Brighteyes did his best to be the kind of cat that others could look up to and rely on. To always walk on the side of optimism and to always show courage even when he was shaking in fear. And for the most part, he succeeded.
Bright had only been nine months old when he first showed up on the Thunderclan border. Alone, covered in dirt and the stench of grief and despair, with only an old twoleg collar around his neck to mark where he'd come from. He'd been among the last of the kittypets allowed to join the ranks before Howlingstar became leader, and in the time that he'd been there he'd worked incredibly hard to learn their ways. He excelled in the spoken part of things; learning the locations of the borders, the history of the clans, starclans importance, and the various codes. He was also an exceptional learner, his observational skills meaning he could watch a spar or hunt and tell you exactly where you needed improvement and how to go about it.
But when it came to executing those things himself?
Bright could never seem to get it right.
He wasn't horrible- he could hunt well enough, and against an opponent his own size he wasn't necessarily bad in a fight, he was just.... incredibly average, if not less so. And it wasn't a bad thing! Average cats were totally fine! He just- he'd always dreamt of being more than that, and even with the odds against him he'd never given up on that desire.
Though, moments like this did occasionally make him wonder if the other cats weren't right in saying he should.
The small, dark tabby was completely frozen in fear.
He knew he should have run, or hide, or done anything other than let his legs lock up on him, but.... he hadn't seen a dog since...
A violent shudder wracked his frame as the thing caught sight of him. He watched in horror as the body language shifted from excited and curious, to something for more intense. It's ears perked forward, it's fur bristled in excitement, and an eager growl escaped it's muzzle as it charged toward him. Brighteyes yowled in terror and lashed out at the dogs face, claws bared but the strikes far from practiced. Everything was frantic and desperate as the yapping dog circled him, darting in to nip at the cat before jumping away as f it were just one big game for them. But the bites hurt, taking tufts of fur out with them and yanking him with every pull.
The dog wasn't especially large, nor was it actually trying to kill Brighteyes. And if the small, green-eyed tomcat hadn't been busy panicking and flashing back to that night in the junkyard, he probably could have driven the mutt off himself, or at least gotten away from it by scaling a nearby tree. Instead, he remained huddled against the dirt ground, hissing and clawing as the dog circled him.
OOC- a loose dog is harassing Bright. not so much trying to 'maul' him as it is very aggressively playing with him. But like, the rude kind of playing, where the dog clearly has no manners and doesn't care if it's being too rough. Feel free to powerplay it and chase it off, it's not very big and won't actually be interested in a fight, so Wild can scare the shit out of it if he wants to XD
There were a few good ways to get noticed in a clan; being good at what you do, and then being so awful that you become hard to ignore. Wildheart liked to think of himself as being able to turn heads with ease given his bold nature and confidence when conducting all of his tasks and duties. Having the limelight stolen from him only served to irritate him, unless duly earned that is. There were plenty in ThunderClan that he held a quiet respect for, but when it came to Brighteyes he only felt frustration.
In all honesty he hadn't intended to cast his thoughts to that of Brighteyes, but with the former kittypet out of view and the distinct stench of dog in the air he found himself unable to ignore the niggling claw of concern worming about at the back of his mind. It was enough to compel him to abandon his hunting post in order to investigate, and perhaps a good thing he did. His amber eyes widened as he beheld the sight of his clanmate being tormented by a dog.
It was enough to dredge up old memories of the time that ThunderClan had been hunted and attacked by a pack of dogs during his youth. He had learned the hard way of the kind of savagery that such creatures were capable of. He had lost his tail to a dog. He also remembered rallying the apprentices to confront the dog that had broken into the camp. Through such experiences he had learned when it was best to run, and when it was best to stand and fight.
The dog here was nothing like the ones he had once faced, it was a lot smaller for a start and wasn't lunging forth with murderous intent. But that didn't dampen the level of danger either. Even one that size could all too easily kill a cat. Still, this was no time for inaction, and neither did he possess the time to fetch help. The adrenaline hit hard as he barrelled towards the hound with a caterwaul of spitting fury, bristling with his teeth flashing in warning. In an instant he aimed to place himself between the dog and Brighteyes, and without hesitation he lashed out with his claws and aimed to land a vicious strike at the hound's snout.
"DON'T JUST STAND THERE! GET UP A TREE, NOW!" Wildheart bellowed the command without hesitation as he bravely continued to face off against the canine, still hissing and yowling with ferocity and growing intensity. He knew that if he gave any gap in the display he would only invite disaster upon them both, so for their sake he had to stay strong and brave. Again he lashed out with his claws as he began to steal ground from the mutt, then much to his own surprise the beast turned tail and... ran? It wasn't what Wildheart had expected, but he certainly wasn't going to complain either. "Yeah, you better run!"
He wasn't thinking straight. Everything he knew about dogs from his life as a former kittypet had gone right out the window only to be replaced by the half-feral mutts of the junkyard, and the only coherent thought that could form in his brain was that this was it; he was going to die before he'd ever learned to do anything good for the world- before he ever got a chance to prove to himself that Storms sacrifice wasn't a mistake.
That would hurt more than any teeth ripping him apart ever could, and he felt his eyes begin to blur with tears at the realization.
And then, another sound rose above that of the blood pounding in his ears - a furious yowl of a warcry- and suddenly the dog was reeling back as another cat seemed to material between them. For a second he expected to see the form of a young, off-black shecat standing there in front of him, as impossible as it might be, but instead of fur the color of smoke he was met with the sight of fire as the familiar ginger and black patched coat of Wildheart stood between him and the dog. Spitting and snarling, the tom looked fearless as he held his ground against the animal- like a real warrior- and for the briefest moment Bright found himself looking at the very thing he wished he could be.
He was snapped out of his thoughts - out of his daze, out of his everything- at the roaring command that came from the calico, and finally his body was listening even if it wasn't to his own brain. He scrambled backwards, nearly tripping over his own paws before he turned and made to run toward the nearest tree.
Not again.
His heels dug in at the realization, at the sick feeling of deja vu. He'd been here before. A dog at his front, an escape at his back, and someone trying to buy him time, screaming at him to Get out of there! Just run, Emmy! And he had, hadn't he? He'd turned without thinking just like he was doing now and he'd run for the fence, slipping under it and turning back just in time to see them descend upon her.
And he'd hated himself ever since.
Not again!
He spun back toward commotion with claws unsheathed and fur bristling, green eyes set ablaze with his own resolve as he prepared to rush back and help his clanmate, only to find the dog turning on it's heels and.. running away? He gave an owlish blink of surprise as he watched it's retreating figure, only to shift his attention back to his clanmate. Wildheart had won?
"T-that was- That was amazing, Wildheart!" exclaimed Bright with stars in his eyes as he rushed over to the taller tomcat, ducking his head in an apologetic bow. "I'm really sorry you had to come rescue me like that! Are you okay- you didn't get hurt because of me, did you?" he asked, looking the other over worriedly.
The moment of basking in the other warrior's praise was brief, especially as his fury continued to burn like a wildfire. The calico tom whipped himself round once he was sure that the dog wouldn't be returning and he locked his blazing sights upon the former kittypet. Striding forward, he then aimed to chuff Brighteyes over the head with a paw. " Idiot! You better be sorry! If you had a lick of sense you would have rushed up the nearest tree, then alerted the rest of the patrol about the danger! You were damned lucky that I had been close by, kittypet-breath!" He was furious, that much was evident. But there was also a sense of relief behind the inferno.
"Failing to act is what gets you killed or injured, especially against dogs." To run the point home he twitched the fluffy stump of a tail he still had left, a painful reminder of what failure could lead to. "Your capability as a warrior is questionable, though what should I expect from someone who spends his days hiding in the medicine den? Tch!" With so much time lost to injuries it really came as no surprise to him that Brighteyes was failing to prove himself as a capable warrior.
Letting his rage simmer down he then cast his focus back to the wider reality of their situation. "We need to make sure that dog has left the territory, so you're with me. So you better stick close and listen to my orders this time, got it?!" It hadn't gone unnoticed that his earlier command had been ignored.
Brighteyes let out a little "Oof!" as he was cuffed and then angrily scolded about his lack of common sense, lifting white paw to rub at the spot where he'd been whacked. The other tom wasn't exactly wrong. Bright should have run. The fact that he'd let his memories overwhelm him to the point of being completely useless should have gotten him killed.
Green eyes widened as they flickered to Wildhearts tail. A dog had done that? Just how many times had the calico tangled with the monsters and come away with his life? How was he still so unshakeable when facing them like that? His wonder was put on temporary hold though when his time in the medicine cats den was brought up though, and his ears drooped somewhat as a frown settled on his muzzle.
"I'm not hiding!" he protested, meeting the others amber-red gaze with something akin to frustration. Was that what they all thought? "I just- I have to keep training so that I'm not so clumsy, is all!"
Then, he wouldn't be tripping over tree roots or freezing up when it counted. He just had to keep pushing himself until it came more naturally, but to do that, he had to keep himself out of the medicine cats den. The amount of experience he should have was severely lacking compared to the other warriors his age, and Bright was desperate to catch up with his peers.
Which is why, when Wildheart announced they were going after the dog to make sure it was actually gone, the dark tabby was quick to straighten up and nod. He had half expected the other warrior to order him back to camp after his blatant failure a few moments ago, and he wasn't about to squander his chance to redeem himself.
"R-right! I won't mess up again, you can count on me Wildheart." the sleek tabby replied, putting on his game face. He had to focus! Had to prove he could be trusted to handle this! It wasn't just him going after the dog, but his clanmate too, and he wasn't going to be the reason they got killed out there. "Just tell me what to do." His clanmate clearly had a handle on this kind of thing and was leagues ahead of him as far as their warrior prowess went, so Bright wasn't afraid to let them take the lead on it.
"We'll see about that." Wildheart grumbled low under his breath as he prowled through the forest following the lingering scent of dog. Naturally he remained cautious and his ears swivelled frantically as he sought out any crunching or shifting of large paws. Though he detected nothing of note beyond the sound of their own paws crossing the forest expanse. "Keep low. We're not far from the thunderpath now." Already the air was becoming tinged by the acrid stench of the thunderpath and it's monsters.
Easing himself under a bush he then gestured for Brighteyes to ease in beside him. It was there that he saw the dog bouncing around the paws of a twoleg whilst a monster rumbled close by. Both the dog and the twoleg soon disappeared into the metal beast and with that they departed from the territory. Wildheart finally allowed an exhale of release as the tension left him. "Thank StarClan, it's gone now. We can finally get back to hunting."
Blessedly, Starclan saw fit to keep Brighteyes from making any more of a fool of himself in front of Wildheart. He managed to keep up without stumbling over anything or making a huge racket, scenting the air to help keep the trail and sliding into the bush behind his fellow warrior to set wide green eyes upon the thunderpath beyond.
Bright had seen a lot of those in his day. There'd been a particularly busy one not far from the junkyard he'd lived at, and the noise and smell had never been pleasent. Then again, no smells were really all that great in a place like that. Burning rubber, rust, dogscent, and old trash. It'd been a big place with lots to explore, but it wasn't exactly a hospitable place with the loose dogs, jagged bits of metal, and the maze-like setup of everything. Not to mention the rats and crows.
Was it strange, that the thunderpath reminded him more of that place than it did his home in twolegplace? He'd spent about the same amount of time in each place...
"Yeah. Hopefully that doesn't become a regular occurrence. It wouldn't be good for Thunderclan to have to deal with twolegs bringing their dogs here all the time." Brighteyes replied as he watched the car disappear down the road, hoping it was just a one off fluke.
One of the things he'd always loved about Thunderclan was that it didn't require him to go near or interact with the humans anymore. While Bright didn't hate them, he didn't exactly trust them either. There was just... too much of a communication gap there for him to confidently say he would be comfortable around them again, and he had no regrets about trading that in for the cats of Thunderclan. At least he could talk to them.
Turning to Wildheart, he offered the larger tom a sweet but nervous smile. "But you seem to have a lot of experience dealing with dangerous stuff like that, Wildheart! You didn't even hesitate to come help me. I'll bet you've probabaly chased a lot of things off Thunderclan territory, haven't you?"
Bright couldn't help his curiosity; it was in his nature. Had Wild been born as brave and fierce as he was, or had he become that way over time? Maybe, just maybe, he could learn a thing or two from the calico tomcat.
The sight of the smile being beamed his way was enough to make him scowl back at Brighteyes. Honestly he wasn't sure how to handle it, especially with the praise being sprinkled on top. "Tch! Being brave is what a good warrior is, and leaving clanmates, even useless ones like you, to die is just downright cowardly. Besides, I've dealt with bigger dogs before." A wicked grin filled his features as he reflected back on his apprentice days when the dog pack had terrorised the clan.
Though in truth his grin and bravado was hiding something else; fear.
The nightmares weren't as bad these days, but they still wormed their way into his slumber every so often. Though rather than collapse under the weight of such fear he sought to turn it into a weapon to boost his ferocity and determination. "A dog bit my tail off when I was young, but that didn't stop me from protecting the camp when another attacked days later. An injured leader will fight to protect their clan, even at the cost of their life. And since I intend to be leader one day I gotta prove that I'm willing to do that."
The tom quickened his pace before leaping up onto the trunk of a fallen tree. Turning himself around he then looked down at Brighteyes with his amber eyes burning with intensity. "I have fought foxes, rogues, enemy clans, and even owls. I run from nothing, and I'll never abandon a clanmate." He bore the scars to prove his service, and he intended to gather many more in the moons to come. He was committed to ThunderClan, though would a former kittypet ever understand what that life entailed?
Bravery. Brighteyes wished it was a trait that came more naturally to him. There had certainly been times in his life when his own fears were trumped by the sheer need to act in order to help someone, but those times were the exception, not the norm. The dark furred tabby naturally tended to err on the side of caution, having no illusions as to where his own worth or strength stood in comparison to other cats. Next to the Thunderclanners- hell, even next to the other strays back before he'd joined up with a clan- Bright had always lacked the natural affinities that others had. He wasn't big or aggressive enough to hold himself in a fight. He wasn't stealthy or agile enough to catch his own prey. He wasn't even cute or interesting enough to keep his twoleg kits attention long enough to reach his first year in their household. And that added up over time, even if he chose to keep smiling despite the weight of inadequacy on his shoulders.
He just had to work a little harder, that was all. Practice a little more.
Maybe start taking notes on other cats instead of collecting the bones of dead prey to study for weak spots.
Bright was pretty much hanging on every word as Wildheart recounted the dog who took his tail, and then the fight he'd gotten into the next day. All in pursuit of one, singular goal- to prove his worth as the future leader of Thunderclan. For all his own aspirations -mainly to become one of the greatest warriors the clan had ever seen- Bright had never considered the possibility of becoming leader one day. To be chosen by the stars, to be granted nine lives to protect his clan with- that didn't seem obtainable for a cat like him.
But seeing Wildheart so brazenly claiming it'd be his one day; Bright found that far easier to believe in. A cat like that would certainly deserve to be leader one day.
And maybe Bright could pick up a thing or two along the way- he did want to be a great warrior after all, so learning from a cat with a similar goal would be beneficial, right?
"Well, your definitely very brave!" he agreed, watching as the other stood upon the log as if it was a stage. "I-uh- I was attacked by a dog once before, too. I managed to get away but- well, I'm still pretty scared of them." he admitted with a sheepish laugh, trying to sound casual and vague about the experience. He hadn't lost a tail, but..
"I'm working on that, though! Like you, I also have a dream I'd like to achieve one day, so letting my fear get the best of me is something I have to get over. I m-might not look like much now, but one day I'll be a great Thunderclan warrior, too!" he explained brightly, a confidence in the words that seemed to have no right being there given his track record of failures.
"Who knows, maybe I'll even be your deputy one day." he joked, finding it to be a fun mental image even if it wasn't something he thought would become a reality.
For a moment Wildheart was swayed into thinking that Brighteyes was perhaps not that bad, that is until the comment about becoming his potential deputy one day was made. The calico tom erupted into a roar of mocking laughter as he looked down at the other warrior. Sure, it had meant to be a joke, but to Wildheart it was truly a mockery of what real deputies were meant to be. "Ha! Keep dreaming, loser."
Shaking his head he then leapt his way back down from the fallen log before he pressed onwards through the forest. "Come on, we need to meet up with the rest of the patrol. And you can explain why we don't have any prey to show." He wasn't going to take the fall for having empty paws, and if Brighteyes wanted to prove how brave he truly was then he would face the others and tell the truth about his failure.
Ears twitched backward at the sudden, mocking laugh that he was met with, offering a weak laugh of his own in response. Was it really that farfetched of a thing to say? Surely anything was within the realm of possibility?
He decided that it was best to just let it go. He and Wildheart didn't know each other well so the other tom had no way of knowing just how serious Brighteyes was about becoming a better warrior. But in time, the dark furred tabby was certain he'd be able to prove himself, not just to the calico, but to the entire clan as well. He would be a great warrior one day, protecting those who couldn't protect themselves.
He'd make Stormy proud.
"O-oh, right! Of course!" he agreed easily, falling into step behind the other as they began their march back toward the patrol. "It was my fault, after all. It wouldn't be fair if you were dragged into it as well."
Wildheart had only been trying to help. Now, the other would have to return with no prey.
"But on the bright side, at least you can add another win to your name!" he offered quickly. The clan would surely praise Wild for his quick thinking and bravery, wouldn't they?
"Hey Wildheart?" he asked after a moment, "Who did you train with when you were younger- do you think they'd train me too?" he asked, tone curious and thoughtful. He knew he was technically too old to be a formal apprentice anymore, but maybe if he could learn from the cat who'd trained Wildheart, then Brighteyes could pick up some of the lessons that hard surely shaped them into the warrior they were now.
Good. At least the other warrior knew his place when it came to taking responsibility for their folly. He certainly wouldn't tolerate having his own reputation soiled so easily. "Yeah, I suppose I can." A smirk wormed its way onto his lips for a brief moment before it ebbed away again.
"Raccoonstripe was my mentor. If you think you can survive his training then good luck, he doesn't play soft." Wildheart warned as he lifted his head higher. Moonwhisper and him had been trained side by side by the tom and they had been tough days indeed. Though he had come through as a strong warrior, so it had been worth while indeed. "You should come to the training hollow more often, maybe there you'll pick up a thing or two."
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