private TELL ME I’M A BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD MAN // howling wind

[Tybalt [Stagstrike]]

Tybalt flopped down, no longer caring about the meeting that was going on across the camp. How dare Emberstar try to take away his name? Who had given her that right? He certainly hadn't. He didn't care that he'd protested the change in front of everyone, and he certainly didn't care about what Starlingpaw had to say about it. Not even Hollow Tree, his mentor, seemed to care enough to respect his name. His real one, not some stupid made up one that he'd never agreed to.

So he'd turned his back and stalked away from her, from all of them. He wished his parents were still alive. He wished his mother had never eaten that poisoned mouse. Then they never would have fled to these stupid woods in the first place, and he'd still have gotten to keep his name.

Sure, life in the city had been hard. They'd been hungry a lot, and had had to fight for every little scrap they had, but at least he'd known his parents had loved him. They were proud of him, and he'd loved them, and that had made it all worth it. Not like in ThunderClan.

@HOWLING WIND

(I put it right after his outburst at the meeting, I hope that's okay!)

 

[HOWLINGSTAR]

The young tom's outburt wasn't unnoticed by the clan's brand new deputy. She stares after him after meeting her own new trainee, expression neutral. She waits until Emberstar is finished and the meeting adjourns before she casts a glance towards one of her eldest daughters. Hollow Tree had been assigned a rather difficult one, hadn't she? Disrespect certainly wouldn't be tolerated, especially by a cat who was meant to be still learning. First clan meeting, and already a scene had been made.

She pads silently towards the pouting apprentice with her usual dignified posture, head and tail held high. Emberstar had appointed her deputy, and it was now her duty to maintain a certain level of order and respect around the clan. An apprentice shouting at a leader in the middle of a clan meeting is certainly unacceptable. "Stagpaw," She mews to grab his attention, now coming to a halt beside him. She draws in a breath, maintaining her gentle yet firm tone that she often had to use with her kits when they were young. "I understand you're upset, but you're a part of this clan now. It's something even bigger than yourself, bigger than any of us. This is our way from now on, and you get to be a part of that. Isn't that exciting?" ​

 

[Tybalt [Stagstrike]]

He growled as the deputy approached, yet another cat referring to him with a name that was not his. She spoke to him the way one might speak to a misbehaving kitten, and he pinned his ragged ears back against his head before answering her.

“No,” Tybalt spat. “It’s not. There’s no reason I can’t be a ThunderClan cat and keep my name. It’s the only thing I have left from my parents, and Emberstar has no right to take it from me.” His pelt prickled with anger as he spoke. “It’s important to me. They didn’t have anything else to leave me and now you’re saying I can’t keep it? Why? Just because you want to match with all the other clans? Just because some cats in the sky think you should? Well, I don’t care, and if the other clans and StarClan are worth anything at all, they won’t care either. It’s not my name. I already have one, and whether I’m a ThunderClan cat or not shouldn’t have anything to do with what my name is.”

 

[HOWLINGSTAR]

Howling Wind blinks, rather stunned by the blatant disrespect being shown by the apprentice. Was he wishing for more chores? A longer apprenticeship? Because this is certainly the way to achieve that. Her expression remains neutral, as the older she-cat is rather practiced at maintaining her composure, but his spitting registers with her and she won't forget it. Sighing, she mews again, "I understand, but if you wish to be a ThunderClan cat you will accept our ways. No one is keeping you here if you don't wish to do that. But this is how it will be in ThunderClan from now on. If you wish to stay and train as a warrior, then we'd be honored. If you don't want this life, we can't make you stay." It's bluntly honest, but she feels it's what's best. Why make a nearly grown cat feel like he's imprisoned if this isn't what he wants? The thought of him leaving saddens her - he has so much passion in him, she can see that much. He would make a wonderful warrior, a steadfast ally. But if he's unhappy...there's still time to back out. It's better to know now than later.​