace! When I don't!" As her sister would lunge at her as a hurtling snowball, the multicolored molly would move out of the way just a moment too late. They both launched back right into the snow, and instinct was quick to go into overdrive as her back legs would kick rapidly at her sister's underbelly. "And good warriors don't leave their bellies open!" She tussled right back, mock-hissing right back at her sibling.

Flurries of snow scattered in the wake of the tussling siblings. Occasionally a flash or orange fur could be seen in the writhing patch of disturbed snowflakes. Heatherkit snorted at her sister's retort but the sound was cut short by the breath being knocked from her lungs as wild blows from Crakekit's paws battered her soft underbelly. She jumped away with an annoyed his, narrowing her eyes and flicking her tail, "I'll show you a good warrior!" Her long limbs made jumping about an easy feat. As the litter drew closer to their apprentice ceremonies, Heatherkit felt more sturdiness to each step. She was almost dancing about in the snow with a natural grace. One forepaw shot forward to throw snowflakes into Crakekit's eyes.

Darting forward, her forepaw shot through the air and caught the side of Crakekit's throat, just below her jaw. Heatherkit's whiskers twitched in satisfaction at the decent hit. It would have been far more enjoyable if she didn't have to restrain her claws. Not that she wanted to hurt her littermate, but rather that restraint was a difficult and unenjoyable things. She leaped back, calling out, "And they watch their throat too!"

It was the sound of absolute, undeniable annoyance that may as well have been the sweetest song to Crakekit's ears as she managed to gain the upper paw on her older sister. They constantly sparred, and the running tally as to who was the winner always seemed to end up with them being in the exact same position: a tie. Neither could get a gain on the other for long, much to the woes of their siblings. Heatherkit's leap away would be followed by paws running along her littermate's limbs, a nearly unfortunate reminder of how easily it would have been to allow more damage to be sustained by a set of claws. Claws that, much like her sister, were having a hard time staying in.

Instinct, after all, told her to use them. They itched to be released, especially as her sister's paw jabbed at the side of her neck. She gripped at the slurry of snow and earth beneath her in order to scratch that need, letting them churn up bits of snow as she whipped herself around her sister. One limb crooked around her sister's neck, just as she'd almost done a moment before, and her jaw clamped right over her sister's ear. She had gotten particularly good at watching her bite force, but the unfortunate reality remained: her teeth had grown in much faster than that of her siblings, and the especially prominent upper canine was extremely hard to control. It took her only a moment before realizing she'd bit too hard, especially as that same taste filled her mouth.

Without so much as a second thought, Crakekit's face scrunched, the tensing of her jaw causing her to bite down even harder for just a moment before she spit whatever it was that was in her maw out. "Bleck!" It wasn't until she'd shaken her head that she realized scarlet now marred what should have only been alabaster and cream, and Crakekit's eyes widened in momentary panic. Mama was going to kill her. Perhaps.... perhaps she could still convince Heatherkit to not be too upset about it. Quickly thinking, Crakekit bowed to spar further. "Now you've got a real warrior scar! ... Wait, aww, that means you beat me to getting one."

Heatherkit was used to the back and forth of their inexperienced, kit-like sparring. Sometimes she managed to gain the upper paw, sometimes Crakekit proved to be faster. It was a balance fueled by their similar drive. Satisfaction that had once blossomed in her chest at the quick blow melted away as she felt a limb wrap around her throat. You weasel! She thought to herself, hissing aloud. Before she was able to twist around and batter at her littermate's maw, there was a stinging sensation at the tip of her ear.

Confusion caused the kit to stop. She'd felt minor scrapes, scratches, and bumps before but this was an entirely new sensation. A warm pulse worked its way into her ear as Crakekit pulled away. It stung. As the other she-kit spat, Heatherkit felt a dreadful realization dawn on her. Jaw going slack and eyes wide, she turned to face her sister. The pretty kit was known for her vanity. Unlike Rapidkit, her pelt was always groomed into place to keep its soft and bright appearance. The thought of Crakekit leaving a wound severe enough to eventually scar caused her blood to boil, more than the seemingly distant pain.

"What did you do?" She growled, rounding on her sister and glancing down at the scarlet drops in the snow that scattered as she turned. Heatherkit wanted to immediately run to Fennelbreeze but knew her mother would immediately chastise them both for roughhousing again. Frustration caused her little tail to flicker back and forth. Daisyfang would help fix her up. Shooting Crakekit a dirty look, Heatherkit hissed once more, "We're not telling Fennelbreeze. I nicked it on a rock if any cat asks. But next time I'm not going easy on you, and you owe me."

Given their bond and rather similar personalities, there was no doubt the she-cat would quickly forgive her sibling; she just needed time. Heatherkit whipped around towards their clanmates and let her eyes scan the open terrain for any sight of their medicine cat. This needed to heal up quickly. She didn't want any cat to know how easily her ear had been bitten off by Crakekit.

She had immediately felt too prideful to initially admit just what it was that she had done to her sister, but the moment that the growl had left her throat, it was over. That pride had no reason to stay bubbled up in her throat. "I am so sorry," Ears pinned straight back against her head, the proverbial blow that she more than deserved already been dealt. It was against the code to harm clanmates. It was even worse to hurt kin. She was simply a walking disaster of teeth and claws. First their father, then Galestorm, and now her sister.

Backing away, she shrunk back just slightly. Waiting for the retaliation smack from Heatherkit's paw. She only unshrank slightly as Heatherkit declared that they in fact were not going to tell their mother. "That rock over there. Got it." Her head nodded quickly towards one that had particularly jagged edges. If they'd scuffled close enough to it, it would be obvious enough to use it as an excuse. Especially given where scarlet droplets now stained the snow. "I'll keep that favor with my life." Crakekit vowed. Just as she had already vowed to uphold the code.

"...We should get you to Daisyfang. I can help clean your fur once she takes care of it," Crakekit offered. She knew how much her pristine pelt meant to Heatherkit.