with a fire at my feet ⛧ thistlepaw

[Vulturepaw]

˖⁺‧₊ ☽◯☾ ₊‧⁺˖ 　Vulturepaw doesn't understand. He's been nothing but nice to Thistlepaw, trying to look out for him as he does all of Rattleheart's kits. And yet - all it's earned him is venom. The memory of Bluefrost's return sits heavy as a stone in his throat, the voices of all their clanmates condemning Thriftfeather. It was terrifying, to stand against the crowd - and shocking, to have the sickly kit's ire directed at him.

It would be one thing if it was just that one instance, but it seems that Thistlepaw has decided her an enemy. Shoving him around, condemning him as a DuskClanner... As if he hasn't lost a family member to those rogues too, as if he wasn't terrified in that barren shrubland camp. Vulturepaw bristles as he sees the other pass him by in camp, shooting a narrowed glance. They've never been very good at holding their tongue. "You shouldn't tuh-tuh-talk about things you d-d-d... d-don't understand, you know" remarks the apprentice in warning, barbed tail lashing fitfully against the ground.

I HAD TO LEARN THAT THE HELPING HAND ⛧ CAN BE THE SAME THAT HOLDS THE KNIFE

• @THISTLEPAW !
  

• 

  
  
  "SPEECH"
  ​

• 
  VULTUREPAW ⛧ he / they / she, apprentice of windclan, eight moons.
  ➳ a spiky-furred dark tabby with amber eyes.
  ➳ skittish and dour, with a superstitious sort of pessimism.
  ➳ micheal x npc, adopted by periwinklebreeze.
  ➳ sibling to dustpaw, bilberrypaw, mourningpaw and weepingpaw.
  ➳ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ➳ penned by SATURNID ↛ saturnids on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

​

 

[THISTLEPAW !]

---

His mood is already not good. It hadn't been since the reveal of Bluefrost's treachery, since the day Thriftfeather had been allowed to stay among their camp's walls. He had dreaded it - the way they got to play house with their perfect little family while he and his siblings had been left with no mother. It was not fair. Unfair, that a riverclanner had laughed at his parent's death. Unfair, that he and most of his littermates had been confined to the nursery for longer than they should've because of a kit Cottonsprig brought in. None of it was right.

It doesn't get any better with Vulturepaw talking to him, either. Acting like he's superior, like he understands everything going on in Thistlepaw's head. No, he won't have this. Won't have any of it.

The pale-furred kitten snaps his teeth, eyes narrowing as he turns to look at Vulturepaw. Ice meets fire, and StarClan hold him back.

"What I don't understand?" He hisses in retalliation, his tufted tail-tip fluffed out; lion-like.

Was Vulturepaw hare-brained, or did she just play stupid?

"You are the one who keeps defending a traitor, and you want to tell me I don't understand?" His paw thumps onto the grass in a tantrum. His teeth are bared now, wolfish in appearance as he skulks closer and closer. Vulturepaw may be bigger than he is, but they don't scare him.

"Thriftfeather is not here out of the goodness of his heart. Like he suddenly came to his senses after living in DuskClan! No! He is here for selfish reasons. He doesn't care about WindClan, he only cares about his stupid family!"

It was not right, that Thriftfeather had a full family when Thistlepaw didn't.

"He made his choice to leave, why does he get to come back now? Because Bluefrost had his kits?" It's too much, all at once. Something deep inside him hurts. "You of all cats should know! He could've brought you back right away when you were taken if he's so nice. But he didn't. Don't you see he was just using you to get an easy way back here?" His claws come out, digging into the earth beneath. He wants to rake them against someone: Thriftfeather, or Vulturepaw? Or Bluefrost? Or - or Beefang, or her apprentice? Too much, it's too much. He's spiraling.

"Thriftfeather does not belong here. So why do you insist on defending him, on coming to his aid, when you were ever only used as a pawn?"

𝐆𝐎𝐃 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 *:･ﾟ✧ 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓

• 
  ooc. —
  
• 
  

  LH Seal-point with low white​

  
• 
  
  
  THISTLEPAW he / him apprentice of windclan
  son of Rattleheart x Venomstrike, brother to Bunnypaw, Crunchykit, Vinekit and Splinterkit.
  Lissom seal-point prickly-furred kitten with white markings on his face, chest, belly, paws and tail. His tail is long and has a tufted tip.
  "speech" thoughts

​

 

[Vulturepaw]

˖⁺‧₊ ☽◯☾ ₊‧⁺˖ 　Thistlepaw whirls on her, stomps a petulant paw against the ground. Vulturepaw's lip curls, eyes narrowing. They fluff their fur up in defense as the younger apprentice stalks closer, heart hammering. Unlike Thistlepaw, fear threads through the veins of the dark tom; but it's a feeling he's more than used to by now. He shouldn't have said anything, but he can't quite regret it, either. He'd rather stand up for himself than sit idly by like a frightened kit.

"How would you know?" she shoots back, tail lashing in a snakelike dance. "You were just a k-k-k... a k-kit when... when Duh... DuskClan attacked. B-buh-barely even had your eyes open." Younger than her, too little to understand. "And - and you still act like one. I had t-to grow up." Too fast, she was exposed to things far too big for her fearful mind to comprehend. It stings, still. She watches Thistlepaw throw a tantrum again and again, and its almost embarassing. "You act like it's all so simple..."

They're not naive, not like he is. They don't blindly trust Thriftfeather, don't truly trust anyone. They fear WindClan nearly as much as DuskClan, but they don't expect a cat like him to understand.

If their dad can tear his teeth into the throat of a cat who was once his friend and still be good, then maybe Thriftfeather can be too. They have to believe that.

WindClan, WindClan, WindClan. "So - so what if he c-cuh-cares more about his family? D-d... don't you? Or is some - some stupid idea of loyalty more important?" Loyalty was Thriftfeather's mistake - loyalty to Sootstar Loyalty causes nothing but bloodshed. "WindClan was just as bad as they are, once. I wouldn't wanna c-come back either," he spits. He thinks of Sunstar threatening to tear out Thriftfeather's throat for the crime of wanting to be with his family, and it's all he can do not to start crying again.

It's all so cruel. Everyone seems to revel in it, in this "deserved" cruelty.

If he did go back to DuskClan, like Thistlepaw wants him to... Would they be so ready to take his life as well? The thought of returning makes him feel terrified - but staying here isn't roving much better, either.

A pawn. Just like Sootspot said; from Thistlepaw's mouth it feels childish. "So what if I'm b-being used?" His words come more tiredly now, flame dimming to an ember. "I'd - I'd rather buh-believe he can be good than... than blindly c-c-cuh-condemn him." Because that's what this all comes down to, isn't it? He wants to think that all kindness isn't selfish.

Maybe that is naive of him. He can't quite bring himself to care.

I HAD TO LEARN THAT THE HELPING HAND ⛧ CAN BE THE SAME THAT HOLDS THE KNIFE

• 
  

• 

  
  
  "SPEECH"
  ​

• 
  VULTUREPAW ⛧ he / they / she, apprentice of windclan, eight moons.
  ➳ a spiky-furred dark tabby with amber eyes.
  ➳ skittish and dour, with a superstitious sort of pessimism.
  ➳ micheal x npc, adopted by periwinklebreeze.
  ➳ sibling to dustpaw, bilberrypaw, mourningpaw and weepingpaw.
  ➳ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ➳ penned by SATURNID ↛ saturnids on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

​

 

[THISTLEPAW !]

---

With every word uttered by Vulturepaw, the seal-point grows more agitated. His tail whips, snake-like and savage, as he licks his teeth and bares his fangs. "Exactly. I was younger than you and I have a better understanding than you do!" He growls, because it's all he can do - he will not shed any blood today, no matter how much he wants to lunge at her right now.

"I am loyal to my family and WindClan. Thriftfeather eats our food and is protected by our walls, yet he is not one of us. He's only here because Sunstar is too busy to make a decision." There is some venom in that last sentence. The spotted leader's clan should come first. . . it's what StarClan said, isn't it? And yet he hesitates. "Do you see Scorchstreak leaving to be with her son at the barn? Scorchstorm? Do you think they don't care about their family because they chose to stay at WindClan?" He challenges, stepping up to be face-to-face with Vulturepaw. He dares the black-furred apprentice to say anything about his family.

WindClan was just as bad as they are, once. I wouldn't wanna c-come back either, "Do you forget that DuskClan was formed by Sootstar's loyalists? That they were the ones who made WindClan "bad"? Or do you pretend that's not true to fit your stupid narrative?" There is no way Thistlepaw is having to say all of this. Sootstar's loyalists continue to provoke and raid them, continue trying to kidnap their kits, and somehow WindClan are the bad guys to Vulturepaw. It was ridiculous.

"I wish your dad had finished him off when he had the chance. One less Sootstar loyalist to deal with."

𝐆𝐎𝐃 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 *:･ﾟ✧ 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓

• 
  ooc. —
  
• 
  

  LH Seal-point with low white​

  
• 
  
  
  THISTLEPAW he / him apprentice of windclan
  son of Rattleheart x Venomstrike, brother to Bunnypaw, Crunchykit, Vinekit and Splinterkit.
  Lissom seal-point prickly-furred kitten with white markings on his face, chest, belly, paws and tail. His tail is long and has a tufted tip.
  "speech" thoughts

​

 

[Vulturepaw]

˖⁺‧₊ ☽◯☾ ₊‧⁺˖ 　Thistlepaw snarls, anger flashing in icy eyes. Bloody, threatening anger. Their hackles rise as he closes in. They're cornered.

Still, he makes it all sound so simple. Black and white, as if this isn't the same conundrum that she's been turning in her head again and again. The same tangled mess of thread that keeps her awake at night, wondering if all she's done is defend a murderer. In the end, it comes back to that: family. Thriftfeather returned them to theirs, and so they repay the favor.

They grind their teeth at the mention of Scorchstreak. "That's not the same," she shoots back, eyeing Thistlepaw defiantly. "They have other family here. I g-guess you wouldn't get it," she mumbles. He's clanborn - not like her, not like Thriftfeather. He has roots that they do not. They divert their eyes. "All he has is a bunch of c-c-cats who want him d-d-dead." So why should he feel any loyalty? They'd sooner attack than ask questions, they've proved that much.

Vulturepaw recoils bodily at the mention of their father.

The sound of blood rushes through their ears. If his dad had killed Thriftfeather... Who would be left to bring him back? He'd be stuck there forever - maybe Thistlepaw would like it better that way. He would rather their dad - kind, gentle Periwinklebreeze - be made a murderer. The thought has their breaths coming quick, eyes wide.

Does he not think about what would have happened - or does he really hate them that much?

Anger floods through them in the wake of the shock. Their paw twitches, face contorting with disgust - and for a moment, they feel like they could nearly cuff him over the ear for saying such a thing.

They catch themself. Where would that leave them, if they resorted to violence in the face of anger?

Their face turns cold, tail flicking. "You're just as cuh-cuh-cruel as they are," he says lowly. Wishing death upon another so callously... "Aren't we supposed to b-be better?"

The question comes out plaintive, shaky. A plea to a snarling child.

He swallows thickly, pulls himself back. Even if Thistlepaw is willing to wantonly wish violence upon his enemies for the sake of WindClan, Vulturepaw is determined to be kinder. He mulls over his words for a moment. "Everyone was loyal to Sootstar. She was the leader, just like Sunstar is now. Thh-that was WindClan, too, wasn't it? And - and everyone just let it happen for moons." It's hard to imagine. He doesn't know what anyone was like in the distant before. It's hard to think of the adults he knows as former followers of a tyrant.

"How - how long until we become like that again? How long until it's okay to k-k-kidnap a d-d-d... a duh..." His face twists up in frustration. Stars, he hates this. As if he didn't already look like a fool arguing, he can barely speak. He spits his next words with some degree of effort: "a D-DuskClan kuh-kuh-k-kit t-to 'save' them?" His voice shakes. He thinks of Gravelpaw, asking nervously if he knows any games. He thinks of Hungerkit, hiding in nooks and crannies with wide and tearful eyes, never speaking a single word.

He steps forward, stares Thistlepaw down. "...Or would you rather we just k-k-k-kill them all instead?"

I HAD TO LEARN THAT THE HELPING HAND ⛧ CAN BE THE SAME THAT HOLDS THE KNIFE

• 
  

• 

  
  
  "SPEECH"
  ​

• 
  VULTUREPAW ⛧ he / they / she, apprentice of windclan, eight moons.
  ➳ a spiky-furred dark tabby with amber eyes.
  ➳ skittish and dour, with a superstitious sort of pessimism.
  ➳ micheal x npc, adopted by periwinklebreeze.
  ➳ sibling to dustpaw, bilberrypaw, mourningpaw and weepingpaw.
  ➳ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ➳ penned by SATURNID ↛ saturnids on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

​

 

[THISTLEPAW !]

---

That is not the same. she says, and yet it is. Scorchstreak and Scorchstorm only ever put their Clan first, all the while being with their family. Thriftfeather did not; he abandoned - betrayed - WindClan to found DuskClan and now decided it was okay to leave it all behind to come back for his family. Thriftfeather had been nothing but selfish. All he has is a bunch of c-c-cats who want him d-d-dead. Vulturepaw says, and Thistlepaw finds himself snorting. "Oh no! If that's not the consequences of his own actions!" He feigns shock, mocking worry in the tone of his voice.

Thriftfeather only knew how to run. From his Clans, from his actions. Only flight and no dealing with the aftermath. It was about time those choices caught up to him.

He sees it, the flicker of anger in the black tabby's eyes. For a moment, he expects to be attacked, and his muscles tense in preparation. But it doesn't come. The coward's face contorts from disgust into nothing a blank stare that only makes Thistlepaw angrier. You're just as cuh-cuh-cruel as they are, The click of a tongue as he meets Vulturepaw's gaze. Aren't we supposed to b-be better? "And we are better." He growls, ears pressed to his skull. Maybe not you, with your poisoned thoughts.

"Your argument does not stand!" The seal-point hisses irritably, jaw snapping shut loudly. "She went mad! And the Clan revolted. Sunstar returned the stolen kits to ShadowClan. Sunstar led the revolt against Sootstar, and now she rots. Tell me, again, who stood with Sootstar until the end? Who fled camp when Sunstar won?" Thriftfeather did. And he dares Vulturepaw to try and twist it, twist how history went.

"You want to compare the choice a kit makes with the choice of a grown cat? A kit doesn't know any better. DuskClan starves and they will all probably all die come Leaf-bare. Do you wish for kits and apprentices who don't know any better to starve to death?" Vulturepaw had called him cruel. No - no. Thriftfeather had betrayed them as an adult, and he should deal with those consequences. "DuskClan kits have been fed lies from the moment they were born. Shouldn't we break that brainwashing? Or do we leave them to it, until they die of starvation, or until we meet in battle?" Would he show mercy to a DuskClan apprentice, no older than he is, were they to fight? No, he probably would not.

𝐆𝐎𝐃 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 *:･ﾟ✧ 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓

• 
  ooc. —
  
• 
  

  LH Seal-point with low white​

  
• 
  
  
  THISTLEPAW he / him apprentice of windclan
  son of Rattleheart x Venomstrike, brother to Bunnypaw, Crunchykit, Vinekit and Splinterkit.
  Lissom seal-point prickly-furred kitten with white markings on his face, chest, belly, paws and tail. His tail is long and has a tufted tip.
  "speech" thoughts

​

 

[Vulturepaw]

˖⁺‧₊ ☽◯☾ ₊‧⁺˖ 　Thistlepaw seems to think it's funny. He's so unwilling to treat DuskClanners like real cats, to afford them even the slightest shred of empathy. Their voice wobbles. "Is... Is it not p-possible for someone to change?" Why can Sootstar get worse - go mad - but Thriftfeather can't change for the better? He is good now, they have seen it. He did no wrong for them to hate him for, all the accusations thrown at him intangible and far-gone.

They want to believe that the cat who saved them from DuskClan is just that: a frightened creature affording kidnness to another. It's selfish, it's naive. He knows that.

But it's better. WindClan is constantly trying to convince the rest of the forest that they're deserving of a second chance. They're nothing but hypocrites if they don't offer their own cats the same.

She is quiet for a moment after Thistlepaw finishes speaking, tail lashing fitfully.

Her words come halting, nowhere near as confident as they should, but throrn-barbed nonetheless. "There was - when I was k-k-k... When I was stolen, th-there was an apprentice, Puhh-Privetpaw." He was barely older than they were. "He said that WindClan b-brainwashed me. That there were thing my cuh... cuh... c-clan was hiding. That's - that's why they stole me away." Before he can interject, they raise their voice. "I'm not - I'm not saying he was right, obviously," she amends quickly, before Thistlepaw can twist her words. She levels him with a burning amber stare. "Just that, um. Thuh-thh-that's what you sound like, right now."

His words had sowed doubt within her, but not quite enough to turn her fully to traitorous thoughts. Now, looking at Thistlepaw, she thinks that he may have been telling the truth. Thistlepaw is so blindly loyal, so unwilling to accept even the slightest suggestion that his righteousness could be undeserved.

His impassive expression darkens. Another lash of his tail, and bitter anger creeps its way back into his voice. "And if we're saving k-k-khh - " his eyes scrunch shut in frustration. "k-kits from starvation, why not t-t-take from ShadowClan too? That's what Sootstar did." They crowd closer, eyes flickering open to glare at the smaller apprentice. Up in his face, just as he did to them. "D-did you know that? She 'saved' them from their preyless c-c-clan." Their voice raises to match his snarl, shaky and fearful. It is the cry of a wounded prey animal calling for help. "That's what WindClan killed her for." It's half plea and half threat.

I HAD TO LEARN THAT THE HELPING HAND ⛧ CAN BE THE SAME THAT HOLDS THE KNIFE

• 
  

• 

  
  
  "SPEECH"
  ​

• 
  VULTUREPAW ⛧ he / any, apprentice of windclan, eight moons.
  ➳ a spiky-furred dark tabby with amber eyes.
  ➳ skittish and dour, with a superstitious sort of pessimism.
  ➳ micheal x npc, adopted by periwinklebreeze.
  ➳ sibling to dustpaw, bilberrypaw, mourningpaw and weepingpaw.
  ➳ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ➳ penned by SATURNID ↛ saturnids on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

​