Gone Fishing [c]

Louse hadn't meant to be such a recluse, but adjustment was hard. So many new cats, all more annoying than the last to figure out. He just wanted to keep everyone happy with him, he was on his best behaviour now that father had brought them to a more permanent home. He'd actually chomped down on his rude outbursts, opting to say nothing instead. His claws too, he'd worked on getting that under control, which was a lot harder said than done. In the short time in camp he'd learnt that claws were a sign of violence and aggression, he was just annoyed! He just needed to feel the ground being torn up between his paws in those moments, it was his way to destress. If only the big cats that hung out here saw it his way. The tom kit let out a huff of annoyance, claws sliding out. "No! Bad claws!" he snapped, quickly retracting them. Being nice wasn't easy, there were so many rules. Tired from his skulking, Louse sank on to his belly in a flop, amber eyes blinking.

Wasn't there anyone who could help him be nice? Help him to keep his soggy pelt intact instead of evoking hisses from his neighbours? Louse let out a whimper, who knew the hardest thing about being alive was the formalities of being good natured. If he practiced enough it would come naturally he hoped, but for now it was all just an exertion. His energy could be spent elsewhere. Louse rolled over onto his back, paws waving in the air, as he swatted at invisible foes. Through the flurry of swipes though he manged to make out the form of one of his siblings. "Fish!" he yelled, perhaps his brother knew how to be well behaved. He certainly seemed nicer than Louse, even if he complained more. "Can you help me with something?" he mewed bounding towards him.

Louse's amber eyes lit up. "Excellent!" he purred, falling into step with Fish. His brother always seemed so confused and unsure, almost weary of his brother. It was misplaced, Louse wouldn't hurt him, not when Fish could be useful to him The tom's tail swished behind him stirring up the dirt. "Okay so I'm a little unsure on how to fit in, and you seem to kind of have the hang of it." he admitted. Fish seemed certain he could help Louse, which was appreciated, it was good to have allies, even if Fish was only his brother. "There's so many rules here, and everyone likes father - which I don't get. Maybe he's only nice to adults or something." The calico sat down scratching his ear "Also! Father doesn't even follow the rules, so I really don't get it. I just don't want anyone to be mad at me! I'm trying really hard to not get into trouble, haven't you noticed?"

Fish's remark earned a happy whisker twitch from his brother. So someone had noticed his efforts! It seemed it seemed both siblings were in the same river monster, afloat on a sea of rules with no means of navigation. It was comforting, and also infuriating. Why should kittens be held to such standard anyways? Louse felt like nuisance, and while he was one, this was different. Everything he did felt so calculated, unnatural, but he was determined to master the ins and outs of the unspoken rules. His amber eyes slid to his brother, and the lines he drew in the hard dirt. "I think your "smart mouth" is funny, and you're right. Those idiots probably deserve whatever you said." His tail swirled the dirt up, a cloud of dust billowing out behind the two toms. A small giggle was drawn from Louse at his brother's enactment of his tantrums. "I've seen them." he mewed, eyes crinkling.

Speaking with Fish was good, though he wasn't sure his brother had actually helped him. If anything, the tortoiseshell seemed to want to encourage Louse down his path. Maybe he was right, why did he have to change? Who even decided these other cats knew anything? They all just congregated here, claiming to be some semblance of a  family, but if Louse was honest he felt very little for any of these cats. His siblings he did at least like and care about, they kept him entertained and now was an example of the good company they served. His paws flexed idly, as Fish continued to speak, everything his brother said further aiding to the calico's odd pattern of thinking. A smile grew on his maw, matching Fish's "Then maybe we should stop trying?" he purred raising an eyebrow, but he quickly shook his head. "Maybe not, I don't want our efforts to be for nothing. But then again..." The tom kitten's internal battle becoming more external as he spoke. "...This is our father's home, they should listen to us! We own this place, why don't they follow our rules? I know!" Louse jumped to his paws, ears perked and pelt fluffed "We should make our own rules, see how they like that!"

Everything his brother said made fish more and more giddy. At first he remained still, paws flexing and unflexing as he buzzed, nodding along with Fish's words. As fish ranted more, Louse found himself subconsciously following the tom's lead, pacing back and forth with him, tail raised high. "Look how quickly we solved this by being direct, are the others stupid? Lying makes things so complicated, especially when you don't get anything out of it." he mewed, amber eyes sliding to Fish "What about if I had a prank could I lie or keep a secret then? Oh! And the cats that don't live here I think we can fib to them, they're not us so they don't need the truth. We can pull loads of pranks on them." A brief frown crossed Louse's maw "All the adults say they're mean, and rude so they probably deserve it. I heard they don't like anyone coming near their camp, but that's not fair. They come snooping pretty close round here. It's not fun when we can't adventure wherever we want."

He hoped that if he did meet a clan cat they wouldn't chase him out immediately, it would be interesting to have new playmates... New entertainment, and no one here liked the clan cats so he could pull whatever pranks he wanted on them. Or at least that's what it sounded like to Louse. The rising of Fish's voice drew the rogue from his scheming. "Yep, and yep! When father does something wrong he has a reason, but if its us it's an excuse. Well, we have a reason for everything we do. Also an idea, if the big ones think they deserve our respect then I think we need it back too. I hate that they treat us like kittens that are still blind and deaf. It feels like we can see and hear better than all of them."

Louse's smile was quick to fall. Was fish crazy? Pranks were the best! He stood there for a moment in shocked silence, mouth hanging open. Were they even related? Everyone else in their family loved pranks, even Maggot, and she wasn't even related to them. Finally coming to his senses, Louse shook his head. "You're just pranking me that you don't like pranks, good one!" But there was a look on his brother's face like he was going to be sick all over his paws, maybe he wasn't pranking. His peace of mind was ruined again, this wouldn't do. A heavy sinking feeling settling in his stomach, he had been enjoying getting along with Fish. Maybe he wouldn't push it anymore, no pranks for Fish, but everyone else. And he could still still surprise his brother, surprises were nice. It wasn't that bad really, Fish was just one less victim of his pranks. Louse could cope. "Okay. I won't prank you."

Fish was perking back up again anyways, so he wasn't a complete downer anyway. "Yay! They're so dumb I hear, we can do so many pranks on them, like... Like..." he stammered trying to find the words, there were so many possibilities "Oh, I don't know, but there's a lot!" Louse flexed his claws excitedly, doing a little dance on his tip toes. However the sudden intrusion of Fish's face in his had him toppling over. He looked kind of stern too, which was weird compared to the previous mood. Had he said something wrong? Louse had agreed with him, and maybe tried to bend the rules a little, but he'd still come round eventually.

His brother's question took him by surprise as well. Louse wouldn't have admitted he need help unless he really did, it was embarrassing to be unsure, or the grown ups made him feel silly for not understanding why he should be more well behaved. His ears fell flat against his head, tail curling tightly around his paws, suddenly cold. "I really do need your help, Fish." he admitted, amber gaze on the ground avoiding his brother's own intense eyes. He wouldn't laugh at Fish not when they'd been thinking so similarly just before, then he would have been laughing at himself. That was silly. "I won't laugh at you, swears." He nodded firmly, hopping to reassure Fish a little, he didn't want him to be mad at him. He just didn't understand at all. "Are you mad at me, I thought I was behaving?"