pafp Bend the knee || bullying yew

[Irispath]

Yewberry was in the middle of camp. He was bracing himself against a cold breeze, shivering as he did. He had brought back a scrawny mouse from his hunt. He wasn't particularly proud of it, but it was something.

He looked up at the tall rock. It filled him with a sense of anxiety and near dread. Sootstars beloved throne, her seat of power.

Was it a symbol of power, or a reminder that he would be forever stuck here, trapped under the paw of Sootstar and her loyalists?

He wasn't as fervent in his loyalty as they would like. He wasn't blindly loyal, if Sootstar ordered him to do something he thought morally wrong, he would disobey. Not out of spite or hatred.....He didn't hate Sootstar. He feared and admired her.

But was he really fit for this clan? He had seen what happens when you don't bend the knee. When you step out of line. When you don't praise Sootstar as a saint.

It made him so weary.....

He wouldn't leave, though. He couldn't. He wouldn't leave his friends and family.

He lowered his head and rested it in the snow. Thinking made his head hurt.

@RAMPAW !
​

 

[RAMWIND !]

MAY I STAND UNSHAKEN AMIDST THE CRASH OF THE WORLD ✧​

when it came to sootstar, ram kept his trap shut. she's their all-knowing leader, hand-chosen by the heavens. he's just a low apprentice, who is he to say anything about how she runs things? that isn't to say doubts don't like to chip away at his little mind, but it's not like he'd showcase it. no, ram would tuck it far, far away in his head. putting it with the thoughts that should only be pondered at night and then shaken off in the morning.
when the younger arrived in camp, bidding farwell to who he had been strolling with. his attention is regained by yewberry. that little mouse that didn't seem to have much of a backbone to him. but ram was blinded, a foul need to prove himself just as capable as any other. and just as loyal. his frame tries to roughly bump against yewberry, wanting the tom to stumble on his paws a bit. he's older than ram, but it doesn't mean too much to the apprentice. "hey, bileberry, what's got that head of yours hurtin'?" his words are tauntingly sweet, simply an apprentice worried for his warrior, is that so wrong? but his eyes lacked that concern, investigating yewberry's reaction. he won't mess with the warrior too much, especially if he just grows a bite to him. ​

 

[Irispath]

He was easily moved, stumbling a bit and forced to lift his head to look at his aggressor. He.... Had he heard right?

Had Rampaw just insulted him?????

He stared for a moment. Did he hear wrong? He wasn't paying attention, it was likely.

Bileberry.... How mean!

Defend yourself. A voice in the back of his head whispered. It's not that big a deal... Another argued.

"It's just a headache...." He said. "Nothing too bad...."

....He was such a pushover. He needed to work on this. He had vowed to do better, and yet a pit in his stomach held him back.

"It's Yewberry, by the way."

He could feel his chest tighten. That was all he could muster.
​

 

[Badgermoon]

To Badgermoon, loyalty was nothing if not a reflex. Perhaps it was simply that he had yet to encounter a situation where his loyalties were truly tested, but for him, the matter was simple: he had a duty to work for the benefit of his Clanmates, and that meant obeying the directives of those who had been put in power by forces far beyond him. By no means would he consider himself a pushover, nor a coward - but he was deeply practical, and placing ideals over concrete facts felt foolish at best and traitorous at worst. His loyalty lay with WindClan, and Sootstar was the StarClan-appointed leader of WindClan. There was simply nothing else to it, at least in the bicolor warrior's mind, and he was thus blissfully free of the qualms which tore at Yewberry's heart and made his head ache.

What mattered much more to him, in fact, was the matter of Clanmates harassing one another. Badgermoon wasn't any particular fan of conflict, nor of getting involved in other cats' business - but he also wouldn't stand aside and let cruel words be flung willy-nilly around camp. The broad-shouldered black and white tom thus abandoned his grooming as he heard Rampaw toss an insult at Yewberry, a deep frown creasing his face. "Mind your manners, young man." Badgermoon mrowed to Rampaw in a firm voice, attempting to lay his dark tail over the tunneler's shoulder in a comforting fashion. "I'm sure the taste of the elders' fleas would change your attitude, if you'd like." this wasn't the first time he'd met a young cat with a bit of a sassy streak, after all, and he felt reasonably confident in his ability to defuse the situation.​

 

[SOOTSTAR]

Sootstar watches the scene from a close distance, though she is unmoving even when Rampaw begins to mock the warrior. Yewberry was a blatantly sensitive Tom, it didn’t take much observing to note that he was a pushover. A little mouse in a clan full of rattlesnakes.

Sootstar wants him to show he can at least defend himself against an apprentice, someone with naturally less authority than he does. Yet Yewberry hardly budges aside from polite corrections, she scoffs, that’d never get an apprentice such as Rampaw to learn not to mess with him.

Badgermoon steps into diffuse the situation as a true warrior should, the threat of taking care of elder’s fleas lingers in the air. Yewberry should watch and learn, if a warrior could not defend their ground against an apprentice what type of warrior were they? ​

---

Spoiler: TAGS ★ 12/18

( primary character / "speech" / ic opinions )​

╰ ★ ჻ 001 GENERAL INFORMATION ,
· SOOTSTAR, female — she / her
╰ ‣ 34 moons . pisces. ages on the first
╰ ‣ windclan leader . marsh-born . believes in starclan
╰ ‣ former soldier of the marsh group

╰ ★ ჻ 002 VISUALS & AESTHETICS ,
· DOMESTIC FELINE, smells like heather and wet dirt , status — 100%
╰ ‣ blue smoke . scarred chest, difficult to see through fur . green eyes

╰ ★ ჻ 003 MENTALITY & MANNERISMS ,
· ESTJ-A ❝ EXECTUTIVE ❞ , Slytherin, Lawful Evil
╰ ‣ Cunning, brash, fierce, confident, self-reliant, envious & selfish
╰ ‣ finds great difficulty in relating to others . can be cruel, usually shows mercy to those she can find sympathy with
╰ ‣ sole key to her heart is loyalty, if you have her trust, she often shows a completely different side of herself. Aggression tends to manifest from her extreme paranoia
╰ ‣ Appreciates titles such as "miss, m'am" etc

╰ ★ ჻ 004 INTERACTIONS & RELATIONSHIPS ,
· SOOT CLAW x PEBBLE BREEZE, sister to Pebblenose
╰ ‣ heterosexual. mate to Weaselclaw
╰ ‣ mother to Windpaw & Sootpaw
╰ ‣ mentor to Sootpaw & Coyotepaw
╰ ‣ average fighter . skilled hunter .
╰ ‣ will start fights . unlikely to flee .
╰ ‣ attack in underline . penned by user @ava.​

​

​

 

[WEASELCLAW]

( 彡 ) Weaselclaw comes to stand beside Sootstar, his pale eyes watchful and scathing. If anything, the scene confirms every suspicion he's held about Yewberry since he'd met the small gray tom. He's weak, a pushover, unable to defend himself and, in Weaselclaw's eyes, that is by extension an inability to defend WindClan.

The tabby flicks his eyes to Rampaw, who is a hotheaded young cat, a bully who likes to test the waters. Badgermoon handles him the way Weaselclaw would -- with a flex of authority, a threat of extra chores or punishment.

Yewberry, though, accepts the taunt with nothing more than a tired correction. Showing his belly, showing his weakness.

Weaselclaw stands to leave Sootstar's side, prowling closer to Yewberry. "I think Yewberry should tell me how Rampaw should be punished," he says, voice cold. "What do you say, Yewberry? What should Rampaw have to do for being disrespectful to his superior?" It's a test, obviously so. Weaselclaw wants to see if Yewberry has it in him to punish an insolent young cat.​

( WITH A GUNSLINGER'S DESIRE , YOU'D RATHER BURN OUT THAN SAVE IT )

 

[Juniperfrost]

For a cat whose name literally meant death berries he surely had not a single inclination for violence in his body even if it was in defense of himself. Between this, the soft-hearted medicine cat and that one fool who constantly dozed off they were looking like a clan of fools and it pricked his nerves more than he would ever outright present to anyone.
"Don't coddle him Badgermoon, he's a grown cat and can defend himself and if he won't then he deserves to be trampled on." If Rampaw wanted to disrespect his superiors then he picked the right one to do so to, if that insult was cast his way he'd have left the foolish young tom with a few scars to remember the lesson.
Weaselclaw made some sort of attempt to encourage a little spine growth but the blue tabby snorted in displeasure and shook his head. This little lilac tom was not worth the effort it took to even try to coax any sense of self-respect from, he existed to dig holes and catch rabbits and he didn't even do that well.
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[strawmoon]

Straw is drawn forth by the sound of chattering cats, wide eyes trained on Rampaw and Yewberry rather than the others around them. Badgermoon is mad….. And So is Weaselclaw… Oh, Rampaw was really in for it now… "But he’s okay with it?" Yewberry hadn’t defended himself and so they turn to look at Weaselclaw with a wrinkled nose. They liked Rampaw, he was silly, they didn’t want him to get punished for something that the other cat was letting happen…

And then Juniperfrost appeared and even though his words went over their head they begin to nod. "Yewberry… likes it. See?" Strawpaw knows they’d giggle. Strawbile, Bilefrost… It was a funny edition to their existing names. Maybe Straw will keep that in the back of their mind..​

"speech"​

 

[Coldsnap]

IM SCARED TO GET CLOSE AND I HATE BEING ALONE
I LONG FOR THE FEELING TO NOT FEEL AT ALL
THE HIGHER I GET, THE LOWER I SINK
I CAN'T DROWN MY DEMONS, THEY KNOW HOW TO SWIM

---

It was hard work, caring about others. Not that this was news to Coldsnap, or anything. He'd cared once, a long time ago, could remember the heaviness it could leave on a cat- still felt the effect of it seasons after he'd stopped. And while a part of him insisted that it was pointless to throw himself back under that bus, he couldn't help himself anymore. Hyacinth leaving, the Rogues moving in, the fucking rift that sat between the cats he served and the cats he actually gave a fuck about- it was hard to ignore.

But walking this line was even harder.

Coldsnap made his way over in silence to stand beside Yewberry, hating the sense of uselessness he felt in that moment. He wanted to tell Juniperfrost to go play in traffic for insinuating Yewberry deserved to be treated like garbage by a fucking child, but he knew he had to choose his words carefully with Sootstar and Weaselclaw there, neither doing anything to help.

But that's what was so frustrating, because they weren't entirely wrong.

Rampaw did need to be put in their place and taught some respect, but they didn't have to bully Yewberry into doing it if he wasn't comfortable pulling rank with someone.

How far was Coldsnap allowed to push before he was driven out, though?

He couldn't keep his promise to Hyacinthbreath if he wasn't in Windclan.

So he kept his mouth shut, yellow eyes far from friendly as he waited for Yewberry to answer, trying to give the tom whatever silent encouragement he could.

---

windclan warrior - male - 12 months - a large, dark grey tabby with yellow eyes​

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​

 

[RAMWIND !]

MAY I STAND UNSHAKEN AMIDST THE CRASH OF THE WORLD ✧​

a cruel grin stretches across his face further as he watches the tom. too anxious and far too willowy to stand up to him. him! he can feel his ego growing, and his fangs peek through as he attempts to push yewberry further, only to wince at being found out by badgermoon. he has half a mind to tell the warrior to butt out of it and that he's doing a good job on his own. but badger turns on him, and thinks that ram is the one needing to keep his manners. his jaw hangs slack at the words before glaring upon bagdermoon.

not fair. until he catches sootstar, who hasn't seemed to say anything in punishing rampaw, and it gives him a bit more encouragement. "lighten up, badgermoon. i'm jus' playin' with him!" he draws closer to yewberry, as if daring him to do something, anything, to make him just back off a little. when weasel pips in, ram snaps his attention straight back to scrawny tom, eyes narrowed. oh, he better stay nice and quiet. ram really didn't feel like having to do an chore that yew sets him up to.

he finds himself nodding along to juniperfrost, a more reasonable warrior. hadn't ram proved he was already more brave than yewberry? more strong? why should he be punished for simply reminding the other of his place? eventually, he abandons yewberry's side and moves to strawpaw, muttering an exactly to their words. he doesn't spare coldsnap a glance, if he had nothing to say then that was it. instead, his attention kept switching between straw, and weasel. ​

 

[icebreath]

TAGS — Icepaw's grooming, lost in thought, when Rampaw confronts Yewberry. No — he straight up picks on him, quite literally pushing him around. A warrior. Her gaze is incredulous as she watches through round eyes, unable to fathom the level of both courage and stupidity he must possess. She thinks back to the way Lynxtooth had disciplined Firepaw not too long ago just for teasing Icepaw, a fellow apprentice; Rampaw will doubtlessly face much worse consequences for this kind of disrespect. But... Yewberry does virtually nothing in response. Huh? Icepaw herself can't stand conflict, avoiding confrontation at all costs, so they can definitely empathize. But still... he's a warrior and Rampaw's just an apprentice; it's not like he stands anything to lose from putting him in his place. In fact, going off of the judgmental gazes trained on him from the other onlooking felines — including from Sootstar herself, they realize with a jolt — Yewberry will be in hot water if he doesn't toughen up. She feels increasingly worse for him with each passing moment.

Relief washes over her when Badgermoon steps in. It's short-lived, however, quashed the moment Juniperfrost cuts in. If he won't defend himself he deserves to be trampled on. Once again she thinks of Firepaw, anxiety blossoming in her chest, and all the times her peer has teased and taunted her. All the times Icepaw's just ducked her head and ignored it, or relied on braver cats around her for defense. Does... does she deserve this same ire? Does she deserve the bullying, too? No — no, she's not a grown cat yet. She has time to toughen up. But what if it never happens? How's she just supposed to change so drastically like that? It's all too easy to imagine herself in Yewberry's place right now — an incredibly distressing thought. She's even been given a mean nickname before — Wormpaw! Just like Bileberry... She bites her lip hard, staring down at the ground and beginning to space out as the conversation continues around her, only half paying attention in favor of mulling over her insecurities.
​

 

[SUNSTAR]

It would seem that indeed Sunstride has spent his moons in places far more dangerous than this. Was it the life of a rogue? Or the teachings of a father before he grew too complacent to see past the extent of his tongue? It was not with reverence that the youths of his homeland treated their elders, but it stood so close that it might have traded their pelts. They were warriors, not soft-bellied fools. How would this mouse-mawed tom earn the respect of others, if he did nothing to their disrespect? There is harshness to the way that others interact with him. A cruelty, a taunting. Sunstride sees this and he knows it well. In some way, he agrees. What good was one who would not use their voice? But a kindness to clanmates is not a kindness to an enemy. There are better ways to test one's mettle than to gnaw at an ally.

In this moment, at least, the sun-toned tom chooses mercy. "It is not coddling to care for a clanmate, Juniperfrost." With an easy confidence to him, he comes to stand astride Icepaw. It is meant to be a comforting strength, a shield against the ire of another. "For we are clanmates, are we not? And there are better ways to waste one's energy than such cruelty towards one who has tied their life to this clan's. You do not grow strong warriors through words such as these." Gaze sharpening now, he finds Rampaw. "You teach."

﹥ˏˋ〘  OOC NOTES INFORMATION 〙ˊˎ﹤

• ooc: —
• SUNSTRIDE. named for his coloration and his bold chasing of fate.
  —— cis male, uses he - him. thirty-four moons old. warrior of windclan and former rogue.
  —— cautious of clan life, but an apt learner. encourages close bonds between clanmates.
  —— loyalty uncertain, cares for those surrounding him. undoubtedly closest to wolfsong.
  
  sunstride is broad and bold– a creature standing above most of windclan, though not a beast beyond its borders, with fur that flames red at its base and deepens to a burnt amber with every whorl and stripe. his eyes, in comparison, are a pale summer's blue, still as bold as the rest of him.
• "speech"

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[Irispath]

He could feel their gazes boring into him. His blood turned to ice in the face of it all and he lost his ability to speak. This was too much-

He wanted to run. To run and hide under his lavender bush and never come out.

But he couldn't do that.

He was resolved to do better, and was only now realizing that... Maybe that was easier said than done.

He struggled at first. Their words stung. He could even see Sootstar looking. He was briefly aware of Badgermoon and Sunstride coming to his defense, and Coldsnap coming to sit by him.

This was how he was viewed by the clan, was it? Small, weak, and insignificant?

Well....Are you? Are you the cat they think you are?

Yes. I am small and weak.

But you don't have to be. What's holding you back?

.............Fear.

Fear is what held him back.

Fear of retaliation. One wrong move.....And he would be ripped apart.

But he wanted to change. He had to be better. He had to try.

His chest was tight as he took a shaky breath. He looked at Rampaw.

...................

"I-its... It's not that big a deal....It's.... N-not like... He hurt me or anything......" He managed.

You are pathetic- stand up for yourself! You wanted to be better, so be better!!!!


He bit his lip. Come on.

"T...Taking care of the elders ticks for the rest of the day." He managed again.

You spineless wimp.

He swallowed hard. He fought the urge to run, it would make him look and feel worse in the long run. He was unable to meet anyones gaze.

Self improvement was beginning to feel like an impossible task.
​

 

[Juniperfrost]

"Were it any other clanmate I would give them the benefit of the doubt but this one-" His icy eyes size up the lilac fool, narrow into slits, "-has been nothing but a complaining burden for several moons now." He could only imagine how useful Yewberry would be during an actual battle, if one of the more bold clans attempted to strike out against them; it would be a mercy if he snapped the little bastard's neck himself and sparred him the torment of having to fight and shame his clan. He couldn't even handle one rogue, a rabbit could easily take him in a fight, it was honestly pathetic and unlike Sunstride he did not have much patience for weakness to this degree.
A very distinct snort escapes him as he shakes his head. Train with kindness, teach with sympathy. No. That is how you got dead soldiers.
"I would warrant our leader begs to differ, we are not raising kittens to pick flowers. Soft paws have no place on the moors."
The lilac worm manages some semblance of coherence, repeating the drivel as he's ordered and its all he can stand to look at for the moment; turning away in disgust to the stammering mess.
Briefly his eyes light upon Icepaw, noting her silence and refusal to look in the direction of the discussion and ensuing discipline; an apprentice who averts their eyes is either one bowing their head in compliance or also a coward and flicks his tai in irritation.
"Icepaw." His voice splinters like the frost of his own name, sharp, reproachful, "Do you feel this level of disrespect to a warrior from an apprentice is only worth a day of mindless chores? What would you have Rampaw do?"
​

 

[icebreath]

OOC: So sorry for the length of this! T-T Her actual reaction/response to Juniperfrost starts at paragraph four; everything before that is just internal narrative/reactions to the previous posts, so feel free to skip or skim it!

---

TAGS — Sunstride's confident retort and towering presence beside her snap the apprentice out of her turbulent thoughts. She tips her head back to stare up at him through round eyes, something like relief flooding her gaze. It's not coddling to care for a clanmate. No, yeah, he's right. Yewberry's one of them, and WindClan's all about loyalty to one another. Not everyone has to be tough to deserve respect; she works her tail off for the clan, and her own timid nature doesn't detract from that... (right?). Right. She's not a fighter, but she has her uses. Everyone does. She's still valuable. Even the intimidatingly severe Lynxtooth had come to her defense when Firepaw picked on her, and he hadn't scorned Icepaw for needing the assistance.

Then Juniperfrost goes on. A... complaining burden. So this is a special case — Icepaw's never been much of a complainer, always reluctant to suggest any semblance of dissatisfaction with her life and work here, and she's confident that she's too dedicated to ever be considered a burden. But still, his remark about soft paws stings a bit. It's hard not to feel like it applies to her, but at the same time she has to remind herself that it doesn't. She's fine. This isn't about her. She has the makings of a good tunneler, and she cares so much about WindClan. Maybe Yewberry's one of the cats whose loyalty Sootstar was concerned about? If he's been complaining so much...

But then they think about Sunstride's words again and start to feel guilty. Yewberry had sworn fealty to Sootstar upon request, and clearly he's trying his best. He even manages to stammer out a suggested punishment despite how clearly uncomfortable he is, which is honestly a bit painful to watch. Just the thought of being in his position worsens the anxiety currently plaguing her. This is a kind of strength in itself, isn't it, being able to speak up at all under all of this pressure and scorn? But, at the same time, it shouldn't have had to be such a struggle in the first place when he's doing something as simple as disciplining an apprentice. It's not like anyone's against it, other than Rampaw and Strawpaw, and why should their opinions outweigh their seniors? Ah, this is all so overwhelming... If only she could somehow get up and sneak off, remove herself from this situation altogether. Just observing quietly is incredibly stressful; if they were to swap places with Yewberry, victim to all of this intense scrutiny and humiliation, she might have a panic attack on the spot.

They can feel their attention slipping again, eaten away by their nerves as their pale gaze drops back down to their paws. That is, until their own name suddenly falls from Juniperfrost's sharp tongue with a level of admonishment that they aren't expecting in the slightest. Not that they were expecting to be brought into this ordeal at all. Shock is written all over her features as she looks up to meet Juniperfrost's gaze, eyes wide and jaws slightly parted. She vigorously shakes her head in response to his first question, but his second one turns her into a deer in headlights, frozen in place. "Uhm..." Eventually she tears her eyes away from the intimidating warrior and glances this way and that, looking to Yewberry, Rampaw, Sootstar, and all the onlooking warriors for some kind of guidance, or a visual aid on how she should respond, but in the state she's in she barely processes anyone's expressions or what anyone might be saying around her.

To be completely honest, Icepaw really does agree with Juniperfrost; Rampaw was entirely, insanely out of line, and Yewberry's suggested punishment isn't nearly severe enough. Everyone knows it. But still... she doesn't want to be the one to come up with an alternative. What if it's not good enough and Juniperfrost gets mad at her next? What if he gives her extra chores, or some other punishment comparable to whatever he might come up with for Rampaw? But what if her suggestion is good enough to satisfy him, and then Rampaw gets mad at her? Everyone here trains with their claws unsheathed... what if he takes his anger out on her during training? Or any other time? She's proven herself time and time again to be something of a pushover when it comes to something as mild as her peers' teasing; if he's seen her interactions with Firepaw he'd know full well that she's an easy target in just about every sense. And if not, well, it's not like she exudes a particularly tough or intimidating aura. StarClan, she feels sick. "Uh... a-a week of chores?" Her voice comes out shaky, which she internally kicks herself for. It's hard to think of anything worse in her near-panic, and as much as she wishes she could for her own sake, she also hopes what she's already offered isn't drastic enough to earn Rampaw's hatred.
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